If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1018 Xu Negi
Seeing that Master Yu had disappeared in the blink of an eye, Ying Banli stamped her foot and said impatiently, "Ying Qian, you are so ignorant!"
This is a crucial moment for Master Yu.

Instead of persuading her to stay, you're urging her to leave. What are your intentions?

Ying Qian asked in surprise, "What crucial moment? Would I possibly harm her?"

Ying Banli said, "Lao Ai and Li Si are both recruiting extraordinary people to compete with Yu Tianshi for the position of Grand Tutor."

You don't know?

Now that she's left the Imperial Observatory, is she letting Li Si and Lao Ai run rampant in Xianyang, in the imperial court, and even within the Imperial Observatory?

Ying Qian laughed, "You're worrying for nothing! No one can take away Master Yu's position as 'Grand Tutor'."

Even if Meng Zhenjun returned, it would be useless, not to mention the unorthodox methods that Li Si and Lao Ai sought out.

Ying Banli asked curiously, "Do you have some amazing tricks up your sleeve to help Master Yu secure his position as Grand Tutor?"
Li Si was one thing, but he probably didn't really want to control the Imperial Observatory.

He was just trying to spite Master Yu and disgust her.

But Lao Ai was also secretly looking for a strange person, attempting to replace Master Yu.

This clearly received the approval of that vile woman, Zhao Ji.

Speaking of Zhao Ji, Ying Banli got angry, "Even at a time like this, that vile woman still has to cause trouble."

Perhaps it's time for us, the main and collateral branches of the Ying clan, to make some changes. We can't let her run rampant and ruin the last vestiges of the Qin Dynasty's fortunes.

The Grand Tutor of Qin must be Yu Fengxian!

Whether or not to restore the old system of 'Grand Tutor' is another matter.

Only Master Yu could stabilize the situation within the Imperial Observatory.

Ying Qian's eyes flashed, and he said in a low voice, "You also think it's time to 'move around'?"

Actually, you should definitely give it a try.

The situation has changed; Meng Zhenjun is gone. Yu Tianshi is clearly not on her side.

Ying Banli looked conflicted. "I'm just a distant relative, I have no prestige and no real skills."

You can talk your way out of it, but I can't do it.

Moreover, we will only talk about Master Yu now.

If you really want to 'give it a try,' you can try to find out what the princes think."

“Master Yu, you don’t need to worry at all. She made it clear that no one but her knows where the Nine Cauldrons are, let alone how to retrieve them from the land of the Nine Provinces.”

Ying Qian said quietly, "Her methods are far more sophisticated than you and I can imagine."

It wasn't just the methods of the Celestial Masters sect, but also their strategies.

Ying Banli's expression changed, and he asked in surprise, "You mean, she might use the Nine Tripods to blackmail the imperial court?"

"Did she blackmail us? She didn't say anything. If she hadn't brought it up today, we wouldn't have known."

Moreover, the Nine Tripods are only one aspect, not the whole picture.

Who can gather the dragon's energy, reconstruct the dragon vein, and create the "Nine Bends of the Yellow River" formation?
And what about the Treasure Map Room? Who can single-handedly stand against the divine forces of the Four Rivers and Five Sacred Mountains?

She can do the work that no one else can.

In times of peace and prosperity, when nothing major happens, perhaps a mediocre person can be assigned to sit in the Imperial Observatory and drift through life doing nothing.

Now, for the survival of the Qin Dynasty, Master Yu is working tirelessly, fighting against the gods and against fate. No one can replace her.

Even the shrewd and cunning Li Si, who tried to outmaneuver her, became a laughingstock. "Ying Qian sighed.

Ying Banli asked curiously, "Why didn't she directly demonstrate her irreplaceable status to the court officials that day?"

"Is she hiding her true abilities?" Ying Qian countered.

"Well, she was radiant, more dazzling than the awl in the bag."

What I mean is that all the astrologers in our Imperial Observatory recognized her talent and were all impressed by her.

However, the ministers in the court did not understand the Celestial Masters Sect. At the very least, they did not know that the Nine Cauldrons were in her hands, and would only remain in her hands.

