The King of Huainan's Fortune and Misfortune

"What? Half of the people who tried Li Qi's food died?"

The King of Huainan believed that fortune has its ups and downs, and that gains and losses are almost always balanced.

He obtained the magic gold, but inexplicably encountered a sorcerer from Xiong State who was eavesdropping on him from the roof of the main hall.

He acquired Li Qi, but most of these long-time desperados who had been testing the waters were dead.

At dawn, he rode eastward in search of Changxing but found nothing. Upon returning to Shouchun City at night, he encountered news of a dead body. The King of Huainan felt that one bad thing after another was beginning to happen.

"Their bodies are white and their blood is solid; these people are indeed dead!"

After personally examining them, the King of Huainan felt that these people had died thoroughly.

"They consumed too much Li Qi, and their corpses are in a state of high decomposition, rotting much faster than when a person dies!"

"We should never have let them taste Li Qi's food. Their blood and flesh are poisonous and no longer meet the standards for medicinal use!"

"How could they have died almost simultaneously? Something's fishy!"

"I think it's very likely that the medication they usually receive clashed with Li Qi!"

"What a waste of these medicines! They were raised to old age, and yet they couldn't hold on!"

"We have no other choice but to use ordinary people to test the prisoners since we don't have enough death row inmates!"

"Cooperating with the taste test is the real challenge. It's impossible for an ordinary person to continuously consume Li Qi's medicine. Only these people and death row inmates would force themselves to eat it for the sake of freedom and survival!"

"You can already see the plaster buildup in their stomachs!"

"This guy who eats rotten Li Qi... ugh~"

The craftsmen who make Li Qi are the ones who create it, but the alchemists who refine it are the Alchemist.

The three Alchemist discussed the matter back and forth, then looked at the gloomy-faced King of Huainan.

"Although Li Qi is delicious, one should not eat too much!"

Some people had their wrists cut open, others had their abdomens ripped open, and the stench of decay continued to emanate.

The tasters who ate the rotten Li Qi were disgusted by the stench, and even highly professional Alchemist couldn't help but feel nauseous and vomit.

In addition to the stench, some people also had excrement on their bodies that smelled equally foul.

Even the King of Huainan couldn't stand the stench, so he waved for everyone to quickly dispose of the corpse wrapped in burlap.

One by one, the corpses were carried out, and the King of Huainan frowned as he left the prison carts in this palace area.

"Eat less fried Li Qi!"

If these people's tests brought any conclusions, the King of Huainan believed that fried Liqi should be eaten sparingly, as consuming large amounts of this fried Liqi would hasten death.

Of course, these test subjects continuously ate Li Qi for more than ten days; a normal person's diet wouldn't be so outrageous.

However, if it is eaten with other ingredients, the chance of it dying will be greatly reduced.

As military rations for emergency situations, the King of Huainan considered Li Qi to be quite qualified. However, he believed that it was flawed as military rations for long-term consumption, as people might die after eating it for two or three years, let alone use it for soldiers to fight.

"A blessing in disguise, a curse in disguise—the balance of fortune is truly a mystery!"

The King of King of Huainan was clearly in a very good mood.

Both Li Qi and Shu Jin have flaws, which corresponds to the balance of luck and technique, meaning that the backlash from luck and technique gained from high luck is constantly decreasing.

"Your Majesty!"

As the stimulation from Li Qi and Shu Jin gradually subsided, the King of Huainan felt only a bit more tired and aching after his excitement.

He did not go to the palace hall, but returned to his sleeping quarters.

The lights in the palace were not extinguished. Empress Liao Tu was writing a secret letter to a crow when she saw the King of Huainan enter the palace and quickly got up.

"Has Ling'er replied again?" the King of Huainan asked.

"Minyue attacked Nanyue, and Nanyue sought help from the Great Han Dynasty," Liao Tu said. "The court has already selected generals such as Zhuang Zhu to lead 100,000 troops south. Ling'er said that Zhuang Zhu received a secret order in the palace, which may very well be directed at Huainan during the suppression of the rebellion!"

