As Wu Long came out of the mansion, Butler Bang was already waiting for him outside, even though he was busy with other duties before.

“Young Master, Old Yen has given contact, the preparations are going well, he also has assembled a few more subordinates and will be sending some over when they are skilled enough, retrieving the ones here for further training in exchange”

“Mm, good. I will contact him later to hear the detailed report. The ladies will stay inside to recuperate for another day or two, and they will need some peace and quiet”

“Understood, I will arrange some maids that arrived not long ago who did not pass the selection for my subordinates”

“Mingyu?”

“The Lady has not shown signs of exiting her seclusion”

“Any other notable news?”

“I have made a written report”

“Good job as always”

“Young Master flatters this old man”

He smiled toward the bowing old man, stretching his hand to take a scroll that the latter was offering with both hands and went forward, moving in the direction of the guest courtyards housing the visitors from Tingren Kingdom.

While walking, he casually opened up the scroll, looking through the events and reports that happened while he was in seclusion.

His gait was peaceful and steady, and there were no apparent changes in his appearance. He also wore comparatively modest even somewhat plain clothing with not many decorations or gaudy patterns as usual.

But there was still something imperceptibly more striking about his overall atmosphere, as even female servants who were trained by Butler Bang to remain tranquil and level-headed in any situation would lightly freeze at the sight of him passing through the mansion’s premises with a scroll in hands.

‘Hmm, Luxiao’s company is a little pressured I guess. Well, with that as the head of the Mercenary Corps, it was somewhat expected’

Wu Long lightly furrowed his brows as he looked through the report, the scene of a man with a heavy saber on his back glaring at him from the sky before leaving after Gu Zhen’s Flame Projection flashing through his mind.

“Well, Xiang’er should start up shortly, and the new pills should be able to throw a little disarray into their movements”

He then chuckled, closing up the scroll as he finished looking it through, and putting his hands behind his back with the scroll still in one of them as his gaze went up to view the scenery around. He leisurely strode in this way to his destination, arriving not long after.

“Good morning, Your Highness”

He smiled as he saw princess Cai Yin taking a morning walk as well.

“It is, I am glad to see you in good health, Mister Wu. Care to join me for a walk?”

She smiled as well since his appearance here meant that their seclusion was finally over, and by the look of it was successful. He nodded and they moved forward together while the princess’s warriors now distanced themselves.

Her light gray eyes with a light blue hue took a look to the side at his profile, unable to miss the subtle change that made him even more attractive despite no noticeable differences, as she gently tucked a lock of pinkish-red hair behind her ear to hide the glance.

“Does Your Highness take your medicine? I must admit, though I have invited you here to recuperate, I have robbed you of the company of my ladies that was promised to you for too long, so I am a little worried”

“Please do not worry, Mister Wu. I have been faring well, as this place truly has a soothing effect”

She shook her head with a soft smile, as just being away from the usual surroundings helped take her mind off of the stress and pressure, even if she was still in contact with her double in her home country.

“Besides I have been kept company by the Gong Sisters in the evening, and made acquaintance with Fairy Yu Huan. Though the latter seems to have little free time”

“Haha, she is very diligent and responsible, sometimes to a fault. I will make sure to visit her and remind her to take regular rest. But it is good to hear that Fairy Gong Cui does not refute meeting you”

“Well, the only person she tries to avoid is… ah, my apologies…”

“No need, we both know it is true. Besides, I already expressed my lament at not being able to be the one to soothe her worries, at least at this point in time”

He shook his head with a chuckle, nodding to the people in the distance who respectfully bowed at the sight of them walking.

“Have you heard of the Alchemy Tower’s official letter?”

“Mm, I have just received a report…” .𝒎

Wu Long let go of the hand holding the scroll behind his back, moving it forward while his other hand that held it by the wrist remained in its position. His eyes that glanced down at the report not showing any particular emotion.

“… but it is mainly a vehicle other parties can use to justify their opposition, as that letter has no political strength of its own. If my guess is correct it is currently the main argument used by the faction of the Song Dynasty opposing the Crown Prince”

“Is that not troublesome for us? Should the Emperor relent on the Imperial Edict, we would be in a hard position…”

“Please do not worry, Your Highness, there are several moving parts of the puzzle that will not allow that. Besides rescinding the edict now will be a show of weakness.

