by Fang Xiang
What he didn’t know was that Ma Fan was also feeling fear. If anything had gone astray with the measures, then they would have been sealed in. No one would have been able to escape.
Even when all the scans had disappeared, they still did not dare to move. Everyone was terrified by what had just occurred.
After ten whole hours, they finally recovered from the false death state.
“Woah, they are terrifying. At least two thousand people!” Lei Peng exclaimed, his face slightly pale.
“It’s three thousand,” Zong Ru suddenly spoke, “there is also thirteen third stratum.”
Everyone’s faces became slightly ugly. Xie Shan looked at Zong Ru with surprise. He was shocked at Zong Ru’s sensitivity.
“They really find us worthwhile!”
“Ha ha, laozi was so frightened right now, laozi’s body is still somewhat soft.”
… …
Everyone discussed loudly. They were slightly afraid and shocked, but they were more excited. The Outer Hall had found them important enough to send out this many people. In Little Mountain Jie, there was no faction other than theirs who managed to cause such a reaction. Most of these people were lawless fighters. Battle maniacs like Lei Peng were not rare. The more it was like the present, the more motivated they were.
Ma Fan was not as crazy as they were. He managed to calm his heartbeat, and wiped the cold sweat. He had been the core for so long, but it was the first time he had encountered such a risky situation like the one just now.
“When are we moving?” Lei Peng rubbed his hands excitedly, his eyes shining as he looked at Ma Fan.
Ma Fan forcibly repressed the impulse to kill the guy and rolled his eyes instead. “Do you want to die faster? They haven’t gone far away. If they turn back, none of us will escape.”
Lei Peng realized that his question seemed like it was trouble-making, especially when he saw the gazes looking at him like they were looking like an idiot. He rapidly gave a bright smile, “See, after being frightened by them, an’s mind doesn’t work properly.”
“Five days.” After calming down, Ma Fan’s head turned cold and rational. “We only need to wait five more days. Even if they want to turn back then, it wouldn’t be enough.”
“Everyone, get a good rest these five days. Otherwise, you’ll see the other people rampage while you falter,” Xie Shan said with a smile from the side.
Sound disappeared from the mountain cave. Everyone suppressed the excitement inside, and meditated. They were like a group of experienced hunters making their last preparations before closing the net.
———
Jiang Wei took the jade scroll his subordinate had handed over. He had sent out the xiuzhe that had been most skilled in concealment to follow behind Wei Ran’s group from far away, and successfully located this group’s main base.
When he scanned the jade scroll, his body froze.
In the mirage of the jade scroll, at the top of a mountain peak was a sun city made from blue-gold. The sunlight was like a keen sword cutting the sky and landing on this city. The faint golden light emitted from the little city gave people warmth like the sunlight.
Jiang Wei’s heart seemed to be suddenly gripped by an invisible hand. At that instant, it stopped beating.
After an unknown length of time, he slowly refocused. There was almost no xiuzhe in the empty city. All the blood in his body went to his head. With a glance, he could see how weak the city was! Even the troop that had sent the captives back had thrown the captives to the camp, and instantly left.
An uncontrollable greed and yearning filled every hair of his body!
* * *
[i]The chapter title is the start of a Chinese idiom “差之毫厘，谬以千里.” Translated, it can mean “one small step can make a great difference,” “a small error can lead to a serious result.”
* * *
Translator Ramblings: Bait to draw everyone out of the place first and then … …
I have to say that mind-to-mind communication is always the fastest and cheapest communication method in fantasy stories. Look at Pu Yao, a ball of light and then off Zuo Mo goes! Considering how “cheap” information storage in scrolls and other items seem to be in many fantasy stories where secret arts can be read and then copied without any limit, it’s a miracle that a lot of the secret arts remained a secret. I don’t think it is very hard. With mind-to-mind communication, one person can “buy” the manual and then “send” it to his relatives who can also use it. And then things spread. Or they can inscribe the information onto jade scrolls/strips and then sell them for really good prices. Actually, I think that won’t be a bad story, a protagonist that makes a living by making textbooks and selling information.
