Am I the old man who's always by my apprentices' side?

Chapter 310 Crossing the River by Feeling the "Tang Clan"

When Princess Dong heard that the "White Stone Immortal" and the legendary King Qin of the Qin King Temple had actually dealt with the fake White God because of the Tang Clan, she immediately nodded in agreement to Tang Zhongfu's request for "independence".

In fact, it doesn't matter whether Jiannan Road is independent or not, since it was only nominally part of Dachanghe Kingdom in the past.

More importantly, Princess Dong was consumed by a burning desire for revenge.

The Dong royal family was almost completely wiped out, and even her only son was assassinated by the Gao family of the Bai tribe. How could she possibly let the Bai tribe go?

Princess Dong and the Gao clan of the Bai tribe have long been locked in a life-or-death struggle!

But...

Although she agreed to Jiannan Road's request to "become its own city," Princess Dong politely declined Tang Shuping, who was offered by Tang Zhongfu.

Rumor has it that they think Tang Shuping is too old...

Of course, these minor details are not important. What is important is that after Tang Zhongfu sent people to join forces with Princess Dong, their first counterattack against the Bai tribe Gao clan not only failed to win, but in terms of casualties, they even lost!

"The fake White God has escaped, but the 'Witchcraft' he passed on to the White Clan should not be underestimated. I heard that the two immortals also mentioned that the 'Witchcraft Technique' can be cultivated, only it is incomplete..."

Princess Dong was a decisive and efficient woman. She entered Tangguan City with only three personal attendants to discuss the war situation with Tang Zhongfu.

She sat upright in the armchair, took a deep breath, and added, "Since this 'Divine Witchcraft' can be cultivated, it must be a kind of 'Immortal Path.' I'm afraid that with the abilities of us mere mortals, we would find it difficult to deal with it."

Surprisingly, Princess Dong knew a great deal about "immortality" and was even more knowledgeable about various aspects of "immortality" than Tang Zhongfu.

Tang Zhongfu was prepared and nodded, saying, "Regarding this matter, I specifically asked our Tang family ancestor. She said that even though the Bai tribe practices the 'immortal path' technique, it is still too early to be of any real significance. Compared to martial artists, they are not much different. What is truly troublesome is the 'corpse puppet technique' they use."

Princess Dong was waiting for these details. She raised her eyes, looked at Tang Zhongfu, and asked, "Oh? Did the Tang family patriarch pass on any methods to deal with this?"

“Yes, there is, but this method…” Tang Zhongfu hesitated for a moment before replying, “This method is probably not very effective here. It is a fire attack method. As long as we burn those corpses, without the corpses, the ‘corpse puppet technique’ will naturally not be able to take hold.”

This method wasn't actually difficult to come up with. When the Second Prince led the Imperial Guards, he used this method to deal with the situation, and it was very effective. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to hold out for so long. However, after Princess Dong took over the remaining Imperial Guards, this method became less effective. This was because the Bai tribe could not only manipulate corpses to perform "corpse puppetry," but also control wild beasts in the mountains. These wild beasts were actually more difficult to deal with. If fire was used, those wild beasts would be covered in flames and run onto the battlefield, harming their own soldiers instead, which was not worth the effort.

Princess Dong did not hide anything and said frankly, "We have tried using fire attacks, but we are helpless against wild animals."

Tang Zhongfu stroked his beard slowly and said, "Yes, I've heard of it too. However, the fire attack our ancestor spoke of doesn't use ordinary fire, but rather 'Earth Spirit Yin Fire.' This kind of fire is a spirited fire that can burn all inanimate objects of the Yin element, and transcends all living objects of the Yang element. It's most effective against ghosts and corpse puppets. Our ancestor has already personally returned to the White Stone Immortal Sect to retrieve it. At the latest, he'll have it by tomorrow, and then we won't have to worry about these corpse puppets!"

Upon hearing this, Princess Dong breathed a sigh of relief and brought up their previous agreement again: "That's excellent. Once the Bai tribe is destroyed, Jiannan Road and the Tang family tribe will, as we agreed, become the new Tangguan City."

