Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 477 If I could eat instant noodles every day, I, Zhang Zifang, would have no regrets even if I died!

“Zihou possesses great supernatural powers.”

Holding a cup of instant noodles, Zhang Liang ate with great satisfaction, repeatedly praising, "The people of the immortal realm eat so well."

He put down the empty bucket, stood up, and bowed. "Zihou, could you take me to the Immortal Realm to seek a living?"

"Your request is a bit excessive."

Sitting on a small stool, Lin Dao responded with a smile.

"The Immortal Realm isn't as wonderful as you imagine."

"The people in the immortal realm actually live a very hard life. They are busy making a living every day and feel that life is just about survival."

Zhang Liang blinked. "Will we have enough to eat?"

"Uh~" Lin Dao laughed again, "It should be possible."

"That's good then." Zhang Liang sighed. "The First Emperor was ambitious and loved to do great things, and he abused the people's labor."

"I want everything: imperial tombs, the Great Wall, straight roads, granaries, cities, palaces, water conservancy projects, and I want to build everything."

"The people of the world are either performing corvée labor or on their way to performing corvée labor."

"Even the old Qin people in Guanzhong often go north and south to guard the border year-round, and it is difficult for them to go home for many years."

"The people of the world have suffered under Qin for too long."

This is not nonsense; it is absolutely true.

The First Emperor wanted to do too many things and wished he could accomplish them all in a short period of time.

As a result, people all over the country are busy.

Endless corvée labor and tireless border defense duties.

These days seemed endless, with no end in sight, naturally causing widespread resentment among the people.

As for the people of Qin, Shang Yang's military meritocracy system exhausted everything they had, laying a solid foundation for unifying the world.

They thought that after unifying the world, they could finally live a good life.

Unexpectedly, life became even harder than before.

The reason why the surface peace can still be maintained is because the First Emperor is still alive.

His prestige, which swept across six kingdoms, suppressed the anger of the entire world.

"It doesn't have to be this way."

A night wind began to rise, its whistling sound sweeping across the night.

Lin Dao simply waved his hand and said, "Don't try to use words on me, it won't work."

He held up two fingers and pointed to his eyes. "I can see for myself."

"I will make a decision about the future of this world after I have seen it clearly."

This statement was made with great confidence, as if it could determine the future of the world.

Zhang Liang remained silent for a moment, then responded in a low voice.

"No~"

His rhetoric was always excellent; he had intended to influence Lin Dao through his words and persuade him to assassinate the Qin emperor for the sake of the people.

Unexpectedly, he saw right through me.

He truly is an immortal; my little tricks were nothing but a joke in front of him.

"You should rest well."

Lin Dao stood up and said, "Come with me tomorrow."

Watching Lin Dao's figure suddenly disappear, Zhang Liang stood there in silence for a long time.

"The emergence of such an immortal is a blessing or a curse, I wonder."

"If you'd be willing to lend a hand~"

"Ah~"

"But this is also a matter of chance."

"The King of Qin searched desperately for immortals but could not find them, but I have encountered them."

"Such an opportunity should not be missed."

"This immortal has sharp eyes; he cannot be fooled."

"We should treat each other with sincerity in our future interactions."

The next morning, Lin Dao changed his clothes and came over again.

He changed into a set of linen clothes common in this era and wore a black headscarf.

This is the "Qianshou" named in the First Emperor's edict.

In fact, the social status of the common people is not bad; it is definitely higher than that of the working class.

The inscription on the stone tablet at Langya Terrace records: "When agriculture is prioritized over commerce, the common people will be prosperous."

The term "黔首" refers to self-cultivating farmers who own their own land, or even sons of small or medium-sized landlords.

Just like the middle class in the modern world who own their own shops, houses, or even companies.

In the Qin Dynasty, those who worked like oxen and horses were considered scoundrels.
When Lin Dao arrived, Zhang Liang was practicing his swordplay.

