Chapter 224 She is the greatest mother in the world
The rain pattered on the branches and leaves, making a crisp sound, but Mei Liangyu couldn't hear any of it. Her mind was replaying Yu Sui's words over and over:
"I was happy when I saw my senior brother."
As long as you're happy.
I never imagined I had this function.
Mei Liangyu felt her heart swell for the first time. It felt strange and confusing, but she quickly realized the reason: it was because of the person standing under the tree.
"Come up." Mei Liangyu stretched out her hand to Yu Sui below.
Yu Sui looked back in confusion, but also reached out her hand.
"You cut this branch off." Mei Liangyu used the leverage to pull the person up the tree. The two of them stood together on the thick branch, but it didn't shake the tree at all.
"Is this it?" Yu Sui looked down.
“That’s it.” Mei Liangyu nodded. “Just treat it like someone you hate and cut it down.”
Yu Sui couldn't help but laugh after hearing this.
Mei Liangyu glanced over, then stopped smiling, put on a serious expression, and picked up the shears, tapping them against the tree trunk: "Is that so?"
"right."
"But senior brother, we're still on this branch. If I cut it down, won't we fall?"
"If you fall, will I be unable to catch you?"
"This will take a long time to chop; it's a pair of scissors, not an axe."
"I'll get you an axe. Don't always rely on the power of the five elements."
The sound of voices gradually drowned out the sound of rain. The two talked back and forth, and Yu Sui forgot about her previous worries and followed Mei Liangyu's words.
She chopped at the tree with an axe, and the branches began to sway, becoming precarious. Yu Sui wasn't worried about falling at all; she stared at the broken section and said, "Senior brother, I have something I'd like to ask you."
"Go ahead and speak," Mei Liangyu said, knowing that she had something on her mind.
"Can I go to today's Legalist trial?" Yu Sui asked with her back to Mei Liangyu. "We can go together and have a big argument in front of them to compete for the spots, so they'll think we've fallen out as fellow disciples."
If she wanted to use Zhang Xiangyun to get things done, she couldn't let Zhang Xiangyun continue to think that he and Mei Liangyu had a good relationship.
Yu Sui was certain that his senior brother was from the State of Yan and had a lot to do with the situation there.
Yu Sui didn't want Mei Liangyu to receive too much attention from Xuan Kui. If Qing Kui insisted on investigating, she might find something out.
If Qingkui knows, it's the same as Nangong Ming knowing.
"You want to push me away?" Mei Liangyu asked.
No sooner had he finished speaking than the branch could no longer support the weight of the two of them, snapped with a crack, and fell downwards. Yu Sui lost his balance and was caught around the waist and pulled away before he could even feel the fall, landing steadily on the ground.
Yu Sui was still held in Mei Liangyu's arms. She looked up at him and said softly, "I didn't push you away."
Mei Liangyu looked down; this was indeed the situation before him.
He withdrew his hand from Yu Sui's waist and listened as Yu Sui continued, "Senior brother, I know you're investigating things related to your memories. These things are already keeping you busy enough. Leave Zhang Xiangyun and Xuan Kui to me."
Yu Sui looked serious and, for the first time, laid everything out clearly with Mei Liangyu.
They had a tacit understanding before, but neither of them said it out loud, neither interfered with the other's actions, and neither even openly discussed it.
Mei Liangyu knew that Yu Sui was too sensitive and that many things were best kept to himself. He dared not test her, fearing that if he did, Yu Sui would take several steps back and become more wary of him.
Their daily interactions seemed intimate, and Mei Liangyu could even openly express her preference for Yu Sui, but there was always something between them.
This makes them sometimes feel that the other person is very close to them, and sometimes very far away.
Asking few questions, doing their own thing, and respecting others by not actively testing the waters—these behaviors can be praised as being sensible, but they are also reasons that prevent them from becoming closer.
“Zhang Xiangyun and the others have been able to stay in Taiyi Hidden for so long without the protection of the academy’s instructors or dean. If you were to face a Saint…” Mei Liangyu didn’t finish her sentence, but the meaning was clear.
“I want to give it a try,” Yu Sui said. “What will be the attitude of the Taiyi Saints towards this kind of thing, and what will be the outcome? Besides, I won’t go and confront them head-on.”
Seeing her serious expression, Mei Liangyu suddenly smiled and nodded in agreement.
“If there are any unexpected situations later on, I will still take action. You don’t need to feel that there is a problem with your plan or that you feel guilty about taking action against me,” Mei Liangyu said. “After all, there are some things I won’t listen to you about.”
