Chapter 447

Jiangnan was autumn again this year.

The main force of the returning victorious Qilin Army, along with the Yue Family Army's return, brought great joy to all eighteen states of Jiangnan; when Li Guanyi returned, he rode his war steed into the capital cities of Jiangnan's eighteen states.

Along both banks of the river flowing through the city's center, the people thronged, though spring's flowers had faded, their eyes still blazed with fervor as they welcomed the returning troops; Li Guanyi dismounted and walked through the crowd, leading his divine steed.

Behind him, the Qilin Army and Yue Family Army merged, heads held high, bearing themselves with grandeur.

Nangong Wumeng watched the young, martial general riding proudly through the crowd, a faint smile on her face; she stepped back half a pace and muttered, "Truly imposing—this look of his will surely ruin countless young ladies' hearts."

She stepped back half a pace again, now dressed in the Qilin Army's scout general's uniform, slipping into the ranks and bumping Li Guanyi's shoulder: "Hey, I brought back all the city governors' seals—surely that counts as merit, right?!"

"General!"

Li Guanyi said: "Of course."

Nangong Wumeng smirked, then cleared her throat, maintaining a calm expression as she walked through the cheering crowd with the bearing of a Qilin Army commander: "This time, don't you dare call me your lucky star again."

Li Guanyi praised: "You're not just my lucky star—you're the lucky star of Jiangnan and all under heaven! Name your wish—I'll grant it!"

Nangong Wumeng said: "I want you…"

Her voice faltered.

Li Guanyi turned to look; Nangong Wumeng, close enough to see his face clearly, recalled the scene from years ago—the leader of that wandering troop, riding his horse, smiling as he handed her the divine weapon; his youthful, bright eyes stared at her now, filled with curiosity.

"Why don't you finish?"

Li Guanyi reached out, the back of his hand lightly brushing Nangong Wumeng's forehead.

The 【Book of Imperial Cosmic Order】 flowed.

"You don't have a cold."

Nangong Wumeng stepped back half a pace, face unchanged:

"I want you to give me thirty more years of fortune!"

Li Guanyi froze, then feigned distress: "You want more? Thirty years of fortune already nearly broke me! Hey, if you take another thirty, I'll go bankrupt!"

Nangong Wumeng tilted her chin up, triumphant.

Li Guanyi laughed: "Then again…"

Nangong Wumeng said: "What?"

Li Guanyi pulled his divine steed forward, smiling at the horizon: "If you stay with the Qilin Army, always by my side, sixty years of fortune wouldn't hurt."

"I'll give you the lifespan and fortune Hou Zhongyu added to me—and the fortune of his future Grand Master's lifespan too."

"After all, you're by my side."

Nangong Wumeng's thoughts froze.

Li Guanyi smiled slightly, smug: "Just go out, wander around—you'll find everything. Pick up bargains at street stalls, pawnshops…" He didn't hear her reply, turned back, and saw her face flushed, stunned.

Li Guanyi said: "What's wrong?"

Nangong Wumeng leapt up, pointing at him, stammering: "Y-you—you said what?! What are you talking about?!"

Li Guanyi said: "What did I say?"

Nangong Wumeng's face burned red; she stammered for a long moment, then spun around, clapped her hands over her ears, and bolted off, splashing through puddles, vanishing somewhere.

Only the old Master Siming watched his scattered coins and silver pieces litter the ground.

He fell into thought.

Wait—why did my fortune vanish too?

With this talent and constitution…

The old Master Siming gasped, murmuring: "If she has a Manifestation, it must be a Pixiu—or else a three-legged golden toad."

After returning to the city, Li Guanyi met with Murong Longtu and Murong Qiushui to discuss frontline matters, then personally fetched many spring bamboo shoots and delivered them to Xiangrui for administrative handling; soon after, Pojun sent word that some towns remained unrecovered.

Thus, Jiangnan's fleet set out, reached the front, joined forces with the Anxi Protectorate, and crushed the enemy; seeing this might, all remaining towns surrendered.

That day, returning to Jiangnan, from afar at the Dahe Ferry, one saw countless ships like layered clouds, banners flapping fiercely between sky and water; beneath them stood countless armored warriors, awe-inspiring in their might.

