Chapter 156: Convergence of the Astral Constellations (Part V)

On Mount Liang, Song Jiang looked at the letter sent back by Wu Yong, a slight smile playing at the corners of his mouth. Although Lu Junyi outwardly displayed no obvious weaknesses, inwardly he possessed great vulnerabilities. Now that Wu Yong had devised a strategy, as long as it was successfully executed, Lu Junyi would be brought into the fold of Mount Liang. With a stable source of supplies such as iron and horses, Mount Liang's strength would undoubtedly reach new heights. When the war between the Song and Liao dynasties eventually broke out, they would be able to render distinguished service and contribute to the nation.

With this thought in mind, Song Jiang prepared to rise and share this good news with Lin Chong and the others. After all, relying solely on Wu Yong for this matter would not be enough; in the end, force might still be required.

However, the moment Song Jiang stood up, he felt a dizzying spin as the world turned upside down. In the blink of an eye, he found himself amidst a sea of starlight. A figure materialized before his eyes—it was none other than Chao Gai!

"Brother, where is this?" Song Jiang had previously witnessed similar mystical methods from Sun Meng, so despite his surprise, he kept his composure. However, he had not expected the person before him to be Chao Gai.

"Gongming, Shi Wengong of Zengtou Bazaar has harmed me. Mount Liang... I leave it to you..." Having spoken these words, Chao Gai's form dissolved into a shower of purple light, which drifted down and enveloped Song Jiang's body.

Song Jiang felt as though someone had given him a shove, and the next moment, his eyes snapped open.

"Brother!"

"Brother Gongming!"

"The brother has woken up!"

Song Jiang heard the chorus of his sworn brothers ringing in his ears. "I am fine..." He pushed himself up into a sitting position, leaning against the wall behind him, and looked toward the side.

Hua Rong and the other chieftains stationed within the stronghold had all gathered. Had it not been for the need to maintain ventilation, the room would likely have been packed to the brim!

"I... what happened?" Song Jiang sensed that this matter was exceedingly strange, and thus decided not to speak of it immediately.

"Brother fainted at his seat in the room today, and it was only discovered by the guards patrolling outside. Fortunately, there is no serious harm," Hua Rong said.

Song Jiang nodded. "You have all seen the letter from the strategist, haven't you? I was originally intending to speak with you about this matter, when suddenly a wave of dizziness overcame me, and I actually saw Brother Chao Gai telling me that he had been harmed by Shi Wengong of Zengtou Bazaar!" At this point, Song Jiang looked at the expressions of those around him and slammed his hand fiercely against the bed frame.

"Brother Chao Gai truly...?"

"Just half an hour ago, Brother Shi Qian arrived with a dispatch. When Brother Chao Gai was ambushed by Zengtou Bazaar in the night, Shi Wengong loosed a poisoned arrow, wounding him. However, Brother Chao Gai has already been taken away by someone claiming to be his master, though given the circumstances at the time, the stronghold's physicians were powerless to save him." As Hua Rong spoke, he handed the letter over to Song Jiang.

"Because the brother was unwell today, I refrained from immediately bringing this news to your attention."

Song Jiang waved a hand dismissively, unfolded the letter, and read through it once. "Gather the brothers! We hold a council!"

Sun Meng brought Chao Gai to the secret base constructed by Pixis. With Pixis's assistance, half of his internal organs were replaced, and utilizing Mu Xingye's technology, a bio-armor was fused directly with his skin. This preserved Chao Gai's life and allowed his physical prowess to remain at the mid-Tier 2 level. However, he possessed only close-quarters combat capabilities and lacked any energy-based attack methods.

"Where is this?" Chao Gai opened his eyes, looking with utter astonishment at the surrounding interior decorated in a sci-fi aesthetic. Yet the next moment, various simplified analytical introductory data for the surrounding objects appeared in his field of vision, startling him even more.

It took him an entire day to adapt to his new physique.

"It seems you have already adjusted," Sun Meng said, looking at Chao Gai as he stepped forward.

"Many thanks to my master for saving my life!" Chao Gai dropped straight to his knees and kowtowed nine times in succession. He knew that previously, he had already placed half a foot into the gates of hell; had Sun Meng not rescued him, he would never have survived.

"Very well! Though you are alive once more, you are no longer a martial star destined for greatness," Sun Meng stated. "Aside from the physical strength you now possess, you can no longer cultivate through traditional internal methods. At present, I have two suggestions for you."

Chao Gai replied, "I will strictly obey my master's teachings!" To remain alive was more important than anything else! Furthermore, during his day of adapting to his body, he had already come to understand the power at his command, and this strength was by no means inferior. His pure physical qualities had returned to their original state, and owing to the special composition of his body, he could even charge enemy formations single-handedly, as he no longer possessed internal *qi* and was thus immune to the suppression of the battlefield's imposing aura. One might say that compared to his original prowess, his strengths and weaknesses had merely shifted.

