Wei School's Three Good Students

Chapter 142 The Collapse of Destiny
In the late autumn of the 36th year of the Tianli calendar, in a courtyard in Tianchi City, a child was running, and a woman was chasing after him. Although the child was small and could not keep up with the woman's long legs, he relied on his agility to dart around in the courtyard's flower bushes.

This woman was none other than Yao Sangu, now known as Yao Sanniang. Sanniang held a golden rope that had bound her good-for-nothing son, scolding, "Yan'er, all you do is climb trees and catch butterflies! I'm talking to you!"

However, the one-year-old child, head held high, babbled a few times and then cried. As he cried, tears fell, a wave of heat spread out, and sparks flew from the surrounding dry grass. The sparks solidified on the tips of the grass, not burning, just like flower buds in a bush. This was a scene where the properties of fire and wood were completely fused.

This child has the bloodline of the Vermilion Bird, but currently displays the mischievous personality of the Bifang.

Third Sister looked coldly at the child. About fifteen minutes later, the child looked at his mother with sobs and realized that Third Sister's eyes were still like "gun muzzles" hitting him. He wilted again, and the sparks that bloomed on the grass began to die out.

Third Sister was furious. Her son, whom she had spent three years giving birth to, couldn't recite 300 poems right after birth, which was already driving her crazy.

Even now, after only a few dozen characters in the past few months, she cries and throws a tantrum, refusing to learn and wanting to play instead. Just now, she slipped out, climbed a tree, and kicked the cat down.

The Wu family praised the child highly. At just one year old, he already possessed such strong motor skills, ate and slept well, and was much better than Wu Fei at that age. No wonder he took three years to emerge from his mother's womb; given time, he would be a fine prospect for martial arts, capable of being a match for ten thousand men.

However, Yao San Niang was very dissatisfied with this, as she possessed innate wisdom and could recite Taoist scriptures before she was even a hundred days old.

In her eyes, this little guy who came out of her belly was neither wise nor clever, and if she hadn't carried him for so long, she would have wished she could be reborn.

Having seen countless examples of innate intelligence, she couldn't tolerate fools, especially in recent years. Despite possessing "astounding wisdom," she was tightly controlled by her child's father, and she was holding her breath. Whenever she was angered by her son's mischievousness, she would say, "You're just like your damned father, both here to torment me."

Just as Third Sister was looking for a feather duster, she suddenly paused and regained her composure and intelligence.

She instructed a servant to take "Yan Ge'er" to the study, then composed herself and turned on the lampshade of the lotus pedestal beside her, revealing the light inside.

A tiny flame hovered within the lotus lantern, and from the wick came the voice of the Daoist: "Junior Sister, how have you been? Hmm, your magical power seems to be recovering more slowly than I expected."

Third Sister smiled enigmatically and leaned back in the rocking chair in the mansion: "We don't need magic now, so it's a bit slower."

Xian: "Things will be different after you have a son."

Third Sister smiled and said, "Yes, isn't everything in the world subject to change?"

Thousands of miles away, in his underground workshop, the Daoist Master Xian Dao showed anger on his face. Clearly, he did not accept his Third Junior Sister's sophistry regarding this "change".

But then, he suppressed his displeasure and put on a maniacally gleeful expression, saying, "The dragon energy of the Great Yao is about to shatter, and the main lineage of humanity will scatter throughout the nine provinces and all corners of the land. This dynasty that has remained unchanged for thousands of years! Alas, it is about to collapse."

Third Sister's expression was calm: "To bring true change to the world is what you, Senior Brother, have always pursued! Forty years ago, when the state launched the 'Republican Movement,' you became my disciple."
"Don't talk about the past!" Xian Daoren's sore spot was touched, and his expression twitched for a moment, as if there was an irreconcilable contradiction between his past and present self. He then said to San Niang, "Even if destiny is scattered, it cannot return to nothingness; it will dissipate into wisps and eventually find a new vessel. Hmm, Junior Sister, when will you pass the Lotus Lantern to my nephew?"

Third Aunt chuckled: "Why don't you, as the uncle, think of a gift for yourself, like that axe of yours?"

Xian Daoren's lips curled into a smirk: Perhaps in the future, I will give him this uncle's position!

After the lights went out, Third Sister's expression shifted between light and shadow. After a moment's thought, she took out a piece of paper and folded it into a small figure with her fingers like a ghost. She whispered something to it, and the paper figure vanished into thin air.

