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墨書 Inktalez
In the grand and majestic palace, there is a deep courtyard with four entrances, containing thirty-six rooms. This number, six times six, suggests that once he sits on the emperor's throne, he can enjoy the luxury of eighty-one rooms. This is the residence of Jiang Gong, the Crown Prince of the Southern Source Empire.
The Crown Prince is currently watching with satisfaction as the beast trainer carefully tends to the Divine Beast. Standing beside him are Wei Qinglun, Wei Qingyang, Nangong Kangliang, Nangong Kanghong, Gongxi Wang, and others. The Wei Family, Nangong Family, and Gongxi Family are all prestigious families from the capital city of Nanyang, now allied with the Crown Prince and forming an important force around him. They are also significant sources of wealth for the Crown Prince.
The capital city of Nanyang has a total of ten prominent families, and the Crown Prince currently only has three families under his command, which makes him somewhat dissatisfied. Since the emperor is currently in good health and spirits, the Crown Prince is merely a backup option. Therefore, Jiang Gong remains cautious and does not dare to overstep his bounds. However, Jiang Gong is a person with a very proud disposition; he does not favor martial prowess and is currently at a stage of cultivation. He has studied a vast amount of history regarding the rise and fall of royal families and has drawn an important conclusion: to excel in one’s endeavors, one must first sharpen their tools. No successful heir to a throne is unprepared.
Thus, he is now teaching the descendants of the Three Prominent Families. He wants to impart his philosophy to them so they can comprehend it and take appropriate actions. This is what high-level governance entails.
"You all know that the Dawson Empire has been at war with our Southern Source Empire for quite some time now, and we have already lost vast territories along seven borders. The flames of war are growing larger; how should we act now?"
"I have heard that His Highness has applied to personally lead troops into battle against the Dawson Empire. This shows the Crown Prince's grand vision, and we naturally support it wholeheartedly," Gongxi Wang was the first to step forward.
Jiang Gong asked, "Have you all considered why I want to go to war?"
"There are five benefits to His Highness's actions. First, facing danger without fear demonstrates true heroism. Second, leading troops in place of your father embodies both filial piety and righteousness. Third, there is justification for going to war; tangible benefits can be expected. Fourth, fighting for the nation will be remembered for generations. And fifth, your name will be celebrated throughout the land, earning respect from all people, which will naturally aid in securing your succession," Wei Qingyang promptly replied.
Jiang Gong glanced at Wei Qingyang; this man in his forties was not particularly skilled but had a clear mind. Jiang Gong nodded slightly and said, "What you do not know is that what I lack most right now is military power. I only have a few Wonderland Practitioners by my side; my army is far out of reach. I need to use this opportunity to build connections with the upper echelons of the military so that I can at least command a few legions and speak with authority. Otherwise, how can I achieve great things?" In truth, Jiang Gong would not reveal his deeper intentions to these young nobles.
As he spoke, Jiang Gong's gaze fixed on the Divine Beast again as he continued, "If I can go into battle, I will leave all matters in the capital in your hands. I believe that with your wealth and abilities, you should be able to achieve some remarkable accomplishments that will surprise me. What I want to tell you is that I am very interested in that Artifact Gold Sword!" Jiang Gong was playing a clever game; he wanted to ensure that after leaving the capital, he would not lose support from the Three Prominent Families. Thus, he called upon their young members to compete for contributions while he was away from the capital. This was also a testament to his careful planning.
The heirs of the Three Families expressed their determination not to disappoint the Crown Prince's expectations and promised to deliver satisfactory results.
At this moment, all three families simultaneously thought of Guan Tian—a person who puzzled everyone greatly.
Carefree Traveler—real name Le Wuji—is the sixth son of the Le Family in the capital city. He prides himself on being a genius who excels at predicting celestial phenomena and understanding human affairs; he is well-versed in history and possesses prophetic abilities. He truly has a reputation akin to that of a demigod. Initially, Jiang Gong had invited him as an advisor due to his fame; however, Carefree Traveler rejected him and turned to support Jiang Ming instead, which greatly displeased Jiang Gong. Nevertheless, given Jiang Ming's weak capabilities and inability to stir up any significant trouble, Jiang Gong chose not to pursue Carefree Traveler further.
At this moment, he was sitting in a private room at Azure Sea and Cloudy Sky with Jiang Ming, listening to beautiful music, enjoying delicious dishes, and admiring the exquisite singing and dancing of beautiful women. Carefree Traveler shared his views on the current situation with Jiang Ming:
"Jiang Ming, I've received news today that Jiang Gong's expedition has been confirmed. Protector Duke Gao Weiye will serve as a military advisor. The rest will be led by Nangong Xiao as the vanguard and Zhongsun Kaitai as the strategist. This is quite a significant deployment."
He sighed lightly and continued, "Now we need to expand our influence as much as possible. I see Guan Tian as a good opportunity. Not only does he have great influence now, but he also possesses immense potential. He is similar in age and character to you, Prince, and his relationship with the Witch Horse Princess is quite special. It is said that he has a good relationship with Ouyang Xinyi from the Heavenly Intent Auction House, and Boss Ouyang even personally accompanied him to the Southern Immortal Palace. Moreover, after Guan Tian won the Celestial Soldier at auction, the proceeds were split among Wuma Xiangwei, Boss Ouyang, and Guan Yue."
