Chapter 927: The Fifth Year of Yuanhuang (Part 7) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
Upon hearing Ji Moyu's answer, the old man did not show any joy. Instead, he looked at the other party warily and questioned him, "If that's the case, why didn't you say so five years ago?"
He was confident in his own strength and didn't take the five people seriously.
They also didn't believe they could harm them in the slightest.
The old man was worried about what kind of conspiracy or scheme might be behind it all.
Ji Moyu said, “I didn’t say anything five years ago because I didn’t know at the time. But since Shao Bai returned from the Sacred Land of Mountains and Seas, his divine power has advanced by leaps and bounds. During the last sacrificial ceremony to the gods, he unexpectedly met with the spirits of the sages and received a decree. As you can see, I am nearing the end of my life, my life force is exhausted, and I don’t know when I will close my eyes for the last time. I have failed the clan’s upbringing in this life, and I cannot go to the earth with regrets. While I can still walk, I must fulfill my wishes, otherwise—I will be ashamed to face the sages!”
Ji Moyu spoke these words sincerely.
The old man couldn't discern anything unusual from his face, which was as wrinkled as tree bark, and he began to believe him to some extent.
Even though he scoffed at things like demons and ghosts, he had personally witnessed the supernatural abilities of the Gongxi tribe, and the former lord was a legitimate member of the Gongxi tribe.
There are some mysterious things that he can't help but believe.
The old man relaxed his guard, and even his tone became gentler: "Alas, how did your body become so dilapidated?"
It should be noted that Ji Moyu and the former ruler were twins.
Their talents are roughly the same.
Under normal circumstances, living for two hundred years would not be a problem.
Just like him, if he wanted, he could return to his youthful prime in an instant. He then asked, "Is there any hope? This old man has a considerable collection of rare and precious herbs that can prolong life, perhaps..."
Ji Moyu waved his hand, politely declining: "No, there's no point in living any longer with this old body..."
Seeing that Ji Moyu had no intention of living, the old man said no more. He was just saying it casually, a few polite words, nothing of real feeling. Rare and precious materials are things that can only be encountered by chance.
The old man turned around and invited the five people into the bamboo house.
Over the past century, only a handful of people have ever set foot in the bamboo house.
Five guests came today.
Ji Moyu looked at the furnishings inside the bamboo house with his cloudy eyes.
He praised, "Lord Che is elegant."
The furnishings inside the bamboo house are very tasteful.
There was absolutely no indication that it was the dwelling of a brute.
The old man sat down and poured himself a cup of tea.
"Just messing around when I'm bored."
He had been confined to this remote mountain for over a century. At first, he was unaccustomed to it, desperately longing for his former wealth and glory. He even ordered the construction of a palace and mansion halfway up the mountain, where his wives, concubines, and children moved in. However, time is merciless, and beauty fades. Even with new concubines arriving, his novelty wore off quickly, and he grew increasingly uninterested in women. In the decades that followed, even power lost its allure. Only his yearning for freedom grew ever stronger and more intense. Logically, he should have been on the verge of losing control with excitement, but instead, his mind was strangely calm.
Even with freedom within reach, he remained calm and composed.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, he realized he had overestimated himself.
Ji Moyu's small talk made him feel agitated.
Seeing the impatience in his eyes about to burst forth, Ji Moyu coughed and said what he most wanted to hear: "Please, Marquis Che, take us to the underground palace and let Shao Bai remove your shackles."
The old man's eyes lit up: "Of course."
As he spoke, his gaze fell on Fang Yan and the other two: "I remember they are not from the Gongxi clan, why are you taking them to the underground palace as well?"
The things suppressed in the underground palace are related to the secrets of the Gongxi clan.
It wouldn't be good to let outsiders see this, would it?
Ji Moyu's smile was weak: "It's alright. I brought them here today specifically. With the underground palace unsealed, my life is coming to an end. I have no other attachments in this life except for this disciple. He has the mind of a six-year-old, and I'm afraid he won't be able to withstand the blow."
He brought Fang Yan and the others along purely so that they could stay behind him and comfort his beloved disciple, Ji Moqiu, who was prone to crying.
Seeing this, the old man said no more.
The secret of the Gongxi clan was revealed, and it had nothing to do with him.
"You will all come with me!"