Chapter 258: Bao Yi Explaining
Zuo Mo looked dumbly at the one thousand and one hundred xiuzhe in front of him, his face slightly ugly.
Seeing the signs, Wei Ran exchanged a greeting with Zuo Mo before decisively turning and leaving, disappearing in an instant.
One thousand and one hundred xiuzhe. They look very tasty, but in reality, they were a great problem. These people were docile right now, but if they had the chance, they would not be so. Why were the people under Gongsun Cha’s command so obedient? Because Zuo Mo had put down jinzhi in their bodies.
Using an aura of domination, and causing the surroundings to swear fealty to you was just a joke. Any person who entered an unfamiliar power, especially as a captive, how could they so easily accept it in their hearts? Zuo Mo didn’t even dare to be certain about the group that Gongsun Cha had, if they left Little Mountain Jie, how many would be willing to stay.
Zuo Mo was too lazy to think of things like loyalty. In such turbulent times, that was nothing. His demands were very simple, listen to orders and don’t make trouble. After breaking through Little Mountain Jie, everyone can pat their own butts and go off.
However, even listening to orders and refraining from making trouble were not simple to do. Before, he had used jinzhi to guarantee this, but even a jindan would die from exhaustion if he had to put jinzhi in one thousand and one hundred xiuzhe.
That method wouldn’t work here.
Fortunately, all of the talismans and flying swords had been clean off this group. They definitely wouldn’t make trouble in the short term. Zuo Mo had had enough time to think of ways to resolve the problem.
He first picked the xiuzhe that were skilled in forging from the group and sent them to Ji Wei and Sun Bao. There were quite a few, almost three hundred people. Of course, the great majority of them only had a rough understanding of forging. There were less than forty that were truly skilled. To Ji Wei and Sun Bao who were tight on manpower, they took all three hundred people and more. Even rough work needed people to do it.
Quickly, Zuo Mo found that the two were very good managers. No one made trouble, and no one slacked off. Everyone was furiously working. This puzzled Zuo Mo.
Coincidentally, Bao Yi had come to find Zuo Mo to get more people. He was the quartermaster and stores keeper, and didn’t have the time to do everything. Seeing that there were so many people here, he had ran over to ask for some.
Zuo Mo asked him the question that had puzzled him. He could not understand it. Ji Wei and Sun Bao didn’t have the ability to place jinzhi but those three hundred xiuzhe were obedient in their hands.
Hearing this, Bao Yi smiled. “Boss, this problem is easy. Here, I give him a wave, and he comes to work. If he doesn’t do well, then I’ll fire him.” Then he snickered, “But it’s even easier for us. We can punish anyone that doesn’t listen.”
Seeing Zuo Mo still filled with puzzlement, Bao Yi’s mind jumped at the rare chance to show his face in front of Zuo Mo and patiently explained, “Boss, don’t look at just how many people they have. Ha ha, in reality, they are helpless in front of us. First, they are afraid. Why are they afraid? Their little lives are in our hands. If we order them to do something, they don’t dare to leave it incomplete. Not every
boss is as patient as you, Boss, or as benevolent.”
He didn’t forget to slightly flatter Zuo Mo, and continued, “First, we have to set the rules down, what they can do and what they can’t. If rebellious ones come out, we erase them. In the short term, they won’t dare to make trouble. After a while, we can pick obedient ones from them, and give them some sweets, like a team leader or something, so they will manage for us. These people that directly receive benefits will be directly connected to Boss’ aims, and definitely will put their all in.”
Zuo Mo was thoughtful.
Bao Yi smacked his lips. “Actually, with how generous Boss is, the great majority aren’t willing to make trouble. Those with ambition and talent chase greater stages of cultivation. They can see clearly that they aren’t disadvantaged under Boss’s hands. Most of the people just want a pretty good life. We only have to guard against the few that have other aims. Hee, these people don’t have any skill, but think they are extraordinary, and don’t want to follow others. They are like shit. We shouldn’t waste words with them, just chop them.”