The Anxi Protectorate successfully arrived at the capital cities of Jiangnan's eighteen states.

Yan Daiqing personally inspected the logistics; even with preparations, when he saw the numbers, his heart seized, his vision darkened, and he nearly fainted.

Yan Daiqing's lips twitched:

"Lord, do you really consume every grain of rice you're given?"

Li Guanyi chuckled awkwardly: "Well, uh, the captured cities were just a bit more than expected, and then General Han and the Yue Family Army came along too—you know, once they arrived, we couldn't just abandon those cities."

Yan Daiqing: "…………"

The young logistics strategist sighed helplessly: "I knew it. But luckily, I prepared in advance." He ordered the Nülin Dragon King to sail several large ships into the ferry, bringing barley, dried fruit, animal hides, metal, and jerky from the Western Regions.

In exchange, they traded for silk, salt, books, paper, brushes, and tea from Jiangnan.

Yan Daiqing did not directly purchase grain with treasury silver.

Instead, he used commercial exchange to circulate goods and silver between Jiangnan and the Western Regions, making commerce the bloodstream—the first step toward binding Jiangnan and the Western Regions together.

Thus, these ships, barely unloaded their grain, were already loaded with Jiangnan's specialties, heading westward, with detours to the southwest via waterway trade routes, linking regional cultures and commercial flows to revitalize the entire territory.

Yan Daiqing said: "Without human, cultural, and commercial exchange, conquered territories are like severed tendons and bones grafted onto a body—mere mechanical implants."

"They appear functional, but internally, qi and blood cannot flow; bones are broken, skin merely stitched—only a hollow shell."

"Ideals alone are not enough; profit and culture are needed."

"Only when distant lands recognize a shared ideal and gain benefit from it will they actively protect it; otherwise, they remain mere wooden and stone mechanisms."

Yan Daiqing said: "I'll lead these cargo ships myself—and bring back Prince Ji Yanzhong from Anxi City. The time has come, hasn't it, Lord?"

Li Guanyi said: "Thank you, Master Yan Daiqing."

Yan Daiqing bowed slightly, moving like the wind.

"Ah, truly a Jiangnan gentleman—coming and going like the wind." Li Guanyi turned to see Master Wen Qingyu standing with hands behind his back, exuding refined elegance; if not for his blackened eyes, he'd have had three times the aura.

Li Guanyi had intended to pretend nothing had happened.

But the ornament on Wen Qingyu's eye socket, identical to the auspicious symbol, was far too conspicuous—he still said, "Mr., this is..."

Wen He answered: "This, this was merely me crafting some fake beads, giving them to Brother Yan, claiming they were southwestern national treasures worth ten thousand gold pieces, meant to serve as military funds."

Li Guanyi asked: "Did he find out?"

Wen Qingyu touched his eye socket: "I originally intended to tell him immediately, but he was so delighted—he invited me to drink, talked with me, said he'd treated me poorly before. It was too amusing..."

"Cough, cough, cough—I mean, his sincerity made me too embarrassed to tell him they were fakes. Not until he found a buyer from Chen State did I finally tell him."

Li Guanyi's lip twitched: "Where are those beads now?"

Wen He said: "Of course, I sold them to him."

Li Guanyi was astonished: "You actually sold them?"

Wen He smiled: "I sold them at a slight discount. All those families came from river towns across Chen State. When they heard the army was coming, they fled in panic, carrying more gold than they knew what to do with. They thought they got a bargain—and were delighted."

"You sold those beads, and he still beat you?"

Wen He replied solemnly:

"Precisely because I sold them, it was one black eye."

"If I hadn't sold them, and the joke went too far, it would've been two black eyes."

"Tsk, tsk, tsk—brilliant, brilliant."

Wen He, deeply pleased with the pun in his own words, clapped his hands in approval. Li Guanyi, helplessly aware of how close these two were, sighed: "Then, what became of the silver?"

But Wen He did not produce any gold or silver. Instead, he drew a single copper coin from his sleeve and showed it to Li Guanyi, smiling: "As your lordship commanded, all the silver was used along the way to aid the people, open granaries, lighten taxes and corvée."

