Double penetration: This Three Kingdoms has dragon energy

Chapter 129 Fa Zheng and Ma Jun Seek Help

Vacuum Great Handprint.

This is not an existing Dragon Qi secret technique in Dragon Qi Three Kingdoms.

Instead, it was Ji Qiu's self-created Dragon Qi Secret Technique.

Of course, this is not a true dragon energy secret technique.

Rather, it was the effect of Ji Qiu combining several of his abilities.

There are three steps to performing the Vacuum Great Hand Seal.

The first step is to use the sealing technique of the Imperial Seal of the State.

The Imperial Seal of the State was believed to possess the power to collect the spirit and aura of righteousness of the Han Dynasty.

Therefore, it is often used as a container to store dragon energy, placed next to Ji Qiu so that Ji Qiu can draw and use the dragon energy at any time.

But don't forget, the Imperial Seal of the State can not only collect spiritual dragon energy, it is also a very powerful first-grade peak dragon artifact!
The sealing technique contained within its body is an extremely powerful technique.

This secret technique can seal off an entire space and everything within that space!
Even Ji Qiu, who possesses a time portal, cannot enter the space sealed by the Imperial Seal!
This space has been transformed into a single, solid object!

The second step is to transfer this sealed space to Ji Qiu's personal space.

Ji Qiu's personal space has the ability to extinguish life; any life that enters it will be stripped of its life.

All life forms sealed within the space lost their lives immediately upon entering the personal space.

The third step is to release the sealed space in the personal space, put it back in its original place, and then unseal it!

At this moment, the life within the sealed space has been stripped away.

Even if the ban is lifted, the character will remain in a dead state.

The whole process sounds complicated, but it's actually quite quick once you get the hang of it.

From being sealed off, to being placed in a personal space, to being released from the personal space, and then to being unsealed.

The whole process was completed in one go, and the total time was less than one-tenth of a second!
So to outsiders, it looked like the people in this large area had been directly deprived of their lives!
Of course, while the Vacuum Great Handprint is powerful, it also has limitations.

It is mainly limited by two aspects.

Firstly, there's the attack range of the sealing technique.

However, this is not really a constraint, because the Imperial Seal is a top-grade dragon artifact, so as long as Ji Qiu has enough dragon energy, he can use a top-grade sealing technique.

This was enough for him to immediately seal off an entire county!
Currently, Ji Qiu's body is filled with dragon energy, allowing him to unleash dozens of top-tier first-grade secret techniques consecutively!
Secondly, there is the volume of Ji Qiu's personal space.

This is actually the point that limits the true power of the Vacuum Great Handprint.

The volume of the personal space determines how much space Ji Qiu can fit inside.

However, Ji Qiu's personal space is already quite large.

As a scholar's rank increases, the size of his personal space also continuously increases.

Nowadays, even if we can't take over a county town, it's not a problem to support an army of a thousand men.

This gave Ji Qiu the powerful ability to kill a thousand people with a single move.

Moreover, these thousand people were not ordinary mortals; they were all soldiers and scholars, and could be annihilated instantly!

The Xiliang captain and three hundred Xiliang cavalrymen all fell to the ground and died.

The entire street fell into a deathly silence.

Everyone stared at Ji Qiu with shocked, horrified, and incredulous eyes.

A moment later, whispers, desperately hushed tones, rose from all around.

"They're all dead! They're all really dead!"

"These are three hundred Xiliang Iron Cavalrymen, and not just ordinary Xiliang Iron Cavalrymen. It is said that they are all Xiliang Iron Cavalrymen who have cultivated to the middle level of the eighth rank!"

"Such a powerful Xiliang cavalry, even with only three hundred men, would be enough to break through a small fortified stronghold of a minor aristocratic family with ten thousand men in the wild!"

"This man was able to kill three hundred mid-level eighth-rank Xiliang Iron Cavalrymen with a single palm strike. Could he be a legendary first-rank scholar?!"

"He must be at least a first-rank scholar, and very likely a scholar of the first rank or higher!"

"Being merely a first-grade high-level scholar is not enough; one must also have a powerful force behind them, at least a high-ranking aristocratic family outside the city. Otherwise, even if one possesses the cultivation of a first-grade high-level scholar, they will not be able to use the first-grade high-level dragon aura secret technique!"

