Chapter 11: The Meeting with Zhuge Liang
Hereby declare: Ma Tianling has restored her original name "Kuang Tianya."
Facing the suggestion made by the flower demon, Kuang Tianyou vetoed, saying, "How can this be done? Miss Bai has just escaped from the tiger's jaws, and to go back into the tiger's den again—how can I treat Miss Bai's life so carelessly!"
"Master need not blame yourself. As I said: this life belongs to you; I am willing to do anything for you!"
"Miss Bai, you are being too formal. Although I am very eager to know the secrets of this organization, it has been established for a long time and operates very secretly. It is not something we can uncover in a short time. We must still plan everything carefully and over the long term."
"Plan carefully over the long term?"
"Exactly. As long as this organization is still active, it will eventually reveal its fox tail. What we need to do is appeal to its interests and set a trap!"
"A trap?" She felt somewhat unable to follow the logic of this "wise man."
"Yes. For example, you—you betray the organization, and the organization will inevitably hunt you down."
"My status in the organization is low; I cannot lure the big fish."
"And with the Di Hen Ring? Your organization is determined to obtain the Di Hen Ring. If the organization learns that you possess or know the whereabouts of the Di Hen Ring, combined with what you and No. 22 have done before, those who come will certainly be heavyweights."
"Master, if they come, how should I deal with it?"
"Do not worry. I will handle this matter. Ideally, we could extract something from them."
"Master, as far as I know, the higher the rank of someone in the organization, the stricter the control the organization has over them. I am only part of their outer circle, so the control over me is relatively loose. Even so, it caused you quite a bit of trouble just now."
"Oh, it seems I thought too simply."
"No, Master, your idea of using bait to catch the fish just now was not bad. I am just a little worried: this organization is very powerful, and a slight mistake could lead to severe consequences. Moreover, what secrets are hidden in the ring, and the identity of the person holding the ring, we still do not know. Also, you and I only know that the Tianyu Weizheng Pavilion exists, but we do not know what it is or how to get there. If we know these things, we can take control of the situation."
"Miss Bai speaks very reasonably!He originally thought that catching one or two heavyweight figures would resolve the doubts in his heart. Hearing Miss Bai say this, he realized that any action could have wide-reaching consequences, and careful planning was necessary. Thinking of this, he added, ‘Right now, the enemy is aware while I am in the dark, the enemy is strong while I am weak. The only thing to do is to stay hidden—first protect myself and act when the time is right!'
‘During this time, I will secretly find some like-minded people for help. More people mean more strength.'
‘Miss Bai, you've gone to great trouble. We will wait until the time is right, then lay the bait.'
‘I am willing to follow your arrangements.'
‘Miss Bai, do you wish to travel together?'
‘Where to?'
‘My home. Oh, I suppose my family must be anxiously waiting for me to return.'
White Rose closely followed Kuang Tianyou as he walked. ‘We're here.' Kuang Tianyou appeared in front of a building. ‘This is where I live.' Just as he entered, the building manager saw Kuang Tianyou and said, ‘Mr. Kuang, your wife is looking for you. You should give her a call quickly.'
‘Alright.'
‘Oh, Mr. Kuang, who is this young lady?'
‘Oh, Uncle Yang, this is my relative. She just arrived.'
The building manager pulled Kuang Tianyou aside: ‘Wow, another just came a few days ago, and today yet another. Are you keeping some good news from me, kid?'
Kuang Tianyou knew he was referring to the horse purchase, thinking he had made a fortune. ‘No, Uncle Yang. If there's good news, I won't forget you. Please rest assured.'
‘I knew you wouldn't keep it all to yourself. Alright, won't take more of your time.'
‘Uncle Yang, I'm going upstairs.'
The door opened. Kuang Tianyou saw Ma Xiaoling, Kuang Tianya, Wang Sizhen, and Yuan Yue all standing and watching him. Ma Xiaoling asked, ‘Where did you go? Why are you back now? What happened?'
‘Sorry for worrying you.'
When the flower demon entered, the atmosphere changed. Ma Xiaoling asked, ‘Did you find another treasure?' The others wanted to laugh but held back, eager to hear Kuang Tianyou's explanation.
