I come to see Bai Yujing today

Chapter 263 Dragon Vein Opportunity
Chen Zhian stared at Xie Zuoliang in front of him.

Xie Zuoliang sat at the table sipping tea, when the fluctuations of true energy coming from behind him seemed to catch his attention.

"With the 24,000 prison guards bestowed by the sage, plus your own inherent strength, Lord Chen, under the whims of fate, no one should be able to threaten you."

Even if it were an ordinary celestial event, you shouldn't fear it, so why bother raising hundreds of guards? It's unnecessary.

Xie Zuoliang changed the subject, but Chen Zhian simply smiled and said, "It seems that Lord Xie cannot afford what I want."

Xie Zuoliang's expression remained unchanged: "The price of a Tianque cultivator's life is actually too little. I'm afraid that once Lord Chen knows what I want, he won't be able to keep his word."

Chen Zhian let out a soft "hmm" and looked at Xie Zuoliang with curiosity.

Xie Zuoliang looked at Chen Zhian's left hand.

Chen Zhian raised an eyebrow and raised his left hand.

This hand may seem ordinary, but it contains a dragon vein opportunity.

Some of the spiritual energy and opportunities had already been refined by Chen Zhian, becoming nourishment for his physical body, true essence cultivation, and divine essence.

The remaining opportunities should be even more precious, but Chen Zhian has never been able to grasp them.

Chen Zhian had a premonition that this opportunity of the dragon vein might not be related to mere comprehension or talent, and that a certain opportunity might be needed to fully obtain it.

"Opportunity..."

Chen Zhian looked up at Xie Zuoliang and smiled, "Lord Xie, if you want this dragon vein opportunity, you should have acted sooner... Uncle Li got the opportunity, but it's like a pearl being covered in dust."

Given the obsequiousness of the Li family of Yunzhou, if Lord Xie were to ask the elders or patriarch of the Xie family of Longxi to speak on his behalf, the Minister and General Xuanzi would have no reason to refuse.

Xie Zuoliang remained silent, only taking a sip of tea.

Chen Zhian realized: "Perhaps Lord Xie doesn't want the Xie family of Longxi to know about this?"

Xie Zuoliang put down his cup: "A family that has been passed down for thousands of years, even with strict control over bloodlines, is like a small imperial court with its various factions intertwined."

Sometimes these forces unite against a common enemy, and sometimes they compete with each other. I have my own wonderful use for this dragon vein opportunity, and the elders of the Xie family in Longxi don't need to know about it.

Chen Zhian asked curiously, "Then, which faction does Lord Xie belong to in the Xie family of Longxi?"

Xie Zuoliang remained silent for a few moments, then gently flicked his sleeve: "I am all alone."

“To cultivate to the Heavenly Palace Realm alone, Lord Xie’s talent is truly extraordinary,” Chen Zhian said.

Xie Zuoliang gave Chen Zhian a deep look, shook his head and said, "I may look young, but I have actually seen seventy autumns and winters!"

With great chaos looming, Tianque's cultivation level is far from secure; he needs a Creation-level cultivation to be able to devise more strategies.

Lord Chen... I feel so jealous and envious of you now that I see you so young.

At the age of eighteen or nineteen, he had already ascended to the Jade Palace Heavenly Gate, the fifth of the Young Tiger Stele...

"In this Great Yu, you are already considered a prominent figure."

Xie Zuoliang spoke sincerely, his eyes revealing envy.

Chen Zhian's expression remained unchanged, as if he had not heard Chen Zhian's somewhat flattering words.

He looked down at his left hand again and said, "I didn't know what Lord Xie wanted just now."

"Lord Xie desires the Dragon Vein opportunity; the life of a mere Heavenly Realm expert is probably not enough."

Xie Zuoliang showed no surprise, and calmly asked, "What does Lord Chen want?"

Chen Zhian countered, "Your Excellency has long resided in the Astronomical Bureau, and is both a Spiritual Observatory Official and a peak-level expert of the Heavenly Palace."

If the opportunity arises, one is only one step away from the realm of creation...

But I don't know what Lord Xie's plans are, how much courage he has, or what he's willing to sacrifice.

Xie Zuoliang was about to speak.

Chen Zhian coughed lightly and stood up: "Now the opportunity of the Dragon Vein is in my hands. I have a deep-seated hatred for the Xie family of Longxi, and we are determined to fight to the death."

"Why don't you try killing me, Lord Xie? If you succeed, it will save you a lot of trouble."

Xie Zuoliang realized that Chen Zhian wanted to see the guests off, so he also stood up, smoothed his wide sleeves, and said sincerely, "Even now, the six families of Dayu still do not want to break ties with the royal family and the Song prime minister."

Lord Chen, there is no need to worry too much. If no chaos arises, there are very few people in this Xuantianjing who would dare to attack you.

