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

Chapter 1073 Arrogance and Boasting of Power Through Drumming

After appearing in Li's dream and guiding her to wait by the river for the "Water Element Pearl Marriage", Xiaoyu stayed in Dazexiang for a few more days until he completed the derivation of the "New Strong Bee-Killing Taoist Method".

This new method of brute force involves using magical power to neutralize the poison in the stinger at the tail, thus killing the Bee Taoist.

Xiaoyu wasn't sure if she would eventually kill Bee Taoist.

The Bee Daoist who was suppressed along with dozens of Qi Refiners last time is still in the form of a "Bee Queen in disguise".

In other words, the Bee Taoist refined the queen bee of the Blood Lotus Bee into his own avatar.

The location of his true form seems to be unknown even to Chen Sheng and Wu Guang.

But Xiaoyu definitely needs to find his original body.

Only by finding the root cause can we "eliminate the weeds at the root" and "get to the bottom of things".

If Bee Daoist is indeed killed later, the Purple Mansion will have no way to continue deducing the method of Bee Daoist's forceful killing.

Before appearing in Li's dream, her "New and Powerful Method to Kill the Bee Taoist" was only 30% complete!
Xiaoyu must master the technique of using magic to neutralize the Blood Lotus Queen Bee's venom.

It's not that you can't face Bee Taoist without this skill.

She can now kill Bee Taoist ten times in ten different ways.

She needed this skill because she coveted the Bee Taoist's secret techniques and planned to use them for herself.

If she can't even protect herself from bee venom, how can she use it skillfully?
When Xiaoyu left Dazexiang, Li Shi would have to wait a few more days to meet Lü Qing, and naturally, she had not yet remarried Lü Chen.

However, Xiaoyu doesn't have to stay in Dazexiang waiting for the Li family's results.

Not to mention the guidance she received in a dream, even earlier, when she was at the City God Temple preparing to bring blessings and longevity to the Li family, she had already impulsively calculated the future "fate of the Water Element Pearl".

Li was originally an extremely ordinary "commoner woman from the streets of Shenzhou".

The biggest change in her life was meeting "Old Mother Qiushan".

But Xiaoyu, the "Old Mother of Qiushan," did not actually plan Li's fate directly.

At this time, Lü Qing and his son Lü Chen were not particularly noticeable in Chen Sheng's army.

Lü Qing was merely Chen Sheng's personal attendant.

Before Lü Chen fully digested the Water Element Pearl, his martial arts skills were not among the best at Tianzhu Peak; he was merely a "centurion of the personal guards" trusted by Chen Sheng.

If fate hadn't changed, Lü Qing would have become the prime minister of Xiang Yu, the Hegemon-King of Western Chu.

Yes, Fan Zeng, the "Uncle," was not the Prime Minister of the State of Chu.

Although Fan Zeng was a strategist, he was actually Xiang Yu's "Great General".

Even after Liu Ji destroyed Western Chu and Xiang Yu committed suicide at Wujiang, Lü Chen and Lü Qing did not suffer misfortune. They turned around and surrendered to the Han Dynasty, still holding high-ranking positions and enjoying great wealth. They were valued by Liu Bang and even received hereditary marquis titles.

In other words, Li was the future "Prime Minister's daughter-in-law" and "Marquis's wife".

Therefore, after the connection between the Water Element Pearl and the Li family was confirmed, the page in the Book of Life and Death began to glow with a faint blue light.

Judging from her destiny alone, she is already considered a person of high status.

From her original fate of "misfortune and lowly life, dying at nineteen" to her current life of "fortune, prosperity, and longevity," it wasn't Xiaoyu who altered the Book of Life and Death for her.

Xiaoyu originally planned to change it.

After changing the lifespan and adding 60 years, Xiaoyu suddenly realized that she had done something completely unnecessary and revoked the changes to the Book of Life and Death.

With just a little guidance, Li's fate took its current shape.

It can be said that the "Water Pearl Marriage" is truly the result of Heaven's self-correction and self-evolution.

Previously, Xiaoyu studied the art of divination by indirectly calculating fate through the innate divination method.

She could only deduce God's thoughts from His expression.

This time, she truly and directly felt that "God" controlled the entire process of destiny through the law of cause and effect.

She had a heart-to-heart talk with "God".

You understand my heart, I understand your intentions; you follow my heart, I follow your wishes.

The meaning of "God" is that he hopes the Water Pearl will return to Lü Chen's hands so that Lü Chen can fulfill his destiny in this great calamity.

In order to make it a reality, "God" added the secondary destiny of "marriage with the Water Element Pearl" to the destiny of "Lu Chen obtaining the Water Element Pearl".

This outcome is more secure than the fate that Xiaoyu adjusted for Li by modifying the Book of Life and Death.

This is the will of Heaven, in accordance with her wishes.

