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

Chapter 89 How much humiliation has our mighty Han suffered...? [Seeking monthly votes]

In the kitchen, Zhou Yi was about to make pancakes when he suddenly saw Granny Gongsun standing at the kitchen doorway with a sword in her hand, looking wary. He couldn't help but ask:

"What's going on? Are aliens about to invade?"

Gongsun Da Niang turned her face away and snorted:
"Daoist Master, you are truly composed. You didn't say anything about someone coveting Hunyuan Palace. Do you want us to be homeless?"

Huo Qubing, who was doing push-ups in the yard following a video, immediately got up from the ground upon hearing this:
"Miss Gongsun, what do you mean by that?"

Gongsun Da Niang handed the letter left by Wu Meiniang to Huo Qubing:

"Sister Meiniang said that someone coveted Hunyuan Palace and wanted to take it away. She instructed me to stay here to protect the Daoist priest. I will only return when I have executed all those people."

Huo Qubing quickly finished reading the letter, his brows furrowing in alarm:
"How dare a few petty scoundrels presume that my Hunyuan Palace has no one to rely on?"

The champion, full of arrogance, made a request to the Book of Changes:
"Please grant me permission, Master. From today onwards, I will remain in Hunyuan Palace. With me here, I will ensure that no villain sets foot in Hunyuan Palace!"

Zhou Yi said while cracking the eggs:
"Don't be so nervous. I'll strike with a bolt of lightning, and all the demons and monsters will have to kneel down and beg for mercy... I'm just waiting for that person to come to my door. When he arrives, this karmic debt will be settled."

In Buddhism, resolving karmic debts generally involves understanding, forgiveness, letting go, finding peace, and turning back.

But in the eyes of Taoists, the only way to settle karma is to kill the other party... Once a person dies, the karma naturally disappears.

Huo Qubing was still somewhat uneasy:

"If they climb over the wall in the middle of the night..."

Gongsun Da Niang patted the precious sword in her bosom and said:

"Don't worry, Marquis Champion, I'll take care of everything. Starting tonight, I'll be stationed on the roof. If anyone tries to break in, I'll be the first to strike... Sister Meiniang's plan to scare people by pretending to be a ghost is pretty good. I plan to study it."

After saying that, she started counting on her fingers the props she would need:

"Put a piece of hawthorn candy in your mouth like a tongue, pretending to be a hanged ghost; smear some tomato sauce on your face to look like blood and tears; and put a few pistachio shells on your teeth to pretend they're vampire teeth..."

Zhou Yi was delighted upon hearing this:

"Don't end up whetting people's appetites instead of scaring them."

Gongsun Da Niang proudly patted the sword sheath:

"Don't worry, I'm a master swordsman. As long as the enemy is distracted, I'll have a chance to slit their throats... We finally have a home, we can't let them destroy it."

Although Huo Qubing didn't speak, his eyes conveyed the same meaning.

Although he was the most notorious playboy in the Han Dynasty, his concept of family was very vague.

When he was a child, his mother, Wei Shao'er, married Chen Zhang, the great-grandson of Chen Ping. From then on, the mother and son lived separately. Although Wei Qing's family and the palace were both very good, he was always the nephew, not his own family.

Although Hunyuan Palace was not as big as his uncle Wei Qing's courtyard, and it couldn't compare to the imperial palace, it had many novel and fun things. His master would often cook delicious dishes that even the Han people couldn't eat. Only here did Huo Qubing feel at home.

Now that someone dares to destroy this "home", Champion Hou naturally cannot stand idly by.

Just then, Li Bai arrived, bringing with him three hundred sets of saddles, which were personally prepared by the governor of Shu Commandery. He also wrote a letter to Huo Qubing to express his respect.

Huo Qubing wasn't in the mood to read the letter, so Gongsun Da Niang quickly whispered:

"Li Bai is still a child, so don't let him know."

What the girl really meant was that she didn't want the little guy to steal the credit while Li Bai was still young, while Huo Qubing thought of his younger brother Huo Guang, whom he had never met.

He nodded slightly, agreeing with what Gongsun Da Niang had said.

It's best to keep children away from fighting and killing, lest they get scared and hurt.

Thus, Li Bai, who wrote in his poem "Kill one man in ten steps, leave no trace for a thousand miles," perfectly missed the upcoming battle to defend Hunyuan Palace.

"Greetings, Master. Five hundred sets of saddles have been prepared. The governor of Shu County said that if it is not enough, he can provide more."

Zhou Yi waved his hand: "It's not necessary for now. Don't let supporting the Han cause trouble for the Tang. Besides, the technology of saddles is not high. The Han should be able to replicate them soon."

