156. Emperor's Capital
In the snow, Zhang Zhuo helped Zhang Xia get back on the horse. He patted Zaozao's cheek and said, "Thanks to you. You will be a great contributor to our Zhang family in the future. I'll ask the housekeeper to find you a mare later..."
Zhang Xia glared at him: "Dad, what are you talking about?!"
Zhang Zhuo laughed heartily: "This is the moral order of heaven and earth, why can't I say it?"
Chen Ji watched this scene and sighed, "Everyone says that Lord Zhang is greedy, which may not be true, but everyone says that Lord Zhang is lustful, which is probably true. However, I think Lord Zhang really loves Miss Zhang Er. He is wearing official uniform, and I think he was working in the government office when someone informed him of the news and he rushed here without stopping."
Zhang Zhuo laughed out loud: "The one who knows me is Chen Ji."
Chen Ji suddenly asked, "Master Zhang, this horse is incredibly majestic. I heard Miss Zhang Er say that Master Xu Shu, the Deputy Director of the Imperial Observatory, brought it back from outside."
Zhang Zhuo jumped on his horse and said, "This isn't a secret. Seven years after Xu Shu's return to life, he achieved great success in his cultivation. Suddenly, he said goodbye to Elder Xu and headed north, saying he was looking for something. Later, I heard him say that he went to the bitter cold land further north of Jing Dynasty. He didn't find what he was looking for, but he did bring back this dragon horse."
"I heard from Miss Zhang Er that it was a dragon seed."
Zhang Zhuo said, "Xu Shu said that in the bitter cold lands of the north, some ancient blood still remains, and using it to make war horses is extremely magical."
Chen Ji suddenly thought, if as he guessed, Xu Shu was also a person who came down from the forty-ninth heaven, then what was the other party looking for by suddenly traveling thousands of miles to the bitter cold land in the north?
Is it a treasure left behind by the forty-nine heavens in the human world?
Chen Ji asked again, "Master Zhang is very knowledgeable. Have you ever heard of Xuanyuan?"
This is what he wants to ask most.
There is no search engine in this world, and looking for any information is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Only someone like Zhang Zhuo, who has an excellent memory and is well-read, can answer his questions and resolve his confusion.
Zhang Zhuo pondered for a moment. "There's a Fugu Peak on Mount Huangshan. Beneath it stands a cave with the word 'Xuanyuan' carved into it. A fragmentary book records the sharpest sword of that time, called the 'Xuanyuan Sword,' but it's been lost and no one has ever seen it. That's all the records I've found."
Chen Ji nodded and said nothing more.
It seems that some things still need to be asked to Xuanyuan himself.
He slowly closed his eyes and let the horse carry him away, shaking. The ice flow in his body spread out and brought him back to the black sea of clouds and fell on the green mountains.
When he opened his eyes, Chen Ji did not see Xuanyuan on the top of Qingshan Mountain.
The black royal flag embroidered with gold letters was stuck in the crevice of the huge rock, and there was no one around.
Chen Ji felt strange. He stood on the edge of the cliff and looked down. He saw the sea of clouds dispersing, and at the foot of the mountain, a piece of farmland had been cultivated without him noticing.
Xuanyuan took off his royal robe, changed into a set of coarse cloth clothes, and was pulling the plow in the field with his trouser legs rolled up.
Chen Ji walked down the mountain to the edge of the farmland and asked curiously, "What are you doing?"
Xuanyuan answered casually: "Farming!"
Chen Ji was puzzled: "You are already an immortal who doesn't need to eat or drink, why do you still need to farm?"
Xuanyuan said impatiently, "I like farming, is that not okay? Sheji means land, and Ji means grains. Without grains, the world would be incomplete. They are the foundation of a country."
Chen Ji sat down beside the farmland: "But there is no one in the word 'Sheji'."
Xuanyuan was startled: "What?"
Chen Ji sat cross-legged and said, "She means land, Ji means grains. Where are the people?"
Xuanyuan thought for a moment: "In the heart of the emperor."
Chen Ji laughed cheerfully: "Humor."
