"Ah, Lord Mi."
After a long silence, Daniel Davis, who had been standing still, finally made a decision. She stomped her foot heavily and decided to proceed with the original plan to recruit Qin Shubao. After all, the incident had already occurred, and it was done behind her back by Li Mi. Even if she knew about it now, it was already too late to change anything.
Moreover, the fact that Li Mi deliberately hid it from her indicated that, on a larger scale, he no longer trusted her. On a smaller scale, it meant he didn't want her involved in such matters. Given this, it was better to complete the task at hand and return to discuss the next steps with him.
Of course, before doing so, Daniel Davis immediately gathered her subordinates and instructed them to report the situation to Li Mi, allowing him to prepare in advance.
"The late Sui dynasty, with its eighteen rebel kings and seventy-two factions of insurgents—what a chaotic era this is."
Inside the Quinjet high above, Daniel Davis lounged on a recliner in the rest area, watching the screen displaying the situation of the late Sui dynasty. Although this history differed significantly from the "Twin Heroes of the Tang Dynasty," it couldn't be used as a definitive reference for this world. Just as Pei Ju in this world was the Demon King Shi Zhixuan, many things had changed drastically due to the differences between worlds.
Nevertheless, some aspects could still serve as useful references.
"Unifying the north from the south—this time, I'll show them how it's done. I'm not opposed to ethnic integration, but how it's carried out will now be up to me. I hope those guys don't provoke me, or I won't hesitate to issue another 'Kill the Barbarians' decree."
This was the first time Daniel Davis had truly read about the history after the Three Kingdoms period. The chaos of the Five Barbarians invading China filled him with rage. The more he learned about this history, the more furious he became at the actions of certain individuals from the Cihang Jingzhai and the Buddhist sects. Now that he was here, he would make sure they witnessed his wrath.
Poof.
With a puff of smoke, a shadow clone appeared beside Daniel Davis. After understanding this history and combining it with his memories of "Twin Heroes of the Tang Dynasty," "Tales of the Borderlands," and "Storm Riders," Daniel Davis began preparing for action.
With his strength, eliminating Ning Daoqi, Cihang Jingzhai, and Jingnian Chanyuan would be as easy as flipping his hand. However, doing so would not only be too lenient on them but also lead to numerous problems if he unified the world too quickly. Although his long lifespan would allow him to address these issues later, it would be a waste of time. Therefore, it was better to resolve everything from the start.
He could also take advantage of the different time flow in this world to train and draw inspiration from the martial arts of the Tang dynasty.
So far, the martial arts worlds he had experienced, such as "Qin's Moon" and "Twin Heroes of the Tang Dynasty," were quite similar. Even the grandmaster-level figures were comparable. Bei Mingzi, Donghuang Taiyi, Guiguzi, and Wuming from "Qin's Moon" would undoubtedly be grandmaster-level in the Tang dynasty.
The martial arts of the Tang dynasty emphasized mental cultivation. The stronger one's mental state, the more sensitive they became to danger, making sneak attacks or ambushes extremely difficult. Xu Ziling's intuition, in particular, was nearly unparalleled in this world. This intuition allowed him to escape death multiple times, even surviving encounters with the Shadow Assassin Yang Xuyan when his strength was still low.
Later, he even survived a one-on-one confrontation with the Demon King Shi Zhixuan.
This unique martial arts experience, if shared with Gai Nie and Wei Zhuang, would undoubtedly help them reach the grandmaster level.
"Take care of the next steps. Don't show too much strength, or some people might not dare to reveal themselves," Daniel Davis said as he tossed the Fire Lin Sword from his spatial ring to the shadow clone.
"Aren't I just you? Do you really need to repeat this?" The shadow clone caught the sword with its left hand, spun it a few times, and then slung it over its shoulder.
"From now on, I'm Duanlang, the wielder of the Fire Lin Sword. Though I'd prefer to play the role of Lang Fanyun from 'Storm Riders,'" the shadow clone sighed softly.
"The problem is, I don't know the 'Storm Riders' sword techniques," the main body of Daniel Davis said helplessly.
Even without knowing the "Storm Riders" techniques, he could still impersonate Lang Fanyun, but he couldn't wield the Fire Lin Sword and use the Sun-Eclipse Sword Technique while pretending to be Lang Fanyun.
