The Peerless Emperor

Lin Qian led Lei Qian and Gao Benli away. When the three of them had left, Yu Wanli finally breathed a sigh of relief. However, when he turned around, he discovered that Zhao Zhili and Yu Wanyu were looking at him with mournful eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like that? It is true that he saved you, but who can know if there's a trick hidden in that?" Seeing their gazes, Yu Wanli shook his head and sighed, "You two are ultimately too young. I suspect this Lin Qian has ulterior motives."

"Big brother, he really can't be a spy from the Dynasty. The people who were chasing us spilled quite a bit of information." Yu Wanyu sighed softly and then recapped the entire account of how she and Zhao Zhili had encountered Lin Qian to her brother.

After listening to his sister's description, Yu Wanli was stunned, asking in disbelief, "Are you sure your eyes didn't mislead you? Crushing someone's armed Primordial Weapon with just his physical body without using Soul Power?"

It wasn't just Yu Wanli who was shocked; the other disciples of the Double Pole Palace also gathered around and gasped in horror after hearing the story.

Especially upon learning the intelligence spilled by the man with the scarred face from his sister's account, Yu Wanli's expression turned solemn, "Given this, you two stay here and rest well. The rest will come with me to check it out."

After saying that, Yu Wanli quickly led the others cautiously toward the location where their compatriot with the scarred face had betrayed them, afraid of ambushes, he even specifically asked the fastest among them to scout ahead.

Not long after, Yu Wanyu saw her brother and the others returning covered in blood stains, which clearly indicated that the information provided by the scarred face was correct.

"Still, we can't rule out his suspicion; what if this is also part of a ploy?" When Zhao Zhili suggested bringing Lin Qian back, Yu Wanli stubbornly shook his head.

Yu Wanyu could say nothing to her stubborn big brother.

Meanwhile, Lin Qian, accompanied by Lei Qian and Gao Benli, had reached another riverbank in the two states' water forest and caught several soul beast fishes, which they began to grill.

The agriculture of the Huaxia Empire used crops fostered from data input during Lin Qian's previous life, with spices like cumin and pepper readily available.

Lin Qian took it upon himself to cook, preparing grilled fish with flavors reminiscent of his past life, and the three of them devoured the meal with great relish.

Especially Lin Qian, with his eyes closed in enjoyment; savoring food from his previous life in this world was such a blissful thing.

The most unsatisfactory aspect Lin Qian found in this world was its food, which was incredibly unpalatable—cooking involved no spices whatsoever, merely heating up anything in the pan counted as a dish!

In the current scenario, the water forest of the two states was a battlefield, with the young disciples of the Dynasty and three other forces fighting fiercely; yet these three individuals were leisurely eating grilled fish by the river—an utterly astonishing sight to any onlooker.

"Ever since our leader introduced culinary improvements in Coastal State and Origin State, it's hard to imagine what kind of lousy stuff we were eating before," Lei Qian said, tearing off a piece of crispy fish skin that was dipped in chili powder and spices and popping it into his mouth, a look of bliss on his face.

Gao Benli nodded vigorously, "Especially the snacks the younger brother developed, like those things called potato chips—are truly delicious. Now a small pack in Coastal State is priced at five hundred Mid Grade Soul Crystals. And then there's tofu pudding—adding some chili powder and topping it with green onions and soy sauce, absolutely unforgettable."

"Sweet tofu pudding is the tasty version, yours is a disgusting way to eat!"

"What do you know, the savory and spicy way is the real deal."

"Shut your trap, the sweet version is the authentic one."

"Kid, you seem to have grown a bit feisty after not seeing you for a few days. Come on, let's have a couple of rounds."

"If we're to fight, let's fight. Do you really think you're the big boss here? I'm not afraid of you!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Lin Qian was still calmly eating the roasted fish in his hands, completely ignoring the purple lightning and golden sword beams around him. He was thinking to himself, "Eating this stuff is really making me money. I initially thought of selling it for just ten low-grade Soul Crystals, but the price soared when I released a little."

With that thought, Lin Qian couldn't help but recall the instigator of all this, Ye Xin. When he didn't understand why, Ye Xin's response made him both laugh and cry.

"Little Qian, you're truly wasteful. This treasure was meant to be sold cheaply? I wouldn't have it."

Thinking of Ye Xin clutching a bunch of oil paper-wrapped potato chips tightly, Lin Qian found it somewhat amusing.

"Food, clothing, shelter, transportation—the people of this world focus too much on cultivation, but these things are still the basics. If used properly, they can create immense wealth, which then provides for cultivation." Lin Qian mused as he ate.

After enjoying his meal, it was time to get to serious matters.

Among the five states adjacent to the Southern Sea Domain of the Qin Dynasty, the ocean areas bordering the three states below belonged to the Eastern Division Clan, although they were less active in this region.

The Qin Dynasty had not paid much attention to this area. The Sect Master of the Eight-Armed Sea Clan was closely monitored by their Sea Clan allies, making it impossible for them to act rashly.

In the eyes of the Qin Dynasty, the strength of the Eastern Division Clan was insignificant, not worth considering at all.

This was also the reason the Qin Dynasty hadn't sent any scouts into the sea area. If the Qin Dynasty had sent someone to dive into the sea, they would have been horrified to discover colossal entities lurking in the deep sea, completely isolated from the seawater by barriers.

The imperial warships, shining with a metallic luster, seemed like slumbering war beasts on the ocean floor.

Inside the warships, the well-prepared Imperial Army and War Beast Army were ready to go. At Lin Qian's command, the warships would ascend and burst forth from the ocean domains adjacent to these three states.

After receiving advice from Yuan Xiang, Lin Qian had previously summoned the Huaxia Army, deploying them in advance to make it appear as if the Imperial Army had come from elsewhere, not magically summoned from nothing.

Danger was already lurking beside the Qin Dynasty, yet they remained unaware.

For the Qin Dynasty could never imagine that the seemingly insignificant small nation they scorned was in fact capable of delivering a fatal blow they would never forget!

But this force would only be mobilized when the actual battle broke out; right now, Lin Qian and his team had other matters to attend to.

"Your Majesty, I can hardly wait any longer." Zhuge Ming's voice resonated in Lin Qian's mind, his face filled with excitement. He could hardly wait to see the look of despair on their enemies' faces as they perished in ignorance.

With that thought, Zhuge Ming's eyes also revealed a chilling gleam: "While the Heavenly Art Department might not be like the Imperial Army or the War Beast Army, our true capabilities are not so easily endured."