"Your Highness, the Heavenly Demon Cult is, after all, one of the Three Great Sacred Grounds. Although they have been without a Cult Master for over forty years, they must not be underestimated."
The middle-aged man said, "Forty years without a Cult Master, yet they have not been destroyed and still possess such formidable strength. This demonstrates their incredible cohesion. If it were the Great Thunderclap Monastery or the Dao Gate, would they dare to go forty years without a Tathagata or a Dao Master? Underestimating the Heavenly Demon Cult would surely lead to disaster."
The Crown Prince of Yankang waved his hand dismissively. "Rest assured, I will not underestimate the Heavenly Demon Cult. The fact that the Heavenly Demon Cult was able to quietly eliminate Grand Tutor Sun Nantuo, wipe out all the monks of the Nantuo Villa, and uproot the Nantuo Temple without a single shred of news reaching the outside world speaks volumes about their immense influence. How could I possibly underestimate such a sect?"
The middle-aged man looked puzzled. The Crown Prince continued, "This time, I don't need to lift a finger myself to see the Heavenly Demon Cult destroyed. The Dao Gate and the Great Thunderclap Monastery—these two great sacred grounds have a longer history of enmity with the Heavenly Demon Cult than with the State of Yankang. Both of them have long desired to eradicate this leader of the demonic path but have never had the opportunity. If..."
He spoke leisurely, "If the Emperor of Yankang were to no longer oppose these sects, if the Emperor of Yankang were to no longer support the State Preceptor's reforms, if the Emperor of Yankang were to dismiss the State Preceptor, and if the Emperor of Yankang could make the conflict between the sects and the state vanish into thin air... do you think the Dao Gate and the Great Thunderclap Monastery would be willing to join forces with such an Emperor? Would the Dao Gate and the Great Thunderclap Monastery be willing to support such an Emperor?"
The middle-aged man's body trembled slightly as he looked at the Crown Prince of Yankang.
The Crown Prince's gaze was profound, his tone indifferent. "Although Father possesses great talent and vision, he has placed far too much trust in the State Preceptor. His trust in the State Preceptor is so absolute that more than half of the imperial court is now the State Preceptor's faction. This is uprooting our Ling family! Father has allowed the State Preceptor to amass such power. If the State Preceptor were to rebel, Father would have no means to stop him. If we continue to let the State Preceptor of Yankang grow, it will lead to a change of heaven and a change of dynasty!"
His gaze sharpened, his voice deep. "The elders of my Ling family, the loyal and righteous members of my Ling family, have all seen this trend. This is why the Eighth Grand-Uncle supports me. The Eighth Grand-Uncle once tried to advise Father, but Father was stubborn and insisted on trusting the State Preceptor. Left with no choice, the Eighth Grand-Uncle placed his hopes on me to bring about change."
His emotions surged with a mix of indignation. "The Eighth Grand-Uncle was a Ling family elder who fought alongside Emperor Gaozong to establish this kingdom—my Eighth Imperial Uncle of Yankang! He did not hesitate to bear the name of a traitor, contacting those martial sects and coordinating with officials and generals across the land, all to pave the way for me to bring down the State Preceptor. Unfortunately, he fell short by just a single step! After his death, he could not even keep his body whole; instead, the traitorous State Preceptor severed his head! And there are even rumors in the court and the provinces that he was disloyal!"
The Crown Prince of Yankang shed tears, then abruptly slammed his palm on the table, his eyes bloodshot. "I cannot watch the Ling family's kingdom be destroyed by Father, even if it means being an unfilial son! Loyalty and filial piety are hard to reconcile. I may be unfilial, but I am loyal to the Ling family! There are things that must be done, things that cannot be left undone!"
He paced back and forth in agitation. "How laughable that my younger brothers and sisters are still living in a drunken stupor, completely unaware that my Ling family is on the brink of catastrophe! Father has already been hollowed out by the State Preceptor. If the Ling family is deposed from the throne, they will all be annihilated! I cannot let this happen. I cannot allow the State Preceptor, that demon of the demonic path, to usurp the nest! I must become Emperor to turn the tide!"
