nashuaworldcup Chapter 401 The Plan to Intercept and Kill Liu Bai!
Chapter 401 The Plan to Intercept and Kill Liu Bai!
Xu Longxiang stood on the hill, gazing at the distant pass.
The silvery-white sword light continued to weave through the pass, leaving a trail of blood and flesh in its wake, and the Moon Goddess Cult members fell like wheat being harvested.
A cold, bloodthirsty glint flashed in his eyes.
The gaze fell on the silver-white figure, as if looking at a dead person, devoid of any emotion.
This idea is crazy, but if it succeeds, it will cause extremely terrible turmoil for the Great Qin and for Qin Mu.
This idea didn't come from repeated contemplation; it suddenly popped into his mind.
Liu Bai had always been a thorn in his side, and he had wanted to remove him for a long time.
So when this opportunity presented itself to him, he couldn't help but think—what if he killed Liu Bai here?
The risks are certainly very high.
If it fails, the consequences will be unimaginable.
The higher the risk, the higher the reward.
These two are directly proportional.
The situation here and now is such that it's worth taking a risk.
Liu Bai was unaware that he was here, unaware that Han Zhong listened to him in a certain sense, and even more unaware that Fan Li, Mo Ya, and others were all here.
To some extent, Liu Bai can be said to have fallen into a huge trap all by himself.
Don't be fooled by Liu Bai's current invincible prowess; he'll be in danger if attacked by a group of people.
If he suddenly launches an attack, and the ambush is well-prepared, there is a very high probability that he will succeed.
Even if Liu Bai cannot be killed, severely injuring him or even causing his cultivation level to drop is perfectly acceptable.
If that happens, the North will gain a significant advantage.
He had even planned it out—once Liu Bai died here, he would immediately go back and begin preparing to raise an army.
Xu Longxiang became more and more excited and thrilled the more he thought about it.
He could almost see Liu Bai dying tragically on the spot, and Qin Mu looking horrified and pale.
Just thinking about it made him feel incredibly comfortable, like a cool breeze in summer, refreshing and soothing from head to toe.
A cold, confident smile curled at the corners of his mouth, his eyes burning like two flames.
He began to wait.
Waiting for news from Mo Ya, waiting for news from the Moon Goddess.
Waiting for that fateful moment.
Meanwhile, on an open area outside the second pass.
Fan Li stood beside Han Zhong, his eyes anxiously searching the battlefield.
He saw the silvery-white sword light, saw it destroy the pass and kill the guardians as easily as cutting tofu.
He grew increasingly anxious, his fingers clenched tightly in his sleeves, his nails digging into his palms.
He turned his head to face Han Zhong, his voice urgent.
"General Han, let's head to the Moon Goddess Cult's headquarters as soon as possible!"
Han Zhong nodded, his expression grave.
"good!"
Deep down, he didn't want to go. It was a dangerous place, a battlefield for half-immortals, where a slight mistake could lead to certain death.
But at this moment, he could only follow Fan Li to dispel the old fox's suspicions.
Just as the two were about to take a step, Fan Li's gaze suddenly swept over the side of a rock in front of them.
There, there was a very faint, almost invisible black mark—two short and one long—a code left by Mo Ya.
A thought flashed through his mind, and he abruptly stopped in his tracks.
"General, wait. You can't come with me now."
Han Zhong turned his head, his brows furrowed.
Why?
Fan Li took a deep breath and spoke very quickly.
"You are the commander-in-chief of an army. How can you appear in the enemy's main camp? If Liu Baifa discovers you, you will likely be exposed!"
Han Zhong had obviously thought of this long ago, which was precisely why he didn't want to go earlier.
But he had to show his nervousness and concern for Xu Longxiang before he could reluctantly agree.
He was delighted to hear Fan Li bring it up now.
His brows furrowed, and he looked worried.
"What should we do then?"
Fan Li pondered for a moment, then looked down at the vast, desolate mountain ridge in the distance.
"General, please wait here for a moment. I will go to the rear to check the situation. If things are not going well, you can come back to help."
