Hidden Dragon

Qingxu's voice was neither hurried nor slow, like pearls falling onto a jade plate. He said, "Guerilla General Wu Qi has already harbored rebellious intentions!"

A Guerilla General was a fifth-rank military official directly under the prefecture, commanding nearly a third of the prefecture's soldiers. These were regular troops, their combat power incomparable to the garrison soldiers in counties or prefectures.

When Wu Qi was a youth, he had a reputation for chivalry. He once killed a man in a fit of rage. The County Magistrate, valuing his talent, promoted him into the army, and through accumulated merit, he rose to become a Guerilla General.

If this man harbored rebellious intentions, it would be a cataclysm in Wuzhou. It might even require the Imperial Army to be dispatched to suppress him.

"Impossible... I have also met Wu Qi and observed his face. With a swallow chin and tiger whiskers, and a crouching rhinoceros piercing the crown, his path in life is clear, and he has the appearance of a military official, but no sign of rebellion. How could this be?" Yuheng murmured.

"Alas! Foolish child, can you not yet understand? This is not a time of peace. Individual lives must submit to destiny and the grand fortune of heaven."

"Even if Wu Qi had no signs of rebellion, he would change under the influence of heavenly and earthly fortunes. You do not yet know that according to your Martial Uncle Qinghe's description, this man's occipital bone is gradually developing a 'rebellious' protrusion, his fortune is flourishing, and faint green qi has begun to emanate from him. This is a great sign of nobility!"

"Disciple understands!" Yuheng was startled and came back to his senses. He knew that the art of observing qi and physiognomy was merely a minor path. Only with the cultivation of a True Person could one comprehend heavenly secrets and investigate earthly fortunes, and then observe individuals in between, achieving eighty to ninety percent accuracy. Although he had talent in this area, he still lacked the cultivation to align with heaven's will, and naturally, there were errors. "Mm!" True Person Qingxu nodded as he saw his disciple understand. This child was the most outstanding in his lineage and had always been placed under high expectations. This time, he spoke of fate and physiognomy first to give him a reminder: do not become engrossed in minor paths; only one's own cultivation is the fundamental of a Qi cultivator!

"Although Wu Qi harbors rebellious intentions, he has no immediate desire to raise his banner and rebel. After all, the time is not yet right. Once the Imperial Army arrives, he will only face execution."

"According to Qinghe's information, this man wants to take advantage of the bandit suppression campaign to expand his power, at most carving out Linjiang Prefecture as his domain and becoming a regional hegemon!"

"He is currently deepening his roots and eliminating his rivals. Your Martial Uncle Qinghe returned to the sect because of this!"

"According to our observations, Wu Qi's fortune has become connected with Li Heibao's. This man must be secretly colluding with Li Heibao to form an alliance!"

The old Daoist Qingxu spoke of the main issue.

"This..." Yuheng's forehead felt a cold sweat.

If Wu Qi were to raise his banner and openly rebel now, it wouldn't be as terrifying. At most, the prefecture would exhaust its remaining prefecture soldiers, and with the Imperial Army, they would surround Linjiang Prefecture for a major battle, which would ultimately be suppressed. Linjiang Prefecture would be devastated, but Wuzhou could grit its teeth and endure.

But now, with secret expansion, it was troublesome. It was equivalent to continuously bleeding Wuzhou. Linjiang Prefecture would become a vassal state. To appease Wu Qi, the prefecture and the imperial court would have to grant him more titles and bear part of the military expenses. It had practically become a huge burden for the prefecture, attracting most of the prefecture's attention and military strength, leaving them unable to attend to other matters. Consequently, various regions would likely face trouble. "Master, Wu Qi has only been stationed in Linjiang for less than half a year and his foundation is unstable. Why don't we report directly to the imperial court and the prefecture, and have Wu Qi apprehended and punished!" Yuheng's eyes darted as he spoke.

Even if Wu Qi harbored rebellious intentions and wanted to establish himself, it wouldn't happen in a day or two.

First, he would need to recruit trusted followers and suppress dissenters.

