After All, I'm Not a Devil (Seeking Recommendations and Collections!)

The two characters this time were—

Heaven!

Thunder!

Thunder in the heavens, its momentum grand and mighty, vast and vigorous; it was the attack Huang Shang used with the greatest ease.

Yet now, the hexagram was reversed, becoming Thunder traversing the world, the Hexagram of Innocence!

This was the Wuwang Hexagram, the meaning of which was to refrain from rash actions, to avoid reckless behavior, and to act in accordance with the righteous path of natural laws.

Reflected in reality, this was Huang Shang using the methods of a scholar to tell Murong Fu—

Want to restore your kingdom? Keep dreaming!

Of course, the hexagram was profound and mysterious; apart from Huang Shang himself, no outsider could fathom it.

In the eyes of the Murong father and son, it was simply a vast, overwhelming momentum suddenly bearing down upon them.

Before the Examination Hall in Yong Prefecture, Huang Shang had utilized the reinforcement of his status as the top provincial scholar and the collective strength of the students to strike down the thieves of the Ming Cult in one fell swoop.

From that battle, he had realized that his most suitable style was not one of technical moves, but of majestic, sweeping momentum.

His techniques were derived from the I Ching and the Eight Trigrams; to compare them with the martial arts techniques passed down through generations in the pugilistic world, honed over thousands of years, would be asking for a beating.

He could never surpass them.

Playing to his strengths and avoiding his weaknesses was the superior strategy.

What was he currently best at?

Through studying Literary Qi, he had found a path.

It appeared now that Literary Qi was partly his own knowledge, and partly the atmosphere of reverence the world held for the imperial examinations.

"Of all pursuits, studying is the highest"—the Great Song held literature in such extreme regard over martial arts that it formed a social trend, akin to a faith, which was why the statue of Confucius at the Examination Hall possessed such dense Literary Qi.

This power had originally been impossible for anyone to harness because the essence of heaven and earth was too thin; the scholars of the Great Song could never walk the path of talent similar to the Sage of Confucianism and Taoism.

However, no matter how thin the essence of heaven and earth was, it was more than enough to supply Huang Shang alone.

Thus, only after becoming the top provincial scholar did the Literary Qi surge toward him.

Setting aside the future for now, at this current stage, Huang Shang's utilization of this momentum of Literary Qi was uniquely advantageous.

There was no need to specialize in moves or prioritize the container over the contents; simply unleashing its essence was enough to be peerless.

And so, at this moment, a monstrous pressure was born from that plain, unremarkable brush tip, pointed out with effortless grace.

Murong Fu had danced about with his flashy swordplay, but before he could truly land a single strike, his legs went weak, and he collapsed to his knees with a thud.

"What on earth is this?"

Not to mention Murong Fu's bewildered expression, even Murong Bo's eyes revealed a look of terror.

The unknown is fear itself.

When he was in Yong Prefecture, he had secretly witnessed Huang Shang's battle against the Ming Cult.

The disciples of the Ming Cult were one thing, but that old man was one of the Four Great Dharma Kings, whose martial arts were undoubtedly formidable.

Yet in Huang Shang's hands, he had been struck down in a single encounter.

The key was that what Huang Shang displayed was not some divine martial art, but a method never seen before.

The methods of a scholar?

Murong Bo had previously looked down upon the scholars of the Great Song, considering them a bunch of pedantic windbags, but at this moment, he could not help but think of that rumor.

The Literary Star descended to earth!

"Fu'er has a bright future by his side!"

Murong Bo felt he was incredibly wise; he reached out to support him, his internal energy flowing outward to help the kneeling Murong Fu to his feet.

Murong Fu, however, was in a trance, unable to regain his senses for a long while.

The deeper one's thoughts and the more calculating one's heart, the less one could withstand such a blow.

His dream of the pugilistic world had shattered.

But under the urging gaze of Murong Bo, Murong Fu finally awoke as if from a dream, gritted his teeth, and bowed: "Young Master!"

A book boy was not a disciple, so there was no need for any formal ceremony.

Yet as Murong Fu packed his belongings, looking at the magnificent Canhe Villa, his heart felt a pang of sorrow.

Early this morning, he was still the head of Gusu Murong and the master of Canhe Villa, with a thousand acres of fertile land under his command and the Four Manors guarding him.

How did he become a book boy by nightfall?

However, deep in his bones, he still possessed the ambition of a hero passed down by the Murong clan.

