Chapter 592 - 72: Plotting for the Fourth Realm

At his words, the fur on Hu Qianqian’s tail stood straight up. She flicked it subconsciously, her ears twitching, and cupped her hands in a salute to Wang Ping. "Master, I know the whereabouts of those four."

Wang Ping waved his hand dismissively. "No, you don’t." He then smiled at Hu Qianqian. "Don’t worry. I’ll take care of everything."

Hu Qianqian was taken aback, then nodded gently and said no more.

With a light flick of his right hand, Wang Ping caused the sprawling root system beneath a Spirit Wood Tree to burst from the earth. The roots intertwined, forming a game board. He then asked, "Who would like to play a game with me?"

"I’ll give it a try!"

Yuan Zheng said eagerly, "This must be your first game since coming out of seclusion. I have to take this chance to beat you for once."

Wang Ping gave a silent smile and walked to one side of the game board, sitting on the ground. Yu Lian soared up on a cloud, perching on a branch of a nearby Spirit Wood Tree. Yuan Zheng quickened his pace and sat opposite Wang Ping, while Ruan Chunzi, Wu Fu, and Dongcan stood behind Yuan Zheng, their faces full of anticipation for the start of the game.

Xia Wen Yi exchanged a word with Shen Xiaozhu, then walked off. By the time Wang Ping and Yuan Zheng finished the opening ceremony to decide who went first, he had returned, leading several young attendants. Some carried small tea tables, and others held platters of fresh fruit. Under Xia Wen Yi’s direction, they carefully placed the tables and platters beside the game board.

Just as Wang Ping and Yuan Zheng settled on their opening moves, Liu Shuang approached with two jars of aged yellow wine. Ruan Chunzi eagerly stepped forward, broke the seal on a jar, and took out the large wine cups he always carried with him, personally pouring a drink for everyone present.

The first jar was empty after just two rounds. As Liu Shuang went to the cellar to fetch more wine, Yuan Zheng asked, "What’s your plan for those four? Are you just going to show up at their door?"

Wang Ping looked up at Yuan Zheng. "From the sound of it, you already have a plan, don’t you?"

Xia Wen Yi, sitting on the ground to Wang Ping’s left, said, "There are many cultivators in Nanlin Road who are dissatisfied with those new Daoist Temples in Mozhou Road. Guangshan Temple, in particular, has made countless enemies. As long as we give the word, there are plenty of people willing to lead the charge for us!"

Ruan Chunzi picked up a wine cup and said as he poured, "It would be best to get the cultivators from Ningzhou Road involved as well."

Guangshan Temple was the Daoist Temple providing refuge to those four cultivators. It was established sixty years ago by two Second Realm Water Cultivators, taking advantage of the chaos in the Southern Cultivation Realm. At the time, many similar Daoist Temples had sprung up in Mozhou Road.

"When these Daoist Temples were first established, they clashed with the local factions of Mozhou Road. Back then, to stabilize the situation and suppress the great local clans, we chose to cooperate with these temples. In hindsight, it was a bad move. Not only did we fail to suppress the great clans, but we ended up letting the cultivators from the Southeast Islands take advantage of the situation."

Yuan Zheng said in a firm tone, "The Daoist Palace must have been misled by certain people when they handled this matter back then."

Ruan Chunzi downed his wine in one gulp. "Cultivators in this world, especially those from the Five Profound Sects, pretty much all know each other," he said, his breath heavy with alcohol. "It’s all too easy for Lishui Prefecture to influence the Daoist Palace. That’s just unavoidable."

Shen Xiaozhu chimed in, "From the standpoint of sixty years ago, the Daoist Palace’s decision wasn’t wrong. We all approved of it at the time. Back then, the great clans even dared to slaughter members of the Imperial Family at will. Suppressing them was the optimal choice. The current balance of power is a direct result of that decision."

"Mm, Xiaozhu’s right!" Yu Lian called out in agreement from her perch on the Spirit Wood branch.

Wang Ping seemed to have little interest in such trivial matters. He calmly placed a stone on the board and asked, "Why are Zi Luan, Wu Quan, and Gan Qi so invested in this matter?"

’Now that was the question that truly mattered.’

