The aftershocks of the public lecture lingered for a long time. News that Qingming commanded twenty thousand Dao Foundation cultivators spread in an instant, shaking the surrounding kingdoms to their core.
The boost the grand assembly gave to Qingming's morale was beyond imagination. Seeing this unprecedented number of Dao Foundation cultivators, countless mortals saw hope for their own futures, and Wei Yuan successively reaped another million or so strands of karmic luck.
Only half a month had passed since the sermon. Wei Yuan was currently watching the completion of an enormous teleportation array alongside Yu Zhizhuo. Over a dozen Dao Foundation cultivators carried the final array stone, weighing a hundred thousand jin, and gingerly set it into the center of the formation.
As the array activated, a spark of light indeed appeared at the center, faintly exuding a blistering aura. Only then did Yu Zhizhuo breathe a sigh of relief. Catching that familiar scent, Wei Yuan felt his spirits lift and said, "That's it! It really is the Desolate Realm!"
Yu Zhizhuo remained somewhat worried and asked, "Should we double-check the landing point? What if it teleports you right next to a Heavenly Shaman?"
"That won't be a problem, so long as it's the Desolate Realm," Wei Yuan replied. "A lone Heavenly Shaman would be hard-pressed to do anything to me now."
"You still must be careful. What if they get desperate and take extreme measures?"
Wei Yuan readily took the advice. "I'll bring the yin bombs with me."
Knowing how crucial opening a path to the Desolate Realm was, Yu Zhizhuo pressed no further, merely urging Wei Yuan to bring along as many powerful artifacts as possible.
While they were conferring, an attendant flew over at top speed, shouting from afar, "Realm Lord! An imperial decree from Western Jin has arrived!"
An imperial decree from Western Jin?
Baffled, Wei Yuan flew to the border city where the imperial envoy was waiting. Stepping into the courier station moments later, he was greeted by an old acquaintance: Zhao Tong.
This influential eunuch had grown fair, plump, and tender-skinned, looking noticeably younger. The moment he laid eyes on Wei Yuan, he trotted forward with quick, minced steps and bowed all the way to the ground. "Congratulations, Lord Wei! Hearty congratulations, Lord Wei!"
Wei Yuan let out a hearty laugh, casually slipping a thick stack of Qingyuan notes into Zhao Tong's sleeve, and asked, "What is there to congratulate me for?"
Zhao Tong beckoned two fair-faced young eunuchs over, took the imperial decree from their hands, and said, "This—this is the joyful occasion."
Unfurling the scroll, Zhao Tong declared, "Wei Yuan, receive the decree!"
Wei Yuan merely bowed with hands clasped, not kneeling. "Your subject listens!"
The two young eunuchs kept their eyes fixed downward, gazing at their noses and their hearts, not letting their glances stray for a moment.
Zhao Tong did not look at Wei Yuan either, reading directly from the scroll: "...Wei Yuan has guarded the frontier for years, repeatedly driving back foreign tribes and exalting the majesty of our Great Jin! ...We hereby confer upon Wei Yuan the title of Prince Wei, grant him the Nine Bestowments, and bestow the privileges of wearing shoes and a sword into court and being exempted from reciting his name during formal audiences~~~"
Even with Wei Yuan's composure, this gave him quite a shock. He hurriedly asked, "Isn't there already a Prince Wei? That... whichever prince was it again?"
Zhao Tong smiled. "Ah, him? His title was already changed to Prince Chen."
Wei Yuan said at once, "Even so, I cannot accept the rank of prince—that would be overstepping! Granting a modest marquisate would be more than enough. Besides, I haven't rendered the slightest merit; on what grounds should I be ennobled?"
Zhao Tong squeezed the thick stack of Qingyuan in his sleeve and shot a glance at the two young eunuchs. The eunuchs immediately stepped outside, thoughtfully closing the door behind them.
Zhao Tong lowered his voice: "The Holy King's intention is this: though his life has been prolonged, his time is still drawing near. When the hour arrives, the Western Jin realm will still rely on you to serve as its bedrock of stability. Once the time is right, you will need to make a trip to the capital; the matter of naming the crown prince will require your counsel."
Wei Yuan was stunned once more and quickly said, "I am merely an official stationed abroad; how could I dare involve myself in the struggle for succession?"
Zhao Tong chuckled. "Times have changed! With the current state of affairs, if you aren't present, how could the heir to the throne possibly be decided?"
Wei Yuan was dumbstruck. Why was he being invited to participate in the succession conflict? This was absurdly over the top!
Wei Yuan once again firmly declined.
Zhao Tong beamed like a blossoming flower. "This servant knew it—you understand the ritual of thrice declining and yielding. Very well, this servant will just have to make a few more trips."
Wei Yuan thrust another stack of Qingyuan toward him. "There's no need to come again—I truly cannot accept this! Besides, Prince Ying and Prince Cheng are there to oversee the grand situation; where would it ever be my turn?"
This time, Zhao Tong pushed the stack back, saying, "The earlier amount was already generous. I took it thinking I'd distribute it in the palace so everyone remembers your goodwill and owes you a favor early on. But this is truly too much. I am not a greedy man; I absolutely cannot accept this."
Wei Yuan tried stuffing it into his hands several times, but Zhao Tong steadfastly refused, so Wei Yuan had to drop it.
Zhao Tong's expression suddenly turned solemn. He cleared his throat and said, "That person has a message for you as well."
Wei Yuan's heart tightened. "Please, speak."
