Chapter 1064: Chimera Fusion [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

In the mountains and fields.

Suddenly, flames burst forth from Qi Shan's sleeve.

He paused, then flicked his sleeve, unleashing three streaks of flame.

The flames burned most of the three paper figures in human shape, leaving orange trails in the air. When the ashes fell to the ground, only curled-up remains remained. Qi Shan's sleeve was also charred black.

Cui Xiaodan's mansion stirred slightly as the memories of his avatar were completely gathered.

He asked with a strange expression, "Qi Yuanliang, are you sure this He Buzuo is your friend and not your enemy?"

Qi Yuanliang has made countless enemies, and he encounters his nemesis wherever he goes. There are at least a handful of his own subordinates alone. So many people, including himself, couldn't touch a hair on his head, but it was He Shu, a friend he personally endorsed, who pierced his heart with an arrow.

If he hadn't escaped quickly, he would have been sacrificed alive.

He Shu's arrow was shot crisply, cleanly, and with great precision.

There wasn't the slightest hesitation.

This makes Qi Shan's enemies seem rather foolish; they weren't as ruthless as Qi Shan's friends. He Shu was also quite ruthless. When he sent the three to the altar, he even asked about Qi Shan's identity. From this detail, it's clear that even if He Shu didn't know Qi Shan's true identity, he knew that she was an acquaintance disguised as someone else. Knowing this, he still fired the fatal arrow without hesitation. Wasn't he afraid of killing the wrong person and then regretting it?

Qi Shan looked at the ashes on the ground where the sparks had died down.

Unsurprised, he replied, "Naturally, they are friends."

Cui Xiao asked in a strange tone, "Do you still think so now?"

Qi Shan said, "Of course."

Cui Xiao: "..."

That makes sense. Birds of a feather flock together. What kind of kind-hearted person would a friend with malicious intentions be? Precisely because they are friends, they act with extraordinary ruthlessness, which is exactly Qi Shan's style. On the other hand, Qi Shan's enemies have been seeking revenge for many years without success, which is something they should reflect on.

"This place should be safe for now."

At this moment, the unfamiliar young man leading the way stopped.

There were four people present: Qi Shan, Cui Xiao, and Luan Xin, plus a young man with a neat short beard and a handsome face.

The young man was dressed simply in commoner's clothes, without any fancy adornments. He was fair-skinned and tall, with an outstanding air about him, seemingly from a scholarly family. This was the person the three encountered halfway through their escape. Cui Xiao originally intended to kill him, but Qi Shan refused after just one glance.

Instead, he said to the young man, "Let's go together."

The escape of three became a journey of four. Seeing the two exchange glances, Cui Xiao assumed the young man was someone Qi Shan had arranged to meet him. Remembering the memories transmitted back by his avatar, he was thankful they had escaped quickly. His scholarly principles were enough to ensure their safe departure.

Combined with the avatar created by Qi Shan's "Masterful Painting", which is indistinguishable from the real thing, it is easy to deceive everyone: "He Buzuo is leading troops to attack Shangnan. Judging from the altar he has set up, he is probably not easy to deal with. The most urgent task is to go and provide support as soon as possible."

This young man's identity is suspicious; it's best to get rid of him as soon as possible.

Of course, killing him would be the safest option.

Luan Xin slowly turned his head to look at the young man: "He Haogu?"

Why is this person's understanding of the scholar's way also "Great Fortune Under Heaven"? The scholar's way is unique; no two beings in the world are exactly alike. The only exception is Ning Yan and her husband. This situation is something he has never heard of or seen before.

The young man did not respond, but instead turned his gaze to Qi Shan.

Qi Shan said, "It wasn't me who said that."

From the moment the young man appeared until now, how could he have had the chance to expose the young man's identity? The young man smiled, cupped his hands to greet Cui Xiao and the other man, and said slowly, "This junior is He Shu, whose courtesy name is Bu Zuo."

Cui Xiao was stunned, while Luan Xin's reaction was relatively mild.

I don't know if they didn't realize it or if they had expected it.

Seeing Cui Xiao's reaction, the young man smiled and said, "This is a long story. If you don't mind the trouble, you can send me a congratulatory letter."

Cui Xiao was completely dumbfounded: "What's going on?"

Why are there both congratulatory messages and congratulatory letters?

He asked, "Aren't He Shu and He Xin twin brothers?"

"This matter is complicated, let's explain it as we go." These words were not spoken by the young man who called himself He Shu and He Xin, but by Qi Shan. "It is said that the matriarch of the He family was pregnant with twins, but only one child was born. When the child was six years old and began his cultivation, he heard another voice on the day he sensed the energy of heaven and earth. This voice claimed to be his brother."

From the day the twins were diagnosed, Mr. He had already chosen names for the children: the eldest son was named "Shu" and the second son was named "Xin".

