Undying Life

Chapter 174: The Beginning of Zhongshan's Scheme

Inside the central hall of the Floating Island where Gulun resides, Gulun and Master Shuijing each hold a small piece of paper, frowning as they read.

In front of them, Mobeili is anxious beyond measure.

"Master, Sir, this Shuitianya has no shame. Now he's actually sending people to the streets to shout and distribute these kinds of flyers," Mobeili says angrily.

Gulun and Master Shuijing look at the promotional flyers in their hands—

"The Great Yu Empire is cruel and wicked, they are coming to attack again. Have you had brothers die at the hands of the Great Yu Empire? Have you had friends fall into the hands of the butcher of the Great Yu Empire? The cruel and brutal Great Yu Empire is just outside the South City. They are coming again. They want to breach the city, they want to capture us as slaves, to build stronger cities for them, they want to capture our wives and daughters as cauldron materials for their army's cultivation.

Do you want to taste the taste of losing your home and loved ones? Do you want to experience being enslaved and used as cauldrons? Then accept the status quo!

There is a person who does not want to see this happen. Even though the Fangshan Conference has just taken place, he still insists on being vigilant against the Great Yu Empire, always prepared for war, always thinking for the future of countless citizens of Wushuang City. He is none other than Shuitianya of the South City.

The South City has always been in a state of vigilance, Shuitianya is always ready for war with the Great Yu Empire. Shuitianya can defend the South City and ensure that it is never breached by the demons of the Great Yu Empire. But, what about other directions?

Perhaps the demons of the Great Yu Empire are a bit foolish. They only attack the South City and don't attack other city gates, right? Because the other directions are peaceful and safe.

Is this possible?

Do you want Wushuang City to become the barrier between heaven and earth, never to be breached? Then vote for Shuitianya of the South City.

For our safety, vote for Shuitianya! ——

"Shameless, absolutely shameless. This Shuitianya has truly gone too far," Gulun says angrily.

"Yes, Sir, Master, Shuitianya has truly been too ostentatious this time. This is just one version of the flyer, and there are many more. Those people distributing flyers seem to be going crazy, shouting and yelling every day," Mobeili says worriedly.

"What's the situation with the current voting?" Gulun asks.

"I'm still leading by a large margin, but the rate at which Shuitianya's votes are increasing is rapidly catching up to mine. Although I still have nearly eight hundred thousand more votes than him, the number of votes he's gaining every day is almost catching up to mine," Mobeili says.

"Sir, what should we do now?" Gulun immediately asks with concern.

Master Shuijing fans himself lightly with his feathered fan, furrowing his brow lightly as he thinks. "Since their people have torn up the rules and taken to the streets, then, Mobeili, you should also have your subordinates go out to the streets for promotion."

"Yes, we have three times as many people as they do, so when the time comes, we'll also distribute flyers and hold speeches. The effect is definitely going to be better than theirs," Gulun says excitedly.

"Yes," Mobeili nods immediately.

"Also," Master Shuijing says, shaking his feathered fan.

The two look at Master Shuijing together.

"Let the Military Intelligence Bureau supervise all soldiers and have them all vote for us," Master Shuijing says.

"Sir, with the Military Intelligence Bureau involved, the votes of the military will definitely be in our favor. But is it too conspicuous to have them all vote for us all at once? Wouldn't it be bad for my father's reputation?" Gulun furrows his brow and asks.

Seeing Gulun's expression, Master Shuijing smiles faintly. He didn't expect Gulun to think so deeply.

"Sir, the Military Intelligence Bureau belongs to His Highness, it's not some big secret. It's just that it hasn't been mentioned before. It's fine to mention it now. However, in addition to being His Highness's people, the Military Intelligence Bureau also belongs to the Emperor. These votes that belong to us should be grasped as soon as possible, turned into numbers, to prevent any last-minute changes," Master Shuijing says.

"Huh?" Gulun looks at Master Shuijing with confusion.

"Because if we don't seize the votes now, we may lose some votes later. The army and the civilians in the city are different. Especially the army of Wushuang City, the soldiers here are accustomed to constant warfare, they are more bellicose, they crave war more because many of their brothers have died at the hands of the Great Yu Empire. They want revenge. I'm worried that Princess Qianyou will use this point to influence these soldiers," Master Shuijing says, taking a deep breath.

"Yes, we must act quickly," Gulun becomes anxious immediately.

"Thank you, Sir," Mobeili says immediately. Obviously, as Master Shuijing said, if the other side finds the army, then suddenly losing votes that belong to oneself would be heartbreaking.

"Son, you go find the Military Intelligence Bureau now, and Mobeili, you quickly organize people for promotion," Master Shuijing says.

"Yes," both of them nod and quickly leave, each attending to their respective tasks.

After the two leave, Master Shuijing's brow furrows tightly. He walks out of the hall lightly and looks up at the distant stars, saying softly, "Princess, this isn't like your style. Could it be that there's another talented individual around you?"—

Outside Zhongshan's residence.

"Sir, this is the master craftsman, especially skilled in crafting Breaking Gang Arrows. It can be said that within Wushuang City, aside from this Master Zichen, no one else can surpass him in crafting Breaking Gang Arrows," Princess Qianyou points to a man in gray robes beside her.

