"What I do is none of your business."
The Witch emphasized her words. "You only need to tell me: are you going or not?"
"What a coincidence."
Chen Sanshi said frankly, "I was already planning to visit the Western Ox Continent. Since I can't stop you, we might as well travel together."
"That's more like it."
The Witch was very pleased with his answer. "What are we waiting for? Let's leave now."
"Little Bamboo!"
Chen Sanshi sent a voice transmission to the neighboring tent.
A moment later, Dongfang Jingxing arrived in response. "What are Your Majesty's orders?"
"I'm preparing to leave for a while."
Chen Sanshi said, "The duration is uncertain—perhaps months, perhaps years. This information must remain absolutely confidential.
"I will leave behind a puppet to pretend that I am in closed-door cultivation.
"During this time, the entire army is to hold its ground and not venture out.
"If anything unexpected happens, consult Yuling, Wang Zhi, and several of my senior brothers. The final authority will be handed to Qi Cheng."
"This servant obeys."
Dongfang Jingxing did not ask a single unnecessary question, merely committing the Imperial Decree to memory.
This matter could not be delayed. Once someone noticed it, it would surely bring troubles such as pursuit and surveillance.
Thus, after Chen Sanshi made simple arrangements for the army, he and the Witch left the Tianshui border under cover of night without a sound, heading south and west toward their destination.
Speaking of the Buddhist sect, it had once flourished in Tianshui several thousand years ago.
According to ancient records, at its most excessive, nearly every village and town had a temple enshrining a Buddhist deity.
Until later, when the demonic, righteous, and fiendish paths suddenly joined forces and launched an Anti-Buddhist Movement, dealing the Buddhist forces throughout