pappabearbooks Chapter 392 Xu Longxiang seemed to see a glimmer of hope and was once again in high spirits!
Chapter 392 Xu Longxiang seemed to see a glimmer of hope and was once again in high spirits!
Inside the Moon Goddess Cult's headquarters, morning light poured down from the opening of the circular cave, gilding the white buildings with a pale golden glow.
The Moon Goddess walked ahead, dressed in white as snow, with long hair like a waterfall, and without a mask.
Xu Longxiang walked beside her, his dark python robe fluttering gently in the morning breeze, his gaze sweeping around from time to time.
The moon goddess raised her hand and pointed to a tall white palace on the left.
"That is the library, which houses the secret texts and scrolls of my Moon Goddess Sect accumulated over the decades, including cultivation techniques, formations, elixir formulas, and archived secret reports from various branch altars."
Her finger moved to a row of low stone houses on the right.
"That's the forge. Most of the weapons and armor used by the sect are made here. There are more than 300 craftsmen who work day and night and can forge 500 swords and 30,000 arrows every month."
Xu Longxiang's gaze swept over the stone houses, and he nodded.
"As expected of Miss Suxin, she is a person of great wisdom, and she has built the base camp so perfectly."
The moon goddess smiled faintly, but with a hint of inexplicable melancholy.
She looked up at the sky above, which was enclosed by the mountain walls, and sighed softly.
"It's a pity, I don't know if this base will still exist after this battle."
Xu Longxiang turned his head and looked at her profile.
Her eyelashes drooped slightly, casting two fan-shaped shadows in the morning light, and a very faint knot was furrowed between her brows, a knot that could never be smoothed out.
His expression turned serious, and his voice became calm and firm.
"Don't worry, Miss Suxin, I will do everything in my power to protect this base camp!"
The moon goddess's eyes flickered slightly, and the smile on her lips deepened.
That's what she wanted to hear.
That's exactly what Xu Longxiang said.
She nodded slightly, her voice soft.
"Then thank you very much, Young Master Xu."
Xu Longxiang waved his hand, shifting his gaze from her face to the white library.
"After all, the preservation of the Moon Goddess Cult is of paramount importance to our Northern Territory and cannot be compromised. Protecting the Moon Goddess Cult is protecting our Northern Territory. We are allies."
The moon goddess nodded without saying a word.
The two walked side by side along a cobblestone path, with the green bamboo on both sides rustling in the morning breeze.
Xu Longxiang slowed his pace slightly, his gaze shifting from the white buildings to the Moon Goddess's face. After a moment's hesitation, he finally spoke.
"Miss Suxin, there's something I've always wanted to ask. After all these years of development, hasn't the Moon Goddess Sect cultivated its own military force?"
This question had lingered in Xu Longxiang's mind for a long time.
He didn't see many troops at the main camp; there were at most ten or twenty thousand men stationed there.
If it's only a mere ten or twenty thousand, then the Moon Goddess Cult won't be that effective.
The generals in the North will surely look down on the Moon Goddess Cult.
Therefore, Xu Longxiang was very curious about this matter.
Xu Longxiang paused, then added, "Although it may be a bit presumptuous of me to ask this, I simply cannot help but ask. Given my current relationship with Miss Suxin, shouldn't we be able to discuss this further?"
The moon goddess paused slightly in her steps.
Her fingers slowly tightened inside her sleeve, her nails gently digging into her palm.
An unnatural light flashed in her eyes, and a trace of heartache surfaced deep within them.
Xu Longxiang's words were like a blunt knife, cutting into the softest part of her heart.
It wasn't sharp, but it hurt terribly.
The army she had painstakingly trained for nearly twenty years vanished overnight!
One hundred thousand soldiers, ten first-rank elders, decades of hard work, buried under the collapsed tunnel, not even their remains could be found!
To this day, she still hasn't figured out the reason.
She could only attribute it to an unexpected upheaval that turned the mountain range where she had chosen to be her military camp upside down.
She had no choice but to secretly regret that she had chosen the wrong spot.
