From spring of Sea Circle Calendar 1513 to summer of 1514, under Guo Jia's strategic guidance to "conceal the edge and sharpen the blade, move unseen through the undercurrents," Peach Blossom Spring entered a relatively peaceful yet crucial period of rapid development. Externally, the Flower Country Chancellor's overt schemes-economic blockade, provoked friction, and diplomatic pressure-were like an unrelenting drizzle. Though troublesome, they failed to shake Peach Blossom Spring's foundations and, to some extent, even became a whetstone. Internally, Peach Blossom Spring stood united, seizing this precious breathing room to pursue three essential tasks with all its strength: "deepen the roots, sharpen the blades, and spread the net."
Deepening the roots, bringing prosperity to the people
Under Liu Bei's meticulous governance, Longquan Island flourished.
The subtle improvements brought about by Chen Yu's [Arceus's Power] and Liu Bei's [Power of Xerneas] continued to show. The land grew increasingly fertile, the weather remained favorable, and crop yields rose year after year. Not only had they achieved self-sufficiency, but they also had ample surplus grain for trade or reserves.
The workshop district expanded. Using high-quality local ores and timber, the craftsmen produced superior weapons, armor, farming tools, and ship fittings. The "Longquan-made" name gradually gained recognition, and these products became important exports and sources of revenue.
Longwei City continued to expand, its streets tidy and its marketplaces bustling, with schools, clinics, workshops, and shops everywhere. Displaced people were properly settled, the people gave their allegiance, and the population grew steadily. Liu Bei practiced benevolent governance, reduced labor obligations and taxes, encouraged commerce and industry, and established an effective administrative system, laying a solid foundation for Peach Blossom Spring's long-term development.
On the military front, under Guan Yu's overall command and with assistance from Zhang Fei, Zhao Yun, and Huang Zhong, Peach Blossom Spring's forces underwent a reform aimed at creating an elite army. Academic study and ideological education were strengthened throughout the ranks, affirming their conviction to "resist tyranny, protect the people, and defend our home." Military training became more systematic and combat-oriented:
Guan Yu rigorously drilled the entire army in the fundamentals of Haki, particularly Armament Haki hardening and coating, as well as Observation Haki perception and early warning. He sought to spread the use of Haki among junior and mid-ranking officers and elite soldiers, so that once their physiques were ready or the right moment arrived, they could naturally grasp it.
Zhang Fei's Siege Battalion, Zhao Yun's elite naval troops, and Huang Zhong's Sharpshooter Battalion underwent intensive specialized training, practicing tactical coordination in a variety of complex environments. Chen Yu occasionally used Arceus's Power to alter local weather or terrain slightly, simulating extreme battlefield conditions to hone the troops' adaptability.
All training emphasized controlling their power and avoiding the display of overly shocking "Mythical Zoan" traits. When the commanders fought, they primarily displayed battle skills honed through countless trials, solid Haki mastery, and exquisite teamwork, concealing their formidable individual strength within a "reasonable" tactical framework.
Zhao Yun's fleet expanded to more than sixty warships of various types, with over three thousand sailors. He focused on training in navigation through difficult seas, formation changes, boarding actions, and fire attacks. The speed and precision granted by the Power of Reshiram were seamlessly integrated into his art of command, steadily improving the navy's fighting strength.
After more than a year of lying low and honing itself, Peach Blossom Spring's army had made a qualitative leap in combat strength. Though outwardly unremarkable, it was now an elite force with excellent equipment, thorough training, and firm convictions. Its core commanders also advanced steadily toward greater heights, gaining ever finer control over their abilities.
Spreading the net unseen, the game gradually unfolded
Under Guo Jia's coordination and with Zhao Yun's assistance, Peach Blossom Spring's intelligence network and external outreach made significant progress.
Using the major islands of the West Blue as nodes, secret intelligence stations gradually extended their reach toward the entrance to the Grand Line. They focused on monitoring the Flower Country court's movements, Marine Branch activities, the whereabouts of major pirate crews, and Underworld transactions.
Guo Jia also strengthened relations with the Two Treasures Navy, making his secret contact with Qi Ming closer and more systematic. The two sides regularly exchanged intelligence about the Flower Country court, the Chancellor's faction, and other potential threats. Qi Ming greatly admired Peach Blossom Spring's governance and military strength, and the two sides developed a degree of tacit understanding and limited mutual assistance.
Chen Yu also sent people to approach the Happo Navy, remaining cautious and patient in their dealings with Chinjao's family (actually, I feel their surname should be Cai, but I'm not sure, so I've written it this way). Guo Jia did not rush for results. Instead, he slowly established connections through commercial dealings and indirect messages of goodwill. Sai and Abu grew increasingly curious about Peach Blossom Spring, but Chinjao himself remained withdrawn and in low spirits.
Winning over Gan Ning was designated a priority. Guo Jia carefully arranged several "coincidences": on one occasion, he "happened" to help Gan Ning resolve an attempt within the Happo Navy to make things difficult for him; on another, he "inadvertently" provided precise intelligence about a pirate force harassing trade routes, allowing Gan Ning to earn great merit; and on yet another, he invited Gan Ning to visit Dragon Spring Harbor's non-core areas "on his way," letting him witness Peach Blossom Spring's orderliness and vibrant energy firsthand. This series of maneuvers greatly improved Gan Ning's position within the Happo Navy and gave him a deeper understanding of Peach Blossom Spring's organization, efficiency, and "loyalty," increasing his goodwill toward it day by day.
