Heaven Has Its Certainties, and Its Variables

Fei Lian returned to his residence with his legs trembling.

In a few days, he would don his armor and march to the North Sea to quell the rebellion.

He was not particularly clever. He had only secured his position as a grand official because he was close to King Zhou.

Even so, once the court assembly ended, he realized that King Zhou had deliberately replaced the commander.

The purpose was to demonstrate his determination to purge the court officials.

As for himself...

He had most likely been made a sacrificial pawn.

Actually, that was not so bad. He was merely an official of little talent. Even if he lived to sixty, how many blessings could he enjoy?

Better to be a great general for once, clad in golden armor and commanding thousands of troops, and have his moment of glory. Even if he died on the battlefield, he would have sacrificed himself for his country and met a heroic end.

King Zhou would surely remember his service and grant him a magnificent funeral. At least he would not disgrace his family.

But who wanted to die?

Fei Lian did not.

So he summoned his two sons to discuss how to quell the rebellion-and how to survive.

His eldest son was E Lai, and his second son was Ji Sheng.

Both were bit players in the novel, but neither was ordinary in recorded history.

E Lai was Qin Shi Huang's ancestor thirty-five generations back, and the ancestor five generations before Qin Feizi, the first ruler of the Qin State; Ji Sheng's great-grandson was Zaofu, the founder of the Zhao clan and an ancestor of the Zhao State.

Leaving their descendants aside and returning to the two men themselves, this world, reset by the system, blended the settings of the novel and recorded history. E Lai was not merely the civil official of the novel, but also the fierce general of history.

Cao Cao had praised Dian Wei as "the E Lai of old," and the E Lai of the present was likewise a formidable man who could tear bears and tigers apart with his bare hands.

The father and sons put their heads together. Going to war was fine, and quelling the rebellion was fine, but going with only the three of them was not.

Ji Sheng knew his elder brother was extraordinarily brave, but his prowess still belonged to the mortal world. Against demons, he might not prevail.

He had heard that the Grand Preceptor's campaign was going poorly precisely because Yuan Futong and the Seventy-Two Route Lords were not humans, but demons skilled in magical arts.

So Ji Sheng proposed, "His Majesty has sent Father to quell the rebellion with a hundred Royal Guards, and has also allowed Father to choose his own generals. Why don't we..."

Ji Sheng had set his mind on that permission to select generals.

If they truly encountered demons, not one of them would survive.

But just because they could not defeat them did not mean no one else could.

Although Ji Sheng was neither as martial as his elder brother E Lai nor as adept at clinging to powerful patrons as his father Fei Lian, he was sociable and silver-tongued. He knew many people and had heard plenty of rumors circulating in the streets.

Ji Sheng looked south.

South? Three Mountains Pass was to the south.

Fei Lian seemed to grasp his meaning. "Do you mean Deng Jiugong, the commander of Three Mountains Pass? His martial prowess is no less than the King of Wucheng's..."

Ji Sheng suddenly felt that his father was beyond saving. Their lives and fortunes were at stake-what kind of joke was he making?

Would the esteemed Three Mountains Pass Commander abandon his border-defense duties in the south to follow you north and quell a rebellion?

Fei Lian also realized the flaw in his suggestion and added, "Then do you mean Zhang Shan, the great general serving under Commander Deng? I hear his martial skills are even greater."

Ji Sheng shook his head. "General Zhang is brave, but his martial arts are still those of the mortal world. He cannot defeat demons."

Fei Lian guessed again. "Could it be Hong Jin of Three Mountains Pass, General Hong? I hear he is the disciple of an accomplished Daoist and understands the mystical arts of the extraordinary gates, hidden armor, and five elements."

Ji Sheng continued shaking his head.

Fei Lian frowned. Are you making sport of your father?

Seeing his elderly father's displeasure, Ji Sheng hurriedly said, "Kong Xuan, the Defending General guarding Chaoge City's South Gate. General Kong's Daoist arts are profound. He can surely help Father quell the rebellion and return in triumph."

Fei Lian was startled. "Not Three Mountains Pass?"

Ji Sheng was baffled. "No."

"Then why were you looking south?"

"Isn't Chaoge's South Gate in the south?"

