Undying Life

Chapter 173: Chapter 173 Shout it out loud

Three days later, in the main hall of the Gu Lin Residence...

Gu Lin, Master Shuijing, and Mo Baili stood together.

"Prince, the results for the first day of voting are out. I received 36,000 votes, while Shuitianya only got 8,000 votes. That's more than four times the number of votes," Mo Baili said excitedly.

"This is just the first day. There are still many days ahead. Besides, with such a huge advantage, if you didn't achieve this result, you should be ashamed," Master Shuijing said, shaking his head.

"Yes, you're right, Master," Mo Baili immediately reflected.

"By the way, any developments from Shuitianya's propaganda team?" Master Shuijing asked.

"Why do you ask the same question every day? It's always the same. Now, Shuitianya's propagandists are becoming less effective, and people are increasingly distrustful of them," Gu Lin chuckled.

"No, Master, something strange happened yesterday," Mo Baili said.

"Oh?" Master Shuijing focused on Mo Baili.

"It seems that Shuitianya invested another 3,000 personnel in propaganda. Our people saw that every place had three batches of people coming and going all day long. Moreover, they were more convincing than before. Some were even passionately claiming that the Great Yu Dynasty would tear up the agreement and attack Wushuang City tomorrow morning," Mo Baili explained.

"Investing 3,000? That's strange. There was no prior information about it. 3,000 people is not a small number, and according to what you said, each of them was very effective in their propaganda," Master Shuijing furrowed his brows, pondering.

"Shuijing, could it be that Qian You has deployed more people?" Gu Lin worriedly asked.

Shuijing shook his head and turned to Mo Baili, asking, "How did these three batches of people appear? Did they appear only once and never again? And did each batch only consist of one person?"

"Um? It seems so," Mo Baili thought for a moment and said.

Hearing Mo Baili's explanation, Master Shuijing smiled faintly and said, "Princess Qian You is indeed clever."

"What's going on, Shuijing?" Gu Lin asked.

"It's still the same 1,000 people, but now they're on the move. Originally stagnant like stagnant water, now they're active," Master Shuijing furrowed his brows.

"Master, should our people do the same? Start moving around?" Mo Baili immediately asked.

"No, we're different from them. They want to create a crisis, instill fear in people's hearts, while we aim for stability, to calm people's hearts. Therefore, the effect of them moving around may not necessarily be stronger than ours. Princess Qian You is truly formidable," Master Shuijing praised.

"What should we do then?" Gu Lin immediately expressed concern.

"Don't worry. Let half of our people stay put while the other half move around for propaganda. The people of Wushuang City still hope for peace and stability," Master Shuijing said, waving his feather fan.

"Yes," Mo Baili agreed.

In fact, Master Shuijing had one more thing he didn't say: The people of Wushuang City not only hope for peace and stability but also fear the outbreak of war and the imminent danger.

Two months later, outside Zhongshan's residence, he held his sword high, infused with true energy, and even activated a strand of pure Yang energy from his Purple Mansion.

From a distance, Zhongshan fiercely slashed down with his sword, sending a twelve-zhang blade qi crashing down.

"Boom!"

With a loud noise, only a small part of it was formed by the blade's energy. The real sound accompanied the blade's energy, and suddenly, a bolt of lightning as thick as an arm struck down.

Under the impact of the lightning strike, a large tree in the distance exploded with a thunderous roar, and the powerful thunderstorm instantly destroyed the internal structure of the tree.

Countless charred fragments flew through the air, displaying the terrifying power of the blade technique and lightning.

This blade technique was called "Heavenly Thunder Punishment," a form of the Thunder Prison Pure Yang Technique. It was no longer just a martial art technique of the innate realm but had risen to the level of magic. "Heavenly Thunder Punishment" was not just a name for a blade technique but also for a spell. Zhou Shan released a thunderbolt with pure Yang energy, along with the blade energy.

Although it was only as thick as an arm now, as his cultivation increased, the thunderbolt would become thicker and thicker. By then, it wouldn't just be one thunderbolt but a barrage of thunderbolts like pouring rain.

Zhou Shan had broken through to the second stage of the Golden Core period. He sheathed his blade smoothly. This breakthrough had indeed been fast, twice as fast as before, and he had also enjoyed the best conditions for cultivation. After being soaked in thunder for over three months and reaching the peak of the first stage of the Golden Core period when he emerged from the Ling Tide of the Kaiyang Sect, he had finally broken through.

"Congratulations, sir, on advancing your cultivation technique," came Princess Qian You's applause from nearby.

Zhou Shan quickly sheathed his sword and turned to look. At this moment, Princess Qian You was standing there with Ada, A'er, and Shuitianya.

Zhou Shan no longer minded being seen practicing by Princess Qian You. There was nothing to be concerned about. With the improvement of his ordinary techniques, Princess Qian You wouldn't notice anything unusual, let alone trouble him.

