34: Chapter 34 Subduing Zhao Min

After descending from Wudang Mountain, Princess Zhao Min and her group rode their horses wildly for dozens of miles before finally coming to a halt.

The scene in Zixiao Palace was etched into her mind like a brand, impossible to shake off.

The image of Zhang Sanfeng sitting upright in the main seat, disabling The Xuanming Elders with a flick of his finger, and that unfathomable Grandmaster demeanor and strength, replayed over and over in her mind.

Since she was young, she had followed Prince Ruyang on campaigns across the south and north, seeing countless heroes, gallants, princes, and nobles.

She had once believed that there was no one in the world who could truly make her submit.

But today, she had met Zhang Sanfeng.

This centenarian Daoist had no airs, no arrogance, yet possessed a vision that overlooked the world, a steadfast determination to hold to his original intent, and unfathomable strength.

He stood at the pinnacle of the Martial Forest, holding the authority of the entire Central Plains Martial Arts World, yet he viewed wealth and glory as dirt, thinking only of protecting the common people of the world.

This was a world of difference from the power-hungry, extravagant, and corrupt Yuan Dynasty officials she saw daily, and those Jianghu figures who fought and killed for their own selfish interests.

Her feelings toward Zhang Sanfeng had shifted from initial defiance and curiosity to submission and admiration.

"Princess, what should we do now? Shall we return to Dadu?" the guard beside her asked cautiously.

Princess Zhao Min steadied herself, took a deep breath, and nodded. "Return to Dadu. Depart immediately."

She knew that her trip to Wudang Mountain meant her plan had completely failed.

Wanting to dismantle the Wulin Alliance and deal with Zhang Sanfeng was now an impossible task.

The most important thing now was to return to Dadu, persuade Prince Ruyang, and abandon the plan targeting the Central Plains Martial Arts World.

The group did not dare to delay, traveling day and night, spurring their horses on, and within a few days, they returned to the Ruyang Princes Mansion in Dadu of the Yuan Dynasty.

As soon as she entered the mansion, Princess Zhao Min headed straight for the study to find Prince Ruyang.

Inside the study, Prince Ruyang was anxiously waiting for news. Seeing Princess Zhao Min return, he stood up immediately and asked urgently, "Minmin, how did it go? Was the trip to Wudang smooth? Did you find out Zhang Sanfeng's background? Can we dismantle their Wulin Alliance?"

Princess Zhao Min bowed to Prince Ruyang and shook her head with a bitter smile. "Father, our plan will not work."

She told Prince Ruyang everything she had seen and heard on Wudang Mountain, as well as what had happened in Zixiao Palace.

Including how Zhang Sanfeng had disabled The Xuanming Elders with a flick of his finger, his refusal of the imperial court's rewards, and the conditions he had proposed.

After listening, Prince Ruyang's face instantly turned pale, and he sank into his chair, his eyes filled with shock.

"What?! The Xuanming Elders were disabled by him with a flick of a finger?!" Prince Ruyang's voice trembled.

The Xuanming Elders were his top experts, yet they couldn't even take one move before Zhang Sanfeng and were disabled with a flick of his finger.

Just how strong was this Zhang Sanfeng?

"Father, as things stand, we must face reality," Princess Zhao Min said in a deep voice, looking at Prince Ruyang.

"Zhang Sanfeng's strength is unfathomable; he has already stepped into the legendary Great Grandmaster Realm, and no one in the entire Great Yuan is his match. Furthermore, the Central Plains Martial Arts World is now completely united under his leadership, having formed an alliance, advancing and retreating together."

"If we insist on making them our enemies, we will only both suffer."

"Currently, within the imperial court, the Crown Prince and the Second Prince are fighting for power, and rebel armies are rising everywhere. The imperial court is already beset by internal and external troubles and simply has no energy to make an enemy of the entire Central Plains Martial Arts World."

"Continuing to target the Central Plains Martial Arts World will only leave us facing enemies on both sides, doing more harm than good."

"It would be better to temporarily set aside the confrontation with the Wulin Alliance, accept Zhang Sanfeng's conditions, reduce taxes in the Central Plains, stabilize the situation of the imperial court first, and then make further plans."

Princess Zhao Min's words were reasonable and hit the nail on the head.

Prince Ruyang sat in his chair, silent for a long time, then sighed deeply and nodded.

"You are right. I was too presumptuous. I didn't expect that a single Zhang Sanfeng could actually unite the fragmented Central Plains Martial Arts World."

