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

Chapter 1357 The Secret Code of the Demon Sect
Grand Tutor Yu silently calculated for a while, then said, "As long as Hu Hai is still alive, it is impossible for him to raise a new dragon vein."

"Ah, the Second Emperor has been working so hard, yet he's still going to destroy the foundation of my Great Qin?" Ying Qian exclaimed in surprise.

Grand Tutor Yu shook his head and said, "As long as Hu Hai is still alive, the Qin Dynasty will not fall. If the Qin Dynasty hasn't fallen, where does the 'Later Qin' come from?"

"If, under the wise leadership of the Grand Tutor, the Qin Dynasty had managed to preserve its territory, and the Second Emperor had also worked diligently and conscientiously, would it still have failed to cultivate a new dragon vein?" Master Guan asked.

Grand Tutor Yu said, "Let's continue using the headless ancestral dragon. Anyway, the ancestral dragon is already dead, so cutting off its head won't have much of an impact on the 'dead dragon'."

She looked around at everyone and emphasized again: "Everyone, it is not the First Emperor who is maintaining the prosperity of the Great Qin."

Dragon veins are like piggy banks; they can't generate wealth, they can only help the dynasty suppress its fortune.

Fundamentally, the prosperity of the Qin Dynasty came first, which enabled the dragon vein to become strong.

The Ying family must make money first before their piggy bank will be full.

The dragon vein is merely a facade; the foundation of the imperial court is always the hearts and minds of the people.

The saying "He who wins the hearts of the people wins the world" is not just an empty phrase.

During the reign of the Three Sovereigns in ancient times, they had no dragon veins at all, yet they still became human saints whose merits were enough to bless countless generations.

Ying Qian asked, "Now that the First Emperor has been beheaded, does the Grand Tutor have any strategies to deal with the current situation?"

"Follow the established plan, no need to panic or rush. We've done a pretty good job over the past year," said Grand Tutor Yu.

"The State of Qi has been restored," Ying Qian said. "The news of the execution of the First Emperor will surely excite the traitors and strengthen the resolve of those who are hesitant to oppose Qin."

Next year they will surely become restless and increasingly reckless.

Grand Tutor Yu said, "Grand Tutor, you must have read 'The Investiture of the Gods' before, right?"

Do you know how many times Jiang Ziya, the leader of the rebels and the one destined to be deified, died?

Ying Qian thought for a moment and said, "I remember that Jiang Taigong died five times. He was killed by the Heaven-Opening Pearl, and then revived by Manjushri with an elixir; he was killed by Zhao Gongming with a whip, and then revived by Guangchengzi; he was poisoned by the plague, and then revived again by Shennong's immortal herbs."

Grand Tutor Yu sighed, “Our current situation is similar to that of King Zhou of Shang. We have both lost the Mandate of Heaven, but the true Son of Heaven has already emerged, and the gods in heaven are all protecting the Mandate of Heaven.”

We naturally have to look at the issue from the perspective of King Zhou of Shang.

From King Zhou's perspective, Jiang Ziya was undoubtedly the number one rebel in the world, the leader of all the rebels, and the biggest threat to the Shang Dynasty.

King Zhou of Shang must have believed that as long as he killed this traitorous leader who possessed the Mandate of Heaven, he would surely preserve the Shang dynasty.

As a result, Jiang Ziya was killed several times, but did that have even the slightest impact on the 'Investiture of the Gods' calamity?

Ying Qian shook his head slightly, "It won't have the slightest impact."

Grand Tutor Yu continued, "Grand Marshal Huang Feihu also died, but was also brought back to life because his destiny was not fulfilled."

Once he fulfills his destiny, his entire family will die immediately.

If our Great Qin wants to learn from the lessons of our predecessors, what should we do in the face of the overwhelming current situation?
Could it be that they're searching for the owner of the "Emperor's Aura" in the southeast, intending to kill him with a single blow?

Ying Qian shook his head and sighed, "I'm afraid it will be just like killing Jiang Ziya, completely useless, and even more harmful."

“Killing the true Son of Heaven is useless, so what about killing the other potential emperors?” Grand Tutor Yu asked again.

“They’re even more useless, but we can’t just leave them alone,” Ying Qian said.

Master Guan glanced at Grand Tutor Yu and slowly said, "Even a true dragon emperor, before he unifies the world and becomes the 'first emperor of all time' like the late emperor, cannot jump out of the chessboard and become a player from a pawn."

