You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

"Let's do it!"

With a shout from Su Yanzhi, the Soul-Reaping Ghost swayed and flew close to the ground, instantly closing in behind Lu Zuo!

With a flick of his arm, an iron chain emerged from his sleeve and coiled around Lu Zuo's neck like a serpent!

Lu Zuo quickly leaned back, the chain grazing his nose, successfully avoiding the fierce attack.

At the same time, Judge Yang stomped his feet hard, the floor tiles under his feet shattered, and he shot forward with the force of the impact. His judge's pen flashed with a cold light as he pointed at Lu's left shoulder well acupoint!

He tapped the ground with his left foot, his body spinning rapidly in mid-air, abruptly shifting from its original position, and in an extremely bizarre posture, he circled behind the vengeful ghost.

Clang!

A sharp whistle suddenly rang out, like a clear dragon's roar!

Lu Zuo took out a long sword from his personal space. As he drew the sword from its sheath, a flash of cold light appeared, and he slashed straight at the back of the Soul-Reaping Ghost!

Clang!

Almost at the same time, Yin Panguan, who had already released Su Yanzhi's acupoints, flicked an iron ball from his fingertip, which struck Lu Zuo's blade with a crisp sound and sparks.

Lu Zuo felt a tremendous force spreading along the blade to his arm, causing the blade to involuntarily shift to the right.

With a hiss!

The blade, which was originally intended to cleave the vengeful spirit's spine, deviated from its course, tearing his clothes and slicing a bloody gash in his shoulder.

"How is that possible?"

This scene caused Su Yanzhi's expression to change slightly. The Yin Judge's Yinming Bullet had failed to completely deflect his sword strike.

This tyrant's strength seems a bit off...

According to my estimation, even if he could defeat anyone present, he wouldn't be as powerful as he is now!

Is it...

Has his cultivation level really increased dramatically in just a few days?

impossible!

The way of martial arts lies in gradual progress; it is absolutely impossible to be so absurd!

Just as she was pondering, Judge Yang had already pushed aside the Soul-Reaping Ghost, moved closer to Lu Zuo, and unleashed a flurry of afterimages with his judge's pen, his attack extremely fierce.

Clang clang clang...

As Lu Zuo retreated, he swung his sword to parry, creating a series of metallic clanging sounds.

"quick!"

"Attack together! Don't give him a chance to breathe!"

The vengeful ghost, enduring the excruciating pain in his shoulder, grimaced and then, with a flick of his arm, pulled out a crimson iron chain from another sleeve.

He lightly touched the ground with his toes and shot forward. While he was still in mid-air, the two chains were already strangling him, attacking from the left.

"Chen Shubao's cultivation level is above ours!"

"Keep the offensive going; don't give him a chance to divide and conquer!"

Su Yanzhi said something, and gathered crimson true energy in her palm, cooperating with the Yin-Yang Judge and the Soul-Reaping Ghost to surround and kill Lu Zuo!

The Yang Judge launched a fierce frontal attack, while the Yin Judge responded from the side.

The vengeful spirit strikes with ruthless precision and unpredictable angles, like a venomous snake flicking its tongue and eyeing its prey!

If Lu Zuo makes even the slightest mistake, he will unleash a fierce attack!

Meanwhile, Su Yanzhi kept unleashing crimson true energy, disrupting Lu Zuo's fighting rhythm.

Even within that crimson true energy, there was a certain bewitching power that disturbed Lu Zuo's mind.

It must be said that none of these people, individually, are a match for Lu Zuo.

However, when they cooperate appropriately, their combined power is multiplied!

Lu Zuo was very fortunate...

I'm glad I didn't rush to meet the people from Hundred Ghosts City, but instead chose to improve my strength and cultivation first before meeting them.

Otherwise, it's hard to say what will happen tonight.

Bang, clang...

The two exchanged blows, their figures clashing, the sounds of their collisions echoing endlessly, causing the winds of blades to howl and the force of their palms to surge, leaving the surrounding scenery in ruins.

One side cooperated seamlessly, while the other possessed formidable fighting power. For a short period of time, they were evenly matched, with neither able to gain the upper hand.

But as the fight went on, Lu Zuo began to sense that something was amiss...

In a daze, he seemed to enter a wonderful state.

All sounds around them vanished at that moment.

At this moment, all things in heaven and earth became hazy and lost their color.

In sight, only the figures of a few people became increasingly blurry, but there were bright marks on their bodies!

"Amidst dire circumstances and turbulent currents, a glimpse of tranquility can be seen in the eye of the storm..."

"These bright lines are their weakness!"

This wasn't Lu Zuo's analysis; rather, it was as if he was born with this knowledge, an analysis that automatically arose in his mind the moment the bright imprint appeared!

Swish, swish, swish, swish!

Four flashes of cold light, four whistling sounds of wind breaking through, and four people were struck by knives at the same time!

Or at the waist, or on the shoulder, or on the arm...

Each of them was slashed open with a bloody wound!

Blood spurted out like a fountain, and the four figures flew backward at the same time, crashing to the ground with a thud, kicking up specks of dust.

Lu Zuo sheathed his sword and stood there, his robes fluttering in the night wind.

