Chapter 42: The Turbulent World of Qiankun Diagram (Part 2)

  "Isn't it better for him to hide in the dark? He deliberately exposed a crucial pawn, making us realize that Gao Xiong is no longer reliable. Why did he do this? What does he want?" Yuan Zhen paced back and forth, shaking his head, ignoring Jun Yan as if he were air.

  "Big brother asked me to ask you about the Bagua diagram, but suddenly you changed the subject to Gao Kaitong, and kept asking me questions. Do I still need to wait here for your answer?"

  "Never mind, there will be a day when the truth comes out. Let me tell you about the Qian Kun diagram instead." Yuan Zhen shook his head and put aside his thoughts, beginning to explain the Qian Kun diagram to Jun Yan.

  "In the Han Dynasty, Jia Yi wrote a fu (a type of ancient Chinese poem) called "Overcoming Qin", which means to discuss the mistakes of Qin. In it, there is a sentence that says: 'Demolish famous cities, kill heroes; collect all the weapons in the world and gather them in Xianyang, melt down the blades and cast them into twelve metal men, to weaken the people of the world.' This legend needs to be examined further. Some say that the 'twelve golden men' were actually iron or copper men, not made of gold. Others say they were indeed twelve golden men cast from gold. However, it is true that Qin Shi Huang collected all the metal weapons in the world and melted them down. There are also legends that those twelve metal men or the weapons were buried with Qin Shi Huang in his mausoleum, along with countless treasures taken from the six states, the five hegemons of the Spring and Autumn period, and the seven warring states of the Warring States period. During that time, countless valuable instruments and treasures emerged. If someone could find those instruments and treasures, they would definitely be able to conquer any land and win every battle with a well-equipped army. With those treasures, one could definitely support an army of millions." Yuan Zhen explained slowly.

  "What? Is it true or false? If it's really like that, then who found the Terracotta Army and became rich?"

  "This is not the end of it. In the late Eastern Han dynasty, Liu Shengzu swept across the land and heard that he had found the tomb of Qin Shi Huang and brought out the things inside. It seemed that he also obtained the military book of Bai Qi." Yuan Zhen's words were shocking. "Not only that, but there was a rumor circulating among the palace's technical experts that before Liu Shengzu ascended to heaven on his dragon throne, he called Little Saint Ancestor to his bedside and gave him a will. In it, he said that he had melted down all the gold in the national treasury and the tomb of Qin Shi Huang into twenty-four larger golden statues, commemorating the merits of the founding of the country, known as the Twenty-Four Meritorious Officials of Lingyan Pavilion. Saint Ancestor hid these twenty-four golden statues, as well as the military strategies and martial arts techniques, in a secret location. These strategies included those of Zhuge Liang and his own, while the martial arts techniques included those of Zhao Zilong and others. This was done for future preparations. Saint Ancestor said that every dynasty has its rise and fall, and when the Liu dynasty declines, these things can be found to restore the country. This secret matter was originally passed down through oral tradition, unknown to outsiders, but unfortunately, it was eventually discovered and spread out."

  "After talking for half a day, I still haven't heard anything related to that Qiankun diagram," Junyan complained.

  "Don't be impatient, I haven't finished speaking yet, and I'm about to mention the Qiankun diagram. What's the hurry? The location of this treasure is unknown to anyone, and for hundreds of years, countless people have been searching for the Liu family treasure, but not a single person has found it. However, a hundred years ago, rumors spread in Jianghu that to find the Liu family treasure, one must first obtain the Qiankun diagram. The Qiankun diagram records the route to finding the treasure and the mechanisms inside the treasure cave. Without the Qiankun diagram, even if you know the location of the treasure cave, it's just a waste of time, and you'll return empty-handed."

  "So that's how it is," said Junye. "Now, where is that Taiji diagram?"

  "Hmph! You ask me? If I knew, would I still be here? A hundred years ago, someone claimed to be the descendant of the Holy Ancestor, and it seems that the Qiankun diagram was in their hands. These people were very mysterious, hiding in the court and the countryside. It is said that the treasure trove is not just one place, but five places, four small treasures, and one big treasure. It is said that the previous emperor of this dynasty obtained one of the small treasures, so he could open up this prosperous era of Great Sui. You can see what the Qiankun diagram represents." Yuan Zhen said with emotion.

  "Really?" Kunihiko asked in shock.

  "I don't know, that's what the rumors say, but whether it's true or not is another matter, I'm not sure. However, this Bagua diagram definitely hides a shocking secret." Yuan Zhen said.

  "If such a thing were to come into being, wouldn't it throw the entire world into chaos? Now that old man Gao is saying that if we had obtained the Map of Heaven and Earth, what would happen?" Jun Yan asked in confusion, probably because he himself had already guessed the outcome, but still couldn't believe his own thoughts, so he wanted to hear Yuan Zhen tell him that what he was thinking wasn't true.