At the Hukou Manufacturing Depot, the Heavenly Artisan Hall and the Craftsman Hall had finally forged five tower ships after ten days of work. Everyone installed the fifteen furnaces that Qin Mu had crafted, mounting them onto the ships and connecting them to the bronze beasts.
Qin Mu made minor adjustments to the tower ship blueprints, altering some of the layouts. Each ship required three furnaces. Inside each ship were three bronze beasts—two at the stern and one at the bottom, with heads that could rotate in all directions.
The original wooden tower ships had been converted to Mystic Iron and Mystic Bronze, greatly increasing their weight. A single furnace would definitely not get them airborne, so two more were added. Additionally, a bronze beast capable of blasting fire downward was installed at the bottom of each ship, ensuring a smoother takeoff and landing without too much turbulence.
The five iron-hulled tower ships—three large and two small—were complete in every detail, though sparrow-sized, they had all the vital organs. Even the two smaller tower ships were fully equipped with cabins and guest rooms.
Qin Mu had someone paint a wood-grain finish on all five ships, making them look like five wooden tower ships so as not to cause a sensation.
Fan Yunxiao was incredibly excited, pacing back and forth around the five tower ships. He hurriedly asked, "Cult Master, which ship is mine?"
Qin Mu pointed to the smaller one. Fan Yunxiao's face immediately fell. "Can I have a large ship instead?"
"Large ships are for transporting troops and fighting. They're not as fast as the small ships," Qin Mu said. "If you plan to continue as a bandit, you should choose the small ship. If you choose the large ship, it can carry passengers, but the large ship consumes more medicinal stones. In times of peace, the fare might not even cover the cost of the stones."
Fan Yunxiao hesitated for a moment. "Then I'll stick with the small ship. What's the other small ship for?"
Although they were called small ships, they weren't particularly tiny—over ten zhang long, three or four zhang wide, and five zhang high, capable of carrying twenty to thirty people.
Qin Mu had the Heavenly Demon Cult disciples change their clothes and sail the three large ships away. He then sent the remaining small ship to the Imperial Academy, saying, "The New Year is approaching soon. This small ship is for my own transport. Sect Leader Fan, you've entered the Bandit Hall of the Holy Cult. The Bandit Hall is also a branch of the Holy Cult, so I won't say much, as it is a livelihood for the sect's disciples. However, robbing wealth is permissible, but robbing lives is not, and neither is robbing virtue."
Fan Yunxiao laughed. "I come from the Dao Gate, though it was the old Dao Master who expelled me. But we fire bandits have always lived by not taking lives or compromising virtue. Rest assured—'In the three hundred and sixty trades, every trade produces its master.' I will certainly excel at this and live up to the Cult Master's high hopes and cultivation!"
Qin Mu was left speechless. After a long moment, he waved his hand. Fan Yunxiao enthusiastically boarded the remaining small ship while the dozen or so other fire bandits struggled to push the iron ship along the wooden tracks and out of the factory.
Outside, the snow had already stopped. It was freezing cold, and the depot was nearly deserted.
Fan Yunxiao shouted, "Fire up the furnaces and set sail! This ship is our new Cloud-Chasing Pirate Ship! We're not going straight anymore! Raise the fire bandit banner! Out there is the sky and endless riches!"
The iron-hulled tower ship rose slowly, gradually picking up speed, then suddenly pierced through the air. The fire bandits on board cried out, "So cold! So cold! Boss Fan, stop standing on the deck and come inside to warm up!"
Qin Mu watched them depart before turning back, leading the Dragon Qilin, Fox Ling'er, and the Dutian Demon King back to the capital.
It had been snowing continuously these past few days. Although the snow had stopped, the sky remained overcast and dreary, with no sunlight. The cold wind howled, and everything was frozen solid.
"We haven't seen the sun in ten days," Fox Ling'er said, looking up at the sky.
She couldn't stand staying in the factory and frequently ran outside.
Qin Mu was slightly taken aback. Ten days without seeing the sun? This snowfall had been unusually heavy. Why hadn't the sun come out even after the snow stopped?
