Chapter 146: Ambush En Route

Chen Hao was certain that Magistrate Shi Hong had realized his whistleblowing was connected to Xuanyuan Jian. Regardless of the reason Xuanyuan Jian targeted him, a grudge was undoubtedly formed between them. Liu Bang had once told him that Xuanyuan Jian’s real-world identity was far from ordinary, but so what? No matter how powerful that person was in reality, Chen Hao had absolutely no fear of him inside the game.

Chen Hao and Tang Qunying temporarily remained in Yongshun County. He found Deng Wentong and presented him with two hundred large silver dollars to thank him for his protection. After Deng Wentong submitted his combat report, Chen Hao quickly received a system prompt: "Player Chen Baxian, congratulations on successfully completing the quest 'Exterminate Bandits' issued by the NPC Wang Kaiyun. You may now seek out Wang Kaiyun to learn the Imperial Statecraft."

Chen Hao returned to the inn. After resting for the night, he and Tang Qunying went to the carriage rental station and hired a driver to take them back to Hengzhou. Ten miles outside the city, once they confirmed they had shaken off the surveillance of Shi Hong’s subordinates, Chen Hao knocked the driver unconscious, left him by the roadside, and drove the carriage toward the direction of Poison Dragon Mountain.

Ascending Poison Dragon Mountain, following the confession of Scholar Lü, the two located the spot where the gold and silver were buried and dug up a small chest. Inside were the gold and silver plundered by Zheng Laosan, along with numerous pieces of jewelry and accessories, worth at least over ten thousand silver dollars.

Tang Qunying glanced at Chen Hao and said, "I know many jewelers. Leave this chest to me to handle! The silver dollars it exchanges for will be handed over to you when we head to the Northeast. Every single coin must be used for resisting the Russians."

Chen Hao could not help but offer a wry smile. This big sister still did not trust him, fearing he would pocket the wealth for himself! Yet, leaving it in her care was not without its benefits. He completely trusted Tang Qunying’s character, and the money obtained by letting her handle the jewelry would likely be higher.

Without this windfall, Chen Hao would have had to convert the money obtained from selling the headquarters blueprints into silver dollars and pour it into the bottomless pit of the Northeast. With the ten thousand silver dollars donated by Li Pisen, coupled with this booty from Poison Dragon Mountain, he would not need to exchange so much currency, making his real-world situation much more affluent.

Tang Qunying put away the chest and descended the mountain with Chen Hao. As they neared the Flying Cloud Ladder, Tang Qunying suddenly raised her hand and fired a shot, causing a player to tumble down from a nearby boulder.

Tang Qunying pulled Chen Hao to hide behind a large boulder and whispered, "An ambush."

Chen Hao took out his Mauser G98 rifle, disengaged the safety, and poked his head out to observe the situation. A bullet struck the very boulder they were hiding behind, giving him a tremendous fright. Tang Qunying snatched the Mauser G98 from his hands and said disdainfully, "Little brother Baxian, your marksmanship is truly terrible. Just watch your big sister perform!"

Chen Hao laughed awkwardly, "I figured this out and practiced on my own; how could I ever compare to Big Sister Tang? If you can't bear to watch, perhaps you could spare some time to tutor your little brother another day?"

"If we go to the Northeast and everything you said is true, and your performance satisfies me, I won't mind teaching you a trick or two."

Tang Qunying still did not completely trust Chen Hao. She leaned her body sideways from the other side of the boulder, shouldered the Mauser G98, and pulled the trigger in rapid succession. After firing two shots, she pulled back.

Xuanyuan Jian had spent money to bribe the patrol camp soldiers. Learning that Deng Wentong had not found the treasure buried by the bandits, and after questioning the sequence of events in detail, he guessed that Chen Baxian, who had played a crucial role in the Battle of Poison Dragon Mountain, might know the location of the hidden gold and silver. Therefore, rather than tracking Chen Hao and Tang Qunying after they left, he had brought a group of elites and hid out on Poison Dragon Mountain.

