The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 373 Three Strategies
After closing the courtyard gate, Zhao's father and his wife went back inside. Zhao's mother's gaze fell on the letter in Zhao Ti's hand, and she smiled, "Ti'er, which young lady invited you?"

Zhao Ti took a breath: "Mother, she is the young lady of the Prefect of Yuzhou."

"Hmm?" Zhao's mother nodded and looked at Zhao's father: "I overheard people talking outside, saying that this Prefect's surname is Qin?"

Zhao's father looked somewhat displeased and snorted, "They are surnamed Qin, from a powerful and influential family. They are arrogant, extravagant, and dissolute, forming cliques and engaging in corrupt practices. They prey on the people and are utterly despicable."

Mother Zhao smiled and said, "So it really is the Qin family."

Fearing a misunderstanding, Zhao Ti said, "Father, Mother, I don't know this Miss Qin. I've only heard her name before. It must be that my uncle promoted my poems and she found out about them, which is why she invited me to the Yujiang Poetry Gathering."

Zhao's mother said, "I see. Please sit down and eat."

The father and son sat down and each served themselves brown rice. Zhao's mother then said, "Is this Miss Qin very famous? How could my son have heard of her?"

Zhao Ti blushed slightly, then recounted the other person's talents and told the story of the so-called Ten Famous Flowers of the World.

After hearing this, Zhao's mother smiled and said, "Since she is called a famous flower, she must be outstanding in appearance. Moreover, she comes from a noble family, so her temperament must be different as well."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ti wanted to describe how he had met the other person and what the other person looked like, but he swallowed the words back down.

Mr. Zhao glanced at Mrs. Zhao, said nothing, and began to eat his food, forgetting to drink the wine that had been poured for him.

However, Zhao's mother did not touch her chopsticks and said, "Since this Miss Qin has sent an invitation, would my son be willing to attend the poetry gathering?"

Before Zhao Ti could speak, his father coughed sharply: "What's there to go? Won't it interfere with your studies?"

Mother Zhao shook her head and said, "Let Ti'er decide this matter himself."

Zhao Ti pondered and said, "I haven't decided yet. There are still a few days left, so there's no rush."

Zhao's mother nodded: "My son, you can make the decision yourself."

After the meal, Zhao Ti returned to his room and opened the double carp seal.

A faint fragrance wafted out, and Zhao Ti paused slightly before taking out the invitation.

It's the cover of "June Lotus," surrounded by gold foil and multicolored foil, making it very luxurious.

He gently opened it, and his eyes were met with an exquisitely beautiful handwriting in the style of plum blossom calligraphy, which was quite pleasing to the eye.

It's short, only two or three lines, but it's concise and to the point, and the sincerity between the lines makes it hard to refuse.

Zhao Ti sighed and pondered. If it weren't for Mo Xun's matter, he would definitely not have gone without even thinking about it. But since Mo Xun had made a request, he still needed to consider it carefully.

After all, Mo Xun's troubles started because of him, and the other party was also his friend.

Zhao Ti moved behind the table, frowned slightly, and then closed his eyes.

Just then, he suddenly felt his body lighten, and a strange vibration spread out from within him. It felt like an instant, yet also like thousands of years had passed. Then he slowly opened his eyes.

The old site before the mountain, the city of Zhuozhou, the camp, the commander's tent.

How could I wake up when I haven't fully overcome my inner demons?
Just as Zhao Ti was wondering what was going on, he felt the Illusory Yin True Qi stirring and churning inside the fourth floor of the Twelve-Story Tower.

Was it this true energy that awakened him? He pondered for a moment, and then saw the Illusory Yin True Energy surge up to the fifth level without any hindrance.

Hmm? Zhao Ti was surprised and couldn't help but feel a little puzzled. Since he started cultivating magic power, his true energy had been behaving very strangely.

Often, as its magical power increases by one level, it immediately follows suit. Initially, it could wait for the tribulation of inner demons to end, but now it seems unwilling to wait at all, directly interrupting the tribulation and advancing on its own.

Zhao Ti stroked his chin. Judging from this situation, the Illusory Yin True Qi seemed to have always had some reserves. Perhaps the fifth level was not the upper limit for its advancement at this moment. If it were to make a full-force breakthrough, it might be able to reach the sixth level, or even the seventh level.

At this moment, he still has most of his true energy sealing the seed of the Dipankara Buddha's inheritance. If he were to open it all, even seven layers might not be the limit.

If you only activate it yourself, this true energy is lazy and doesn't exert its full strength. It is only when it acts on its own that it becomes vigorous and invincible.

This is also a strange thing. Although internal energy has always been said to have spirituality, it is never as versatile as magic power. The dynamism of this Illusory Yin True Qi far exceeds all the internal energy and magic power he has cultivated.

Zhao Ti closed his eyes again, circulated his true energy, and then began to deduce the Illusionary Yin Finger Technique.

Generally speaking, there are two types of finger techniques in martial arts. One type is moves, which are simply techniques of pointing, pulling, stabbing, and flicking with the fingers.

Another type is the external projection of internal energy, similar to techniques like the Six Meridians Divine Sword, One Finger Divine Skill, and Formless Finger Divine Skill.

