Chapter 14 Gaining a Follower

Chapter 14 Winning a Believer

As soon as Jiang Shuoye opened his eyes, he found himself enveloped in mist once again, his body rapidly descending.

*Here we go again.*

Unlike the panic from last time, Jiang Shuoye now had experience and quickly steadied himself.

After landing, he walked straight ahead, knowing the way well.

After a dozen steps, he once again saw the long table and the hazy, colossal silhouette shrouded in mist.

People often say, "What you think about during the day, you dream about at night." Jiang Shuoye figured that since he had been fixated on this matter all day, it was only natural that he would dream of it again.

Since he was here, he might as well make the most of it. He strode to the table and took a seat in the only chair.

He tilted his head to look at the silhouette, his deep voice carried a slight echo, "Are you truly a god?"

Chu Jiubian looked down at him but didn't answer right away.

"You’ve entered my dream; there must be a reason," Jiang Shuoye continued. "As the old saying goes, 'A celestial enters one’s dream to impart knowledge.' Could it be that you are here to enlighten me as well?"

There was not a hint of disrespect on his face, and his tone carried a hint of reverence.

This was Jiang Shuoye.

Even if he thought this was a dream, he would not act recklessly. He always considered the one-in-a-million possibility that the other might truly be a deity.

Naturally, this was also due to the lesson he had learned from being dominated and humbled by Chu Jiubian earlier.

Chu Jiubian was very satisfied with this attitude.

After all, no one enjoys being disrespected.

Deciding he'd acted mysterious long enough, Chu Jiubian finally spoke, "I know you have been troubled lately. I have come here to help you."

"Aid me?" Jiang Shuoye’s recent troubles were primarily the Tatars harassing border towns and the newly trained cavalry.

These days, life was hard for every household. Even the court, after the waste and exhaustion under two successive emperors, had become broke and weakened. Military funding had been reduced year after year, leaving the border troops unable to even consider expanding their cavalry, let alone afford daily food and supplies.

If this continued, Jiang Shuoye might have to discharge some soldiers to avoid being unable to sustain them.

Even so, he was determined to train a formidable light cavalry.

The northern deserts were mostly plains, and the Tatars were skilled riders. If the Northern Desert Army lacked its own cavalry, its fighting ability would fall far short of the Tatar forces.

If a real battle broke out, more soldiers would die.

Therefore, the cavalry had to be trained.

But since ancient times, cavalry had always been the weakest point for the Central Plains people, as most soldiers came from common folk.

How many farming families had the means to even see a horse, let alone ride one?

So the cavalry he was training now had to start from the very basics of "mounting a horse," and progress was painfully slow.

Thinking of this, Jiang Shuoye frowned deeply.

He was nearly at his wit's end and had even begun wishing for some deity to help him find a solution. Otherwise, he would not have had such a ridiculous dream.

Chu Jiubian watched silently as Jiang Shuoye frowned and sighed, lost in his thoughts once again.

Was his first follower a bit too in his own head?

Chu Jiubian had to make some noise to snap him out of it.

Hearing the crisp sound of jewelry clinking, Jiang Shuoye looked up at the High Priest’s silhouette.

"The biggest problem with cavalry is their inability to stay secure on horseback," Chu Jiubian said calmly. "Outfit your warhorses with these items, and the problem will be solved."

Jiang Shuoye noticed a thin sheet of paper appear out of nowhere on the table before him.

Frowning, he picked it up. His first instinct was not to look at the content but to examine the paper itself.

The paper was pure white and smooth, far superior to the most expensive *Langya Gold Paper* in the Da Ning Dynasty.

He couldn’t help but run his fingers over it, thinking that such a divine object could only exist in a dream.

Chu Jiubian watched quietly, not urging him.

He had originally drawn the designs in his study, but the yellowed, coarse paper felt utterly unimpressive.

So, he bought a stack of pure white A4 paper from the system store for just 0.5 points, and the system even threw in ten pens.

Thus, what Jiang Shuoye saw and touched was the high-quality paper of the modern era.

Jiang Shuoye finally gave up examining the paper and turned his attention to the drawings on it.

At first, he wasn’t sure how to position the stirrups and saddle or how to use them.

But next to them was a diagram of a rider outfitted with these tools. The soldier was mounted, with a saddle beneath him to stabilize his posture and stirrups below for his feet to rest in.

Immediately, Jiang Shuoye’s dark eyes seemed to light up.

He sat up straighter, comparing the tool diagrams and the cavalry diagram more carefully.

The saddle could stabilize the rider’s posture and protect his hips and legs from serious rubbing injuries during rough rides. The stirrups not only made mounting and dismounting easier but also helped riders stay steadier.

Most importantly, with the stirrups, cavalrymen might even be able to stand and fight enemies directly.

Swinging a spear while seated was nowhere near as effective or effortless as doing so while standing.

