Inheriting a Taoist temple, the story begins with Wu Zetian offering incense.

Chapter 221 Gongsun Da Niang: I Want to Take Du Fu as My Apprentice! [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

Hu Ziyang was Yuan Danqiu's teacher and a close friend of Li Bai despite their age difference. Li Bai mentioned him many times in his poems and essays, such as the famous poems "Remembering Old Travels and Sending to Yuan, the Military Advisor of Qiao County" and "Inscribed on the Wall of Mr. Ziyang in Suizhou," all of which are related to Hu Ziyang.

As for Sima Chengzhen, he was the patriarch of the Shangqing School of Taoism, who called himself Baiyunzi. He was regarded as the national teacher by three emperors: Wu Zetian, Li Dan, and Li Longji. He also played a significant role in the process of Li Dan passing the throne to Li Longji.

Of course, his other identity was that of the great poet Li Bai’s Taoist master. Every time Li Bai was frustrated in his pursuit of officialdom, he would follow Sima Chengzhen to cultivate immortality for a while, but soon after, he would regroup and try again. He was always wavering between seeking officialdom and cultivating immortality.

In the third year of the Tianbao era, Li Bai led Gao Shi and Du Fu to Yangtai Palace on Wangwu Mountain to visit Sima Chengzhen, only to learn that his mentor had passed away at the age of ninety-six.

He was deeply saddened and wrote the famous "Shangyangtai Post," which became the only surviving authentic work of the poet Li Bai.

The "Shangyangtai Post" contains only twenty-five characters, but the entire work is valued at 4.6 billion yuan and is among the first batch of first-class cultural relics prohibited from leaving the country.

Upon receiving Yuan Danqiu's letter, Li Bai felt as if he had traveled through time and space. After thinking for a moment, he took out the Biluochun tea that Zhou Yi had given him, intending to let Sima Chengzhen taste it.

Gongsun Da Niang asked:

Are we entertaining distinguished guests?

Li Bai nodded:

"My destined master, Baiyunzi, is coming. I'm going to let him taste the flavor of Biluochun tea."

Upon hearing this, Aunt Gongsun also contributed some of her snacks:
"When the time comes, arrange these green beans, broad beans, and peanuts neatly on a palm-sized white jade plate. It will be no less delicious than those imperial tea snacks... If Sima Chengzhen wants to take you as his apprentice, will you agree?"

Li Bai smiled and shook his head:

"I already have a master on the path of cultivation, so I really cannot take another master as my master. However, we can correspond and discuss the Dao. We don't necessarily have to address each other as master and disciple."

Upon hearing this, Gongsun Da Niang also wanted to take on a disciple to practice with, but unfortunately, Li Shier Niang, who would inherit her sword-dancing skills in history, would not be born for many more years. As for others… the girl suddenly remembered Du Fu, who wrote poems to mourn his passing:
“Du Fu is only one year old now. In a few years, I can take him as my apprentice. Anyway, even if you two are tied together in terms of official career, you won’t climb as high as Gao Shi. So don’t waste your time in this area.”

This girl had always hoped that Hunyuan Palace would have a little sister, but unfortunately, she had not been able to fulfill her wish. In desperation, she had no choice but to come up with the idea of ​​taking on a disciple, and Du Fu, the poet saint who made her famous in history, was naturally the best choice.

Li Bai laughed and said:

"In history, Zimei was poor and often went hungry. He even went hungry for several days on the river before he died. Now that he has a master who hides snacks everywhere, he will never go hungry again in this life."

Granny Gongsun tore open a packet of broad beans, and said as she ate:
"Of course! Not to mention anything else, my disciple must taste all the delicacies of Hunyuan Palace, so that he can go anywhere with his head held high and make up for all the grievances and scorn he suffered in history!"

After finishing the broad beans, the girl carried the potato seedlings home to plant, planning to bring some fertilizer from Hunyuan Palace in a while to broaden the horizons of the people in Kaiyuan World.

At the same time, inside Hunyuan Palace, Xi Shi's clothes, which she had washed that morning, were all dry. She put them away, folded them neatly, and then sat down in front of the computer to take an online class and begin learning modern Chinese characters.

As evening approached, Zhou Yi handed Xi Shi an outdoor digital watch:
"Wear it on your wrist. You can use it to tell the time later. If you don't know the direction, you can take the watch off. The back is a compass, and the pointer is pointing due north."

Xi Shi's eyes lit up; she hadn't expected such a practical item. She put it on her wrist and asked in a low voice:

"Master, I didn't quite understand this lesson. May I stay until tomorrow?"

Zhou Yi smiled and said:

"Of course, no problem. You can stay as long as you want."

Good students who take the initiative to learn deserve praise. Zhou Yi explained the online class replay function to her and then went to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

This is Xi Shi's first time staying overnight at Hunyuan Palace, so we must treat her well.

In the evening, Zhou Yi made braised tofu, sweet and sour pork, braised pork ribs, and a small bowl of loofah soup, and also steamed two bowls of rice... Chen Tang packed up all the leftovers from lunch and took them away, so now even if he wanted to save time, he couldn't.

During the meal, Xi Shi consulted the Book of Changes, asking:

"If Fuchai had been killed, how would our world have unfolded?"

Zhou Yi thought for a moment and said:
"Nothing much has changed. The outcome of Qin's unification of the six states will not change. When the Warring States period comes, whether it is Wu or Yue, they can only watch from the sidelines. The real fighting will always take place in the Central Plains, and will only take place in the Central Plains."