The outcome of this battle is already decided!

"you……!"

Su Yanzhi clutched her shoulder wound, but blood kept seeping from between her fingers.

Her beautiful eyes widened in disbelief, her expression one of utter astonishment: "You've improved your strength so much in just a few days?"

How did he do it?

Exceptionally talented?

impossible!

Even the most talented person couldn't be so absurd! So bizarre!

"Cough cough... cough cough..."

The vengeful spirit knelt on the ground, its hands supporting its weight, coughing up blood incessantly: "Damn it! Damn it!"

"If we can't take him down today, we're all doomed, completely doomed!"

The judges of Yin and Yang exchanged a glance, shook their heads, and sighed, a hint of despair flickering in their eyes...

Su Yanzhi was filled with remorse at this moment!

If we had known this would happen, we would have been better off placing our hopes on "Chen Shubao".

At least……

There's still a chance to catch your breath!

"Whether you believe it or not, I never intended to use the Nine Nether Soul Devouring Seal to control you."

"I genuinely want to help you escape this sea of ​​suffering."

"However……"

"For various reasons, I cannot enter the underground imperial mausoleum."

Lu Zuo turned around, his gaze sweeping over the group, and said in a deep voice, "Gentlemen, let's talk."

The group was slightly taken aback. You're not going to kill us?

……

The night sky was as black as ink, with a clear, icy disc hanging high in the sky.

Like moonlight cascading down, it coated the ruins of the courtyard and even the devastation after the fierce battle with a cool and soft silver edge.

The starlight was sparse and bright, like diamond fragments casually scattered by some immortal, adorning the entire sky.

Under the moonlight, in the night breeze.

Lu Zuo stood with his hands behind his back, gazing up at the hazy Milky Way stretching across the sky, and sighed inwardly, "Finally, I have my own foundation..."

Shen Luoyan is a collaborator with Chen Shubao, who serves Ren Zhong.

Only these few newly recruited Yin-Yang Judges, Soul-Reaping Ghosts, and Red-Clothed Ghost Maidens truly belong to Lu Zuo!

All he did was make a promise.

They promise to do everything in their power to help them escape their suffering, but they may not actually do it.

Whether they choose to serve or not is up to them.

Even if they didn't pledge allegiance, he wouldn't make things difficult for them, letting them decide whether to stay or leave.

This is Lu Zuo's honest opinion.

It was precisely this honesty that earned him the trust of Su Yanzhi and the others, and made them truly devoted to him.

"Rouge, you go back first. I have something else to do."

Today, Shen Luoyan and her companions are leaving Jiankang, and Lu Zuo promised Shen Luoyan that he would personally see them off.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

……

The moonlight, as white as frost, quietly spread across the ancient road outside Jiankang City.

Shen Luoyan, dressed in plain clothes, stood under an old tree.

A night breeze swept by, lifting a few strands of her unbound black hair, which swayed gently against her cheek.

Suddenly, her eyes lit up slightly, and a smile appeared on her lips.

In my sight, a tall figure ran along the ancient road, coming against the night wind.

Why are you all alone?

A moment later, Lu Zuo stopped in front of Shen Luoyan and asked in confusion.

"They're waiting for me up ahead."

Shen Luoyan smiled and said, "Your Majesty, let's take a walk."

"it is good."

The two walked side by side, slowly strolling in the opposite direction from Jiankang City.

What are the future plans of the All-Industry Alliance?

Shen Luoyan naturally wouldn't tell him that the Hundred Trades Gang, seeing that the Southern Chen dynasty was doomed, had already decided to go to the Great Sui dynasty.

She simply smiled and shook her head, avoiding the question, and said, "Your Majesty, before we part, Luo Yan has a few words of advice to share."

"speak."

Shen Luoyan took a breath of the night air and slowly said, "After spending many days together, I have come to realize that although His Majesty has flaws in his personal morality, he has great ambitions and wants to save the crumbling Southern Chen dynasty."

"However, the nine powerful families of Southern Chen were deeply rooted and intertwined, posing both a scourge and a fundamental threat to the nation."

"If one day Your Majesty comes to hold absolute power, you must firmly control personnel and finances."

"And we must use powerful families to check and balance other powerful families."

"Only by doing these two things can Your Majesty's throne be secure enough."

Then she launched into a long explanation, offering Lu Zuo many constructive strategies.

Finance and personnel have always been the core of power.

If those in positions of authority firmly grasp these two points, they can ensure that their subordinates obey their orders.

but……

From Lu Zuo's perspective, Shen Luoyan's suggestion was still the same old idea of ​​"the emperor and the scholar-officials sharing the world."

This is an outdated method of social governance!

He shook his head: "I appreciate Miss Shen's suggestion."

Upon hearing this, Shen Luoyan paused, stopped in her tracks, and turned to look at Lu Zuo: "Your Majesty doesn't intend to listen?"

"In my eyes, powerful families are seizing land and using their power to plunder the people's wealth, leaving farmers without land and weavers without silk. They are simply living off the nation's fortunes and corrupting people's hearts!"

"Especially the theory of bloodline, which is even more disastrous!"

