novelraw Chapter 962: 4 Months Ago
Chapter 962: 4 Months Ago
Those brought here by Li Shu in Prison 18 suddenly understood many things: "Gunshots rang out at the meeting, someone wanted to kill the Patriarch, but the Heartless Bell didn’t ring, so it was all an act, right?"
Li Shu: "Mm."
"So the Patriarch forcibly conscripted city residents to send them to the southwest to rendezvous with the Qing Family?"
Li Shu: "Mm."
"Why put the Tyrant here? It could have been sent to the opposite side."
Li Shu: "City 18 is the most ideal forward base in the West Continent. It has mature transportation lines, a mature Airport and labor force, it’s the granary of the entire Central Plains region, and it’s the best passage into the southwest. Blowing it up will make the surrounding 600 kilometers impassable, giving the Qing Family two months to prepare for the enemy, and my master two months to prepare for his affairs. There’s only one Tyrant; placing it on the opposite side isn’t as cost-effective as placing it here."
"But it will kill many people! There are still many residents in City 18!"
Li Shu calmly said: "This is war. We merely chose the optimal solution from numerous options."
"Then why arrange so many civilian airships to attack the Blackwater? We only need this missile."
Li Shu: "The Patriarch said that because the Fate Weaver exists, we must hold out for an hour." So, the task of civilian airships was to escort military airships, while the task of military airships was merely to stall for that one hour. The Fate Weaver’s God’s-eye view must observe fate fragments on a per-person basis. An A-Class can see twenty minutes after the start of the battle, even a Demi-God can only see one hour after the start of the battle. The Fate Weaver’s nesting doll principle is to see the fate of the locked target. In the Forbidden Forest, a Fate Weaver locked onto the fate of the Third Division to provide support. Another Fate Weaver then locked onto the fate of the first Fate Weaver, so they could see two fragments consecutively.
Now, the Tyrant’s range of effect is up to a radius of 600 kilometers. There are no more living people within this range to use for nesting dolls. This is what Qing Chen said: there are only two ways to kill a Fate Weaver—one is to have a wide enough range of damage, the other is to be fast enough. If they planned to directly detonate the Tyrant, the other party wouldn’t have come.
Li Yunshou knew that the efforts of those civilian and military airships would be fruitless, and the commander in that military airship knew it would be fruitless, but they still did it.
Only for this moment.
Sacrifice the small for the large;
Abandon when in danger;
Protect oneself when the other is strong;
Seek peace when isolated.
Li Xiurui’s Go skills might not surpass Qing Xun’s, but the principles the Qing Family understood were principles the Li Clan had always understood as well. The young man who had once cursed Li Yunshou remembered that Li Yunshou, even knowing the outcome, remained silent in the face of scorn.
At this time, a Shadow Gate opened, and Qing Ji walked out and said to everyone: "Set the countdown for 3 minutes. Everyone evacuate."
The young man said, "Wait, what about the people in Ban Shan Mountain Estate? Should we provide support for them?"
Qing Ji glanced at him and said, "It’s too late."
The young man asked, "But since you knew all this in advance, why didn’t you prepare for the evacuation in advance? Doesn’t your Guardians’ Union control magical gates?"
"Because there are puppets in Ban Shan Mountain Estate, we need him to verify the intelligence with the informant in Blackwater City, so the Blackwater City fleet will be willing to come," Qing Ji answered expressionlessly. "What? Do you regret it?"
The young man lowered his head and thought for a moment: "That’s true. What I can think of, the Patriarch can also think of. The Li Clan has never been afraid of paying such a price. I don’t regret it, I’m just sad."
"Sad about what?"
"Sad that I’m the one who survived." Qing Ji turned and retreated behind the Shadow Gate: "Then live well for others."
The control panel in Prison 18 began the countdown: 180 seconds.
Everyone in the prison successively evacuated through the Shadow Gate. This was the Qing Family’s last effort. On the Blackwater, Li Yunshou looked at the Li Clan women and apologetically said: "I’m sorry, I implicated you all."
