Conspiracy

Chen Heng rose, strode forward, and pulled off the lock, opening the doors.

Seeing him emerge, Rong Jin hastily lowered his head, respect showing on his face. After only a few days, the faintly arrogant air he had once worn was gone, and his manner had grown considerably humbler.

It was much like when Rong Tuo had glimpsed the fox-holding girl in the Six Geng Nine-Cloud Chariot from afar at Water-Heaven Cloudfall... After that single encounter, Rong Tuo's Dao Heart had utterly collapsed. No matter what he did, he could no longer muster the slightest will to advance, and he had never left the Rong Kingdom again.

And a few days earlier.

The sight of Chen Heng turning wine into a sword.

Had likewise shattered Rong Jin's courage, making him unconsciously adopt a lowly attitude whenever he faced him.

"The day after tomorrow is the fifteenth, when the grand court assembly begins. My imperial great-uncle has asked me to invite you to the Palace of Worthy Virtue to discuss our campaign against that traitor Tong Gaolu."

"Tong Gaolu still attends court?" Chen Heng asked.

"...You may not know this, sir, but that villain is remarkably good at holding himself back. He always puts on an excellent show before outsiders. Everyone still thinks he observes the proprieties of a subject!"

At the mention of Tong Gaolu, Rong Jin could not help gritting his teeth:

"Had we known he was so disloyal, our Rong clan should have struck ruthlessly at Wild Goose Pass all those years ago! We should have killed him outright! Then how could we have this trouble today? A mere stable slave, daring to talk of seizing the throne?!"

"Fellow Daoist Rong Tuo is at the eighth layer of qi refining, and Fellow Daoist Rong Xuantao is at the sixth. With you and all the Imperial House's Attendants added to their strength, you still cannot deal with Tong Gaolu, who is only at the seventh layer of qi refining? It seems he truly is extraordinary."

Chen Heng shook his head. "You must not underestimate this stable slave, either. One careless moment in a clash of arts could cost you your life."

Rong Jin flushed and turned his face aside, changing the subject somewhat awkwardly:

"You haven't eaten these past few days, sir. I heard from the palace maids that you haven't touched any of the meals. Though we qi refiners can sustain ourselves on qi, mortal food is sweet and delicious, and enjoying it is a pleasure in itself. Why not have some?"

At the qi refining stage, one could draw spiritual energy from heaven and earth. Not only could it strengthen one's embryonic breath, it could also serve as food and water, quenching thirst and filling the stomach.

But even within the One True Dharma Realm, Chen Heng felt he had too little time to cultivate. How could he spare any attention for fine wine and delicacies?

Seeing Chen Heng's indifferent response, Rong Jin rolled his eyes, then suddenly chuckled several times, as though something exceedingly delightful had occurred to him.

"If you have no taste for the pleasures of the palate, sir, what about beautiful women?"

Rong Jin lowered his voice. "The rear palaces of our Rong Kingdom hold countless peerless beauties, some voluptuous as Huan, others slender as Yan, each possessed of a thousand charms. I'm not boasting-even Cinnabar Millet and the Zheng Kingdom combined cannot come close to matching us!"

"What do you mean?"

"If you wish, sir, I can have painters make portraits of every one of them. Should any catch your fancy, you may choose a few to take with you."

Rong Jin spoke earnestly. "If these mortal women could bear your bloodline, surely it would be their great good fortune. This isn't merely my idea. My imperial great-uncle and the others share the same wish."

"Do you treat people like cattle and sheep, as goods to be traded?"

Remembering everything he and the former owner of his body had suffered, Chen Heng felt a rare flicker of impatience. He merely gave Rong Jin a cool glance, then raised his eyes and said:

"I have sworn to pursue the supreme immortal Dao in this life-to succeed or die trying! How could mere pleasures of the flesh shake my resolve!"

Rong Jin's expression froze. His eyes suddenly widened, and he did not know what to do with his hands or feet.

He had imagined that even if Chen Heng refused, he would offer some polite excuse. He had never expected such an unyielding refusal, as decisive as chopping through nails and iron.

Rong Jin hastily bowed and apologized in a humble voice. Chen Heng merely nodded faintly, after which the two went downstairs and entered a carriage drawn by four magnificent white horses.

Chen Heng had intended to summon his flight light and fly straight there, but a guest followed his host's arrangements, so he could not be bothered to argue.

Inside the carriage were silk carpets and brocade, lavish beyond measure. In one corner, a bronze incense burner with beast-shaped handles slowly exhaled an exotic fragrance, rich and pure.

Only after Chen Heng and Rong Jin had taken their seats did the driver flick his whip and set the carriage moving.

Along the way, Chen Heng grew rather curious about the origins of the Rong Kingdom. Eager to please him, Rong Jin naturally told him everything he knew, holding nothing back.

After listening to his detailed account, Chen Heng was somewhat surprised.

The founding emperor of the Rong Kingdom had originally been a disciple of a small sect in the Southern Territory. Later, the sect had been destroyed in an attack, and its master and elders had all died in battle. Left with no choice, he had concealed his identity and come to this land.

At the time, this region had still belonged to the Liang Kingdom. But the Rong Kingdom's founder had, after all, been a cultivator at the third stage of foundation establishment, only one step away from opening his Purple Mansion. If he wished to seize another's domain, what embryonic breathing or qi refining cultivator could stop him?

Yet not long after founding the Rong Kingdom, its founder had silently passed away in meditation one night, owing to his earlier injuries.