Hearing this, Xi Shi's expression relaxed somewhat, which made Zhou Yi's heart skip a beat:
"Would this beautiful woman really kill King Fuchai as soon as she arrives in Wu?"

But so be it, King Fuchai is dead. With him gone, Wu Zixu no longer had to commit suicide by drowning himself in the river, and Sun Tzu no longer had to retreat to the mountains and live a life of seclusion. It was a good thing, really.

On the other side, in the world of Emperor Yuan of the Western Han Dynasty, after crossing the Yellow River, Chen Tang raised his binoculars, looked at the mountains beside him, and said with a smile:

“A thousand years from now, this mountain will become the Northern Wudang Mountain. Old Gan, what do you think future generations will think if I carve the words ‘Wudang’ on it now?”

Old Gan took a sip of the cooled boiled water from his new water cup:

"It's possible that the name 'Wudang' will be associated with Emperor Wu, and it might even become a tourist attraction related to Emperor Wu in the future."

While we were chatting idly, the scout's voice came through the walkie-talkie:

"To the southeast, there are scattered tents, which are suspected to be occupied by foreign bandits."

These foreign bandits were likely a mix of Xiongnu and Qiang people, hiding on the east bank of the Yellow River and committing atrocities. The Xiongnu couldn't control them, the Qiang were powerless to manage them, and the Han people were too lazy to bother with them. Now, with Tom Cruise's arrival, it's harvest time for these unruly bandits.

Chen Tang asked:

"Are there no ravines or streams ahead?"

The scout replied:
"No, it's all just an endless desert."

Upon hearing this, Chen Tang issued battle orders to both groups of followers:
"Everyone, eat where you are. After dark, in skirmish formation, raze this settlement of foreign bandits to the ground!"

Upon receiving the order, the scouts began to scout along the way, while the followers behind them ate and drank water. Some even used solar cookers to boil water before sunset.

Chen Tang stood on the banks of the Yellow River, gazing at the steep cliffs on both sides, wanting to compose a poem, but after struggling for a long time, he couldn't come up with a single word, and could only sigh deeply:
"Back when I was studying at home, I was a brilliant scholar who could compose poems eloquently and write beautifully. Now that I've joined the army, I can't even write poetry anymore... Military service has ruined me!"

Gan Yanshou: "..."

If we weren't colleagues, I'd kick you right into the Yellow River.

Soon, night fell, and the attendants changed into armor and picked up their boar spears.

Chen Tang gave the scouts the following orders:
"Now raise the drones and mark all the campfires. Tonight we'll bring them warmth one by one."

This order gave Gan Yanshou a bright idea.

He used to think that drones could only be used during the day and that nothing could be seen at night. After listening to Chen Tang, he realized that he had made an empirical error.

At night, looking down at a campfire from the air, it's more noticeable than lice on a bald man's head.

To be fair, Tom Cruise is really good at devising ingenious schemes.

The group rode slowly towards the bandits' camp, the sound of their hooves hitting the ground completely drowned out by the soft sand.

After walking for more than half an hour, the camp of the foreign bandits was now within reach.

Perhaps out of habit, or perhaps out of confidence in the safety of the camp, the bandits didn't even set up sentries. Everyone was having a wild party around the campfire, with the wails and screams of the women in between.

Chen Tang issued the order to attack over the walkie-talkie:
"Brothers, start scrambling for your military merits... Leave those naked Huns in the middle for me, I'm going to set them on fire tonight!"

This was a one-sided massacre. The bandits in the camp had no idea that Han soldiers were around, let alone that they had already reached the outside of the camp.

When Chen Tang led his men in, half of them were not even dressed. Those who were dressed were busy drinking and eating meat. The only weapon they could reach was probably the leg bones of livestock.

Gan Yanshou charged into the center of the area and, by the light of the fire, saw several naked women lying nearby. He immediately took off his cloak and used it to cover their bodies.

Soon, more women were rescued from the camp, and judging from their appearance, they were mostly Han Chinese women.

The attendants took off their cloaks and draped them over the women. Chen Tang squatted on the ground, engrossed in playing with the sky lantern. When the bandit leaders screamed, many women picked up stones and threw them at the bandit leaders with resentment.

After being kidnapped, they thought their lives were over, but they never expected to be rescued tonight. Everyone was filled with mixed emotions.

After several bandit leaders were burned alive, Chen Tang turned to ask:

Are you all Han Chinese?

Everyone answered yes, but some had very stiff accents.

Chen Tang had no pity whatsoever. He took out the token from his pocket and commanded:
"swear!"

The women swore an oath to the heavens, and soon two bolts of divine lightning struck down, turning the two Xiongnu women who were trying to deceive the heavens into charred remains.

Chen Tang then asked:
"Were you all kidnapped? Swear it!"

This time, no lightning struck them, confirming their identities. However, those two bolts of lightning had terrified them, making them think that the people in front of them were divine warriors.

After the entire camp was wiped out, the followers found dozens of warhorses, greatly increasing the spoils of the battle.

As for these women, they can be handed over to the magistrate of Xiaoguan Pass when they pass through Xiaoguan Pass. Rescuing Han women who have been kidnapped at the border is a military achievement, so consider it as doing the magistrate a favor.

Immediately afterwards, Chen Tang and his men "visited" other alien camps under the cover of night. In one night, they actually acquired four or five hundred warhorses. Although some of the horses were no longer able to fight, they were still fine as pack animals.

At daybreak, all the abducted women, dressed in dirty clothes, gathered together.

Chen Tang mounted his horse, waved to the crowd, and shouted:

"Come on, I'll take you home!"

(End of this chapter)