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The Star Luo Empire, Wu Ping City
"Torrential rain, flooding... Since the terrain here is somewhat similar to that of the ancient Shu Commandery's Min River, could we perhaps..."
"Fortunately, that Li Erlang was one of the archetypes of our Daoist deity Erlang Shen. Thus, I remember this design quite clearly."
"As long as Father finds some experts in water management and makes a few adjustments..."
Dai Chengfeng stood at the desk, pen in hand, scribbling something on paper. The only sound was the soft scratching of his pen.
Knock, knock, knock—
When he heard the knock on the door, Dai Chengfeng finally looked up. "Come in."
Soon, Zhu Fan entered, drenched from the rain. He shook off the water droplets from his clothes, and with the flow of soul power, he quickly dried himself.
"Uncle, how did it go?"
"Is there anyone in the city preparing to take advantage of the soldiers' absence during flood control to incite rebellion?"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Fan smiled and shook his head. "Chengfeng, your strategic brilliance never ceases to amaze me!"
"When you first sent soldiers to help Wu Ping City manage the floods, I wanted to stop you. But now, looking back..."
He gave a thumbs-up in admiration. "This was truly a brilliant move!"
"At first, when we entered the city, many people were resistant to us."
"After all, even though the Tian Dou Empire isn't as fierce as the people of our Star Luo Empire, they are still invaders, and acceptance of our rule wouldn't come easily."
"But now!"
"They see that after you captured Wu Ping City, not only did you leave the common people unharmed, but you also sent troops to help them manage the floods and save lives... Many of them are now deeply grateful to you!"
Dai Chengfeng nodded with a smile. "That's good."
"Before, Wu Ping City belonged to the Tian Dou Empire, and they were our enemies, so naturally we had to eliminate them without mercy."
"But now that Wu Ping City has been incorporated into the Star Luo Empire, they are also citizens of the Star Luo Empire."
"And besides, how much do ordinary people really matter?"
"We just need to kill those greedy merchants and soul masters, and the wealth confiscated from their estates will be more than enough to reward the army several times over, with plenty left to replenish the imperial treasury."
"Well said!" Zhu Fan nodded in agreement.
At this moment, Dai Chengfeng finally finished his last stroke and let out a deep sigh. He looked at Zhu Fan.
"Uncle, are you ready to leave?"
His tone was deadly serious.
"Uh..."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Fan's expression froze. "Chengfeng, do you really have to go to the Tian Dou Empire?"
"Though as you analyzed, with His Majesty backing you, most people believe your martial soul truly malfunctioned, so now only Xue Qinghe, who knows the truth about the bloody battle of Wu'an, might care. The rest of the Tian Dou Empire won't pay much attention to you."
"But I'm still afraid that if the truth comes out..."
Dai Chengfeng shook his head. "Uncle, I must go to the Tian Dou Empire!"
"I know this journey might involve some risks, but it's crucial to my future—it determines how far I can go!"
The more Dai Chengfeng practiced the Innate Qi Technique, the more he realized...
If he wanted to quickly compensate for the missing origin of his White Tiger martial soul, relying solely on absorbing soul rings and cultivation wouldn't be enough.
Only immortal herbs could help!
And if he didn't go personally, it would be unrealistic for anyone else to obtain the specific immortal herb he needed from Du Douluo Gu Bo.
First, no one else recognized it!
In the original story, the only people who knew about immortal herbs were Tang San, the almighty protagonist, Ju Douluo, and the Breaker Clan—none of whom were from the Star Luo Empire.
After being transported to this world, Dai Chengfeng had tried searching the royal library of the Star Luo Empire for knowledge about immortal herbs.
Unfortunately...
There were countless military strategy books, as many as he wanted!
But knowledge about immortal herbs? Nope, nada!
Thus, if he wanted the immortal herb, he had no choice but to go himself!
Moreover, the news that he had reached Level 20 and become a Great Soul Master probably wouldn't stay hidden for long.
If he didn't leave soon, his third soul ring would undoubtedly be the Diamond Tiger...
Though the White Tiger Diamond Transformation was the only skill among the first three rings that Dai Chengfeng somewhat approved of.
But!
First, its enhancement effect overlapped with the *White Emperor Domain*. Moreover, the *White Emperor Domain* didn't just strengthen him alone—it could cover all allied troops within a 100-meter radius.
