However, while Lin Yang was still in a daze, Taishi Ci had already destroyed several puppets and arrived in front of him.
At this moment, Lin Yang was wearing the dragon robe corresponding to a powerful duke. (Similar to the one worn by the crown prince, but a level below the emperor.) Therefore, at first glance, he was quite striking.
"You are...you are the Duke of Wu? I've seen you in the newspaper," Taishi Ci said excitedly.
The reason why Taishi Ci sought refuge with Lin Yang was quite simple: Lin Yang was also from Qingzhou, Donglai County, and Huang County; the two were from the same hometown.
Now that Lin Yang has made a name for himself, he is a household name in Donglai County. Therefore, as a fellow townsman, Taishi Ci's future will naturally be much brighter after joining Lin Yang's side.
"You're Taishi Ci? From Huang County, Qingzhou? Come to think of it, we're from the same hometown. I'll be counting on you for any miscellaneous matters in the future," Lin Yang said with a smile. After speaking, he handed him a cup of tea to show his sincerity.
Seeing this, Taishi Ci was quite excited. He directly extended both hands and accepted the cup of tea. For a better understanding of the experience, one could refer to the shaking hands of ordinary people with a provincial governor in later generations.
To this, Lin Yang could only say that this was the power of status. If he were still that country scholar, no matter what he did, even if he offered them his own clothes and food, these talented people would not come to him.
Now, as a duke, he only needs to express his intention to recruit them, which is already a very sincere gesture. In fact, when he personally pours tea for them, they will be moved to tears of gratitude.
This is true respect for the virtuous and talented! This is true humility and open-mindedness!
Upon realizing this, the initial joy at the arrival of Taishi Ci, Guo Jia, and others to seek refuge with him vanished almost entirely. This was because they had come to seek refuge with the Duke of Wu, not Lin Yang.
"Ziyi, what is your cultivation level? What did you do before? Do you have any military experience? And..."
Soon, through a series of questions and answers, Lin Yang had learned almost everything. His strength was at the early stage of the third tier, and he had once obtained a legacy that directly reached the fifth tier. As for his family background, he could barely be considered a wealthy country bumpkin.
Having reached this point, they've hit rock bottom. All that's left is to rely on themselves. That's why they wanted to come and seek refuge with their fellow townsman, Lin Yang, to try their luck.
"Good, very good. I'm quite satisfied with your performance, Ziyi. Here, I happen to have a gift for you." With that, Lin Yang took out an old, simple, and even somewhat broken halberd from his Qiankun bag.
The halberd was entirely blackish-purple, and the moment it was drawn, a strong and violent killing intent emanated from it. Upon its appearance, Su Qing'er and Taishi Ci both took a step back.
At the same time, the halberd seemed to possess a life of its own, relentlessly resisting Lin Yang's right hand. Lin Yang knew this was what was meant by a divine weapon possessing a spirit. He was not its master, so naturally he could not subdue it.
Then, Lin Yang simply threw the halberd over. Seeing this, Taishi Ci gritted his teeth, grabbed the halberd with both hands, and held on tightly, refusing to let go.
Speaking of which, this halberd was originally the weapon of Xiang Yu, the King of Chu, in his youth. At its peak, it was a sixth-tier divine weapon.
Unfortunately, Xiang Yu later abandoned the halberd for a sword, and due to the long period of neglect, its level had dropped to the fifth tier. Nevertheless, it was still a rare and precious weapon.
"Excellent, excellent halberd! It is truly a superb weapon. I, Taishi Ci, want it!"
This was fate, after all. Although the halberd looked old and even somewhat broken, Taishi Ci knew that this was a case of a divine object concealing its true nature. And now, rebelling against him was even simpler. After all, not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry could become the master of a divine weapon.
"Haha, this is truly a divine weapon! No matter what your name was before, from now on, you belong to me, Taishi Ci!" Taishi Ci said happily, looking at the struggling halberd.
