Chapter Fourteen: Surge

  "Yu Ji pays her respects to Madame Hou!!"

  While Wang Guanlan was talking with Wu, another conversation was taking place in a luxurious mansion within the Ningwang Fu.

  A dark-colored building reveals a corner amidst the green trees, and in this elegant and dignified building, Lin Yujie, known as the Seventh Lady of the mansion, faces a beautiful lady in her thirties with a respectful expression, and in her respectful face, there is also a hint of flattery.

  "Oh, isn't this Mrs. Qi? How come you have time to visit my humble temple? Quick, quick, take a seat!!!"

  The beautiful Madame Hou saw Lin Yujie and made a surprised expression on her face, with a hint of sarcastic smile flashing in her eyes.

  This subtle smile did not escape Lin Yujie's eyes, and her originally delicate face suddenly flushed with anger, silently cursing Wang Guanlan again in her heart. Since that day when she was scolded by Wang Guanlan in the White Birch Garden, the title of "Seventh Lady" which was originally a flattering term used by the servants had quietly spread throughout the mansion, and along with it, Wang Guanlan's mocking words also spread.

  Madam!

  This title is still acceptable when called in private, but it cannot be brought to the public, only according to the rules of the imperial court, only four concubines can enjoy this title, and the lady in front of you is one of them.

  This not only made their mother and son's status in the mansion plummet, but also made their lives more difficult.

  If it were in the past, Lin Yujie would never have come to see the concubines, listening to their cold jokes and hot ridicule. But she couldn't help but hate Wang Guanlan too much, and now that Wang Guanlan had entered the imperial academy and had a reputation, her position in the palace was already unshakeable, so she didn't want to give up this opportunity.

  "It's just some joking words from a lowly person, how can it be taken seriously? Lin Yujiu doesn't have that kind of qualifications, it would only make Madame Hou laugh! Lin Yujiu secretly gritted her teeth and put on a smile. "However, this also shows that Wang Guanlan is vicious and malicious at heart, at such a young age, he already has the cunning of a mountain and river, now that he has achieved success, what will happen in the future?"

  Madam Hou furrowed her brow, originally she didn't plan to intervene in this matter, after all it had nothing to do with her. However, the situation was different now, and Prince Wang didn't know what he was thinking, actually handing over the entire Yi City industry to Wang Guanlan. To think that it was an industry she had always grasped in her hands, managed by her own son, yet unexpectedly something like this happened, leaving her somewhat caught off guard.

  "You didn't come here to talk about this, did you?!" Madame Hou said calmly. "Wang Guanlan is the son of the king, he has a promising future, and it's good for the Wang family. Moreover, the king has made it clear that he wants to cultivate him. Do you think it's wise to cause trouble for him at this time?"

  "The prince cultivated him because he has ability, but what if he can't manage the industries of Yicheng well?!" Lin Yujie thought for a moment and said, "After all, being good at learning doesn't mean his management skills are also excellent. Taking care of business is different from studying literature and martial arts!"

  "Oh?!" Madame Hou detected a hint of ulterior motive in Lin Yujie's words and became interested, "Then tell me, what's different?"

  …………

  ………

  Yicheng is a small border town located in Dianzhou. To the south of this small town lies the towering Duan Yun mountain range and dense primeval forests. The Duan Yun mountain range stretches for tens of thousands of miles, with a depth of several thousand miles as well. This massive mountain range blocked the path of the Great Qin Empire's southern advance, and also became the natural barrier at the southernmost tip of the Great Qi Empire.

  The Duan Yun mountain range is vast, mysterious and perilous, but at the same time, it also has countless opportunities, rich resources and strange environments, making it the best place for warriors to cultivate and test themselves. Similarly, if you are lucky enough, you can also gain wealth that will last a lifetime and boundless opportunities from it.

  Opportunities and coincidences are the most elusive yet indispensable things in martial arts training. In the Duan Yun mountain range, none of these are lacking. As a result, although located on the southern border of Da Qi, several small towns adjacent to the Duan Yun mountain range are very prosperous, and the sale of various materials and specialties from the Duan Yun mountain range is also one of the main sources of wealth for the Ning Wang Fu. However, Yi Cheng is an exception.

  Yicheng is closely connected with the Duan Yun mountain range, but it is far less than other small towns because of its special geographical location, adjacent to the Nu River.

  The Nu River is one of the five major rivers in the Daci Dynasty and also the first river in the south. It originates from the Duan Yun Mountain Range, and Yi City is located at the exit of the Nu River from the mountain pass. The water momentum of the Nu River is too fierce, especially at the outlet, where the current is extremely rapid. As a result, even fishermen dare not come to try their luck in this area.

  Yicheng is located in such a geographical location. If it weren't for the small entrance to the mountain outside the town, Yicheng would not exist at all.

