Chapter 468: Devising a Plan
Translator: DavidT Editor: DavidT, Rock
With the Ling Family Courtyard being where his roots were, Ling Tian would never allow anything to happen to it. Thus, it was important for him to plan thoroughly and ensure a foolproof plan.
Ling Tian also felt that if he were to allow his camps outside to take action first and break the balance of the continent without exposing himself, all the various powers would definitely be thrown into chaos and he would be able to grasp a good opportunity.
The moment one party made a move, a chain reaction would definitely be set off and the whole continent will quickly break out in war. At that time, the rations and weapons that he had previously collected would definitely inflate in price and someone would be required to manage them for sure. If not, it would be no different from shooting himself in the foot.
Ling Tian paced around slowly with a frown and pondered over the matter carefully. A good matter without sufficient planning and preparation can also turn into a bad matter. Thus, Ling Tian had no choice but to be careful!
However, he was too short on manpower currently. While there were a few people who Ling Tian felt to be suitable to handle this matter, Ling Tian didn’t dare to easily use them.
With regards to finances, his own mother would naturally be a suitable candidate. However, the moment news was to spread that Chu Ting’er was in charge of the matter, it would be equivalent to exposing the fact that his Ling Family was behind the matter. Of course, there was also another talent who equaled his mother in fame: Xiao YanXue who was currently living next to him. However, she was after all Xiao FengHan’s granddaughter and even if she was willing to aid him fully, would he dare to employ her?
As for the person to aid Ling Chen, Ling Tian already had a plan. Li Xue following him around to create havoc was truly a huge waste of her ability. If she was willing to fully support Ling Chen, Ling Tian would truly be without any worries! However, her temper was too difficult to predict, and Ling Tian couldn’t be certain that she wouldn’t create any trouble. Ling Chen was not the same as Ling Jian. While he would be able to watch Li Xue prank Ling Jian from the sidelines, if the same thing were to happen to Ling Chen, he would definitely flare up… Furthermore, Ling Chen wasn’t someone easily provoked either…
As for the military affairs, his father and General Shen RuHu can be in charge of the overall big picture of things. Furthermore, with the aid of Meng LiGe as a strategist, nothing should go wrong.
As for the various small squadrons in the continent, Ling Tian could allow them to have free rein.
After considering for a long while, Ling Tian finally came to a decision. He instructed Ling Feng to prepare ink and just when he was about to write his response, he felt as though there were far too many loose ends unsettled and after a long pause, he finally wrote the words, “Postpone the matter for now!” with great difficulty.
Ling Tian could never be bothered about his reputation and the well-being of the entire continent. Those were no more than political tricks monarchs used to fool ordinary citizens. Only those bullsh*t heroes would think about the wellbeing of the commoners while not considering their own interests. The way Ling Tian saw it, those so-called heroes were the biggest fools in the world. While they were foolish in an adorable way, they were still fools!
Ling Tian had the ambition to vie for hegemony in the world in this life of his. However, this was assuming a condition could be fulfilled; that his family and friends would be able to lead a peaceful and joyful life. If his plan were to put his family and friends in danger, Ling Tian would rather give up the plan. While it could be said that Ling Tian was being foolishly soft-hearted, that was a conviction which Ling Tian held onto tightly in this life of his!
Ling Chen’s intention was extremely obvious. She wanted to use all her strength to aid her beloved when he wasn’t around so that his future plans could be built on a stronger foundation. She wanted to lay that stable foundation for Ling Tian. While her intentions were good, she was overly impatient in her actions.
While the present timing was undoubtedly a good opportunity, and Ling Tian would have agreed without hesitation if Li Xue didn’t turn up, Ling Tian was certain that things would go smoother if they were to wait for a month or two. If that was the case, why was there a need to take a risk now?
