How About We Do It Again?

An hour later, Miaocheng Tian, whose physical and mental strength had reached their limits, slowly exhaled a long breath.

At this moment, she felt the true qi within her body surging with unusual vigor, like a rushing flood. Fearing a recurrence of her Innate Severed Meridians, she sat cross-legged on the spot to regulate her breathing and guide the energy.

However, the outcome Miaocheng Tian feared did not come to pass; she successfully assimilated the internal energy gained during the dual cultivation process as her own.

Following this, she opened her eyes, her face filled with joy.

"Your Highness, this technique truly can alleviate the issues caused by my Innate Severed Meridians."

Zhu Youning lay on the bed. "This Prince always keeps his word. Since I said I could treat your severed meridians, I naturally would not deceive you."

"Your Highness is truly wise and formidable~"

Miaocheng Tian had not expected that this Yin-Yang dual cultivation method would actually be effective against her Innate Severed Meridians, and for a moment, she was overjoyed.

Although they had practiced the Inverted Dragon and Phoenix Art for less than an hour, Miaocheng Tian could already feel a current of heat flowing through her meridians, and her body and mind felt even more gratified than they had during their intimacy just moments before.

Seeming to reflect on the experience, she pondered for a long time before asking, "In this method of cultivation, the progress of both parties should be the same. But if one person's internal energy far exceeds the other's, what happens?"

Zhu Youning first let Miaocheng Tian slowly wipe the stains from his body, then said casually, "When practicing the Inverted Dragon and Phoenix Art, if the party with stronger internal energy is willing, they can siphon off the other's energy during the exchange of true qi, or, of course, they can transfer more of their own true qi to the other."

In other words, during the process of dual cultivation, the party with the stronger internal energy always holds the dominant position.

Take Black and White Impermanence, for example; when they dual cultivate, Chang Haoling usually transfers the majority of the internal energy gained to Chang Xuanling.

Just now, Zhu Youning had also transferred the majority of the internal energy gained from their dual cultivation to Miaocheng Tian.

This clearly indicated that Zhu Youning's strength was indeed far superior to Miaocheng Tian's, which made her feel somewhat fortunate.

It was fortunate that she had not turned against him earlier.

Thinking of this, Miaocheng Tian felt a lingering fear, yet on the surface, she remained all smiles.

"Your Highness, you gave most of the energy to this servant; how could I possibly be worthy of it?"

"You are worthy. And this is only the beginning. How about we go again?"

The next day, early morning.

The sky outside the window was just beginning to brighten when Zhu Youning rose with reluctance.

Miaocheng Tian, naturally, was also awake.

It is said that the plan for the day is best laid in the morning.

To avoid wasting the beautiful morning hours, Zhu Youning helped Miaocheng Tian treat her Innate Severed Meridians once more after getting up, before heading off to his duties.

Just as he arrived at the government office, Li Zhen arrived.

"Your Highness has spared no effort to come to this Ziqing region to guard the territory for our Great Liang; you are truly a pillar of the nation."

"It is my duty, a matter of course. Master Li, you are too kind. Let us speak of the starving refugees." Zhu Youning's words were concise, cutting straight to the point.

Li Zhen looked at Zhu Youning with surprise; he had not expected such straightforwardness. He cupped his hands and said, "Your Highness, please follow me."

Logically speaking, according to the current map of Great Liang, Pinglu was indeed a prime location.

Whether in terms of resources or geography, it held great potential. Most importantly, being situated in the Qi-Lu region allowed it to avoid interference from powerful warlords like Qi and Jin in the west, enabling it to close its doors and develop independently.

However, there was one issue that was tangibly troubling Zhu Youning.

That was the endless stream of refugees before him.

Since ancient times, Qingzhou, located between the sea and the mountains, had been a place with relatively fertile soil. Moreover, with the fires of war in Ziqing extinguished, it was only natural for refugees to flock to Qingzhou.

But the number of refugees was simply too high, reaching forty to fifty thousand!

After Wang Shifan surrendered, Zhu Wen had sent Li Zhen to govern Pinglu.

