In the beginning, he was ranked alongside An Shigeng as a spoiled brat.

In crucial moments, one can get away with it by deception.

Chapter 671 Western Base Project - Mo Family Mechanical City

"Young Master, Gai Nie has indeed entered the Mo Clan's Mechanized City!"

Inside Peach Blossom Island, Liu Sheng Piaoxu received a message delivered by a carrier pigeon, her beautiful eyes, as bright as stars, revealing surprise.

Because Zhang Xiaoshan had previously determined that Gai Nie would definitely go to the Mechanical City, and the Zhang family's goal was not Gai Nie.

After all, Gai Nie was no match for the Zhang family.

The Zhang family's true target is the Mo Family's Mechanical City.

They want to develop a second base in the Mo Family Mechanical City, making it the Zhang family's core production base in the west.

In this way, the Zhang family no longer needed to travel back and forth on the large Fujian boat.

It should be noted that the Mo Family Mechanical City is a masterpiece created by the Mo Family over thousands of years, and almost every generation has never given up on modifying it.

For Zhang Xiaoshan, the Mo Family Mechanical City was the most suitable base.

The only troublesome ones are the Mo family.

If the Zhang family makes a move, they will completely break ties with the Mo family.

Now the opportunity has arrived. With the empire conquering the Mo Family's Mechanical City and the city inevitably falling, this presents an opportunity for the Zhang family to seize control of the Mo Family's Mechanical City.

As for what happened after the Mohists came looking for him?

The Zhang family managed to preserve the city under the Empire's control. They should be able to use it for a hundred or two hundred years without any problem, right?

"Gai Nie has entered the Mo Family's Mechanized City, so the Empire will also have to take action against the Mo Family. Time is running out, so let's set off!"

Zhang Xiaoshan looked at Liu Sheng Piaoxu and told him to go and make some preparations.

At the same time, Zhang Xiaoshan ordered the maritime base to select over a thousand skilled craftsmen and ten master engineers to go to the heart of the Central Plains, where they would directly reside in the Mo Family's mechanical city.

After all, if you calculate the time, they arrived at the Mo Family Mechanical City around 19, which was almost the time when the Mo Family Mechanical City was about to be destroyed.

"Father! Father..."

Two petite figures rushed into Zhang Xiaoshan's arms like arrows. They were two children, around ten years old, their little faces filled with anticipation as they looked at Zhang Xiaoshan and said:

"Daddy, we want to go out and play too!"

Upon hearing that Zhang Xiaoshan was about to leave, the two little ones went straight to him.

For the past ten years, thanks to Zhang Xiaoshan's protective measures, they have had few playmates and have not even been to many places.

The only few places are the sea and Zhangjia Base.

Hearing that Zhang Xiaoshan was going out, the two children couldn't hold back any longer and wanted to go with him.

After all, they only knew about the vastness of the land from books. Compared to Wang Yang's boundless sea and sky, life on the earth was diverse and full of wonders.

"Really? Daddy will take you out to play."

Seeing the expectant looks on the two little ones' faces, Zhang Xiaoshan did not refuse.

"Really? Long live Father!"

"Hehehe, alright, go find your aunt and prepare some clothes and some self-defense items."

"I got it, Daddy!"

Looking at the two cheerful figures, Zhang Xiaoshan couldn't help but reveal a doting smile.

Zhang Xiaoshan was a little worried about the two little ones when they were still young.

But things are different now. In terms of safety, the two children who have been practicing the Longevity Technique since childhood are already top-tier masters rarely seen in the martial arts world.

After all, having started cultivating at the age of six, the Longevity Technique begins with innate true qi, possessing an advantage that other cultivation methods cannot match. In addition, Zhang Xiaoshan has been nourishing his meridians with abundant pure yang purple qi since childhood, and his muscles and bones have been nourished by meat rich in blood and qi. In just four years, he has already reached the peak of the minor success of the Longevity Technique.

Four years is roughly equivalent to forty years of true qi for others.

Moreover, it is the purest and most authentic Taoist longevity qi.

In addition to the Lingbo Weibu for escaping, the Nine Yin Divine Claw (Great Subduing Demon Fist) for attacking, and the Qiankun Great Shift for dodging, all of these have reached a level of unparalleled skill.