However… Lord Chen should be wary of enemies from afar.”

Chen Zhian's eyes flickered, and he suddenly grinned and said, "Lord Xie, why don't you let me see your sincerity?"

"I have found a celestial being for you, sir. Whether you can kill him or not... I will not concern myself with that."

Chen Zhian's breath hitched, his smile vanished, and he gave the white-clad figure before him a serious look...

He was merely making an outrageous demand to test Xie Zuoliang, but he didn't expect Xie Zuoliang to agree so readily.

"Is sincerity enough to warrant the life of a Heavenly Realm expert?" Chen Zhian couldn't help but ask.

Xie Zuoliang said, "The opportunity of the dragon vein is useless in Lord Chen's hands, but it is of great use in mine... If I conceal it, Lord Chen will surely be suspicious. It would be better to let Lord Chen see my sincerity."

Chen Zhian stared into Xie Zuoliang's eyes, and after a few breaths, suddenly asked, "The person that Lord Xie has found... could he also be a member of the Xie family?"

Xie Zuoliang remained silent.

Chen Zhian laughed: "I have always heard that the Astronomical Observatory is independent of the major families. In the struggle for the Dao Fruit, Lord Xie has found many reasons, but he has never helped Xie Wuju."

Today, Lord Xie is looking for me because I captured those dozen or so members of the Xie family... and now he wants to find me a member of the Xie family!
"Lord Xie, I see a rebellious streak in you. I'm afraid the Xie family of Longxi will be unable to control you."

Xie Zuoliang bowed to Chen Zhian and then left.

Chen Zhian stood alone by the pool, looking down at the fish swimming around on the ice.

The situation in Xuantianjing is indeed complex and multifaceted; who knows how many people have their own agendas...

"That's fine, the muddier the water, the better."

"As for this dragon vein opportunity..." Chen Zhian raised his left hand, from which flowed wisps of energy, which were extremely mysterious and he could not comprehend them at all.

"Let's see what Xie Zuoliang is up to."

-

A heavy snowfall in December even covered the plain where Wohuangqiu in Lianxia Prefecture is located.

In the depths of winter, another group of people arrived at Wohuangqiu, bringing the total number of people in the water village to over 200,000.

With 200,000 people gathered here, it can actually be considered a small town.

Wen Lichu is worried about food.

This plain is fertile, but unfortunately, the land belonging to Wohuangqiu is actually not much. It grows a lot of grain, which is enough to feed 160,000 to 170,000 people.

But now, the population of Wohuangqiu has exceeded 200,000, and there is actually enough food. Since Wen Lichu came to Dayu and has raised so many mortals, she always likes to plan ahead.

We have enough food for winter and spring, but what about after spring?
"Then we should tighten our belts as soon as possible. If we buy grain from all over the place, the emperor on the throne will become suspicious."

The responsibility of feeding so many people fell on Wen Lichu's shoulders. Wen Lichu sat on a swing, her legs dangling, her tail raised, looking somewhat overwhelmed.

"Speaking of which... Chen Zhian told me to wait for his letter... It's been almost a month now, and there's still no news."

The copper coin strung on Wen Lichu's wrist with a red thread would light up with a faint bronze glow for a certain moment.

Something seems to be brewing beneath Wohuang Hill.

The water village was still lively in winter, with children playing on the ice.

Someone broke through the ice in an attempt to catch fish.

Meanwhile, many others were building houses for the newcomers, so they wouldn't freeze to death in the cold winter. Everything was wonderful.

Yet it is also extremely fragile.

Wen Lichu knew... once the news of her being freed from her shackles became known, the water fortress would likely cease to exist.

Where have these untrained people in the water village gone?

Even if it can be kept secret for two or three years.

The Great Qian's invasion is like fire, and sooner or later the flames of war will reach the Great Yu.

At that time, Lianxia Prefecture, located in the heart of Dayu, may not be affected for the time being, but these people may become sacrifices to Daozhen.

"It's really... a dead end no matter which way you look at it."

Wen Lichu swung on the swing, her brows furrowed, her two furry ears twitching.

"This is really difficult..."

After thinking for a long time, Wen Lichu decided to stop thinking about it and took out a sugar figurine, focusing on eating the candy.

At this moment.

Suddenly, a paper crane flew in from the distant clouds.

Wen Lichu glanced at the paper crane and then reached out her hand.

With a slight flick of her wrist, the paper crane in mid-air fell into her hand.

Wen Lichu opened the paper crane, only to find someone had written on it: "General... you left Wohuang Hill in such a hurry that you forgot to ask the General... Now that you have taken off your shackles, why do you still protect these people?"

There was only this short sentence.

Wen Lichu thought for a moment, then turned her head to look at the water village and saw many people worshipping their own statues.

So she gripped a brush as if it were a knife and wrote out earnest yet extremely ugly characters: "Because they worship me."

