Half a year passed, and the matters that had occurred were naturally understood by everyone.
The Shen Xuan Sect was never in a leading position from beginning to end.
At least in Luoxia County, the one truly in charge of everything should have been the County Lieutenant, Wu Wei.
And the reason he could achieve this must have been the support of a certain force.
A brief consideration of the Shen Xuan Sect's situation would make it easy to guess that this force was likely the Rebirth Tower.
Only with the support of the Rebirth Tower could Wu Wei mobilize the elders of the Shen Xuan Sect and the Supervisory Division of Chongyuan Prefecture.
Among the forces involved at the time, there were certainly those who had allied with the Rebirth Tower.
But most of them should have been mere aids mobilized by Wu Wei.
In fact, this was easy to understand. Ji Yuan had understood the key points with just a moment's thought at the time.
The imitation artifact, the Ten Thousand Soul Yin Ling Banner, which could only contain a hundred thousand wronged souls.
Clearly, it was not enough for the Shen Xuan Sect cultivators to act so drastically in other prefectures.
The real reason was that the Rebirth Tower wanted to use this opportunity to replace the Prefect of Luoxia County with their own person.
And Wu Wei must have played a very important role in this.
It was even possible that he was the one who offered a series of plans to the Rebirth Tower.
But what did these have to do with them?
Ultimately, Ji Yuan and the others were not part of the imperial court, so there was no need for them to worry about the court's affairs.
Even if the Rebirth Tower succeeded, it would not affect them greatly.
After all, the Great Yu Dynasty was currently in a state of some chaos, but the most fundamental foundation of the nation had not been shaken in the slightest.
Once the new emperor ascended the throne, all the disorder would naturally subside.
The reason they were involved was only to minimize the number of civilians affected.
"Fan Yuqing was the Prefect for over a hundred years; his methods are naturally beyond our imagination."
Ji Yuan mused, "Coupled with Li Wenqing's assistance, it won't be easy for Wu Wei to succeed."
Not to mention that although they did not need to be directly involved, as partners of the Prefect, it was not impossible to provide assistance at the appropriate time.
Moreover, crisis itself also represented opportunity.
The struggle for the position of Prefect, and even grander schemes.
If not careful, countless forces would be drawn in, leading to their demise and leaving no trace in the world.
And the remnants of these forces were by no means insignificant.
"Do you intend to be fully involved?"
Qian Nishang raised an eyebrow.
Hearing this, Ji Yuan slowly nodded; he did indeed have this intention.
Although staying on the sidelines and offering assistance at a critical moment could also yield a share of the spoils, clearly, fully taking a side and operating within the game would yield more.
And ordinary benefits were no longer enough for him to care about.
Furthermore, whether it was for Ming Xin Xuan or for other considerations, only a bold move could truly stabilize their position at the peak.
Otherwise, relying on normal development, no matter how many methods they employed, it would still take a long time to accumulate resources.
But given the current situation, did they really have enough time to accumulate things bit by bit?
It was estimated that at most, within ten years, the new emperor would ascend the throne.
At that time, some seemingly insignificant forces would inevitably emerge.
And those who had sided with the wrong party would certainly be purged.
The reshuffling of benefits would undoubtedly stir up a great upheaval.
And the Rebirth Tower would not sit idly by and wait for the new emperor's forces to sweep everything away before gathering all their strength to deal with them.
Therefore, developing their own forces was an urgent matter for Ji Yuan and the others.
If they could handle this matter well, they might be able to secure a firm foothold in Luoxia County.
Then, Fei Yun County and Luoxia County would unite, and forces like Ming Xin Xuan would join hands with Jiu Xuan Gate.
Even if they couldn't be transcendent in the chaotic times, they would at least have some ability to protect themselves.
They would not be like small boats in a storm, constantly at risk of capsizing.
Thinking of this, Ji Yuan's gaze shifted. He seemed to understand why the Sect Master of Jiu Xuan Gate had signaled Xu Chengfeng to nod, and Lin Yubai and the others to fully support all his decisions.
Perhaps the higher echelons of Jiu Xuan Gate had already seen through everything.
"It seems some matters are far more complicated than they appear!"
Ji Yuan sighed inwardly, his perception of Jiu Xuan Gate changing.
Originally, he thought it was a sect whose influence was confined to Fei Yun County.
Although immensely powerful, it had various flaws, and even lacked timely information about its own region.
But from the current situation, it seemed that Jiu Xuan Gate had long since extended its reach into other areas in secret.
Suddenly, he recalled the words of Elder Hong Tian and Cui Yinghong.
Both had said that Jiu Xuan Gate always encouraged its disciples to develop their own forces externally.
Because they believed that the disciples' forces were also the sect's foundation.
"Help me arrange a meeting with the head of the Zhuang family."
Ji Yuan put away his thoughts and turned to Qian Nishang beside him.
Upon hearing this, she immediately understood, and nodded solemnly.
That night, Ji Yuan and Qian Nishang quietly arrived at the Zhuang family residence.
Although it was not their first time seeing the luxurious scene, they could not help but sigh in their hearts.
In terms of wealth, no one in the county city could confidently claim to surpass the Zhuang family.
They soon met Zhuang Lindao, the head of the Zhuang family, in a flower garden.
He was still dressed like a scholar, exuding a refined and elegant aura.
However, a shrewd and calculating glint often flashed in his eyes.
"I thought you would continue to lay your traps and force me to come to you personally."
Zhuang Lindao said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, Ji Yuan smiled helplessly, "I did have that intention originally."
The former gestured and led them to a pavilion where a maidservant served hot tea and spiritual fruits before withdrawing from the flower garden.
"Then why did you change your mind?"
Zhuang Lindao could not help but show curiosity.
He was not feigning it, but genuinely curious.
He was aware of some of the other party's plans and had a general idea of what was to come.
He had even devised several countermeasures in his mind.
However, he did not expect that the other party would abandon their original plan and personally visit him.
"Plans cannot keep up with changes. In the current situation, changes had to be made,"
Ji Yuan said with a sigh.
Hearing this, Zhuang Lindao nodded. Without the other party needing to say more, he had already guessed most of it.
To be the head of the Zhuang family, to not suffer any losses in the face of the powerful Li family, and even to make the Zhuang family's influence grow stronger.
Zhuang Lindao was clearly no ordinary person. While calling him extremely intelligent might be an exaggeration, his wisdom undoubtedly far surpassed that of most people.
More than an hour later, he lightly slapped the table, his eyes full of thought.
Ji Yuan had laid bare his general plan to him without reservation.
Upon careful consideration, the feasibility was indeed high. If successful, they would make a fortune, potentially increasing the Zhuang family's assets several times over their existing foundation.
Even if they failed, the greatest cost would be borne by Ji Yuan and the others.
For the Zhuang family, although there would be some losses, it would not be crippling.
"Words are not proof, how can I trust you?"
Zhuang Lindao suddenly said in a deep voice.