Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Upon hearing Zhang Dongyun’s question, Hui Tianyu’s expression remained the same. “Senior, how wise of you. I am indebted to my master, and I have never thought of betraying him.”
He said slowly, “I do have a rebellious heart, but that’s against the Forgotten Truth Temple.”
The old man in black did not utter a word. He merely looked at Hui Tianyu with great interest.
Hui Tianyu calmed his mind. “The Forgotten Truth Temple has been oppressive toward our sect, especially in recent years, forcing our disciples to believe in Daoism.
“I have the intention of finding another leader for our sect. I didn’t mean to enter Chang’an Fortress and offend the Fortress Lord and Senior. Both of you have extraordinary cultivation and are magnanimous. I am very impressed.” He bowed to the old man in black.
“I boldly and earnestly request to work for Chang’an Fortress and hopefully make some contributions so that I can ask the Fortress Lord and Senior to back up the Cold Mountain Sect and help us get out from being under the control of the Forgotten Truth Temple.”
Zhang Dongyun smiled faintly. “If you want to break free from the Forgotten Truth Temple and find a new backer, you can seek refuge under Eastern Tang. Do you not think that they can compete with the Forgotten Truth Temple despite being in Qinzhou Prefecture as well?”
“Eastern Tang has harsh governance, and its officials are corrupt and exploitive.” Hui Tianyu sighed. “They are worse than the Forgotten Truth Temple.”
Zhang Dongyun was not swayed by his words. “The Fortress Lord is naturally magnanimous, but how can he be bothered with such trivial matters? Taking my orders may perhaps be even more difficult than your allegiance to Eastern Tang.”
Hui Tianyu was slightly startled, as he had not expected that the old man in black before him was even more brutal than Eastern Tang.
But he quickly calmed down.
It was true that more than one powerhouse on par with the Forgotten Truth Temple existed in Eastern Tang.
Apart from Eastern Tang, the Forgotten Truth Temple dominated the southern foot of Dragon Ridge.
Even if other forces wanted to interfere, their slow aid would not be of any help.
The Cold Mountain Sect would be first destroyed by the wrath of the Forgotten Truth Temple.
Only this strange old fortress, which had suddenly appeared in the depths of Dragon Ridge, gave people a glimmer of hope.
This old man in black was indeed eccentric and capricious.
The Fortress Lord wouldn’t be like that, right? Hui Tianyu bowed respectfully. “I am young and shallow. How can I guess what is in Senior’s mind? All I ask for is a chance. I will certainly do my best.”
Zhang Dongyun looked at him and suddenly smiled a long while later. “Very good. I like young people who are active and have courage and knowledge.”
He came to his side. “In that case, I will give you a chance.”
“Please instruct me, Senior!” Hui Tianyu was overjoyed but remained calm and did not get carried away.
Zhang Dongyun, disguised as an old man in black, said, “Clothing, food, housing, and transportation are essential for people. You can live without housing and transportation but not food and clothing.”
“You are right, Senior,” Hui Tianyu answered while trying to guess the other party’s intention.
He, his fellow disciples, and some Mountain Tiger Hall disciples had been imprisoned in the fortress for a few days now.
They were all tired and hungry and were relying on their martial bodies to sustain them.
The old man in black seemed to have succeeded in inedia and did not need to eat or drink.
“I have some savings, so I will go out of the fortress to buy food, water, and cloth,” Hui Tianyu said, trying to sound him out.
The old man in black glanced at him. “How long can your savings last for the food and clothing of a thousand, ten thousand, or even more people?”
Hui Tianyu was in a daze. “A thousand or ten thousand people?”
The old man in black said calmly, “If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime.”
He looked at Hui Tianyu. “The amount of cloth, food, and water you want to buy is your business. Your task is to purchase good seeds and livestock.”
“Good seeds and livestock…” Hui Tianyu had a realization.
“Seeds of grains, seedlings of fruits and vegetables, tree species of cotton, flax, and mulberry for weaving cloth, silkworm eggs, fries in fish ponds, young livestock of pigs, cows, and sheep…” The old man in black smiled. “Just any seeds or livestock you can think of.”
After the initial shock, Hui Tianyu became even more joyful and confident.
