227: Chapter 225 Persuading to Surrender

Time flies like a white stallion passing a crevice; in the blink of an eye, over half a year had passed.

Yun Ming's life had become extremely disciplined.

He would wake up every morning and go to see Xue Ji first.

She would be lying prone amidst a pile of Spirit Stones, eyes squinted, absorbing Spiritual Qi.

Her fur was much brighter than when she first arrived, and her nine tails were fluffy and soft, like nine white clouds. Yun Ming reached out to stroke her back; she let out a soft whine, rolled over, and exposed her belly.

Then, he would go to Cultivate.

As his Daoist scripture circulated, five Golden Cores slowly rotated within his Dantian.

His Late Golden Core Stage Realm had completely stabilized. He was still a bit away from Perfection, but he was in no hurry.

After Cultivating, he went to perform Alchemy. Heavenly Dew Spirit Nourishing Pills, Xuan Ying Pills, and zifu true essence pills—furnace after furnace, his success rate remained stable at a high level.

Although Shen Yizhi had been transferred to the front lines, Zhou Qian had returned. He still came every month to collect Medicinal Pills and deliver Materials, with everything proceeding as usual.

He spent the rest of his time taking care of Xue Ji.

Feeding, grooming, cleaning the nest, and playing with her.

The Princess Royal would visit once every so often.

Every time she came, she brought a pile of spirit fruits, Spirit Stones, and Medicinal Pills, and then she would hold Xue Ji, refusing to let go. Xue Ji no longer bared her teeth at her, but she still wasn't very close. When the Princess Royal stroked her, she allowed it, but she wouldn't proactively burrow into her arms. The Princess Royal was both envious and jealous.

The days passed like this, as plain as a glass of plain water.

But Yun Ming knew that the world outside was not peaceful.

Letters from Shen Yizhi arrived one after another.

The letters were very short and the handwriting was scrawled, clearly written in haste during gaps in military duties.

The contents were largely the same—the front lines were under pressure, the Crown Prince's offensive was fierce, and the Third Prince was retreating steadily.

Qin Zhao had been seriously injured, her left arm was broken, but she was still holding on.

After Zhou Qian was transferred to the front lines, he never returned; the person delivering Materials had been replaced by a Foundation Establishment Disciple from the City Lord's Manor.

After Yun Ming finished reading the letters, he put them away and continued drinking tea.

It wasn't that he didn't care, but that he couldn't control it.

All he could do was perform Alchemy; by sending Medicinal Pills to the front lines, he could save as many lives as possible.

The Third Prince sat in his study, a map spread out before him.

There were few red dots left on the map; most had been painted black.

His fingers moved slowly across the map, from east to west, south to north, stopping at every black-painted red dot before moving on.

There was no expression on his face; one could not see anger, sadness, or anxiety.

He just watched, watching his territory shrink bit by bit, watching his power crumble piece by piece.

The Princess Royal sat opposite him, holding the Treasure-Spitting Mouse in her arms, looking at him without speaking.

Shen Yizhi stood to the side, a folding fan in his hand, unopened.

His complexion was even worse than before—pale, lips purple, and eyes deeply sunken.

His body was on the verge of collapse, but he was still holding on.

Qin Zhao stood at the door, her armor still on. Her left sleeve was empty, tied to her waist with cloth strips.

In her right hand, she held a newly forged longsword. A new scar ran across her face from the corner of her brow down to her jaw, not yet fully healed. Her gaze was as sharp as ever, but there was an indescribable exhaustion deep in her eyes.

"Your Highness," Shen Yizhi spoke, his voice hoarse, "the Crown Prince has sent another envoy."

The Third Prince looked up and glanced at him. "Let him in."

The Crown Prince's envoy was a middle-aged scholar with a Late Golden Core Stage cultivation, wearing green official robes and a copper seal hanging from his waist. He walked into the study and bowed to the Third Prince with cupped hands, neither humble nor arrogant.

"Your Highness, this humble official has come by order of the Crown Prince to persuade your surrender."

The Third Prince leaned back in his chair and looked at him. "Speak."

The envoy straightened up, his gaze sweeping over the people present before finally landing on the Third Prince's face. "Your Highness should be aware that the situation is already lost. You have few cities left, your military strength is exhausted, and your allies have all fled. To continue fighting serves no purpose other than to increase casualties unnecessarily."

