Chapter 91: Huang San Talks About Love, Ji Chang Thinks of Rebellion

  "Third brother, do you know what love is?"

  "Big brother, your question is too damn profound. At first, I thought I just found Xi Mei pretty, but later, outside the Tiger Wolf Pass, when I was hit by a Quan Tiandao person and almost died, my heart didn't think of anything else, only Xi Mei's gentle smile. That smile, so beautiful, so warm, at that time, I thought, this might be what they call love."

  "Third brother, do you know what is the saddest thing in love?"

  "Brother, this question is well asked. I think the saddest thing in love, for example, taking me and Xiwai, is that I like her, but she doesn't like me."

  "Third brother, you're wrong. The saddest thing in love isn't when one person likes the other but the other doesn't like them back. It's when two people like each other so much, yet they watch as the other becomes a stranger to them, someone they used to be most familiar with."

  "Just like you standing in the world watching her slowly walk away, it's snowing heavily, the snowflakes are swirling around, covering her footprints bit by bit, until finally, they become a vast expanse of white, and she can't be found anymore."

  "Big brother, what you said is so sad."

  "Really? I think so too."

  Outside Xuan Yuan's tomb, under a mountain hill tree, Huang Shi Ren looked up at the starry sky with a gloomy expression.

  Zhu Zi truly carried a nine-toothed rake, with his ears drooping. The two brothers finished speaking and both fell silent.

  "Third brother, I'm going to the Queen's Palace!"

  "Do you want Nüwa to take back her previous decree?"

  "Yes, I won't let Jiu'er become a stranger to me like this."

  "Big brother, emotionally I support you, but rationally, I think this can't be done."

  "What did you say?"

  "Jiuer sister is a woman with deep feelings, I can tell she likes you. But the words of Nüwa are unchangeable, it's impossible to take them back. More importantly, this matter has been decided by the four teachings and six saints, there's no possibility of changing it anymore. What's more important is that Jiuer has already made up her mind, she's a resolute woman, for the sake of her two sisters, she will never change her mind."

  "Big brother, let's just drop it this time?"

  "Is that all?"

  "Alright, forget it."

  "Third brother, you know who I am thinking of?"

  "Who?"

  "My master is Lu Zhishen. Previously, I always looked down on him, despised him, thinking that with his high cultivation, he didn't go out to establish a sect or gain fame and fortune, but instead wandered the world, getting into romantic entanglements and tasting all sorts of bitterness. Now I finally understand."

  "What's going on?"

  "He exiled himself for love."

  "Third brother, I always thought that Lu Ye and I were two different kinds of people. I would absolutely never become like him. Now I understand why Master said we were similar when he first took me in. In love, perhaps our ultimate world is just a vast expanse of whiteness, with no human footprints or flowers and grass, only that endless whiteness."

  "Big brother, let's go. You've talked me into a state of breathlessness, it's so annoying."

  "Go."

  Huang Shiren sighed heavily, looking up at the sky, then turned his head to gaze at the distant tomb of Xuan Yuan. Two lines of tears fell from his eyes as he gritted his teeth and mounted the Flowing Light, disappearing suddenly with Zhu Ziren.

  "What's gotten into Huang Shiren that he's become so sentimental?" The two of them left, and from the tree beside them emerged a Taoist.

  He looked at Huang Shiren's distant figure, then glanced at the Seven Treasures Mysterious Tree in his hand, and a hint of loss also appeared on his face.

  "Huang Shiren, the saddest thing in love is not what you said. It's when your stomach is hungry, you start eating, take a bite, then another, and start thinking of her. You eat until you're full, but still think of her, knowing that you'll burst if you don't stop, yet can't help it."

  That person muttered to himself, with tears in his eyes, but still held his head up towards the sky, enduring and not letting those tears fall.

  "Huang Shiren, I've started to envy Lu Ya. To have a disciple like you is truly enviable." The Taoist chuckled: "Heaven is blind, you and I cannot become master and disciple, otherwise, I could tell you this without any reservations. Unfortunately, you are destined to become my enemy, so don't blame me for showing no mercy."

  "This love is the most poisonous thing under heaven, more toxic than any treasure or calamity. Just one taste and you'll be unable to escape, reduced to nothing but ashes." The Taoist gazed in the direction of Xuan Yuan's tomb, bursting into loud laughter, yet his smile was tinged with boundless resentment and sorrow.

  "So, let me fulfill you instead. Erase this love and leave memories for you, isn't that good? Sometimes, living in memories is indeed the best outcome." The figure looked at the Seven Treasures Mysterious Tree in his hand and murmured: "Nüwa, do you think it's like this?"

  West Hill of Zhao Song. The residence of Taifu and Taizi Taibao.

  Huang Shiren sat upright in the great hall, looking at Yang Xian in front of him.

  "Big brother, as you instructed, I brought several thousand of the best from the mountains. These little demons are all top-notch experts from Mei Mountain. Haven't you seen the Old Ancestor yet?!" Yang Xian turned his face to look at the dark mass of mountain demons outside the main hall.

  "Behold the Ancestor! The Ancestor is Heaven, the Ancestor is Earth, the Ancestor is the majestic and upright energy between Heaven and Earth!"

  "Behold the Ancestor! The Ancestor is Heaven, the Ancestor is Earth, the Ancestor is the majestic and upright energy between Heaven and Earth!"

  ……

  Thousands of little monsters knelt down in unison, cheering and shouting thunderously.

  "You little ones, you are monsters, and I, the old ancestor, am also a monster! In this world, no one looks up to us, no one gives us face! Today, I tell you that this face, others can't give it to us, we must fight for it ourselves, with our bare arms! Do you understand?!"