At this time, the hidden dragons causing chaos in the Central Plains are all chess pieces on the chessboard, their fates fluctuating as the chess player manipulates them.

On the Qin side, we and the Xingyang court are also pawns, pawns against pawns.

Without a chess player, the Qin Dynasty would never have been able to avert its fate.

Fortunately, Grand Tutor Yu was able to have a go at the group of near-Grand Masters who played chess.

Next, we shall strive to deal with the re-established states. The overall situation outside the chessboard shall be maintained by the Grand Tutor.

Judging from the change in the attitude of the people of the Central Plains towards the imperial court over the past year, and the situation of the opposing force, the Great Luo, we have indeed done a pretty good job.

The slaying of the First Emperor was simply the inevitable event that had finally occurred; there's no need to panic.

Xiao Yu glanced at Ying Qian and said, "The day after tomorrow is Lunar New Year's Eve. Before the New Year, which is tomorrow night at midnight, I will hold a 'Dream Dimension: Ying Clan Kings Annual Work Summary Conference'."

"If the Grand Tutor and the former kings are interested, they are welcome to come and listen in, and offer their encouragement."

Ying Qian nodded and took his leave.

Grand Tutor Yu then said to Master Guan, "Tomorrow night at 5 PM, we will follow our usual practice, join hands to observe the stars, calculate the fortunes of the Qin Dynasty for the coming year, and also open the Temple of Heaven to offer sacrifices to Heaven and Earth and to our ancestors of the Ying clan."

Master Guan agreed first, then asked curiously, "Did the Grand Tutor gain anything from this trip to Mangdang?"
I've heard that the Grand Tutor also went to Baiyun Cave to meditate and seek enlightenment.

Grand Master Yu sighed, "The Earthly Fiend Divine Powers are nothing special, but the Thirty-Six Heavenly Gang Daoist Techniques do indeed expound the ultimate principles of heaven and earth, and are probably the most advanced Daoist techniques that rogue cultivators can encounter."

I watched twenty-two of the manuals, and couldn't stop, so I begged Master Yuan to demonstrate the remaining fourteen, finally completing the thirty-six Heavenly Generals.

"Grand Tutor actually sought Taoist magic from Ape Master." Gray Crane Master was initially surprised, but then, remembering Grand Tutor Yu's past behavior, he understood. "Grand Tutor, have you comprehended the Celestial Immortal Technique?"

Grand Tutor Yu nodded and said, "If I hadn't cultivated the 'Wind and Water Refining Spirit,' I could have directly tried to form the Heavenly Immortal Elixir at this time."

The subsequent Golden Immortal cultivation techniques can also be created within thirty years.

"Alas, what a pity. With Grand Tutor's talent, if he had entered Baiyun Cave a year earlier, his situation today would be very different," sighed Master Guan.

"What a pity. If she had gone to Baiyun Cave a year earlier, the Grand Tutor wouldn't be the Grand Tutor yet. She probably wouldn't have had the fortune to obtain the twenty-two Heavenly Gang Techniques, let alone the strength to forcibly stay in Baiyun Cave and refuse to leave," Yang Li said.

Then, he gave Grand Tutor Yu a fawning smile and said, "Grand Tutor, if I am not destined for immortality in my next life, how about you guide me?"

"Yang Li Dao Tong, you are utterly shameless!" Gray Crane Master shouted.

“Grand Tutor herself doesn’t cultivate the Celestial Immortal Technique, so how is it shameless for me to be her disciple in my next life?” Yang Li argued vehemently.

Grand Tutor Yu asked, "Do you know what the consequences are of practicing the Taoist methods of Baiyun Cave?"

Yang Li paused for a moment, then said, "I heard that the Nine Heavens Secret Techniques in Baiyun Cave come from the Heavenly Court."

If one attains the rank of a Celestial Immortal, one belongs to the 'Heavenly Court Celestial Immortal' category. Is this considered the price?

Master Guan said, "I have heard that even Heavenly Immortals in the Heavenly Court cannot attain the Great Luo Dao."

Grey Crane Master shook his head and said, "It's not that it's completely impossible, it's that no one has yet attained the Great Luo Dao."

Good cultivators were all selected by the Xuanmen sect, and all the cultivators who entered Baiyun Cave were unorthodox wanderers.

To put it bluntly, even the most talented individuals who cultivate the Heavenly Court's Celestial Immortal Techniques are only among the top tier of the second-rate.

Even the top tier of the second-rate remains second-rate; even cultivating the Celestial Immortal Technique of the Dao Ancestor would make it difficult to attain the Great Luo Dao.

