Kays Translations
Just another Isekai Lover~
Chapter 172: Rumors and Gossip
Xia Qingqing looked directly into Li Xian’s eyes and gently said, “This is the information I recently received. It is said that this information has already spread widely among the people.”
Li Xian squinted his eyes, “There are dark forces behind this, and they have seized on one of Anyang’s current weaknesses. Someone, call Wu Peng.”
Wu Peng, the person who had once driven Liu Leigang and Yin Hairui, and later lured ‘volunteers’ during the cannon testing, had now become an underground investigator for Anyang. He had just not been officially appointed yet.
Before long, Wu Peng arrived, and Li Xian, who had already prepared himself, was talking with Cheng Jiming.
When Wu Peng came in, Li Xian directly asked, “Wu Peng, what rumors have been circulating inside Anyang recently?”
“Reporting to Young Master, there are many. Some say Her Highness the Princess is secretly colluding with the First Prince, some say Xu Ren and Yan Ze’an are in a life-and-death struggle, and there are even rumors that Young Master… is plotting a rebellion. Also…”
“Enough, you don’t need to continue.” Li Xian interrupted, “Wu Peng, I hereby appoint you as the Director of Anyang County and the Security Bureau. This is the first department I’ve set up in Anyang. Your position is equivalent to the generals of the various legions, and you report directly to me. If I am not here, report directly to Xu Ren. If Xu Ren is also absent, you can consult with Yan Ze’an, Beichen Yuqing, Fang Shijing, and others.
Your duty is counter-espionage and counter-subversion. All plots and schemes against Anyang must be your responsibility. As for the personnel, let’s start with a thousand people.
You can recruit them as you see fit. They can be former soldiers, street vendors, or even courtesans or small-time thugs. It’s up to you and under your control.
Note, your duty is external; do not interfere with Anyang’s officials. Do you understand?”
Wu Peng’s heart tightened, and he immediately replied, “Understood.”
“Good. Your first task is to trace the origin of all the rumors. Be careful, don’t alarm the enemy. Just find out where they’re coming from. As for how to deal with them, you can ask Xu Ren or Yan Ze’an, or wait until I return to handle it.
For now, I will allocate you three thousand taels of gold.”
Wu Peng was both excited and cautious. The excitement was obvious—he was being trusted again; but Li Xian’s warning was also very clear—stay external, don’t get involved internally.
After dealing with this matter, Li Xian didn’t give it much more thought. He had never cared much for rumors—after all, they were impossible to fully eliminate. If you took them too seriously, you’d fall into the enemy’s trap.
However, the rumors reminded Li Xian of something—newspapers! He had been so busy establishing the foundation and handling various matters that he had forgotten some basic things. Newspapers, printing techniques, and papermaking… He would address it when he returned. The printing skills in this celestial domain were impressive, especially with the assistance of magic.
But compared to rumors and newspapers, Li Xian was more focused on the concept of computers. Since he learned about a formation master named “Xiao Yuquan,” even though the hope was slim, Li Xian still wanted to give it a try! If he didn’t try, there wouldn’t even be a chance.
Cheng Jiming personally piloted the flying vehicle and first took Li Xian and Xia Qingqing to Ding Mountain Prefecture, where they met Yan Ze’an.
After some time apart, Yan Ze’an looked revitalized. With no one holding him back, he was free to act as he pleased; combined with the new ideas of governing through commerce and technology, he felt the future was bound to be brilliant.
However, the time and place of their meeting were somewhat inappropriate—it was at the execution ground!
When Li Xian arrived, the execution ground was already crowded, with loud cheers from the surrounding people praising Yan Ze’an’s fairness. In the center of the ground, there were several death row prisoners bound, waiting to be beheaded.
Li Xian was indifferent to the scene; since Yan Ze’an took charge, executions had been happening almost every three days. After the rebellion in Zhongshan County, many immigrants from Luliang County had come, leading many to believe that “opportunities” had arisen, and crimes continued unabated. Yan Ze’an’s method was simple—use heavy laws in chaotic times! Once someone was caught and cleared of any wrongful accusation, they were immediately executed.