However, once the Illusionary Yin Finger Technique is mastered, it can combine the two into one, that is, to emit finger wind while using the move.

Zhao Ti originally mastered the Illusionary Yin Outer Finger based on the finger shape left by Gao Taotao. Later, he deduced the Illusionary Yin Outer Two Finger, broke Murong Longcheng's Great Big Dipper Divine Fist, and the Illusionary Yin Scripture broke through the original six-level limit and jumped to the eighth level.

The Illusionary Yin Finger Manual of the Mountain and Sea Temple only has six levels and is incomplete. As for how many more levels there are, Zhao Ti doesn't know, at least he can't sense where the end is yet.

After he extended the two fingers outwards, he continued to deduce further, but made no progress. After all, there was no follow-up technique. It was as if he had built two floors on top of a six-story building and was about to build another floor out of thin air.

The higher you go, the more dangerous it becomes, and the further you go, the more difficult it becomes. First, you must ensure that the building does not collapse, and only then can you consider whether this floor is reasonable, consistent with the floors below, and whether it fits together.

Therefore, he spent a long time without further improving the technique. However, after the Illusory Yin True Qi reached the fifth level of the Twelve-Story Tower, the Li Huo Pass, some changes occurred on this level, which immediately touched Zhao Ti's heart.

The Illusory Yin True Qi is as still as water, and even when it erupts, it is silent and unpredictable. However, when it leaps to the fifth level, it becomes turbulent and turbulent, like a dragon turning over, no longer exhibiting the characteristics of being immersed in the sea.

After reaching the fifth floor, it no longer clung to the walls and lay dormant as before. Instead, it seemed to be spewing clouds and mist above the fifth floor of the twelve-story building, layer upon layer, hazy and indistinct, making it difficult to perceive.

The Great Freedom Dharma Power, which had entered earlier, was naturally enraged and attacked directly. However, the Illusory Yin True Qi was formless and intangible, like a dream or illusion, making it impossible for the Great Freedom Dharma Power to touch it at all.

The more Zhao Ti felt, the more he was moved, and his thoughts became more active.

Old haunts are like dreams, leaving no trace like flowing water, passing silently like the wind, the years turning gently, their charm lingering...

Time passed slowly, the candlelight inside the tent was almost gone, and a white light suddenly appeared outside, indicating that the sky was gradually brightening.

Zhao Ti then slowly got off the bed, walked seven steps around the bed, raised his left index finger and pointed upwards, while his right index finger pointed downwards.

These two fingers moved silently, without even the usual light and agile movements, like a gazelle hanging its horns, leaving no trace.

With his left hand pointing towards the sky, a gust of wind shot out, piercing through the top of the large tent made of several layers of cowhide without any warning, and then disappeared without a trace.

Meanwhile, a silent gust of wind shot out from his right hand, piercing through the leather carpet on the ground and creating a black, round hole that disappeared into the unknown depths of the earth. There wasn't a sound at all? Zhao Ti withdrew his arm, surprised.

Whether it's the Six Meridian Divine Sword, the One-Finger Divine Skill, or the Flower-Picking Finger, each technique produces a sound when it unleashes a burst of energy.

Even if you are as gloomy and quiet as you are when you release the wind from your body, once you use it, there will be speed. The higher the finger technique, the faster the speed, and the more intense the friction between the true energy and the air, the more sound will be produced.

However, these two fingers made no sound at all, from the moment they were used until they left the body.

Zhao Ti narrowed his eyes slightly, his mind racing. This was the Illusionary Yin Outer Three Fingers that he had just deduced. The perfection of this finger also meant that his Illusionary Yin Scripture had reached the ninth level. But why was the finger wind silent?

Is this a sign that my martial arts skills have reached their peak and become a state of perfection?
Or has the Illusionary Yin Scripture entered a completely new realm?

The unity of heaven and man, the realm of heaven and man?
Zhao Ti pondered for a moment, then suddenly stepped out with the Phantom Step from the Sunflower Manual. A cold light flashed from his sleeve, and a short sword resembling Mo Xie popped out, as he unleashed his sword technique.

His face shimmered with purple and white light, his Sunflower True Qi circulated rapidly, and a strange fragrance wafted through the air. He was both visible and invisible within the tent.

A moment later, he used the Eternal Youth and Longevity Technique, his palm radiating a vibrant green light, transforming the entire tent into a new green world.

Then he used the Great Shift of Heaven and Earth, the Shift of Stars, the eleventh level of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Palm, the Frost God Palm, the Lesser Formless Skill, and some other moves and techniques he had seen in the Langhuan Blessed Land and the Repaying Water Pavilion.

After a while, even though he had long since mastered the art of controlling his internal energy, ensuring that his true energy did not touch the tent walls at all, the tent still could not withstand the airflow. The thick cowhide bulged outwards, making a frightening "whooshing" sound.

Seeing this, Zhao Ti stopped and channeled his inner energy back into the tent. The tent fluttered a few times before gradually calming down.

A few moments later, there was a knock on the door. When they called him in, it was Zhou Tong.

