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

Chapter 1473 Dao Ancestor Helps Cheate
Liu Ji looked conflicted and said, "I feel that the development of the situation in the Central Plains will be very different from my experience in the Lesser Thousand Worlds."

Fan Kuai looked at Lu Wan and Xiahou Ying with a puzzled expression.

He had never traveled through time, so he didn't know how the experiences in the Lesser Thousand Worlds differed from reality.

Lu Wan thought about it carefully and said, "Brother Ji, do you mean that in the Lesser Thousand Worlds, only 'Fake Grand Tutor Yu' is powerful, while in our Pangu World, just one Li Si is enough to make the heroes of Shenzhou suffer so much, leading to Taigong and the others being captured?"

Liu Ji felt a warmth in his heart. It was this brother, who was born on the same day, month, and year, who truly understood him!

"That's only one aspect. We already knew that the Lesser Thousand Worlds could not perfectly simulate the Pangu World."

The fake Grand Tutor Yu in the small world actually bears the shadows of Li Si, King Lieyang, and others.

After all, Grand Tutor Zhenyu of our Pangu World hardly does any 'serious business'; he's always been reconstructing the earth's veins.

Those who truly challenged the heroes of China were the veteran ministers left behind by the emperor, such as Li Si, Feng Quji, and the King of Lieyang.

A fake Grand Tutor Yu included them all.

Xiahou Ying asked, "What is it that Brother Ji can't see through?"

Liu Ji countered, "Brothers, tell me, at this very moment, who poses the greatest threat to us?"

“Of course it’s the Qin Dynasty, it’s Li Si and Grand Tutor Yu, who else could it be?” Zhou Bo said.

"The 'we' I'm referring to aren't the heroes of China, but rather me and you all." Liu Ji shook his head, pointing to himself and the brothers in the room.

Fan Kuai's expression changed. "Brother Ji, didn't you say that the anti-Qin alliance had reached a consensus to destroy Qin first, and then consider fighting for hegemony in the Central Plains?"
"Now that the Qin Dynasty has not yet been destroyed, and you have only just concluded the East Sea Alliance meeting, it's unlikely that you would immediately turn on each other, or that any heroes from the Central Plains would attack us."

Liu Ji sighed, "I don't know, but I know we can't be the first to step forward."

Lu Wan's expression changed several times. He said, "Brother Ji's concerns are not without reason. Brother Jing Ji has been urging the King of Chu to immediately concentrate his forces and attack northward."

They first entered Shanfu, then attacked Changyi, and finally joined forces with Peng Lao at the foot of Juye City.

First, help Boss Peng take Juye. With him as our backer, we can move east into Sishui or west to conquer Dangjun and Dongjun.

Strategically, we will be in a very good position.

King Chu had clearly put this strategy into practice when he traveled through the small world, but he was indecisive and worried about being targeted by the main force of the Qin Dynasty.

Now, because Xiang Lianggong quickly ended the battle of Kuaiji and showed a tendency to advance westward, the King of Chu immediately became anxious.

Although attacking the Si River was a strategy that had been practiced in the world of Xiaoqian and would have been of great benefit to Western Chu, the reason why the King of Chu made this decision was the threat from Xiang Liang Gong, rather than a strategy that he had already formulated.

Today, he regards Xiang Lianggong as a major threat and immediately takes action.

What will happen if we become a threat in the eyes of others in the future?
Alas, the real world is ultimately different from the world you travel to!

When they traveled through time, everyone knew it was all an illusion, so they were not tempted by any benefits.

In the real world of Pangu, whoever yields truly loses it.

Liu Ji held up two fingers and pondered, "We have two major strategies to accomplish this year and next year."

The first step is to improve ourselves.

My appointment as the Grain Supply Commandant was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

Lu Wan and A Ying both know that I often deal with Commander Su in the small world.

There are three major advantages to managing grain supplies. First, safety! As I mentioned before, after reviewing the entire "Investiture of the Gods," the grain transport official is the safest.

Secondly, we have grain in our hands, so our brothers and our wives will definitely not starve.

