"I, Nie Feng, pay my respects to Your Majesty!"
Inside the imperial study, Nie Feng strode in dramatically, stood in the center of the hall, and reluctantly bowed his head in salute. In his eyes, it was a profound disgrace. He, a distinguished Tier-2 Saint, was saluting a Heaven Realm Martial Artist as feeble as an ant. It was to the extent that he believed he should be the one in Qin Wudao’s position.
"Rise!" Qin Wudao said, his tone neither cold nor warm.
Both sides clearly understood their relationship: a mutual exploitation that would eventually reach its breaking point, so neither was particularly cordial.
"Your Majesty, these are my spoils of war. Please distribute them soon to fortify the strength of the Qin Dynasty’s people!" Nie Feng waved his hand, and dozens of spatial rings floated before him, landing neatly on the official desk in front of Qin Wudao.
"The General is thoughtful!" Qin Wudao signaled a eunuch at his side with his eyes. The eunuch hurriedly stepped forward, accepted the spatial rings, and began a thorough inspection.
"Once Your Majesty has distributed the resources and the strength of the Qin Dynasty’s people is boosted, we can advance to the Divine Court. I will return then. Farewell!" Having attended to his task, Nie Feng did not wish to linger. He was repelled by Qin Wudao’s condescending attitude. His words barely finished, he turned and left.
Qin Wudao’s expression remained unchanged as he allowed Nie Feng to depart.
"Minister Yuan, what does the divination indicate?" After confirming Nie Feng’s departure, Qin Wudao activated the study’s Formation and asked Yuan Tiangang. Before Nie Feng had entered, he had discreetly asked Yuan Tiangang to perform a divination.
"Replying to Your Majesty, the divination foretells great calamity. However, auspiciousness is entwined with this calamity, suggesting a significant turnaround!" Yuan Tiangang stood up and respectfully replied.
"A sign of great calamity? Could it be that Nie Feng’s strength is too formidable, and the Deputy Pri Minister is no match for him?" asked Wang Yangming, his tone serious.
"No, that is not it!" Yuan Tiangang shook his head but did not elaborate on the specific reason. Perhaps the secrets of Heaven should not be revealed, or perhaps he had not yet fully divined it.
"That’s strange!" Jia Xu also sank into confusion. If Zhuge Liang could resist Nie Feng, then where was the crisis coming from? The Divine Army? Or the sect forces from the Great Radiance Domain?
"As long as there’s a significant chance for a turnaround, we shouldn’t worry too much. Let’s distribute these resources first! The strength of the Qin Dynasty’s people should be increasing soon!" Qin Wudao did not dwell on the divination and spoke with a smile. According to previous data, about thirty percent of the population who had reached cultivation age did not cultivate. This was undoubtedly a great loss for the Empire. After all, who could tell how many prodigies might erge from these people!
"Understood!" The four of them stepped into the center of the hall and bowed respectfully.
After discussing the resource distribution for a while, Yuan Tiangang and the others left the imperial study, taking all the spatial rings with them.
After leaving the imperial palace, Li Si, accompanied by his attendants, headed towards the Pri Minister’s residence. His expression kept changing, as if he were making a difficult decision. His face only returned to normal when he reached the side entrance of the Pri Minister’s residence.
"I am going for a stroll on my own. You all head back!" After instructing his attendants, Li Si disappeared into the crowd.
In the bustling street, Li Si wove through the crowd. After verifying that he was not being followed, he took out a cloak from his spatial ring and put it on. After making several more detours, he finally arrived in front of a mansion.
The mansion entrance was bustling with activity. Nie Feng stood at the main gate, directing workers to move furniture. Inadvertently, he noticed the cloaked Li Si, and a look of surprise flashed across his eyes.
"Move everything carefully! If anything gets dented or scratched, this General will make you pay!" Nie Feng shouted at the workers, then walked over to Li Si and said casually, "Second only to one person, above tens of thousands..."
