The following morning, Zhao Changhe led Wuzhui and bade farewell to Yue Hongling and Sisi before heading north to Ba Shu.

Sisi did not see them off for a long distance, only accompanying them to the north of Erhai before no longer proceeding.

This was because a procession of officials from Dali and an honor guard were following them, as the farewell was conducted in the official capacity of seeing off King Zhao of the Great Han. Zhao Changhe turned his head to look; on the grassland by the sea, tens of thousands solemnly restrained themselves, each retaining the posture of bowing and bidding goodbye. Only Sisi stood quietly, watching him intently and in the midst of all the bowing figures, she stood out conspicuously like a crane among chickens.

The sea of horses and soldiers, the expansive sea itself, all became mere backdrops, with only the girl's eyes, slightly teary, conveying the deep emotion of the sea.

None could connect the solemnity of the current farewell with the enchantment of the previous night.

She was the first woman to proactively join him and another in his company, claiming that Miao girls were not as reserved as Han women. But what it really reflected was the deep longing engraved in their hearts. Their encounters were always so hurried; half a year had passed since their last meeting, and though this so-called long stay claimed to have been quite extended, it was in reality less than seven days in total. During these seven days, she was so occupied that they met only a few times, with the so-called frivolity amounting to just two nights, including the last one.

In a world where God Demons walked the earth and conflict abounded, one could not know when the next meeting would be; indeed, it could very well have been their final goodbye.

"When will we meet again with all this yearning? Tonight, I am overwhelmed with emotion."

Hongling understood as well and thus indulged them this once.

Zhao Changhe, mounted on Wuzhui, repeatedly looked back with every third step he took, but ultimately with a resolute bow, he spurred his horse to gallop away.

The Spirit Clan's nourishment of blood and flesh was not only the most suitable place for Zhao Changhe's Blood Shura Body but was also the best environment to nurture Wuzhui. It was clear that within these few days, Wuzhui had shown more progress than its master, significantly increasing in strength and speed. Looking closely, one could even see dragon-like patterns faintly etched across its body. Before, when carrying both Zhao Changhe and Yue Hongling, Wuzhui struggled a little, but now as light as if carrying nothing, it vanished in an instant.

Sisi watched the direction in which the pair disappeared on horseback, her eyes clouded, and whispered, "Pass the order, assemble the troops, perform military exercises in the north; the bigger, the better."

"If we make such a big fuss, won't Ba Shu come to know?"

"That's exactly what we want."

"Does King Zhao intend to intimidate Ba Shu?... But what if Ba Shu is not intimidated and actually declares war?"

"Then we'll fight," Sisi said placidly. "With our strength, we need not be merely defensive. In these chaotic times of God Demons, is there not a place for us too?"

Pan Wan tentatively asked, "Does the king also harbor ambitions for supremacy?"

"How could that be?" Sisi said with a bright smile. "Now is a time for recuperation. If I truly wished for war, you all would surely grumble behind my back."

Pan Wan laughed awkwardly, "So what is the king's intention?"

"Because he will need it, if not now, then in the not-too-distant future."

...

As Wuzhui took flight over Emei, Zhao Changhe looked down from a high vantage point for a while, noting that many were still vigorously practicing martial arts and forging iron in the mountains, indicating that the Divine Brilliance Sect had not fully relocated to Chengdu and many disciples remained at the gate.

From this, the Divine Brilliance Sect did not seem to be vying for supremacy. Even if these were only low-level disciples with mediocre combat abilities, they would still be elite soldiers. Nowadays, other households are desperate to recruit old men from stone villages into their ranks, so how could they allow a group of strong men adept in iron-works to stay in the mountains without organization?

"There must be a secret realm within the Divine Brilliance Sect, and they cannot abandon their old lair so easily," Yue Hongling observed after a while. "It's hard to judge from this alone; we still need to look elsewhere."

"Mm."

Zhao Changhe did not let Wuzhui fly swiftly anymore, instead proceeding at a leisurely pace to take in the surroundings.

Describing Li Shentong as inept at governance and without clan support, one might imagine a regression to chaos, but the situation is actually not that bad.

After an initial period of chaos, Ba Shu now seemed quite peaceful and tranquil, and the bandits that used to proliferate now seemed to have vanished. At a glance, things may look more dilapidated than before, primarily because many wealthy gentry had been slaughtered, their estates burned, leaving ruins everywhere. The population had also diminished because Li Shentong had killed so many, resembling the Grand Western King himself.

But the smoke from village chimneys was billowing, and although villagers appeared lean and wan, they seemed to be wearing warmer clothes. It looked like Li Shentong must have distributed wealth and grain from the landowners, and the land must have been shared as well, although it was hard to tell in the winter. Despite their frailty, the villagers did not exhibit the same fearful and cringy demeanor as before; their spirits seemed much improved.

With such a foundation, governance is possible. There are disgruntled scholars everywhere, and quite a few are willing to join in and help. It's hard to find toads with three legs, but is it hard to find people to serve as officials?

Passing through a county town, one could see the orderly raising of the official residence.

Li Shentong maintained he was unfit for these tasks, but as long as he was willing to manage with diligence, he would fare better than Xia Longyuan... Old Xia truly had no right to mock, saying they were all the same.

That was a good sign, but it might not be so favorable for Zhao Changhe's objective.

If Ba Shu remained in a chaotic state, not to mention persuading Li Shentong to cooperate, it might even be possible to reclaim Ba Shu without conflict. But now, seeing it orderly managed and reviving, that would mean it was an actual contender for dominance, at least capable of autonomous rule in a corner of the realm, so why would they bother with you?

The couple exchanged a look, uncertain whether to be pleased or worried.

"Forget it, in the end, it's a good thing," Zhao Changhe said. "No need to observe further, it's not very meaningful. Let's head straight to Chengdu and see if we can scrounge up a dinner."

As the sun set, the two arrived at Chengdu. They didn't swoop into the city on the horse, so thrillingly, instead discretely landing a distance away and leading their horse towards the city gate.

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