Starting My Cultivation With Time Management-Chapter 915 - 55: The End

Chapter 915 -55: The End

Upon hearing that Qi Weihong was assassinated, Shi Yao’s heart skipped a beat.

What a clever move!

It’s important to know that the war between North State, Central State, and West State was to support Qi Weihong’s ascension, thus seizing the greatest political benefits.

If Qi Weihong were to die unfortunately… regardless of the reason for his death, at the very least, Qi Qiaosong’s imperial position would be secure.

The North State would be completely out of this power game; the outcome of the war would become irrelevant.

This is a strategy to undermine the opponent! frёewebηovel.cѳm

“Did the Qilin Prince die?” Shi Yao promptly asked.

“Of course, he didn’t die,” the other party replied, “so we are now locking down the entire area, strictly investigating all foreign cultivators with suspicious backgrounds. Elder Shi, you better return, don’t make it difficult for us.”

Shi Yao chuckled bitterly inside, wondering what she was asking about.

Even if the Qilin Prince had died, North State would surely say he hadn’t until the Xuan Gui Clan figured out how to handle the aftermath internally.

However, this complicates matters.

With North State completely locked down, even if I have the Sun Scroll of the Hung Jin Bai Shi Tu, I can’t reach the North Sea to deploy it and bring over Long Long and the others.

Thinking of this, Shi Yao turned around again, detouring from the northern border of Central State to West State, arriving at the Celestial Fox Clan’s territory.

For Hu Li, who was Shi Yao’s close friend, even the Celestial Fox Clan was accustomed. The patrol cultivators merely glanced without obstruction and even reminded her to fly lower to avoid detection by foreigners—after all, relations between West State and East State were not harmonious now.

“Hu Li.” Shi Yao arrived at the opponent’s cave mansion, pushed the door open, and called out, “I need your help again!”

Hu Li almost spat out blood, speechless:

“You’re going there again?”

“Not really.” Shi Yao explained to her, “North State has been locked down, they say Qilin Prince Qi Weihong was assassinated.”

“Is that true?” Hu Li was surprised.

“Don’t tell me you didn’t know.”

“I truly didn’t know,” Hu Li replied, “The assassin surely isn’t from our Celestial Fox Clan. As for the White Tiger side…even if they did it, they wouldn’t notify us on purpose!”

“That’s troublesome,” Shi Yao sighed, “No one can enter North State now. Do I have to find an acquaintance among the Xuan Gui Clan to help take the Hung Jin Bai Shi Tu to the North Sea?”

“Of course not,” said Hu Li, “Once you mention sending it to the North Sea, how wouldn’t they speculate on the reason? Besides, the Hung Jin Bai Shi Tu is such a rare treasure, how could you dare entrust it to someone else?”

“I don’t dare,” said Shi Yao, “Help me think of a solution.”

“I have it.” A spark of inspiration hit Hu Li, and she said, “If West State attacks North State, there’s no need to follow any border lockdown… You could mix Long Long and the others with the Celestial Fox Clan’s team going to North State, couldn’t you?”

“Once you reach North State, you could find a chance to separate and go north. By then, North State would be occupied fighting us, and likely won’t have the resources to bother you.”

“Well said,” Shi Yao praised, “Quickly arrange for West State to attack North State again.”

“That’s a bit difficult,” Hu Li said with a troubled expression, “Mainly because Qi Qiaosong has been in power for a long time, and the control over the Qilin Clan and even Central State is essentially stable.”

“Even if North State doesn’t recognize his throne, they can no longer shake nor interfere with the politics of the imperial capital. Currently, the consensus among various clans in West State is that as long as North State doesn’t provoke us, we won’t use our troops anymore.”

“Then find a way to provoke North State…” At this point, Shi Yao suddenly hit a snag.

Last time North State confronted the coalition of West and Central States, they suffered constant defeats. Currently, taking advantage of the Dragon Clan’s festival in East State to cease hostilities, they are rushing to recuperate. How could they easily start a border conflict now?

“Don’t overthink it,” Hu Li advised, seeing her deep in thought, “Why not ask your disciple? His trickery knows no bounds; even the White Tiger Divine General acknowledged, ‘This person’s cleverness is incredibly unpredictable.’ Why not see what ideas he has?”

“Did the White Tiger Divine General really say that?” Shi Yao asked, surprised.

“Not precisely,” Hu Li said nonchalantly, “but he seemed to have said something similar at a clan meeting. I heard it as a rumor.”

“Forget it then,” Shi Yao pondered, “Even though my disciple has some wit, he mainly relies on the importance that the higher-ups of the Dragon Clan place on him. The Xuan Gui of North State is unrelated to him. Even if he had the ability to move mountains and seas, how could he influence North State’s decisions?”

“Just ask,” Hu Li urged, “There’s no harm in asking!”

Shi Yao mused for a long while before letting out a sigh.

Fine, I’ll ask.

The matter involves secrets and cannot leave traces through a Communication Talisman, so Shi Yao returned to East State again via Central State, riding the cloud.

Back at Jianmu Divine Island, she saw Long Long sitting between Long Hu and Qin Ye, making light-hearted jokes with the two girls —both laughing brightly, amused by Long Long.

Shi Yao: ……..

Suddenly, what if I don’t want to help him anymore?

Seeing his master finally return, Long Long found an excuse to leave, then followed Shi Yao to a nearby quiet room.

“North State is entirely sealed,” Shi Yao said with a straight face, intending to make it hard for him, “It’s said that Qilin Prince Qi Weihong was assassinated… In short, I can’t go to the North Sea, here’s the scroll back to you.”

But Long Long did not take the Sun Scroll of Hung Jin Bai Shi Tu that Shi Yao handed over. He just frowned and asked:

“Since North State doesn’t allow passage, didn’t Master think of any other ways? For instance, the Mao Clan of West State, during their previous battle with North State, marched deep, capturing several cities without stopping. If you could leverage the power of West State, entering North State wouldn’t be difficult.”

“It’s your fault,” Shi Yao said coldly, “because you entered the Dong Yuan Realm, the Dragon Clan sent festival invitations to all the lords, so West State and North State followed ancient customs to cease fighting… Currently, without renewed hostilities, your method won’t work.”

“How could it not?” Long Long laughed, “Qi Weihong was assassinated, why did North State lock down the entire territory?”

“I heard it was to search for the assassin,” Shi Yao replied.

“Just a cover-up,” Long Long shook his head, “How did the assassin infiltrate North State and assassinate Qi Weihong? Presumably, it must have been through a traitor channel to bypass the layers of Xuanwu Clan defenses to launch the attack.”

“For North State, foreign assassins are endless and inexhaustible. The real concern should be cutting off the traitor channels and plugging the corresponding defense gaps… What’s so hard about that? Checking where someone was and when, why need to lockdown the entire territory to search for an assassin?”

“You mean…” Shi Yao was slightly stunned upon hearing this and then realized something.

“The reason for locking down the entire territory is to cover up large-scale troop movements,” Long Long said slowly, “Currently, with Qi Qiaosong in power for a long time, the legal ruling over Central State gradually stabilizes. If North State does not take a risky gamble, the likelihood of eventual victory will only decrease.”

Shi Yao remained silent for a long time, secretly amazed.

Brilliant.

What Hu Li said was right, my disciple’s mind is indeed agile; I am no match.