He hated himself even more for setting up the military camp underground for safety reasons.
However, when the military camp was built, the Moon Goddess Cult was not at all the size it is today.
For safety reasons, she had no choice but to develop secretly underground.
She learned from the lessons of the Taiyin Holy Sect.
The Taiyin Holy Sect of that time was destroyed because it was too flamboyant, occupied the largest main city on the southwestern border, and concentrated all its forces in one place. It was then besieged and annihilated by the main force of the Qin Dynasty.
Therefore, this time, she neither chose a city on the southwestern border as her base camp, nor did she place her troops and base camp together.
She originally thought this was a foolproof plan.
Even if her main base is destroyed, she still has the troops to start over.
Even if the barracks are destroyed, she still has her main base to make a comeback.
The two are interdependent, ensuring absolute safety.
Who could have predicted this would happen?!
The more the moon goddess thought about it, the more distressed she became. Her chest felt like it was stuffed with a wad of water-soaked cotton, making it both suffocating and heavy, and even breathing became difficult.
Xu Longxiang felt uneasy when he saw that she hadn't said anything.
He opened his mouth, then closed it again, hesitated for a moment, and finally spoke.
"If Miss Suxin feels this is too presumptuous, then just pretend I didn't say anything."
The moon goddess raised her head and looked at him.
A faint smile slowly curved her lips, a smile that was light and subtle, yet carried an indescribable charm.
With just that smile, Xu Longxiang felt his heart was stirred!
That smile was like a flower blooming in the morning breeze, its petals trembling gently, dewdrops sliding off the petals and dripping onto his heart, cool yet burning hot.
The moon goddess spoke, her voice soft and gentle, carrying a composure born of experience.
"The size of our forces is a top secret of the Moon Goddess Cult, known to no more than ten people. But since Young Master Xu is an ally of the Moon Goddess Cult, I can naturally tell you this."
Xu Longxiang's eyes lit up slightly!
His fingers curled slightly inside his sleeve, and an inexplicable joy welled up inside him.
This shows that he was trusted by the moon goddess!
He didn't speak, but simply turned his head slightly, pretending to listen.
The moon goddess's gaze fell upon the distant, desolate mountain ridge, her voice steady and composed, as if she were reciting a battle report she knew by heart.
"The military camp is certainly not here, but deep in another mountain. There, there is an army of 100,000, with 10,000 warhorses, and hundreds of thousands of sets of bows, arrows, armor, and weapons such as swords, spears, and halberds. They are well-equipped and well-trained. Each army is led by an elder at the first-rank level, and they are disciplined and brave in battle."
She became more and more upset as she talked.
She did indeed possess these things.
But it's gone now!
Of course, she couldn't say that to Xu Longxiang; she still needed his support.
If she were to tell Xu Longxiang now that the Moon Goddess Cult no longer has these troops, then her voice would certainly be greatly reduced, or even completely lost, both in the future and now.
Therefore, she must still consider herself to possess these armies.
Her face showed no flaws, and her voice was so steady that even she was somewhat surprised.
Xu Longxiang's eyes grew brighter and brighter!
He had just been worried about the Moon Goddess Cult's insufficient military strength, fearing that the generals in the Northern Territory would underestimate the Moon Goddess Cult.
Now that he heard the Moon Goddess say these numbers herself, the weight that had been hanging over his heart for so long finally lifted!
Leaving aside the 100,000-strong army, the ten elders at the first-grade level were something he had never expected!
Even the Northern Territory doesn't have that many first-grade experts!
This collaboration was absolutely worthwhile!
He turned around, faced the moon goddess, raised his eyes solemnly, clasped his hands together, and bowed deeply.
"Miss Suxin truly deserves her reputation as a heroine; she has quietly built the Moon Goddess Sect into such a powerful force! I, Xu, admire her greatly!"
The Moon Goddess quickly reached out to support his arm, her fingertips touching his dark sleeve.
A smile played on her lips, a smile that was neither too deep nor too shallow, just right.