"If she directly threatens them with the Nine Cauldrons, who would dare to mention the selection of the Grand Tutor again?" Ying Banli said.

Ying Qian shook his head and said, "There's no need to threaten anyone, because she wasn't threatened in the slightest."

Judging from her behavior, she spends all her time studying Taoist practices at the Imperial Observatory and is clearly too lazy to waste time and energy on them.

If things really come to a head and she uses the Nine Tripods to threaten Zhao Ji and the entire court, she will lose the people's hearts and become isolated. Even we will be wary of her.”

Ying Banli nodded slightly, the worry on his old face dissipating, but another worry surfaced in his mind.

"Why don't you go and see the princes? At a time like this, we really can't let Zhao Ji and Lao Ai cause trouble."

Ying Qian said calmly, "The dragon has nine sons, each different from the last. Do you know what they're all thinking?"
Ultimately, one of them will be the one to sit in that position.

But the fact that they don't fight for it themselves means they're not qualified.

If they come to me, showing their determination and sincerity, I can help them make connections and plan things out.

Ying Banli hesitated and said, "I think Xianyang is quite quiet now, and the princes are too well-behaved."

Alas, the people living in the Epang Palace were spoiled by their extravagant lifestyle.

To vie for the throne from the Empress Dowager was a life-or-death struggle; success meant becoming king, failure meant death.

It's probably difficult to expect them to step forward voluntarily.

Their magnanimity, courage, and breadth of mind are far inferior to those of the late emperor.

Ying Qian sighed, "In the final years of the dynasty, the fortunes of the dynasty are waning. Do you still expect that a genius like Ying Zheng will emerge from among them?"

Let's see how things turn out. We'll help whoever has the most courage and the most talent.

Among dozens of princes, it's like choosing the best from the worst; surely none of them could be without any ambition?
This is the final test; whoever can do it will take the lead.

Whoever takes the lead, we'll help them.

A coward who wouldn't even dare to take a risk doesn't deserve that position.

Xiao Yu first went back to the Imperial Observatory.

Guan Zhenren, Huihe Zhenren, Yang Li, and the heads of various departments were all summoned to the Emperor's Hall.

She then reiterated her plans for her trip to the southeast, adding, "As you all know, I have mastered a magical technique similar to creating an 'external body'."

But this time when I go to Shandong, I will take all the true forms with me when I leave Xianyang.

They won't just send one spirit out.

During my absence from Xianyang, you only need to handle the daily operations of the Nine Departments; you don't need to worry about anything else.

Yang Li said, "Nowadays, which of the three departments and nine offices of the Imperial Observatory does not try to do as little as possible, or even not at all."

Ensuring that everyone performs their duties is difficult, and many people are quietly slacking off.

Master Yu is dreaming if he expects us to do 'other things'.

"But why did you take the map of the true form with you when you went to the southeast?"

"Do you think the dragon vein of the Hidden Dragon is so easy to discover? Without a true map, how can you conduct a detailed investigation of the mountains and rivers of the southeast?" Xiao Yu said.

Master Guan looked around and frowned, saying, "If you secretly take the True Form Diagram away, at least you can keep the secret."

Now that we're speaking frankly, we certainly won't say anything carelessly, but with so many people talking, it's probably impossible to keep it a secret.

If the gods of the Four Rivers and Five Sacred Mountains knew, wouldn't they have to summon the true map again?
They even resorted to highway robbery.

Xiao Yu said, "I took the True Form Diagram to use as a spiritual treasure to investigate the mountain range and water flow."

Once it's taken out and used, its scent will inevitably be revealed.

You can fool others, but you can't fool the original owner of the true form.

However, they just reached an agreement with me a few days ago.

It's only been a few days, have you really lost all sense of shame?
"Can they afford the consequences of a complete falling out with me?"

All the Celestial Masters were speechless.

We're still worried that some expert will block your way, not only steal the real image, but also slap you to death.

You're so arrogant that you don't even respect the gods of the Four Rivers and Five Sacred Mountains.

Grey Crane Master said, "At the end of last year, the gods summoned the True Form Diagrams, and it was all thanks to Feather Celestial Master that they were preserved."

