Chapter 1 The Beginning

Daheng, Shenjing, the residence of Liu De, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works.

Liu De was over fifty, his normally stern and dignified face now covered in sweat.

Standing in front of a floor-to-ceiling bronze mirror, Liu De humbly lowered his head, not daring to look directly at the eyes in the reflection.

"Seven days. I gave you seven days, and you can't even understand the blueprints. Liu De… you disappoint me greatly, so much so that I'm wondering if I should have cultivated you in the first place," the person in the mirror said.

Liu De wiped his cold sweat and said, "Master! Those blueprints are truly not simple. All the artisans in the Ministry of Works, along with some hired high-level cultivators, can only understand a portion. They exchange and compare notes, but there are many inconsistencies."

"So, you're telling me you don't know how to replicate and decipher the blueprints, and you can't even point out whether there's any hidden agenda?" the person in the mirror questioned.

Liu De lowered his head even further.

Then he said softly, "Actually, we don't need evidence. We can't understand it, and others won't be able to either. As long as some artisans in the Ministry of Works point out that there are dubious parts with potential problems, we can stop the entire project from moving forward."

"Fool! Do I need you to teach me that?" the person in the mirror rebuked.

Without concrete evidence or reasons, directly interfering with the entire project of manipulating the earth's qi and moisture in the Yunmeng Eight Prefectures would cause great chaos.

For his overall plan, it would do more harm than good, and even that one good was only temporary.

The person in the mirror was, of course, Jin Buyi.

However, Vice Minister Liu De did not know his true identity.

Liu De was one of the officials secretly cultivated by Jin Buyi in the Hidden Court system when he was still the emperor.

There were quite a few officials and nobles like Liu De who were controlled and manipulated by the Hidden Court.

Jin Buyi's move seemed redundant, but in reality, it was to prepare for controlling Daheng even after leaving the position of 'emperor'.

The ministers of the Daheng Emperor and Jin Buyi's personal subordinates were different in concept and meaning.

Jin Buyi didn't want Ye Chuxiao's plan to succeed, but he also didn't want the Yunmeng Eight Prefectures to fall into chaos, which would affect the stability of the entire Daheng.

For his greater plan in the future, he needed a stable Daheng as the main framework to complete his goals.

"That damned Ye Chuxiao, I really can't underestimate him."

"He's changed so much in just a few days. He must have obtained the Dao rhythm I left in the Yunmeng Cauldron…" Thinking of this, Jin Buyi's teeth itched with hatred.

Dao rhythm has the characteristic of mutual attraction.

A Dao rhythm, at certain times, will attract another wisp of Dao rhythm to approach.

Therefore, a person who has obtained a wisp of Dao rhythm usually has the possibility of encountering Dao rhythm again in other places. As for whether they can obtain it… that depends on the odds.

Jin Buyi cut out all his understanding and knowledge of the Wuding Realm, fused it with the real late Emperor 'Xiao Baoer', and also invested a large amount of Dao rhythm into the Yunmeng Cauldron.

In this way, he borrowed the Emperor's soul, the meaning of Wuding, the Daheng Dragon Vein, and the Yunmeng Cauldron to gather almost half of the world's fortune, condensing it at the bottom of the Snow Peak Hot Spring.

This vast fortune and a large amount of Dao rhythm influenced each other, which promoted the accumulation of more than a thousand wisps of Dao rhythm in the Yunmeng Cauldron.

To put it bluntly, it was a chicken-and-egg process.

It was also the foundation that Jin Buyi had accumulated for himself at a huge cost over hundreds of years.

Of course, now it was all cheaper for Ye Chuxiao.

"And Ying Shu!"

"This妖女(yao nü – enchantress), needs to be punished properly to suppress her arrogance," Jin Buyi thought through gritted teeth.

Ye Chuxiao guessed one thing wrong.

It wasn't Jin Buyi who used the princess to set a trap to harm him.

It was the妖女(yao nü – enchantress) Ying Shu.

Even her biological mother didn't know about the existence of the half-dragon princess, but Ying Shu was able to say it in one breath, which was enough to show that she had known of her existence for a long time, revealing traces.

It was just that Ye Chuxiao was in a critical situation at the time and didn't think about it carefully.

Moreover, although Ye Chuxiao was still wary of Ying Shu, it must be said that most of the time, Ying Shu played the role of a 'benevolent elder' who constantly provided help.

Even if Ye Chuxiao was wary of her, when he encountered a crisis, he didn't subconsciously suspect her directly.

In fact, both the princess and the Yunmeng Cauldron at the bottom of the Snow Peak Hot Spring were very important to Jin Buyi.

How could he arrange such a plan just to trick Ye Chuxiao?

Ying Shu just borrowed the channels of the Hidden Court to trick Jixiang.

As for how Ying Shu knew of the existence of the Hidden Court, and even inserted her forces into the Hidden Court, it was not surprising.

As long as a force is large enough, even if it is hidden very secretly, it will eventually reveal traces.

