The Realm Might Yet Bear the Zhong Name

Emperor Xian of Han's world.

"Yuan Chang, does your Zhong Clan have a member named Zhong Hui?" Cao Cao asked Zhong Yao.

Zhong Yao thought for a moment and confirmed that he knew of no clansman named Zhong Hui.

Zhong Yao replied, "Chancellor, my Yingchuan Zhong Clan has no such person as Zhong Hui. Perhaps he comes from a collateral branch and will one day hold great power and become the head of the Lineage. It is also possible he has yet to be born."

According to history, Zhong Yao was seventy-four or seventy-five when his son Zhong Hui was born, by which time Cao Cao was already dead.

So Zhong Yao had not lied.

Once the video of Zhong Hui's rebellion played, the emperors of certain dynasties grew even more wary of generals who commanded large armies and led troops on campaigns away from court.

One thing the heavenly screen had said made a great deal of sense: a different number of troops meant a different mindset. When Zhong Hui had only twenty thousand men, Sima Zhao was his good leader and good big brother; when Zhong Hui had two hundred thousand men and both Sichuan regions: "What does this rebel mean by writing me a letter?"

Emperor Gaozong of Song, Zhao Gou, even called a halt to Yue Fei's northern expedition.

A certain urban world.

"Tomorrow's the start of the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. Tianchang and the others should be coming over after school."

The speaker was a young man.

But he looked like a teenager.

He had an exquisitely beautiful face, delicate features, a straight, handsome nose, and cherry blossom-pink lips. His lips had a perfect curve, as though he were always smiling.

His skin was fair, with a cool, pale complexion.

His hands were slender, pale, and smooth, each finger long and well-proportioned—the classic hands of a comic-book character.

His name was Gao Shengyang. He was twenty-four years old and 1.86 meters tall.

More than twenty years ago, he had crossed over to this parallel world with his memories and been reincarnated, living a second life.

Gao Shengyang had not relied on memories of his previous life and foreknowledge of the future to become a tycoon who influenced the world economy, like the protagonist of a rebirth novel.

Reality was not as wonderful as web novels made it out to be.

Without a powerful background, no matter how much money one made, it belonged to someone else.

Gao Shengyang had a background, but it was not powerful enough to reach the heavens.

Gao Shengyang had always believed his looks were his golden finger.

In this life, "handsome" was not enough to describe him. He had to be called "beautiful," as in "beautiful man."

With his looks and the connections his father had left him, Gao Shengyang lacked for neither women, money, houses, nor cars. He had no need to go out of his way to make money.

"Ding! System binding complete!"

Suddenly, a voice rang out in Gao Shengyang's mind.

"A system?"

After more than twenty years in this world, Gao Shengyang had long since given up hope of getting the "system that came standard with transmigrators."

And now a system had actually arrived!

Copying the protagonists of novels, Gao Shengyang asked in his mind, What kind of system are you?

"Video Playback System," the system introduced itself before explaining, "For example, Host, you can broadcast short videos from this world to the myriad worlds. You can also use the system to film or livestream, allowing people in other worlds to see your life. When the beings of the myriad worlds experience emotions, you can obtain Emotion Points."

"Emotion Points can be exchanged in the system store for items from the myriad worlds, such as cultivation methods, superpowers, advanced technology, and so on."

A system interface then appeared in Gao Shengyang's mind.

Gao Shengyang saw that he had over a hundred million Emotion Points. The worlds already reached were listed as historical worlds.

Gao Shengyang could not help asking, "System, what's going on?"

"Host, those videos you were scrolling through just now were simultaneously broadcast to those historical worlds. These 138.69 million Emotion Points are what you gained."

"The people in the historical worlds had never seen short videos before, which is why they generated so many Emotion Points!"

"As time passes, the Emotion Points you obtain will stabilize, and you won't get as many as you did at the start. Unless you open up more worlds and broadcast videos to higher worlds beyond the historical ones. Or broadcast even more shocking videos."

While Gao Shengyang was learning about the system, the heavenly screens across the dynasties stopped playing new short videos, leading some people to think that was the end of them.