Bao Yi’s words enlightened Zuo Mo. He had become too used to living by himself, and had never managed this many people. It was also his first time doing such a thing.
After Bao Yi finished picking workers, Zuo Mo called over the two platoons of xiuzhe that had remained to guard the camp. He announced strict rules with quite a few “execution without exception.” The two platoons stared at each other as they listened. Boss was very scary when he really got serious.
Then Zuo Mo ordered the remaining seven hundred or so people to train under the two platoons. The high quantity of training made everyone’s faces change. Even the two platoons that were responsible for teaching had ashy faces.
Zuo Mo’s thinking was very simple. Wasn’t it that he was afraid they would cause trouble? Then he would make an extremely arduous training plan. He didn’t believe there was anyone that would have any other thoughts after they completed such a laborious training plan every day.
As expected, after furiously training every day, the only thing that the xiuzhe all did after finishing was to collapse and sleep. The two platoons in charge were also exhausted. To guarantee normal alertness and safety, they had to take shifts.
The only thing that did not change were the three Golden Armor Guards that were quietly floating in the sky above the camp.
Every gaze sent towards the Golden Armor Guards were filled with fear. There were already a few troublemakers that had been chopped in half by the Golden Armor Guard’s exaggeratedly large broadswords. The ease had shocked every xiuzhe who had wavered.
Zuo Mo saw the situation was progressing well, and turned back to immerse himself in building the city. His new body was greatly improved. He was very satisfied with the power of the Sky Glass Wave, and full of excitement towards building the city.
In the sea of consciousness, Pu Yao was slightly dumbstruck. He had assumed that building the city would torture Zuo Mo to the point of death, but seeing the mania on Zuo Mo’s face, he suddenly realized he had underestimated Zuo Mo. Under this guy’s normal appearance was a heart that was just as perverse as his.
Sky Star Peak seemed to resume its busyness, everything was on the right path.
———
”Big Brother, where are we going?” Jiang Hao asked with puzzlement. Big Brother had gathered everyone up together, and travelled quickly and carefully, not leaving one person behind to hold the fort.
“You’ll know when we get there.” Jiang Wei who was innately cautious did not even tell his own blood brother. He wanted that sun city!
Jiang Hao was slightly discontent. “Big Brother, you can’t even trust me?”
Seeing the dissatisfaction on his little brother’s face, Jiang Wei thought since they were getting close, it didn’t matter if the secret got out. After narrating what had happened before, he showed the jade scroll to Jiang Hao.
When Jiang Hao read the jade scroll, he instantly sunk into extreme excitement. “Brother, this city is great! It’s a hundred times better than our mountain camp!”
Jiang Wei’s thoughts were more attentive. “The majority of their forces have gone out. It is their most unguarded time. If we use the chance to take down the city, even if their primary force comes back, they can’t do anything to us. That city might be small, but it definitely hard to conquer, easy to guard and hard to attack.”
“How much farther? I can’t wait!” Jiang Hao rubbed his hands as he said.
“Almost there.” Jiang Wei then said, “Tell everyone to be careful and conceal their figures. If we encounter other xiuzhe, take all of them down.”
“Ha, no problem!” Jiang Hao excitedly rushed out with the order.
After flying for a half day, they finally entered Sky Star Mountain Range. Sky Star Peak was in their sight. Everyone sighed with amazement at the little city under the sunlight. When they learned that their target this time was this little city, the mood instantly became excited, everyone’s blood rushing.
The experienced Jiang Wei waved a hand. “Set up camp. Everyone, have a good rest, we’ll try to take them down in one encounter.”
Seeing the other people immerse themselves in meditation, Jiang Wei beckoned over Jiang Hao and said in a low voice, “Take some people with you and inspect the surroundings. There was so many days between now and before, we don’t want anything unexpected.”
