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"Related to Spirit Speech, related to Spirit Speech... this is indeed a breakthrough." Qishan paced back and forth, cradling the paper, as Shen Tang heard him murmur softly, "I've heard of similar secret concealment methods before, used for transmitting messages. It's just very rare, and not many people know how to do it."
"That high-level?" Shen Tang was truly stunned. She had merely said it casually, not expecting there to actually be encrypted Spirit Speech. Qishan was seen operating his literary heart, condensing literary qi in his palm, his expression solemn.
Shen Tang faintly felt the atmosphere was not quite right. "Yuanliang, are you being overly suspicious? It's just a courtesan from the red-light district... even if he's a future top performer, it would be difficult for him to access such obscure Spirit Speech, wouldn't it? Stepping back, even if he could, what kind of crucial information would be important enough to warrant this level?"
Qishan hovered his palm over the paper, his palm condensing green literary qi, slowly sensing, while not forgetting to respond to Shen Tang's questions. "What do you think Xiaocheng is?" Shen Tang shook her head honestly: "I don't know." She really didn't know. Yuanliang's question clearly touched upon current affairs. But her current understanding of the world came solely from Qishan, his Spirit Speech scrolls, and what she had seen and heard along the way, which was an extremely limited corner of this world. No matter how hard she tried to understand, her contacts were mostly the lowest-class commoners. Most of them couldn't even solve their basic needs, didn't care about the name or achievements of their local prefectural officials, let alone the grand trends of the world, and thus had no way of knowing.
They only knew that life was difficult and they couldn't live happily. Shen Tang's answer was within Qishan's expectations; he showed no disappointment or other emotions. If Young Master Shen had suddenly known everything, he would have suspected if she was playing the pig to eat the tiger. Thus, for the first time, he revealed some things to Shen Tang. A glimpse of the iceberg of the world's grand scheme. He said, "I previously said that Zheng Qiao's command over Geng State would lead to his self-destruction within five years, not only because of his tyrannical style, insidious conduct, and habitual use of underhanded methods, but also for another important reason—he wanted to swallow the wolf to drive away the tiger, but he was colluding with a tiger." Shen Tang instinctively sat up straight, lending a keen ear. After a brief thought, she guessed a few things.
"Yuanliang means... the former Xin State was the 'wolf,' and now the 'wolf' is dead. That 'tiger' has become Zheng Qiao's greatest concern? Who is the 'tiger'?" Shen Tang recalled Qishan's pile of books which contained a small map, describing the locations of the northwestern states. The locations of Xin State and Geng State were not particularly good. All were situated near the edge of the continent. However, precisely because of this, the two states avoided the most intense battlefields in the continent's interior.
Compared to Geng State, which was surrounded by neighbors and constantly suffered defeats, Xin State was slightly better. To its northwest were continuous rugged mountain ranges, with strategic passes that were easy to defend and difficult to attack. Qishan replied, "This 'tiger' is Shiwu." Shen Tang said, "Shiwu?" Shiwu was a barbarian force beyond the continuous mountain ranges of Xin State.
They believed that the Golden Crow had fallen and nested there, multiplying and growing, thus calling themselves "Shiwu," which simply meant "descendants of the ten Golden Crows." Shen Tang suspected they were daydreaming, crossing the ocean—thinking too broadly, trying to claim kinship with the sun itself. Because before the arrival of the Bandit Star, Shiwu wasn't called this name at all. They had only accidentally learned that the Spirit Speech harbored by the Bandit Star had such a mythical story, so they elevated their status by claiming descent from the sun. The key was that after one or two hundred years of transmission, it actually had an effect.
Whether outsiders believed it was secondary; they certainly believed it. *Descendants of the Golden Crow, so noble!* Shen Tang pondered for a moment and guessed part of the truth: "If Shiwu is the 'tiger'... then, does this mean Zheng Qiao conquering Xin State wasn't because Geng State's national power was terrifying, but rather he took advantage of favorable timing, geography, and human factors? Seizing the opportunity of Xin State's internal and external troubles, along with political instability, he secretly allied with Shiwu, having Shiwu send troops to harass and draw Xin State's forces, while Geng State launched a surprise attack?" Xin State was already plagued by internal strife, and Shiwu continuously harassed and caused trouble on the border, which inevitably led to a relaxation of their guard against Geng State. This ultimately led to the current situation.
Qishan nodded approvingly. Shen Tang asked again, "But what does this have to do with Xiaocheng?" Xiaocheng was the capital of Sibao County, and it wasn't connected to the border mountains. There was no way it could be linked to Shiwu. Qishan said, "Because the Sibao County Administrator's parents were from Shiwu. Dissatisfied with the internal power struggles of their tribe, they decided to leave their homeland with their young child, living under assumed names, and finally settled in Xin State. Although raised in Xin State, that child still remembered Shiwu in his heart. An accidental opportunity connected him with his parents' tribe, and he became one of Shiwu's informants."
Shen Tang listened, aghast, and at the same time, her curiosity surged as she looked at Qishan: "This is a secret concerning life and death, one the County Administrator would guard jealously. How do you know this?" This was not just an ordinary "guiding NPC." His secrets were like layers upon layers, like a sow wearing a bra. If one were to dig deeper, it would likely be a bottomless pit. Shen Tang subtly observed Qishan's expression from the corner of her eye. Seeing that he showed no significant emotional fluctuations, she hesitated for a breath and then changed her words: "If it's inconvenient to tell me, then I won't ask." Qishan: "It's not that I'm unwilling to tell you, but it's a long story, not something that can be explained clearly in a short time. You just need to know that the Sibao County Administrator is a two-faced individual and not a good person.
On the surface, he is a loyal sycophant to Zheng Qiao, skilled at flattery, and will stop at nothing to please Zheng Qiao, but secretly, he still works for Shiwu." As he spoke, he brought the straying topic back. "The geographical location of Sibao County is quite special. It can be advanced from or retreated to, and it is a prefecture on the border between Xin State and Geng State, as well as a necessary route for all surrounding states to go south. In other words, if one wants to seize the central plains of the continent, Sibao County must be taken." Shen Tang gasped. "Is Shiwu's ambition that grand?"
They haven't even conquered the mountains blocking their southward path, yet they are already thinking about how to proceed after taking the northwestern states? *As expected of those who dared to claim kinship with the sun.* "They actually dare to harbor such grand ambitions. It used to be a pipe dream, but now—" Qishan's gaze swept over Shen Tang, who was looking down, and he said darkly, "It might not be impossible. Xin State's national seal is lost, and Zheng Qiao is a tyrannical ruler who cannot appease the people. The national qi and destiny condensed in his national seal might not be able to maintain the border barrier on the side of the mountain range. Shiwu is cunning and ambitious; they might truly seize this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to cross that mountain range." Xiaocheng was a chess piece they deeply embedded. Of course, even if Shiwu hadn't laid a line in Xiaocheng, Qishan would still have to come here, firstly for revenge, and secondly for strategic planning. A person's life, living in mediocrity, dying in resentment, is that interesting? Who will emerge victorious, who will reign supreme in the end, remains unknown! As the two spoke, a faint line of text gradually appeared on the previously blank white paper— The paper really was problematic! Shen Tang read aloud: "*Looking horizontally, it's a range; looking sideways, it's a peak?*"