“Yes, it’s the will of Heaven, this is the true blessing of Heaven. We work hard all our lives and may not even have a chance to be blessed by Heaven once. But these chosen ones only need to travel to another world once and they can be directly rewarded by that world…” an old scholar said with red eyes.
"Steward, steward, quickly dress the young lady up beautifully, and tell her that the success or failure of the family depends on this day. When the time comes, find several beautiful maids and bring out plenty of jade and precious treasures. Then, this old man will be looking for a son-in-law!" An old man beside him said excitedly into the communication jade talisman. By the end, he was almost shouting with excitement.
"That's right, you heard me correctly, it's about choosing a son-in-law. Have the young lady prepare everything and wait outside the palace." The old man continued, his whole body shaking with excitement.
Upon hearing this, the other old men's eyes lit up. "Yes, how come I didn't think of that? While we can't use underhanded methods, aren't there still legitimate ones? If we can't plot against the Chosen One, surely we can become in-laws through marriage?"
By then, we'll be in-laws. If there's a chance, you should at least share some with us, right? We don't need to eat meat with you, but surely you could treat us to some soup?
Suddenly, hundreds of charming and beautiful young girls, under the orders of the various family heads, arrived outside the palace in luxurious carriages.
As for those who don't have daughters, don't they still have nieces? If they don't even have nieces, then they can find a pretty one from the family and adopt her as a goddaughter.
Soon, Ma Chao had transcribed a lengthy explanation of Dou Qi, numbering tens of thousands of words. It covered everything from the first to the fourth stage of the Dao. At the same time, Ma Chao also wrote down the issues to be aware of at each stage, as well as various coping methods.
Looking at the detailed explanation of battle qi in his hand, Ma Chao could only say that battle qi was indeed stronger than internal qi in terms of training cannon fodder.
At the same time, three feet of merit energy descended from the sky, splitting in two. One half entered Ma Chao's body to suppress his fortune. The other half entered the handwritten copy of "Detailed Explanation of Battle Qi." The originally unremarkable handwritten copy was transformed into a high-grade third-tier magic artifact, a treasure for suppressing fortune.
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Chapter Seven: Ma Chao, the Ancestor of Fighting Qi
"What a stroke of luck! Just with this treasure, Ma Chao's kingdom can gain a century of national fortune. Moreover, as battle qi continues to develop, this treasure will continue to evolve, and it's only a matter of time before it becomes a low-grade fourth-tier magic weapon." Shi A stared wide-eyed, somewhat envious and jealous.
"It's alright, there are countless civilizations in the myriad worlds. Ma Chao's present is our future. Today Ma Chao has become the ancestor of fighting spirit, so why can't we introduce civilizations from other worlds and become their ancestors as well?" Lin Yang said encouragingly.
"Indeed, Fei Peng is right. As the Chosen Ones, we have countless opportunities. Becoming an Ancestor is only a matter of time," Cai Yan said happily. Instead of envying others' success, it's better to prepare for the future. Why envy a mere Qi Ancestor when we'll be traversing countless worlds?
Soon, Ma Chao happily descended the mountain, carrying a map of his fiefdom, an edict written on the spot by Emperor Ling, and the "Detailed Explanation of Battle Qi," which had become a treasure for suppressing the world's fortune.
It can be said that a small state and a treasure that could ward off evil spirits completely ignited the enthusiasm of the chosen ones. Even the heads of noble families, sect leaders, and academy deans in the rear were unable to contain their excitement.
...
Soon after Ma Chao, the progenitor of fighting spirit, stepped down, many other chosen ones took the stage. Then, Lin Yang roughly discovered the pattern.
Basically, any scion of a noble family who makes some contributions will be granted the title of viscount. As for their fiefdom, it's usually around five or six villages. Considering that each village has ten thousand households, that's practically equivalent to a marquis with ten thousand households. Of course, that's only after the land has been fully developed.
As for those without a background, like Lin Yang, who were neither from prominent families nor had a good father or mentor, and whose contributions were not particularly significant, they were only allocated a small township. Even their titles were only baronies.
However, for these newly rich individuals without powerful connections, even a small village is enough to make them deeply grateful.
Soon, after Xun Yu of the Xun family became the progenitor of magic and introduced various concepts of magic, it was finally Yuan Shao's turn.
Looking at the imperial edict in Xun Yu's hand and at the county he was in, Yuan Shao hesitated. What should he do?
"Ah Man, what do you think I should do?" Yuan Shao murmured.
