Knowing the Next Five Hundred Years

Upon hearing this, the old scoundrel narrowed his eyes, shifting his gaze from Xu Qi'an to the distant view.

He had an air of melancholy about him. This air of melancholy wasn't a derogatory term, but rather a reflection of people's yearning for new life, so the word often didn't suit people's tastes.

The weariness on the old man was an aura of age, a weariness more profound than mere vicissitudes, accumulated over the years.

He was the same age as the nation, born at the end of the Great Zhou, and witnessed the rise and fall of two dynasties.

He rose up in rebellion amidst chaos, leading a righteous army to overthrow tyranny. He experienced too many things and saw too many people.

The weariness of life naturally seeped into my very bones.

Strangely, Xu Qi'an did not see such a sense of weariness in the Supervisor, the Arhat of Compassion, or even the two Vajra masters.

Was it because he had always been immersed in worldly affairs, or because he was a crude and uncouth martial artist...? Xu Qi'an wondered.

After a long pause, the old scoundrel slowly said:

"When Emperor Wuzong rebelled and usurped the throne, I had not yet gone into seclusion. At that time, the Emperor of Great Feng was close to treacherous officials, which caused chaos throughout the court and the country."

"Of course, temporary political turmoil is nothing compared to the chaos at the end of a dynasty.

"Emperor Wuzong was the grandson of Emperor Gaozu. His talent was no less than his grandfather's, and his personality was the same. Both of them were ambitious and ruthless heroes. He took advantage of the dissatisfaction of the court and the public with the incompetent emperor and treacherous officials, and under the pretext of purging the emperor's inner circle, he recruited soldiers and launched a rebellion."

"That's clever. If he had directly rebelled, he wouldn't have won the hearts of the people, nor would he have received the help of insightful people."

"At that time, he was just a third-rank military officer. It would be as difficult as climbing to heaven to rebel under the nose of the first supervisor."

"So, he cleverly found three helpers: Confucian School, Buddhist School, and a contemporary supervisor."

Hearing this, Xu Qi'an had to interrupt, asking in surprise:

"But I've heard that when Emperor Wuzong rebelled five hundred years ago, the Confucian School stood by and did nothing the entire time."

The old scoundrel chuckled and said:

"Standing by and doing nothing is the greatest help. Otherwise, given the Confucian School foundation at the time, plus the first supervisor, could Emperor Wuzong have succeeded? Unless the Buddha himself intervened."

"The Confucian School had long been dissatisfied with the emperor at the time, but the first imperial edict was there to check and balance them, leaving the Confucian School helpless."

He waited a moment, and seeing that Xu Qi'an had no questions, continued:

"When Emperor Wuzong first started his rebellion, he did not have enough troops to contend with the entire Great Feng, so he set his sights on the Wulin Alliance."

"And the one who was in charge of persuading me to send troops was the current supervisor."

"At first I disagreed. If this succeeds, what benefits will I get? The Martial Sect will never cede Jianzhou to me. If it fails, the Martial Alliance, which I have painstakingly built up over a hundred years, may be destroyed in an instant."

"You might as well guess how the supervisor convinced me."

Xu Qi'an's heart skipped a beat. "Is it related to this agreement?"

The old scoundrel nodded, then shook his head:

"To be precise, it was a transaction."

"In the more than one hundred years since I returned to Jianzhou and founded the Martial Alliance, I have already advanced to the peak of the third rank, but I have never been able to achieve Dao."

"The most terrifying thing in the world is not difficulties and setbacks, but the inability to see hope. The Ji family's cultivation level was similar to mine at first. After becoming emperor, they were blessed with good fortune, and their cultivation level improved by leaps and bounds every day. In the end, they stepped into the ranks of first-grade martial artists."

"I wasn't entirely Qi Ingestion, so I never bothered to ask him for advice on the experience of reaching the Dao Integration Realm."

"What a shameless old fool! You've taken all the bamboo shoots from Quanrong Mountain!" Xu Qi'an thought to himself, silently cursing.

"At the time, I didn't know the rule that those who possess great fortune cannot live forever. Decades later, before I could even convince myself of this, the man surnamed Ji became a short-lived ghost and passed away."