Peach Blossom Spring responded with just the right measure to the friction stirred up among neighboring minor factions by the Flower Country Chancellor. Usually, Zhao Yun or Huang Zhong led a rapid-response force to crush the attackers with lightning speed, but they never pursued them and escalated the incident. They demonstrated powerful defensive capabilities and restraint, maintaining security while avoiding the trap of provocation.
As Peach Blossom Spring developed steadily, Chen Yu sensed a stirring in the [Arceus's Power] within him. He felt that he once again had an opportunity to grant a divine beast template to one of his subordinates.
Inside a secret chamber in Longwei City, Chen Yu looked at Guo Jia, whose languid manner held a keen wisdom, and made his decision. Fengxiao's talents lay in reading people, devising strategies, and controlling information. To lay out an all-encompassing game, nothing less than a power governing "knowledge" and "forgetting" would suffice.
"Fengxiao," Chen Yu said solemnly, "your intellect is the brain of our Peach Blossom Spring. With dangerous undercurrents surging through the situation, your abilities must rise to the next level. Today, I shall grant you this [Power of Uxie]. I hope you will use it well and secure a broader world for us!"
[Grant the template "Uxie (Mythical Zoan)" to the unit "Guo Jia"?]
"Yes!"
At a thought from Chen Yu, the system's power descended. A gentle yet vast power, containing endless knowledge and the laws of forgetting, slowly flowed into Guo Jia's body. Guo Jia shuddered slightly. The languor vanished from his eyes, replaced by a profound light that seemed capable of discerning the truths of all things and seeing through past and future. His appearance did not change noticeably, but his entire bearing became more mysterious and unfathomable, as though everything lay within his grasp.
[Guo Jia compatibility: 95%. Uxie template successfully granted! Awakening: 1%] [Guo Jia loyalty +10. Current loyalty: 95 (reverence/kindred spirit)]
Feeling the arcane information about perceiving "knowledge" and manipulating "memory" welling up in his mind, along with a subtle ability that seemed capable of plucking the strings of fate, Guo Jia drew a deep breath and bowed deeply to Chen Yu. "I thank you for your generous gift, my lord! This power complements my strategic talents perfectly. I shall do everything in my power to help you achieve your great undertaking!"
Uxie's Power began to reveal its might:
Knowledge perception: he could more easily read others' surface thoughts and emotions, sense lies and disguises, and even decipher fragments of historical truth from information lingering on objects.
Memory weaving: he could briefly influence a target's memories within a limited scope, implant simple thoughts or suggestions, or make them temporarily forget certain fragments. (This ability consumed tremendous energy and had limited effects on those with strong wills, so it required cautious use.)
Information barrier: he could construct a weak information barrier around himself or within a small area, interfering with others' attempts at surveillance and divination.
Accelerated thinking: it greatly increased his thinking speed and information-processing capacity, making his plans and arrangements more meticulous and efficient.
After gaining Uxie's Power, Guo Jia's strategic abilities made a qualitative leap. His analysis of outside intelligence became more precise, his grasp of shifts in people's minds more subtle, and his schemes and traps more imperceptible. With Guo Jia's transformation, Peach Blossom Spring's "net-spreading" operation entered an entirely new stage.
In the summer of Sea Circle Calendar 1514, the peace was broken. Through Qi Ming's channels and his own enhanced intelligence network, Guo Jia received two important pieces of information at the same time.
First, the Flower Country Chancellor seemed to have lost patience, and the force secretly colluding with him finally surfaced-not "Poison Scorpion" Sarquiss, as expected, but a more cunning and difficult opponent: "Shadow Fox," a renowned information broker and conspirator in the West Blue's Underworld. His strength was unknown, but he excelled at arranging assassinations, inciting rebellions, and creating chaos. The Chancellor appeared to have hired "Shadow Fox" to undermine Peach Blossom Spring from within or create an "incident" serious enough to draw large-scale Marine intervention.
Second, word came from within the Happo Navy that Pillar Chinjao had been extremely unstable of late. After getting drunk on one occasion, he had actually sailed out alone, and his whereabouts were unknown. His son Sai and grandson Abu were frantic and were searching for him in secret.
After compiling the intelligence, Guo Jia reported to Chen Yu, his eyes shining with the wisdom bestowed by Uxie's Power. "My lord, Shadow Fox has appeared. His insidious methods pose a greater danger than a direct assault, yet to my eyes, all his schemes are as clear as the lines on my palm. As for Chinjao's disappearance... this matter may hold both danger and opportunity. It is an excellent chance to make contact with, and perhaps even... influence the Happo Navy."
Chen Yu's gaze was deep. "The undercurrents have become a whirlpool. Fengxiao, how do you think we should respond?"
Guo Jia gently waved his feather fan, composed and confident. "I have my own arrangements for Shadow Fox. I shall leave his schemes nowhere to hide, and perhaps even turn them to our advantage. As for Chinjao... we can have General Zhao Yun dispatch fast ships to search in secret. If they encounter him, they need not press him. They should show goodwill and act as circumstances dictate. Perhaps what this heartbroken old hero needs is not pity, but a reason... to regain his 'Drill Head.'"
The hidden dragon had long lain low, and the secret pieces were already in place. Now, the player guiding them possessed even keener insight. Facing new challenges and opportunities, the great ship that was Peach Blossom Spring was about to end its silent voyage and once again sail into the heart of the West Blue's turbulent whirlpool. With Guo Jia's transformation, the true contest had entered an entirely new dimension.
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