Secrets of the Wangchao

He Shenglai took the seat of honor, and the Yang family cultivators all rose to bow and greet him.

"Greetings, Lord He."

"At ease, all of you. Sit."

He Shenglai gestured for everyone to take their seats. He then spoke of the aftermath of the Sanglu Valley incident, detailing the merits and faults of everyone present.

The others remained calm, but Tian Yu sat nearby sweating profusely. He felt as if he were sitting on a bed of nails, a sword hanging over his head the entire time.

"Tian Yu!"

"Yes, yes! Your subordinate is here!"

Finally hearing He Shenglai call his name, he hurriedly responded.

"Bring out the item."

"Uh..."

Tian Yu was somewhat dazed. He asked cautiously, "Lord He, what item?"

He Shenglai said impatiently, "The Marrow-Washing Pill! What else of value could a fool like you possibly carry?"

"Oh, right, right!"

Tian Yu hastily took out the Marrow-Washing Pill and handed it to He Shenglai. The latter did not take it; instead, he flicked his finger, sending the small pill box flying straight into Elder Yu's hands.

"Tian Yu nearly made a grave mistake this time. Thanks to your family's timely assistance, I will give this to your family on his behalf as compensation. Accept it."

"Thank you, Lord He!" Elder Yu stood up to express his gratitude.

He Shenglai nodded, then suddenly turned to look at Yang Lingrui. After sizing him up, a look of appreciation appeared in his eyes.

"With the aid of that Spirit Liquid, stop consuming so many low-quality pills. The more you rely on external forces, the heavier your future bottlenecks will be, and the harder it will be to break through realms."

He took a document from his robes and continued, "You seem to be a promising talent. I have a letter of recommendation here. Take it. If you ever wish to serve in the Wangchao in the future, you can submit this letter to the nearest Immortal Patrol Office."

Upon hearing these words, Tian Yu and Gao Hui both revealed looks of envy.

A letter of recommendation from the He Family!

It was something countless Wangchao Cultivators dreamed of!

With it, one practically had half a foot through the gates of Chongtian City!

Yang Lingrui's expression shifted slightly, but he still stepped forward and respectfully accepted it.

He Shenglai noticed the subtle change in his expression and revealed a knowing smile.

"I know your concerns. You do not wish to be restrained, and you worry about your path of cultivation being restricted. But some things cannot be spoken of openly. I cannot tell you directly. However, just consider why the Sects are so wary of the Wangchao. To the point where, simply to keep the Wangchao's development in check, they are willing to hand over so many rare treasures every year. From that alone, you can understand a thing or two."

He Shenglai's gaze turned distant as he said, "The true power of the Wangchao-outsiders cannot fathom even a fraction of it."

"Yes! Lingrui has received your teachings. Thank you, Lord He!"

"Mm. The rewards from the Wangchao will not arrive for another month or so. For now, you may all return home."

As He Shenglai spoke, he waved his hand at the Yang family cultivators.

Elder Yu then led the Yang family cultivators to take their leave.

After the Yang family left, only He Shenglai, Tian Yu, and Gao Hui remained in the room.

Tian Yu noticed He Shenglai's gaze falling on him again and knew disaster was imminent.

Sure enough, in the next second, the sole of He Shenglai's foot was planted firmly against his face.

Bang!

Tian Yu's body flew backward, crashing heavily into the wall of the room.

"With such a major incident, not only did you fail to report it in advance, but you even tried to conceal it! If not for the Yang family and Gao Hui today, would you have abandoned the town and fled?"

Ignoring the burning pain on his face, Tian Yu scrambled to his knees.

"Uh-ha-Lord He, spare me! I was wrong! I know I was wrong!"

"Hmph. You wanted a promotion, didn't you? Fine! I will grant your wish!"

As He Shenglai spoke, he took out a roster from his robes, made a few strokes on it, and threw it in front of Tian Yu.

Tian Yu peered through his swollen eyelids.

Chongtian City-Penal Prison!

The moment he saw the name of this location, Tian Yu's heart plummeted to the very bottom.

