Chapter 155: Zhuge Liang

Inside the universe within his body, within the Reincarnation Pavilion of the Main Hall.

Lin Yu sat cross-legged on a jade cushion, his pair of pitch-black eyes shimmering with silver light, as if capable of piercing the endless void to see the countless heavens and worlds within the void that were nearly infinite.

At this moment, twenty-three days had passed since the two new group members joined the group, and half a month had passed since the Battle of New York.

During this half-month, Lin Yu basically did only two things; the first was staying in the Marvel Universe to support Ling Hua No. 2 until she had completely brought the entire Chitauri race under her control, only then choosing to return.

As for the second thing, it was the world coordinates that Lin Yu's true body had been searching for.

Thanks to the Marvel Universe and the Dimensional Secret Art, his knowledge in this regard had become increasingly profound, and his understanding of space and dimensions had advanced by leaps and bounds.

To this day, he had finally found the world coordinates of the group members, and all at once there were as many as three!

Opening the chat group, Lin Yu told this good news to his little group members.

The group members were both surprised and delighted, and hurriedly asked which worlds they were.

【Lin Yu: If my perception is not wrong, it should be the Tang Brick, Joy of Life, and Three Kingdoms worlds...】

【Xiang Yunye & Fan Xian: Good, good, good!】

【He He Jingfeng:?】

【Lin Lie:?】

【He He Jingfeng: Why are you typing a question mark? Clearly, I was here first!】

【Lin Lie: Brother He, why distinguish between who came first and who came later!】

【Lin Lie: As fellow brothers in difficulty, we should first present a united front against the outside...】

【He He Jingfeng: That makes sense, my mistake!】

Watching the messages scroll in the group chat, Lin Yu couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.

Regarding this situation, he had actually guessed it in his heart long ago.

Searching for world coordinates is the ability of his original body's consciousness, so the starting point is also his universe within his body.

Counting the Tang Gui world that has already been discovered, the four group member worlds closest to the universe within his body are all Low-Magic Worlds or even Non-Magic Worlds, very likely all located in the same area of the endless void.

And the universe within Lin Yu's body should have also drifted to this area, which is why at the very beginning, the chat group accidentally broke into his universe within his body...

Judging by this, his existence is indeed an accident.

According to the screening standards before the chat group upgraded, the initial group members should all have been talents from below the Low-Magic World level!

【Xiang Yunye: Alright, I know you are envious, and I am envious too.】

【Xiang Yunye: That guy Old Su just led us by a little over a month, cultivating to the seventh layer of Qi Nourishment like he was riding a rocket; with such a cultivation speed, who wouldn't be jealous?】

【Xiang Yunye: Brother Lin, ignore those two, connect the worlds quickly, I can't wait!】

【Fan Xian & Li Li Shimin: +1】

【Lin Yu: Don't rush.】

【Lin Yu: I have had some new realizations regarding the Dimensional Gate; barring unexpected circumstances, I should be able to try opening a fixed portal.】

【Lin Yu: The three of you all have your own forces; it would be better to find a suitable place first, determine the location, and then let me act to connect the two worlds.】

【Xiang Yunye: That would be wonderful!】

【Xiang Yunye: I happen to plan to establish Bai Bai Yujing on Kunlun Mountain; why not open the portal there!】

【Fan Xian: I also have a suitable location, but I need some time to prepare...】

【Lin Yu: Then whoever is ready first, come find me to open the portal.】

【Li Li Shimin: Me, me, me!】

【Li Li Shimin: I am already ready!】

【Xiang Yunye & Fan Xian: So fast?】

【Li Li Shimin: Hehe, Li Mou is after all the Emperor; drawing up a restricted zone within the imperial palace is still a piece of cake!】

【Lin Yu: Then shall we start now?】

【Li Li Shimin: Wait, this matter is of great importance; ultimately, it cannot be hidden from the high ministers of the court. If Brother does not mind, Li Mou wishes to have Father Prime Minister witness it together!】

Having joined the group for over twenty days, he now had a general understanding of the various brothers in the group.

Among them, Lin Yu, as the strongest, was the object of his primary attention; as far as he knew, this person originated from a higher-level world and was a true immortal who had lived for who knows how many thousands of years.

In the presence of such an existence whose age surpassed the dynasty, Li Li Shimin, who had lived two lifetimes, could only be considered an infant.

Therefore, he called out "Brother" very naturally, feeling it as sweet as honey, with absolutely no sense of humiliation in lowering his status.

【Lin Yu: Zhuge Liang...】

【Lin Yu: No problem!】

Upon receiving Lin Yu's approval, Li Li Shimin's eyes lit up, and he immediately issued an order to summon Prime Minister Zhuge into the palace.

While waiting for the Prime Minister, Li Li Shimin took Guan Xing up to the tower of Shou'an Palace, his gaze sweeping over the palace before him which could be described as simple, while his mind pondered the location for setting up the portal.

The imperial palace of Chengdu was expanded by Liu Bei after he proclaimed himself Emperor, based on the former office of the Governor of Yi Province, historically known as the Han Palace or Shu Palace.

Although the scale of this palace was far inferior to the Han Palaces of Chang'an and Luoyang, as the core of the Shu Han regime, it still followed the various rules of the Han dynasty from past generations.

The layout of the palace city was distributed symmetrically along a central axis, starting from Duanli Gate in the south to the Rear Garden in the north, with an east-west width of about three hundred meters and a north-south depth of five hundred meters.

