The 54th hexagram is ominous and deadly, dragons and snakes rise from the earth.

  Wu Song followed Yang Zong into the palace, saw Empress Dowager Cixi, and only talked about family trivial matters. The old lady was very talkative, most of the time she asked questions, Wu Song answered, after a while, the old lady said she was tired, Wu Song bid farewell and left.

  After Wu Song left, two old eunuchs and Zhao Ji came out from behind the screen. They said to the empress dowager about Zhao Ji: "This Wu Song has talent but not great talent, he has ambition but not great ambition, he can be reused. This man is a bit lecherous and a bit greedy for wealth, Your Majesty should know how to control him."

  Zhao Ji smiled and said: "Why must Empress Dowager go to such great lengths? Wu Ying's family is on good terms with me, I trust him..."

  She sternly said to the Emperor: "Since you've become the Emperor, you don't have any friends; no one can be considered your friend! Those Taoist priests possess abilities that surpass those of emperors. If they are not controlled properly, great chaos will ensue. I am old and my days are numbered. After I die, all the heavy responsibilities of this country will fall on your shoulders. When I'm gone, remember one thing: although you're the Emperor, this empire is not yours alone; it belongs to the entire Zhao family!"

  Zhao Jie nodded repeatedly, saying yes in a low voice. Yang Jian stood aside and glanced at the two old eunuchs, secretly sweating for Wu Song. If his answers had been slightly unsatisfactory to Empress Dowager just now, he would probably be a dead man by now.

  Those two shriveled old eunuchs were actually senior figures in the imperial harem, with cultivation far surpassing Yang Jia's by who knows how many times. What good could they be up to lurking in the dark recesses of the great hall?

  If Wu Song showed even a hint of evil thoughts in conversation, he would be killed on the spot by these two eunuchs!

  Whether too excellent or too foolish, as long as there is great ambition or a clear mind, it will be bloody! Fortunately, Wu Song answered very cleverly and wisely. He had talent but not great talent, he had ambition but not great ambition. Only this kind of person can be controlled by the royal family and can come back alive from the palace.

  She then said to the Empress Dowager, "Although Wu Song can be reused, the power of the Tianji Pavilion is still too great and cannot be left unchecked. I heard from Cai Jing that there is a Wang Laozhi in his mansion with strong magical powers, so let him take on the role of Vice Master of the Tianji Pavilion together with Yang Jia, to divide Wu Song's power."

  Zhao Jie nodded in agreement and left with Yang Jian. When Yang Jian returned to the Tianji Pavilion, he told Wu Song, "Fortunately, you didn't say anything wrong."

  Wu Song also wiped a cold sweat, took out a piece of paper from his pocket and handed it to Yang Jian. Yang Jian looked at it carefully, the paper was filled with beautiful small characters, all were questions, almost the same as what Empress Dowager had asked, he wondered: "What's this?"

  "I was skeptical at first, but after hearing you say that, I'm getting a little scared."

  Yang Jian sighed and said: "Gongshu Niangzi, she is indeed a female Zhuge! However, she's too clever, which man dares to marry her?"

  Wu Song shook his head and smiled, saying: "When Commander Zhang suggested to Emperor Zhezong the establishment of the Tianji Pavilion, the purpose was to provide the army with sorcerers who could go into battle and defeat the enemy. Now that a new emperor is on the throne and the court is so wary of the Tianji Pavilion, it has lost its original meaning. I suppose the Tianji Pavilion won't last long either."

  Yang Jian said: "What can be done about it?"

  "Our original goal was to assist the Dragon Court and seek eternal life. Whether Tianji Pavilion is there or not doesn't matter. I think, if we can't stay in Kaifeng, why not go south and search for other dragon veins? Who knows, we might gain even more."

  Yang Jian clapped his hands in praise, then furrowed his brow and said: "With our meager magical powers, how can we possibly find the location of the dragon pulse?"

