Star Trace Gate

Chapter 832: Lifting Long Yuqing and Saying Goodbye to White-striped Chicken

Long Yuqing looked at Ren Ye, whose eyes were wide open and whose body suddenly showed a ray of golden light, and a sense of fear arose in his heart.

He was no longer the "stray dog" who had just entered Jiuli and was hunted by the Xianlan Sect, leaving him with nowhere to go. Now he was the sole victor of the Emperor's Tomb, possessing powerful divine power and possessing the divinely forbidden guardian. The terrifying pressure emanating from his physical body alone was enough to intimidate anyone of the same level.

Long Yuqing was just an ordinary third-rank cultivator, unable to withstand the subtly surging pressure from the awakening of the Human Emperor's bloodline. He felt his soul tremble, and his legs began to shake unconsciously.

His life and property were now in the hands of the ancient emperor's descendant. Naturally, he was filled with fear and trepidation. "Brother Zhu! I don't want to be the ruler of the Five Cities of Xianlan, let alone hold power. I just want to live well... take good care of Ling'er and every member of my clan."

Ren also frowned and stared at him: "Are you serious?!"

"really!"

Long Yuqing's voice trembled as he gritted his teeth and said urgently, "If the troops from the four cities can be withdrawn... I... I am willing to hand over the administrative and military power of Chaolong City, and cede all tax revenues from this place."

Seeing his terrified and cowardly expression, Ren Ye couldn't help but shake his head and sigh. Then, in a much softer tone, he asked, "What if... I helped you become the ruler of the Five Cities? What could you do? Could you do it well?"

After hearing this, Long Yuqing was completely confused. He asked with confused eyes, "What do you mean?"

"Ugh."

Ren also turned forward, looking at the long street of Chaolong City, and said helplessly: "Why did Senior Jiang Yu unleash that sword and kill all the immortals in the sky? To be frank, it was because of me, because he had a younger generation he trusted here. So, with this sword, Jiuli would not be in further chaos and suffering. The heroes would not dare to take advantage of the immortals' death to wage war on each other, causing the already corrupt and dark Jiuli to be filled with smoke and corpses."

"But my roots aren't here, and I can't stay here long to balance the forces of all parties. All I can do is catch that sword, and using the might of the Emperor's Tomb's astonishing sword furnace, raise a wise and benevolent ruler. Then, with the strength of my sect, I can build an alliance for this person, uniting a powerful force that no other warriors dare to challenge, quelling the disputes and conflicts... and finally restoring a bright future to the people of Jiuli."

"The leader of the Five Cities who can be chosen must meet several conditions. First, he must have grown up in Jiuli, be familiar with local customs, and have Jiuli blood flowing through his veins. Only in this way can he gain the recognition of the people. Second, he must have a certain reputation, so that when he ascends to the throne, he can do so legitimately and command the willing submission of all civil and military officials. Third, he must have good character, be kind-hearted, and possess the ambition to change the current situation and make Jiuli more prosperous."

"In fact, there is only one best candidate who meets the above conditions, and that is my apprentice - Little One."

At this point, Ren Ye's eyes focused, and he spoke sincerely, "He's not the son of a powerful family, but rather comes from a humble background. This makes him more likely to empathize with the common people, and it also fits the political metaphor of the immortals falling and the sons of the common people returning to power. Furthermore, he now has the complete inheritance of the Great Emperor, and is destined to be the Lord of the Jiuli. If we nominate him to rule the Five Cities, I believe everything will fall into place. When he grows up, he can use the Five Cities as a base and gradually expand his horizons."

"That's absolutely right!" Long Yuqing immediately echoed, "No one is more suitable than the heir of the Great Emperor to step forward and take over the throne of the Lord of the Five Cities."

"But he's too young. Forget about any great talent or strategy. Even weaning him off milk would take a long time." Ren shook his head helplessly. "Even if he's forcibly brought up, he'll just be a puppet of the young master. Not only can he not cultivate in peace by my side, but I have to be constantly on guard against him being abducted by villains or used by those with ulterior motives. If he grows up to be bad, how can I explain it to the Great Emperor?!"