"Hiss, a first-rank scholar from a prestigious family outside the city, and he's so young. Who is this person?"

"No matter who he is, I am grateful to him from the bottom of my heart just for killing these Xiliang cavalry."

"That's right, those damned Xiliang cavalry have caused us a lot of trouble ever since they came to Fufeng County!"

……

The surrounding people were talking about it. Many of them looked at the corpses of the Xiliang cavalrymen who had fallen to the ground with expressions of hatred and a sense of revenge in their eyes.

At the same time, the way they looked at Ji Qiu was no longer simply out of fear and terror.

It also carried a hint of gratitude and respect.

However, people can express their emotions and attitudes simply based on their likes and dislikes.

As representatives of the Fufeng Ma clan, Ma Jun and Fa Zheng had many things to consider.

After a brief moment of shock, Ma Jun and Fa Zheng both looked at Ji Qiu with complicated expressions.

There are two reasons for the complex emotions.

On the one hand, they were grateful to Ji Qiu for directly killing these three hundred Xiliang cavalrymen.

This solved the Ma family's urgent problem.

The Ma family of Fufeng could not produce three hundred pieces of mid-grade eighth-rank dragon artifacts.

It's even less likely that it can be produced within three days.

The Xiliang captain just now also knew that they couldn't produce it.

That's why the Xiliang Commandant brought three hundred Xiliang cavalrymen.

His real intention was to seize the Ma family of Fufeng!

It can be said that the Ma family of Fufeng had been driven to a dead end.

Without Ji Qiu, their fate today would most likely have been to be plundered and slaughtered by the Xiliang cavalry.

On the other hand, they also harbored some resentment.

Although they are likely to perish today, isn't there still a small chance that they can avert the crisis?
After all, the Xiliang cavalry were only after money. If they could be properly negotiated and given a large sum of money, it might be possible to persuade them to withdraw their troops.

But after Ji Qiu's actions, this path of compromise and appeasement has been completely cut off.

The Xiliang army, having directly lost 300 mid-level eighth-rank Xiliang cavalrymen, would certainly not let them go.

More importantly, the Xiliang army was not limited to these Xiliang cavalry.

Although they only had three hundred Xiliang cavalrymen in Maoling City, they had two thousand more in Fufeng County outside Maoling City.

In the entire Chang'an-Guanlong region, there are at least tens of thousands of Xiliang cavalry!

With so many Xiliang cavalry, how could the Ma family of Fufeng possibly handle them?
If they come knocking on our door, the Ma family of Fufeng will surely die!
Therefore, while Ji Qiu's move helped them resolve the immediate crisis, it also completely cut off their escape route.

They went from potentially dying in the present to being certain to die in the future.

At that moment, they really didn't know whether they should be grateful to Ji Qiu or hate him!
Ji Qiu smiled faintly at the complicated looks in their eyes.

He knew exactly what those two were thinking.

In fact, he did it on purpose!

Just before he arrived at the Ma family mansion in Fufeng, he was still considering how to obtain the Heavenly Crystal Secret Technique from the Ma family in Fufeng.

Should we lure them with benefits, or demonstrate our power?

It seems that neither approach will be very effective in achieving the desired outcome.

Most importantly, when he learned that the Heavenly Crystal Secret Technique was in the hands of the Ma family of Fufeng, what he wanted was far more than just the Heavenly Crystal Secret Technique.

He also wanted Ma Jun!
This was a technological genius from the Three Kingdoms period, who could be considered on par with Zhuge Liang.

If only we could recruit him to work with Zhuge Liang on scientific and technological research, how wonderful that would be.
However, Ma Jun is the head of the Fufeng Ma clan, and it is practically impossible for him to abandon the entire Fufeng Ma clan and go with him.

It is even more unrealistic to expect the entire Ma family of Fufeng to abandon Fufeng County, which they have cultivated for hundreds of years, and follow him.

So what should we do?

Just as Ji Qiu was frowning with worry, the Xiliang Iron Cavalry made their appearance.

Then Ji Qiu had a solution!

