Immortality Path: From the Blind Man at the Pharmacy
Chapter 272 - 155, 156. No matter the chaos, it’s nothing compared to trampling over the bones of the ministers and nobles, North Fall Sect (Big Chapter - Subscribe)_2

Chapter 272: 155, 156. No matter the chaos, it’s nothing compared to trampling over the bones of the ministers and nobles, North Fall Sect (Big Chapter - Subscribe)_2

The noble family of Feather State was the Zhao Family.

The Zhao Family had already dispatched someone to the Barbarian Lands early on.

Not only that, but today the Zhao Family also brought a monk with them.

The monk requested to see the Barbarian King, and afterward, they began to chat.

This conversation lasted for three days and three nights.

No one knew what they discussed.

However, three days later, the Barbarian King emerged from his tent radiating joy, and even went so far as to promise that if progress was made, he would officially designate Buddhism as the state religion.

Exactly what this matter was, even Tuoba Qi had no clue.

...

...

Jiangnan...

With many Buddhist temples, amidst the autumn rain when viewed from a high place, all that meets the eye is them.

The ruler of this region, State Lord Xiao, is a powerful figure in the Qi Realm.

Thanks to a natural barrier, Jiangnan contrasted with the turmoil in the north.

This place remained peaceful.

Moreover, the long-standing peace led to strong troops, abundant resources, so abundant that... "To ingratiate himself with the Buddhist Sect, Lord Xiao even offered himself to them, prompting the major powers of Jiangnan State to pay for his redemption."

Thus, Lord Xiao did a great deed, the Buddhist Sect received great benefits, and both sides gained.

Lord Xiao enjoyed this more than anything else.

The major powers of Jiangnan State were also exhausted from their efforts.

It was nothing else, but the Xiao Family had too much control in Jiangnan State; aside from Lord Xiao himself, other members of the Xiao Family also held a great deal of power.

The entire Xiao Family was overwhelmingly influential.

Moreover, that there’s a "noble Xiao Family" backing the "Xiao Family" was no longer any secret.

Now, Lord Xiao was also observing the chaos in the north.

As he watched, a small thought couldn’t help but arise in his heart: With Jiangnan State so stable and prosperous, under the protection of the Buddhist Sect, why couldn’t he contest for supremacy over the Central Plains?

For this reason, he specifically consulted the noble family backing him, and the family told him to seek the advice of "Master Liaoji" from the Buddhist Sect.

So, Lord Xiao went to inquire.

Master Liaoji only said, "The opportunity lies in the north."

Lord Xiao didn’t understand and kept asking.

Master Liaoji continued, "Song Cheng in the northern lands, if the Lord attains him, great things can be achieved."

"Song Cheng, I’ve heard of him, he’s said to be almost mythical in his command, very skilled in leading troops." Lord Xiao became excited, and since the Buddha had pointed him in a direction, he would just follow it. He turned around to start discussing how to invite Song Cheng to Jiangnan.

...

...

Apart from Feather State and Jiangnan State, there were also traces of the Buddhist Sect in East Sea State and Tianque State, where the Imperial Capital is located...

In Tianque State, the young Emperor of the Ji Family, due to his extreme aversion to Empress Dowager Feng’s dominance, looked around and sent a trusted aide to invite Zhao Hua from East Sea State to the Imperial Capital, with the obvious aim of reinforcing the Emperor.

Regarding Zhao Hua, he had just been appointed as the General Who Suppresses Rebels in East Sea State last month.

Upon receiving the news, Zhao Hua discussed with his subordinates, then used a pair of skull-shaped jade tokens to contact Song Cheng, and afterward... resolutely decided to go to the Imperial Capital.

After all, he was born amidst the raging Ghost Tide of the bitterly cold northern lands; entering the Imperial Capital was... almost his lifelong wish.

Most crucially, the Qi Family also indicated to him, just go... success is assured.

Zhao Hua made his arrangements, leaving soldiers to defend against the Six Towns, while he himself led five thousand men towards the Imperial Capital of Tianque State.

But as it turned out, just as they were on the way, news came again from the direction of the Imperial Capital, stating the Emperor had perished, telling Zhao Hua to return.

Zhao Hua stopped midway, continuing to seek further intelligence.

What followed was quite extraordinary.

Soon after the young Emperor’s demise, the Empress Dowager, to stabilize the imperial court in haste, hurriedly supported the late Emperor’s infant daughter as the new ruler, proclaiming falsely to everyone that it was a "male infant."

However, not two days later, it seemed Empress Dowager Feng was persuaded by someone else, smacked her forehead in realization, thinking, "Having a girl pretend to be the Emperor—if this were to be uncovered, the consequences would be unthinkable. It’s better to take swift action to rectify the confusion while the situation has not blown up."

And so, Empress Dowager Feng pulled out another sibling from the Surname Ji imperial family, this time a younger brother of the late Emperor, and propped him up as the new Emperor, while simultaneously announcing to the world that she had made a mistake previously, saying "mistakenly treated the girl as a boy, which led us to make her the Emperor, but now that we have discovered this, a girl is not suitable to be the Emperor anymore", and at the same time... Empress Dowager Feng also executed a number of eunuchs, blaming them for providing false information.

At this, all the major powers in the Imperial Capital, as well as the households of Ji and Yan, were completely upended.

Is it really so that the Emperor can be deposed and appointed at whim?

Thus, after contacting the Buddhist Sect, some of these powers secretly sent a message to Zhao Hua, inviting him to continue his journey to the Imperial Capital in support of the Emperor.

Zhao Hua... came.

The Empress Dowager was alarmed and hastily sent people to deter him from coming.

But Zhao Hua simply ignored it.

The Empress Dowager then dispatched troops to block him, but found it exceedingly difficult to mobilize any forces.

When she sought help from the noble families, she was met with silence.

During this process, a minor standoff erupted, but the troops Zhao Hua led—five thousand of the elite’s elite, not only encompassing Song Cheng’s original Tiger Leopard Cavalry, Mountain Shield Camp, Medicinal Humans, but also Strange Masked Iron Cavalry, East Sea Iron Cavalry and others gathered from outside, and the combined effort Zhao Hua had put into them—had become a unified force, invincible after a hundred battles. How could they be matched by those sent by the Empress Dowager?

Zhao Hua just advanced unstoppably...

Soon he was about to reach the Imperial Capital.

The Empress Dowager panicked and, in a desperate move, took all the concubines of the harem into the Buddhist Sect, seeking their protection.

And Zhao Hua’s five thousand troops entered the Imperial Capital in an unimaginably smooth fashion.

The son of the former small Martial Arts Hall owner rode a statured horse on the road into the Imperial Capital.

This Imperial Capital was unfamiliar to him because he knew... the real dangers had yet to be resolved.

All this ease felt like a trap.