As he finished speaking, he raised his eyebrows slightly, exuding confidence and a hint of mockery.
The morning breeze rustled the leaves, and although the scene was shrouded in morning mist, Yu Sui found it somewhat dazzling. She nodded emphatically as she met Mei Liangyu's gaze.
Mei Liangyu glanced at the apricot tree branch that had fallen to the ground.
The junior sister cut the wrong branch. The apricot tree needs care, so he should leave it for a few more days.
This Legalist verdict was not held at the interrogation site, but at the Legalist execution ground.
The Legalist execution ground was located on Bianyang Mountain. The main hall was backed by a majestic mountain peak, surrounded by serene mountain scenery. The hall doors were open, and one could vaguely glimpse the long table inside from the bottom of the steps.
Two black jade statues stand at the left and right ends of the execution ground hall. They are carved to depict nameless sages of the Legalist school, one male and one female. Their facial features are not depicted, but they give an invisible sense of oppression and are full of majesty.
Below the stone steps, at both ends of the long sloping passage stand different white jade statues. The statues of the Legalist sages of the Six Kingdoms and Taiyi stand at both ends of the sloping passage, as tall as giant peaks, casting long shadows on the ground.
Some of them held swords; some held books; some stood with their hands behind their backs, their eyes coldly fixed on the people heading to the execution ground.
Looking down from the entrance of the main hall to the entrance of the execution ground, there are a total of 136 statues of Legalist saints.
The saints of Taiyi Academy have arrived, and even Luo Fu has been taken to the gate of the execution ground hall. Now only the saints of the Ghost Dao family have not yet arrived.
Everyone knows that the Sage of the Ghost Daoist School will not attend; his direct disciple, Mei Liangyu, will always represent him. Now that Sage Changgen has two disciples, the question of who will represent Sage Changgen in this Legalist trial has piqued the curiosity of many.
Outside the Legalist execution ground, many people waited for the verdict.
There were countless poisonous insects and beasts released by the peasant disciples to eavesdrop and watch. Xun Zhiya and Huo Xiao, who were also disciples of the Legalist school, were also there, but they did not dare to get too close and kept some distance from the entrance of the execution ground.
A large number of academy students gathered in front of a notice board not far from the entrance to the execution ground, waiting for the verdict.
Xing Chun, Zhong Lishan, and others were also there. They saw Mei Liangyu and Yu Sui walking towards them from afar.
"Something seems off about them," Xing Chun nudged Zhong Lishan with his elbow and whispered, "Did they have a fight?"
Zhong Lishan followed his gaze and narrowed his eyes slightly.
Leading the way was Yu Sui, followed by Mei Liangyu, whose face looked terrible and who was clearly angry. After walking a short distance closer, people could hear Mei Liangyu's sarcastic voice: "For so many years, I've been the one to stand up for my master. You've only been in Taiyi for a short time, and you think you can take this kind of thing?"
Yu Sui continued walking forward without stopping, and said in a serious tone, "If Senior Brother is not convinced, he can go and find Master."
Mei Liangyu sneered, his face instantly turning gloomy, startling Xing Chun and Zhong Lishan in front of him: "You're quite capable, now you know how to use your master to intimidate people."
Yu Sui then asked, "Senior brother, do you feel that you have fallen out of favor with Master and are jealous of me?"
"What a joke! Why would I care about a little girl like you who has only recently learned some low-level martial arts?" Mei Liangyu said, but her expression clearly showed that she was angry.
Yu Sui remained silent.
Mei Liangyu pressed on, saying, "Why did you stop talking? Weren't you very talkative just now?"
Yu Sui's expression turned slightly cold as he said, "No matter how much you argue, you won't be the one representing Master this time."
Mei Liangyu asked, "I'm asking you one last time, will this ruling be changed?"
Yu Sui: "No change."
Mei Liangyu said coldly, "Fine! You'll regret it."
After saying that, he turned and left.
Xing Chun and Zhong Lishan were dumbfounded, both thinking they were seeing things.
The scene of Mei Liangyu turning and leaving was reflected in their eyes. Yu Sui did not try to stop him and walked straight towards the Legalist execution ground. The two went in opposite directions and neither paid any attention to the other.
People around me were already whispering about the breakdown in the relationship between the Ghost Daoist disciples.
"How dare Nangong Sui compare himself to Mei Liangyu?"
"It's not surprising. She's Princess Nangong of Qingyang. If I had her family background, I would have been even more arrogant than her just now."
"Don't you see how different their strengths are?"
