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

Chapter 421 Sima Qian: I will never marry a woman from the Li family in this lifetime! [Seeking monthly votes]

Zhou Yi had assumed that an elite monster or a mini-boss was coming, so he brought a bunch of magical artifacts and talismans, including a stack of purple talismans and seven or eight gold talismans, just in case he made a mistake during the battle.

Unexpectedly, before the fight even started, the Dragon Slayer Sword killed the shaman without any regard for martial ethics, rendering all the carefully planned schemes futile.

Gongsun Da Niang fantasized about a female swordswoman defeating the old shaman, but reality didn't give her that chance.

The shaman, wearing a mask and a brightly colored robe, lay curled up on the ground like a dead dog, his eyes still holding the shock and fear he felt before being stabbed to death by the Dragon Slayer Sword.

Zhou Yi gripped the hilt of his sword, about to draw the Dragon-Slaying Sword, when a scene suddenly flashed into his mind:
On the boundless grassland, a flying sword swept low across the sky. After a long while, there was a movement in the weeds, and a shaman crawled out of the grass, cursed a couple of times at the sky, and then hurriedly left.

Judging from the appearance of the flying sword, this is the Dragon Slayer Sword, and the shaman who escaped the pursuit is the one in front of us, even the robes he is wearing are exactly the same.

Zhou Yi finally understood. Years ago, this shaman had escaped from the Dragon Slayer Sword. Now that they met again, the Dragon Slayer Sword continued its mission of killing him... It truly lived up to its grandfather's reputation as a magical weapon; even the sword held a grudge.

Zhou Yi slowly pulled out the Dragon Slayer Sword. Black blood gushed from the shaman's head, and the corpse quickly shriveled up. Even the mask fell off, revealing a face that was drier than withered tree bark, looking like it could be lit with a lighter.

Gongsun Da Niang was startled:
"Why is he as dry as firewood?"

Zhou Yi carefully examined the blade of the Dragon-Slaying Sword and, finding it unstained by a single drop of blood, slowly sheathed it.

“Evil cultivators rely on external objects to maintain their lifespan. Now that their life force has been cut off, they will naturally reveal their true nature.”

After saying that, he turned to look at the front door and asked:
"Can we use lightning to strike them?"

The blind man's voice rang out from above:

“Sure, this is a good opportunity for me to test the strength of the illusion array.”

Zhou Yi directly used an eighth-grade lightning strike technique, slamming it into the shaman's body, turning the woodcutter and his magical artifacts into charred remains.

When the lightning struck, the illusion array almost collapsed, but the blind man managed to maintain it, at the cost of blood seeping from his eye sockets.

However, the blind man didn't care about any of this; on the contrary, he was quite excited.

"Good lad, you've quietly mastered the Heavenly Divine Thunder Technique. Going to university really does have its advantages!"

After the shaman returned to dust, just as Zhou Yi was about to lead Gongsun Da Niang away, the girl suddenly stepped into the green belt next to her, looked left and right, and then pulled out a bronze doll.

"Haha, there's an unexpected bonus! Daoist, this thing looks strange. Is it a magical artifact or an evil object?"

When Zhou Yi received the bronze figurine, he immediately felt warm and comfortable. The figurine itself was simple and dignified, without a trace of evil.

The blind man's voice rang out above them again:

“Take it with you. This was given to me by your grandfather. It’s no longer of any use to me, but you can use it for self-defense.”

Hearing that it belonged to his grandfather, Zhou Yi felt relieved.
"What is this for?"

The blind man patiently explained:
"As long as you drop it on the ground, this doll will create the aura of a master. The higher the level of the master, the stronger the aura will be... If you want to surround a group of people, you can place the doll at the encirclement point in advance, and then you can flank from the other side. Your grandfather used to like to use it this way."

The Book of Changes: ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?

I understand the logic, but with so many powerful generals in Hunyuan Palace, why should I single-handedly outmaneuver them all?
Wouldn't it be more fun to lead everyone in a group fight?

Zhou Yi put the bronze doll into his bag, then took out a blank purple talisman and looked up to ask:
Where is the child's body?

"In the trunk of the Land Rover by the door, the driver is enjoying himself in the illusion I created. If you walk over, the trunk will open automatically. After you get the body, I will arrange a traffic accident to end it all."

Teaming up with experienced seniors makes things so easy.

Zhou Yi led Gongsun Da Niang out of the arboretum. The blind man waved his hand, dispelling the illusion array in the arboretum. A gust of wind blew by, and the pile of ashes left by the shaman disappeared completely... reduced to dust.

Upon arriving at the Land Rover, the trunk indeed opened automatically. Zhou Yi saw a pile of magical artifacts inside, many of which were human skeletons, looking eerie and terrifying... This also explained why the master and disciple had to split up; the reason was that these magical artifacts could not pass through security checks, let alone be taken on a plane.

In the center of the trunk, there was a humanoid artifact shaped like a witch god. It was jet black and gleamed with a metallic sheen. In terms of size, it was about the size of a child of a few years old.

This was the child who had been lingering at Tang Guilin's house. Zhou Yi gently picked him up, closed the car door, and the Land Rover started automatically and slowly drove away.

Uncle Ming walked over, opened his car door, and let Zhou Yi place the sorcerer's artifact on the back seat. He then took the talisman that sealed the soul.
"Senior Han and I will handle this matter. Xiao Yi, you can go back now."

Zhou Yi was a little worried:
"That Land Rover, will it cause any harm?" the blind man asked.

"It will drive to a remote place and spontaneously combust, without affecting others. Only a big fire can completely destroy the magical artifacts inside."

