The Ming Dynasty Sequence : Chapter 203: Chaotic Situation

Chapter 203: The Situation Turns Chaotic

"A fortune-teller who doesn't tell fortunes properly, yet hides this much wine—does he really think he's running a restaurant?"

Li Jun stood with arms crossed before Zou Sijiu's private wine rack, looking it up and down.

If Zou Sijiu were here right now, he would surely be shocked at how his secret had been discovered by Li Jun.

The reason wasn't actually complicated.

Though Li Jun didn't understand mechanism arts, that old Mohist rogue Ma Wangye was a master of them.

He had barely handed the control compass to Li Jun before Ma Wangye had completely cracked its hidden restrictions.

By now, Ma Wangye should already be roaming through Zou Sijiu's unique secret technique, "Yellow Millet Sea of Desire."

Though Li Jun couldn't fathom why Zou Sijiu had arranged the "Rest Gate" interior to resemble a tavern, a sweeping glance revealed this charlatan had quite a collection of fine wines.

"There's even this stuff."

Li Jun's brow arched as he pulled a clay jar still sealed with mud from the rack's center.

A red paper was pasted on the brown jar body, bearing four large characters: "Jiannan Shaochun." At the paper's end was also written:

"What kind of wine deserves what kind of bowl, heh."

Muttering to himself, Li Jun poured himself a bowl, swaying to the window and throwing himself into a rocking chair.

The Peace Hotel was located on the outer side of the Hongya Mountain cliff towers. Though not high up, it still overlooked a corner of the Central Yu District.

The mountain city saw frequent rain, always arriving unexpectedly.

Drizzling rain passed through variegated light and shadow, pattering on pedestrians' heads.

Bizarre yet perennial immortal projections floated above the streets.

Eager vendors hawked their wares loudly, attracting off-duty labor slaves.

Heavily made-up courtesans circled dark alley entrances, while tattooed strongmen squatted nearby keeping watch.

Ragged beggars curled under eaves, devouring scraps of unknown origin from some tavern.

In the medical clinic's transparent display window, a prosthetic replacement surgery was underway. The crowd outside grew steadily, and the physician's assistant seized the chance to pull out the clinic's fee schedule for promotion.

Before the clamorously loud tavern, Western dancers shed their clothes and twirled in the cold rain. Passersby had long grown accustomed to the sight, until a sharp-witted waiter handed out flyers reading "Native Flesh," drawing some inside.

Without armed guards patrolling, Central Yu District's streets were more prosperous than the Chicken Goose District.

The wine bowl in his hand wasn't large; paired with the myriad beings in his eyes, it was drained in two or three sips.

Li Jun set the bowl on the windowsill and took from his bosom the external device He Cangjia had given him, capable of connecting to the Yellow Millet Network.

After verifying his "miscellaneous brand" identity, he smoothly entered the Sichuan-Chongqing Gambling Association's internal information platform.

On the panel where dense information flowed like a waterfall—this was one reason Yellow Millet Dream external devices had been phased out.

Massive information streams presented as text; both efficiency and effect were extremely poor.

And after "All Under Heaven Divides the Martial," the empire's main power holders were no longer the martial dao sequence that rejected implanted spirit aperture chips; the market naturally abandoned this backward interaction method.

Fortunately, Li Jun's current neural reaction speed was powerful enough to keep pace with the information refresh rate.

After scanning past some trivial, messy, useless information, Li Jun opened a specially bolded and reddened message.

"Sparrow System Chief 'Right General' Qi Huai colluded with Honghu, suffered disastrous raid by Embroidered Uniform Guard."

The information was minutely detailed, describing clearly the process of how Qi Huai assisted Honghu's infiltration of the Qixia Group.

It even identified the Qixia Group's Dao Eight Zhang Jinyun who had been subverted by Honghu, and the "resurrected" Yellow Turban Powerhouse Fang Xinfu.

As if the publisher had been at the scene that day.

The subsequent wording was even more unforgiving, condemning Qi Huai for not only failing to seek benefits for all gambling association colleagues as the Sichuan-Chongqing Gambling Association's "Right General," but actually participating in Honghu's rebellion.

This action completely disregarded the lives of all association members; he was fundamentally unworthy of the title "Right General."

It called on the other "Eight Generals" to strip Qi Huai of his "Right General" status, and hand over the territory under the "Tube Character" as compensation to the other suits.

The entire message ran over a thousand words, emotionally charged, illustrated with text and images—a classic vernacular manifesto.

The replies below numbered in the hundreds, a posture of mass outrage.

Even Li Jun couldn't help speculating that Qi Huai's family, even if not entirely uploaded to the imperial prison, probably met a fate no better.

One must know that assassination accounted for no small share of the Sichuan-Chongqing Gambling Association's main business.

Targeted by so many villains, even a "Right General" would likely struggle to cope.

But after reading this highly incendiary manifesto, Li Jun felt the same doubt he'd had when viewing his own bounty.

Clearly, Daoist Wang Wenqin and Fang Xinfu were both killed by him, yet the information didn't mention them at all, deleting his role entirely.

Not only that, but Zou Sijiu and Ma Wangye didn't appear either.

Many believers had gathered at Qixia Plaza that day; though scattered by Honghu's "self-detonation," someone must have witnessed the scene.

With the Sichuan-Chongqing Gambling Association's foundation and capabilities in Chongqing Prefecture, it was impossible they couldn't clarify this much.

Such abnormality had only one explanation: the publisher deliberately concealed things for them.

"Wang Xie? Impossible—he's a picture of shattered dao heart; how could he still run to the Gambling Association's internal platform to join the fun?"

Li Jun stroked his chin, pondering silently.

"Could it be the Card System's Wind General, Jin Shenghuo?"

If this manifesto was truly Jin Shenghuo's handiwork, it aligned with the "Card System's" interests.

After all, Central Yu District had always been viewed by the "Sparrow System" as their pocket. Though the "Card System" had reached in through the Arhat Temple affair, friction between the two sides had been constant.

Now "Right General" Qi Huai was forced to flee; the entire "Sparrow System" interior must be in turmoil.

If at this moment they seized the moral high ground, inciting others in the association to attack the "Sparrow System" together, they would inevitably gain substantial benefits.

Even driving the "Sparrow System" out of Central Yu District in one stroke wasn't impossible.

Thinking it through, omitting himself from the manifesto made perfect sense.

After all, he still bore the "Card System" miscellaneous brand identity.

"Looks like the Sichuan-Chongqing Gambling Association is heading for internal chaos too."

A falling leaf heralds autumn.

The impact of Honghu using the Qixia Group to set a trap for him this time probably didn't end there.

And as a person within the scheme, he had likely already sunk deep into it.

"Those Honghu bastards. Truly disgusting."

Li Jun raised a hand to massage his temples, his heart a mess of irritation.

Just then, the restaurant's front door was suddenly knocked.

"Don't see the sign at the door? Proprietor's out; other business another day."

Li Jun shouted at the feng shui compass on his wrist, none too politely.