Inverted Chaos of the Four Directions

From the founding of Great Chu to the present day, the road had been fraught with hardship. Only now had things become somewhat stable.

But the situation could not be called good.

Within the realm were demons and strange horrors, along with those martial world folk who had strayed onto evil paths.

Beyond its borders, Great Yue Kingdom and the Frontier Barbarians watched like tigers eyeing their prey. One misstep, and the nation might face the danger of collapse.

The Emperor of Great Chu was a man of great talent and broad vision, possessing both strategy and courage.

The military generals were all stationed at the frontiers.

Meanwhile, the scholars stabilized internal affairs, barely maintaining a balance between within and without.

More boldly still, he had established the Bureau of Surveillance, employing the strategy of using martial world folk to govern martial world folk.

With all three sides in motion, Great Chu was heading in a better direction.

But none of this could do without one thing—money.

Did maintaining the army not require money?

Did salaries not require money?

Did the construction of all kinds of facilities not require money?

They all required money, and a great deal of it.

But the Emperor also understood that taxes could not be raised just because of money. Otherwise, internal troubles would only grow worse.

So what if there was no money? Do business! Do business with all their might!

But for members of the imperial family, doing business was beneath their status.

That was when the Ninth Princess came into being.

On the surface, the Ninth Princess was an unloved member of the imperial family.

Yet in secret, the businesses in the Ninth Princess's hands covered an extremely broad range, raking in no small amount of money for Great Chu's imperial family.

And the imperial family even had their own explanation.

She had already fallen from favor, so let her toss about however she pleased. It was not as though we were the ones telling her to do it.

It had to be said, that move was played brilliantly.

Any official with a bit of insight understood what it meant.

Thus, the Ninth Princess could not be offended. County Magistrate Zhang understood this very clearly.

As for the Lin Residence, if they had not given him quite a lot of money, he would have stopped caring long ago.

And now they wanted him to offend the Ninth Princess? Wasn't that just asking to be slapped? His Majesty had said back then that she could be arrested if she broke the law, but she had not broken any law.

There was no choice. If he arrested her, he would be cutting off the imperial family's source of wealth. He knew perfectly well what happened when one cut off their source of wealth.

I'll find an excuse later and release that courtesan. This matter ends here. Thinking this, County Magistrate Zhang swiftly left the Lin Residence.

The sudden death of the young master of the Lin Residence spread through Sheng County like wildfire.

Those who had suffered under his oppression applauded and cheered when they heard the news. They ran through streets and alleys, passing this joyous news on to everyone they knew.

Combined with what had happened to Xiao Yue before, the common folk felt thoroughly satisfied, as though the stifling breath lodged in their chests had finally eased.

At the Fulong Escort Agency, Xu Bai was as usual, seated on a small stool and looking at the Chinese scholar tree before him.

The golden progress bar was already close to full. He estimated that it would be completed tonight, so he had not left the rear courtyard even once.

"Brother Xu, Brother Xu, did you hear the news?"

In the front courtyard, Liu Er kept waving.

Even now, the escorts still did not dare set foot in the rear courtyard. After all, this Chinese scholar tree was far too strange.

Hearing the shout, Xu Bai rose from the small stool, walked into the front courtyard, and asked what was going on.

"The young master of the Lin Residence suddenly died! He even died atop a woman—it made me so damn happy." Liu Er waved excitedly.

He figured Xu Bai had not gone out all day and might not have heard the news, so he had brought it over. It was also a good chance to chat more and draw closer.

He, Liu Er, specialized in currying favor with Master Xu.

"What did County Magistrate Zhang say?" Xu Bai asked, pretending to be surprised.

"The Lin Residence demanded that the courtesan be dealt with, but County Magistrate Zhang drove them out and took the courtesan away. The butcher selling meat nearby has a relative doing odd jobs there. Afterward, he heard from the Old Butler that County Magistrate Zhang was unwilling to deal with the courtesan," Liu Er said.

Unwilling? Xu Bai stroked his chin.

This was rather beyond his expectations.

But... there seemed to be room to maneuver here.

"Fine, I understand. Tell the brothers to train hard. If an escort job comes in, their skills won't get rusty." Xu Bai spoke as though he did not care in the slightest.

Liu Er was a perceptive man. Knowing that Xu Bai did not want to talk further, he did not linger. After saying farewell, he left.

Once Liu Er had gone, Xu Bai returned to the small stool and sat in the rear courtyard, staring at the Chinese scholar tree.

As he stared, he sank into thought.

To be honest, County Magistrate Zhang was no good bird either.

He could not escape responsibility for what had happened to Xiao Yue.

Xu Bai had wanted to deal with him for a long time, but this was different from dealing with Lin Fenghua. He was an Imperial Official, and a scholar at that.

If Xu Bai acted against him directly, the trouble would not be small.

But on careful thought, from what Liu Er had just said, County Magistrate Zhang seemed to have stopped caring about the Lin Residence's affairs.

If he was no longer protecting the Lin Residence, then there was room to maneuver.

As for how to maneuver, there was no hurry.

The progress bar on the Chinese scholar tree was about to fill. He could deal with it after it was full. County Magistrate Zhang was right here in Sheng County; he could not run away.

What mattered most at the moment was still the progress bar.

It'll be done tonight. I put in so much effort—I wonder what it'll turn out to be. Xu Bai thought.

Time gradually slipped away. The sun set, and night descended.

The escorts all left the agency and returned to their homes. Only Xu Bai remained in the rear courtyard, sitting on his personal small stool.

Honestly, this small stool was very comfortable to sit on. It did not dig into him at all.

Its only flaw was that his legs would go numb if he sat too long.

The sound of the night watchman's clapper rang out in the nearby streets as the watchman began his nightly routine.

In the pitch-black night, only the clapper's sound could bring a little warmth.

The night had turned somewhat cool. Xu Bai draped a coat over himself and continued staring fixedly at the Chinese scholar tree.

The progress bar rose slowly. Finally, when the last sliver filled, pale blue text appeared before his eyes.

You observed the Chinese scholar tree in the rear courtyard and comprehended Inverted Yin and Yang.

Xu Bai's expression did not change when the text appeared.

He had been grinding for so long that he had gone numb.

The pale blue text did not remain for long before turning into smoke in an instant.

A moment later, new text appeared.

A fusion option has been detected. Fusion in progress.

Four Directions Slaughter Heart Sutra + Inverted Yin and Yang = Inverted Chaos of the Four Directions.

Fusion successful!

As the final line appeared, the text immediately vanished, and an enormous flood of information poured into him.

As that vast amount of information flowed in, Xu Bai discovered that the golden current within his body had also changed.

Its color was still pale gold, with nothing unusual about it, yet it seemed to have gained something more.

Xu Bai savored it slightly and already understood the reason.

Divine Essence!

This was the Divine Essence unique to Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism!

Inverted Yin and Yang was not merely a cultivation method—it was also a Divine Essence-type cultivation method!

When he had named True Yuan Power before, he had taken the name from True Qi, Divine Essence, and vigor. Now it finally lived up to its name, completely and thoroughly matching the name True Yuan Power.

—His obsessive-compulsive disorder had been cured.

Xu Bai silently digested the information in his mind. A moment later, he smiled.

"As expected of Inverted Chaos of the Four Directions."

After this fusion, the cultivation method not only retained the previous Four Directions Slaughter Heart Sutra's ability to grow fiercer with every kill in group battles, but also gained the effects of Inverted Yin and Yang.

And Inverted Yin and Yang, when summed up, came down to two words.