"The people along the route were all overjoyed."

"By the time we reached the eighteen prefectures of Jiangnan, every last bit was spent—leaving only this one large coin."

Wen Qingyu placed the coin in Li Guanyi's palm and said:

"With twenty-four fake pearls, we extracted the blood and sweat squeezed from the people by the clans—and returned that very blood and sweat to the people. Thus, though we seized these cities, the people rejoiced, our rule did not harm public sentiment or disturb the people's hearts."

"We came empty-handed and leave empty-handed, yet gained the people's trust—and this final copper coin."

"Tell me, my lord, how would you judge the deals I made along the way?"

"Did I make a profit?"

Li Guanyi stared at the copper coin for a long while, then smiled freely. He picked it up with his fingers, flicked it into the air—it spun, then landed softly in Wen Qingyu's palm, worn smooth by countless hands.

Qin Wu Hou laughed heartily:

"Truly a statesman of the age! The world calls you the Poison Scholar—but they vastly underestimate you. Or perhaps this 'Poison Scholar' label, this impression it gives, is merely a disguise you crafted deliberately to conceal your true talent—for the sake of 【Plot for Self】?"

"You take from the people, you give back to the people. Why must you go to such lengths to advise me?"

"If I must give but one evaluation..."

Li Guanyi said: "Huge profit!"

With nothing but a set of fake beads, he punished the clans, pacified the people, and won their hearts—and still ended with a single copper coin. Wen Qingyu was never merely the Poison Scholar; the Poison Scholar and his schemes were but tools to achieve greater destiny.

Sa Atandi came over and witnessed this scene. In her old age, in historical anecdotes, she wrote "The Right Chancellor's Memorandum to the Sovereign," a chapter later distilled into a classic text, memorized and recited by generations of scholars.

Yao Guang and others were also aboard this fleet. As Li Guanyi waited for Yao Guang, he saw from afar a silver-haired girl standing quietly on the deck of the great ship, beside the Nine-Colored Divine Deer.

The silver-haired girl beneath her hood seemed to notice Li Guanyi.

Li Guanyi reached out to say something.

The silver-haired girl looked up at him, then pulled her hood down, stepped back a few paces.

She raised both hands, gripping them slightly.

As if bracing herself.

She stepped forward—and ran!

The hem of the Star-Seer's robe flared open in the Jiangnan wind; her Western Regions leather boots struck the wooden deck with crisp, clear sounds.

She sprinted to the edge of the deck and leapt with all her strength.

Splash!

Her hood flew off, her silver hair whipped up by the wind. The dock was still far off; the warship's deck was high—but the silver-haired girl had already leapt.

Her hair traced an arc through the air.

The girl showed no fear of falling or injury—she crashed heavily into Li Guanyi's arms, her forehead slamming into his chest with a dull thud.

Li Guanyi, unwilling to let his inner Qi rebound and hurt Yao Guang, stepped back two paces, raised his hands, and gently wrapped them around the silver-haired girl to prevent her from twisting her ankle in the fall.

Li Guanyi said: "Yao Guang?"

The silver-haired girl remained still, her forehead pressed against his chest.

She raised a hand and gripped his sleeve.

Motionless. Silent.

One breath. Two breaths.

More than twenty breaths passed.

Then she stepped back two paces. Her forehead, still slightly red from the impact, lifted the Star-Seer's hood. She placed her hands together before her, bowed slightly, and her voice returned to its calm, even tone: "I have not seen you in a long time."

I missed you very much.

"I'm still a little unaccustomed."

I missed you terribly.

The silver-haired girl looked at Li Guanyi, her voice calm, unruffled:

"I was merely making up, all at once, the contact I missed during our separation."

"It's done."

"Then, I shall go pay my respects to Aunt Murong Qiushui."

The silver-haired girl nodded, as if in farewell, then walked quietly past the crowd, the Nine-Colored Divine Deer following. She seemed entirely unaware of everyone around her—her silver hair fell, her head raised, her gaze serene.

The silver-haired man with arms spread, the Whale Fisher: "…………"

The Breaker Lord aboard the ship: "…………"

The old Master Siming gasped, yanking Old Xue backward to avoid being splattered with blood by the enraged Whale Fisher; only the Breaker Lord's forehead twitched, yet he recalled the past twenty-plus days.