Jiang Shuoye’s breathing grew rapid. He then turned his attention to the third tool—the horseshoe.

The hooves of warhorses would sustain damage from prolonged training and marches, but with horseshoes, that damage would be significantly reduced.

Divine tools!

These items were nothing short of divine!

Jiang Shuoye prided himself on having achieved the position of army commander at a young age and remaining unflappable even in the face of crisis. But now, looking at these treasures, he was so excited his hands trembled.

He dared not imagine how much the combat effectiveness of the Northern Desert Army would improve if their warhorses and cavalry were equipped with these.

Jiang Shuoye clutched the drawings tightly, studying them over and over. Countless cavalry tactics already began forming in his mind.

Some strategies and formations he had never dared to consider before now seemed achievable with these tools.

He wished he could immediately start making these gear sets and start training with them.

At this thought, he suddenly realized where he was now.

He abruptly rose from his chair, looking up at the High Priest's enormous projection with eyes blazing like torches.

"Jiang Shuoye hereby thanks the High Priest for your assistance." As he spoke, he stepped back a few paces and knelt straight on the ground, bowing his head three times firmly in the direction of Chu Jiubian.

Watching his Faith Points jump by three at this moment, Chu Jiubian couldn't help but smile at the corners of his mouth.

Attaboy, Xiao Jiang!

"No need for this," Chu Jiubian said as if he had merely offered to lend a hand, his tone still calm. "I'll also give you these books."

As he finished speaking, the three books he had bought earlier appeared on the table.

Jiang Shuoye quickly stood up and walked over, carefully picking up the books. When he saw that they contained methods for raising horses and training soldiers, his heart hammered like a drum, and he immediately wanted to kowtow to Chu Jiubian a few more times.

However, the white mist seemed to coil over like a pair of hands, lifting him up and preventing him from kneeling further.

"Thank you, High Priest," Jiang Shuoye said, clasping his hands in salute. "I can never repay your great kindness. If there is anything I can do for you, Chifeng [Jiang’s style name] will spare no effort, even at the cost of my life."

Chu Jiubian's cool voice remained detached as he said, "You only need to protect the people of the Northern Desert well."

For now, that was enough. In the future, he might truly need Jiang Shuoye to fight on his behalf.

But if possible, Chu Jiubian hoped that day would never come.

The gratitude and reverence in Jiang Shuoye's eyes seemed almost overflowing. He couldn't help but cup his hands again and bow deeply. "On behalf of the people and soldiers of the Northern Desert, Chifeng thanks the High Priest."

Such a deity, so righteous and compassionate—Jiang Shuoye vowed to repay this kindness forever, even if it meant repaying debts beyond death.

Chu Jiubian smiled and reminded him, "Do you know these equipment are all made of iron?"

Iron was scarce in the Da Ning Dynasty. If Jiang Shuoye couldn't find enough iron, Chu Jiubian wondered if he should buy some books on "how to find ore" or directly ask the system if there was a way to locate iron mines.

To his surprise, Jiang Shuoye replied, "To be honest, although my family has come down in the world, we do have a rich iron deposit in the Northern Desert, enough to meet the cavalry's needs."

In fact, the iron mine was as large as a mountain. Half of the Northern Desert Army's weapons were forged from it.

Otherwise, given the court's ways, the Northern Desert Army would have long run out of weapons.

However, the court did not allow private trading of ironware, so the Jiang family had kept the mine hidden to protect it. Otherwise, Jiang Shuoye could have easily supported the Northern Desert Army just by selling iron.

This was beyond Chu Jiubian's expectations, but it was good news, saving him the hassle.

Having finished what needed to be said and having gained the believer's Faith Points, Chu Jiubian said, "If there's nothing else, you can go."

Jiang Shuoye hurriedly asked, "High Priest, will I be able to see you again in the future?"

"I will find you again." With these words, Chu Jiubian had the system send Jiang Shuoye out of the Divine Realm.

Jiang Shuoye woke from his dream and immediately sat up.

The gleam in his eyes still shone brightly in the darkness, without a trace of drowsiness.

He had dreamed before, but upon waking, he would soon forget everything. This time, however, he wanted to seize the moment before forgetting and quickly get the gear designs down on paper.

The only thing was, he had forgotten to memorize the three books given to him by the High Priest. He didn't know if he would have another chance to enter the dream again. If he did, he would definitely memorize all the contents of those books.

He reached out, intending to find the flint by his pillow to light a fire. As his hands fumbled around, before even touching the flint, he encountered something else.

The texture was all too familiar—exactly like the "sacred paper" he had touched in his dream!

Jiang Shuoye's heart pounded like a drum. He hurriedly continued feeling around, and after finding the flint, he didn't even bother getting out of bed to look for dry grass. Instead, he lit his undershirt on fire and used the flame to look by his pillow.

Lying neatly beside the mended straw pillow were three books.

On top of them was that sacred paper with the tool diagrams and cavalry illustrations.