Even a genius needed time and molding. Regardless of how wise Li Xue was with her experience from two lifetimes, it was impossible for her to make the most accurate judgment without understanding the present situation of the continent. Furthermore, Ling Chen was the only one stationed in Sky Bearing presently and Ling Tian couldn’t be at ease due to the Shui, Xiao, and Yu Families.
These three gigantic families were filled with both inner strife and external troubles. Just Ling Chen alone wouldn’t be enough to hold down the fort for sure. The moment something went wrong, even if it was just the slightest bit, it was enough to cause the destruction of their Ling Family! Such a risk was something that Ling Tian would never take. At the very least, Ling Tian wouldn’t make such a decision before Li Xue, this powerful assistant, was in place!
In this world, if Ling Tian wanted to find someone he trusted and was no weaker than himself, then Li Xue would be his one and only choice. Furthermore, all other people, including Ling Chen, would only be able to understand no more than half of his plans and arrangements but Li Xue would definitely be able to understand his true intentions with just a single look!
This is because Li Xue had similar experiences as Ling Tian in their previous life and they both went through the same education system. In fact, the education that Li Xue went through was even more robust than Ling Tian. Furthermore, Li Xue’s understanding of Ling Tian was something that was unmatched! She was the only one in the world who would be able to work together flawlessly with Ling Tian!
While Ling Chen and Ling Jian had followed Ling Tian for ten years, their understanding of Ling Tian couldn’t be compared to Li Xue. It was because Li Xue had studied Ling Tian as an enemy in detail for a few years!
The one who understands you the most is not yourself or your friends and family but your enemy!
The two of them were no longer enemies and were even arranged to be on the same boat by fate. However, Li Xue’s memories would never fade and the one who understands him the most would still be Li Xue! Thus, Li Xue was the most suitable person to grasp the overall big picture in Ling Tian’s organization! In fact, Li Xue was even better at spotting problems than Ling Tian. Ling Chen and Ling Jian would never doubt Ling Tian’s decisions, but Li Xue would objectively pick apart every one of Ling Tian’s plans. She would try to spot out the flaws of his plans and how the flaws could be minimized! If there were to be someone in the world capable of pointing out the flaws and improving Ling Tian’s plans, Li Xue would be the most suitable and only choice!
“Invite Miss Li over and tell her that I have something to discuss with her.” Ling Tian instructed.
Ling Yun acknowledged the order and left.
A short while later, Li Xue followed Ling Tian in and upon seeing Ling Tian’s solemn expression, knew that Ling Tian was about to announce something important.
Ling Tian rapped the desk and said seriously, “There aren’t any outsiders among us and I will not hide anything. I will be assigning all of you various tasks for the next step of our plan, and it is important for all of you to complete it perfectly.” Ling Tian said heavily, “Let me remind all of you that I require perfect completion and not just for all of you to try your best to complete the task. Every single detail of the plan is related to the bigger picture, and all of you must not be careless. All of you must be clear of your responsibilities and if anyone of you were to fail, I believe that I don’t have to spell out the consequences.”
Everyone immediately paid close attention to Ling Tian’s following words with their eyes opened wide and ears perked. Especially so for Ling Jian and the rest who had not seen Ling Tian so serious for a very long time. All of them carefully listened to what Ling Tian had to say, afraid that they would miss a single word. Regardless of how strict Ling Tian’s requirements were, it wasn’t a problem for them. When facing Ling Tian’s orders, all of them only knew that they had to listen closely and complete the mission at all cost.
Ling Tian shut his eyes gently and gave out his orders swiftly.
“Li Xue, Ling Feng, and Ling Yun. The three of you will send Ling Jian back to the Courtyard. After sending him back, all of you must listen to Ling Chen’s orders. Especially Ling Jian; your first priority is to recuperate. Li Xue, your mission would be to familiarize yourself with the situation of the entire continent in a month. You must be familiar with each and every single arrangement of mine. Regardless of how minor and regardless of which department, you must know it like the back of your hands. Then, you will aid Ling Chen to make a detailed plan and preparations. Every single one of you must obey every order that Ling Chen and Li Xue make!”
