[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-the-dragon-lies-hidden":3,"chapter-the-dragon-lies-hidden-the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-74":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","The Dragon Lies Hidden",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2289372,4477,"Chapter 74: Fellow Disciples' Bond","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-74",74,"\u003Cp>To be honest, Wei Yuan had no desire whatsoever to meet these officials again—he feared that if he lost control and struck, his blows were too heavy, and these fragile Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn’t withstand even a few hits; someone might easily die.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Li Zhi said that rations and status were matters of life and death, and must be properly handled. Moreover, his sect disciples would eventually leave, while Fang Hetong and others would remain in Quyang. Once Wei Yuan departed, Fang Hetong aside, the three hundred civilian soldiers would surely suffer; they’d be dragged into the government office on any pretext, beaten half-dead every few days. If these issues weren’t resolved now, they’d breed future troubles.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yuan agreed it made sense. Fang Hetong, though utterly unwilling, had no choice but to attend the banquet for the sake of the entire village.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In the time before dinner, Li Zhi chatted with Wei Yuan about his cultivation experiences and anecdotes over the years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Li Zhi had lost to Wei Yuan in the imperial examination, he had been resentful; later, through connections, he obtained Wei Yuan’s exam records and learned how much his score had been suppressed, and that Wei Yuan was actually two years younger than him. Even so, Li Zhi still hadn’t surpassed him, and in the martial test he’d been utterly crushed. Only then did Li Zhi truly submit.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Afterwards, Li Zhi diligently cultivated the Way of the Human King at the Four Sacred Academies, achieving success in five years and attaining the Dao Base of the Three-Legged Cauldron of the Four Symbols. This cauldron was the ancient Human King’s altar for offering to heaven, capable of stabilizing the nation’s fortune, and also a divine foundation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At eight years old, Li Zhi had already been strikingly impressive; ten years later, he had shed all pretense of maturity from his youth, now combining gentleness with calm depth. In conversation, he made others feel as if bathed in spring breeze—his bearing and insight left everyone awed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Night fell swiftly, yet the rear courtyard of the Quyang County Office glowed brightly with lanterns. A large table stood in the main hall: Li Zhi sat at the head, County Magistrate Sun and Wei Yuan flanking him on either side, Fang Hetong seated beside Wei Yuan. Also present were Assistant Magistrate Ren Youwei, the Chief Clerk, Captain Wang Delu, and other key officials.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet Fang Hetong stared at the lavish feast before him, his face dark with fury he could not suppress, utterly out of place amid the cheerful chatter of the others.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yuan maintained a polite, faint smile and spoke little, answering only one or two sentences when others addressed him. Li Zhi, by contrast, laughed and conversed warmly, making everyone who spoke with him feel perfectly at ease.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhi had brought only two riders as attendants; the remaining dozen or so stayed at Shayang Village to assist in defense. These riders were in fact personal guards of the Marquis of Hui’en—Southern Qi soldiers were far superior to Western Jin’s, and a dozen marquis’s elite guards could easily hold Shayang Village; even if the Liao barbarians sent two or three squads, they’d be driven back in defeat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With no concern for Shayang Village and his purpose being to resolve the status of the three hundred civilian soldiers, Wei Yuan was in no hurry. He observed every word and gesture, committing them to memory, studying intently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In moments, wine had been poured and drained several rounds. County Magistrate Sun brought out a rare liquor that aided Dao Base cultivation—its potency was extraordinary. After three cups, most Foundation Establishment cultivators couldn’t bear it. Aside from Li Zhi and Wei Yuan, unaffected, the others now spoke slurredly and no longer held their initial restraint.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chaoen poured another round, and Fang Hetong could no longer contain himself—he slammed his cup down hard on the table. The entire table fell silent, all eyes fixed on Fang Hetong. He said nothing, only his chest heaved as he breathed heavily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhi smiled and said, “Brother Fang, you worry for the state and people, abandoned the brush for the sword, fought bloody battles against the Liao barbarians—you are a true model for our scholarly class. I, Li Mou, am a graduate of the Four Sacred Academies, and I deeply admire you. Brother Sun, this matter of the three hundred civilian soldiers is trivial—just lift your hand and let it pass. Why dwell on it so?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chaoen set his cup down and said to Li Zhi, “General Li, you don’t understand—this isn’t trivial at all.