"We will do as you say. Temporarily abandon the plan targeting the Central Plains Martial Arts World, submit a memorial to Your Majesty, request to reduce taxes in the Central Plains region, temporarily halt the suppression of rebel armies everywhere, and stabilize the situation first."

He looked up at Princess Zhao Min and said in a deep voice, "Minmin, leave this matter to you. I will handle the imperial court side."

"The liaison with Wudang and the Wulin Alliance will be left to you. Remember, do not have any more conflicts with them; you must stabilize them."

"Yes, Father." Princess Zhao Min bowed and accepted, a flash of relief in her eyes.

In the following days, Princess Zhao Min helped Prince Ruyang maneuver in the imperial court, pushing for the decree to reduce taxes, while simultaneously beginning to communicate with the Wudang Sect.

She first sent someone to deliver a secret letter to the Wudang Sect, informing Zhang Sanfeng of the movements of the pro-war faction within the imperial court, as well as the plans of several officials who wanted to ally with the Western Regions Tantric Sect to continue targeting the Central Plains Martial Arts World.

This was her way of expressing her sincerity to the Wudang Sect and to Zhang Sanfeng.

Inside Zixiao Palace on Wudang Mountain, Zhang Sanfeng looked at the secret letter and supplies sent by Princess Zhao Min, a faint smile appearing on his face.

He had long expected that Princess Zhao Min would make such a choice.

Although Princess Zhao Min was a Mongol princess, she possessed vision and a perspective far beyond ordinary people, could distinguish right from wrong, knew when to advance or retreat, understood how to make trade-offs, and was by no means comparable to those foolish and corrupt Yuan Dynasty officials.

He accepted the medicinal herbs and grain sent by Princess Zhao Min and distributed them to the common people at the foot of the mountain and the Disciples of the Wudang Sect.

At the same time, he replied with a letter to Princess Zhao Min, thanking her for the information she passed on, and also gifted her a Wudang Mind-Cultivation Technique for health preservation, as well as a basic martial art he had personally created that was suitable for women to Cultivate, as a return gift.

In addition, he also pointed out the flaws and weaknesses of the Western Regions Tantric Sect's martial arts in the letter, providing methods to counter them.

Upon receiving Zhang Sanfeng's reply and the gifted martial arts Secret Manual, Princess Zhao Min was extremely excited.

She had not expected that Zhang Sanfeng would not only not blame her for her previous schemes but had actually gifted her a martial arts Secret Manual, and even told her the flaws of the Western Regions Tantric Sect.

This demeanor and perspective made her admire him even more.

From then on, Princess Zhao Min frequently corresponded with the Wudang Sect via letters.

And Zhang Sanfeng would also frequently reply to her, guiding her through her doubts about martial arts and discussing the pros and cons of the imperial court and the common people with her.

Through the repeated exchanges of letters, Princess Zhao Min admired Zhang Sanfeng more and more, and gained a deeper understanding of the Wudang Sect's path of chivalry.

She began to persuade Prince Ruyang to rectify the administration, severely punish corrupt officials who oppressed the people, and open up border markets to allow Han and Mongol people to trade freely and live in peace.

Under her urging, the Yuan Dynasty imperial court finally issued a decree to reduce taxes in the Central Plains region, temporarily halt the suppression of rebel armies everywhere, and open up border markets.

The people of the Central Plains no longer had to suffer the oppression of harsh taxes and levies, no longer had to worry about being oppressed by corrupt officials, and their lives improved significantly.

The Han and Mongol people traded freely and lived together in harmony, ushering in a rare peace.

And the source of all this came from the Wudang Sect, from Zhang Sanfeng.

[Detected that the host has completed the side quest [Stabilize the Yuan Dynasty Imperial Court], task completion 100%!]

[Task Reward: The conflict between the Jianghu and the imperial court in the Yitian World has been temporarily resolved, world peace has significantly increased, world Fusion has risen by another 1%, and the current total Fusion is 99%!]

The System notification sounded in Zhang Sanfeng's mind.

He stood on the Golden Summit of Wudang Mountain, looking at the vast landscape beneath his feet, feeling the peace and tranquility of the entire world, and a gratified smile curved his lips.

Cheng Kun had been captured, the Jianghu strife had ended, the Central Plains Martial Arts World was united as one, the Yuan Dynasty imperial court had temporarily compromised, harsh policies were suspended, and the people lived and worked in peace.

The entire Yitian World had ushered in unprecedented peace and stability.

He knew that the main quest [Wudang Daoist Lineage, Yitian Foundation Established] had reached the moment of final settlement.

The Perfection of the low-martial stage of the Yitian World was right before his eyes.