Father He hoped that his two children would grow up to be virtuous gentlemen who upheld the rules of propriety and the virtues of the ancients. After their birth, they discovered that there was only one child. After ruling out the possibility that the second son had died young or been stolen, they had no choice but to accept reality, perhaps the doctor had made a mistake in diagnosis.

In addition, the child's poor health quickly diverted his attention, leaving him no time to think about the matter until the child told him that he actually had another child, and the two children had been sharing a body all these years. Mr. He was stunned. His first reaction was that his son was possessed by something unclean, and he immediately asked someone to perform an exorcism.

Young children don't understand these things.

He longed for peers and didn't want to lose his brothers.

So he lied, saying that the thing disappeared after the ritual, and secretly got along well with his brother. They were probably the most special twins in the world, even closer than siblings from the same mother—they shared one body and knew each other's thoughts and feelings.

This matter was kept secret until the day he first used his incarnation.

One son split into two!

Mr. He was completely dumbfounded.

In this bizarre world where words of power reign supreme, all sorts of strange things can happen. According to the newly split son, the two brothers should have each had a body in their mother's womb, but for some reason, only half remained, each taking half.

In other words—

This body is half the eldest son and half the youngest son.

Through the incarnation of literary energy, the two brothers were able to temporarily possess their own bodies. Despite the horrifying experience, He's father, whose household had remained silent for years, eventually accepted reality. He gave the excuse that a son had been taken to the estate to be raised shortly after birth, and now that he had survived a near-death experience, he had brought him back. At that time, the He family was still an insignificant minor branch of the He clan, receiving little attention.

This explanation was quickly accepted.

From then on, the two brothers were inseparable, unable to live without each other, simply because one of them was an incarnation of spiritual energy that could not exist independently and could not stray too far from the original body for too long. When they were young, this bond did not cause them discomfort; instead, they believed it to be a unique connection between the two brothers. As they grew older, different thoughts gradually arose, and this bond turned into a form of slow, agonizing torture.

Because the He family needed a healthy heir, after discussion, the one who had always been healthy became the eldest son, He Shu, and the one who was physically weak became the second son, He Xin. He Xin had no objection to this; he was constantly ill, both seriously and lightly, and indeed could not shoulder the heavy responsibility of the family. They were brothers, but also one person, so it didn't matter who inherited the position.

until--

The two had their first argument!

Their Confucian way awakened on the same day.

However, the interpretations of "Great fortune under heaven" are vastly different.

He Xin sighed: "Although my elder brother is the patriarch of the He clan, he despises the existence of aristocratic families from the bottom of his heart. He has disliked the set of rules of ruler and subject taught by his father since he was a child, and he also scorns those etiquette and manners. The complicated rules of aristocratic families are just to distinguish themselves from commoners, to build a high platform of dignity with etiquette and doctrines so that commoners can worship them and receive sacrifices from the world."

Are all these rules necessary to learn?

If everyone in the world learned this, would everything be fine?

If that's the case, why wouldn't the aristocratic families open their clan schools and libraries to the common people, instead of educating them in benevolence and propriety? This wasn't just the case with other families; even his own father did the same. The He family adopted children from the common people because they were attracted by their talents, not for their education. Therefore, it's clear that all of this is false and useless, nothing more than a grand deception to mislead the people.

Confucian scholars use their literary skills to disrupt the law, while chivalrous individuals use their martial arts to break the law.

The source of chaos lies in the martial arts that violate prohibitions and the Confucian scholars that disrupt the law.

And these can be traced back to the controllers, the powerful families.

Intricate etiquette and strict laws forge the dignity of the elite, leading the ignorant masses to worship them. Once these are shattered, and these people's flesh and blood are trampled upon with violence, even a farmer wielding a hoe will realize—it's all just a name.

We're all human, and we're all just like that.

Cui Xiao glanced at Qi Shan: "And then?"

He Xin said, "The streets of heaven are littered with the bones of high-ranking officials."

In fact, the elder brother's original words were even more bloody and radical.

Not only should the streets be filled with the bones of high-ranking officials, but the gates of government offices should also be adorned with the heads of powerful and wealthy individuals. No noble families, officials, or nobles should exist. This world should be left to the common people; they will naturally find their own way to survive, without needing anyone to dictate things from a high position.

Cui Xiao: "..."

Daring to think and act, they are role models for us all.

The idea isn't necessarily wrong, but it's not entirely correct either.

Even without powerful clans and noble families, the struggles among commoners wouldn't necessarily be less bloody; they might even be more so, because they are unrestrained. Therefore, commoners need a set of rules unique to them to restore order and establish a world of order suitable for everyone amidst chaos. He Shu's actions were merely a descent from one extreme to another.

