56: Chapter 56 Shige Hayashi

In the warm pavilion, the charcoal fire was burning brightly.

Crimson tongues of fire licked the charcoal, crackling loudly. The faint, popping sounds were amplified countless times in the silence, as if something were brewing in the shadows, bit by bit, accumulating the power to erupt.

Princess Xia Zhiqing nodded slowly.

This nod was light, yet it felt as heavy as a thousand jun.

Her fingertips tapped lightly on the table— "Tap." "Tap." "Tap."

Each sound felt like a strike on the nodes of fate, a strike on the chessboard about to be laid out.

Her voice grew increasingly solemn, as if she were finalizing a matter that would determine the fate of the world: "This matter must be kept secret."

She raised her eyes, a cold glint flickering in their depths, chilling as frost: "Personnel must be quietly transferred in batches from the Western Frontier to a secret camp near the Royal Capital, and placed under the command of General Lin Zhong's most trusted subordinate—"

She enunciated every word clearly, each one carved into the air: "Not a single whisper of wind must leak out."

"As for resources..."

Her tone shifted abruptly.

In the depths of her eyes, meticulous calculations surged. Those calculations were like a dense web, slowly spreading in the darkness, waiting only for the right moment to close the net and capture the Dragon.

"Sixty percent of the revenue on the surface must be used where it counts—"

Her voice was very soft, as if afraid of startling something, yet every word landed heavily in the air: "To forge an elite force of the Heaven-Hunting Guard with top-tier equipment and exceptional combat power."

She paused, a faint arc curving at the corners of her lips: "This is to show Emperor Xia Quan—to let him lower his guard for now."

"And the expenses for training the auxiliary troops in secret..."

She raised her eyes to look at General Lin Zhong. Her gaze held a hint of guidance, like lighting a dying fire: "Prime Minister Zhang has controlled the inner treasury for many years; he must have tucked away plenty of liquid funds—"

She paused, and that pause carried the weight of a thousand jun: "General Lin Zhong has been operating in the frontier for decades; you must have your own ways of raising funds, right?"

General Lin Zhong understood immediately.

A knowing smile spread across his face. That smile held cunning, triumph, and irrepressible excitement.

He leaned in.

His posture was eager, as if he were about to pounce. He lowered his voice further, so low it sounded like it was squeezed through his teeth, mixed with a hint of cunning: "Rest assured!"

He enunciated every word, each one like a hammer: "In all these years guarding the Western Frontier against the barbarians, I haven't done little 'skimming'... *cough cough*—"

He coughed lightly, hiding a smile in the cough: "I mean, raising military funds in compliance with regulations, I have already saved up a substantial fortune."

He raised his eyes, the light in them burning and piercing: "Not to mention anything else, arming another elite force of ten thousand—is more than enough!"

He slapped his thigh hard: "More than enough!"

In the warm pavilion, the charcoal fire crackled and flared.

Between the rising and falling sparks, the light flickered on and off.

It reflected in both their eyes, burning brightly—

In this light hid fierce ambition.

Wrapped in deep calculations.

And an urgent desire for supreme power.

A secret chess move capable of overturning the power structure of the Great Xia Dynasty—

Was quietly played in this seemingly ordinary whisper between aunt and nephew.

It spread silently.

Waiting only for the right moment.

To stir up a monstrous storm in the Dynasty.

"That is good."

The coldness in Princess Xia Zhiqing's eyes faded away completely.

Replacing it was a light as sharp as a cold blade.

In this radiance was absolute control over the future.

It was the rewriting of fate with her own hands.

"The Yanyang Secret Realm is not just a place to seize treasures—"

She enunciated every word, each one carved into the air: "It is a touchstone for screening subordinates."

"Those who can survive the Secret Realm are all iron-blooded seeds who dare to fight and kill, and who are worthy of trust."

