Chapter 515: Sharing Roasted Fish and Dragon, Night Star Visits
"A revolution in military strategy is imminent!" the Duke of Wei suddenly exclaimed.
The Heavenly Strategy General and others nodded in agreement upon hearing this.
Qin Mu, along with the thousands of scholars and the cultivators from the Daoist Sect, Buddhist Sect, and Little Jade Capital, had been messing around, playing with their so-called Primordial Spirit Conference. The cultivators laughed and frolicked, thinking it was just a fun game, but the shock it brought to these military commanders was beyond compare.
Since ancient times, the battlefield had been ever-changing. Communication between the commanding generals on the front lines and the rear reinforcements, supplies, and the emperor had always been a major problem. Previously, the State Preceptor of Yan Kang had built flying ships, allowing them to soar through the air, and created land-going boats, paving roads to enable rapid travel between regions.
Aside from benefiting the people, the purpose was to transmit information. It was precisely because of this geographical and aerial advantage that the Yan Kang Kingdom's territory had grown larger and larger.
However, as the borders of Yan Kang expanded and the land grew vaster, the time required to transmit messages became longer and longer, and the time needed for armies to march to the frontiers also increased.
Although Qin Mu had improved the furnaces of the flying ships to increase their speed, the amount of medicinal stones consumed by the furnace for a single message transmission was still considerable.
If a flying ship were to depart from the capital and head to the True Heaven Palace in the Western Lands, it would take several days on the road, and the medicinal stones burned would likely be enough to fight a small-scale battle.
For large-scale troop movements, they still had to rely on exotic beasts for transportation, supplemented by infantry marching. Using flying ships to transport troops was far too costly.
But with Qin Mu and the others' Primordial Spirit Conference method, they only needed their primordial spirits to fly and gather together to transmit messages, allowing them to grasp events happening hundreds of thousands of miles away.
For warfare, this method could almost determine the outcome of a battle!
"Your Majesty, Grand Sacrificial Officer Qin's use of the word 'conference' shows rebellious intent!"
An old minister fell to his knees with a thud and declared loudly: "'Conference' refers to a court assembly. The so-called court conference means the civil and military officials of the court meeting with the emperor. Grand Sacrificial Officer Qin's unauthorized use of the word 'conference' fully reveals his wolf-like ambition! I beg Your Majesty to execute him!"
Emperor Yan Feng was speechless, while the other military officers angrily rebuked the old minister. The old minister banged his head on the ground, knocking it loudly, displaying great loyalty and righteousness.
After a moment, Emperor Yan Feng waved his hand and said unhurriedly: "The word 'conference' is not exclusive to the court. Elder Yu, you have read too few books. Attending court is certainly called a court conference, but it can also be used elsewhere. Back then, the Heavenly Saber wrote a poem titled 'One Line Sky,' and in the preface before the poem, he wrote, 'Conferring with friends at Wei River.' The Heavenly Saber was a literary giant, a hundred times more learned than you, and his writings have been passed down and celebrated to this day. He was not an emperor, yet when he used the word 'conference,' no one else said he intended to rebel. Ancient words can be used in modern times." Note: The word "conference" appeared in the "Records of the Grand Historian" over two thousand years ago, and may have formed even earlier; it is not a borrowed term.
The emperor helped Elder Yu to his feet and said kindly: "Elder Yu, you are old. I will not have your head cut off. I grant you permission to retire to your hometown."
The other ministers were puzzled: "His Majesty is in a surprisingly good mood today. No one got beheaded. Elder Yu only lost his official position, not his head—he's incredibly lucky!"
"Everyone, please be quiet and listen!"
Qin Mu's voice came through, speaking loudly: "Let me first verify whether primordial spirits can communicate with each other! Can you hear me?"
Inside the Grand Academy Hall, all kinds of noise clamored, and countless voices said: "Yes! Very clearly!"
Qin Mu said: "When you activate your techniques, do you feel any discomfort in your primordial spirit?"
The many primordial spirits in the Grand Academy Hall were in an uproar. Suddenly, someone's primordial spirit vanished with a *bang*, only to reappear a moment later, quite startling.
Another person's primordial spirit flickered in and out of visibility, while some others' primordial spirits drifted back and forth. All kinds of laughter came through. The Grand Academy Hall was filled with chaos, the noise making people dizzy.
Qin Mu recorded all the various phenomena, clapped his hands, and said: "Alright, meeting adjourned!"
Everyone withdrew their primordial spirits and disappeared from the Grand Academy Hall. The first Primordial Spirit Conference in history thus came to an end.
Emperor Yan Feng turned his head and asked the court historian behind him: "Did you record it?"
The court historian held a thick scroll and hesitated: "Your Majesty, this Primordial Spirit Conference was just Grand Sacrificial Officer Qin fooling around with a group of scholars. They only said a few sentences, most of which were nonsense. Does it really need to be recorded?"