With such a foundation, one could easily protect oneself in the martial arts world.

If they weren't so young, Zhang Xiaoshan would have made them practice the Pure Yang Nine Yin Divine Skill, Tathagata Palm, or other supreme martial arts if he were afraid they would cause trouble.

At the age of ten, they are just beginning to develop their intelligence and their bodies are still growing.

Many unique martial arts techniques cannot be practiced. For example, the Nine Cauldrons Divine Skill requires a minimum age of fifteen, the Pure Yang Nine Yin Divine Skill requires a foundation of mastery of the Longevity Manual, and the Heavenly Crippled Divine Skill and the Tathagata Palm depend on the individual's state of mind after reaching adulthood...

As for swordsmanship and knife skills, they also need to build a foundation for them.

Early the next morning, Zhang Xiaoshan left Peach Blossom Island with Liu Sheng Piaoxu, Huang Rong, Hongxiao, Jiangxue, and the two young children.

At this time, Huang Rong had already advanced to the Grandmaster realm, the tenth level of the Pure Yin realm.

Although his skill level is not as high as Yagyu Hyōshū's, he is not at the bottom among the grandmasters.

The domineering power of the Azure Sea Tide Song, combined with the chilling Yin Finger and the fierceness of the Nine Yin Divine Claw, makes his strength absolutely no less than that of those senior masters.

Besides, if you can't win, running away is also an option.

The advanced lightness skill of Lingbo Weibu—Xiaoyao Yufeng—allows one to traverse hundreds of feet in mid-air without any problem, and its speed is like that of a roc, with an instantaneous burst of speed that is in no way inferior to that of a sea gyrfalcon.

"Young master, we've arrived at Ghost Street!"

"Ghost Street?"

Upon hearing this, the two little ones' big eyes immediately lit up.

They knew that Ghost Street was their own property, and they had even met Ghost Yama several times, who brought them many good things.

"Go ahead and be careful!"

Although Ghost Street was a melting pot of all sorts of strange and monstrous things, Zhang Xiaoshan was not worried about the safety of the two little ones.

Moreover, with Huang Rong and Hongxiao Jiangxue watching over him, he didn't need to worry at all.

"Son!"

At this moment, Ghost Yama also saw the two young masters and princesses. He hadn't expected that Zhang Xiaoshan would bring them out this time.

It should be noted that Zhang Xiaoshan's purpose in coming out of seclusion this time was to access the Mo Family's Mechanical City.

However, upon realizing the strength of the two children, Gui Yanluo immediately understood that Zhang Xiaoshan was not truly unprepared.

It should be understood that for most martial arts masters, the pinnacle realm is a threshold, followed by the peerless realm, reaching the level of oneness with heaven and man or oneness with the sword or man and the blade.

However, the two ten-year-old children were already top-level experts. Given Zhang Sheng's experience, Gui Yanluo was not too surprised.

After all, with their bodies having all their meridians open from birth, coupled with the Longevity Technique starting with innate true qi, the two little ones naturally cultivated extremely quickly.

If Zhang Xiaoshan hadn't wanted to avoid pushing his children too hard, the two little ones would probably have reached an even higher level.

After all, the Zhang family has an abundance of potent elixirs that greatly replenish vital energy; a little brewing of these elixirs can transform them into powerful medicines.

However, Zhang Xiaoshan did not do that, so the true qi of the two children was only the true qi of longevity, gentle, pure, and extremely refined.

"Uncle Gui, how's the supplies coming along?"

"Young master, rest assured, everything is ready. We have selected three thousand absolutely qualified guards from Ghost Street. Ruyan has already tested them with the Soul Transfer Technique, and they are all without any problems."

"That's good!"

Zhang Xiaoshan nodded. This time, taking over the Mo Family's Mechanized City would inevitably involve rebuilding it from the ruins.

However, Zhang Xiaoshan didn't mind rebuilding it, since it was his Zhang family's base, and only after rebuilding could his Zhang family completely take control.

Otherwise, who knows if the Mohists left any hidden doors or other mechanisms?

Moreover, the Zhang family's reconstruction of the Mo Family's mechanical city left the Mo Family speechless, and they had no reason to demand its return.