Finally, controlling the food supply meant, to a certain extent, controlling the fate of the army.

—If my premonition comes true, and the rebel kings turn against each other and Jingju gets into trouble, we can immediately take over the Western Chu army.

He glanced at the thoughtful men from Pei County and said slowly, "The Commandant of Grain Supply is still a Commandant, with soldiers and generals under his command."

Even when fighting within the county, five thousand capable soldiers would still require at least ten thousand auxiliary soldiers to transport supplies.

I am a captain, and you are all generals, with tens of thousands, or even hundreds of thousands, of laborers under your command.

In the next two years, you need to carefully distinguish between your subordinates.

Aying, Lu Wan, do you still remember the skills we learned from Xiang Liang in the small world?

Lu Wan asked, "Brother Ji, are you talking about techniques for cultivating scholars?"

Liu Ji nodded slightly and said with emotion, "In the past, whenever there was corvée labor or a funeral in Wu County, Xiang Liang would take charge of organizing it."

He privately used military tactics to deploy personnel and command the masses in order to assess their abilities.

Such skill, could it be innate? The Xiang family is a powerful clan with a history of thousands of years, and generations of generals have passed down this wisdom over thousands of years!

We, who are in charge of requisitioning and transporting grain, have always incorporated civilian laborers into the military.

Using the Xiang family's methods of identifying talented individuals and recruiting retainers, they easily captured all the outstanding talents among the common people.

If 100,000 laborers can be conscripted within two years, and even if only one in twenty is selected, that would amount to 5,000 elite soldiers.

Zhou Bo's eyes flickered as he said, "We haven't traveled through time, so we don't know the techniques of identifying and recruiting talented individuals using military strategy."

Liu Ji smiled slightly, "Just follow me, I'll teach you step by step."

Xiahou Ying said with gratitude and admiration, "When we were traveling through the small world, it was Brother Ji who taught me and Lu Wan."

"Thank you so much, Brother Ji!" Lu Wan, Fan Kuai, and the others bowed and expressed their gratitude, overjoyed.

They were all intelligent people, and they understood all too well the significance of this "wisdom exclusive to nobles."

Liu Ji chuckled and said, "I will not only teach you Xiang Liang's 'art of discerning the wise in military strategy,' but also the Jing family's method of 'concealing power in the smallest details.'"

"What do you mean by 'hiding power'?" Zhou Bo asked eagerly.

Liu Ji said, "The Jing family's roots are in Dang County, while Qin Jia's are in Xue County, which is a thousand miles away."

Guess how the Jing family subdued Qin Jia, and how they helped him develop his power in Xuejun, Langya, and Donghai prefectures, making him the leader of a group of outlaws?

Zhou Bo frowned and said, "It is indeed a bit strange. If I were still the drummer in Pei County, or an archer in the garrison, I would never have imagined that Qin Jia, the rebel king of Liu County, would be related to the Jing family of Dang County."

Liu Ji said, “In Xue County alone, there are three hundred ‘clerks’ and more than twenty clerks or prison officials who are from the Jing family.”

He is either a member of a minor branch of the Jing family or a retainer of the Jing family.

The positions were not high-ranking.

If one reaches the level of county constable, Li Si and Feng Quji will know one's name and background.

However, if Li Si wanted to know who the magistrate of a certain county in Xue Commandery was, he couldn't just answer immediately; he would have to investigate the documents.

"Alas, these ancient royal families are indeed far superior to the wealthy and powerful like Wang Ling and Xiao He," Fan Kuai sighed.

“It’s far from it,” Liu Ji said. “But this isn’t about bloodline, it’s about skill. Nobility in bloodline is innate, but skill and wisdom can be learned.”

Under the King of Chu, we cannot be too obvious, but we also cannot give up on establishing our own "soldiers" in the conquered counties.

Zhou Bo said, "It seems that even if we don't lead troops into battle these past two years, we still have a lot to do."

“Improving ourselves is only one of the two major strategies.” A determined light flashed in Liu Ji’s eyes. “The second major strategy is to find a way to rescue our brothers.”