“Second, you must teach everyone the true Divine Shocking Dragon Formula and ensure that all of them will be able to correct their cultivation in the shortest amount of time, You must also assist Ling Chen to achieve a greater level in her Divine Ice Formula. Besides that, you should also assist BingYan to meld her painting into martial arts.”
“Ling Nineteen and Ling Twenty, the both of you should take a copy of the complete cultivation technique and travel to the Heavenly Wind Continent. The two of you must assist Ling Zero and the rest in their job there. When you receive concrete news about war breaking out between the Yu and Shui Family or that the war in the Heavenly Star Continent has broken out with the Yu Family joining in, it would be the time for all of you to take action there! The timing must not be too early or late, and all of you must be extremely careful.”
“Ling Twenty-one, take a copy of the cultivation formula and disguise yourself before entering Western Han to find Ling Thirty. Stay by his side to assist him. When war breaks out, take control of the XiMen Family’s forces and await my orders.”
“Ling Twenty-two, go to the DongFang Family and find DongFang JingLei. Tell him that I will appear in the Eastern Zhao Empire in less than seven days to assist his next move.”
“Spread out my orders: From today onward, all the various camps in the continent are to give me a report on their strength and changes in their surroundings. They are to give me a report once every three days and not a single detail should be missed out. If anything happens, they can send me a report at any time. Order them to complete their preparations.”
“Inform Ling Five to stop the production in the weapons factory after this batch of weapons is completed. All of his men are to retreat into the Ling Family Courtyard and begin their work again after making a full retreat. Not a single completed weapon should be sold.”
“Command Ling Three and Li Lin to create havoc for all the businesses that the Yu Family has taken over. The two of them must hinder the Yu Family members and ensure that they aren’t able to bother about other affairs. However, they must not reveal the fact that this matter is orchestrated by our Ling Family. They must ensure that the Yu Family can’t gain any concrete evidence. As for the Yu Family guessing in secret, they don’t need to bother about that.”
“Command Ling Six, Ling Seven, Ling Eight and Ling Nine to step up their intelligence gathering efforts. They are to retract their ordinary forces and send out their elites. Instead of sending me a report once every five days, they are to send a report to me once every two days!”
“Command the Crystal Pavilion: Apart from sending information to the Ling Family, if other powers want to purchase information, they should adopt the principle of ‘nine truths and one lie’. They should either exaggerate or underplay the most important bit of information and try their best to mislead the buyers. They should transmit information with the principle of creating as much chaos as possible.”
“Spread out news of Above Heavens supporting the Xiao Family and their provocation towards Beyond Heavens. Furthermore, spread news about Above Heavens heavily injuring Justice as we must drag Beyond Heavens into these muddied waters.”
“All our hidden powers should not reveal themselves and all of our powers on the surface should go into hiding!”
“As for all other matters, if I miss anything out, Ling Chen and Li Xue will fill in the gaps for me. No one is to go against Ling Chen’s and Li Xue’s orders!”
“After memorizing the Divine Shocking Dragon Formula, it should be immediately destroyed!”
The chain of commands came out from Ling Tian’s mouth and everyone seemed to have realized something as their eyes burned with vigor.
The storm is arriving!
The atmosphere in the room was especially heavy and on the verge of exploding. While it was in the morning with the temperature cool, Ling Feng and the others were completely drenched in the perspiration of excitement!
The day is finally here!
“With all of us gone, what will you do? Furthermore, how should we take care of the lass you brought back yesterday?” Li Xue frowned and asked with concern.
Currently, Bright Jade City was like a tub of gunpowder which would blow up with just a tiny spark. If Li Xue was around, the two of their strength combined would ensure that they would be able to make a full retreat regardless of which Family they faced! However, if Ling Tian were to shift all of his manpower away and bring a weak lady along with him, how would he be able to handle any trouble that came his way?