…within Yongji Pass…

In a mountain stream in southern Xinjiang, Jamud sat cross-legged on a large rock, his hands casting metal-based spells on the rock to deduce the changes of the stars. Behind him, a python as thick as a person's embrace slithered among the rocks, forming a snake formation. This was Wu Qing, who would transform into the python form every half month to engage in spiritual cultivation with Jamud.

As for Jamud, Wu Fei assigned him to Wu Qing as her person back then, but over the years, Jamud has earned enough merit to gain his freedom within the Southern Frontier system.

Of course, after this process, Jamud no longer cared that the person beside him was a snake-man.

This time, Wu Qing's spiritual cultivation lasted exceptionally long, continuously absorbing the energy of heaven and earth. However, just as Wu Qing was enjoying his cultivation, Jiamude suddenly stood up: "Stop!"

Wu Qing was clearly displeased at being abruptly interrupted; a flicker of entangled desire flashed in her snake eyes, but it quickly returned to its clear state under the golden restraint. —If anyone else had interrupted her cultivation, the consequences would have been dire; they would undoubtedly have been coiled into strips of flesh by her python body.

In her battle form, Wu Qing is accustomed to strangling and killing her enemies, while in her private life, she also likes to be with Jia Mude.

Returning to the present moment, Wu Qing, having retrieved his inner core, asked Jiamu De, "What's wrong?"

Jamud stared in horror at the shadowy, indistinct moon in the sky, then clutched his chest and said, "The evil moon in the sky... hmm, someone is usurping the mandate of heaven. You must be careful, restrain your life force, and lest you invite disaster."

Wu Qing transformed back into human form, wrapped himself in his clothes, and asked, "What happened?"

After a moment's hesitation, Jamud revealed a secret known only to the royal family of Da Yao: His lineage had also been that of the crown prince four hundred years ago. Although they were far removed from the Mandate of Heaven, they could still sense its shifts.

The reason why the great hexagrams have been able to continue uninterrupted for thousands of years is because emperors possessed the fortune to turn misfortune into good fortune. In layman's terms, emperors who were blessed by Heaven could foresee good and bad fortune.

Of course, this ability to predict fortune and misfortune is not perfect. It depends on the emperor's virtue; the higher the virtue, the stronger the premonition of fortune and misfortune.

Therefore, throughout the thousands of years, any force that attempted to assassinate the emperor ultimately met a terrible end. Over time, the entire world came to accept that the Great Yao imperial family was the chosen one.

This is something that outsiders find awe-inspiring and "indescribable," but for the Jiamu royal family, this kind of destiny is a tangible reality.

The emperor and the crown prince may seem to be just the current and next in line, but every crown prince knows that as long as he has not been officially recognized, the mandate of heaven is no longer in his hands.

Therefore, in the history of Da Yao, there were court struggles for the "Mandate of Heaven".

Eight hundred years ago, the Jiamu De lineage was the line of the Crown Prince Li, who failed in his struggle for the Mandate of Heaven.

Of course, his lineage was quite unwilling to give up. Their ancestor had been plotting for hundreds of years in the southern border region, attempting to fight his way back to the palace.

However, as a junior, he knew that the Great Emperor had already obtained the Mandate of Heaven and could not take it back. His ancestor had always stayed in this major sect in the Southern Frontier without bowing his head, actually because he did not want to lose the last bit of hope for living in this world. Being completely devoured by the Vermilion Bird Fire five years ago was not necessarily a bad thing.

However, now, Jiamude sensed that the "Mandate of Heaven" was not shifting, but rather about to collapse directly. As a descendant of the Great Yao lineage, he felt a tremor deep within his bones.

Worried, he prepared to return to the southern border, but encountered a paper figure that carried a message from Third Sister.

Third Sister: "Stay inside Yongji Pass and do not act rashly."

Jamud: "Mistress, you?"

Third Sister: "I know what you're thinking, but I advise you not to. Change your surname. Da Yao's current destiny is being corrupted."

Jamud paused for a moment, hesitated, and then nodded, making his decision.

Third Sister smiled and nodded, bestowing upon him the surname Huang.

Third Sister knew Xian Daoren's nature; the great calamity he was planning was to wipe out the entire Da Yao royal family.