The paper had words on it, then it emitted a golden light and slowly disappeared.

Wen Lichu looked at the words with some curiosity. After a dozen or so breaths, she saw a middle-aged man carrying a bag and a basket on his back coming to the foot of Wohuang Hill.

The middle-aged man had a majestic appearance and imposing presence, yet he wore a shrewish smile, which was quite incongruous with his appearance and demeanor.

The middle-aged man stood in front of the water fortress and also bowed to the sculpture of General Fox.

The sculpture of General Fox opened its eyes and stared at the man.

The middle-aged man, completely unafraid, laughed and said, "Greetings, General! I have been entrusted to deliver some items."

The middle-aged man then went up the mountain and into the cave of General Fox.

Inside the cave... a dazzling light emanated from it.

"These armors, weapons, and pills, were all sent over by Mr. Chen Zhian?"

Wen Lichu opened her eyes wide. Inside the cave, rows of armor and numerous weapons gleamed with a cold, clear light.

Many of the gourds filled with elixirs were a bright red.

"Lord Chen has given instructions. Some of these pills are his spoils of war, while others were collected from various places. They are not celestial pills... But for those who are beginning their martial arts journey, it is enough. He has been busy with many things these days and cannot spare the time to refine pills specifically for Wohuangqiu... Once this matter is over, celestial pills will be sent over."

“Chen Zhian’s audacity is even greater than mine, a member of a different race.”

With so much armor and weapons, it's inevitable that they'll be discovered. Training troops in a water fortress is one thing, but to secretly hoard armor and weapons is a capital offense in any dynasty. Wen Lichu's eyes flickered, seemingly with a hint of excitement.

Just as she had thought...

The future is uncertain, and the path to survival is ultimately bleak. Rather than waiting to die, it's better to have faith in him.

"The fifth one on the Young Tiger Stele is extremely mysterious, even able to cause my copper coin to move... I've always been accurate in judging people."

Wen Lichu convinced herself, and then saw many more jade stones being handed to her.

This is a specially made jade with the character "Xuan" engraved with many Buddhist teachings.

[Nine Abyss Returning to the Sea Formation.]

[The River's Qi-Drawing Technique.]

[Nine Abyss Annotations.]

[Appendix on the explanation of Qi.]

……

Battle formations, profound techniques, and even annotations of these techniques are all engraved on these jade tablets with the character "玄" (xuan), in great detail.

"A profound battle formation technique, and an extremely mysterious one at that." Wen Lichu was a highly skilled and knowledgeable individual, so she naturally knew how rare this battle formation technique was.

"Moreover, this River Qi-guiding technique is perfectly compatible with the Lotus River, so the people of the water village will surely achieve twice the result with half the effort when cultivating it."

There are also many elixirs..."

Wen Lichu was somewhat excited.

Wohuangqiu exists because of Wen Lichu, but Wen Lichu has nothing to do in Wohuangqiu.

Nowadays, if one can train soldiers, it can be considered a form of entertainment.

only……

Wen Lichu suddenly realized something, and her expression fell.

"Once you start cultivating, your need for food will increase significantly."

Wen Lichu muttered to herself.

Upon hearing Wen Lichu's words, the middle-aged man revealed an "honest and simple" smile.

He stepped forward and said with a simple smile, "Is Wohuangqiu short of food? Why doesn't the general write a letter to Lord Chen... Lord Chen has power, so sending some food shouldn't be difficult."

Wen Lichu glanced at the middle-aged man, her gaze leisurely, and said, "Sir, are you a person of great learning?"

The middle-aged man's expression changed slightly, and he nodded.

Wen Lichu smiled, her two fox ears twitching constantly: "I heard that there is a person of unparalleled cultivation in Daxi who is in charge of the Daxi Hidden Treasury and is secretly gathering more wealth and more cultivation resources."

"When the Crown Prince of Daxi, a master of both swords and sabers, returns, will he then attempt to restore Daxi?"

The middle-aged man's smile remained unchanged as he said, "General Fox, being a stranger in a foreign land, has heard of this so-called secret matter, which shows that this matter is not secret at all."

This matter is of great importance, yet it's been widely discussed... I'm afraid this matter cannot be taken seriously.

Wen Lichu tilted her head and thought for a moment, seemingly agreeing with what the middle-aged man said.

She turned around and looked outside the cave, then suddenly asked, "Sir, there are two hundred thousand people in my water stronghold."

Among them were the elderly, women, children, and the disabled.

"How many men do you think my water fortress can raise for Lord Chen?"

The middle-aged man remained expressionless: "At most ten thousand, and the amounts vary."

Wen Lichu looked at her sculpture, then glanced at the copper coin on her wrist: "Then you'd better prepare more armor and weapons."

"I think there could be 30,000 people."

(End of this chapter)