Using Fate Arts Against the Enemy

"Was Qian'er swept off the city wall by a big tree?"

As the king of Huainan, the King of Huainan's journey was not hurried.

His court allowed his officials and advisors to debate freely, and his policies for governing the region aligned with the interests of the majority.

More importantly, the King of Huainan was not targeted by the various schools of thought like Emperor Jing, nor did he face any external threats.

He gathered the best talents in the land, and when foreign threats came, the imperial court was there to defend against them.

Under all these circumstances, he did indeed have a very good life.

In particular, Huainan enjoyed favorable weather and abundant produce, and the King of Huainan was able to mint his own coins, so he lived a very comfortable life.

The King of Liang aspired to be emperor, while the King of King of Huainan did not. It wasn't until Emperor Jing and the King of Liang both died that the King began to harbor some ambitions.

He wasn't ambitious; if things could be accomplished, great; if not, he would wait for an opportunity.

Even if he never gets the chance in this lifetime, he has no objection, since he's living a very good life.

As long as the Great Han Dynasty stands, he can maintain his rule over the Huainan Kingdom without being suppressed or even killed by the new emperor's magic. The King of Huainan believes that life will be very good.

He has a rather easygoing mindset; he's the type who can take things in stride and let them go easily.

After fleeing back from Chang'an City, he never did anything to strive for self-improvement; instead, he spent his days composing poems, listening to music, and living a comfortable life.

He entrusted the planning for Chang'an City to Princess Liu Ling, while entrusting the management of many affairs in Huainan to Crown Prince Liu Qian.

But the King of Huainan never expected that his leisurely days after returning from Chang'an City would soon be overshadowed by the impending disaster in Shouchun, this place of pleasure.

Despite the protection of many retainers, Crown Prince Liu Qian was still knocked off the city walls.

"Who is the one who made the move?" the King of Huainan asked calmly.

"It's that monk we've hunted down before. The message mentioned that he was accompanied by an old man carrying a lantern who was neither a monk nor a Daoist priest," said General Tian You, who was in charge of the security of the King of Huainan.

"An old man carrying a lantern?" the King of Huainan asked doubtfully.

"It's very likely that it's the Daoist Ran Deng who was invited by the Empress Dowager!"

Tian You did not go to the city gate, but instead listened to the report that came by fast horse.

Like the King of Huainan, he also suspected the other party's identity and even sensed that something was amiss.

"Qian'er is impulsive. He previously ordered his retainers to chase and kill that bald monk, but the monk did not die. Now, after being challenged and swept down from the city walls, he vented his anger. He won't continue to pester him. What is he going to do?" the King of Huainan asked.

"He gave us two choices: one was for His Highness the Crown Prince to become a monk and return to the Western Lands with him, and the other was for us to contribute two thousand-year-old ginseng roots and one five-hundred-year-old Polygonum multiflorum root," Tian You replied.

So, Qian'er is in their hands?

"Yes!"

"Then there's only one option left!"

The King of Huainan waved his hand, indicating that this was a single-choice question.

An adventurous person might have challenged the other party and asked Crown Prince Liu Qian to go with him, but the King of Huainan did not want to do so.

"Do we have thousand-year-old ginseng or five-hundred-year-old Polygonum multiflorum here?" the King of Huainan asked.

"Many of the medicines in the medicine storehouse are located in Wuzhu Mountain," Tian You reminded him. "Only Li Shang, who is in charge of the medicine storehouse, knows about these rare items."

"To be honest, it's been a while since I went to Wuzhu Mountain to refine elixirs and make medicines, so I'm not familiar with the situation at the medicine storehouse," said the Prince of King of Huainan. "You all should first appease that foreign monk, then sound the alarm and summon Li Shang here!"

The King of Huainan gestured with his hand.

Problems that can be solved with material means when things are at a disadvantage are not really problems; negotiations are only necessary if the other party does not have what they need.

"Sound the alarm!"