Xuanyuan put down the plow on his shoulder and said with a cold face, "What brings you here today?"
Chen Ji said seriously:
Have you ever built a cave at the foot of Fugu Peak to practice cultivation?"
Xuanyuan was puzzled: "Fugu Peak? I've never heard of it."
Chen Ji pondered for a moment and then changed his question: "In the outside world, I found a cave under a mountain. Inside the cave, there's the word Xuanyuan engraved. Not far from that mountain, there's a canyon. When you walk through it and look up at the sky, you can only see a thin line of blue sky. If it's not midnight, you can't see the moon or the sun."
Xuanyuan was stunned: "Tianzidu? You found Tianzidu?"
Chen Ji was also startled: "What emperor?"
Xuanyuan left the farmland and was suddenly draped in a black royal robe. It seemed as if it had appeared from thin air, appearing on him in the blink of an eye. "I was once seriously injured and fled to a mountain to recuperate and gain enlightenment... It was also here that I met you."
Chen Ji didn't expect that this place was actually related to him: "What happens after we get to know each other?"
Xuanyuan didn't want to answer this question, but narrowed his eyes instead: "Strange, strange, since you can find the capital of the emperor, it means that Guixu, Lei Ze, Qingqiu Kingdom, Tianshan, Zhangwei Mountain, Fajiu Mountain, and Sun and Moon Mountain are still there, just with different names..."
"That's what it should be!"
Xuanyuan's expression turned strange. "There's a sword hidden in a spring in every emperor's kingdom. I took it from my enemy after I killed him. If you can take its sword power, you can use it to nourish the sword seed in your body and ascend to the sky in one step."
Chen Ji's eyes lit up, but then faded away in an instant: "It's been over sixteen thousand years. I'm afraid the sword has long since decayed?"
Xuanyuan asked in a serious tone, "Has the Whale Blade ever decayed?"
"No!"
"Without the Whale Blade, it also has nothing. I kept it in the spring, intending to use the world's most unique peak, Tianzidu, to nourish the sword's will, waiting to use it in the future. I didn't expect it to be so cheap for you."
Chen Ji perked up again: "Can you describe the specific features of the spring?"
Xuanyuan avoided answering and only said slowly: "There is more than one place. I have hidden many treasures in the world. Although I don't know what they are called now, I can help you draw them. But why should I help you draw them?"
Chen Ji said seriously, "If I die one day, can't you borrow my body to return to the world? I'm just keeping these treasures for you. They will all be yours in the future. When you return to the world, you won't have to go through the trouble of looking for them. You can use them right away."
Xuanyuan sneered: "Do you think I'm a fool?"
Chen Ji said helplessly: "You set the conditions."
Xuanyuan thought for a moment, then suddenly waved towards the distant army formation: "Feng Huai, Feng Lie, Feng Xiao, Feng Gui."
In the army formation, four soldiers stepped out and knelt on one knee: "Here!"
Xuanyuan turned around and looked at Chen Ji, sneering, "Four people are surrounding you. When you can defeat them, I will tell you the first treasure hiding place."
Feng Huai held a knife, Feng Lie held an axe, Feng Xiao held a stick, and Feng Gui carried a bow.
The four of them were full of enthusiasm and fighting spirit.
Chen Ji cursed inwardly, turned around and ran away.
…
"Chen Ji, wake up..."
"Chen Ji, we're here!"
Chen Ji immediately opened his eyes and saw a sea of red.
As the setting sun shines, the white snowfield reflects brilliant light, like an orange-red aurora flowing on the snow.
The city gate tower of Los Angeles appeared on the horizon like a mirage.
Chen Ji looked at this scene in a daze.
Zhang Zhuo rode up to him and asked curiously, "What are you thinking about?"
Chen Ji came back to his senses and said with a smile, "Master Zhang, I really want to go back to the clinic and have a good sleep, but the scenery is so breathtaking right now that I want to stop and take in some more. What do you think is more important, the destination or the scenery along the way?"