Emperor Yan Feng sighed, heavily tapped the scroll used to record important court affairs, and said earnestly: "If, hundreds or thousands of years from now, future generations search through the history books of Yan Kang and find no record of the first Primordial Spirit Conference, they will curse your name behind your back! Not only must you record it, but you must also draw it—draw the Primordial Spirit Conference!"
The court historian broke out in a cold sweat and quickly recorded Qin Mu and the others' first Primordial Spirit Conference, including the few sentences they had spoken. He felt deeply wronged: "These few sentences are clearly all nonsense. Would future generations really curse me over such a trivial matter? But if I don't record it, His Majesty will have my head..."
Another hour passed. Qin Mu returned from a thousand miles away, and the other scholars also rushed back to the Grand Academy. Everyone was chattering noisily and excitedly. Qin Mu gathered experts proficient in numerology and, based on the various phenomena he had recorded, deduced the flaws in the technique.
Soon, the technique was perfected, and there was no longer any phenomenon of primordial spirits jumping out of control.
Qin Mu then climbed onto the Grand Academy Hall with many scholars to modify the erroneous rune imprints. After half a day of work, a few fast-footed individuals ran out to test the primordial spirit leaving the body to gather again. This time, there were no more abnormal primordial spirit phenomena.
Emperor Yan Feng never left. He quietly waited until it got dark. Since the emperor didn't leave, the civil and military officials also dared not depart, so they had to stand there.
After Qin Mu finished his work and had the Imperial Library's Secretariat record the technique and rune imprints, Emperor Yan Feng stepped forward and said: "Grand Sacrificial Officer Qin, you have rendered meritorious service to the state. How should I reward you?"
Qin Mu stretched lazily and smiled: "If Your Majesty wishes to reward me, then reward everyone in the Grand Academy with a dinner. This technique was not created by me alone but was born from the collective wisdom of everyone."
"Excellent!"
Emperor Yan Feng ordered: "Summon all the chefs from the imperial kitchen. Have them bring their ingredients. I want to feast all the scholars of the Grand Academy, as well as these Daoists and monks! If there aren't enough hands, also summon the chefs from the officials' homes! I will also dine here and eat with them!"
The Grand Academy was brightly lit. It seemed that all the chefs from the capital's government offices had been summoned to the Grand Academy. They lit fires and cooked, each displaying their best skills—frying, exploding, roasting, stir-frying, sautéing, boiling, blanching, rinsing, steaming, stewing, simmering, braising, pot-roasting, and more. All kinds of techniques were displayed, dazzling the eyes like various supernatural powers.
The various aromas in the Grand Academy whetted everyone's appetites. The emperor also ordered fine wine to be brought from the palace to feast everyone.
"Does this technique have a name?" During the banquet, Emperor Yan Feng leaned over and asked.
Qin Mu shook his head. Emperor Yan Feng smiled: "The Dao gives birth to one, one gives birth to two, two gives birth to three, and three gives birth to all things. Why not call it the Three Primordial Spirit Meeting Technique? What do you think, Minister Qin?"
Before Qin Mu could answer, Gu Linuan led a group of ministers in loudly praising: "Your Majesty's talent is eight dou high! Your humble servants are utterly impressed!"
Emperor Yan Feng laughed heartily, confirming the name of the technique. He then asked: "Minister Qin, what are those rune imprints you drew in the Grand Academy Hall used for?"
Qin Mu replied: "To answer Your Majesty, the rune imprints are used to guide the direction of the primordial spirits. Primordial spirits move extremely fast, traveling ten thousand miles in an instant. With the rune imprints, they can attract the attending primordial spirits."
Emperor Yan Feng frowned: "If these runes can attract primordial spirits, wouldn't they be exploited by the enemy? If the enemy uses such runes to lure the primordial spirits of our Yan Kang generals attending the meeting and wipe them out in one fell swoop, wouldn't that mean the complete annihilation of our Yan Kang army?"
The civil and military officials were alarmed and nodded in agreement.
Xu Shenghua leaned forward and said: "Your Majesty, you may not know this. The runes we designed can be swapped. They have different arrangements and combinations that match the Three Primordial Spirit Meeting Technique. The number of possible combinations is billions of times greater than the number of Your Majesty's subjects. Such a complex rune sequence cannot be cracked."
Emperor Yan Feng was deeply moved.
A Daoist ran over, glanced at Qin Mu beside the emperor, and still boldly said: "Your Majesty, a fox has brought a large pig and a big box down to the lake, caught two red dragon carp kings, and is now roasting them by the lakeside. It's quite outrageous!"
"This style sounds familiar to me."
Emperor Yan Feng looked at Qin Mu and smiled: "Minister Qin, are they from your household?"
Qin Mu's face flushed slightly, and he quickly said: "Your Majesty, I will go over immediately and punish them severely! Truly outrageous!" With that, he got up and left.
