Eternal Life through Drawing Lots

Fang Yang quickly read the three fortunes, his mind racing as he frantically analyzed them.

As he pieced the fortunes together, he instantly understood. When it came to seeking counsel, Sen Yue likely already had an extremely detailed and specific answer in mind.

Of course, the most important point was to ’Lay low and bide your time; avoid showing your hand.’

And so, Fang Yang had already made his decision.

Under the watchful eyes of the crowd, Fang Yang lowered his gaze in thought.

A moment later, he raised his head slightly and said in a steady voice, "Lord Monarch, the Dongfang Race is currently without a leader. I believe we should attack the Dongfang Race first..."

Fang Yang stated his view in a manner neither servile nor overbearing.

His voice was exceptionally calm and smooth, without the slightest tremor.

The way he carried himself impressed quite a few people, especially the several elders of the Sen family.

Regardless of the quality of his strategy, his composure under pressure and his ability to command the situation were enough to make him stand out among the younger generation.

After all, Fang Yang was only fifteen years old!

Fang Yang’s opinion wasn’t particularly outstanding; it was even a little fanciful, as one might expect from a youth.

But some of his points still made a few people nod, feeling that his proposal had its merits.

Jiang Venerable Sword, Ji Juyun, and Qingkong watched Fang Yang in silence, each with different feelings in their hearts.

In fact, after this whole affair, they too had more or less figured out what Sen Yue was thinking.

"Therefore, we should attack the Dongfang Race first." Fang Yang reiterated his point one last time, then fell silent, awaiting Sen Yue’s guidance.

Sen Yue first nodded in approval, but then gently shook his head. "You grasp the overall situation, but you lack specifics. In the future, you must read more—and read good books. You need to integrate the Mystical Skills from the medical classics into your understanding of worldly affairs and human nature. You absolutely cannot just read books by rote!"

Although Sen Yue had verbally criticized Fang Yang, everyone present could see that he was actually quite satisfied with the young man’s performance.

Besides, if Fang Yang had truly grasped both the grand strategy and the fine details, he would seem almost infallible, as if he knew everything.

In that case, Sen Yue would have grown suspicious. He would have thought Fang Yang wasn’t a second Carp Eagle, but Carp Eagle himself, reborn!

Meanwhile,

Fang Yang accepted the command and withdrew, his figure once again blending into the background.

But his heart was in turmoil.

Although he possessed a heart that yearned for the Dao, he ultimately lacked sufficient experience.

There were some trials he still had to experience firsthand before he could grasp their profound mysteries.

But at the same time, Fang Yang’s heart swelled with heroic ambition. ’One day,’ he thought, ’it will be I who looks down upon all other heroes, seizing Changsheng with a single hand!’

The Monarch’s Camp fell into silence.

Everyone had more or less guessed Sen Yue’s inclinations—or rather, they had all understood the intention he had conveyed.

After a while, Qingkong stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "Lord Monarch, attacking the Dongfang Race is indeed an excellent strategy!"

Everyone there knew that Qingkong, as the first Dao Seed to fall to Sen Yue, had long since become the Monarch’s trusted confidant.

The moment he spoke, the matter was truly settled.

And after Sen Yue nodded, the others immediately followed suit, voicing the well-thought-out plans they had long been harboring.

This time, their strategies were very specific, completely unlike the vague discussions from before.

"Use the Liepeng Banner as the vanguard, employ a fire attack, and launch an all-out assault on the northern territories of the Dongfang Race!" Jiang Venerable Sword declared, his aggressive nature on full display, his killing intent palpable.

"Use the Cold Flood Dragon Banner or the Cangmu Banner as the vanguard, advance methodically, and attack the northern territories of the Dongfang Race!" Ji Juyun said in a deep, confident voice.

One hero after another stated their own views.

But without exception, they all chose to attack the same area: the northern territories of the Dongfang Race.

This time, Sen Yue didn’t ask for Fang Yang’s opinion again.

