Welcome to Ability Store-Chapter 64 - 63: The 36 Stratagems—Attack by Stealth Is Best
"That’s it." Chen Xuan hung up the call, "No one can trace it back here through a single phone call, right?"
To ensure secrecy, he deliberately pulled the curtains shut and turned off all the lights in the store, so that the other party could barely see anything except the barcode scanner pointed at the camera.
That’s right, this was something he had figured out before— as long as the other person was real and could see the face, the transaction could be conducted even if the customer wasn’t in the store.
This time, he was using a secret transaction.
Although he sacrificed some performance points, it minimized the information leaked from the Ability Store.
"Don’t worry, with current technology, my encryption is absolutely unbreakable." Lin Qing assured, patting her chest, then curiously asked, "But Mr. Store Manager, how are you so sure you can meet his demands? What if he doesn’t need the Voice of Trust?"
Honestly, when she heard Chen Xuan asking the other party to make a request, she was quite nervous.
"That way, it makes the mechanism seem all the more powerful." Chen Xuan chuckled, "And besides, he can request whatever he wants, but how it’s realized is up to me. If he wants health, then it’s the Purifying Heart Technique or Extraordinary Sleeping Ability, and if he wants martial prowess, then he’ll choose Bagua Palm or Pill Medicine Study. There’s something to suit him."
This is the depth of having inventory!
If none fits, he can also borrow abilities from Hot Pepper Village.
Lin Qing was left speechless, "Alright... you really have a knack for business. How are you going to obtain the goods next? Even if he has a way through the heavens, he can’t possibly ship a load of guns into the country."
"I have my ways for that."
As long as Walter concentrates the goods in one place, he can open a branch store and quietly move the goods back without anyone knowing.
The entire negotiation process was quite smooth, and the level of cooperation from the other party was within Chen Xuan’s expectation. Walter, according to the previous historical trajectory, would naturally have collaborated with the Dimensional Limit Mechanism, proving that he wasn’t averse to such mysterious organizations; combined with the fact that the public was already aware of abilities’ existence, using them as negotiation chips was more attractive than money.
However, Chen Xuan still had a lingering doubt.
He had leveraged historical information to engage with Walter’s firearms and had specifically noted in the correspondence that the phone was the only reliable means of contact, dismissing all other channels. Yet, from another perspective, Walter undeniably came together with the Dimensional Limit Mechanism, even if this Dimensional Limit Mechanism was impersonated by Lin Qing.
Does this count as historical inertia... or should it be called predetermined fate?
...
...
Outside of Jiufeng City, the large tent was crowded with people.
Li Tiexin, the commander of the Cangzhou Left Route Army, sat at the head, watching the two sides below argue fiercely.
"Governor of Jiufeng already confirmed yesterday that Liu Shuyue is inside the city, why are we dawdling here?" the Iron Cavalry General shouted, spittle flying, "Do we really have to wait for other provinces’ troops to arrive and let them take a share of the spoils?"
This was also the opinion held by the pro-war faction.
"If we drag it out another day or two, the Royal City troops will arrive!"
"Everyone is packed and ready, just waiting for Lord Li’s command!"
"Though Liu Shuyue has been expelled, she is still a disciple of the Lotus Cloud Sect. If we attack the Liu Family now, be careful not to get picked off one by one."
The opposition, on the other hand, were those seemingly unruly Loose Cultivators. Some wore long robes, attempting to portray themselves as elegant literati; others were bare-chested, resembling street beggars. If not for relying on the Cultivators’ strength, Li Tiexin just wanted to chase these unruly wanderers out of the big tent.
"Weren’t you all daring before? Now a few comrades have died, and you’re scared?" A general couldn’t help but taunt.
"At least we’ve fought against her." A Loose Cultivator dressed as a Taoist said coldly, "And yet you haven’t even stepped a foot past the city gates."
"Alright, quiet down." Li Tiexin finally spoke up, "I’d like to ask this gentleman..."
"I am Li by surname, also known as Celestial Master Li of Kunshan."
"Oh, Celestial Master Li, that Liu Immortal... Bandit Liu, if struck by a sword or shot by a crossbow, should also get injured and bleed, correct?"
"Of course." The Taoist sneered, "She is not impervious to weapons; if unguarded, any ordinary farmer could kill her."
"Isn’t that settled? My army has five hundred strong crossbowmen and a thousand Mo Blade Hand warriors; if they all rush forward, she won’t be able to withstand it, no matter if she had three heads and six arms."