Jiang Hao said unconcernedly, “Big Brother, you are too careful. We have five hundred people, all of them experts. We aren’t afraid of them!”
Jiang Wei’s face darkened. “Don’t say things like this in the future. This group is of mysterious origins. Even if there isn’t many people, but they are much stronger than us. If it wasn’t that they didn’t have many people right now, I wouldn’t dare to target this city. Be careful, don’t lose your life.”
Jiang Hao was extremely obedient of his big brother. He muttered inside, but still complied, running to find several xiuzhe that were skilled in concealment to go scout with him. His personality might be rough, but he was very good at travelling stealthily. The [Hundred Ghost Night Travel Scripture] that he cultivated was a fifth-grade scripture. It was a pity that the version he obtained was not complete. There were many parts that were lost. But even so, it was much stronger than normal fourth-grade scriptures.
His body shifted, and turned into a shadow. A pair of eyes that lacked any life appeared in the shadow.
The other people also changed. Some became wild cats, others night eagles, all kinds of shapes.
Everyone cooperated well. After changing, they spread out, all of them travelling towards Sky Star Peak.
———
Zuo Mo finally finished the first formation battle watchtower. This formation battle watchtower was constructed of hundreds of formations. It was much better than normal formation battle watchtowers. From the beginning plans, to the construction, he had completed all of it. No one understood better than he did what he needed.
Yuan Jiang looked entranced at the lonely formation battle watchtower. The formation battle watchtower was fifteen zhang high, a section higher than the city walls. The entire watchtower was made up of blue-gold bricks. From a technical standpoint, the entire watchtower was just a formation, or rather, an extremely complete miniature interlocked formation belt. Yuan Jiang could not understand many of the parts. This little interlocked formation belt was different than any other formation he had seen before.
Was Boss at the level he could set up and match formations?
Boss was just this old … …
However, after personally seeing so many exceptional qualities of Boss, he had started to become numb.
Normal … … would someone normal become a boss? He could only comfort himself so.
“Boss, this is a lightning formation,” To show that he was not so ignorant, Yuan Jiang pretended and said.
“En, it’s a hard thunder formation.”
Hard thunder … … Yuang Jiang s
hook, that wasn’t lightning, that was hard lightning. He forced himself to calm, “Can we try it out?”
“I was just going to.” Zuo Mo didn’t raise his head, inserting jingshi in. “Right now, we can only use jingshi. In the future … …” he didn’t say the remaining. Yuan Jiang did not notice it.
“Where to hit?” Zuo Mo looked around after putting in the jingshi.
Yuan Jiang suddenly saw a black dot in the sky. It was an eagle. He didn’t hesitate to point at the eagle and say, “There is an eagle there!”
“Okay!” Zuo Mo also became motivated, and instantly activated the formation.
The inner walls, ceiling, and floor of the watchtower that were filled with formations quickly lit up with a warm silver light.
* * *
Translator Ramblings: Night eagles exist in this world and are not the same as owls.
Bao Yi brings an outsider perspective and educates Zuo Mo on management. Bao Yi, Ji Wei, Sun Bao and even Xie Shan are experienced and better at managing people as well as living within a power structure. Zuo Mo threw the management of the captives to Gongsun Cha and so his own management skills need to develop now that the people he delegated to are busy.
I really liked how Fang Xiang slipped in the stuff about how the forging division worked with its wages based on unit produced since it builds up to Bao Yi’s explanation here.
Chapter 259: Meteor Void Fire
A hard lightning bomb floated in front of Zuo Mo.
Without any visible action from him, with only a streak of silver lingering in his vision, the hard lightning seemed to disappear into the air.
There was no earth-shaking roar, no oppressive presence. It was fast, so fast that Yuan Jiang didn’t have the time to react. When he finally caught up, he hurriedly turned his head. The sky was empty. Nothing had been left. There was no explosion of blood and limbs, no smoke from being burned at high temperatures. The sky was light and clear as though nothing had happened.