“We can talk about this matter later. I only asked if any of you have any questions about my current orders.” Ling Tian waved his hand and interrupted Li Xue.
“None at all! We will definitely complete the mission and not disappoint young noble!” Everyone responded in unison.
“Good!” Ling Tian nodded his head and a fierce glare shone in his eyes, “If that’s the case, I will await all of your good news! Brothers, it is time for all of you to enjoy the thrill of controlling the winds and rain of the continent. A chaotic world is the kind of life that a man should have and the best chance to leave your mark in history! I hope that all of your names will be recorded down into history; a history that belongs to all of us! Do you guys understand?”
Ling Feng and the rest felt their blood boiling! If they were not in Bright Jade City at the moment, these brats would definitely let out a loud battlecry! Even if they couldn’t let out a battlecry, all of their faces turned red from excitement!
“As for Xiao YanXue, I will have to monitor her for another two days,” Ling Tian turned around and looked at Li Xue, “At that time, I will decide if I want to use her or not. If I decide to use her, how should I use her? While Xiao YanXue is a fortune goddess in the aspect of finances and internal affairs, I have no choice but to be careful while facing her. Although she has escaped from the Xiao Family, it doesn’t change the fact that she is part of the Xiao Family. I have no choice but to guard against this fact.”
Li Xue snorted and said, “As long as you are not bewildered by her beauty, you can do whatever you want.”
Ling Tian chuckled, “I have never denied the fact that I am extremely lustful and I will definitely sneak a few glances at a beauty. This is the nature of a man. However, it would be impossible to find a girl capable of bewildering me in the world. Even if I love someone, I will definitely have a bottom line. This is something that you should be very clear about.”
Li Xue grunted, “I do believe you and you have destroyed many beauties in the past before. However, you are trying to purposefully drive me away and who knows what kind of weird ideas you have in your head. Perhaps you are just trying to share a bed with this Miss Xiao.”
Ling Tian smiled and stroked Li Xue’s chin as he said frivolously, “Beauty, if I want to flirt with a lady, you wouldn’t be able to stop me even if you are beside me. You should understand what my true intentions are.”
“You only want to borrow her ability to make a huge fortune before framing the Xiao Family.” Li Xue slapped Ling Tian’s hand away and snorted, “This lady here has seen through your intentions long ago! Do you think you concealed yourself very well?”
“Fantastic!” Ling Tian praised, “I almost want to suspect that you are a…”
“Hmph!” Li Xue interrupted, “With your inner qi, apart from feces in your stomach, there would never be any worms in it.”
“How can a lady speak in such a disgusting manner?!” Ling Tian rubbed his nose speechlessly.
As for Ling Feng and the rest, their eyes were wide open and they were completely puzzled. Apart from a small part of the conversation that they understood, the rest of the conversation was no different from a foreign language to them…
At the same time, they couldn’t help but wonder to themselves. Just who is this Miss Li Xue? Why does she understand our young noble so well? Her understanding of young noble has exceeded even us who have followed young noble since young! She is actually able to guess young noble’s thoughts! How bizarre! Just who is she?
“After you enter Sky Bearing, you should understand what the biggest taboo is.” Ling Tian glared at Li Xue and said slowly, “I. Don’t. Wish. For. Any. Disagreements!” Ling Tian emphasized each and every single word.
Li Xue’s lashes fluttered and displayed a look of grievance. Seeing Ling Tian’s gaze fixed on her face, she couldn’t help but let out a sigh and nod her head helplessly.
She naturally knew what Ling Tian’s disagreements referred to. This was an arrangement that Ling Tian was making for the future, and it could be said that he was trying to test such an arrangement. With the thoughts of a modern-day lady, Li Xue immediately felt grievance in her heart. But upon coming into contact with Ling Tian’s powerful glare, she felt her heart shudder and she unwittingly agreed.