"So, after much thought, I feel that there is only one person who can take on this important task."

Having said that, Ren Ye turned his head to look at Long Yuqing, slowly raised his arm, pointed at his cheek and said: "It's you!"

“I…I?!”

Long Yuqing looked at him in astonishment.

"Yes. You, Long Yuqing, are the original leader of Chaolong. Your background and reputation meet all three requirements. Although you have a bad reputation, that was previously due to the Yang family's struggle to decentralize power. If you can, after assuming the throne, implement benevolent policies and strive to change the current situation here... then the people of the world will be convinced."

"Besides, the officials in Chaolong City are all old acquaintances of yours. You're familiar with them, so there's no need for major changes. At most, there will be some adjustments to the appointments, and there won't be much fighting for power."

"So, it's ideal for you to take over this position."

When the Little Bad King said this, he stared intently into Long Yuqing's eyes and asked word by word, "Brother Long, you risked your life to save me. I will never forget this favor, and it is the absolute basis for my trust in you... Now, just tell me, if I use all my resources to help you ascend to the throne, can you do it? Can you really bring peace and prosperity to the Jiuli people?!"

"I... I'm afraid I can't bear such a heavy responsibility!"

Long Yuqing was a little nervous, his eyes trembling with fear as he spoke, "In the past, although I was the city lord, all the affairs of the government office and the military camp were handled by my father-in-law. As for me, I have no administrative experience whatsoever..."

"If I gave it to you, what would you be willing to do? Would you be willing to work hard for that peaceful and prosperous world?!"

The golden light that suddenly appeared in Ren Ye's body became even brighter. He interrupted the other party in a very tough tone and asked directly.

Silence, after a brief silence...

Long Yuqing's gaze became extremely firm. He flicked his sleeves slightly and saluted Ren Ye solemnly. His voice was deep and his expression was sincere as he said, "I don't know if I can do this well, but if Brother Zhu truly trusts me and entrusts me with such a great task... then even if I, Long Yuqing, burn my last drop of blood, I will implement benevolent policies, gather the will of all the people, and do my best to create a prosperous era for the Five Cities of Xianlan, and even for the entire Jiuli world, where everyone is like a dragon!"

"Is this true?!"

"The destiny of the Human Emperor is here, and the eye of Heaven is above. If I say even a single lie, I, Long Yuqing, will suffer the calamity of heaven, and my soul will be annihilated here. The descendants of my Long family will be slaves for generations, and will never be able to turn things around!" Long Yuqing's eyes were bloodshot, and he swore to the sky in a hoarse voice.

Ren also stared into his eyes and saw sincerity, passion, and determination to the end in his expression.

Whether it was his emotions, his eyes, or his vows, at this moment they were all pure, sincere, and without lies.

Ren also slowly withdrew his gaze, restrained his physical aura, and said firmly, "Okay, when you return home tonight, write a letter to each of the four city lords. The content can be the same. Invite them to Chaolong City in seven days to discuss future plans."

"I've also sent a close friend to deliver a letter to the young marquis of Dongdeng Prefecture. After discussing matters with the four cities, I will do my best to first persuade the five cities to form an alliance with Dongdeng Prefecture. Then, the prestigious Dongdeng Prefecture will invite like-minded leaders from Jiuli to join the alliance and formulate a covenant. We will divide the land among the fifteen sects, jointly suppress all violence, and implement a unified government. In the future, there will no longer be any distinction between you and me among the Sixth Rank Supremes. Anyone who reaches this level will join the alliance and jointly protect the purity of Jiuli."

Long Yuqing pondered for a while, then asked doubtfully, "Brother Zhu, if we hold an alliance, who will be the leader?"

"The old marquis is highly respected and behaves quite uprightly. He can be the leader of the alliance and dominate the overall situation of Jiuli. The rest of the heroes will each guard one side and abide by the alliance, including the five cities of Xianlan." Ren Yehui.

