My Dreams Connect to Ancient Times-Chapter 164 - 20: A Plea to Lu Zi to Defeat the Thieves
The Supreme sat serenely in the Daoist Palace.
Beside the Eight Trigrams Furnace, two Children carefully fanned the flames. Each wave of their fans stirred ripples powerful enough to tear heaven and earth apart, yet these ripples were instantly compressed and contained, transforming into a gentle breeze that caused the flames to burn even more fiercely.
"Master," one Child said respectfully. "The fire is about ready."
The Supreme nodded calmly, his eyelids lowered, his thoughts unknown. After a long moment, he sighed softly and said:
"My lineage practices tranquility, Non-action, and follows the course of Nature..."
The two Children looked up in confusion, both turning to their great master.
Then, they saw their great master rub his nose and mutter to himself:
"I feel a sneeze coming on."
The Children froze, then watched in horror as their great master sneezed—"ACHOO!" A blast of air drifted out, happening to carry a single spark from the roaring flames beneath the Eight Trigrams Furnace, and also happening to blow open the doors of the Daoist Palace.
The tiny, flickering spark, as if tossed in a storm, drifted out of the Daoist Palace and into the absolute nothingness beyond.
As the two Children watched in a daze, that minuscule spark swelled into a massive fireball. With a great RUMBLE, it plunged into the River of Time, falling into the Great Heaven and Earth.
......
Ancient Times. The final years of the Great Zhou. The Spring and Autumn Years.
"Great Sage Zhang Ling, what a pity, what a tragedy!"
From within Luoyang City, the grand voice of the Great Dao drifted out, scattering across the entire world.
"What a pity, what a tragedy!!" 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢
「Linzi. The Qi Palace.」
A severed head with wide, furious eyes hung from the great banner outside the main hall. Blood trickled down the bronze flagpole, neither drying nor congealing.
In the hall, Duke Huan of Qi sat upon his throne, his gaze fixed on the great banner outside the doors and the head hanging from it. He spoke indifferently:
"This man was brave, but he harbored a disloyal heart. His execution is of no regret."
All the generals and ministers hurriedly agreed, but Guan Zhong sighed softly:
"Your Majesty, the matter of the city massacres has, in the end, incurred the wrath of heaven and the resentment of the people..."
"Wrath of heaven?" Duke Huan of Qi said coolly. "Though I use the clan name Lü, my family name is Jiang. My ancestor was Jiang Shang, also known as Jiang Ziya. He received the aid of the Immortal Gods, which is the aid of Heaven itself. Heaven stands with me!"
"And the resentment of the people...?"
"What does the resentment of the people matter?" he said calmly. "To achieve great things, one must not be bothered by trifles. History is written by the victors. So what if I massacre cities? As long as the Immortal Gods are pleased, the world will belong to Qi. When that day comes, who will dare to slander me for it?"
After a pause, Duke Huan of Qi pointed to the head hanging outside and added:
"This man’s fame for martial prowess was known throughout the lands of Qi and Qin, yet I executed him. Who dares to speak a word of injustice on his behalf? He was no sage, possessed no Virtue, and was certainly no Saint. So what if I killed him? It is just like the Sui Kingdom—utterly weak, with no Immortal Gods to protect it. So what if I slaughtered them?"
He stood up, his gaze as sharp as a hawk’s, his demeanor as menacing as a wolf’s, every step radiating a murderous aura:
"By massacring these hundred cities, I gain the Celestial Venerable’s aid. Why should it not be done? Who dares to feel resentment? And even if they did, who would dare show it before me? The head of the last one who did is hanging on that banner! Who dares to take it down for burial?"
Before he could finish speaking.
"The Ruler of the State of Qi, acting with perverse depravity, has massacred over a hundred cities. And the Great Sage Zhang Ling..."
The grand voice of the Great Dao resounded from beyond the heavens.
"Great Sage Zhang Ling, what a pity, what a tragedy!"
Within the Qi Palace, the ministers were stunned, the color drained from Guan Zhong’s face, and Duke Huan of Qi was utterly enraged!
From the horizon, the lament of "what a pity, what a tragedy" grew vast and mighty, accompanied by a ceaseless downpour—the heavens themselves were weeping!
When a Saint passes, Heaven and Earth grieve; when a Great Virtue passes, the mountains and rivers mourn; when a Great Sage passes, the Celestial Vault weeps in sorrow.
This great rain falling from the sky was Heaven and Earth acknowledging Zhang Ling’s title as a Great Sage!
Killing a disloyal subject and killing a Great Sage of the current age are two entirely different matters.
Duke Huan of Qi slammed his hand down, and the low table beside him shattered into dust. His expression was thunderous. Listening to the lingering echoes of "what a pity, what a tragedy" and watching the torrential rain, he bit out each word:
"Who. Is. This?"
The ministers exchanged glances, but no one spoke.
After a long moment, Guan Zhong spoke as if lost in thought:
"This is the voice of a Great Virtue. But logically, the voice of a Great Virtue cannot spread throughout the entire world. He must have borrowed the power of a Supreme Treasure... It is likely the work of that Lu Zi in Luoyang City."
As he spoke, he turned his head to look at the grim-faced Duke Huan of Qi and said calmly:
"Did Zhang Ling not say it himself? Lu Zi is his junior brother. Although this Lu Zi’s fame is not yet widespread, his Position of Great Virtue is enough to officially recognize someone as a Great Sage. Your Majesty should consider how to suppress the rumors that are about to erupt throughout the Qi Region."
Duke Huan of Qi’s expression was terrifyingly dark.
After a long moment, he drew his sword and slashed. The light of the blade transformed into a great river, surging out of the Qi Palace and toward the Celestial Vault. It shattered the gathering storm clouds and sliced through the curtain of rain that wept for the passing of a Great Sage!
Then, Duke Huan of Qi spoke with imperious arrogance:
"A Great Virtue? So what if he’s a Great Virtue? If he dares come to the Qi Region, I will cut him down all the same! This head was supposed to be taken down from the banner today, but now I’ve changed my mind!"
After a pause, he spoke with a chilling coldness:
"Leave it hanging on the banner. Order the soldiers to flog it daily. Lu Zi... Hmph. If he has the spine, let him come and take this head himself!"
Guan Zhong opened his mouth to speak but stopped himself, ultimately just shaking his head and sighing.
"As Your Majesty commands..."
The words had barely left his lips when heaven and earth began to tremble.
Duke Huan of Qi’s expression changed. He walked out of the hall and gazed into the distance alongside Guan Zhong. One of them was the foremost hegemon of the age, a venerable Grand Grade, while the other was a Great Sage of the era, revered as ’Guanzi’.
Channeling their cultivation, their eyesight became extraordinary, allowing both to clearly see the scene unfolding in the heavens.
They saw a massive, utterly ferocious fireball successively smash through several layers of the heavens before crashing into the Celestial Vault above the Land of the Far West.
The Celestial Vault fractured. They could see the Celestial Gate, engraved with the name of the West Pole Celestial Court, fall toward the Human World along with several palace halls, all amidst billowing smoke and dust!
The earth shook and the heavens trembled.
