Immortality: Starting with a grave, I'm invincible when burying corpses.

"Strategist, was the trip to Lingzhou City fruitful?"

The night was vast and dark, the stars were faint, and under the clear starry sky, points of light rose from the dark mountains.

The two leaders of the Qishan bandits stood at the edge of the village, gazing at the smoke rising from the depths of the mountains.

Cao Hui rested his hands on the fence, his face flushed from drinking, letting the evening breeze tousle the hair at his temples.

Zhao Yuntian, the leader of the Qishan bandits, stood with his hands behind his back. Standing beside him, he reeked of alcohol, yet stood ramrod straight, showing no sign of drunkenness.

"Brother Zhao, Qishan is in grave danger this time."

As if he had already guessed Cao Hui's words, Zhao Yuntian was not surprised. He simply stepped forward and, imitating Cao Hui, leaned half his body against the fence.

"The imperial court is powerful. Although it is showing signs of decline, it is still a behemoth," he said, his eyes slightly lowered, with a hint of loneliness. "Although the Blood Robe Sect started late, it has developed rapidly and is more ferocious than jackals and tigers."

Why are you pretending after having a few drinks?

Oh right, I mentioned that to my older brother before, so it's alright now.

Cao Hui frowned, gave his elder brother a strange look, and thought about what he had seen and heard in Lingzhou City.

Neither the imperial court nor the Blood Robe Cult are forces they can contend with, but the situation in Lingzhou is complex and there is always a chance for a turn of events.

Over the years, these people have been struggling to survive, and there is no reason for them to abandon the hard-earned foundation they have built.

"The Blood Robe Cult has a long history and is suspected to be related to the gods and immortals in mythology. However, it is ruthless and reckless. Although it occasionally performs acts of righteousness, it cannot change its evil nature."

Cao Hui sorted out his thoughts and tried his best to explain in a way that Zhao Yuntian could understand.

"The entire sect acts madly, sometimes saving people, sometimes killing them, and using any means to achieve their goals. Even their doctrines are just a piece of waste paper, and no one follows them."

Such madmen are not trustworthy. Their willingness to provide us with elixirs and weapons is a ploy to use us to counterbalance the imperial court, and to buy them time with our brothers' lives.

Zhao Yuntian nodded in agreement, and after a moment he asked a question.

"Judging from the strategist's intentions, it seems he has no intention of cooperating with the Blood Robe Cult. What are your thoughts, strategist?"

Seeing that Zhao Yuntian had given up thinking as usual, Cao Hui picked up a folding fan and fanned himself twice, blowing away the faint drunkenness.

"The world is bustling, all for profit; the world is bustling, all for gain." He lowered his eyes, his tone slightly raised, "In the entire Qishan region, besides us, there are seven other forces. Perhaps we can take this opportunity to eliminate a few of them."

Zhao Yuntian was taken aback, seemingly not expecting Cao Hui to be so audacious: "You want to use the imperial court to wipe out the other mountain bandits?"

Seeing that his elder brother understood his meaning, Cao Hui nodded slightly, suppressing the excitement hidden in his heart.

"Brother Zhao, Hui has been with Qishan for twelve years now. Along the way, I've witnessed the village's many changes. From relying on highway robbery for a living to being self-sufficient now, the village has changed so much. It's time to seek change!"

A rather poignant remark caused Zhao Yuntian's pupils to shrink sharply.

The seven-foot-tall man's voice trembled as he cried out, "You want to join the army!"

Cao Hui gave Zhao Yuntian a look as if he were an idiot, waved his feather fan, and shook his head.

"Build high walls, store up grain, and delay declaring yourself king. Even the three great demonic sects dare not confront the imperial court head-on. At this time, whoever raises an army will die."

The man, who only knew how to fight, scratched the back of his head, shrugged, and gave up thinking.

"Strategist, don't play tricks on me. I'm not as quick-witted as you. Just tell me your plan, and I'll do as you say."

Seeing Zhao Yuntian directly passing the buck, Cao Hui sighed helplessly, feeling a pang of regret.

If Zhao Yuntian hadn't saved him and his daughter back then, he would have abandoned his duties and run away long ago, and he wouldn't have devoted himself to a small mountain stronghold.

"Lingzhou is now like a raging fire, covered with dry wood, and various forces are still throwing more wood into it, trying to make the fire burn even brighter."

After a pause, Cao Hui took a deep breath and, looking at his older brother who was staring blankly into space, further simplified his explanation.

"Currently, there are three main forces fighting over Lingzhou: the Blood Robe Cult, the Governor of Lingzhou, and Princess Yongning."

Finally hearing something he could understand, Zhao Yuntian decisively raised his hand, interrupting Cao Hui.

"Strategist, I understand that, but aren't the Governor of Lingzhou and Princess Yongning in cahoots?"

Staring at his boastful older brother, Cao Hui sighed deeply and picked up a twig to draw a sketch on the ground.

"The governor is the governor, and the princess is the princess. Although they both belong to the Great Qi, they are now divided into different camps."

After sketching a few simple lines, Cao Hui pointed with a tree branch to the circle representing the governor.

"The Cui family, where the governor of Lingzhou is located, supports the lineage of the second prince. The second prince is skilled in literature and has the support of many scholars, but he was born into an ordinary family and did not receive the emperor's favor."

Princess Yongning's elder brother is the current third prince, who is relatively mediocre, but he was born to the late empress and his maternal family is powerful, which makes up for his shortcomings.

More importantly, Princess Yongning was an extremely special person. The emperor seemed to favor her to an unparalleled degree, granting her every whim.

There are three elite military forces in the world: the Seven Kill Army, the Tiger Legion Army, and the Heavenly Constellation Army. Each of these three forces has the ability to suppress a region.

And now, the Tiger Legion is under the control of this princess.

The reasons behind this are unknown, but if she is willing to support it, she can easily bridge the gap between the Third Prince and the other crown princes.

The struggle for the crown prince position has always been bloody, and they will try to leverage all available resources. This is our opportunity.

As for the Blood Robe Sect, their recent plague in Lingzhou has caused immense suffering and death. They will inevitably be surrounded and exterminated by the righteous sects of the world, destined to become nothing more than withered bones in a grave. We must not establish any significant connections with them at this time.

Although he hadn't heard anything, when Cao Hui looked over, Zhao Yuntian still put on a profound and inscrutable look, nodding his head as if he understood everything.

Seeing his elder brother's attitude, Cao Hui knew perfectly well that he had wasted his breath, but he didn't mind. He simply continued to use the twig to outline his entire plan.

It's okay if you don't understand, just listen to the advice.

"We're mountain bandits, are we really not going to be wiped out by that so-called Tiger Army?"

"It's alright. Since ten years ago, the people of Qishan Village have stopped engaging in banditry. The villagers rely on the mountains for their livelihood, engaging in farming and hunting to be self-sufficient."

In the eyes of the imperial court, we are undoubtedly a force that can be recruited.

The root of this conflict is not our doing, but the doing of two forces on the outskirts of Qishan.

By blocking the passage and cutting off the supply of herbs, they were essentially courting death.

I had instructed the villagers to collect medicinal herbs long ago, and now they can come in handy.

Qishan has a complex terrain, making it easy to defend and difficult to attack. The plague is spreading rapidly, and time is of the essence. As long as Princess Yongning and the Governor of Lingzhou still want to save lives, they will not give up the opportunity to cooperate with us.