Tang Zhongfu, being very polite, bowed slightly and said, "You're too kind, Princess."

It's no wonder that Princess Dong adopted such a humble attitude; the Dong family simply had no more trump cards left.

Apart from some tribes that have recently begun to side with the Dong clan, Princess Dong only has a few thousand imperial guards left.

These imperial guards were indeed the elite of the elite, but they were useless against the Bai tribe natives who used all sorts of chaotic and evil magic.

If it weren't for the fact that these elites all practiced martial arts and could form an army to resist the army of corpse puppets and the army of controlled beasts, the Dong family would probably have been finished long ago!

Even this was the only time since the White Army rose up that they fought a back-and-forth battle on the main battlefield, all thanks to the Tang Clan's assistance. Their ancestors left behind many spiritual talismans that were of great help!

In this way, even if they launch a counterattack against the White Clan in the future, they will still rely on the strength of the Tang Clan. This is a typical case of using one tiger to devour another!

The reason why Tang Zhongfu, this little fox, only asked for a small piece of land in Jiannan Road was not only because Jiannan Road was surrounded by mountains and easy to defend, but also because the Tang family had been operating there for many years and only lacked a formal title.

In the extremely xenophobic Dianyun region, even if the Tang family takes over some territory, they probably won't be able to digest it in a short time. They also have to guard against the Dianyun natives who are hostile to them starting a rebellion, and then turning around and biting them after they have had time to recuperate in the legitimate Great Changhe Kingdom.

Princess Dong saw things very clearly: the Tang Clan was actually a force that was both ambitious and unambitious.

As long as they are strong enough, the Great Changhe Kingdom can stand firm, and the Tang Clan's ambitions will be limited to Jiannan Road.

If the Dong family were to perish and the Great Changhe Kingdom were to fall, the Tang Clan would not hesitate to wait until the indigenous tribes of Yunnan and Yunnan were weakened from fighting each other to the death, and then march south to tear them apart!
Unfortunately, my own Great Changhe Kingdom really doesn't have the confidence to be assertive.

Princess Dong sighed inwardly. In truth, she couldn't have done any better.

When she took over the legacy of the Great Changhe Kingdom, she sent people to the White Stone Immortal Sect for help.

She searched through every book she could think of and inquired about everything that might be related. She thought it through very clearly. Since this "divine witchcraft" and "divine witchcraft" were bestowed by the "White God" among the three altar gods, and yet it was specifically targeting the Grand Elder and the royal family, she had to find another "god" to deal with it.

The only confirmed true deity in the world is "Immortal White Stone," so she immediately sent people to the White Stone Immortal Sect.

However, given the speed of ordinary people, the messengers they sent out in the past few days have probably only just entered the territory under the jurisdiction of the White Stone Immortal Sect. How can they compare to the fact that the Tang Clan has an ancestor who is a disciple of the White Stone Immortal Sect and can communicate directly with the "White Stone Immortal"?

The day before yesterday, after learning that "Immortal White Stone" and "King Qin" had dealt with the fake White God, she sent someone with a new letter of state to catch up with the envoy she had sent out the earliest. She wanted to change the purpose of the envoy's mission to "establish diplomatic relations" and, ideally, to get the real immortal to recognize her as the successor of the Great Changhe Kingdom. In this way, she would have a "god" to endorse her, and she would no longer be afraid of the so-called "real White God" or "fake White God".

Tang Zhongfu was quite able to guess a lot of Princess Dong's worries.

Because the Great Changhe Kingdom is located in the southwest and is in a remote location, many things in the martial arts world have to travel from south to north before reaching the Sichuan and Chongqing region, and only then can they continue south to the Yunnan and Yunnan areas.

Therefore, neither the matter of "White Stone Immortal" nor the matter of the White Stone Immortal Sect governing a country with a sect were known to the Great Changhe Kingdom until the very end.

By the time Tang Zhongfu hesitated about whether to discuss with Tang Chi about visiting the White Stone Immortal Sect in the name of the Tang Clan, they had already changed their reign title to the "Immortal Era Calendar" and convened the Second Immortal Fate Conference!
The reaction from the Great Changhe Kingdom was even slower. The late King of Great Changhe only began to consider whether to make contact with the White Stone Immortal Sect after hearing that the Southern Chu Kingdom had sent envoys there.