How to do it? It was simple: recruit clansmen from his clan to assist him. In this era, clansmen were the most reliable. After all, if rebellion occurred, the entire clan would be implicated and would naturally fight to the death.

This would form the core of his confidants, along with some talented individuals who joined him, and the basic framework would be established.

Then, he would promote loyal generals to the court and prefecture to higher positions but with demotions in practice, or sideline them. Or directly send them to their deaths. With Wu Qi and Li Heibao's tacit understanding, this would surely be fine. However, the degree of this had to be controlled. Doing it skillfully made one a hero; being too obvious and being seen through would only make one an ambitious hero at best.

By vacating positions for his confidants to take over, he would control half of the army.

Next, he would constantly engage in battles, consuming soldiers. This was twofold: one, to deceive the imperial court and the prefecture; two, to weed out soldiers. Then, he would seek an appointment to recruit soldiers in his own prefecture. Even if the prefecture refused, he could recruit secretly. With a constant flow of soldiers, the barracks would eventually belong to Wu. If he rebelled, his family would be local, making them easier to control.

Of course, at this point, the prefecture would surely notice, and there would be appointments and transfers, promoting Wu Qi to the prefecture. Only a fool would go. He would have to rely on Li Heibao's cooperation, abandoning one or two counties when necessary for Li Heibao to capture.

Then, he would claim the battle was fierce and that generals in the field were not bound by orders, arguing with the prefecture. If the prefecture cut off the army's provisions, Wu Qi would dare to withhold the entire tax revenue of Linjiang Prefecture and use it for military expenses.

There might be prefecture soldiers sent down to fight one or two battles, but as long as the first battle was won, and he respectfully submitted a plea for forgiveness, giving the prefecture a way out, the major matter would essentially be settled.

This process would take at least five years to stabilize the army so that it would only obey Wu Qi's orders and be free from imperial interference.

After ten years, he would have the power to bestow life or death. With a single command from Wu Qi, they would follow him in rebellion without hesitation.

Now, a single imperial decree could have Wu Qi apprehended and punished. Of course, there was no concrete evidence to be found now, but what difficulty is there in fabricating a charge?

Yuheng's plan was very pertinent, but a wry smile appeared on the lips of the True Person before him.

Yuheng shivered and suddenly understood everything.

If it were a hundred years ago, he would naturally support the imperial court without hesitation.

But now, the empire was on the verge of collapse. White Cloud Temple had long intended to leave the Great Gan, a ship that was about to sink. Otherwise, why would they seek a Hidden Dragon and support a Dragon Court?

In a certain sense, White Cloud Temple and Wu Qi were on the same side, both harboring rebellious intentions.

If not, how could Qinghe, a True Person of high status, with an imperial appointment, be so easily driven back to the mountain gate after just being squeezed out?

"Disciple was rash. Wu Qi's actions align with the great trend of the Hidden Dragon in Wuzhou. We cultivators should not oppose it. The urgent task is to find the Hidden Dragon and secretly assist him, and then order will be restored. Wu Qi and his ilk are merely paving the way for the true sovereign!" Yuheng quickly apologized. He then thought of Su Xia's words and finally had a great realization.

"Heh heh... It is not easy for you to reach this point. But I suspect Su Xia's guidance played no small part. This woman's mind is clear and her spirit is intelligent. She is almost catching up to our cultivation level. Alas... Supreme Dao is indeed the foremost sect in the northern regions, possessing three supreme treasures to suppress their foundation and a powerful fortune..."

True Person Qingxu was first pleased, then somewhat melancholic.

Supreme Dao had the merit of assisting the dragon, and inherited the position of Ghost Suppression General Department, a powerful third-rank position. Every decade or so, a True Person would emerge from Supreme Dao. This was the greatest reward from the imperial court to Supreme Dao.

Qi cultivators cultivate by absorbing the imperial court's fortune, so their progress is naturally very rapid. However, this is digging at the foundations of the imperial court, and there are naturally taboos.

Firstly, the fortune of imperial officials comes with their official positions. Once the position is gone, the fortune naturally greatly diminishes. Qi cultivators are different. They are naturally squeezed out by dragon qi, and it is barely feasible with the emperor's protection.

