Dao Equaling the Heavens

Everyone took their seats. Zhao Feng still wanted to make small talk and introduce those scions of noble families, as they were his biggest support in the fight for the throne.

However, Yu Hua clearly wasn't interested and interrupted, "I only need to know about the water veins."

The noble sons who had stood up to introduce themselves suddenly found themselves awkwardly rooted to the spot, unable to maintain their composure, and the atmosphere turned silent.

Gu Wen was drinking tea, gulping down half a pot of water, hoping the Heavenly Marrow would stir and save his precarious "assets."

Unfortunately, even the finest tea leaves in the royal estate did nothing. It seemed the Zhao family had not yet indulged in having Divine Medicine for their household supplies.

Zhao Feng cleared his throat and said, "Gu Wen, come forward and answer the immortal's question."

Gu Wen stood up, approached the center of the hall, and bowed to Zhao Feng and Yu Hua seated at the main seat, feeling for some reason that the latter's hidden gaze behind a light veil brightened.

Perhaps it hadn't been exposed yet, but she must have noticed something.

Otherwise, Gu Wen found it hard to explain why a Goddess who surpassed the authority of the emperor would be interested in him, since he had been actively avoiding her.

Yu Hua asked, "Gu Wen, how many wells are there in the city?"

"In total, there are one thousand six hundred and thirty-one wells. If including dried-up wells, there are over two thousand. Some water wells have been sealed and filled, making it impossible to know the total number."

Gu Wen answered, not having forgotten about the water veins, as he had specifically investigated this in recent days.

"Does the well water differ?"

"Most of it is bitter, murky, and needs to settle overnight before it can be consumed. There are over two hundred clean water wells, clear and tasteless, suitable for direct consumption. The sweet water wells, loved by the nobility, are the fewest at less than eighty, sweet to the taste."

"Take me to see the sweet water wells, the best one in the city."

Before Yu Hua could stand, Gu Wen continued, "I have already had the best well water in Bianjing delivered to the royal estate, drawn fresh this morning."

"After more than two hours, the Spiritual Energy dissipates, revealing nothing."

Yu Hua shook her head, revealing a piece of information that greatly interested Gu Wen. Were the sweet water wells in Bianjing actually Spiritual Springs?

Suppressing his doubts, he replied, "There are also samples within two hours. I was worried the immortal might need something special, so I instructed the Water House workers to deliver a batch every hour. I wonder if those within one hour meet the immortal's expectations."

"Also, it is now noon, the busiest time in Bianjing. The streets are jammed with oxen and carriages, and it's quite a distance to walk. Round-trip seems likely to exceed two hours."

Yu Hua fell completely silent. Was this the efficiency of mortals? She had done not only what she could think of but also what she couldn't have imagined.

Looking at the young man below, who was neither humble nor arrogant, any slight irritation also dissipated.

Descendants of the Gu surname were reliable, much more so than Zhao Feng, whose brain might as well have been kicked by the Mountain Guardian Beast of the Three Pure Sect.

"So let it all be arranged by you."

She nodded slightly in agreement, saying no more.

Seeing this scene, Zhao Feng, being the host, felt exceedingly honored and laughed, "Marquis Wen has done well. I reward him with five hundred taels."

Five hundred taels could sustain an ordinary person for their entire life, but for Zhao Feng, it was merely a casual reward, and none of the noble sons surrounding them found that strange.

Gaining favor before a beauty justifies spending a fortune.

Fundamentally, an era of chaos is born from the rich getting richer, the root cause of all social conflicts being consolidation and exploitation. Money never appears out of thin air.

Thus, Gu Wen remained here; power is the highest form of plunder.

With a savings of eight thousand taels increased by five hundred to eight thousand five hundred.

"Thank you, Your Highness."

Gu Wen received the treasure paper from the eunuch, Feng Xiang, calculating internally that five hundred taels could buy twenty medicinal fruits, roughly equating to a half-year's supply of Heavenly Marrow.

Assuming each of the Five Internal Organs Spirits needed two years of Heavenly Marrow for fulfillment, a total of ten Heavenly Marrows would be required to break through to the Third Level.

Eight thousand five hundred taels amounted to eight and a half Heavenly Marrows, still one and a half short for breaking through to the Third Level.

The First Level enabled him to sustain his breath continuously and recover faster than he expended energy. The Second Level restored his frail body and sharpened his senses to discern location by sound. But none of these provided the assurance to remain undefeated if pursued by Daqian.

If not, then the Fourth Level, all the way hiding until reaching the Ninth Level!

Cultivation is hard, but not particularly so, dealing oneself in Bianjing offered countless opportunities.

Gu Wen subtly exhaled the excitement in his heart, bowed, and said, "I will check if the well water has arrived."

"Go ahead," Zhao Feng waved his hand, then affectionately added, "From now on, do not refer to yourself as 'lowly.' That is how servants speak. You are now Marquis Wen of Daqian."

At these words, the gaze of those around shifted subtly, even the noble sons scrutinizing Gu Wen.

They were not fools; each represented a major family, the future heads of their households.

Zhao Feng was clearly elevating Gu Wen's status in the estate.

Gu Wen showed an extremely surprised expression, bowed deeply again in thanks, and then turned to leave.

Once he stepped out of the main hall, beyond anyone's sight, all expressions left his face, his hair fluttering slightly in the breeze, his deep black eyes betraying a trace of disdain.

Behind him, the opulence and laughter were nothing more than an illusion. When the military provisions of the border troops were completely devoured by the officials along the way, when the city guards needed to collude with bandits to obtain their military pay through levy and plundering, when the local militias were reduced to living like bandits...

When all of the military forces that maintained order in Daqian were utterly paralyzed, that would be its end.

And according to Gu Wen's knowledge, all these had essentially already happened. So, it wouldn't be long now.