Han Zhong sighed, a long and heavy sigh, like a stone falling from a height and hitting the ground, dull and muffled.
"That's all we can do."
Fan Li clasped his hands in a fist salute. "General, I'll head over there first."
He turned around and strode quickly toward a pile of rubble on the side of the pass.
Han Zhong watched his retreating figure, the tension and anxiety on his face gradually fading away, like the tide receding to reveal the gray, cold reefs underneath.
His eyes were now only filled with a pair of dark, unfathomable, bottomless eyes, like two dry wells, with no bottom and no light.
Fan Li strode into the pile of rocks, turned around a huge boulder, and stopped only after making sure no one could see him from behind.
A black figure silently emerged from the shadow of the boulder.
Mo Ya knelt on one knee, his expression solemn.
Fan Li stared at him, her voice very low.
"Have you found His Highness?"
Mo Ya nodded. "Found it."
Fan Li's brows furrowed sharply, his eyebrows forming a deep "川" (river) shape.
"Then why haven't you brought His Highness back yet? Instead, you left me a coded message for a private meeting?"
The reason he didn't let Han Zhong come along was because he saw the coded message left by Mo Ya: "Meet alone."
So he made up an excuse to send Han Zhong away.
Without hesitation, Mo Ya quickly recounted Xu Longxiang's plan—to kill Liu Bai.
Fan Li's brows furrowed more and more tightly, and the "川" character between his brows looked like it had been carved with a knife, and he couldn't smooth it out no matter what he did.
His first reaction was—this is insane!
But then he had to admire His Highness's reaction.
His Highness is stronger and bolder than him.
He only wanted His Highness to leave the dangerous place as soon as possible, but His Highness was thinking of taking this opportunity to completely intercept and kill Liu Bai here.
He quickly went through the mental calculations, considering Liu Bai's strength, his own forces, Han Zhong's attitude, and the overall situation on the battlefield.
And you know what? The success rate is at least 70%.
The probability is already quite high, after all, the person they want to kill is Liu Bai, a sword fanatic who is at the half-step terrestrial immortal realm.
A glint of light flashed in his eyes, and his fingers slowly tightened inside his sleeve.
"The only variable now is Han Zhong."
Mo Ya nodded. "That's right, Your Highness is most worried about Han Zhong."
Fan Li stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the distant pass shrouded in the flames of war.
A cold smile slowly curved the corners of his lips.
"We need to make this variable a definite outcome. That way, our success rate can increase by another 10%."
Mo Ya raised his head, a hint of urgency flashing in his eyes.
"So what should we do?"
He had pondered this question over and over on his way here. Send someone to persuade Han Zhong? Impossible, that old fox Han Zhong wouldn't get on the bandwagon so easily. Send someone to coerce him? Even more impossible, that would force him to turn against him.
He couldn't think of a solution.
But he believed Fan Li would definitely have a way. This old strategist, who had served the Xu family for decades, never disappointed.
A cold smile slowly curved Fan Li's lips as he stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze fixed on the direction where Han Zhong was.
"Han Zhong is a man of great loyalty and affection, and he hates owing favors the most. He promised His Highness to save him once, and this debt weighs heavily on his mind; he will definitely repay it. This is both his strength and his weakness."
He turned around and looked at Mo Ya.
"He didn't want to betray the Great Qin, so he kept wavering between the two sides. He wanted to repay His Highness's favor, but he didn't want the court to know. This was his biggest weakness—he was afraid of being exposed."
A glint flashed in Mo Ya's eyes, as if he understood something.
Fan Li continued, speaking slowly, but every word seemed to pierce Mo Ya's ears like nails.
"If Han Zhong finds out that Liu Bai has discovered evidence of his collusion with the Northern Border and is about to take action against him—guess what he will do?"
Mo Ya's pupils contracted slightly.
"He...will be forced into a corner, leaving him no choice but to join forces with us!"
Fan Li nodded, the smile on his lips deepening.