How many years has the Original Intent Sect been rebelling?

Infiltrating the imperial court is a routine operation.

And if there are too many of these infiltrators, some of them join other secret organizations, which is normal and reasonable.

Ying Shu's move was both to test the waters, to probe the mysterious organization of the Hidden Court, and whether there was a connection between this organization and Jin Buyi.

At the same time, it was also to teach Ye Chuxiao a lesson and suppress his ambition.

After all, Ye Chuxiao disconnected her or directly blocked her every now and then. For Ying Shu, this was already a sign of being out of control, and she couldn't have no reaction at all.

"Continue to decipher. If you can't unlock the secrets in the blueprints, then take over the specific core control,"

"In short, I don't want to see a mere Jin Zhang still jumping around, gaining merit and wielding power… understand?" Jin Buyi instructed Liu De.

Liu De hurriedly said, "I respectfully obey your teachings, Master."

The light on the mirror dimmed.

Jin Buyi withdrew his magic, and the originally ordinary bronze mirror returned to its original appearance.

Liu De supported himself on the corner of the table, sat down on the chair, and fell into deep thought in the darkness.

Far away in Yanzhou, one of the Yunmeng Eight Prefectures, Ye Chuxiao had just retreated from the bustling construction site.

After his 'water conservancy qi vein' plan was successfully piloted, it had begun to be promoted on a large scale in the Yunmeng Eight Prefectures.

Of course, at the same time, the imperial court's 'aid' also arrived in time.

Regarding the new 'power', the Empress Dowager's faction and the new Emperor's faction once again began to fight openly and secretly on the new 'battlefield'.

Ye Chuxiao also vaguely had a tendency to be drawn in.

Xinchuan, Yanzhou, the originally vast plain, now had a deep canyon splitting through the middle.

Turbid river water flowed through the rift valley.

If it weren't for Ye Chuxiao's 'water conservancy qi vein' plan as a regulator, the river water in this rift valley would rise dozens or hundreds of times.

In that case, the entire Xinchuan would be turned into a watery country and gradually transformed into a part of the Yunmeng Great Marsh.

Whenever this water dragon, which crossed the state, had a tendency to get out of control, a large amount of water vapor would evaporate, and under the operation of the strong wind, the clouds would be blown to drier areas.

This operation even had a vague tendency to step out of the Eight Prefectures and advance towards more places.

"Everything is developing in a good direction," Shi Huang, who had also just retreated from the front line of flood control, appeared beside Ye Chuxiao and said with emotion.

"These are all thanks to you."

Ye Chuxiao said politely, "I dare not take credit. I'm just doing what I can."

Shi Huang said, "There have been a lot of voices in the imperial court recently. Do you want to go back to Shenjing for a rest?"

"Here has already embarked on the right track, and you can continue to act according to experience."

Ye Chuxiao had long known that this scene would happen, and he was not surprised. He simply smiled and said, "That's good. I heard that some foreign dancers have come to Pingliang坊(fang - neighborhood), with skin as white as snow and six arms. I'm just thinking of indulging myself."

"Don't be so懈怠(xie dai - lax)."

"Grand Secretary He has applied to me many times, wanting to transfer you to the Imperial Academy to teach the students of the Imperial Academy."

"What do you think?" Shi Huang asked.

At this time, even someone as experienced as Shi Huang didn't dare to look Ye Chuxiao in the eyes when speaking, and his old face seemed to be burning.

"Teach and educate people?"

"That's right! I like it very much!"

"By the way, you can also carry out some extracurricular activities, such as visiting the刑部(Xing Bu - Ministry of Justice) dungeon together to learn something."

"I propose that prisoners who have made special contributions but have not committed heinous crimes can be given certain criminal sentence reductions based on their behavior," Ye Chuxiao said.

Shi Huang breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this and said, "This matter is not difficult. After I return to the capital, I will submit a memorial. At most, it will take one or two months, and I should be able to get a batch of amnesty quotas."

A seemingly casual chat had completed a simple exchange of benefits.

Although Ye Chuxiao had solved the urgent predicament of the Yunmeng Eight Prefectures, some people wanted to pick his fruit, and some people were worried that he had ulterior motives.

After everything was on the right track, they wanted to kick him away.

By the way, he would be thrown into the Imperial Academy to radiate residual heat, and it would be best to hand over all the 'work' in his hands.

Teach a group of students so that more people understand the principles and core of Ye Chuxiao's system.

Only in this way can the imperial court be at ease, and everyone can be at ease.

Shi Huang supported Ye Chuxiao vigorously in the first place because the disaster was imminent.

Now that the situation is stable, of course, we must also try to find ways to remedy the unsatisfactory and unstable parts.

This cannot be said to be a 'white-eyed wolf' or 'ungrateful'. It can only be said that this is human nature, and it is also the inevitable result of the country and the system.

Ye Chuxiao's appropriate requests and display of ambition made Shi Huang feel at ease.

