The Starting Point of Fortune

"I've heard that the Liangyan region has many powerful families and a rich tradition of various schools of thought!"

I'd like to hear more details!

"Leaving aside those far away, there's a Beast Taming Sect nearby..."

Few dared to intercept the emperor's entourage, and with a top archer like Li Guang in command, no small group came looking for trouble. As for large legions, breaking through the Northern Border's military blockade was quite difficult.

After a smooth journey, they arrived near the former site of the Beast Taming Sect and were very close to Fengxize.

The new emperor's destination was to first offer sacrifices at the place where his ancestor, Gaozu, slew the dragon and snake; he clearly wouldn't go to Suiyang City.

According to news from the front, the sons of the King of Liang, King Liang Gong Liu Mai, King Jichuan Liu Ming, King Jidong Liu Pengli, King Shanyang Liu Ding, and King Jiyin Liu Bushi, had already received the message and were waiting at Fengxize.

"Legend has it that the founding emperor once slew the white dragon of the Beast Taming Sect here. After the dragon was killed, the Beast Taming Sect declined day by day, and has since vanished without a trace!"

"For someone as Grand Historian to use such a simplistic phrase as 'it is said' is extremely imprecise!"

"Back then, with the chaos of war, nobody could really tell what was going on. Besides, the Grand Historian was in Xianyang recording events for the Qin Dynasty, and he didn't even mention Emperor Gaozu. Everyone could only listen to what he said and judge the accuracy of the events based on the tone of Emperor Gaozu's descriptions!"

"It seems that the judgment at the time was not very accurate."

"You haven't seen the Emperor Gaozu; nine out of ten things he said were true!"

In other words, there's a lie involved!

"That lie is exactly what he wanted to say, and many people were confused by it. So I think the founding history of our Great Han Dynasty is a mess; nobody knows what Emperor Gaozu did all those years ago!"

"Are you confused?"

"Yes, it's ridiculous. Can you believe that someone who keeps losing battles, finally wins one, and then establishes our Great Han Dynasty?"

I don't believe it!

"I don't believe it either!"

The carriage sped past, and Sima Tan's complaints never stopped.

He was a very meticulous historian, but Sima Tan felt that the history of the Han Dynasty was very difficult to write.

The more he checked the records, the more unbelievable it became.

According to the information Sima Tan knew, Emperor Gaozu was a weakling who was constantly being beaten, but he became stronger the more he was beaten, and he became stronger the more he was defeated in battle. This kind of thing is very absurd and defies common sense, but Sima Tan could not find any concrete records to refute it.

In short, Emperor Gaozu won in the end.

The emperors of the Qin Dynasty accumulated six dynasties' worth of schemes and bloody battles before unifying the Southern Jambudvipa Continent, while Emperor Gaozu only took seven years to establish the Han Dynasty and several more years to quell internal troubles, after which the dynasty tended towards unification.

If Sima Tan were to put himself in the shoes of Emperor Gaozu, he would feel that seven years was not enough time to even travel around the Southern Jambudvipa Continent, let alone wage war and establish a dynasty.

"Emperor Gaozu's life was truly legendary!"

As Zhang Xuezhou listened to Sima Tan recount his past experiences, he couldn't help but glance at himself again.

Over the past seven years, he has traveled from the Southern Jambudvipa Continent to the Northern Kuru Continent, then to Western Kunlun, and back again, making several trips.

Emperor Gaozu established his dynasty in the seventh year of his reign, and Zhang Xuezhou became a errand boy in the same year.

He was somewhat satisfied with his cultivation reaching the Body Transformation Realm, but compared to the reign of Emperor Gaozu, Zhang Xuezhou felt that his seven years of cultivation had amounted to nothing.

If we're talking about prodigies, Zhang Xuezhou thinks that Emperor Gaozu was a prodigy, even compared to Emperor Qin, who unified China.

Emperor Qin had the accumulated achievements of six generations of the Qin Dynasty, which eventually led to his great achievements. However, Emperor Gaozu started with only a broken sword and a group of brothers from his own county. In just a few years, he suffered repeated defeats, but in the end, he still laid the foundation for the dynasty.

Listening to Sima Tan constantly talking about Emperor Gaozu, Zhang Xuezhou felt that this was a bit like cheating, much like making up for a lack of skill in a game by recharging.

"There must be a reason why he's so legendary, right?" Zhang Xuezhou couldn't help but ask.

"This brings us to a sword belonging to Emperor Gaozu," Sima Tan said.

"A sword?" Zhang Xuezhou asked in surprise.

"Yes, a sword, and in fact, rumors say this sword is even more outrageous than the life of Emperor Gaozu!"

"The sword is getting out of hand?" Zhang Xuezhou asked in confusion, then urged, "Tell me quickly!"

"That sword is outrageous!"

Sima Tan thought for a moment, then summarized the information he had collected before slowly beginning his narration.

"You know that Emperor Gaozu often lost battles," Sima Tan said, "But this sword of his is most Qi Ingestion at defeat. As long as Emperor Gaozu lost a battle, he might be able to turn the tables and kill his opponent in the next one while holding that sword!"

"The sword is still not Qi Ingestion? I've never heard of a sword that's not Qi Ingestion. Does the sword have a temper?"

"So I also find it incredible; it defies common sense!"

"Fake news, next up!"

"What? Let me tell you, Emperor Gaozu grew stronger with each defeat thanks to this sword. Some say it's a magic sword, but what it controls is its temperament..."

Although Zhang Xuezhou was chatting with Sima, he couldn't help but think of the Serpent-Slaying Sword that the Venerable One had mentioned, and the only possibility of Qin Ershi turning the tide in a losing situation.

What Sima Tan said might seem outrageous, yet perhaps true, to be something that could gain the Emperor's approval.

However, this kind of content was hard for the Grand Historian to believe, making its recording extremely awkward.

"The only way to defeat His Majesty the Emperor is for someone to wield that sword. If he wins too many times, His Majesty will no longer be able to rely on that sword," Sima Tan sighed.

"This is outrageous!"

Zhang Xuezhou shook his head repeatedly as he listened. He believed the facts, but he also found it incredibly absurd.

The two chattered on and on, while Rong Tianding treated it as gossip, since he found it quite amusing to listen to Sima Tan boast.

"If someone gets that sword, wouldn't they be able to keep getting beaten up until they soar to the top?" Rong Tianding couldn't help but ask.

"That's not wrong," Sima Tan nodded. "But since many people know the characteristics of this sword, in order to survive, I think even if someone takes this sword, the opponent will deliberately hold back, so that the wielder can't lose!"

"If we keep winning, won't we still win the same thing? There's no way to resolve this situation," Rong Tianding said.

"No, the reason that sword has become an unbelievable legend is precisely because it is so special that it's hard to believe," Sima Tan said. "If it wins too many battles, it will become spineless, indulging in congratulations and extravagance, and will never be able to unleash its full power again!"

"This is absolutely outrageous! Anyone who believes this is a fool!"

Zhang Xuezhou and Rong Tianding both complained.

The passengers chatted idly in the carriage, while the convoy moved swiftly, bypassing the Beast Taming Sect area and entering Liangdi.

When Zhang Xuezhou saw the familiar mountain range, he knew very well that he had entered the Fengxize region.

If he looked into the distance, he could even see the stone mountain where the King of Liang was buried.

Not far from the tomb of the King of Liang is the place where Emperor Gaozu once wielded his sword to slay the white dragon, marking the beginning of the Great Han Dynasty's destiny.