"It’s alright. In the face of great righteousness, the Li Clan didn’t make the wrong choice."
The Duke of Blackwater had already sensed something was wrong. He roared, ordering his soldiers to quickly raise the Blackwater’s altitude and sail away, but it was too late. Li Yunshou stood alone, waiting for his fate.
On the ground, a dazzling light erupted from the direction of Prison 18, like a star suddenly appearing from nothingness and then exploding. The huge shockwave, with Prison 18 as its center, rapidly spread outwards at several kilometers per second, engulfing the Blackwater in the light.
Four months ago.
The small wooden house on Ginkgo Mountain was quiet, even the mute servants had been dispersed early in the morning.
A Shadow Gate opened, and Shadow Qing Zhun came out, saying to Li Xiurui and Li Yunshou behind him: "This is the place."
Li Xiurui curiously looked around. He was on the hillside, overlooking the bright lights of City 5: "I’ve always heard about this place, but this is my first time here."
The Li Clan and the Qing Family were two behemoths standing in the East Continent Federation, but the kings rarely met. The Patriarchs rarely met.
They had no political identities, and it was always family members who appeared in public.
Therefore, Qing Xun had never been to the Ban Shan Mountain Estate in City 18, and Li Xiurui had never been to the Ginkgo Garden in City 5.
Li Xiurui looked at the quiet wooden house and smiled: "Do you think I’m more courageous for not bringing Li Yunjing here?"
Qing Zhun raised his eyebrows.
But they heard the Old Master sigh in the wooden house: "Why are you like a child who never grows up? Your competitive spirit is so strong. You’re still as annoying as before." Li Xiurui laughed and pushed the door open. The two seemed to have known each other for a long time.
Qing Xun had already set up a Go board inside, and Li Xiurui sat opposite him: "One game to decide the winner."
"One game to decide the winner."
Qing Xun made his move, and the two went back and forth for dozens of moves. Li Xiurui said with a smile: "Your Go skills aren’t very good."
But Qing Xun was clearly at a disadvantage, and soon his position was crumbling.
Dozens more moves.
Li Xiurui suddenly turned serious and looked at his opponent in the dim light. At this time, a black dragon suddenly appeared on the edge of the board, and it was already impossible to kill it.
Only when the game reached this point did he realize that everything the master of Ginkgo Mountain had done before was paving the way for this black dragon.
And in these more than one hundred moves, Qing Xun used the ten precepts of Go with extraordinary skill. Among them, the precepts of not being greedy for victory, attacking the opponent, protecting oneself, sacrificing the small for the large, protecting oneself when the other is strong, and seeking peace when isolated were used to the extreme by Qing Xun.
No more!
How could a Jin Di person win against a Qing Zhen bloodline? Qing Xun could not only win, but win in the way he wanted.
This was something Li Xiurui could never match.
Qing Xun said, "The Federation is in great danger. When the building collapses, neither of us will be spared, but I have a way—to be precise, I see a way to win."
Li Xiurui chuckled, "You old boy is trying to use this opportunity to trick me into cooperating with you to unify the Federation. Stop pretending to be mysterious."
What Qing Xun saw was something Li Xiurui had never seen, so he didn’t believe it at all.
However, at this moment, Qing Xun picked up the pieces that Li Xiurui had just thrown away.
He continued to place black and white pieces, without looking up, saying: "Only Li Yunshou can watch this game. Xiao Zhun, go out and wait with the Li Clan Patriarch."
Li Xiurui stared: "Do you know what political treatment is? I came all the way here to play Go with you, and you want me to go out and wait?"
Qing Xun glanced at him: "I called you here to drink, not to play Go. The main person is Li Yunshou. Only he can watch the game."
Li Xiurui looked at the Go board: "Is this what you had Li Shutong take from Prison 18?"
Qing Xun didn’t answer.
Li Xiurui asked again: "You must have seen something important, so why can’t more people see it? We can also brainstorm. Don’t think you’re smarter than anyone else, as if only your approach is feasible."
Qing Xun looked up at him: "Don’t be greedy for victory."
