Wu Ji truthfully recounted the circumstances, and only then did Ji Chang understand. So Jiang Ziya had been living in seclusion at Panxi, renowned throughout the wilderness yet hiding his true abilities.
When they reached the Thatched Cottage, the boy claimed that his master had gone traveling and had not returned. In truth, he thought their offerings were too meager and their sincerity insufficient. After Ji Chang returned to the palace, he discussed the matter at length with the trusted minister San Yisheng. He then fasted for three days. On the morning of the fourth day, he bathed and changed clothes, clearing his mind and becoming utterly devout.
The Marquis of the West sat upright in his ornate carriage. His grand procession stretched in all directions, with carriages and horses arrayed like a dragon as they surged toward Panxi to welcome the worthy. Wu Ji was immediately appointed General of Martial Virtue. Amid deafening music and banners blotting out the sun, the great procession proudly departed Xiqi.
Jiang Ziya calculated the omens and realized that Ji Chang's sincerity could move Heaven. He no longer avoided the world and gladly accepted the summons, returning with him to Xiqi. By then, his hair and beard were completely white, and he was already more than eighty years old.
When the news reached Sishui Pass, its commander, Han Rong, urgently reported it to Chaoge. As fate would have it, the Marquis of the North, Chong Heihu, had just completed Deer Terrace and invited King Zhou to inspect it in person.
Upon hearing this, Han Rong advised, "What virtue does Ji Chang possess? What ability does Jiang Shang have? They are nothing but frogs at the bottom of a well, seeing no farther than a few inches. Their light is no more than the glow