"Your Highness, Minister Cai requests an audience," Zhou Tong said, bowing.

"Cai Jing?" Zhao Ti nodded. The other party was now a deputy in the Western Prefecture, so the title was appropriate. "Where is he? Why didn't he come in with you?"

Zhou Tong said, "When Minister Cai noticed something unusual about the main tent and heard from his subordinates that the king was practicing martial arts, he was afraid of disturbing the king, so he sent his subordinates in first to report."

Zhao Ti said, "Cai Yuanchang thinks too much and is too hesitant. Go and call him over."

Zhou Tong went out, and then Cai Jing entered, bowing and saying, "Did I disturb Your Highness's practice?"

Zhao Ti waved his hand: "The training is over. Yuan Chang, please sit down. Is there any military intelligence?"

Cai Jing watched as Cai Jing walked around the table and sat down first, then he propped himself up on a stool and said cautiously, "Your Highness, I racked my brains all night and came up with a few ways to lure the snake out of its hole."

"How many?" Zhao Ti laughed, "I didn't expect you to be so resourceful, actually able to come up with several solutions."

Cai Jing said with shame, "Your Highness, every method has its drawbacks and cannot be called a foolproof plan. It is simply unreliable. I am unsure of what to do, which is why I am requesting an audience with Your Highness for guidance."

Zhao Ti said, "Tell me all about it."

“Yes.” Cai Jing said, “My first idea is to feign a forced retreat to lure the enemy into pursuit, then ambush and kill the Liao army’s sorcerers.”

Zhao Ti said, "Can both of those sorcerers come out? Is it possible to capture them all in one fell swoop? Doesn't the one who controls the ghosts only appear at night? It seems he can't use magic if he appears during the day."

Cai Jing said, "That's right. That's why we need to pretend to break camp and leave at night so that we can capture and kill the enemy."

Zhao Ti thought for a moment: "If we break camp tonight, won't it turn into a real attack and they actually come after us?"

Cai Jing said, "This is also what I am worried about. We need to make proper arrangements and lay a tight ambush. We cannot afford to make any mistakes."

Zhao Ti asked, "Is there any other way?"

Cai Jing said, "Another option is to attack the city, launch a strong attack on Zhuozhou, lure the two of them out to cast their spells, and then find an opportunity to kill them."

Zhao Ti frowned: "Are we going to launch a night attack on the city?"

Cai Jing hurriedly said, "Your Highness, there's no need to attack so late at night. We can attack the city in the afternoon before sunset to avoid alerting the enemy. We can then accelerate the attack after dark, which will surely force the enemy to call upon their sorcerer in desperation. However... a nighttime assault on the city will inevitably result in heavy casualties and losses for our troops."

Zhao Ti pondered and said, "This method is not appropriate. One issue is the loss of lives. Moreover, the city walls are not like the outside world. If we hide too deep, we may not be able to kill them. If we fail to eliminate them and suffer heavy losses, it will be a loss that does not outweigh the gains."

"Yes, yes, Your Highness is right, you are right." Cai Jing hurriedly said, "This humble official has another idea."

"Tell me about it," Zhao Ti said.

"This... please forgive my disrespect, Your Highness, otherwise I would not dare to speak." Cai Jing pursed his lips, stood up and bowed.

"Oh?" Zhao Ti laughed, "You still want forgiveness? Fine, then I'll forgive your sins. Tell me."

Cai Jing bowed and said, "Yes, Your Highness. This idea must be based on Your Highness's name. Your Highness will secretly come to the camp without the enemy knowing. My idea is to spread the news of Your Highness's arrival, and then pretend to relax the camp's defenses to lure the enemy into taking the risk of assassination."

"So that's the plan?" Zhao Ti nodded.

“Your Highness, that is indeed the case.” Cai Jing continued, “The assassination attempt will inevitably take place at night, and those two mages will certainly be mobilized. At that time, we can secretly set up an ambush in the camp and capture them both in one fell swoop.”

"Will using me as bait really work? If the other party doesn't fall for it, then not only will it be a waste of effort, but it will also reveal my whereabouts?" Zhao Ti said calmly.

“Your Highness…” Cai Jing’s forehead immediately broke out in a sweat. “I was unsure, which is why I came to ask Your Highness for instructions. I am ignorant and beg Your Highness to reprimand me.”

"Forget it." Zhao Ti shook his head: "Of these three ideas, this is the only one that's usable. The first one has too many variables, the second one would result in too much loss, so let's give this one a try."

Cai Jing said, "Please, Your Highness, explain the specific procedures."

Zhao Ti looked at Cai Jing meaningfully: "Now that you've come up with a plan, don't you know how to implement it?"

Cai Jing said, "This humble official has indeed pondered it, but I fear it may be incomplete..."

Zhao Ti said, "Just think about it some more, fill in the gaps, and then implement it. Do I really need to rack my brains over this kind of thing?"

“Yes…” Cai Jing hurriedly said, “Then this humble official will consider it thoroughly and carefully, and then report to His Highness before proceeding.”

"Go ahead." Zhao Ti waved to him.

Cai Jing bowed, then turned and walked out of the tent in small steps.

(End of this chapter)