Hidden Dragon

Qingxu spoke in an unhurried voice, like pearls dropping onto a jade plate. "Wu Qi, the Garrison General, has already harbored rebellious intentions!"

The Garrison General was a Principal Fifth Rank military post directly under the prefecture. He commanded nearly a third of the prefecture's troops—regular soldiers whose combat strength far surpassed the auxiliary forces of counties and prefectures.

In his youth, Wu Qi had enjoyed a reputation as a chivalrous man. Once, in a fit of rage, he had killed a man. The county magistrate, impressed by his talent, had recruited him into the army, where he rose through the ranks on the strength of his achievements until he became Garrison General.

If this man turned against the throne, it would be a calamity for Wu Prefecture, enough to shake heaven and earth. The court might even have to send an army to encircle and put him down.

"Impossible... I've met Wu Qi before and read his face. He has the swallow's jaw and tiger's whiskers, with a prominent ridge running up to his crown. That is the face of a military official whose career will go smoothly, but there are no signs of rebellion. How could this be?" Yuheng murmured.

"Alas, foolish child, have you still not seen through it? These are not peaceful times. An individual's life must yield to Heaven's mandate and the great tide of destiny."

"Even if Wu Qi had no rebellious features, the workings of Heaven's mandate and earthly fortune could change him. You don't yet know this, but according to your Uncle Qinghe, the rebellious bone at the back of this man's skull is gradually emerging. His Fortune has grown strong, and a faint blue aura has begun to gather around him. This is the mark of one destined for great rank!"

"Your disciple understands!" Yuheng was startled, then came to his senses. He knew that the arts of reading qi and faces were merely minor skills. Only True Person cultivation could reveal Heaven's secrets above, discern the fortunes of the earth below, and then assess the individual in between—with eight or nine chances out of ten of being accurate. Though he had a gift for these arts, his cultivation was still lacking. He could not yet embody Heaven's will, so errors were inevitable.

"Good." True Person Qingxu saw that his disciple understood and nodded. This young man was the finest among his lineage, and Qingxu had always placed great hopes in him. He had started by discussing destiny and physiognomy to remind him not to become obsessed with minor arts. Cultivating one's own Dao was the very foundation of a qi-refiner!

"Though Wu Qi harbors rebellious intentions, he has no plans to raise a banner and openly rebel just yet. The time is not ripe. If the court's army arrives, he'll have no choice but to bow his head and die."

"According to Qinghe's report, the man means to use the campaign against bandits to expand his power. At most, he'll carve out Linjiang Prefecture as his fiefdom and rule as a local strongman."

"He is now laying deep foundations and eliminating rivals. That is why your Uncle Qinghe returned to the sect!"

"Our investigations show that Wu Qi's Fortune has become linked with Li Black Leopard's. He must be secretly conspiring with Li Black Leopard and forming an alliance with him!"

Old Daoist Qingxu had reached the heart of the matter.

"This..." Yuheng felt a bead of cold sweat form on his forehead.

If Wu Qi raised his banner and openly went to war now, that would not be so frightening. The prefecture could throw in all its remaining troops, and with the court's army joining them, they could surround Linjiang Prefecture and fight a great battle. In the end, they would surely suppress the rebellion. Linjiang Prefecture might be battered to pieces, but Wu Prefecture could grit its teeth and endure it.

But if he merely expanded his power in secret, that would be trouble. It would be like bleeding Wu Prefecture dry, drop by drop. Once Linjiang Prefecture became a military fief, the prefecture and the court would have little choice but to appease Wu Qi with an official promotion and shoulder part of his military expenses. He would become a huge burden on the prefecture while drawing most of its attention and troops. With no one left to keep watch elsewhere, trouble would surely break out across the region.

"Master, Wu Qi has been stationed in Linjiang for less than half a year, and his foundations are not yet secure. We could report him to the court and the prefecture at once, seize him, and put him on trial!" Yuheng's eyes shifted as he spoke.

Even if Wu Qi harbored rebellious intentions and wanted to establish himself as an independent ruler, it would not happen overnight.

First, he would have to recruit loyal followers and suppress his rivals.

How? It was simple: summon members of his clan to assist him. In this era, one's clan was still the most reliable support. After all, if they rebelled, the whole clan would be implicated, so they would naturally fight with all their might.

