I practiced magic in the Three Kingdoms

Chapter 26 Overlord, Farewell Concubine

After some persuasion, Wang Jing finally convinced Wang Yun of the development strategy of walking on two legs: official position and military power.

The eldest brother Wang Gai inherited Wang Yun's political interests and took the civil service route, while Wang Jing joined the army and held the military power for the family. After all, with a sharp blade in hand, you have the confidence to do things. You can have it but not use it, but you can't be without it when you need it.

Of course, being able to accomplish these things is not because Wang Jing’s words make sense, but more importantly, Wang Jing’s current foundation and cultivation have made him the strongest among the younger generation in the family.

He also has combat experience in Yuzhou against the Yellow Turbans in Runan and has proven his abilities on the battlefield, making him worthy of the family's investment.

In the hall, Wang Yun glanced at Wang Hong, who was sitting in the second seat.

The latter understood what he meant and quickly called Xu Lan in, saying to her, "Qiyun, you should follow Yuanxu from now on."

Afterwards, Wang Hong also assigned a hundred sword guards to Wang Jing. These were private soldiers accumulated by the Wang family of Taiyuan over the years. There were only more than three hundred people in total. They were all trained using the training methods of the former Qin elite soldiers. The resources and energy spent on them were simply incalculable.

Previously, the family had assigned a hundred sword guards to help Wang Jing fight on the battlefield in Yuzhou, but the soldiers at that time were "borrowed". Now, these hundred sword guards are truly and completely under the command of Wang Jing and have become his personal private soldiers, which can be regarded as the family's investment and bet on him.

Xu Lan, who was trained as a general on the spot, was also handed over to Wang Jing.

Xu Lan clasped his fists and bowed, and replied, "Yes."

Then he stood behind Wang Jing silently, but his expression was cold and it was impossible to tell whether he was happy or angry.

Wang Jing narrowed his eyes and said with a smile: "Sister Lan, please give me more guidance in the future."

Xu Lan had no expression on his face, he just bowed and saluted: "Captain, if you have anything to say, just tell me."

It was obvious that she was not wholeheartedly convinced of Wang Jing, but had to obey Wang Jing's command because of Wang Hong's order.

Wang Jing was well aware of this, but he was not in a hurry. After all, there was a long time to come, and winning people's hearts could be done slowly.

He was about to set off for Luoyang. Before leaving Chenliu, Wang Jing went to Feibai Sutra Hall to say goodbye to his good friend "Yang Xuan".

Cai Yan was reluctant to let Wang Jing go when she learned that he was leaving: "Are you really leaving?"

Wang Jing couldn't help but think of the farewell with his old classmates after graduating from high school, and said with emotion: "All good things must come to an end. I just don't know if we will see each other again after today's farewell."

In this era, transportation is slow, letters are far away, and once we part, it may be forever.

Only those who have achieved great success and are able to fly into the sky and hide behind the ground are qualified to travel from Beihai in the morning to Cangwu in the evening, to treat rivers and mountains as nothing, and to cross thousands of mountains and rivers.

"As we are about to part, could Zhaoming play the Phoenix Feather Fairy Music for me again?"

"it is good."

Cai Yan held a green flute in her hand and played the fairy music. The tune was gorgeous and magnificent, like a phoenix soaring in the sky, spanning thousands of miles with its wings spread.

Wang Jing was instantly intoxicated by the music and quickly asked his Dharma body to record the changes in the tone. It was obvious that this section of "Phoenix Feather Fairy Sound" was a part he had never heard before.

Listening to the moving flute music, Wang Jing's thoughts turned into waves and rose and fell with it. Then he felt something was wrong.

In his eyes, the figure of Yang Xuan began to become blurred and illusory, and through the hazy shadow, Wang Jing seemed to see a girl wearing a pearl hairpin, a light purple skirt, a slim waist and a long skirt, with a graceful figure, her clothes fluttering in the wind, just like a delicate and graceful Clivia, delicate but not gaudy.

Wang Jing's mind moved, and he subconsciously performed the Qi-gazing technique recorded in "The Chapter of Ziwei Emperor's Qi".

All thoughts are focused on the center of the eyebrows, and then the Dharma Eye on the forehead opens instantly.

Once the Dharma Eye is opened, the illusion before your eyes will be immediately exposed.

Wang Jing was also a little dumbfounded. The "Yang Xuan" who had been his brother for so long was actually a woman?

Yan means beautiful jade.

Xuan also means beautiful jade.

She said her last name was Yang, but she was able to live in the backyard of Feibai Sutra Hall and come and go freely. Moreover, she was a woman. After comparing their ages, Wang Jing suddenly guessed the identity of the person in front of him.

Wang Jing was also at a loss for words and couldn't help but tease, "The male rabbit's feet are confused, and the female rabbit's eyes are blurry. Two rabbits are walking side by side, how can I tell which is male and which is female?"