If we can come up with a century-long agreement, we can make it so that Liu Bei can borrow Jingzhou and never return it.

"Oh, right, Gongshu Chou is also going to the Mo Family's Mechanical City. We'll escort him there together."

"Yes, son!"

The mirage is almost finished; all that's left is decoration.

There's absolutely no need for Gongshu Chou to continue supervising, especially since the Zhang family is still around. Keeping Gongshu Chou there would be a complete waste of his talents.

···

A carriage pulled by an iron-eating beast slowly departed from Jiangnan.

At the same time, countless messages flew to all parts of Kyushu, and the saying "one move affects the whole body" undoubtedly refers to Zhang Xiaoshan.

Any decision Zhang Xiaoshan makes could cause huge waves in Kyushu.

Fortunately, the Zhang family doesn't usually get involved in worldly affairs or interfere in matters of the martial arts world. They simply repair 543 bridges and roads and provide relief and porridge every year.

Moreover, Zhang Xiaoshan's mode of transportation this time was also special; he actually arrived by horse-drawn carriage.

Ahead was a cart pulled by an iron-eating beast that was nearly two zhang tall.

More than a decade ago, the Iron-Eating Beast was already comparable to a top-tier master. Now, its size has increased by more than four or five times, and its strength is definitely not going to stagnate. Its size is the best proof of that.

They never expected that Zhang Xiaoshan would have this iron-eating beast pull the cart, and that the journey would be exceptionally smooth and fast, covering at least a thousand miles a day.

Meanwhile, the two children often played on the iron-eating beast.

The familiar playful manner suggests that this iron-eating beast, besides being a mount, also has the potential to be a bodyguard.

After all, with the Iron-Eating Beast beside the two children, it was absolutely safe.

As for the carriage, it was still the RV that Zhang Xiaoshan had made before.

Although nearly twenty years have passed, this carriage is made of ancient sandalwood, a material that will not rot for a thousand years and will never decay for ten thousand years.

Moreover, after twenty years of maintenance, the patina is obvious, shiny and luxurious, exuding an air of nobility.

It was as if a purple aura came from the east as the carriage passed by.

Moreover, the Zhang family made two such carriages in total.

Besides the car Zhang Xiaoshan was sitting in, there was another car that traveled around Kyushu year-round, which was no secret in Kyushu.

Similarly, the Dragon Emperor's dragon carriage was also made of top-grade, ten-thousand-year-old sandalwood.

Moreover, the principles, materials, and components are all the same; only the decorations are different.

One is outwardly luxurious to the extreme, reigning supreme among nine dragons; the other is inwardly extravagant, possessing a hidden universe within.

This carriage was undoubtedly a symbol of status.

But apart from the Zhang family, no one in Kyushu dared to copy it at will.

In terms of production time, the Zhang family came first, and the Dragon Emperor came later. Moreover, the Dragon Emperor didn't say anything about the privileges that the Zhang family possessed.

But if they copy it, they will be overstepping their authority and will be condemned to death.

Therefore, this carriage is unique in Kyushu, with only three in total.

Chapter 672 An Uninvited Guest During a Picnic

"The Zhang family has been reborn, and their recent activities are likely aimed at the Mechanized City!"

"The Mechanized City?"

Upon receiving the news, everyone in the Mo Family's Mechanized City was immediately restless.

They were not worried about the Empire because the Empire was an official institution. Although it had many experts, most of them were suppressing the Nine Provinces and did not have time to deal with them.

The Zhang family is different. They have countless hidden experts, including the Blood Droplets, the Twelve Zodiac Assassins, and even the incredibly mysterious Blood Thorn. Coupled with the massive alliance of forces in Ghost Street, if the Zhang family were to make a move against them, even ten Mechanized Cities wouldn't be able to stop them.

Therefore, the leaders of the Mohist school could no longer sit still, and the Xiang clan members who had also fled into the Mechanized City were no exception.

The Zhang family's power has grown significantly over the years, making them a force comparable to an empire.

"Don't worry, given whose style he is, he won't personally take action."

I think his real purpose was simply to seize power after the empire's conquest.

Or perhaps he was absolutely certain that the Empire would conquer the Mechanized City!

"Bastard!"