That would give him his trusted core. Add a few talented people who came over to his side, and the basic framework would be in place.

Next, he would need to sideline the officers in the army who were loyal to the court and prefectural government, promoting them in name while stripping them of real power. Or he could send them directly to their deaths. Given the understanding between Wu Qi and Li Black Leopard, that would surely be possible. But he would have to judge the measure carefully. Handle it deftly, and he would be a hero; make it too obvious and let people see through him, and he would be no more than a ruthless warlord.

Once the positions were cleared, he could promote his trusted men and take control of half the army.

After that, he would wage battle after battle, wearing down the soldiers. This would serve two purposes: first, to mislead the court and the prefecture; second, to help him weed through the ranks. Then he would seek permission to recruit in his own prefecture. Even if the prefecture refused, he could recruit in secret. The camp might be iron, but soldiers were like flowing water; after a few rounds, the army would belong to the Wu family. And if they rebelled, their families would all be local, making them easier to control.

Of course, by then, the prefecture would certainly have taken notice. It would issue appointments and transfer orders, trying to bring Wu Qi up to the prefectural seat. Only a fool would go. He would have to rely on Li Black Leopard's cooperation, abandoning one or two counties if necessary and letting Li Black Leopard seize them.

Then he could claim that the fighting was at a stalemate and that a general in the field was not bound by every command from home, dragging out the dispute with the prefecture. If the prefecture tried to cut off the army's grain and pay, Wu Qi would dare to seize the tax revenue of all Linjiang Prefecture and divert it to military use.

The prefecture might send troops down and fight one or two battles. But as long as Wu Qi won the first engagement, then respectfully submitted a memorial apologizing for his conduct and gave the prefecture a way to save face, the larger scheme would basically be accomplished.

The whole process would take at least five years before the army was settled and obeyed only Wu Qi's orders, free of interference from the court.

After ten years, he would hold life and death in his hands. At a single word from Wu Qi, the army would follow him into rebellion without hesitation.

For now, all it would take was an imperial edict to seize Wu Qi and bring him to trial. Of course, they would not be able to find any evidence of wrongdoing yet—but where there's a will, there's a way.

Yuheng's plan struck directly at the problem, yet a bitter smile appeared at the corner of the True Person's mouth.

Yuheng shivered. All at once, he understood.

A hundred years ago, they would have supported the court without hesitation.

But now the great edifice was on the verge of collapse, and White Cloud Temple had long intended to leave the Great Qian Empire—a ship that could sink at any moment. Otherwise, why seek a Hidden Dragon? Why help a dragon ascend the throne?

In a sense, White Cloud Temple and Wu Qi were on the same side. They both harbored rebellion.

Otherwise, why would Qinghe, a True Person of such standing and honored with a title by the court, have returned so readily to the mountain gate after merely suffering a bit of opposition?

"Your disciple was rash. Wu Qi's actions follow the great tide of the Hidden Dragon in Wu Prefecture. We cultivators should not oppose him. Our urgent task is to find the Hidden Dragon and secretly assist him. Then we can bring peace to the land. Men like Wu Qi are only paving the way for the true ruler!" Yuheng hurriedly apologized. He recalled Su Xia's words, and at last understood.

"Heh... For you to have grasped this much is already no small feat. But I suspect Su Xia had a hand in it. That young woman sees through things clearly and is blessed with remarkable intelligence. She has nearly caught up with us in cultivation already. Alas... The Supreme Dao truly deserves its reputation as the foremost sect in the north. With three treasures suppressing its foundations, its Fortune is profound."

Daoist Qingxu was pleased at first, but then a touch of melancholy crossed his face.

The Supreme Dao had helped the dragon ascend and held the hereditary post of commanding the Ghost-Banishing General Office. This was a powerful position of Subordinate Third Rank, and every ten or so years it could produce a True Person for the Supreme Dao. It was the court's greatest reward to the sect.

Qi-refiners who drew upon the court's Fortune to cultivate naturally advanced at tremendous speed, but doing so was like digging into the court's foundations, and naturally invited suspicion.

First, the Fortune of court officials came with their rank. Holding office meant holding Fortune; lose the office, and their Fortune would naturally diminish greatly. Qi-refiners were different, so they were naturally repelled by the dragon's qi. With the emperor's protection, the arrangement could just about work.

