When It Comes to Being Black-Hearted

Yanshi and Zhu Yan quietly severed their perception, falling into a prolonged silence. Zhu Yan suddenly let out a long sigh and said, "That brat's tongue is truly venomous, yet he didn't utter a single foul word." Yanshi said faintly, "Isn't that all because you're such a spendthrift?" Zhu Yan glared. "If I hadn't spent like that, they would have stormed our mountain gates long ago! How many times did those fellows corner you in Immortal Heaven so badly that you couldn't even step out the door? And as he pointed out, they're clearly just templates, yet we insisted on paying them as Dao Foundations. Who was the one who decided on that in the first place?" Yanshi gave a light cough and said, "Let's get down to business. These tens of thousands of Dao soldiers were an error on both our parts—" "Your error!" Zhu Yan stressed. Yanshi acted as if he had heard nothing and continued, "—and neither of us was willing to play the villain. Now that Wei Yuan has scolded us awake, what must be done must still be done. In my view, we cannot wait three years; this has to be thoroughly resolved within one." "One year is fine, but who will sign off on it? Will you sign, or will I?" Yanshi said, "Hasn't Wei Yuan already picked the candidate to sign for us?" "Fenhai? For him, this is an utter disaster out of nowhere!" Yanshi chuckled softly and said, "You don't know the half of it. Fire has already broken out in Fenhai's back garden. That partner of his has summoned the elders of her clan to step in, preparing to expose Fenhai's true colors as an ungrateful, fickle man who secretly kept a young Dao companion on the side. This calamity is going to be rough for Fenhai to survive. So, having him handle this matter right now, drawing the wrath of thousands and getting cursed on all sides, will inevitably trigger her temper. She won't be able to bear watching it and will certainly step up to defend him. "As for how she punishes him in private, that is between the two of them. It might even spice up their relationship. Wouldn't that count as helping Fenhai get through this tribulation? After all, his Daoist title is Fenhai—Boiling the Sea. If you want to boil an ocean, you've got to carry a pot on your back anyway." Zhu Yan marveled in admiration. "When it comes to being black-hearted, nobody beats you." Yanshi shook his head. "Far from it. Wei Yuan's opening move—unequal pay for the same post—first roasted the veteran Dao soldiers over the fire, a trial ordinary people could hardly endure. Following that up with merit-based competition for positions becomes only natural, perfectly aligning with popular sentiment." "That is true!" "By the way, do you want to look for Wei Yuan when you have time?" "I just got an earful from him. Why would I look for him? I'm not going!" Yanshi said, "He can create template Dao foundations and Golden Pellet dharma idols. If people can be replicated, can't magical artifacts be replicated as well? What I mean is, why don't you order a batch of counterfeit Patriarch immortal artifacts from him? That way, you wouldn't feel the sting when you detonate them. For instance, that immortal sword belonging to the Fourth Generation Palace Master—could he make eighty or a hundred of those?" Zhu Yan's eyes lit up instantly. If this succeeded, his ultimate trump card would turn into an everyday tactic he could unleash at will. *** Wei Yuan immersed himself in refining the Hall of Dao Soldiers. Unbeknownst to him, more than half a year slipped by. The entire Hall of Dao Soldiers had been transformed into a ring on Wei Yuan's finger; its true entity had merged into the Qingming boundary stone, entering a state that was half-illusory and half-substantial. When Wei Yuan emerged from seclusion, the mortal realm had grown even more chaotic. Southern Jin had suddenly launched a full-scale offensive against the State of Zhao, advancing in three columns with coordinated strikes. In merely a month, they took more than ten Zhao cities in succession. Zhao hurriedly dispatched its most elite imperial guards to provide relief and clashed with Southern Jin at Huishan. The battle ended in a crushing defeat: over a hundred thousand troops were beheaded, and hundreds of thousands more were taken prisoner. Serving as the commander-in-chief, the Crown Prince escaped back to the capital with only a small squad of personal guards. The course of this battle was fraught with baffling circumstances. The various columns of Southern Jin's army fought like deities descending from heaven; every single unit managed to anticipate the enemy's moves and strike at vital vulnerabilities Zhao was forced to rescue. In contrast, the Zhao army stumbled about like headless flies, stretched thin and constantly running straight into ambushes. Zhao's logistical supply units were repeatedly intercepted and butchered, appearing almost as if they were delivering provisions directly to the Jin army. Southern Jin's godlike command of warfare was easy enough to understand—it was certainly the work of Immortal Cui Wantong. But the Zhao army's conduct was utterly incomprehensible. What was Immortal Zhao Li doing? Why had he not shown himself all this time? By all accounts, Immortal Zhao Li ranked firmly among the top three among the aristocratic clan immortals. Cui Wantong