"He actually has such a deep connection with Xie Lingyun? Back when we were discussing the Dao at the academy, Xie Lingyun sent martial experts from the Inspection and Supervision Department to chase down Zhang Chen. Those martial experts used their Qi Blood to force Mr. Wuliu’s Yin Spirit from emerging. I felt something was off then, and as it turns out, that wretch indeed has ties with Zhang Chen." Zhang Xiaohua’s gaze was filled with malice.
"If you can’t stand small things, you will ruin big plans. The Prince means for you to pursue Xie Lingyun. If you can win over Xie Lingyun, the entire Inspection and Supervision Department in the Northern Land will naturally be yours, and the court’s forces in the Northern Land will be entirely purged. The Prince’s last piece of the map will be completed, and then we will be in a position of great advantage." Liu Feng looked around and lowered his voice.
"I do want to pursue Xie Lingyun, but she dismisses all my invitations. What can I do? No matter how many tricks I have up my sleeve, if I can’t see her in person, it’s all in vain." Zhang Xiaohua sighed dejectedly upon hearing this.
Liu Feng curled his lips up: "This is not difficult; you might not know this, but Xie Lingyun meets Zhang Chen at the Daoist Temple every seven days. If you seize the opportunity, you will surely get to meet Xie Lingyun."
"Really?" Zhang Xiaohua’s eyes lit up at these words but soon his expression changed: "Something’s not right! Why would Xie Lingyun meet with Zhang Chen? Could it be there’s an affair between them? Wouldn’t that mean I’m wearing a green hat?"
"You’re overthinking. Xie Lingyun only meets Zhang Chen because she finds him pleasing and wants to promote him. Xie Lingyun values Zhang Chen. If you kill Zhang Chen, Xie Lingyun will surely be angered and might even fall out with the Crown Prince. Then you can forget about approaching Xie Lingyun, for she would become your mortal enemy."
"Young master, stay calm. Once you win over Xie Lingyun, you can deal with Zhang Chen however you please." Liu Feng said with a flattering tone, full of lowly ingratiation.
Given Zhang Xiaohua’s power, it was indeed worth lowering himself to ingratiate.
"It seems I have to let that scoundrel live a while longer." Zhang Xiaohua’s voice was full of suppressed anger.
"Not just that, if you want to get close to Xie Lingyun, you also need to build a good relationship with Zhang Chen so you can use him to get close to her." Liu Feng said to Zhang Xiaohua.
Zhang Xiaohua’s face grew more frustrated: "I have to flatter him? I wish I could flay him alive, to flatter him instead of killing me... he’s caused me so much misery, I’d rather eat shit than flatter him."
To flatter Zhang Chen, he would rather eat feces.
"Young master, those who achieve great things do not mind trifles. If you can win over Xie Lingyun, the entire Northern Land will be yours, and then the Northern Land’s fate will converge, and the Northern Land’s Ancestral Vein will transform, evolving to a Dragon Vein comparable to the court’s. The ancestor of Prince Pingbian’s Mansion will also complete its final transformation. The gains you would acquire at that time would be unimaginable. The Pingbian Mansion has a chance to threaten the world and replace the Emperor of the Divine Land. Compared to a bright future, what is this paltry disgrace now?" Liu Feng’s smooth talking swayed Zhang Xiaohua’s heart.
Yet to flatter Zhang Chen, he really couldn’t bring himself to do it.
Seeing Zhang Xiaohua was tempted but couldn’t bring himself to speak, Liu Feng offered him a way out: "If the young prince is willing, I am willing to mediate and resolve the conflict between you two."
Upon hearing this, Zhang Xiaohua agreed begrudgingly, "I thank the Observatory Master."
"Junior brother, follow me." Seeing he persuaded Zhang Xiaohua, Liu Feng was delighted, guiding Zhang Xiaohua back up the mountain to his place, then instructed the nearby Daoist Child: "Go, summon Zhang Chen."
