Chapter 129: Reality Changes, Eternal Glory (Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"Gu Yi, time to eat~"

The game screen gradually shattered, and Gu Ma's voice happened to drift in right at that moment.

"Coming~"

Gu Yi responded almost instinctively, rubbed his eyes, and slowly set down the game console in his hands.

The room was pitch black.

It had already turned completely dark outside.

Gu Yi familiarly pressed the switch by the bedside. As the light instantly flooded the room, he first looked around.

The room was still the same familiar room; there were no changes.

Gu Yi was not disappointed, either.

Reality would certainly change, but since this change had spanned a thousand years, it naturally could not directly interfere with his home in the present.

He slowly got up, picked up his phone, and walked out of the room.

Although the game's progress would not pause.

This matter could not be resolved in a single go, and being well-fed was also key.

The living room, too, had not changed much.

Old Gu was sitting at the dining table, and Gu Ma was in the kitchen finishing the final steps.

Gu Yi just took a casual glance before subconsciously looking toward that safe.

It was still sitting there, nothing different about it.

Gu Yi did not expect Old Gu to tell him the password, so after a casual glance, he walked toward the dining table.

But just then—

Gu Yi suddenly saw that several items he had never seen before were hanging in the most conspicuous spot in the living room.

"Huh?"

Gu Yi frowned and walked forward to take a closer look, his heart trembling for a split second.

[Cultural Relic Donation Certificate.]

[Respected Mr. Gu Jianjun, in view of your desire to inherit culture and your commitment to continuing the historical context, you have generously donated the rare treasure, the Xuande Censer, to our museum. The censer is elegant in shape, exquisite in craftsmanship, and dignified in its inscription, having been tempered by the passage of time.]

[Our museum shall properly treasure and scientifically study it, and through exhibitions, academic seminars, and other forms, let the cultural relic "come alive" so that its value may be fully manifested.]

[This certificate is specially issued to express our gratitude and respect, to be remembered forever!]

[.]

The Xuande Censer!

Although it was not one of the treasures he had left for the family, the three words "Xuande Censer" still stimulated Gu Yi.

And the most critical part was—

Besides this, there were actually several other certificates.

The cultural relics recorded on them were equally extraordinary.

Gu Yi’s breathing even gradually became a bit rapid, and he even experienced a momentary system crash in his mind.

However, he immediately noticed the collection certificates below.

Unlike the donation certificates.

The collection certificates did not record the relics that could be collected; they only granted authorization.

In an instant, Gu Yi’s heart calmed down a little.

The usual methods of collection, huh.

Both donating and collecting.

As expected, it had an impact!

Although the influence of the Gu family could not completely change everything after such a long passage of time, it had still left behind some things.

Even if these things were not necessarily numerous or precious.

But there was still a difference!

For Gu Yi, this was absolutely a heart-stirring, major event!

"What are you looking at?"

At this moment, seeing that Gu Yi was stunned, Old Gu couldn't help but ask.

"Dad."

Gu Yi quickly returned to normal, sat directly on the chair, and asked with a smile, "How much stuff does our family actually have in our collection..."

"Not much."

Old Gu rarely answered Gu Yi directly this time, shaking his head and sighing, "Our family did indeed leave behind quite a lot of things in the past, and every one of them was a handed-down treasure."

"But it's a pity... those handed-down treasures were almost all lost."

"Although some things were passed down later, our family gradually declined with time; they were all things bestowed by emperors out of respect for our ancestors."

"How much could there be..."

As he spoke, Old Gu sighed again.

Countless thoughts flashed through Gu Yi's mind.

With a complex expression, he didn't ask anything else, but immediately picked up his phone and searched for the two characters "Gu Family" on the short-video platform.

Various videos popped up instantly.

[Standing before you now is—the strongest carbon-based lifeform on the surface of the earth in the second century, the Governor of Asia, the dual-wielding power-broker of the Eastern Hemisphere, a being crowned with countless titles.]