The old scoundrel shook his head and sneered:

"That first generation woman was probably crying her eyes out, hahaha. I've always suspected he was a bastard. Cough cough. Anyway, I've been stuck at the peak of the third rank for many years, unable to break through, and I see no hope of breaking through."

"Until that day, the current supervisor came to me and said that as long as I was willing to send troops to help Emperor Wuzong seize the throne, he would help me be promoted to the second rank."

Xu Qi'an laughed heartily:

"I understand now, senior. You've been tricked by the Supervisor. I never imagined he was such a seasoned politician back in the day."

The old scoundrel glanced at him, a half-smile playing on his lips.

"I used to think the same way, but now, I have indeed been promoted to the second rank."

Within ten seconds of saying those words, Xu Qi'an's smile remained unchanged for a while, then he seemed to realize something, and his smile gradually stiffened, froze on his face, and finally slowly disappeared.

If a camera had captured the whole thing, his "acting skills" would have been absolutely amazing.

Xu Qi'an stared blankly at the old scoundrel, his lips moved, and he managed to utter a few words with difficulty:

"You mean, the nine-colored lotus root—no, my help—is the one that Jian is fulfilling his original promise?"

The old man grunted, "I can't think of a better explanation."

Thump! Thump! Thump!

Xu Qi'an took three steps back, staring blankly at the old man. His face suddenly twisted, and it was impossible to tell whether it was surprise or fear.

Or, both.

Outsiders have no way of knowing what's going on in his mind; beneath his blank face lies a turbulent sea of emotions, an explosion of information boiling over.

If things are really as that old scoundrel says, what does that mean?

"I remember Xu Pingfeng saying that the Fate Master has the ability to glimpse the secrets of heaven and can predict the future to a certain extent. Because of this, the Supervisor cannot interfere with the things he foresees. He can only make arrangements in secret and influence things indirectly."

"Prying into the secrets of heaven is already defying the heavens; revealing them will directly incur divine punishment. But this is still not the key point; the key point is..."

"Five hundred years ago, the Supervisor wasn't a Fate Master. How could he possibly have foreseen the future? How could he!!!"

Xu Qi'an's face turned extremely ugly, as if his worldview had collapsed.

"You seem to have thought of something?"

The old man noticed his strange expression and frowned as he asked.

Xu Qi'an did not reply, maintaining his grim expression, and it took him a long time to calm down.

Based on this information, he then derived three guesses and one question.

Speculation 1: The one who foresaw the situation 500 years in the future was not the Director, but the first Director.

If that's the case, then the secrets involved are quite terrifying.

Speculation 2: The current head of the Imperial Censor's identity is questionable; he may very well be the first head of the Imperial Censor. His former disciple may have been an imposter.

But if that's the case, why did the first generation go to such lengths to stage a "suicide"? What was their purpose?

Furthermore, the Bodhisattvas of Buddhist School were involved in this matter. Each Bodhisattva possesses the Law Power to seize the creation of heaven and earth, making it extremely difficult for the First Generation to conceal this from them and operate under an assumed identity.

Speculation 3: Neither of the above is correct. The fact that the current supervisor can foresee events five hundred years in the future indicates that there is something wrong with him.

As for the doubts

Looking back at the Warlock System today, the Curse of the apprentice betraying the master actually presents a paradox.

The current level of the Censorate is as terrifying as the first generation.

If the current eunuch could foresee the future, so could the first one. He could have easily found a way to eliminate Emperor Wuzong before he rebelled.

Even if the Fate Master cannot interfere with the future, Xu Qi'an believed that Emperor Wuzong must have faced countless life-or-death situations throughout his military career.

If the first supervisor had seized the opportunity to exert influence indirectly, Emperor Wuzong would have been killed.

Don't doubt it, the first supervisor was absolutely capable of doing it.

There are many similar methods; the first supervisor was fully capable of preventing Emperor Wuzong from finding an opportunity to rebel.

This paradox, at first glance, seems to verify conjectures one and two, but it can also verify conjecture three.

If the contemporary supervisory system itself has problems, then the paradox can indeed be broken.

"Another explanation is that the first supervisor foresaw the betrayal of the current supervisor, but did not stop it, choosing instead to play a game with him. Just like the current supervisor's attitude towards Xu Pingfeng."