Sun Meng continued, "Some time remains before the war between the Song and Liao dynasties breaks out. However, I have previously dispatched martial artists to the Liao border to carry out sabotage, assassinations, and intelligence gathering. If you are willing, you may head over there. Once the war begins, you may render great service and achieve high official rank. The second option is to return to Mount Liang. Even though you have lost your destiny as a martial star, they still hold you in high respect."

Chao Gai pondered for a moment before asking, "Master, how much time has passed since I was mortally wounded, and how is Mount Liang faring?" To be honest, he felt no particular emotional ties to the war between the Song and Liao. Previously, he had been a commoner, albeit a wealthy local landlord, and his home was far from the border. Aside from the traditional enmity between the two states, his only feelings came from the tales he had read in books about nomadic tribes oppressing the Han people.

If ordered to kill the northerners, he would certainly be able to do so without hesitation. But the notion of serving and saving the country did not resonate quite as strongly. Had Sun Meng only offered the first choice, he would have gone anyway, since Sun Meng had saved his life. Yet since the latter option was presented, a spark of opportunistic hope stirred within his heart.

Sun Meng glanced at Chao Gai. "Not long at all, merely a few months. At present, Mount Liang is led by Song Jiang; they have just defeated the Prefecture of Daming and rescued Lu Junyi. Oh, and Zengtou Bazaar still exists, though they recently plundered another shipment of supplies belonging to Mount Liang."

Chao Gai murmured, "Song Gongming has taken over the position of stronghold leader?" He seemed to recall having seen Song Jiang and asking him to take revenge on his behalf!

"Not formally; he merely acts as interim leader, commanding matters from top to bottom. That Lu Junyi commands a reputation no less than his, and this time, they will likely use the campaign against Zengtou Bazaar to settle the question of the chieftain's seat," Sun Meng said. By now, very few of Mount Liang's stellar spirits remained unaligned; within half a year at most, the first mission would be completed.

Reflecting on it, this initial mission had taken nearly three years, and although the Liao dynasty was currently preparing for war with the Song, they showed no intention of striking immediately. There was no telling how long one would have to wait.

Chao Gai recalled the time he had personally led troops to attack Zengtou Bazaar, and anger involuntarily flared within his breast. Yet, considering his current circumstances, he let out a sigh. "Master, I wish to slay Shi Wengong with my own hands to avenge myself, and after that, I will go to the frontier." He knew that he was no longer the almighty King Chao of old; even if he returned to Mount Liang, those men would no longer obey his commands as they once had.

Five days later, Zengtou Bazaar had long since lost its former air of dominance. Its outer stockades had been breached one by one by Mount Liang, leaving only the inner citadel standing. Having suffered successive defeats and the consecutive deaths of his two sons, the elderly Zeng Neng felt that continuing to fight Mount Liang would lead only to total annihilation, and thus he intended to sue for peace with Mount Liang.

Having gathered intelligence on the situation, Chao Gai disguised himself as a common foot soldier and slipped into the encampment of Mount Liang. Compared to before, Mount Liang now boasted several more formidable generals, and their troops and weapons were far superior. Previously, they still retained the air of mountain bandits, but now they differed very little from imperial regular forces.

He sighed inwardly, genuinely feeling that Song Jiang was far more suited to sit in the chieftain's seat than he had been. Deciding against seeking out Song Jiang in secret, he simply waited for the right opportunity to slay Shi Wengong and be done with it.

A few days later, Shi Wengong fell for yet another stratagem. This time, fully prepared, Mount Liang launched an all-out assault and directly breached Zengtou Bazaar.

Amidst the chaos, Chao Gai quietly slipped away from the crowd and sprinted swiftly in the direction of Shi Wengong's flight.

With the moon obscured and the wind howling, Chao Gai moved with such blinding speed that even the nearby Mount Liang foot soldiers failed to notice a solitary figure darting past.

Though Zengtou Bazaar had fallen, the fine steed beneath Shi Wengong's thighs suffered little hindrance in its speed, quickly bursting through the western gate and charging down a narrow pathway. In Shi Wengong's eyes, this narrow track meant that even if there were an ambush, he could handle it; once he reached the mountain forests and vanished into hiding, his martial skills would allow him to carve out a living anywhere.

Nevertheless, this crushing defeat filled his heart with a deep, burning hatred for Mount Liang. Given the opportunity, he would surely find a way to make the entire assemblage of Mount Liang pay the ultimate price!

Suddenly, a fierce gust of wind rushed toward him. Shi Wengong whirled around, thrusting his spear, only to have the shaft seized by the incoming figure.

"Dismount!"

Shi Wengong felt an overwhelming, irresistible force surging through the weapon. He lost his grip on the spear entirely, tumbling head over heels onto the ground. The next instant, a spearhead pierced straight through his chest. He stared wide-eyed at his assailant, his gaze filled with a profound and horrifying disbelief—

He died with his eyes wide open, his grievances unredressed!