Fortunately, one of his descendants had proved capable, breaking through qi refining and cultivating true qi. Though only at the first stage of foundation establishment, he had been strong enough to keep every faction in check.

Thus, the Rong Kingdom had endured for more than another three hundred years. Only when its Foundation Establishment Ancestor died at the end of his lifespan had Tong Gaolu gradually begun to harbor disloyal ambitions, his arrogance swelling unchecked.

Even Tong Gaolu dared not fight a foundation establishment cultivator? Just how vast was the gulf between embryonic breath and true qi...?

At this point, Chen Heng could not help sinking into thought.

Just then, the carriage reached a towering palace.

Rong Jin hastily invited Chen Heng to alight and led him inside.

Upon entering the palace gates, they saw several people already seated in the main hall according to their positions as hosts and guests. Apart from Rong Tuo and the others, there were two unfamiliar faces.

Seeing Chen Heng enter, Rong Tuo and Rong Xuantao rose and hurried forward to welcome him.

"Have you been comfortable these past few days, Fellow Daoist? I hope you haven't found this old man's hospitality wanting."

Rong Tuo stroked his beard, which reached his belly, and smiled.

"Not at all." Chen Heng cupped his hands.

"Come, let me introduce someone to you. This is Huang Zaichen, an Attendant of our Rong clan. His cultivation is at the fourth layer of qi refining."

After inviting Chen Heng to take the foremost seat on the left, Rong Tuo smilingly pointed to a man with a jade-fair face and vermilion lips, dressed as a scholar, and introduced him.

When Rong Tuo pointed him out, Huang Zaichen hurriedly rose and offered Chen Heng a Daoist bow.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Huang." Chen Heng returned the courtesy.

"This is Sima Yu. Though a mortal, he is utterly loyal and currently holds the post of Imperial Guard Dragon-Tiger General."

Rong Tuo pointed to the other man, a middle-aged figure in armor. Though he still wore a smile, the warmth in his tone had diminished considerably.

The man named Sima Yu also saluted Chen Heng, his expression excited and his face deeply flushed.

It seemed that, as a mere mortal, being allowed to attend a banquet among qi refiners struck him as such an immense honor that he was almost beside himself.

"Now that everyone is here, let us discuss how to deal with Tong Gaolu, that great traitor who seeks to usurp our kingdom, at the grand court assembly the day after tomorrow!"

A ruthless gleam flashed in Rong Tuo's eyes, and he began speaking at length.

Everyone in the hall looked solemn. Sima Yu was particularly attentive, far more so than the others.

Only Chen Heng found it tedious after listening for a while.

A clash of arts between low-level cultivators like them was not a battle between two armies. What need was there for so much planning?

In the end, they still decided to lie in ambush along Tong Gaolu's route into the palace and join forces to kill him in a surprise attack.

Hearing this, Chen Heng felt he had truly come for nothing today, only to listen to a heap of nonsense.

But Rong Tuo's next words made Chen Heng frown.

"Wait, you also want Brother Sima to lead archers and crossbowmen in an ambush first? Isn't that rather fanciful?"

Chen Heng smiled. "You and I are both qi refiners. How could mortal methods like these be of any use? If Tong Gaolu summons his flight light, can mortal arrows reach him in the azure heavens? This would only send Brother Sima to a pointless death and take many innocent soldiers with him. It hardly seems appropriate."

"Of course I know that, but we have no choice."

Rong Tuo sighed. "Even draining a fraction of Tong Gaolu's embryonic breath would be worthwhile. It would be better than doing nothing..."

"And the soldiers' lives?"

"They receive their sovereign's stipend, so naturally they must serve him faithfully and shoulder his burdens!" Rong Tuo was unconcerned:

"If they die, they die. They're only a few hundred mortals. Such lowly lives hardly deserve your concern, Fellow Daoist. Sima Yu, I leave the command and arrangements to you! You must succeed!"

The moment he finished speaking, Sima Yu gladly accepted the order, his expression brimming with excitement.

Seeing that the man truly had no sense of life or death, Chen Heng did not try to persuade him further. He merely gave a laugh and let the matter drop.

"However..."

Rong Tuo's expression suddenly turned grave. "There is something else you must know, Fellow Daoist. This is today's main concern, and we cannot afford to overlook it!"

"Please speak," Chen Heng said evenly.

"Tong Gaolu possesses an extremely formidable Dao Art." Rong Tuo drew a deep breath. "An art for externally tempering the flesh..."

At these words.

Chen Heng's expression also grew serious, and his gaze darkened slightly.

The day after tomorrow.

At the hour of the Hare.

Daylight had yet to fully break.

Outside a magnificent, imposing residence, numerous high officials and nobles in crimson and purple were already waiting-ministers, generals, princes, and marquises, their carriages and horses crowding together in a bustling throng.

"Elder brother, listen to the noise outside. Our Tong Household has truly risen in the world! Even that self-righteous old Minister of Personnel is waiting miserably outside our gates. Hahaha! When he made things difficult for me back then, I wonder if he ever imagined this day would come?"

Inside the residence.

Two men were walking side by side when one suddenly laughed and spoke to his companion.

"You brat, you-"

His companion had just begun to speak when he suddenly frowned and stopped walking.

"Elder brother, what's wrong?"

"Just now, I seemed to feel something unpleasant. Strange, strange."

His companion shook his head in puzzlement:

"Ever since I mastered the Dao Art in the Earth Palace Golden Chapter, this body of mine... has never felt such discomfort before?"