In the modern urban world, Gao Shengyang looked at his enormous stock of Emotion Points and recalled the Triple Reverse Rebirth from the animated commentary video he had just watched.

Exchanging for Triple Reverse Rebirth cost only 100,000 Emotion Points.

Cultivating Triple Reverse Rebirth to the third stage, the level Zuo Ruotong had reached, cost only one million Emotion Points.

Gao Shengyang spent 1.1 million Emotion Points without blinking.

The heavenly screens resumed playing short videos.

Gao Shengyang was not scrolling through them himself; he had instructed the system to play them automatically.

Gao Shengyang himself was using Triple Reverse Rebirth to transform into qi.

The first stage of Triple Reverse Rebirth: true qi filled the body, transforming the skin and flesh into qi. Once mastered, every movement carried the strength of a dragon and a tiger.

The second stage: transforming the tendons, bones, and internal organs. It could briefly transform the internal organs, bones, and blood into qi to a certain degree. Thus, when injured, the flesh was not regenerated by ordinary means; circulating qi was enough to repair it. Combined with the first stage's transformation of skin and flesh, it formed an indestructible body. The user's entire body turned white, becoming impervious to water and fire, unharmed by blades or axes, untouched by evil, and free from all disease. Even severed limbs could regenerate.

The third stage: transforming the entire body into Innate Primordial Qi.

With his entire body transformed into Innate Primordial Qi, Gao Shengyang felt terrifyingly powerful.

He had been reborn in this world for more than twenty years and had some connections, yet he had never heard of any supernatural powers in this world. It was much like his previous one.

He could not even find someone to test his skills against.

[When the music starts, Zhong Hui makes his entrance #Sanguosha #Zhong Hui]

["He was brimming with ambition, yet knew how to bide his time."]

["Avoid his edge and yield for the time being."]

["Prepare the troops and train the horses, awaiting the chance to fight."]

["He raised an army to attack Shu, intending to seize the chance to eliminate those who opposed him and take sole control of the troops."]

["Those not of our Lineage must have different hearts."]

["From within the command tent, I devise strategies and determine how the future will unfold."]

["He eliminated Deng Ai, brought Jiang Wei over to his side, and destroyed Later Han, earning the greatest merit."]

["Ai disobeyed orders. His death was well deserved."]

["Your pride in your achievements gave me the chance to put my scheme into action."]

["After taking Chengdu, he devised a greater plan for even greater power and status."]

["Seize the lands of Shu and establish himself as their ruler."]

["This realm might yet bear the Zhong name!"]

["He was the unruly ambitious schemer, Zhong Hui!"]

--

[The realm might yet bear the Zhong name.]

[The realm really does bear the Zhong name now!]

[Before entering Chengdu, he was a genius. After entering Chengdu, he was a fool.]

[Zhong Hui let the world down, but Jiang Wei was the one person he never failed.]

[Not as good at scheming as Sima Yi.]

[His father was the real formidable one, having Zhong Hui when he was in his sixties or seventies.]

[Still going strong in his old age.]

[If the Sima clan can do it, why can't I?]

[Zhong Hui: Father, are you surprised and delighted?

Zhong Yao: Surprised, yes. Delighted, no!]

[If Zhong Hui had actually succeeded, he would have been the founding emperor himself. Zhong Yao would most likely have received the temple name Taizu and the posthumous title Emperor Wen.]

[Isn't Taizu the founding emperor? Even if Zhong Hui had succeeded, wouldn't Taizu have had nothing to do with him?]

[Cao Cao was Emperor Taizu Wu of the Kingdom of Wei. Emperor Gaozu of Tang was the founding emperor, and he gave the temple name Taizu to his grandfather.

When someone of humble origins rises to become a founding emperor, they do indeed become Taizu after death.

When someone from a prominent family becomes a founding emperor, Taizu is generally the founding emperor's father.

If Zhong Hui hadn't been Zhong Yao's son, he wouldn't even have had the chance to rebel.]