“The High Priest,” Jiang Shuoye whispered softly.

Why did this seem to carry a sinister aura? If he really was a god, then he must be a “ghost god.”

Jiang Shuoye was usually either training or on his way to training, with little time to rest or let his thoughts wander. 

But now, in his dreams, his thoughts had free rein and were in a state of chaos.

From his high seat, Chu Jiubian knew that this man didn’t believe him or take him seriously.

He chuckled softly.

The entire space suddenly shook, and a thunderous sound jolted Jiang Shuoye from his thoughts.

Jiang Shuoye’s eyes turned fierce and he immediately stood up from his chair.

And the moment he stood, the ground beneath his feet collapsed.

Fortunately, his qigong and reaction speed were excellent, so he stepped onto the back of the chair and pushed off it to fly upward.

And raised his fist to attack Chu Jiubian’s silhouette.

Even if this was a dream, even if he was as small as an ant before this so-called god, there was absolutely no reason to let himself be subjugated.

A low laugh came from the mist, and Jiang Shuoye’s body froze, as if all of his strength had been drained away in an instant.

He was horrified, and a feeling of panicked powerlessness he had never felt before came over him.

He was unable to defeat this High Priest.

No, it should be said that he and the other party weren’t in the same league at all.

He was like a young child who wasn’t even able to crawl!

He was defenseless in front of this person. What a nightmare.

He had best wake up quickly.

Jiang Shuoye experienced the strong urge to wake up. But at the same time, he was so exhausted that he couldn’t even mobilize his internal strength, and his qigong lost its power.

Thus, he fell from a great height just like an ordinary person with no internal strength.

The rush of wind penetrated his ears, and the pure white space in front of him was once again wreathed in clouds and mist.

The last thing he saw was the towering silhouette of the High Priest, who seemed to be looking down at him.

Jiang Shuoye’s pupils immediately constricted.

And in the next moment, he opened his eyes and sat up in bed.

He gasped for breath, chest rising and falling rapidly. The despair of being on the verge of death and the fear of facing the unknown had his nerves going haywire.

However, as a battle-hardened soldier, Jiang Shuoye had the remarkable ability to self-regulate.

It only took two deep breaths for him to recover from that “nightmare.”

He subconsciously looked in the direction he had inspected before going to sleep, but there was still nobody there. He no longer felt any eyes on him.

His throat was dry, and rolled up and down as he swallowed. 

He got out of bed and walked to the table. Drinking half of the remaining water made him feel a little better.

But his brow was furrowed, and he didn’t look completely at ease.

The “dream” just now had been so real that he couldn’t distinguish it from reality. He’d even had the illusion that he would really die there.

Was it really a dream?

But if it wasn’t a dream, then what was it?

Jiang Shuoye was cautious by nature. He didn’t believe in the supernatural, but he wouldn’t rashly eliminate any possibilities.

It seemed he would need to investigate the people and goings-on around him. Perhaps someone had done something to him.

Inside the Divine Realm.

Chu Jiubian gazed at the empty table, lost in thought.

He had wanted to prove his abilities to Jiang Shuoye just now, not throw him to his death. But before he could use the white mist to catch that person, he had vanished.

The System informed him that he had left the Divine Realm due to waking up.

That meant that the Divine Realm was actually a higher form of dream, though it was more logical than dreams and had Chu Jiubian as its only master.

However, the Divine Realm still retained the characteristics of a “dream,” and events such as falling from a height or being near death may cause someone inside it to wake up prematurely.

[Don’t worry, Host. Once your Believers accept your identity as a “god,” they will no longer voluntarily leave the Divine Realm.]

Chu Jiubian nodded.

He understood this.

If Believers accepted that he was a god, they would become his absolute supporters and naturally obey most of his commands.

If he told them to leave, then they would leave, and if he didn’t give them permission, they wouldn’t leave at will. 

So in the end, he still needed to play the role of a god well enough that his Believers would obey him.

But Jiang Shuoye currently had no faith in him, and even felt that his recent experience was merely a dream.

This wasn’t going to work.

Of course, if Chu Jiubian pulled him into the Divine Realm several times in a row, perhaps he would believe that he had supernatural powers.

But rather than believing he was a god, taking into account Jiang Shuoye’s personality and mode of thinking, he would more than likely view him as a “monster.”

And as a god, just being feared by his Believers was not sufficient.

Chu Jiubian should also provide something accordingly for his Believers, so that they would both respect and love him.

It was the same principle. If he wanted to establish cooperation, he would have to find out what the other party needed.

After all, the relationship between Chu Jiubian and his Believers was actually based on cooperation.

He needed Believers to be his power in case of an emergency, and they wouldn’t obey him for no reason – they must receive some benefits.

The art of managing people involved the carrot-and-stick approach. It couldn’t be simpler.