"Young Master Xu, you are too kind. The Northern Territory commands an army of 300,000 and countless powerful warriors. Compared to the Northern Territory, the Moon Goddess Sect's resources are ultimately insignificant."
Xu Longxiang straightened up, feeling extremely pleased to hear the other party's boasting.
He laughed heartily, a laugh that was cheerful and unrestrained, echoing through the empty courtyard!
"Therefore, the alliance between the North and the Moon Goddess Cult is a powerful alliance, and its future is promising!"
The Moon Goddess nodded, her smile deepening.
His smiling face was reflected in her eyes, and her voice was gentle yet firm.
"The future is promising."
Just then, a rustling sound came from the sky.
A greyish-white peregrine falcon swooped down from the sky, folded its wings, and landed steadily on Xu Longxiang's shoulder.
Its claws gripped his dark clothes tightly, its head tilted, looking at him with its beady black eyes.
Xu Longxiang took the thin bamboo tube off the peregrine falcon's leg, crushed the wax seal, and pulled out the paper rolled into thin strips inside.
His gaze swept over the words on the paper, a slow smile slowly curving his lips, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes.
"I have good news."
He turned his head and looked at the moon goddess.
"Fan Li has successfully entered Han Zhong's camp. At that time, we will be informed immediately of any movement by Han Zhong's army."
The Moon Goddess nodded, a hint of satisfaction flashing in her eyes.
"That would be even better. Young Master Xu is indeed far-sighted."
Xu Longxiang smiled and waved his hand, then rolled up the secret letter again and stuffed it into his sleeve.
He raised his head, looked at the moon goddess, his lips moved, and then he hesitated.
"Actually, I have another question."
The moon goddess raised an eyebrow, the curve of which was very slight, yet it carried a hint of curiosity.
"Please feel free to speak."
Xu Longxiang's gaze fell on her face, his voice steady.
"With so many followers in the Moon Goddess Cult, why doesn't Miss Suxin make use of them? Letting them hinder Han Zhong's army's advance would surely have a miraculous effect!"
The moon goddess smiled, a soft laugh carrying a hint of confident composure.
"How does Young Master Xu know that I haven't used you?"
Xu Longxiang's eyes lit up slightly!
"Oh? It seems Miss Suxin is already prepared?"
The Moon Goddess nodded, stood with her hands behind her back, her white robes fluttering gently in the morning breeze.
Her gaze fell on the distant, desolate mountain ridge, her voice steady and resolute.
"I have ordered the leaders of each branch altar to organize believers in the major cities along the southwestern border. They will arrive here in two days at most. By then, Han Zhong's army will be completely surrounded by the believers, finding themselves in a dilemma. With Young Master Xu's help as well, I believe Han Zhong will have no choice but to retreat!"
Xu Longxiang's eyes shone even brighter, like two flames doused with oil, burning ever brighter!
He nodded, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.
"That's right! Han Zhong has already obtained the bodies of the Moon Goddess Cult's high-ranking members and has given his explanation to the tyrannical emperor of Qin. Furthermore, being surrounded by hundreds of thousands of people gives him even more reason to retreat. No matter how suspicious the tyrannical emperor may be of Han Zhong, he certainly won't pursue the matter too much. Otherwise, he'll easily lose the morale of his army!"
The moon goddess nodded, her eyes showing even deeper approval.
"Young Master Xu's analysis is correct."
Xu Longxiang stood with his back straight, hands behind his back, gazing at the vast expanse of sky in the distance.
A confident smile played on his lips, and his eyes gleamed with an unwavering determination!
"In this way, the grand plan can be accomplished!"
The Moon Goddess stood beside him, the white-clad figure and the black-clad figure standing side by side.
The morning light shone on the two of them, casting their shadows on the ground, one on the left and one on the right, long and thin.
The wind rustled through the bamboo forest, as if applauding their scheme.
Xu Longxiang's previous dejected appearance changed, and his eyes seemed to suddenly open up.
He clenched his fists, his eyes were firm, his fighting spirit was high, and he was full of vigor, as if he had already seen the dawn of victory!