The flute stopped abruptly. Cai Yan looked a little flustered, but she still pretended to be calm: "Why did Yuan Xu say that?"

"Sincerity is the most important thing in making friends. Should I continue to call you Zhao Ming, or should I call you Zhao Ji?"

"You...know everything?"

"Well, I recently learned a secret technique, and I just saw through your illusion disguise. It is rumored that those who have reached the level of painting with wonderful brushwork can create paintings that are so magical that they can be called masterpieces, and they can be mistaken for the real thing."

Wang Jing looked at Cai Yan with burning eyes, his eyes full of thirst for knowledge, and he was obviously full of curiosity about this.

When Cai Yan saw that her identity was exposed, she no longer concealed it.

She took out a rabbit-hair paintbrush that she carried with her and lightly touched the tip of her nose. Then the ink scattered everywhere and several colorful streams of light appeared on her body.

The illusion was lifted, and a scroll emitting a strong power of thought fell steadily into Cai Yan's hands.

This painting is Cai Yong's masterpiece - "Lecture Picture".

As the most famous Confucian scholar, writer and calligrapher in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, it is reasonable that he was not only proficient in music, but also a painter with superb painting skills.

"The writing is brilliant and the thoughts are fascinating. Such amazing skills are really eye-opening."

The scene of Cai Yan's transformation made Wang Jing marvel at it.

This is much more advanced than disguise. Unless you master the corresponding mystical technique, you will never be able to see through Cai Yan's illusion disguise.

"You've been asking to see me, haven't you? Now you've seen me."

Cai Yan stood in front of Wang Jing, graceful and elegant, with a faint smile on her lips.

Wang Jing also recovered from his surprise and laughed loudly, "It is my great honor to be able to see Miss Zhaoji's beauty."

"You don't seem angry?"

"Why should I be angry?"

"Because I lied to you."

"What did you lie to me about?"

Wang Jing looked at Cai Yan with a smile. At this time, she was still an innocent literary girl. She had not experienced the tragic death of her father, the destruction of her country and her family, and falling into the hands of barbarians. Therefore, her smile was pure and beautiful, without any dust.

"So, you're really not angry?"

Cai Yan looked at Wang Jing with some curiosity.

Wang Jing smiled and said, "When you are alive, you always have to wear a mask, because if you speak your mind, everyone will be embarrassed. Although you used a fake identity, you didn't cheat anything from me. What's more, how do you know that what I told you is the complete truth?"

Wang Jingke had never told anyone the secret of being a time traveler.

"So, you're hiding something from me too?"

For some reason, Cai Yan suddenly felt a little angry. After all, Wang Jing already knew her secret, but she knew nothing about Wang Jing's secret.

Wang Jing smiled faintly: "I told you to be decent."

Cai Yan gritted her teeth in anger, then became a little sad: "Hey..."

"what's wrong?"

"Can we... meet again in the future?"

Without a friend to talk to, Cai Yan suddenly felt lonely again. She could have endured loneliness if she had never experienced this beauty.

Wang Jing thought that Dong Zhuo would definitely recruit Cai Yong, a famous minister, in order to win over the scholar group in the future, so he sighed to Cai Yan: "Yes, but...it's hard to predict whether the result will be good or bad."

If Wang Jing remembered correctly, Cai Yong finally died at the hands of Wang Yun, and then Wang Yun himself also died in the battle. This was not a good ending for both him and Cai Yan.

The night before leaving Chenliu, Wang Jing called the carpenter Lao Lu and told him, "Go to Qingzhou in person, go to Huangxian County in Donglai County, and look for a man named Taishi Ci. He is in trouble with a lawsuit and should have fled to Liaodong under an assumed name, but it doesn't matter. Find his home, recruit slaves and give him money to support Taishi Ci's mother. By the way, I will find a way to settle the lawsuit."

"Ah? Why is that?" Lao Lu was very puzzled. What on earth could he gain by helping a fugitive like this?

Wang Jing was too lazy to explain: "If the other party asks, you can say that I have heard that Taishizi is a man of integrity and morality, and he values ​​his promises, so I respect him and think he will become a hero in the future, so I am willing to lend a hand. This is just a small effort, not worth mentioning."

"Yes, I understand."

Lao Lu solemnly agreed. Now he can eat and drink well and live a worry-free life, all thanks to Wang Jing.

Moreover, he had heard that Wang Yun was now appreciated by General He Jin and was going back to the capital to become a high-ranking official. As a commoner himself, how could he not curry favor with him?
It's just going to find someone, give him gifts and money, it's not like going through fire and water, what are you afraid of?
Although he couldn't understand Wang Jing's intention, since it was Wang Jing's decision, it must be right!

Then Wang Jing instructed: "By the way, Qiqiao Pavilion's business needs to be expanded. Prepare some reliable personnel. I will take them to Luoyang to open a branch shop."