"But the Dongdeng Prefecture has a very strong foundation. After the collapse of the fifteen sects, there are very few forces in the entire Jiuli world that can compete with it." Long Yuqing asked puzzledly, "How can you persuade the old marquis to give up the best opportunity to conquer the world and become the leader of an alliance?"

Ren Ye looked at him and said softly, "Even if Dongdeng Prefecture has the foundation to conquer the world, it will take at least decades, or even hundreds of years, to unify the world from just one state. Furthermore, if the dynasties and families of the Jiuli land want to rule the world, they must have a sixth-rank official. The old marquis is still alive, so he can naturally meet this requirement, but he is of the same generation as Wuchen and the others, and he is already an old man with a short lifespan. If he is gone one day, what will become of Dongdeng Prefecture?"

"This alliance could shorten Dongdeng Prefecture's decades, even centuries, of endless wars to a matter of a few months. The support of my sect would also give Dongdeng Prefecture the capital to invite all the heroes to the alliance. While he hasn't earned the title of Lord of the Nine Li, he already holds the title. If he refuses to take this shortcut, wouldn't he be no different from a fool?"

"Furthermore, I've had contact with the young marquis in the imperial tomb. Judging from his personality, the people of Dongdeng Prefecture, while arrogant, are straightforward and honest. Throughout the entire Jiuli world, Dongdeng Prefecture is the only one free from harsh policies and heavy taxes, where the people live in peace and security. Therefore, nominating the old marquis as the leader of the alliance will not harm the fundamental interests of Dongdeng Prefecture, nor will it violate its core policies. Therefore, I can't think of any reason for him to refuse."

His thoughtful response filled Long Yuqing with admiration. "Brother Zhu, you are mature and steady when it comes to political maneuvers. In fact, you are more suitable than anyone else to manage the five cities of Xianlan, and even the entire Jiuli world."

"No, no... My roots are not here, and I don't have the energy to balance the chaos of the Jiuli. My ambitions are not here either."

Ren also thought of the Qingliang Empire, which was burdened with countless foreign debts, and felt helpless.

The high EQ version would be, "I'm not interested in this." The low EQ version would be, "I'm also just feeling my way through this. Building an empire is already exhausting. Trying to do this on two fronts is going to tire me out!"

As a ruler, you must not do everything by yourself. Instead, you must coordinate resources as much as possible, build networks and bridges, and use people to control people, so that you can hear the response everywhere.

Beside him, Long Yuqing pondered for a moment before asking, "So, how do you plan to discuss this with the four city lords? What will be their future?"

"The Jiuli Rebellion has raged on for countless years. It's like an elderly man on the verge of death. Treatment requires gradual progress, not haste. While the lords of these four cities are profit-driven, tyrannical, and exploitative, they, like the Long family, have operated within their respective cities for millennia, with complex intertwined relationships... If it were someone else, these decrees would be difficult to enforce, and with their superiors often evading orders, it would be counterproductive."

"Why not, using the prevailing situation of the Jiuli people, and using both kindness and force, we can both maintain their existing power and status and allow them to make a conflicting choice in the face of the demise of the immortals. Either they protect their interests and ultimately be conquered by the alliance forces; or they can protect their own power and status, kill the blood-sucking dignitaries in the city, and follow the trend, abandoning heavy taxes and practicing benevolent governance."

Ren Ye said this and turned to look at Long Yuqing: "Believe me, the four city lords are definitely better at this kind of self-cleansing business than any wise king or military advisor."

Long Yuqing's eyes lit up when he heard this: "That's absolutely true. Only those who are in the dark can see more filth. Brother Zhu is very wise!"

"Gao Ming doesn't dare to speak."

Ren also waved his hand: "We all just hope that Jiuli can get better. Brother Long, when you go back today, send a message to the four city lords and invite them in my name."

"it is good!"

After Long Yuqing got Ren Ye's promise, all the anxiety and fear in his heart disappeared in an instant, and all that was left was a feeling of refreshed and relaxed.

"I just came back and I have to see off the protector senior." Ren Ye turned around and said.