Daqin Zhentiansi

Chapter 567 Your Zhang family can be considered a family of martial arts merit...

The river breeze, carrying salty and humid air, swept into the cabin of the ship, which was decorated with black iron runes.

The bronze shark lamps were lit all at once as Ji Yuntang waved his sleeve.

Inside the third-floor cabin of the Dragon Head Ship of the Zhen Tian Division, the dome paved with East Sea Water Jade reflected the illusory image of mountains and rivers, and gilded the "Eastern Wei Landscape Scroll" that Ji Yuntang was slowly unfolding in his hands with a golden halo.

"Wow—"

The moment the scroll was fully unfurled, the thirty-six Zhenhai Pearls embedded in the bulkhead simultaneously emitted a bluish light.

As Ji Yuntang's fingertips brushed across the seal script of the two characters "Yuncang," the dragon vein lurking beneath the frozen earth of a hundred miles seemed to tremble with joy.

The Great Dao responds!

This scroll has been transformed into a supreme treasure of the continent!
On Yongtianzhou, there are many Confucian and Taoist masters, but very few who have achieved extraordinary success in painting.

Zhang Yuan inherited Wang Mengxi's legacy and had a close friendship with Ji Yuntang despite their age difference.

When Ji Yuntang came to the Eastern Border, he instructed Zhang Yuan that if he could not return alive, his soul should be sent to the Great Wall in the Northern Border.

"Brother Ji, I admire such skill..."

Looking at the scroll in front of him, Gong Yu sighed softly.

Upon entering Wei territory, he meticulously depicted the entire landscape; such skill and perseverance are worthy of his respect.

Ji Yuntang's temples, streaked with silver, moved undisturbed by the stillness of the wind. A faint golden hue emanated from the scar between his brows, left from rubbing the "Burial of the Dragon Abyss" inscription: "Thirty million miles of mountains and rivers, forty-nine mountain and river veins, ninety-seven great cities—"

The jade paperweight suddenly exploded into dust, and the purple aura rising from the scroll condensed into a nine-zhang-tall phantom of a Confucian sage behind Ji Yuntang.

This Confucian and Taoist master, who was about to become a Grand Secretary of the Wenyuan Pavilion, stood with his hands behind his back in the projection of the vast ocean. The fine lines at the corners of his eyes rose slightly with the curve of his mouth: "With this scroll of mountains and rivers, we only need to wait for the Qin war flag to advance eastward, and we will be able to advance smoothly without any obstacles."

The Xuanjia Dragon Guards at the four corners of the cabin instinctively pressed down on their sword hilts.

This scroll is such a treasure!

Luo Hongxiu, who had been quietly hiding to the side, looked up, her eyes flashing with a sharp light.

This great master of Confucianism and Taoism exuded an arrogance that looked down upon the world, a dread that sent chills down one's spine.

Outside the window, the waves crashed against the shore, and Gong Yu was rubbing his knuckles as he held the teacup.

He gazed at the reflections of the two figures standing side by side in the tea soup—

Marquis Qingyang, Zhang Yuan, stood tall and straight, while Ji Yuntang, dressed in a blue robe, looked dashing, just like in the old days.

The two people who were freely exchanging ideas about calligraphy and painting in the martial arts courtyard of Zhengyang County have unknowingly risen to high positions.

The three who once chatted and laughed together in the courtyard, one was tempered into a national treasure in the blood and fire of Qingtianzhou, another painted a dragon-slaying scroll in the palace of Dongwei, and he himself had long since donned the crimson robe of the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites.

"Who would have thought?" Gong Yu was sipping his tea with a look of emotion on his face.

"Headmaster, Lord Gong, you are going to the capital to report back. The Zhen Tian Si army will accompany you and escort you." Zhang Yuan stood up, cupped his hands and said, "Wait until I return to the capital, then we can drink together."

Ji Yuntang and Gong Yuzheng nodded and returned the greeting with clasped hands.

————————————————————

March of the twenty-third year of the Yuankang era of the Great Qin Dynasty.

The upheaval that swept across the eastern borders of the Qin Dynasty and the Jianghu and border regions of the Eastern Wei gradually subsided after the exchange of Yuncang City and the departure of the Qingyang Marquis and the Zhen Tian Si army.

But the turmoil caused by this upheaval was like surging waves, spreading outwards in ripples, eventually triggering a tsunami.

The first to be shaken was the martial arts world of the Eastern Territory.

Although the battle of Yuncangjiang has ended, the prestige of the Zhentian Division has stirred up tremendous waves in the martial arts world of the Eastern Territory.

Marquis Zhang Yuan of Qingyang used elixirs and martial arts techniques as bait to firmly bind the forces of the martial arts world with the Zhen Tian Si, resulting in a dramatic shift in the power of sects that had not been seen in a century.

Chen Duange, the leader of the Cold Crow Sword Sect, exchanged his merits in the pursuit of Yuwen Jue for three "Nine Tribulations Marrow Cleansing Pills". These pills are made with the essence blood of a dragon as a guide and nine kinds of heaven and earth spiritual herbs. They can cleanse the marrow and purify the meridians, breaking through realms as easily as crushing dry leaves.

