The Great Wei Music Bureau

Chapter 317 Return to Zhongdu

Last time, we talked about Li Yi asking Tao Xuan Zhenren to send Xiao Ziyi and others back to Wei State, while he himself had to stay to clean up the mess. So how will the story develop next? Let's read on.

Just as Li Yi injected the dragon energy in Xiao Ziyi's body into the rock wall of West Mountain and the thunder struck and struck out a golden dragon relief, in the Fengtian Hall of the Wei Imperial Palace in Zhongdu Luoyang City, the five bronze tripods that carried the luck suddenly vibrated and resonated.

Let me explain here that the purpose of casting a tripod is to condense the luck of the human race. This custom has existed since Emperor Huangdi. Every dynasty would cast a bronze tripod at the beginning of its establishment to condense the luck of the human race in the tripod.

If the country expands its territory, it will have to cast another tripod to carry the increased luck. Similarly, if the country loses territory, it will have to destroy the tripod. Otherwise, the lack of luck will lead to the decline of the country. This is also the most important item in the ritual system.

King Wu of Qin was born with supernatural strength but died while lifting a tripod. It was not because he was not strong enough to lift the tripod, but because his body could not bear the luck in the tripod, so his eyes bled and he died of suffocation.

The Wei royal family cast five tripods to carry the destiny of the human race, which was originally enough. But now Li Yi used the dragon energy as a contract to forcibly incorporate the Western Regions into the territory of the Wei Dynasty, so the destiny naturally increased. Therefore, the bronze tripod could not contain the destiny and this sounded an alarm.

As soon as this situation occurred, the eunuch on duty at the Imperial Household Department reported it immediately, and soon the Empress Dowager, the Emperor, the Empress, and relevant officials from the Ministry of Rites all arrived. Yuan Jun and Gongsun Feng supported Empress Dowager Xiao as they inspected the Bronze Tripod of Fortune.

Only members of the royal family can get close to examine the Cauldron of Fortune. Anyone else who wants to find out what's inside will surely be doomed to misfortune. There have been many eunuchs and palace maids who were reckless and could not control their curiosity when wiping the bronze cauldron, and ended up dying tragically.

Of course, there would be nothing wrong if one looked from a distance, so the Minister of Rites Kong, the Imperial Astronomical Bureau Jia Jianzheng and other officials stretched their necks outside the gate to look, and in this situation, they did not care about etiquette or not.

The sound of the bronze tripod of fortune could indicate either great joy or great sorrow, so these officials from the Ministry of Rites had to see the clues so that they would have something to say when the emperor asked them questions. Otherwise, what was the point of keeping officials like them who were basically not seen or used in normal times?

Minister Kong was the most respectful of etiquette, but at this time he also held the door frame and stared, only to see smoke rising from the five bronze tripods. Whenever Yuan Jun touched a bronze tripod, it would stop ringing, but would continue to ring as soon as he let go. It was no use even if the Queen Mother or the Empress touched it.

After looking around for a while, Yuan Jun stood at the door and asked, "My dear ministers, have you figured out anything?"

At this moment, there are only two people who should come out to answer, either Minister Kong or Jia Jianzheng. Minister Kong is not sure now, so he pokes Jia Jianzheng.

Jia Jian was gritting his teeth and said, "Your Majesty, I think this is a very auspicious sign. I see smoke lingering above the five tripods, which shows that our Great Wei is prosperous and has abundant luck. These five bronze tripods can no longer hold all the luck. Please cast another tripod to carry the luck of the human race."

After hearing this, Minister Kong thought: This is a big deal. If the population is really prosperous and the luck is abundant, then we can add a tripod. But now the war has been quelled for less than a year, and the population is far from recovering to its heyday. The four words "prosperous" are just your nonsense! If you are wrong, Jia Jianzheng, I am afraid that even if I kill all your clans, it will not make up for this mistake!

Tuoba Jun looked at Minister Kong and asked, "What do you think, Minister Kong?"

Minister Kong bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I think we should ask Lord Tao to come and take a look at this matter. Lord Tao is knowledgeable and will surely give Your Majesty a satisfactory answer."

Jia Jianzheng thought to himself when he heard this: Fuck you, Shangshu Sir, you are so uncivilized. You are clearly saying that I am wrong! Ah, His Majesty asked questions and you pushed me to take the blame. Now you think I am wrong and you want to find Tao Zhongwen. Why? He knows nothing. He...

Before Jia Jianzheng finished his complaints, Tao Zhongwen came quickly, bowed, and stepped into the Fengtian Hall. Jia Jianzheng immediately shouted, "Tao Zhongwen, you are so bold! How can you enter the Fengtian Hall!" Yuan Jun stretched out his hand and pressed down, and Jia Jianzheng immediately shut up.

