"In a valley one hundred kilometers outside of Dongjun, piles upon piles of them are stacked like mountains."
"Young Master, I have lived through a lifetime of campaigns and witnessed my share of life and death."
"Yet when I went to inspect them, the sight before my eyes left me both shocked and terrified."
As he spoke, his voice trembled slightly.
That day, the hand holding his wine cup shook faintly.
"Interesting. This has piqued my interest."
Hearing this, Qin Lan showed not a trace of surprise on his face.
He simply maintained a calm expression and asked casually, "What are the specific details?"
As if he had already seen through everything.
He remained utterly unfathomable.
Gulp...
Wang Li drained his cup in one go and confessed, "When I arrived, those men were standing rigidly in place, bleeding from their seven orifices, without a breath left in them."
"So many people dying inexplicably, and no one knows how they met their end."
"Their bodies bore no wounds, nor were there any signs of a struggle."
"Their internal organs were completely intact; they were not killed by internal energy."
Such a bizarre occurrence, coupled with the shroud of night, was truly spine-chilling.
Crack...
A maid's hand shook, and her wine cup dropped to the floor and shattered.
Wine spilled across the ground.
Flustered, she dropped to her knees, gathered the shards, and wiped the floor with the hem of her dress.
"Young Master, General Wang, I am so sorry... Truly sorry, I didn't do it on purpose."
As she spoke, tears welled up in her eyes.
Her voice was choked with sobs.
Hearing General Wang Li's words just now had filled her with dread.
Hundreds of people dying inexplicably?
To her, it was simply unimaginable.
Precisely because of this, she was so frightened.
At that moment, Qin Lan waved his hand at the maid and the dancers, signaling them to withdraw.
"Thank you, Young Master."
"Young Master, this maid takes her leave. Should you have any commands, please feel free to give them."
"Young Master, should you have any need of us, this maid will be at your beck and call."
...
After the two women departed, Qin Lan raised his head to look at Wang Li.
"Did you manage to find out their identities?"
"It has been verified; they are members of the Net."
Wang Li's expression turned grave as he murmured, "Members of the Net are easy to recognize—they all have a spider tattoo on their necks."
At this point, his voice paused abruptly.
Then, a look of excitement spread across his rugged face.
"Actually, I ought to thank these Net assassins, otherwise I wouldn't have received the reward from the Golden List."
His words were brimming with excitement.
While searching, his subordinates discovered that every single one of them carried a crimson pill.
Once their identities were confirmed, he remembered the extra reward from the Sword God Ranking.
The Net ranked second among all organizations.
Consequently, each member of the Net possessed a Mysterious-grade superior pill—a Yuan Pill.
Realizing this, he ordered his men to conduct a thorough search.
Sure enough, this type of pill was found on every single one of them.
He thought nothing of it and tucked them away as spoils of war.
A Yuan Pill?
This was a rare medicinal pill indeed.
Now, with this batch of pills, he could easily cultivate an elite and formidable force.
Having said this, he retrieved a wooden box from inside his robe.
"Young Master, these are the Yuan Pills. Consider them a gift to apologize for my late arrival."
His tone was sincere, and his attitude earnest.
However, Qin Lan pushed the wooden box back.
"You've already been penalized with three pots of wine, so the matter of being late is settled. No need to dwell on it."
Hearing this, Wang Li wanted to insist on giving the pills to Qin Lan.
Yet Qin Lan's next words forced the words right back down his throat.
"I appreciate General Wang's kind intentions, but these are things belonging to the dead; I have no use for them for the time being."
"Ah..."
"What the Young Master says is true. I failed to consider this properly."
With that, Wang Li put the wooden box away.
Having settled the matter, Wang Li stood up, picked up the wine pot, and personally filled Qin Lan's cup.
"Young Master, come! Let's drink our fill tonight until we're thoroughly drunk. I have already sent a secret report about tonight's events to Xianyang."
"Upon learning of this, His Majesty might send someone to escort you back to Xianyang out of concern that Dongjun is too dangerous. If that happens, the chances for you and me to drink together will only grow fewer."
As he spoke, he gently clinked his cup against Qin Lan's.
Then he tilted his head back and drained it in one gulp.
Qin Lan let out a hearty laugh and said briskly, "Fine! Then let's drink until we're dead drunk."
