Chapter 589 - 69: Some Plans

Zi Luan’s explanation left Wang Ping at a loss for words.

Nearby, Wu Quan continued, "Fellow Daoist Ganxing used the last of his spiritual consciousness to forcibly merge his magical artifact formation into Gan Qi’s body. In a way, he managed to pass on his legacy."

"Then I’m to blame. If I hadn’t given him the Secret Technique, he wouldn’t have tried to advance so rashly..."

Before Wang Ping could finish, Gan Qi rose, cupped his fist, and said, "Please, don’t say that, Changqing Zhenren. Your Secret Technique is a guiding light that we Artifact Cultivators have desperately sought. My adoptive father’s death was his destiny; it has nothing to do with you. I hope you won’t dwell on it."

Wu Quan added, "Gan Qi is right. Fellow Daoist, there’s no need to blame yourself. Fellow Daoist Ganxing’s life was already nearing its end. Even if he hadn’t tried to advance, he probably only had a few decades left. It was better to take the chance and leave something behind for those who followed."

Wang Ping fell silent. He then rose and returned Gan Qi’s salute with a cupped fist, but said nothing more.

’Honestly, Ganxing’s death has once again reminded me of how cruel the Cultivation Realm is. He was a Third Realm Cultivator, and an Artifact Cultivator at that. The hardships he must have faced to reach the Third Realm are beyond what an ordinary person can imagine. Yet even then, he couldn’t escape the ravages of time.’

The four words "cultivation is not easy" might sound simple, but behind every Cultivator lies a remarkable story.

...

After moving on from the topic of Ganxing, the four of them made small talk for a while.

Finally, Wu Quan brought up the matter at hand. "The administrative divisions of the Southern Cultivation Realm are currently almost identical to those of the Hu Mountain Country. But we are supposedly centered around the Chu Kingdom Court, while the local regions are controlled by entrenched, powerful families. If this continues, I fear conflicts will erupt in the cities within the next thirty years."

He spoke slowly, glancing at Wang Ping and Zi Luan from time to time. "Take our branch Daoist Temple in Shouhua Prefecture, for example. The nearby county seat has a population of six hundred thousand. And while we’ve been developing new farmland for years, the amount of land owned by the common folk keeps shrinking. If this trend holds, sooner or later, they won’t be able to survive. When that happens, all it will take is a little push from someone with an agenda, and the entire Southern Cultivation Realm will be plunged into chaos."

After a moment of thought, Wang Ping understood the crux of the issue: the age-old problem of land consolidation.

So, he nodded thoughtfully but didn’t rush to speak. He knew Zi Luan, Wu Quan, and Gan Qi had likely already discussed this issue. The only reason they hadn’t reached a decision was his absence.

"Given the current situation, if the Chu Kingdom Court collapses again, our position will become truly precarious. Meanwhile, there’s our neighbor. Fifteen years ago, Chancellor Ji Hui of the Liangjiang Region successfully staged a coup and ascended the throne. He renamed the country ’Ji,’ repaired relations with us, drove out the cultivators from Lishui Prefecture, and even gained the support of the True Yang Sect."

"If we fall into internal conflict then, the emperor of Ji Country will absolutely not pass up such a golden opportunity. We could lose our seat at the negotiating table."

The "negotiating table" Wu Quan spoke of referred to the powerful figures backing the various factions across Zhongzhou. Unifying Zhongzhou would only be possible if these individuals could reach an agreement. Wang Ping and the other three were currently at this table, with Wang Ping holding the strongest hand, as he could also influence the Datong Marquisate.

When Wu Quan paused, Wang Ping said, "You’re being too pessimistic. The Southern Cultivation Realm still has us, doesn’t it?"

Zi Luan smiled and shook his head. "If not for that last coup in the Chu Kingdom Court, I would share your confidence. But now..." He met Wang Ping’s gaze. "There is very little we can do."

"What is our biggest problem?" Wang Ping asked.

This time, Gan Qi answered. He first offered a polite salute before speaking. "There are two main problems. First, Mozhou Road has been severely infiltrated by Lishui Prefecture. This is largely because Mozhou Road has undergone several purges and now lacks a major sect with deep roots to stabilize the region. Furthermore, the head of the Daoist Palace, Daoist Liu Shibin, is currently in Hai Zhou Road, helping his senior martial sister, Zhi Gong Daoist, prepare for her breakthrough."

"The second problem is the one Senior Wu Quan just mentioned. It has only been a little over a hundred years since the last purge, yet the great families have gradually seized control of worldly power again. Their greed is bottomless, and the Mortal World can no longer sustain it."

After hearing these two points, Wang Ping looked at Zi Luan, puzzled. "These are just minor issues, aren’t they?"

"They may be minor issues, but resolving them requires a united effort. Acting alone would be ineffective, which is why we’ve been waiting for you to come out of seclusion, Fellow Daoist."

Zi Luan responded with a smile. "Fellow Daoist, not only do you oversee Qianmu Temple, but Zhonghui City, which is under its purview, has become the largest city in the south aside from Jinhuai City. If Zhonghui City stands aside, all our efforts will be for nothing. Moreover, you have close ties to Hu Yin of Ningzhou Road and Zhi Gong Daoist of Hai Zhou Road. If we can get them on board, resolving this will be much simpler."

Wang Ping grunted in agreement, acknowledging Zi Luan’s point. He didn’t want to get bogged down in details, so he cut to the chase. "What’s your proposed solution?"

Wu Quan spoke up immediately. "First, to rein in the great families, we plan to make an example of one or two of the most powerful clans, taking them down in the name of punishing corruption. Then, we’ll secretly orchestrate a coup within Jinhuai City to help the Emperor reclaim some of his authority. But before any of that, we need to fight a battle."

"You want to attack the islands under the command of the Seventh Prince of Lishui Prefecture?" Wang Ping asked.

"That’s for later. Our target right now is Mozhou Road!" Gan Qi said, saluting with a cupped fist. "And we plan to strike at the Cultivation Realm of Mozhou Road first. The Cultivation Realm isn’t just made up of Entering Cultivators, you know. Besides, we have a ready-made pretext..."

He trailed off at this point.

Zi Luan finished for him. "Fellow Daoist, you must have heard about your grand-disciple being surrounded and killed by ten Cultivators, correct?"

Hearing this, a thousand thoughts raced through Wang Ping’s mind, but his expression remained perfectly calm. He reached out to stroke Yu Lian’s head, soothing her, as he asked coolly, "What does this have to do with my grand-disciple’s death?"

"We investigated the ambush on your grand-disciple. She was goaded by spies from Lishui Prefecture into raising troops against the Chu Kingdom Court. Some members of the Demon Race also fanned the flames. In the end, the ones who ambushed her were sent by Cultivators from Mozhou Road, with the aim of sowing discord between Qianmu Temple and the Southern Cultivation Realm."

Gan Qi produced a bamboo scroll. "Of the ten who ambushed your grand-disciple, your own disciple has already slain six. The other four went into hiding, but everyone leaves a trail. After years of investigation, we have obtained concrete information on those four."

Wang Ping understood. "You’re saying they’re in Mozhou Road, hiding within a major sect that’s backed by Lishui Prefecture?"

Gan Qi cupped his fist and smiled. "Nothing escapes your discerning eye, Zhenren!"

At this, Wu Quan pledged his support. "You won’t have to do this alone, Fellow Daoist. We will also dispatch our disciples to assist!"

"That’s right!"

Zi Luan and Gan Qi voiced their agreement. Then, Zi Luan added, "In one month’s time, our four houses will be holding our joint disciple tournament. It’s the perfect opportunity."