[The only minister in our country's history whose prestige and ability surpassed that of the founding emperor with real power.]

[He is even the idol of countless emperors in our country, and the prototype for the protagonists of countless hit novels. Things like "born to fulfill a destiny," "slaughtering until no one in the world dares to claim supremacy," and "thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river, do not bully the young and poor" are all based on him.]

[He is the only uncrowned monarch in our country's history—Marquis Zhaolie of Han, Gu Chen.]

[.]

[He was born into the legendary Gu family.]

[His grandfather, Gu Xi, was the strongest carbon-based lifeform of the first century, the pillar of the Eastern Han who supported the dragon throne three times.]

[And Gu Chen grew up in this environment.]

[Unlike other ambitious warlords, there are no supernatural records regarding Gu Chen's origins; on the contrary, he was completely unremarkable in his childhood.]

[But it was such a person who slaughtered his way through the entire chaotic era and beat the barbarians of all directions into submission.]

[No matter what your background or origin, no matter how glorious your battle record, you were destined to bow your head when facing him.]

[No matter how firm the beliefs of foreign tribes were, no matter how unyielding their will, after facing him, he would replace their faith and become their new god.]

A typical clickbait video, but what it said was quite accurate.

Gu Yi just took a simple look and swiped past it.

[What was the Gu family during the Yan-Han period of the Eastern Han?]

[If you are not a noble family, seeing the Gu family is like a frog in a well looking up at the moon; if you are a noble family, seeing the Gu family is like a mayfly looking up at the blue sky!]

[Counting the great sages who appeared in the Gu family that were unprecedented and unrepeatable;]

[Marquis Zhongwu—Gu Xiao,]

[Who rose to power following Emperor Guangwu of Han, Liu Xiu, from the Battle of Kunyang.]

[The legendary family in our country's history—the Gu family.]

[As the most legendary family in our country's history, the emergence of the Gu family can still be called a miracle to this day.]

[The great talents that appeared within the family are countless...]

[Their foresight and vision are key points that cannot be ignored in the history of our country's feudal dynasties...]

[Do you know why Xingtai is called a holy land?]

[That is because a legendary family appeared here, and the heroes of several generations in the clan played an important role in the development of the Nine Provinces.]

[Now, let us learn about the legendary Gu family and why Xingtai (Julu) is a holy land through a video!]

[.]

[—The Gu family!]

[Why did this family, which produced several legendary figures, decline?]

[The decline of the Gu family must be told from the Yan-Han period. As one of the most influential feudal dynasties in our country, the rise and fall of this dynasty were closely linked to the Gu family.]

[Since the passing of Marquis Jingxiang, Gu Ye, in the second year of Changxu, the Gu family gradually faded out of the Yan-Han imperial court.]

[A situation of a gap in talent appeared within the family.]

[Compared to the peerless geniuses who appeared before, the talents of the family descendants became increasingly mediocre...]

[.]

[Do you know which ancient person the Dingning Festival, which gives you a three-day holiday, is named after?]

Looking at these videos one by one, Gu Yi did not feel strange.

Without his manipulation and the influence of items.

The Gu family naturally could not remain glorious forever.

History moves forward; although the Gu family's current influence in the Yan-Han period had reached an unstoppable level.

But as time passed...

When the Gu family had not produced extraordinary figures for too long, this prestige was destined to gradually fade with time.

Gu Kang, Gu Xi, and Gu Chen might still be worshipped forever.

But for the Gu family to remain glorious, that was undoubtedly wishful thinking.

Besides these videos that could be considered popular science or marketing content, there were also some film and television clips.

Gu Yi immediately noticed a video with extremely high popularity.

It seemed to be a film and television edit.

Accompanied by melodic music and the vivid sounds of weapons clashing, the image gradually shifted from blurry to clear.

——This was a valley entrance.

An old man with white hair was standing above the valley entrance, watching the battle below.

His figure was somewhat thin, but his brows still held an air of great heroism.

Facing the battlefield below.