Therefore, she followed the will of Heaven and guided Li to complete the destiny of the Water Element Pearl.

This method of "communicating with the Heavenly Dao" led Xiaoyu to make some guesses about the "Great Luo Dao".

She estimated that the state of "communicating with the heavens" that she entered under extremely accidental circumstances was just commonplace for even the most powerful immortals or "quasi-great immortals".

It is very likely that a great immortal like Fuqiu Gong could frequently "communicate with Heaven".

Only in this way can they act as players and make grand moves amidst the great calamity of heaven and earth.

The matter concerning the Li family was a trivial matter to Xiao Yu, to Fuqiu Gong, and even to Chen Sheng and other potential leaders.

But for Li herself, her recent experience was no less than a "great calamity".

If we magnify the Li family's affairs countless times, would it become the true Pangu world's great calamity?
Xiaoyu was able to handle the Li family incident with ease. After communicating with Heaven, she could guide the situation to follow the will of Heaven with just a word or a seemingly insignificant action.

If this ability were amplified countless times, wouldn't she become the "Floating Hill Master" in the great calamity of heaven and earth?
The marriage to the Li family's Water Pearl is a minor matter.

But it left a very deep and novel impression on Xiaoyu.

The progress of "Fuqiu Gong's Method of Annihilation" in the Purple Palace jumped by 10 percentage points.

To kill someone like Fuqiu Gong, a near-Great Luo Immortal, one must first sever their "Heavenly Heart Interaction."

Allowing them to continue confiding in "God" is tantamount to her facing "half of God."

How is it possible to win?
To the southwest of the Qin Dynasty, there was a barbarian state called "Yelang".

It's the Yelang from the idiom "Yelang is arrogant".

Using the "Blood Dao Secret Technique" that Xiaoyu had scavenged from Yanwangbiliang (the lair of Chilingzi and Huxianfeng) in his early years, he refined the half-human, half-bee corpse of the Bee Daoist into a drop of "blood essence".

Then, using the Heavenly Secrets Technique, they traced the source of the blood essence all the way to the Yelang Kingdom, which was 50,000 miles away from Dazexiang.

Fifty miles outside the capital of Yelang Kingdom lies an unnamed village of indigenous people.

"Could the true form of the Bee Taoist be hiding in this godforsaken place?"

Xiaoyu concealed her presence and carefully searched the area around the village.

Nothing was gained.

There are no strange people or strange things here.

The capital of Yelang was not as prosperous as the capital of an ordinary prefecture in Western Shu.

This place is dozens of miles from the capital, nestled in a remote mountain valley. There are about fifty households, all local natives, whose clothing and appearance are not as "elegant and civilized" as those in Western Shu.

Xiao Yu looked down at the blood essence in her palm, the size of a pigeon egg, shining like a ruby.

This is the "essence of bloodline power" extracted from the body of the Bee Taoist.

If it were given to Chi Lingzi or Hu Xianfeng, they would definitely treat it as a precious elixir and swallow it directly to increase their power.

Now, Xiaoyu uses it as a "navigator" to search for the source of her bloodline using celestial techniques.

According to the calculations of the celestial divination method, the source is in this village.

But she couldn't quite tell which person it was.

It wasn't that her Heavenly Secrets technique was ineffective, nor that the Blood Path Secret Technique malfunctioned.

It's simply because dozens of households in the village are all related, even family members, with very close blood ties.

It seems that everyone in the village has a blood connection with this lump of blood essence.

Xiaoyu could only find about ten people who were most closely related to the blood essence.

No abnormalities were found.

Those "suspects" didn't even practice Taoist magic.

With no other choice, Xiaoyu had to resort to his old ways: questioning local ghosts and spirits.

"What? You're the Grand Tutor of the Celestial Empire?"

Inside the local temple, the "local earth god," dressed in Central Plains attire, knelt on the ground, his face filled with shock and disbelief. "Could it be the Great Qin Empire of the East?"

"Are there still a few superior nations like the Celestial Empire?"

Xiaoyu sat in the old chair, sipping tea as she spoke in a rather irritable tone.

"The Yelang Kingdom has always considered itself the greatest empire in the world, the Celestial Empire. And because Yelang thought this way, several powerful neighboring kingdoms echoed this claim."

The Earth God explained somewhat awkwardly.

Xiao Yu said, "I know about 'Yelang's arrogance.' But haven't you felt the overwhelming power and might of the Great Qin?"

Even when Emperor Zheng was still alive, the Qin Dynasty's "Western Navy Legion" only focused on the wealthy countries surrounding the Western Sea.

For example, the Western Sea Ling Kingdom and the Ailao Kingdom. From beginning to end, the Qin Dynasty never formally conquered Yelang.

Alas, Yelang is full of mountains, dense forests, and swamps, with thick miasma and poisonous insects everywhere, yet its resources are very scarce. The Qin Dynasty looks down on this place!

