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

Chapter 359 Jiang Ziya's Thanks! [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

Inside the Hunyuan Palace, Zhou Yi was inspecting the newly arrived steel bars when he saw Xi Shi rushing back, and he was somewhat puzzled:

"Why are you in such a hurry? What happened?"

Xi Shi said:

"I just killed Tian Heng with a chop. I would like to ask the immortal master if I should also kill Tian Qi with a chop."

Zhou Yi exclaimed "Ah!"
"Weren't you at Tian Rangju's house? How come you suddenly ran into Tian Chengzi?"

Cheng was the posthumous title of Tian Heng, and Zi was an honorific title for a person in the Spring and Autumn Period. After Tian Heng died, his posthumous title was Tian Chengzi, and after his son Tian Pan died, it was Tian Xiangzi.

Upon hearing Xi Shi speak, Wu Meiniang quickly walked over.

Upon hearing that Tian Heng actually wanted to take Xi Shi as a concubine, Her Majesty the Empress displayed her domineering power:

"How dare you be so disrespectful! The entire Tian family should be exterminated!"

The Book of Changes says:

"Don't be so murderous. The Tian family wants to replace the descendants of Jiang Taigong. I can't make the decision on this matter. Let's go to the Wu Cheng King's Palace and ask Jiang Taigong. It concerns his bloodline, and he should respond."

Speaking of which, the Jiang clan of Lü, to which Jiang Taigong belonged, was also a large family that had been passed down for thousands of years in China, with many surnames and branches derived from it.

As for the Tian family versus the Jiang family, let the parties involved speak for themselves; we can just sit back and enjoy the show.

The three arrived at the Wu Cheng King's Palace. Zhou Yi lit incense and candles and explained the situation to Jiang Taigong.

As soon as she finished speaking, the leaves of Emperor Gouchen suddenly lit up intermittently and were slightly hot to the touch. Xi Shi quickly placed them on the offering table, and golden lines immediately appeared on the veins of the blood-red leaves.

To be honest, the red leaves with golden veins looked much more luxurious. Zhou Yi held them in his hand, looking at them from left to right, but couldn't figure them out. He had no choice but to take out his Bagua abacus and do a divination.

When Zhou Yi finished his divination and put down the abacus, he vaguely heard an old voice:

"When fortune ends, misfortune begins; it is all fate. The destruction of Jiang Qi was already destined. However, your wife's extermination of the Tian family's heir has caused further changes for the Jiang Qi lineage. On behalf of my unworthy descendants, I thank you all!"

what?
The beautiful woman killed Tian Heng, and this is what she got in return?
Zhou Yi handed the leaf to Xi Shi:
"King Wu Cheng expressed his gratitude to you, and it seems that he upgraded the leaves, but I am not clear about the specific uses yet."

Xi Shi accepted the leaf in surprise, never expecting it to be a good thing.

she asked:
"Should we still kill Tian Qi?"

Wu Zetian analyzed the situation of both sides and said:

"If Tian Qi seeks revenge, kill him if you should. If he backs down and swears he will not pursue Tian Rangju's descendants, then spare him... The initiative is with the Tian family. Whether to exterminate the clan or not depends on Tian Qi's own choice."

This is the best approach. The Tian family's survival and destruction are in their own hands. If Tian Qi is as arrogant as Tian Heng, then they can send him on his way.

After leaving the Wu Cheng Wang Palace, Wu Meiniang went to the Sanqing Palace to deliver the Bagua abacus, while Zhou Yi went to Xiao Penglai to see off the beautiful woman.

Before leaving, Xi Shi said apologetically:
"I just killed more than ten people in one go, which consumed a lot of my merit. I'm sorry."

With a wave of his hand, Zhou Yi said:
"As long as you're safe, it doesn't matter if you use up all my merits. Don't worry about that in the future. Just chop me down if you need to. At worst..."

