Chapter 4068 Achieving Big Results with Little Money

It has to be said that the slovenly Taoist priest was definitely the strategist of our Sixth Regiment.

Only now do I see clearly what he's really thinking. He wants to get close to the Prince and the Empress Dowager and gain their trust. These two are high-ranking and powerful people in Guanxiong Kingdom. They might be able to help us get close to Zhaoyao Mountain and obtain the Zhaoyao Wood.

These two are definitely the people most qualified to get close to the swaying tree.

If we can get those two under control, things might turn around.

As for what to do next, I haven't thought of it yet, but the slovenly Taoist priest must have his own ideas, and I won't ask him any further here.

Upon hearing the disheveled Taoist priest's words, the Empress Dowager immediately took out a waist token made of some unknown material and handed it to him: "Young man, if you ever possess this 'Ten Thousand Years of Lingering Fragrance' again, you may use my waist token to freely enter the royal city. No one will dare to stop you. I will reward you handsomely then."

The disheveled Taoist priest stepped forward, took the Empress Dowager's waist token, and solemnly said, "It is my honor to help the Empress Dowager refine the Ten Thousand Year Perfume. Once a new Ten Thousand Year Perfume is refined, I will definitely send it to the Empress Dowager in the capital first."

"Excellent, excellent, Lu Cheng, you must treat them well and not neglect them," the Empress Dowager hurriedly instructed the prince.

"Don't worry, Your Majesty, I will not mistreat them," the prince said with a smile.

The Empress Dowager received a bottle of perfume and immediately left.

After the Empress Dowager left, the prince chatted with us for a few more minutes, implying that he wanted us to accept his reward, but the slovenly Taoist priest refused repeatedly and wouldn't accept it no matter what.

This kid is playing the long game. The more we refuse, the more the prince feels indebted to us, and he'll definitely repay us when the opportunity arises.

After giving these two items to the Prince and the Empress Dowager, we did not linger. We immediately bid farewell to the Prince and left the Prince's residence.

As soon as they stepped out of the Prince's mansion, the bearded man said excitedly, "Congratulations to you two! You've gained the favor of the Prince and the Empress Dowager. You're sure to have a bright future. If you ever become successful, don't forget your brother here!"

"Brother, you'll definitely be treated well in this matter. You know where we live. If you need anything in the future, just come and find us." The slovenly Taoist priest was very considerate and didn't forget to comfort the bearded man.

Before long, we said goodbye to the bearded man and returned to the inn to meet up with Brother Gu and the others.

When they saw us return, a group of people gathered around and asked us how things had gone.

I then told everyone about how the slovenly Taoist priest had fooled the prince and empress dowager with children's toys and a bottle of cheap perfume, and Brother Gu and the others laughed so hard they couldn't stand up straight.

The slovenly Taoist priest is a master at deceiving people, getting big results with little money.

Master Zhiqing and Li Chao were completely convinced by the slovenly Taoist's deceptive tactics.

"Xiao Luo, what were you thinking when you went to such lengths to get close to that prince and empress dowager? Tell us!" Brother Gu asked hurriedly.

"Gentlemen," the disheveled Taoist priest explained, "the Empress Dowager and the Prince are definitely people who can get close to Zhaoyao Mountain. I think we should cultivate a good relationship with the Prince during this time. Once we're familiar with each other, I'll talk to him and ask him to let Luo Laoliu and me stay by his side. If the Prince agrees, he'll definitely take us with him when he goes to Zhaoyao Mountain in the future. This way, we'll have a chance to get close to Zhaoyao Mountain. Once we get close to Zhaoyao Mountain, we can fully understand the defenses of the entire mountain and come up with a countermeasure."

"Young friend Luo is truly meticulous in his planning, full of ingenious ideas, and exceptionally intelligent. I admire you greatly. With you all here, how could we possibly fail to find that 'Swish Wood'?" Master Zhiqing said solemnly.

“Following you all this way, I feel like a fool. When will I be able to do something for you? I feel like I can’t do anything, while you’ve been worrying so much about me,” Li Chao sighed.

“Brother Chao, don’t rush. The time for you to make your move is when we retrieve the Swaying Wood. That will be the most dangerous time. What we’re doing now is just preparation for retrieving the Swaying Wood. I think we’re not far from finding it,” the slovenly Taoist priest said with a smile.

“When we came from Nie’er Kingdom before, the clan chief said that the Zhaoyao Tree harvests some leaves every year. It should be harvested soon this year. This is definitely a big event for Guanxiong Kingdom. The prince may even participate. In the meantime, let’s visit the prince more often, give him some gifts, and try to gain his complete trust.” I added.

"Xiao Jie, Xiao Luo, I'm leaving this to you two. We've been in this Fire Domain for a while now, so get the Zhaoyao Wood as soon as possible so we can head back. I'm starting to miss home," Brother Gu said with a smile.

"Brother Gu, I think you're thinking about Senior Sister Hua, aren't you?" the slovenly Taoist said with a wicked grin.

"Of course I would! Who wouldn't want a wife, kids, and a warm bed?" Brother Gu chuckled憨厚ly.

After discussing it, everyone decided to follow the slovenly Taoist priest's plan.

A few days after we returned from the Prince's mansion, we went there again. The Prince was naturally very pleased to see the two of us again and ordered his servants to entertain us.

The slovenly Taoist priest gave the prince another gift, also a worthless trinket, but the prince liked it very much and wanted to reward me and the slovenly Taoist priest again, but the slovenly Taoist priest refused.

After the slovenly Taoist priest and I visited the prince's mansion several more times, the prince's wariness of us vanished completely.

Before the slovenly Taoist priest and I could even offer to be the prince's personal guards, the prince himself spoke to us.

The prince said, "You two, through our interactions over this period of time, seem to be acting mysteriously. You miss each other quite a bit after a few days apart. Since you don't want my rewards, and I haven't given you any favors, how about this? I happen to need two personal guards. Seeing that you are also cultivators, your cultivation should be quite strong. Why don't you stay by my side as my personal guards?"

This was exactly what the slovenly Taoist priest and I had been planning. Upon hearing the prince say this, the slovenly Taoist priest immediately knelt down excitedly and said with utmost sincerity, "Your Highness, if I may be so bold, from the very first moment I saw you, I felt an instant connection with you. I am willing to stay by your side, accompany you, and be at your beck and call. I promise that no matter what danger we encounter, I will be the first to stand in front of you!"

(Keep voting, everyone! The gap seems to be widening!)