However, although Yelang was not a powerful state, it had a large territory.

Many Yelang people never left the Yelang Kingdom in their entire lives and never witnessed the majesty of the superior nation of China, yet they considered themselves the center of the world and a superior nation. "The local deity sighed.

"And you? Do you know this Grand Tutor?" Xiaoyu asked.

The Earth God probed, "Are you Yu Fengxian, the Prime Minister of Western Shu who stirred up trouble in the Western Sands and became an enemy of the Ten Great Demon Gods of Xiniu Hezhou?"

Xiao Yu asked curiously, "For you, what I did in the Xisha region is more famous and prestigious?"

The Earth God shook his head and said, "You are now famous throughout the Three Realms for beheading the Great Immortal Huang An and suppressing the True Form Map of the Five Sacred Mountains and Four Rivers. I, a humble deity, have also heard of you even in the remote and desolate borderlands."

However, further west from Yelang, past the Ailao Kingdom, lies the Western Sea.

Two years ago, the ten great demon gods of the West, together with hundreds of demon kings, blocked the entire Western Sea passage, intending to obstruct your journey to the East.

It caused quite a stir at the time, and even the divine cultivators were greatly shocked and filled with admiration for you!

He paused, then looked at her with a puzzled expression and asked, "Why is Grand Tutor Yu here in this remote place instead of enjoying blessings in the capital of Shenzhou?"

“There is a sorcerer known as ‘Bee Taoist’ who is causing trouble in the Central Plains. I’ve tracked him all the way here and discovered that this indigenous village is related to him. Since you are the local deity, you must know something about Bee Taoist, right?”

Xiaoyu stared at the Earth God's face and eyes, but only saw surprise and doubt.

The land deity solemnly replied, "I dare not deceive the Grand Tutor; this is indeed the first time I have ever heard of 'Bee Taoist'."

This indigenous village is called 'Wata Village'. Their ancestor was a great general named 'Wata'.

Apart from that, there's nothing particularly special about it.

In fact, throughout the entire village, almost no outsiders come in, no matter the season or the time of year.

Those coming and going were all relatives from nearby villages.

Xiaoyu then asked, "Have you ever heard of the 'Blood Lotus Bee'?"

"The Yelang Kingdom is plagued by miasma, with many mountains and dense forests, teeming with all sorts of poisonous insects, perhaps including one called the 'Blood Lotus Bee.' However, being a humble deity residing here, I have never heard of it."

Or perhaps, the Blood Lotus Bee deity had seen it before, but not under this name.

The local deity asked, "What are the characteristics of the 'Blood Lotus Bee' that the Grand Tutor spoke of?"

Xiaoyu said, "The upper body is black, and the tail has fine yellow hairs."

This bee is highly venomous; its stinger, when it pierces the flesh or soul, can dissolve bones and spirit.

Without any hesitation or doubt, the land deity immediately shook his head and said, "This humble god dares to assert that there are absolutely no such ferocious poisonous insects in this place."

Grand Tutor Yu, have you ever been to the capital of Yelang?
It's just fifty miles to the southwest.

What Xiaoshen meant was that Wata Village was close to the capital, and although it was remote, it was still a familiar place.

Although there are many poisonous insects in the surrounding dense forest, they are not so ferocious as to be able to poison even the primordial spirit.

If such an appearance occurs, before Grand Tutor Yu arrives, shamans from various tribes will immediately come to capture it.

They only regret that the poisonous insects weren't poisonous enough.

Xiao Yu frowned and said, "I caught a poisonous bee whose bloodline is very similar to that of the natives of Wata Village."

Either the local people use their own blood to feed the venomous bees, or the bees are related to the local people by blood.

"Blood relation?" The Earth God frowned and said, "You mean that the poisonous bees have become spirits, can transform into human form, mate with mortals, and have offspring?"
"Grand Tutor Yu, besides their astonishing venom, can the Blood Lotus Bee enter dreams?"

Xiao Yu perked up and immediately said, "I don't know whether Blood Lotus Bees are naturally adapted to the dream world."

However, the venomous bees kept by the Bee Taoist can indeed roam freely within the dream dimension.

The Earth God looked thoughtful, then turned his gaze toward Wata Village and said, "There is a young scholar in the village named Qin Fang."

In the past two years, he seems to have encountered a sorceress, often meeting her in his dreams.

Xiaoyu pointed to the tallest two-story brick building in the village and asked, "Is that the young man who lives in that building?"

The Earth God exclaimed in surprise, "Grand Tutor Yu also noticed his abnormality? Although he had a secret rendezvous with the demoness, he didn't seem to have been tainted by any demonic aura."

"He is one of the people most closely related to the poisonous bee by blood."