There was not a ripple on his face, as if everything were within his control.

Great fires raged on~

Although these flames were created with special effects, they still made Gu Yi quickly realize where this was.

——The Battle of Green Dragon Ravine!

Sure enough, the next moment, a thunderous roar erupted.

Following that came a cut in the camera angle, and the arrival of Dong Zhuo’s reinforcements.

The subsequent scenes were not much different from what happened back then.

Although much artistic license had been added, along with a dim background created for dramatic effect, the overall production was quite earnest.

Also flashing by were the dense barrages of comments, all reading the same four characters—"Respectfully send off the Grand Tutor!"

This was a film and television drama about "Gu Xi."

Gu Yi did a quick search and found it recounted the legendary life of "Gu Xi."

It wasn't just a television drama.

There was also an animated series.

However, compared to the drama, this animation had more artistic embellishments, but the effect was equally extraordinary.

Just at the moment Gu Xi fell.

In the animation, the background color of the entire scene gradually turned dark and blood-red.

And the figure of Gu Xi falling also gradually slowed down.

A series of images flashed by one after another.

The ruined remains of the Han Palace, beacon fires and smoke everywhere, and a giant dragon wailing due to its own decline.

A blood moon appeared, and flocks of crows flew by.

As these images flashed, several phantom shadows appeared behind Gu Xi.

One person held the Red Heaven Sword pointing to the sky, wreathed in a red snake, stepping on the clouds and mist of Mangdang Mountain.

It was the Han founding Emperor, Liu Bang!

Another phantom shadow was in silver armor on a white horse, holding a Meteor Halberd, with the star charts of dozens of generals behind him.

It was the Han Emperor Guangwu, Liu Xiu!

The banner of the Great Han was between the two of them, carried on the back of Gu Xi alone.

As the scene became increasingly blood-red.

That banner representing the national destiny of the Great Han became increasingly tattered as Gu Xi fell.

The comments were likewise filled with those same four characters.

"Respectfully send off the Grand Tutor!"

This was an animation with some fantasy elements.

Besides this—

There were also film and animation works about Gu Chen; a popular young idol had even played Gu Chen, only to be criticized mercilessly.

Gu Yi ate his meal while scrolling through videos about the Gu family.

Clearly.

Although the Gu family had not maintained its glory, it had already had a great influence on the modern era.

Of course, these influences could only be considered influences.

They could not bring anything to Gu Yi.

Besides these, there were documentaries about the Gu family.

What gave Gu Yi a sense of pride was—

The official popular science documentary had a full five episodes dedicated to the Gu family.

One episode recounted the rise and fall of the Gu family.

The other four episodes each focused on a single individual.

"Gu Kang," "Gu Xi," "Gu Chen," "Gu Ye."

The influence of these four was indeed too great, far exceeding even the ancestor who started the Gu family's rise, Gu Xiao.

Gu Yi only took a brief look at the rise and fall of the Gu family and did not pay much attention to it.

Although he wouldn't be stuck on the game forever.

There was no need to waste time, and as for the decline of the Gu family, Gu Yi had absolutely no need to worry.

As long as he was there—

How could the future of the Gu family not change?

What truly caught his attention were the comments below.

"In our Lingnan region, besides worshipping our ancestors... there are also temples for the Marquis of Jingxiang, Gu Ye, and the Goddess of the Green Bag, Gu Ling; people still worship there, and there are many of them..."

"I still remember when I was young, the elders in the family would tell us the legends passed down through generations."

"How the Goddess of the Green Bag saved people, and how great the Marquis of Jingxiang was."

"I didn't pay much attention when I was young."

"But as I grew older and carefully learned about the history of that time, I couldn't help but sincerely admire their greatness."

"I don't know about other places, but here..."

"As long as the shop is owned by a local, we don't charge any direct descendants of the Gu family!"

"I think the legendary part of the Gu family is their original intention, which remained unchanged for ten thousand generations."

"To have reached such heights in that era, yet be able to refuse an imperial throne that was within their grasp."