Tian You accepted the order. After leaving the palace hall, he took out a horn and blew it three times. Immediately, the bell in a temple outside the King of Huainan Palace rang out.

Compared to the sound of a bell used to summon troops for deployment, the sound of this bell was extremely penetrating, and its echoes could be heard over a very long distance, even in the northern mountain area, which was dozens of miles away.

The alarm bells rang, and almost all the retainers of the King of Huainan's Household came upon hearing the news.

Although the King of Huainan only used it to summon Li Shang, he felt that compared to Liu Qian's anxiety about not being able to control his own life, the little chaos caused by ringing the bell was not a big problem.

In the side hall's study, the King of Huainan appeared extremely calm and composed, but a strange glint flashed in his eyes.

He closed the copy of "Honglie" he was reading and muttered a few lines to himself.

"My things, Liu An's, aren't so easy to take!"

The King of Huainan muttered to himself, then lay back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest.

He didn't need to go outside the city to check the situation; at this moment, he only needed to wait for Li Shang to arrive and find out about the medicine's condition.

The distance from Beishan to Shouchun is not far; Li Shang and his men can travel it in a quarter of an hour on horseback. Those who hold hostages and demand money can wait, even if it takes a while.

"Your Majesty, I've heard people talk about Qian'er..."

Those who seek wealth will not resort to reckless killing!

Queen Liao Tu arrived in a hurry, but after the King of Huainan offered a word of comfort, she swallowed back all the words of worry she had been about.

The King of Huainan was not as good as Emperor Jing, nor as good as the King of Liang, but he was the king of King of Huainan, and even an exceptionally outstanding one.

Once the king has made a decision, it's practically a sure thing.

"This foreign monk is truly hateful," Queen Liaotu said with slight anger.

"They are men of great ability," the King of Huainan laughed. "Even the Empress Dowager treats that Daoist Ran Deng with utmost respect; what are we then?"

"Are we just going to let this go like this?" Liao Tu said discontentedly, "Qian'er must be very upset about losing face by being swept off the city walls!"

"Being swept aside by the inheritor of a Sacred Land is not shameful," said the King of Huainan. "Strictly speaking, Daoist Ran Deng can be considered an equal to the Empress Dowager. Even if that foreign monk clashed with His Majesty, it wouldn't be shameful for His Majesty to suffer in silence. Qian'er would certainly not lose face!"

"That's not wrong!" Liao Tu nodded helplessly.

"I do not wish to have a direct conflict with these two, but they have benefited from Huainan. If they fall into trouble because of it in the future, that would be quite normal," the King of Huainan said in a low voice.

"Your Majesty..."

"My magic can bring good fortune, but those who suffer my malicious Curse will be plagued by misfortune," the King of Huainan said, his eyes gleaming with a sinister light. "They possess evil Divine Ability and supernatural powers, but I am not inferior to them. I will surely curse them with endless bad luck!"

"Those two Tibetan monks are no ordinary people; if they are blessed with good fortune..."

"If they had been so lucky, Daoist Ran Deng wouldn't have failed to even get past the Empress Dowager," said the Prince of King of Huainan. "I've read ancient records. This Daoist Ran Deng achieved longevity in the era of cultivation, but he was only considered an average person in that time. Not only did he go to the Western Lands in despair, but he also suffered misfortune. Even his protective Law Treasure were destroyed. It was only after more than a hundred years that he dared to return to the Eastern Land to search for them!"

"No wonder that old Daoist priest didn't harm anyone," Liao Tu said happily. "He's so unlucky, it's no wonder that those around him are bound to have bad luck. It's only natural that Your Majesty would make things worse for them!"

"That's exactly right. I was just about to set up an altar and perform a ritual to inflict some curses on the two of them!"

The King of Huainan nodded.

There is more than one way to deal with people; being unable to defend oneself directly does not mean one is without weaknesses.

Having consumed the heavenly materials and earthly treasures of King of Huainan believed that these two would inevitably have to give them back in the future.