A sharpshooter had told him that the NPC woman by Chen Baxian's side possessed formidable marksmanship, so the elites he brought this time were all skilled marksmen. Over twenty players hid at the foot of Poison Dragon Mountain. Seeing Chen Hao and his companion ascend the mountain, he immediately led his men to set up an ambush at the Flying Cloud Ladder, hoping to gun down the pair and cause them to drop the bandits' loot.

Unfortunately, Tang Qunying discovered the ambush ahead of time. Neither Chen Hao nor she entered the kill zone, leaving Xuanyuan Jian with no choice but to order his players to block them by force. He had his ten best marksmen provide suppressing fire while the other players slowly closed in on the boulder. As a result, he grew deeply depressed—that NPC woman was an absolute anomaly; she flashed out and fired just two shots, instantly killing two of his subordinates.

Tang Qunying managed to shoot one or two players every time she darted out. After exhausting the bullets in the Mauser G98, she handed the rifle to Chen Hao and said, "Six of them have crept close. Switch to your pistol!"

Chen Hao put away the Mauser G98 and drew his fully loaded Colt. Tang Qunying also produced her twin Brownings. Just as Xuanyuan Jian’s players prepared to flank them from behind and open fire, Tang Qunying suddenly rushed out, her dual pistols firing alternately. In five seconds she unleashed eight shots, and all six approaching players were shot dead.

Xuanyuan Jian was so infuriated that his teeth itched with hatred, and he cursed, "Damn it, that NPC woman's marksmanship is simply abnormal! With so many of us, we can't do a thing against her. How on earth did such a powerful NPC get subdued by Chen Baxian?"

Gentle Blade, standing beside him, pondered and said, "If she weren't a renowned NPC, she couldn't possibly be this powerful. Chen Baxian once went to pay a visit at Qiu Jin's residence, and this woman was with him at the time. She uses dual pistols; she must be Tang Qunying!"

Xuanyuan Jian asked in surprise, "I've checked some materials on Qiu Jin, which mentioned that she, Tang Qunying, and Ge Jianhao often gathered to discuss poetry and prose. Shouldn't Tang Qunying be a scholar? Why is her marksmanship so terrifying?"

Gentle Blade gave a wry smile. "Tang Qunying is the prototype of the 'Double-Gun Granny' in the movies, skilled in dual-wielding pistols. I just didn't expect her to be this monstrous..."

"Fall back."

After Tang Qunying used the Mauser G98 to pick off two more players, Xuanyuan Jian decisively issued the order. Having suffered heavy losses due to underestimating the enemy, there was no point in continuing. He had no desire to die at Chen Baxian's hands.

Chen Hao, hiding behind the boulder, had wanted to dart out and shoot several times, but Tang Qunying stopped him each time, citing that going out there would simply be serving himself up as easy prey. Tang Qunying once again had Chen Hao reload the magazine, raised the Mauser G98, and dashed out to fire, only to find that her targets were gone.

After observing for a moment, she tossed the rifle back to Chen Hao and said, "Those little bastards have slipped away. Let's go!"

Chen Hao stood up, took a look, and chuckled, "Big Sister Tang's marksmanship is invincible! The ones who tried to ambush us must be the outlanders who tried to frame me yesterday. How about we chase them down and wipe them all out?"

Tang Qunying nodded in agreement. The two quickened their pace and rushed past the Flying Cloud Ladder, only to see a dozen or so players running down the mountain. Tang Qunying raised Chen Hao's Mauser G98 and took aim, dropping two straggling players with consecutive shots, but the players ahead were too far apart, and even her accuracy fell short at that distance.

Xuanyuan Jian had left behind two players to block their pursuit. These two players hid behind boulders without exposing themselves, meaning no matter how good Tang Qunying's marksmanship was, she couldn't hit them. Because of these two players, Chen Hao and Tang Qunying dared not pursue recklessly and had to approach while utilizing obstacles. By the time they finished off the two players, Xuanyuan Jian had already escaped to the foot of the mountain and fled away on a horse.

Chen Hao felt a twinge of regret. Throughout this quest for the Imperial Statecraft, Xuanyuan Jian had consistently targeted him. Having finally found an opportunity for revenge, the opponent had spotted the signs early and escaped.