Therefore, if possible...
Dai Chengfeng wanted a transformation skill that suited him better and was even stronger than the White Tiger Diamond Transformation.
On the other side—
Zhu Fan looked at Dai Chengfeng's serious and determined eyes. Though he still didn't want him to risk his life, he ultimately sighed helplessly. "Fine!"
"Since you say you must go, Uncle will accompany you on this journey!"
Hearing Zhu Fan agree, Dai Chengfeng let out a deep breath.
"Then, Uncle, wait a moment."
With that, Dai Chengfeng wrote a note for Zhu Yan on the back of the diagram he had been working on...
Soon, he and Zhu Fan mounted their horses and galloped out of the city.
Time passed, unknowingly.
"Your Highness, it's time for dinner. Why haven't you come out all day?"
"And Your Highness, do you know where Commander Zhu Fan went?"
Zhu Yan's voice echoed outside the door, but there was no response from inside the room.
"Your Highness?"
After waiting for a long time and seeing the door remain closed, Zhu Yan called out again tentatively.
Silence.
After a while, Zhu Yan pushed the door open, curious.
"How strange... Where did His Highness go?"
Zhu Yan looked around the empty room, puzzled, and soon noticed the paper on the desk.
[Zhu Yan, Commander Zhu Fan and I have already departed for the Tian Dou Empire. If you see this, please inform His Majesty.]
[Also, this blueprint must be shown to His Majesty as soon as possible. After modifications, begin construction immediately.]
[By the time I return from the Tian Dou Empire, I want to see the initial structure completed!]
"To the Tian Dou Empire?!"
Upon reading the note, Zhu Yan couldn't help but exclaim in shock.
However, he soon calmed down.
After all, the current political relationship between the Tian Dou Empire and the Star Luo Empire wasn't one of enmity—they were, in fact, 'allies'...
Allies united against the Spirit Hall!
There were only minor conflicts in small cities like Wu'an and Wu Ping.
But in large fortresses like Jincheng Pass and Jinshan Pass, both sides had tacitly avoided any conflict for decades.
"Who in the Tian Dou Empire would imagine that the ingenious strategy of repairing the road openly while secretly attacking Wu Ping wasn't devised by me, the lord of Wu'an City, but by His Highness?"
"A supposedly powerless prince... should be relatively safe, right?!"
Thinking this, Zhu Yan curiously flipped the paper over to examine the front. "Dujiangyan Water Conservancy Project? What is this? Why does it have such a name?"
(T/N: 'Dujiangyan' refers to a World Heritage Site located in Sichuan Province, China. It was created 2,000 years ago during the 3rd century B.C., is renowned as the world's oldest still-in-use water management system without dams. Had to search this up lol)
Zhu Yan frowned slightly.
"The Golden City Embankment, Tiger's Might Spillway, God King River Intake, along with the Hundred-Zhang Embankment, '人' shaped Embankment..."
After reading the notes Dai Chengfeng had left behind, Zhu Yan's eyes widened in amazement. "No wonder His Highness insisted on taking full control of Wu Ping City despite opposition..."
"He truly thinks far ahead!"
"If this weir is completed, not only will it solve the frequent flooding issues near Wu'an, Wu Ping, and Jinshan Pass, but it will also provide the empire with hundreds of thousands of hectares of additional grain storage, solving the problem of insufficient food production compared to the Tian Dou Empire!"
Thinking this, Zhu Yan couldn't help but gasp. "Heavens!"
"With such a vast granary, once we resolve the issue with the Spirit Hall..."
"Our Star Luo Empire's dream of unifying the world will no longer be hindered by the lack of food!"
For a moment, Zhu Yan carefully held the oddly named yet invaluable blueprint and bowed deeply toward the city gates. "Prince Chengfeng, magnificent!"
"This blueprint will benefit the people of our Star Luo Empire for thousands of generations!"
"Minister Zhu Yan, I am convinced!!!"
Meanwhile
"Achoo!"
Sixty miles outside Wu Ping City, Dai Chengfeng suddenly sneezed.
"Your Highness, have you caught a cold?"
"No way. Someone must be talking about me—I wonder who..."
Dai Chengfeng rubbed his nose and gazed at the endless forest ahead. "Uncle, if we keep going straight like this, will we reach the Great Star Dou Forest?"
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