Investiture of the Gods, Replica

Zhang Jiao moved closer to Liu Bing and asked, "Sir, if our Yellow Turban Army doesn't take part in killing enemies, will we still receive rewards?"

If they couldn't get a chance to kill enemies, would there still be rewards?

Those seeds were far too important. He didn't want to give them up, so he needed to ask whether they would still receive rewards if they didn't fight.

"Yes. As long as you come to this world and do what you can, you'll be rewarded."

As far as Liu Bing was concerned, he could get as many of those seeds as he wanted, so he didn't mind giving away a few more.

"Then I thank you, sir." Zhang Jiao cupped his hands toward Liu Bing and bowed in gratitude.

Liu Bing waved a hand. Looking at Zhang Jiao, whose face was pale and whose whole body seemed terribly weak, he asked, "Have you already severed the Great Han's fortune?"

"Yes." Zhang Jiao nodded.

Liu Che, Wei Qing, Huo Qubing, and the others were over there discussing with the other emperors which direction each of them would attack from. Hearing this, they all turned sharp gazes toward Zhang Jiao.

At first, Liu Che hadn't paid Zhang Jiao any attention. He hadn't expected to actually encounter him, and at the time, Qianlong had caught his attention.

Afterward, he'd been busy gathering his army and getting ready to take on the mission, so he hadn't paid attention to the new group member called General of Heaven. He hadn't expected that General of Heaven would actually be Zhang Jiao, the Way of Great Peace Daoist who had severed the Great Han's last vestiges of fortune!

Liu Che walked over with a dark expression, staring at Zhang Jiao as if his eyes were knives.

"You're Zhang Jiao?" Liu Che's voice brimmed with fury and overwhelming authority. "The Zhang Jiao who severed the last of my Great Han's fortune?"

Facing Liu Che's questioning, Zhang Jiao remained remarkably calm. He smiled faintly and said slowly, "This poor Daoist is indeed Zhang Jiao. Greetings, Martial Emperor Your Majesty."

With that, Zhang Jiao bowed to Liu Che to show his respect.

Zhang Jiao held the Han Wudi in great respect. He was no true traitor. He simply couldn't bear to see the people suffering and wanted to find them a way to survive.

The Great Han of his time had been gravely ill, unlike the Great Han during the Han Wudi's reign.

If he had been born during the Han Wudi's time, perhaps he wouldn't have had to struggle so much.

Seeing Zhang Jiao bow, Liu Che gave a cold snort. He sized him up. Zhang Jiao's face was haggard and his frame frail; he looked as fragile as a candle flickering in the wind.

"Hmph!" Liu Che sneered. "You must have paid a tremendous price to sever my Great Han's fortune."

Zhang Jiao didn't get angry. Instead, a faint smile appeared on his face. He nodded lightly, agreeing with Liu Che.

Indeed, he had sacrificed all the years left in his life to sever the Great Han's last vestiges of fortune.

Zhang Jiao turned toward Wei Qing and Huo Qubing, who stood to one side, and bowed to them again. "Greetings, Generals."

As he spoke, he reached into his robes and took out a pill that gave off a faint medicinal fragrance.

When Zhang Jiao learned that Liu Che was among those coming to carry out the mission, he had prepared this pill especially for him. Though it couldn't prolong a person's life, it could quickly nourish the body when needed and help keep it healthy.

He also felt deeply sorry for the young general Huo Qubing.

He held out the pill to Huo Qubing. "General, please accept this pill. It might be useful someday."

Huo Qubing stared coldly at the pill Zhang Jiao offered, wanting to smack it onto the ground. This was the man who had cut short the Great Han dynasty's last vestiges of fortune.

As one of the Great Han's two peerless generals, Huo Qubing's loyalty to the dynasty was beyond question. To him, Zhang Jiao was an enemy. How could he possibly accept something offered by an enemy?

Liu Che knew how stubborn and hot-tempered Huo Qubing was, so he immediately reached out first and swiftly took the pill from Zhang Jiao's hand.

Liu Che couldn't access the Chat Group Store for now, and the pills Liu Bing sold were too advanced and too expensive for him to afford.

If he couldn't find a way to protect Huo Qubing's health, this SSSR-grade general might not escape the fate of history. Like a shooting star crossing the sky, he would shine briefly over the Great Han before disappearing.

So Liu Che took the pill, then checked it through the Chat Group.

[Body Strengthening Pill: Carefully refined from a variety of precious nourishing herbs. It nourishes the body and boosts the immune system.]

Liu Che nodded with satisfaction. This was a good medicine, just right for Huo Qubing.

He said to Zhang Jiao, "For the sake of this pill, I won't pursue the matter of you severing my Great Han's fortune."

With that, Liu Che handed the pill to Huo Qubing and instructed him, "Qubing, make sure you keep this medicine safe. It'll be very useful in the future."

Watching Liu Che and Zhang Jiao interact, Liu Bing's lips curled slightly. As long as they didn't start fighting, that was good enough.

Then he asked unhurriedly, "Daoist Zhang Jiao, do you want the people of the world to live better lives?"

Zhang Jiao's eyes lit up, and he answered without hesitation, "Of course! My life's ambition has been to save the common people from suffering. But I wonder, sir, do you have a plan?"

However, the excitement on Zhang Jiao's face soon faded, replaced by deep dejection and helplessness.

He slowly shook his head and sighed softly. "Alas... I don't have long to live. I'm afraid I won't be able to see it through myself. But my younger brothers, Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang, can carry on my legacy and fulfill your request."

As he spoke, he pulled Zhang Bao and Zhang Liang forward from behind him, as if introducing them to Liu Bing.

Liu Bing could tell Zhang Jiao had at most two or three months left to live. But with him around, Zhang Jiao wouldn't die.

"Don't worry. You won't die."

As Liu Bing spoke, he took out a scroll resembling an imperial edict.

It was the Investiture of the Gods.

Of course, it wasn't the genuine article, but a replica.

However, the person who had made the replica was Haotian himself, so it had all the functions the Investiture of the Gods was supposed to have.

Of course, since it was only a replica, it couldn't be used in the Primordial World; it could only be used in worlds outside it.

The Investiture of the Gods was the foundation of the Heavenly Court Group. There couldn't be a second one in the Primordial World.

Liu Bing opened the Investiture of the Gods and explained its basic functions. Then he said, "I'll record you in my Investiture of the Gods first. As long as it isn't destroyed, you won't die. Later, once you have a cultivation method, I'll remove you from the list. Then you'll still be able to cultivate."

"Sir, could I be entered in the Investiture of the Gods too?" Before Zhang Jiao could say anything, Liu Che blurted out. As soon as he heard that the Investiture of the Gods could keep people from dying, he was tempted.