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Before this campaign, Li Zhi had leveraged the Marquis of Hui’en’s family influence to secure a deputy commander position in Southern Qi. Since the Great Tangjiu Kingdom’s official structure was largely similar, Sun Chaoen addressed him as “General Li.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Having begun, Sun Chaoen sighed heavily and poured out his grievances: “This stubborn fool—when he first arrived in Quyang, he heard rumors of ghost soldiers but had no concrete proof, yet he still wrote a letter straight to the Prefect. That Prefect comes from the Lü family; he’s been in office only a year and is determined to change the name of Bianning Prefecture from Xu to Lü. The Prefect had long sought leverage against Assistant Regional Commander Liao, and this letter handed him the perfect knife. Just as a great battle loomed, Liao had already arranged his transfer to the rear—but the Prefect seized this letter and made a huge fuss, outright canceling the transfer order and pinning Liao down in Quyang. At the last moment, he was forced to remain on the front line, a death trap. Do you think Liao doesn’t hate him with every fiber of his being?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Li Zhi remained expressionless, listening quietly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chaoen glared bitterly at Fang Hetong and continued: “That stubborn mule—he couldn’t get proof of ghost soldiers, so he came to me. What proof did I have? Yet he wrote another letter to the Prefect, accusing me as an accomplice! I don’t have Liao’s backing—the Prefect scolded me mercilessly and nearly stripped me of my post! Only because he thought I wasn’t part of the Xu faction and still had some use did he order me to hold Quyang at all costs and redeem myself through service. If this county falls, my head won’t be worth keeping.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Here, Sun Chaoen, reeking of wine and flushed red, pointed his finger at Fang Hetong’s nose: “Fang! We’ve been fellow disciples for twenty years! When you first entered the academy, didn’t I look after you in every way? When you fell gravely ill at ten, didn’t I sit by your bedside for seven days and nights? Then, when I first entered officialdom and changed my name from Sun Qingliu to Sun Chaoen, you wrote multiple essays denouncing me! Now, after all my hard-won progress, you nearly destroyed it all with one letter! Twenty years of fellow-disciple bonds—is this how you repay me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Wei Yuan and Li Zhi were both startled—they hadn’t known Sun Chaoen and Fang Hetong had this connection; they were former classmates from Bai Feng Academy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fang Hetong raised his head and declared clearly: “Minor kindnesses must yield to great principles! You just said you had no proof—ha! Would ghost soldiers not pass through the county office? Would you not share in the spoils? Who could you possibly fool? I merely refuse to act unjustly—I’m not stupid. Had you given me the evidence back then, I wouldn’t have written that second letter to the Prefect without regard for our old ties.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chaoen snapped: “Missing half the roster counts as ghost soldiers?! Don’t other places lose seven or eight percent? Why don’t you complain about them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I can’t see them, so I won’t interfere.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing the situation spiraling, Li Zhi raised his cup: “I never knew you two had this history! Scholars may differ yet remain harmonious—isn’t that natural? Even the words of the sages and great Confucians are interpreted differently. We are far inferior to the ancients; some disagreement is inevitable. Regardless, we all stand united against the Liao barbarians—come, drink this cup!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After Li Zhi toasted, Fang Hetong couldn’t refuse to drink. Regardless of anything else, Li Zhi was the son of a Southern Qi marquis, yet he willingly came to the Western Jin frontline to resist foreign invaders—this alone commanded respect.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After drinking, Li Zhi asked: “Why isn’t Assistant Regional Commander Liao here?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though Liao Jingwu wasn’t under Quyang County’s jurisdiction, his defense zone lay here; when County Magistrate Sun hosted Li Zhi, Liao should normally attend—otherwise, it would be a grave breach of etiquette.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sun Chaoen spoke softly: “Assistant Regional Commander Liao is of high status—he rarely attends banquets of low-ranking officials like us. His late wife was surnamed Xu, from the prestigious Xu family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see,” Li Zhi nodded, then turned to Wei Yuan: “Brother Wei, it seems they look down on us.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>What could Wei Yuan say? He’d been thrown out of the military camp just that afternoon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>PS: No more tonight\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>(End of Chapter)\u003C\u002Fp>",1521,"2026-06-20T03:38:27.933Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","253675fa9158c4d9dca6203007d50513ea3d76e1d5fc63e23ef9ffc67b0eacf9","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-75","the-dragon-lies-hidden-chapter-73",1000,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fthe-dragon-lies-hidden-cover.jpg"]