Chapter 4: Peerless National Scholar

The world is going downhill, and people's hearts are not what they used to be.

Seeing Dou Changsheng respected this Black Hei Hei Ying Zunzhe as a senior.

But he relied on his decades of cultivation to force an eighteen-year-old boy who was pitiful and helpless.

This slender palm was like iron pliers, locking Seeing Dou Changsheng tightly. Seeing Dou Changsheng tried to resist, but it was like a stone sinking into the sea, a futile effort.

Don't look at this Black Hei Hei Ying Zunzhe's thin figure; his strength was immense, as if he possessed the strength of nine bulls and two tigers.

Comparing strength purely, Seeing Dou Changsheng had to admit defeat.

This also let Seeing Dou Changsheng know that this person was also a martial artist who relied mainly on external arts and finally stepped into the Postnatal realm.

It's really unlucky.

Seeing Dou Changsheng felt sad and bitter in his heart.

The situation in front of him was easy to judge. This Black Hei Hei Ying Zunzhe mistakenly thought he was a disciple of the Wang Clan of Xiangzhou, and that he had come specifically to help.

As for his denial, in the Black Hei Hei Ying Zunzhe's view, it was just to clear his relationship with the Wang Clan of Xiangzhou.

But he had no relationship with the Wang Clan of Xiangzhou at all!

No.

It couldn't be said that there was no relationship.

His future self married the eldest daughter of the Wang Clan, was favored by the Wang Clan, and was taught the Three Primordials Return Qi Technique, so the Primordial internal Qi he obtained from this month of cultivation was naturally produced by the Three Primordials Return Qi Technique.

This was truly something he couldn't wash off even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

Seeing Dou Changsheng really wanted to look up and sigh.

Why was this Black Hei Hei Ying Zunzhe's vision so good?

He had been dragged onto a pirate ship again. This time, the crisis he encountered was even more serious than robbing military pay with Wang Xiong.

His future self had eaten countless amounts of Seeing Dou Changsheng's good luck to open a simple script, and his life was smooth sailing. But now, he had sacrificed his good luck to gain the system's favor.

The cruel reality was so cold, but Seeing Dou Changsheng had to accept it.

He could only use some pretty words to comfort himself.

A dispute, the song ends and people disperse.

It had been less than an hour before and after, which meant it was morning, just the time for breakfast.

The Black Hei Hei Ying Zunzhe personally led Seeing Dou Changsheng through many twists and turns, disappearing into a complex alley, not knowing where they had arrived. Anyway, Seeing Dou Changsheng was confused.

The Black Hei Hei Ying Zunzhe explained slowly, "Now that we have the frontier army's military pay for Jianmen Pass, we are under the spotlight."

"Now, I don't know how many people are watching us."

"Don't listen to Ling Qianxu's good words. This Embroidered Uniform Guard thousand-household official is in a small city like Junxian, which is not normal in the first place."

"This time, in order to gather the military pay for Jianmen Pass, the Shogunate's money was already tight. Originally, they could have squeezed it out, but the Great General was imprisoned, the Shogunate fell into chaos, and many people took advantage of the situation to make trouble, causing panic, and for a time, there was a gap, and there wasn't enough money."

"It was Old Master Yuan, the Peerless Divine Fist, who cut himself and filled this hole with his own flesh and blood."

"This is a Pure Yang Grandmaster."

"The old master was already old, and now with this cut, his Pure Yang blood was severely damaged, and his lifespan was greatly reduced."

"The Great General racked his brains, and many benevolent people followed one after another. The frontier army fought to the death, and only then did we have more than ten years of stability."

"But the Emperor is muddled, dotes on the demon concubine, leading to the Demon Prime Minister ruining the country. If the late Emperor were still here, how could such a thing happen?"

Seeing Dou Changsheng listened to the secrets leaked by the Shogunate personnel and only felt it was absurd. He couldn't help but ask, "Jianmen Pass belongs to the imperial court, and the frontier army also belongs to the imperial court. Doesn't the imperial court allocate funds?"

The Black Hei Hei Ying Zunzhe's pace suddenly stopped, and he stopped in place. He looked at Seeing Dou Changsheng and said angrily, "The imperial court naturally allocated funds."

"But this sum of money had not even left the capital for a thousand miles when it encountered an earthquake, and it was all buried under sand and mud."

"When the mud and sand were overturned, all the official silver had disappeared without a trace."

"Now it's not that the imperial court won't give it, but the amount of money is too large, and it will take some time to allocate it before it can be sent to the North again."

"And when the money can be gathered, isn't it just a matter of a word from the Demon Prime Minister?"

"The Demon Prime Minister can wait, but the North can't, and Jianmen Pass can't wait even more."

"The old wolf lord of the Hu Ren outside the frontier has been blocked by the Great General every time he invaded and robbed for so many years, resulting in no success. Therefore, this old wolf lord was considered incompetent and was killed by the new wolf lord, who used his skull as a night pot. After the new wolf lord ascended, he conquered all directions, winning every battle. He has annexed hundreds of large and small tribes and is hailed as the hero of the grassland in a thousand years."

