The Fei Xing Story (Part 1)

Jiangdu City Lord's Manor.
Situ Dao Sheng's beard was unkempt; he hadn't groomed himself for who knows how many days.
A man who always paid attention to his appearance, ever since his daughter went missing, he had completely fallen into despair.
"Who put this here?"
Situ Dao Sheng saw a letter placed beside his pillow and immediately felt a surge of anger.
The servants in this manor were truly becoming more and more unruly.
No one stopped Qing Qing from going out, and now they let someone place things in my room; this cannot go on without rectification.
Situ Dao Sheng originally intended to call the butler, but a strange impulse made him open the letter.
"Qing Qing..."
Situ Dao Sheng's hand trembled slightly. The familiar handwriting immediately brought tears to his eyes.
"It's good that you're alive, it's good that you're alive. Do whatever you want, Father won't control you anymore."
Situ Dao Sheng murmured.
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"Constable Li? What is this about?"
Xu Lu looked at Li Yao Zhong, who was patrolling the streets, and said with a chuckle, "Were you really demoted?"
Li Yao Zhong's face was filled with bitterness: "Nephew Xu Lu, if you had helped me, I wouldn't be in this situation. It's pitiful that I've been cautious and diligent for decades, only to be reduced to my original state in one morning."
"The City Lord is just angry for a moment. Once his anger subsides, he will definitely reinstate you."
Xu Lu said with a smile, "I've calculated with my fingers; it might even be today."
"Don't tease me anymore."
Li Yao Zhong smiled bitterly, "Let's go, let's go on patrol."
Xu Lu felt that if he could sing "The Great King Calls Me to Patrol the Mountains..." it would be even more fitting for the scene.
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Li Yao Zhong returned from patrol, rubbing his aching legs, when a constable suddenly rushed in.
"Constable, Constable, the City Lord has ordered your reinstatement and is looking for you. Hurry and come!"
The constable shouted.
"Ah?"
Li Yao Zhong was stunned, recalling Xu Lu's words when they met earlier.
"Strange, does Xu Lu also know how to divine? No, the City Lord's mood improved, so there's only one reason: he found the Young Miss. The Young Miss was found, and I don't know, but Xu Lu does? And you say you don't have an affair with the Young Miss!"
Li Yao Zhong thought angrily, then his mood improved. It seemed my position as Constable can continue after all.
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Some rejoiced, others grieved. Li Yao Zhong's reinstatement was good news, but Fu Yuan He was currently in distress.
"Xu Lu, oh Xu Lu, you've finally shown your face."
As soon as he saw Xu Lu, Fu Yuan He rushed over with a bitter expression.
"I'm telling you, something big has happened!"
"What big thing? I remember your parents passed away long ago, didn't they?"
Xu Lu asked suspiciously.
"What are you saying?"
Fu Yuan He rolled his eyes and said, "It's about the Hong Yan system!"
"What about Hong Yan? Aren't you still manufacturing the first generation Hong Yan Secret Treasures? What's wrong, did it not meet the Heavenly Palace Master's requirements?"
Xu Lu said.
It's understandable if it didn't meet the requirements. You, Fu Yuan He, alone, even if you had three heads and six arms, how many secret treasures could you make?
The Tai Xuan Dynasty's territory was vast; to have the Hong Yan system cover the entire Tai Xuan Dynasty, the number of first generation Hong Yan Secret Treasures needed would be in the tens of thousands.
Such a massive undertaking, let alone one person, even a hundred people would not be enough.
But the Heavenly Palace strictly managed secret treasures, not allowing outsiders to participate in their manufacture. Xu Lu had the intention to solve this problem, but he hadn't told Fu Yuan He yet.
"The first generation Hong Yan Secret Treasures are fine; the Palace Master's requirements aren't high, and I can barely supply them."
Fu Yuan He said, "It's the base stations!"
The transmission distance between the first generation Hong Yan Secret Treasures was not far, so Xu Lu and Fu Yuan He had specially designed base stations to amplify and relay signals.
To be precise, each city only needed one or two first generation Hong Yan Secret Treasures, but base stations had to be placed at intervals, which was truly a massive project.
But fortunately, the construction of base stations did not involve much secrecy, so outsiders from the Heavenly Palace could be used.
Otherwise, relying solely on a few people from the Heavenly Palace, such a massive project could not be completed.
"What about the base stations?"
"The base stations were destroyed!"
Fu Yuan He said with some agitation, "That damned Tiangong Pavilion, how could they be so despicable and shameless!"
"So that's how it is."
Xu Lu nodded, not at all surprised.
The Tiangong Pavilion belonged to the Liao Yuan organization, and the Liao Yuan organization was the Heavenly Palace's sworn enemy.