It wouldn't be good to let him directly threaten the Ma family of Fufeng; it could easily damage their relationship and be detrimental to their future interactions.

However, it would be reasonable to use the Xiliang cavalry to threaten the Ma family of Fufeng.

He can't blame us.

We should be grateful to them for saving our lives!

It’s a win-win situation!
So Ji Qiu took action without hesitation.

With a single move, he completely wiped out three hundred Xiliang cavalrymen.

After a brief moment of thought, Ma Jun and Fa Zheng finally decided to approach Ji Qiu.

Regardless of the circumstances, Ji Qiu did help them.

Both out of courtesy and reason, they should first express their gratitude to Ji Qiu.

Besides, given the strength Ji Qiu has demonstrated, they can't afford to offend him.

If one offends the Xiliang army and then offends Ji Qiu, then one will truly be doomed.

Therefore, we can only talk about the future later.

The two men walked up to Ji Qiu, bowed to him, and then Fa Zheng spoke on their behalf: "Thank you for your help, but may I ask how you are addressed?"
I am Fa Zheng, Fa Xiaozhi, and this is Ma Jun, Ma Deheng, the head of the Ma family of Fufeng. On behalf of the Ma family of Fufeng, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to you!

"Of course, I am Ji Qiu. I have long admired the reputation of the Ma family and the Fa family of Fufeng. I am overjoyed to meet two young talents today."

As for what just happened, you two need not take it to heart. Dong Zhuo's perverse actions and the Liangzhou army's many unjust deeds have long destined them for this calamity.

"I'm just acting on behalf of Heaven!" Ji Qiu glanced at Fa Zheng and said with a faint smile.

To run into Fa Zheng while looking for Ma Jun was, frankly, a bit unexpected for Ji Qiu. But since they had run into each other, they naturally couldn't let it go.

After all, he was a top talent in history, Liu Bei's chief strategist.

Historically, after Liu Bei acquired Fa Zheng, he liked him even more than he liked Zhuge Liang.

If Zhuge Liang had not died young, he probably would not have had the opportunity to demonstrate his military prowess.

Liu Bei is currently in dire need of a strategist, and assigning Fa Zheng to him would be a perfect match!
Fa Zheng was naturally unaware that Ji Qiu was already secretly plotting against him.

Even if they knew, they might not care; they might even be secretly pleased.

Upon hearing Ji Qiu's name, he was immediately shocked and blurted out, "Could you be the Marquis of Andai, appointed by the late emperor, the current Governor of Yanzhou, and the Ji Qiu Envoy who occupies the three prefectures of Taishan, Qi, and Le'an?"

"Huh? Xiaozhi has actually heard of me?" Ji Qiu asked in surprise.

He really didn't expect that Fa Zheng would actually know about him.

He thought he would have to introduce himself first.

Actually, it was because he was in the middle and couldn't see his own situation clearly.

He always compared himself to Dong Zhuo or the coalition of powerful families in Guandong, believing that his strength was insignificant and worthless in the face of these two forces, and that he had to use their strength against them in order to achieve his goal.

But what they didn't know was that both Dong Zhuo and the Guandong Coalition were the most powerful forces in the world today, and perhaps even for decades to come.

After the demise of these two forces, it is feared that no force comparable to them will emerge in the Han Dynasty for the next few decades.

In today's world, the actions of these two powers can influence the global landscape.

In this situation, the Ji Qiu faction, which is able to maneuver between the two forces and be used or feared by them, actually holds a high position in the hearts of the people.

Especially in the hearts of many students from humble backgrounds, their status may even be higher than that of the two major powers.

Because all the wise men in the world have long seen that the Han Dynasty is about to perish and the world is about to enter an era of great struggle for power among the warlords.

Since we have entered an era of great contention, we should naturally choose a wise ruler to serve, realize our ambitions, achieve great deeds, and secure titles and honors for our wives and children.

Whom should we choose to go and seek refuge with?
Dong Zhuo was eliminated immediately.

Although he was very powerful and also held the reins of the imperial court.

But his perverse actions meant that anyone with a discerning eye could see that his reign would not last.

Compared to him, Yuan Shao, the leader of the Guandong Alliance, was undoubtedly a more suitable person to join.

