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

Chapter 1266 News of the Goddaughter
Master Guan thought for a moment and said, "Grand Tutor, it still won't work! Even if we completely disregard the Qin laws and the methods of governing the country."

From a purely realistic perspective, your idea is unlikely to become a reality.

It takes 500 catties of high-quality red copper to separate and refine half a catty of copper essence.

Even for immortals, copper essence and iron essence are top-grade spiritual materials.

For powerful martial artists in the martial arts world, their greatest wish in this life is probably to find enough spiritual materials and ask an immortal to forge a peerless divine weapon that belongs exclusively to them.

There are also rogue cultivators, sorcerers, and magicians, whose desire for spiritual materials is even more intense.

If the imperial court were to melt down the bronze pillars and forge them into magical artifacts like iron plows and shovels, they would surely be confiscated by martial artists and extraordinary individuals, then melted down again to extract spiritual materials and create magical artifacts.

After all the commotion, the common people couldn't keep their farming tools that could be passed down for generations, and the tools ended up benefiting the cultivators.

"I'm afraid even the Dao Palace will secretly acquire agricultural tools made from spiritual materials by then."

Ultimately, the world's resources are limited, not even enough to satisfy cultivators and martial artists, so how could ordinary people enjoy a magic weapon-level iron plow?
Xiao Yu said calmly, "If it were just a matter of casting copper essence into iron plows and shovels, why would I need to find a disciple of the Mo family?"

All we need to do is have Qiu Mingzi and He Zhenjun use their great magical power to melt down the copper pillars and then mass-produce iron shovels.

When it comes to forging magical artifacts alone, who can compare to them?

"What does the Grand Tutor mean?" Master Guan asked, puzzled.

Xiaoyu took out a handful of copper coins from her sleeve, including one gold ingot and one silver ingot.

Then, in front of everyone, he spewed out Samadhi Fire, melting them into ingots, and then shaped the ingots into spoons.

"When they are pure copper, pure gold, or pure silver, they are not hard enough to be used as weapons."

Grand Tutor Yu easily broke the three spoons stacked together.

She used the Samadhi Fire again to melt them, simply mixing them together without adding runes containing the rules of the Great Dao to reinforce them.

The reshaped spoon gleamed with a chilling luster.

"Now they can become weapons for martial artists to kill. Have you studied the underlying principles?"

Yang Li dismissed it, saying, "Isn't this just an alloy made from the Five Elements? Even a mortal blacksmith would understand it."

Grand Tutor Yu said, "Of course you understand alloy technology. It's also frequently used in forging magical artifacts. But I'm asking about the principles behind it."

Yang Li remained unconvinced, saying, "Isn't the principle the same as the Yin-Yang and Five Elements theory? Even though they are both 'metal,' they are divided into 'water-metal' where metal generates water, 'earth-essence' where earth generates metal, and 'water-earth-metal' where water and earth mutually generate each other."
Different combinations and ratios will produce different effects.

If you want your weapons to be sharp, use 'metal' as the main element, since earth and fire both produce metal.

For a shield to be indestructible, it must be centered on 'earth'; metal generates earth, and water also generates earth.

Grand Tutor Yu then asked, "Can you use this theory to make everyday objects used by mortals possess the strength of magical treasures, with ordinary materials and easy forging, so that they can be mass-produced to meet the needs of hundreds of millions of people, while extraordinary people and eccentrics have no interest in collecting and melting them down?"

"Grand Tutor wants everything? How is that possible?" Yang Li shook his head repeatedly. "Even a skilled cook can't make a meal without rice. Grand Tutor's request is harder than creating something out of thin air."

Grand Tutor Yu said calmly, "You think it's impossible, but that's just a matter of your ability."

I know you cultivators can't do this, so I brought back the Mo Sect disciples.

It's definitely not easy.

If it were simple and easy to understand, we wouldn't need them.

“The disciples of the Mo Sect are not even immortals. What immortals cannot do, they certainly cannot do either,” Yang Li said.

Master Guan also said, "The disciples of the Mohist School have not gone beyond the scope of Yin and Yang and the Five Elements."

Grand Master Yu said, "The Mo Sect went astray before, treating themselves as appendages of the Immortal Path."

"By bringing them back this time, I hope the Mohist school can return to the right path and truly embark on the 'path of humanism'."