The moment the old man rose, his snow-white hair instantly turned black, and his withered, loose skin plumped up in the blink of an eye, becoming smooth and elastic. He transformed from an old man into a robust and imposing middle-aged man, exuding an intimidating aura with every breath! A pair of tiger-like eyes gleamed with a terrifying, ever-changing light.
This person is indeed a Marquis of the twentieth rank.
It's just unknown how many years he's been in this realm.
Ji Moyu followed weakly behind him, his eyes slightly lowered, concealing the dark and complex calculating glint in them—
Knowing his own death was imminent, taking a troublesome person with him before he died was the only thing he could do for Ji Moqiu. If he didn't do this, once the truth of the underground palace was revealed, this person would definitely not forgive Ji Moqiu. At the same time, this act was also a form of atonement. He didn't expect to gain the forgiveness of his clan, only hoping to lessen his sins.
"Shaobai..."
Ji Moqiu, standing beside him, looked down at him and said, "Teacher."
His tone carried a hint of pity and grievance.
When Ji Moyu left home today, he repeatedly instructed that no matter what Ji Moyu was talking about with others, Ji Moyu was not allowed to speak. He could only answer if the teacher gave permission.
He had been holding back his words for a while.
He didn't encounter any sages or heroes during the last sacrificial ceremony. He knew his teacher was lying.
Blinking eyes, keeping secrets.
Looking at the entrance to the underground palace beneath the bamboo house, Ji Moyu sighed softly, "From now on, you'd better walk steadily."
Ji Moqiu nodded: "Mm."
Ji Moyu then instructed, "Make sure you eat well."
Ji Moqiu: "Mm."
"No staying up late, no drinking, no gambling, no fooling around, no staying out all night... Marriage will have to wait until the next High Priest takes your place. If you ever find a woman you like, remember to bring her to me for me to see. You don't have to bear the burden of continuing the Gongxi clan's legacy, so don't have too many children, one is fine, or even none at all..."
From now on, only my beloved student can walk his own path.
The road leading to the underground palace is very long.
But he had more to say.
The old man leading the way initially didn't want to spoil the atmosphere of Ji Moyu's last words, but upon hearing this, he couldn't help but interject, "No wonder your Gongxi clan doesn't have a large population. If you want your clan to prosper, you need to sleep with more women and have more children. With his strength, marrying ten or eight wouldn't be too many. If each woman has two children in three years and three in five, the population will increase in no time..."
Speaking of which, the late emperor was just like that.
He always said, "A great man should not start a family before he has accomplished his great cause," but as soon as he passed away, the Wu Kingdom, which he had worked so hard to build, came to an end. If he had had a few children at the time, these old ministers could have protected their young lord and retreated to a certain place.
Once he recovers his strength, he will still be able to complete his unfinished ambitions.
Why is it that people's hearts are not united, and the monkeys scatter when the tree falls?
Therefore, we should have more children.
Ji Moyu's face darkened: "Is this for breeding?"
The old man said, "It's a pity that such a good seed doesn't deserve to be used."
He didn't indulge Ji Moyu at all.
Ji Moyu was the same age as the late lord, but he was several decades older. In terms of seniority, Ji Moyu could easily call him great-grandfather. Not content with that, he continued, "Speaking of which, since you and the late lord were twins, if you had any children, they would be the late lord's by blood. Wait, do you have any offspring? Where are they?"
Ji Moyu asked, "What are you doing?"
The old man said, "Give the Kingdom of Qi to him."
Ji Moyu endured the bulging veins on his forehead.
"Weren't the ancestors of Qi Guo descendants of your former master?"
"That was just an adopted son. If he were truly the late emperor's biological son, those old brothers wouldn't have fallen apart back then..." the old man said indifferently. "After the late emperor passed away, he had no heir, so some people became restless. At that time, the group of important ministers decided to support an adopted son, but they disagreed on the choice of the heir. The Wu Kingdom was already severely weakened, and they fought openly and secretly over different heirs, which ultimately led to their breakup."
Everyone chooses an heir who is beneficial to themselves.
The result of disagreement is collapse.
The Wu Kingdom was established quickly, but it also collapsed quickly.
The current royal family of Qi claims to be descendants of the Wu Kingdom, naturally in order to gain his support by leveraging this lineage.
