diymy Chapter 43 The Shadow of the Mine
Chapter 43 The Shadow of the Mine
Lu Ji's main camp, central command tent.
Lu Yan sat at the desk, the dominoes he had found on the White Lotus Sect spy lying in front of him. The candlelight flickered, casting the shadow of the white lotus on the wall, like a menacing ghostly hand.
"Boss, you wanted to see me?"
A figure appeared silently at the tent entrance.
Shen Qing.
This young man, whom they had picked up from a refugee camp, remained as taciturn as ever. His face was so ordinary that he would be inconspicuous in a crowd, but his eyes were as sharp as an eagle's, as if they could see through all pretenses.
"Come in, have a seat."
Lu Yan raised his hand in a gesture, but his gaze never left the domino.
Shen Qing entered the tent with the lightness of a cat. He sat down opposite Lu Yan, his gaze sweeping over the dominoes on the table, his pupils contracting slightly.
This detail did not escape Lu Yan's notice.
"Do you recognize this?" Lu Yan pushed the dominoes in front of Shen Qing.
Shen Qing was silent for a moment, then reached out and picked up the dominoes, looked at them over and over, and then brought them close to his nose to sniff them.
"The 'Transmission of Skill' token of the Incense Cult." His voice was deep and calm. "Only those at the 'Incense Master' level or higher are qualified to wear this token. It's made of tiger bone, soaked in a special sandalwood oil, serving as both an identification document and a secret communication code."
Lu Yan raised an eyebrow: "You're very familiar with the White Lotus Sect?"
"Not that close." Shen Qing put down the dominoes, meeting Lu Yan's gaze. "But I know their methods. The people who've been following our convoy these past few days have been using an 'ant-moving-house' reconnaissance technique—spreading out their tracking, making fixed handovers, and never revealing the same face twice. This kind of method isn't something ordinary refugees can learn."
"How do you know they used this method?"
Lu Yan's tone was calm, but his eyes sharpened.
The atmosphere inside the tent suddenly became heavy.
Shen Qing fell silent.
The candlelight crackled, casting flickering shadows between the two.
After a long silence, Shen Qing slowly spoke: "Because... this is what I taught them."
"What?"
"It's not for the White Lotus Sect," Shen Qing shook his head, a bitter tone in his voice, "it's for the Embroidered Uniform Guard. The spies of the Northern Garrison use this reconnaissance technique. And many members of the White Lotus Sect are former members of the Embroidered Uniform Guard who defected."
Lu Yan stopped tapping his fingers on the table.
He stared at Shen Qing, his gaze sharp as a knife: "You're a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard?"
Shen Qing neither denied nor dodged the question. He slowly stood up, lifted his shirt, revealing a hideous scar on his waist. The scar stretched from his ribs to his lower back, like a centipede crawling on his skin.
"Northern Garrison Command, Junior Squad." Shen Qing's voice was as calm as if he were talking about someone else's business. "He's in charge of intelligence in Liaodong. Before the Battle of Sarhu, I infiltrated Jianzhou and ascertained Nurhaci's troop deployment and attack routes."
"Then what?"
"Then, my information was suppressed by my superiors."
Shen Qing lowered his collar, sat back down in his chair, and a cold glint flashed in his eyes.
"My superior was named Tian Ergeng, who was only a centurion at the time. He intercepted my intelligence, altered it, and submitted it under his own name. But he changed it beyond recognition, changing Nurhaci's main attack direction from Sarhu to Fushun."
"And the result?"
"As a result, the four armies, deployed according to flawed intelligence, were defeated one by one by Nurhaci." Shen Qing's voice was filled with suppressed anger. "Forty thousand soldiers were buried in Liaodong, and more than three hundred civil and military officials died in battle. And Tian Ergeng, because of his 'meritorious early warning,' was promoted to commander of a thousand."
Lu Yan remained silent.
He knew the Battle of Sarhu was brutal, and he knew that there were countless conspiracies and schemes behind that battle. But he never expected that the taciturn young man in front of him was actually a survivor of that tragedy.
