Lu Xingshi had settled into the life of a bookkeeper at Prince of Wu's Estate and successfully activated the accounting ability. He had not maxed it out; it was good enough to make do.
He was not the only one in the accounting office. There were nearly twenty people of all ranks.
That was hardly surprising. Prince of Wu's Estate had a vast household and enormous holdings, with huge daily expenditures and income. Now that Prince of Wu occupied Jiangnan, there were even more business dealings.
But with so many people, the work was fairly easy, and the workload was not particularly heavy.
Thus, he appeared to work every day while actually cultivating to increase his Inner Force value. The two inheritances, "Kun Peng Devouring the World" and "Eternal Youth," operated at the same time, tripling the increase in Inner Force. The larger share still came from "Kun Peng Devouring the World"; with the North Sea's boost, its efficiency was higher.
As for the Golden Crow, he had yet to complete that set. However, he had brought out a pair of Hand Cannons and a sniper rifle, which were currently stored in his Inventory and could be taken out whenever needed.
"Grain prices have risen again lately," Lu Xingshi said.
"It was bound to happen. Jiangnan is prosperous; prices have risen even worse elsewhere," another bookkeeper chimed in.
Jiangnan's prosperity naturally came from being a major grain-producing region. In ancient times, prosperity mostly meant food. Now that prices had risen even in Jiangnan, the situation elsewhere was naturally even grimmer.
"What caused it? It couldn't be because our Prince of Wu is Purging the Emperor's Entourage, could it?" Lu Xingshi probed.
This time, that bookkeeper did not pick up the thread. It was not a good topic.
Lu Xingshi did not press further.
He had been here for about a month, living peacefully. During that time, he received a letter from Murong Xuan, who was also heading southbound to join him.
Murong Xuan said he had found something good and was specially bringing it over for him.
At Murong Xuan's pace, if luck was on his side, he should arrive next month.
If luck was not on his side, that was another matter.
The main issue was the Imperial Court. It seemed to have suppressed the influence of the Saibei Prince of Liao and freed up its hands to deal with Prince of Wu.
Lu Xingshi had heard that seven armies, totaling two hundred thousand troops, were marching toward Jiangnan.
That was probably why grain prices had risen.
And it was not only grain; all manner of goods had become more expensive.
Previously, the Imperial Court had been unable to spare the effort, so its policy toward Prince of Wu had focused on conciliation and delay. Now that it could free its hands, it would certainly strike.
They had the Emperor and the Crown Prince. Why would they need Prince of Wu? Putting Prince of Wu on the throne had merely been one contingency, not something they truly intended to do.
In terms of legitimacy and righteous cause, the Emperor and Crown Prince held the greatest value. Prince of Wu was merely a feudal prince, and he still held military power, making him difficult for the court ministers to control.
"Gentlemen, you are all busy," the steward said after knocking on the door, then entering.
The bookkeepers all greeted him in turn. None of them put on airs.
"Treacherous ministers in court have led two hundred thousand troops into Jiangnan. Prince of Wu has risen in fury to fight them. The army needs several Military Accountants. Is anyone willing to go?" the steward asked.
A Military Accountant was simply a bookkeeper in the army.
At those words, everyone fell silent.
It was a good opportunity, but it was equally dangerous.
Against two hundred thousand troops, Prince of Wu had only fifty thousand people even if every last man was counted. The numerical gap was far too vast.
If they won, those who went would naturally rise high. But if they lost, their lives would be in danger.
Yet within Prince of Wu's Estate, regardless of victory or defeat, the chance of being caught up in it was not great. Prince of Wu was still a feudal prince; at worst, they would be demoted and expelled from the estate.
Besides, there were still chances for advancement within Prince of Wu's Estate.
Seeing everyone remain silent, the steward's expression darkened.
"Count me in," Lu Xingshi said.
He was not deliberately volunteering for trouble. First, the danger meant nothing to him. Second, he had already promised to help Prince of Wu enter the Capital.
Serving as a Military Accountant for him naturally counted as helping. Since it was his own arrangement, Lu Xingshi naturally accepted it.
If they truly won, Lu Xingshi would also be able to openly ask Prince of Wu for Kunlun.
In truth, Lu Xingshi could see that this was Prince of Wu's chance to break the deadlock. He had been pinned in Jiangnan all this time, but now he could use the arrival of two hundred thousand troops as an opportunity to launch a surprise attack.
There was only one problem: he might not be able to win.
"Good! Mr. Lu, such righteousness!" The steward's brows lifted in delight. It was good that someone had taken the lead; otherwise, if he personally started calling names, things would turn ugly.
After Lu Xingshi stepped forward, several others volunteered in scattered succession.
"You may return first and pack some clothes. Tomorrow, people from the army will come here to escort you," the steward said. Afterward, he silently remembered all the bookkeepers who had said nothing.
Prince of Wu needed people at a time like this, yet they had not even stated their position. There would be plenty of ways to deal with them later.
There was no time for that now. He still had other matters to coordinate.
Prince of Wu's mobilization naturally affected Prince of Wu's Estate as well.
"You people have truly made things miserable for us," one bookkeeper who had not volunteered said with a bitter smile.
"Heh. I entered Prince of Wu's Estate to build achievements and make my name, not to muddle through an entire life here. Where could I not work as a bookkeeper?" A bookkeeper who had volunteered to join the army as a Military Accountant gave a cold laugh.
They wanted opportunities but refused to take risks. Where were so many good things supposed to come from?
After saying that, he left directly. They would never have another chance to work together, so there was no need to preserve appearances.
Seeing this, Lu Xingshi naturally rose and left as well. If he could avoid going to work, why would he go? Slacking off at work was still work.
I wonder where he put Kunlun, Lu Xingshi muttered inwardly. Should he search Prince of Wu's Estate tonight, digging three feet into the ground?
But in the end, he did not pursue the matter, because he had no idea what type of Divine Weapon Kunlun was. A saber, spear, sword, halberd, axe, battle-axe, hook, or fork? And would Prince of Wu give such a Divine Weapon to one of his generals to use, thereby increasing his combat strength?
Finding something whose name was all he knew and whose nature was a complete mystery was hardly easy.
As for seizing someone for interrogation and torture, that was not Lu Xingshi's principle. He had agreed to the deal, so there was no need to break it.
Though he was somewhat hypocritical when it came to slacking off and lying flat, that was fine. He had always been strict with others and lenient with himself. The other party had not paid a single coin, so he naturally had to ensure he was worth the price.
If the sincerity was sufficient, Lu Xingshi would naturally fight with boundless vigor.
If the sincerity was lacking, then Lu Xingshi would certainly lack motivation.
Still, the possibility of it being given to someone else is low. Kunlun is a Divine Weapon and requires a matching cultivation technique to use. Unless someone under Prince of Wu has cultivated the complete "Eternal Youth" inheritance.
At present, only Lu Xingshi had completely cultivated the "Eternal Youth" inheritance.