  Wu Song laughed and said, "I've already obtained the 'Authentic Commentary on Guiguzi's Collection'. Given some time to cultivate my Double Pupils, I won't worry about finding the Dragon Veins. However, those Dragon Veins are probably being sought after by many Taoist priests, so even if we find them, there might still be a fierce battle ahead. You don't need to rush for now, wait until I've cultivated my Divine Eyes and then go take a look at the Dragon Veins under the Imperial City. We'll make our decision then!"

  Yang Jian agreed, and Wu Song brought in Gong Shubao, Gao Lian and others, saying he wanted to retreat and meditate. He said: "Director Yang will ask the Emperor for a sum of money to cover our expenses at Tianji Pavilion. If any of you need materials, just speak up. Another thing is that we will post recruitment notices all over the country to gather talented scholars from all over the world. I have some names here, and these people must be closely watched. Whether it's by beating them with a stick or giving them aphrodisiacs, they must all be brought in!"

  Wu Song handed a list to Gong Shuyan and said, "I've cultivated the Double Pupil Divine Eyes, let's go to the underground dragon vein and experience the feeling of Tian Shi cultivation!"

  A group of demons and monsters cheered in unison, saying: "We wish our master a speedy release from his confinement!"

  Gong Shu's heart was racing, and he secretly thought: "If he has mastered the ultimate technique of the Yin-Yang family, combined with the power of the Dragon Vein, perhaps the Eight Pulse Seal God Curse on my body can be lifted..."

  And Wu Song went to retreat and contemplate the true meaning of "Gui Gu Zi", while Yang Jiaolai took one million strings of cash from the treasury of Emperor Huizong, saying: "The master of Wu needs a large amount of money to refine the elixir of immortality for Your Majesty, wishing Your Majesty longevity."

  Emperor Huizong was overjoyed and, fearing that the money would not be enough, allocated another 10 million guan to him. Yang Jiaolong handed this money over to Zhang's brothers and others, including his wife, and they made large purchases of materials needed for alchemy, transporting all sorts of rare treasures from around the country back to the Tianji Pavilion. They also posted notices in counties and prefectures across the country, recruiting Taoist priests, and posting the many names written by Wu Song on the notices.

  In Hebei's Damingfu, there was a wealthy family surnamed Lu. The current master of the house was called Lu Junyi. Under him was a servant named Yan Qing, who had grown up with Lu Junyi since childhood. When they were young, Yan Qing suddenly developed a mole on his back in the shape of a swallow, accompanied by a poem that read: "The ancient tune of Yizhou, singing out the sound of swallows!" Lu Junyi laughed at him for being born with a delicate air about him and often took off his top to show off his own Qilin mark.

  Qilin run in Jiugao, bears and tigers group together and play in the enclosure.

  Yan Qing, in a fit of anger, asked Master Embroiderer to embroider a full-body floral pattern on his skin to cover up the swallow tattoo. He claimed that Yan Qing was well-versed in various dialects and social etiquette, with a natural talent for mimicry, able to learn anything quickly. When Zhou Dang stayed at the Lu Manor as a guest, he also taught him some wrestling techniques, and before leaving, secretly gave him a copy of the "Du Tian Bao Zhao Jing".

  Yan Qing rushed back from the street and found Lu Junyi, saying: "Something big has happened, the imperial court has posted our wanted notices and wants us to go to the capital to become officials!"

  Lu Junyi laughed and said: "Xiao Yi is confused, what's wrong with being an official?"

  Yan Qing also laughed and said, "You don't know who invited us to be officials, that's why you're talking like this. If I tell you, you'll be scared to death! The person's surname is Wu, his name is Song, originally a good man with many military achievements, but somehow he became a Taoist priest and became the master of Tianji Pavilion."

  In just the past few months, Wu Song ordered those imperial cavalrymen to search everywhere for treasures among the people. If they were willing to sell, he would buy them at a low price; if not, he would seize them by force. Many people were left with nothing as a result, and so both the court and the common folk secretly referred to him as 'Wu Zei', his reputation being even worse than that of Yang Jie, Tong Guan, Liang Shicheng, or Cai Jing!