"And after the war?"
"After the war, Tian Ergeng, fearing I would expose him, falsely accused me of treason." A cold smile tugged at the corner of Shen Qing's lips. "I spent three months in the Imperial Guard's prison. Every day I was force-fed chili water, tortured with cangues, and forced to sit on the tiger bench. They wanted me to confess, but I didn't."
"How did you escape?"
"I killed two jailers and crawled out of the waterway." Shen Qing pointed to the scar on his waist. "This knife wound was from when I was escaping. I almost died in a mass grave outside the city. Later, I mingled with refugees from Liaodong and headed south, begging my way to Jinan."
He raised his head, looking directly into Lu Yan's eyes: "When my employer took me in the refugee camp, I knew you were no ordinary person. A scholar who managed to accurately buy up assets after the defeat at Sarhu, who started from scratch in Jinan Prefecture, who trained a group of refugees into elite guards... this isn't luck, it's skill."
"So you've been observing me all this time?"
"Yes," Shen Qing readily admitted, "I've been waiting for an opportunity. Waiting for the opportunity for you to ask me these questions."
Lu Yan leaned back in his chair and began tapping his fingers on the table again.
"Why are you telling me all this? You could have easily kept it a secret."
"Because of the White Lotus Religion."
Shen Qing's gaze turned serious: "Master, you may not know how powerful the White Lotus Sect is in Shandong. They have people in the government, the army, and merchant guilds. The spy who followed our convoy used the methods of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, which means there are traitors within the Embroidered Uniform Guard in the White Lotus Sect. These people know how to deal with government investigations and how to infiltrate an organization."
"Your firearms workshops, your guard, your business network... in their eyes, they are all resources to be exploited. They will try every means to win you over, and if they fail, they will try to destroy you."
Lu Yan pondered for a moment: "You mean, they're going to attack me?"
"Not now." Shen Qing shook his head. "The White Lotus Sect is all about 'timing.' They're waiting for a time of great chaos. But until then, they'll keep testing you and infiltrating you. Today they'll send someone to follow you, tomorrow they might send someone to infiltrate your workshop."
"So you're confessing to help me deal with them?"
"Yes, and not entirely."
Shen Qing stood up, rolled up his sleeve, revealing a blurry tattoo on the inside of his forearm. It was a flying fish, the insignia of the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
"I worked in the Embroidered Uniform Guard for eight years, rising from a junior officer to someone capable of handling things independently. I know how to track, interrogate, disguise, and spy. It would be a shame to keep these skills hidden."
He looked directly at Lu Yan: "Master, I want to serve you. Not as a bodyguard, but as your eyes and ears. Give me a team, and I can uncover the entire underworld of Jinan Prefecture. Whether it's the White Lotus Sect or the government, I can know in advance who wants to harm you."
Lu Yan did not answer immediately.
He stood up, walked to the tent entrance, lifted the curtain, and looked out at the dark night sky.
"Shen Qing, do you know why I've never asked about your background?"
"have no idea."
"Because I can tell you're someone with a story." Lu Yan turned around, his gaze deep. "A person who can survive in the Imperial Guard's prison must have a resilient spirit. A person who can endure and bide their time in chaotic times must have great ambitions. Such a person is either your best friend or your most dangerous enemy."
"I choose to believe you."
Lu Yan walked back to the table, took out a token from the drawer, and tossed it to Shen Qing.
"From today onwards, you'll be in charge of Lu's 'intelligence.' I'm giving you twenty men, all clever ones handpicked from among the refugees. You'll train them, teach them your skills."
Shen Qing took the token, a strange glint in his eyes.
"Master, aren't you afraid I'm here to deceive you? What if I'm actually a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, ordered to monitor you?"
"If you were a member of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, you wouldn't be telling me these things," Lu Yan said with a faint smile. "Besides, the Embroidered Uniform Guard is too busy dealing with its own problems to bother with a lowly scholar like me. People like Tian Ergeng only know how to climb the ladder, never how to look down on others."