Zhao Tong stared straight ahead, his eyes hollow and lifeless as though possessed. In a completely flat, emotionless tone, he spoke: "You wretch, you don't even think to come back and see your son! If you don't come back soon, your son will already be grown up..."
Wei Yuan lunged forward and clamped a hand over Zhao Tong's mouth, but it was already too late. A sinister wind gusted around them, and a divine sense seemed to have just brushed past—though who it belonged to remained unclear.
Wei Yuan's face shifted between green and pale. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Next time you have a message to deliver, deliver it outside Qingming."
Looking aggrieved, Zhao Tong said, "This servant didn't know what the message was either! I only memorized the sounds without pondering the words. Do you have any reply?"
"...No!" Wei Yuan's face clouded over.
Wei Yuan then adamantly refused the princely title of Prince Wei and all accompanying rewards, insisting that Zhao Tong take the decree back with him.
Left with no alternative, Zhao Tong could only comply. Then he said, "Then this servant shall return to report back. Oh, right, there's one thing I wish to say off the record. It has nothing to do with the Holy King; I'm merely speaking a word on Prince Ying's behalf. Ever since Prince Wei was transferred to Prince Chen, Ganzhou's tax revenues fell by more than half. Right now, the Northern Army is lacking food and clothing, and their pay has been in arrears for several months. They are having a very hard time. Prince Ying has been subsidizing the soldiers out of his own pocket, but it is a drop in the ocean. Well, this servant has spoken his piece; it's time to hit the road."
Watching Zhao Tong and the eunuchs board the small flying boat and ascend into the distance, Wei Yuan pondered continuously, yet found it hard to reach a decision.
At present, it seemed like a once-in-a-millennium opportunity. The Xu family was struggling just to take care of itself, and relations between the Song and Cui clans had stabilized. With Lu Changhe on his own, one hand could not clap, and with the Palace of Grand Beginning backing him, Wei Yuan naturally had nothing to fear.
In terms of military power, not long ago, millions of troops from the Shaman race had borne down upon the borders and failed to shake Qingming. Furthermore, during the months Wei Yuan had been away, Qingming had scorched the surrounding land so thoroughly that not even a blade of grass was left; a rabbit wandering in would starve to death.
Aside from its three million elite Northern Army troops, Western Jin had nothing worth mentioning. And Wei Yuan felt that even against those three million Northern Army soldiers, he wouldn't necessarily lose...
Judging by this posture, the King of Jin seemed dead set on making Prince Chu his heir. But Wei Yuan could not fathom what difference there was between enthroning Prince Chu versus Prince Wei or Prince Fu.
At the thought of the green-eyed woman at the King of Jin's side, Wei Yuan felt a jolt of alarm. He decided it was best not to wade into these muddy waters; he should stick to digging deep trenches, stockpiling grain, and holding off on claiming kingship.
Immediately, he sent someone to fetch Cui Yu.
Seeing Cui Yu, Wei Yuan inexplicably found himself in high spirits. He smiled and said, "I didn't manage to get that immortal medicine from the Song and Cui clans for you this time. You're not angry with me, are you?"
Cui Yu said solemnly, "It's because of my own lacking aptitude; I can blame no one else. Besides, the future of all Qingming should never have been compromised for the sake of my personal Dao path. Last time, you should have consulted me first."
Wei Yuan draped an arm over Cui Yu's shoulder and laughed. "All right, all right, why be so serious? There's no immortal medicine, but I found a better way. Come, let's go bask in the sun!"
Before Cui Yu could answer, Xiaoyu's voice rang out nearby: "...Bask in the sun?"
Wei Yuan turned around and saw Xiaoyu standing not far away, gazing deeply at the two of them with an odd expression. Wei Yuan said, "Yeah, I was just about to invite Brother Cui to bask in the sun with me. Want to come along?"
Xiaoyu didn't answer. His eyes remained fixed on Wei Yuan's arm around Cui Yu's shoulder as he said, "The relationship between the two of you is truly out of the ordinary!"
Wei Yuan blinked, then explained, "We're all the best of brothers, no different from each other. I just felt that basking in the sun wouldn't be of much use to you, but if you want to come, of course you can."
Wei Yuan walked over to Xiaoyu and threw an arm around his shoulder as well. "All right, don't be upset! Let's all go together! The more of us there are, the better we can chat along the way."
Held like that, Xiaoyu's body stiffened for a second, then shot into the sky as if an immortal had kicked him! Immediately after, as though an immortal had slapped him across the heavens, he vanished into the distance in a flash, nowhere to be seen!
Wei Yuan froze on the spot, his hand still suspended in the air. A breath later, he snapped out of it and scratched his head, completely baffled as to what had gotten into Xiaoyu.
Cui Yu was equally puzzled and asked in surprise, "What happened to him?"
"How should I know?" Wei Yuan replied. "Forget it, let's just go ourselves. The portal won't stay open for long."
Knowing that an inter-realm teleportation portal consumed immense resources and could brook no delay, Cui Yu followed Wei Yuan toward the portal, asking as they walked, "What did the Western Jin imperial envoy come for just now?"
Wei Yuan said, "Nothing important. Let's go bask in the sun first!"
In Wei Yuan's heart, Western Jin's worldly power and titles were nowhere near as important as taking his good brother out to bask in the sun. He just didn't know why Xiaoyu had suddenly gotten all emotional and refused to go. Otherwise, with the three of them traveling together, it would have been so much more fun.
Chapter 942