Chapter 1613: Daoist Disciples

"Give him even a tiny bit of hope, and he will rally, no matter how insignificant it seems."

Da Fentian Wang Fo observed, "He is precisely that kind of person; he will never let go of any hope. Revered Ling, what happened earlier?"

Revered Ling replied, "Before, he was already prepared to humble himself and beg for forgiveness, going to the Heavenly Court to kneel in defeat and implore Emperor Haotian to preserve humanity."

Dao Ancestor and Da Fentian Wang Fo fell silent.

If not pushed to such a desperate situation, someone like Qin Mu would never have taken such a step. Previously, Qin Mu was under immense pressure—so immense that it nearly crushed him! The primary reason wasn't Emperor Kai's death; his demise was merely a catalyst. The most crucial factor was the fall of Youdu. The loss of Youdu was what truly broke him.

"Revered Mu," Dao Ancestor asked, "the Heavenly Court's army might be delayed for a decade or even several decades, but what if Emperor Haotian, Revered Huo, and others launch an attack? How will we resist?"

Qin Mu fell into deep thought again. Granny Si glared fiercely at Dao Ancestor, who looked embarrassed and asked Da Fentian Wang Fo, "Should I not have asked?"

Da Fentian Wang Fo replied, "You should ask, but not at this moment. Since you've asked, don't dwell on it. Donor Si is simply protective."

Dao Ancestor praised, "Old monk, you are truly astute in human affairs."

In Wendao Academy, Qin Mu paced back and forth for seven or eight days straight, constantly pondering a solution.

"Has Yu Chenzi returned?" he suddenly asked loudly. "Yu Chenzi!"

Yu Chenzi, who had just returned to Wendao Academy, ran up, panting, and asked, "What are your orders, Imperial Advisor?"

"I've written a letter of surrender to Emperor Haotian, stating my willingness to submit." Qin Mu quickly added, "Take my letter of surrender to the Heavenly Court and deliver it to Emperor Haotian. This journey might cost you your life."

Yu Chenzi solemnly declared, "I am ready to die for the country. I am willing to offer my head for Yankang."

Qin Mu picked up his brush, and Yu Chenzi ground the ink. As Qin Mu was about to write, he paused. Yu Chenzi was puzzled. He watched as Qin Mu slowly immersed himself in a state of utter despair, all hope extinguished. Two lines of tears fell first, and when he finally put pen to paper, his brush trembled twice, as if he were choking back a sob.

Immediately, his brush moved across the paper, writing words of surrender to Emperor Haotian. The tone was sincere, yet beneath the sincerity lay an undercurrent of unwillingness, a desire to fight to the death for the safety of humanity, a desperate struggle between noble sacrifice and ignominious survival.

However, he then lowered his posture, stating, "Your Majesty is the Heavenly Emperor, and I am also a Heavenly Venerable. My surrender, along with that of ministers such as Ling, Yue, You, and Tai Shi, should not be handled lightly." In his letter, he earnestly requested Emperor Haotian to send an envoy to discuss the transfer of power and the specific terms of surrender. He also revealed a slight lingering attachment to power, stating, "I wish for a small corner of land as a place of retreat, where I can lead its people to sculpt golden statues of Your Majesty and pray and worship day and night."

He then enumerated Yankang's industries, detailing them like precious family heirlooms: what each manufacturing facility could produce, which ones could be handed over to the Heavenly Court, and which he wished to retain. He also mentioned Yankang's provinces and subordinate heavens, what treasures each heaven yielded, the amount of celestial currency in Yankang's treasury, and the amount in each province's treasury, and so on.

Yu Chenzi shook his head as he read. Qin Mu's posture was too humble, bordering on sycophantic. "But why did the Imperial Advisor say I might die delivering this letter of surrender?" he wondered.

Then he saw Qin Mu write, "Langwo, a woman of peerless beauty and talent among the Creators, I have slept with her. If Your Majesty desires her and wishes to make her your empress, I will personally deliver her to you day and night."

Yu Chenzi shivered repeatedly, his face turning ashen. He muttered to himself, "I really might die! The Imperial Advisor is ruthless. He said he slept with Langwo; Emperor Haotian, as the Heavenly Emperor, would never want a woman his subordinate has slept with, much less make her his empress! Emperor Haotian might be delighted by the first part of the letter, but the latter part could cost me my head!"

