"When the army arrives, they hide in the mountains. When the army leaves, they go back and become mountain kings. Moreover, when pushed to the limit, their army suffers heavy casualties in their desperate counterattacks."
"What's even more outrageous is that after all that hard work to exterminate the monsters, the gains didn't even outweigh the losses. But now, it's all been resolved in one fell swoop. We've gained vast tracts of land to live in, and the number of people we can accommodate will easily exceed a million."
Upon hearing this, Su Qing'er also laughed. In her opinion, Guo Jia, the strategist, was truly a clever and capable man. And Taishi Ci, the general, was also very competent and could be considered a great talent.
Now, both of these talented individuals are praising Lin Yang from the bottom of their hearts. It can only be said that he truly lives up to his name, Brother Peng; he's amazing.
However, what Su Qing'er didn't understand was that it was clearly a southward advance, or rather, a westward movement. After all, the wandering knights of today were all expanding southward, so why was it called a westward movement?
"By the way, have you found the Holy Mountain?" Su Qing'er suddenly asked. After all, legend has it that the legacy of Xiang Yu resides on this mountain. Although Su Qing'er's profession is a Qi Refiner and a Taoist, that doesn't stop her from being curious.
Upon hearing this, Guo Jia smiled confidently and said, "After comparing the accounts of tens of thousands of people and thousands of legends, I have discovered quite a few clues. If nothing unexpected happens, this so-called Sacred Mountain is actually right here." As he spoke, he pointed to a mountain on the map.
...
At the same time, several other people, dressed in luxurious clothes and with extraordinary bearing, who were clearly not ordinary people, arrived at the place Guo Jia had mentioned, all wearing black cloaks.
"Is this the Holy Mountain?" the cloaked figure walking in the middle suddenly asked.
Her voice was very pleasant when she spoke, like that of a young girl, incredibly melodious. However, for some reason, as soon as she opened her mouth, the remaining people all took a step away, as if avoiding a plague. It can only be said that this person's interpersonal relationships are not very good.
This man's true identity is Zhang Rang. He is one of the most trusted eunuchs of the current emperor, holding a high position and great power. Generally speaking, even if others dislike him, they wouldn't dare to be so open about it.
But who can blame them when these people are all from extraordinary backgrounds? Let's take a look at their identities.
The man in front, holding a sword, is Wang Yue, the martial arts instructor of several princes, the current leader of the mercenary alliance, and the greatest swordsman of the Han Dynasty. Both his strength and status mean that Wang Yue is not afraid of Zhang Rang at this moment.
The man behind him, holding a scroll and looking much like an ordinary old man, is Xun Shuang, the head of the Xun family and one of the nine Grand Secretaries of the Inner Cabinet. This status means he has nothing to fear.
The man on the left, wearing armor and holding a long spear, is Ma Teng, the current ruler of the Liang Kingdom and Duke of Liang, as well as one of the nine Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet.
The man on the right, dressed in a dragon robe and holding a sword, is Liu Feng, a member of the Han imperial family. He was one of Emperor Ling's most trusted members of the imperial family, and the sword he holds is an imperial sword forged in imitation of Emperor Gaozu's Chixiao sword.
It can be said that these four are all powerful figures. Each of them enjoys the emperor's deep trust, and more importantly, they are incredibly strong, even slightly stronger than Zhang Rang himself.
Therefore, although he knew the four men disliked him, Zhang Rang couldn't retaliate and could only continue to greet them with a smile. This was the tragedy of a eunuch. No matter what achievements he made, he was inherently looked down upon.
"That's right, this is it. In Jiangdong, there have long been legends about this mountain. It is the south of the north and the north of the south. Fire in water and water in fire. Based on these clues, plus some hidden clues, it is easy to determine that this is one of the entrances to the cave heaven."
The speaker, carrying a sword, spoke with a powerful, resonant voice. Despite wearing a cloak, a chilling aura emanated from him. This man was Wang Yue.
"Furthermore, the formation here is connected to the Jiangdong land veins. We dare not forcibly break the formation, otherwise, the karma brought about by such a major event as destroying the Jiangdong land veins would be enough to destroy the merits and fortune accumulated by the imperial court over the past ten thousand years," Wang Yue added.