Among all the grandmaster-level experts, most had their own unique legacies. Only Lang Fanyun achieved enlightenment by observing Dongting Lake. His sword was driven by extreme emotions, making him a natural prodigy. In terms of talent, Lang Fanyun was undoubtedly top-tier.
The debate between the Sword of Emotion and the Sword of Indifference also existed in "Storm Riders." Wuming and Po Jun represented the two sides, while Bu Jingyun initially stood between them. It wasn't until he became Wuming's disciple that he truly achieved greatness in swordsmanship.
"Got it. I'll head out now," the shadow clone said, slinging the Fire Lin Sword over its shoulder and leaping out of the Quinjet.
"So this is Li Shimin. He truly has an extraordinary presence. And that's Li Xiuning, Kou Zhong's first love. What a pity their statuses are so mismatched."
Following Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling in secret, Daniel Davis witnessed their intelligence. After their initial setback, they quickly identified the problem and used a Li family ship on the river to evade Daniel Davis's pursuers.
Daniel Davis had personally gone after Qin Shubao, leaving her subordinates to chase Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling.
Among the four great clans of this era, the Li family was exceptionally talented. Whether it was Li Jiancheng, Li Shimin, Li Yuanji, or even Li Xiuning, they far surpassed their peers from other clans. In comparison, the other three great clans—the Yuwen, Dugu, and Song clans—seemed to lack capable successors.
The younger generation of the Yuwen clan, though not as outstanding as Li Shimin and his siblings, was still quite capable. Yuwen Huaji was among the best of his peers. However, the Yuwen clan had the misfortune of crossing paths with the Twin Heroes, who later wiped out most of their younger generation.
As for the Dugu clan, Dugu Feng stood out as the top talent of her generation, already a grandmaster-level martial artist and the second strongest in the clan. However, being a woman limited her influence, and the other male members of the Dugu clan were largely incompetent. Thus, during the chaos of the late Sui dynasty, the Dugu clan was quickly eliminated from contention.
The Song clan's younger generation, represented by Song Shidao, was also talented. Unfortunately, Song Shidao was a romantic at heart, with no ambition to compete for the throne. Without capable successors, even Song Que's brilliance couldn't save the clan. This was why he later supported Kou Zhong.
Ironically, Song Yuzhi was a peace-loving individual, and Song Que ended up being let down by his son, daughter, and son-in-law. The bitterness in Song Que's heart was something only he could understand.
In contrast, the Li family was full of ambitious individuals. Whether it was Li Jiancheng, Li Shimin, or Li Yuanji, they were all driven by grand ambitions. Even Li Xiuning had considerable military talent, forming the "Lady's Army." After her death, she was buried with full military honors—the only woman in feudal history to receive such a burial.
If Li Xiuning had been a man, the Li family would have been even more tumultuous, with another contender for the throne.
During this period, Kou Zhong's love for Li Xiuning was destined to be a tragedy. Even if Kou Zhong had the fame and power of the "Young Marshal Army" later on, the outcome would have been the same. The reason was simple: social status mattered greatly in this era, especially for a prominent family like the Li clan. For these aristocratic families, the clan's interests came first, even for someone like Li Shimin.
In the original story, despite the Li family being heavily infiltrated by demonic sects, Li Shimin still clashed fiercely with Kou Zhong. Why? Because Kou Zhong was of humble origins, and Li Shimin had to protect the Li family's interests before considering his own.
It was almost laughable how Kou Zhong, despite having a golden opportunity to defeat Li Shimin, chose to cooperate with him against the demonic sects instead.
"So Kou Zhong hadn't initially planned to compete for the throne, which is why he wasn't too upset when I took the Yang Gong's Treasure. He must be regretting it now." A ledger that the entire world was fighting over had been sold by Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling for a mere few dozen taels of silver. To Kou Zhong, the Yang Gong's Treasure had been nothing more than a concept.
If Kou Zhong hadn't encountered Li Xiuning, he might never have aspired to compete for the throne. Initially, Kou Zhong's goal was simply to join a rebel army.
Although the rebel armies he chose were short-lived, quickly being absorbed or destroyed by other factions, Kou Zhong remained undeterred.
If Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling hadn't witnessed Zu Junyan colluding with the Turks to ambush Zhai Rang, they might have accepted Daniel Davis's offer to join the Wagang Army, given its current strength.