It's not the kind of sword dance that looks good but is just for show; it's real combat sword techniques.

His sword strikes were swift and fierce, as powerful as the wind.

Their actions, whether advancing or retreating, were often characterized by a resolute willingness to risk their lives.

Being proficient in both literature and martial arts is the standard requirement for a scholar.

"Good swordsmanship!"

Lin Dao laughed loudly and plucked a branch from a willow tree nearby.

He reached out and plucked off the leaves, then stepped forward to engage in battle.

Zhang Liang's heart tightened, and he instinctively thrust his sword forward.

Lin Dao suddenly lashed the branch in his hand at Zhang Liang's sword.

The immense force knocked the sword away, and the next moment the branch lashed out at Zhang Liang's waist again.

Zhang Liang staggered and fell to the ground.

He stood up, brushed the dirt off his hands, and exclaimed to Lin Dao, "Your swordsmanship is divine! I admire you!"

"Just call me Zihou."

Lin Dao laughed and said, "We have a life-or-death friendship, no need for formalities."

"Brother Zihou," Zhang Liang said calmly, "I am hungry and hope you can help me."

"Sure, just wait."

Before long, Lin Dao brought over another bowl of Master Kong noodles.

Zhang Liang was overjoyed. He first bowed to Lin Dao to express his gratitude, and then stepped forward to take the bowl of noodles.

I found a relatively clean spot, sat down cross-legged, and started slurping down my steaming bowl of noodles.

"This soup noodles are absolutely delicious."

Zhang Liang ate until tears streamed down his face. "They even put spices in it!" He was of noble birth and had naturally eaten spices before.

However, he later squandered his fortune on the assassination attempt on the Qin emperor, and thus had not tasted spices, a luxury item whose price was comparable to gold, for a long time.

As for noodles, they have existed for a very long time.

During the Qin Dynasty, it was called Tangbing.

Wheat flour is kneaded into dough, cut into strips, and dried to form a simple food similar to noodles, which is called soup noodles.

It was not only consumed by civilians, but also served as an important military ration.

"Do you think this tastes good?"

Upon hearing Lin Dao's question, Zhang Liang raised his head, looking puzzled. "Brother Zihou, how can such a delicacy be judged by whether it tastes good or not?"

"If I could eat such delicious food every day, I would die without regrets!"

"Ha~~~" Lin Dao was silent for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh. "When you really eat too much, you'll get tired of it."

"Brother Zihou," Zhang Liang said with a helpless expression, putting down his bowl of noodles. "I don't know what the Immortal Realm is like."

"But here, being able to have a full meal is something many people would rather die for."

"Oh~" Lin Dao asked softly, "Then do you think that if I could provide people with these things every day, would anyone be willing to work for me?"

"I'd go through fire and water for you, Brother Lin!"

Zhang Liang, looking slightly agitated, asked, "Brother Zihou, are you planning to recruit soldiers and horses to rebel against Baoqin?!"

"Liang is willing to serve you like a dog or a horse."

He was a member of the Korean nobility, a remnant of the six kingdoms.

Zhang Liang's stance on opposing the Qin Dynasty was one of unwavering devotion and relentless effort.

Throwing away the branch in his hand, Lin Dao set off, calling out, "Have you finished eating? If you have, let's go."

Zhang Liang hurriedly picked up the bowl of noodles and ate voraciously, even licking the bowl clean after drinking all the broth.

"It's truly a delicacy."

Picking up his sword, Zhang Liang gave chase and asked, "Brother Zihou, where are we going?"

"Go find the First Emperor."

Zhang Liang's face immediately lit up with joy. "You want to~"

"I'll go see the First Emperor," Lin Dao said softly. "To see if there's any hope for his illness."

"Sigh~" Zhang Liang couldn't help but sigh. Why wouldn't Brother Zihou deal with that tyrant?
"No need to worry."

Lin Dao casually said, "Follow me, and I'll keep you safe and sound."

