Breaking the Stalemate

In the Imperial Medical Institute, General Ling grumbled as he searched through piles of medicinal herbs, "Ning Chen, are you sure this will work?"

"Of course it will. Why else would I ask for your help?" Ning Chen replied, poking his head out from behind another mound of herbs.

"Cough, cough! I'm choking!" General Ling coughed violently, the pungent smell making him feel utterly miserable. "Don't ask me to do this again. It's too much suffering. I'd rather just get into a fight; that's more straightforward."

"How uncouth," Ning Chen scoffed without looking up, raising a finger from behind the small mountain of herbs. "General Ling, when do you think you'll enter the Xiantian Realm?"

"Cough, cough!" General Ling coughed again, this time not from the smell of the herbs, but from Ning Chen's words. "Xiantian my foot! Do you think Xiantian is like a common cabbage, something you can just pick up? As far as I know, no one in our Great Xia has reached the Xiantian Realm besides the head of Tiancang Academy."

"Then what realm are you in?" Ning Chen asked casually as he dug out a piece of saltpeter.

"Houtian Eighth Rank," General Ling replied proudly.

"I despise you," Ning Chen said, raising a finger again. Only eighth rank? That's not even enough for Qing Ling to beat with one hand.

"What do you know?" General Ling disdained arguing with him. In Great Xia, an eighth-rank master could already command an army. He was in the palace, where powerful individuals gathered, which was why he didn't stand out.

"I'm already First Rank. I just broke through a couple of days ago."

"..." General Ling was speechless. He truly couldn't refute that. Heaven help me, he suffered so much to reach the First Rank in martial arts back then. Who would have thought this guy, who knows nothing, could stumble into this rank?

"That's just good luck," General Ling said, still unconvinced, but couldn't help but retort.

"Good luck is also a skill. Look, isn't this round with the delegates from the Pancake Kingdom all about luck?" Ning Chen straightened up, rubbing his sore back.

"True. Why do you call it the Pancake Kingdom?" General Ling asked curiously.

"Can't you tell? Haven't you noticed all their people have pancake-shaped faces?" Ning Chen replied matter-of-factly.

"Brother, you're a real talent!" General Ling praised, giving him a thumbs-up.

"Just a humble reputation," Ning Chen said modestly.

"Oh, right. I still haven't asked you, what's the point of finding all this stuff?" General Ling asked, covering his nose.

"You'll know soon enough, General Ling. I need to ask a favor of you."

"Speak."

"Whatever we find today, you absolutely cannot let anyone else know. Not even if Grandson... No, not even if the Empress Dowager asks, you must say you don't know and just pin all the blame on me." Ning Chen looked up, his expression serious.

"Ask what?" General Ling asked, a look of surprise on his face.

"Do you know about the plague?"

"Yes."

"The consequences of this getting out would be far more terrifying than the plague. Human greed is insatiable; sometimes, people will stop at nothing to achieve their goals," Ning Chen sighed.

General Ling was shocked. After struggling for a moment, he nodded. He somewhat understood the hidden meaning in Ning Chen's words. If it was truly as he implied, then this information absolutely could not be leaked.

"Thank you," Ning Chen said. He trusted General Ling's character. However, even if they took ten thousand steps back, even if Grandson and the Xia Emperor found out about what they were looking for today, finding the correct formula wouldn't be so simple. For this reason, he had deliberately taken many extra items, and most of the medicinal herbs he had General Ling search for were useless, simply to disrupt the palace's watchful eyes.

Nothing in this world is absolute. To guard against any potential unforeseen circumstances, he had to take a cynical view of others. Of course, the sole and most important reason was that he didn't want to die, and this formula was his life-saving charm. As long as it wasn't leaked, his head would remain attached.

The two of them had been at it for most of the day, practically turning the entire Imperial Medical Institute upside down. However, with Grandson's verbal decree and token, the imperial physicians dared not question them and could only let them do as they pleased. Grandson had no intention of taking back the jade pendant, so Ning Chen kept it. This item was very useful, allowing him to deal with anyone he encountered, likely similar to a death-exemption medallion. In truth, Grandson had good intentions; it wasn't that she had forgotten, but that she knew Ning Chen was a troublemaker. If one day she couldn't come to his aid in time, this jade pendant could temporarily save his life.