White Rose felt the atmosphere somewhat ‘cold'—those who had been through similar situations knew what was about to happen. She quickly smiled and asked, ‘Which one is your wife?'
‘Let me introduce,' said Kuang Tianyou. ‘The one joking earlier is my wife, surname Ma. This is Miss Wang, my junior sister. This is my daughter Kuang Tianya, and this is Yuan Yue.'"Although somewhat awkward, they nodded to each other as a sign of friendliness during the introduction. Facing the family members, Kuang Tianyou continued: 'This is Miss Bai.'
'Miss Bai, when did you meet my husband?'
'We just met.'
Kuang Tianyou smoothed things over: 'Why talk standing up? Let's sit down. Do you want tea or coffee?'
'Coffee.'
'Tianya, coffee.'
Kuang Tianya said 'okay' and then left.
'Junior sister, I made you worry just now. It's late, you should rest; you still have work tomorrow.' Some matters were not convenient to mention in front of Wang Sizhen, so Kuang Tianyou tried to excuse her.
Wang Sizhen misunderstood, thinking Kuang Tianyou wanted to discuss 'household affairs,' and her presence was inconvenient. When leaving she said, 'Sister-in-law, come over to visit when you have time.'
'Mm. You're tired today too; rest well and recharge.' After seeing Wang Sizhen leave, she asked, 'What happened?'
'Where's Aken?'
Kuang Tianya said, 'Didn't she find you?'
'No, I sent him to chase a zombie.'
'It shouldn't be dangerous, right?'
'No, Aken is far stronger than that Fifth Generation zombie.'
Ma Xiaoling asked, 'You encountered a zombie?'
Kuang Tianyou did not reply verbally, but his eyes glowed with a divine light, projecting all that had just happened onto the white wall like a movie. After watching, Ma Xiaoling said, 'This is too complicated! That Emperor Hate Ring must hide an astonishing secret; otherwise, it wouldn't attract so many mysterious figures.'
Kuang Tianya sighed: 'I didn't expect even the Western legendary holy warriors to appear.'
'As of now, there are three forces interested in the Emperor Hate Ring, or rather, the figure within it: the mysterious organization Miss Bai belongs to, the Western holy warriors and the Western mystical forces represented by the Tianwu members, and those two mysterious men and women at the auction representing the Tian Realm. Xiaoling is right; things are definitely not as simple as they seem. Perhaps the person in the ring is just the trigger.' Kuang Tianyou carefully reviewed what had just happened, organizing his thoughts, and felt he had made a new discovery.
Suddenly, Yuan Yue asked, 'Uncle, are all myths real?'Kuang Tianyou was slightly stunned for a moment—this question seemed untimely, but then he thought that Yuan Yue might have a unique perspective, so he said, "Myths are both true and false. People cannot understand certain things, can't give a reasonable explanation, and sometimes can't express them in words, so they use some fantastical elements to record them, but what they reflect is actually the truth. Do you understand what I mean?"
"I understand, Senior Uncle."
"Xiao Yue, what is your opinion on this matter?"
"Xiao Yue may not express it well, please don't laugh, Senior Uncle!" Seeing Kuang Tianyou's encouraging look, she continued, "Do you remember what the auctioneer said about the legend of the Emperor's Hatred Ring? From the time Dayu discovered that ring to now, it has been five thousand years, which means the person in the ring has been sealed for at least five thousand years. Normally, the powers of a sealed person shouldn't manifest, but as we just saw, the power of the person in the ring not only manifests but is also very strong. This can only indicate one thing: the sealing power is gradually weakening. In other words, the person in the seal may break free."
Kuang Tianyou said, "Exactly!" Others also nodded in agreement.
"The three factions that Senior Uncle mentioned must have known the duration of the seal before coming to seize the ring. Their purpose is either to reseal the ring or to help the person inside break free. Those two mysterious men and women definitely don't need any guesswork; they are likely contemporaries and acquaintances of the person in the ring. As for the other two factions, it's uncertain, but it is somewhat certain that they know about the presence of the Tianyu side."
Kuang Tianya said, "Maybe they used to be the same group, and for some unknown reason, they ended up clashing against each other."
Kuang Tianyou said, "That is also possible."