“Hey, Benchu, just do what you want. Anyway, no matter how outstanding you are in the Yuan family, you'll never become the head of the Yuan family. Besides, you're still young. Even if you make a mistake, your uncle won't really do anything to you.” Cao Cao’s small eyes darted around faster and faster as he analyzed with his head down.
Upon hearing this, Yuan Shao completely ignored him. Some things are simple to say, and people say them in a moment of urgency. But when it comes to actually doing them, it really tests a person's courage.
Should we follow the old man's instructions step by step and eventually become a general under Yuan Shu, or should we take a gamble?
If he succeeded, he could easily establish his own lineage, or at least become the head of a branch of the Yuan family. If he failed, he could simply go back and diligently assist Gong Lu. Thinking this way, Yuan Shao felt much more at ease.
"Next, Yuan Shao, Yuan Benchu." As Yuan Feng, the Grand Secretary, called his name, Yuan Shao stood up.
"Father, please forgive my unfilial behavior today. I don't want to live my whole life under the shadow of the highway." With these words to himself, Yuan Shao tore up his prepared speech under Yuan Feng's gaze and strode forward.
Seeing Yuan Feng's increasingly grim expression, it would be a lie to say Yuan Shao wasn't afraid. However, the thought that as long as he remained within the Yuan family, no matter how outstanding he was, he would only ever be a son of a concubine.
Even though he was far more capable than Yuan Shu, he still couldn't become the head of the Yuan family. So, why not break away and become independent?
As he kept encouraging himself, Yuan Shao suddenly realized that the old man wasn't as scary as he had imagined; he was just a paper tiger.
My fate, Yuan Shao's fate, should be in my own hands!
"The last world I went to was a technological world, a world dominated by mechanical civilization. It was in the so-called 'end of Dharma,' a stage where spiritual energy was gradually fading and machinery was becoming increasingly advanced."
"There, I obtained an agricultural encyclopedia. This book, spanning millions of words, explained in great detail how to farm and how to farm well. It included a series of issues such as the initial selection of seeds and fertilizers. It directly divided farming into dozens of different steps."
"Regarding the selection of breeds, it goes like this..." Yuan Shao became more and more excited as he spoke. He couldn't help it; just looking at the excited expressions of the many powerful figures below, Yuan Shao knew he had made the right bet.
Actually, this is normal. You must understand that the Han Dynasty has now enjoyed a period of peace that lasts for ten thousand years. Ten thousand years, not a hundred years, not a thousand years, but ten thousand years.
Imagine a scenario where for ten thousand years, there are no nationwide disasters, no nationwide wars, and not even nationwide plagues. Each year, the population increases compared to the previous year.
What does it mean to have continuous growth for 10,000 years? Otherwise, where do you think all those people came from, with thousands of households in a village, tens of thousands in a township, and hundreds of thousands in a county?
Today, the population density in the heart of the Central Plains is extremely high. It's not uncommon for four generations to live together in one household. Doesn't the imperial court know about these problems? Of course it does, but it has never found a good solution. It can't simply say that poor people can't have children, can it?
Therefore, the many Grand Secretaries of the Cabinet, along with the heads of various departments and even the powerful warlords, listened intently to Yuan Shao's explanation of the agricultural encyclopedia he presented. After all, the saying "food is the first necessity of the people" has been a long-standing one.
"This is unscientific, this is really unscientific. In the original owner's memories, Yuan Shao did not have any outstanding performance this time. Later, he was only granted a small county-sized earldom. But now, with the publication of this agricultural encyclopedia, a marquisate the size of a prefecture is inevitable." Lin Yang thought carefully.
Then, Lin Yang subconsciously looked at Yuan Feng, Yuan Shao's father. Soon, he discovered something very interesting.
At this moment, Yuan Feng seemed too agitated to speak. Instead, he glared fiercely at Yuan Shao, as if this man were not his son but his enemy.
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Chapter 8: Make way, I'm about to make big news (Happy New Year)
"You unfilial son, this unfilial son, he's really infuriating me!" Yuan Feng exclaimed excitedly. For someone with his peak fourth-tier strength to be so agitated could only mean he was truly furious.
The remaining eight Grand Secretaries, standing nearby, all kept their eyes down, pretending to know nothing and see nothing. Even Emperor Ling smiled encouragingly at Yuan Shao.
Lin Yang finally understood what had happened. To put it bluntly, it was just the same underhanded tactics used by powerful families: suppressing illegitimate sons to ensure the authority of the legitimate sons. Everything was about ensuring the family's continued succession. With that in mind, Yuan Shao's behavior became understandable.