He and Wang Li had been close since childhood. Wang Li was the direct grandson of Wang Jian and had lived in Xianyang in his youth.
Back then, the two of them were still young and often sneaked into brothels to secretly drink flower wine, with Wang Li always ending up the one who got plastered.
Whenever they were caught, Wang Li invariably took a beating, whereas Qin Lan was merely punished by having to face the wall in reflection.
No matter what mischief Qin Lan got up to, Wang Li always tagged along, and over time, a profound friendship was forged between them.
Time flew like an arrow, the years slipping away.
By late into the night, Wang Li was already dead drunk, slumped across the bed, snoring like thunder, fast asleep.
Qin Lan, however, showed not a hint of intoxication.
Qin Lan turned his gaze to Wang Li, whom he had drunk under the table, and teased, "All these years, and your capacity for alcohol still hasn't improved."
"You go ahead and sleep first. I'll turn in shortly."
Despite saying this, Qin Lan showed no intention of resting.
He threw on a robe and strode directly outside.
When he reached a spot ten kilometers away from the Drunken Dream Tower, a ghostly figure suddenly materialized before him, dropping to one knee.
"Lost Sheep, greets the Sword God Leader."
Under the cold moonlight, his appearance was clearly visible.
He was a lean man in black wearing a sheep mask.
Even more chillingly, as he stood in the moonlight, he cast no shadow at all.
Qin Lan was long accustomed to such sights.
"Lost Sheep, was that business with the Net your doing?"
Lost Sheep?
He was one of the formidable assassins within Dark Night. Though his cultivation was only at the Early Heavenly Gang Realm, the "Shadow-Seizing Divine Art" he practiced allowed him to devour people's shadows, master the abilities they had in life, and manipulate shadows to launch attacks.
The damage inflicted by shadows was exceedingly eerie, and he ranked seventh on the Sword God Ranking.
"Reporting to the Sword God, it was indeed done by this subordinate."
Lost Sheep said respectfully, cupping his fists in a salute.
"Following the announcement of the Sword God Ranking, this subordinate was in the process of purging Net members hiding in Dongjun. During this period, I learned that the Net had issued a mission to blow up the Dongjun meteorite."
"At present, the Dongjun meteorite holds no benefit for us in Dark Night, so I intercepted and wiped them all out along the way."
Lost Sheep's voice was calm, yet his eyes held not a single ripple.
In his view, a few hundred Net members were simply not worth mentioning.
Upon learning how things transpired, far from reprimanding him, Qin Lan offered praise: "Well done. You executed this task brilliantly."
"Thank you for the praise, Sword God Leader."
"Our Dark Night has always been strict with rewards and punishments. What reward would you like to claim?"
"Leader, this subordinate has nothing special that he desires."
Lost Sheep hesitated for a moment, then raised his head, his gaze resolute. "If the Leader insists on bestowing a reward, please permit this subordinate to go to the Wolf Tribe lands, join forces with 'Heavenly Dog' and 'Cobra', and eradicate the Xiongnu together."
"The Xiongnu once slaughtered my people and destroyed my homeland. Had the Sword God Leader not saved us, we would have long since perished beneath their blades. My only desire is to slaughter the Wolf Tribe and annihilate the Xiongnu."
Lost Sheep's words rang with power and conviction.
Heavenly Dog? Cobra?
They were both members of Dark Night.
Heavenly Dog ranked tenth on the Sword God Ranking; Cobra ranked eighth.
Hearing this, Qin Lan nodded without hesitation.
"Very well, let it be as you say. You are authorized to proceed to the Xiongnu lands."
"Thank you, Sword God Leader."
Lost Sheep bowed deeply; even behind the sheep mask, the turbulence in his heart was palpable.
"Don't get ahead of yourself just yet."
Qin Lan interrupted, "Before you head to the Xiongnu, there is still one task you must complete."
Upon hearing there was a mission, Lost Sheep immediately perked up.
"Please give your instructions, Leader."
Qin Lan poured a pill from a jade bottle—the newly acquired "Luoshen Youth-Preserving Pill", of which there were nine in total in the bottle.
"Deliver this pill personally to [Feiyan]."
A Youth-Preserving Pill?
Consuming it allowed one's youthful appearance to endure permanently.
"Understood."