"What?"

The King of Huainan was startled, sensing that a series of bad things were about to happen.

He originally thought that Li Qi and Shu Jin had balanced out the fortune and misfortune, but he didn't expect that there might still be residual effects.

Although the King of Huainan felt that the new emperor was unworthy of the throne and that it would be better for him to ascend the throne, the King of Huainan did not intend to rebel immediately.

Huainan's preparations were not yet complete, so why would he want to antagonize the imperial court?

Even if he wins the battle in Huainan, all he will leave behind is a mess, which is not what the King of Huainan needs.

"Did Ling'er get any more accurate information from Zhuang Zhu, and what secret edict it involves?" the King of Huainan asked.

"I don't know," Liao Tu shook his head and said, "Shouldn't Your Majesty make preparations soon?"

"We cannot allow the imperial army to establish a foothold in the southern region," the King of Huainan frowned. "Once Zhuang Zhu and his men lead their troops to the vicinity of Huainan, we'll be fine with all the trouble we have to provide for them. But if the imperial flag changes hands, we'll be caught completely off guard!"

"That's what I think too," Liao Tu nodded. "What I fear most is that Qian'er, relying on Li Qi and others, will act impulsively and cause trouble, leading to an premature confrontation between us and the court."

"Leaving aside the unintentional sparks between us," said the King of Huainan, "If Zhuang Zhu is ordered to search Changxing and finds something, that will also cause us trouble!"

"What a coincidence!"

"The imperial court has an Imperial Astrologer who oversees astronomical calculations; it's normal for them to observe a long star in Chang'an!"

"Your Majesty..."

I'm going to Minyue!

The King of Huainan waved his hand, indicating that Liao Tu need not worry.

"Once King Zou Ying of Minyue dies, those who clamor for a military campaign against Nanyue will surely fall silent, and the court will have no reason to send troops south again," said the King of Huainan.

"The King of Nanyue..."

"That old codger Zhao Tuo has been dead for two years. He couldn't possibly have plotted against me. These kings of small states can only maintain a balance by killing each other!"

Clearly, the King of Huainan, who was stationed in the southern region of the Great Han Dynasty, did not take the small, Savage Wilderness kingdoms seriously, and he was well aware of their weaknesses.

Once a group is leaderless, these people will fall silent.

The King of Huainan happened to have some methods to target the King of Minyue, Zou Ying.

"Zhao Tuo was a border general of the Qin Dynasty. He attempted to replicate the Qin Emperor's legacy by declaring himself Emperor Qin, but failed. However, he did acquire some of the Emperor Qin's relics. Unfortunately, the imperial court intervened, preventing the Minyue and Nanyue from fighting each other to the death. Otherwise, we would have gained some advantage!"

"Either the Empress Dowager nor His Majesty in the court has mastered the art of manipulation, and they would need to be proficient in it for our plans to fail!"

"This technique is truly mysterious; this kind of confrontation happens almost without warning, completely baffling to the naked eye!"

"The art of manipulation is the most powerful tool for cultivation in the world, but unfortunately, after many years of cultivation, I have failed to grasp its essence and find it difficult to follow its trajectory. Otherwise, I wouldn't have missed out on this opportunity!"

"Your Majesty is searching for this trail..."

"Who?"

Just as Liao Tu was about to echo the King of Huainan, the King of Huainan shouted loudly and, disregarding his loosened clothes, rushed out of the palace.

"Damn the evil sorcerer from that Xiong State!"

The faint sense of drifting away high in the sky made the King of Huainan curse under his breath.

The two swords, one blue and one red, hidden in his sleeves never flew out, nor could they reach his opponent.

Tian You and his group, who had been chasing the sorcerer, had not returned. The King of Huainan was surprised that the sorcerer had come to the palace again, which made him extremely unhappy.

The Great Han Dynasty was powerless against these sorcerers, and the King of Huainan was clearly powerless against them as well.

Without setting up a trap to lure the enemy, it would be almost impossible to snipe them.