"It's normal for these two to fall out. Mei Liangyu is someone who doesn't submit to anyone, and Nangong Sui has been pampered since childhood and won't easily bow down to anyone. Didn't you hear what they were saying just now? Mei Liangyu scolded her for turning her back on people after learning the Nine Schools of Thought!"
"Wasn't Mei Liangyu quite nice to his junior sister a while ago?"
"It seems I can't take it anymore."
"..."
Before the verdict was announced, everyone's attention was drawn to the quarrel between the Ghost Daoist disciples, and they started making wild guesses based on every word they had just heard.
Zhong Lishan and Xing Chun exchanged glances, then finally chased after Mei Liangyu. Xing Chun sent him a telepathic message, but the man, who always carried his telepathic reading device, didn't answer.
"Is he crazy? He must be crazy!" Xing Chun exclaimed frantically. "How could he talk to Nangong Sui like that! He even gave her a dirty look and then left. Is he insane?!"
Zhong Lishan remained relatively neutral, saying tactfully, "Nangong Sui doesn't look too good either; there might be a misunderstanding between the two."
Xing Chun looked over suspiciously: "What misunderstanding could have turned Meimei into this?"
Zhong Lishan honestly replied, "I didn't expect that."
Yu Sui walked uphill and saw Luo Fu being forced to kneel at the entrance of the execution ground hall by the instructors. Luo Fu was no longer the aloof and arrogant person he used to be. Although his injuries had been treated, he was listless and dispirited. After his use of the orchid poison was exposed, Luo Fu became mentally confused.
Luo Fu saw Yu Sui approaching and awkwardly looked away. (Luoge Pavilion)
In just one day and one night, Luo Fu seemed to have lost dozens of pounds, his face was unrecognizable, and he looked lifeless.
Yu Sui glanced at him out of the corner of her eye, then looked away and walked into the main hall.
The young woman wore a polite smile: "I apologize to all the deans for being late."
The long table set up inside the execution ground hall was already filled with people; all the sages from Taiyi had come today.
Seated at the head of the table was Wan Guiyue, the Legalist sage who presided over the ruling. When she saw that the person who came was Yu Sui, she was slightly taken aback, but quickly recovered and gestured with a smile for Yu Sui to sit down at the conference table.
"This is the Ghost Daoist's seat," Wan Guiyue said with a smile, leading Yu Sui to a seat.
Yu Sui nodded her thanks, walked around the long table, and sat down between the medical sage Jiang Shulan and the military sage Leng Rouyin. Opposite her, the three sages of the Yin-Yang School sat side by side.
Wu Huaiwei sat in the middle, with Zou Qian on her left and Yin Ziwu on her right.
It's unclear who arranged the seating, but Leng Rouyin and Wu Huaiwei were sitting opposite each other, which was no different from putting them together side by side.
Yu Sui's position is slightly in the middle. Looking up, there is Liang Zhen, the Taoist sage, and Zhu Lao, the sage of the School of Names; looking down, there is Kuang Chu, the sage of the Military School, and Ou Rushuang, the sage of the Agricultural School.
Aside from Yu Sui, there are only these ten Saints present at Taiyi Academy at this moment. Apart from the Fang family, every other family has sent someone.
Recently, the sages of Taoism and the School of Martial Arts left Taiyi to discuss the merger of the Shushan (Shushan) with the six kingdoms and reform the Shushan abilities throughout the Xuangu Continent.
There are four sages in the Legalist school.
Two people are stationed on the water boat. Wan Guiyue didn't show up often before. Yu Sheng, who often handles academy incidents, went to the six countries with Changsun Zi and others this time to formulate new rules for the Communication Academy.
The timing of this incident was perfect for Xuan Kui; almost none of the troublemakers were present. Those who were there were all his own people, or those who were easy to win over and manipulate.
Ou Rushuang must finish the verdict against Lov before the others arrive.
There were eleven people present, and six of them would agree to strip Luo Fu of the Nine Schools of Arts he had learned in Taiyi and send him back to Qingyang to be dealt with by the Qingyang Yulan Division.
Even if the remaining five people objected, it would be to no avail.
"Today's adjudication meeting is due to the matter of Daoist disciple Luo Fu using the forbidden drug Lan Du." Wan Guiyue spoke again, her voice carrying a hint of authority. "Before this, we had already investigated the people around Luo Fu and confirmed that this matter is a legacy of the Lan Du organization in the outer city."
"Due to the pressure of cultivation, Luo Fu was tempted by the words of the Lan Du organization and went astray, buying Lan Du from the Lan Du organization to increase his cultivation speed."