Meanwhile, Fang Yang, standing in the corner, was startled. He suddenly realized that Jiang Venerable Sword’s proposal corresponded exactly to the mid-low fortune, while Ji Juyun’s corresponded to the mid-mid fortune.

Suddenly, a flash of insight struck him.

’I understand.’

’Given the temperaments and political stances of Jiang Venerable Sword and Ji Juyun, if I had chosen the path of the mid-mid or mid-low fortune, I would have inevitably been drawn into their vortex.’

’In that case, I would no longer be able to remain neutral. I couldn’t just stand on the sidelines and watch. It might even... attract Sen Yue’s suspicion!’

he thought.

At that moment, he suddenly realized that in this matter of the Monarch seeking counsel, nearly every faction had its own political agenda and vested interests.

On the surface, everyone seemed amicable, but daggers had long been drawn behind the scenes.

For some reason, Fang Yang was reminded of Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, and Yuan Shu from the Three Kingdoms era.

If Sen Yue mishandled this, then even if he ultimately emerged victorious in the Battle of Xuan-Yu, he would have to pay an enormous price!

At that moment, Sen Yue, seated on his high throne, narrowed his eyes, taking in everyone’s reactions.

Once he saw that everything was proceeding as he’d planned, he shot a quick glance at Qingkong.

The next moment, Qingkong stepped forward again and said, "A full-scale fire attack on the northern territories, while exceptionally effective, would violate the harmony of heaven. Therefore, I propose that we use both the Cold Flood Dragon Banner and the Cangmu Banner as the vanguard to attack the northern territories!"

"I agree."

"That is acceptable."

"..."

After Qingkong took the lead, the four Sen family elders, who had been silent until now, all voiced their opinions.

Seizing the opportunity, Sen Yue finalized the grand strategy. "In that case, we shall use both the Cold Flood Dragon Banner and the Cangmu Banner as the vanguard to attack the northern territories!"

With that matter settled, the next item on the agenda was raised.

The topic of discussion this time was how to assign official posts to the five leaders, including Fang Yang, Jiang Venerable Sword, and Ji Juyun.

In the end, the five leaders were all given provisional posts. Whether they could have the "provisional" removed from their titles would depend on their own efforts.

Surprisingly, Fang Yang, just like Jiang Venerable Sword and Ji Juyun, received a provisional Third Level official post.

This was in contrast to the other two leaders, Yuming and Lin Yaoguang, who received provisional Second Level posts.

Fang Yang’s duties were to organize documents within the Monarch’s Camp and coordinate the paperwork and other miscellaneous affairs for the various banners.

In other words, Fang Yang was to act as a junior clerk, assisting the four erudite Sen family elders in their work.

Jiang Venerable Sword and Ji Juyun, on the other hand, were military officials dispatched to lead troops in the field!

Even more surprisingly, no one voiced any objection.

On one hand, they saw it as a sign of Sen Yue’s great favor toward Fang Yang.

On the other hand, they also felt the post was a perfect fit for him.

Fang Yang was only fifteen years old. They couldn’t really put him in charge of an entire banner’s affairs, holding the lives of thousands in his hands, could they?

However, the other two leaders, Yuming and Lin Yaoguang, were left with a bitter taste in their mouths.

They had never imagined they would be outranked by a junior like Fang Yang.

’So, this is my Tier Three opportunity? A decent official post.’

’Heh, it’d be even better if I could get the "provisional" dropped from the title.’

’Organizing documents, coordinating the paperwork for all the banners... wait a minute, doesn’t this mean I’ll have direct access to the latest intelligence?!’

’Intelligence... Hiss... I can’t believe Sen Yue trusts me this much.’

’I have a bad feeling about this.’

Amid his joy, Fang Yang also felt immense pressure.

For Sen Yue to invest so much in him, his plans must be grand. It couldn’t possibly be just because of his close relationship with Sen Hui, could it?