When Lao Lu heard this, he was excited and immediately recommended a person to Wang Jing: "My son Fang is willing to follow the captain to Luoyang, serve him, and wait for his orders."

Lu Fang is the second son of old Lu. The eldest son must stay in his hometown to inherit the family business. As for the second son, after he becomes an adult, he is usually given some money at most to allow him to divide the family business and go out to work hard to expand the family business.

Now that the second son can go to Luoyang with Wang Jing to develop a business, it is a good future. Therefore, Lao Lu is very concerned about it. When he looks at Wang Jing, his eyes are full of expectations.

"Can you recognize the words?"

"Yes, I recognize him. I specially paid for a seat for him so that he can attend classes at Feibai Sutra Hall every day."

Wang Jing nodded, then asked, "Do you have a courtesy name?"

Lao Lu's expression suddenly turned bitter, his family were all of common origin, his ancestors had never been rich, they were not even from a poor family, so naturally he didn't have something as high-end and classy as a courtesy name.

"In that case, I'll give him a name. How about calling him Zhengliang?"

"I thank the Captain on behalf of my son!"

Old Lu was very excited. In his eyes, although Wang Jing was young, he was of noble status. Giving him a courtesy name showed that he respected their family.

Wang Jing didn't think much about it. He didn't have his own team at the moment, and the only person he could truly trust was Diao Chan.

As for people like Lao Lu, he was only obedient on the surface. After all, what really frightened him was the behemoth Taiyuan Wang Family, not Wang Jing himself.

So he planned to bypass old fox like Lao Lu and directly conquer Lu Fang. After all, young people are easier to fool.

And now Wang Jing really wants to build a team that is truly loyal to himself. He cannot just rely on the family's funding, as that would make it difficult for him to get out of control in the future.

It’s not that Wang Jing didn’t want to recruit a team before, the key is that it’s useless to think about it, because you need money to recruit soldiers.

Without money and prospects, who would want to work with you?
Wang Jing asked, "How much assets does Qiqiao Pavilion have now?"

Because Wang Jing had arranged for someone to check the accounts, Lao Lu did not dare to hide it, so he answered honestly: "There are 12 million yuan. The trade route from Yanzhou to Yuzhou was restored to normal a few days ago. The furniture such as the leisure chairs should continue to sell well in the future."

Wang Jing nodded, and then instructed: "Give me eight million yuan, and use the rest to open up trade routes. Remember, every time you arrive at a place, first find out who has the most effective words, and then give generous gifts. After you have established connections, use this as a gimmick to promote my Qiqiao Pavilion furniture. Remember, the products must be sold on the upper-class route, and don't do door-to-door sales, which is very embarrassing. What I want is for customers to come to us and buy, because our products are a symbol of status."

"I understand. The captain is worthy of being a captain. He is well-informed and even does business in this way!"

Lao Lu smiled ingratiatingly and gave Wang Jing a thumbs up.

"Well, you go down."

"Yes."

Although eight million coins are not much, they are barely enough as capital.

A few days later, the entire governor's mansion was mobilized, and the goods filled twelve ox carts, with hundreds of servants accompanying them.

In order to escort the convoy, Wang Jing also summoned his old subordinates who had participated in the expedition against the Yellow Turbans in Runan. More than a thousand soldiers accompanied Wang Yun to Luoyang.

When leaving the city, the convoy met a team head-on.

The other side was playing music and attracting a large crowd of onlookers, making it very lively.

Wang Jing was on guard secretly, his hand on the hilt of the knife, and asked: "What happened ahead?"

Lu Fang, who was accompanying him, took a look from a distance and said to Wang Jing, "Reporting to the commander, some villagers are offering sacrifices to Xuanjun. Do you want me to lead people to drive them away?"

"Don't bother the people, we can just wait."

Wang Jing then became puzzled again: "Are there many people in Chenliu who believe in Xuanjun?"

Lu Fang happened to know a thing or two about this matter: "The Xuanjun Temple suddenly appeared in Nanyang three years ago. At first, no one believed in it. Later, plague broke out in the villages around Nanyang, causing panic. Then people from the Xuanjun Temple gave away medicine everywhere."

When Wang Jing heard about this mode of faith dissemination, he immediately became alert: "Is this an old trick of Zhang Jiao of the Taiping Dao?"

Lu Fang immediately became anxious and whispered, "Captain, please don't talk nonsense. Xuanjun Temple is recognized by the local government and has been giving away medicine to cure diseases. Wherever it goes, even people who are infected with the plague are cured after taking the medicine, so it is very popular among the people. In addition, Xuanjun Temple only accepts incense, not believers, and has not done anything beyond the law. Even the governor of Nanyang praised Xuanjun a lot."

