12dz Chapter 203 Chaos Begins
Chapter 203 Chaos Begins
"Uncle!"
Lin Qianxiu's sudden use of address surprised Luo Sifan.
He put away the brocade pouch, and for some reason became serious as he carefully examined the high-ranking official of the Silverfrost Empire named Lu Qingshan.
Their eyes met, and neither of them was particularly polite.
"Hello, Uncle!"
Under Lu Qingshan's intensely aggressive gaze, Luo Sifan almost guiltily shook off Lin Qianxiu's hand.
Lu Qingshan seemed to mind the intimate way the two held hands.
"Uncle, don't scare him! I finally found my soulmate!"
Lin Qianxiu spoke softly, a rare sight indeed. Her attitude towards this uncle was much warmer than when she was with Lu Lingyu.
A slight smile appeared on Lu Qingshan's stern, chiseled face as he temporarily forgot about Luo Sifan.
“Since you chose him, why would your uncle scare him? This young man is quite accomplished for his age; he has good judgment!”
Luo Sifan smiled faintly and did not interrupt.
"It's been ten years since we last met. I never imagined that you, Uncle, would hold such a high position in the Five Peaks Army. From now on, I, Lin Qianxiu, will have someone to rely on!"
Lin Qianxiu held a high position in the Western Expeditionary Army, but she acted low-key and cute in front of Lu Qingshan, completely disregarding her status.
Lu Qingshan's smile deepened:
"Don't think I don't know your status in the Lin family! If I, Lu Qingshan, don't step up my efforts, I might have to bow down to my own niece in a couple of years!"
The two teased each other, and the atmosphere immediately became relaxed.
"I knew you wouldn't let this opportunity slip by. Your Excellency specially asked the Emperor for the task of overseeing the Gathering of Talents."
Lu Qingshan became serious, took something out of his pocket, and tossed it to Lin Qianxiu.
Lin Qianxiu reached out and caught it, opening it as she smiled:
"If you want to come see me, how could Su Liyou refuse? Now that she's no longer the emperor, I'll definitely find her and have a good drink with her!"
Lu Qingshan smiled wryly upon hearing this:
"Sisters may be sisters, but you should not publicly address His Majesty by his name; it is against propriety. Your uncle still has to serve the Emperor!"
Lin Qianxiu pouted:
"Everyone can be emperor, next year it might be my turn. It's just a sinecure, if it weren't for the meager benefits, I wouldn't be interested in fighting for it."
Lu Qingshan sighed and said:
"Times have changed. Being the emperor of the Silverfrost Empire isn't so easy anymore. The current emperor is constantly dodging envoys from the Danta Federation and has suffered quite a bit of humiliation. Once he steps down next year, your sister Su won't have to endure this torment anymore."
The throne of the Silverfrost Empire is held every ten years and has always been held by young women from the Lin, Su, Xiao, and Ye clans. The current Empress, Su Liyou, comes from the Su family and was Lin Qianxiu's best friend when she was young.
Lu Qingshan was naturally closer to her than to others, and he still seemed quite worried about Su Liyou in his words.
Upon hearing this, Lin Qianxiu stopped what she was doing, somewhat surprised:
"This Danta Federation has only been established for a little over a hundred years, yet it acts so arrogantly?"
Having spent many years in the western border region, she was clearly unaware of the dramatic changes that had taken place in the capital in recent years.
"After a century of dormancy, he has made a name for himself!"
Lu Qingshan glanced at Luo Sifan and spoke frankly, expressing his high opinion of the Danta Federation.
"They call it a federation, but the person behind the scenes who plots to establish it has only been one person in the past two hundred years. She wields supreme power and has no say in anything. She has been secretly accumulating national strength right under our noses, patiently waiting for the right moment to strike. In recent years, she has taken a series of ruthless measures, and the trade routes of those friendly nations in the Southern Region that originally belonged to our country have been disrupted one after another. Almost overnight, they all fell into her hands."
Lu Qingshan spoke these words with a solemn tone.
"Isn't the Xiao family in charge of the southern border defenses? How could they be so careless?"
Lin Qianxiu said in astonishment.
