"What? He's from the Qin Dynasty?" Upon hearing Lin Qian's words, Zhou Yian abruptly stood up from his chair, staring at Lin Qian in disbelief.
Not only him, but Fang Shuiwen and Yang Guixiang also looked at Lin Qian in shock, clearly not expecting such news.
Zhou Yian quickly asked, "Is this information accurate? Where did you get this from?"
"The information is absolutely accurate. As for the source, I'd rather not say," Lin Qian replied seriously, looking at Zhou Yian. "But I urge the three of you not to interfere—I have my own plans."
By now, the array virus had spread throughout the cities of the Qin Dynasty, lying dormant and gathering intelligence.
The Ministry of Heavenly Works had reported sightings of the Eighth Elder in the Qin Dynasty, where he was seen conversing with a prince—a clear indication that they were in cahoots.
This was why Lin Qian knew that the Eighth Elder was actually a spy from the Qin Dynasty.
In fact, during this time, Lin Qian had already sent out scouts, including Jifeng, to infiltrate the territories controlled by the Double Extremes Hall, Xiaoyao Sect, and Blood Spirit Valley to gather information.
The attitude of the three elders toward him had been too strange, and Lin Qian couldn't afford to be unprepared. It was always better to be cautious and gather more information.
This Eighth Elder had joined Xiaoyao Sect when Li Xiaotian first took over. Over the past two decades, he had contributed significantly to the sect's development.
No one would have suspected that this Eighth Elder was actually a mole from the Qin Dynasty.
"It seems the Qin Dynasty has been wary of us for a long time. They must have had plans in place all along," Zhou Yian mused after learning that the Eighth Elder was a spy. "It looks like the Qin Dynasty intended to let us develop this region well before launching an attack to take over a prosperous territory."
Fang Shuiwen nodded in agreement. "This explains why there was such a deep-rooted spy in the Xiaoyao Sect for so long."
"Given that, it would be too dangerous for you to go along with them, wouldn't it?" Yang Guixiang asked anxiously, turning to Lin Qian.
They now understood that they had been set up by the Eighth Elder. Instead of ambushing the Qin Dynasty's vanguard, it was likely that they would be the ones ambushed.
The Eighth Elder's suggestion that Lin Qian join the operation was clearly a trap, not an opportunity to earn merit, but rather a ploy to eliminate him.
In that case, wouldn't accompanying them be akin to walking into a death trap?
"Don't worry about me. It may seem like the Eighth Elder is setting us up, but who's really setting the trap here is still up for debate." Lin Qian said with a mysterious smile. "The three of you only need to focus on dealing with the two Qin emperors. As for the Qin Dynasty's army, the Huaxia Empire can handle it."
With a proud tilt of his head, Lin Qian confidently declared, "The Huaxia Empire has never lost and never will."
After making this firm statement, Lin Qian turned and left the council hall.
Lin Qian's words were resolute, filled with unshakable confidence. All three elders could clearly see the certainty in his eyes, a conviction that the Huaxia Empire would triumph over the Qin Dynasty.
"What do you think?" Zhou Yian asked his old friends as he watched Lin Qian's departing figure.
Yang Guixiang frowned, still filled with worry. "We can't just let him go. He only recently escaped from that ruin—he can't be allowed to throw his life away now."
"Throw his life away? I'm not so sure about that," Fang Shuiwen's voice suddenly cut in as Yang Guixiang finished speaking. "A Soul Stage cultivator killing an Awakening Stage genius in a single strike—have you ever seen such a thing before? I certainly haven't. With that kind of strength, I don't think he'll be in any danger."
"What concerns me more now is that the Eighth Elder may have colluded with the Qin Dynasty to ambush our forces. How do we handle that? Are we really going to leave it all to his Huaxia Empire?"
Fang Shuiwen's words left the others in contemplative silence.
After a long pause, Zhou Yian spoke first. "I choose to believe him. I don't know why, but when I think of his confident gaze and his unwavering words, I can't help but trust him."
Fang Shuiwen and Yang Guixiang exchanged glances and eventually nodded. They, too, felt compelled to believe in Lin Qian—his tone and demeanor had a way of inspiring trust, making them believe he could work miracles once more.
"In that case, let's see what the Huaxia Empire is truly capable of and how you plan to turn the tide," Zhou Yian thought as he gazed out of the council hall.
After leaving the council hall, Lin Qian returned to the residence prepared for him within the City Lord's mansion. This secluded courtyard had been arranged by the three elders, and Lin Qian was the only one staying there. Even Lei Qian and Gao Benli were housed elsewhere.
Once inside the courtyard, Lin Qian produced four metallic array diagrams from his hand and waved them towards the four corners of the courtyard.
As the arrays landed, they emitted a glowing light, and a barrier rose to envelop the entire courtyard.
Standing in the center of the courtyard, Lin Qian closed his eyes briefly. When he reopened them, his pupils had turned a brilliant golden hue.
Imperial Eyes!
A buzzing sound filled the air as various golden frameworks appeared, suspended around him, visible only to him.
Lin Qian reached out and pulled one of the frames closer, expanding it with a gesture.
It was a tactical map, fully encompassing the territory of the Qin Dynasty. The three-dimensional structure depicted every detail of the land with precision.
It displayed everything from the local customs and military defenses to the concentration and positions of the Qin Dynasty's forces.
Everything except the Qin Dynasty's capital!
This highly detailed tactical map was created by integrating information from the array virus, reconnaissance beasts, and Jifeng's scouting reports.
"To know yourself and your enemy is the key to a hundred victories. The more intel you gather before the battle, the greater your advantage!" Lin Qian muttered as he manipulated the map, zooming in on the situation at the three border cities of Shunshui Prefecture.
He could even see an old man, Qi Laohan, and his granddaughter, Qi Yan, eating dinner in Yushui City, all thanks to a reconnaissance beast Lin Qian had left in their home, which Qi Yan had taken in as a pet.
"They've even miscalculated the enemy's gathering points, yet they still plan to ambush them?" Lin Qian scoffed as he observed the actual positions of the Qin Dynasty's vanguard on the map. "Qin Dynasty, the Huaxia Empire will gladly take over your territories."