After reading it, Tao Zhongwen counted with his fingers and laughed, "Congratulations, Your Majesty. Congratulations, Your Majesty, the vast Western Regions have all been returned to our Great Wei. This has greatly increased our fortune. Please cast the tripod quickly, Your Majesty!"

The Queen Mother, the Emperor, and the Empress were very confused after hearing this. How could the Western Regions belong to the Wei Dynasty? Didn't they take over a large piece of land without spending a single soldier? Is there such a good thing in the world?

Tao Zhongwen only knew one part of the story but not its meaning. He did calculate that Li Yi had gained a lot from his trip to the Western Regions, but he did not calculate about the monster clan.

Yuan Jun was still calmer. He did not blindly believe Li Yi like Tao Zhongwen. He moved to the Qinzheng Hall. The six ministers of the six ministries were all present in the hall, plus Tao Zhongwen and Jia Jianzheng. Other officials from the Sitianjian were outside waiting for orders.

Yuan Jun extended his hand to signal the teacher to take a seat, and then he took a sip of tea. After Tao Zhongwen sat down, Yuan Jun said, "I have summoned you all so late at night to discuss important matters. Everyone knows the situation in Fengtian Hall, so I will not beat around the bush. Please share your opinions."

Let’s put this discussion aside for now and switch the focus to the Western Region to see what’s going on.

Watching Taoist Master Tao Xuan flying away with Xiao Ziyi and others on his sword, Li Yi enlarged the image of Acalanatha to fifty feet and began to kill the poisonous insects at all costs. He was like a huge insect-killing machine, constantly spewing fire and controlling water, and even turned the measuring ruler into a big fly swatter, killing them in large numbers.

However, killing like this consumed too much energy, and Li Yi could not hold on for long. He retracted his Dharma image and instead used the method of speaking and following the Dharma in conjunction with Buddhism. He used these insects to practice his Confucianism, Taoism and Legalism ideas, and the area around Tianchi became Li Yi's training ground.

Li Yi was so excited that he started playing around, developing the ninjutsu in Naruto, such as fire dragon bullet, earth dragon bullet, water dragon bullet, and even combined skills. Otherwise, why do people say that men stay young until they die? Let's let the talented Li play around here and see what's going on with Tao Xuan Zhenren and Xiao Ziyi.

It is said that Taoist Master Tao Xuan sent Xiao Ziyi and his group to Dunhuang City on his sword. The others didn't care and just said goodbye to Master Xiao alone. After all, he still wanted to accept Xiao Ziyi as his disciple.

Xiao Ziyi bowed and said, "The Immortal Master first gave me the power and taught me the truth, and then he personally helped me. I am very grateful. I wonder if I can do something to show my gratitude to the Immortal Master."

Tao Xuan was surprised and said, "Why are you still calling me Immortal? You learned my Peach Blossom Sword Technique, so you should at least call me Master."

Xiao Ziyi said in surprise: "I heard from Li Yi that people who practice Taoism rely entirely on talent. It took me so long to comprehend the spiritual charm of the peach wood sword. I thought I didn't have the talent and couldn't be your apprentice."

Tao Xuan waved his hand and smiled, "It's true that cultivation depends on talent, but some methods cannot be understood by talent alone. Didn't I tell you that even my direct disciple Shan Yiling couldn't fully understand the Peach Blossom Sword Technique? You are already very talented for being able to understand it in such a short time."

"So, am I qualified to be your disciple?"

"Of course!"

Xiao Ziyi was about to perform the ceremony of becoming a disciple, but Tao Xuan stopped her with his hand and said with a smile, "You can perform this ceremony of becoming a disciple when you reach the Peach Blossom Peak of Qiyun Mountain. You still have a lot of things to do right now."

"Please explain clearly, Master."

“Since Xiuyuan used dragon energy to guard the Western Regions and forcefully incorporated the Western Regions into the territory of Wei, you have also seen that the Golden Crow wants to turn the Western Regions into a hotbed for demons. The Zoroastrianism is now in name only, and there are no constraints there. So if Wei does not send people there, I am afraid that demons will descend upon the world and disasters will continue.

So you have to hurry back and persuade your brother to send someone over as soon as possible to inherit the human race, and then invite the three religions of Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism to come in and slay the demons. Only in this way can we ensure the safety of the Western Regions and Li Yi can go back."

Upon hearing this, Xiao Ziyi bowed and said, "Disciple understands. I will do it right away."

Tao Xuan stretched out his hand to stop him, "Hey, Ziyi, don't be so anxious. You're not feeling well right now, so you should take care of yourself."

Xiao Ziyi asked in surprise: "What does Master mean by this?"