Zhang Zhuo
He stroked his beard and thought for a long time before responding, "If you ask me, the destination is more important."
Chen Ji was puzzled: "Why?"
Zhang Zhuo laughed heartily. "I'm a rather greedy person. When I see a beautiful sight, I wonder if there's something even more beautiful waiting for me down the road. I won't be satisfied until I see the end. Young man, you saved my official hat during the last uprising, and you saved my daughter's life this time. How can I repay you?"
Chen Ji smiled and said, "Master Zhang, you are too polite. Miss Zhang Er and I are classmates. How can I stand by and watch someone die without helping him?"
"Two different things!"
Zhang Zhuo thought for a moment and said, "Take the imperial examination. As long as you don't kill anyone in the examination room, I guarantee you'll pass."
"So simple?"
“So easy!”
Zhang Zhuo said, "I know you don't want to be involved in officialdom, but I also know you're not someone who just wants to be alone."
Chen Ji looked into the distance and said, "My Lord, you have misunderstood."
Zhang Zhuo smiled and said, "If you were a Confucian civil servant who only wanted to protect yourself, you wouldn't have jumped off the city wall on the day of the uprising. Just follow my lead. I'll protect you..."
Before he could finish his words, he saw Mr. Wang galloping out of the Qiansui Army formation and coming to Chen Ji's side.
He said to Zhang Zhuo, "Chen Ji is not suited to be a civil servant, nor does he necessarily have to take the imperial examination. Come with me to the capital after the new year, and I will find a position for you in the Ministry of War. The court has been plagued by problems for a long time. What good will it gain by wasting three years?"
Zhang Zhuo was unhappy: "Why are you joining in the fun?"
Wang Daosheng replied calmly, "He is more suitable for the border army."
Zhang Zhuo shook his head and said, "The border troops are advancing too slowly."
Wang Daosheng's expression was expressionless. "If there were no border troops, how could there be peace and prosperity in the South? Lord Zhang, do you look down on the border troops?"
"Don't blame me, old man."
Zhang Zhuo angrily said, "I'm not saying that the border troops are useless, but bringing him with me will help me promote him earlier. With more power in hand, I can do more things."
Wang Daosheng asked lightly, "Who are you to him? I am his teacher, so it is only natural for him to follow me."
Zhang Zhuo was stunned. He wanted to refute for a moment, but he didn't know where to start: "I... I can..."
He looked back at Zhang Xia and swallowed his words: "You've only taught him for a few days. How can you say you're a mentor? Wait, everyone will rely on their own abilities..."
Chen Ji looked at Zhang Zhuo on the left and Wang Daosheng on the right: "My Lords..."
Wang Daosheng said calmly, "You can call him 'sir'. But from now on, you have to call me 'teacher'!"
Chen Ji: “:Teacher!”
Wang Daosheng said slowly, "I don't necessarily want you to come out and work, but if you want to work, you have to come with me. Don't follow him. He works for the Xu family and doesn't care about his reputation. Who knows how he will be described in history in the future?"
Chen Ji quietly tightened the reins to slow down and withdrew from the quarrel between the two adults.
Without his obstruction, Zhang Zhuo and Wang Daosheng became closer and argued more fiercely.
Zhang Zhuo said, "Whether you can be promoted to Minister of War in the spring is still uncertain. Why are you making such promises now?"
Wang Daosheng: "In the spring of the twenty-fourth year of Jianing, you lost to me in the debate."
Zhang Zhuo raised his eyebrows. "You've already been demoted twice by His Majesty. The Donglin Party won't tolerate a heretic like you. What can I do by following you?"
Wang Daosheng: "In the autumn of the twenty-fifth year of Jianing, you lost to me in the debate again."
Zhang Zhuo was immediately enraged and tried to punch Wang Daosheng from a distance on his horse. However, Wang Daosheng was wearing heavy armor and his punches and kicks didn't hurt him at all.
Wang Daosheng said indifferently and disdainfully, "It's unbecoming for an official of the imperial court to touch someone!"
Zhang Zhuo shouted angrily, "You bastard, give me your life!"
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