Twin Dimension Yin-Yang Mirror: Attaining immortality through the martial path
Chapter 363 - 326: Talent of a Great General, Change Tactics Effortlessly

Chapter 363: Chapter 326: Talent of a Great General, Change Tactics Effortlessly

As he approached,

he realized that besides the elderly Taoist in a black and white Daoist robe, there were also a young man and woman.

The two appeared to be in their twenties or thirties, dressed in sky-blue tight-fitting clothes of the Cloud Water Sect’s Inner Sect disciples.

At the moment, they were looking at him intently,

the man had a simple and honest face, and quickly squeezed out a smile when he saw Zhou Ping’an looking at him.

The woman was tall and robust, able to gallop horses with her arms alone, and had a nonchalant air about her. She sized up Zhou Ping’an from top to bottom and stared at the bloodstain on his shoulder repeatedly.

"Very good, indeed worthy of being the True Disciple highly regarded by Senior Sister Su. Both of you are quite exceptional. Especially you, Ping’an, you’ve managed to build such a great foundation quietly. I was very surprised when I heard it,"

praised the elder in the black and white Daoist robe, clicking his tongue twice and said, "You even defeated Fang Buping, forcing that archer to sneak attack and save someone. Ping’an, you have lost yet gained honor.

Come, come, let me introduce you two. This tall fellow is Wu Junsong from the Law Enforcement Pavilion, and the girl is your Emerald Peak’s Senior Sister, interestingly named Zhan Shanhe.

Both of them are out on a training mission and are here to help you, so don’t say the sect doesn’t care about you."

"How can we repay this kindness?"

Zhou Ping’an quickly extended his hand to invite them.

"Please, Uncle Master, enter the city, we have prepared a banquet..."

Yet, inside, he was murmuring.

Thinking that this Uncle Master might not be easy to deal with.

Being slow to act previously could be explained by not anticipating Yi Heavenly King would intervene so directly because of the age difference.

But even now, he only introduced the two Inner Sect disciples, not mentioning his own name and intentions...

"Entering the city isn’t necessary, old man still needs to rush to Yunzhou overnight, where the conflict is urgent,"

said the old Taoist, waving his hand and flashing a deep look at Zhou Ping’an, then whisked away so quickly that he seemed to disappear.

"This..."

Zhou Ping’an retracted his hands, looking somewhat embarrassed.

"Junior Brother, don’t worry about it. Elder Wu Changsong of Diecang Peak, though also from Canghai descent, doesn’t follow the same path as our master and uncle. That he offered to help is more surprising than expected,"

said the burly and eagle-eyed Wu Junsong, his thoughts surprisingly intricate as he was the first to speak.

It almost seemed he guessed what Zhou Ping’an was thinking.

He chuckled and said, "Normally, as a junior, it’s improper to gossip about the elders, but you should know, Junior Brother, the nine elders of the peaks have their own entanglements, not always unified in heart.

Even their views on the world’s great trends differ, like Uncle Master Wu. His trip to Yunzhou is to assist Brother Zhang.

At a time when chaos approaches, and considering Brother Zhang’s position, why would Diecang Peak miss such an opportunity?"

"Brother Zhang?"

"Yes, one of the ten True Disciples, Zhang Zhongshu, tactically and scholastically proficient, who operates a large enterprise off the mountain.

Currently, he’s the Prefectural Governor of Huangze County in Yunzhou, holding the Yunjin Ferry Crossing, highly trusted by Pei Zijing, with well-equipped troops..."

Wu Junsong then stopped there.

Instead, he changed the topic: "Let’s not talk about Yunzhou’s issues anymore. Junior Brother, you’re now up against the Red Lotus Army here, the situation is tough. If there’s anything you need my help with, just tell me.

If things go south, even if it costs me my life, I can still ensure that you and Sister Lin return to the mountain safely."

"You’re too kind, please."

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ping’an was deeply moved.

He immediately understood.

These two senior siblings seemed like family.

No need to ask, they must have been sent by the sitting master and elder brother from the mountain.

But sending just two people, was that a bit insufficient?

Zhou Ping’an was no longer the same as before.

He now understood the importance of Gaining Momentum in this world.

Considering that Cloud Water Sect had heard about his establishment in Qingyang City but still only sent two Inner Sect disciples to assist,

the only possibility was that the people on the mountain didn’t really value what he had here.

They didn’t believe that this little force could achieve any significant "momentum."

Arranging for just two people to look after it seemed like fulfilling a fraternal duty.

That must be the situation.

"Did Senior Sister Zhan come here willingly?"

Lin Huaiyu stepped forward and held the Senior Sister named Zhan Shanhe’s left hand, softly asking, "If it’s against your will, maybe it’s better to return to the mountain after a simple reception in Qingyang City, rather than fighting a deadly battle against the Red Lotus Sect."

"Sister, don’t provoke me; though Yi Heavenly King is formidable, he does not frighten me,"

she said, raising an eyebrow, then turning to Zhou Ping’an with a look full of fighting spirit, "As for Junior Brother Zhou, he was able to withstand a strike from the Sun Shooting Divine Arrow without losing his combat strength, which is truly remarkable. If Master knew, he’d be too excited to sleep."

This statement sounded rather odd,

as if she was jealous of us.

Realizing the identity of this statuesque woman, Zhou Ping’an couldn’t help but laugh silently.

She was the Senior Sister.

After returning to the mountain, who knew how much Scolding Su Lianxue would give her.

She surely had an earful of complaints like, "How quickly your Junior Brother and Sister cultivate, yet you haven’t achieved Gang Qi at your age, eating up so much food for nothing. If only you had one-tenth the capability of your Junior Brother or Sister, I would be fully satisfied as your teacher."