Before he could finish speaking, Xi Shi embraced him and kissed him.

After the sneak attack, the beautiful woman was about to escape when Zhou Yi suddenly grabbed her and kissed her twice more... Provoking me again and again, does he really think I have no temper?

After forcefully stealing Xi Shi's first kiss, Zhou Yi said:

"Go, once you've dealt with things there, leave Linzi and go to the State of Lu to find Yanzi's writings."

"Obey...obey!"

After Xi Shi left, Zhou Yi walked out of Xiao Penglai and happened to run into Wu Meiniang.

Her Majesty the Empress looked at him with a half-smile and asked:
"Does Xi Shi's lipstick taste good?"

Zhou Yi guiltily wiped his lips, only to find no lipstick residue on his hand. He then realized that Her Majesty the Empress was testing him... Someone who could usurp the throne and become emperor is indeed cunning!

He opened his arms and embraced Wu Meiniang, kissing the Empress's full lips:
“I was originally a pure cultivator of the Tao, it is all your fault for disturbing my Tao heart and disturbing my mind.”

Wu Zetian cupped Zhou Yi's face in her hands and said in a sweet voice:
"I know I was wrong. Please punish me, Immortal Master. I have no complaints."

"Really? Then starting tomorrow, you'll be in charge of dust removal!"

As soon as Zhou Yi finished speaking, His Majesty the Empress pinned him against the wall and kissed him several times before letting him go... Last time he was punished by copying books, this time he's punished by beating dust. My immortal master is really wicked!

When Xi Shi returned to the Spring and Autumn Period, she met an old man dressed in fine clothes with white hair.

As soon as he appeared, the old man respectfully bowed:
"I am Tian Qi, father of Tian Heng. My son spoke recklessly and offended the gods, a crime unforgivable. I thank the gods for educating him on my behalf. On behalf of the Tian clan, I express my heartfelt gratitude." The son she had carefully raised had just died, yet he could still express gratitude. Xi Shi felt that the descendants of Jiang Taigong had not lost unjustly. Such people, who could bend and stretch, had always been capable of great things.

Moreover, the Tian family was incredibly adept at winning people's hearts. For example, the classic tactic of using a large measure for borrowing grain and a small measure for returning it was used to win over the hearts of the people of Qi.

Xi Shi held the token in her hand and said:
“I was ordered to retrieve Tian Rangju’s military writings, not to cause trouble. It was your son who provoked us. Now that he is dead, this matter should be settled… Tian Qi, can you guarantee that you will not harm these people?”

Tian Qi immediately threw away his cane and vowed not to retaliate against Tian Rangju's descendants or Sun Wu's friends.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a muffled clap of thunder sounded in the sky, nearly startling Tian Qi so much that he fell to the ground.

Xi Shi put away the token and said:
"Heaven has remembered your oath. If you break your oath, the Thunder Gods will surely take the lives of your entire clan."

Tian Qi bowed and said:

"They are all members of my clan and would never harm their own people... Is there anything else you wish to do, Immortal? If you can do it, I will certainly not refuse."

Xi Shi inquired about Yan Ying's works, only to find that they were all in the palace. Within two hours, Tian Qi's men delivered them all, along with works by other authors, such as some by Guan Zhong. In total, there were over a hundred scrolls of bamboo slips, and Xi Shi reaped a great harvest.

She delivered the bamboo slips to Hunyuan Palace, then returned to the Spring and Autumn World, packed up her bicycle, took the pass prepared by Tian Qi, and headed west.

Having obtained Yanzi's writings, there was no need to go to the State of Lu. Instead, they traveled from Linzi to Yancheng, then turned southwest and headed straight for the State of Wei to find Confucius.

Zigong might already be in the State of Wei; we need to hurry on our journey.

Inside the Hunyuan Palace, Zhou Yi flipped through the black notebook and found that his merits had not decreased, but had actually increased slightly, because Xi Shi had killed Tian Heng, which increased his merits by two taels.