"That's right. He's not stupid. He knows that once Liu Bai returns to court and reports to His Majesty, his entire family of dozens will be wiped out. At that point, he will have no choice but to strike first and join forces with us to kill Liu Bai."
Mo Ya's breathing quickened, and an excited light shone in his eyes.
Fan Li's thoughts became increasingly clear, and the cold smile on his lips deepened even further.
He smiled, stood with his hands behind his back, his gaze deep and unfathomable.
"Whether Han Zhong wants to admit it or not, he has already committed the crime of deceiving the emperor. He knew about the whereabouts and ambitions of the northern border, but instead of reporting it to the court, he tried every means to cover it up—this is the crime of deceiving the emperor. As long as we can grasp this point, we have nothing to fear from Han Zhong not complying!"
Mo Ya's eyes flashed with a sharp light, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles turned white.
"So what should we do now?"
Fan Li turned around to face Mo Ya, his voice steady and resolute.
"Go back and inform His Highness that I will handle Han Zhong's situation. His Highness only needs to coordinate with the Moon Goddess."
His gaze fell on the silver-white sword light that was still crisscrossing the pass in the distance.
"The Moon Goddess Cult's second line of defense will be breached in a quarter of an hour at most. At that time, I will have Han Zhong issue the order to halt the attack, and then summon Liu Bai to the main tent under the pretext of discussing the next steps."
Mo Ya's eyes lit up slightly.
Will he come?
Fan Li nodded, his smile deepening.
"Liu Bai is a man sent by the imperial court, and Han Zhong is the commander-in-chief. The commander-in-chief summoned him to discuss military matters, and he has no reason to refuse. He will definitely come."
A cold glint flashed in his eyes.
"Once he enters the camp, that will be the best time for us to make our move!"
His voice became even lower, as low as an echo coming from underground.
"I will poison Liu Bai's drink. When the poison takes effect, that will be the moment he dies!"
Mo Ya's eyes suddenly lit up, like two lamps lit in the darkness!
He quickly went through the scenario in his mind. Fan Li had poisoned the wine, and Liu Bai's strength had been greatly reduced after being poisoned. The prince and the Moon Goddess Cult experts were already lying in ambush outside the tent, ready to swarm in—even a half-step terrestrial immortal would have no chance of survival!
He wondered, if he were Liu Bai, and had been hit by such a move, there would be absolutely no chance of survival.
Even Liu Bai, the sword fanatic, as powerful as a half-step immortal, is still just a human. As a human, he can be poisoned, injured, and die!
He took a deep breath, clasped his hands in a fist and bowed.
"Yes! I'll inform His Highness immediately!"
Fan Li nodded, his voice urgent.
"Go quickly! You have at least half an hour! Once His Highness and the Moon Goddess Cult's experts have assembled, you can quietly approach the main tent, where I will deploy the encirclement plan!"
Mo Ya nodded vigorously. "Okay!"
His figure flickered, transforming into a black afterimage, and silently disappeared into the shadows of the pile of rocks.
Fan Li stood there, gazing in the direction where Mo Ya had disappeared, and let out a deep breath.
The breath was long and slow, but it couldn't suppress the wildly beating heart in the chest.
He was somewhat excited, an excitement he couldn't contain.
The person they're about to kill is Liu Bai, a sword fanatic who's at the half-step terrestrial immortal realm!
If successful, it will be recorded in history!
The foundation and strength of the Qin Dynasty will be shaken, and the court will be filled with fear and unease!
By then, the chances of the North unifying the world will be even greater!
His fingers slowly tightened inside his sleeve, a burning light flashing in his eyes.
His Highness still has the same courage and determination; he's still the same His Highness he knows!
He didn't follow the wrong person!
Since His Highness is willing to gamble everything, he certainly can't afford to fail! He must ensure His Highness's plan is completed perfectly!
He took a deep breath and gradually suppressed the surging excitement.
He turned around and walked towards Han Zhong's direction. His steps were steady, his back straight, and his expression was calm and composed, revealing nothing unusual.