After feeling at ease, his words were no longer as official as before.

"When you return to the capital, I will arrange for two Jin Zhang to escort you back," Shi Huang said in a gentler tone.

"What? Does someone want to do something unfavorable to me?"

"At this time… shouldn't it be! Even if you want to rob, you have to wait until I have explained everything before robbing, right!" Ye Chuxiao's words were barbed, making Shi Huang slightly embarrassed.

But in fact, Ye Chuxiao was trying to get information from Shi Huang.

Regarding the matter of the Hidden Court, Ye Chuxiao didn't believe that Shi Huang had let it go so easily, and he must have done some 'digging' during this period.

Don't look at the fact that the power of the Six Doors was all piled up in the Yunmeng Eight Prefectures in the early days.

As the situation stabilized, they had already begun to withdraw batch by batch.

What's more, the five Divine Arresters of the Six Doors, except for Shi Huang and Jin Buyi, the remaining three had not shown up.

I'm afraid Shi Huang had arrangements for the other Divine Arresters.

"There are always some traitors and rebels!" Shi Huang said.

Then, after hesitating for a moment, he still said, "You are now also a Jin Zhang, although you have been promoted exceptionally, you are also a high-level member of the Six Doors. In the imperial court, you are also qualified to wear a scarlet robe."

"I might as well tell you the truth. The secret force called the Hidden Court was originally controlled by the late Emperor. After the late Emperor died, this force was not handed over to His Majesty."

"Now this force has been out of control, and I'm afraid it has ulterior motives. Seizing the Yunmeng Cauldron and provoking the conflict between the imperial court and the Yunmeng Marsh aquatic race is their trick."

Ye Chuxiao was expressionless, and his mind was not disturbed.

The Hidden Court was definitely taking the blame. This was actually Ye Chuxiao's trick.

"Recently, I received news that a master of the Hidden Court is going to attack you."

"Perhaps it's because you disrupted their plans," Shi Huang said.

When Ye Chuxiao heard this, he knew that Jin Buyi couldn't help but take action against him.

After all, he had dug such a big hole in his wall. If he were Jin Buyi, he would be anxious too.

"Then don't you arrange more manpower to protect me?" Ye Chuxiao said to Shi Huang with a smile, showing enough trust in Shi Huang.

Shi Huang was embarrassed again, and his old face was a little strained for the second time.

"There will be… there will be!" Shi Huang said.

Ye Chuxiao understood that the two Jin Zhang escorts were on the surface.

There must be arrangements in the dark. They should be using him as bait to catch fish.

No wonder Shi Huang was embarrassed.

Logically speaking, putting aside the fact that Ye Chuxiao was actually one of the masterminds behind everything.

As a hero who turned the tide but was kicked away and then reused.

Turning around, he had to be used as bait by his colleagues, risking his life to lure the enemy… this was not only excessive, it was simply too much.

Also, because he felt sorry for Ye Chuxiao, Shi Huang would reveal the news so that Ye Chuxiao could be psychologically prepared.

"Will the one who comes be very strong?" Ye Chuxiao asked.

Shi Huang nodded slightly: "Very strong, with the potential of a Divine Arrester."

"That's the realm of Intent!" Ye Chuxiao nodded.

"Give me some life-saving trump cards, otherwise I will stay on the construction site and not leave," Ye Chuxiao said simply.

Shi Huang breathed a sigh of relief: "I've already prepared it for you!"

As he spoke, he handed over a snakeskin bag.

"Good fellow, Bashe Bag?" Ye Chuxiao was a little surprised.

As a specific storage tool that can store living things, the value of the Bashe Bag is not low. Placed on the Ark of Creation, it is worth at least ten Dao rhythms.

The precious thing about this thing is that its manufacturing materials are not easy to find.

The ancient fierce beast, Bashe, is already extinct in many worlds.

"It's temporarily lent to you. This is a strategic weapon and cannot be given to you."

"Inside are three thousand elite soldiers who are proficient in battle formations. At a critical moment, they can form a Giant Formation, possessing temporary pseudo-Intent power. If used for defense, it can protect you for at least one incense stick of time," Shi Huang said.

"Can't you just arrange an Intent cultivator for me?" Ye Chuxiao asked.

Shi Huang said, "The aura of Intent cultivators is too strong, and this Bashe Bag can't hold them at all. Moreover, the imperial court's Intent… and even the world's Intent, are countable."

"Any movement of one of them will attract attention."

"So, as long as someone moves, you also know who is operating behind the scenes?" Ye Chuxiao asked, inferring from one instance.

Shi Huang said, "That's about it. No matter how well the Hidden Court hides, it can't hide many Intent cultivators."

Shi Huang said with great confidence.

Ye Chuxiao only played with the Bashe Bag, thinking about how to make it 'battle-damaged' and justifiably take it for himself.

"This workmanship… is too rough!"

"If I personally transform it a little, its effectiveness can be increased by several times."