Chapter 977: Arrangements

"Wang Qiandu, do you have a solution?"

Princess Qingyun gazed at Wang Chen, who had just retracted his hand, with her large, innocent doe eyes, nervously inquiring, "Can I open my Upper Dantian?"

Wang Chen hesitated for a moment.

The princess before him perfectly embodied the symptoms of "desperation leading to hasty decisions." She didn’t care whether Wang Chen had the ability; as long as there was even a glimmer of hope, she was willing to place all her expectations upon him.

This left Wang Chen somewhat perplexed.

It was rare to encounter someone so naïve!

In fact, Wang Chen believed that if anyone in the world could help Princess Qingyun gather energy and attain the Dao, it had to be him!

This princess actually possessed a pure Yin constitution, and her extraordinary meridians were blocked due to an overabundance of innate energy, leading to a solidification within her channels.

From this, it could also be inferred that when Princess Qingyun’s mother was pregnant, she must have consumed some heavenly materials and treasures, with most of the spiritual energy concentrating within the fetus, resulting in such an outcome.

Under normal circumstances, most fetuses could not withstand such energy, but Princess Qingyun’s unique constitution meant she survived without miscarriage.

With a physique like hers, in the Haotian Realm’s grand sects, she would undoubtedly be a top disciple, a true seed of the Dao, worthy of all resources for cultivation.

Unfortunately, Princess Qingyun was born in the Cangqing Realm, where the spiritual energy was weak, and the level of the Heavenly Merit was low, making it impossible to resolve her issue.

Now, Wang Chen was faced with the dilemma: should he help Princess Qingyun?

His mindset shifted rapidly, and Wang Chen sighed, saying, "Your Highness, my cultivation level is too low, and I am currently powerless. Please forgive me."

After much consideration, he did not think it wise to help Princess Qingyun open her channels and establish her Dantian.

Firstly, he could not explain his abilities; secondly, Princess Qingyun’s status was too noble. Even if she agreed, others would not permit Wang Chen to treat her.

It was a thankless task, even risking his life, so why would Wang Chen willingly dive into such trouble?

Yet, he felt an inexplicable fondness for this princess, so he left a small opening in his words. If Princess Qingyun could understand, that would be her opportunity. If not, it was no matter.

"I see."

Princess Qingyun bit her lip, revealing a pitiful look of disappointment.

But she still politely thanked Wang Chen, saying, "Thank you for your time."

Wang Chen smiled and replied, "Your Highness, you’re too kind."

Princess Qingyun nodded and then turned to leave.

It was only when her figure disappeared around the corner of the staircase that Wang Chen withdrew his gaze.

Despite appearing alone, this princess actually had several skilled guards watching over her in the shadows, just like when Wang Chen faced the emperor. If anything unusual happened, it would surely attract a fierce response.

This was also one of the reasons Wang Chen had politely refused to assist Princess Qingyun.

Royalty was born of noble blood, and she was a swirling vortex in herself. Getting too close could easily lead to being caught up in something dangerous.

It was better to keep some distance.

Reaching for a thick book, Wang Chen continued to concentrate fully on reading and understanding it.

Quickly, he set aside thoughts of Princess Qingyun.

Wang Chen had little time left, and there were still many selected Daoist texts he had not yet read. He needed to hurry!

"Wang Qiandu, the time has come."

A young eunuch in yellow quietly approached Wang Chen and said softly, "You should leave now."

Suddenly coming back to his senses, Wang Chen, lost in the words of the "Nanshan Dao Collection," reluctantly set the book down. He then stood up, clasped his fist, and said, "Thank you, sir."

As he spoke, Wang Chen handed over a silver note.

This eunuch, who managed the library, had diligently helped Wang Chen find books over the past three days and personally delivered his meals, saving him a lot of trouble.

Although it was partly out of appreciation for the silver note, this small sum meant little to Wang Chen.

Giving another note was mainly to build a Good Relationship for the future when he might need to re-enter the library.

The imperial palace gathered the world’s wealth, and the Ten Directions Daoist Collection in the library held immense reference value for Wang Chen.

Despite the low level of the Heavenly Merit in Cangqing, throughout history, countless cultivators had dedicated themselves to research, and the many ingenious ideas generated had greatly broadened Wang Chen’s horizons.

He not only opened his Upper Dantian and began his journey of cultivation but also gained a deeper understanding of the rules of this world.

Unfortunately, three days was too short. Even with his extraordinary memory, he had only skimmed a limited number of texts on Dao.

I will come back!

He silently vowed to himself as he left the imperial palace.

The first thing Wang Chen did after exiting the palace was to visit the Yiluan Directorate to meet Deputy Commander Liu Chaozong.

This was a specific instruction given by Liu Chaozong before the audience with the emperor.

Upon seeing Wang Chen, the deputy commander’s smile was much more sincere than before: "I heard you received Emperor Shaowu’s deep affection and spent three days in the library studying books?"

Since the news had reached Liu Chaozong, Wang Chen saw no reason to hide: "Yes, thanks to the emperor’s kindness, I fulfilled my wish."

Liu Chaozong was clearly not concerned about the books. He eagerly asked, "Wang Chen, what are your plans for the future?"

Wang Chen was momentarily taken aback: "Was there no arrangement from above?"

He thought his trip to the capital for the audience would result in some prestigious position, and that the Yiluan Directorate would have made corresponding arrangements, so he had prepared to stay in Daye.

Unexpectedly, the deputy commander was asking for his opinion.

"Ahem!"

In response to Wang Chen’s question, Liu Chaozong’s smile turned slightly awkward: "Well, your majesty values you highly, and the internal office would like to hear your thoughts before making arrangements."

This sounded perfectly reasonable, but Wang Chen felt something was off.

Calmly, he replied, "In that case, I think I will return to Donglu."

"Ah?"

Wang Chen’s response clearly surprised Liu Chaozong: "Don’t you want to stay in Daye?"

Daye was the imperial capital, an ancient center of six dynasties, the core of Daliang, and a dream place for countless people.

To be blunt, even a dog from Daye is born with a higher status than an ordinary person.

Wang Chen received Emperor Shaowu’s grace and wanted to return to his local prefecture? Such a choice was truly hard to comprehend!

Wang Chen smiled and said, "Sir, I have no family or acquaintances in Daye. Rising too quickly may not be good for me, so it’s more suitable to settle for a few years first."

Liu Chaozong was immediately at a loss for words.

Wang Chen’s reasoning was undeniably sound!

After a moment, he said, "How about this? Don’t rush to leave yet. Stay at the inn for a few more days, and we’ll talk again after the internal office has made a decision, so you won’t have to keep coming back and forth."

"It’s rare for you to come to Daye. Enjoy the sights of the imperial capital while you can."

Wang Chen nodded: "What you said makes sense, sir."