"Cough, cough, that's enough. Let's go," Ning Chen said after finding the last item and casually rummaging through some other things.

"Alright," General Ling had had enough. Hearing Ning Chen's voice, he grabbed the items without another word and started to leave.

"Where are we going?" After two steps, General Ling suddenly stopped. Seeing Ning Chen's disdainful gaze, he scratched his head.

"The Ministry of Works Workshop," Ning Chen said disdainfully.

"It's that far?" General Ling asked reluctantly.

"You don't have to go, I'm not forcing you," Ning Chen said indifferently. Go on, don't go if you're so brave.

"Heh heh, just kidding."

General Ling chuckled awkwardly. How could he dare not go? Ning Chen could say whatever he wanted, but the key was that Ning Chen had connections.

Time was pressing, so the two didn't dare to delay and hurried off to the Ministry of Works Workshop.

In the Heavenly Edict Hall, when a palace maid came up to pour wine, Grandson "accidentally" knocked over a cup. He scolded the maid for a couple of sentences, then dipped his finger in the wine and secretly wrote the character "delay" on the back of the wine pot.

Due to the angle, the Zhenji Kingdom couldn't see much, but the Xia Emperor, seated on his high throne, saw it clearly.

"Ambassador, how about increasing the stakes of our wager by another fifty percent? I am willing to wager the four-and-a-half-year usage rights of Bairuo Plains against the Zhenji Kingdom's thirty thousand warhorses."

The Xia Emperor spoke calmly, instantly stunning all the officials present. At this moment, even the Three Grand Ministers' eyes flashed with surprise. To increase the stakes under such unfavorable conditions, wouldn't that be intentionally giving the Zhenji Kingdom an advantage?

Hearing the Xia Emperor's words, the Zhenji Kingdom's ambassador frowned slightly, pondering, but still couldn't figure out what the Xia Emperor was thinking.

Logically, if the Xia Emperor raised the stakes now, he was either bluffing to force them to concede, or he truly had absolute confidence in winning.

The Zhenji Kingdom's total warhorse reserves were less than forty thousand, accumulated over many years by purchasing from various sources. Wagering twenty thousand was already their limit; they couldn't possibly offer more.

Although he had absolute confidence in the five individuals behind him, he couldn't rashly increase the wager.

"Xia Emperor, allow me a moment to consider," the Zhenji Kingdom's ambassador said with a grave expression, unable to pinpoint the problem.

"You may," the Xia Emperor nodded, granting permission.

Below, Grandson sneered. One's position determines one's perspective. The Zhenji Kingdom is a small, insignificant place, which means its ambassador, no matter how clever, is bound by that limitation.

Great Xia was vast, its territory stretching for tens of thousands of miles. It could afford to gamble and afford to lose.

While the Zhenji Kingdom's ambassador deliberated, Great Xia's officials were also trying to fathom the Xia Emperor's intentions. For the first time, they realized that they truly couldn't understand their Emperor.

Time passed bit by bit. The Xia Emperor on the throne didn't rush them, and the Zhenji Kingdom's ambassador's expression below kept changing. It had to be said that the Xia Emperor's proposal was very tempting; nearly five years of usage rights for Bairuo Plains made it hard for him to refuse. However, the thought of the cost was equally unbearable.

Warhorses were different from ordinary horses. Like Great Xia, the Zhenji Kingdom didn't have Akhal-Teke Horses like the Northern Mongol Royal Court that could produce large numbers of warhorses. Ten thousand warhorses required cultivating and selecting over a hundred thousand horses.

The production rate of warhorses was always less than one in ten; otherwise, Great Xia wouldn't use a place as important as Bairuo Plains as a wager.

After waiting for a long time, the Zhenji Kingdom's ambassador finally sighed. He admitted that he still couldn't convince himself to take such a risk. The Zhenji Kingdom, after all, couldn't compare to Great Xia; such a huge cost was something they couldn't bear.

"Empress, it's ready," Ning Chen quietly returned at this moment, signaling.

Grandson nodded, then gestured to the Xia Emperor, indicating that everything was prepared.

"Ambassador, have you reached a conclusion?" the Xia Emperor asked.