Even if they are lost from Master Yu in the future, we have nothing to say, and the Ying Dynasty has no reason to blame us. We just feel that it is not safe for you to carry the True Form Diagram.

It's like a child carrying gold walking through a bustling marketplace.

Xiaoyu smiled and said, "I am deeply grateful for everyone's concern. But your worries are unnecessary."

It's not that I look down on them, they're all crippled gods.

Even someone as proud as me must lower my noble head and address Huang Feihu as "Great Emperor" in the underworld of Mount Tai.

After leaving Mount Tai, if I call him "Old Huang," and he dares not answer, I'll slap him across the face.

The celestial masters were speechless once again.

"After leaving the divine realm, the authority of the gods will indeed be weakened. But the gods of the Five Sacred Mountains and Four Rivers are somewhat different."

"Many of them are deities, and also star lords in the heavens, who have come to serve in the mortal realm," said the Gray Crane Immortal.

"Hehe, I also have a way to deal with them. Don't worry, I value my life more than anyone else," Xiaoyu said confidently with a smile.

Being discovered by the gods of the Four Rivers and Five Sacred Mountains is actually the worst possible outcome.

She will definitely be using a new disguise when she travels to southern Shandong.

Whoever recognizes her must have done something significant.

Perhaps no one will find her true identity until she returns to Xianyang.

Even if she were truly exposed and encountered the star lords of the Five Sacred Mountains and Four Great Rivers, she wouldn't be afraid.

It's not that all the gods of the Four Rivers and Five Mountains triggered the Great Annihilation. The time was too short, the number was too large, and many methods of annihilation haven't even been deduced yet.

The key point is that she holds the True Form Diagram, which is itself a powerful magic weapon.

It may not be very effective against other gods.

Mountain gods specifically associated with a particular river or mountain are practically "exclusive weapons."

After seeing off the Celestial Masters, Xiaoyu called Xiaolinzi and Pangmole to her side and gave them some careful instructions.

Then the spirit returned to the physical body, which opened its arms. Hundreds and thousands of true images transformed into specks of spiritual light, entering various acupoints in her body.

The mountain imagery is integrated into the muscles and bones, while the water imagery is integrated into the meridians and blood vessels.

She seemed to have been elevated, becoming the very essence of China.

The entire land of China was within her embrace; an indescribable feeling made Xiaoyu want to let out a long howl.

She held back her emotions, but couldn't help but sigh repeatedly, "It feels so good to nourish my body with the beauty of China's mountains and rivers."

Sleeping every day can increase your skills and strengthen your body—it's awesome!

After collecting the True Form Diagram, Xiao Yu leaped away from the Imperial Observatory and hovered a thousand feet above the Xianyang Palace.

The Heavenly Eye discerns forward and reverse, activate!

However, her eyes were closed.

Use only the "Mingxin Hall" (true nature) to sense the Ying clan's dragon energy on the Guanzhong Plain.

The emotions resulting from the interaction between the dragon's energy and the popularity of the masses were so dense that they could not be discerned one by one.

Xiao Yu "input" a set of data into the Mingxin Hall—the dragon's reaction to Dou Gengyan's popularity after they met that day.

In the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, the entire city of Xianyang had been searched.

There was no reaction from the interaction between dragon energy and popularity that matched Dou Gengyan's "exclusive personal data".

Therefore, Dou Gengyan was not in Xianyang.

Xiaoyu opened her eyes, looked down at the Guanzhong Plain, and quickly calculated.

Another half a cup of tea's time has passed.

Her body plummeted rapidly, and in the blink of an eye, she landed on Lvmao Lane, Jingyang Street, Xianyang City.

He appeared directly in front of a female cultivator in a green jacket and skirt.

It was none other than Xu, the junior sister who had traveled with Dou Gengyan a few days ago!

"Ah~~" She was startled, and when she saw who it was, she exclaimed in surprise, "Yu Fengxian?"

Xiaoyu nodded and said, "It's me, you—"

Before she could finish speaking, Junior Sister Xu cried out in alarm, "What do you want with me? I didn't do anything!"

