Jiang Feng checked his panel information.

Name: Jiang Feng

Fortune: 679233

Cultivation Technique: Yangchun Technique (Minor Achievement)

Skills: Three-legged Body Technique (Great Success+) Flame Saber (Proficient+) Wind Control (Proficient+)

Realm: Qi Condensation (Second Layer)

Divine Power: Immortality

In just ten days, his Fortune Point increased by another 110,000.

Apparently, Jiang Feng obediently stayed in the Purple Bamboo Forest, frequently visiting Elder Qingzhu and the others, and his well-behaved, compliant lifestyle gradually eased the Court’s murderous intent.

This made Jiang Feng all the more afraid to make any reckless moves.

As he had just finished checking his panel for changes, news reached the Purple Bamboo Forest: Xiao Zhan led the Wolf Slaughter Army in a surprise attack on the Turkic Empire and, together with Han Dong in a pincer maneuver, forced the Turkic King to abandon the city and flee.

Everyone in the Purple Bamboo Forest appeared to have left the mundane world, but were in fact surrounded by its occurrences; they were all paying close attention to the ongoing feud between the Great Tang and the Turkics.

Upon hearing that the Great Tang’s raid succeeded and the Turkic King fled, Elder Qingzhu brought Hua Guzi to find Jiang Feng for a celebratory drink.

After receiving the news, Jiang Feng also let out a sigh of relief in his heart. He had long suspected something was fishy about the marriage alliance, but hadn’t figured out what the Emperor’s plan was.

Thinking back now, it dawned on him only belatedly that when he’d gone to the Xiao Mansion to investigate Xiao Ran, he’d seen Xiao Zhan leaving the city overnight, heading south.

At the time, he’d thought Xiao Zhan was returning to the south to suppress the wolves and ensure the blood wolves stayed in the forbidden forest. Who would’ve guessed he’d gone south to mobilize the Wolf Slaughter Army garrison there, marching day and night to ambush the Turkics.

Besides that, when the Royal Master returned previously, the Wolf Slaughter Army camped outside the city gates. Xiao Zhan and the Second Prince entered the city one after another to receive the Emperor’s reward, and the Wolf Slaughter Army outside was then restructured and dispersed throughout Dragon Capital.

Looking back, that unit must have quietly rushed toward the northern National Gate to cooperate with Xiao Zhan in battle, enabling them to swiftly capture one city after another of the Turkic Empire and force the Turkic King to flee.

The marriage alliance was just a ploy to lower the Turkic King’s guard.

The strategy was straightforward.

Seemingly unremarkable.

But at this stage, Tang was drained of Vitality fighting off the blood wolf pack, having suffered heavy losses in the south—the nation and its people needed time to recuperate and rebuild.

No one expected the Emperor of the Great Tang to take such a gamble at such a critical juncture, sending Xiao Zhan to ambush the Turkics—and to succeed in a single stroke.

The risk and boldness were self-evident.

Even Jiang Feng felt a chill down his spine.

No wonder the Royal Family could keep this group of cultivators in the Purple Bamboo Forest under control.

But this monitored, uncertain life—not knowing the Royal Family’s true intentions—Jiang Feng simply couldn’t get used to it. He’d have to seize the right opportunity to leave here.

A month passed in the blink of an eye.

The Wolf Slaughter Army swept through the Turkic Empire. The Turkic King was killed by Xiao Zhan’s own hand. The people of Tang were jubilant, all praising His Majesty’s brilliance.

After another two months.

The Great Tang supported the new Turkic King’s ascension, turning the Turkics into a vassal state, required to pay annual tribute at fixed times.

The Wolf Slaughter Army left 150,000 troops to garrison the Turkics, with all supplies and military pay covered by the Turkic Empire itself.

When the news reached Dragon Capital, citizens flocked to the streets, hailing the Emperor as a ruler for the ages. Countless people were moved to tears, Dragon Capital was bustling and prosperous, and innumerable poor scholars began taking the imperial exam, eager to serve the Court.

Half a month later.

Xiao Zhan led the Wolf Slaughter Army’s Royal Master on their return.

The Great Tang Emperor sent the Second Prince out of the city to welcome them. The Purple Bamboo Forest was quiet, Jiang Feng put down the Red Dust Sword and slipped out surreptitiously.

He didn’t dare go far.

He just wanted to test things, leaving the Red Dust Sword in the Purple Bamboo Forest to see if he could leave unharmed.

An hour later, Jiang Feng returned to the Purple Bamboo Forest, staring thoughtfully at the Red Dust Sword on the table.

It seemed, during that hour he was gone, no one had noticed his absence.

Elder Qingzhu and Fellow Daoist Zhang, Fellow Daoist Li, none of them had come after him. But with the Imperial City Sword Immortal’s strength, Jiang Feng couldn’t be sure if his sneaky departure had gone undetected.

Within that hour, he’d paid a visit to Zhenbei Prison, extending his Spiritual Sense to the second layer of the underground palace. Jiang Feng saw a pair of blood-red eyes, and a wolf’s howl echoed in his mind.

"It spotted me."

"Why does that thing have three tails?"

"It doesn’t look like an ordinary Blood Wolf King."

Jiang Feng was so terrified he fled in haste.

Back in the Purple Bamboo Forest, the first thing he did was check his Fortune Point change.

Fortune: 682911

For three and a half months, he’d kept a low profile, stirring up no trouble within the Purple Bamboo Forest, which probably made the Royal Family believe he’d surrendered, merely assigning Elder Qingzhu and the others to keep watch on him.

Jiang Feng hadn’t encountered any danger since, and the rate of Fortune Point growth had remained slow.

Just now, being scared off by the Three-tailed Wolf King counted as actively courting danger. He knew there was a mysterious Blood Wolf King in the palace’s second underground layer, yet still went to investigate, and after getting noticed and fleeing, his Fortune Point didn’t increase.

"Why hasn’t the Royal Family made any moves yet?"

"If even I can sense there’s a powerful Blood Wolf King in the underground palace, surely those top experts in Imperial City have noticed as well?"

Jiang Feng kept contemplating this.

"Fellow Daoist Wang."

Elder Qingzhu’s voice came from the doorway.

"Qingzhu Hermit, please come in."

Jiang Feng withdrew the Defensive Array and invited Elder Qingzhu inside. This time, the old Daoist did not bring his wife, Hua Guzi.

"I have some good news for you. Guess what it is first?"

Elder Qingzhu acted mysterious.

"The Royal Family sent us some treasure."

Jiang Feng replied instinctively.

"Eh, you guessed half right, but the matter’s even more valuable than you think."

Elder Qingzhu kept up the suspense.