Chapter 981: Untitled

Chapter 981: Untitled

Zhao Shuangdian looked at Li Huowang before her, her voice steady and cold. "How do we strike? Should we fight until we both perish?"

"And after we destroy each other? When the other elephants arrive, shall we just wait to die together?"

Having said this, Zhao Shuangdian turned to Wu Qi, who was busy on the phone. "Tell Qing Wanglai that no matter what he has done in the past, we can sit down and talk; the cooperation agreement I had with him remains valid."

"I have only one condition: he must tell me everything he knows. I need more parameters for my calculations."

The visibly agitated Wu Qi turned his back, waving a hand dismissively in Zhao Shuangdian’s direction.

Watching Li Huowang’s expression of utter disbelief, Zhao Shuangdian stood up and patted his shoulder. "I despise Qing Wanglai as much as you do, and I understand your feelings, but I need you to understand that the big picture comes first."

"No! You don't understand! You didn't have a daughter murdered by him! How could you possibly understand what I feel!" Li Huowang roared, veins bulging on his forehead.

"What good would it do to kill him? Would your daughter come back to life? If Qing Wanglai dies, not only will your daughter stay dead, but without his help, we might all be wiped out by the other elephants."

"No, Qing Wanglai is not the point. The point is the Heavenly Dao he currently controls!" Yang Na suddenly interjected, offering a different perspective. "Why don't we just kill him and devour all the Heavenly Dao within him, just as he did to the other Siming?"

Even faced with their bizarre explanations, Zhao Shuangdian remained earnest. "You don't understand. Do you think I value Qing Wanglai for his strength? No, I value his intelligence!"

"He knows things we do not, and he even possesses special methods to manipulate other facets of the elephants. These are vital parameters; they might even allow us to reconstruct the entire model. That is what matters most!"

"I cannot even construct a logical mathematical model for the enemies we face; we know far too little about the other elephants."

Hearing this, a look of conflict crossed Yang Na’s face; she, too, was at a loss for what to do next.

Yang Na turned to Li Huowang. "Huowang, what do you think?"

Li Huowang stood frozen, ignoring Yang Na’s inquiry. After a long moment, he covered his face with his hands and began to laugh in a silent, bitter way.

"Li Huowang, what I propose is the optimal solution. Only by doing this can we maximize our chances of victory."

Hearing Zhao Shuangdian’s words, Li Huowang lowered his hands and said softly, "I am fine, Zhijian. Don't worry. Tell the others to stand down."

"Yes, I have just handled some matters. For now, allocate one dragon vein to Tianchen and another to Da Qi; keep the others for now. I fear I may need them later."

"I have business to attend to. I am leaving." Li Huowang brushed off Yang Na’s hand and began to pace blindly around the hall.

After a few turns, he stopped before a potted money tree. With eyes devoid of focus, he said, "No one is here now, Zhao Shuangdian. I am speaking to you."

"The matter of Qing Wanglai is not over. It is not merely that he stole a character from my name; he murdered my daughter. If not for that button of his forcing me to regress from the Seventh Wheel to the Sixth, I would have killed him long ago. My daughter never had to sacrifice her life to summon the Generals and Ministers!"

Li Huowang paused, then addressed the money tree directly. "There is no need to fear what happens if the Three Pure Ones die. If he dies, the Heavenly Dao he carries becomes ours. Our strength will not diminish; it will increase. At most, there will be a period of natural disasters." He repeated the very words Yang Na had spoken earlier.

"At worst, I will do his job. Besides, through all these events, Qing Wanglai has contributed nothing of substance anyway."

"No, that is not the point I was making—" Zhao Shuangdian began to explain again, but realizing the state Li Huowang was in, she knew he could not hear her. A headache throbbed behind her eyes.

Li Huowang continued, "It is inconvenient to negotiate with you now. When I switch back, I will accept Yi Donglai’s treatment to escape this current predicament."

"In the meantime, help me keep an eye on Yi Donglai. Don't let him run. He is the only one who can treat my condition. Thank you."

Ba Nanxu, who had just pulled a can of chilled beer from the fridge, watched the scene, took a swig, and muttered with disdain, "Idiot."

——

In Niuxin Village, the day's farm work had ended. Under the shade of the great tree at the village entrance, people gathered in twos and threes, bowls in hand, to eat their evening meal.

This was the village’s social hub, the place for cooling off, chatting, and spinning tall tales.

Everyone held a bowl; those with hearty dishes held them high to show off, while those with meager fare clutched them close, shielding them from prying eyes.

Close friends would sample each other’s food, often critiquing the culinary skills of one another’s wives.

"I say..." Gouwa rolled up his sleeves, his bowl piled high with braised pork, and squatted between the tree roots. "Why haven't we seen Xiao Hai?"

"He doesn't even cook anymore, why would he come here? His wife is with child—look at that pointed belly, likely a boy. He’s been coddling her these days."

Ever since Yang Xiaohai had thrown a fit, declaring his wife was about to give birth and he had no time for communal cooking, Niuxin Village had returned to everyone fending for themselves.

"What of it? Let me tell you, boys aren't as good as girls, you know? When they grow up, boys aren't as sensible as girls." Gouwa rambled on, his bowl of pork untouched, his lips already slick with grease.

"Ah, these past few years have finally been peaceful. No wars, no natural disasters." The scholar nearby slurped his cornmeal porridge, laced with bits of cured meat.

"Indeed, indeed," the others chimed in. Ever since the Dharma Sect was wiped out, life for the common folk had improved significantly.

"Heh, that’s only natural. It’s all thanks to my Senior Brother Gao. Do you know who my Senior Brother is?" Gouwa grinned, waiting for someone to take the bait.

"Here we go again."

"Exactly, who asked him?"

"We know, we know. It’s the Emperor of Dali. Does it hurt you to go a day without mentioning it?"

"Are you going to brag about this for the rest of your life?"

Gouwa picked up a piece of braised pork, kissed it, put it back, and shoveled a mouthful of rice. With his mouth full, he mumbled, "What? Can't even tell the truth? That Emperor is my Senior Brother, which makes me royalty by association."

"Back then, based on that friendship alone, Gao Zhijian begged me to be his Prime Minister, and I flatly refused."

Apologies, my fault. There should have been three chapters, but there are only two, as I have had many major matters to deal with recently. I will definitely post three chapters tomorrow.

(End of chapter)