"And the actions of their family members were always pushing the development of that era; their contribution to the Nine Provinces is something no other family can compare to."

"Although this family gradually declined in later generations."

"Just the attitude of the emperors of later dynasties toward this family is enough to show the extraordinary nature of the Gu family."

"Thinking about the deeds of the Marquis of Zhaolie, Gu Chen, gives me goosebumps; he suppressed an era all by himself, becoming an existence that surpassed the powerful founding emperors in a feudal dynasty—too fierce!"

"Indeed, to tell the truth, our clan still worships the Great Ghost Master..."

"Same here... we also have to worship the Pale Wolf Sun Chaser every year!"

"The Gu family really took our Chinese culture abroad; last time I went abroad, I even saw a tattooed guy burning incense at a statue of the Marquis of Zhaolie."

"..."

Looking at these comments one by one, Gu Yi felt increasingly calm.

Sure enough—

His thinking was not wrong.

As long as the Gu family did not take that final step, they would always occupy an innate advantage.

When their prestige was strong, neither the reigning emperor nor the warlords of chaotic times would easily make a move against the Gu family.

And after their prestige weakened.

There would be no point in targeting the Gu family; it would do more harm than good.

This was the protective talisman Gu Yi had forged for the Gu family.

——Next, what he needed to face was ensuring the Gu family continued to be glorious.

At the very least, it must absolutely not decline like this.

He casually clicked on a video about the customs of "worshipping the Gu family" in various places, watching it while he ate.

Each place had different customs regarding worship.

The main methods were all highly characteristic of the local area.

The worship the old couple spoke of naturally belonged to the Han way of worship.

It meant that Gu family descendants had to go to Julu to worship the ancestors of the Gu family together with Han people who had come from all over.

The scene was extremely grand.

And during this period, there would be very lively performances, lasting for seven full days.

This had been a tradition for many years, and many people hoped to pray for a smooth coming year through this act.

The video naturally also contained footage of the ancestral hall.

This was obviously constantly renovated by later generations, but Gu Yi could still see many shadows of the original, such as the several statues of Gu Kang and the others.

Listening to the sound coming from the phone, the old couple couldn't help but bring this matter up again.

Old Gu was already very experienced in this.

As a direct descendant of the Gu family.

He was a key figure in this kind of sacrificial activity.

Although the Gu Shizi has declined, it still possesses many descendants in its lineage.

It is just that these descendants are no longer as tightly connected as they were during the Great Han.

With the decline of the Gu Shizi, this relationship has become increasingly distant.

Nowadays, many are no different from strangers.

This is also an inevitable phenomenon.

But during times of ancestral worship, these people still take Gu Shizi as their leader, and no matter where they go, they are very well received.

They never need to pay out of their own pockets for food, clothing, housing, or transportation.

When speaking of these things, a flash of pride also crossed Gu Shizi’s face.

This is the preferential treatment granted by the family.

However, he has never enjoyed these perks; although the Gu Shizi is not what it once was, he would not stoop to flaunting the Gu Shizi’s name for such petty money.

"You aren't young anymore. In the future, this burden will eventually have to be handed over to you." Gu Shizi’s hand, holding a vegetable, paused in mid-air, the greens on his chopsticks trembling slightly. "Remember, you must never lose the face of the Gu family."

Gu Yi nodded earnestly, lowered his eyes to shovel the last mouthful of rice into his mouth, swallowed as his Adam's apple bobbed, and then immediately set down his bowl and chopsticks to walk toward his room.

Watching Gu Yi’s back, Gu Ma said with some surprise, "How come this child suddenly feels like a different person?"

Gu Shizi tapped his cigarette pack against his palm, the flame illuminating the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes; amidst the swirling smoke, a hint of relief curved his lips: "People always have to grow up."

"When I took over the ancestral business back then, wasn't I the same?"

He remembered it very clearly.

Although he had heard stories of the clan’s ancestors since he was a child, it was the subsequent understanding that truly made him realize the family’s glory.