Hearing this, Xun Shuang said helplessly, "Yes, that's why no one dared to really attack Jiangdong before Xiang Yu was resurrected. Otherwise, those remnants, in their madness, would definitely have destroyed the entire Jiangdong."
But things are different now; Xiang Yu's resurrection is practically a foregone conclusion. Under these circumstances, to avoid implicating Xiang Yu, those remnants will no longer act like terrorists, constantly threatening to detonate the ley lines.
Otherwise, how could the Xun family not have retaliated when Xun Chang died three thousand years ago? Wasn't it for the sake of the bigger picture, fearing that pushing them to the brink would lead to mutual destruction?
But now, with hope, who would still choose to perish together? Who would willingly die if they could live? Therefore, for Xun Shuang, the opportunity for revenge had arrived!
As he spoke, he took a bag directly from the package. After opening it, a bamboo slip appeared.
Upon seeing this, the remaining people all widened their eyes. These bamboo slips were originally used during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, in the ancient pre-Qin era.
Paper became popular after the first land of reincarnation arose. At this moment, Xun Shuang took out a scroll of bamboo slips. No one would think he was just bored and deliberately consulting ancient texts before the battle.
Seeing the curious looks on everyone's faces, Xun Shuang said frankly, "This is a handwritten book from our ancestor, containing the Book of Changes. Using this book, one can completely see through all the formations here."
Although the Book of Changes (I Ching) is not among the Four Books and Five Classics of Confucianism, this does not mean that scholars at that time were unfamiliar with it. On the contrary, during the Three Kingdoms period, Confucian scholars' understanding of the Book of Changes was second only to that of Qi cultivators.
Just as Confucius wrote the Ten Wings specifically about the Book of Changes, Xunzi also studied this book in detail. These bamboo slips are one of the original manuscripts from that time.
Sensing the immense energy emanating from the manuscript, everyone couldn't help but feel awe. Even after so many millennia, it still possessed such power; just how powerful must Xunzi have been before the world shattered?
Then, under everyone's watchful eyes, Xun Shuang slowly opened the bamboo slip. After a breath, a Bagua diagram automatically appeared.
Upon seeing this, Xun Shuang had a thought, and the situation within a radius of hundreds of miles appeared clearly on the Bagua.
The Book of Changes says...
As Xun Shuang spoke, the Bagua diagram continued to rotate, and the scenes within it constantly changed. Every corner of the formation appeared before everyone's eyes.
After examining the external formations, it was time to check out the inner cave. However, at that moment, the previously incredibly detailed scene vanished instantly.
It was as if an obstacle had been encountered; no matter how the Bagua worked, it was no longer possible to glimpse any of the contents of the cave.
"Fellow Daoists, please lend me a hand quickly. It seems a powerful figure has intervened and obscured the heavenly secrets," Xun Shuang said, somewhat puzzled.
Who could it be? A master of the I Ching, capable of directly blocking the prying eyes of an ancestral handwritten letter—there are probably only a handful in the entire world like that. Whoever it is, their identity is extraordinary!
"Haha, Lord Ciming, do not worry, Wang Yue is here."
"Then let's do it too."
Soon, after everyone took action, the Bagua spun faster and faster, but the scene inside remained completely invisible.
As it was being turned, a cracking sound came from inside, and another crack appeared on the already old bamboo slip.
Looking at the cracks on it, Xun Shuang felt a pang of heartache. He knew that this handwritten letter could only be used one less time.
"We've pretty much figured out the outer formations. As for the area inside the cave, it's been held back by a powerful expert. But that's alright, with so many of us, what's there to be afraid of?" Xun Shuang suddenly said with a smile.
Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent, a rare occurrence. Although they had known for some time that the trip might not go smoothly, they hadn't expected to encounter something like this right from the start.
Five experts, working together and even using the Xunzi's handwritten manuscript—a priceless treasure—still failed in their quest for the secrets of heaven.
Is this the true strength of Xiang Yu's remnants? No wonder the imperial court has been hesitant to take action.
------------