Chapter 172

: Strategize!
Translator: Transn Editor: Transn
It has been 15 years since he arrived in this world. Junior Leopard did not have a particular goal all this time, or more accurately, his goal kept changing and was not set in stone.
When he first reincarnated in that small village, he only thought about how he could live on properly. That was the most basic aspect of his survival need. Later on, he Wang Tianlei and One-Eyed Wolf and came to understand the difference in this world. He began to thirst for martial arts. However, that thirst and thoughts back then were built on a foundational level, spurred by his many years of reading about martial arts heroes in novels. It was an instinctive curiosity of something only existing in legends as well as a basic thirst for power. Of course, deep within the recesses of his heart, he wanted to practice martial arts so his longevity could be extended and his abilities could be greatly enhanced.
That was a shallow and singular objective. Martial arts was a simply a premise for achieving that goal.
He succeeded. He succeeded in learning martial arts. However, everything had changed ever since he entered the world of martial arts. Maybe he was influenced by the novels he had read. He actually started having a keen interest in learning martial arts. He spent a long time in the world of martial arts, unable to detach himself from it. During that time, he even thought he would spend his whole life researching martial arts until he died of old age.
Yet, two things happened in between. Back then, the incidents did not feel like much. In retrospect, however, they had caused a lasting impact on himself. The first was him entering the Wu’s and becoming their Outer Core disciple. He got in touch with a deeper level of martial arts and it allowed him an initial understanding of this world. His obsession with martial arts began then. However, he realized things were not so simple after delving into it for some time. This world was complicated and the biggest blow to him was Old Xing’s death. His death showed him the cruelty of this world. Peace was impossible in the world of martial arts. He had to continue cultivating and continuously strengthen himself. Only then would he save himself from Old Xing’s fate. The second was naturally the bloodline of the Fiery Eyes that he possessed. It was right for him to gingerly conceal this fact, proving that he had foresight. If he did not do so, others would have long carved out his miraculous eyes to be refined into an External Elixir. The bloodline of the Fiery Eyes allowed him to progress further in the face of danger. His heart developed a strong thirst for power. He wanted it not for other things, only his safety.
From that moment on, he developed a strong passion for power. That was why he would collude with Jin Nanqing in Zhonghe City to rob the precious medicinal ingredients that Wu Yuntian had secretly tried to sell off. That was why he would obey Wang She’s every word and do things for him. All was to put him in a safer situation.
He also came to understand something else. Besides his strength, he also needed a powerful backer to survive in this world and live a good life. In this world, those who made a name for themselves all had a strong force acting as their support.
Wang She was a Chief of Tian Long Taoism and his backer was Tian Long Taoism. Lu Shaoyou was the deacon of Mingyi School and his sect backed him. There were also others, such as Prince Xiaoming and Xue Wuya. They were famous experts and powerful influences at the same time. The merging of a strong body and a powerful backer was capable of unleashing the greatest effect and power. The stronger the influence, the safer the person. Vice versa, the stronger the body, the more powerful the backing became.
Ever since Tian Long Taoism had Wang She, a Level Nine expert, their position within Great Jin had transformed.
This was a matter of both sides influencing and benefiting each other.
After understanding this point, Junior Leopard naturally began to consider his own predicament.
When it came to his strength, he had nothing to worry about as he had accumulated too much: two External Elixers, the Fiery Eyes, a few prescriptions of the elixirs, and the various benefits he obtained from Xue Wuya. All that alone was enough push him towards the path of an expert. What concerned him was his backing, the Wu’s in Yunzhou.
Born in a small mountain village without any foundation, all his achievements today was the result of him depending on his own potential and aptitude to barge into the Wu’s.
For him, the Wu’s was a big tree strong enough to shelter him from the wind and rain. All he had to do was to stick closely to this tree. As he helped the tree to grow, he also had to absorb its nutrients to strengthen himself.
The Wu’s in Yunzhou was an enormous existence for most people, too big for them to dare resist. This was far from enough for him.
