Their discussion of the Dao lasted another half day.
Half a day later, Tongtian emerged from the Fire Cloud Palace smiling and rode away on his Kui ox. Even the clouds beneath the ox's hooves seemed to have been painted into smiling faces.
When the Three Teachings had jointly signed the Investiture List, many Chan Sect Disciples had been listed. Yuanshi Tianzun had been indignant, declaring that Jie Sect Disciples were all fur-clad, horn-bearing creatures, born of dampness or hatched from eggs. How could they compare with the true cultivators of the Dao under his tutelage? Unable to glimpse the Great Dao, they ought to have all been listed.
Tongtian had a fiery temper and had clashed with Yuanshi right then. Wen Zhong entering Shang's service had been a way of testing the waters.
Your Chan Sect Disciples are all true cultivators of the Dao, while my Jie Sect Disciples are just fur-clad, horn-bearing creatures?
We're still brothers. Is that any way to speak?
Just how much worse are my Shangqing Daoist Arts than your Yuqing Dao Method?
The Three Teachings helping Zhou destroy Shang was the great tide of the Mandate of Heaven, as well as the course originally agreed upon for the great tribulation.
But Yuanshi Tianzun refused to let his own disciples be listed and wanted to fill the ranks with Jie Sect Disciples instead. Would Tongtian agree to that?
Even if he agreed, his pride would never allow it.
What was more, Tongtian cared about every disciple under his tutelage. He might have paid his nominal disciples a little less attention, but he never held anything back when teaching them.
This incident with Shi Ji had become the final straw that drove him to switch sides.
If this is how the Chan Sect behaves, if this is the Mandate of Heaven, what of helping Shang destroy Zhou instead?
Although Shi Ji was not his direct disciple and had no Magic Treasures, she had the finest disposition in the sect and knew better than anyone where to draw the line, when to advance, and when to retreat.
You think you can leave the Interception Sect just by saying you "don't wish to implicate the sect"?
Not a chance!
Did you ask me, Tongtian?
Such disrespect for your master!
What a joke! Since when have members of the Interception Sect been cowards who cling to life and fear death?
Everyone in the sect is a brother or sister. When one falls into trouble, would the others shrink back in fear?
And how could I, Tongtian, be so useless that I cannot even protect my own disciples?
Sit in Biyou Palace for a single day, and you belong to the Interception Sect forever!
Ten thousand immortals pay homage to me, and I shall shelter those ten thousand immortals!
The Mandate of Heaven?
Even a Sage cannot see through the Mandate of Heaven!
Now that heaven's workings are shrouded in chaos, who can know how things will truly unfold?
Cradling the Qingping Sword as he sat on his Kui ox amid the swirling clouds, Tongtian recited in a ringing voice, "The Great Dao numbers fifty; heaven unfolds forty-nine. One thread of hope escapes, and my Interception Sect shall seize that escaped one and defy heaven to change fate!"
How many in the Interception Sect truly believed in the Mandate of Heaven?!
Chaoge City.
Zi Shou was enjoying the perks of being a foolish ruler. Today, Daji had unexpectedly made him a bowl of soup.
Green plum and turtle soup.
The name alone made Zi Shou's teeth feel weak. What sort of culinary abomination was this?
An upgraded version of stir-fried pork with oranges, strawberry fish slices, or pineapple-braised ribs?
But faced with Daji's heartfelt gesture and that face that softened his heart at a glance, Zi Shou steeled himself and ate it anyway.
Only after tasting it did he discover that it was rather good. He had expected an unbearable sour astringency, but that was not the case.
The unripe green plums had something of the girl next door about them. They were not dazzlingly beautiful, but their bitter, fresh flavor was unforgettable.
In fact, during the Shang Dynasty, plums were used more often as an ingredient than eaten as fruit.
Wu Ding, the King of Shang, had once told a minister, "If I were to brew sweet wine, you would be my fermenting starter; if I were to make a well-seasoned soup, you would be my salt and plums."
Those words praised the minister's all-round abilities, calling him a remedy for every need. They also indirectly showed that salt and plums were essential ingredients for soup.
The most distinctive feature of plums was their sourness. To many people, they might not have been especially appealing as fruit, but they really were excellent in soup.