Ye Jiutian asked, "What is the path of the Humanistic School? How can I persuade the Grand Master of the Mohist School?"

Grand Master Yu said, "The Mo Sect is not a celestial sect; that's the key point!"

The Mohist school, along with the Confucian school, Legalist school, and other schools of thought, is ranked among the Hundred Schools of Thought.

The various schools of thought in ancient China belonged to the humanistic path; they were schools of thought, not religions. They were neither the path of immortals nor the path of gods.

The human way, the immortal way, and the divine way have commonalities and complement each other, but they are ultimately different paths.

The divine arts of the Shinto can be used by all gods of the same lineage; the immortal arts of the Immortals can be learned and used by any immortal.

Technology that is specifically designed for humanity must naturally be made available to all mortals.

In order to spread Confucianism and Legalism among the general public, we need to make them as accessible as Confucianism and Legalism.

What do the war weapons created by the Mo Sect in the past have to do with mortals?
That's not 'humane practice' at all.

Using Yin-Yang and the Five Elements theory to steal the essence of heaven and earth is a heretical and unorthodox approach, and is not a school of thought of humanity.

The Mohist school, which should belong to the realm of humanity, is instead not developing arts of humanity. What is this if not going down the wrong path?
The Mohist sect strayed from the path of humanity and was scorned by the immortal path. Ultimately, with nowhere left to go, it naturally declined and perished.

Ye Jiutian seemed to understand something, and bowed to her, saying, "I will try my best to persuade the Grand Master of the Mo Clan."

If he still regarded the Mohist school as a path of humanity, he would surely understand the Grand Tutor's good intentions.

"Go!" Grand Tutor Yu waved his hand and said.

Just as Ye Jiutian was about to leave, he suddenly remembered something and hesitated, saying, "Grand Tutor, when I was ordered to spread the news of the 'Xianyang Public Trial' in Xiniu Hezhou last time, I encountered a fox demon near Jilei Mountain."

He insisted he was your relative.

Grand Tutor Yu, now reassured, asked, "What is her name?"

He calls himself "Bai Batian" and is known as "Tianhu Shenjun". He is the leader of the eight demon kings of Jilei Mountain, with three thousand demon soldiers and generals under his command, and is quite powerful.

"I only went to Jilei Mountain to post notices after I found out his name," Ye Jiutian said.

"Bai Batian"

Grand Tutor Yu had absolutely no recollection of this name.

However, since the surname is "Bai," it's highly likely that they are from the Bai family of Qingqiu.

She also remembered that the old man had two "unfilial sons" who were demon kings in the West.

Isn't this a perfect match?
"Does Bai Batian have a brother who is also a demon king?"

Ye Jiutian exclaimed in surprise, "Indeed, there is a brother named 'Great Sage of Nanshan'."

However, since the Great Sage of Nanshan lives on the south side of the mountain, I only posted the notice on the north side of Jilei Mountain, and didn't go to the south side.

"What did Bai Batian say to you?" Grand Tutor Yu asked.

Ye Jiutian said with a strange expression, "When he first said he was your elder brother, I naturally didn't care."

He kept pestering me to ask about you, and I told him everything.

He was stunned, speechless for a moment before recovering and immediately correcting himself, saying, "You are actually his aunt, and he is your nephew."

Grand Tutor Yu sneered, "I don't have a demon king nephew."

Ye Jiutian said, "He's spouting nonsense, and I really don't believe him. But he explained that you call his father 'Brother Bai' and that you've become godparents to the Bai family, so you are indeed relatives."

"It's just that you two hadn't met before, so he got the generational order wrong."

Then he added disdainfully, "I think that fellow is quite cunning! He only heard that you became the Grand Tutor of the Great Qin Dynasty, and that you were so powerful that you could ride dragons to conquer the heavens and subdue the Ten Kings of Hell. That's why he's trying to curry favor with you."

Grand Tutor Yu looked disgusted and said, "Although that fellow was trying to curry favor, it wasn't entirely baseless."

In my early years, I did indeed become godparents to the Bai family of Qingqiu.

"Since you still acknowledge me as your godmother, why didn't my goddaughter come with you?" —What year was "in the past"? How old are you now? Did you already have a goddaughter in such a young age?