"Besides..." Lu Yan's gaze sharpened, "even if you're here to deceive me, I'm confident I can make you truly serve me. Because what I can give you is far more than what the Embroidered Uniform Guard can offer."
What can you give me?
"A chance for revenge."
Lu Yan's voice was deep and powerful: "Tian Ergeng is now a commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and he'll rise even higher in the future. But this world changes faster than anything else. One day, I will have the power to make him pay for the 40,000 souls lost at Sarhu. When that time comes, do you want to do it yourself, or watch him kneel before you and beg for mercy?"
Shen Qing's body trembled slightly.
He lowered his head, looking at the token in his hand, and remained silent for a long time.
"Master."
He knelt on one knee and raised the token high above his head with both hands.
"Shen Qing is willing to die for his master."
"Get up." Lu Yan reached out and helped him up. "Here, there's no such thing as kneeling. You only need to remember one thing—loyalty. Be loyal to me, and I'll guarantee you a lifetime of wealth; betray me, and I'll make you wish you were dead."
"clear."
Shen Qing stood up, the gloom in her eyes vanished, replaced by a long-lost sharpness.
"Master, I have some information to report to you regarding the White Lotus Sect."
"explain."
"Those people tracking us, while using the methods of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, have some slightly different details." Shen Qing walked to the map, pointing to several points. "Their meeting points are all near places like the City God Temple and the Earth God Shrine. This is a custom of the White Lotus Sect—they like to use religious practices to establish their religion, setting up incense altars near temples."
"Also, the calluses on the tiger's mouth of the captured spy were from sword practice, but his swordsmanship wasn't the military style; it was the 'Bagua Sword' of the martial arts world. This style is very popular among the White Lotus sect branches in southwestern Shandong."
Lu Yan nodded: "You mean, the White Lotus Sect in southwestern Shandong is the one targeting us?"
"It's most likely the branch from Yuncheng," Shen Qing said in a low voice. "Master, have you heard of Xu Hongru?"
"I've heard of it."
Lu Yan's eyes narrowed slightly. Xu Hongru, the leader of the Fragrance Sect, would launch a massive uprising that would sweep across several prefectures in Shandong in a few years. He had seen this name countless times in the history books of his previous life.
"This man claims to be able to 'create soldiers from beans,' and he has many followers in southwestern Shandong," Shen Qing continued. "As far as I know, he has been secretly accumulating power, waiting for his opportunity. Your firearms workshop has probably already been targeted by him."
"He wants my firearms?"
"It's not just about firearms." Shen Qing shook his head. "He wants you. A person who can manufacture firearms, train soldiers, and make money is more valuable to him than a thousand muskets. If he can bring you into his sect, his strength will more than double."
"What if I don't convert?"
"Then you are his enemy." Shen Qing's voice turned cold. "The White Lotus Cult members are either friends or enemies. They will do everything in their power to destroy you, or... turn you into their 'sacrifice.'"
Lu Yan remained silent for a moment, but a cold smile appeared on his lips.
"interesting."
He walked back to the table, picked up the white lotus domino, and examined it under the candlelight.
"Shen Qing, your first task is to find out the White Lotus Sect's influence in Jinan Prefecture. I need to know where their altars are, who their leader is, and where their funds come from."
"yes."
"Also, don't kill that captured spy yet." Lu Yan tossed the dominoes into the drawer. "Keep him alive; he might come in handy later."
"The employer wants to..."
"Cast a long line to catch a big fish." A hunter's glint flashed in Lu Yan's eyes. "The White Lotus Sect wants to win me over, so I'll play along. I'll figure out their cards first, then decide whether to cooperate or turn against them."
"In this chaotic world, there are no permanent enemies, nor permanent friends. Only permanent interests."
Outside the window, the east was already turning a pale white.
A new day is about to begin.
On Lu Yan's chessboard, another crucial piece has been added.