Master of Strange Dao

Yu Ziqing was preparing to leave and was saying goodbye to Zhang Quli when Zhang handed him a Storage Bag.

"Your Majesty, there's something that requires your personal attention."

"What's the matter?"

"At your command, we have backed up all the Classics.

However, a small portion of the Classics with intense True Intent cannot be replicated.

These are the ones we've identified that might already be lost and cannot be replicated—the True Intent Classics.

We would like Your Majesty to verify them."

"Alright, I'll try."

With the Storage Bag, Yu Ziqing crossed the boundary and left Dadui.

As he disappeared, sure enough, several True Intent Classics were left behind, unable to be taken.

These were not actually existing items; they were forcibly conceptualized within the Sealing.

Yu Ziqing came back in again and returned the Storage Bag to Jia Shisi.

Jia Shisi collected these True Intent Classics and handed them to Zhang Quli.

Zhang Quli, carrying a pot of wine, holding several non-removable True Intent Classics, sought out Yang.

He stood at the door, waited for more than a two-hour and watched Yang finish a task before stopping to speak with a smile.

"Little brother, done with your tasks? Take a break. I've found some fine wine. His Majesty doesn't fancy alcohol, so the wine came cheap for me.

Seven insects and seventy flowers, all poisonous, some of which, by your era, should already be extinct.

It also needed to be cellared for a thousand years, slowly detoxifying, to be drinkable.

A good thing, where sipping once lessens the amount left, I came specially to share with you, little brother."

Yang glanced at Zhang Quli, lifting his lips slightly, exhaling a breath.

"What now? Even your emperor wouldn't dare to exploit me this much."

Zhang Quli, visibly shocked, quickly explained with a smile.

"Little brother, listen to how you speak—nothing about exploitation here.

I came to drink with you and incidentally bring you a challenge that will definitely pique your interest.

These True Intent Classics cannot be taken out.

They're already lost, they can only exist here.

Don't you want to try to figure out how these items can truly continue to exist?

Those talismans, after a few hundred years, maybe even less, could disappear at any moment.

But those talismans can't just be tested haphazardly, right?

This is something ready-made—these True Intent Classics, little brother. Just try and research as you please.

If there's a way to make a copy, that would naturally be best.

If not, and they get destroyed, that's alright. Any other lost items I find, I'll bring to you to do as you wish."

If you manage to thoroughly study them, those talismans might also be preserved, or perhaps copied."

Yang mused for a moment, looked at the talismans, finding it impossible to refuse.

Zhang Quli was right, these talismans were bound to be lost eventually; what they had here was not the actual genuine article.

According to the normal passage of time, these talismans might be lost hundreds of years later.

But it could also be next year, or even tomorrow.

Whether these talismans will still exist here by then is uncertain, nobody can say.

And indeed, he did not dare recklessly tinker with them, firstly for fear of destroying them, and secondly because of the risk.

But if it were other items of similar nature, there's no risk or fear of destruction.

Knowing well that Zhang Quli had ulterior motives, seeking to freeload labor, Yang still couldn't refuse.

Yang stared at Zhang Quli, scoffing coldly.

"One pot of wine is enough for whom?"

"There are only three pots of this stuff altogether!"

Yang said nothing.

"Alright then." Zhang Quli flipped his hand and took out another two pots.

After the two settled down, Yang swiftly pocketed two pots, leaving one for them to share.

Zhang Quli didn't mind and cheerfully watched.

After drinking the wine, he strolled back slowly, hands behind his back.

After all, what's wine? If it's gone, it's gone. Even treasures are just external things.

If they could preserve just one of those True Intent Classics, that would be a major gain.

Asking Yang's help, he couldn't be too demanding, even if he was not the Emperor's teacher.

Such a highly learned figure must be treated delicately and revered.

Give whatever he wants, give even when he doesn't ask—it's all about attitude.

If the Emperor isn't fond of formalities, that's fine too.

Now that his teacher was involved, it showed he still cared for Dadui.

With such concern, whether minor details are tended to or not, they all become trivial.

Such matters were exactly what they, the ministers, were for.

Zhang Quli felt good, humming a tune as he wandered back to continue managing complicated state affairs.

He sorted out key issues that were tricky to decide on, continuing to deliberate them.

Many matters required timely adjustment based on current developments, none of which were few or easy.

...

Yu Ziqing quietly left Dadui, not hurrying back to Jinlan Mountain, instead heading straight for Almsgiving Town.

On the way, he even chatted with Song Chengyue, touching base on their relationship.

Song too was exasperated to death; Dali and Daqian had been at war for over a decade.

Each side attacking and retreating—gaining ground one day, and losing it the next.

As of now, Dali's actual controlled territory had steadily advanced southward by more than two thousand miles, with thousands more miles of battlefield to the south.

The Second Prince of Daqian had been at the frontline for over a decade, and Song was worried sick, fearing someone would kill him.

In over a decade, he had faced more than a dozen assassination attempts, and these were just the ones that broke through the defenses and had visual contact with the Second Prince.

If the assassins had gotten to the Second Prince unseen, there would have been even more attempts.

Most of these could not be traced back to the one who had sent the assassin.