Throughout the entire world, anyone who identifies themselves with the royal family of the Great Yao and has that "thought" about destiny will be entangled in cause and effect and fall into obsession.

Now that Jamud has let go and hasn't yet fallen into the trap of guiding "Ten Thousand Changes," "Thousand Credentials" can simply force him to change his surname, thus severing the means to "See the Future." Now, Thousand Credentials, as the "past," is on the opposite side of Ten Thousand Changes, as the "future."

…From the perspective of Yaodu, the major changes of the past few days…

After Emperor Xu returned to the capital, nothing seemed to happen for three months in the palace. He even mainly rewarded King Zhou, which relieved the previously worried people of the world.

According to the concept of "Mandate of Heaven" described by Jamud earlier, Emperor Xu, as the Son of Heaven, was able to foresee the fortunes and misfortunes of those around him within ten days or even several months.

Emperor Xu knew that if he launched a major offensive upon his return, it would lead the Prince of Zhou to take desperate measures and spend a lot of money to activate certain secret agents within the palace. At that time, the guards and palace maids would create trouble within the palace.

Therefore, during these three months, Emperor Xu did not seem to adjust the seating arrangement of his court officials, but he replaced all the close attendants around him.

After all, in court politics, only by ensuring one's own survival can one plan other things. A monarch needs servants, even cooks and doctors, who are absolutely reliable. How many bright young princes died young, either poisoned by their maternal relatives or killed by consuming red pills during cultivation?

Xuan Chong, observing all of this, felt he shouldn't worry about the skill level of this "veteran of palace intrigue." The Emperor was someone who had been able to conceal his abilities and be patient even when he was the crown prince.

Emperor Xu was born with a mandate from heaven. If an Eastern monarch on Earth were to suffer a defeat, he would basically be destined for the same fate as Yang Guang. After losing his army, the best outcome would be that he would become the retired emperor Li Longji. But Emperor Xu was different; his path to regaining power was even smoother than that of Zhu Qizhen.

Three months later, he took action, promoting and transferring the commander in charge of the defense of Da Yao City, and replacing him with Mu Xingyu, a new army general who was poached from Wu Feidong City's army.

This tactic was more effective than simply bestowing titles, because when Emperor Xu was forming the new Imperial Guard, he made no secret of using people from the Eastern Market Army. He was essentially binding the Eastern Market Army to his side.

Meanwhile, on the Dongshi military side, Wu Fei's side was preparing for the major battle next year and urgently needed "trust in the rear central command, but without interfering in the front lines."

Therefore, upon receiving the imperial decree, they tacitly sent thirty shrewd officer candidates to Jupiter. This was considered as them siding with the Emperor.

As Jupiter was leaving, Wu Fei gave this promising young man a serious pep talk: "When you return, although fortune and honor are often found in danger, a ruler who is not discreet will lose his ministers, and a minister who is not discreet will lose his life. If things are not kept secret, they will lead to disaster. Take good care of yourself."

Jupiter said: "Thank you for your advice, sir."

Wu Fei watched his departing figure and shook his head. Li Xiaorong, standing beside him, said, "Sir, you don't think much of Brother Mu."

Wu Fei: "He listened to what I said, but he didn't appreciate it; and if he appreciated it but didn't ask questions, then he didn't understand."

Li Xiaorong: "Sir, why don't you just teach him directly?"

Wu Fei looked at the big, simple-minded man and said, "I will explain military matters directly to you, but that is a secret matter of the imperial family."

…The messy experience of politics is that it can't be explained clearly, because explaining it clearly would give others ammunition to criticize it…

As the year drew to a close, merchants in Yaodu were busy calculating their accounts with their fingers clicking on abacuses. Bodi Muxingyu returned to Yaodu with over a hundred cavalrymen, thirty of whom were officers from the Eastern Market Army, while the rest were the favors that the Emperor had arranged with the various generals before his return.

After Jupiter arrived in the East District and took over the newly recruited boatmen and other soldiers, Zhou Wang and his faction sensed something was amiss after being turned away at the Mu family's place.

In the palace, the emperor calmly had the palace servants undergo various obedience tests. Today he would have the palace eunuchs move things to one side, and tomorrow to the other, to observe whether they had any complaints or signs of being bribed by outsiders.

Once Jupiter had quickly stabilized the military defenses of the various city gates in Yaodu, the second step began.

