Chapter 406: 80 The Great Trend of the World_2

Chapter 406: Chapter 80 The Great Trend of the World_2

Seeing the steaming hot tea, a flash of surprise once again passed through his eyes.

If he hadn’t known that Jiang Ning couldn’t have prepared in advance, he would have suspected that his identity had been leaked, and that his visit here had been revealed, for them to have hot tea ready to welcome him.

His gaze shifted subtly, and Ji Minghao’s expression returned to normal.

Soon he smiled slightly, “That’s good! I did stand in the snow for a bit, and it truly got a little cold!”

As the two of them had just settled down, Ji Minghao’s eyes once again captured a hint of something unusual.

He touched the table in front of him, which felt like a mix of jade and stone. The warmth was enduring and soaked into his hand.

“What kind of jade is this that it remains warm even amidst this snowy weather, even more gentle and moist than the high-quality warmth-retaining jade in my palace!”

Ji Minghao’s face showed surprise.

Jiang Ning shook his head lightly, “What kind of jade or stone this table and stool are cast from, I do not know! When I purchased this residence, these stone table and stools were already here!”

Ji Minghao exclaimed, “Then you have truly stumbled upon a treasure! In this bitter winter with heavy snows, for this stone table and stools to maintain such warmth, they must certainly be made of high-quality, warmth-retaining jade.”

“Yet I cannot recognize this jade stone even with my experience, which is very rare.”

Seeing this, Jiang Ning couldn’t help but smile.

What high-quality warmth-retaining jade?

This stone table and stools, they were simply warmed through his manipulation of fire, and so was the hot tea in front of him.

Immediately thereafter, he picked up the teapot.

Gurgle, gurgle, gurgle—

As the tea was poured into the cup, steam billowed up into the air.

By this point, after their simple conversation, Jiang Ning had come to understand that the man before him was a nobleman from the Royal Capital.

Whether it was his earlier claim to have unrestricted access to Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures, or the statement that his initiation into Martial Arts was under a Grandmaster, or the latter reveal of information about palace jades,

All indicated that this Ji Minghao’s identity was extraordinary.

Not the kind that is either rich or noble but rather, both rich and noble.

“It seems, Lin Qingyi is also not simple!”

A thought slowly emerged in Jiang Ning’s mind.

Then he chuckled to himself, thinking that if Lin Qingyi needed Hundred Spirit Blood to enter the Grandmaster Realm, how could he be simple?

The next moment,

He reined in his slightly scattered thoughts.

“Brother Ji, have some warmed tea first to chase away the chill!” said Jiang Ning.

“Alright!” nodded Ji Minghao.

He picked up the tea before him, gently blew on it twice, and the floating tea leaves dispersed to the sides, sticking to the sides of the cup.

When the scalding tea touched his lips, his eyebrows involuntarily furrowed.

He had never tasted such inferior tea in his life.

Upon tasting, it left a faint earthy flavor in his mouth.

Then he glanced at Jiang Ning again and continued to sip the tea gently, mouthful by mouthful.

Jiang Ning also poured himself a cup and drank a few sips of the hot tea.

When he put down his cup, Ji Minghao did the same.

At this moment, half of the tea in Ji Minghao’s cup was already gone.

Seeing Jiang Ning reaching for the teapot again, he hurriedly raised his hand to stop him.

“No need!”

“Half a cup of hot tea, and my whole body is already thoroughly warmed up!” Then, Ji Minghao added another line, “If I drink too much, I’ll need to pee!”

Jiang Ning couldn’t help but let out a hearty laugh.

Suddenly, he felt that this Ji Minghao before him was quite interesting.

Ji Minghao clearly had received a very good education fitting of an upper-class person.

To hear such a phrase from Ji Minghao’s mouth was quite rare.

Seeing the smile on Jiang Ning’s face, a faint smile also appeared on Ji Minghao’s.

Then, he extended his palm outside of the pavilion and, feeling the snowflakes falling into his hand, Ji Minghao’s smile disappeared in an instant.

“Brother Jiang!” he suddenly spoke.

Jiang Ning looked over.

Ji Minghao then abruptly asked, “Does Brother Jiang know why there is so much heavy snow this year? Why is it so relentless?”

“Is there some explanation for it?” Jiang Ning replied.

“Yes!” Ji Minghao nodded slightly, “This endless snow, you probably wouldn’t expect it, but it is man-made!”

“Man-made?” Jiang Ning’s expression tightened slightly, as if he had grasped something.

Ji Minghao glanced at Jiang Ning, “And this year’s drought and the lingering heatwaves, they are also man-made!”

Upon hearing this statement, Jiang Ning’s mind immediately filled with even more speculation.

The end of a dynasty was marked either by natural disasters, human calamities, or a combination of both.

This thought quickly flickered through his mind, and then Jiang Ning asked, “Could such severe droughts a few months ago and such a Heavenly Phenomenon also be man-made?”

“Of course it’s possible!” Ji Minghao nodded. “The National Master of Great Xia could summon rain to cover an entire prefecture.”