The other side is currently simply using that to put pressure on us. There is also not much we can do about the Alchemy Tower…”

‘…yet’

He inwardly added as Cai Yin sighed with a pondering look on her beautiful face that still had light signs of fatigue and distress but was far less pale, and generally showed signs of improvement.

“I have kept the policy of the Royal House of Tingren in ramping up their military power at bay, but I did not suppress it completely as you have asked, though I wouldn’t be able to even if I wanted to”

“Thank you for agreeing to my slightly unreasonable request, but the opponent we are dealing with proved to be more volatile that I expected. So our goal is to not win, but put ourselves in the position to win at any moment while outwardly keeping a close balance”

Wu Long smiled with a little guilt as it was a tall order to fill. Such a tactic was also a little hard on Cai Yin’s conscience whose heart felt for the people of her kingdom, but she realized the necessity, as well as his intentions in asking her for this.

“Was there anything you did not understand in the scrolls I left you before entering seclusion? I may be limited in my ability to teach, but I can try to clarify some of your doubts. Though as soon as Mingyu exits her seclusion she would be able to do a much better job of teaching you”

“Ah, pardon my manners and forgetfulness. I was meaning to thank you for the incredible techniques again, Mister Wu.

These days I can feel my cultivation starting to become more and more invigorated, as my foundation that started to crumble is being reconstructed with your cultivation methods. In a month or a bit more I may even begin improving”

Her eyes that were filled with heavy thoughts lit up as she looked at him with gratitude.

Her cultivation was stagnant ever since she was freed from the manipulation of her teacher, even showing signs of regression since the cultivation techniques she was passed by that man were deliberately tampered with.

It was no doubt an insurance in case he could not contain her talent, as her cultivation technique relied on his manipulation to make progress and would gradually erode her foundation if she was ever freed from that control.

These types of techniques were something frequently used by the Corrupt Path to train their lower-level soldiers, but were not limited to them as it was a rather popular practice even among some reputable organizations and countries.

It was a way to ensure that people serving someone could progress and be of use, but could not outgrow their master or rebel after reaching a certain level of strength by making their cultivation dependent on the master.

Though they varied in the way they affected the person’s cultivation since some simply prevented the person practicing from approaching the cultivation level of the person controlling them without any further detrimental effects, and some could gradually lead to the death of the serving individual if they were cut off from the source of their dependency.

They also varied by the method of control as some required specific pills provided by their masters while some required regular transfer of Spiritual Qi and so on.

Because of their function and how they worked, they were collectively nicknamed the “Dependency Techniques”, and their method of control was commonly referred to as the “Source”.

“I am glad to hear that. As expected of a talented person such as yourself, there seems to be no trouble with the techniques”

He smiled, nodding with appreciation as a light blush touched the cheeks of the princess.

“You flatter me, Mister Wu. Someone of your prowess and knowledge calling me talented is a little embarrassing since I am afraid I cannot live up to such a standard”

“Haha, it only seems so. I have circumstances that allow me to boast the knowledge and prowess I possess, but those circumstances make it only natural that I do.

I might have worked very hard to get where I was in the past, and if looked objectively might have even deserved some of the praise you have so generously showered me with, but at the moment, there is nothing impressive about my achievements, to be honest.

Rather, it would have been incredibly bad if I was not able to exhibit this much given the cards I have been dealt”

Wu Long chuckled as he never fooled himself into thinking that his performance in this life was anything impressive. It was only natural given the incredible miracle he got and in his mind, there was little credit of his own effort in it. .

In his past life, when he clawed and slashed his way up overcoming impossible odds, he honestly could be proud of his achievements. The results he got now, however, did not meet his standards of achieving something anymore simply because getting them was not unexpected with his memories, knowledge and skills. It was a simple matter of application of his previous experience, even if there was effort on his part.

This was why he was even more determined to reach even further heights. Almost any moment he had that was not spent on his women or his duties and activities, his mind was working toward perfecting the ways in which he could achieve more, do more than even the current him with all of his knowledge and skills could imagine.

His thirst for more, his drive to achieve something he could honestly be proud of, even despite getting the incredible chance of reincarnation with his memories intact, momentarily reflected in his eyes that looked to the distance, as the princess who took yet another glance at his profile lost her breath for a moment.

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