Imperial Cultivation

Chu Zhiyuan gently shook the letter.

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝒆𝔀𝒆𝙗𝓷𝒐𝙫𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝓶

The letter turned into powder, carried by the breeze out of the small pavilion, sprinkling between the cracks in the stones outside.

Chu Zhiyuan stood up, hands behind his back, and paced.

Xiao Ruoling sat quietly to the side, saying nothing.

She was well aware of the complex relationship between Chu Zhiyuan and Li Hongzhao.

Both rivals and collaborators.

Now that Li Hongzhao had become the Emperor of Da Meng, their relationship had evolved.

Chu Zhiyuan sighed, shaking his head, "She can actually guess my choice; she’s deliberately making it hard for me."

Su Qiuyan showed a look of disappointment: "The princely heir won’t agree?"

Chu Zhiyuan said, "I cannot possibly agree. I cannot abandon Da Jing’s interests for personal connections. She must have more to say, right?"

This came from his understanding of Li Hongzhao, never resting with one approach.

Su Qiuyan took another letter from her sleeve and handed it to Chu Zhiyuan.

This letter was much thicker than the previous one, about five to six times thicker.

Chu Zhiyuan chuckled, "She loves playing these tricks!"

Su Qiuyan said, "The Emperor mentioned that dealing with you requires multiple strategies."

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head with a smile.

They had engaged in numerous rounds of confrontation, both knowing each other’s methods.

Chu Zhiyuan accepted the thick letter, "Is there really no more?"

"There is indeed only this one left," Su Qiuyan said with a smile.

Chu Zhiyuan took it, opened it, and quickly scanned the content of the five pages, his brows gradually furrowing.

Xiao Ruoling looked at him intently.

Chu Zhiyuan pondered, "She really put in great effort. Despite being busy over there, she still keeps an eye on me here."

Su Qiuyan laughed, "The Emperor said, the future of Da Jing lies with the princely heir. Watching the heir is watching Da Jing."

"She certainly thinks highly of me," Chu Zhiyuan snorted.

Su Qiuyan asked, "Princely heir, what do you think?"

"Alright, I’ll inform the Emperor and cooperate with your Da Meng," Chu Zhiyuan said. "The conditions for entering the Secret Land will be the same as with Da Zhen."

Su Qiuyan smiled.

Xiao Ruoling looked at Chu Zhiyuan in surprise.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head, "There’s no way around it. She truly understands me and has pinpointed my weak spot."

Xiao Ruoling grew even more curious.

Su Qiuyan cupped her hands with a smile, "In that case, I won’t disturb the princely heir any longer. Farewell."

"Mr. Su traveled from afar, and to leave hastily would seem rather rude of me." Chu Zhiyuan laughed, "Have a meal before you go."

Su Qiuyan said, "The Emperor is waiting, ... won’t you write a reply letter?"

Chu Zhiyuan replied, "No need for a letter. Mr. Su can convey my message directly."

"... Alright." Su Qiuyan nodded slightly.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Tell her that I’ve already found the path to the Second Layer, and it won’t be long until I step into it."

"... Very well." Su Qiuyan looked at him helplessly.

This seemed like a remote battle of wits with the Emperor.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "As the wielder of the Emperor’s Sword, she better not let me surpass her, lest she can’t defeat me even with the Emperor’s Sword in the future."

"..." Su Qiuyan remained silent.

Chu Zhiyuan continued, "If the imperial throne becomes a shackle to cultivation, then it’s not worth having. Don’t let her lose her true self, that’s all."

"... Very well." Su Qiuyan cupped her hands and prepared to leave.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Wait a moment."

A flying knife floated out of his sleeve and landed gently before Su Qiuyan.

Chu Zhiyuan said, "Consider this a return gift for her."

He had previously given Li Hongzhao a flying knife, saying that having this knife would repay the favor.

But this time, Su Qiuyan clearly didn’t plan to use that flying knife.

Now, giving her another flying knife was equivalent to giving another favor.