Each time, Yan Ze’an oversaw the process himself, ensuring there were no wrongful killings.
The stench of the execution ground was unbearable for Li Xian, so he and Xia Qingqing, who looked pale, went to the Ding Mountain City Lord’s mansion to wait for Yan Ze’an.
Half an hour later, Yan Ze’an, now in different clothes, arrived in a composed manner. As a regional governor, Yan Ze’an’s aura had clearly transformed.
Upon seeing Yan Ze’an, Li Xian stood up to greet him: “Mr. Yan, thank you for your hard work.”
“It’s no trouble at all, not in the least. Thank you, Young Master, for your trust. May I ask what brings you here today?”
Li Xian didn’t stand on ceremony and immediately brought up the matter of inviting the formation master and the Nascent Soul stage practitioner “Xiao Yuquan”. He also mentioned that the oil refining had made preliminary success, and Anyang would undergo even greater changes in the future. He asked Yan Ze’an to prepare himself for the upcoming developments.
“Formation, the Houtian Sphere, imitating heaven and earth.” Yan Ze’an was startled by Li Xian’s thoughts; even immortals wouldn’t dare to think like that. However, Yan Ze’an, who had once been a prime minister, was quick to respond. “Young master, I have two personal suggestions that you might want to consider.
First, although the title of formation master is impressive, it is not advisable for us to get involved with Nascent Soul stage experts at this time. If a Nascent Soul expert were to rob us without any regard for face, we would have no power to resist.
Therefore, why not recruit more general formation masters and gather wisdom from many people?
Second, young master, you could visit them in person, following the proper etiquette. There shouldn’t be any issues. For experts like this, it is only after repeated contact that you can reveal a little bit of information and test the waters.
But no matter what, young master must not reveal your true thoughts. Terms like Houtian sphere and imitating heaven and earth should be avoided. Otherwise, they’ll go off and study it on their own, and at that point, it will be too late to regret.”
“What if both sides swear an oath? If the other party swears a strong oath, would that allow us to speak of it?”
Yan Ze’an thought for a moment, “Nascent Soul experts are noble, and they may not be willing to swear oaths. They might even view swearing an oath as an insult or sign of distrust. Moreover, Nascent Soul experts have their Nascent Souls, and it is said that many Nascent Soul experts possess divine abilities that allow them to transfer oaths.
For example, the well-known Second Nascent Soul, and so on.”
“Transfer an oath?” Li Xian had never heard of such a method before. But this revelation shocked him greatly—after all, everything Li Xian had now was maintained by oaths.
Seeing Li Xian’s shocked expression for the first time, Yan Ze’an couldn’t help but smile slightly in pride. “Young master, don’t worry. Once an oath is sworn, it cannot be changed. However, Nascent Soul experts can transfer the oath at the time of swearing.
But there’s no need to worry too much. It’s said that transferring an oath comes at a tremendous cost, sometimes requiring half a lifetime of effort, so generally, everyone would abide by their oaths.”
“Ah…” Li Xian finally breathed a sigh of relief. That had really scared him. If oaths could be transferred so easily, Li Xian would really have to worry that all his hard work would be for nothing. Technology was Li Xian’s life-saving method and the foundation of his development. If his technology were leaked, he couldn’t be sure if he could continue living as comfortably as he was now.
After discussing many details with Yan Ze’an, Li Xian… turned around and taught Yan Ze’an a lesson, asserting his own authority. He selectively discussed ideas about industrial and commercial thoughts, freedom and openness, fairness and equality in society. Through rewards, guidance, public opinion, and control (newspapers), Yan Ze’an listened with wide eyes, greatly impressed.
The conversation lasted for over two days. Two days later, Li Xian set off again, heading straight for Wuyang City.