After drinking a mouthful, Zi Shou felt even more like a foolish ruler. His virility surged; he could surely fight another three hundred rounds, and even bring in the queen and Noble Consort Huang for a bout of "Three Heroes Battle King Zhou."
Just then, a Eunuch reported that the rumors on the streets were growing increasingly outrageous. There were even treasonous calls to depose King Zhou and install someone worthy in his place.
Zi Shou took it all in with secret delight, warmth spreading through his entire heart.
It's here. This day has finally come!
The harsher the insults, the more Foolishness Value I'll get. Who knows? I might even be able to redeem a spaceship.
With an expressionless face, he dismissed the Eunuch and continued drinking his turtle soup. This stuff was wonderfully nourishing.
The Eunuch had grown used to this. King Zhou had ordered him to keep constant watch on the rumors in the streets. He had expected King Zhou to fly into an unforgiving rage, but the king never did. Every time, his face remained expressionless.
He never let joy or anger show on his face. What other king listened every day to how people were cursing him?
A king like this surely had plans of his own. The Eunuch dared not speculate recklessly; he merely bowed with even greater respect before withdrawing.
Daji thought much the same. To her, everything Zi Shou did in the palace displayed his unruffled composure and complete confidence.
If he had not already arranged everything, how could he possibly sit here enjoying himself so calmly?
King Zhou was no foolish ruler. A man who could articulate such a view of heaven's mandate had to be a mighty sovereign of his generation.
Daji simply propped her head on her hand and watched him quietly. Had she been able to let her fox tail out, she probably would have swished it a couple of times.
Before long, the Eunuch returned with another report. You Hun had sent word that construction of the beacon towers was complete, and men had already been stationed there.
"Understood. You may withdraw." Zi Shou was overjoyed. He could not even spare the time to drink his turtle soup as he said to Daji, "My beloved consort, you don't seem to have smiled much lately. Is something troubling you?"
Daji blinked in surprise. "Why would Your Majesty say that? The sisters in the palace are virtuous and kind, and we all get along harmoniously. With imperial meals, new clothes, and frequent rewards as well, I am very happy."
Daji isn't playing along!
Zi Shou raised his brows and said, "What I love most is the sight of your smile. Why don't we-"
Before he could finish, Daji smiled. That single smile truly brought a hundred charms to life. Her eyes brimmed with smiling mischief, misty and rippling with allure. The corners of her small mouth lifted slightly, her red lips parted, inviting a kiss. As expected of a fox spirit, every movement carried a bewitching charm.
Zi Shou had only just drunk the turtle soup, and her teasing left him feeling rather heated.
But fooling the feudal lords with beacon fires was the real business at hand.
Time was tight. If he lit the signal smoke now, the feudal lords should arrive in Chaoge around settlement day. If he delayed any longer, he might miss it.
Then he would have to wait another four months.
"Stop smiling, my beloved consort. I'll take you to see the beacon tower." Zi Shou forcibly suppressed his urges, quickly assembled the Royal Guards, and set off for the beacon tower with Daji.
Daji did not quite understand what was worth seeing at a beacon tower. But then she remembered that it was one of Chaoge's few tall structures, built outside the city with an exceptionally open view. Perhaps there really would be some distinctive scenery.
The Royal Guards cleared the way. Everyone knew their Overlord Step; add some music, and they could practically star in a movie.
There had only been four Great Talents of Jiangnan, but this troop of Royal Guards numbered in the dozens!
They were far too conspicuous, so word that King Zhou was going to the beacon tower spread instantly.
There were no rebels in Chaoge, nor any sign of unrest. People did not know what King Zhou intended to do at the beacon tower. They simply assumed that, hungry for grand achievements, he had gone to inspect the project he had stubbornly insisted on building at great expense to the people.
Listening to the chatter around him, Zi Shou was thoroughly satisfied. After such a conspicuous outing, the people would surely realize at once that he was fooling the feudal lords with beacon fires.
A foolish ruler indeed!
Upon reaching the beacon tower, he directly ordered the garrison to light the fire. Unlike the ministers at court, the soldiers did not dare resist at all.
The smoke rose.
Daji's eyes lit up. "Your Majesty is wise indeed! This move will surely force the villains out and let us capture them in one fell swoop!"
Huh? Zi Shou was momentarily dazed. That's not right. What are you talking about?
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