Xiaoyu recalled the demeanor of the young man and observed the feng shui of his house. He asked, "What is Qin Fang's background? His fortune is very strange. It seems that he is blessed by his ancestors and has a deep fortune. It also seems that he is implicated by his ancestors and his fortune is suppressed. He is destined to never prosper in this life."

The Earth God praised, "Grand Tutor Yu has excellent insight; he saw through Qin Fang's true intentions in a single sentence."

Although Yelang was a wild and uncivilized place, it was still located in the Southern Continent, right next to the Qin Dynasty.

Moreover, Yelang bordered Baiyue to the south, and the Qin Dynasty conquered Baiyue, you know that, right?
A hundred years ago, the Qin Dynasty was planning to conquer the Yelang Kingdom, turn it into a prefecture of the Qin Dynasty, and then enter the Baiyue region through Yelang!

At that time, Qin Fang's ancestor, who was also the common ancestor of the Wata Village people, was "General Wata". He was ordered by the king of Yelang to bring a bronze drum weighing 20,000 catties to Xianyang Palace to show off his martial arts.

General Wata arrogantly said to Emperor Ying Zheng, "This is the Hero Drum. If you shoot an arrow at it from a hundred paces away and the arrow does not fall, you are a 'hero'."

My Yelang Kingdom has 100,000 heroes!
This general once carried this bronze drum in battles across the land.

If no hero among the surrounding countries can penetrate the 'Hero Drum' by more than three inches, my Yelang will surely destroy them.

For decades, he had served the King of Yelang in conquering countless kingdoms and made outstanding contributions in battle.

The Qin Dynasty calls itself a "Celestial Empire," but I wonder if it has any "heroes" who can penetrate even a few inches of the drum?
"Do you dare to challenge me to a duel?"

Xiao Yu laughed and said, "Your arrogance is well-deserved."

The Earth God chuckled and said, "The King of Yelang sent General Guozhu to Xianyang to show off his military might because he heard that the Great Qin wanted to conquer him. He did not intend to provoke the superior state."

The king's intentions were not bad; he merely sought self-preservation, but his methods... well, Yelang is a barbaric land, I'm afraid I've made a fool of myself in front of the Grand Tutor."

Then he explained, “Although it is said that in the Celestial Empire, ‘shooting drums to display martial prowess’ is a complete laughing stock.”

But that bronze drum itself is also quite extraordinary.

It was created by the great shaman of the Yelang Jiuli tribe using ancient shamanic secret methods.

Not only is it extremely heavy and hard, but the sword marks and arrow holes on the bronze drum can also heal automatically after being exposed to sunlight every day.

In the ancient era of the war between witches and demons, the bronze drum was to the witch tribe what a target is to a modern human warrior.

It is said that Hou Yi, the great shaman who shot down the sun, practiced shooting bronze drums from a young age and eventually became the greatest archer in the world.

General Wata, the pillar of the state, also became a disciple of the Jiuli shaman and mastered the secret technique of the 'Nine Arrows of Yi God,' making his archery skills unparalleled in the world. Uh, the 'world' wants to wipe out the Nine Provinces.

Before going to Xianyang, Wata was indeed invincible, and no one was worth firing a second arrow at.

It's often a fatal blow.

The Qin Dynasty truly deserves its reputation as a superior nation in China, a land of outstanding people and abundant resources, with too many heroes.

Wata's act of arrogance before the Emperor was nothing short of humiliation.

At that time, Emperor Zheng laughed heartily and ordered all the military generals in the court to watch from the sidelines, while only allowing the civil officials to come out and shoot arrows.

Wata was furious.

But a few Confucian scholars managed to shoot the bronze drum to pieces.

The bamboo arrow pierced through the five-foot-thick bronze drum, shattering it into pieces.

Wata's face turned ashen, and he was completely bewildered and incredulous. The Qin emperor and his ministers burst into laughter.

Upon returning to Yelang, Wata changed his son's surname to that of China, namely 'Qin'.

According to Wata himself, his family's surname "Qin" was even recognized by the Emperor.

Xiao Shen felt that he was bragging.

Although Wata lost face in the Xianyang court, by a twist of fate, he caused the emperor to abandon his plan to conquer Yelang.

The Emperor Zheng said, "There are countless warriors in the Qin army who are even more valiant than Wata. It is not worth it for them to endure the hardships of a long expedition for the sake of 'the most elite of whom is only Wata's Yelang Kingdom.'"

In any case, General Vata's mission to the superior state averted the calamity of war between the two countries, which was a great merit.

However, the King of Yelang deeply resented him for disgracing the Yelang Kingdom. He not only dismissed him from his post but also suppressed the descendants of Wata, forbidding them from serving as officials or generals in the capital.

Qin Fang was a direct descendant of Wata. Due to his ancestor's misfortune, his future in the court was ruined, but he still retained considerable good fortune.

(End of this chapter)