Gongsun Da Niang asked:

"Brother Li Bai, are you about to set off?"

"When I return this time, I will travel to Chang'an to meet my sister, accompanied by the prefect and my family."

Upon hearing this, Granny Gongsun calmly said:
"Then go back after you've had breakfast. Try to leave as early as possible, so you don't miss the battle for the dragon throne between our niece and grandson."

Li Bai nodded:
"Okay, I will get to Chang'an as soon as possible and meet up with my sister."

At breakfast, Gongsun Da Niang and Huo Qubing tacitly avoided mentioning Chairman Xie. Everyone quickly ate breakfast, piled the saddles on the flour, and then brought over the oil, salt, sugar, and peanuts.

Having finished everything, Li Bai bid farewell to Hunyuan Palace and set off back to Kaiyuan World.

Then, Zhou Yi sent Huo Qubing away, instructing him to get to Dingxiang County as soon as possible, go beyond the Great Wall to kill the foreign tribes, and that he didn't need to worry about Hunyuan Palace.

Zhou Yi didn't take a few clowns seriously at all. On the contrary, the ancient people were on high alert, which left Zhou Yi speechless, but he felt warm inside.

At noon, he took out a piece of frozen mutton from the freezer, planning to stir-fry cumin mutton, hot and sour shredded potatoes, and minced meat with vermicelli, and then make some small pancakes to share with the leftover rice thief.

When I was in school, my roommates and I often went to Laomo Village for a treat. More than a year after graduation, I suddenly started craving it again.

While Zhou Yi was preparing lunch in the kitchen, Gongsun Da Niang, like a nimble bird, leaped onto the roof of the Sanqing Hall, took a pair of binoculars, and began to observe the surroundings.

At the same time, in the world of Emperor Wu of the Western Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian rode his horse to the north of Jiexiu County, took out a walkie-talkie from his pocket, and had a conversation with Huo Qubing in the southern camp of Jiexiu County.

The two initially spoke from a distance of ten miles, then increased it to fifteen miles, and finally to twenty miles. The conversation remained clear and distinct, without any background noise.

Huo Qubing's voice was filled with excitement:

"I only used the low power setting, and I was able to make a call over a distance of 20 miles. If I choose the high power mode, I imagine it could transmit over 30 to 50 miles without any problem. It's truly a magical device!"

When Zhang Qian rode back to the camp, his eyes were full of excitement.

He never imagined that such a wondrous thing existed in the world, capable of communicating across twenty miles. Now that they had gone to the grasslands, the general could calmly direct and command the encirclement of the main force of the Xiongnu Chanyu.

Jumping off his horse, Zhang Qian saw the photograph Huo Qubing had taken of him from the sky, and was so shocked that it took him a long time to speak:

"Huo Biaoyao, you actually managed to capture my shadow in a frame. Could it be... that you have mastered some kind of magic?"

Just as he finished speaking, Huo Qubing burst into laughter:
"This photo was taken by a drone. How could a mere lad like me know anything about magic? It was my master who, with a flick of his finger, could unleash ten thousand bolts of lightning. When we first met, he scared me half to death."

Without saying a single good word, he would suddenly launch into a thunderbolt. Whenever Huo Qubing thought of this scene, he felt that "my master is clearly very strong but overly cautious."

To let Zhang Qian appreciate the wonders of drones, Huo Qubing raised the drone back into the air and carefully explained how to operate it.

Looking at the scene on the screen, Zhang Qian felt like he was dreaming. He pinched his thigh hard, then his eyes reddened, and tears streamed down his face, startling Huo Qubing, who was controlling the drone.
"Ziwen Gong, what is the reason for this?"

Zhang Qian wiped away his tears, his voice filled with joy and excitement:
"Since the time of Emperor Gaozu, the threat of the Xiongnu has always loomed over our great Han Dynasty. In order to resist the Xiongnu, our great Han Dynasty has suffered countless humiliations. Today, with the magic weapon bestowed by the gods, the threat of the Xiongnu will soon be resolved. I am truly happy!"

He was imprisoned by the Xiongnu for eleven years, and the grievances he endured for those eleven years were buried deep in his heart. Today, after witnessing drones and walkie-talkies, this envoy who pioneered the Silk Road could no longer hold back.

Huo Qubing advised:

"Ziwen Gong, now is not the time to be happy. I have already boasted to my master that my troops will kill five thousand barbarians in this battle. Do you have confidence?"

Zhang Qian knelt on one knee, cupped his hands, and replied:
"I dare not disobey, I will die for you!"

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(End of this chapter)