CH 291

Chapter 291: Is Someone Able to Refine the Elixir of Immortality?

The envoy from Dayue quickly went back and returned again.

He brought along a person to verify the authenticity of the dragon bones and discuss the grain trade after confirming their authenticity.

The other party lightly touched the dragon bone powder, examining it closely by both smell and sight.

Finally, excitedly exclaimed, “Lord Liu, this is indeed a dragon bone!”

The Dayue envoy was shocked, “Really?”

“Absolutely!”

“Naturally it’s true. Could I deceive you?” Duke Wuxi looked curiously, “What puzzles me is, have you seen dragon bones before? How can you identify them?”

The two envoys from Dayue exchanged a glance, smiling contentedly.

Have they seen them?

They, from Dayue, even possessed several pieces of dragon bones!

The authenticity of the dragon bones settled, both sides began to negotiate terms.

How much grain should be exchanged for these two pieces of dragon bones?

For Duke Wuxi, naturally, the more, the better.

But for Dayue, naturally, the less, the better.

In the end, after a week of negotiations, the Dayue Dynasty agreed to provide approximately 30 million catties of grain, about two months’ worth of supplies for the Wuxi Army, enough to sustain them until the autumn harvest.

However, after the autumn harvest, Duke Wuxi must raise an army.

With this agreement, Dayue obtained the long-desired dragon bones, while Duke Wuxi secured provisions for development. Both sides were content.

Strategist Feng Chu smiled and bowed, “My lord, a great joy!”

“Strategist, where does this joy come from?” Duke Wuxi inquired.

“My lord, the issue of grain is not only ours but also the problem of those ‘Rat Soldiers’! Their forces are growing, but the grain shortage becomes more pronounced. Without provisions, they will fall into chaos and self-destruction!”

“Your words are very true!”

“Now, we have solved the grain problem and can peacefully make it to the autumn harvest. However, what about those Rat Soldiers? They have no fields, relying solely on looting or external sources for supplies. But the channels for external supply have been cut off to the east by the court and to the west by us. North and south are completely impassable for transportation!”

Feng Chu bowed again, “So, my lord, now we can be adaptable and respond to changes, remain stationary while the world changes. As long as we guard our own grain and fields, we can wear them down without fighting!”

Duke Wuxi joyfully exclaimed, “Well said! Our grand army mustn’t make any rash moves, not give them any opportunities! By safeguarding our own provisions and lands, we can bring them down, let them self-destruct! Haha…”

“Your wisdom shines, my lord!” Feng Chu chuckled.

“However, that dragon bone…” Duke Wuxi felt a pang of regret, unable to forget.

“My lord, please put your mind at ease!” Feng Chu whispered, “I’ve secretly contacted Lord Lin. Through him, I learned he still possesses three pieces of dragon bone! With my persuasion, he’s willing to part with two pieces, but at a cost of 4 million taels!”

Duke Wuxi drew a cold breath, “4 million taels! That’s twice the previous price! He’s too greedy!”

“My lord, Lord Lin says the dragon bone has already flown away. There’s no chance of obtaining more. What he holds now are the last remaining pieces, rarity commands high value. Hence, the price isn’t cheap, naturally!”

Duke Wuxi’s face was deeply conflicted.

Feng Chu persuaded again, “My lord, if he weren’t greedy, we wouldn’t have a chance!”

“That’s true!” Duke Wuxi sat down heavily, his brow furrowed, his expression changing. He tightly clenched his fist, clearly making a weighty decision.

After a moment, he said, “Give him all the gold, silver, and jewels in the royal mansion! If it’s not enough, take from others, make sure to gather 4 million taels for me!”

Feng Chu was greatly surprised, “My lord, if we give everything, we’ll have no money left! This…”

Duke Wuxi waved his hand, “We don’t need money now! As long as we hold on until the autumn harvest and the Rat Soldiers collapse, we’ll immediately march east and get whatever we need. Why should we care about a little silver?”

“Your words are very true!”

So, a large amount of gold, silver, and jewels were secretly transported to the Lin mansion in the capital city.

At the same time, the Wuxi Army began to contract their frontlines, no longer venturing outward. They heavily guarded their provisions and fertile lands, not giving any opportunities to the Slanted Moon Army.

This information quickly reached the Slanted Moon Army.

“Princess, it seems Duke Wuxi has secretly conspired with the Dayue Dynasty again. They’ve gained food support and started to shrink their frontlines, heavily guarding them. Their intention is clear: to wear us down!”

Princess Ziyue nodded solemnly, “Fortunately, we’ve prepared in advance! How are the rabbits, bamboo rats, and other animals doing?”

“Princess, following your orders, we’ve already transported a large number of rabbits, bamboo rats, and other highly reproductive animals to the two major mountain ranges! After my careful observation, their reproductive capabilities are astonishing!”

“In just half a month, their numbers have increased more than tenfold! Moreover, they grow quickly, ready to be eaten in just one or two months! According to their reproduction and growth rates, they can definitely supply our entire army!”

“That’s excellent!” Princess Ziyue’s face brightened with a radiant smile. The food issue that had weighed heavily on her was finally resolved.

With enough provisions, they could act without restraint, and the prospect of restoring their former glory was within reach!

“Now that Duke Wuxi is contracting his frontlines and there’s no opportunity for us to strike, we should rest for a while, train and strengthen our forces, dig more tunnels, and breed more rabbits and rats to prepare for the future!”

