Chapter 1899: Tribulations

"The allied forces want to deal with me, but they'll have to get past them first. Self-interest drives decisions, determining who is friend and who is foe. Don't forget, Situ He is also a member of the Original Homeland Society!"

It’s easy to stir people’s souls, but very difficult to sway their interests. "Just let them contend among themselves. In the short term, even if the allied forces want to curry favor with the gods, it will be difficult to do anything substantial to Yangshan."

In the short term.

"Will any forces move against Yangshan? Absolutely. But as long as they can't reach a consensus or combine their strengths, Yangshan won't fear them."

"Why did Mou Kingdom try so many times before and fail to gain a foothold in the Glimmergold Plain?" He Lingchuan chuckled. "Even if the gods didn't cause trouble, this place naturally repels outsiders—when it comes to repelling outsiders, they work together with one mind."

"But for the current Glimmergold Plain, Yangshan is no longer an external entity, and I am certainly no outsider." He stretched, standing up. "It's always particularly difficult to act against those within."

The wise are best at leveraging 'momentum.'

Madam Zhu seemed to understand, yet not quite, but her anxious heart was at least half-eased.

"And the other half?" she asked. "Oh, wait, the allied forces are one thing. Yangshan also has branches and conducts business in the former territory of Yao Kingdom. Surely the gods won't let that slide?"

"You're right," He Lingchuan said, though without a trace of urgency. "I've already received news that Yangshan is indeed being targeted in Yao territory. Heh, just wait and see, the best part is yet to come!"

He walked out of the temple. Wanqifang came forward and asked, "My lord, where to next?"

"Eastward," He Lingchuan replied, having already decided. "There are many formidable birds and monsters in Master Jieshui's territory that we can take with us. Besides, that area is also very close to the Kasha Tribe."

Wanqifang's spirits lifted. "Finally, a chance to fight!"

For days, they had been wandering only through remote mountains and old forests.

He Lingchuan interlaced his fingers and stretched, turning his palms outwards. "The Kasha Tribe's territory is vast. This time, we'll send in the woolly mammoths."

After news of Miaozhantian's demise reached Tianshui City, all the temples, big and small, were filled with lamentations and a sense of helplessness. As soon as Qingyang stepped out of Miaozhantian's main temple, she issued an order:

"All Yangshan Merchant Guild branches within Yao territory are to be disbanded: storefronts closed, goods confiscated, personnel arrested!"

With the death of the Yao King, the kingdom disintegrated, and several major factions each claimed a region. Qingyang's order could not actually be enforced across the entire Yao territory, but even so, seven Yangshan branches were forcibly shut down.

As various factions vied to curry favor, Qingyang was now a powerful Heavenly Palace Protector, no longer the nominal "Regent" of Yao Kingdom who had been sidelined just a few months prior.

Since her word was now law, with a single command, the Azure Guards naturally led people to various Yangshan branches to enforce the order.

Yangshan had violated "Heavenly Laws," leading to shops being sealed and personnel publicly dragged out and arrested. This caused an uproar in the local area, but Qingyang naturally had no need to concern herself with it.

At this time, news of Miaozhantian's demise had just reached the mortal realm. The gods were unaware of the details, and the news that the Great Emperor of the Nine Hells claimed responsibility for the killing had not yet reached Yao territory. The gods were not concerned with the Yangshan Merchant Guild.

However, when Qingyang heard the devastating news in the temple, the first person she thought of was not Master Qianhuan, nor Lingshan, but He Lingchuan!

She vaguely felt that Miaozhantian's fall was inextricably linked to him.

By the time legends of the Dragon God sweeping across Glimmergold Plain began to spread widely, Yangshan's branches in various regions had already been dealt with. It was only then that the gods sought out Qingyang and instructed her to deal with the Great Emperor of the Nine Hells.

"He Xiao, the Great Emperor of the Nine Hells, is He Xiao, the reincarnation of the Dragon God." This was the formula she and Bai Ziqi had deduced. The gods were deeply disdainful of the first part and scoffed at the second.

Qingyang knew she couldn't persuade the gods, so she quietly gathered her forces and prepared for war.

On the evening of the first day, as soon as the Azure Guards stormed into Yangshan's Tianshui City branch like ravenous wolves, before dawn the next day, people rushed to visit General Baitian's mansion, where they held a secret meeting for at least three hours.

For the next seven or eight days, more and more people visited Baitian, all having traveled from outside Tianshui City.

Yao territory was in turmoil, and the roads were unsafe. Yet, even so, they had no choice but to come.

However, Baitian had been away on military duties for five days and only returned to Tianshui City yesterday evening.

Visitors swarmed in.

Consequently, the light in his study remained lit until the following morning.

All night long.

At dawn, after the last visitor left the Bai Residence, Baitian immediately drove to Youhu Pavilion, even eating breakfast in the carriage.

After finally rushing to Youhu Pavilion, he didn't find Qingyang.

Yuan Xuan stopped him, saying, "The Palace Lord is currently undergoing her morning practice. Please wait, General Bai."

Every morning, around sunrise, Qingyang would perform a secret cultivation method, "Dining on Mist and Drinking Dew," which was one of the keys to her longevity.

Baitian was secretly anxious but could only curb his impatience and wait.

About half an hour later, Qingyang finished her practice and consumed a bowl of medicinal broth to consolidate her essence and replenish her Qi before finally meeting him.

"What troubles you, General Bai?"

As she now oversaw Tianshui City, someone naturally reported the unusual activity at the Bai Residence over the past few days to her.

Baitian frowned deeply, finding the matter difficult to articulate. "Palace Lord, when my army attacked Chen Chuihua, we encountered biting midges in his Baixiang Wetlands. These midges cause drowsiness, and in severe cases, even permanent slumber. Now, several batches of medicinal supplies we prepared for the offensive are being delayed and cannot be transported here."

Chen Chuihua was the former Yao's General of the South. When Baitian rebelled and assassinated the King, Chen raised his banner under the pretense of avenging the nation, and many rallied to his call.

This fellow was a formidable general on par with Xue Zongwu, possessing his own troops, territory, and logistics. Now, with moral righteousness on his side, he was far more difficult to contend with than General Zhongwu and others.

Baitian had traded wins and losses with him on the battlefield and was now in a stalemate, feeling extremely anxious.

Qingyang waited for him to reveal his hand. "Is vital energy ineffective?"

"Ineffective. These aren't divine powers or spells, and ordinary insect repellents don't work on them either," Baitian sighed. "I specifically ordered hundreds of catties of White Thatch Tingoil from Pei Kingdom, designed to kill these midges. I finally managed to push Chen into the Baixiang Wetlands, and according to the original plan, we should have launched our offensive on the Baixiang Wetlands these past two days!"

But because the tingoil hadn't arrived, his offensive had to be postponed. "Sigh, Chen Chuihua gets to prolong his wretched existence for a while longer."

Qingyang took a sip of tea. "So?"

If he couldn't get his military supplies, why would this fellow come to Youhu Pavilion to see her?

"Palace Lord, do you know how I ordered this White Thatch Tingoil?"

The means of ordering? Could it be...?

Qingyang's delicate brows furrowed slightly. "Don't tell me it was the Yangshan Merchant Guild."

"It was!"