Historian

  In the 'Spring and Autumn' era, the various schools of thought that emerged one after another to contend for dominance in the world can be said to have their own strengths. Except for the Miscellaneous School, which was founded by Lü Buwei, the first emperor of Qin's uncle, and is known for being all-encompassing and loose, the other schools each had their own specialized domains.

  Historians specialize in studying ancient classics and those hidden secrets submerged in the long river of time. If you want to ask about some little-known secrets, asking them is finding the right person.

  Those who know too many secrets of others are usually short-lived, and this is not only clear to the professionals in the 'gate' industry, but also to the Shi family. In order to prevent systemic risks from erupting, they are also unwilling to put all their 'eggs' in one basket. The Shi family was divided into two branches during the Warring States period, and on the surface, it seemed clear-cut. Those who served as officials in the royal courts of various countries were called Guan Shi, while those who mixed with the Jianghu grasslands were called Ye Shi. Of course, the latter would never admit that they truly belonged to the Shi family, which was also a self-preserving strategy.

  Historians in the imperial court also count as a relatively easy job, but when they record history with their brushes, they inevitably suffer from the constraints and restraints of those in power.

  Great, glorious and correct figures always have some unknown secrets and taboos under the "private" label. The big shots want to delete certain contents from history books for various reasons, avoiding their own cruel deeds or insufficiently glorious deeds being passed down through the ages, which is also an understandable behavior.

  Whenever such a suffocating situation arises, those timid historians will obediently accept the superior's instructions, but a little later, they will secretly leak these messages through special channels, "accidentally" revealing them to the unofficial historians hiding among the people. Later, the unofficial historians are responsible for mixing historical events that actually happened but would never be recorded in official history books with some seemingly absurd content and compiling it into an unofficial history book as a beneficial supplement outside of orthodox history.

  It is precisely because of this that when people often face different versions of a thing, they tend to believe in the rumors. At least, the unofficial history is more reliable than the official history books that have been reviewed and approved by multiple levels of government, without having to avoid offending those in power, which is worth more than a thousand words.

  The great sacrificial wine, Sima Changkong, obtained a few pages of residual copies from his younger brother Liu Deming. He racked his brains but couldn't decipher the information contained in those few pages. It's not that Sima Changkong was unlearned or incompetent, even Liu Deming, who had only recently entered the field and was still shallow in learning, could see the content, but he couldn't make sense of it. The key is that this residual copy wasn't written in the same script. The front pages with bird-like characters were not difficult for Sima Changkong to decipher, but the back pages with ancient characters that looked like crawling insects or snakes were indeed very puzzling!

  After struggling for a long time without making any breakthrough, Sima Changkong had no choice but to seek help from outside. At this moment, he thought of one of his old friends, Zheng Duo, a historian who was hiding in the folk.

  Historians are meticulous in researching written records. Among the various schools of thought, historians are best at uncovering information from written materials. Immediately afterwards, Sima Changkong made an excuse to close his door and secretly fled to Zheng Dang's house outside the mountain to ask for his teachings.

  A mixture of wheat straw and earth built the house, with thatched reeds on top. The paper windows had several holes, and the wooden frames creaked in the wind. In this humble abode, only the large collection of books covering an entire wall revealed the uniqueness of its owner's family.

  "This is a copy of the ancient great witchcraft ritual text, unfortunately it's already incomplete. Brother Sima, please take a look at this part, I think these few talisman characters are directly copied from the original text of the ritual, but the person who copied them didn't understand the witchcraft, so they wrote these words in a way that looks similar but lacks the spiritual essence. That great array of the demon tribe you mentioned earlier only appeared once in history, therefore its reputation is not well-known."

  As he spoke, Xiang Zhengdiao, a rural historian who made a meager living by teaching Mozi to children in the countryside, casually pulled out an old yellowed book from the nearby bookshelf. He flipped to a certain page and specifically pointed it out to Sima Zhangkong.

  Indeed, the description of the Jiutian Shidi Bayuan Yao Array in this book is also very rare, with only about 40 words throughout the entire chapter. Unbeknownst to many, it records a most tragic great war from the ancient era.

  After the two people finished discussing the proper matter, Sima Changkong once again brought up old matters and said with a heavy tone:

  "Brother Zheng, why are you unwilling to follow me into Wangwu Mountain's 'cave' heaven? The logic of no intact eggs under the overturned nest!"

  Upon hearing this, Zheng Duan from the unofficial history burst out laughing and waved his hands repeatedly, saying:

  "Laozi said, 'Good fortune is the outcome of misfortune, and misfortune is the outcome of good fortune.' Sima Dao, don't you think we are now standing at the forefront of a surging tide? The future is unpredictable, even the sages of old found it difficult to determine good or ill fortune. You and I are just ordinary people with a bit more spiritual insight, how dare we claim to be able to see into the workings of heaven?"

  He vaguely felt that Zheng Duan's words seemed to have a hidden meaning, and for a moment, Sima Changkong couldn't determine whether this old friend was joking with him or if he really had some kind of prophetic intuition.

  Then, Sima Changkong hesitated and said:

  "What does Brother Zheng mean?"

  "That Huo Mountain god who came to you 'yin' and 'yang' families for help is quite interesting."

  Having heard this conclusion, Sima Changkong did not feel unexpected and continued to ask:

  "How can you be sure?"

  He shook his wide sleeves made of coarse blue cloth with large and small patches, and Zhen Zheng, who looked like a poor and disappointed scholar, stood up and paced back and forth in the room, saying:

  "In the midst of turmoil, only one branch stands out. Sima Dao, don't you think this child is extraordinary? Extraordinary things require extraordinary people. In extraordinary times, we must await an extraordinary opportunity."