"What? Don't you know you're pregnant?"

"What! I actually..." Xiao Ziyi touched her belly with a confused look on her face.

"You asked about your marriage destiny before, and wanted to find a solution to your predicament. Now you are my disciple, so this is the best way. After you have given birth and recuperated, come to Qiyun Mountain and concentrate on practicing Taoism."

"Xiu Dao... Will I be able to see him again?"

"What a coincidence! There is someone on Peach Blossom Peak who can give you the best answer to your question."

"Who?"

"Your senior sister, Shan Yiling! She was deceived badly by that brat Li Yi just like you. You might as well go and ask her. Well, I won't say any more to you. The matter of the Gu God is very serious. I have to hurry up and report to the Taoist leader. You should go back to Wei State and do as Li Yi said."

After Tao Xuan finished speaking, he flew away on his sword. Xiao Ziyi watched her master leave, then touched her belly and walked towards Liu Ruyun and others who were waiting outside the city.

The group arrived at the Dunhuang City Lord's Mansion. Yuehua, Baozhu Faluo, Wei Lue, Shiying and others came to visit. Langya told them the general situation, that is, the Zoroastrianism chief priest and two direct disciples were dead, the Zoroastrianism no longer existed, and the real intention of Lu Sheng to establish the Zoroastrianism.

When everyone heard this, they all looked incredulous. No one would be able to accept such a fact for a moment.

Gu Zhou asked: "Is the grassland safe now?"

Liu Ruyun waved her hand and said, "It's not safe. Although the black wolf is gone, we may encounter monsters and poisonous insects." Everyone started talking about it. Some even asked if it was because Li Yi killed the high priest that the monsters appeared and harmed the world.

When Langya heard this, he started cursing on the spot: "Bullshit! The Zoroastrian High Priest is the devil. My son was fighting those poisonous insects and demons alone by the Tianchi Lake to protect the Western Region. It would be fine if you didn't help, but you are still wrongly accusing a good man. Are you still human?"

Everyone was silent after seeing this, only Yuehua didn't care about right or wrong, she only cared about Li Yi's life or death, she asked: "So how is my brother now?"

"They should still be fighting those poisonous insects or demons."

Baozhu Faluo said: "Is there any way to help you, young master?"

Yu Jiu said, "I have a suggestion. We might as well offer a large reward for the Black Demon Wolf and the demon race!"

Wei Lue was puzzled and said, "If a large reward is offered, some people will indeed go deep into the grassland, but we don't have many experts in Dunhuang City. If an ordinary person goes there, he will probably die in vain."

Yu Jiu said: "The bounty order is not issued to Dunhuang City, but to all cultivators, inviting cultivators from all over the world to come to the Western Regions to slay demons and eliminate monsters! First, to show the world the style of Dunhuang, and second, to help you relieve the pressure."

Langya said excitedly: "This is a good idea!"

Liu Ruyun waved her hand and said, "What if the people from the Western Chu Witch Cult also took the opportunity to sneak in? Have you forgotten about the harm caused by the Gu God Grass?"

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.

Xiao Ziyi said: "You all go back, I will make the decision on this matter, we will return to Zhongdu early tomorrow morning!"

At night, Xiao Ziyi looked up at the starry sky in the courtyard. Yuehua came over and asked, "Are you worried about your brother?"

Xiao Ziyi nodded and said, "Yes, you didn't see the overwhelming number of poisonous insects. Some were as big as a hill, and the smallest ant was the size of a finger. What's more, there are monsters that keep appearing. I'm afraid of him..."

Yuehua took out the light bead that Li Yi gave her and said with a smile: "Don't worry, my brother said that as long as he is alive, this bead will not be destroyed."

Xiao Ziyi took the bead from Yuehua and said in surprise, "He actually gave you such a good thing, can you give it to me?"

Yuehua immediately snatched the bead back and said seriously, "No! This was given to me by my brother! This bead went out once before and I was scared to death. Fortunately, it lit up again not long after, otherwise I would have asked Quinn to take me to Tianchi!"

Xiao Ziyi recalled the scene when Li Yi died in her arms, and murmured, "Yeah, I thought he was dead at that time..."

Yuehua said sternly, "My brother is very lucky, he won't die! By the way, how far has sister Ziyi and my brother progressed?"

Xiao Ziyi touched her belly, her face turned red as she said, "What's the matter? Let's just leave it as it is."

Yuehua nudged Xiao Ziyi's waist with her elbow and said with a smile: "I don't believe it. With my brother's ability, it is impossible that he can't defeat you after such a long time!"

Xiao Ziyi said seriously: "How can we describe this matter of feelings as something that can't be taken or not?"