“Yes, Princess!”

After arranging everything, Princess Ziyue returned to her modest chamber and wrote a confidential letter.

She had her trusted aide deliver it to Lin Beifan in the capital city.

In the Lin mansion of the capital city, Lin Beifan looked at the letter from Princess Ziyue, then at the gold, silver, and jewels sent by Duke Wuxi, and he more or less understood the situation.

Duke Wuxi must have exchanged dragon bones with the Dayue Dynasty for a significant amount of food. Then, he guarded the provisions and fertile lands, intending to outlast the Slanted Moon Army using an unchanging strategy.

However, he didn’t know that the Slanted Moon Army had received his guidance and cultivated a large amount of food within the two major mountain ranges.

Currently, both sides were not fighting but rather trying to outlast each other, waiting for an opportunity.

“After the autumn harvest, it will be the time for Duke Wuxi to rise in rebellion! This time, Duke Wuxi will have to rebel, or he’ll be left with nothing! Because if he doesn’t rebel now, he’ll have nothing left!” Lin Beifan chuckled softly.

Duke Wuxi had been cornered by him to the point of desperation!

The entire royal mansion and Duke Wuxi’s wealth had been emptied by him!

The food and troops could only last a few more months, and the Slanted Moon Army frequently disrupted their supplies. Under these unfavorable circumstances, if he didn’t make a strong effort now, he would be doomed!

Lin Beifan looked northward, “After the autumn harvest, the group of martial practitioners under Prince of Northern Hebei’s command has also been mostly trained! The opportunity to dominate the realm is just within reach, and Prince of Northern Hebei certainly won’t sit still; he will rise in rebellion!”

“Also, Prince of Southern Jiang will rise in rebellion after the autumn harvest!”

“At this point, Southern Jiang has already fallen into chaos! The once flourishing commercial economy has disappeared, population loss is severe, and they are facing a serious shortage of food! If they don’t fight now, they will be doomed!”

“Therefore, civil war is inevitable after the autumn harvest!”

Lin Beifan wrote eight bold characters on the paper: “Break to Rebuild, Power to the Warriors!”

Finally, the paper was set ablaze by Lin Beifan.

“However, what’s most important now… is greed!”

Lin Beifan smirked and brought out an exquisite porcelain jar. Inside it were pieces of dragon bone…

Ever since the dragon bones had flown away under everyone’s watchful eyes, everyone believed in the authenticity of the dragon bones. They also firmly believed in the miraculous effects of the dragon bones.

People with power and influence, especially emperors of various countries, were crazily trying to collect dragon bones. They suspected that the secret to immortality was hidden within the dragon bones.

As they desired immortality, they wanted more dragon bones.

So, the dragon bones in Lin Beifan’s possession became extremely precious, and their price kept rising.

Unbeknownst to them, Lin Beifan wanted as much of this thing as he could get.

“These dragon bones are such valuable treasures. They must be sold slowly, bit by bit. In the end, they will definitely bring in a lot of money!”

In this life, Lin Beifan was counting on this to survive!

Just then, a young eunuch arrived at the Lin mansion and summoned, “Lord Prefect, Her Majesty summons you and the other ministers to the palace!”

Lin Beifan was puzzled, “There doesn’t seem to be any urgent matter now. Why would Her Majesty summon the ministers? Can you tell me what’s going on?”

The young eunuch lowered his head, “There’s an overseas Taoist who has come to Great Wu. It is said that he possesses great abilities and mysterious techniques. He can even refine the Elixir of Immortality! Her Majesty attaches great importance to this matter, so he has invited you and the other ministers to an audience!”

“I see!” Lin Beifan’s eyes took on a strange glint.

An overseas Taoist who can refine the Elixir of Immortality? Can the Elixir of Immortality that he refines be consumed?

Someone has really come to deceive him. He should definitely meet this person properly!

Following the young eunuch, Lin Beifan entered the imperial palace.

Actually, all the ministers were already there. They nodded slightly to Lin Beifan, then made space for him to stand at the front.

Lin Beifan was currently not only a second-ranked official of the court, but he also held a noble title. It could be said that he was the number one figure in the court, so he should stand in the first position.

Looking down, he saw a somewhat chubby Taoist with dark circles under his eyes and a small mustache on his lips.

He possessed the peak strength of the fourth rank and held a whisk in his hand. He appeared somewhat unruly.

Lin Beifan inquired around, and someone answered, “This person claims to be Empty Void Daoist. He comes from overseas and possesses mysterious abilities. It’s said that he can refine the Elixir of Immortality!”

Lin Beifan nodded, “I see!”

When everyone had gathered, the Empress laughed, “Esteemed ministers, I summoned you all here to introduce you to this Empty Void Daoist! He comes from overseas and is an extraordinary person. It’s said that he can refine the Elixir of Immortality!”

“Can you really refine the Elixir of Immortality?” an old courtier questioned.

The Taoist shook his whisk, slightly bowed, and proudly proclaimed, “Your Majesty and esteemed ministers, I extend my greetings! Over the years, I have been seeking the path to immortality. Now, I have achieved success and returned. I’m deeply grateful for Your Majesty’s immense grace. Therefore, I’ve specially come to refine the Elixir of Immortality for Your Majesty. I request Your Majesty’s permission!”