“A thorough investigation was conducted on all those associated with Luo Fu, but no reaction to Lan Poison was detected, and no one knew that Luo Fu had used Lan Poison. Considering that Luo Fu only started contacting the Lan Poison organization this year, and his use of Lan Poison is relatively recent, and his performance at the academy is also quite good, I hereby propose two methods of adjudication.”
Wan Guiyue spread her hands, gesturing for them to look at the two wooden plaques on the table, one red and one black.
"The red card represents method one: expel Luo Fu from Taiyi, abolish his nine-class arts at Taiyi Academy, and hand him over to the Yulan Division of his country for handling."
"The black card represents method two: kill on the spot."
Yu Sui looked down at the two judgment cards in front of her, appearing indecisive, her eyes darting around as she secretly observed the others, trying to get their opinions.
Wu Huaiwei was the first to play her card. She pointed at the black card with her slender finger and sent it flying into the black voting circle: "The pressure of cultivation is not a good excuse. If everyone feels that cultivation is painful, then everyone should buy orchid poison and take shortcuts. At that time, everyone in the world can be a ninth-rate saint."
Zou Qian nodded while scratching her neck.
Sitting opposite Wu Huaiwei, Leng Rouyin sneered and, without explanation, threw the red card into the red circle.
Witnessing this scene, Ou Ru's eyes flashed with a smile. As he expected, Wu Huaiwei would choose the black card, and Leng Rouyin would vote against Wu Huaiwei.
Wu Huaiwei raised her eyelids to look at her, and said with a forced smile, "Sister Rouyin is quite kind-hearted. Although she didn't say anything last time, she killed the disciple who used the Orchid Poison and the Divine Mechanism Technique with a single sword. This time, our Sister Rouyin has shown kindness and knows to spare people's lives in advance."
Zou Qian was still nodding.
"It's hard to say whether that last sword strike was hers or mine," said Kuang Chu, the sage of military strategy, sitting at the very end of the long table, tapping the surface with his fingers. "However, it's true that the Divine Mechanism Pseudo-Beast isn't on me."
"If it's not you, then it's our little sister Rouyin." Wu Huaiwei rested her chin on her hand, looking at Leng Rouyin with a leisurely air. "Little sister Rouyin, why don't you use the Divine Mechanism Pseudo-Beast Transformation to do something to liven things up for everyone after the judgment is over?"
Leng Rouyin pointed a finger at the table, gathering her qi into a sharp sword aura, and stared coldly at the person opposite her: "Are you courting death?"
“What are you saying in front of our Legalist sage?” Wu Huaiwei feigned fear. “Everyone heard it; she was the one who said she wanted to kill me first.”
Wan Guiyue sighed helplessly and advised, "It's been a long time since we last met. You two are still the same as ever. Quiet down for a while and stop bickering after the verdict is over."
"It's not a quarrel, I'm genuinely curious about which of the two of them possesses the Divine Mechanism Pseudo-Beast," Wu Huaiwei said, her eyes narrowed, a half-smile playing on her lips.
"This topic is irrelevant to today's verdict. Let's talk about it privately sometime." Kuang Chu winked at Wu Huaiwei, then casually tossed the black card in front of him into the circle. "However, I do agree with what you said. If this trend is allowed to continue, then the world will be full of low-level saints in the future."
Jiang Shulan sighed and glanced outside the main hall. Luo Fu's kneeling figure was blurry. She said, "He's a pitiful child too."
She threw the red card away.
"It's not surprising that you're so kind-hearted, sir," Zou Qian chuckled, tossing the black card into the circle.
He didn't say much.
Yu Sui glanced at the cards on the table.
Two reds, three blacks.
She should sell her tickets as soon as possible to avoid attracting attention later.
Yu Sui hesitated before picking up the red card. As soon as she made the move, she attracted the attention of the people opposite her. Seeing the red card in the girl's hand, Wu Huaiwei and Zou Qian both raised their eyebrows slightly.
If it were Mei Liangyu here, he would act very casually and even make a few jokes with the saints who voted against him. The saints of Taiyi have also gotten used to Mei Liangyu's temper and won't bother with him.
This was Yu Sui's first time here, which made the other saints feel a sense of novelty and curiosity, as they wanted to see what style Chang Gen's little disciple would have at the Legalist Judgment Conference.
Only after Yu Sui threw out the red card did Wu Huaiwei slowly say, "I think this disciple is lucky. He's met a living Bodhisattva today."