The group fell silent at this question. Finally, it was Xia Wen Yi who spoke. "Ever since Senior Ganxing of the Loose Cultivator Alliance fell, their foreign ventures have suffered a devastating blow. Their merchant caravans can no longer even travel south; they’re restricted to trading with the Liangjiang Region. As for the share of Elixirs they were supposed to supply to the Daoist Palace, it’s been completely carved up by the Mozhou Road factions since they can no longer gather the ingredients."

"Senior Wu Quan appears to be plotting to take over the Mozhou Road branch of the Daoist Palace. Intelligence from multiple sources suggests he’s intentionally targeting Daoist Zhi Gong’s own plans to reach the Fourth Realm, and Senior Zi Luan is backing him."

CLACK!

Wang Ping placed a stone and looked at Xia Wen Yi. Seeing that Xia Wen Yi didn’t continue, he asked, "And Zi Luan?"

Xia Wen Yi, however, shook his head. "His motives are impossible to guess. I couldn’t even find a place to start my investigation into him. So instead, I focused on his two disciples. Qin Zifeng advanced to the Second Realm twenty years ago, and in recent years, he and Hongyuan have been making frequent trips to the Western Continent."

"The Western Continent? What for?"

Yu Lian asked curiously.

Xia Wen Yi looked up at Yu Lian. "According to intelligence later provided by Qingjiang, the two of them are searching for Demon Race ruins that Senior Xiu Yu once visited. They seem to be looking for something. Furthermore, at every site, they construct an Array to measure the local Heaven and Earth Fortune."

Wang Ping’s hand, reaching for a game piece, paused. He instantly understood: Zi Luan was calculating the opportune moment for his breakthrough to the Fourth Realm, and he wasn’t even trying to hide it. Still, the whole thing felt bizarre.

Yuan Zheng glanced at Wang Ping’s hand but didn’t ask anything, placing a stone in turn. Dongcan, who had been silent the whole time, now cupped his hands in a salute to Wang Ping and said, "I happen to have some information about Zi Luan..."

"Oh?"

Wang Ping lifted his gaze to Dongcan.

Dongcan kept his head lowered as he continued, "Based on some intelligence I’ve gathered, I believe Zi Luan has reached some kind of agreement with ’First Day.’ Clearing out Mozhou Road is meant to facilitate their operations."

"Explain."

"Mozhou Road has always been an important transit hub for ’First Day’ in Zhongzhou. After Lishui Prefecture infiltrated Mozhou Road, they severely squeezed ’First Day’s’ room to operate. If this continues, ’First Day’ might be driven out of Mozhou Road completely."

Wang Ping chuckled. "So you’re saying the common people of Mozhou Road should be grateful to them?"

Shen Xiaozhu said softly, "After Lishui Prefecture infiltrated Mozhou Road, they did indeed implement many policies that benefited the common folk. Their reputation in the Mortal World has been quite good over the years."

At these words, Wang Ping sat up straight. Everyone subconsciously looked at him. After unhurriedly straightening his sleeves, he said, "Are you saying that if we stir up a conflict in Mozhou Road, we will lose the support of the people there?"

Xia Wen Yi smiled. "That’s simple. As I just said, there are plenty of people willing to be our vanguard. We don’t have to be the bad guys!"

Wang Ping simply nodded and didn’t pursue the topic further.

Seeing Wang Ping’s reaction, the others were also unsure of his intentions, so they let the topic drop. Hu Qianqian, who was sitting nearby and helping pour the wine, kept twitching her fluffy ears, her blue eyes occasionally reflecting Wang Ping’s form.

The game reached its endgame in less than Half an Hour, mainly because Wang Ping played his moves so quickly that Yuan Zheng was defeated trying to keep up with his pace.

As the outcome of the game became clear, Wang Ping stood up and called out to the others, "Who’s next?"

After some good-natured bickering, Wu Fu and Ruan Chunzi sat down for the second game. Wang Ping, meanwhile, gestured to Yuan Zheng, Hu Qianqian, and Xia Wen Yi. "Come, walk with me."

Of course, the three of them did not refuse. They followed Wang Ping, and before long, they had arrived at the most densely wooded part of the garden. As Yu Lian floated down to land on Wang Ping’s shoulder, he announced, "From this moment on, I begin my plans for the Fourth Realm!"