"Oh," Jiang Ming said in surprise. A previously unknown young man suddenly made a name for himself and even caught his attention; it was hard to believe. Even more amusing was that he was currently making a living through fortune-telling. Jiang Ming thought to himself: Do not underestimate the youth in poverty. This person should be utilized well.
"But how do we befriend him? Yesterday, I didn't see him showing any interest in associating with us," Jiang Ming lamented.
Carefree Traveler chuckled, "Jiang Ming, do you know why he went to participate in Gambling on Stones yesterday? I had someone inquire with Tai Shi Chang He. He said Guan Tian urgently needed money; he had just come out of Eagle Ridge and was broke without any resources for cultivation. That's why he set up a stall for fortune-telling and quickly earned the title of Fortune Teller. Those who practice fortune-telling can earn some small change. However, Guan Yue wasn't satisfied with just that, so under Tai Shi Chang He's encouragement, he came to gamble on Celestial Stone. Otherwise, we wouldn't have had the chance to meet this young brother."
"I see," Jiang Ming nodded. "So how should we proceed?"
"I asked the Three Great Powers of Pine Stone Pavilion; they estimate that Guan Yue's personal cultivation should be at Guardian Realm. With his martial arts skills, we should definitely befriend him, especially since he is only thirteen years old—a true genius." Carefree Traveler then introduced Guan Yue with great interest.
"Only thirteen? Guardian Realm cultivation? How come he seems to only have achieved a basic level?" Jiang Ming was astonished. If that's the case, Guan Yue's martial arts foundation must be of high quality! Such a talent should be befriended as soon as possible. Jiang Ming's eyes lit up with excitement.
"Oh, you must have used your family's ancestral techniques to discover his true cultivation level? In your opinion, what should we do?"
"Appeal to his interests. Help him grow stronger. That is what he seeks and what I desire," Carefree Traveler said solemnly. After pondering for a long time, Jiang Ming finally nodded: "In that case, let's pass on my Azure Dragon Body Technique to him. We'll take a gamble."
After saying this, Jiang Ming felt much more relaxed as they both nodded at each other: "Let's take a gamble on him!"
Since Jiang Ming had already recognized Guan Yue's character beforehand, it was under Carefree Traveler's encouragement that he made this decision. Jiang Ming had limited means of attracting talent; the Azure Dragon Body Technique was one of his most impressive skills, so naturally, he would be very cautious about whom he entrusted it to.
At this moment, he had already designated Guan Yue as his martial assistant, and with Carefree Traveler as his literary assistant, the combination of both martial and literary talents would surely lead to great achievements! In just a few years, Jiang Ming could also accomplish something significant!
The two families most affected by the Gambling on Stones incident were naturally Pine Stone Pavilion and Heavenly Intent Auction House. Both had Great Powers backing them, making them formidable forces in City.
A senior figure from Pine Stone Pavilion had already recognized Guan Yue, while Ouyang Xinyi from Heavenly Intent Auction House also intended to befriend Guan Yue, causing Guan Yue's reputation to soar.
At this time, the most anxious person was undoubtedly Ouyang Xinyi. With the Origin Tool and Celestial Soldier in hand, he certainly could not afford to be careless. He invited two Supreme Beings of Eternal Realm and borrowed three Eternal Realm Experts from other merchant associations to guard the Treasure Vault. He knew that many people were eager to obtain these two items, and numerous Loose Practitioners would be secretly watching for an opportunity. Therefore, he had to strengthen security to ensure everything went smoothly for the auction, which would further elevate the reputation of Heavenly Intent Auction House.
Historically, no auction house had ever auctioned an Origin Tool; even Celestial Soldier had only been auctioned once before, drawing crowds of thousands. It was truly an unprecedented event. Now, my Auction House was about to auction one Origin Tool and one Celestial Soldier—what more could one ask for?
He knew the auction would be incredibly lively, so he was constantly thinking of ways to maximize profits from this opportunity. He was planning to expand the auction venue while advertising far and wide in Yongning Continent to attract more competitors to participate.
At the same time, he secretly hoped that Guan Yue would gamble on several pieces of Celestial Stone to enhance the momentum of the auction. He wanted this auction to become the largest in history, unparalleled and forever recorded in the annals of Yong'an Continent.
Since the auction had not yet taken place, Guan Yue was still busy with fortune-telling during the day and cultivating at night.
So in the morning, after a hurried breakfast, he took a long banner outside to promote his business. The banner displayed three large characters: "Fortune Teller."
Guan Yue's fame as a Fortune Teller primarily stemmed from Ping Qing, the daughter of the city guard lord in Nanyang City.
It was on the third day after Guan Yue first ventured out that he was anxiously pondering how to gather funds for cultivation. He was aimlessly walking down the street when he saw a beautifully dressed girl rushing past him with several attendants. Upon taking a closer look, he realized that she had just ingested poison and was about to suffer its effects. He quickly ran up to her and warned her that she needed immediate treatment; otherwise, her life would be at risk.
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