The old man was clearly serious about taking root here and would not be leaving soon.
This new backer is quite stable.
“I understand. Please rest assured, Senior. I will definitely try my best to collect them.” Hui Tianyu thought about it. “But how much time do I have? I can get more with more time…”
“For the same category, we don’t need too many of them. Just a few will do.” The old man in black shook his head. “The important thing is that the more variety there are and the better the breeds are, the better it is.”
Hui Tianyu was somewhat surprised, but he did not utter a word. Instead, he replied right away, “Yes, sir. In that case, I will be back very soon.”
Zhang Dongyun waved his hand. “You only have one chance, so seize it.”
A black cloud lifted Hui Tianyu and sent him out of the fortress.
Through the judgment by the power of the Impenetrable Fortress, Zhang Dongyun knew that Hui Tianyu had spoken from the bottom of his heart.
Zhang Dongyun did not care if he had any other ideas.
It did not matter whether Hui Tianyu did this task or attracted the Cold Mountain Sect to attack his fortress.
He actually could not wait for it to attack his fortress!
It would even be better if the Cold Mountain Sect got help from the Forgotten Truth Temple.
Of course, if this young man could get the job done, Zhang Dongyun would give him another chance.
The black cloud sent Hui Tianyu out of the fortress.
Hui Tianyu looked at the fortress walls and took a deep breath, his gaze growing steadier over time.
He made his way out of the White Cloud Abyss.
As he walked through the primeval forest in Dragon Ridge, the one-eyed young man pondered on how to complete the task that the old man in black had given him.
All of a sudden, he heard a voice up ahead.
Shocked, Hui Tianyu subconsciously hid.
As they approached, the one-eyed young man noticed that there were people from the Mountain Tiger Hall and armored soldiers.
The disciple who had been released earlier had attracted the higher-ups of the Mountain Tiger Hall, as well as the soldiers under the Great Xuanwu General…
Hui Tianyu immediately frowned.
He had only encountered the frontline army that was scouting the way.
In the distance behind, the formerly quiet dense forest in Dragon Ridge was now noisy.
A large number of soldiers were cutting down trees to pave a path and building bridges to cross a river.
Supply wagons were at the back, waiting for the road to be paved so that they could go into the mountains.
A group of people stood at the side of the wagons.
“When I was hunting before, why didn’t I discover treasures hidden in this poor, remote place?” A young man clad in armor patted the huge ballista at the side and smiled. “With these sharp weapons to attack the fortress, we don’t have to worry. Uncle Gao, thanks for coming with me this time.”
A middle-aged man at his side looked solemn. “If it’s truly like what the young disciple said, we must not be careless.”
After saying that, the middle-aged man looked at the burly man beside him, who was the sect master of the Mountain Tiger Hall.
The burly man lowered his head. “Yes, there might be an expert of the Demon Dao in the fortress.”
The young man clad in armor smiled. “Don’t worry. If it’s really an expert of the Demon Dao who cultivates the Blood Phoenix Transformation, my Spirit Cleansing Jade can restrain him. He will certainly die with all the number of arrows fired at him!”
The middle-aged officer said, “There might be other experts. You have to be careful when the time comes, Young Master.”
“Don’t worry, Uncle Gao. I know,” the young man said. “But it’s worth the risk for the miraculous pills that can bring back the dead.
“Unfortunately, Father is busy with the unrest, or he would have been able to do this himself and make sure nothing goes wrong.”
While they were chatting, the army started going into the mountains.
Hui Tianyu returned to the White Cloud Abyss and Chang’an Fortress to report this matter.
“Not bad. That’s thoughtful of you.” Upon hearing Hui Tianyu report that an army had gone into the mountains, Zhang Dongyun replied in a light-hearted manner, “You need not ask any more questions. Just focus on your task.”
When Hui Tianyu heard that, he felt even more confident and took his leave.
In the Great Ming Palace, Zhang Dongyun was not as calm as earlier. His face was full of smiles, and he could not contain his excitement.
There was a green lawn in the empty palace suddenly.
Fortress Lord Zhang rushed forward, slid across the lawn on his knees, and clenched his fists tightly. “Nice! Well done!”