“There are many talented individuals in this world who could secretly unite to alter the celestial patterns, causing widespread drought across three states and leading to an unprecedented famine for hundreds of millions of people, which in turn incites frequent rebellions!”

How exaggerated!

After listening to Ji Minghao’s words, these characters suddenly sprang to Jiang Ning’s mind.

To alter the Heavenly Phenomenon, causing a widespread drought across three states.

Such ability was only paralleled by the Immortals recorded in the books!

Ji Minghao looked at Jiang Ning. “What do you think about this matter, Brother Jiang?”

Jiang Ning inquired, “I’m a bit curious, if what Brother Ji says is true, then why would these god-like beings do this?”

“It’s simple!” Ji Minghao said. “I’ve heard my father discuss this before, some people think that Great Xia’s rule for eight hundred years has been too long! And that they have been too harsh on the families of Grandmasters!”

“They desire a change of ruler for the Nine States and the world!”

“Continuous natural disasters will lead the people to be displaced and struggling to survive, causing the public’s support to dissipate!”

“Once the public’s support fades, eight hundred years of peace in the world will be in jeopardy!”

“Furthermore, the frequent uprisings are also fanned by someone in the shadows, as they wish for the court to loosen its control over private armies!”

“On the surface, loosening control over private armies allows various factions to have enough manpower to suppress bandits and quell rebellions!”

At this juncture, Ji Minghao suddenly turned to Jiang Ning again and asked, “What are your thoughts on loosening control over private armies, Brother Jiang?”

As soon as these words were spoken, they instantly reminded Jiang Ning of a story he had read in his previous life.

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

The chaotic times of the Three Kingdoms began with the Yellow Turban Rebellion that heralded an era of many distinguished heroes.

With the mighty Yellow Turbans and the weakened central government unable to suppress the rebellion, local magnates, military generals, and officials were permitted to recruit their own troops.

Once this policy was implemented, it gradually led to regional warlords carving out territories for themselves, with the imperial court completely losing its effective control over the regions.

Recollecting the memories of his past life, Jiang Ning immediately shook his head: “Private military control must not be loosened! If that happens, regional warlords will inevitably carve out territories for themselves, and with military power in hand, this world will descend into complete chaos!”

“Heroes indeed think alike!” Ji Minghao’s eyes suddenly brightened, and he showed a pleased expression. “Brother Jiang truly is a kindred spirit! I had this very debate with my elder brother, and I held the same view!”

“My brother, on the other hand, believes that the chaos in the world mainly stems from continuous rebellions, which need to be suppressed by the military. Only in a life-or-death situation will there be no thoughts of rebellion among the people, nor will they act upon such inclinations.”

Hearing this, Jiang Ning chuckled.

“Could it be that your brother’s maternal family is in fact a powerful figure with military authority?”

Ji Minghao immediately cast a glance at Jiang Ning and then nodded. “Thinking about it now, it indeed seems to be the case!”

As soon as he finished speaking, Ji Minghao looked at Jiang Ning again. “You must have guessed my identity!”

“I should have guessed by now!” Jiang Ning nodded and then stood up to bow respectfully. “I have seen the Prince!”

“I am the eighth in my family!” Ji Minghao said.

“I have seen the Eighth Prince!” Jiang Ning said.

Ji Minghao immediately chuckled. “Brother Jiang, there is no need for formalities; let’s address each other as brothers!”

“Eighth Prince, how could that be possible!” Jiang Ning said.

Seeing this, Ji Minghao showed a slight look of anger. “If you continue to be so formal, you are clearly not treating me as a friend! I regard you as a friend, as a brother, and that is why I am treating you with such openness. I do not wish for this to become a wedge in our friendship!”

Looking at the earnest Ji Minghao, Jiang Ning figured he might as well go along with the momentum.

“Well then, I have seen Brother Ji!”

“That’s more like it!” Ji Minghao laughed heartily and then asked, “Do you have any wine here, Brother Jiang?”

“Yes!” Jiang Ning nodded.

With a wave of his hand, a wine flask suddenly appeared.

“The Sumeru Ring?” Ji Minghao’s expression became slightly surprised as he looked at Jiang Ning, his eyes quickly focusing on the ring on Jiang Ning’s finger.

“So it turns out, Brother Jiang is an Innate Spiritual Wisdom bearer, destined for immortality; no wonder your talent is so extraordinary!” Ji Minghao immediately exclaimed in astonishment.

Jiang Ning smiled.

He wasn’t surprised that Ji Minghao noticed this detail.

As the eighth prince of Great Xia, it would be even stranger if he couldn’t recognize it with his experience!

Furthermore, Jiang Ning had intended to show it.

Since the prince harbored the idea of making friends with him.

Naturally, he would not refuse.

Another friend was another source of support, another avenue.

Not to mention such a friend as the prince of Great Xia; even if after today their friendship remained nothing more than an acquaintance, it would be enough!

It was always better than not having any at all!