The Third Prince did not speak.

The envoy continued: "Does Your Highness know that this uprising by you and the Second Prince was originally a game set up by His Majesty to train the Crown Prince? His Majesty wanted the Crown Prince to learn how to suppress rebellions, how to use troops, and how to manage the ministers. You and the Second Prince are merely whetstones for His Highness the Crown Prince."

The Third Prince's brow twitched slightly, but he still did not speak.

"What His Majesty did not expect was that you and the Second Prince would be so weak. As soon as the Crown Prince made his move, the Second Prince's side collapsed like a mountain, and your side has also been retreating steadily. To put it bluntly, before His Highness the Crown Prince even exerted himself, you could no longer hold out. This blade isn't being sharpened fast enough." The envoy paused. "Your Highness, surrender. His Highness the Crown Prince has said that as long as you surrender, the past will be forgiven. You will still be a Prince, still a Wangye, and your entitled fief, salary, and noble rank will all remain intact."

The Third Prince laughed.

"Whetstones," he repeated those three words.

The envoy did not respond.

After he finished laughing, the Third Prince looked at the envoy. "Go back and tell the Crown Prince that I understand."

The envoy was stunned for a moment. "Your Highness..."

"I understand," the Third Prince's voice was not loud, but very calm, "I need time to consider."

The envoy was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Then this humble official shall take his leave. Take care, Your Highness." He turned and walked out of the study.

The study fell silent. The Third Prince leaned back in his chair, eyes closed, his fingers lightly tapping on the armrest.

The Princess Royal looked at him and spoke. "You won't surrender, will you?"

The Third Prince opened his eyes and looked at her. "Why does Imperial Sister think so?"

Holding the Treasure-Spitting Mouse, the Princess Royal's tone was flat. "If you were going to surrender, you would have done so long ago. You've held out until now precisely because you don't want to admit defeat, right?"

The Third Prince did not speak.

Shen Yizhi stood to the side, his folding fan opening and closing, closing and opening. His gaze fell on the black-painted cities on the map, on the red dots that were still holding out, and on the Third Prince's exhausted face.

"Your Highness," he spoke, "what do you plan to do?"

The Third Prince stood up, walked to the window, and gazed out at the gray sky.

"I am going to see someone."

The Princess Royal frowned. "Who?"

The Third Prince did not answer. He looked out the window, his gaze drifting far away.

Qin Zhao, standing at the door, tightened her grip on her sword hilt. "Where is Your Highness going?"

The Third Prince turned around, looking at Qin Zhao, then at Shen Yizhi, and finally at the Princess Royal.

"My Master."

Shen Yizhi's fan stopped. The Princess Royal's frown deepened. Qin Zhao's lips moved slightly, but she made no sound. They all knew who the Third Prince's Master was. That person had been in secluded cultivation for many years, indifferent to worldly affairs and the imperial court. No one knew if he was still around, and no one knew if he would be willing to emerge.

"Your Highness," Shen Yizhi's voice tightened slightly, "there has been no news of that Senior for many years."

The Third Prince nodded. "I know."

"Then Your Highness still intends to go?"

"I'm going," the Third Prince's voice was very calm. "If I don't go, there's no hope at all. If I go, at least there's a chance."

Shen Yizhi fell silent. He knew the Third Prince was right. In the current situation, there was nothing left to lose. Trying might bring a turning point; not trying meant it was truly over.

He turned and walked out of the study. Shen Yizhi followed behind him, and the two disappeared at the end of the corridor.

The Princess Royal sat in the study, holding the Treasure-Spitting Mouse, and looked at Qin Zhao. "You don't need to worry about him."

Qin Zhao looked at her.

The Princess Royal continued: "He's been like this since he was a child; once he's decided on something, no one can stop him. He's going to find his Master; maybe he really will find him. Maybe he won't. But regardless of whether he finds him or not, he won't regret it." She paused. "And neither will you."

Qin Zhao did not speak.

The Princess Royal stood up, holding the Treasure-Spitting Mouse, and walked out of the study. The Phoenix Sedan rose into the air and disappeared into the clouds.

Qin Zhao stood in the empty study, gripping her sword, standing for a long time.