The snow was heavy, and the air was cold, but neither was as cold as the looks in the two people's eyes right now.
Zhang San had no fondness for Lu Gaosheng, and of course, the feeling was mutual from Lu Gaosheng.
"You don't need to ridicule me," Lu Gaosheng said coldly with a sneer.
Zhang San's brows furrowed.
Lu Gaosheng looked directly at Zhang San and said coldly, "I truly did not expect that you would come back, but if you came back to kill me, so be it. What I cannot fathom is your reason for coming back - it is so laughable! Zhang San, do you believe that if you continue down this path, your ending will definitely be more tragic than mine!"
However, Zhang San replied, "I believe so."
Lu Gaosheng was slightly stunned.
Zhang San continued, "So before I came, I made an oath - this is the last time. After delivering this batch of grain, I will go back to being an assassin for the black market."
Lu Gaosheng understood now. The cold smile at the corner of his mouth deepened as he said, "Then I wish you keep your oath and live a long life."
"Thank you."
However, Zhang San was still holding the hairpin and did not seem to have any intention of giving it to Lu Gaosheng.
A flash of cold light shone in Lu Gaosheng's eyes. He said, "It looks like you are unwilling to give it to me. But I can tell you a secret that I believe you will definitely be interested in..."
Zhang San slowly walked over to Lu Gaosheng and handed over the hairpin.
Not for anything else.
Blood loss could be treated, but the prerequisite was that the amount of blood lost could not be too much. Judging from the pool of blood under Lu Gaosheng, it had nearly reached a fatal level. In other words, even if the best doctor came now, Lu Gaosheng would undoubtedly die.
Strangely enough, despite Lu Gaosheng's current condition, he was still able to remain conscious and speak coherently. This was already a "miracle" of sorts.
Zhang San also didn't know if this phenomenon was related to Lu Gaosheng's out-of-body experiences.
Zhang San said plainly, "It seems you are used to negotiating terms and weighing pros and cons with others. But I'm afraid I have no interest in bargaining with a dead man. I will give this to you if I want to."
Lu Gaosheng was silent for a while before taking the hairpin.
Looking at the object in his hand, his eyes revealed tenderness.
Zhang San said, "I met Bai Fang before coming here."
Lu Gaosheng immediately jerked his head up.
Zhang San said, "I asked her if she would trade her life for the lives of 100,000 others. What did she say?"
"What...what did she say?"
"Before she could answer, I had knocked her out already. But..."
Lu Gaosheng stared at Zhang San.
Zhang San replied, "But from the look in her eyes, I had already read her answer. This was the first time I developed respect for a woman."
Lu Gaosheng was stunned.
He lowered his head, thinking to himself: If that was your answer...
Moreover, after a moment's thought, Lu Gaosheng realized that Zhang San now had the token and knew the location of the grain. The idea of having Bai Fang accompany Song Yanshi in death was obviously impossible now.
But...
Rather than letting Song Yanshi succeed, it would be better to...
Zhang San was about to leave.
The next moment.
Lu Gaosheng took a deep breath and said,
"Do you really think you can defeat Song Yanshi with Lu Qingming's shallow scheme?"
Zhang San stopped abruptly in his tracks.
Lu Gaosheng sneered, "If you really want to help Wu Qixue and Lu Qingming, take the map from the third section on the left bookshelf and I'll teach you how to defeat Song Yanshi."
Zhang San asked back, "Why should I trust you?"
"Listening to another opinion cannot hurt. Moreover, I don't want Song Yanshi to...win!"
Zhang San hesitated for a moment but eventually walked to the bookshelf.
Meanwhile, Lu Gaosheng leaned against the desk and began to explain, "Lu Qingming couldn't figure out why Song Yanshi reacted so quickly and was able to swiftly command Liu Hu to enter the city. It's very simple - Song Yanshi used the Red Eagle, a military messenger bird that requires official record-keeping every time it is used."
Lu Gaosheng sneered, "That cunning old fox Song Yanshi was truly anxious this time, but he chose well. When dealing with me, Lu Gaosheng, you won't win if you're not fast enough or vicious enough."
"Zhang San, have you considered that while you've killed Liu Hu and his top masters, what about that 'Red Eagle'?"
Just as Zhang San was walking over with the map, he was startled by the sudden realization.
The name Red Eagle did sound familiar. Now that he thought carefully about it, Lu Gaosheng's inference made perfect sense.
Lu Gaosheng went on, "If I'm not mistaken, Liu Hu should have one or even a group of people specially responsible for contacting Song Yanshi. After losing touch with Liu Hu, I believe Song Yanshi would soon guess that he is already dead."
"Judging from the current situation, the Zhennan Army is Song Yanshi's biggest trump card, yet it hasn't appeared until now. This can't be because he chose not to use it, but rather Tang Li has been secretly interfering or monitoring its actions. However, the resistance Tang Li can put up against the Zhennan Army is ultimately limited. Even if delayed for a bit, the Zhennan Army's top masters must already be on their way."