  Lu Junyi has been practicing martial arts these days, and hasn't heard anything about the world outside. He said in surprise: "I've heard of Wu Song's reputation before, how he defeated the Western Xia Iron Cavalry and killed the national masters of three countries. How did he become corrupt now?"

  "When a man has power and money, he becomes corrupt. This is an iron law." Yan Qing said: "Since Empress Dowager Cixi and Mr. Fan Chunren passed away, the Zhao family became incompetent and promoted Cai Jing and Gao Hu, these two people along with eunuch Liang Shicheng, in order to flatter the imperial court, they searched everywhere for huashi (a type of stone), transporting several thousand or tens of thousands of broken stones into the capital, provoking public outrage and resentment."

  Another eunuch, Yang Jie, presented the Zhao family with an elixir of immortality, which they took every night, indulging in carnal pleasures and neglecting their duties. Cai Jing seized the opportunity to dominate the court, appointing only his relatives and banishing all who opposed him, thus ruining the governance of the dynasty.

  Lu Junyi remained silent for a moment, then said, "In that case, I won't go."

  Yan Qing said, "Everyone else can avoid going to the capital, but you cannot. Lu Daxun's reputation as a master of the spear is unmatched throughout the land, who doesn't know his name? If those bandits frame him with some crime, he won't be able to return home."

  "Is there such a wicked person?" Lu Junyi picked up a mixed iron spear and said, "Since we can't escape, let's go to the capital city. Take advantage of Wu Zhi not being prepared, sneak in and stab him with one spear, and eliminate the harm for the people!" Yan Qing clapped his hands in approval, and the two packed their luggage, ordered Li Gu to watch the house, and sent a message to the cavalrymen, who immediately dispatched men and horses to escort them into the capital.

  As they walked halfway, several riders surrounded a Taoist priest and joined the group. Lu Junyi saw that the Taoist priest had an extraordinary appearance, and hastily asked: "May I ask your surname and name?" The Taoist priest hurriedly returned the courtesy and said: "Gongsun Sheng from Jizhou, with the Taoist name Qingdaoren, may I ask what are the names of you two strong men?"

  Lu Junyi and Yan Qing exchanged names, and Yan Qing said: "How did you get invited here, sir?" Gong Sunsheng said: "My Taoist skills have just made some small progress, I followed my master's orders to come down the mountain, originally wanted to visit my mother, but saw the government's notice, so I rushed over."

  A group of people passed through Shandong, and a few more horsemen joined the team to protect one person. The man was born short, even shorter than Wu Dalang by a few points. He had two downturned mustaches at the corners of his mouth, two beady eyes that darted back and forth, and a sly expression. When riding a horse, he didn't behave himself, jumping up to stand on the horse's head one moment, then crawling under its belly the next, and even hanging from its tail, never stopping for a moment.

  Lu Zhishen, Yan Qing and Gongsun Sheng saw that this person was strange and did not dare to neglect him. They hastily asked for his name and surname. The man smiled and said: "My younger brother Shi Qian, in the past relied on digging graves, stealing chickens and dogs to make a living. I heard that my aunt met a noble person in the capital and became rich, so I went to rely on her!"

  The three of them listened and all looked down on him, but Shi Qian didn't mind, laughing as he said: "Now that Lord Wu is enlightened, our humble demonic sect will also have a day to rise to prominence. In the past, when I saw you officials, you wouldn't even dare breathe loudly, now I can laugh out loud with abandon. Hahahaha..."

  Three people turned their heads and ignored him. The team walked forward for another ten miles, and Gong Sun saw dozens of soldiers carrying poles hurrying on the road. It was Liang Zhongshu, Cai Jing's son-in-law, who sent people to deliver birthday gifts to his father-in-law. A flash of light appeared in Gong Sun's eyes, and he lowered his head.

  That night, Gong Sunsheng disappeared and went to an unknown place. Lu Junyi and others couldn't find him, so they had to continue on their journey. But what Gong Sunsheng did this time was no trivial matter. A magnificent and earth-shaking grand curtain of Liangshan finally opened!

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  A chapter of over 3,000 words, can I ask for votes O(∩_∩)O