With the support of the Yuan family, whose members had served as high-ranking officials for four generations and whose disciples and former officials were spread throughout the land, and with his own considerable talent, Yuan Shao could be considered the foremost ruler in the chaotic era.

However, Yuan Shao was not someone anyone could join.

Because he was so outstanding, the positions around him were filled very early on.

Moreover, anyone who could stand by Yuan Shao's side came from an extraordinary family, at least with a minor aristocratic family outside the city behind them.

If you want to join Yuan Shao, let alone a poor scholar, even a scion of a powerful family in the city like Fa Zheng or Ma Jun wouldn't be qualified!
Who were the successors after Yuan Shao?
Ji Qiu's name began to appear in everyone's sight.

Although Jiqiu currently only has three prefectures, he seems to be no match for those governors and provincial governors.

But don't forget, he conquered all three counties of Jiqiu with his own sword and spear!
Anyone with a modicum of knowledge would know the difference between territory acquired in this way and that acquired through appointment by the imperial court and cooperation with local powerful families!
It can be said that although Ji Qiu only controlled three counties, the power he could actually mobilize was even greater than that of the governors or prefects who seemed to control an entire province.

This is without considering Ji Qiu's industrialized governance model within the territory.

Moreover, Li Qiu has three other major advantages.

Firstly, Ji Qiu came from a poor family, and most of the civil and military officials under his command were also from poor families.

This naturally wins the favor of many people from poor families.

Secondly, Ji Qiu himself is exceptionally capable. The fact that he, a disciple from a humble background, has risen to this position step by step demonstrates his extraordinary abilities.

For a ruler in a chaotic world, ability is naturally very important.

Thirdly, Ji Qiu is young, not yet twenty-five years old.

This is a considerable advantage compared to other feudal lords.

Being young means having more time.

In the struggle for supremacy in chaotic times, the key factor that determines who will become the final victor is often who can gain enough time!

In fact, according to conventional criteria for choosing a husband, Ji Qiu's biggest drawback is probably that he has no children yet.

If he could have a son, his value in the market for lords might even surpass that of Yuan Shao!

Even so, he was still very attractive to talented people from prominent families in the city, such as Fa Zheng and Ma Jun.

Therefore, Fa Zheng's expression immediately changed after he learned of his identity.

Even the rather dull-witted Ma Jun began to show inexplicable emotions in his eyes.

Subsequently, the two became increasingly respectful towards Ji Qiu.

They respectfully invited Ji Qiu into the Ma residence and prepared a grand banquet to entertain him.

At the banquet, all the important figures of the Ma family of Fufeng made an appearance.

Fa Zheng introduced them to Ji Qiu one by one.

These people already knew what had happened outside the mansion and Ji Qiu's identity. They all behaved with utmost respect in front of Ji Qiu, not daring to offend him in the slightest.

After learning about these people's situations, Ji Qiu was pleasantly surprised.

It turns out that these people are all masters at making dragon artifacts.

Not only do they all possess at least three or more methods for crafting dragon artifacts, but their quality has also reached at least the initial stage of the sixth rank!
It must be admitted that Ma Yun, the previous generation of the Fufeng Ma family, although he himself did not make any achievements in making dragon artifacts, he was indeed quite capable in terms of organization and management.

Under his guidance and mentorship, the Ma family of Fufeng has transformed from a family of scholars of classical studies to a family of artisans.

Although no top-tier master craftsmen have emerged yet, a solid foundation has been laid.

It's only a matter of time before the Ma family produces renowned craftsmen in the future.

So after his death, Ma Jun quickly grew up.

Upon realizing this, Ji Qiu felt a deep sense of regret over Ma Yun's death.

Compared to individual master craftsmen, he undoubtedly needs more managerial talent like Jack Ma who can cultivate a large number of craftsmen.

With Jack Ma, both Zao Zhi's Ministry of Industry and Yuan Huan's Ministry of Agriculture would probably take off!
But regret is useless.

The deceased are gone, but we must still look forward!

After several rounds of drinks, the guests and hosts were all in high spirits, and the Ma family, along with their servants and maids, all left the room.

Only Ji Qiu, Fa Zheng, and Ma Jun remained in the hall.

