Bearing the blue sky

Chapter 196 An old friend joins! Send troops!

Ji Fuhui's eyes lit up: "That's great?"

"Of course." Zhu Ge patted his mouth. "I'm never stingy with my brothers."

Ji Fuhui grinned, revealing a set of white teeth.

His smile is different now; it used to be a carefree grin.

He's more composed now, but he hasn't lost any of his quick wit.

"Then I'll stick with you." Ji Fuhui said happily.

"Keep it up." Zhu Ge patted his shoulder: "The gates of the Six Paths Palace are always open for you."

Instead of returning to the tea room, the four of them set up a table for drinks in the stone room.

The wine was a fruit wine given to me by Ding Ding. Although it wasn't very strong, it was sweet.

The food consisted of a pot of stewed meat, a pot of wild vegetables, and a few grain pancakes, typical of the soldiers' meals.

The conditions were simple, but the atmosphere was lively.

Duan Lei held the wine bowl, downed half of it in one gulp, wiped his mouth, and stared intently at Zhu Ge.

"Zhu Ge, tell me the truth, just how strong are you right now?"

"How strong?" Zhu Ge thought for a moment: "He can handle someone in the third realm, but he'll have to put in some effort against the top experts in the third realm."

He had previously only been at a disadvantage when he fought against three geniuses at the third realm.

"That means you can fight someone at the third realm!" Duan Lei slapped his thigh. "I can't even beat someone at the second realm, and you can already fight someone at the third realm? Are you even human?"

"Of course I'm human," Zhu Ge said with a smile. "I've just been lucky enough to encounter some benefactors and opportunities."

"What kind of important person?" Ji Fuhui asked curiously.

Zhu Ge glanced at Yu Xiucai, who was holding a wine bowl, expressionless, but his ears were perked up.

"It's hard to say," Zhu Ge thought for a moment and said, "Those two are very secretive, and I can't reveal their information."

"Then we won't say." Scholar Yu picked up his wine bowl and said casually, "Anyway, it wouldn't do us any good if we knew. Those important figures are too far removed from us."

Duan Lei scratched his head, curious but not pressing for more information. He picked up his wine bowl, gulped down a large mouthful, wiped his mouth, and asked, "Just how big is your Six Paths Palace? How many people are there? How many demonic beasts?"

Zhu Ge thought for a moment and counted on his fingers: "Three third-realm demonic beasts, axe-wielding mantis, and mighty king monkey; dozens of second-realm demonic beasts; and over a hundred first-realm demonic beasts."

"On the human side, there are three hundred warriors and eighty Confucian scholars in Jianshui City. In addition, there are the soldiers I recruited from the village. Now Lord Ding has given me another five thousand soldiers, making a total of nearly six thousand people."

Duan Lei's mouth gaped wider and wider, until it almost dropped to the table: "Six—six thousand people? And three-realm demonic beasts? This isn't power, this is rebellion!"

"What are you rebelling for?" Zhu Ge laughed and kicked him. "The Great Sheng Dynasty has long been a dead name. What I want to do is to reclaim Honghe Prefecture and let the people live."

"Isn't that just rebellion?" Duan Lei muttered, but his eyes were full of excitement: "But I like it! Following you is better than staying here and waiting to die."

Ji Fuhui didn't say much, but waited for Zhu Ge to finish speaking before asking, "Zhu Ge, does your Six Paths Palace need any people specializing in mechanical arts?"

"We're lacking." Zhu Ge nodded and smiled. "We're really lacking, especially those Mohist disciples who were born in small mountain villages, full of ambition, and who can both eat and endure hardship."

"It would be even better if that kind of person's surname was Ji. Of course, it would be even better if his name was Ji Fuhui."

Ji Fuhui felt embarrassed by what was said and scratched his head.

Zhu Ge raised her wine bowl and clinked it against his: "You'll definitely get your salary. Not only will you get a salary, but you'll also get merit points, which can be exchanged for cultivation techniques, pills, and spiritual weapons."

"If you do a good job, the Mo Family Craft Institute of the Six Paths Palace might be handed over to you in the future."

Ji Fuhui's eyes lit up, and he almost dropped the wine bowl in his hand.

"really?"

"When have I ever lied to you?"

Ji Fuhui took a deep breath, drank the wine in the bowl in one gulp, and then nodded solemnly.

"OK."

The four of them drank until late into the night, and three of the wine jars were empty.

Duan Lei was already snoring on the table, the sound of his snoring making the entire stone chamber buzz.

Ji Fuhui leaned against the wall, his eyes half-closed, it was hard to tell whether he was asleep or thinking.

Scholar Yu was still awake, holding a half-bowl of wine, slowly drinking it.

His white hair stood out starkly in the dim light, but his eyes were much brighter than before.

Zhu Ge wasn't drunk either.

His martial arts origins activated automatically, and most of the alcohol was neutralized by his blood and qi as soon as it entered his stomach.

He held the wine bowl, looked at Scholar Yu, and hesitated to speak.

"Say what you want to say," Yu Xiucai said without looking up.

"How much of your lifespan do you have left?" Zhu Ge asked solemnly.

Yu Xiucai's hand paused slightly, he was silent for a moment, then smiled: "Not much. But enough."

"How long is 'enough'?" Zhu Ge pressed.

Scholar Yu raised his head and looked into his eyes: "Don't worry, it's enough for me to use the same ink brush again."

Zhu Ge remained silent.

Previously, Scholar Yu had used a stroke of ink to trap the fisherman's hook.

This nearly exhausted his lifespan.

Zhu Ge raised his wine bowl, clinked it against Yu Xiucai's, and drank it all in one gulp: "Reach the third realm as soon as possible, and live for five hundred years!"

Scholar Yu didn't say anything, he just smiled and slowly finished the rest of the wine in his bowl.

The next morning, Zhu Ge was awakened by a commotion.

He opened his eyes and found that the stone chamber was empty.

Duan Lei's bedding was neatly rolled up, Ji Fuhui's tool bag was gone, and Yu Xiucai's bowl of leftover wine had also been taken away.

He rubbed his eyes and walked out of the stone chamber.

In the corridor, soldiers were doing their morning exercises.

Zhao Tieshan led his warriors in physical training, their roars shaking the heavens, while Li Qingquan led his Confucian scholars in reciting classics, their voices ringing out.

Everything was in good order.

Those who survived had a more chilling and menacing air about them than before.

-

Moreover, they spontaneously shared the ideals and beliefs they had heard from the blessing songs with the soldiers Ding Ding had given them.

That is, "Everyone for me, and I for everyone, drive out the outsiders, and restore our land."

As a result, everyone has a different mental outlook?

"Palace Master, congratulations!" Zhao Tieshan saw him, walked over quickly, clasped his hands and said, "City Lord Ding has made arrangements. Five thousand soldiers are ready to depart at any time, and the Mohist disciples and craftsmen are also ready."

"Okay." Zhu Ge nodded. "We'll set off after breakfast."

"Where to?" Zhao Tieshan asked.

"To the east, Mengzi City!" Zhu Ge smiled.

Then, sensing the presence of Yu Xiucai and his group, he turned around.

"Zhu Ge!" Yu Xiucai nodded to Zhu Ge.

Zhu Ge: "Perfect timing, Scholar, you should join our group first, and we'll head to Mengzi City."

"That city is also besieged by monsters, and we need to rescue them."

"Also, we can ask Sui Niang if she'd like to come with us. If she does, then the entire Jianshan Village will be together."

>