It was precisely because of his support that the Qi Kingdom was able to rebuild itself after being destroyed several times. The Qi Kingdom harbored great ambitions; each time it was destroyed, the trigger was their desire to expand their territory, and neighboring countries shared the same ambition. The old man, mindful of the Qi Kingdom's century-long unwavering devotion to their former lord, only reluctantly offered them some protection. If they possessed the bloodline of their former lord, what would the Qi Kingdom be? They could use this trump card to gather the surviving elders and descendants of the former lord's forces. Restoring the Wu Kingdom was impossible, but becoming a powerful force would be easy.
At that time—
The old man's ambitions, which had been suppressed for many years, are beginning to stir again.
Unfortunately, Ji Moyu poured cold water on his hopes.
He said expressionlessly, "Oh, it's a pity. I've lived a lonely life, without a wife, children, or relatives. Your plans have been ruined."
The old man's face, now restored to its youthful state, twitched violently as he said, "Do all the men from your Gongxi clan suffer from some serious illness? You're not even interested in women, do you have some hidden ailment?"
Fang Yan and the others couldn't stand it anymore.
Ji Moyu's answer was even more explosive.
"Oh, how did you know? Did my brother tell you?"
The old man really wanted to turn around and slap him to death. He now believed that Ji Moyu and the former lord were twins. Their reckless personalities were exactly the same, and they dared to say anything nonsense: "Shut up, don't slander the former lord's posthumous name."
Ji Moyu rolled his eyes: "He's a sinner who killed his own mother and harmed his clan. What reputation can he possibly have after his death?"
The greatest sinner of the Gongxi clan!
The old man asked in surprise, "Did he kill his own mother?"
"One of the five high priests who died in battle." According to the long-standing tradition of the Gongxi tribe, the chieftain and the high priest are usually two people, often one man and one woman. If the high priest is a woman, the chieftain is a man, and they are responsible for different parts.
The brothers grew up in a honey pot from birth.
When he was six years old, he went to the clan altar, where the gods gave a divine decree, choosing his older brother as a candidate for high priest. The clan members discussed it and, since the brothers had a good relationship, decided to make Ji Moyu a candidate for clan leader. The older brother was still jealous, jealous that their father, the clan leader, was teaching Ji Moyu how to be a clan leader, and that the father and son were getting closer.
The training required for the High Priest was a torment for the naturally active older brother, especially since the gods were very capricious in choosing the High Priest, with more than one candidate available at any given time. When the brother wasn't chosen, he was devastated and increasingly yearned for the outside world.
In short, one wrong step leads to another.
As for why Ji Moyu was able to become the High Priest, it was naturally because all the candidates that the clan had painstakingly cultivated died in that incident, and the previous High Priest, Ji Moxing, needed to recuperate from his injuries, so he was inexplicably chosen.
The old man looked embarrassed: "The late lord didn't mention it at the time."
Ji Moyu said coldly, "He insisted on betraying the clan despite all the obstacles, so my mother severed ties with him."
The old man was unhappy that the former ruler had been criticized by Ji Moyu.
Unable to resist retorting, "Didn't you betray us too?"
Ji Moyu: "Yes, but because of him, when I left the clan territory, not a single blood relative came to stop me..."
Old man: "..."
He decided not to speak until he reached the underground palace.
Ji Moyu wanted to give Ji Moqiu a few last words, but after much deliberation, he realized he had already repeated what he needed to say countless times. He sighed and remained silent. Ji Moqiu was a man favored by the gods; the gods would protect him, and he was destined not to be alone or face hardship.
The underground palace was a long road, but even the longest road has an end. Ji Moyu hadn't walked such a long road in a long time, and even with someone helping him, he was still panting heavily. He looked up at the tightly closed gate at the end of the tunnel. The gate was three zhang high and two zhang wide, and its material was neither iron nor copper. There were two rings on the left and right sides of the gate, and there were reliefs of human figures on the gate.
Ji Moyu stood in front of the door, looking up at the figure.
Before long, tears welled up in her eyes and streamed down her face.
No one else disturbed him.
Uncle Lin saw Fang Yan touching the wall.
He asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
Fang Yan said, "It feels like the texture of wood..."
He had already noticed the strangeness of this tunnel.