If it were two years ago, Wang Jing would definitely think that this was some kind of feudal superstitious trick.

But now he didn't dare to make such a rash judgment. After all, according to the books collected by the Wang family in Taiyuan, ghosts and gods really existed and were not uncommon in the past.

During the Xia and Shang dynasties, ghosts and gods were everywhere in the Central Plains. Every tribe with more than 10,000 people had a totem beast. Some large tribes even worshipped several beasts at the same time. It was very common for humans and gods to live together.

It was not until after the Zhou Dynasty that the number of ghosts and gods began to decline sharply. Even various mythical beasts and birds gradually disappeared. If they occasionally appeared, it would be regarded as a good omen or a disaster.

However, even so, the ghosts and gods in the Warring States Period were still quite powerful, especially the Seven Heroes, each of whom had their own guardian beasts or guardian gods. With the blessing of national destiny, each of them was incredibly powerful.

The Nine Phoenixes of Chu, Fenglong of Wei, and the Black Dragon of Qin have all displayed their might on the battlefield. Their strength is extremely powerful, and even when they attack with all their strength, they can directly cause doomsday disasters such as mountains collapsing and the earth splitting.

Until the establishment of the Xian Qin Dynasty, the world's weapons were collected and twelve golden men were cast.

This war creature, which combines the magic of the Yin-Yang School and the mechanical techniques of the Mohist School, has unparalleled power. When it fights in formation, it can even kill gods.

As a result, the sacred beasts and gods worshipped by the other six countries all died or fled and disappeared without a trace.

It is a pity that half of the twelve golden men were destroyed by the Overlord Xiang Yu, and the rest disappeared in the war. It was not until Emperor Wu of Han launched a northern expedition against the Huns that it was learned that two of the golden men had fallen into the hands of the Huns and were placed in the royal court.

During the reign of Emperor Wu of Han, the mountains, rivers, and society dominated the world, and the magnificent destiny of humanity gathered into a thousand-mile-long true dragon of fire, whose mighty power shocked the world. It was also from this time that the ghosts and gods in the Central Plains began to rapidly decline in strength and status.

By now, at the end of the Han Dynasty, Confucianism was flourishing, and most of the ghosts and gods could barely suppress the local rich people. Any Confucian scholar who had mastered the art of "eloquence" could drink them to death with a mouthful of righteous energy.

After all, times have changed.

The more books I read, the more I realize that ghosts and gods are not actually scary.

Wang Jing sat on his horse and had no intention of joining in the fun. However, several temple priests serving Xuanjun came over respectfully after seeing Wang Jing and others, first greeted them, and then gave them some pills for free.

The black pills, about the same size as longan, were mixed together and packed in a small ceramic jar. They looked very bad and seemed like three-no products.

Wang Jing found it hard to imagine, could a normal person really put this thing into his mouth?
However, when he opened his Dharma Eyes and took a look, he discovered that there was a faint power of thought lingering around it, and most of the medicinal materials were very ordinary, with nothing weird added.

Therefore, Wang Jing accepted the medicine, offered some money as an offering as usual, and continued on his journey with the caravan.

Starting from Chenliu, we passed through major cities such as Kaifeng, Zhongmu, and Xingyang, and then stopped in Chenggao, where we saw an ancient pass sitting west and facing east, towering against the wind.

Chenggao, originally the ancient Dongguo State, was a city established by Zheng during the Spring and Autumn Period. It was also known as Hulao. This city was an important place for Zheng in the Spring and Autumn Period and Han in the Warring States Period. During the Chu-Han Contention, this place was one of the main battlefields.

The majestic pass is built beside the mountain, like a dragon and a tiger crouching, with an unstoppable momentum.

Nearly four hundred years have passed since the nine mottled sword marks on the city wall, but they still exude a chilling murderous intent and unparalleled tyranny.

Wang Jing only took a glance from a distance and was shocked by the sword intent and domineering aura, and his whole body felt as if he was struck by lightning.

"Yuanxu, lower your head."

Wang Yun noticed something was wrong and rode forward in a hurry. He held Wang Jing's shoulder and helped him to channel the disordered and violent Danyu Holy Flame. "The sword marks on the left side of the Hulao Pass wall are the moves left by the former Overlord when he broke through Chenggao. The Dao on it is condensed and not dispersed. Don't look at it too much. However, if you intend to follow the path of military training, you can use the murderous intent and domineering aura on the sword marks to sharpen your will, but remember not to be stubborn."

"Jing, I understand."

Wang Jing responded with difficulty. At this moment, he felt as if his whole body was being chopped by knives and swords. The strong sense of crisis made his hair stand on end.

But even so, he still forced himself to look up and stare at the Overlord's move on the wall: "As expected of the Overlord of Western Chu, he defeated the most powerful military strategist of the Xian Qin Dynasty with his invincible bravery."

(End of this chapter)