CHAPTER 1104: CHAPTER 1060: SUPERIOR EXPERIMENTAL MATERIALS

[As I expected, most of Fenggao’s military strength has indeed been relocated now. This means a second move won’t be necessary. This is also good, as it avoids a fallout with Liu Bei.] Zhou Yu felt a touch of joy in his heart after hearing Qu Qi’s words.

To be honest, Zhou Yu had also brought a cavalry force of three hundred. It could be said that apart from the leader, Cheng Pu, the rest were all death soldiers, just in case Sun Ce and his identity were exposed, they would have some leverage.

According to Zhou Yu’s estimation, Fenggao should still have some strength capable of restraining Sun Ce. However, such restraint must rely on the suppression of massive military cloud Qi, and from what Zhou Yu understood, in order to ensure capturing Sun Ce was foolproof, the Administrator of Fenggao would surely mobilize the city defenses.

Such slender city defenses, devoid of the augmentation of massive military cloud Qi, would be vulnerable even if Cheng Pu had just broken through to Inner Qi Manifestation. Zhou Yu was not at all worried that Sun Ce and he would be killed instantly by the army, because it’s unrealistic!

This method is essentially a replica of what Chen Xi did in the Bohai Commandery back then, though unlike Chen Xi’s brazen confidence, Zhou Yu didn’t wish for Liu Bei to turn his spearhead at this time.

Therefore, this move was a last resort for Zhou Yu, and he wouldn’t resort to it unless absolutely necessary. But having heard Qu Qi’s words now, Zhou Yu felt more assured and thought it would be good to carefully observe Fenggao for anything worth learning.

[If only I could enter the Academy of Mount Tai and the Library Pavilion.] Zhou Yu suddenly became much bolder after getting information from Qu Qi, and things he dared not even think about before flashed vividly in his mind.

[Unfortunately, the household registration management is too strict. If one day Liu Xuande’s influence truly spreads across the entire Central Plains, anyone who breaks the law and flees to other provinces and counties, as long as Liu Xuande decides to invest the effort, they would surely be caught. This way of management...] Zhou Yu thought helplessly.

In truth, the most difficult challenge when entering Liu Bei’s domain is the household registration. As someone not from Liu Bei’s faction, one needs temporary household registration to enter. However, even if claiming to be a local, one still needs household registration. Without it, you must have someone with household registration to vouch for you.

Of course, without a guarantor, joining Liu Bei’s side is still possible, for instance, as a refuge for displaced people. Nowadays, in Cao Cao and Sun Ce’s domains, there are few displaced people, but when there were many, large groups entered without any guarantee whatsoever.

The issue lies in Li Youu’s approach, where they register six thousand people collectively and build a large village for them. Even if Cao Cao or Sun Ce’s scouts are among them, finding them would be quite easy.

Even with the most extraordinary means, Zhou Yu and Xun Yu have no better solution for this. When faced with household registrations, as long as Li Youu puts in some time, he can investigate them. Unless Zhou Yu has the capability to turn all six thousand people into scouts.

If he had such abilities, wouldn’t Zhou Yu find it easier to build an army rather than seek to gather intelligence from Liu Bei’s side?

Similarly, if you want to gain entry to the Academy of Mount Tai or the Library Pavilion, you can. Just provide your household registration, or a special official seal. Without these, all discussions become moot. Back when Cai Yan was at the Library Pavilion, with twenty-five city management teams on duty, even Sun Ce couldn’t forcibly enter without registration.

[Alas, I might be getting too greedy. Having the opportunity to see it firsthand while catching them off guard is already a rare fortune. Once Youping’s condition is confirmed, we should promptly leave. After all, Fenggao is Liu Xuande’s hometown, and who knows what other strategies may be left behind. Ensuring our safety comes first.] Zhou Yu thought silently.

"Boyan, ask Zijia to knock on the door." Seeing Lu Yu standing at Hua Tuo’s new residence, Qu Qi couldn’t help but relapse into his mischievous habits and slyly hid behind Zhou Yu, whispering to Lul Xun.

Though neighbors, the courtyards of Qu Qi and Hua Tuo were quite large, such that Qu Qi was still unaware of what had transpired before.

"Zijia, hurry and knock on the door." Lul Xun had already composed himself and, realizing there was no good solution for Sun Ce and Zhou Yu, chose not to reveal any other expressions. At least now, they had some semblance of false goodwill with Zhou Yu and Sun Ce.

"I’m not knocking; there’s just some old guy inside!" Lu Yu retorted in a fluster.

"No show to see, alas!" Qu Qi popped out and exclaimed dissatisfiedly, "Old man, open the door, there’s someone here for treatment!"

Like disturbing the peace, Qu Qi bellowed towards Hua Tuo’s courtyard. Considering the area was distant from residences and only acquaintances lived there, there wasn’t much of a disturbance made. At most, Qu Qi was expressing his inner frustration.

"Click!" In the silent night, after a wolf’s howl, Hua Tuo’s gate creaked open once more.

Compared to his earlier drowsiness, Hua Tuo appeared much more alert now. After sizing up the group, his gaze fell on Zhou Yu. "You’re not seriously ill. Why bother me at this hour? Don’t you know physicians need rest at night?"

"Ahem, ahem, ahem, Physician Hua, he’s not ill; the one who is, is this gentleman here." Lul Xun pointed to Zhou Tai on Sun Ce’s shoulder.

"What’s this now?" Curiously, Hua Tuo raised an eyebrow. Judging by his complexion, Zhou Tai hardly resembled a sick man; in fact, he seemed particularly healthy. Yet peeling back Zhou Tai’s eyelids, a sudden realization hit him. "Bring him in."

Entering Hua Tuo’s courtyard, a strong medicinal scent hung in the air. Qu Qi felt a bit helpless, for this used to be his domain. Lu Yu’s expression turned somewhat ashen, and once inside the inner rooms, Hua Tuo lit up every lamp, instructing Sun Ce to lay Zhou Tai on the prepared bed.

"Who hit this unfortunate kid, leaving him such a mess? Although he seems alive, his spirit is practically gone." Hua Tuo conducted a quick examination. Of course, the concept of spirit was just a term.

Sun Ce’s face brightened. Though Hua Tuo described it as severe, identifying that a fight caused the condition showed he was quite knowledgeable, at least more so than Zhang Zhongjing who hadn’t figured it out.

"Here’s what happened..." Sun Ce quickly recounted the events without disclosing specific opponents or locations, though even Lu Yu could guess now.

"So he’s supposed to be dead, yet he’s still alive," Hua Tuo remarked with a peculiar expression. "Such a degree of a forbidden technique typically destroys the body first, then the spirit. That’s odd."

"Physician Hua, can you save him?" Sun Ce anxiously asked.

"I can’t assure a full recovery, but I can save him," Hua Tuo stroked his beard thoughtfully. After all, a case of Inner Qi Manifestation suddenly appears, providing rare research material, where before practice relied on corpses. Without an Inner Qi Manifestation volunteer, Hua Tuo had been unable to study it properly! (To be continued. If you enjoy this work, feel free to visit Qidian.com for recommendation votes and monthly tickets, as your support is my greatest motivator. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)