"I know you're going to betray me, but I won't stop you. Let's fight to the death like Warlock."

"In Xu Pingfeng's words, this is the Curse of the Warlock System, which cannot be avoided unless the Warlock System is cut off. As long as it is to be passed down, it must take on apprentices and then accept their betrayal."

"Commonly known as -- the rules of the underworld!"

Besides the three guesses and one doubt mentioned above, Xu Qi'an also had a plausible reasoning in mind.

This reasoning doesn't involve many conspiracy theories. The truth is that Jian Zheng was indeed an old politician back then, and he was simply fooling an old fool.

It is common knowledge that politicians all over the world agree on a price beforehand and then get everything for free afterwards.

Anyway, once the supervisor is successfully promoted to the first rank, why should he be afraid of retaliation from a crude and uncouth martial artist?

As for the old scoundrel actually advancing to the second rank five hundred years later by relying on the nine-colored lotus root, it was probably many years later that the supervisor discovered he could fulfill his promise with the help of the nine-colored lotus root, and thus made arrangements.

In essence, there is no such thing as predicting five hundred years in advance.

To be fair, Xu Qi'an felt that this was the truth.

The reason is simple: the ability to accurately predict an event five hundred years in the future is something that a first-rank cultivator could not possibly achieve.

Even the highest grade is not acceptable.

He's no longer a newbie; he's killed a second-rank Joan of Arc and fought a first-rank Dharma Image. Even if he hasn't encountered a super-rank one, he has some idea of what it means.

Gathering his scattered thoughts, Xu Qi'an asked:

"How did you determine, senior, that the promise made by the Supervisor was indeed me?"

The old scoundrel sighed:

"That old fellow once told me: 'Live well, for the day you attain enlightenment will be the day the people of the Central Plains need you.'"

"Of course, it might just be an excuse; Warlock are always rambling on and on. But since I've successfully advanced, let's just say he's fulfilling his promise."

Xu Qi'an felt a chill run down his spine.

At this moment, someone flew up to the top of the cliff, stopped at a distance, and cupped their hands in greeting:

"Ancestor, this is your junior, Wen Chengbi."

The old man looked slightly puzzled.

Xu Qi'an helped with the introduction:

"This is the vice leader of your martial arts alliance."

The old man nodded in sudden realization and asked, "What is it?"

Wen Chengbi recounted the troubles facing the Martial Arts Alliance and tentatively asked:

"If we expand with the military town as the core of the headquarters, it can indeed save a lot of manpower and resources. Alliance Leader Cao is hesitant and ordered me to seek your opinion, Ancestor."

The core issue was insufficient funding, Xu Qi'an summarized.

In an era when equipment was underdeveloped, large-scale construction projects were extremely costly in terms of both financial and human resources. Xu Qi'an was familiar with numerous historical examples of countries perishing because of such projects.

The Sui and Qin dynasties are examples. Although the demise of a dynasty cannot be due to only one reason and there must be other factors, it is the reason that later generations attributed it to.

This is enough to illustrate how wasteful and exhausting infrastructure projects are.

The old man pondered for a moment and said:

"The matter of the silver is no problem. I will take care of finding the silver buried at the bottom of the mountain. The headquarters will still be built on the mountain, that's beyond question."

Xu Qi'an understood his meaning. Chaos was imminent, and the headquarters of the Martial Alliance was like a formidable stronghold, a place where one could retreat to defend or advance to attack.

If it were built on flat terrain, the enemy cavalry would be routed instantly.

Wen Chengbi said in a deep voice:

"But this would mean the alliance's savings accumulated over the years. Under normal circumstances, it wouldn't be a problem; the brothers could simply save up and live frugally. But now, with disaster raging across the land, without money for disaster relief, the situation in Jianzhou will likely descend into chaos."

The old scoundrel immediately said, "Then let the brothers and soldiers in the alliance do it together."

Wen Chengbi shook his head. "We still don't have enough manpower."

The old man frowned, thought for a moment, then turned to look at Xu Qi'an and said:

What do you think?

Xu Qi'an said irritably:

"It's such a simple matter. Just use work relief. Gather the disaster victims, build the headquarters, and give them food instead of money. This will solve the problem of food and clothing for the disaster victims and save money at the same time."