"I am not afraid of death." Zhang Liang truly lived up to his reputation as a staunch anti-Qin fighter, able to steer any topic towards the anti-Qin cause. "As long as it leads to the overthrow of Qin and the restoration of Han, I will have no regrets even if I die!"

"Since ancient times, everyone has died."

Lin Dao didn't want to persuade him anymore. "It's just that you have to die meaningfully."

"To throw away one's life so easily is the act of a coward."

"Oh?" Zhang Liang pressed, "Brother Zihou, what do you think constitutes meaningfulness?"

"At the very least, his death should be recorded in history books, right?"

"And it can't be a bad reputation."

Lin Dao had no choice but to casually reply, "If one dies resisting the invasion of the barbarians, one's name will be remembered for eternity."

"Barbarians?"

Zhang Liang, who was pulling the small boat out of the reeds, looked strange upon hearing this.

"What are these barbarians? They are weak and feeble."

"Back when all the states still existed, even the weak state of Yan could defeat the barbarians and expand its territory by thousands of miles."

"The Qin army achieved one great victory after another against the barbarians."

"They still dare to invade?"

Stepping onto the bow of the ship, Lin Dao heard Zhang Liang's words and realized he was helpless.

If future dynasties heard these words, many would probably be moved to tears.

After the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, the so-called barbarians and savages all played the role of being brutally beaten in front of the Central Plains.

Even a state like Yan, which was considered a weak state during the Warring States period, was able to defeat the ancestors of the Xianbei and Wuhuan tribes, causing them to flee in terror.

Li Mu and his men defeated the barbarians so badly that they dared not look south for many years.

Why were the Central Plains so powerful at this time?

It's because of the trials and tribulations of hundreds of years of war!
Why were successive dynasties unable to resolve the border troubles brought by the barbarians and nomadic tribes?
Because people's hearts have changed!

They all dreamed of studying, becoming officials, and enjoying life. Some even knelt down and submitted petitions urging them to ascend the throne, all to maintain their luxurious lifestyles.

Actively abandon or suppress your fighting spirit.

Lacking the martial spirit of this era, they are naturally no match for the barbarians.

To put it bluntly, it wasn't that the barbarians were too strong, but rather that there were too many internal obstacles holding them back.

Thinking about all this, Lin Dao asked, "What do you think of Confucianism?"

"Confucianism?"

Zhang Liang, who was rowing the boat, was stunned at first, then looked disdainful and said, "You're quite the talker, but that's all you have."

"The First Emperor committed countless evils, but the only thing he did right was burning books and burying scholars alive."

"These Confucian scholars are eloquent, but they don't do any real work."

"If they gain power, the world will be in danger."

The so-called burning of books and burying of scholars alive stemmed from the fact that Confucian scholars opposed the prefecture-county system and demanded the restoration of the Zhou Dynasty's enfeoffment system.

This was completely unacceptable to the First Emperor, who had finally unified the country.

This is clearly turning back the clock of history!

The enraged First Emperor ordered the burning of Confucian books.

This is the burning of books.

As for the burning of Confucian scholars, it was clearly a case of later Confucian scholars smearing the First Emperor.

The reason why the First Emperor buried the Confucian scholars alive was not because of the Confucian scholars, but because of the alchemists who had deceived him into making elixirs of immortality.

Later Confucian scholars, in order to be correct and to smear the First Emperor, insisted that it was the Confucian scholars who were framed.
The pursuit of immortality through alchemy can be linked to Taoism.

But which Confucian scholar went there to practice alchemy?
Zhang Liang, who was rowing the boat, couldn't help but ask, "Brother Zihou, what exactly do you intend to do?"

Lin Dao, sitting at the bow of the boat, glanced around at the reed beds and responded casually.

"Visiting heroes all over the world."

"Understand their aspirations and ideals."

"If there is no one worth helping."

"Then I'll do it myself!"

(End of this chapter)