Goujian of Yue slept on brushwood and tasted gall, while Han Xin of Huaiyin endured the humiliation of crawling between legs...

His name contained the character "Fu" (Restoration), so why could he not endure humiliation to carry out his heavy burden?

To be a page boy was lowly, yet such a position was the most intimate.

In the future, by utilizing Huang Shang, he would ensure the Murong Clan grasped power within the Great Song court!

However, just as Murong Fu finished packing, dismissed the servants, and prepared to temporarily seal the manor, a clamor arose from outside.

In particular, one man's voice was the most boisterous: "Not so, not so! The Young Master is our lord; how can he go and be someone else's page boy? If the Young Master is a page boy, wouldn't we be even lower than mere lackeys? This is improper, highly improper!"

The Four Great Manors had come to press for answers.

The ancestors of the Four Great Manors were originally Han people, but after the Murong Clan arrived in Jiangnan, Murong Longcheng took them in as retainers.

Because the four were loyal and devoted, and possessed outstanding martial arts, they were dispatched to build the Qingyun, Chixia, Jinfeng, and Xuanshuang manors, with Canhe Manor at the center.

This was effectively a feudal system within a state, which revealed the ambition of Gusu Murong.

Now, those blocking Murong Fu were the four masters of these manors.

Before Murong Bo feigned death, he had entrusted them to serve Murong Fu wholeheartedly once he came of age; they never expected this bolt from the blue—the Young Master had become a page boy.

To what level had their own status fallen?

Inside the manor, Huang Shang was admiring the calligraphy and paintings collected by the Murong family through the generations.

He heard the argument outside growing increasingly intense, eventually escalating until fierce winds surged and they began to trade blows.

Half an hour later, Murong Fu led the way inside, followed by four disheveled figures, as he cupped his hands toward Huang Shang: "Young Master, may I bring them along?"

Huang Shang swept his gaze over them.

These four were all in their twenties; judging by their appearances and mannerisms, they were essentially younger versions of the future Four Great Retainers.

Deng Baichuan! Gongye Gan! Bao Butong! Feng Bo'e!

Even their defining traits had not changed much.

Deng Baichuan's aura was the most robust, possessing deep internal cultivation;

Gongye Gan was extremely tall, rugged and heroic, his eyes bright and piercing;

Bao Butong was dejected, muttering under his breath;

Feng Bo'e was the most defiant, his neck held high.

"Truly loyal and devoted!"

Huang Shang evaluated.

The beings of the Heavens Consciousness were not mere tools; they lived their entire lives in this world.

Naturally, there would be changes between their childhood, youth, and old age.

But the four retainers remained the same from beginning to end, which only showed that they had dedicated their entire lives to the Murong family.

Yet, in the end, for the sake of a non-existent Dali throne, Murong Fu would kill Bao Butong, alienate his followers, and bring ruin upon himself.

However, in Huang Shang's view, as a Han person, helping the Xianbei tribe restore their nation and throwing the world into chaos—failing to distinguish right from wrong—their tragic end was also self-inflicted, and they could blame no one else.

Seeing that Huang Shang remained noncommittal, Murong Fu gritted his teeth and said: "Young Master, these four retainers have a deep understanding of the Jianghu. If the Young Master wishes to purge the evil influences of the Jianghu in the future, they will be of use."

Seeing their Young Master so humble, the Four Great Retainers felt their faces flush with anger, yet they all lowered their heads.

Huang Shang watched them act, finding it quite amusing.

In reality, if Murong Fu truly wanted to drive the Four Great Retainers away, he could easily do so.

This performance was for the sake of the future.

Since Murong Fu had stooped to become a page boy, he naturally wanted to reap the greatest benefits.

If Huang Shang achieved success in the future, what if he kicked Murong Fu aside?

Therefore, arranging for the Four Great Retainers to join was also to ensure that those around Huang Shang would all be people of the Murong family.

"Living like this is truly exhausting!"

Huang Shang shook his head inwardly.

Although he walked between plot characters and Reincarnators, facing immense risks, he treated this as a magnificent journey.

Every stage of success brought Huang Shang joy and a sense of achievement, allowing him to tangibly feel his own growth and transformation.

Looking at the Murong family, they invested everything into chasing an impossible goal, their lives forever a bleak, unquenchable thirst.

Pathetic!

Huang Shang was not a devil, after all. Thinking that Wu Que was likely searching for him like a madman, he decided to give the Murong family a chance: "Very well, you may all come along!"