Ordinary tunnels have brick and stone walls, but this tunnel is more like hollow wood; a light tap produces a sound remarkably like jade. Such a strange structure is something I've never seen before. Before Uncle Lin could speak, Ji Moyu raised his hand and stroked the massive gate, whispering, "It's a tree."
"What?"
Ji Moyu made a startling statement: "This tunnel, this underground palace, and even this mountain are actually just a tree."
Fang Yan was surprised: "It hasn't rotted?"
Ji Moyu did not respond.
Under the old man's impatient gaze, he turned his head and asked, "Shaobai, do you know who this person on the door is?"
Ji Moqiu shook his head: "I don't know."
The relief of the figures on the door shows their backs, not their faces.
Ji Moyu said with emotion, "She is my mother."
"The teacher's mother?"
Ji Moyu said, "Yes, my mother."
Fang Yan and the others sighed repeatedly.
Given the current situation, it's highly unlikely that Ji Moyu will leave the underground palace alive. After a century of separation, the mother and son are finally laid to rest in the same place. Such a fate evokes sorrow and pity.
Even the old man showed a moment of surprise.
He was genuinely unaware that the high priestess who had transformed into this mountain was actually the birth mother of Ji Moyu and the former lord, and he was deeply moved.
However, this emotion was quickly replaced by rage.
Ji Moyu composed himself and performed an unfamiliar greeting towards the gate: "Junior Ji Moyu requests an audience with the clan's sage Ji Moshuang, and earnestly requests that the spirit of the sage appear before me."
As soon as he finished speaking, the relief on the door came to life.
She slowly turned around, revealing a stunningly beautiful face. Her eyes were filled with compassion as she opened her lips: "What is it?"
Ji Moyu looked at this person with a nostalgic gaze.
While keeping his mouth shut about the important matter, he said, "Please, sages, lower the seal."
Upon hearing the word "seal," the old man immediately realized what was happening, his tiger-like eyes widening in anger: "No, how could it be lowering a seal?"
He raised his hand to grab Ji Moyu's shoulder.
The relief of the human figure on the door moved faster than him.
He instantly lost contact with the powerful martial energy within his body, his feet firmly gripped by the ground beneath him, and his outstretched hand was grabbed by Ji Moqiu, rendering him unable to move: "Ji Moyu—"
Suddenly, he felt a pang of panic.
Ji Moyu turned to him, tapped the ground with his cane, and the giant human figure relief looked at him with a hint of kindness. The old man laughed in exasperation.
"No matter what you want to do, how long do you think this kind of confinement can imprison me?" The old man's eyes flashed with murderous intent.
Ji Moyu: "At most thirty breaths."
The old man said in a sinister tone, "You know that too!"
Ji Moyu gave him a bright smile, his wrinkles gathering as he said, "Don't even mention thirty breaths, three breaths would be enough."
Then, she raised her hand and placed her sword-like finger between his eyebrows.
He said to Ji Moqiu, "My disciple, before I die, I will give you a great gift: from now on, you will be free from all constraints!"
[Using someone else's flowers to offer to Buddha!]
The old man was shocked to find that he could not only not move his entire body, but he could not even feel his own body. Yet, strangely enough, his body moved: "Master is here, disciple, come!"
The old man saw himself raise his hand and wave his sleeve.
The previously closed door was suddenly flung open.
The underground palace hall, which was supposed to be sealed with countless Gu worms, was revealed.
As a result, the interior of the main hall was completely empty.
There was only a strange altar standing tall in the center.
The old man roared, "What are you doing, Ji Moyu?"
His eyes were bloodshot, and he didn't immediately realize the problem with the underground palace.
Ji Moyu didn't respond, but simply told Ji Moqiu to put the limp "Ji Moyu" aside and step onto the altar with him. Yes, it was Ji Moyu who was now controlling the old man's body: "The three of you stay down here and guard him."
Stepping onto the altar, the master and disciple sat facing each other.
"Shaobai, close your eyes and focus on your inner self."
The old man quickly realized what Ji Moyu was up to.
Because he discovered that the flow of martial energy within his body's meridians was actually reversed, and there was only one way to actively control the reverse flow of martial energy!
[A sudden enlightenment!]
"Damn it, Ji Moyu, you beast!"
"Stop right there!"
|ω`)
There will be more updates later.
Hehe, I've added over 700 more words. You'll be finished updating when you see this sentence.
(End of this chapter)
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