Leaving aside the legitimacy of the Tian family's usurpation of the Qi throne, Tian Heng's series of actions—disregarding human life, bending the law for personal gain, and settling personal scores—deserve him a reward for his good deeds. Not to mention, he also incurred his own wrath by being cuckolded, which is simply outrageous.

While muttering Tian Heng's name, Zhou Yi suddenly recalled the taboo of Emperor Wen of Han changing Heng's name to Chang, which not only affected personal names but also deeply influenced the Tao Te Ching.

The first chapter of the Tao Te Ching, before its revision, read "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao," but it was changed to "The Tao that can be told is not the eternal Tao."

The Eternal Path has been changed to the Ordinary Path, and the whole meaning has changed... Of course, this version should also have been modified. To find out the original content, we'll have to see if the beautiful woman can snatch it from Yin Xi.

As he recited the Tao Te Ching, Emperor Zhezong of the Northern Song Dynasty, Zhao Xu, led the central army, and finally arrived in Luoyang.

At this time, Luoyang City of Tang Dynasty was in a state of disrepair, with its city walls collapsed and its buildings intricate and complex, some even built directly on the main road without any sense of order.

Zhang Dun said:

“During the reign of Emperor Shizong, his father, Chai Shouli, bullied men and women in Luoyang and killed people in the streets. He was utterly wicked. If Your Majesty sees Emperor Shizong, you may tell him… “He is a disciple of the immortals. It would be better for him to do less of such things that harm the people, so as not to ruin his merits.”

Upon hearing this, Zhao Xu felt that he should indeed remind Guo Rong, but given the father-son bond, Guo Rong couldn't interfere too much. He could only abduct more Khitan women and confine Chai Shouli to a secluded mansion, letting him indulge in a life of debauchery.

Many of the city locations depicted in the Book of Changes are now wastelands, with eroded gullies that need repair. The Luo River and Yi River channels also need dredging.

Apart from these drawbacks, everything else is an advantage.

Emperor Huizong looked around through the binoculars and said with a smile:

"Everything is ready, except for the Tangut prisoners to do the work... Your Majesty, once the new Luoyang city is built, may I rebuild the Yiyuan Palace on Cuiyun Peak to serve the Immortal Master?"

Zhao Xu nodded and approved the request:
"Yes, but don't put the cart before the horse. Master wants merit. If you only chant scriptures like a Buddhist disciple and do nothing to benefit the people, Master will not be pleased."

Zhao Ji patted his chest and assured him:
"Rest assured, Your Majesty, I will build many, many cannons to earn merit for the Immortal Master. I will never forget about this matter of merit!"

Zhao Xu ordered the army to set up camp here. He changed into a Taoist robe and went to Hunyuan Palace to report the news, just in time to witness the demolition of the foundation.

After the formwork was removed, backfilling began. Xin Qiji skillfully drove the excavator, backfilling the foundation trench with soil, which Zhao Xu watched with great envy.

"When will our Great Song Dynasty be able to own an excavator?"

At the same time, on the highway leading to Yiyang City, a Mercedes-Benz van with a Beijing license plate sped by. The van was full of elderly people, and at first glance, it looked like a senior citizen tour group.

Unlike the tour groups, these elderly people were all dressed in different colored mandarin jackets, wearing melon-shaped hats made of a mixture of yellow, white, red and blue, with a tuft of hair at the back of their heads. They exuded a strong smell of decay, as if they were corpses crawling out of a grave.

How much further is it?

A sharp sound rang out, sounding like fingernails scraping glass, sending chills down one's spine.

The driver glanced at the navigation and said:
"It's about a hundred kilometers to Yunwu Town, which is your destination. It'll be there in a little over an hour... What are you doing here? Are you traveling or visiting relatives?"

An old man in the back row chuckled:

"We're here... to collect a debt!"

(End of this chapter)