Secondly, human way fortune must be converted into Immortal Way fortune, which naturally incurs losses, basically reducing it by one major rank. The fortune of a third-rank official with real power in the imperial court is pale green, which, when converted to Immortal Way fortune, becomes only pale yellow, barely enough to support one True Person.

The Director of the Ghost Suppression General Department, generally after holding power for about fifteen years, can accumulate enough resources to attempt to become a True Person.

If this were to continue, wouldn't Supreme Dao have at least a dozen True Persons? Otherwise, since Qi cultivators aim for the Immortal Way as their highest goal, even fellow disciples would not yield. Among True Persons, there are also differences in their foundations. With such an opportunity, it is natural to hold the position for as long as possible and absorb as much fortune as possible.

Due to internal strife, the position of Director of the Ghost Suppression General Department is usually held for thirty to forty years. Even so, this greatly increases Supreme Dao's fortune. There are at least five True Persons openly within the sect, not to mention how many hidden hands they have, allowing them to dominate the northern regions and act with impunity.

As for White Cloud Temple, their highest appointment is only fifth-rank, which can only support the continuous emergence of true disciples. Yuheng is quite good, but with Su Xia's brilliance before him, the gap becomes apparent when compared.

However, this is the benefit of supporting the Dragon Court. Otherwise, why bother? If White Cloud Temple succeeds in this competition for the dragon, they can also enjoy this great fortune.

Qingxu's thoughts raced, but his expression remained unchanged. He slowly said, "This time, your Martial Uncle Qinghe's return journey was guided by heaven. He discovered the trace of a Hidden Dragon, and this is our sect's major event!"

"...May I ask who it is?" Yuheng stumbled. He was a cultivator with a strong physique, but he was also shocked by this news. His voice involuntarily lowered.

"On his way back, Qinghe happened to meet Li Xun, the County Magistrate of Gushan County. His eldest son had just been born. Your uncle had a sudden impulse and followed him all the way, carefully investigating and observing his fortune. Li Xun's appearance is ordinary, and looking at his eldest son, Li Rubi, he only possesses county qi!"

County qi, which is tinged with red qi, can only indicate temporary talent and is not too rare.

Yuheng nodded solemnly and listened. His master had his own profound meaning. Moreover, until the opportunity is officially activated, the Hidden Dragon's fortune is mostly hidden, and some even have white qi to protect themselves. Otherwise, wouldn't those who can observe qi in Great Gan be caught and killed?

"Qinghe is at the True Person level, so his intuition is naturally extraordinary. He used our sect's hidden lineage to investigate carefully and finally got the news. Li Xun's ancestral grave is an empty plot, a fake tomb! His true ancestors were buried in the Wuzhou Dragon Vein more than ten years ago, protected by earthly fortune!"

"This Wuzhou Dragon Vein has its own spirituality. Fortunately, we pose no threat to the Hidden Dragon and even have the intention to assist it. As a local Taoist sect of Wuzhou, we have gained recognition, which gives us a slim chance to find it. Qinghe, at the cost of greatly damaging his vitality, used a secret technique and finally saw it. It is the Great Green Mountain Dragon Vein, entirely pure green and tinged with purple qi, capable of kingship, and it should be on Li Rubi!"

Are the kings of different surnames in troubled times not simply Hidden Dragons?

"Then... should we go and assist him?" Yuheng asked.

"Nonsense!" Qingxu scolded, his expression more serious than ever. "Entering the world to contend for the dragon is fraught with great danger. How can we invest our foundation from the very beginning? If we do, even with a supreme treasure protecting our fortune, our sect will be annihilated if we fail!"

"We can only send outer disciples first to Gushan County to lay a solid foundation. Then we will observe the Hidden Dragon's momentum and proceed slowly. This is the best strategy!"

"Disciple understands!" Yuheng realized that openly assisting from the start would not only easily lead to exposure but also tie their fortunes together. Failure would mean death, which was highly inappropriate.

Only by acting slowly and in coordination with the general trend of the world could they decide whether to continue investing. If things went wrong, they could cut off their tail like a gecko to preserve their foundation.