Then, transforming the Fortune of humanity into the Fortune of the Immortal Dao naturally came with losses—usually a drop of one full grade. The faint blue Fortune of a powerful Subordinate Third Rank court office would become only pale yellow once transformed into the Immortal Dao's Fortune, barely enough to sustain a True Person.

The Director of the Ghost-Banishing General Office usually needed only around fifteen years in power to gather enough resources to attempt the breakthrough to True Person.

If things had gone on like that, shouldn't the Supreme Dao have at least a dozen True Persons? But qi-refiners took the Immortal Dao as their highest pursuit. They would not yield even to their fellow disciples, and even among True Persons, some had deeper foundations than others. With such an opportunity, naturally, the longer one remained in office and the more Fortune one absorbed, the better.

Infighting within the sect meant that the Director of the Ghost-Banishing General Office usually served only three or four years per term. Even so, it had greatly strengthened the Supreme Dao's Fortune. There were five True Persons openly acknowledged within the sect alone, and no one knew how many hidden measures it had in reserve. That was how it dominated the north, wielding power and doing as it pleased.

As for White Cloud Temple, the highest title it had ever received was Principal Fifth Rank, enough only to support its true disciples as they advanced. Yuheng was already quite good, but with Su Xia shining like a flawless pearl before him, the contrast made the difference plain.

But that was the benefit of helping the dragon ascend. Otherwise, why go to such lengths? If White Cloud Temple succeeded in helping a contender for the throne this time, it too could enjoy such great blessings.

Qingxu's thoughts raced, but not a hint showed on his face. He spoke slowly. "On the way back, your Uncle Qinghe was guided by Heaven's will and discovered traces of the Hidden Dragon. This is the great matter facing our sect!"

"...May I ask who it is?" Yuheng stumbled. His body was strong from cultivation, but the news still stunned him, and his voice dropped without his realizing it.

"On his way back, Qinghe happened to encounter Li Xun, the magistrate of Gushan County. Li Xun's eldest son had just been born. Your uncle felt a stir in his heart and followed the family, making careful inquiries and observing their Fortune. Li Xun's physiognomy was ordinary, and when he examined the eldest son, Li Rubi, he saw nothing beyond the Fortune of a county."

The Fortune of a county meant an aura touched with red. It marked someone who might shine for a time, but was nothing especially rare.

Yuheng nodded solemnly and listened. His master surely had a deeper meaning. Besides, before the workings of Heaven's secrets officially began, a Hidden Dragon's Fortune was usually concealed deep within—even appearing white—so as to protect itself. Otherwise, Great Qian also had people capable of reading qi. Wouldn't they all be discovered and killed?

"Qinghe holds the rank of a True Person, so when his heart stirred, it was no ordinary omen. He called upon our sect's hidden branches to investigate carefully, and at last received word: Li Xun's ancestral grave was an empty plot, a false tomb! His true ancestors had been buried in the dragon vein of Wu Prefecture more than a decade ago, protected by the Fortune of the land!"

"The dragon vein of Wu Prefecture has a spirit of its own. Fortunately, we pose no threat to the Hidden Dragon and intend instead to support him. We are also a local sect of Wu Prefecture, so we were recognized and given a chance to find him. Qinghe willingly suffered a great loss of vital essence and used a secret art. At last, he saw it: the dragon vein of Great Green Mountain, pure blue from end to end, with purple qi as well. It could give rise to a kingly enterprise—and it pointed to Li Rubi!"

In a time of chaos, a king from another surname—wasn't that exactly what a Hidden Dragon was?

"Then... are we to go and support him?" Yuheng asked.

"Foolish!" Qingxu rebuked him, his expression more solemn than ever. "Entering the world to contend for the throne is fraught with danger. How could we stake our foundations on it from the very beginning? Even with our supreme treasures protecting our Fortune, if we fail, our sect will still be wiped out!"

"We must first send outer disciples to Gushan County to establish a foundation. Then we can watch the Hidden Dragon's fortunes and proceed step by step. That is the superior course!"

"Your disciple understands!" Yuheng had grasped it. Supporting the Hidden Dragon openly and with great fanfare from the start would not only risk exposing them; it would also bind their Fortune to his. If he failed, they would perish with him. That was highly inadvisable.

Only by proceeding slowly and adapting to the great tide of the world could they decide whether to continue their investment. If it failed, they could cut off their tails like a lizard and preserve their foundations.