This was undoubtedly a temptation no woman could possibly resist.
"Very well, I shall carry out your instructions without fail."
Lost Sheep took the pill, placed it inside another jade bottle, and then swiftly turned and departed.
At that moment, his heart was filled with eager anticipation.
Once this mission was completed,
he would be able to set foot on the lands of the Xiongnu and claim the lives of the Wolf Tribe.
That was what he was most eager to do right now.
034 The Military Immortal Devastated by the Rankings—Han Xin [Five-Update Special] (, ,)
Whoosh...
Whoosh...
His figure fluttered like a ghost.
Vanishing into the night in an instant.
Qin Lan watched 'Lost Sheep's' receding figure, a trace of deep contemplation flashing through his eyes.
At this moment, besides the jade bottle containing the 'Luoshen Youth-Preserving Pill', he also held two bottles containing the 'Nine-Turn Longevity Pill'.
The Nine-Turn Longevity Pill?
This was a supreme spiritual medicine.
It was also the pill his father dreamed of day and night.
Under his current circumstances, he could not simply hand the pill over to his father.
For his father's cultivation remained stalled at the Earth Fiend Realm.
If he were to force the consumption of such a divine pill, he would be entirely unable to fully absorb its properties.
This meant the medicinal efficacy would be drastically diminished.
It might increase his lifespan by sixty years, but that could well be reduced to a mere twenty or thirty.
In that case, this Nine-Turn Longevity Pill would be wasted.
Based on his understanding of his father,
if he were indeed to give the 'Nine-Turn Longevity Pill' to him while informing him of his inability to fully absorb it,
that would amount to a form of supreme torture for his father.
It would be akin to possessing a peerless beauty yet being unable to draw near.
The inner anguish can be readily imagined.
Rather than that, it was better to let his father retain his hope.
That would serve as a greater driving force instead.
"Once Father breaks through to the Heavenly Gang Realm, I'll find an opportunity to give it to him. I wonder how he will react then?"
Qin Lan mused to himself.
By then, what kind of scene would it unfold?
It was truly impossible to predict!
Hm?
At that very moment, Qin Lan's ears twitched slightly.
A cold glint flashed in his eyes.
"Someone's here!"
Within his perception,
in a forest three kilometers away, several hundred individuals with no weak auras were in hot pursuit of a single person.
Moving at high speed!
They were closing in on his location.
Moreover, from another direction, several other groups of experts were also rushing toward this spot.
Judging by the speed of the opposing parties,
his current location happened to be the exact point where the two factions were about to clash.
"Interesting, to run into such a thing this late at night."
"Since I've stumbled upon it, I might as well stay and watch the show."
With that, Qin Lan gave a light leap, flicked his feet off the ground, and vaulted straight up into the branches of a tree.
Swish, swish, swish...
Swish, swish, swish...
Sure enough, before long,
a figure materialized right there.
Yet the moment he arrived, his running momentum came to an abrupt halt.
For ahead of him, three figures blocked his path.
"Damn it, am I really going to be dragged back to the Peasant Family?"
It was a young man with his hair casually draped over his shoulders, his entire body covered in wounds.
His expression was stern, his eyes sharp as swords.
Though he appeared outwardly composed, he exuded an elusive, unique presence.
Most notably, he had a long sword strapped across his back.
Mhm?
When Qin Lan caught sight of the man's appearance and noticed the long sword, he couldn't help a quiet chuckle. "Interesting. To think I'd run into him here."
"Looks like he's found himself in trouble."
The 'him' Qin Lan referred to was none other than Han Xin.
In his memories, Han Xin was a spy planted within the Peasant Family by the Shadow Secret Guard.
Han Xin?
This was the historical figure known as the 'Military Immortal'.
Not only was his cultivation profound, but his military strategy was also nothing short of astonishing.
'When Han Xin deploys troops, the more the better.'
Those eight short words
were enough to demonstrate Han Xin's military genius.
In the original course of events, it was only through Han Xin's assistance that Liu Bang managed to defeat Xiang Yu and establish the Han Dynasty.
And he, as the Eldest Prince of the Great Qin Empire,
would naturally alter history.
He would make Great Qin stand at the pinnacle of the world.
As for how to bring a military talent like Han Xin into the fold,
the method was simple.
It was to offer timely assistance when he needed it most.