Similarly, if it weren't for Li Xiuning, Kou Zhong might not have rejected Li Shimin's recruitment. However, in that case, the world would have never seen the legendary Twin Heroes—only two fierce generals under Li Shimin's command.
"The Dongming Sect—I almost forgot about them."
Hearing Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, and Li Shimin discuss the Dongming Sect's ledger and Li Shimin's purpose for coming here to trade weapons with the Dongming Sect, Daniel Davis suddenly remembered. With so many things happening, he had momentarily forgotten about this.
In this era, aristocratic families maintained large private armies, which served as their trump cards against the imperial court. Each aristocratic family could be considered a warlord. Naturally, soldiers needed weapons—they couldn't fight empty-handed.
Thus, the Dongming Sect's arms trade was highly sought after by the major aristocratic families in the Central Plains. Even the four great clans occasionally purchased weapons from the Dongming Sect, making it the largest arms smuggler of the era.
For Daniel Davis, the Dongming Sect's arms trade was inconsequential. If he wanted, he could quickly establish an automated weapons production line. However, the Dongming Sect's location on the Ryukyu Islands was strategically valuable. Once Daniel Davis unified the Central Plains, this location would be crucial for outward expansion.
As the local power, the Dongming Sect could provide significant assistance at that time.
"Is this what they call 'comfort breeds desire'? These two, having gotten money from Li Shimin, are now thinking about visiting a brothel. Though I recall their luck with brothels isn't great."
Following the Twin Heroes into Pengcheng, Daniel Davis listened as Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling discussed visiting a brothel. This had been their dream since their days as street urchins—to flaunt their wealth in a brothel. Even after becoming grandmaster-level martial artists, they still held onto this dream.
Unfortunately, their visits always ended in disappointment.
"Daniel Davis is here too. She's quite decisive. Once she realizes things aren't going her way, she immediately tries to kill them. Too bad she underestimated how quickly their martial arts have improved."
Daniel Davis's appearance here was due to the resolution of the Qin Shubao situation and her deduction that Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling knew about the Yang Gong's Treasure. Initially, she had planned to recruit them and have them voluntarily reveal the treasure.
However, after being rejected, Daniel Davis immediately saw them as threats. For the Wagang Army, obtaining the Yang Gong's Treasure wasn't crucial—winning the world wasn't determined by a single treasure. But if someone outside the Wagang Army obtained it, it could create unforeseen complications.
Thus, she decided to eliminate the Twin Heroes to ensure the secret of the Yang Gong's Treasure disappeared forever. However, the Twin Heroes' martial arts had improved so much that Daniel Davis, who could once easily handle Qin Shubao and two others, now found it difficult to defeat them. This rapid progress only deepened her desire to kill them.
Such was the power of the "Longevity Scripture."
"Speaking of which, these two have terrible luck with friends. But just how obsessed are they with brothels?"
Watching Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling narrowly escape Daniel Davis's attack, only to still want to visit a brothel—even going so far as to find Xiang Yushan on the street—Daniel Davis didn't know whether to laugh or cry. However, Xiang Yushan's appearance brought a smile to his face.
In this world, there were certain people Daniel Davis had to deal with, and Xiang Yushan and the Xiang family were high on that list. The reason Daniel Davis was following the Twin Heroes was simply because he had nothing better to do. While connecting with this world's spatial energy, he decided to follow them and see if anything interesting would happen.
After all, as protagonists, trouble would find them even if they didn't seek it out. And sure enough, trouble arrived.
Xiang Yushan didn't take the Twin Heroes to a brothel but instead to a gambling den next door, where he introduced them to a woman from the Pengliang Society. By then, the Twin Heroes realized something was wrong, especially after learning Xiang Yushan's background as a member of the Baling Gang. However, by then, it was too late to leave.
They were forced to play along, planning to find an opportunity to escape after gambling for a while. Unfortunately, before they could act, Daniel Davis arrived with her men.
After failing to capture the Twin Heroes alone, Daniel Davis had immediately gone back to gather reinforcements. The appearance of the Wagang Army's "Beautiful Strategist" caused everyone else in the gambling den to flee.
Only a few people remained, including a tall, thin, and austere-looking middle-aged man. When Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling saw him, they exclaimed in unison, "Father!"
"Du Fuwei of the Jianghu," Daniel Davis gasped upon seeing him.
"Has Zhai Rang not been killed by Li Mi yet?" Du Fuwei asked coldly, looking at Daniel Davis.
(End of Chapter)
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