Lord Xiao, Cao Can, and Han Xin were deemed my cronies by the magistrate of Pei. They were first transferred to the service of Marquis Hunhai, and then Li Si relocated them to the north to serve as county magistrates or county lieutenants.

Let's contact them first, and then find an opportunity to bring them back.

To ensure their safe return, their families must be freed from Qin control. This is not something that can be accomplished overnight, but we have two years.

Lu Wan asked, "Shouldn't we save Grandfather first?"

Liu Ji hesitated for a moment, then said, "Don't worry about my father for now. We can bring them back after we destroy the Qin Dynasty."

“We can wait for the Qin Dynasty to be destroyed, but can Taigong and the others wait?” Lu Wan said.

Liu Ji sighed, "Saving my father and the others is too difficult. Xiao He and Cao Can are martial artists who practice extraordinary techniques. If we create an opportunity for them, they can escape on their own."

My father and his family are a burden, wasting a lot of manpower and resources; it's not worth it. Cough cough, what I mean is, wasting manpower and resources and still not being able to save them—it's not worth it.

Xiahou Ying said, "I have a dragon horse, why don't I go to the north myself?"

"You don't need to bother with this." Liu Ji chuckled and said, "When the King of Chu has an army of 100,000 and Western Chu has hundreds of cities, we can easily command ghosts and gods, or even just order Qi cultivators around."

After saying that, he stood up and said, "Master Zifang has come to see me. You may all leave now."

After saying that, he winked at Zhou Bo.

Zhou Bo made hand seals and chanted an incantation, and five-colored spiritual light flashed around him, dispelling the invisible barrier that had been blocking sound and perception.

They simply cannot master all the Heavenly and Earthly Divine Powers, not that they cannot master any of them.

Of course, some people are just too incompetent and never master a single secret technique.

When Liu Ji walked out of the courtyard, Zhang Liang had already been waiting outside the door for two or three minutes.

Clearly, Zhang Liang was aware of the barrier's existence and guessed that he was whispering inside, so he didn't go up to disturb him.

“Brother Liu, your decision to relinquish command of troops and take on the role of Grain Supply Commandant seems to have a deeper meaning!” Zhang Liang said with a smile.

Liu Ji sighed, "To be honest, I've been riding high lately, but my luck is currently at a low point, so I'm a little scared."

Zhang Liang asked in surprise, "Brother Liu, you are quite fortunate. Why do you say your luck is at a low point?"

Liu Ji said, "An old Taoist I know said that I have exhausted my good fortune in Baiyun Immortal Mansion and will find it difficult to achieve anything great within two years. If I force myself to stand out, I may be in mortal danger."

Zhang Liang stared at his face and silently calculated.

Liu Ji immediately sensed it, but he wasn't particularly offended; on the contrary, he felt a little smug.

—Even Master Fuqiu and the others couldn't see through my aura, so what can you, a mere "little celestial being," possibly predict?
“Brother Liu is right, you have indeed had bad luck these past two years. Your father and his friend were arrested by the court, which doesn’t seem to be their own fault; they’re probably implicated by you,” Zhang Liang said.

Liu Ji looked suspicious. "Master Zifang, you wouldn't be deliberately agreeing with what I said, would you?"

Zhang Liang laughed and said, "Did Daoist Wuyazi cover up your aura? You are not the Heavenly Star of Destiny at all."

Liu Ji was so terrified that his soul almost floated out of his body.

"You...you know Daoist Wuyazi?"

“I’ve never met her, but I’ve heard about her tribulation at Mangdang Mountain.” Zhang Liang said meaningfully, “Master Wuyazi’s divination skills are indeed impressive. I guess even Fuqiu Gong and the others didn’t see through Brother Liu’s disguise.”

"What a pity you've run into me. Brother Liu, tell me, what are you going to use to shut me up?"

Liu Ji bowed deeply and said, "I have two jugs of Zhu Guo Ling Jiu wine, and a table full of delicacies."