“No, I heard from Ancestor Guan Yizi that the Heavenly Court’s Celestial Immortal Method is not enough to attain the Great Luo Dao, only the Dao Ancestor’s Celestial Immortal Method can,” said True Man Guan.

Guan Yizi is a disciple of Laozi, so his words must be authoritative enough.

Grand Tutor Yu asked, "Yang Li, do you still want to learn the Nine Heavens Secret Technique?"

“I am not even an immortal in this life, how dare I aspire to the Great Luo Fruit?” Yang Li said.

"Very well, if you don't have the destiny to become an immortal in your next life, I will give you a celestial immortal technique that I created myself." Grand Tutor Yu was very generous. "Thank you, Grand Tutor!" Yang Li happily bowed.

Some Taoist priests showed envy, while many others disagreed.

For example, Guan Zhenren and Huihe Zhenren.

Their own Taoist sect also has celestial immortal techniques, and not just one.

The reason they failed to become celestial beings is simply due to insufficient innate talent and good fortune.

Just like Xiaoyu's students in her previous life, did they not get into Tsinghua or Peking University because they couldn't afford textbooks and the "Ten Years of College Entrance Examination" book?

Even if I gave you the techniques, you wouldn't be able to master them if you lacked the ability.

Dou Gengyan cultivated the Heavenly Immortal Technique and eventually attained the Earthly Immortal status.

"Grand Tutor's trip to the southeast had two purposes: first, to continue reconstructing the earth's veins; and second, to observe the qi of the various rebel kings. What were the results?" asked Ying Ziying, the Chancellor of Xianyang.

Grand Tutor Yu said, "South of Shandong, only the Baiyue people remain in the land of Shenzhou."

After the New Year, I began to clear the earth's veins in northern Shandong.

"As for rebel kings, I've only considered Chen Sheng and King Wei Jiu; neither of them is a threat, and they probably won't live more than a year."

Ziying said solemnly, "King Jiu of Wei was held hostage by Chen Sheng, and he certainly does not have the qualities of a wise ruler."

However, Chen Sheng's subordinates were very fierce and aggressive in their campaigns.

Zhang Chu dispatched six armies, centered on Chen County, to launch attacks in all directions. Wu Guang attacked Xingyang, while Wu Chen and Zhou Shi took the opportunity to break through the northern defense line, harass various parts of the Central Plains, stir up trouble, and win over the old nobles of the six states of Shandong to rebuild the six states of Shandong.

Deng Zong, who was in charge in the east, replaced Ge Ying and returned to Jiujiang, launching a fierce offensive.

Only Song Liu in the west was defeated by the Prince of Nanyang.

Grand Tutor Yu sighed, “Chen Sheng was indeed destined for greatness! His own talent, magnanimity, and vision were limited, yet he managed to gather a group of top-notch civil and military officials under his command.”

Those men were once rough-and-tumble heroes; their names weren't even on the "List of One Hundred Generals" that the Grand Commandant gave me. Yet their talent and ability far surpassed those of the heroes on that list.

Han Xin, a military genius, was not even listed in the "Biographies of One Hundred Generals" compiled by the State Commandant.

It is clear that Heaven is indeed hiding heroes who oppose the Qin Dynasty.

Grand Tutor Yu continued, "If Chen Sheng had the virtue of King Wen of Qin, Ji Chang, and could win people over with virtue, he would be the most terrifying enemy of the Qin Dynasty."

But he was not only incompetent, his character was also nothing to write home about.

"Just watch, Chen Sheng's forces will soon fall apart and be defeated one by one by the King of Lieyang and the other feudal lords."

Chen Sheng's strategy was to remain in the capital of Chen Commandery and send out his most elite generals and main forces in six routes to attack from the southeast, northwest and other directions.

Because he took the initiative, the Qin Dynasty was unable to attack him while he was staying in Chen County.

Not only was his safety guaranteed, but his subordinates also conquered cities and territories everywhere.

If you randomly picked any keyboard warrior from Xiaoyu's previous life, you would think Chen Sheng was brain-dead: First of all, his troops were scattered and easy to defeat one by one; secondly, he was a general in the field with outstanding achievements, conquering cities and territories and having a strong army. Would he still be loyal to you who was enjoying a comfortable life in your hometown?

But in the Qin Dynasty at that time, Chen Sheng's actions were indeed "logical".

First of all, Chen Sheng's military strength in Chen County was not large to begin with.