Xiaoyu squinted at her; she looked to be eighteen or nineteen, but her actual age was probably not that old.

She had delicate, arched eyebrows, almond-shaped eyes, and peach-blossom cheeks; she was charming and lovely, but her internal strength was mediocre, and her aura was not very pure.

—He's a heretical and eccentric person!
"You've already been caught, why don't you confess honestly! Haven't you heard of Lu Sheng's example?"

She straightened her face, exuded an imposing aura, and shouted sternly.

Junior Sister Xu was sitting under the eaves, looking at the beautiful scenery of blooming winter plum blossoms outside, fiddling with the counting rods in her hand.

When she saw Master Yu appear before her as if by teleportation, she jumped up in surprise.

Startled by her again, he plopped down on the mat with a "plop".

"Miss~~" Zhou Fu, startled in the courtyard, shouted and rushed towards Xiao Yu.

Xiao Yu didn't even turn around, but casually used the "Spiritual Finger - Flying Immortal from Beyond the Heavens" move: he casually activated the sword energy of "Flying Immortal from Beyond the Heavens" with his finger.

Five thin, transparent sword energies, seemingly slow but actually fast, wrapped around Zhou Fu.

Zhou Fu appears to be a servant, but in reality, he is Xu Shimei's martial uncle and a peerless sword immortal. Well, he cultivates sword immortal techniques but has not yet become an immortal.

However, he was very strong and had killed several top-level human immortals who had cultivated immortal martial arts techniques.

At that moment, the sword energy struck him, and the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

The terrifying crisis brought out his full potential.

His initial lunge towards Junior Sister Xu abruptly changed direction, and he plummeted downwards, disappearing directly into the ground. It was as if the ground had become a lake, without even a splash.

The whole process was swift and fluid, clearly his specialty.

But the next moment, "Pfft~~"

Fifty feet away from the crash site, the faint sound of sword energy emanated from the ground.

Then came Zhou Fu's piercing screams, "Ahhh~~"

The sound was painful, but it was also very brief.

"Ah, you killed Uncle Fu!" Junior Sister Xu screamed in terror.

Xiao Yu said coldly, "You're not dead yet, but if you don't confess honestly, this Grand Tutor will have no choice but to send you to your deaths."

Junior Sister Xu hurriedly said, "I really didn't do anything. I'm not with Qinglian Hermit or Fairy Lingbo. I just came to Xianyang—"

Halfway through her sentence, she suddenly regained some composure and tentatively asked, "Grand Tutor Yu, aren't you and Fairy Lingbo friends?"

"You mean Dou Gengyan? Her name is 'Lingbo Fairy'?" Xiaoyu pouted. "What bad taste, giving her such a nickname."

“She’s my friend. I came to you to ask where she is,” she added.

Junior Sister Xu's expression twisted slightly. "You're just asking about Sister Dou's whereabouts? Then why are you shouting for violence?"

"I was just trying to find out about her, but who knew you'd be so useless. You dared to rebel, but you didn't have the guts to back up your traitorous act. As soon as you saw me, you confessed everything on your own," Xiaoyu said.

Junior Sister Xu looked ashamed. "Your sudden appearance was truly frightening."

"Alright, stop trying to get close to me. Tell me honestly, what your name is, where you're from, what role you play in the rebels, and what mission you were assigned this time," Xiaoyu shouted.

“Sister Dou and I are good friends, as close as sisters,” said Junior Sister Xu.

Xiaoyu sneered, "I didn't even have to interrogate her, and you betrayed her yourself, claiming you're as close as sisters."

Junior Sister Xu felt even more ashamed, her head almost touching her chest. "I'm useless, I'm good-for-nothing, I'm cowardly and weak, but I didn't lie. Sister Dou and I really have a very good relationship."

"Tell me the truth, whatever I ask. If you remain calm and collected, I'll pretend you're not a rebel."

"Now that you've exposed yourself, I have no choice but to interrogate you," Xiaoyu said coldly.

Junior Sister Xu said weakly, "My name is Xu Fu. I came from Hanoi County to Xianyang to observe the destiny of the Great Qin. I only observed the destiny and did not do anything rebellious, really."

(End of this chapter)