==

The palace, Yaotai Residence.

The main bedroom had long fallen silent. Xiao Jinzi was on night duty today and slept in the outer room of the main hall.

Meanwhile, the pavilion in the courtyard was buzzing with excitement at the moment.

Xiao Yinzi's eyes sparkled as he sneakily waved the others in closer. Lowering his voice, he said, "Do you know what I heard today?"

"What?" Shui Yun looked confused.

Shui Qing urged impatiently, "Just say it, quit dragging it out."

Earlier in the day, Chu Jiubian had been sighing deeply in the courtyard, even mentioning that he missed Qin Xiao. Everyone was puzzled, so Xiao Yinzi, who had the widest connections, went to inquire.

"Did you find out something about the young master and His Excellency—" Xiao Xiangzi trailed off, cautiously glancing around.

The courtyard housed only them, the servants, and the young master. Outside the courtyard, many imperial guards and spies were stationed, making it arguably the safest place in the palace aside from the Hall of Mental Cultivation.

Seeing that Xiao Xiangzi had guessed correctly, Xiao Yinzi no longer held back and said excitedly, "I asked some palace staff I know. They said that on the day of the coronation ceremony, the young master fell from the heavens and landed directly in His Excellency's arms!"

"What kind of person is our His Excellency? How could he possibly take the initiative to embrace someone? But he did embrace our young master! What does that mean?"

"What?"

"It means the young master is different from everyone else to His Excellency!"

"I actually noticed it a while ago!" Shui Qing chimed in eagerly. "His Excellency does treat our young master differently. Usually, when His Excellency sends someone to prison, it's for life. Our young master is truly the first person His Excellency has ever released."

"Exactly," Xiao Yinzi immediately added. "So, it's clear that His Excellency has a particular soft spot for the young master. Perhaps it's as those people say—these two are fated to be!"

Xiao Xiangzi, however, frowned with concern. "This only shows that His Excellency has feelings for the young master, but what about the young master's feelings for His Excellency—"

Xiao Yinzi chuckled, lowering his voice even further. "The young master's feelings for His Excellency run even deeper! I heard clearly—on the day the young master fell from the heavens, he declared in front of all the civil and military officials that His Excellency is his love tribulation. He came down to earth precisely for our His Excellency!"

The three of them gasped in unison, speechless for a long moment.

Xiao Xiangzi blinked, and after recovering from his shock, asked, "What is a love tribulation?"

"Well..." Xiao Yinzi scratched his head. "Maybe it means the young master and His Excellency share a special connection."

"A special connection?" Xiao Xiangzi sounded doubtful.

He had also observed the interactions between the young master and His Excellency, always feeling that they were more strangers than friends.

A soft sniffle came from beside him. Xiao Xiangzi quickly turned to look and saw Shui Yun wiping her tears with a kerchief.

"Sister Shui Yun, what's wrong?" Xiao Xiangzi asked, puzzled.

Shui Yun looked at him with reddened eyes, big fat tears rolling down her cheeks. "Hongxiang, you're too young and don't understand the young master's feelings, but I get it clearly."

The other three were all younger and less steady than her, so they immediately leaned in to listen attentively.

Shui Yun looked into the distance with sorrowful eyes and said, "“Flowers drift and water flows on their own...” This poem by the Young Master was copied for our Lord."

The three looked at each other.

"Our Young Master... is suffering," Shui Yun choked up, unable to hold back her tears.

Shui Qing quickly helped wipe her tears away.

Xiao Yinzi urged anxiously, "Sister, don’t cry—please tell us what’s going on first."

She took a moment to compose herself and said hoarsely, "The bond between our Young Master and the Lord must have been forged over many lifetimes..."

Chu Jiubian had a large basin of ice in his room, delivered that afternoon from Qin Xiao’s side.

He slept soundly, almost without dreaming the entire night, but over at Cining Palace, she woke three times before dawn.

After Grand Empress Dowager Xiao Ruohan was startled awake for the third time, she decided to get up and went out into the courtyard.

Nanny Liu helped her sit on a long bench in the yard and said gently, "It really is stiflingly hot today. I'll send word home tomorrow and ask the Master to send more ice."

Xiao Ruohan’s expression was grim.

The Xiao family could only receive ice twice a day, yet the Hall of Mental Cultivation and Yaotai Residence had already had several large basins brought in in just one day. Even the young emperor slept soundly through the night.

All of this was the doing of that Ninth Young Master.

In the evening, head of the Xiao family Xiao Yao—Xiao Ruohan’s own younger brother—had sent a message urging her to find a way to connect with Chu Jiubian.

If that wasn’t possible, she should at least try to get Chu Jiubian to leave the palace.

Now, all the major factions in the capital were eager to get in with this Ninth Young Master.

Xiao Ruohan’s eyes turned venomous. "It seems, I must indeed meet with the Ninth Young Master tomorrow."