Chapter 342 - 342 The Real Motive
342 The Real Motive
At first, Lin Ran and Emperor Sheng Yuan guessed that Xuan Wushang was looking for something in one of the cities, but he didn’t want to make his motive too obvious, so he asked for 15 cities to cover up his true motive.
However, Chen Tianqi did not specify which city he wanted, which made Lin Ran and Emperor Sheng Yuan confused.
Even so, Emperor Sheng Yuan did not cede the northern border cities closest to the Great Yong Dynasty. Instead, she chose five almost abandoned garrison cities at the eastern, southern, and western borders.
Not only were the garrison cities close to the border, but it was also uninhabited.
On the surface, apart from the Heavenly Saint Dynasty retreating 300 miles away from the northern border, the Great Yong Dynasty did not seem to have obtained any advantage.
However, now that he heard that Liu Ruxi was continuing the experiment in one of the garrison cities, Lin Ran suddenly realized that scattered cities were exactly what Chen Tianqi wanted!
From the layout of Nanjiang Town, it could be seen that Liu Ruxi’s research actually did not need a big space. The more remote and uninhabited a place was, the more suitable it was for her to carry out experiments without restraint.
Where else in the world could be more remote and uninhabited than an abandoned military city at the border?
Moreover, as long as there was one city, it was enough to accommodate Liu Ruxi and her hundreds of “cocoons”, and the other 14 cities would be their best cover.
Countless thoughts flashed through Lin Ran’s mind like meteors. His expression slowly turned solemn.
“Chen Tianqi… You’re really scheming!”
Lin Ran gritted his teeth and muttered softly. Then, he suddenly looked up at the young man opposite him. “Where is your camp?”
“Fort Nanyue.”
The young man replied in a low voice. Lin Ran’s expression instantly darkened.
Fort Nanyue was at the southern border of the Heavenly Saint Dynasty. Once Liu Ruxi finished her experiments and created countless cocoons, the Heavenly Saint Dynasty would definitely be attacked from both sides.
However, thinking about this, Lin Ran suddenly thought of something else—
It was a good thing for the Heavenly Saint Dynasty and Lin Ran that Liu Hongshan was attacking Liu Ruxi.
Putting aside the grudge between the two of them, Lin Ran really wanted to thank Liu Hongshan for this.
Liu Ruxi was not a fool. It was impossible for her not to understand such a simple logic, but she still sent someone to ask Lin Ran for help. Where did she get her confidence from?
The anger in his heart was replaced by curiosity. Lin Ran asked, “What did Liu Ruxi say to you when she asked you to come here?”
The young man was stunned for a moment before he suddenly revealed a hesitant expression. “I can’t tell you!”
“You can’t tell me?”
Lin Ran burst out laughing. His first reaction was that this young man might not know either.
However, on second thought, Lin Ran felt that this person must know something. If he wasn’t confident, why would he come all the way here to ask the enemy for help?
Thinking of this, Lin Ran narrowed his eyes and sized up the other party. He was caught between laughter and tears as he asked, “Did someone really hit your brain? You’re the one who came to beg me to save someone, but you don’t want to tell me why.”
The young man gritted his teeth and nodded stubbornly.
Lin Ran was speechless for a while. He smacked his lips and said helplessly, “Let me analyze it for you. Liu Ruxi is a traitor of the Heavenly Saint Dynasty. If you follow her, you’re the enemy of the Heavenly Saint Dynasty.”
“Now that Liu Hongshan attacked her, although what he did was a little inappropriate, it might not be a bad thing for the Heavenly Saint Dynasty—”
At this point, Lin Ran paused for a moment and spread out his hands as if he was weighing the pros and cons. “Tell me, on one side is the helper of the Heavenly Saint Dynasty, and on the other side is the enemy of the Heavenly Saint Dynasty. Which side should I help?”
“Our side!”
The young man replied firmly without hesitation. His matter-of-fact tone made Lin Ran want to slap him!
However, seeing that the finger marks on the young man’s face had yet to fade, Lin Ran resisted the urge to hit him. He stretched out a finger and said seriously, “I’ll give you one last chance. Tell me what Liu Ruxi said. Otherwise, go back to where you came from!”
“I can’t tell you!”
The young man shook his head again. Even though Lin Ran had already given him an ultimatum, he still had no intention of giving in.
Seeing this, Lin Ran couldn’t be bothered to waste his breath on him. He pulled Ye Jin and turned to leave.
Lin Ran left too suddenly. Not only did the young man not react, but even Ye Jin did not know what had happened.
After walking a dozen steps, Ye Jin finally reacted and asked softly, “Are you really not going to ask anymore? If you leave just like that, won’t everything you’ve done before be in vain?”
“You don’t understand. It’s called strategy.”
Lin Ran replied in a low voice and squeezed Ye Jin’s hand. “Look back. Is he going to call me back?”
When Ye Jin heard this, she turned around and saw that the young man was still sitting on the ground in a daze, as if he had yet to react to what had happened.
“It doesn’t look like it.”
Ye Jin asked softly with a strange expression, “Do you want me to put up a show with me?”
“…That works too.”
As soon as Lin Ran agreed, Ye Jin suddenly raised her voice and said, “Lin Ran! Don’t go yet! He’s so seriously injured and his mind is most likely affected. You have to be patient!”
“Sigh! Alright, that makes sense!”
Lin Ran replied loudly. As he spoke, he turned around and was about to go back when he suddenly felt that something was wrong.
“Achoo!”
At the side, Ye Jin suddenly sneezed. She rubbed her arms and said in confusion, “Achoo! Why is it suddenly so cold?”
Lin Ran was stunned when he heard this. It was noon and the sun was at its zenith. Why did the temperature suddenly drop?
Just as Lin Ran was feeling puzzled, a cold wind suddenly blew past. Then, snowflakes fell from the sky!