  "I don't know, if everyone in the world believes it, then Big Brother will be hunted down by the people of the world. We'll definitely end up dying without a place to bury our bodies, and won't have a good ending." Yuán Zhēn slowly replied.

  "Yuánzhēn, you're so clever, can't you think of a way to escape this situation?" Jūnyàn asked.

  "No, the temptation of the Qiankun diagram is too great, and people can't resist it. It's just that we fit in well with the remaining words and are in this fishing city." Yuanzhen shook his head and said.

  "That's not right, we can come out and explain that we didn't get any damn Qiankun diagram." Junyan retorted.

  "Who would believe you? They only believe the dead, unless we're all dead."

  "Then, then, they can spread false news, we can also spread false news. We can let people say that the Diagram of the Supreme Polarity was found in Xianyang. Xianyang is exactly the capital city of Qin Shi Huang, people will believe it. Or else, saying it's in Chengdu is also fine, people will also believe it. Then we won't need to explain anything, everyone knows we don't have the Diagram of the Supreme Polarity." Jun Yan suddenly had a brainwave and came up with a plan.

  "It's useless, fake news is just fake news, not a single real Qiankun diagram will make these people retreat, this is a dead-end situation. Moreover, as soon as the news came out that we got the Qiankun diagram, suddenly another message came out from elsewhere saying that it was also found in another place. A discerning person can see through this setup at a glance, and it's become a case of 'the thief shouting to catch the thief'. " Yuanzhen shook his head after hearing Junyan's plan, negating his statement.

  "Jun Yan, I heard what you just said and it suddenly made me feel enlightened! I thought of a plan that might work." Yuan Zhen suddenly shouted.

  "Oh? What's the idea? Or am I inspiring you?"

  "You just said that others can frame us, and we can spread rumors too. I was thinking, since it's like this, then let's stir up the water, let's also frame others. We can first find a horse, after finding it, don't stop, still pretend to be looking for the lost horse, let everyone believe that our horse is lost, and finally release the news saying that the horse was stolen by people from Flying Horse Ranch. This way, the dirty water will splash back onto Flying Horse Ranch again. How about it?" Yuan Zhen asked.

  "Great, really great! Yuan Zhen, you always have a way. Let's wait for Big Brother to come back and we'll tell him about it. He'll definitely think it's a good idea too." Jun Yan said excitedly.

  "Don't wait any longer, I've heard your conversation. Yes, it's a good idea, but now is not the time to discuss this. I've already found out where that horse is. Hurry up and follow me." Just as Yuan Zhen and Jun Yan finished speaking, Li Mi burst in, grabbed hold of Yuan Zhen, and pulled him outside.

  On the official road outside the west gate of Yucheng, three riders galloped like the wind on the road, as if chasing someone.

  "Big brother, how did you know the horse came out from here?" Jun Yan couldn't help it anymore, so he whipped the horse to speed up and finally caught up with Li Mi. Then he asked all the questions that had been puzzling him in his heart.

  "Just now when I went out to find Xiao Shouren for my brother, guess what my brother heard?" Li Mi asked.

  I don't know

  The brother saw the young shop assistant in that store making a fuss about wanting to go home, saying he would never work again, which made the store owner Wang extremely angry. Now is the peak season for customers, and it's the busiest time for the store. If this young shop assistant leaves, many things in the store will not be done, so the boss is naturally unhappy. However, that young shop assistant has made up his mind to leave.

  "Big brother, I was asking how you knew the BMW we're looking for came from this road, why did you start telling the story of Xiao Er's shop? This can be discussed after we finish our proper business, I'm not in a hurry." Junyan interrupted Li Mi's speech with a hint of helplessness.

  "You don't know squat, if I hadn't stopped to listen to their conversation, we would have been wondering where this horse went for the rest of our lives, and you guys definitely wouldn't have thought of it either, absolutely not." Li Mi scolded with a smile.

  "Right, right, right, brother is right, brother should hurry up and say it, it's killing little brother." Junyan said helplessly.

  "Hmm, well, I'll tell you then. At the time, I was quite puzzled as to why the shopkeeper wanted to leave. In these times, it's not easy to get a job, after all. Later on, I figured it out - he had received a small fortune, and this small fortune actually had something to do with us. I went down to ask him how he got this small fortune, but at first, he wouldn't say anything. It wasn't until I used my official position to pressure him that he finally told the truth. Apparently, when we left the city, Gao Kai Tong had come by, according to the shopkeeper's account. He said that not long after we left, Gao Zong Guan arrived, and without a doubt, this Gao Zong Guan was indeed our Flying Horse Ranch's Gao Xiong, the great general manager. By his side was an old man who seemed quite spirited, and apparently, this old man's status was even higher than Gao Xiong's. So it was clear that this old man was indeed Gao Kai Tong." Li Mi said.

  "Are they looking for us? They're quite bold, losing our things and still daring to come to our door." Junyan said with a huff.

  I'd like to take this opportunity to thank that little friend who votes two red tickets every day. Although I don't know who you are, I hope you can see this, really.