Watching the Daoist Child leave, Zhang Xiaohua spoke: "I want to reconcile with Zhang Chen, but I’m just afraid he won’t reconcile with me. We’ve been neighbors for years, and he’s stubborn as a mule..."
"If he is sensible, that’s fine. If not, let junior brother handle him. We have ways to make him submit." Liu Feng smiled.
Zhang Xiaohua felt relieved upon hearing this, relaxing and saying no more.
Meanwhile, Zhang Chen stood in the room nervously waiting, when he heard the call of the small Daoist Child outside the door: "Where is Zhang Chen?"
"Zhang Chen is here. What does senior brother want from me?" Zhang Chen asked, his heart wary.
"The Observatory Master wants you to come to the bedroom." The young Daoist said to Zhang Chen.
Zhang Chen nodded and replied: "I will go at once."
On the side, Xiaodouding’s face was filled with joy: "The Observatory Master called for you, surely the matter is settled."
However, hearing Xiaodouding’s words, Zhang Chen maintained a calm demeanor without showing joy. On the contrary, his heart was more alert, though he displayed none of this, keeping a composed exterior as he said: "You wait here, I will go see the Observatory Master."
"I’ll go with you," Xiaodouding smiled.
Zhang Chen couldn’t take Xiaodouding along as he needed to get explosives from the Fox Spirit.
So he pressed Xiaodouding’s head: "Be good, wait here, or I won’t buy you candied fruit in the future."
Faced with Zhang Chen’s threat, Xiaodouding obediently nodded and watched him leave.
Zhang Chen walked through the palatial halls of the Daoist Temple, arriving in a dense forest when he spotted Fox Fairy Nannan standing eagerly beneath a large tree with the explosives. Seeing Zhang Chen, her eyes lit up, filled with joy, still in her typical trouble-loving demeanor: "After receiving your message, I quickly brought the explosives. I wasn’t late this time, was I?"
"Of course not." Zhang Chen replied with a smile, musing to himself, ’I wonder what expression the Fox Spirit would have if she knew I was using these explosives against Zhang Xiaohua.’
"Did you bring the grenades?" Zhang Chen asked.
The explosives were too large to carry around conveniently, so Zhang Chen had developed grenades for easy carrying.
"Of course, I brought them, ten in total." Fox Fairy Nannan handed over ten grenades from her waist.
The grenades weren’t many, but they would give Zhang Chen enough time to react if an emergency happened, enough to delay until Fox Fairy Nannan could bring the explosives.
"Shall we blow up this Daoist Temple now?" Fox Fairy Nannan’s voice was a bit excited.
Zhang Chen replied irritably: "Don’t talk nonsense, hide well, and find a secret spot outside the Daoist Temple to wait for my signal."
Fox Fairy Nannan looked disappointed at this, while Zhang Chen carefully hung the grenades on his belt, covered them with his outer garment, straightened his clothes, and headed toward Liu Feng’s courtyard.
"Did Liu Feng manage to persuade Zhang Xiaohua? That stubborn fellow, how did he manage to persuade him? If not, asking me to come would surely be a trap, trying to capture me to please Zhang Xiaohua..." No matter how he thought about it, Zhang Chen believed that in Yellow Heaven Dao’s eyes, he was surely less valuable than Zhang Xiaohua—there was no real comparison between the two.
Zhang Xiaohua was backed by Prince Pingbian’s Mansion, capable of bringing great benefits to Huangli Temple, and the two parties were already secretly colluded, having become a community of interests. No matter what, Huangli Temple had no reason to assist him.
But he held onto a sliver of hope, unwilling to give up the higher level cultivation secret techniques of Qi Cultivation, so he decided to see for himself.
At worst, he would fake his death or use the explosives to escape.
Zhang Chen reached Liu Feng’s doorstep, glanced at the small courtyard, and felt it wasn’t set up as an ambush, thus walking in with ease. Inside, he saw Liu Feng sitting at a table brewing tea, while Zhang Xiaohua quietly sipped tea.
Seeing Zhang Chen arrive, Liu Feng smiled: "You’re here? Come, sit down, I have good news to share with you."