Shang Rong looked up at King Zhou above and saw that King Zhou's face was ashen, his eyes fixed on him with a chilling murderous intent. Shang Rong knew that today's matter would not end well. He turned to look at the other ministers, but the matter was too serious, and only Bi Gan could stand up and say something.
Bi Gan also sensed Shang Rong's gaze, sighed, and stood up. Before he could speak, King Zhou said, "Prime Minister, you must be tired. If you want me to take my leave, there's no need. I've already said the court is adjourned. You may leave now. Men, escort Prime Minister back to his residence to rest." After he finished speaking, two warriors stepped forward and stood on either side of Bi Gan, but they didn't dare to help him up.
Bi Gan sighed, glanced at Shang Rong beside him with a helpless look in his eyes, and then left the court with the warrior.
Upon hearing King Zhou's words, Shang Rong's heart skipped a beat. He hadn't expected King Zhou to be so decisive. This matter was indeed not going to end well. His heart sank, and he didn't even see the look in Bigan's eyes. His face turned ashen, as if he had aged ten years in an instant. He looked up at King Zhou and slowly knelt down, saying, "This old minister has something to report to Your Majesty."
King Zhou glanced at him and said, "Speak!"
Shang Rong's lips trembled as he said, "This old minister is old, frail, and often ill. Recently, my health has been poor, and I am no longer fit to continue to shoulder the heavy responsibility of prime minister. I beg Your Majesty to allow this old minister to retire to my hometown and live out his remaining years." With that, his hunched body slowly bowed down.
King Zhou did not speak, but simply looked quietly at Shang Rong below, and Shang Rong did not dare to look up.
At this point, the old-fashioned courtiers stepped forward and pleaded, "Your Majesty, please grant the Prime Minister permission to retire and return to his hometown to recuperate in peace."
King Zhou glanced at Fei and You before nodding and saying, "The old prime minister is unwell and wishes to abdicate to recuperate. How can I refuse?" He added, "The old prime minister has rendered countless merits to the Yin Shang Dynasty. From now on, he should stay home and recuperate peacefully. No one else is allowed to disturb him." After saying this, he made a point of looking at the crowd below.
"Dismiss the court!" King Zhou said, ignoring everyone else, and left on his own.
Only a group of people remained, their faces blank.
Thirty Spirit Pearls Descend
With Prime Minister Shang Rong's abdication, the old faction suffered a major blow, and the faction led by Fei and You quickly rose to power, seizing control of the court for a time. Meanwhile, King Zhou became even more devoted to Daji, attending court only once a month.
Putting that aside, after Xuan Tian left after discussing matters with Nuwa that day, Nuwa threw a bead into a household in the mortal realm, naming it the Spirit Bead.
Now, let us speak of Li Jing, the general of Chen Tang Pass under the Shang Dynasty. From a young age, he cultivated himself, seeking the Dao and seeking immortality. He was fortunate enough to become a disciple of the True Man of Crossing Calamities, learning the Five Elements magic and practicing both military and immortal arts. His cultivation was extremely high; in just a few decades, he had reached the peak of the Taiyi Scattered Immortal realm. He also possessed the innate treasures passed down from his master: the Dragon-Trapping Halberd and the Mountain-Chasing Whip. Because a great calamity was approaching, making immortality difficult, he was specially sent down the mountain, partly to undergo tribulation and achieve divine status, and partly because he was destined to enjoy worldly wealth and honor. He had a first wife, Lady Yin, who was gentle, beautiful, and intelligent. She and Li Jing had a deep affection for each other and also cultivated alongside him. However, Lady Yin's aptitude was limited; despite Li Jing's meticulous instruction, her cultivation remained relatively shallow, only reaching the ordinary level of true cultivation. The couple had two sons. The eldest son was Jinzha, the remnant soul of Guang Shengzi, a disciple of the Chan Sect mentioned earlier, who was reincarnated and became a disciple of Manjushri, the Heavenly Venerable of Vast Dharma, to settle his past karma. Next was Muzha, also a reincarnation of a true cultivator's remnant soul from the Chan Sect. He became a disciple of the Perfected One Puxian and underwent tribulations to cultivate again in order to return to the Daoist path. Lady Yin was pregnant again, and after three years and six months, she still had not given birth. Li Jing, having received instructions from his master, did not find it strange and waited quietly for the right time.
One day, Li Jing suddenly felt a sudden urge and pointed to Lady Yin's belly, saying, "The time has come! My third son will be born tonight!" That night, Lady Yin indeed dreamed of a Taoist priest who brought her a Qilin baby. On the same day, Lady Yin gave birth to a son smoothly, accompanied by various miraculous events. Also, the Venerable Taiyi from the Golden Light Cave of Qianyuan Mountain arrived as scheduled. Li Jing was also a fellow disciple, and Taiyi was of a higher generation. Furthermore, having received prior notice from his master, he dared not be negligent and hurriedly treated him with courtesy, inviting him to meet him.
Taiyi Zhenren went straight to the main hall and said to Li Jing, "Fellow Daoist Li, I bow to you." Li Jing returned the greeting with Daoist etiquette. Seeing that this Daoist's cultivation was far superior to his own, he quickly offered him a seat and asked, "Where do you come from, brother Daoist?" Taiyi Zhenren replied, "I am Taiyi Zhenren of Jinguang Cave on Qianyuan Mountain. I heard that you have a son, so I came to congratulate you. I also wish to accept him into my sect as agreed. I wonder what your opinion is?" Li Jing was already at the peak of Taiyi Sanxian, and his vision was naturally very high. He thought to himself, "Although this person's cultivation is high, he has not yet entered the Daluo realm. Who knows if he is genuine?" He said, "I have already received instructions from my master and should not cause any trouble. However, this concerns my three sons, so I must act cautiously. I wonder if you could prove something to me so that I can be at ease?" Taiyi Zhenren was slightly displeased. Helpless, he could only say, "When your third son was born, he possessed two treasures: the Universe Ring and the Chaos Ribbon. Both are the treasures of my Golden Light Cave. Bring them here and test them to see." Li Jing hurriedly ordered his men to bring the two items, and Taiyi Zhenren tested them before he believed him; however, he was slightly disappointed. He felt that the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect had not yet reached the Great Luo Realm, and even the treasures he had given them were not at the Innate Realm, truly undeserving of their great reputation. Taiyi Zhenren met Li Jing's third son and chatted for a while, saying, "This child was born at the hour of Chou (1-3 AM), and has committed the offense of killing 1,700 times; I wish to give him a name. How about Nezha?" Li Jing reluctantly agreed. Taiyi Zhenren left, promising to come and take Nezha to Qianyuan Mountain for cultivation in a while.
Li Jing, also knowledgeable in the principles of the I Ching, felt that Taiyi Zhenren's words might have some hidden meaning, and he couldn't help but worry. He originally intended to return to his master's school to inquire further. Unexpectedly, he suddenly heard that four hundred warlords had rebelled, and he was unable to leave immediately. Li Jing was a loyal and trustworthy man. He devoted himself to training his troops and soldiers, issuing orders to guard the passes and to be vigilant at the strategic location of Yemaling. Before he knew it, seven years had passed. Seeing that his family was safe and sound, he gradually forgot about Taiyi Zhenren's words and no longer had any of his previous thoughts.
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