A Whale Roaming the Seven Seas Battles a Giant Shark

Dragon Head Plateau, also known as Dragon Head Mountain.

This highland, stretching for about thirty miles, can be seen as the dividing line between the ruins of Chang'an City Han Dynasty and the present-day Chang'an City during the Tang Dynasty.

South of Dragon Head Plateau lies the present-day Chang'an, the capital of the Great Tang, a magnificent and prosperous city that needs no further explanation.

Although the area north of Dragon Head Plateau is quiet and deserted, there are still many rammed earth remains of Qin and Han palaces and city walls.

The poets of the Great Tang were fond of reminiscing about the past, and the foreign merchants who came to Chang'an were not allowed to wander around the inner city, but they were allowed to visit the site of the former Chang'an of the Great Han.

Therefore, over the past three hundred years, many bamboo and wooden houses and small courtyards for entertaining guests have been built here and there among the ruins on the north side of Dragon Head Plateau.

Visitors who come to reminisce about the past can find a place to stay if they get tired from sightseeing.

However, in recent decades, the venue for the martial arts competition has been chosen in the Zhongnan Mountains, which are further south than Chang'an, the capital of the Tang Dynasty.

All the places where tourists used to gather and stroll around have unknowingly migrated south.

This area, once home to the Han Dynasty city, has become completely deserted.

Those restaurants and courtyards that were once built to entertain guests have all fallen into disrepair.

It seems that these buildings constructed by the older Tang People have also become part of the ruins of the Han Dynasty palace.

The same weathered and old appearance, the same cold and lonely moon.

Tonight, in one of the courtyards here, several people are drinking.

This courtyard has a unique structure, and the bluestone slabs near the eaves on all four sides have been swept clean.

In the middle, however, there was a large square patch of land that was not paved with stone slabs, where flowers and plants grew freely.

Among all the flowers and plants, the best-growing was an orange tree, with several large, gnarled branches stretching out, its leaves glossy green, and hundreds of small fruits hidden among them.

Several fist-sized incense burners, suspended from tree branches by thin gold chains, emitted the fragrance of incense from their openwork lids, blending seamlessly with the surrounding vegetation.

Four men in long robes with wide sleeves sat on soft cushions on the bluestone ground in the east, west, south, and north directions. In front of each man was a small table with wine pots and fruits.

But there were no lights around them, only the moonlight pouring into the courtyard.

Instead, there is a seven-story building in the southwest corner outside the courtyard.

A long bamboo pole was tied to the railing on the seventh floor, extending horizontally.

At the top of the bamboo pole is a lantern handle, from which hangs a rabbit lantern.

A person with profound martial arts skills can scan the entire ancient city ruins at night by standing on the high Dragon Head Plateau.

It's easy to spot the only lit lantern in the entire ruins.

"Brother Kong, you really have a childlike charm."

Of the four, Pei Dongcheng sat to the east, a sword on a small table, gazing at the lamp, muttering softly.

"You actually used such a lantern as a marker? If Nie Hongxian doesn't come tonight, the lantern will have burned out, and you'll have to replace the candles on it tomorrow night."

Wu Chunlei of the Wu Clan sat on the west side, drinking wine from a dark gold bowl. He would only take a small sip, then stare at it for a long time, as if counting how many floating objects were on the surface of the wine.

He didn't look at the lantern directly above his head.

Sitting on the north side was Kong Tianrui, an elderly man who looked to be over seventy years old.

The person's hair on the top of their head was a bit sparse, and the buns they tied up were rather far back, but their two Bai Mei were thick and long, hanging down like reeds, almost covering their eye sockets, and their face was very thin.

Such an old man, sitting there late at night with his hands tucked into his sleeves, looked exactly like he was dozing off.

However, after the Four Great Aristocratic Clans decided to take action.

Kong Tianrui immediately found a clue among the myriad issues in Chang'an and devised a plan to use Guo Lingwei as bait.

"It's just a small thing for the old man to do."

Kong Tianrui laughed and said, "Whether we can hold back all the potential confidants Nie Hongxian might seek help from depends on how well everyone works together."

The elders of the Four Great Aristocratic Clans, who secretly control the retainers, have, over the past sixty years, absorbed and recruited many experts from those declining families, and have already placed them in their own positions.

Tian Zhu and Yang Jungong were both outstanding students from Hai Donglai, so the area around their residences was naturally of utmost importance.

In addition, there are other experts who could be easily mobilized by Nie Hongxian, and they are all under surveillance.

The four people present were the strongest figures in their respective Lineage, but the elders also had their advantages.

Because they find it difficult to make progress in their fundamentals over many years, the elders of those clans often choose to study the martial arts techniques of other schools and sects, hoping to gain insights from their own experiences.

They operate in concealed identities, employing a wide variety of bizarre and sophisticated techniques that would never reveal their true abilities to outsiders.

These old fogies, if they practiced the Martyrdom Palm Technique, could be more authentic than the renowned Church of the East; if they practiced the Burning Lamp Staff Technique, they could be more profound than the ascetics who upheld the precepts.

As long as the four family heads can successfully eliminate the target and seize the Divine Drum.

At that time, even if the forces from Hai Donglai's side wanted to launch a major counterattack, they would probably be at a loss, unable to discern how many people were involved.

"I have a few good-for-nothings in my family who are always infatuated with that little girl surnamed Nie."

Li Ju, sitting on the south side, with black hair, a tall hat, thick eyebrows, a short beard, and piercing eyes, wore a dark red outfit with a black robe over it. He also spoke at this moment.