"The path to advancement for the world's most talented individuals is monopolized and hoarded by these few families."

"As a result, the country lost its lifeblood, the people lost their hope, and the world was left with only a hollowed-out shell."

"You absolutely cannot rely on these kinds of people to govern a country!"

Shen Luoyan was horrified!

He actually has such an insight?

Shen Luoyan was well aware of the deep-seated problems within aristocratic families.

Not only did she know, but everyone in the world knew, but very few people said it out loud.

These powerful families monopolized everything, and even mediocre descendants could rely on their noble lineage to reside in the halls of power and enjoy prestige.

Even if a student from a poor family has extraordinary talent, he will never have a chance to rise in society.

The most obvious example is Lu Shiyu, the leader of the Hundred Industries Gang.

Regardless of his martial arts skills, his intelligence, talent, and ambition to serve the people far surpassed those corrupt officials in the court in Shen Luoyan's eyes!

But because of his humble origins, he could only end up as the leader of a small gang in the martial arts world...

"Does His Majesty intend to give important positions to those from humble backgrounds?" Shen Luoyan asked, her voice slightly agitated.

Lu Zuo scoffed: "Isn't a poor family still a family?"

These words completely baffled Shen Luoyan...

Judging from his words, he doesn't intend to appoint people from high-ranking families, nor does he seem to intend to appoint people from humble backgrounds. So who will you appoint to govern the country?

"So, Your Majesty means..."

"civilian!"

Shen Luoyan was taken aback, then shook her head and chuckled, "Your Majesty must be joking, right?"

"Although Luo Yan was also of commoner origin, she knew very well that the common people in the countryside were not capable of great things."

"Among them, eight or nine out of ten are illiterate, their entire lives are spent seeing only their small hometown, and their worries are nothing more than food and clothing."

"Ordinary people may be familiar with farming seasons and skilled in crafts, but they are also familiar with imperial laws, local criminal law, border defense, tax collection, and the complexities of diplomacy..."

"How could ordinary people, toiling in the fields, possibly handle such intricate affairs of the court?"

"Children of noble families, regardless of their social standing, are all nurtured by the family's traditions and undergo ten years of rigorous training before they can even begin to grasp the basics."

"This is not because Luo Yan despises the common people, but because he possesses the talent to govern a country. It requires generations of accumulation and sufficient experience to pass on before it can be put to use."

"What does Your Majesty think?"

Lu Zuo smiled and said, "Not so good."

what?

Shen Luoyan never expected that her heartfelt words would lead to such demotion.

She was actually quite curious about what the emperor was thinking.

"Miss Shen, who do you think founded the Southern Chen dynasty?"

Without hesitation, Shen Luoyan replied, "Naturally, it is the result of the emperor, aristocratic families, and some commoners."

"But I believe that throughout history, no matter how dynasties have changed, the foundation of the nation lies in the people, not in one or two outstanding emperors and generals."

"What you're describing is a heroic view of history, but it also contains elements of bloodline theory."

Shen Luoyan asked, puzzled, "What is a heroic historical perspective?"

Lu Zuo: "The so-called heroic view of history is to attribute the surging of the mighty river to a few occasional leaping waves."

"Look at those history books, they are all about emperors and generals."

"But do the credit for history truly belong to those emperors and generals?"

"Without the diligent labor of all the people of the world in cultivating the land and forging weapons, how could they have established a dynasty? How could they have achieved such great feats today?"

Shen Luoyan pondered for a moment and retorted, "What Your Majesty said is indeed reasonable, but without emperors and generals, the people are nothing more than a disorganized mess."

Throughout history, it has always been emperors and generals who have governed the world.

Lu Zuo: "This brings us to the connection between the people's view of history and the hero's view of history."

"Heroes don't appear out of thin air!"

"A hero is the first handful of soil that is gathered from a pile of loose sand, the first wave that rises from the sea of ​​people."

"Without the sea, where would the waves come from?"

"Without soil, where would the mountains come from?"

"The heroes' provisions come from the rice paddies, and their strategies come from the wisdom accumulated by generations of people."

"You say the people are ignorant, but have you ever truly seen the wisdom of the common people?"

"They're just illiterate, not stupid!"

"The talent of one county can bring peace to the whole country!"

"I believe that heroes are made by the times, not the other way around!"

"Heroes are the embodiment of the people's specific needs at specific times!"

There's something Lu Zuo didn't say: among Zhu Yuanzhang, Xu Da, and others in the Ming Dynasty, who were well-read and from prestigious families?

Didn't they also conquer the Ming Dynasty?

If you can't read, you can learn!

It is often said that ordinary people are ignorant and illiterate, but isn't life experience also a valuable form of wisdom?

Shen Luoyan had never heard of this theory before!

She was stunned, and couldn't help but exclaim in shock, "Your Majesty, this is treasonous!"

......

P.S.: This chapter is a two-in-one, 4,000 words long. I won't be updating tonight.

Please add this to your favorites, please read on, and please vote!

Also, the book doesn't go into much detail about the heroic and popular views of history, but the general idea should be similar.

Interested readers can look up information themselves.

Too much writing in a book would be verbose.