She was never in a good position regarding the overall situation in the East, and after hearing what Lu Qingshan said, she realized that she was in big trouble.
"The Xiao family?! Of the four great clans, they are the most unreliable. They appoint their own people, are corrupt and lawless. The Xiao family's纨绔子弟 (sons of wealthy and powerful families) fill the army and their mansions. Talented people avoid them like the plague. The Danta Federation has grown powerful right under the empire's nose. The culprit is the Xiao family!"
The mention of the Xiao family ignited Lu Qingshan's anger.
Lin Qianxiu pondered for a moment, then suddenly realized:
"No wonder the Xiao family has made great progress in alchemy over the past few decades, producing several high-level alchemists who are quite arrogant in the Alchemy Academy. Their collusion with the Alchemy Tower Federation behind the scenes is probably inevitable."
Lu Qingshan nodded:
"Given the Xiao family's style of doing things, this is very likely."
With a heavy heart, Lu Qingshan finally sighed:
"The Eastern Land has been at peace for a long time, but the four tribes are outwardly united but inwardly divided. Internal and external crises have emerged. The chaotic world that Xu Yuanxiang ended with his sword alone is about to begin again."
Luo Sifan was not a member of the Silverfrost Empire and had no feelings for the Eastern Lands. Upon hearing these secrets known only to the higher-ups, his expression remained quite indifferent, and he did not utter a word.
Lu Qingshan, seeing this, couldn't help but feel that this person was too heartless, and frowned slightly.
Lin Qianxiu and Lu Qingshan's subordinates were having a hard time because they were being urged repeatedly by the impatient Lin family steward.
"Manager Lu! The Lin family members participating in the competition are all ready, what do you think..."
One of his subordinates, fearing reprimand, reluctantly stepped forward to remind Lu Qingshan.
Lu Qingshan glanced at him, waved him away, and turned to continue instructing Lin Qianxiu:
"Qianxiu, although the Danta Federation's intervention has increased the risks of this Gathering of Talents, our preparations are also more thorough. I'm only worried that you might be too greedy and put yourself in danger!"
Lin Qianxiu smiled sweetly:
"Don't worry, Uncle. How could I be so ungrateful? My own life is the most important thing! I will step down when it's time and won't linger."
Seeing that she understood, Lu Qingshan felt somewhat relieved:
"The pouch contains the official-issued swim bladder bone of the Mingjiao. You must advance and retreat together with Danlu and work together to deal with this. As for the treasure I gave you, it is the love pearl of the North Sea Jianmai fish. It has yin and yang aspects. You two should each take one. When necessary, you can take it out to sense each other's location and use it to assist each other."
Lin Qianxiu took out the love beads and fiddled with them, then handed one to Luo Sifan.
The two tried it on the spot and felt a strong response; it was indeed effective.
After putting away the love pearl, Lin Qianxiu and Lu Qingshan bid farewell.
Lu Qingshan had done all he could and could only await his fate outside the Immortal Tomb. He finally gave Lin Qianxiu a final instruction:
"The Immortal Tomb is not frightening; simply refrain from greed. Those you encounter within, whether friend or foe, must never be trusted! Human hearts are unpredictable, and venturing into such a place is especially dangerous!"
Under the watchful eyes of Lu Qingshan and the others, the Lin family's participating teams entered the entrance to the Immortal Tomb one by one and disappeared into the darkness that resembled the gaping maw of a giant beast.
Lu Qingshan ignored the Lin family members, beckoned to his subordinates, and turned to leave.
As he walked, he asked his subordinates:
"Of the thirteen dangerous locations, how many of our soldiers are currently trapped there and have not yet returned?"
The subordinate secretly calculated for a moment and replied in a low voice:
"Of the 146 people in total, nearly half have not returned. Among them, six are at the Golden Core stage, and the rest are at the Foundation Establishment stage."
Lu Qingshan frowned deeply and sighed:
"This bet with the Danta Federation concerns the ownership of a state. To hastily explore all the predicted dangerous areas would be too costly. If they are still not out of there after one month, they shall be recorded as having died in battle. All compensation and awards shall be given according to the highest level."
Both publicly and privately, as the executor of this matter, Lu Qingshan had no choice but to suppress his feelings of guilt.