"Then what are we waiting for?" Zhang Liang took the initiative to walk into his courtyard.

Upon reaching the pavilion, after serving the spirit wine and delicacies and dismissing everyone else, Liu Ji, still shaken, stared at Zhang Liang and asked, "Master Zifang, how come your divination skills are even more powerful than those of Fuqiu Gong and the others?"

Zhang Liang shook his head and said, "Don't even mention comparing me to those great immortals like Master Fuqiu. Just in terms of divination, even Daoist Qinghe is better than me."

Your situation was determined by me through divination by drawing lots; it didn't require any sophisticated divination techniques, it was purely based on luck.

Liu Ji asked in confusion, "Isn't divination a type of divination technique?"

Zhang Liang said, "Brother Liu is confused. Can't ordinary people go to the temple to draw lots and divine the future?"

Ordinary people need to draw lots and interpret them, but I draw lots in my mind.

Does drawing lots require some sophisticated divination techniques?

Drawing lots is simple, but interpreting them transcends human wisdom; it is merely the most rudimentary form of fortune-telling.

Zhang Liang's words were simple and easy to understand, and Liu Ji understood them completely.

The more he understood, the more unwilling, resentful, and incredulous he became.

"If you used your superior divination skills to uncover something, I would accept it. But Mr. Zifang, are you saying my luck is so low that you can decipher my secret with just a random divination slip?"

Zhang Liang was amused by his frustrated expression and laughed, "Brother Liu, don't be upset. It's not that you're unlucky, it's that I'm lucky today."

It should be noted that there are prerequisites for drawing lots for divination.

You can't draw a fortune stick just by holding a fortune-telling box.

"What are the prerequisites?" Liu Ji asked.

Zhang Liang reminded him, "Where did you usually draw lots?"

“Of course it’s in the temple.” Liu Ji was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized, “Drawing lots may seem to not require divination, but actually drawing a lot of fate still originates from divination. It should be divine divination!”

Ordinary people who draw lots may not understand divination techniques, and Taoist priests who interpret the lots do not need to have particularly advanced divination techniques.

There's even a standard answer to what each of the fortune sticks corresponds to.

For a divination to be effective, the deities in the temple must manifest their power, and their divine abilities must be exceptionally profound.

Because believers draw that destiny slip under the guidance of a deity.

Liu Ji looked around and asked, "There is no temple here. Which deity did you worship in your heart, Master Zifang? It is so effective. I want to worship as well."

Zhang Liang laughed and said, "I worship Laozi!"

Liu Ji exclaimed in surprise, "Is it the Supreme Lord Laozi manifesting himself? But why would Laozi want to harm me?"

Zhang Liang pondered and said, "The Dao Ancestors are not only Dao Ancestors, but also Sages, the Great Dao itself."

To be honest, I'm not sure whether the manifestation was by Laozi in the Tushita Palace or by the Great Dao in heaven.

The latter is probably more likely.

Although I was fortunate enough to achieve the Elixir of Immortality, I have been lingering in the mortal realm and have not yet been registered in the Heavenly Register.

I've never been to the Tushita Palace or paid homage to the patriarch in my entire life!

The "divination technique in one's mind" that he used was just a small trick in the fundamental mental cultivation method.

It's not a proper immortal technique, nor is it a great supernatural power; it's just a basic application of a Xuanmen (mystical) mental cultivation method.

His method of cultivating the mind is the "Taiqing Zuowang Jing".

Visualize the Daoist deity in your mind, in a state of transformation, and allow yourself to reach a state of non-action.

“Even if it were truly Laozi manifesting his power, he wouldn’t harm you! By hiding yourself so well, you’ve not only protected yourself from villains, but also kept out virtuous people,” Zhang Liang added.

—Now that you know my Heavenly Noble Destiny is a facade, are you willing to abandon King Han Cheng and instead pledge allegiance to me, Liu Ji?

Liu Laosan muttered to himself, but didn't dare to say it aloud.

"Master Zifang, what have you discerned? What was my original destiny?"

(End of this chapter)