Yuehua said disapprovingly: "At the beginning, sister-in-law Shiyu was watching so closely, but my brother also took in a sister-in-law Hanfeng. He told me that this is called taking someone down!"

Xiao Ziyi said unhappily, "Humph, you won't learn anything if you follow him! I have to travel early tomorrow morning, so I'm going to go back and rest. You must protect yourself in Dunhuang, that bastard still misses you as his sister."

Yuehua smiled and bowed, saying playfully, "Goodbye, little sister-in-law."

Xiao Ziyi left with a smile. She suddenly reacted, turned around, glared at Yuehua and said, "Who is your sister-in-law!" After that, she flicked her sleeves and turned away.

Yuehua covered her mouth and chuckled, then looked at the moon and raised her hands to pray: "Sister-in-law Shiyu, you must be watching my brother from the moon, so please bless my brother to be safe."

The next morning, Xiao Ziyi and the others traveled light and simple all the way back east, only wanting to return to Zhongdu as soon as possible to persuade Yuanjun to send troops to support Li Yi...

We turned our attention to Zhongdu Luoyang again. What was going on here? The Cauldron of Luck was already being cast. It wasn't that the efficiency was slow, but adding a cauldron to the Fengtian Hall was not as simple as just putting a cauldron in.

That was to hold a large-scale ceremony to worship the heavens. Not only did they have to choose an auspicious time and day, but the participants in the ceremony also had to fast and bathe. All of this had to be done according to etiquette and all the preparations for the ceremony were underway. Yuan Jun was still worried, as he had not received any accurate information about the Western Regions.

The urgent imperial edict for inquiry and investigation had been sent out long ago, but the reply would have to wait at least two months. The latest news about the Western Regions in Yuan Jun's hands was the military report sent by Liu Xun, the commander of the Huben Army. It only said that they had arrived in Gaochang and received a warm welcome from the ruler and people of Gaochang.

A few days later, envoys from Dunhuang, Gaoche and Gaochang arrived in Zhongdu to pay tribute. They told Yuan Jun in detail what Li Yi had done in the Western Regions. The latter felt relieved, but still could not believe that Li Yi could incorporate the Western Regions into the territory of the Wei Dynasty.

Everything finally took a turn for the better that day. Xiao Ziyi and the others rode back to Zhongdu at full speed. It was already late at night when they arrived at the west gate of Luoyang. The city gate was closed, so the guards on duty naturally wanted to stop the four people.

Xiao Ziyi shouted, "Tell the emperor brother that his sister is back, and ask him to gather all the ministers to discuss the affairs of the Western Regions!"

Who would dare to be negligent in this situation? The Qinzheng Hall was brightly lit. While waiting for all the ministers to arrive, Xiao Ziyi and Zhou Bo explained everything about the Western Regions and the interests involved. After listening, Yuan Jun asked Xiao Ziyi to pay a visit to the Queen Mother and asked Zhou Bo to stay and explain things to the ministers. Of course, the matter of dragon energy could not be mentioned.

On the other hand, Yu Jiu's report to Li's house was fine, but Lang Ya's report to Commander Zhang was not so good. Mrs. Zhang fainted on the spot when she heard the news of her husband's death. Before Li Yi came back, he stayed at Zhang's house to take care of the orphan and widow.

Liu Ruyun did not stay in Zhongdu, but changed horses and set off for Pingcheng, which was the former Shangjing City. She was going to Jingang Temple to pass on a message. It was seven days later when she arrived at Jingang Temple. It was already dark, the temple gate was closed, and it was against the rules for a woman to visit, so the monks naturally refused to open the door, which was also reasonable.

But Liu Ruyun didn't care about that and climbed over the wall to get in, but was stopped by Du Ming. Liu Ruyun said, "Monk, call your abbot! I'm here to pass on a message for Li Yi!" Du Ming asked a few more questions when he heard the name of his junior uncle, but didn't start fighting directly. Once he said this, he naturally understood.

In the Zen room, Zhengyuan, Zhengjue, Jiyun and Duming received Liu Ruyun together. The latter didn't waste any words and told him about the war in the Buddhist country and Li Yi's situation. Jiyun bowed and said, "Master, since Junior Master-Uncle asked me to go to the northwest, I will leave now."

Zheng Yuan stretched out his hand to stop him, saying, "No, this matter is of great importance. Not only your junior uncle is in danger, but also the Buddhist kingdom is in danger! So I will go there myself. Jiyun, you stay in the temple. Before I come back, you and your junior uncle Zhengjue will manage the affairs of the temple together."

After the explanation, Zheng Yuan used the Vajra Divine Art, and the light behind him lit up. He ascended to heaven in three steps, and then the golden light broke through the air and headed straight for the Western Regions...