Chapter 2087: The Situation of Panlongcheng and the Jin Gold Plains

"Misfortune may be what fortune leans upon; blessing is where disaster lurks." He Lingchuan held a piece of fish sashimi and continued leisurely, "Nowadays, Panlongcheng's fame has spread far and wide, guests come from all directions, neighboring small states have deliberately sought friendly relations with us, and even several tribes have voluntarily requested to join Panlong—truly a scene of flourishing prosperity. However, our conflict with Bekka has actually deepened further; after Xianyou was destroyed, Bekka has no other power to support it, and it may very well act against us directly."

He Lingchuan never forgot that Panlongcheng's possession of the jade was its sin.

That "jade" is the Great Square Vase!

The Great Square Vase is kept secret in Panlongcheng and has not yet been leaked; but He Lingchuan learned from Miao Zhantian that, in true history, Ling Mountain did not directly reveal it, but the whereabouts of the Great Square Vase's lid was secretly sent to Bekka by the Thousand Illusions True Person!

With the lid, Bekka could locate the Great Square Vase and thus discover the small secret Panlongcheng has carefully guarded!

And in this Panlong world, will the historical tragedy happen again? Will the Thousand Illusions True Person betray Panlongcheng once more? He Lingchuan simply cannot know!

Therefore, when Panlongcheng's strength is still insufficient to oppose Bekka, He Lingchuan naturally believes we should not provoke Ling Mountain, nor let the Thousand Illusions True Person develop the intention to betray Panlongcheng.

But he cannot say these inner thoughts now, so he only said: "Our past military achievements may have been glorious, yet they have also deeply offended Bekka. There's no choice—later we can only draw closer to Ling Mountain."

As he spoke these words, he likewise felt a sigh in his heart. Panlongcheng's situation is too much like that of the real Jin Gold Plains!

Both are burgeoning with promise for the future;

Both have offended Bekka and become a thorn in their eyes;

Both must strive to manage foreign relations, especially the delicate one with Ling Mountain.

Whether Panlongcheng or the Jin Gold Plains, of course both hope they need not pick a side, but can become a neutral third party outside the Demons and Ling Mountain, or call it an independent third party.

But the premise of such a stance is being strong enough; otherwise, it's easy to be crippled by others.

Panlongcheng seized the opportunity of the frequent arrival of imperial flow and the outbreak of spiritual energy, but it is not yet strong enough to simultaneously challenge both Bekka and Ling Mountain.

At the very moment it takes a stand against Bekka, Panlongcheng must also carefully handle its relationship with Ling Mountain.

If you are not strong enough, you are destined to yield part of your interests to the strong—this is one of the hidden rules of how the world operates, whether you like it or not, accept it or not.

"Besides, maintaining good relations with Ling Mountain at this stage brings real benefits; we might as well view it as a mutual exchange of interests. For example, we must obtain the divine arts and techniques of antiquity as soon as possible."

"Nowadays, spiritual energy is rising across the world; whichever faction first acquires higher-level divine arts will gain the lead!" He Lingchuan analyzed, "Bekka has no such concern, but Panlongcheng cannot obtain these from nothing."

"In ancient times, even immortals had to fight tooth and nail for the rarest and most powerful techniques—money alone couldn't buy them." As for the so-called 'wealth, law, companions, land,' he still knows a bit, "So from another angle, if Panlongcheng spends part of its annual profits to 'purchase' these originally priceless techniques, it's actually worthwhile now."

He only spoke of the present; who knows about the future?

And he used the two words 'purchase' to replace 'exchange,' implying that if these rare techniques could be openly bought and sold at fixed prices, that would be quite a bargain!

"Furthermore, once we reach an agreement with Ling Mountain, Bai Sha Bay will soon resume trade with us." He Lingchuan said solemnly, "The impact on the Mao River trade route should be as small as possible."

How many years did it take to polish Panlongcheng and the Mao River trade route's golden signboard? If Bai Sha Bay truly blocks cargo, even for just a few days, the damage to Panlongcheng's commercial reputation would be significant.

Ling Mountain calculated that Panlongcheng cannot withstand this pressure, hence its multi-faceted pressure.

There's no choice—Panlongcheng must bear this loss.

"However, after this incident, our relationship with Ling Mountain should grow closer." Panlongcheng also temporarily appeased Ling Mountain, "So in the short term, Ling Mountain's support for Panlongcheng will not diminish. After all, among the states Ling Mountain has supported, Panlongcheng still appears the most promising."

At this time, Mou State did not yet exist, and Ling Mountain's best supported object remained the fledgling Panlongcheng, because it too had no choice.

Sun Fuling thought for a moment and also laughed: "That's quite right. Besides divine arts and techniques, the external intelligence shared by Ling Mountain is also very important to us."

After finishing official talk, the two tacitly shifted topics. He Lingchuan chatted about his observations on the southern grasslands, while Sun Fuling shared new gossip from the city.

This simple, warm meal was more comfortable than when He Lingchuan ate alone in his own palace.

But just as he picked up the last piece of mutton with skin, a shadow flickered outside, and he caught sight of it at once: "Come in."

The one who came was the thin man.

"Commander Zhong seeks you."

Right now.

So late—does Zhong Shengguang still want to see him? He Lingchuan glanced at Sun Fuling, feeling somewhat guilty, but she stood up first: "Official duties come first—hurry to the office, I'll return to the academy."

In official matters, Sun Fuling never quibbles with him, nor has she ever shown displeasure.

The two walked out holding hands. Under the streetlamp, Sun Fuling's beauty became more restrained and subtle, causing He Lingchuan a moment of daze.

If she were in reality, how wonderful would she be?

"What's wrong?" The moment his emotion shifted, she sensed it immediately.

They stood under the flowering tree, a few tiny golden osmanthus petals falling into her black hair, and He Lingchuan reached out to remove them for her.

The air was filled with the sweet fragrance of osmanthus; before and behind, coming and going, were all human voices.

In the marketplaces, there is never a lack of lively, bustling atmosphere.

"Nothing much." He Lingchuan felt a bit moved, "Sometimes when tired and weary, one wants to slack off and not advance. But as long as I come to see you, to see Panlongcheng, I know all my efforts were worthwhile, all my hard work rewarded, and all my striving was deserved."

Now he could speak sweet nothings without drafting, and Sun Fuling listened, her face slightly flushed: "Am I really that important to you?"

"Of course."

"Then what am I in your heart? Give me an analogy to see."

He Lingchuan answered without hesitation: "A lamp."

"Huh?" This answer, Sun Fuling never expected, "Don't tell me you mean a guiding lamp. Only children in the academy would flatter like that."

"Much better than a guiding lamp." He Lingchuan said seriously, "It is the heart-lamp—you and Panlongcheng are both."

"I know where you are, and I know where home is—I don't need guidance. But walking through Panlongcheng, walking down the lane home, as long as I see the light in the room, no matter how much hardship and difficulty I've endured today, I can cast it behind me."