Heavenly Dao Engine
Chapter 686 - 686 0439 Silver Crisis

Chapter 686: Chapter 0439: Silver Crisis Chapter 686: Chapter 0439: Silver Crisis Chapter 0439: The Silver Tempest

After ascertaining that the frontier was safe, Qi Tian led Gao Jinmei and Jin Jin back. Counting on his fingers, it had been about a month since he had left Wangdu County, and he didn’t know what changes had occurred there.

This time, Qi Tian did not waste time on other matters. They made a smooth journey back to Wangdu County, with Qi Tian heading straight to his residence there.

Now, Wangdu County was arguably the most densely populated place in the Great Zhao Nation in terms of ordinary citizens and cultivators. It was home to hundreds of thousands of troops and countless cultivators, while large numbers of people and materials came in and out of Wangdu County every day. It was extraordinarily prosperous. All of this, without a doubt, was brought about by Qi Tian. As the initiator of all this, Qi Tian’s every move attracted countless onlookers. Despite his absence for nearly a month, he was noticed as soon as he returned to Wangdu County.

The first to visit Qi Tian were his informants in Wangdu County. In order to protect Prince Zhao’s safety, Qi Tian had arranged for three people to stay by the prince’s side: Wang Xiuwu, her spouse Xu Jifa, and Wang Youjun. These three, who had signed the Servant Pact, were undeniably loyal to Qi Tian. In addition, the Imperial Master Mansion had dispatched a large number of people to Wangdu County to cooperate with Qi Tian’s work. Finally, scores of people, both among cultivators and ordinary folk, were eager for Qi Tian’s patronage. As soon as he appeared, these people rushed to meet Qi Tian.

However, Qi Tian did not receive any of these visitors, except for meeting briefly with Wang Xiuwu. She was able to provide a fairly accurate picture of the current situation in Wangdu County, making it unnecessary for him to waste further time. With the power he had now, even those with doubts would have to feign innocence, daring not to reveal any disloyalty.

The safety of Prince Zhao was Qi Tian’s foremost concern, because if the Crown Prince were to be deposed, someone would need to take his place. At this point, there was no better candidate than Prince Zhao.

“Master, as of now, Prince Zhao is relatively safe. From my observation, he doesn’t seem to have ambitions at the moment. He is obedient and does as we ask, not attempting anything we believe could be dangerous,” Wang Xiuwu briefed Qi Tian.

Qi Tian nodded and said, “The safety of Prince Zhao is of utmost importance. Since I’ve entrusted this task to you three, you must stay alert. Until Prince Zhao ascends the throne, his safety must not be threatened.”

Wang Xiuwu nodded hurriedly. She was well aware of what kind of heavy responsibility Qi Tian had placed on them. This task might seem simple, but it was indeed quite challenging. Her and her spouse, Xu Jifa, were both in the Pseudo Core Realm, making them as powerful as two weak cultivators at the first level of the Gold Core realm. This was an impressive force, but nothing was certain. In the past, the most powerful Gold Core cultivators in the Great Zhao Nation were few, but recently, more and more outsiders with Gold Core cultivation had appeared. If they made their way to Wangdu County with ill intentions towards Prince Zhao, it was uncertain whether Wang Xiuwu and her comrades could resist them.

Qi Tian encouraged Wang Xiuwu, “Guarding Prince Zhao safely is crucial for us, especially for you two. You’ve seen what happened to Lu Jingfei, who, like you, broke through to the Pseudo Core Realm after taking my Pseudo-True Pill. He is now the National Master of the Chi Di Kingdom, and his family has risen with him. I hope his change can be replicated in both of you, so in the future, you two can become important figures in the cultivation world of the Great Zhao Nation, holding some sway within and beyond the court. But to achieve this goal, Prince Zhao must first become Crown Prince and then Emperor. If anything happens to him, the consequences would be unimaginable and any chance of you two becoming National Masters would be almost nullified.”

The light in Wang Xiuwu’s eyes brightened. When they were in Chi Di, Qi Tian had asked if they were willing to stay there, but they declined, leaving the opportunity to Lu Jingfei. Now, Qi Tian had offered a similar opportunity, and to say that Wang Xiuwu wasn’t tempted would be a lie she wouldn’t believe herself. This was the Great Zhao Nation, not the barbaric Chi Di Kingdom. Becoming the National Master here was something they hadn’t dared to dream of before. They didn’t expect such good fortune to be presented to them so suddenly.

Wang Xiuwu prostrated herself at Qi Tian’s feet and said, “Master, rest assured. Xu and I will do everything in our power, at any cost, to ensure Prince Zhao’s safety and facilitate the smooth implementation of your plan.”

Qi Tian nodded in satisfaction and said, “Good, I trust that you two will not disappoint me.”

After Wang Xiuwu left, Marquis Ma came to visit Qi Tian. Qi Tian initially didn’t want to see him, but Marquis Ma sent word that his visit was regarding Prince Zhao. If Qi Tian refused to see him, Wangdu County might well collapse.