Wen Chengbi's eyes suddenly lit up, and he exclaimed in delight:

"Xu Yinluo's insight is brilliant. As expected of Xu Yinluo, he was able to come up with such a wonderful plan."

This isn't a brilliant plan, it's tradition... Xu Qi'an nodded reservedly.

"That's against the rules!"

The old man frowned.

In those days, there was no precedent for work relief, so the disaster victims drank the porridge given by the imperial court or wealthy families with a clear conscience, waiting for the disaster to end and the earth to warm up.

Even if there are occasional small-scale instances of work-for-relief programs, they are unlikely to become the mainstream.

"Grand Ancestor, this plan is brilliant!" Wen Chengbi quickly said. "In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures are necessary. Please approve, Grand Ancestor."

The old man waved his hand, too lazy to bother with such trivial matters.

"Go."

Watching Wen Chengbi leave, Xu Qi'an said:

"Senior, I am now at the third rank, and the next step is to merge with the Dao. However, I still do not know the True Intention of merging with the Dao."

The old scoundrel speaks without reservation:

"The merging with the Dao is the transformation of 'intention,' which I call completing one's own Martial Dao. Every fourth-rank martial artist can only comprehend one kind of 'intention,' which is the Martial Dao they have chosen."

"Intention is the prototype of the Dao."

"Perfecting one's own path is the true essence of achieving the second rank of Dao integration. However, it's easier said than done."

"Throughout my life, I have diligently practiced swordsmanship, combining the strengths of various schools to create a unified style. Yet, in the end, I remained stuck at the peak of the third rank, nearly failing to achieve Dao and dying."

Xu Qi'an quickly pressed on, "How did you achieve Dao integration, senior?"

"There are countless ways of the sword, and by comprehending its True Intention, one can attain the Dao. But there are countless paths to that True Intention. During my seclusion, my body transformed into pieces of flesh, each piece representing a different way of the sword. They each had their own thoughts and believed themselves to be correct."

"Can the nine-colored lotus root help people achieve enlightenment?"

"The nine-colored lotus seed can enlighten all things, and the lotus root can naturally do the same, even more so. Its role is to enlighten the millions of 'me's' trapped in the mud, and to establish one 'me' as the dominant one. The lotus seed's effects are insufficient to achieve this, but the nine-colored lotus root can. This is why Qingyang wanted to obtain the nine-colored lotus root for me in the first place."

The nine-colored lotus root acts as a stabilizer, playing a catalytic and stabilizing role. Xu Qi'an roughly understood.

I still have a small piece of the nine-colored lotus root left. Hmm, I'll let Nan Zhi continue to cultivate lotus roots for me. That way, when I reach the second rank, I might not have to steal her spiritual essence.

Before handing over the nine-colored lotus root, Xu Qi'an cut off a small section and kept it with him, just like the section of the nine-colored lotus root he had given him before.

Such heavenly materials and earthly treasures must be ensured to be developed sustainably.

After bidding farewell to the old scoundrel and returning to the military town, Xu Qi'an found a courtyard and invited Mu Nanzhi and Chai Xing'er out. The latter was weak and frail due to long-term imprisonment in the Floating Pagoda, and Xu Qi'an planned to release her to recuperate for a while.

She still has a purpose. The fact that Xu Pingfeng paid attention to the large tomb guarded by the Chai family ancestors means that the owner of the tomb is definitely not ordinary.

Mu Nanzhi wore a plum-colored cotton-padded jacket and a plain pleated long skirt, highlighting the temperament of a literary youth and a wealthy lady.

Even with average looks, her unique charm is undeniable.

Taking advantage of Xu Qi'an's absence, the little white fox hurriedly said:

"Auntie, I need to pee."

Without saying a word, he leaped out of Mu Nanzhi's arms and ran away as if having a great time.

It used its innate Divine Ability, transforming into a white shadow. After flashing a few times in the military town, it moved away from the buildings and plunged into the vast and dense Quanrong Mountains.

In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Bai Ji had already slipped into the deep mountains and forests, far away from the main peak of Quanrong Mountain.

It glanced around and chose a high rock to leap onto.

The arrival of the empress was quite grand.

P. S.: My head hurts. I went back and reviewed the previous content again today to find some forgotten gaps.