Fellow practitioners in the martial arts world speculate that these three pills alone could very well give rise to three grandmasters for the Cold Crow Sword Sect.

The Qingyun Sword Sect exchanged its merit in clearing out twelve Eastern Wei spy cells for the opportunity to complete the inheritance of the incomplete Xuanming Cold Crow Sword Manual.

The moment Elder Xiao Lingyun embedded the Sword Manual into the ancestral sword, the three thousand ancient swords of Hidden Sword Cliff resonated for seven days. The seven elders who were trapped at the peak of the Cave Profound Realm broke through their realm by borrowing the soaring sword intent. The Azure Nether Sword Qi actually condensed into a hundred-mile-long sword cloud in the sect's territory.

The various factions in the Eastern Territory are undergoing subtle changes. The leader of the Five Poisons Sect exchanged the blood of a dragon for the "Ten Thousand Poisons True Scripture," the Xuanji Sect used its merits in breaking the formation to exchange for the "Zhou Tian Star Chart," and even the usually aloof Yuxu Temple took the initiative to accept the task of guarding the boundary marker for the three volumes of the "Taiqing Danjing."

When storytellers in teahouses and taverns strike their gavels, they always mention the green wooden carriage in the middle of the river: "The Marquis slays the Grandmaster on the battlefield for 'martial prowess that pacifies the mountains and rivers,' while Mr. Yun Cang Huan Ji is 'righteous to the heavens.'"

"Young men from humble backgrounds, remember to go to the Heavenly Suppression Bureau to obtain the 'Basic Body Refining Technique.' Marquis Qingyang has left a ladder to heaven for all martial artists in the world!"

……

Spring Mountain Grotto Heaven.

In the small courtyard and thatched cottage, the ink-wash mist on the warm jade screen flickered with the candlelight, gilding the black hair hanging down beside Zhao Yu's ears.

Her fingertips brushed over the still-wet ink of the "Yuncang Trade Treatise" on the desk, when she suddenly felt her jade belt with python patterns on it being gently hooked.

"The headmaster always says that the shad from the Yuncang River is the fattest and most delicious. Once the trade routes are open—" Zhang Yuan's warm breath brushed against the back of her neck, "shall we go boating and fishing together?"

Zhao Yu grabbed the wandering wrist with her other hand, and the slyness in her eyes was reflected in the candlelight by the mutton-fat jade paperweight: "The Marquis has ordered three Grandmasters to guard Yun Cang City. I can't afford to pay that reward."

"Their salaries are arranged by the Zhen Tian Si (a government agency)." Zhang Yuan's hand was already clenched.

The black python robe fluttered onto the jade table, and Zhang Yuan lowered his eyes to look at the cinnabar mole between the eyebrows of the person in his arms.

This girl has become increasingly alluring without us even realizing it.

"The trade between Yuncang City not only benefits the Qin Dynasty, but also maintains the connection between the people of Eastern Wei and the Qin Dynasty."

"Once the Great Qin Dynasty unifies Yongtian Continent, the people of Wei will also be people of Qin."

Zhang Yuan lightly tasted the crimson lips, causing the beautiful woman in his arms to gasp for breath.

The Zhen Tian Si army has returned to the imperial city, and Lei Hao and other grandmasters have all returned to the imperial city to take charge.

Only three thousand Black Riders, two hundred Death Knights, and three hundred Shadow Guards remain in the Eastern Territory.

For the current state of the Eastern Jianghu, there is no longer a need to disperse the Zhen Tian Si's forces.

As long as the bounty on Qingyang Marquis remains, countless martial artists will fight against the sword cultivators of Eastern Wei and the cultivators from beyond the realm.

These are all battle merits, which can be exchanged for Zhen Tian Si's elixirs, classic texts, and weapons.

From inside the thatched hut came Zhao Yu's muffled laughter: "At yesterday's court assembly, His Majesty wanted to appoint you as a Pillar of State General, but the Minister of Rites rejected it."

"Oh, right, he also submitted a petition demanding that you have your salary reduced for three years."

Zhao Yu's words were tinged with panting.

"It's just a nominal title." Zhang Yuan, supporting Zhao Yu's lower back, bumped into the gilded antique shelf, causing the newly inserted crow sword tassel in the celadon vase on the shelf to shake violently. "How about rewarding him with a few real treasures?"

Zhao Yu's sneer was swallowed between her burning lips and teeth. The moment the jade hairpin in her hair fell to the ground and shattered, the three thousand ink-wash peaks in the Spring Mountain Painting trembled simultaneously, startling the white deer in the mountain stream into trampling the moonlight on the ground.

"Wait, wait, His Majesty still granted it in the end, bestowing upon one of his sons the title of Earl."

"Your Zhang family can be considered a family with a distinguished military record..."

"What do you mean 'my Zhang family'? It should be 'our Zhang family'."

"Then you'll have to give me a few more sons."

……

(End of this chapter)