“Is this him, Master Yen?”

One of them asked to Old Yen who sharply looked back with rebuke.

“Show some respect, this is my Boss”

As he said this their gazes slightly changed, and even though there was a little hesitation deep in their eyes they showed respectful expressions.

Their initial confusion was since Wu Long looked very young, only a little older than them and with handsome, scholarly physique, which to most people who could not see past his facade gave off an impression of a spoiled noble boy whose looks were most of their worth, which was a look he sometimes deliberately took on, as in this case.

“They are promising”

Wu Long calmly noted to Old Yen whose face brightened up while those around were close to unable to hold back a gasp when the impression he gave off suddenly changed.

‘As I thought, he does have a knack in finding and training good personnel’

He thought as he looked at Old Yen instructing his small group of subordinates on their next moves. They were still young but it was obvious by their eyes that they were quick-witted and street-savvy.

It has only been a short period of time but he already managed to gather a bit over a dozen, and none of them showed any suspicious signs as far as Wu Long could tell.

‘It’s a shame I obliterated his previous subordinates but I would not have gotten his loyalty otherwise, besides they were too used to seeing him as the top of the chain, and adapting to me being in charge would have been challenging to say the least’

His thoughts went to the people working in the gambling house Old Yen used to operate. He highly valued the ability to create such a trained force, though it was not without flaws.

The people Old Yen has started gathering now were very far from being as well trained, but it was also an opportunity for Wu Long to tweak the training methods.

“I am glad that Boss approves of the people I chose. There are none who have families and most have been living in slums through petty criminal means.

The ones I took in before had been in my employ from a younger age but that would take a few years to produce results”

When he was done instructing them, the dozen youngsters started to disperse and Old Yen approached Wu Long with a slightly proud look.

“Good, though if you find very promising ones even if they would take a while to train, you may take them in now. We’ll just have to invest and hope to reap the results in the future.

We have to think long-term as well. Remember, it would be far riskier and more problematic to increase the circle of trusted subordinates later as loyalty is something only developed with time and effort, but then you already know that, which is why you’re picking them while they’re still young”

“I will remember it. Cerainly, we have to get them while they’re young!”

“Now that sounded a bit creepy”

“Eh?”

Wu Long chuckled at Old Yen’s slightly lost expression. 𝘳.𝑐𝘰

“Umm, is there something you would like to comment on regarding their training?”

‘Hah, as always, he’s quick’

Wu Long chuckled as he looked at the man.

“First, don’t kill their personality as thoroughly as you did with the ones before. Numbs their sharpness and kills their survival instincts. Just building up mental resilience will suffice”

He sighed as he remembered how the workers of the brother and gambling den rushed in with no caution, not sensing the threat he posed.

It was true that their training made them very efficient in carrying out orders, but the quick wit that Old Yen picked them out for in the beginning lost some of its shine, a true waste in Wu Long’s eyes.

“But… what if their emotions get in the way of the task at hand?”

“A soulless marionette that does exactly as instructed is not the ideal subordinate in my eyes, quite the opposite. Our complexity is what not only makes up our flaws but makes our strengths. Don’t sacrifice strengths in order to get rid of flaws.

I’d much rather have you nearby than a completely obedient servant who only does as he’s told and nothing else. Case in point, your decision to start gathering new subordinates without me telling you to”

Wu Long shook his head as Old Yen respectfully lowered his head in agreement.

“And next, I will later give you a set of techniques, not as powerful as to be a problem if leaked but sufficient enough to raise them into reliable force”

“Thank you, I will make sure to raise a useful unit”

“And lastly, put the main focus on stealth, guerilla tactics, subterfuge and information gathering, not on combat prowess. If I wanted muscles I would’ve not bet on you to train them”

“As you command, Boss”

Old Yen nodded, taking a moment to drill the instructions he just received into his mind.

“Any irregularities?”

“None I could point to, the other side has never seen me with you, so I should be in the clear. My cultivation is quite conspicuous but thanks to the Origin Concealing Technique that you passed on to me I have been able to stay under the line of sight”

“Thousand Eyes Information Bureau?”

“If Boss had not warned me about them I would have been detected by now, their information net is quite good. But since I had the advantage of knowledge while being unknown, I have so far stayed out of their sight. Though I suspect that my new subordinates are probably already on their map”

“What about the investigation into Gutian Kingdom?”