"Master Zichen? My apologies," Zhongshan says immediately.

"No need for formalities. Sir, whatever orders you have, please tell me. I will do my utmost," Master Zichen says.

"Oh, can Master Zichen tell me about Breaking Gang Arrows?" Zhongshan asks with a smile.

"Yes, Breaking Gang Arrows have two parts, a bow and an arrow. Depending on their grade, they can have different levels of power. The weakest Breaking Gang Arrows can break through the Gang Shield of a Golden Core Stage cultivator. As for the strongest bow and arrow, it is said that it can shoot into the starry sky, with a single arrow capable of shattering stars. As for the bows and arrows I craft, the most they can do is break through the Gang Shield of a Unity Stage cultivator, of course, under the condition that the Unity Stage cultivator does not take other defensive measures or use magical weapons," Master Zichen explains.

"Can it break through the Gang Shield of a Unity Stage cultivator? Then what level of cultivation is needed to fully unleash the power of such a bow and arrow?" Zhongshan furrows his brow and asks.

"At least the Nascent Soul Stage," Master Zichen says.

"So, can these arrows really kill a Unity Stage cultivator?" Zhongshan asks again.

"No, they can only break through their protective shield. If it's a truly strong Unity Stage cultivator, they can quickly dispel it or use their sword to cut the arrow down," Master Zichen says.

"Mr. Shui, what's your cultivation level?" Zhongshan suddenly asks Shuitianya beside him.

"I am in the Nascent Soul Stage," Shuitianya says.

"So, you mean, these arrows that can break through the Gang Shield of a Unity Stage cultivator can definitely kill Mr. Shui?" Zhongshan suddenly smiles.

Hearing what Zhongshan said, Shuitianya breaks out in a cold sweat. "Yes, faced with such a bow, if I don't take precautions, I basically have no chance of survival."

"No chance of survival? If the arrow enters the body, it only pierces through. If it doesn't hit a vital point, wouldn't there still be a chance of survival?" Zhongshan asks in confusion.

"The breaking of the Gang Shield depends on the bow, but after the arrow enters the body, due to its different attributes, it may explode, freeze, or contain a deadly aura, destroying the Purple Mansion and injuring the Nascent Soul. Then it would be very difficult to save oneself," Master Zichen explains.

"Then, if Mr. Shui dodges with all his might, can he escape from this arrow?" Zhongshan asks.

"He should be able to. When you reach the Nascent Soul Stage, if there's an arrow pointing at you, you will feel a sense of impending danger and can quickly evade it. However, if there are many archers, avoiding them becomes difficult," Shuitianya explains.

"Alright, then in a few days, please trouble Master Zichen to forge a special bow for me, along with several special arrows. I will explain their specific uses to you later," Zhongshan smiles.

"Yes, rest assured, Sir," Master Zichen nods.

Then, after seeing Master Zichen off, they discuss further, as they don't want more people to overhear their conversation.

"Sir, how's the situation in the city now?" Zhongshan asks directly.

"Mobeili has also started promoting, and he openly grabbed all the votes of the army. He now has 3.1 million votes, while I only have 1.05 million," Shuitianya frowns.

"Hehe, don't worry. It's just two million votes, right? There are ten million people in the city, and half of them haven't voted yet. Besides, isn't the gap between the people voting for you and those voting for Mobeili getting smaller?" Zhongshan smiles.

"True, the number of votes is increasing every day, and now the difference with Mobeili is not that big," Shuitianya smiles.

"In that case, you don't have to worry. There are still a few months left. Let Mobeili be happy for a while. In the end, when you turn the tables, it will be your turn to laugh," Zhongshan laughs.

"Yes, sir," Shuitianya responds with a hint of excitement.

"However, there's one more thing I need you to do," Zhongshan says after some thought.

"Please tell me, sir," Shuitianya respectfully says. Because of Zhongshan's series of actions, Shuitianya has seen hope, so he respects Zhongshan more and more, even though Zhongshan's cultivation level is still low.

"I need you to buy off someone from the opposing core camp," Zhongshan says.

"Buy off? Sir, this is quite difficult. The core camp is the group of people Mobeili trusts the most. Being trusted by Mobeili, these people are not easy to buy off," Shuitianya furrows his brow.

"That's why you need to carefully select and persuade them slowly. You can try to find more people. There will always be someone," Zhongshan smiles.

"But, sir, if this news leaks out, and if those people pretend to agree and then betray us, what should we do?" Shuitianya furrows his brow. Clearly, it's very difficult to win over people from Mobeili's core camp, very difficult indeed.

"Leak the news? Betrayal? Haha, don't worry, Shuitianya. I never intended to keep it from Mobeili in the first place. As for betrayal, we'll see when the time comes. We'll see how they betray us," Zhongshan says confidently.

"Huh? What do you mean, sir?" Shuitianya looks puzzled.

"Don't ask too much. Just do as I say," Zhongshan says mysteriously.

"Yes," Shuitianya furrows his brow.

"Do as Sir says!" Princess Qianyou says to Shuitianya.