Serving as an official in a wretched place like that was, in some ways, worse than death!

"What? Not satisfied?"

"No! No, no, no! I would never dare to have any objections! I will strictly follow Lord He's arrangements!"

"Then get out of here! Stop being an eyesore!"

Tian Yu nodded frantically, then scrambled and crawled, dragging his wretched figure out of the room.

With his departure, only He Shenglai and Gao Hui remained.

He Shenglai took out a Dharma Disc, drew a circle on the ground, and erected an isolation formation.

Seeing this, Gao Hui's heart tightened, and his expression turned grave.

He knew that whatever He Shenglai was about to say was of the utmost importance.

"Gao Hui, you are a smart man, so I won't beat around the bush."

He Shenglai turned around and said solemnly, "The situation on the eastern and northern borders of the Wangchao has improved somewhat. The higher-ups intend to divert some attention to our internal territories."

Gao Hui was very perceptive regarding Wangchao affairs. Upon hearing this, he thought for only a moment before saying, "Lord He means that the Wangchao plans to begin weakening the influence of the domestic Sects?"

"Correct. Talking to you saves me trouble."

He Shenglai waved his hand, spreading a map out between them.

Gao Hui looked down and saw that it was a map of the entire region under the jurisdiction of Wangyue City.

He Shenglai reached out and pointed at Wangyue City. "Song Kaiyang is a prime example. The higher-ups were well aware of his treacherous dealings before. They just hadn't crossed the line, so we turned a blind eye and let it slide."

"But the Li family incident was a turning point. You see, it was us who initially supported the Li family's rise from the shadows. However, Song Kaiyang secretly tampered with our plans, forcing the Li family onto Lone Moon Mountain's boat."

"It's just a pity that, despite all his calculations, he never expected Li Yuande to be such a tough bone to chew-preferring to demonstrate his arts and face Qi-Fall Condensed Origin rather than live a life of disgrace under Song Kaiyang's command."

"Song Kaiyang has truly gone too far this time, angering a certain lord higher up."

These few words from He Shenglai left Gao Hui deeply shaken.

Before today, these matters were absolute secrets to him, completely beyond his reach.

Whether it was Wangyue City Lord Song Kaiyang or Li Family Ancestor Li Yuande, both were existences he had to look up to.

The fact that He Shenglai was now revealing these secrets made his intentions abundantly clear.

"Lord He, is there something you need me to do?" Gao Hui asked with a serious expression.

"Due to our agreement with the Moon-Grasping Sect, the Wangchao cannot directly strike at Lone Moon Mountain. This requires family forces to step forward."

He Shenglai explained, "This is an old method. The Wangchao and the Sects avoid direct conflict, using local families as chess pieces to play against each other."

Gao Hui understood what He Shenglai meant and skipped the pleasantries, directly voicing his doubts.

"But the Yang family's current strength... I'm afraid they are far too weak compared to Lone Moon Mountain."

"It is just laying out the board early. This matter cannot be accomplished overnight; it will take several years of effort. Besides, they are not the only family involved. And more importantly, aren't you here?"

"Me?"

Gao Hui was stunned, his confusion deepening.

He was only at the sixth level of Qi Gathering. In the struggle between these two behemoths, he didn't even qualify to be a chess piece.

"Gao Hui, you come from a clean background and have absolute loyalty. You are exactly the talent our Zhu Hu needs. The reason I am telling you this today is that I already consider you one of my own."

As He Shenglai spoke, he retrieved a jade slip from his waist and handed it to Gao Hui.

Gao Hui opened it and found an unnamed cultivation technique inside.

"This is a secret Wangchao technique. From now on, if you switch to cultivating this, you won't have to worry about your realm and strength anymore."

He Shenglai lowered his gaze to the map, a hint of pride appearing in his eyes.

"The methods of the Wangchao are far more terrifying than you can imagine. Today, Wangyue is still Wangyue City, but if the Wangchao wishes it, tomorrow it can be reduced to Wangyue Town. And your Baishi Town could, overnight, be transformed into Baishi City!"

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