"Originally, I thought that it would be much easier to marry this girl after Hai Donglai died of old age. At that time, the Li family would help her consolidate her power, and she could help the Li family in return. Unfortunately... now it's time to kill her."

Pei Dongcheng cautioned, "If Nie Hongxian comes, that old monster Chu from Nanzhao will definitely come along."

"Our primary objective is to seize the Divine Drum, but killing this man is equally crucial."

Kong Tianrui's voice was old as he laughed, "Brother Li, he's all talk. When it comes to a real fight, he'll be even more ruthless than us."

"Speaking of which, I've long heard that Brother Li studied under Du Fanchuan, so your divination skills must be incredibly profound. Why not cast a divination to see if we can wait for someone to come tonight?"

When Li Ju heard about this, his expression darkened slightly.

When he entered the Imperial Astronomical Bureau to study under a master, he originally thought he would have the opportunity to inherit the Weapon Soul.

As long as we can grasp the Weapon Soul that foretells natural disasters, the Li Clan of Zhao Commandery will still have a place to rely on no matter what happens in the future. No one would want such a national treasure to have its lineage cut off.

Unexpectedly, after Du Fanchuan's death, it was Cao Mengzheng who inherited his Weapon Soul.

Li Ju was almost about to take action, but he also knew that if he killed Cao Mengzheng and still failed to gain the approval of the Weapon Soul, he would be going against the will of the world, and the destruction of the Li Clan of Zhao Commandery would be imminent. That's why he held back.

Over the years, his martial arts skills have become increasingly refined, and his strength has reached an extraordinary level, but he still struggles to achieve great success in divination.

The Weapon Soul he nurtured several times had nothing to do with divination, and he devoured them in anger.

In order to improve the accuracy of his divination, he gradually changed from casting three divinations a day to casting one divination every three days, and then one divination every seven days, through practice and refinement.

It wasn't until he mastered the "One Divination Every Three Hundred Days" technique that he finally grasped the feeling his master had described—a feeling that relied solely on spiritual insight, without the aid of any tools.

Even so, he could only divine human affairs, not natural disasters.

"Actually, I've already calculated it once."

Li Ju said calmly, "What I'm asking about is whether my Li Clan's involvement in the series of events from seizing the Divine Drum to killing the Red Emperor will ultimately bring good or bad fortune."

Pei Dongcheng said solemnly, "Now that Brother Li is already seated here, surely the outcome must be auspicious?"

Divination is a complex matter.

Li Ju said, "The result I received was not simply good or bad, but rather a series of words uttered within my spiritual awareness."

"Afterwards, even I didn't know what I had said before. My old servant wrote it down and showed it to me, and only then did I know the result."

As he spoke, he took a folded piece of paper from his sleeve, unfolded it, and placed it flat on the small table in front of him.

The people present possessed keen eyesight, capable of discerning even on a moonless night, let alone tonight when the moonlight was bright.

The three of them knew the contents of the paper just by looking at it from a distance.

"Seven seas roam as whales battle giant sharks, one with teeth, the other without. If you ask who will win, it's like a colossal tree defying fate."

That old monster Chu, who had long been unknown, suddenly emerged from the mountains, traveled eastward Hai Donglai, and wandered in all directions, his whereabouts uncertain.

The Seven Seas Whales clearly refer to their side.

Whales have no teeth, while sharks do; it's clear who has the advantage.

The final phrase, "giant trees reaching the sky," is almost a direct reference.

Li Ju's name contains both "wood" and "giant".

He asked about the fortune of the Li Clan of Zhao Commandery, and this poem truly gave him a definite answer.

Pei Dongcheng lowered his eyelids and glanced at Kong Tianrui.

Kong Tianrui's eyebrows covered his eyes, so his expression was not visible, while Wu Chunlei was still looking at his alms bowl.

"Haha, do you three really think that my Li Clan alone can accomplish great things?"

Li Ju smiled and raised his glass, saying, "Our four families are already intertwined, sharing weal and woe, advancing and retreating as one. The auspicious omen I've inquired about is not just an auspicious omen for my family."

The three of them thought about it and realized that this made perfect sense.

Moreover, even if the Li Clan didn't present this auspicious sign, the others would still be on guard.

After a war, tactics can be employed, but during a war, sincerity is essential.

The four of them would not stoop to such a foolish act as dying over the division of spoils before accomplishing anything significant.

When the four of them drank together, Wu Chunlei still held the golden bowl.

The water in the dark gold bowl was as smooth as a mirror.

Wu Chunlei suddenly looked up. "They're here!"

Everyone looked up and saw a figure, like a cloud in the night sky, drifting in suddenly.

Chu Tianshu landed on the bamboo pole on the seventh floor of the tall building outside the courtyard and strolled along the pole for a couple of steps.

Quack!

The bamboo pole swayed slightly, and only when his left foot was already on the end of the pole did he lower his eyes to look into the courtyard.

Li Ju stood up solemnly. "There hasn't been a single signal from the city yet. Didn't you send Nie Hongxian to call for help?"

"Ha ha ha ha!"

Pei Dongcheng stared at Chu Tianshu, his gaze growing increasingly intense. Suddenly, he burst into laughter, causing the cups and saucers in front of him to shatter.

"No wonder he killed my Ying'er."

"Tonight, there are only the four of us here. We humbly request your guidance, Senior Chu!"

(End of this chapter)