Chapter 51: Dongfang Sansan
Chapter 51: Dongfang Sansan
Fan Tian Tiao had no choice but to explain, "Elder Huang, this matter is of great importance and has long-term implications. We don't have access to many high-level leaders, and it's difficult to determine who we can truly trust. Cough... If word gets out, our thousand-year plan could be ruined in an instant."
Huang Yifan nodded in deep agreement, "Indeed, we must be cautious. You're absolutely right."
Fan Tian Tiao couldn't help but roll his eyes at him. He then blurted out, "What we mean is... Elder Huang, if you don't have a specific plan, can you find a high-ranking figure to take charge and provide direction for this matter?"
Sigh, we know you don't have the brains for this, and we didn't really expect much from you anyway.
We just don't know who to trust, so we asked you to recommend someone or report it directly to the higher-ups! But we didn't expect you to be so clueless, even after hinting at it seven or eight times.
This time, Huang Yifan understood. He furrowed his brows in thought, then suddenly slammed his hand on the table, "Do you mean I'm brainless?"
Fan Tian Tiao was left speechless!
How did you suddenly become so clever this time?
You understood as soon as I finished speaking?
And this is the one sentence you shouldn't have understood!
"Hmph!"
"Slap!"
Fan Tian Tiao was struck by Huang Yifan's palm and knocked to the ground. Huang Yifan then stood up, stepping on Fan Tian Tiao as he paced, deep in thought, "This matter seems so important that I'll have to make a trip to the headquarters."
"Creak, creak..."
Fan Tian Tiao's bones creaked under Huang Yifan's footsteps, and he could only grit his teeth and endure.
But he couldn't hold back his cry, "Elder Huang, please spare me! I... I can't take this anymore!"
His voice was filled with anguish.
Huang Yifan had suddenly stepped on a sensitive spot and was applying more pressure.
Hearing the plea, Huang Yifan hummed, "Seems like you're a softie too. If you're captured, you might turn traitor!"
Only then did he step off him.
Fan Tian Tiao covered his waist, his face filled with resentment.
How could I not beg for mercy when you're stepping on such a painful spot? If I offend the higher-ups and get punished by them, wouldn't that be a great injustice?
What does this have to do with being a softie?
Do you, Huang Yifan, plan to stay this tough when you meet the high-ranking figure at headquarters?
Nonsense! I knew Chen Ru Hai's superior would be as unreliable as Chen Ru Hai himself. Just as I thought. How could I, as his former superior, not discipline him?
...
Huang Yifan told Fan Tian Tiao to wait for news tomorrow and then left in a hurry.
Despite his rudeness, Huang Yifan was capable enough to be a deputy headmaster, so how could he not understand the implication? However, it was said that Fan Tian Tiao often quarreled with Chen Ru Hai, who was Huang Yifan's former subordinate. As such, Huang Yifan felt the need to teach him a lesson.
As expected, this fool fell for it.
Huang Yifan rode the wind, racing through the sky.
As an experienced veteran, his thoughts went far beyond Fan Tian Tiao's.
If this was true, then there were countless possibilities.
So, he rushed to the headquarters without delay.
He even bypassed several levels to seek an audience with the strategist, the Ninth Lord!
The Ninth Lord was none other than Dongfang Sansan, the chief strategist of the Guardian Alliance.
The name Dongfang Sansan sounded somewhat amusing, but he was a master strategist whose plans never failed.
Over the years, it was Dongfang Sansan's strategies that kept the Guardian Alliance in the fight against the Only Me Religion.
One could say that without Dongfang Sansan, the various factions would have been scrambling to fill the gaps in their plans to counter the Only Me Religion. With the rapid rise of the Only Me Religion, the Guardians might have already collapsed if not for Dongfang Sansan's meticulous planning, often exploiting the enemy's weaknesses to engage in battles where they outnumbered their opponents.
It was through these tactics that the Guardians maintained their advantage in the open continental affairs.
One could say that Dongfang Sansan's efforts were exhaustive.
The reason behind Dongfang Sansan's peculiar name was that his father was uneducated and had exceptional health, marrying seven or eight wives and fathering seventy-nine children.
By the time he reached the twenty-fifth child, he had run out of names to choose from.
All the names one could think of, such as Clear Sky, Black Cloud, Storm, and so on, had already been taken.
Dongfang Sansan's father was also quite formidable in terms of strength, though not so much in intelligence.
So, the old man felt that giving his children names like 'Dog Egg' or 'Eggplant' would be inappropriate.
He couldn't ask others to name them either, as it would be embarrassing.
Letting his wives name the children was out of the question too, as the old man was very traditional: how could women have the right to name children? If women were allowed to name children, where would his dignity as the head of the family be?
Therefore, from then on, regardless of gender, the names started with 'Dongfang Erliu' and continued until 'Dongfang Qi Jiu', all following this pattern.
Dongfang Sansan's father had a grand explanation for outsiders: to avoid duplicate names!
Oh, I forgot to mention, Dongfang Sansan's father was the fifth-ranked master on the Cloud Arsenal Ranking, the Heaven Hammer, Dongfang Zhong.
Dongfang Sansan was born as the thirty-third child, hence his name.