  Just outside the entrance to Yicheng Mountain, not only is it small, but sixty miles ahead is Eagle Gorge, and even a warrior who has refined his energy for six layers cannot pass through. From Yicheng into Duan Yun, at most, you can only walk sixty miles. Over thousands of years, this sixty-mile radius has been searched over and over again by warriors, and there's nothing valuable left. Yicheng was once abandoned, but since the founding of the Great Qi dynasty, the Ning Wang Fu suppressed the southwestern region and discovered that the climate and temperature within the sixty-mile radius of Yicheng entering Duan Yun were very suitable for planting a type of medicinal herb called Feng Wei Cao. This herb is not particularly precious, but it's an essential medicine in the most basic dan medicines for cultivating martial arts. At that time, a manager from Ning Wang Fu thought it was a waste to abandon this climate condition and began planting this medicinal herb outside Yicheng, forming an industrial chain. The once desolate Yicheng gradually gained popularity. Later, as time passed, people's demand for Feng Wei Cao continued to expand. Four hundred and seventy years ago, the Great Qi dynasty established a county town in Yicheng, and from then on, Yicheng became one of the many small counties of the Great Qi dynasty.

  However, this small town has always been very quiet. Now, the atmosphere of the county town that had been calm for 470 years began to become somewhat eerie.

  The Ning Wang Fu's industries in Yicheng will be taken over by the new 14th young master of Ning Wang Fu, which is a big deal for Yicheng.

  Although Yicheng has been established as a county, the influence of the Ning Wangfu is far greater than that of the imperial court. Moreover, outside of Yicheng, the 60-mile radius of Fengwei grass within the Duan Yun Mountains is all part of the Ning Wangfu's estate. It can be said that when the Fourteenth Young Master takes over Yicheng, it means that Yicheng will immediately have a new master. For Ning Wang, it's just a matter of saying one word, but for the entire city of Yicheng, it means that the interests of the whole city will undergo a reshuffle, and those who are currently in power in Yicheng will be at the forefront of this change.

  "Master Hou, what do you think we should do about this? I heard that the 14th Master is a formidable figure. Three months ago, he made the Seventh Lady lose face and then suddenly gained enlightenment in Buddhist magic, passing the imperial examination to become a scholar. Now, he's extremely popular in the Wang Manor!" In a small estate within Yicheng, over a dozen people gathered together, anxiously discussing their next move, with the center of attention being a 17- or 18-year-old youth dressed in fine clothes.

  "What's the panic, he's just a young master who has just entered the school!" The young man looked at the dozen or so flustered faces and his expression immediately turned gloomy. He slammed his hand on the table, "Even if he has grasped the Buddhist minor magic, what does it matter? Even if he has entered the school, what's the big deal? Even if he is currently in a favorable position, what's the point? You all forget, this Yi City, is not yours, nor mine, but Madame Hou's, my aunt's. As long as my aunt is here, the sky of Yi City will not change. If that Wang Guanlan knows his place, we'll give him some benefits, if he doesn't know his place, I can still make him lose face!"

  "Yes, yes!"

  "Don't be like this, it's unnecessary to make people look down on you. Yes, he is the young master of the Wang estate, but the Wang estate has more than one young master. The Ning Wang estate lacks everything except for young masters. Hmph, he's just a concubine-born illegitimate son, nothing special. Things haven't gotten to that point yet. You all go back and do what you should be doing. If that Fourteenth Young Master sends someone to take over the property, then follow my instructions, got it?"

  "I understand!"

  ………………

  ………

  "Fourth Master Hou, Zihancold!" After returning from the Wu family, Wang Guanlan recalled the information about this Hou Zihan in his mind. Among all the fourth masters in the Ningwang Fu, this Hou Zihan was also a prominent one. He came from a large family in Dianzhou, and was the nephew of Ning Wang's concubine, Madame Hou. He was deeply loved by Madame Hou, and his own strength was not bad either. At a young age, he had already entered the fourth layer of Qi refining a year ago, and among his peers, he was also outstanding. His management skills were also good, which was why Madame Hou sent him to manage the industries in Yicheng. Now that the industries in Yicheng belonged to Wang Guanlan himself, he wondered what reaction this Fourth Master Hou would have?

  Receiving the industry is never a simple matter, the Ning Wangfu's industry in Yicheng is not many, but also not few, it's not that anyone can be sent to receive it, everything still needs to be planned carefully. Wu Shi is very wary of this so-called cousin Hou Zihans, but Wang Guanlan doesn't care, his only concern is Hou Zihan's martial arts skills.

  "A year ago, he entered the condensing period. With his age and cultivation speed, he should still be in the early stages of Qi Refining 4th layer. I'm currently at the later stages of Qi Refining 1st layer, even with the Bodhi Suppressing Knife, I don't have the confidence to take him down. The only way is to rapidly increase my strength, once I enter Qi Refining 2nd layer, I'll have enough confidence to kill him off. This world, in the end, still values martial prowess above all else. As long as I can suppress him with my power, everything else doesn't matter.

  ...Running naked, sweating profusely, terrible collection results... Brothers and sisters, take one for me!!!"