Qin Mu sealed the letter of surrender, handed it to Yu Chenzi, and asked, "Can you manage this, Lord Yu?"

Yu Chenzi hesitated for a moment, then declared resolutely, "I am willing to die for Yankang!"

Qin Mu gazed at him deeply and said, "You don't have to die. With your intelligence, you can accomplish all this. However, you must be wary of one person."

Yu Chenzi's eyes flickered, and he chuckled, "The Imperial Advisor truly knows me. May I ask, who is worthy of being my opponent?"

"His name is Meng Yungui, one of the Heavenly Court's Four Imperial Preceptors." Qin Mu instructed, "Meng Yungui once saw through my nation-building strategy, which involved manufacturing. He will certainly discern my true intentions behind offering this letter of surrender."

"The Imperial Advisor's intention," Yu Chenzi said, "is to delay the Heavenly Court's military deployment by negotiating the terms of surrender."

Yu Chenzi, holding the letter of surrender, continued, "The Imperial Advisor listed Yankang's manufacturing facilities and their production capabilities to present our assets before the 'bandits.' If there were only one 'bandit,' it would be simple. But the Heavenly Court has several 'bandit chiefs' – Haotian, Huo, Xu, Zu, Tai Chu, and Tai Ji – who need to divide Yankang's profits. How they divide them will require time for them to contend with each other."

Qin Mu nodded and asked, "And then?"

"They will discuss how to divide everything, but the Imperial Advisor might not be willing to give it all. Even though the Imperial Advisor has surrendered, as one of the Heavenly Court's Ten Heavenly Venerables, he will also claim a share of the profits. A portion of Yankang's assets must also be preserved. Yankang's survival will bring greater benefits to the Heavenly Court in the long run; thus, they won't simply devour Yankang whole. This creates room for continuous discussion and wrangling."

Qin Mu nodded again and asked, "And then?"

"It will take time for Heavenly Court envoys to come to Yankang, and more time for them to return and report to the Heavenly Venerables. It will also take time for Yankang's envoys to travel to the Heavenly Court for negotiations, and then more time for Yankang's envoys to return and report to the Imperial Advisor." Yu Chenzi explained, "With each back-and-forth, the delay will grow longer. If the Imperial Advisor chooses an envoy who is shameless and thick-skinned, the delay can be extended even further. This is why the Imperial Advisor chose me to go to the Heavenly Court. Furthermore, the Imperial Advisor can promise greater benefits to certain Heavenly Venerables, causing them to squabble among themselves over these advantages. By the time a resolution is reached, two or three years will have passed."

Qin Mu smiled.

Da Fentian Wang Fo turned to Dao Ancestor and remarked, "Your Daoist disciples are quite capable."

Not without a hint of pride, Dao Ancestor chuckled, "Our Daoist sect excels at calculations. Yu Chenzi, during Yankang's reforms, absorbed microscopic numerology and comprehended chaotic numerology, which is quite remarkable. His chaotic numerology is adept at fuzzy calculations."

Yu Chenzi's tone then shifted. He bowed and said, "Since Meng Yungui, the Heavenly Court's Second Imperial Preceptor, can see through this, I humbly request the Imperial Advisor to show me a way to survive."

Qin Mu pondered, "Meng Yungui is human..."

Yu Chenzi replied, "Kinship might not sway him. Imperial Advisor, think of another way."

"Meng Yungui is greedy for wealth..." Qin Mu offered.

Yu Chenzi shook his head. "That is merely his disguise. Because he is human and too intelligent, he is overly cautious, deliberately feigning greed to avoid being harmed by others. Imperial Advisor, consider another approach."

Qin Mu said, "The Third Imperial Preceptor, Bai Yuqiong, is also human, and she is also the reincarnation of the Southern Emperor. After you arrive at the Heavenly Court, go see her first. Bai Yuqiong knows Meng Yungui very well; she can tell you his weaknesses."

Yu Chenzi asked, "Then, Imperial Advisor, how should I persuade Bai Yuqiong?"