On that day at noon, poisonous mushrooms appeared openly in the emperor's imperial meal. The emperor was furious and a major case was launched.

Those ministers who had just met His Majesty in the palace a few days ago thought that His Majesty had a kind and benevolent face, and seemed to have admitted that he was getting old and wanted to abdicate, and thus relaxed.

The next day, the Embroidered-Robed Envoy broke into their home, took away the "main culprit," and imprisoned all the men, women, and children. Their property was sealed off.

In everyday life, assertive people can dominate the conversation by speaking first, silencing the other party and then treating them like fish on a chopping board.

The same applies to palace and bureaucratic struggles. The dominant party often occupies the "right high ground" and loudly rebukes the opposing camp, making it impossible for them to support each other for a while. Then, they take the opportunity to defeat them one by one, creating a series of ironclad cases that leave the losing side speechless.

The student's note: If you get involved in a struggle, don't expect to get justice by "giving up the noise".

Far to the north, Xuan Chong continued to comment: "Emperor Xu is indeed a veteran of palace intrigue. With this set of techniques, he has accumulated decades of skill. Who in the palace can stop him? And who in the court can stop him?"

The officials in the capital whom King Zhou had gathered seemed to be enjoying great prestige, but now, in the major case suddenly launched by Emperor Xu, they were a step too slow and failed to gain a favorable position in the court's public opinion, so they were all the first to be implicated.

These individuals, targeted by the emperor, were avoided by other forces and were unable to muster the power to create a political storm that could shake the court. A few days later, they confessed one by one in the imperial prison.

In the past few days, a strict curfew has been enforced in Yaodu, and embroidered-robed messengers have been roaming the streets every day.

…The water in the capital's canal seemed to have changed…

Zhou Wang's faction sensed the crisis. Before his arrested accomplices implicated his two brothers, Su Kang sent his elder brother back to their hometown to avoid trouble.

He remained in Yaodu, using the "Missing One Gate" technique to perform a final gamble. He also secretly left a letter for King Zhou, informing him that he would help King Zhou resolve the crisis, but asked King Zhou to take care of his family.

What Su Kang values ​​is the "Puppet Technique" recorded in the "Missing One Gate," which can stuff a person's soul into a wooden puppet. Of course, this is not only used to make wooden machinery, but also because people who die in houses are bound by the beams and pillars of the house's structure, forming vengeful spirits. In recent days, as the cruel officials of the Ministry of Justice in the imperial prison are "meeting their quotas," they have been indiscriminately killing innocent people under torture. Resentment has accumulated throughout the imperial prison, reaching the conditions for a certain Gu technique in the "Missing One Gate" to be used!

Sensing that he was about to be taken to that place filled with yin energy, Su Kang began to cast a spell according to the method. He drew a series of witchcraft runes on his body with his blood, then wrote the name of the Emperor on his body, and then took a needle and stabbed himself. This was a spell cast on his opponent by using himself as the "gu person," which was the most vicious kind of spell.

After Su Kang finished doing all this, the traces of witchcraft blood disappeared from his body, and he seemed completely unaffected, except that his gaze became vacant, like a paper doll. A moment later, the door to his house was pushed open.

Embroidered-robed messenger: "Su Kang, you've been caught. Come with us!"

After asking twice without getting a response, the embroidered-robed messenger rushed forward and kicked the other person. He was slightly taken aback when he saw the person fall to the ground.

"Oh?" "Hmm?"

One of the embroidered-robed messengers stepped forward, checked his breathing, and grinned: "He's breathing, he's fine. Oh dear, pretending to be crazy?"

The embroidered-robed messenger grinned maliciously: "Even if you're really insane, you still have to come with us. We'll cure your epilepsy!" With that, he slammed the hilt of his knife into Su Kang's fingers.

Seeing that Su Kang didn't react, the embroidered-robed envoy paused, then pressed his finger hard with the hilt of his knife, but still received no response. Feeling embarrassed, he said, "Very well, very well, my lord is a tough guy."

Then they called for people to carry Sukang out.

However, they were unaware that a three-eyed being was observing them from several hundred paces away.
As Xian Daoren looked at the evil moon gradually returning to its place in the sky, he revealed a wild smile.

Xian Daoren poured himself another cup of wine, raised it to the bright moon and said: "The father cuts the son's wings, the son curses the father's virtue, this, ha, this is the royal affair."

(End of this chapter)