Yu Sui pretended not to hear anything.
The current vote is three reds and three blacks.
Yin Ziwu remained seated on his rosewood tray, chuckling as he selected a red card and tossed it away.
Four reds, three blacks.
Leng Rouyin would vote against Wu Huaiwei, Jiang Shulan was soft-hearted, and Yin Ziwu could manipulate his choice through a deal.
Wu Huaiwei glanced at Yin Ziwu and chuckled lightly, "You're a male bodhisattva."
Zou Qian also said, "You can tell just by looking at his face."
The Taoist sage Liang Zhen smiled and glanced outside the hall, letting out a barely audible sigh: "Orchid Poison is a forbidden substance on the Xuan Gu Continent, extremely harmful. Every year, people from the Six Kingdoms' Imperial Orchid Division are injured or killed because of it. Regardless of the reason, for him, he has already knowingly broken the law, and his crime is unforgivable."
As soon as he finished speaking, the hand with distinct knuckles picked up the black card and threw it out.
Four reds, four blacks.
Ou Rushuang's vote for Liang Zhen was not unexpected; Liang Zhen's vote was a 50/50 split no matter which side she voted for.
Within the Taiyi Academy, there are four Daoist sages.
Li Qiuwen and Liang Zhen are usually at the academy. The former is in charge of the affairs of the communications department, and the latter is in charge of the cultivation affairs of the academy's disciples. As for the remaining two, Chen Daozhi is on the water boat, while Zhang Guanyi's whereabouts are uncertain.
Taoist self-cultivation and physical transformation involve change from the inside out. Liang Zhen appears to be a young man, making it impossible to discern his true age. His dark eyes, like black ink, contain boundless energy, unfathomable in their depth.
The moment Yu Sui saw the Sage Liang Zhen, she thought of her senior brother Mei Liangyu. Now, after getting closer to him, she realized why she had felt that inexplicable sense of familiarity.
Although his senior brother was involved in all kinds of arts, he also had his strengths and weaknesses. For Mei Liangyu, apart from mechanical arts, the arts he was most comfortable to cultivate and had the deepest understanding of were the Taoist arts.
Mei Liangyu and Liang Zhen should both be practicing the same Taoist Nine Schools of Arts.
Ou Rushuang and Liang Zhen entered Taiyi around the same time. Although they had never seen him angry or cold-faced, they had also never seen him in a state of great joy or sorrow.
Liang Zhen has a calm state of mind, unaffected by anything external, and seems to never experience intense emotional fluctuations.
Such a person is unsure whether they are more inclined towards good or evil.
During the investigation, Liang Zhen expressed his pity for Luo Fu, and during the verdict, he was able to unwaveringly choose to execute him.
Ou Rushuang and the renowned Zhu Lao simultaneously reached out and picked up the wooden plaques representing the verdict, one black and one red.
Old Zhu looked up at Ou Rushuang, smiled silently, and threw out the black card in his hand first: "It seems that this last vote is the key."
Ou Rushuang threw the red card into the circle and said with a smile, "I'm just expressing my regret for Dean Liang's lack of talent."
The vote is currently five in favor and five in disfavor, with only Wan Guiyue remaining to make a choice.
Everything went as Ou Rushuang had predicted. As long as Wan Guiyue cast her vote, the verdict against Luo Fu would be over, and he would be able to leave Taiyi alive and be escorted to Yu Lan Si in Qingyang.
Even if the nine-tiered techniques I learned in Taiyi are destroyed, it's better than dying immediately. The lost power can be restored with the help of orchid poison, but if I lose my life, it's really over.
"I didn't expect it to be a tie in the end." Wan Guiyue said with a hint of helplessness, "Logically speaking, I shouldn't have cast this last vote, but when the votes are tied and the result cannot be determined..."
She was speaking when a familiar figure suddenly appeared in her eyes, walking towards her from outside the hall.
He wore a long black robe, his slightly curled hair draped over his shoulders, and the sunlight outside made his skin appear even whiter.
The Legalist sage who usually resides on the water has coincidentally returned to Taiyi Academy today.
Wan Guiyue was the first to see Wei Xizhen. She paused halfway through her sentence, and the others, sensing something was wrong, followed her gaze to the outside of the hall. They all saw the black-clad man walking into the hall with his hands tucked into his sleeves.
Why did Wei Xizhen return at this time?
Ou Rushuang's expression remained unchanged, but her heart sank.
The saints in the execution hall had different thoughts when they saw Wei Xizhen arrive.