Things went smoothly, but Zhou Yi was not happy because he didn't know how many beasts like shamans were secretly harming the Han people, and they needed to be thoroughly purged.

On the way back, Granny Gongsun thought of the child who had been turned into a witch doctor's artifact, and couldn't help but think of her younger brother:
"When I get back, I'll have my eldest grandson march on the grasslands. We'll exterminate all the Turks, Shiwei, Khitans, and so on. We'll even add seasonings to the salt and tea we sell them... Any leniency towards foreign tribes is a trampling and atrocity against the Han people!"

Zhou Yi nodded:

“Okay, go back and tell Zhang and them to discuss it, draft a plan, and then find someone to handle it... The Han people are in dire straits right now, and we can’t make any more concessions, otherwise there will be a danger of extermination.”

Gongsun Da Niang originally wanted to stay a few more days to check her household registration time and practice her artificial respiration skills with Zhou Yi, but when she thought of that evil witch god's artifact, she couldn't stay any longer. The next morning, she rushed back to Chang'an and told Zhang that they had devised a strategy to exterminate the tribe.

At this time, in the world of Emperor Wu of Han, Wei Qing and Su Jian's troops arrived in Chang'an one after the other. Liu Che led the officials to welcome them at the Shili Pavilion outside the city, and then rode a Ferghana horse to inspect the victorious Han soldiers.

The great victory at Dingxiang made Emperor Wu very happy, and some court officials who had always opposed war gradually changed their minds.

Instead of opposing the war, we should consider how to increase the number of official positions and properly govern the territory left by the Xiongnu.

Huo Guang, who had just turned nine, came to Chang'an for the first time, met the emperor for the first time, and met the crown prince Liu Ju, whom he would assist in the future.

At noon, Emperor Wu of Han bestowed a series of honors upon his subjects in the imperial court.

Wei Qing was granted a fief of ten thousand households, and his son was ennobled as a marquis for his merits; Su Jian's fief was increased by one thousand households, and Su Jia was ennobled as a marquis within the pass for his merits.

Huo Qubing's achievements surpassed those of the entire army, and he was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Champion; Zhang Qian's mission was meritorious, and he was repeatedly awarded military merits, and was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Bowang; Zhao Ponu was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Congpiao... With one company of troops, three people were enfeoffed as marquises, and the three of them suddenly became the focus of the court.

However, no one was envious, because Huo Qubing had made great military achievements and was also a disciple of a deity, while Zhang Qian was already worthy of being ennobled for his mission to the Western Regions. This time, joining the army was just to gain prestige.

As for Zhao Ponu, he fought from beginning to end, assisting Huo Qubing in the early stages and training scout troops on the grasslands in the later stages, making him a man of great merit and hard work.

Other generals, such as Gongsun He, Gongsun Ao, Li Ju, and Li Xi, were all rewarded. Even Sima Qian was granted the title of Grand Master of the Palace, just one step away from becoming Marquis of Guannei.

Immediately after the conferment ceremony, Emperor Wu of Han appointed Huo Qubing as General of the Cavalry, Zhao Ponu as Chief of Staff of the General of the Cavalry's Office, and Sima Qian as Assistant Chief of Staff of the General of the Cavalry's Office. The three of them would lead 10,000 troops and set off early the next morning for Beidi County. From there, they would cross the Yellow River and take over the Hexi Corridor.

This news caused a stir throughout the court.

But Liu Che was prepared, and he calmly said:

"Dr. Di Shan was beheaded by the Xiongnu as soon as he arrived in Beidi County. His head is still hanging outside the Xiongnu camp. If you oppose going to war, you will be accused of colluding with the Xiongnu and disrupting the court!"

Not long ago, Di Shan was demoted by Emperor Wu of Han to the position of governor of Wubao in Beidi Commandery for proposing a policy of appeasement towards the Xiongnu. However, before he even arrived at his post, he was ambushed by the Xiongnu and all his entourage were killed.

The news reached Chang'an early yesterday morning, but Liu Che kept it to himself, intending to use it to intimidate his ministers in court today.

The courtiers were speechless. They began to give impassioned speeches, listing the crimes of the Xiongnu and hoping that the court would send troops to sweep away the Xiongnu as soon as possible.

Liu Che didn't discuss the matter further, and waved his hand, saying:

"Court adjourned. Qubing will lead the army to battle early tomorrow morning. The rest of the troops will rest for twenty days before marching to Hexi!"

After the officials had left the palace in twos and threes, Sima Qian found his father, Sima Tan, who was serving as the Grand Historian, and bowed, saying:

"I will be setting off tomorrow, Father. I hope you will take good care of yourself and not catch a cold."

Sima Tan felt greatly gratified that his son's previous melancholy and resentment had vanished after he went to war, and he even seemed to have acquired the air of a great general.

“My son has made military achievements, which brings honor to his father. While you are still in the capital, come with me today to visit the Li family. I have heard that the Li family has a daughter who has come of age. If you are interested, I will go and propose marriage.”

Upon hearing about the Li family, Sima Qian asked:

"Is this Li Guang's house?"

Sima Tan's face immediately fell:
“My Sima family and the Li family have been friends for generations. It is quite disrespectful of you to address them by their given names directly…”

Sima Qian said:
"I will not go to the Li family, and I will never marry a daughter of the Li family in this lifetime. Father, you should not go there either. It would be best to sever all ties with the Li family, so that in the future, when I become a famous general, some people will jump out as elders and try to take advantage of my reputation as Sima Qian!"

(End of this chapter)