Because Li Hongzhao indeed provided extremely important information.

Not only the inheritance of the Evil Emperor but also the location of an Evil Sect’s Main Altar.

It was the true old nest of the Yuding Sect.

She also revealed some secrets about the Evil Sects in Da Jing, most of whose old nests were within Da Meng or Da Zhen, not Da Jing.

Equally, the old nests of Da Zhen or Da Meng’s Evil Sects were instead within Da Jing.

Interchangeably situated, it prevented their roots from being uprooted, truly cunning.

Chu Zhiyuan was most focused on the location of the Yuding Sect’s old nest.

Uprooting Yuding Sect would thoroughly reveal the foundations of the Evil Sect.

To completely eliminate the Evil Sect, one must first uncover their true power source and find a way to sever it.

That way just hadn’t been found yet.

But the Yuding Sect’s old nest was his hope.

Of course, there’s also the Sect Master of the Demon Heart Sect, his gaze cast afar.

This Sect Master of the Demon Heart Sect was shifting his position, uncertain if it was his true identity.

Regarding the Yuding Sect’s old nest, Li Hongzhao would not deceive him, and the information Li Hongzhao held was top-secret only visible to the Emperor.

Chu Zhiyuan reflected, he could now see information from the Inspection Department and the God Punishment Bureau.

But it was still far from the messages the Emperor could access.

There was far too much he could neither see nor hear, nor even imagine.

Just as Li Hongzhao mentioned.

He suspected that not only Li Hongzhao knew this information, but also the Emperors of Da Jing and Da Zhen.

Possibly, this is why they were hesitant to forcefully eradicate the Evil Sect.

The fact that their bases lay in another country made eradication impossible. Attempts could repeatedly fail, wasting efforts while undermining the Court’s authority.

——

"What did the Ninth Prince say?" Xiao Ruoling asked curiously.

Chu Zhiyuan recounted the content of Li Hongzhao’s letter to her.

Xiao Ruoling gently furrowed her brows, "Is this really good? Court negotiations should not be interfered with, right?"

Chu Zhiyuan said, "This is actually what the Court originally intended."

Xiao Ruoling was taken aback.

Chu Zhiyuan explained, "The Court doesn’t want to go to war with Da Meng and is inclined towards peace, not wishing to push Da Meng too far, ... of course, this is just the Emperor’s thought and has not been discussed with the court ministers yet."

This came up unintentionally during a conversation with Chu Qingyan.

Chu Qingyan lingered at Prince Qing Mansion, often chatting and playing chess with Chu Minghou.

Chu Zhiyuan would sometimes join their conversations when returning to the Prince Mansion.

This topic arose inadvertently.

These were classified top secrets, yet Chu Qingyan did not hide them from them.

In his mind, Chu Minghou was a loyal and filial Prince, and Chu Zhiyuan the future Emperor, all part of his circle, with no need for secrecy.

Xiao Ruoling smiled with pursed lips, "You’re being generous with others’ resources."

"It’s coincidental," Chu Zhiyuan laughed, "Besides that, there will be some statues sent, truly earnest."

Xiao Ruoling nodded lightly, "With so much from the Ninth Prince, it really is hard to refuse."

——

As the White Bone Tower grew taller, there were almost no more Evil Sect disciples around.

The brave ones had already turned to bones upon the tower; the timid ones dared not come.

Purple Sun Villa became a forbidden ground for the wicked of the Evil Sect.

The anticipated Evil Sect Grandmasters did not appear; instead, no Evil Sect disciples dared approach Purple Sun Villa.

The once unknown Purple Sun Villa was now renowned throughout Yujing City and even the entire realm.

The villa’s master, Chu Zhiyuan, the Fourth Prince of Da Jing, consequently gained renown.

People had known about Chu Zhiyuan’s great talent, but it was only spread within a small circle.

Now the whole realm knew of Chu Zhiyuan’s extraordinary talent in cultivation, single-handedly intimidating various evil sects.