Fa Zheng pulled Ma Jun to Ji Qiu's side, then knelt down with a thud, weeping bitterly, "Your Majesty, please have mercy and save our lives!"

"Xiaozhi and Deheng, what are you doing? Get up quickly!"

Although the three of us have just met, we are kindred spirits and feel like old friends. If there is anything you need me for, just say so. Why go to such lengths? Ji Qiu looked surprised and quickly stepped forward to help the two of them up.

Fa Zheng rose and said bitterly, "Your Excellency, you do not know this, but the Xiliang army is extremely brutal. We were able to escape this calamity today because Your Excellency is here. However, Your Excellency cannot stay here for long. Once Your Excellency leaves, the Xiliang army will surely come to take revenge on us, and we will die without a burial place!"

"Oh dear! This was my oversight. I saw that those Xiliang cavalry were too arrogant and domineering, so I attacked them without thinking about the consequences." Ji Qiu slapped his thigh and said with a regretful expression.

Fa Zheng quickly said, "How can you blame the magistrate for this?"
Those Xiliang cavalry were simply arrogant and unreasonable; everyone saw it. If it weren't for you, my lord, the entire Ma family of Fufeng, including myself, would have been doomed.

The magistrate saved our lives, and we are grateful beyond words. If we were to harbor resentment towards him, wouldn't we all be beasts in human form?

Although the magistrate saved us once, he cannot save us twice or three times.

We are already in a hopeless situation, and there's nothing we can do but cry out in vain.

"Well... then what else do you think I can do to help you at this time, Xiaozhi?" Ji Qiu asked.

Fa Zheng hurriedly said, "I wonder if Your Excellency has any way to send our two families to Your Excellency's jurisdiction?"

If Your Excellency is willing to accept our two families, we are willing to pledge our loyalty to you and obey your every command!

Fa Zheng looked at Ji Qiu with hopeful eyes, his heart pounding nervously in his chest.

He didn't know if Ji Qiu really had a way to take them to Ji Qiu's territory, but he felt that he probably did.

However, Ji Qiu would not have that attitude towards him and Ma Jun.

If Ji Qiu could really bring both of them to his jurisdiction, it would be a tremendous blessing for them.

Firstly, this allowed them to successfully escape from Guanzhong, a place with absolutely no future.

Today, all discerning people in the world know that Dong Zhuo's reign will not last long, but they also know that he will not die quickly.

With such a large fortune, even if they squander it, they won't lose it all in a short time.

This situation, however, has caused great hardship for the talented people of Guanzhong.

As long as Dong Zhuo lives, they will continue to suffer oppression.

Even if Dong Zhuo dies one day.

But by then, the opportune time had passed, and other regional lords had likely already risen to power and might even unify the world.

Those talented individuals who are the last to enter officialdom are destined to only drink soup and broth.

It's even possible that they won't even get a sip of soup, and will only become objects of exploitation by those powerful families who have followed the dragon in other places!
Secondly, if they could follow Ji Qiu to his territory, they could legitimately pledge allegiance to him.

Ji Qiu is the most suitable candidate for talents of their caliber to join in the world today!
Other talented individuals of their caliber struggle to find a way to join their cause.

But they got on the express train directly!

Is there anything more awesome than this?!
"I do have a way to send you to Taishan County."

But as you all know, the Xiliang army is extremely brutal. If I leave, they will definitely come back to take revenge on you.

"But if you all come with me, won't they become enraged and retaliate against the people of Maoling City and Mei City?" Ji Qiu asked hesitantly.

Fa Zheng was taken aback. After a moment's hesitation, he tentatively asked, "Then why don't we take the people of these two cities with us?"

"That would be best, but I don't know if the people in the city would be willing!" Ji Qiu sighed.

Fa Zheng was dumbfounded. He had thought that it would be quite remarkable if Ji Qiu could send hundreds of members of their two clansmen away.

But to his surprise, Ji Qiu's appetite was much bigger than he had imagined.

He actually intended to send away all the permanent residents of these two counties, totaling nearly 200,000!
Is this guy even human?

What kind of extraordinary secret techniques does he possess?
(End of this chapter)