It was also in that same instant that he seemed to mature.

Outside the window, the night grew heavy, the wind brushed past the copper bells on the eaves, and amidst the tinkling, Gu Shizi silently took a deep drag of his cigarette.

Returning to his room, Gu Yi did not enter the game directly, but instead began to learn about history in front of his computer.

It was the same as his previous experience.

With the silence of the Gu Shizi, the wheels of history ultimately crushed the changes brought about by the Gu Shizi under the influence of time.

No, it cannot be said that there were no changes.

Perhaps it was precisely because the impact of this revival of the Great Han was so great that subsequent history also underwent some changes.

However, regarding major events, there was no difference.

Gu Yi only took a simple look, and what he mainly learned about was naturally the Yan Han Dynasty.

It did not exceed his expectations.

Liu Jun, as Emperor, ultimately caused the Yan Han Dynasty to turn from prosperity to decline.

He indeed did not lie to Gu Ye; he inherited the ambitions of Liu Chen.

But alas, his ability was insufficient to support his ambitions and his sudden burst of confidence, which had already doomed his ending.

However, the evaluation of the Yan Han Dynasty is extremely high.

Whether it be the netizens or those historians.

Netizens like the Yan Han mostly because of Liu Bei and Gu Chen; this pair of monarch and subject is the only one of its kind in all of history.

This includes Gu Chen’s suppression of a generation;

As well as Liu Bei’s benevolence and righteousness, and his relationships with Guan, Zhang, Zhao, and others;

Even Liu Chan is extremely well-liked, and his reputation in history is not low; he is often cited as an example in later dynasties.

It is highly praised in every aspect.

As for the historians, it is mostly because of the institutions of the Yan Han Dynasty and the ethnic integration implemented by Gu Ye.

This is extremely critical for the entire development history of China.

It allowed the entire history to take a big step forward, and even laid the foundation for the future development of the entire Nine Provinces.

This is a recognized common knowledge in academia, so the comments from historians are naturally not bad.

Regarding these—

Gu Yi only took a simple look and did not pay too much attention.

In fact, how later generations turned out had no great relation to him.

History will eventually change along with the Gu Shizi, and the fluctuations within this might cause the Gu Shizi to face danger, or even lead to the annihilation of the clan.

But this is ultimately the storm that the Gu Shizi must face.

Gu Yi was just catching up on his studies.

He needed to understand some knowledge of which he previously only knew the surface, but not the details.

Although this knowledge is already considered outdated for the modern era.

But placed in the game, that is a different story.

Gu Yi’s thoughts were very calm.

Although he understood that he was always himself, his goals had never changed.

But after such a long period of observation and more detailed manipulation, he had developed a mindset as steady as Mount Tai when facing anything.

The process of the game would indeed not be interrupted;

But so what?

Even if he didn't enter the game again, the Gu Shizi had already been able to pass down to the present, so what was there to be anxious about?

All he needed to do was change the decline of the Gu Shizi.

He was the last pillar of the Gu Shizi, and learning these detailed pieces of knowledge was for this very point.

This time, Gu Yi looked up a lot of information.

It involved every aspect.

Perhaps it was truly because he had made progress during this period, but when looking at this information, Gu Yi was surprised to feel that his comprehension seemed to have become stronger.

Only after feeling that it was enough did he lie back on the bed.

Just as he was about to pick up the game console to re-enter the game.

But just as his gaze swept past, he suddenly saw the identification documents placed on the nightstand.

The documents were no different.

They were still the same size, and the photo and everything else had not changed at all.

But Gu Yi immediately noticed the change that had occurred; his expression changed slightly, and he picked up the documents to look at them carefully.

The name was still the same name; the ancestral home was still the original ancestral home;

But—

There was one column that had changed, and this column was also very important.

It had changed from one character to two characters.

It was precisely the "Ethnicity" column.

Clearly printed on it were two large characters—Yan Han!

(End of chapter)