The silver-haired girl daily cast divinations to track stellar patterns and weather, moving with the current and dwelling beyond mist and clouds, all hoping to return to Jiangnan soon; her mastery in guiding the wind currents had saved at least ten percent of Anxi's losses.

The journey to Jiangnan would also be delayed by five or six days.

He sighed and said: "I acknowledge your methods."

"……This time, you've won."

"Hmph, next time, next time!"

"I will make you know who is truly the greatest strategist!"

Li Guanyi personally retrieved the Breaker Lord, Duan Qingyu, Tai Bo Yong, and Chen Wenmian, asking after Li Zhaowen; upon learning her resolve, Li Guanyi sighed—Li Zhaowen was never merely a war general.

Her birth, her family background, her inner state and goals, destined her to endure great suffering in this chaotic age.

Chen Wenmian, too, had seen through much; Li Guanyi hosted a banquet for all, drinking with Duan Qingyu atop Jiangnan's tall towers for days on end—Jiangnan's wine, like spring breeze, was soft on the tongue yet profoundly intoxicating.

General Xiao Wuliang was taken to meet the Mo Juzi.

The Mo Juzi attempted to examine the eightfold Heaven's condition; after frowning for a long while, he said: "There remains the lethal aura of Divine Jiang Su. Such wounds cannot be fully healed."

Xiao Wuliang's expression did not change, but the Mo Juzi added: "Yet, through mechanical arts, it may be possible to transform Jiang Su's lethal aura into a technique, restoring roughly eight-tenths of combat power."

Xiao Wuliang's eyes flashed with sharpness: "Can he still return to the battlefield?"

The Mo Juzi looked at this solemn general and said:

"After ten to twelve months of rest, perhaps he can return to the battlefield."

Xiao Wuliang, thinking he might yet return to battle, might yet avenge the Wu Wang, nearly bowed deeply in gratitude, refusing even a hint of reluctance; the subsequent arrival of the great army, the rewards, the hospitality, the feasts, lasted long.

Matters gradually stabilized: the Anxi Protectorate of the Western Regions, the Southwest Flying Army, and the Fire Qilin Army of Jiangnan—all three forces temporarily stationed within Jiangnan, not yet returning to their original positions.

As for the reason, they were not told.

Yet even ordinary soldiers, squad leaders, and Captains had begun to suspect, whispering among themselves: Could our lord's achievements really be confined to the title of Marquis?!

Could our lord, who holds a realm stretching ten thousand li, not stand shoulder to shoulder with the Emperor of Chen and the Emperor of Ying?!

Our lord has waged war across ten thousand li, his heroic spirit soaring to the heavens.

Yet he cannot wear the yellow robe?

Cannot sit upon the dragon throne?!

A mighty army, undefeated in a hundred battles, must possess the bearing of greatness; it too has its hopes and longings. A Marquis is indeed great—but our lord cannot be merely a Marquis!

Prince is not high enough. King is not lofty enough.

Only if, like the Emperor of Ying or the Emperor of Chen—

Can one match such achievements and Wu Gong.

Fan Qing, when occasionally stepping out, could hear common folk discussing this, hear soldiers discussing this; they held simple views, with no deep sense of the heavens' titles.

They merely felt: since they had defeated Chen and repelled Ying—

Then surely, a title equal to the Emperor of Chen and the Emperor of Ying should be fitting.

It should not be considered an excessive demand.

He should be called Emperor!

He should be called Emperor!

Yet under these circumstances, Li Guanyi quietly remained within the Murong household, spending tranquil days with his aunt and Grandfather Murong Longtu; the gold and iron from the southwest had already been transported, and Li Guanyi planned to ask Grandfather Murong and the Mo Juzi about the method of casting the cauldron.

But before that—

Li Guanyi showed the Nine Li Divine Weapon's gold and iron to Grandfather Murong and the Mo Juzi.

These two: one, the strongest in the history of the Divine Sword Murong clan; the other, the pinnacle of Mo mechanical casting, the supreme armorer of the age.