Qin Mu channeled his divine power and refined a jade pendant using the path of reincarnation. He said, "Present this jade pendant to her. She owes me, and it's time for her to repay it. Tell her that if Meng Yungui doesn't remain silent, humanity will be exterminated."

Yu Chenzi did not take the pendant. "How can the Imperial Advisor be so certain that Bai Yuqiong's heart is with humanity?"

"She has reincarnated 197 times, never once into another race." Qin Mu's eyes flickered. "One hundred ninety-seven lifetimes, all as a human."

Yu Chenzi took the reincarnation jade pendant, bowed, and declared, "I will not fail the Imperial Advisor's trust!" With that, he rose and departed.

Qin Mu watched him leave, sighing, "It is truly fortunate for humanity to have such a brilliant talent."

After handling this matter, he suddenly looked around and asked, "Divine Emperor Langxuan is dead. Who is his clone in Yankang? Has the Emperor already sent someone to kill him?"

At that moment, Ling Yuxiu entered from outside and said, "I have already dispatched King Jade Capital Immortal to Canglang Isle to eliminate Langxuan's reincarnation, Yu Cangqi. News will arrive within a few days!"

"Please, Your Majesty, immediately inform Wang Muran not to kill Langxuan's clone. Give Yu Cangqi a way out and force him to the Southern Heaven, so he can meet Revered Huo!" Qin Mu bowed and said, "Please issue the decree, Your Majesty."

The others were puzzled. Ling Yuxiu looked at him for a moment, then asked, "Forcing Langxuan's clone into the Southern Heaven—what is your intention, Imperial Advisor? Is it to provide Revered Huo with a means of advancement?"

"Langxuan entering the Southern Heaven is not a means of advancement for Revered Huo." Qin Mu said, "Rather, it is the beginning of Revered Huo's demise."

"How so?" Ling Yuxiu frowned.

"Langxuan is the son of Tai Chu. Haotian is also the son of Tai Chu. Haotian can kill Langxuan, but Revered Huo is merely a servant; he cannot kill Langxuan, or he will invite his own destruction. Haotian may tolerate him, but Tai Chu will not." Qin Mu calmly continued, "Once Langxuan reaches the Southern Heaven, if Revered Huo hands Langxuan over to Haotian, Tai Chu will surely kill him to avenge his son. If Revered Huo does not hand Langxuan over to Haotian, then Haotian will kill him."

He stated indifferently, "Currently, Revered Huo has become a burden to Haotian. With the world on the verge of unification, Revered Huo taking a share of the spoils from Haotian has already caused him pain. Haotian has always been extremely suspicious of Revered Huo; after all, Revered Huo is human, which makes Haotian uneasy. He constantly worries that Revered Huo might defect to humanity. Even if Revered Huo doesn't side with humanity, but instead with Tai Chu, it would still be the final straw, turning Haotian's favorable situation into a disadvantage. At this point, a dead Revered Huo is the best kind of dog."

Ling Yuxiu said, "When the cunning rabbit is slain, the swift hound is boiled."

"Langxuan's reincarnation is insignificant," Qin Mu said. "His journey to the Southern Heaven is merely a fuse—a fuse for a death sentence."

Ling Yuxiu's primordial spirit swiftly detached from her body and vanished in an instant, activating the Primordial Spirit Lure to personally inform Wang Muran.

Qin Mu closed his eyes, slowly opened them after a moment, and walked over to the Old Buddha and Dao Ancestor before sitting down. Dao Ancestor poured tea and said, "Revered One, you seem to have relaxed. Don't you plan to do anything more?"

"No," Qin Mu replied.

Qin Mu drank his tea, his expression calm. "Now, I only need to quietly await the negotiations between the Heavenly Court and Yankang, and the death of Revered Huo."

Just then, Fox Ling'er and Si Yunxiang entered, followed by hundreds of Daoist masters in a continuous stream. Fox Ling'er announced cheerfully, "Young Master, the trade data for all the heavens and worlds, and the celestial currency circulation data you requested, are ready!"

Qin Mu quickly drained his cup of tea and busied himself once more.

Dao Ancestor shook his head. "He simply can't stay idle."