When he arrived at the lakeside, Fox Ling'er was scolding the box: "Look, it's because you stirred up such big waves that you alerted the Daoist guarding the lake! You'll be eating fish bones later! Fatty Long, make the fire a little smaller, don't burn it..."
Qin Mu walked over and smiled: "Save some for me."
Fox Ling'er let out a cheer, then quickly lowered her voice and smiled: "Young master, I knew you liked this kind of fish, so I had Fatty Long catch two. But the box was useless; it was discovered by the Daoist guarding the lake while hiding in its stomach."
Qin Mu rubbed his hands together and smiled: "I've been wanting to eat a few more meals of this too, but I was too embarrassed to come and steal."
The fish was cooked. Fox Ling'er manipulated wind blades to cut the fish meat, giving a portion to Dragon Qilin, one to Qin Mu, and one to herself. The box lay nearby, intently waiting for them to finish eating so it could collect the fish bones.
Suddenly, a voice laughed: "So fragrant! Much more fragrant than the imperial cuisine! Lord Qin is truly a master of the culinary arts. Save some for me!"
Qin Mu turned around and saw that the newcomers were a demon ape and a young monk. The monk was Little Monk Mingxin, whose fingers were twitching at the smell.
Fox Ling'er gave him a piece of fish. Qin Mu saw Mingxin wolfing it down and asked curiously: "Monks eat meat too?"
Without lifting his head, Mingxin said: "After I left the Lord last time, there were natural disasters and man-made calamities. Not only fish, but I also gnawed on tree bark and caught insects to eat. When I was starving, I cut off my own flesh and fed it to myself..."
He lifted his monk's robe, revealing a scar on his chest, and smiled: "Since then, I have understood my own scripture. Life and all things include not only humans and demons but also plants and insects. But all life and all things are just a cycle. I eat them, and after I die, they eat me. That's all there is to it. People struggle in the sea of suffering, seeking not the Buddha but the other shore in their hearts. I have already seen that shore."
Qin Mu savored his words and smiled: "Well said. Your state of mind is very high."
Fox Ling'er cut another piece of fish and handed it to the demon ape. The demon ape shook his head: "Vegetarian, strong!"
"He doesn't eat it, so I will." A hand reached over from the side and took the fish.
Linxuan Daozhu sat down beside the demon ape and smiled: "This fish is fragrant, even more so than the imperial cuisine!"
Qin Mu smiled: "You are also a person who has left the secular world. Do you also eat meat?"
Linxuan Daozhu took a big bite of meat and said gruffly: "Even the heavens are fake. Can a person who has left the secular world be real?"
"Cowherd, you're eating my father's fish again!"
A fragrant breeze swept in. Ling Yuxiu squeezed Fox Ling'er away from Qin Mu's side, sat down with a thump, clapped her hands, tore off a large piece of fish, and despite the heat, took a bite. She sucked in air and praised: "Fragrant, truly fragrant!"
"Princess Xiu, wait for me!"
Si Yunxiang also ran over and sat down by the campfire. She tried to squeeze Fox Ling'er aside, but Fox Ling'er *poofed* into a six or seven-year-old little girl, crossed her arms, and sat stubbornly between the two girls, refusing to get up. Si Yunxiang was too embarrassed to push her away, so she had to let her sit there.
Everyone chatted and laughed, sharing the red dragon carp king. Before long, Wang Muran, Mu Qingdai, Long Yu, and Xu Shenghua also came over. Wang Muran smiled: "Two such big fish kings, you can't finish them all. Let us help you—no need to thank me!"
Qin Mu looked around and smiled: "It's rare for the Heavenly Alliance to gather. Today, we should drink until we're drunk and not go home!"
"What Heavenly Alliance?"
Ling Yuxiu was puzzled and quickly asked: "Is it an alliance to overthrow my father? If so, count me in!"
Xu Shenghua, Linxuan, and Wang Muran hesitated, unsure whether to tell the truth. Qin Mu said: "No one here is an outsider. It's better to tell the truth. But once we tell you, you'll be members of our Heavenly Alliance. Is there anyone who doesn't want to hear?"
Dragon Qilin quickly got up, bit the box, and dragged it away as it was about to pick up fish bones.
"The less you know, the longer you live!" Fatty Long lectured the box.
Suddenly, the campfire flickered. A young man sat down opposite Qin Mu, reached out to tear off a piece of fish, and said leisurely: "What is the Heavenly Alliance? I am also very curious. Please enlighten me, Great Divine Doctor Qin."
Qin Mu's hair stood on end, and he quickly looked toward the top of the Grand Academy Hall.
"All the civil and military officials combined have the strength to fight me. Your emperor is not weak either; he has probably cultivated the Divine Bridge."
The young man opposite said calmly: "But before they can get here, you will all be corpses. Divine Doctor Qin, don't make any rash moves. Instead, tell me about the Heavenly Alliance."
————Begging for monthly votes is exhausting. Another big chapter just over a hundred words short of four thousand. Zhai Zhu is going to eat...