After all, it was Grand Tutor Yu's private matter, so the other Celestial Masters only complained in their hearts.

Ye Jiutian shook his head and said, "I didn't see your goddaughter. I only posted notices at the foot of Jilei Mountain and chatted with the demon king for a few minutes."

He inquired about the public trial in Xianyang mentioned in the notice, and was greatly alarmed upon hearing your name.

After inquiring in detail and confirming that it was indeed Grand Tutor Yu from Tianmen Town, he was even more shocked and overjoyed.

Later, he treated me like one of his own, insisting on taking me up the mountain for drinks, but I ignored him.

Grand Tutor Yu nodded. "Alright, I understand. You may go now!"

Ye Jiutian left with the invitation letter personally written by Grand Tutor Yu.

Xiao Yu continued, addressing the assembled Celestial Masters, "Before leaving Xianyang this time, I plan to hold a grand Taoist ritual to deliver the souls of the deceased. Have you prepared all the necessary ritual implements and items?"

Yang Li asked, "Is it the Taoist-Buddhist Unification Grand Ritual you mentioned last time? The Imperial Observatory has all the necessary items for the Taoist Grand Ritual, and the Celestial Masters can join us at any time."

We don't know much about Buddhist rituals for the deceased.

"What does the Grand Tutor need? We can look around; it shouldn't take much time."

Xiao Yu said, "You guys are in charge of the Luo Tian Grand Ritual, and I'll be in charge of chanting sutras to help the deceased pass on. We've prepared incense, candles, and paper money, which should be enough."

Master Guan asked, "Shall we begin now, or wait until midnight?"

"If everything is ready, we can begin when it gets dark. By the way, Yang Li, when you went to the Underworld last time, you used up several divine positions. Have they taken up their posts immediately?" Xiao Yu asked.

Guan Zhenren and Huihe Zhenren immediately left the Heavenly Emperor's Palace to prepare for the rituals of the Luotian Grand Ceremony.

Yang Li took out the register of gods from his bosom and handed it to Grand Tutor Yu, saying, "Only three people have been appointed. Chen Huan is the General of the Remaining Cloud Palace of the Thirty-Three Heavens Palace of the Heavenly Court."

This is the best of the one hundred divine positions offered by the Heavenly Court.

Although divine titles like 'General,' 'Grand General,' and 'Marshal' are commonplace in Heaven and not particularly valuable, the Yiyun Palace is a very nice place, one of the twelve Heavenly Palaces where the Jade Emperor resides.

You can see the Heavenly Emperor every few days!
The other two deities, Sun Tong, the magistrate of Qiao County, and He Yong, the head constable of Chen County, were also righteous men whose virtues had been verified by the underworld and recognized by the heavenly court.

They were also lucky; it was first-come, first-served, and they all had a duty to receive.

Sun Tong went to the "Hall of Transmission" to serve as the Left Chief Clerk.

He Yong became one of the Hundred Generals of Yunlou Palace, belonging to the Southern Heavenly Gate Guard, under the command of Li Jing, the Pagoda-Bearing Heavenly King, and was considered a confidant of the Jade Emperor.

He Yong and Sun Tong were deeply grateful to the Grand Tutor and gladly accepted the order to go to the Heavenly Palace to take up their posts.

Chen Huan's situation is a bit complicated; he harbors too much resentment and has too many worries, making it impossible for him to find peace.

Grand Tutor Yu asked, "Is it for the sake of the city's fathers, friends, and old acquaintances who were massacred, or is it to seek revenge against Chen Sheng?"

Yang Li said, "Both possibilities exist. He was dissatisfied with Chen Sheng and with the immortal who killed him."

He roared in the underworld, saying he would accept dying a righteous death on the battlefield. But the immortals, devoid of martial virtue, joined forces to ambush him, a mere mortal general, and he refused to accept it.

He cried out to the King of Hell for his innocence.

If this had happened before the Grand Tutor became famous throughout the Three Realms, even if the late emperor were still alive, Yama would not have paid any attention to it and would have simply thrown him into the City of the Wrongfully Dead, waiting for his resentment to dissipate on its own.

This time, I represented the Grand Tutor in bestowing divine titles and even obtained a divine position in the Heavenly Court. King Yama dared not underestimate Chen Huan's 'injustice'.