"This wolf lord has cleaned up the interior and swept away those who didn't submit. Now he has gathered the power of the grassland and set his sights on the South. With his whip pointing, hundreds of thousands of iron cavalry—if they break through Jianmen Pass, not only will the North fall, but the imperial court will also cease to exist."

"Hateful."

"The foreign enemy is getting stronger day by day, but we are getting weaker day by day."

"Our Great Jin has been established for hundreds of years, and now it is in danger. But the muddled Emperor spends his days enjoying himself, and that's fine, but he actually imprisoned the only Great General who could preside over the overall situation."

The hearts of the people in the North are lost.

Seeing Dou Changsheng looked at the Black Hei Hei Ying Zunzhe, who looked like a fierce ghost, and from here, he could see that after the Great General of the North took office, he had brought more than ten years of peace to the North, and had already won the hearts of the people in the North.

Not only ordinary people, but noble families, great clans, and sects were all leaning toward the Great General of the North.

It could also be seen that the Great General of the North was truly doing things.

Otherwise, how could the people of the North be convinced?

The Black Hei Hei Ying Zunzhe walked forward slowly, pulling Seeing Dou Changsheng into a courtyard, and said in a deep voice, "In the past few years, the Demon Prime Minister has constantly transferred people from other places to the North to be officials."

"What do these outsiders know?"

"Even if the North falls, they will just pat their butts and leave. It's the people of the North who suffer."

"But there are quite a few people who have been bribed by these outsiders and become dogs for the Demon Prime Minister. That Iron-Armored Mad Lion Wang Xiong—don't really think he wants to defect to the Southern Chen Heavenly Demon Palace."

"The North is more than ten thousand miles away from Southern Chen. How could he, a wanted criminal with no background and no history, have the ability to go?"

"How could a Postnatal martial artist be able to go? This Wang Xiong is eighty percent likely to have been recruited by the Demon Prime Minister and become his claws."

"Only then could he lock onto my whereabouts and accurately ambush and seize the military pay."

"Now tens of millions of lives in the North are all on our shoulders."

Seeing Dou Changsheng sighed in his heart. He had actually become the champion of Great Jin's weight-bearing. The next moment, his tight heart relaxed by a third, because Seeing Dou Changsheng saw other people.

This was a man in white as snow, twenty-five or twenty-six years old, with sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, holding a sword scabbard in his arms.

The sword scabbard had a gorgeous design and was inlaid with gemstones, making it hard for people to forget after one look.

The Black Hei Hei Ying Zunzhe personally introduced, "This person is from the Shogunate, a Chen person named Tang He who came to defect three years ago."

"He apprenticed under the Heavenly Sword Sect, a great martial arts sect in Southern Chen."

Tang He's clothing and accessories were not ordinary goods, and he looked noble, but he had no arrogance. He said with a gentle expression, "When I was young, I heard the story of the Great General of the North leading troops out of the frontier and defeating the Hu Ren's royal court in one battle, and I yearned for it."

"After I achieved success in my studies, I traveled the world and realized that the Hu Ren were even more brutal than I imagined, so I went North to join the army and kill the Hu Ren."

Seeing Dou Changsheng took a deep look at this Tang He. You, a southerner from the land of rice and fish in Jiangnan, are actually more patriotic than him, a northerner.

Of course, Seeing Dou Changsheng also knew the reason. He was a transmigrator and had no sense of belonging to the North. If it were the little devils, it would be different; he would be more patriotic than Tang He.

The Black Hei Hei Ying Zunzhe continued, "This is Seeing Dou Changsheng from the North. Like little brother Tang, he is a Primordial martial artist."

"However, little brother Dou's situation is slightly special. He only understands Primordial internal Qi and doesn't understand any other martial arts, so his combat power is slightly weakened."

Tang He smiled and said, "I understand the senior's meaning. The Heavenly Sword Sect's martial arts naturally cannot be leaked."

"But I have traveled the world and also had some adventures, obtaining some inheritances, which I can teach to little brother Dou."

"I see that little brother Dou also uses a sword. I happen to have a volume here."

Before Tang He could finish speaking, the Black Hei Hei Ying Zunzhe coughed and then said, "Is there anything that matches the Three Primordials Return Qi Technique?"

"This little brother of mine accidentally obtained a fragment of the Three Primordials Return Qi Technique and focused on cultivating it, breaking through to the Primordial realm at such a young age. He is too biased, which is why he doesn't know anything else."

Tang He was surprised, "Three Primordials Return Qi Technique?"

"Is it the masterpiece of the Wang Clan of Xiangzhou that cultivates loyalty, courage, and love?"

Then Tang He took the initiative to change the subject. His gaze toward Seeing Dou Changsheng was filled with brightness. He was actually a disciple of the Wang Clan, which made Tang He's doubts about Seeing Dou Changsheng disappear without a trace.

Now the situation in the North was complex, and only people like him, a Chen person, were worth trusting.