And now that Chu Jiubian had given Jiang Shuoye the stick, it was time to give him the carrot.

“System, can you check on what Jiang Shuoye is doing?”

[Host, please purchase the permanent “Card Visibility” function. After a successful purchase, Host can view the current status of bound Believers through their card at any time.]

Chu Jiubian: “How many points is it?”

[Answering Host, only 20 Faith Points are required. Would you like to purchase it?]

This feature was very practical, and he would definitely use it many times in the future.

So Chu Jiubian didn’t hesitate, saying decisively: “Purchase it.”

After 20 Faith Points were deducted, the character card belonging to Jiang Shuoye appeared in front of Chu Jiubian once more.

When the card enlarged and expanded, the image was no longer of the monotonous tent, but a desert covered in yellow sand.

Jiang Shuoye stood there with his arms folded, his cool gaze fixed on the cavalry formation in front of him. 

The cavalry phalanx, with fifty men in each column, consisted of tall horses and armored soldiers, and at first glance looked quite organized.

The officer in the lead shouted a command, and the entire phalanx took off into the distance.

The formation barely held together at first, and fell into disorder within just a few steps.

The horses were disobedient, and the soldiers panicked. They clamped their legs tightly around the horses’ bellies, but some were still thrown off.

It was difficult to march with such troops, much less pick up a spear to kill the enemy.

Jiang Shuoye’s already sullen expression darkened considerably.

Chu Jiubian watched on with amusement.

If he were to ask what Jiang Shuoye desired most right now, wouldn’t it be a trained team of cavalrymen?

It was currently the season of lush grass and birds flying freely through the sky, and nomadic peoples like the Tatars were at their strongest. They would likely take this opportunity to harass the border and steal food and supplies for the winter. 

Only by becoming stronger and more courageous could the Mobei Army stationed at the border intimidate the enemy.

Chu Jiubian shifted his gaze from Jiang Shuoye to the scattered group of cavalrymen who had returned.

All iron was used to make weapons at this time in the Great Ning Dynasty, and no one had studied its other applications.

Therefore, things like horseshoes to protect horses’ hooves, and stirrups and saddles to improve combat effectiveness had not yet appeared.

If the war horses were equipped with these, the strength of the cavalry would be greatly improved.

“System,” Chu Jiubian asked, “If I draw some blueprints, can I send them to Jiang Shuoye?”

[They can be sent, but Host must give them to a Believer within the Divine Realm.]

“Then how do I bring blueprints into the Divine Realm?”

When he entered the Divine Realm just now, the only things he brought with him were the clothes on his back.

[Host, please spend 30 Faith Points to permanently enable the trading function within the Divine Realm. Once the function is activated, Host and Believers will be able to conduct two-way transactions. Host can directly bring items outside the System into the Divine Realm, and Believers may also bring objects with Host’s consent.]

Chu Jiubian: “…..”

He only had so few points in total. He needed more, more!

Points should be saved and spent only when necessary. This transaction feature must be enabled.

But 30 points was really expensive.

Chu Jiubian haggled with the System. The semi-intelligent AI seemed to not know how to react to this, and paused for some time before returning to normal: [Transaction concluded. 28 Faith Points deducted. Host’s Divine Realm trading function has been enabled.]

Chu Jiubian had originally bargained for 26 points.

But 28 was 28. He had at least saved two points.

After leaving the Divine Realm, the first thing he would do was draw out the blueprints. When Jiang Shuoye fell asleep that night, he would then take him to the Divine Realm and hand the blueprints to him.

Chu Jiubian gave it some thought and opened the System Mall again.

He found [Summary of Contemporary Military Training Methods] along with a hodgepodge of military strategies in the military section, and [Guide to Livestock Breeding] under another category.

Helping Jiang Shuoye was equivalent to improving his own armed forces, so when Chu Jiubian spent six points to buy these books…..

Okay, it was still a little painful.

But he had already bought them, and couldn’t return them.

He already had the integrated contents of the books in his mind.

He even felt like he could go directly to the battlefield and lead troops, or deliver newborn livestock such as horses, cows, sheep, pigs, and more.

But what was that saying? If you can’t lead a team, you can only work yourself to death.

All he needed to do was play the part of the “High Priest” well, and leave the rest to his Believers.

“System, I can also give these books to Jiang Shuoye, right?” Chu Jiubian asked again worriedly. If he couldn’t, he would have to have Jiang Shuoye complete his education in the Divine Realm before sending him out.

[Yes, Host. Tradeable items in the Divine Realm include those purchased in the System Mall. According to your needs, the text of books produced by the System can be changed into words and expressions in line with the current times, making it easier to understand.]

Chu Jiubian was thoroughly relieved. After choosing to change the text of the books, he closed the image on Jiang Shuoye’s card and then exited the Divine Realm.