She paused, and that pause carried the weight of a thousand jun: "The Heaven-Hunting Guard is the sharp blade we place on the surface—"

"Specializing in shielding the line of sight of Emperor Xia Quan and the imperial court."

"And this force in the dark—"

She raised her eyes, the cold glint in them so intense one dared not look directly: "Is our true trump card."

"It is the force that can overturn the entire chessboard in the future—"

She enunciated every word: "The power of the final strike!"

She stood up slowly.

She moved to the window.

She pushed open half of the window sash—

"Creak—"

The night wind, carrying the worldly Aura of the Royal Capital, surged in.

It blew her robes, causing them to flap wildly.

Her robes fluttered in the wind like a silent war banner ready to strike.

She gazed at the deep night outside the window.

In the distance, the silhouette of the palace appeared hazy under the moonlight, like a sleeping giant beast, completely unaware of the coming storm.

Her voice was low.

Low, yet filled with immense ambition.

Every word was like cast iron and stone, forging the predetermined future: "Since Emperor Xia Quan and the Imperial Prince are so wary of us—"

"Then we will use our strength to let them see clearly—"

She paused, and that pause carried the weight of a thousand jun: "Only by relying on the Lin family, relying on me—"

"Can the Great Xia break free from the quagmire and truly rise and become powerful!"

"When we hold the power sufficient to overturn the old situation—"

She turned slowly, the movement slow and powerful, as if turning the gears of fate: "It will no longer be them suspecting us—"

She enunciated every word, each one like a blade: "But us considering..."

"Whether the landscape of the Great Xia Dynasty is still worthy of its old appearance!"

General Lin Zhong stood where he was.

Looking at the tall and resolute back of his niece—

In this back, there was not a trace of a woman's weakness.

Only the Aura of a monarch looking down on the world.

This Aura made him, an old general who had fought on the battlefield for decades, tremble in his heart.

In his heart, a surge of excitement and awe intertwined.

That surge came like a tide, almost drowning him.

He suddenly realized—

The rise and fall of the Lin family.

And even the fate of the entire Great Xia.

Perhaps, it really would be in the hands of this young woman—

To usher in a heaven-shaking, earth-shattering change.

He took a step forward.

That step was taken very steadily. His tone was clanging like iron, resounding with force: "General Lin Zhong understands!"

He enunciated every word, each one like a hammer: "The recruitment of soldiers for the Heaven-Hunting Guard, the secret training matters, and the preparation of the dark team, all leave it to me—"

"I guarantee it will be airtight!"

He raised his eyes, the light in them shockingly bright: "The matter of screening disciples and controlling resources in the Yanyang Secret Realm—"

"It is all up to you to decide!"

"Hmm."

Princess Xia Zhiqing responded lightly.

This sound was very soft, as light as a fallen leaf drifting into a deep pool.

But this gaze seemed to be able to penetrate the heavy night.

Looking through the smoke and fire of the Hundred Dynasties War.

Seeing through the terrifying foundation hidden deep within the Xuantian Sect.

Seeing the vast, yet perilous road ahead.

"I am a Core Disciple of the Xuantian Sect—"

Her voice was very soft, as if talking to herself: "Now that the Sect is at a critical moment of rise, it urgently needs an opportunity to shock the Southern Region—"

She paused, the smile at the corners of her lips deepening: "I do not believe—"

"Revered Master will miss this heaven-sent opportunity."

"Zhiqing."

Lin Yaner, who had been sitting quietly on the side and listening silently—

Finally spoke at this moment.

She put down the teacup in her hand. The action of putting it down was very light and steady.

Yet the soft sound of the teacup landing on the table was amplified countless times in the silence.

Her eyes were full of inquiry and solemnity.

This solemnity was a mother's concern for her daughter, and even more, the sharp intuition for danger of a woman who had floated in the deep palace for decades.

"The legendary Mahayana Cultivator of the Xuantian Sect—"

She enunciated every word, each one carved into the air: "Does it truly exist?"