With the Heavenly Palace so vigorously building the Hong Yan system, the Liao Yuan organization, unless they were fools, certainly couldn't sit idly by.
If the Heavenly Palace truly established a network that could transmit information at any time, it would be a disaster for the Liao Yuan organization.
Since the two sides were already enemies, it was normal for them to use any means.
Could they really just sit and wait for their enemy to grow stronger before acting?
"I'm telling you, last time Shang Zi Chuan died, we blamed it on brothers Guang Shu Mu and Guang Shu Lin. Then that Luo Jing Qi interrogated Guang Shu Lin and found a Liao Yuan organization stronghold. That Luo Jing Qi directly led people to destroy that stronghold. That stirred up a hornet's nest. The Liao Yuan organization began to retaliate. As of an hour ago, according to incomplete statistics, over a hundred of our base stations have been destroyed!"
Fu Yuan He said with some annoyance, "You tell me, if they want revenge, they should target Luo Jing Qi, what's the meaning of targeting my base stations to vent their anger?"
Xu Lu couldn't help but laugh. Luo Jing Qi was a Ninth Rank Heavenly Official; the people of the Liao Yuan organization would be crazy to attack Luo Jing Qi.
How difficult was it to kill a Ninth Rank Secret Cultivator?
At least several experts of the same rank would have to be mobilized!
In contrast, destroying base stations was much easier.
Earlier, Xu Lu had heard from Chi Fang Shu that they already intended to destroy the base stations. In fact, if it were Xu Lu, he would also do the same.
If the Liao Yuan organization didn't destroy the base stations, Xu Lu would actually look down on them.
"You're still laughing!"
Fu Yuan He said angrily, "The Hong Yan series of secret treasures also contains your hard work; are you willing to see it fail?"
"What does it have to do with me?"
Xu Lu said irritably, "Once the Hong Yan system is built, it's your Heavenly Palace's money-making machine. You don't share the money with me, so if it's not built, I suffer no loss."
"Haven't we discussed this issue? It's you who didn't want to truly join the Heavenly Palace."
Fu Yuan He said, "Moreover, aren't I helping you make secret treasures for cultivation? Doesn't that cost money?"
"Stop."
Xu Lu said, "It's just a fair trade; neither of us owes the other."
"What do we do now? Quickly think of a solution!"
Fu Yuan He said, "If the Hong Yan system isn't built, I won't have any merit. Without merit, I won't get contribution points. Without contribution points, I won't be able to buy cultivation secret treasures. In the end, you're the one who suffers!"
"Are you threatening me?"
Xu Lu said with a glance.
"Not a threat, I'm just telling you a fact!"
Fu Yuan He said, "Xu Lu, Brother Xu, Master Xu, Xu Duo, quickly give me an idea."
Fu Yuan He was utterly shameless. He was good at swindling funds and researching and manufacturing secret treasures, but he was truly at his wit's end with this matter.
"It's very simple: send people to guard them."
Xu Lu said calmly, "Actually, base stations aren't just built and left alone; they inherently need maintenance personnel. Each base station can have a team stationed there, one to protect it, and two to promptly repair it if there are any problems."
"The problem is, where do we get so many people?"
Fu Yuan He said. With so many base stations, if each one sent a team, all the people in the Heavenly Palace combined wouldn't be enough.
Moreover, the Heavenly Palace couldn't dedicate all its manpower to the Hong Yan system; that would be too unrealistic.
"The Heavenly Palace doesn't have that many people, but the imperial court does."
Xu Lu said, "Aren't the troops stationed in various places of the Tai Xuan Dynasty readily available manpower? Oh right, Prince Huai Li Zong Yi isn't a partner of Factory 65, is he? I remember he also had a share in the base station construction project? Just right, give him another great merit, and let him handle this garrison protection matter."
"The Tai Xuan Dynasty? Li Zong Yi? They won't agree, will they?"
Fu Yuan He pondered. Protecting base stations had no benefits; who would be willing to do it?
"They will be willing; this matter also benefits them."
Xu Lu said, "After all, once the Hong Yan system is completed, the Tai Xuan Dynasty will also use it. Moreover, this Hong Yan system is even more important to the Tai Xuan Dynasty. Without the Hong Yan system, the Heavenly Palace merely won't make money, but the Tai Xuan Dynasty is different; they transmit military intelligence, and they need the Hong Yan system the most."
Fu Yuan He thought for a moment and felt it made some sense.
"Actually, relying on people ultimately still easily leads to problems."
Xu Lu said calmly.
"Then what's the solution? A base station is a dead object; it's just there. If people from the Liao Yuan organization come to destroy it, it can't run away."
"Why can't it run away?"
Xu Lu said...