The people had suffered under the Qin dynasty for too long, and wherever the righteous army went, "young people" from all over the country responded.

The so-called "youngsters" were just good-for-nothings like Liu Ji and Fan Kuai. They were skilled in martial arts, restless, and hoped to use chaos as a stepping stone to achieve upward social mobility.

If Chen Sheng had stayed in Chen County and not gone out, he would have been trapped and died sooner or later.

Now, six troops have been dispatched to attack from all directions, gathering a large number of soldiers along the way.

For example, Wu Guang had only 20,000 men when he left Chen County, but now he has more than 300,000 soldiers!
Besides unemployed but brave young men, there were also powerful clans from various counties who brought their own provisions and troops to join the main force in the rebellion against Qin.

Chen Sheng's decision to remain in Chen County was also something he learned from his predecessors.

Was Wu Qi, the military strategist, any notable? He went to war carrying the tiger tallies of the King of Wei and the King of Chu, and he was never defeated.

Despite his great achievements, he remained loyal to his king. The Wei Wu soldiers and Chu elite troops he trained also served the king faithfully.

For example, when Ying Zheng conquered the six states, he was stationed in Guanzhong. While his generals Wang Jian and Meng Yi led hundreds of thousands of soldiers thousands of miles away from Xianyang, they conquered countless states, yet still obediently returned to Xianyang and dared not establish their own independent regime.

Chen Sheng felt that he was learning from the advanced experience of the emperor's rule.

As a result, after Chen Sheng, Liu Bei never dared to relinquish his military power, always charging to the front lines in every battle. Even when he was on his deathbed, he still personally led the campaign against Ying Bu.

There's nothing we can do; times have changed.

Wang Jian destroyed the State of Chu, but he never intended to stay in Chu and become the King of Chu. Han Xin destroyed the State of Qi, but he wanted to stay in Qi and become the King of Qi.

Later, his good friend Lu Wan also colluded with the Xiongnu, and even Fan Kuai dared not trust him, preparing to execute him.
The Qin Dynasty was indeed a watershed moment in Chinese institutions and culture.

Some things were perfectly normal to do before the Qin Dynasty; but doing them at the end of the Qin Dynasty would be considered foolish.

After discussing official business, Ying Ziying and the others took their leave.

Grand Master Yu kept Master Guan behind and inquired about the matter of going to the blessed land of the underworld to pick up the person.

Then she went alone to the Qin Dynasty's secret chamber at the Black Ice Platform.

Led by Ying Banli, they found the Hidden Guardian Room - Southern Demon Gate District.

This is why she didn't get angry or regretful after the old demon of bewitching mind took the initiative to "transform into the Dao".

Without you, the Bewitching Old Demon, this Grand Tutor would not be able to know the secrets of your Southern "Holy Gate".

Damn it, have you forgotten who drove those Southern devils away?

At that time, Grand Tutor Yu was certain that the information she needed could be found in the hidden room.

As it turns out, the legacy left by Zheng Ge was even more impressive than she had expected.

"Not to mention the information about the Demonic Sect, the secret scriptures of the Demonic Sect, the sacred objects of the Demonic Sect, and the primordial spirits of the elders of the Demonic Sect, all of these are here."

"Only the evil cultivation techniques that involve cannibalism and murder were destroyed by the Human Emperor. There are no copies left here either," Ying Banli said calmly.

Seeing the bookshelves stretching for miles, and the various books and objects clearly marked on them, Grand Tutor Yu was both excited and somewhat speechless.

There were indeed a few "Demon Emperor Relics" on the shelf—crystal balls that sealed the primordial spirits of the Demon Sect elders.

—You old devil who bewitches hearts, you died unjustly!

"Why did the late emperor sweep away these demonic bastards back then? Was it truly to cleanse the land of evil and restore peace?"

Seeing the numerous research materials on demonic sects, demonic ancestors, and demonic arts on the bookshelf, Grand Tutor Yu began to doubt Ying Zheng's motives.

Ying Banli said solemnly, "Cleansing away the demonic influence is definitely the main objective. How can we conquer the fertile lands of the South without eradicating the demons there?"
However, the demonic arts are indeed wondrous, and it's only natural that His Majesty would want to study them.

"What does the Grand Tutor wish to study? I am quite familiar with this place and can help you find it," Chestnut asked again.

Grand Tutor Yu glanced around and said, "Help me find the texts that explain the core secrets of the Demonic Sect."

(End of this chapter)