At the time, he didn't believe that there were any gods or immortals in the world. He thought that the "White Stone Immortal" was just a more powerful "Grandmaster" with higher cultivation, which led to the story being distorted in the martial arts world!

Unfortunately, by the time he realized the world had truly changed, he had already closed his eyes forever.

In short, when the wheels of history slowly roll in, those who are slow to react are always the first to lie in the soil of history.

Princess Dong's eyes were filled with complex emotions. After much deliberation, she finally made up her mind and calmly suggested, "In fact, since martial arts are declining and immortality is rising, and with the White Stone Immortal Sect as a precedent, why doesn't your Tang Clan also govern Jiannan Road as a sect? With your esteemed ancestor above you, you might be able to learn a thing or two from the White Stone Immortal Sect. It is not impossible for it to become the second White Stone Immortal Sect."

These words made Tang Zhongfu pause in his stroking of his beard, and his heart suddenly churned.

Yes! Jiannan Road has always been controlled by the Tang Clan. Once it breaks away from the Great Changhe Kingdom, it can learn from the White Stone Immortal Sect and govern the country through its sect!
In this way, it is not as sensitive as declaring oneself a king or emperor, but it is similar in status to the White Stone Immortal Sect...

It might even be able to surpass the Northern Xiao Kingdom, the Southern Chu Kingdom, and the Great Changhe Kingdom by a significant margin!

Although he was very tempted, Tang Zhongfu still humbly replied, "This... the Tang Clan hasn't had time to transform from martial arts to immortality yet..."

Princess Dong could easily detect the urge in his tone, and she immediately pressed on, saying, "With your esteemed sect's patriarch, it's only a matter of time! Besides, there's a saying among the people of the Central Plains: 'Those near the water get the moon first.' Jiannan Road is so close to the White Stone Immortal Sect, it's a crucial location for both cultivation and trade in the future, and it will surely be the first place to catch up with the White Stone Immortal Sect. Lord Tang, please don't underestimate yourself."

Encouraging the Tang Clan to emulate the White Stone Immortal Sect and govern the country through their sect was a carefully considered, albeit open, scheme by Princess Dong.

She wanted to test the White Stone Immortal Sect, or that "White Stone Immortal," to see where his bottom line was. Did he have ambitions for the whole world, or was he truly forced to take over the Later Zhou Kingdom?

Furthermore, if the Tang Clan truly becomes increasingly close to the White Stone Immortal Sect and increasingly imitates the White Stone Immortal Sect's governance methods, then our Great Changhe Kingdom might not be unable to "cross the river by feeling the Tang Clan's way," and then see how to emulate the White Stone Immortal Sect and govern the country with "immortal principles."

“The Princess’s words make sense, but I still need to discuss this matter with the Ancestor. Let’s talk about it later. First, let’s discuss the matter of the wild beast…”

Tang Zhongfu became increasingly tempted, yet also increasingly calm.

He suppressed his excitement and steered the conversation back to the previous battle with the White Army.

Princess Dong quickly seized the opportunity and smoothly returned to the previous topic, saying, "Actually, the talismans left by your sect's ancestors are quite useful, but I've heard they are extremely precious and in short supply. They're not enough to keep up with the endless stream of wild beasts."

Tang Zhongfu chuckled and said, "There's no need to worry about that. Our ancestor said she will specially invite two cultivators skilled in beast taming to come and help, so we won't have to worry about wild beasts then."

"Moreover, those beasts are different from 'corpse puppet techniques'. They don't directly control the beasts' bodies like 'corpse puppet techniques' do. Instead, they drive them away and intimidate them. So even though there are many beasts, we can always disperse them. They are not as difficult to deal with as the army of corpse puppets."

Princess Dong nodded upon hearing this.

Indeed, while those beasts were said to be controlled, they could actually be driven away. In comparison, they were not as helpless as the corpse puppets.

(End of this chapter)