These four words almost summed up the entire plan of Qing Xun. If the outcome is acceptable to you, then embrace your fate and don’t try to get other outcomes. They may not be better than this one.
Li Xiurui shrugged. He stood outside the wooden house and said to Qing Zhun with a smile: "Young man, what is the future of being a Shadow in the Qing Family? Come to the Li Clan! I’ll make you an independent director of the Li Clan. I still have a few unmarried daughters, and I think you’re pretty good. We can get to know each other. Of course, it also depends on whether they are willing."
Qing Zhun smiled and said: "Old Master, I’m married."
"Ah, I’ve heard about your story. Old Seven said that you seemed to have come to our house during that time…," Li Xiurui smacked his lips. "But life still has to go on."
Qing Zhun said with a smile: "She will be lonely."
But Li Xiurui sighed: "What a pity. But you can still come to my Li Clan."
A disgruntled voice came from inside the wooden house: "If you’re trying to poach someone, do it further away! Don’t do it in front of me!"
Qing Xun and Li Xiurui were like two extremes—one a silent and taciturn chess player, the other a carefree old playful fellow.
Ten minutes later, Li Yunshou walked out of the wooden house with a dazed expression. Li Xiurui said, "Tell Dad what you saw."
Li Yunshou looked at him with a complex expression: "I can’t say."
"Are you my son or his son?" Li Xiurui glared. "Did you find a foster father?"
The Old Master in the room said, "Why are you making things difficult for a child? Come in and drink."
Li Xiurui grumbled and went inside. Qing Zhun closed the door of the wooden house.
But after a while of drinking, they heard Li Xiurui’s complaining voice: "You were so arrogant when you were in college, but still a bunch of girls liked you. They just didn’t have a pair of eyes that could discover goodness and beauty, unable to discover my good qualities."
Qing Xun: "Are there such things as goodness and beauty on you?"
Li Yunshou and Qing Zhun only learned at this time that Qing Xun and Li Xiurui had been college classmates for four years, and had disliked each other since college.
Back then, neither of them was the Patriarch yet, and neither knew that they would control the fate of tens of millions of people in the future.
At this time, Li Xiurui asked drowsily: "Did you suddenly call me to drink because I’m about to die?"
Qing Xun didn’t answer.
Li Xiurui chuckled: "You’ve always lived too tensely your whole life. What’s there that can’t be said?"
As he spoke, there was a slap inside, apparently Li Xiurui slapping Qing Xun on the shoulder.
Qing Xun angrily said: "Don’t touch me! What kind of drinking etiquette is this?"
Outside, Li Yunshou stood there in a daze, not knowing what he was thinking.
Qing Zhun leaned against the wall and smiled: "Did you see something unbelievable?"
Li Yunshou thought for a moment and asked back: "Have you seen it?"
"No, Old Master didn’t let me see."
Li Yunshou didn’t speak again.
The next moment, Li Xiurui opened the wooden door and walked out unsteadily, saying to Qing Zhun: "Alright, take us back."
Qing Xun stood in the darkness of the wooden house, silently watching them.
Li Yunshou supported his drunken father and suddenly turned to ask: "Must we do this?"
Qing Xun calmly said: "You make the choice."
The drunken Li Xiurui seemed to have a sudden realization: "Is it him?"
"You can also choose another child to be the Patriarch," Qing Xun said.
Li Xiurui was stunned, Li Yunshou suddenly smiled: "Let me do it. My younger siblings are still young."
For this sentence, Qing Zhun looked at Li Yunshou for a moment longer. He opened the Shadow Gate and sent the Li Clan father and son back to City 18.
Li Yunshou supported his father back to Baopu Building. Li Xiurui said: "You can pretend that everything he said tonight was nonsense. When your grandfather let me be the Patriarch, he said the Patriarch’s responsibilities were heavy, and it had to be me. Later, I kept thinking, what nonsense ‘had to be me’? He was just teasing me. Yunshou, you can actually choose your own path."
Li Yunshou smiled: "No need to bother, Father. I’m very satisfied with my outcome."