Chapter 646 – Mental Breakdown (4)
The Audience were seasoned veterans, accustomed to the tempestuous waves of life.
While they chuckled at Feng Zhen, the poor scholar quietly munched on dog food.
Let’s not get sidetracked; the streamer was ridiculously indulgent towards the Strategist princess!
【Today’s Weigh-in】: Shed a tear for Feng Zhen—he’s a sickly boy who shouldn’t be bullied just because he’s a bit wild.
【Gained Weight Again】: Cuddling fresh dog food, he huddles in a corner, silently munching away. The streamer really dotes on the Strategist down below.
【The Long Road to Weight Loss】: Perhaps it’s because Feng Zhen is too wild, and Ci Meiren is too good.
Good kids always win the favor of the elders.
Elsewhere, Jiang Pengji toyed with the Red Lotus Sect, wrapping up three thousand soldiers like dumplings as the skies of Honglian County quietly shifted.
Let’s rewind a bit.
At that time, An Huan clicked with the second-in-command of the Red Lotus Sect, and the two were “colluding,” planning something big.
As a brother who had fought life and death with the Sect Leader, the second-in-command was far too familiar with the leader’s habits, and the latter had little to guard against him.
When the second-in-command burst into the “God Palace” with his Confidant and apprehended the Sect Leader, the leader’s strong body was busy grinding away on two beautiful women, panting and dripping with sweat, completely clueless until he was tightly bound.
Seeing the second-in-command’s ferocious face and then glancing at his own bare muscular body made the leader’s cheeks flush red and green.
“Do you want to be punished by the gods?”
The second-in-command scoffed contemptuously and kicked the leader.
“You can fool those idiots with your words, but do you think you can fool me? I know everything about when you wet the bed, lost your virginity, spied on widows bathing, flirted with young ladies, and what you did when… Do you really think you’re a god?! I’m so scared—why don’t you return to your divine position and send down your celestial soldiers to kill me? Can you even do that? Bah!”
Self-proclaimed “incarnation of the gods”?
The second-in-command simmered with inner fury and unleashed a tirade at the Sect Leader.
He never intended to betray the leader; after all, the fact that the “Sect Leader” was the “incarnation of the gods” was deeply ingrained in everyone’s mind. Without the “incarnation,” the Red Lotus Sect would be nothing but a name. Aside from the brain-dead followers, all the wishy-washy supporters would scatter like birds.
But he just couldn’t stand the current situation.
Why should he sacrifice so much for the sacred sect only to have the leader enjoy all the perks while he couldn’t even sip a broth?
Not only that, but the Sect Leader also placed so much importance on a scholar who only had a way with words.
The psychological imbalance, disparate treatment, unmet expectations, and his own bubbling ambition pushed him to take a risk—capturing the Sect Leader, intending to turn him into a puppet at his beck and call.
The Sect Leader, drenched in spit from the second-in-command’s tirade, trembled with anger, cursing fiercely and smelling worse than a latrine.
“…Don’t be so arrogant. When the Military Adviser returns with the troops, it’ll be your death day!”
The second-in-command’s heart skipped a beat; he felt a bit unsteady, but he maintained a facade of strength.
He ordered the meticulous imprisonment of the Sect Leader, pacing back and forth anxiously.
Even though he had already harbored rebellious thoughts, they had remained just thoughts until now.
With An Huan’s assistance, it was like adding wings to a tiger.
However, betrayal once leads to endless distrust; An Huan could betray others, so he might betray him too.
Though he seemed to trust An Huan heavily, the second-in-command was still wary.
Yet, now the situation was perilous; without relying on An Huan’s skills, once the Military Adviser and the Red Lotus Sect members returned, it would be his doom.
To save his skin, he had no choice but to continue collaborating with An Huan.
The advice An Huan gave was very sensible, and he persuaded the second-in-command effectively.
Though the second-in-command had already captured Honglian County, the other three counties still remained in the Red Lotus Sect’s hands (at this point, the news of Jinmen County’s downfall had not yet spread). In terms of manpower and territory, the second-in-command was no match for the Red Lotus Sect. To flip the situation, he could only seize the opportunity while the Red Lotus Sect and Liu Xi were at odds and ambush their territory unexpectedly to expand his influence.
In the end, An Huan suggestively said, “Now that you have captured the leader and the news hasn’t spread, you can swiftly march towards Qiuyu County dressed as a guardian, trick the county into opening its gates, and enter without losing a single soldier. If you miss this opportunity, once the news spreads through Chengde County, it will be much harder to take advantage… the window of opportunity, fleeting as it is.”
The second-in-command was tempted; it wasn’t that he couldn’t hold himself back, it was clearly An Huan, eloquent and persuasive.
“What do we do about Honglian County?”
The second-in-command still had doubts about An Huan, fearing there might be some ulterior motive.
An Huan replied, “That’s easy; just leave a few Confidants to guard the city. Honglian County is easy to defend but hard to attack, making it difficult for outsiders to conquer.”
His nonchalant tone made the second-in-command feel a bit sheepish.
Once An Huan had successfully swayed the second-in-command, he did something else quietly.
He sent a beggar to inform Jiang Pengji and dispatched another to Fenghu County to report to the Scholar of the Red Lotus Sect.
The content of the tip-off to Jiang Pengji had been mentioned before.
However, the report was quite poignant, tearfully admonishing the second-in-command for his wolfish ambitions, stating that he had kidnapped the leader into Honglian County, and urging the Scholar to come rescue the Sect Leader for the sake of the Red Lotus Sect‘s great justice.
The Oscars might owe An Huan a leading role.
What they really owed him was a little golden figurine to bolster his ranks.
Just when things settled, another wave of trouble arose.
When the Scholar of the Red Lotus Sect received An Huan‘s message, he nearly fainted.
It was precisely this incident that made the Scholar temporarily forget to chase An Huan for the loss of Jinmen County.
For the Red Lotus Sect, the Sect Leader was their lifeline.
If the Sect Leader, this “incarnation of the gods,” were to perish, the once-mighty Red Lotus Sect would split apart and be counter-attacked by the Green Garment Army.
What should they do?
Finally, with red-rimmed eyes and a hoarse voice, the Scholar proclaimed, “We must rescue the Sect Leader! We can’t let Jinmen County fall into the hands of the Liu Thief without a fight… We’ll split our forces!”
The discipline within the Red Lotus Sect was lax, and it would take at least two to three days to gather their troops before setting out. Now with the news of their leader being captured by a traitor, they were even more chaotic, akin to headless flies flying about without any organization, their speed slowed even further.
As the Red Lotus Sect’s rival, Jiang Pengji had brought the concept of “efficiency” to its zenith.
By the time the Red Lotus Sect dispatched half their troops to attack Jinmen County, Jiang Pengji had already stealthily approached Honglian County. The newly mobilized troops had also reached halfway, just in time to hit the Red Lotus Sect forces attacking Jinmen County from behind.
Inside Jinmen County, Qi Guanrang stood guard, repelling all waves of attack from the Red Lotus Sect.
As they faced repeated setbacks, the Red Lotus Sect could only retreat in anger, leaving behind hundreds or even thousands of corpses.