"Shh!" The alard Li Si hastily gestured for him to speak quietly.
"Let’s go inside and talk!" Nie Feng glanced around, confird there were no outsiders, and then spoke to Li Si. The two of them quickly entered the mansion.
After entering the main hall, Nie Feng sat in the seat of honor and asked curiously, "If Qin Wudao knew you ca to see , I’m afraid your position as Pri Minister would be over!"
Li Si removed his cloak, a bitter smile on his face. "Even if I didn’t co to see you, I wouldn’t be able to hold onto this position as Pri Minister for long!"
"So?" Nie Feng asked, his eyes narrowed.
"I wish to retain my position as Pri Minister for a long ti!" Li Si looked Nie Feng directly in the eyes and spoke, each word clear and resolute.
"You’re a subject of the Qin Dynasty. You should approach Qin Wudao about this. Why have you co to this General?" Nie Feng showed a barely perceptible smile, feigning nonchalance.
"The General has grand ambitions. I presu you’ve long been preparing to establish a new dynasty. I wish to exchange so secrets for the position of Pri Minister in the new dynasty!" Li Si bowed respectfully, stating his purpose. The bow he perford was not the courtesy of an official to a superior, but the obeisance of a subject to his sovereign.
"Oh! Do tell. If it’s worth it, this General guarantees your position as Pri Minister!" Nie Feng asked, intrigued.
When the Qin Dynasty advances to the Divine Court, it will be ti for to don the yellow robe. At that point, I will undoubtedly wage war against the Qin Empire. Naturally, the more I understand about the Qin Empire’s secrets, the better.
Li Si said, "General, the Qin Empire also has Saint King experts, and one possesses combat strength equivalent to a Tier-2 Saint King..."
Nie Feng initially listened attentively but soon lost interest. He said dismissively, "Just broken through to Tier-1 Saint and already claiming to defeat a Tier-2 Saint? Quite arrogant!"
In his view, this Zhuge Liang was likely exaggerating to gain rit and Qin Wudao’s favor. It’s normal to beco a bit inflated after breaking through to the Saint King Realm! Just like when he himself first broke through, he also believed he could defeat a Tier-2 Saint King. But in reality? Only after truly breaking through to Tier-2 Saint King does one realize how weak a Tier-1 Saint King is, and how laughable their initial thoughts were.
Nie Feng asked again, "Is there any more intelligence? A breakthrough to the Saint King Realm creates a huge stir; anyone can find out about it with a little inquiry. That hardly counts as a secret!"
Li Si replied, "Of course, there’s more!" He took a step forward and said mysteriously, "Two years ago, the Qin Dynasty was just one of the ordinary factions in the East Ancient Domain. Has the General ever wondered how the Qin Dynasty managed to rise so quickly?"
Nie Feng was slightly taken aback. The Qin Empire, which had vanquished the Sand Scorpion tribe, the Sea Clan, and the Qunxian Sect, was just a minor power two years ago? A treasure! The Qin Empire must possess so kind of treasure!
"Continue!" Nie Feng urged, his breathing becoming a bit rapid. If he could obtain a treasure capable of bringing about such drastic changes for a country, he might even have an opportunity to attain the Emperor Dao in the future!
"Every so often, mysterious individuals appear in the Qin Dynasty. They are all fiercely loyal to Qin Wudao, and these people have gradually taken over important positions in the court..." Li Si paused to gather his thoughts, then shared all the superficial information he knew, as he himself couldn’t explain the origins of Yuan Tiangang and the others.
Nie Feng fell into deep thought, also sensing the peculiarities of the Qin Empire.
「Four hours later」
Li Si donned his cloak and exited the mansion from the back gate.
Nie Feng rose to his feet and paced around the room, digesting what Li Si had said. Finally, he let out a soft sigh. It seems I still need to bolster my strength to ensure everything is absolutely foolproof...
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