The main architectural complex consisted of the Front Court and Rear Quarters; the Front Court centered on Chengguang Hall was where the civil and military ministers of Shu Han held court and worked, while the Rear Quarters centered on Shou'an Palace was where the Emperor and Empress resided.

The palace walls were about six meters high, with gates on all four sides; the south gate was a three-eaved pavilion-style building, with bronze camels and stone lions symbolizing royal authority standing outside the gate, and a military arsenal was built in the northwest, storing armor, weapons, and otherworldly divine weapons.

In the southeast corner, the Imperial Ancestral Temple was set up to worship Han ancestors such as Liu Bang and Liu Xiu.

In the southwest corner, the Altar of Earth and Grain was built, conforming to the Han system tradition of "Ancestral Temple on the Left, Altar on the Right."

Li Li Shimin swept his gaze around and despondently discovered that his performance in the group just now had been a bit rash.

This Shu Han palace was too pocket-sized; it was completely incomparable to the Chang'an palace of his later era, which was five or six li long and three or four li wide; at the moment, he really couldn't find a hidden and suitable place.

This was also very normal; Zhuge Liang said in the "Memorial on Deploying the Army": The palace buildings of Chengdu must be kept simple.

Liu Bei was someone who had suffered hardships while conquering the world, and Liu Shan was obedient to Zhuge Liang's words; naturally, they would not be extravagant and squander the national strength of Shu Han on the renovation of the imperial palace.

It can be said that, excluding the public areas of the front palace, the truly private domain belonging to the Emperor was but a tiny speck, not even as large as the courtyard left for guest scholars and retainers at Qinwang Mansion in his previous life.

Li Li Shimin did the math and only then belatedly realized that he had been living in such a 'cramped' place all along.

Even stranger, he felt not the slightest awkwardness; instead, he was full of energy every day, actively handling state affairs, and did not feel at all that his standard of living had plummeted.

Is this the power of Shu Han's romance and ideals?

He sighed with emotion, then, taking Guan Xing with him, descended the pavilion and arrived at the hidden chamber in the southwest corner of Shou'an Palace.

The so-called hidden chamber was a secret room connected to an underground tunnel; fire oil pipes were installed within the palace wall's interlayer. Once war spread to the rear palace, the Emperor could escape the imperial palace through here, set fire to block pursuing troops, and thus buy time.

At the same time, if treacherous ministers in the court held overwhelming power and oppressed their sovereign, armored soldiers could be stationed in the hidden chamber to summon those treacherous ministers to this place and execute them in the most brutal manner.

Of course, for Shu Han as it stands now, this place was optional, established purely out of habit.

However, although Li Li Shimin did not need to use it, as a fixed location for a teleportation portal, it seemed quite suitable; he just did not know if the Great One would feel dissatisfied about this...

While thinking thus, Li Li Shimin casually instructed Guan Xing to wait outside the palace so he could guide the Prime Minister here.

Guan Xing respectfully accepted the order, harboring no doubt about what Li Li Shimin intended to do, and, gripping his sword, strode away to the outside of Shou'an Palace.

Not long after, a regular sound of footsteps came from outside the hidden chamber.

A smile appeared on Li Li Shimin's face, and he immediately stepped forward to welcome him.

Soon, a middle-aged man eight chi tall, wearing a silk headscarf, draped in a crane-feather cloak, and holding a feather fan, appeared before him. Although his face was covered with the frost of years, the heroic and handsome brows still revealed the elegance of his youth.

Without a doubt, this person was Zhuge Liang, who had elevated an entire surname by his own efforts!

Entering the hidden chamber, Zhuge Liang, now over forty, held his feather fan and bowed deeply to Li Li Shimin.

"This subject greets Your Majesty!"

"No need for so much ceremony!"

Li Li Shimin, his face full of smiles, supported Zhuge Liang's arm and helped him to his feet.

"How has Father Prime Minister been lately?"

"Thanks to Your Majesty's great fortune, this old subject is healthy and strong. Recently, I have made slight progress in Qimen Qimen Dunjia; a warm current seems to be growing within my body, perhaps what Your Majesty calls the sensation of Qi..."

"Oh?"

Li Li Shimin's eyes lit up, and he could not help but say, "It has only been a few days, and you have already produced the sensation of Qi?"

Zhuge Liang sighed, "I am ashamed. The Qimen art bestowed by Your Majesty is so exquisite, containing annotations from generations of ancestors, yet this old subject still took a full seven days to produce the sensation of Qi. I am truly unworthy of Your Majesty..."

Ancestors?

They are descendants!

Li Li Shimin held back his laughter; the Qimen art he had given Zhuge Liang was precisely the Wuhou Qimen from "The Outcast," the legacy left by the Zhuge Liang of that world.

The annotations within were naturally added by successive generations of the Zhuge family.

Seeing Zhuge Liang regard his own future descendants as ancestors, Li Li Shimin found it amusing in his heart, but on his face he shook his head and said solemnly, "Father Prime Minister, do not belittle yourself!"

"The heavens and earth today are different from the ancient times; cultivation regarding the sensation of Qi cannot be compared to that era."

"For Father Prime Minister to perceive the sensation of Qi in merely seven days is already the mark of a genius born of heaven. As for those so-called ancestors in the books, if they came to this era, they might be even slower than Father Prime Minister!"

(End of this chapter)