Coincidentally, the moment he opened his eyes, he heard Xiao Xiangzi softly calling out to him from outside the bedroom that lunch was ready.

Chu Jiubian got up and walked out.

After eating, he asked Xiao Xiangzi to grind ink, then hid in his study to draw the blueprints and place them into the Space.

Everything was ready. He just needed to wait until nighttime to enter the Divine Realm again.

*

*

Splendid Plaza.

The most prosperous area in the capital was the Western Market, where there were many shops, including restaurants, theaters, rouge pavilions, food vendors……everything one could think of.

Most of those who came here to shop were the dignitaries and wealthy people of the capital. Ordinary people would at most come here to set up a stall, but they had no purchasing power.

Without exception, all of these shops along the street belonged to the capital’s influential officials.

A rouge shop may be owned by a noble lady or a theater run by a young master, but behind each of them was a colossus.

However, when it came to the two shops with the best locations, they were naturally the restaurant owned by the emperor and an establishment called the Hundred Treasure House. 

It went without saying that both the decorations and food at the restaurant were top notch.

On the other hand, the Hundred Treasure House sold various spoils of war from during the reign of Emperor Wuzong, and had a very high sales rate.

There had been no new items in the shop for a long time, but servants and maids would still go there from time to time and purchase things in order to support the Imperial business.

That evening, the sun set in the west.

As usual, servants of Minister of War Lu Youwei entered the shop and asked the shopkeeper what small items he had for sale.

Their family’s lord had ordered that they frequent this establishment twice per month, and make some purchases so that other officials could see how much respect their Lu family had for the Imperial family.

After all, as direct descendents of the Wuwei Lu family, every word and action from the elders represented the whole.

The manager of Hundred Treasure House was named Qin Su, and had been assigned to the shop by the late Empress Qin Feng five years prior.

Five years was enough time for him to recognize all of the store’s regular customers, as well as who would come on which day.

Today, the servants of the Minister of War would make an appearance.

“Liu-xiaoge, here is what you wanted.” Qin Su personally packed up everything for the servant. His slightly rotund figure and round cheeks made him appear particularly friendly when he smiled.

This servant very much liked the shopkeeper calling him Liu-xiaoge, as if he was truly a member of the Liu family. He raised his chin a little higher.

“Thanks.” He picked up his things. “I’ll be leaving now. See you later, Boss.”

“Xiaoge, wait.” Qin Su stopped him and said with a smile, “I have something new here, and you’re the first person I thought of. Do you want to see it?”

“Oh?” the servant asked, his interest piqued. “What is it?”

Qin Su’s eyes narrowed in a smile, and he kept him in suspense: “Xiaoge, did you notice anything different when you came into my shop today?”

“You know what, there is something different,” said the servant. “It’s scorching hot today, and my master’s room is humid even with two barrels of ice, but your shop is a little cool.”

As he spoke, he felt again that the room was indeed cool, a bit like the rainy day some time ago when his master put ice in the house.

“You guessed it, Xiaoge!” Qin Su glanced around furtively.

Business wasn’t good to begin with, and people were reluctant to go out in this heat, so the shop was even more deserted. Apart from the young man in front of him, there was nobody else in the shop aside from the shopkeeper and a few workers.

This secretive look made the servant even more curious: “What on earth is it? Boss, please don’t keep me in suspense.”

Qin Su walked out from behind the counter and extended a hand, saying: “Xiaoge, please come with me.”

Then he led him toward a corner of the shop. 

Rows of shelves obscured much of the view.

As the servant followed the shopkeeper around several rows of shelves, he didn’t know if it was his illusion, but the room seemed to become cooler the farther he went inside.

Qin Su finally came to a stop and said: “Please have a look.”

The servant looked in the direction of his pointing finger.

He saw a medium-sized water barrel placed in the corner, filled with something crystal-clear. There was a slight chill in the air.

The servant stood there in a daze, barely able to maintain his grip on his purchases.

This….this was…..ice?

It was actually ice!

The news that the “Hundred Treasure House” sold ice soon spread. And the price was neither high nor low, not so high that people would not find it cost-effective, nor so low that it wasn’t profitable.

Minister of War Lu Youwei, hands behind his back, circled twice around the large tub of ice in the middle of his study. He couldn’t help but stroke his half-length beard and lament: “That Qin Xiao…..he really did find a way out of this situation.”

Strategist Lu Quan held a string of lustrous beads in his hand, his slanted eyes gleaming: “The news just arrived from the palace this morning. Ning-wang came up with a countermeasure this afternoon.”

He went to the basin and reached out to touch the clear ice, saying in a weighty voice: “That Jiu-gongzi is truly exceptional.”

After all of the forces decided to maneuver behind the scenes, they simply had their spies go and investigate the news about the Hundred Treasure House and Qin Xiao in an open and aboveboard manner, so the news that all of the saltpeter in the Imperial Hospital had been sent to the Hundred Treasure House could not be concealed at all.

