Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
"Don't worry about that for now. Let me ask you, am I right?" Li Hong said calmly.
Ma Su's eyes flickered as he nodded, "That's right, it was my idea. What do you mean by this?"
"To be honest, I am the ancient Deity Fuxi. Due to an accident, I fell into a mysterious vortex and lost all my powers. Now, I need someone to help me. If you are willing to assist me, I will grant you and your kind the elixir of immortality," Li Hong declared.
Ma Su was instantly taken aback. Could this person be possessed? Who was Fuxi? He was the ancient sovereign, a peerless being who established the Eight Trigrams and Five Elements.
How dare this person impersonate Fuxi? It truly angered Ma Su. Such a flawed lie, and he thought he could deceive him? Did he really think Ma Su was a three-year-old child?
"Do not be presumptuous! Fuxi is the foremost among our human race's Three Sovereigns. Your blasphemy against him is unforgivable!" Ma Su scolded angrily.
Li Hong had anticipated that Ma Su would not believe him. After all, in this era, the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors held a very sacred status. It was indeed unlikely that Ma Su would accept his fabricated identity based on just a few words.
However, Li Hong was well-prepared. He secretly took out his device and, while it still had some battery left, pressed the voice assistant button.
"Nüwa, who am I?"
Ma Su was taken aback. Was this person unable to accept reality after his lies were exposed and had gone mad? Nüwa? How could the Deity Nüwa pay attention to a fraud like him! Moreover, Nüwa's legend was so mystical that it was uncertain whether she even existed.
"You are my husband! Husband, is there anything else you need help with?"
A cold mechanical female voice came from Li Hong's device, causing Ma Su's eyes to widen in disbelief.
"What... what is this?" he stammered at Li Hong.
With no one else around and neither of them speaking, where did this female voice come from?
The first time Ma Su heard the mechanical synthesized female voice, his heart began to race. The voice was so solemn and authoritative, it felt as if it were as untouchable as the Doctrine itself. Could this voice truly belong to the legendary Nüwa?
The thought that this so-called "Nüwa" referred to Li Hong as her husband shocked Ma Su deeply.
Could it be true? Is this person really Fuxi?
Seeing the bewildered expression on Ma Su's face, Li Hong smiled slightly. He knew that Ma Su was already thoroughly confused. All he needed to do was add a little more fuel to the fire to make him believe in the identity he had fabricated.
Thus, Li Hong seized the moment and said to Ma Su, "Young Chang, I did not wish to reveal my identity. However, today I see your complexion is pale and bloodied; you may not have long to live. Young Chang, as a member of my human race, Renjie, how could I ignore your impending doom?"
Indeed, people are often driven by their fear of death. Upon hearing that Li Hong foresaw a calamity for him, Ma Su quickly asked, "I hope Your Majesty will enlighten me. I, Ma Su, do not dare to claim the title of Renjie, but I do have some talent. Dying young is unacceptable!"
I knew you were afraid of dying! Li Hong sneered inwardly.
Despite his disdain, he explained in detail: "Young Chang was destined for great wealth, but today’s events will turn that fortune into nothingness. That Demon Zhuge Liang will soon drag you to the execution platform for the most ridiculous reasons."
Then, Li Hong elaborated on what he called the Defeat at Jieting and recounted the tale of how Zhuge Liang wept while executing Ma Su.
Ma Su's expression changed drastically upon hearing this. Although he had suspected that Zhuge Liang would not let him off easily, he never imagined that Zhuge Liang would be so ruthless.
"This is too much! While I may bear some responsibility for the Defeat at Jieting, my crimes do not warrant death. It is Zhuge Demon who has made foolish moves and is truly the first sinner. How can he not take his own life first but instead execute me to stabilize his troops? This is truly despicable!"
Li Hong couldn't help but twitch his lips; Ma Su's words were quite self-aggrandizing. Honestly speaking, if Zhuge Liang were easier to deceive, Li Hong would have been trying to fool him instead of wasting time on Ma Su.
Unfortunately, Li Hong had no confidence in being able to manipulate that Demon Zhuge Liang. It was much easier to deal with someone like Ma Su. Thus, Li Hong began his persuasion efforts on Ma Su.
After angrily scolding Zhuge Liang, Ma Su clasped his fists and asked Li Hong, "I did not know the Emperor's identity before, and I have been quite offensive. I hope the Emperor can forgive me!"
"It’s no trouble at all! Please rise, Young Chang," Li Hong said, helping the embarrassed Ma Su to his feet with a calm demeanor.
Ma Su, still visibly angry, replied, "But Zhuge Demon has truly wronged me, which is disheartening. Your Majesty, is there any way to save my life?"
The disheartenment was merely a pretext for Ma Su. The underlying meaning of his words was quite clear: Zhuge Liang had already harbored murderous intent, and he no longer intended to follow him!
Li Hong felt a surge of joy; this was the effect he desired. Ma Su's reluctance to remain loyal was a good sign. If Ma Su were still wholeheartedly devoted to Zhuge Liang despite hearing of his intent to kill him, then there would be little use in trying to persuade him.
"Young Chang, do not worry. Zhuge Liang is an unparalleled demon star and will soon fall. For now, you should comply with him; once Zhuge Liang meets his end, you can take his place. As for the defeat at Jieting, you can simply excuse yourself then."
Ma Su nodded; indeed, this was also what he had in mind. He did not have the resources to confront Zhuge Liang right now. If he were to clash with him now, it would only lead to an earlier demise.
As Li Hong had said, if he wanted to achieve something, he needed to take Zhuge Liang's place first.
"Your Highness's noble intentions and life-saving grace are something I will never forget," Ma Su said respectfully as he bowed deeply to Li Hong, his expression solemn.
Li Hong maintained a calm expression that revealed nothing of his thoughts. However, internally he was nearly bursting with laughter.
Had this thick-browed man really been so easily deceived?
Soon after, Ma Su hurriedly took his leave from Li Hong. With the southern borders pacified and Zhuge Liang about to return home, according to this false emperor's words, it would not be long before Zhuge Liang launched his northern expedition from Qishan.
If Ma Su wanted to achieve anything, he needed to act quickly; otherwise, he would miss out on the opportunity entirely.
After Ma Su left, Li Hong found himself with nothing to do and began to wander aimlessly around the military camp.
He couldn't help but think that despite Zhuge Liang's impressive reputation, his skills in leading troops and managing the army were lacking. At least, that was how it appeared to Li Hong.
The soldiers were lazy, the military equipment was in disrepair, and there was a casual attitude along with a haughty disregard for the enemy. All of this was noted by Li Hong.
For a moment, Li Hong suddenly felt that with Zhuge Liang's ability to lead troops, it was not surprising that he returned empty-handed from the six expeditions to Qishan.
Li Hong had yet to see the strength of Cao Wei's army and could not make a comparison. However, just by imagining it, he could guess the might of Cao Wei's forces.
Zhuge Liang might gain an advantage in some battles through clever strategies, but ultimately, warfare depended on the soldiers of both sides. Strategies were insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
Given this perspective, it was not strange at all for Cao Wei to dominate while Zhuge Liang returned without achievements.
Comment 0 Comment Count