Later, when Dongfang Sansan became famous, he tried to conceal the origin of his name, leading to the saying, 'Heavenly Plan Ten Parts, I See Nine.'
Or, 'Heavenly Will Ten Parts, I Plan Three Threes.'
After all, three threes make nine.
There's no problem.
So, aside from the older generation who knew the true origin of Dongfang SanSan's name, the younger generations, regardless of their cultivation level or status, have always respectfully addressed him as 'Ninth Lord'!
Huang Yifan waited for two hours, and finally, Dongfang SanSan finished his tasks and called Huang Yifan in.
When Huang Yifan entered, there were still dozens of open files on Dongfang SanSan's desk, awaiting his attention.
"Ninth Lord, you're still so busy," Huang Yifan said, meek as a little rabbit in front of Dongfang SanSan.
His voice even trembled.
His heart raced, and he felt like he was on a pilgrimage.
There was no way to bridge the vast gap in status.
"You have one quarter of an hour."
Dongfang SanSan, looking somewhat exhausted, picked up his teacup and reminded Huang Yifan not to waste time: "After a quarter of an hour, I have other matters to attend to."
Huang Yifan dared not delay.
He knew that Dongfang SanSan's time was extremely precious.
So, he poured out everything about Fang Che, the Shadow, his own speculations, discoveries, and plans...
He also quickly shared his long-term plans.
From the moment he started talking about specific matters, Dongfang SanSan's expression became focused.
He listened intently, without saying a word.
His eyes sparkled.
After hearing everything, Dongfang SanSan rang a bell, and immediately, someone entered. Dongfang SanSan instructed: "Postpone the next matter by one hour."
"Yes."
"Close the door, soundproof it, and seal it!"
"Yes!"
A moment later, complete silence descended. Dongfang SanSan began to ponder.
Then, he spoke softly: "We are aware of the messages sent by the Only Me Religion using the Quintessence Puppet. We've always wanted to imitate and decipher them but haven't succeeded. Therefore, we've chosen to keep this knowledge within the upper echelons of the Guardians, hiding it from those below. Even the Guardians themselves, including the entire Guardian Alliance, are unaware of the reason. They only know that the Only Me Religion's messaging is faster and more convenient than ours, so we've been researching how to match or surpass them using human resources."
Huang Yifan was stunned: "Why?"
Dongfang SanSan's face showed hesitation, and he slowly said, "Because the Quintessence Puppet is a living creature, and using such a creature to hide within the human body, achieving free communication... This is beyond human capability. The Only Me Religion can do it, but we cannot."
Dongfang SanSan sighed deeply and said, "If I haven't guessed wrong, in places unknown to us, there may already be a victor, but they are beyond our reach. We can only think of self-preservation."
Huang Yifan was perplexed.
He could understand that it was beyond human capability, but he didn't grasp the full meaning.
What did the strategist mean?
"You only need to know that this matter should be sealed."
Dongfang SanSan sighed and said, "The news is good and accurate, but if it falls into the wrong hands, it could cause great chaos and confusion."
Huang Yifan was even more confused.
But he remembered to listen and said, "Yes, I won't speak of it, and I'll keep it a secret."
"Hmm."
As he spoke, Dongfang SanSan's eyebrows furrowed even more.
Deep in his eyes, there was even a hint of despondency.
He paused, then finally spoke: "Huang Yifan, do you think Fang Che isn't a bad person?"
Dongfang SanSan's words were slow, as if he was carefully considering each one.
Huang Yifan also became tense, and after thinking it over carefully, he said, "I... I can't see through him."
He really wanted to admit that Fang Che didn't seem like a bad person.
But in front of Dongfang SanSan, he dared not say such definitive words.
"Can't see through... that's good."
Dongfang SanSan, with furrowed brows, muttered to himself, then took out several round and smooth copper coins from his pocket, which jingled in his hand.
He scattered them on the table.
He focused his gaze, observing and listening intently.
After a moment, he exclaimed, "The heavenly will is confused, and divination is impossible."
His eyes suddenly became sharp.
Huang Yifan dared not even breathe, just staring in bewilderment.
"The heavenly will is confused, and it's likely the work of the Only Me Religion."
Dongfang SanSan sighed deeply.
"What does this mean?" Huang Yifan was puzzled.
"Because we cannot disrupt or influence the heavenly will, but the Only Me Religion can."
Dongfang SanSan sighed deeply.
Huang Yifan also didn't understand.
But Dongfang SanSan didn't continue.
He just frowned and pondered.
"The heavenly will is confused, and the outcome is uncertain. If the heavenly will is confused, why is the outcome still uncertain? It should be completely inauspicious, where does the auspiciousness come from?"
"Could there be something beneficial to us?"
"Then where is the benefit?"
...
[Regarding the patch for the Quintessence Puppet, I've included it in this chapter. What do you think?]
0:00 is scheduled. Tomorrow, we'll play a little game with recommendation votes.
Tomorrow, there will be three chapters as originally planned. If the recommendation votes reach 10,000 by 6:00 PM tomorrow, there will be an extra chapter at 8:00 PM. If not, it will remain at three chapters.
(End of Chapter)
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