However, the underworld's power is limited. King Yama merely recorded Chen Huan's appeal, wrote it down in triplicate, sending one copy to the Heavenly Court, one copy to the Taishan Underworld, and the other to the Fengdu Underworld.

The immortal who was killed on the spot by Chen Huan should now be in Fengdu Hell.

Unless the Lord of Mount Tai pulls some underhanded tricks or deliberately helps them escape punishment, they are unlikely to have a good outcome.

Chen Huan's resentment subsided slightly.

His main obsession now is his family, brothers, and the elders and folks of Chengfu.

He said he didn't need a divine position, he only asked for the resurrection of his family and friends.

This was clearly impossible, so Chen Huan had not yet taken up his post in Heaven.

He and his family, along with tens of thousands of his subordinates, remain in the City of the Wrongfully Dead.

The resentment of those fierce generals who were massacred in the city was so intense that they were almost becoming ghost soldiers.

Grand Master Yu pondered for a moment and said, "Isn't the purpose of holding the 'Grand Taoist and Buddhist Ritual in the Heavenly Realm' to eliminate the resentment of the deceased and help them be reborn in the Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss?"

Yang Li looked awkward and said, "Grand Tutor, have you been to the Pure Land? Nobody in China has ever heard of the Pure Land. Let's be more practical and burn more paper money for them."

At most, you can use Buddhist scriptures to absolve them of their sins and allow them to be reborn into a better life.

Grand Master Yu said, "The Pure Land of Ultimate Bliss is merely a metaphor."

She was a time traveler and was used to saying "Western Paradise".

The Western Paradise she spoke of was merely a description of the deceased attaining liberation.

But in this life, the "Western Paradise" is indeed a spacetime dimension similar to "Heaven".

However, Buddhism did not flourish in the Nine Provinces, so this concept did not spread in the Qin Dynasty.

Yang Li continued, "Besides these three, there are actually some other heroic souls who are also capable of being deified."

They themselves also greatly desired to become gods.

Unfortunately, the hundred divine positions we prepared were too advanced for them.

They could become land deities, civil and military judges in the City God's Office, or the City God of a small county town.

We did not prepare these shrines.

I reassured them and asked them to wait for further arrangements from the imperial court.

Grand Tutor Yu nodded slightly and said, "When I go to the Central Plains again to reconstruct the earth veins, I will definitely inspect each of the major underworld divine realms."

Soon, the sun disappeared in the west, and a crescent moon appeared faintly in the eastern sky.

Black Ice Terrace, the Temple of Earth of the Ying Clan.

"I humbly beseech the divine ruler of the netherworld to report that some soldiers of the Great Qin have sacrificed their lives for their country, their loyal souls and resolute spirits now sinking into the underworld. There are also some citizens of the Great Qin who died in the chaos of war, their souls wailing in the City of the Wrongfully Dead."

On this day, in this month, in this year, we are here by order of the Grand Master of Qin to hold a ritual, and we have prepared a pure feast, burning incense and offering lamps to illuminate the netherworld.

We humbly pray that the Great Compassionate One will radiate auspicious light to guide us, and that the banners of the ten directions will rain down the Dharma to cleanse us of worldly dust.

Master Guan presided over the grand ritual, holding a yellow book and burning incense to inform Heaven, Earth, and the spirits.

There were also forty or fifty Celestial Masters standing in a line below the Temple of Earth, dressed in ceremonial robes, holding whisks, either striking conch shells or chanting scriptures.

Another group of Iron Eagle Warriors, dressed in mourning clothes, acted as "filial sons" and burned paper money at the edge of the altar.

"This land and its people will forever cherish their heroic sacrifice; Heaven and Earth bear witness. With this offering, we console their loyal souls. May they rest in peace."

With Guan Zhenren's final roar, it was as if a "ghost gate" opened above the Temple of Earth, and gusts of yin wind appeared out of nowhere, accompanied by a great deal of ghostly wailing.

The sound initially drifted from an extremely distant place, faint and indistinct.

Soon, a chilling aura filled the area around the Temple of Earth.

The boundary between the realms of Yin and Yang became blurred, and the cries of ghosts gradually became clearer, as if they were right on the other side.

Upon closer inspection, amidst the eerie winds, one could see thousands upon thousands of souls, missing limbs and covered in blood.

(End of this chapter)