Chapter 729: 303. A surge of good character, drawing consecutive excellent fortunes! (Combined Chapter)_3

The task of overseeing matters on behalf of Heavenly Principle in the mortal world now fell mainly to the Wu Party.

However, the Gan Party and Chu Party had also sent key figures here.

Whether they aimed to seize credit or had other plans in mind, only they themselves knew for sure.

Anyway, the Wu Party people kept a very wary eye on them, their vigilance in dealing with fellow Heavenly Principle cultivators far less than when confronting Great Tang cultivators.

A middle-aged official, appearing to be just over forty, had handsome, refined features, and an effortless air of authority, the very model of a good official.

He wore the third-rank robes of the Great Ming, his eyes fixed on the distance as he said in a low voice, "Brother Qingxiao is here too..."

Behind him, an armored military general kneeled on one knee, his rank equal to the middle-aged official, but his posture respectful as he answered, "Lord Huang arrived just this morning,"

The middle-aged official gave a slight nod, not commenting further, then said, "Keep a close watch, but do not slow our own pace, we must take this sea before sunset today!"

The armored general hesitated for a moment, "My lord, we should still beware of enemy deception..."

The middle-aged official replied as usual, "Crossing the river is incomplete, attacking the flow midway—it works both ways, as long as we move quickly enough, even if they intend an ambush, they won’t have time, and instead will be trampled by us, thrown into chaos,"

The armored general started to speak, but swallowed his words, "...Yes, my lord,"

The official before them was named Gu Hai, a rising pillar of the Wu Party, and the direct disciple of Elder Song, the Wu Party’s chief.

*Although the cultivation world respected seniority, they still cultivated successors early on.*

*Truthfully, Gu Hai’s real age, compared to cultivators of other sects, was already considered old...*

Not long ago, the Wu Party elder Wang Feng died unexpectedly, catching everyone off guard.

To prevent the Chu Party or Gan Party from seizing Wang Feng’s vacant position, Gu Hai was the most suitable candidate to step up.

*But his seniority and prestige still felt a bit lacking.*

*If he achieved something in this campaign, it would be enough to round out his shortcomings and elevate him.*

As for the previously mentioned Lord Huang, he was the Gan Party’s new star, surname Huang, given name Tian, courtesy name Qingxiao.

His age was similar to Gu Hai’s, and both had advanced quickly after entering officialdom, their rivalry always intense.

This time, Huang Tian had also come to the Great Tang Realm, both sides eyeing the glory of battle here.

"By the way, where is that demon path practitioner who killed Lord Wangbu?" Gu Hai remembered something, his expression growing more severe.

The armored general, named Qin Wu, replied, "No sign of him these past two days, he may be somewhere near the outer sacrificial sites,"

Gu Hai said, "For now, breaking the main rebel force is the priority. He can be set aside temporarily, but search carefully. By tomorrow latest, we must have his whereabouts. Once we’ve crushed the rebel main force, we’ll purge the remaining factions—do not let that demon get away,"

Qin Wu said, "Yes, my lord,"

............

Lei Jun, revolving the Great Celestial Mirror, saw images of cultivators of both Great Tang and Heavenly Principle appear in his vision.

*The drawbacks weren’t entirely absent—with only pictures, no sound, that was all he got for now...* Lei Jun thought.

The Heaven’s Sight Earth’s Hearing Talisman hadn’t been cast out, so there was currently no way to capture voices.

*But seeing Gu Hai and the other Heavenly Principle cultivators looking so confident, it was likely Ye Yan and Chu Xiuyuan’s plan from Great Tang could succeed.*

The military general at Gu Hai’s side, Qin Wu, looked somewhat uncertain.

*But judging by his demeanor and expression beside Gu Hai, Lei Jun felt a flicker of insight.*

*Was this the civil lording over the martial?*

After watching a while longer, Lei Jun withdrew his gaze, rotating the Great Celestial Mirror to scan other areas.

On the first sweep, he hadn’t managed to spot the commanding figure from the Tang Imperial Court, Minister Chu Yu.

*Lei Jun believed he hadn’t missed anything.*

*It seemed much more likely that Chu Yu was keeping herself hidden.*

He searched more carefully for another while, even shifting his own position in coordination with the Mirror’s movement above the firmament to broaden his observations, yet still could not find any trace of Chu Yu.

*At such a crucial moment, it was unlikely she had withdrawn.*

Given that, then... Lei Jun lifted his eyes to the vast ocean before him,

"Under the sea?"

As Lei Jun had suspected, Chu Yu was indeed at the bottom of the East Sea at that moment.

She was secretly meeting with someone.

A tall middle-aged man, lightly armored over his official robes, appeared before her.

Chu Yu smiled, greeting him, "General Qi, I have long admired your name,"

The man’s name was Qi Haowei, not of the Great Tang Dynasty, but a cultivator of Heavenly Principle.

Yet he was neither a Confucian Rationalist nor Martial Tao cultivator.

He, like Chu Yu, was a master of the Confucian Divine Archery Lineage.

*Unfortunately, even among Confucian practitioners, the Divine Archery Lineage, like other cultivation heritages, was still subordinate to Neo-Confucianism.*

*To break free of Heavenly Principle was, of course, no easy feat.* 𝘧𝑟𝑒𝑒𝘸𝘦𝘣𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝓁.𝘤𝘰𝓂

*And contrary to many expectations, Heavenly Principle had actually linked up with an outside human realm—beyond Great Ming this time.*

This place was unknown to Qi Haowei,

But it held hope,

Only he didn’t speak for himself alone, so he remained cautious throughout.

After some time of secret discussion, both parties parted ways.

Chu Yu rose through the waves, returning to the surface.

Another young woman approached her, "Minister Chu,"

Chu Yu had formerly been at the Empress’s side, serving as a confidant—low title, great power. When the Empress set up Left and Right Study Halls, Chu Yu presided over one, and in recent years had been appointed as Minister of the Books, further dividing the authority held by the current Prefect of the Central Secretariat, who was also Chu Yu’s brother, Chu Lin.

When Chu Yu saw the young woman, she smiled, "Princess,"

The newcomer was Zhang Ziyin, daughter of Prince Changshan Zhang Junhai. This time, she’d joined Chu Yu to learn at her side.

As they walked, Zhang Ziyin asked curiously, "Do you think this Qi Haowei will really betray them?"