"Please, sir, have a seat," Princess Qian You immediately pointed to the nearby stone table.

Zhou Shan didn't hesitate to sit down. The tea on the table was the finest immortal tea, and with just a sip, he felt completely refreshed after the energy expenditure from his previous strike.

"How are the recent votes in the city?" Zhou Shan asked.

Princess Qian You smiled slightly but didn't say much, waiting for Shuitianya's report.

"Sir, Mo Baili now has one million votes, while I have 230,000," Shuitianya reported.

"Huh? That shouldn't be the case. Logically speaking, with us promoting 'war crisis' and Mo Baili promoting 'era of peace,' in a border city like Wushuang City, 'war crisis' should be more convincing. Why are our numbers so low?" Zhou Shan frowned.

"Our people have tried their best in promoting, but we still lack numbers compared to Mo Baili. We only have about a thousand people, while they have three thousand," Shuitianya explained.

"Insufficient numbers?" Zhou Shan furrowed his brows.

"Yes," Shuitianya replied.

"Is a thousand not enough? In the entire Wushuang City, there are only seventy-two commercial districts. With an average of fourteen people per district, shouldn't that be enough for your organization?" Zhou Shan widened his eyes.

"Each commercial district is quite large, and with numerous taverns, having only fourteen people seems inadequate," Shuitianya expressed concern.

Zhou Shan hesitated for a moment as he looked at Shuitianya. Then, he took a deep breath, his expression turning very serious.

Seeing Zhou Shan's expression, Princess Qian You smiled slightly because she knew from the previous two experiences that Zhou Shan was once again feeling frustrated by Shuitianya's actions.

"Zhou Shan didn't get angry, but quickly steadied himself and said to Shuitianya, "Master Shuitianya, here's what we'll do. I'll give you a plan, and you follow it."

"Please, sir, go ahead," Shuitianya immediately responded.

"From now on, don't stay in the taverns for promotion. It's too slow there," Zhou Shan said.

"But taverns have the highest foot traffic. That's where promotion can reach the widest audience," Shuitianya puzzled.

"But with so many taverns, can you cover them all?" Zhou Shan asked.

"This?" Shuitianya furrowed his brow. It was indeed difficult with so few people.

"You need to find out where the most people gather," Zhou Shan asked.

"Hmm?" Shuitianya pondered.

"Plazas. Everyone has to pass through various shops, taverns, and other places to reach the plaza, especially large intersections. That's where the most people are. Let your people promote there," Zhou Shan said.

"There? Won't that be too conspicuous? And it seems too artificial. Especially for promotion, apart from those who absolutely idolize me, no one would do that. It's too radical. People will see through it immediately," Shuitianya puzzled.

"Idolize you? Too radical? Well, Master Shuitianya also knows that such people exist? Since you know, what's there to be afraid of? As long as there's such a possibility, it's reasonable. Whether one or a thousand appear, what's the difference? Let them make a scene, let everyone know you. Divide each commercial district into four sections, with someone responsible for promotion in each section, while others provide support. You have to shout out loud, shout out your support, shout until you're red in the face. That's the only way to infect others, and produce a large number of your promotional flyers. Give one to everyone you see," Zhou Shan said.

Upon hearing Zhou Shan's words, Shuitianya swallowed hard, his mouth opening and closing for a long time without saying anything.

"Master Shuitianya, you need to understand that this election campaign is like a war. You need to throw yourself into it wholeheartedly. Victory or defeat can happen in an instant, it's all about strategy. In Wushuang City, the majority are commoners, and for many of them, they don't care who becomes the city lord as long as they can ensure their safety and livelihood. Right now, you need to infect them. They need to believe that you are the one who can ensure their safety. The war crisis is here, and only you can ensure that this crisis can be resolved," Zhou Shan explained.

"Shuitianya has learned. Thank you, sir," Shuitianya bowed respectfully to Zhou Shan.

"Well, go on and continue your promotion," Zhou Shan said.

"Yes," Shuitianya nodded immediately and then bid farewell to Princess Qian You before quickly leaving.

After Shuitianya left, Princess Qian You picked up a cup of tea and smiled, "Sir, your ideas are truly imaginative. Qian You admires that."

"Princess is too modest," Zhou Shan shook his head and smiled.

"Qian You is not being modest. Sir's consecutive strategies have truly broadened Qian You's horizons," Princess Qian You smiled.

"Hehe, a series of strategies constitutes a strategy," Zhou Shan laughed.

"A good strategy indeed. Qian You has learned," Princess Qian You smiled.

"Hehe, with the princess's appreciation, Zhou Shan will naturally do his best. Those were just preludes. These days, I've finally come up with a strategy that can turn the tide," Zhou Shan smiled confidently.