Master of Strange Dao

Time slowly passed, and changes began to emerge.

Li Xingchen, the head of the Dazhen Faceless Men, had already secretly spoken to all of Old King Qi's former subordinates.

Although some had stepped down, they had done so to focus on cultivation; such old-timers held even higher status.

Furthermore, within King Qi's fief, undercurrents stirred as early stages of grain and fodder mobilization began.

From talismans to a variety of pills, from weapons to Magical Treasures, the movement of these items caused prices to rise imperceptibly even without large-scale purchasing in the markets.

King Qi, who was still in the Capital City, had already taken the excuse of the upcoming anniversary of Old King Qi's death and the once-in-a-decade ancestral tribute day of the Wang Family, to ask Emperor Zhen for leave.

With such an ironclad reason, unless the sky fell, no one could stop him.

As King Qi began to secretly mobilize troops and accumulate power, preparing to pick any pretext to stir up friction with Dali at the border and then start a fight outright.

If war broke out at the border, there would surely be immediate responses, and then Emperor Zhen would have no choice but to engage in battle.

On Dali's side, the Northern Border Army remained stationed at the border, while the mobile force of the West Desolate Army had already started to organize their military equipment, ready to depart at any moment.

A great battle was on the verge of explosion.

At the same time, within Daqian territory, the Northern Daqian guardian army had already received secret imperial decrees to prepare.

In the Daqian Palace City, the Second Prince stood to the side, looking at Emperor Qian above him.

"Father, this is an excellent opportunity. Dazhen is internally strife-torn every day, with the war party gradually gaining the upper hand.

Given Dazhen's situation, to reclaim lost territory and go to war with Dali, they're just one step away.

If at this moment, our Daqian takes that step, then no one will be able to stop it.

Your son is willing to go to Dazhen personally and persuade Emperor Zhen."

The Second Prince gritted his teeth; he was going all in. At such a time, he had to make a significant investment and take a risk.

He knew if Emperor Qian were to seclude himself for a long period, he would never again allow the Crown Prince to act as Regent while other princes and courtiers assisted, like before.

With their usual infighting, if Emperor Qian didn't emerge from seclusion for hundreds of years, disengaging from worldly affairs,

their struggles would surely throw Daqian into chaos.

What Emperor Qian wanted from his seclusion was stability outside, not wanting any major upheaval to interrupt him.

And likewise, for the sake of stability, having the Crown Prince act as Regent with the aid of courtiers and leaving other princes out of it, seemed most natural.

This was almost equivalent to enthroning the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince might not dare to eliminate him, but cutting off his wings was certainly within the realm of possibility.

Then, alone and unsupported, he would undoubtedly meet his death.

It was better to take the risk now, persuading Dazhen and forming an alliance, then attacking Dali from both sides, which would be beneficial for everyone.

Then he could make a name for himself in the military.

Having military achievements was secondary to having a legitimate reason to start interacting with the military generals and frequenting the border army camps—that was the key.

In this way, even in the worst-case scenario, with the Crown Prince alone as Regent, he wouldn't dare to do anything to him, and their power struggle could continue.

The current problem was that if he left Daqian's territory, he would inevitably face danger.

But this danger paled in comparison to the danger of a total loss in the future.

The Second Prince knelt on one knee, asking for permission to go on the campaign.

Emperor Qian looked at the Second Prince, his gaze steady and unexcited, and after watching him for a long time, waved his hand, and a Token fell into the Second Prince's hand.

"Then go and be our envoy to Dazhen."

"Your son obeys the command!"

The Second Prince, holding the Token, slowly withdrew.

Back at his residence, a group of strategists all advised the Second Prince that his actions were too risky.

With the strife between the princes of Daqian, leaving its borders was almost like telling others to hasten their assassination attempts.

"Do not speak further. What do you understand? The moment of peril has arrived when we must act.

I want people to attempt assassination; it would be worse if no one did.

I'm giving peace of mind to my father, so that he can seclude himself with ease."

The Second Prince rebuked everyone; he knew best.

All the achievements, all the praises from the courtiers were empty.

He couldn't advance to the Ninth Tier in over a hundred years like the Crown Prince of Dali, overpowering all other princes so that they couldn't raise their heads.

It was impossible for Emperor Li not to choose him.

So he had to guess Emperor Qian's intentions and act according to them.

Isn't Emperor Qian looking for peace of mind to seclude himself? Then create the conditions for it.

Then Emperor Qian could still have the Crown Prince act as Regent, but on his side, he would begin to amass enough power that the Crown Prince couldn't touch him.

If they could still maintain a stalemate by then, that would be the best scenario.

If, on the other hand, the Crown Prince started suppressing other princes after acting as Regent and someone couldn't tolerate it anymore, they might create an incident shocking enough to disturb Emperor Qian in his seclusion.

This time, Emperor Qian giving him a Token was the best proof.

He hadn't guessed wrong; Emperor Qian wanted to seclude himself peacefully to attempt a breakthrough to the Tenth Tier later on.

And these troublesome princes were the most significant factors of instability.

He took the initiative to step back, take risks, and handle affairs outside, which was exactly what Emperor Qian wanted.

The Second Prince spent just one day on final preparations, and the next day, he told everyone he was at a critical juncture in his Cultivation and needed to go into seclusion for a period.

Then, he quietly left the Capital City with his people, heading east and planning to go from the sea northward to Dazhen.

Traversing through Dali? Better not.

If he died in Dali, it would simply be too easy to saddle him with the blame.