Yu Sui behaved very well. After casting her vote, she sat in her seat like a mascot. When she saw Wei Xizhen, she simply blinked.
On the other hand, Wu Huaiwei glanced at her without making a sound, then looked away from Yu Sui and then at Wei Xizhen.
Three days ago, Yu Sui was at the Moon Mountain Star Observatory, discussing the innate constitution of "mutual generation of the five elements" with Wu Huaiwei.
Yu Sui asked Wu Huaiwei how she discovered that she had a constitution based on the five elements generating each other, which led to the introduction of Wei Xizhen.
The Legalists were most adept at observing the trends of the Five Elements, and Wei Xizhen was one of the most outstanding Legalist sages. Yu Sui then suggested that he ask Wei Xizhen to take another look at him.
Wu Huaiwei asked her, "What do you want to see that you have to have him come to? Why can't I?"
It was during break time. Zou Qian finished her drink and fell asleep on the star-gazing platform. Yu Sui sat cross-legged on the star chart next to her. Hong Ling floated in the air in the shape of a swing, and Wu Huaiwei sat on it.
Yu Sui looked up at Wu Huaiwei and said, "Do you know that I have the precious agricultural treasure, the Breath Soil, inside my body?"
Wu Huaiwei: "Everyone in the world knows."
Yu Sui said, "The Breath of Earth is a sacred object for the disciples of the Farmer School, and it helps them cultivate the Nine Schools of Farmer Arts, but it is of no use to me."
“How is it useless?” Wu Huaiwei said, “All sacred objects can nourish qi.”
“It’s only half a piece.” Yu Sui frowned slightly, looking pitiful. “Half a piece of the Breath Soil is indeed useless to me. Before coming to Taiyi, I probably couldn’t see any harm, but after coming to Taiyi, my master told me that it was the incompleteness of the Breath Soil that was competing with me for the ‘qi’ in my body, and therefore I couldn’t retain the Qi of the Five Elements.”
When she heard Yu Sui say that she only had half a piece of the Breath Soil, Wu Huaiwei, who was leaning against the red silk and about to lie down, silently sat up and looked down at the girl sitting on the star plate.
"How come there's only half a piece?" Wu Huaiwei became interested.
"I don't know either." Yu Sui looked confused. "Why is there only half a piece?"
Wu Huaiwei pondered for a moment, then looked at Yu Sui with a meaningful gaze: "Before you, the Breath Soil was on your mother Su Xing, and the Breath Soil in Su Xing's possession was snatched from her senior brother Yan Manfeng."
"I've heard about this before, but I don't know the specifics." Yu Sui paused here, her tone slightly tactful, feigning ignorance. "Since my mother took the Breath of Earth from Yan Manfeng, why didn't Yan Manfeng die? Wasn't it said that one would die after the Breath of Earth was separated?"
"Yan Manfeng didn't merge the Breath of Earth with himself, so how can you talk about separating them?" Wu Huaiwei sneered. "Legend has it that the Breath of Earth, a sacred object of the farmers, is a transparent, colorless, and odorless soil. It turns into gold when it comes into contact with water, and it reproduces endlessly, so it can be obtained inexhaustibly."
"Back then, if people wanted a single grain of the Breath Soil to cure all poisons, drive away all evil spirits, and eliminate pests, they had to kneel for three days and three nights at the Hundred Farmers' Palace in the Yan Kingdom, appealing to heaven and earth and praying for rain before they could obtain even a tiny grain from Yan Manfeng."
Yu Sui was stunned. She felt a little complicated. In her eyes, the Breath Soil was a useless piece of trash, but in the eyes of Wu Huaiwei and the others, it was an extraordinary thing.
Back then, I never imagined that this piece of junk would have such a grand display.
“That was borrowed, and we have to return it to Yan Manfeng after we’re done using it.” Zou Qian, who had woken up at some point, turned over and said in a low voice, still hoarse from just waking up, “This thing isn’t just useful for agricultural sorcerers. In some areas of Yan Kingdom, the environment is so unique that not a blade of grass grows and crops and trees struggle to survive. The Breath Soil can improve the soil and turn the desert into an oasis.”
Yu Sui's eyelashes trembled slightly as she looked down at her palm.
From this perspective... the loss of the Breath of Earth by the Yan Kingdom can indeed be described as a heavy loss.
"Yan Manfeng was thinking of the future of the Yan Kingdom, so it's impossible for him to merge with the Breath Soil to achieve his own cultivation," Zou Qian said. "If Yan Manfeng had refined the Breath Soil back then, he would have been the strongest ninth-rank saint in the Xuan Gu Continent, and could have protected the Yan Kingdom from harm for at least five hundred years."