Kong Xuan had an extraordinary origin. His true form was the first peacock in the world, and his mother was Phoenix, the divine bird who was the ancestor of all birds in ancient times.

Cheng Tang, who founded Great Shang, had proclaimed himself the "Mysterious Bird of Heaven's Mandate" and made Phoenix the guardian deity of the Shang Dynasty.

After Phoenix underwent nirvana, the peacock attained the Dao and cultivated a human form. He inherited his mother's duty to protect Great Shang and entered official service.

It was now the seventh year of King Zhou's reign, and Kong Xuan had only recently entered service. The successive commanders of Three Mountains Pass were all still alive, and Kong Xuan remained unknown, merely an ordinary Defending General at the city gate.

Fei Lian had a hundred Royal Guards personally assigned by King Zhou, which amounted to half an Imperial Sword's worth of authority.

The military officers had also misunderstood the king's intentions and were quietly leaning toward Zi Shou's side, giving Fei Lian free passage at every step as he selected his generals.

Naturally, requisitioning a mere Defending General at the city gate did not require King Zhou's approval. Huang Feihu, the King of Wucheng, only needed to step in and assign a few men to fill the vacancy.

Thus, Zi Shou himself had no idea that Fei Lian had swept Kong Xuan away with him on his campaign to quell the rebellion.

Among the three treasures Bo Yikao offered as tribute to redeem his father's offense was one called the Seven Fragrance Chariot. Its origin was as follows: Emperor Xuanyuan defeated Chi You at the North Sea and left this chariot behind.

But the place where Xuanyuan defeated Chi You was Zhuolu. In other words, the North Sea was Zhuolu.

Zhuolu was an ancient battlefield. During the Battle of Zhuolu, countless soldiers and officers on both Xuanyuan's and Chi You's sides had been killed or wounded. The Investiture of the Gods had not yet taken place, and the Heavenly Court was short of civil servants. Who had time to gather all those souls and send them on to their next lives?

As a result, the North Sea had become an apocalyptic land overrun by monsters.

For instance, the Golden-Eyed Divine Oriole who once scratched Daji, Jiang Ziya's disciple Dragon-Beard Tiger, and the Yellow Emperor's commander Bai Jian all came from the North Sea.

The Seventy-Two Route Lords led by Yuan Futong were no ordinary people. Many were powerful demons.

If they were merely the Seventy-Two Route Feudal Lords, they would represent only a third of the three hundred Feudal Lords under the Marquis of the North. How could North Marquis Chong Houhu have failed to defeat them and become so frightened that he sought help from the central court? Did he not care about saving face?

Wen Zhong's camp.

Wen Zhong naturally knew that the Seventy-Two Route Lords were no ordinary people. He was preparing for the coming great battle.

Suddenly, his brows furrowed. A streak of azure light descended from the sky and flew straight into the central command tent. With a casual sweep of his hand, Wen Zhong caught it in his palm. The azure light transformed into an Azure Jade Talisman. Wen Zhong extended his divine sense into it, and the information stored within instantly appeared in his mind.

"The Investiture of the Gods has changed. Act as circumstances dictate."

Wen Zhong was a third-generation disciple of the Interception Sect, having studied under Golden Spirit Holy Mother, the second disciple of the Shangqing Saint, Sect Master Tongtian.

He had not been a disciple for long, but his cultivation was extremely high, and he knew something of the great tribulation of the Investiture of the Gods.

Nuwa had calculated that Cheng Tang's Yin Shang had only twenty-eight years of providence remaining. Could Sect Master Tongtian, a saint who had personally signed the Investiture List, not calculate the same?

Tongtian naturally knew. He had even instructed his disciples to keep their cave doors tightly shut and quietly recite two or three volumes of the Yellow Court, warning them not to venture down the mountain recklessly, lest they die and find their names on the list.

Wen Zhong was different. He was both a Jie Sect Disciple and a veteran minister of the Shang Dynasty. He insisted on defying Heaven to prolong the dynasty's fortune. Even if he died, his cultivation perished, and his name appeared on the Investiture List, he would have no regrets.

"Heaven has its certainties, and its variables." Wen Zhong smiled faintly and made a calculation on his fingers.

A moment later, he issued an order to his attendants.

"Come with me to welcome a great general."

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