[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-lies-hidden":3,"chapter-the-dragon-lies-hidden-the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-980":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dragon Lies Hidden",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2290278,4477,"Chapter 980: My Personal Princess, Part Two","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-980",980,"\u003Cp>In the study, Xiang Weiyuan and the Sixth Princess sat facing each other.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Weiyuan’s expression was solemn. “To begin, today I will teach you a peerless secret technique, created by a once-in-a-millennium genius… man. Set aside The Initial Exploration of the Wasteland for now—we will first cultivate this method. Its name is: The Wasteland Roar’s Five Tones.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Weiyuan then meticulously taught the fundamental principles of the Wasteland Roar, the key points and power techniques of the first tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Weiyuan judged the Sixth Princess’s body to appear pale and soft, lacking strength, so he decided to start here—this was the fastest and most obvious area to improve. The Wasteland Roar is a sacred art for strengthening the physical body; few paths in the world can rival it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet while the Wasteland Roar seemed simple, its talent requirements were extremely high. Xiang Weiyuan felt teaching it to the Sixth Princess would effectively buy time; she could practice it herself later.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After transmitting the basic method, Xiang Weiyuan demonstrated, exhaling sharply: “Aooooo!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sixth Princess imitated him: “Meow!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Weiyuan: “Not like that! Use sound as the pivot, channel spiritual power to vibrate your entire body, annihilate weak flesh, activate vitality, to refine your body and transform your bones! Try again with me: Aooooo!!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sixth Princess: “Meow!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Weiyuan patiently guided: “Vibrate—swing! Imagine waves surging toward you, crashing against your body…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The young princess shuddered, then began violently swaying—so violently it made Xiang Weiyuan dizzy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Weiyuan sighed. “Practice on your own. I’ll attend to official documents. Do not read The Initial Exploration of the Wasteland until you’ve mastered the first tone—don’t let it distract you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sixth Princess nodded and resumed practicing alone in the study. Xiang Weiyuan returned to his desk to review documents, and casually tucked away The Initial Exploration of the Wasteland.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the short time he’d been away to meet Yan, the girl had already finished Chapter Three! If she kept reading, what would become of her?!\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In her, Xiang Weiyuan faintly saw his own past, teaching Rong Long arithmetic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But after reviewing only a few documents, Xiang Weiyuan grew agitated by the Sixth Princess’s constant “meow-meow-meow.” Her voice possessed a peculiar ability—it bypassed spiritual defense entirely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even when he hid his spiritual sense among the mundane bustle of human life, he still heard those kitten-like mews. Helpless, Xiang Weiyuan delegated most routine duties to the Human Bustle, then opened the Zhao Guo map and began studying its dense annotations.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sixth Princess fell silent and leaned over. Seeing the Zhao Guo map, her expression changed. “How much more land do you plan to take from us?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Take land? Why would I take land?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t try to fool me! Isn’t war always about seizing land?” The princess looked unconvinced.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Weiyuan realized he must also teach state affairs. After a moment’s thought, he said: “Zhao Guo has limited land. With no internal wars for years, its population has grown—most are destitute peasants with no land to till. Most of those I took in this campaign were poor folk from border commanderies. Zhao Guo can replenish its population in ten years; the land can be replanted in six months. Relocating people from other commanderies is more than sufficient.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sixth Princess understood basic state matters and nodded. Such landless peasants were seen as burdens by all nine states; Zhao Guo, long at peace, had especially many.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Weiyuan continued: “Now that trade is open, my caravans may travel freely throughout Zhao Guo. I can buy everything I need; Zhao Guo can obtain everything I have. This is mutual benefit—separation brings mutual harm. Moreover, I possess goods unavailable elsewhere. So why would I need land?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sixth Princess said: “I know—loom machines, cannons, war chariots. But you won’t sell those!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Weiyuan smiled. “I will sell them. Why not? I wouldn’t before—but now that you’re here, nothing is off-limits. Tell me: if your father plans to wage war on other states, what equipment do you think is most vital?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sixth Princess thought. “War chariots?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Weiyuan shook his head.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cannons? Rapid-fire machine cannons? Armor?” She guessed several items—all wrong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Weiyuan didn’t tease. “Cargo wagons. And primarily, cargo wagons. With enough wagons, supplies and armies can be moved at will, granting far greater strategic flexibility. Mobile forces require fewer local garrisons—only elite troops need be stationed.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Sixth Princess half-understood.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiang Weiyuan manifested images of several cargo wagons, briefly describing their features. These wagons were exceptionally robust, constructed from hollow-structured steel. Qingming’s iron smelting and steel refining had advanced tremendously, making steel absurdly cheap. These high-performance steel wagons outperformed spirit-wood wagons and cost half as much.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet even at that low price, a cargo wagon capable of crossing mountains and carrying hundreds of thousands of catties still cost over one hundred thousand immortal silver taels each.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After hearing the specs, the Sixth Princess suddenly said: “When our cavalry retreated, you could’ve caught us, couldn’t you?!”\u003C\u002Fp>",830,"2026-06-20T03:38:38.899Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","4e5824b93ad010d15578bb1de05695ba9f12b1c2e8d462e369279e8c97949097","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-981","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-979",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-lies-hidden-cover.jpg"]