Yu Sui asked in confusion, "Since you're going to protect the Yan Kingdom anyway, why not refine the Breath Soil for your own use and become the strongest Ninth-Rank Saint? That way, others will be wary and even less likely to provoke the Yan Kingdom."
Zou Qian sat up, scratched her neck and yawned, then pointed at Wu Huaiwei, signaling her to explain.
Wu Huaiwei said calmly, "Didn't I just say that the people of the six major states of Yan Kingdom rely on the Breath Soil to improve their environment and survive? Without the Breath Soil, the oasis will turn into wasteland, and they will surely die in the short term?"
Even if they relocate, there won't be a suitable place in the short term, and the people of these six states have lived here for generations, so persuading them to leave won't be easy.
The death toll could reach millions. Yan Manfeng, with his soft heart, couldn't bring himself to ignore the lives of millions living before him in order to protect the Yan Kingdom a century from now.
"The people of the six states of Yan live off the Breath Soil. They seek the Breath Soil, not the ruler of Yan. If Yan Manfeng could understand this, he wouldn't have ended up like this." Zou Qian sneered. "Now, these six states of Yan have been renamed the Six States of Qingyang."
He said these things without any attempt to hide them from Yu Sui, as if he were speaking directly to Nangong Ming's daughter, Nangong Sui.
Yu Sui could tell from this, and she put on an innocent look and said, "I don't understand these things. My mother doesn't like me very much and doesn't often chat with me, let alone talk about national affairs. My father is the same, but he just thinks I'm not capable enough, so he's too lazy to talk about these things."
"Besides... I am a princess of Qingyang, and I am not on the same side as Yan. The fact that Yan lost the Xirang is already a sign of respect. I am not praising the ministers of Qingyang for being so capable."
After listening, Zou Qian stroked his chin and nodded, saying, "You're right. I'm not from Yan, but I admire some people in Qingyang. Qingyang's plan to gradually encroach on Yan is indeed quite good and deserves praise."
Yu Sui rolled her eyes and looked at Wu Huaiwei, as if she wanted to hear Wu Huaiwei's evaluation.
Her expectant look amused Wu Huaiwei. She shook the star bell on her wrist and said slowly, "When two countries are at odds, there is give and take. It's not just Qingyang who's eyeing Yan. Yan has already lost its power. Let's see how long its 'spirit' can last."
The nation's power has waned, but its fate seems to be clinging to life.
Yu Sui couldn't help but think of Mei Liangyu. Her fingers clenched slightly, and she lowered her gaze, concealing the deep meaning in her eyes.
She said, "Although many people say that the Breath of Earth can reproduce on its own and live endlessly, why did it split into two? One half is useless to me. Wouldn't the six states of Yan have long since become a wasteland and almost all the people have died?"
Zou Qian asked, "Where is the other half?"
Yu Sui looked miserable and didn't say anything.
"Are you stupid? The other half is definitely with Su Xing." Wu Huaiwei glanced at Zou Qian with annoyance.
Zou Qian then pretended to suddenly understand, scratching her neck and saying, "Just because you have no way doesn't mean your mother has no way. Otherwise, why would I have said that it was the six prefectures of Qingyang?"
Su Xing is not someone who knows nothing. On the contrary, she is a highly talented farmer-sorcerer who reached the thirteenth level of mastery at a young age and can break through all the recorded limits in her cultivation of magical beasts.
Su Xing hasn't been idle all these years. At least in Yu Sui's memory, Su Xing has frequently left Qingyang Imperial Capital in the last five years or so, and would only return after a long period of time.
“Although I don’t know what the situation was at the time, I guess Su Xing was pregnant with you when she got the Breath Soil.” Wu Huaiwei looked down at Yu Sui below. “Perhaps she wanted to use the Breath Soil to break through to sainthood, but she was a little too hasty. If she had refined the Breath Soil after giving birth to you, it wouldn’t have split into two halves.”
Zou Qian nodded and said, "The Breath Soil was refined by Su Xing and merged with her. You inherited half of it from your mother, which means you skipped the refining process and got half of the Breath Soil for free. So your situation is different from Yan Manfeng's."
“If we want to obtain the complete Breath Soil,” Wu Huaiwei said thoughtfully, “the most effective and simplest way is to kill and plunder.”
She then looked Yu Sui up and down for a moment; "Su Xing shouldn't be so inhuman as to kill her own daughter, right?"