Faced with so many refugees, Li Zhen dared not let them all into the city. With no other choice, he had to gather these forty or fifty thousand people into a makeshift camp outside the city of Qingzhou.

When Zhu Youning arrived at the temporary camp, he saw that the refugees were all sallow and emaciated, weak and listless. Many were so thin they were mere skin and bone, yet they sported large, protruding bellies—a clear sign of having consumed too much Guanyin clay.

The scene was like a scene from an Asura hell; it was truly terrifying.

"Master Li, does Pinglu still have grain?"

Li Zhen cupped his hands and replied, "Reporting to Prince An, due to years of war, the granaries of all the prefectures in Pinglu are empty."

"Not a single grain?"

Zhu Youning could not help but frown.

It was said that the soil in Pinglu was fertile and suitable for crops, so how could there be no grain at all?

But Li Zhen nodded nonetheless.

"There is grain, but it is all in the hands of a few. For instance, Zhang He, the head of the most prominent Zhang Clan in Qingzhou, controls no less than one hundred thousand shi of grain."

Hearing this, Zhu Youning asked instinctively, "Zhang He? Shouldn't the most powerful person in Qingzhou be Wang Shifan?"

Li Zhen smiled and said, "Your Highness may not know, but after Wang Shifan suffered defeat and surrendered, he was transferred to Bian Prefecture, Luoyang, and other places. His control over the local area is far less than it once was. The current local tyrant of Qingzhou is this Zhang He of the Zhang Clan."

"What is this Zhang He's background? What is his character like?"

"It is said that this Zhang He has some connection to the rebel general Zhang Chan, a former subordinate of Wang Jingwu. After Wang Shifan left Pinglu, he rapidly annexed Wang Shifan's original forces. Unlike the scholarly Wang Shifan, this man is ruthless and vicious, wielding considerable power in the region. The Pinglu military governorship originally had one hundred thousand surrendered troops, mostly gathered in the Ziqing region, and in Qingzhou, three or four out of every ten officers come from Zhang He's Zhang Clan."

"A family of generals." Zhu Youning hit the nail on the head, saying, "If left unchecked, he will surely become the next Wang Shifan. Did Lord Wang not restrain him?"

Li Zhen shook his head and said, "This man is pedantic and foolish to the extreme, yet he fancies himself clever; he will never amount to anything. The Wang Shifan of the past could mobilize an army of a hundred thousand, while this Zhang He, at most, could probably only muster a few thousand Qingzhou Soldiers. It would be simple for this old man to keep him in check."

Having said this, Li Zhen wore an embarrassed expression and added, "However, this Zhang He is quite particular and knows how to navigate official circles well. Besides, a strong dragon cannot suppress a local serpent."

Zhu Youning smiled without a word; so he had accepted bribes from the man, which explained why he had turned a blind eye.

Li Zhen continued, "This Zhang He has quite a bit of grain in his possession. If Your Highness were to discuss it with him, he would certainly be able to provide some."

"Discuss, my foot!"

Zhu Youning was immediately dismissive, turning his head to ask, "Liu Xun, what is your take?"

Liu Xun's expression remained calm, but his tone was equally disdainful as he said, "The generals of the Zhang Clan are all just a bunch of rabble; they only know how to shrink back when it comes to fighting."

Only then did Li Zhen shift his gaze to the general who had spoken and asked, "Is this the man known as the fiercest warrior of Ziqing, Liu Xun?"

"Indeed, this is the man nicknamed 'Ten Strategies Per Step,' Liu Xun. If he is defending a city, few can break through!"

Zhu Youning introduced Liu Xun to Li Zhen, then added, "Liu Xun, I have a task for you. Within half a month, assemble the hundred thousand garrison troops of Pinglu and win their complete loyalty. Can you do it?"

Liu Xun immediately cupped his hands and said, "This general will not fail Your Highness's expectations!"

Zhu Youning nodded with satisfaction, then turned to Li Zhen and said, "Also, Lord Li, since I have already arrived in Qingzhou, you should return to Bian Prefecture to report for duty as soon as possible. I intend to take action against Zhang He, and I fear it would be awkward for you to be here."

"Understood."