The Zhenji Kingdom's ambassador stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "The Xia Emperor's proposal is very tempting, but I came here under orders and cannot change my King's decision. I hope you will forgive me."

"In that case, I will not force it. The wager remains as originally agreed. Guards, prepare the imperial carriage for Zhengqi Palace."

"As you command!"

The officials knelt in obeisance, then exited the Heavenly Edict Hall and proceeded grandly towards Zhengqi Palace.

Zhengqi Palace, a peculiar palace built by artisans of the previous dynasty, had four palace gates to the east, south, west, and north. They seemed unremarkable, but only those who had entered knew that unless one marked their path to return the same way, it was almost impossible to get out.

The wager was simple: each side would choose a palace gate to enter and then simply exit through another.

The Zhenji Kingdom's ambassador sent one of the five white-robed scholars into the hall. On Great Xia's side, it was, predictably, Ning Chen who stepped up to take the challenge.

Ning Chen carried a large pack, filled with dry rations, water, and dried meat—everything one could need. He had borrowed it from the Imperial Kitchen.

The Zhenji Kingdom's ambassador sneered, not caring. What if you prepare ten days' worth of dry rations? The five Heavenly Heart adepts have calculated that if all goes smoothly, half an hour will be enough.

"If you lose, don't bother coming out," Grandson said, a frown on her face, exasperated at Ning Chen's large pack.

"If I win, will you let me out of the palace?" Ning Chen asked with a slight, shy smile, testing the waters.

"We'll see then," Grandson said indifferently, noncommittal.

Ning Chen wasn't disappointed. He huffed two discontented breaths inwardly. He knew this would be the outcome. Anyway, he had already found another way out, and by then, Grandson wouldn't be able to stop him.

Both entered the palace simultaneously. Behind the Zhenji Kingdom's ambassador, four Heavenly Heart adepts stood before each palace gate, hands clasped, spiritual light shimmering around them. Through their Four-Symbol Communication, they remotely sensed the white-robed scholar who had entered Zhengqi Palace. By sensing the changes in distance between themselves and him, they quickly guided him to the most correct path.

"The Five-Body Shared Mind Technique!"

Among Great Xia's military generals, one finally recognized it and blurted out in shock. Ahead, the Xia Emperor and Grandson's hearts tightened. It seemed they had underestimated the Zhenji Kingdom's ambassador. With these five individuals, Great Xia's chances of winning were extremely slim.

"Empress, are you confident?"

The Xia Emperor asked with a grave expression.

Grandson's eyes narrowed slightly, hesitating. But then she saw Qing Ling beside her nod earnestly. She finally sighed and said, "Your concubine trusts him."

Upon hearing this, the Xia Emperor nodded slightly and said nothing more.

At this very moment, suddenly, a thunderous BOOM echoed from within Zhengqi Palace. As the heavens and earth shook, another explosion immediately followed.

BOOM

BOOM

BOOM

In less than a quarter of an hour, explosion after explosion continuously rang out from Zhengqi Palace. Before anyone could react, a disheveled figure, covered in dust, ran out from the western palace gate.

"Cough, cough, cough."

Having finally made it out of the palace gates, Ning Chen had no time to worry about anything else. He coughed while dusting himself off. How could the power of that black powder be so terrifying? Good thing I ran fast.

Outside the hall, everyone was stunned. Not only the officials of Great Xia, but even the envoys from Zhenji Kingdom hadn't recovered from the earth-shattering commotion.

"Your Majesty, we won."

At this moment, a faint smile finally touched Grandson's lips as he spoke softly.

"Good."

The Xia Emperor suppressed the shock in his heart and said in a deep voice, "As long as we have warhorses, what does Great Xia's youth have to fear from anyone?"

Beside him, the Zhenji Kingdom envoy's face turned ashen, and his body trembled. He couldn't believe what had happened.

Why did a sure victory turn out like this?

And what was that explosion just now? Such an earth-shattering commotion—no one but a Xiantian Realm expert could possibly cause it!

But that little eunuch was definitely not a Xiantian Realm expert, and I didn't feel any terrifying pressure unique to a Xiantian Realm expert inside Zhengqi Palace.

"Why?!"

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