When Chen Hao and Tang Qunying reached the bottom of the mountain, the carriage had been smashed to pieces, and the horse pulling it had been ridden away. Left with no choice, the two had to walk on foot to a nearby village. Fearing that Xuanyuan Jian might incite government troops to intercept them, Chen Hao spent money to buy two inferior horses in the village, and the two rode them at a gallop toward Hengzhou.

Upon returning to Hengzhou, Tang Qunying bid farewell and returned to Shuangfeng, while Chen Hao went to find Wang Kaiyun.

Wang Kaiyun smiled faintly and said, "I have already received the news that the rebellious bandits of Poison Dragon Mountain have been wiped out. Tell me how you managed to pull it off!"

After Chen Hao recounted the process of attacking Poison Dragon Mountain, Wang Kaiyun pondered for a moment and said, "Compelling Shi Hong to send troops to encircle and suppress you utilized the tactic of 'killing with a borrowed knife'; dealing with the bandits on the mountain utilized 'sow discord'; seizing their wealth utilized 'rooting in troubled waters'. Throughout the entire process, your thinking was rigorous, and killing Li Dahu proves that you are ruthless enough to possess the potential of a superior leader, yet it was still not perfect."

Chen Hao said respectfully, "I hope Teacher will offer your guidance."

Wang Kaiyun stroked his beard and smiled, "When you used your connections to impeach Magistrate Shi Hong, you should have anticipated that you would forge a grudge with him. Do not spare the snake, lest you suffer its bite later; when you denounced him, you should have tacked on additional charges, such as collaborating with rebels. A mere dereliction of duty was not enough to plunge him into eternal damnation."

"Once you knew Shi Hong harbored hostility toward you, your first thought should have been to eradicate the roots. You could have leaked the matter of Zheng Laosan's buried gold and silver to Shi Hong through someone else, making him believe that Deng Wentong had swallowed the treasure whole. In order to obtain the wealth, Shi Hong would certainly move against Deng Wentong, but since Deng Wentong commanded troops, Shi Hong would have to find a way to strip him of his official post to deal with him."

"Then, you should have leaked Shi Hong's plot to Deng Wentong. He would undoubtedly strike first to gain the upper hand and find a way to kill Shi Hong. At that point, you could use other means to report Deng Wentong for murdering an official, and Deng Wentong would likewise find it hard to escape death. Ultimately, the gold and silver would still have fallen into your hands."

Chen Hao listened with cold sweat breaking out all over his head. Ginger truly gets sharper the older it gets! These NPCs who play political games are truly formidable. Convinced and deeply impressed, he bowed respectfully to Wang Kaiyun and said, "Thank you, Teacher, for your guidance."

Wang Kaiyun nodded. "Though there are minor flaws, you indeed possess talent in this area. Your quest is considered complete. You possess a calm temperament and rigorous thinking, which can form a complementary match with Xizi. Xizi's personality is somewhat arrogant; you must promise your teacher that if he works for you in the future, no matter what happens, you must never harm him."

Chen Hao nodded and said, "This disciple will strictly follow Teacher's orders. Even if Senior Brother Xizi does not assist me, I will do my utmost to keep him safe."

Wang Kaiyun nodded with satisfaction. "Very well. Starting today, you shall follow me to learn the Imperial Statecraft!"

"Player Chen Baxian, congratulations on completing the quest to learn Imperial Statecraft. After following Wang Kaiyun in study for ten days, you will master the A-rank special skill: Imperial Statecraft."

"Player Chen Baxian, congratulations on becoming the first player in the game to master an A-rank special skill. Your Statecraft attribute +3."

Chen Hao was very satisfied with the 3-point increase in Statecraft. Mastering Imperial Statecraft required ten days, and as the inheritor of Imperial Statecraft, Wang Kaiyun's Statecraft attribute must be exceptionally high. With his dedicated instruction, his Statecraft attribute was bound to increase further.

Had it not been for the impending large-scale northern campaign, Chen Hao would have truly wished to stay in Hengzhou for a longer period to raise his Statecraft attribute even higher.