Princess Xia Zhiqing heard this.

On her face, a genuine smile finally spread.

This smile was not the cold, calculating smile from before.

It was a true smile that welled up from her heart.

She shook her head slowly.

That nodding action was very light, yet it seemed to shake away some fog.

Her tone was calm and certain: "It is not one—"

She paused, and that pause carried the weight of a thousand jun: "But two."

"And one of them—"

She raised her eyes, the light in them so bright that people dared not look directly: "Is already at the Late Mahayana Stage."

"Clang—"

A soft sound.

The teacup in Lin Yaner's hand shook violently.

A few drops of clear tea splashed onto the rosewood table.

Forming dark water stains.

The water stains expanded bit by bit, as if something was spreading, diffusing, and—

Overturning everything in her cognition.

This princess, who was usually dignified and graceful, and who would not change her expression even if Mount Tai collapsed before her—

For the first time, showed a shock that was almost unseemly.

Her fingertips trembled slightly.

The tremor was very light, so light it was almost imperceptible.

Yet how many monstrous waves were hidden in this tremor, only she knew.

Her voice was as light as a breeze.

So light that if it were a little louder, it would shatter this heaven-shaking secret: "Two... two Mahayana Cultivators?"

She paused, and that pause contained disbelief, shocking inexplicability, and even—

Even a trace of bottomless awe: "One of them... is actually at the Late Mahayana Stage?"

Late Mahayana Stage.

What a terrifying Realm this was!

The Southern Region was vast for trillions of miles, with a hundred dynasties standing—

The giants possessing such cultivation on the surface—

Could be counted on one's fingers!

Each one was an existence capable of stirring up wind and clouds with their own power.

One word could decide the rise and fall of a hundred dynasties.

Raising a hand could suppress the barbarians at the border.

Waving a sleeve could calm a Sect catastrophe.

Their pressure shook the heavens and the earth!

If the Xuantian Sect truly had such a foundation—

Where was this "rising"?

It was clearly to return to the peak of the Southern Region—

To crush all strong enemies—

To be the sole ruler of one side!

Princess Xia Zhiqing turned slowly.

Outside the window, the lights of ten thousand homes in the Royal Capital were reflected in her deep eyes.

These lights, like stars, flickering on and off, were exactly like the flames of ambition burning in her heart—

Jumping, burning, burning brighter and brighter.

A curve of absolute control hooked at the corner of her lips.

In that curve, there was calmness, certainty, and even—

Even an unquestionable absolute power.

"It is absolutely true."

Her voice was calm, as calm as if she were telling a very ordinary trivial matter: "One is a Grand Elder who has been in seclusion for years and does not ask about world affairs—"

She paused: "The other one—"

She raised her eyes, the light in them shockingly bright: "Is the founder of the Xuantian Sect—"

"That Third Generation Old Ancestor who only exists in legends."

"Mother, General Lin Zhong—"

She enunciated every word, each one carved into the air: "This is our most solid reliance."

"Compared to an army hidden in the dark—"

"The deterrence of a Late Mahayana Stage powerhouse—"

She paused, and that pause carried the weight of a thousand jun: "Is enough to make the entire Great Xia imperial court—"

"And even all forces in the Southern Region—"

She enunciated every word: "Fear us by three points!"

She paused.

Her voice added a bit of restrained depth.

This depth seemed to be telling a legend that had been sleeping for eternity: "The Xuantian Sect has been silent for too long—"

"So long that the outside world has almost forgotten its prestige."

"Now that the hidden dragon has left the abyss, it needs a 'Certificate of Allegiance' that will shock the world—"

"To announce the return of the king."

"And the Hundred Dynasties War is the best stage—"

She raised her eyes, the light in them burning and piercing: "We need the full support of the Sect, and the deterrence of the Old Ancestor to suppress all obstacles."

"The Sect also needs us to fight out a resounding reputation in the Hundred Dynasties War—"

"To pave the way of light for it to reach the peak."