That morning, no one had known what the saltpeter would be used for. They were only aware that after the court session, both Qin Xiao and Bai Lihong had gone to Yaotai Residence.

They stayed there for over and hour, and when they left, they were accompanied by two of Yaotai Residence’s palace servants.

Subsequently, Qin Xiao sent people to buy saltpeter from all of the pharmacies in the capital and bring it to the palace, and the government then posted a notice that private individuals were no longer allowed to buy and sell saltpeter.

Only Bai Lihong’s newly-appointed ninth-rank official dubbed the “Saltpeter Officer” could open saltpeter purchasing offices in the capital and elsewhere.

When the common people collected saltpeter, they were able to bring it to the saltpeter office and sell it at a slightly higher price than before.

As soon as the news came out, those in the capital and even in the surrounding prefectures began to collect saltpeter, thinking that it would at least bring in enough to supplement their family’s income.

Lu Youwei’s people reported that the newly-appointed Saltpeter Officer had set up a purchasing office in the capital just this afternoon, and many people had already sold the saltpeter they had gathered in exchange for copper coins.

Many in the surrounding prefectures had already heard the news due to the people who were specially sent to disseminate the message to more distant places. It wouldn’t be long before the whole of the Great Ning Dynasty knew that “saltpeter could be sold to the government for money.”

Everyone had already witnessed Qin Xiao’s swift and decisive actions on the day of the palace coup.

Therefore, they became even more curious about what use for saltpeter had made Qin Xiao so assertive.

The spies in the palace attempted to find answers, but were unable to get close to Yangxin Palace.

From then until the evening, the news of the Hundred Treasure House selling ice spread, and everyone finally understood what was going on.

This saltpeter was likely being used to make ice.

Before this, nobody had known that something like ice could be created artificially. It was simply inconceivable.

But now that this ice was clearly placed before their eyes, they had no choice but to believe it.

In any case, Lu Youwei and Lu Quan believed it. The vat of ice in front of them had been brought back from the Hundred Treasure House by a servant.

There had been three full vats of ice in the Hundred Treasure House, but only one was sold to the Lu family. The other two remained in the store, waiting for others to see them when they heard the news and rushed over.

Those who wanted ice could order it from the Hundred Treasure House.

And this applied to every household.

The Hundred Treasure House would deliver the ice at dawn the next day. According to the news, they had earned several hundred taels of silver just by selling ice this one night.

“I fear this saltpeter has more uses than just making ice,” Lu Quan said.

If it was solely used to make ice, Qin Xiao wouldn’t have purchased it on such a grand scale.

He had made large-scale acquisitions and even created a designated official position for this purpose. It was obvious that he was planning to have a long-term source of income, but ice wasn’t exactly in demand after the dog days of summer.

“What else can saltpeter be used for?” His brow furrowed.

Lu Youwei: “No matter what it can be used for, it must be the work of that Jiu-gongzi.”

“He definitely has more abilities than just this,” Lu Quan said worriedly. “And the mysterious force behind him should not be underestimated.”

If Qin Xiao were to use the other party, the consequences would be disastrous.

Lu Youwei’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked in the direction of the palace: “If such a person cannot be used by my Lu family…..”

Lu Quan frowned in thought, then said: “My Lord, Jiu-gongzi is currently trapped within the palace and can only have dealings with Ning-wang. If we can find a way to make Ning-wang bring him out of the palace, we will have a chance to approach him.”

“What do you mean?”

“Didn’t our people report that Jiu-gongzi left Yaotai Residence this afternoon?”

Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao had a deal, so in the afternoon, Chu Jiubian walked around to familiarize himself with the eastern palace, but didn’t enter the harem.

Many people caught sight of him during this trip, and now all of the forces in the capital knew that he had “regained his freedom.”

“Isn’t the Qiu family holding an auction in three days?”

Lu Quan said with a smile: “If we can have someone inform Jiu-gongzi, he might be interested.”

“Regardless of whether or not he’s interested, he can’t come out unless Qin Xiao allows him to.”

And who wasn’t aware that Chu Jiubian was under house arrest in the palace?

Lu Quan was unconcerned: “He was able to get Ning-wang to release him from prison and give him some freedom within the palace. This man is definitely not a simple person.”

Therefore, as long as he desired it, he was absolutely capable of getting Qin Xiao to let him out of the palace.

Chu Jiubian had no idea that he was being targeted by various groups of people. As soon as night fell, he eagerly washed up and went to bed, then entered the Divine Realm with the horseshoe, saddle, and stirrup blueprints 

He waited until midnight, when Jiang Shuoye finally fell asleep.

And then he immediately dragged him into the Divine Realm.

---

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Chapter 12 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 14