  "We know!" The group of demons shouted in unison.

  "Alright! A great calamity is approaching, from today on, you all stay in this Chao Ge, listen to my orders. One day, Lao Zu will definitely let each and every one of you attain the fruit of the Tao! Whoever dares to look down on us again, I'll kill their mother's shiny butt!"

  "Damn it to hell!"

  "Damn it to hell!"

  "Damn it to hell!"

  ……

  "Fourth brother, among all the brothers, you are the most steady and reliable one. This imperial court will soon become a battlefield of intrigue and struggle, there are too many things that I need to deal with, so I can only entrust this matter to you." Huang Shiren said in a deep voice, looking at Yang Xian.

  "Big brother, rest assured, I'll take care of the little ones and keep an eye on Chao Ge's every move. I won't let him slip out of your sight!"

  "The fourth brother said this, and I felt at ease." Seeing that Yang Xian already knew his thoughts, Huang Shiren nodded.

  "Big brother, I heard you're going to Ji Zhou?" Yang Xian walked over and said in a low voice.

  "We must put down the evil, otherwise, the world will be in chaos."

  "Fourth brother wishes big brother's horse arrives at success!" Yang Xian chuckled.

  Zhao Ge North City. Xi Bo Hou's official residence.

  The tea has boiled, but the white-haired Xi Bo Hou Ji Chang is holding a spoon in a daze.

  "Father, the tea is boiling." A young man beside Ji Chang reminded him in a low voice.

  This young man looks similar to Ji Chang, but with a few more heroic and majestic aura.

  "Oh, haha, if you hadn't reminded me, I would have wasted a good cup of tea." Ji Chang smiled back.

  "Father, since you returned from the imperial court this morning, your mind has been unsettled. What's wrong?" Ji Fa looked at his father's aged face and felt a pang of sadness.

  "Son, in this world, what is most important for a man?" Ji Chang's words made Ji Fa pause.

  Looking at Ji Fa's smile, and the spark of fervor in his eyes, Ji Fa lowered his head and said: "Father, the most important thing for men under heaven is naturally the king's hegemony!"

  Haha! Ji Chang stroked his white beard and laughed loudly towards the sky: "Good! Well said!"

  After finishing speaking, he slowly brewed tea and said: "In the world, white clouds are fleeting. Only achievements can be immortal. It has been more than 600 years since Cheng Tang overthrew Xia, and now Zhou Wang is just a child, foolish and incompetent. Father has been waiting for this day for 60 years!

  "It's time for this world to change hands."

  "Father......" Ji Fa's body trembled.

  "My son, I am in the western regions of Xiqi, with a strong army and robust horses. The mountains and passes are treacherous, making it easy to defend and attack from nearby. This is the advantage of the land. Since your father took power, we have worked hard to establish a good reputation for our Ji family, winning the hearts of the people. This is the harmony of men. To achieve great things, we only need to wait for the right moment. In these recent days, I have calculated that this great Zhou dynasty will perish, and my heart is stirred."

  "Father, this is an immortal and invincible enterprise!" Ji Fa was overjoyed.

  Ji Chang shook his head: "It's not entirely like that. For decades, I have never stopped doing such things. Previously, the divination indicated that the fall of Shang was a certainty, but in recent years, the omens suddenly became obscure and unclear, even sometimes affecting the fortune of my Western Zhou dynasty. As for why I came to the capital this time, it's not for other reasons, but most importantly, to gather information. Today, on the imperial court, that Huang Shiren made me feel uneasy."

  "My father has passed away. I see that Huang Shiren is just a swindler who claims to be a Taoist, he's cunning and has a sharp tongue but is useless."

  "Son, you are still too young." Ji Chang looked at Ji Fa and showed a hint of disappointment, saying: "This Huang Shiren, on the surface, indeed looks like a despicable person, but your father has met countless people and feels that this man will certainly have great achievements in the future. Moreover, it concerns the great cause of our Western Zhou."

  "If Father thinks this person is a troublemaker, I'll send someone to get rid of him!" Ji Fa said.

  "Son, your temperament is too impulsive." Ji Chang shook his head: "That Huang Shiren is not an ordinary person. If you do it this way, not only will you fail to get rid of him, but also alert the snake in the grass. Once discovered, the reputation I've built up over decades as a father will be ruined."

  "Father..."

  "Alas!" Ji Chang looked at Ji Fa in front of him and shook his head.

  He had many sons, ninety-nine in total. However, only his eldest son Ji Bo Yikao and second son Ji Fa were able to inherit his great undertaking.

  Bo Yikao is of a gentle disposition, extensively learned and possessed of many talents. He is especially skilled in music. If it were a time of peace, he would be the right person to inherit the throne. But Ji Chang's ambition does not lie in being a mere earl. Compared with him, this son, although somewhat rough and uncouth, has a mind full of great ambitions, and is more suitable than Bo Yikao.

  Despite this, when facing his second son, Ji Chang sometimes felt that he was far from sufficient. He was too young, too lacking in city manners, and too lacking in mind.

  "Fa Er, you will leave for Xiqi tonight. I'll stay here to hold down the fort. After you return, reorganize our troops and recruit more talent. Once the situation changes, my son and I will attack Chao Ge from the east. Do you understand?"

  "The son understood. Father, take care!" Ji Fa nodded and left.

  Looking at the boiling tea water, Ji Chang smiled: "Huang Shiren, Huang Shiren, you have some ability, but this great merchant is doomed to perish, it's a trend of the world, how can you possibly win against me."#### One more update, thank you for the rewards from hl brother and people who cultivate the Tao, thanks! Please collect and support more.