He didn't think much of it. The New Year was approaching, and the capital was beginning to show festive spirit, with lanterns and decorations everywhere. As Qin Mu entered the city, he saw numerous tower ships and great vessels flying into the sky. Besides the soldiers on board, there were also some court officials. He wondered what they were doing heading up into the sky.
"It doesn't look like they're going to war."
Qin Mu looked up and saw the dozen or more tower ships flying higher and higher, heading straight for the upper atmosphere rather than any particular direction. He felt puzzled.
He returned to the Imperial Academy and found the scholars all discussing New Year plans. No one mentioned the court officials flying into the high cloud layers. Some scholars were discussing the tower ship docked in front of the Scholar's Residence. "I wonder which wealthy young master is rich enough to get a tower ship for transportation."
The next day, the sky was still gloomy. Gu Linuan gathered the Imperial Academy scholars and announced, "The Emperor has granted a New Year holiday. You may all go home for the New Year."
The entire mountain erupted in cheers.
Qin Mu looked up and saw several more tower ships ascending, heading for the high sky.
Meanwhile, on the Cloud-Chasing Pirate Ship, Fan Yunxiao stood at the bow, shivering. He twisted off the icicle hanging from his nose and looked down. "Number Two, where are we now?"
One of the fire bandits looked down, identifying their location. "We've reached the Li River."
"Why is it snowing at the Li River too?" Fan Yunxiao exclaimed, pointing at the mountains and rivers blanketed in thick white snow below. "Something's not right. The Li River is at the southernmost tip of the Southern Borderlands. Even in the dead of winter, you could walk around bare-chested. How come there's heavy snow sealing the mountains this year?"
The fire bandits emerged from the cabin and looked down, clicking their tongues in wonder.
Fan Yunxiao's face suddenly changed. "We flew from the capital to here—that's tens of thousands of miles, right? Have any of you seen the sun?"
The dozen or so fire bandits looked at each other and all shook their heads.
Fan Yunxiao drew a sharp breath and looked up at the dismal overcast sky, murmuring, "A single cloud covering tens of thousands of miles... is that the hell a normal cloud? And this snow—even the Southern Borderlands are getting heavy snow. Next year is probably going to be a year of famine with corpses everywhere... When people are hungry and can't eat, they rebel... I thought we'd have a few peaceful years to make some fortune. Number Two, crank the furnaces to full power! We're flying further south!"
After more than an hour, the Cloud-Chasing Pirate Ship flew out of the Southern Borderlands and into the skies above the Southern Sea. Suddenly, a blinding light appeared ahead. As they flew closer, they saw the blazing sun casting its rays freely, illuminating the sea below like a transparent sapphire.
Fan Yunxiao looked back and gasped.
An enormous cloud blanketed the entire territory of the State of Yankang!
At the Imperial Academy, Qin Mu was packing his things, preparing to board a ship back to the Great Ruins, when a National Academy official came over and called out loudly, "Grand Master of the Gentlemanly Range, the Emperor has ordered all officials above the sixth rank to attend court for deliberation! Failure to appear will result in punishment!"
Qin Mu set down his luggage and said to Fox Ling'er, "You all stay here. I'll go to the palace and see what's about."
It was his first time attending court. When he arrived at the throne room, he found it already packed with hundreds of officials. Fortunately, the Golden Hall was large enough to accommodate everyone.
Emperor Yanfeng sat upon the throne, his face etched with worry. He periodically asked, "Has the State Preceptor arrived?"
Upon hearing that the State Preceptor of Yankang had not yet arrived, the worry on Emperor Yanfeng's face deepened.
After a moment, Emperor Yanfeng cleared his throat. His voice was as resonant as a great bell. "We shall not wait for the State Preceptor. Honorable ministers, you have not seen the sun for over ten days, have you? I, too, have not seen the sun for over ten days. Not only I, but the entire State of Yankang has gone over ten days without sunlight. In recent days, I have received memorials from officials across the land, flying in like snowflakes—from the Northern Wastes to the Southern Sky, from the Island of Sunrise in the east to the Mishui Pass in the west—snow, six or seven days of heavy snow!"
He rose from the Dragon Throne and pointed upward, his finger trembling. "A single cloud has covered the entire territory of my Yankang!"