He told them the origin and condition of this divine weapon.

Both Murong Longtu and the Mo Juzi marveled.

Even as a mere prototype, it could weaken Yuwen Lie and Jiang Su's attacks; when wielded as a weapon, its edge was unmatched. If fully forged, it might truly become the sovereign of all divine weapons.

Murong Longtu felt a slight regret: "Pity, pity—my Murong family's underground magma forge is top-tier, yet it cannot complete the final forging of this divine weapon."

"It seems, to forge this, one must seek a pure fire place born of heaven and earth. The Western Regions have the Flame Mountain; Saibei has the Five Lotus Volcanoes. These two places should be able to melt and forge this weapon."

The Fire Qilin did not change expression as it turned its gaze away.

A little cowardly.

After all, the Flame Mountain had already been destroyed by Him.

Li Guanyi patted the little Qilin's head in comfort and said: "Saibei was always a place I must go anyway—it's no problem."

After all, the divine gu that might affect Murong Longtu within the witch-cult's longevity gu exists only in Saibei; there, Li Guanyi must go. With this divine weapon reclaimed, Li Guanyi would seek the auspicious sign.

This southwestern auspicious sign bore Nangong Wumeng and brought the seals of these many cities here, drawing forth a torrent of fortune. Li Guanyi wished to cast the southwestern cauldron: one, he needed the land veins of the southwest; two, he needed the auspicious sign's aid.

As for how to return, Li Guanyi had his own method.

Now that he was back in Jiangnan, he need not rely on the many methods required in the Western Regions.

Li Guanyi said to the southwestern auspicious sign: "So, the Iron-Eating Beast, how about what we discussed before?" The auspicious sign bared its teeth, laid out a green bamboo stalk, dipped it in a large basin of beast's milk, then slowly chewed it.

Upon hearing this, it promised: "Ah, don't worry—leave it to this auspicious sign!"

"I'll help you out, and you want the gold and iron, right?"

"What's hard about that? Who am I? I'm the southwestern auspicious sign, the ancient Iron-Eating Beast—Jiu Li clan themselves had to feed me!"

Chew, chew.

"Out of gratitude for your large basin of beast's milk and bamboo shoots, I'll help you—but how do we get there? Do we have to run all the way? Then your basin of beast's milk won't be enough."

"You're giving me just this little? It's hard for me to help you with this."

Xiangrui of the Southwest bit into a green bamboo stalk, looking as if to say, "Add more money."

Li Guanyi smiled and said, "Don't worry, I have my own way—but I'm afraid you might be scared."

Xiangrui lifted his chin, proudly saying, "Me?"

"I'd be scared?"

"Ridiculous! Ask the Jiuli Clan—I've never climbed anything!"

"I, Xiangrui, are a Shitie Shou."

"Fear nothing!"

Xiangrui pounded his thick chest hard, tilting his chin up and saying:

"Fear nothing at all!"

Li Guanyi said, "Then that's perfect."

Xiangrui asked, puzzled, "You haven't told me yet—how are we going?"

Li Guanyi's lips curled into a smile. "Of course—we'll fly there!"

"Fly—?" Xiangrui hadn't finished speaking when a deep, solemn, resonant howl suddenly echoed beside his ears—familiar in an indescribable way, vast and weighty, ancient beyond measure.

Boom!!

Something was descending at high speed.

Xiangrui sat there, mouth agape.

Silent, he slowly turned his chubby neck, stiffly lifting his head.

A presence stood behind him—so vivid it seemed to have flown straight from his memory… crimson scales, golden-red radiance, razor-sharp claws and fangs, horns soaring skyward; yet one horn bore a straight, jagged crack—as if some madman had left such a mark on the hardest part of this creature.

A pair of golden vertical pupils, gleaming with mockery.

With each breath, a searing heat blasted onto the bamboo shoot, instantly cooking it.

"Isn't this… a Shitie Shou?"

"It's been thousands of years—how have you been?"

The Shitie Shou opened its mouth, frozen in shock.

Huh??

The Primordial Crimson Dragon.

My Lord?!!

He stiffly lifted his head, staring at Li Guanyi, whispering, "You said—"

"How do we get there again?"

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