Upon hearing this, the halberd seemed to possess sentience, trembling and shaking incessantly. At the same time, its surface emitted rays of golden divine light, growing ever more brilliant with the passage of time—truly extraordinary.
At the same time, black, malevolent energy would occasionally emanate from it, entering Taishi Ci's body. It seemed to be trying to drive Taishi Ci away, but unfortunately, it was all in vain.
To this, Lin Yang could only say that it was too simplistic and too crude.
When Qi cultivators subdue magical artifacts, they often need to slowly refine the restrictions within them, refining them layer by layer, which is truly a technical skill.
As for military generals, they only need to fight the divine weapon once. If they can withstand the backlash, they can be subdued. If they can't, well, that's it.
After a long while, the halberd seemed to have lost its strength, and its light gradually dimmed. Then it remained motionless, returning to its old and rustic state.
At this moment, Taishi Ci appeared utterly exhausted, seemingly lacking even the strength to stand. He disregarded his appearance and plopped down on the ground, his face beaming with joy.
"Thank you, Your Highness, for bestowing upon me this divine weapon. I will certainly go through fire and water for Your Highness's great cause without hesitation," Taishi Ci said excitedly.
Lin Yang was also pleased with this. Unlike those cunning strategists, military generals were relatively less cunning and more straightforward.
Just like now, a fifth-tier divine weapon has directly made a future top-tier general like Taishi Ci completely loyal to him. In Lin Yang's view, this is indeed a very worthwhile deal.
"This, you subdued it just like that? That's a fifth-tier divine weapon!" Su Qing'er exclaimed in surprise.
Although I often heard various legends before I started cultivating, these were stories of destined individuals who, in the blink of an eye, subdued fifth- or even sixth-tier divine weapons and magical treasures.
However, Su Qing'er, after her cultivation, completely disbelieved this. Unless this divine weapon belonged to her from a past life, and now that she has awakened to her past existence and come to subdue it, it wouldn't be so simple.
Therefore, Su Qing'er found it unbelievable that Taishi Ci could subdue the divine weapon so easily.
Upon hearing this, Lin Yang smiled and said, "No, no, no, it can only be considered a preliminary subjugation. It seems that this divine weapon has temporarily accepted Ziyi. There will be backlashes in the future, and it will require a long period of close interaction and mutual recognition. Of course, this is also related to the fact that Ziyi himself is very outstanding."
Upon hearing this, Taishi Ci smiled and said, "Even so, it is still thanks to Your Highness's generosity that I was able to obtain such a divine weapon, otherwise, no matter how capable I am, how could I have obtained it?"
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Chapter 59: Who are you?
Not long after Taishi Ci left, another person came to Lin Yang. This person was Xu Chu.
Xu Chu was utterly bewildered, his face showing confusion. A few drops of spirit rice still clung to the corner of his mouth. In his right hand, he held a cup filled with spirit dew. Meanwhile, in his left hand, he grasped a token.
"Oh, young master, look, this is the token I placed. It seems there are still people who keep a calm mind." Su Qing'er said cheerfully.
That's right, Su Qing'er directly placed the token into the spirit rice. As long as she relaxed and did what she was supposed to do, someone would eventually obtain the token while eating the spirit rice.
This is the true meaning of maintaining a calm mind and doing what you're supposed to do. But after so many people have passed through the maze or the training ground to get their interviews in advance, how many can still sit still?
Therefore, in the end, it was Xu Chu, who was simple-minded and wanted to eat to his heart's content, who benefited the most.
"Who are you?" Xu Zhu suddenly asked after seeing Lin Yang and Su Qing'er.
He wondered how he had suddenly ended up here when he was enjoying good food and drink there. Was there some kind of conspiracy involved?
Upon hearing this, Lin Yang was immediately speechless. His eloquent words crumbled at the sight of that one "Who are you?" This must be what they mean by being invincible when one is without desire.