The seminar on "How to Kill Chen Ke" lasted a long time, ending in discord between the Third Prince and his advisors.
Killing Chen Ke wasn't difficult; there were at least a hundred ways, but now was definitely not the time to act.
The new Emperor of Great Xia was about to personally lead an expedition, and the court and the people of the Nine Provinces were all in high spirits and unprecedentedly united.
Anyone who stirred up trouble at this time would become an enemy of the entire Great Xia Dynasty.
Moreover, things were different now; Chen Ke was no longer an insignificant figure.
The northern border was covered in ice and snow year-round, with a harsh climate. High-proof alcohol greatly helped boost the morale and fighting power of the defending troops.
And the scouts infiltrating the orc territory, after being equipped with alcohol, saw their mortality rate decrease by a full 30%!
Every scout was an elite soldier, and the intelligence they brought back could influence the course and even the outcome of a battle.
The implications of a 30% reduction in mortality were self-evident.
Most unexpectedly, for the first time ever, an entire orc scout squad surrendered to the human garrison.
The reason was ridiculous: they wanted to drink strong liquor.
This amusement had spread throughout Great Xia City, thrilling countless people and making them truly realize the value of strong liquor.
They all wronged Chen the Scoundrel; he wasn't brewing liquor to curry favor with the retired emperor, but genuinely doing something.
Of course, praise wouldn't fall on a Scoundrel like him; the court officials only praised the new emperor for his "discerning eye" and "unconventional approach to personnel selection."
It was under the new emperor's decree that Chen Ke and his group continued to refine even higher-purity alcohol.
If something happened to Chen Ke at this time, wouldn't the situation be dire?
If they could assassinate Chen Ke today, the Hidden Dragon Pavilion would send assassins to kill them tomorrow.
If we add the factors of the retired emperor and the Qin princess, the two great dynasties of Great Xia and Purple Eagle could very well become enemies, even turning against each other.
Who could bear such an outcome?
Therefore, the advisors unanimously agreed that the best time to deal with Chen Ke would be after the new emperor left the capital.
Right now, rather than taking such a huge risk by targeting Chen Ke, it would be better to target Chen Ke's father.
The head guard, Hu He, stood outside the Third Prince's study, his gloomy eyes gazing at the overcast night sky, muttering, "More than a thousand living people, how could they all be missing?"
Unbeknownst to Hu He, at the very moment he uttered this lament, his newly dispatched ten-man liaison team was also about to lose contact.
*Thud!*
The blood-red dragon-tail sword, swift as lightning, pierced the throat of the last white-clad man.
As Chen Ke pulled out the sword, the white-clad man's body collapsed into ashes.
Deep in the dense forest of the mountains, Chen Ke, carrying a blood-stained bone sword, wandered like a ghost among the ten piles of ashes.
Scattered weapons, tokens, and signal flares were gathered up. Chen Ke soared into the sky, piloting his invisible pig-trough-shaped divine boat, flying towards the distance.
"Surely no one's foolish enough to release signal flares in the middle of the night," Chen Ke thought, surveying the area before heading in the direction the Chen family caravan was traveling.
The Chen family caravan was safe, marching through the night under the protection of numerous mercenaries and warriors.
Countless torches formed a long, fiery Snake, winding and undulating through the vast mountains.
In about four or five days, the caravan would cross the mountains and enter the flat plains of Central Xia.
Chen Ke circled several times in the sky, confirming there were no ambushes, before quietly departing.
Within the mountains were many natural caves, well-hidden and with enormous interiors.
It didn't take long for Chen Ke to find a spacious cave.
Inside were bizarre stalactites, and on the high walls, some resembled upside-down bamboo shoots.
The minerals shimmered faintly, and occasionally a drop of water would fall, landing in a puddle with a tinkling sound.
Chen Ke hadn't come here late at night for sightseeing.
Holding the Soul-Devouring Beast's horn, he scouted for a moment, found a dry, open spot, and stood still.
He opened his mouth, and a green leaf flew out, floating into the air and transforming into a small boat.
A faint green light spread out, and the surrounding stalactites began to glow, displaying a myriad of colors.
The whole world became vibrant and colorful in an instant.
"What a wonderful place!" Chen Ke exclaimed in amazement.
As the stalactites shimmered, they even released a faint spiritual energy.
Although this amount of spiritual energy was negligible, less than what Chen Ke ate in a single meal, it was still quite rare in the spiritually scarce Great Xia Dynasty.
A cunning rabbit has three burrows; this could be one.
In addition, two more burrows needed to be built at Chicken Mountain and Pearl City.
That night, Chen Ke talked a lot with the Qin princess, and afterwards, he thought a lot.
The Qin princess wasn't as glamorous or powerful as she appeared.
In reality, she was cautious and timid, walking a tightrope of power; one wrong step and she would be doomed.
This was what pained Chen Ke the most.
It was too difficult, too exhausting; it was practically inhuman.
The princess carried the burden of restoring her kingdom, the expectations of countless people; if it were him, he would have been crushed long ago.
Therefore, he had to do something—for the princess, for the Chen family, and for himself.
The cave before him was not only secluded but also conveniently located in the mountainous region leading to and from Shu Prefecture.
The cave was spacious and full of spiritual energy, perfect for hiding people as a secret transit point.
There were also tangible benefits in Jigong Mountain and Mingzhu City; the former had plenty of people, and the latter had a large amount of spirit stones for cultivation.
He would be frequently visiting these two places in the future, so he could manage them casually without much effort.
But then again, business was more important; he shouldn't think about it too much now.
Chen Ke pulled himself out of his thoughts, and with a thought, a green orb of light floated before him.
The transparent orb was surrounded by green light, and mysterious runes flickered and changed in an instant.
Chen Ke's entire body was bathed in a green glow, his eyes gleaming as he gazed at the enigmatic orb model.
The nine layers of light screen—all the patterns on the outermost layer were fixed.
The second-to-last layer had only one pattern; activating this pattern would complete the first enhancement of the Soaring Divine Ship.
Although Chen Ke couldn't predict the effects of the enhancement, he understood one thing: enhancing the divine ship would inevitably consume a huge amount of wood-attribute spiritual power.
That was why he had delayed the enhancement for several days.
Now, his injuries had mostly healed, his spiritual power was at its maximum, and he had prepared sixteen low-grade wood-attribute spirit stones.
The time was ripe to enhance the divine ship.
He took out all sixteen spirit stones, neatly arranged them on either side, and then gently touched the green orb with his finger.
*Whoosh!*
The outermost light barrier instantly closed, transforming into a green dot of light.
The eighth light barrier was then revealed.
The "enhanced model" on the light barrier had a very simple design; Chen Ke sketched the image and imprinted it onto the light barrier with almost no effort.
*Buzz!*
The light barrier trembled slightly, transforming into countless streams of light, like silk threads, drifting upwards.