Chapter 347: Collaboration

"The past can't be changed, but I can give you a new beginning," Chu Qiguang said as he reached out to Luo Binghong and helped her out from under the desk. "You can choose how you want to live your life, so what'll it be?"

Luo Binghong stared at the silver notes in front of her for a moment longer before deciding, "I don't want the money. Give me the equivalent value in Cloud Sun Trade Association shares."

"That's not a problem," Chu Qiguang replied with a smile.

"The pope and the holy maiden aren't just going to accept these losses," Luo Binghong continued. "They'll definitely send people to Spirit Province."

"Rest assured, we have plenty of allies on our side as well," Chu Qiguang reassured her with an unconcerned smile.

"What do you need me to do for you?" Luo Binghong asked.

"I'll let you know when the time comes, but for now, let's deal with whoever the Imperial Heavenly Dao sends after us first," Chu Qiguang replied.

Even though Luo Binghong appeared to have been convinced, Chu Qiguang wasn't going to trust her so easily. At the very least, she had to help him deal with the people sent by the Imperial Heavenly Dao. That way, she would have truly burned all her bridges and been left with no choice but to rely on him.

After parting ways with Luo Binghong, Chu Qiguang instructed, "Master Qiao, I want you to send out more cat fiends to keep an eye on the Imperial Heavenly Dao."

From the rooftop, Qiao Zhi had overheard the entire conversation between Chu Qiguang and Luo Binghong, and he couldn't help but marvel at the allure of stocks.

Stocks are so amazing that they can even convert cult followers back into good, law-abiding people!

Qiao Zhi was also struck by the urge to invest in stocks himself, but he immediately suppressed it.

No! I swore I'd never touch stocks again! Stocks are the devil, Qiao Zhi! Don't fall into this trap again! Investing in stocks makes it ten times harder to reach the Dao Comprehension state!

Unaware of Qiao Zhi's internal conflict, Chu Qiguang asked, "Is there anything I need to take note of about the Imperial Heavenly Dao?"

Qiao Zhi hopped down from the roof, lay down on the desk, and replied, "If history hadn't been altered, Yi Siman would've gotten together with the holy maiden of the Imperial Heavenly Dao and become a high-ranking member. After that, the fiends broke the peace agreement for the first time and invaded Yong Province. As a result, the Imperial Heavenly Dao split apart, with some surrendering to the wolf fiends, while others chose to help the Great Han Empire.

"I recall that the pope joined the wolf fiends alongside Yi Siman and the holy maiden. Yong Province is the Imperial Heavenly Dao's main base of operations, and thanks to the intelligence provided by its followers, the wolf fiends were able to conquer the entire province in just one month. However, the wolf fiends didn't have enough troops to defend their newly conquered territory, so they didn't even try.

"Instead, they took advantage of the opportunity to plunder the neighboring provinces. By refusing to stay in one place for too long, the wolf fiend army remained highly mobile and flexible, allowing them to make it all the way to the capital before they were finally driven back to the grasslands."

"It sounds like the Imperial Heavenly Dao played a very important role in all of that," Chu Qiguang mused. "Who are their most powerful cultivators?"

"The pope of the Imperial Heavenly Dao, Zhang Xinhui, reached the Dao Comprehension state by cultivating the Book of Humans. There's also a retired former elder named Huang Lisheng, who reached the Dao Comprehension state by cultivating the Five Lightning Orthodox Mantra," Qiao Zhi replied.

"Huang Lisheng was opposed to joining the wolf fiends, but he had already been retired for a long time and barely had any influence left within the Imperial Heavenly Dao. He was eventually poisoned by Zhang Xinhui and then assassinated by Zhang Xinhui with the help of the Ninghai Prince."

After hearing what Qiao Zhi had to say, Chu Qiguang became determined to make a move against the Imperial Heavenly Dao.

The Imperial Heavenly Dao had already become his enemy, and its base of operations was far too close to Spirit Province for comfort, so it had to be dealt with.

Furthermore, Chu Qiguang was also very interested in the Imperial Heavenly Dao's two orthodox arts.

That night, an old friend from the Demon Vanquishing Department came to visit.

It was none other than Li Jian, and judging from his disheveled appearance and the dark circles under his eyes, he had clearly rushed all the way to Spirit Province.

"Your letter! Is it all true?" he asked the moment he was reunited with Chu Qiguang.

Chu Qiguang smiled as he set a cup of tea down in front of Li Jian. "All in due time, Lecturer Li. As you saw in my letter, I intend to invest in your research on fertilizers, agricultural techniques, and new crops, but it's already too late to discuss all of that today. Why don't you get some rest tonight? I'll gather everyone involved for a meeting tomorrow."

However, Li Jian was far too restless to wait and immediately began bombarding Chu Qiguang with questions.

"As the Cloud Sun Trade Association continues to develop, its demand for cotton will only grow," Chu Qiguang said. "Eventually, the prominent clans will begin converting more agricultural land into cotton fields. As a result, many farmers will starve, and some of them will inevitably join cults for survival. Right now, there are already signs of grain fiends being converted into cotton fields throughout Spirit Province.

"Hence, I want you to develop ways to increase the production of cotton, grain, and other staple foods so we can address this problem before it gets out of hand. Of course, we won't be solely relying on your work. At the same time, our trade association will also implement other measures to provide ways for people to earn money outside of farming."

"I can develop new agricultural techniques and technologies, but what if the general public is unwilling to learn out of fear of demonification?" Li Jian asked.

"Rest assured, I am currently working with the Heavenly Master Religion to find ways to increase people's resistance to demonification," Chu Qiguang replied.

Of course, the reality was that he planned to gradually turn the entire Spirit Province into a province of half-fiends using the Heavenly Fiend Foundation Establishment Technique.

***

Meanwhile, the holy maiden of the Imperial Heavenly Dao was standing at the foot of a mountain in Yong Province, where she was joined by several other high-ranking members.

"Isn't ten generals overkill?" one of the celestial maidens asked. "Surely we don't need this many people just to deal with Chu Qiguang."

"Chu Qiguang is now the leader of the trade association, countless people will be eager to protect him," the holy maiden replied. "Hence, we must prepare as thoroughly as possible. We must strike swiftly and decisively, killing him before anyone else has a chance to intervene."