Most importantly—

They only think about making trouble instead of cleaning up the mess.

He has no chance of succeeding.

Cui Xiao guessed, "Why are you brothers able to act separately again? Your elder brother, He Shu, seems unaffected by you."

These words were spoken to He Xin, but he was looking at Qi Shan.

Yes, it was indeed as Cui Xiao had guessed.

The two brothers were able to move around freely thanks to Qishan.

Cui Xiaofa sneered.

"To lift a stone only to drop it on one's own foot."

Luan Xin asked, "Can't Qi Zhongshu deal with He Shu?"

One of the brothers uses an avatar as a vessel.

Dealing with He Shu is a piece of cake, isn't it?

Qi Shan: "..."

He Xin said, "I am the true embodiment now."

He was the one who gave his body to his elder brother. Perhaps because He Xin's soul was far less powerful than He Shu's, when He Shu became the master of the body, his body, which had always been plagued by illnesses, no longer needed medical treatment. If Qi Shan were to intervene, he would either become a wandering spirit or return to his body, which wouldn't affect his elder brother much.

"...How can He be loyal to Wu Zhaode if he does nothing?"

Wu Zhaode has always valued the powerful families, but the emperor would suppress them.

Although He Shu's ideals are not related to either of the two families, if we had to say, they are closer to Lord Shen Tang. So why did he go to serve the Gao Kingdom? The answer is simple: the branch of the He clan was located in the Gao Kingdom, and He Shu was just finding employment nearby.

In the end, we'll all just flip the table anyway.

It doesn't matter which table you flip first.

Cui Xiao: "..."

Luan Xin: "..."

The four noticed that thunderclouds were constantly gathering overhead.

He Xin said, "This is not good."

Qi Shan and the others were slightly more optimistic. They were aware of the strength of the troops in Sibao County, and these lightning strikes were likely intended to weaken the regional city defenses. As long as the barriers remained intact, with proper preparation, they were confident they could hold the final line of defense in Shangnan.

But He Xin knew far more detailed information than they did.

"There are quite a few forces watching the outcome of this battle, and many don't want Kangguo to win. Some are unable to directly participate in the war, so they are exerting their influence in secret. Do you really think things will be calm in Shangnan?"

The most typical and largest force is the Pantheon.

It's not the main company, of course; there's been no news from the main company for a long time.

"The Southwest Branch can directly send out deputy directors."

People don't come here for sightseeing.

As He Xin spoke, he looked helplessly at Qi Shan: "I heard that a few years ago, you had a conflict with the Southwest Branch. Since then, the Southwest Branch and the Northwest Branch have had many disagreements... It's better to offend a gentleman than a petty person, especially that group from the Southwest Branch."

Qi Shan asked, "What are you afraid of?"

If you're afraid of this and that, where do you get so many enemies?

They said it, but they didn't dare to delay in their actions.

The four of them used their most powerful incantations to reach the area where the thunderclouds were the darkest and thickest. Before they could even see the outline of the city walls rising on the horizon, lightning suddenly struck. In an instant, the light dispelled the darkness before them, so bright it almost blinded them, and defenses in various parts of Shangnan sprang up from the ground. The shockwave from the collision of the two forces carried flying sand and stones, impacting the four of them's robes.

Luan Xin lost his balance and nearly slipped and fell.

Boom—

Boom—

Boom—

Above the thunderclouds, it seemed as if someone was letting out an angry growl.

Each sound clearer than the last.

Countless dense arcs of electricity leaped and crisscrossed wildly in the clouds, falling one after another. Their color gradually transitioned from light blue to deep blue, then tinged with purple, deepening until it became a dark purple. The thunderclouds covered the entire city, mostly concentrated around the city walls. Initially, the power was not great, leaving only ripples spreading outwards above the barrier.

However, as the color deepens, the barrier clearly begins to struggle.

It only took a dozen or so breaths from beginning to end.

When Fang Yan and the others arrived, more than a dozen arcs of lightning converged in the thunderclouds and descended straight down: "Qingzhi—"

Chao Lian didn't respond. Instead, he suddenly burst forth, hurtling towards the descending lightning like a cannonball. Midway, as the amplifying spell descended, he donned his full armor! His five fingers spread, a weapon materialized, and he swung his spear, the spear's shadow severing the lightning!

The lightning bolt was forcibly dispersed.

The remaining electric arc now forms an electric field in the air.

When an electric current passes through the body, the hands and feet experience momentary numbness.

Before he could catch his breath, the next bolt of lightning roared down, landing squarely on Chao Lian, seemingly to punish his earlier arrogance and offense! Contrary to his usual behavior, Chao Lian did not retaliate again, but instead dodged the lightning attack with a swift movement.

at the same time--

A powerful arrow, imbued with morale, pierced through the air from below!

o(*￣3￣)o

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