As for others, one had to be vigilant and suspect them of colluding with the Demon Prime Minister, but not the Wang Clan of Xiangzhou. The Three Primordials Return Qi Technique determined that their character was consistent. This clan was able to flourish day by day because they combined character with martial arts.

You can deceive outsiders, but you cannot deceive yourself.

Martial arts will tell the world everything.

Tang He said intimately, "The Three Primordials Return Qi Technique is a top-notch masterpiece. It's not difficult to get started, but to make progress, one must possess either courage, loyalty, or love."

"To achieve great success, one must possess all three, and finally, the three primordials return to one."

"Now, I don't know if little brother Dou cultivates for love? For loyalty? Or for courage?"

Seeing Dou Changsheng really wanted to say that he didn't know the Three Primordials Return Qi Technique, but he knew they wouldn't believe him. This misunderstanding, although it brought great risks, also had immediate benefits. Tang He's attitude, from normal at the beginning to intimate now, was brought about by the four words "Wang Clan of Xiangzhou."

Thinking about his future self.

Blocking Wang Xiong from robbing official silver, and then fighting evil ghosts alone with one sword despite being weak—all of this was embodied in the word "courage."

"Courage!"

After spitting out the word, Tang He sighed like a hindsight, "It's no different from my expectations."

"If little brother Dou didn't focus on courage, how would he dare to participate in transporting military pay now?"

"Transporting military pay is difficult, but even if you succeed in reaching Jianmen Pass, you still have to face the commander. Even if you pass all of that, you have offended the Demon Prime Minister and the Hu Ren, and your life will be in danger."

"Unlike me, after this matter is settled, I will set off to return to Southern Chen."

"No matter how powerful the Demon Prime Minister is, or how powerful the Hu Ren are, they cannot harm a disciple of the Heavenly Sword Sect in Southern Chen."

"But precisely because of this, little brother Dou is worthy of admiration. For the sake of the country's justice and the lives of the North, you don't seek rewards, hide your name, and suffer such grievances."

"After this, you won't be able to return to Xiangzhou, won't be able to be protected by the Wang Clan, and even if you die, it's impossible to enter the Wang Clan of Xiangzhou's genealogy."

"But it is precisely because the world has benevolent people like little brother Dou that there is a righteous path."

Seeing Dou Changsheng raised his hand directly, stopping Tang He from continuing. He hadn't done anything yet, had he?

Now it was as if he had already sacrificed himself for the country.

Damn it all.

Fame and reality have always been matched.

Now that fame is greater than reality, this is the way to disaster.

If he were truly a Primordial martial artist, Seeing Dou Changsheng would naturally be fearless. As long as he was careful, the chance of survival would be great.

After all, this three-party game, the Shogunate was at a disadvantage, but it definitely wasn't crushed.

Too high-end strength had nothing to do with them now; they were all restrained. Otherwise, if a Pure Yang Grandmaster took action, what would Wang Xiong have to do with it?

It's a pity that he was just a water-goods.

The martial arts path was divided very simply: Postnatal and Primordial.

In the Postnatal realm, whether it was from external to internal or direct Qi refining, one needed to break through the extraordinary meridians and the twelve primary meridians step by step, and finally penetrate the heaven and earth apertures to break through to the Primordial realm.

Now Seeing Dou Changsheng's awkwardness was that he hadn't penetrated a single meridian, but he possessed Primordial internal Qi.

He started as a Primordial, but he was too weak compared to a Primordial, and stronger than an ordinary Postnatal. Unfortunately, he had no martial arts and couldn't beat them.

However, such a starting point was already very powerful. If Seeing Dou Changsheng were given a year of time to cultivate honestly, he would definitely be a rising young hero.

It was just that he had been dragged into such a vortex related to the country's fate, and Seeing Dou Changsheng didn't know what to say.

He looked at the system again and found no changes.

He sighed in his heart.

There was no way. The system only came today and triggered a task, which had already allowed him to obtain Primordial internal Qi. It was unrealistic to count on the system, but one couldn't help but hope for the best.

The Black Hei Hei Ying Zunzhe said in a deep voice, "Now both inside and outside the city are watching our whereabouts. We cannot set off immediately, and we also have to give little brother Dou some time to cultivate."

"Junxian to Jianmen Pass is only ten days away, and it's not far. We have a month left. Let's rest for ten days first. I will set up a false trail to make the people watching think we have left, and then we will leave Junxian."

"I will handle the things outside, and little brother Tang will teach martial arts here."

Tang He looked at the departing Black Hei Hei Ying Zunzhe and then said with a smile, "I thought about it carefully just now. I have a Primordial Sword Art that cannot be learned by those who don't have great courage and a determination to die."

"This is just right for little brother Dou—no, I should say it matches little brother Dou too well."

"I obtained this sword art and was never able to get started, so I knew I had no fate with it. I thought it would be shelved for a lifetime, but I didn't expect to find its true master."

"Come, I will teach little brother Dou the first move!"

"Charge first!"

"And then learn the second move: Fight to the death and never retreat!" ===== CHAPTER 5 =====