There was only a Level Seven expert holding the fort and that person had not yet condensed his Gang Qi. Such a force was nothing in front of Junior Leopard. That was because he believed he would enter the realm of Level Seven within 10 years. He also had the absolute confidence that he could condense his Gang Qi. He was far stronger than Elder Lyu Yiyue of the Wu’s. In actual fact, he even had the confidence to finish off Lyu Yiyue in a direct confrontation.
However, all these were future issues. His current strength was clearly only at Level Four. As long as he could present a value the Wu’s would recognize, then they would naturally value him and support him in ways that he could not obtain in other places.
Apart from the Wu’s, there were two other trees he could depend upon. One was Zhonghe City’s Admiral, Li Yuan. The other was Wang She.
However, these two trees were not as reliable as the Wu’s. He was only Li Yuan’s personal guard. Li Yuan was only from the branch family of Li Family in Pingzhou and his power was rooted in Jin’s imperial court. His influence was slightly more widespread in Zhonghe City. Outside of the city, he was nothing. Wang She, on the other hand, had a ridiculous strength and an extremely strong backing. However, he was unreliable. Put nicely, his ways were unfathomable. Frankly speaking, he was just inexplicable. Junior Leopard might as well depend on himself than Wang She!
After much deliberation, the only tree he could rely on for immense benefits was the Wu’s.
From another perspective, the benefits of the Wu’s were his. That was why he was so hung up on the ownership of River Heart Island.
Apart from this consideration, he had a new idea after arriving in Jiang City. This idea only surfaced after he became the Navy Commander.
He wanted to stay in this city and grow his own influence. That was something he had never considered doing. In actual fact, he did not have the qualifications to even consider it before.
Whether it was Zhonghe City or Qinlingjun City, both were too big and there were many experts. He was only an ordinary youngster. No matter how good his aptitude or future was, he could not control too much. In Zhonghe City, though he was a personal guard and a seneschal in the Wu’s, he was only responsible for guarding the Admiral and did not have actual power. His position in the Wu’s was only in name without power. He was unable to come up with anything.
Jiang City was different. It was a small place without too many major influences. In the eyes of the people there, an influential person was at most spokesmen for a bigger influence. It was nothing in his eyes. The most important thing was that he was the Navy Commander of Jiang City. Though the position only ranked Grade Eight and not worth a mention in Great Jin, it was something substantial here. Furthermore, he had soldiers, warships, and weapons. From a certain standpoint, he was one of the leaders of the biggest influence in Jiang City.
There was still the Wu’s behind him. He believed they also hoped that he would stand his ground in Jiang City and control the most important city in the entire Zhonghe City. At least he could control its water route. It would not be easy for others, but not to him.
Now, the only thing he had to do was demonstrating his strength to the Wu’s and showing his ability to control the water route of Luo River in Jiang City. If he could do this, he believed the Wu’s would spare nothing to sit him firmly on the Navy Commander throne.
With such a position where he could show his ability, he could safely remain in a half-dormant stance, hide, and cultivate. He could leisurely watch everything going on within Zhonghe City and even the entire Jin.
…
Jiang City was peaceful today. Nothing worth paying attention to had happened since the morning.
Half a month ago, the newly appointed Navy Commander had led his troops to conquer the water bandits at Broken Dragon Beach and returned with the head of the bandit leader, Li Sanbao. They even took over River Heart Island that had always been occupied by bandits, creating the hottest news the city had heard in a decade. For half a month, the entire city was immersed in a weird burning atmosphere where Junior Leopard was the focal point. There were also those concerned about the ownership of the island.
The damned place was really too important. It would mean great advantages to whoever who controlled it. Hence, ever since Junior Leopard had taken over the island, various forces in the city and the influences behind them began to vie for the rights to the island. To be more specific, they were battling in the dark for the right to the island’s harbor. In the end, Yellow Dragon Gang emerged as the ultimate winner.