  Upon hearing this, Sima Changkong also nodded in agreement and continued to say:

  "Yes, going against the trend does have some 'gates', but since the overall situation is already like this, even if one has the power to reverse heaven, what can be done?"

  At this time, Zheng Duan's expression was slightly manic as he burst out laughing, his hands and feet dancing as he said:

  "Haha, when it comes to life and death, there is indeed great horror. However, as people like us, can we afford to cherish our lives and protect ourselves without seeking the Great Way? Only by knowing difficulty and advancing, treading out a path of survival amidst a thousand difficulties and ten thousand dangers, can we establish our foundation for a secure life."

  For practitioners who pursue immortality as their ultimate goal, those innately gifted and naturally saintly beings are superior existences that they cannot match, only to be admired but hard to emulate, while acquired immortal saints still have hope of achievement.

  Perseveringly pursuing the trajectory of the Great Way, seeking a path to immortality amidst the entanglements of the mundane world - this is the deepest and most unquenchable longing in the heart of any cultivator. Compared to this grand and distant goal, everything else around the cultivator can be sacrificed. Wealth, power, status, honor, kinship, love, friendship - all things that humans praise and yearn for, even each person's most precious life - these are nothing more than the sacrifices a cultivator is willing to make in devotion to their way.

  Few practitioners can reach the supreme state of ascension in just one lifetime, and most people's efforts are nothing more than continuous accumulation from one life to the next, hoping to find a glimmer of possibility among countless impossibilities in the endless cycle of reincarnation.

  Trivial matters in life, such as the "door" and "chicken feathers", have been entangling him endlessly, making him put on a stern face all the time. Sima Changkong, who looks like a young man with a weak crown, often feels that his passion for youth has long since cooled down, but at this moment, in front of Zheng Duan's loud words, he still can't help but feel a surge of hot blood. In a daze, Sima Changkong seemed to have returned to the passionate and fearless years of his youth, re-experiencing that sense of fearlessness and grand ambition that dared to defy heaven and earth.

  As his emotions gradually calmed down, Sima Changkong realized that he had once again been easily stirred up by his old friend and couldn't help but reveal a bitter smile. What can be said about this! Old man is still impulsive like when I was young!

  Zheng Duan is not that kind of Confucian scholar who only has a sharp tongue and a fierce appearance, he is the legitimate disciple of the historian. In the past, when he was traveling through Jianghu under an assumed name to hone his skills, Zheng Duan also left behind the reputation of being "unparalleled in both sword and brush".

  At this time, Zheng Duan saw that Sima Changkong had already woken up and slowly said:

  "From ancient times to the present, the demon clan has always been a thorn in the side of the human clan. When the demons are strong, the human way declines, and when the human way prospers, the demons retreat. In today's world, if there were no demonic creatures on the court of the Great Qin Dynasty, it would be hard to imagine that the world would be in such chaos."

  Upon hearing this, Sima Changkong's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately retorted:

  "Oh, so there is a great demon lurking in the imperial court?"

  "Hmph, it's not just a great demon, it's simply demonic!"

  Historians, known for their ability to gather information and write scandalous histories, not only had extensive connections within the imperial court of Great Qin but also excelled at collecting rumors through other channels among the people. As a result, Zheng Duan often knew some secrets that others were unaware of, which was hardly surprising.

  Simachen heard the implication behind Zheng Duan's words and exclaimed in surprise:

  "Is Brother Zheng going to borrow the sharp blade from the divine hand of Mount Huo to destroy the demonic clan's fierce aura?"

  Upon hearing this, Zheng Duan burst out laughing loudly and said:

  "This is exactly what I wanted!"

  Thinking about the cause and effect of this matter, Sima Changkong also nodded and said:

  "It's like this, our move is also a matter of course, but Brother Zheng, are you going to follow us to Huo Mountain?"

  Zheng Duan paced back and forth in the house, shaking his head and saying:

  "Somehow I have a premonition that this battle is worth recording in the annals of history. Since it can't be written into the official historical records, let me, a humble unofficial historian, take on the task instead! Hahahaha..."

  The main hall of the old mountain temple under Tianzhu Peak

  "Come, Lin Xian-di, I'll introduce you. This is Sima Da-jiju of the Yin-Yang family, and this is Zheng Jun of the Shi family..."

  The Landlord Huang Shiran painstakingly introduced to Lin Xu one by one the helpers he had invited with great difficulty, and then the old landlord casually found an excuse to pull Lin Xu aside, carefully instructing him:

  "Dear brother, you must not underestimate the guests who come to visit. All the various schools of thought and their representatives have something extraordinary about them. You should still treat them with the utmost respect and courtesy, and absolutely must not be dismissive or rude."

  At the sound, Lin Xu smiled and said:

  "I understand this, and I must thank you again for your hard work in finding these helpers for me."

  "Alas, with our 'friendship', to speak such estranged words, are you trying to humiliate me? I haven't returned to Jiang's village for many days, and since the matter is already settled, it's not convenient for this old man to linger here any longer. I bid farewell."

  Seeing Huang Shiren hurry back, Lin Xu didn't detain him and said:

  "Oh, Mr. Huo might have eyes and ears nearby, for safety's sake, I'll send you back!"

  Heaven knows what kind of trouble the nearly mad tiger demon Huo Shan Jun can stir up, towards Lin Xu's good intentions, the weak and feeble Huang Shi Ren did not dare to refuse, and could only sigh and nod his head.

  "Well, it's all right then."