“They’re in it down to the roots, all of the Royal Family and ministers, down to the low-level government officials. I am afraid it would be hard to turn anyone”

“Hmm”

“So I have shifted the focus to the political opposition, which is the noble house of Rong. Of course, they are strawmen, but there are a few descendants who do not know that. Among them there is Rong Fenrui, a talented young man who may prove useful if recruited, but not beyond a good enough warrior”

Wu Long traced his chin, pondering about the intel that Old Yen gathered.

“Any information about the other Kingdoms?”

“It seems Fantian is on the verge of being in their hands. General Feng’s household is the last standing bastion at this point, and has been for some time now. The difficult part for them is to take it down while not attracting too much attention from the Song Dynasty, since the General himself is a bit of an anomaly in terms of strength in these regions, so there is little leeway in terms of natural ways in which he would go down.

But it seems their last strategy of using a foolish descendant of his has greatly limited the authority and credibility of the General’s Quarters… so… in a way, it was still a success even if you prevented the worst. Ah! I am not criticizing the actions you took, I am…”

By the end Old Yen’s voice slightly faltered as his gaze started to wander, but Wu Long only smiled with no signs of displeasure.

“Don’t sugarcoat, flattery’s not the reason you are standing here”

“Yes, Boss. There was some movement from a nearby Sect called the Raven Claw Sect a few months prior, but they have seized any activity ever since the Ladies have arrived”

“Hah, certainly if General Feng perished in a fight with a Sect that would be plausible, did Ling’er spook them? What about Tingren Kingdom?”

“Princess Cai Yin has been hailed as the one who brought change to the country since the turmoil that happened before you have left. She was also the one credited with delaying the Supreme Master Pavilion from gaining full power prior to your actions”

As Old Yen started, Wu Long sighed with ‘Sure enough, if you want a scapegoat someone for everything that will go wrong prop them up as the reason everything changed’ on his mind. .𝒎

“It has to be noted that Princess herself has publicly denied full credit but it was then propped up as a humble attitude and her popularity soared even more”

‘Of course she denied it, she’s not a fool either. She may have been messed with but it was apparent that she was identified as the target of manipulation early on precisely because she could be an obstacle’

“However, after a month of festive mood over the new chapter for the country, the economy has been experiencing turmoil, and one of the ministers who dealt with the trade with the Gutian Kingdom over food supplies on a constant basis has been purged with the others, complicating things.

There have also been many other government officials swept up in the purge that have been taking up equally important posts and overseeing crucial government operations”

Old Yen continued with a little hesitation in his voice but seeing Wu Long’s calm demeanor and an expression that everything he was saying was already anticipated, he calmed down and proceeded.

“Princess Cai Yin has pushed for a fast restructuring, placing people into emptied seats, but this brought opposition from the side of the new Crown Prince, her older brother who was previously politically aligned with her but has since…”

“Old Yen, to the point”

As Old Yen has slipped into his habit of explaining all of the court drama, Wu Long made a motion with his finger, holding it horizontally and moving it forward in a circling motion.

“Ah! Yes, basically Princess Cai Yin has been blamed for an unprecedented economic disaster and has been lately ostracized. She has deployed multiple strategies to prevent this outcome, but it seemed like her every move was countered with a major incident she could have no control over and a subsequent smear campaign blaming her for it”

As he finished speaking, Old Yen looked to Wu Long who nodded with approval of the shorter version.

“Any allies that are noteworthy?”

“The army commander that has been her supporter and one of her younger cousins, Prince Cai Yibao seem to have an impact. There is also an older cousin Cai Yiruo, but his motive seems to just take the new Crown Prince’s position using Princess Cai Yin as a vehicle of opposition”

“I see. How long do you estimate to the boiling point?”

“Not more than a month, very possibly a lot earlier. Despite all of her efforts to prevent escalation, the tensions have been rising and two months ago it came to a point that she and her supporters have moved residence to the Royal Winter Villa. An armed conflict is unavoidable at this point”

“And the Southern Kingdoms?”

“Jurong and Liugwei are too far removed from here so I have been limited in what I could find out without alerting the Thousand Eyes Information Bureau about my presence”

“Hmm”

Wu Long sank into thought as the situation progressed faster than he anticipated on all fronts, even if it played out almost exactly as he expected.

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