Zou Qian stared at Yu Sui without saying a word.
Yu Sui chuckled softly, "Of course not, she is the greatest mother in the world, willing to do anything for her child."
The girl's soft voice vanished in an instant, and she quickly changed the subject, saying, "I knew this when I told my master that I only had half of the Breath Soil. So my master sealed the power of the Kun and Gen trigrams, which can also be considered as sealing this half of the Breath Soil, so that it cannot compete with me for the five elements in my body."
Yu Sui looked troubled: "So when I faced these two forces in the Reverse Star and Reverse Polarity, I felt very strained. Even though the corresponding stellar forces in the Star Sea had responded, I was unable to gather energy to form an image."
Zou Qian nodded and said, "I noticed that a long time ago."
Wu Huaiwei couldn't help but glare at him. Didn't she realize what he meant by that?
Yu Sui continued, "That's why I was thinking, if Dean Wei can tell at a glance that I have all five elements, could I ask him to help me check the flow of Qi in the Breath Soil within my body? Even if I can't separate half of the Breath Soil, as long as I can cut it off from competing with me for the five elements, I can use the power of the Kun and Gen trigrams, right?"
The girl's almond-shaped eyes were bright and moist, and her brows were slightly furrowed, making her look pitiful. When she looked at Wu Huaiwei, her eyes revealed both expectation and trepidation. She wanted to grasp the power of Kungen, but she was also afraid that her guesses would be useless.
Wu Huaiwei sighed inwardly, wondering why she was always so soft-hearted towards this child. If Nangong Ming and Su Xing had given birth to this daughter who was less attractive, or if they had raised her to be rude, stupid, and annoying, she wouldn't be in this situation.
“Sure, it’s just asking Wei Xizhen to come back for a look, what’s so difficult about that?” Zou Qian slapped her leg and said to Wu Huaiwei, “He’s the one who listens to you the most, if you ask him to come back he definitely will.”
"What a coincidence, he's the least obedient person in the world," Wu Huaiwei said with a forced smile. "But you're right, how can I let this half of the Breath Soil disrupt my plans for the Yin-Yang secrets I'm about to impart?"
Wu Huaiwei picked up the Wind Listening Ruler and sent a telepathic message to Wei Xizhen.
At first, no one answered. Wu Huaiwei assumed he was too busy to check the Wind Listening Ruler. After a while, she sent another message, and the other party answered. Hearing the familiar voice, Wu Huaiwei didn't waste any words and asked him to come back to the academy in a few days to help her with a small favor.
She had been called back by herself, but for some reason, as she watched Wei Xizhen walk into the execution ground hall, Wu Huaiwei felt a strange unease.
Her intuition is always very accurate, usually appearing in situations that are unfavorable to her.
For some reason, Wu Huaiwei had a vague feeling that she had been tricked.
Ou Rushuang also felt she had been tricked.
Wei Xizhen's appearance really caught him off guard; how could it be such a coincidence? Ou Ruxiang never believed in coincidences, because behind every coincidence, there was always someone deliberately manipulating things.
He himself has done this kind of "coincidence" countless times.
Who would specifically call back the most meticulous and strict sage of the Legalist school from the water boat at this time?
Wu Huaiwei frowned slightly, a subtle feeling rising in her heart. She had summoned Wei Xizhen back to resolve the issue of the half-piece of the Breath Soil within Yu Sui, not to attend the Legalist ruling meeting.
Within the academy, the saints openly and secretly fought each other, each harboring their own secrets, so they all turned a blind eye to certain things.
The scheming tricks of the academy disciples were like child's play to the saints; everyone knew them perfectly well, it was just a matter of whether they wanted to interfere or not.
For example, Zou Qian knew which disciples had secretly sneaked into the Upside-Down Moon Cave on the night the Milky Way Water was lost, but he said nothing.
Some sages are using the disciples of the academy to search for the fragments of the Floating Pagoda, hoping to break the oath of non-war between the six kingdoms; some sages know of Xuan Kui's existence but have never revealed it; some sages know everything but pretend they know nothing.
Some disciples wanted to use someone else to do their dirty work, so they summoned back the most severe sage of the Legalist school.
At this moment, in the main hall of the Legalist execution ground, the only person who could be deemed innocent was Wei Xizhen, the sage of Legalism.
[Author's Note]
Sorry for the long wait o(╥﹏╥)o I'm busy working on other things lately, so I'll wait until I've written a certain number of words or the plot has progressed before posting an update.
Thank you so much for your support! I will continue to work hard!
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