She enunciated every word, each one like a hammer: "This is never a one-sided attachment—"

"But mutual benefit—"

"And even more—"

She paused, and that pause carried the weight of a thousand jun: "Mutual achievement!"

General Lin Zhong stood on the side.

His breathing became suddenly heavy.

The sound of breathing was amplified countless times in the silence, striking people's hearts one by one.

His face flushed red with extreme excitement.

So red that it seemed to be burning.

Late Mahayana Stage powerhouse!

This news—

Was like a thunderclap!

It shook his mind, and his limbs and bones were trembling slightly—

This was the trembling of excitement, the trembling of ecstasy, the trembling of the infinite possibilities of the future!

With such an existence sitting behind them—

Those plans that used to require cautious maneuvering and circuitous tolerance—

Now—

Can all be done with bold strides!

Moving forward strongly!

No longer needing to fear the counterattack of the old forces in the imperial court!

"Good!"

He slapped the table with one palm—

"Thud!"

This muffled sound shook the cups and saucers, and even the charcoal fire seemed to jump.

"Good!"

Another palm—

"Thud!"

"Good!"

Third palm—

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

He shouted "Good" three times in a row, his voice filled with irrepressible ecstasy and irrepressible excitement!

He smashed his fist into his palm—

"Clap!"

That crisp sound echoed in the warm pavilion: "With such strong support, why worry about not achieving the great cause!"

He looked up at Princess Xia Zhiqing, the light in his eyes burning: "Zhiqing, you are truly the Qilin daughter of my Lin family—"

He enunciated every word, each one carved into the air: "It is the supreme blessing given by Heaven to the Lin family!"

In the warm pavilion, the charcoal fire burned brighter and brighter.

The crimson firelight reflected the burning heat in the eyes of the three.

In this heat, there was ambition, calculation, and infinite longing for the future.

Outside the window, the night was still deep.

So deep that it was like a giant curtain, shrouding everything within it.

But the chess game in their hands—

Because of this heaven-shaking trump card—

Completely reversed its direction.

A storm that would stir up the Great Xia imperial court and shake the entire Southern Region—

Had already been brewing in these whispers in the warm pavilion.

Waiting only for the wind to rise.

It would sweep across the world!

Lin Yaner slowly put down the teacup.

Her fingertips brushed lightly over the traces of tea on the table.

The movement of brushing was very slow and light, as if tracing something.

The shock in her eyes gradually faded.

Replacing it was a bottomless depth and sharpness.

This depth was tempered by decades of floating in the deep palace.

This sharpness was ground out by walking on the edge of a knife countless times.

As a princess who stood firmly in the cracks between the harem and the imperial court—

She knew better than anyone.

What kind of fatal risk was hidden behind "borrowing strength".

A slight carelessness—

Would be an abyss of no return.

She looked up at her daughter.

Her tone returned to its usual calmness.

As calm as an ancient well, without waves.

But in that calmness, she added a bit of weight that could not be ignored: "In this way, the support of the Xuantian Sect is never free."

She enunciated every word, each one carved into the air: "They want to borrow the chessboard of the Great Xia Hundred Dynasties War to step back into the center of power in the Southern Region—"

"We want to borrow their powerhouse deterrence and Sect power to break the deadlock in the imperial court."

She paused, and that pause carried the weight of a thousand jun: "Zhiqing—"

"You hold the dual status of royalty and the core of the immortal Sect—"

"Standing right in the center of this chessboard."

She raised her eyes, the light in them so complex that it was impossible to see through: "While you must be good at using borrowed strength—"

"You must grasp the measure even more tightly."

She enunciated every word, each one like a blade: "Do not let it end up—"

"That we fight with all our might to stir up the wind and clouds, only to become a stepping stone for the Xuantian Sect to reach the peak—"

She paused, and that pause carried endless warning and endless worry: "Ending up as a sacrificial lamb for others!"