Celestial Master Li’s coldness intensified, "I understand the general’s meaning, but what I want to say is that if even a farmer can kill her, are we no better than a farmer? The opponent won’t just stand there and let you surround them. The Talisman Technique of the Lotus Cloud Sect is extremely profound, and she’ll decide the battlefield — let me be straightforward with you all, without gathering enough cultivators to restrain her, trying to encircle her won’t have any effect."
Before arriving in Yunzhou, he considered himself quite skilled. Not only could he manipulate celestial phenomena, but he could also comprehend cultivation techniques from Demon Fiends; previously, not one evil cultivator could withstand five rounds against him.
So he came.
If he could personally kill a Lotus Cloud Sect disciple, his fame would surely spread, and he might even replace one of them and become the next Immortal Master; after all, it’s said that the Sect opens its mountain gate only once every hundred years.
But after truly engaging Liu Shuyue, Celestial Master Li realized things weren’t that simple. It was an ambush initiated by four loose cultivators working together. Liu Shuyue simply stood on the roof of the Liu Family’s main building, seemingly unaware of their intrusion. The four attacked one after another, and she was stabbed by a sword, strangled by chains, frozen into an icicle, had her blood drained. Yet, in the end, Liu Shuyue still stood on the rooftop, while the other three were beheaded with strange smiles on their faces.
He was the only one who escaped alive.
"General Li, the orders we received were not just to deal with Liu Shuyue alone," said the Iron Cavalry General, cupping his hands, "If the Immortal Master rebels, Jiufeng City will be our target as well. Since these cultivators are unwilling to clash head-on with the Liu Family, let’s avoid the northwest corner. Sweeping the perimeter shouldn’t be a problem, right? The brothers haven’t gotten started yet."
"Right." Li Tiexin looked at the loose cultivators, "You surely have no objections now, right? The lambs outside won’t stir up much trouble. Even if Bandit Liu comes, you’ll have ample time to warn others."
"I have objections."
A clear voice said.
"Who?" Li Tiexin looked around, only to realize the voice seemed to come from outside the tent.
The tent’s fabric was lifted, and a woman, with blood dripping from her hands and feet, walked in.
Celestial Master Li was struck dumb with terror; who else could it be but Liu Shuyue? He could never forget her face, even having only fought her once! 𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢
But how did she enter the center of the army without any warning? He had clearly set up a barrier around, so that any cultivator intruding would—
Only then did he realize that the barrier had been silently dismantled sometime ago!
How could it be!? Even though his barrier was easy to discover, dismantling it quietly wasn’t something a single person could do!
"Be careful, she’s—" Celestial Master’s warning was cut short, as he suddenly felt dizzy! His head briefly flew up like a disconnected kite, then swiftly fell back to the ground.
Blood erupted from his neck, splattering the tent ceiling.
"Bandit Liu has broken in!"
"Draw swords, quickly draw swords!"
In the panic, someone knocked over a candlestick, and the tent was instantly plunged into darkness.
Holding a sword, Liu Shuyue moved forward, slashing with each step, each strike like a new moon illuminating the night sky. She had lost the Thousand Thoughts Sword, and the Celestial Mist Skill was in the process of being rebuilt, making her not as invincible as when she first left the Sect. But through five years of experience, her resolve had become much stronger than at the beginning. Her body strictly followed the Sect’s daily training, driving the blade to fly up and down, even in the pitch-black tent, she could precisely pierce through the armor’s gaps until it penetrated flesh.
Even without relying on Magic and Profound Arts, she was an unattainable presence.
Hearing the sounds of brutal fighting and bloodshed in the tent, Li Tiexin was scared out of his wits. He always commanded his subordinates from behind, never having seen such a scene! The moment the candle was knocked over, he crawled under the table, frantically pushing forward, knowing the end of the long table was the tent’s exit.
Fortunately, Liu Shuyue indeed didn’t notice him.
Rolling and crawling, Li Tiexin scrambled out of the tent, immediately shouting loudly, "The camp is under attack! Someone come for reinforcements!"
But no one responded to him.
Around the tent lay over a dozen soldier corpses, clearly dead for some time. Not too far away, smoke billowed up from the soldier’s camp area, a fire raging.
He also heard countless cries of battle, as if Liu Shuyue wasn’t attacking alone, but instead leading thousands of troops from Jiufeng City!
Suddenly, a burly man broke through the barricade, walking towards him with an imposing air. Instead of a standard weapon, the man held a simple chopping knife.
Li Tiexin, losing control of his emotions, cursed, "Who the hell are you people!?"
"A hunter from Hot Pepper Village." Fu Jiaolu struck with an axe, splitting the army’s commander in half.