Yuan Yue said, "The Tianyu Realm may be where they reside, and of course, it could also be the place where the ring is sealed or where the mechanism to break the seal is. Since the other two factions know about the existence of the Tianyu side, it is also very likely they know the location of the Tianyu Realm."
Kuang Tianyou said, "Are you saying they will go to the Divine Realm to fight for the ring?"
Yuan Yue said, "Yes, a fierce battle will be inevitable, shaking heaven and earth."
White Rose raised a question: "There is a problem here: from what we just saw, it seems they don't know each other. In other words, the mysterious organization and the Western faction do not know that the Tianyu side took the ring."Kuang Tianyou said, 'This is only temporary. The core members of these three forces will analyze the other party's identity based on reports from their subordinates.'
White Rose said worriedly, 'It seems that the Divine Realm's side is a bit weak. I wonder if they can withstand the opponent's attack!'
Kuang Tianyou, knowing she was concerned for her 'loved one's' safety, comforted her, 'You can't determine the strength of the Divine Realm's side just from the performance of those two mysterious men and women. Besides, their personal strength may be somewhat weak, but they have divine weapons in their hands. Do you still remember that sword? What do you think of it?'
'It's very powerful! When wielded, it forms a wall of swords, and the sword energy it emits can harm tendons and bones. Saying it can slay gods and kill immortals might not be an exaggeration!'
'At the auction, that man and woman were determined to obtain this sword. It seems this sword is very important to them—just like White Bai said, it should have some divine ability. Without this sword, they wouldn't have been able to keep the Emperor's Hatred Ring. Therefore, it can be said that in a world of the survival of the fittest, people on the Tianyu side would need divine weapons and immortal artifacts like the Thunder Sword to protect themselves.'
'I still feel a bit worried. I really hope that when the conflict happens, I can get there in time to help.'
'White Bai, if the Divine Realm's side knows their own strength is weak, they will certainly move to hide elsewhere rather than foolishly wait for the other side to find them. So, you don't need to worry.'
'What Tianyou said is right. Since all three sides want to seize the ring, none of them will make the first move, thinking that it would be better to wait for the other two sides to fight to the death before benefiting as the fisherman. Therefore, there will be a relatively calm period. We should take this opportunity to carefully think about our strategy—it is the crucial matter.'
'Exactly, White Bai. We need to make careful plans and preparations.'
'Master Uncle, Master Aunt, if the mysterious men and women are helping that person break the seal, they will certainly come out looking for divine weapons and immortal artifacts for protection. Perhaps we can trace them through their divine weapons and immortal artifacts.'
Kuang Tianyou said, 'That is indeed one possible method. But we don't know which divine weapons and powerful artifacts still exist in this world, or what kind of divine weapons and immortal artifacts they are after. Carrying this out would be quite difficult.'
Yuan Yue thought for a moment and agreed with Master Uncle, considering that her plan would be like finding a needle in a haystack. She said, 'Just now, Yuan Yue's idea made everyone laugh.'
'No, Yuan Yue, what you said is not wrong.'I think the same as you. They will definitely come back. Whether it's a mysterious organization or Western mystical forces, they will surely find a way to get them out. They will not sit idly by; they will definitely take action."
"We know very little about them, so we can only watch and wait, hoping it won't take too long."
"Let's talk no more about searching for the divine realm. What we need to do now is find a safe place to settle Miss Bai properly."
"Hong Kong is small and crowded, a mix of all sorts, so hiding won't be a problem. I run a flower shop; if Miss Bai is willing, how about helping me take care of the shop?"
Bai Meigui said, "That would be perfect."
Ma Xiaoling said, "Yuan Yue will also help me with the flower shop, so you will have some company."
Bai Meigui said to Yuan Yue, "I look forward to working with you."
Yuan Yue, embarrassed, said, "I haven't been here long, so I don't know much. But Sister Qing has lived for a hundred years and has seen so much; you should teach me more. I hope Sister Bai won't hold back in giving advice."
"It's getting late, everyone should rest. Tonight, Miss Bai and Xiao Yue, you will share a room, and Tianya, go back to the company."
"I want to chat with Sister Bai and listen to her stories."
"Children."