"But considering the distance and time, as well as pressure from Tang Li, it would be impossible to mobilize the main troops. My judgment is that this time, the Zhennan Army can only send 300-500 men chasing from the south. But they will definitely be the elites of the Zhennan Army."
Zhang San placed the map in front of Lu Gaosheng. Lu Gaosheng pointed at the map, devising strategies involving ambush tactics, three consecutive checkpoint defenses, and so on.
Soon, Lu Gaosheng's plan was neatly arranged. Zhang San had to admire Lu Gaosheng's mastery over Tian Ruo Prefecture's terrain and his wisdom in swiftly formulating countermeasures. As for whether to actually trust him or not, Zhang San decided he would discuss it with Wu Qixue first after returning.
"There's also..."
After putting away the map, Lu Gaosheng spoke again.
Zhang San turned his head back.
Lu Gaosheng looked at Zhang San and smiled suddenly, "Aren't you curious what secret I wanted to tell you earlier?"
Zhang San looked at him doubtfully.
What exactly was this secret?
Lu Gaosheng sneered, "Do you know of the Bai clan?"
The Bai clan?
It was a rare surname he had never heard of before.
Seeing Zhang San's expression, Lu Gaosheng already understood. He went on, "They are the most mysterious clan across the whole land. As far as I know, their clan has existed for over a thousand years. Although much declined now, you shouldn't doubt their influence."
A clan lasting a thousand years!? Zhang San was shocked inwardly but still didn't feel Lu Gaosheng would try deceiving him at this point.
"Even with Song Yanshi making a move this time, the three big black market gangs still refused to help. The reason lies here. But previously, I wondered why the Bai clan chose to side with Tang Li yet there were no Heaven Rank Grandmasters from the Knowing Hall helping Xu Guo, since they could influence the jianghu so much."
Lu Gaosheng stared at Zhang San and said, "Now, I think I've roughly guessed - the reason is simply that the Bai clan's leader Baijun Marquis has not been inside Da Wu Kingdom recently! He must have gone to the Northern Glacier again."
This was the only explanation for why no grandmasters made a move. With Baijun Marquis gone, dissenting opinions must have emerged among the various major figures of the splintered Bai Family. Without unity, the three black markets would naturally not heed anyone's commands except Baijun Marquis.
When it comes to an immense power like the Bai Family, no one would dare offend its leader Baijun Marquis if they knew of its existence.
Finally Lu Gaosheng said, "You seem like someone who hates others knowing your secrets and affairs, so...from today onward, you have to be more careful!"
"Be careful of the Knowing Hall! Be careful of Bai's Money House!"
"And be careful of...Baijun Marquis!"
It was the first time Zhang San had heard Lu Gaosheng repeat so many warnings to "be careful". Even with Zhang San's composure, he couldn't help feeling a bit nervous.
Zhang San asked doubtfully: "Is this person really smarter than you?"
Lu Gaosheng gave a cold laugh: "Whether he's smarter than me or not, I don't know. But let me tell you, if you unfortunately encounter him in the future, I advise you not to believe him no matter what, and try your best to get away from him."
"Because he is a heartless and ruthless person, different from you and me. He has no weaknesses that can be taken advantage of. So he is definitely more... ruthless than me!"
The word "ruthless" made one's heart skip a beat.
Hearing this, Zhang San silently engraved the three words "Baijun Marquis" firmly in his heart.
"But why are you telling me all these?" Zhang San was still puzzled.
Lu Gaosheng picked up the wooden hairpin, then took off his bloody white jade cloud pattern thumb ring and threw it to Zhang San.
Lu Gaosheng said lightly:
"These words are a token of gratitude and payment. This is her father's keepsake. Help me return it to her."
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] This is a dark fantasy-themed dating simulation game. The main gameplay involves containing various monster girls and investigating the truth of a world shrouded in mist alongside your companions. However, due to his love for the dark and bizarre atmosphere, Luo Wei ended up turning a dating game into a detective mystery game. Women? Women only slow down his quickdraw! To Luo Wei, the female leads in the game are more like tools to perfectly clear levels and squeeze out rewards. For Luo Wei, flirting with every girl he meets and then discarding them is standard procedure. Worried about characters losing affection points? No need. With his maxed-out charm stat, Luo Wei is practically a "human incubus." A little psychological manipulation and those points come right back. It's a bit scummy, but the paper cutout heroines in the game won't actually come at him with real cleavers. However... Luo Wei has transmigrated. He's accidentally entered the second playthrough of this game. His past actions have caused all the girls to transform into terrifying yanderes. Due to the game's setting, most of the heroines he once contained are "troubled girls." Obsessive, twisted, mentally unstable, all aggressive yanderes... The type who will kill you if they can't have you... Luo Wei wants to cry but has no tears left. "I really just want to survive..." In short, this is a story of battling wits and engaging in a love-hate relationship with yanderes.