was far inferior in both cultivation and seniority. Yet how was he nowhere to be found while Cui Wantong displayed such terrifying might? Just as Southern Jin was sweeping through with unstoppable momentum, Li Zhi, who had remained silent all along, suddenly led his troops in an invasion of Southern Jin territory! His force was not large, nor was its equipment particularly refined; its sole advantage was sheer tenacity, fighting with suicidal fervor. After a string of fierce battles, both sides suffered heavy casualties, and three eastern commanderies of Southern Jin fell into Li Zhi's hands. Northern Qi was still locked in bitter combat against Southern Qi. Though Northern Qi repeatedly lost battles, its army included a large number of warrior monks with formidable combat prowess. Southern Qi's advance proved extraordinarily difficult, with every city and parcel of land fiercely contested back and forth. The State of Song struck Southern Qi from the flank. The State of Song had seen no warfare for years, but Song Cui placed immense emphasis on maintaining and drilling troops. The Song imperial guards wore armor with a striking gold-and-red palette, presenting a majestic appearance, and their parade formation was hailed as the finest under heaven. Thus, when Song Cui marched out against a secondary detachment of Southern Qi, everyone across the realm assumed it would be an overwhelming triumph, crushing the enemy like a thunderbolt. Yet to everyone's astonishment, Song's forces stumbled right from the start. Small towns defended by only a few thousand men held out for more than half a month before falling. A medium-sized city garrisoned by thirty thousand soldiers took a full four months to breach. After a year of warfare, the Song army had indeed advanced over seven thousand li, yet remained far from Southern Qi's heartland. That splendidly armored imperial guard had once driven deep on its own, only to be ambushed and surrounded by Southern Jin, losing several tens of thousands of lives under a barrage of heavy cannon fire. Among all the forces of Song, this very imperial guard—the tallest, most brilliantly armored, highest-paid, and most noble in origin—boasted an utterly abysmal record, almost certain to lose even when outnumbering the enemy two to one. Had an obscure auxiliary detachment in the Song army not won victory after victory, the pride of the entire State of Song would have been ground into the dirt. A renowned general had finally emerged from Song, but he did not bear the surname Cui. Meanwhile, Southern Qi produced several famous commanders in succession. However, these commanders were not particularly celebrated within Southern Qi, as people believed their victories were entirely owed to the incompetence of the Song army. Southern Qi was beginning to display the bearing of an overlord, continuing its steady advance while fighting on three fronts, its lands producing an endless stream of fierce warriors and illustrious scholars. At this moment, the various nations of the realm turned their gazes toward the State of Wu, hoping its forces would strike Southern Qi in the rear. But Wu focused solely on dealing with the sea race, appearing entirely devoid of interest in the civil war among humans. Old Madame Bao even passed word privately, stating that Wu could not produce a Son of Heaven, nor did the Bao family wish to become emperors. For now, the Bao family only wished to protect the people of Wu from the ravages of the sea race; whoever emerged victorious in the realm, the Bao family would submit to them. Amidst the storm, only one place remained extraordinarily serene: the Tang court. At this time, the Great Tang still claimed to be the co-ruler of the realm, and Emperor Zhao continued to hold court daily. Ministers never opened their mouths without declaring, "Our Great Tang still possesses a million valiant troops!" The inner palace was as resplendent with blossoms as ever, with imperial consorts still debating the vibrancy of floral shades and which handsome poet had recently risen to fame, entirely oblivious to the upheaval shaking the world. Wei Yuan's only deployment against human forces was in Northern Qi. This force advanced unhurriedly. Wherever it conquered, it felled sacred groves, tore down temples, and confiscated temple estates to lease them to destitute peasants at low rents. Within the occupied territories, altars were continually erected to expound the teachings, clarifying the differences between the Pure Land and King Buddha's scripture. Wei Yuan did not care whether the common folk could understand; he simply instilled the core doctrines into them directly. Qingming was filled with countless talents who easily authored innumerable texts specifically refuting Pure Land scripture. For those unwilling to convert, all monks were expelled and returned to the Pure Land, while the lay believers were forced to rent land from Qingming at higher rates. Yet regardless of whether they believed in the Pure Land or the Three Realms Dao path, Wei Yuan forced them all to undergo Body Casting and study the scriptures—and to read the scriptures, they naturally had to learn how to read. Wei Yuan wanted these believers to see for themselves what was written in the Buddhist scriptures, rather than merely listen to what the monks told them.