Indeed, Master Su Lianxue could definitely come up with such words,

No wonder, the Senior Sister was brimming with sourness.

"Blocking an arrow is nothing special, just luck I didn’t die, cough cough..."

Zhou Ping’an feigned weakness and laughed, "If it were Sister, she would have blocked it more easily."

"Pfft..."

Suddenly, Wu Junsong couldn’t hold back his laughter next to them.

Zhan Shanhe’s face turned red and then white, flashing like a lantern for a while before she awkwardly said, "It’s my narrow-mindedness as a Senior Sister. Strong is strong, weak is weak. Junior Brother, you survived the Sun Shooting Divine Arrow; I’m far inferior. I probably couldn’t even defeat Fang Buping."

As she spoke, her head hung low.

"Senior Sister, don’t mind, I can’t beat them either,"

Lin Huaiyu quickly comforted.

In just a few words, she had realized that this burly Senior Sister was actually quite straightforward.

If she were to shrink her body by half, with her clear and well-defined facial features sometimes showing, she would definitely be a cute and likeable little beauty.

"Senior Sister’s surname is Zhan, does that relate to the Zhan Family?" Lin Huaiyu tried to make conversation.

"Yes, by the time it came to my generation, the Zhan Family had already declined. Full of tactics but of no use,"

Zhan Shanhe looked at Lin Huaiyu, her gaze much softer.

"Who says it’s useless? ’Nature endowed me with talents that are surely useful,’ Brother Zhou said, and I think there’s a lot of sense in it. Here in Qingyang City, though we are small, we are completely functional. The opportunity for battle is simply too great..."

’I don’t recall saying I wanted to help you fight.’

Zhan Shanhe opened her mouth to speak but couldn’t bear to dampen Lin Huaiyu’s enthusiasm.

She merely chuckled dryly, "That’s also true."

Having someone come over to help, especially a rare adept, was something Lin Huaiyu was actually very happy about.

Qingyang City seemed well-stocked and strong.

But all this was built upon Zhou Ping’an’s presence.

All things considered, the pressure was still too great.

Even her own generals, including herself, were not fully strong yet.

Lacking enough high-end combat power.

Indeed, in a great and fierce battle, they would be extremely embarrassed and strained.

Just like the battle earlier.

Zhou Ping’an fought with the high-ranking experts of the Blood Shadow Sect, battled with Fang Buping, and even took a hit from the Sun Shooting Divine Arrow.

The rest of them could only watch helplessly.

Unable to even get involved.

This situation was highly dangerous.

Just now, she saw that he was injured.

Lin Huaiyu turned her head, looking somewhat worriedly at Zhou Ping’an, but said nothing.

Zhou Ping’an shook his head, signaling all was well, and beckoned everyone to head to the County Yamen.

Whether or not they had gained full merits,

the crisis in Qingyang City was ultimately resolved.

Fang Buping had a leg severed; no matter how skilled he was at beheading tactics, he couldn’t casually come alone to Qingyang City to seek death anymore.

If he were to come,

it would be with grand troops, attacking and plundering.

But compared to attacking this tucked-away Qingyang City, it was hardly a prime choice.

Not only was it a tough bone to crack, hard to conquer,

even if it did fall, it seemed to hold little significance.

Aside from gaining some population, there was no strategic value.

For, the Three Counties of Liyou formed a character shape; Qingyang City, wedged into Black Mountain, did not block the Red Lotus Army’s route to Yunzhou. Even if troops were sent to obstruct and harass from behind, it would still be a considerable distance of fifty or sixty li.

Deploying troops was extremely inconvenient.

Whether they fought or not, it was all the same.

And that Yi Heavenly King, as a revered Dharma King of the Red Lotus Sect, saw his own status as supremely distinguished. For such a small county and for a major subordinate, firing an arrow to save someone was already a loss of face.

Asking him to focus on attacking a small county would likely be too much for his pride to bear.

This wasn’t a matter of pettiness.

It was a matter of worthiness.

...

Next, what was supposed to be a reception to wash off the travel dust was exactly that.

Of course, it was also to celebrate repelling the enemy and getting a chance to breathe.

Zhou Ping’an set several tables inside the County Yamen, summoning all top civil and military officials.

While eating, he concurrently arranged for the repair of the buildings.

And ordered Tang Lin’er to lead troops early the next morning to sweep out the roaming cavalry.

The task of clearing land and constructing buildings both inside and outside the city must not stop.

People, once they stop working, tend to overthink.

He recalled the discussions he heard within the city when he had just returned.

Zhou Ping’an clenched his teeth inwardly.

He had hoped for loyalty from the people, to amass vast amounts of Wishful Heartforce and make his cultivation advance by leaps and bounds...

"Minds of friends change easily, yet one claims their steadfastness,"

His actions of treating everyone in the city equally so that they all had enough to eat seemed to be a mistake.

Even if there was enough food, it should not have been done that way.

He lacked experience.

If he hadn’t realized this in time, he might have ended up fostering a large number of idlers and lazy people after a while.

Most people would turn into fair-weather supporters.

After all, how could they cherish a home not built with their own efforts and sacrifices?

"Considering the events of today, very dangerous. With the Red Lotus Army nearby, our military strength is still insufficient..."

The next steps included recruiting soldiers and purchasing horses, which required a large supply of food. With that, there wouldn’t be enough grain for the civilians. "What strategies do you all have?"

Zhou Ping’an forcefully suppressed the pity in his heart.

And suddenly sought counsel.