‘Lu Zi is Lu Zi, but he is so much more than just Lu Zi…’

Duke Mu of Qin bowed deeply once more.

“That you are willing to lecture on the Dao and resolve the world’s confusion, Lu Zi, is our great fortune. It is the great fortune of all living things…”

“I wouldn’t call it resolving confusion.” Lu Xuan smiled faintly. “The Dao I preach is not my own, but my Master’s Dao.”

After a pause, he spoke softly again.

“Let’s go. To Yong City. I wish to see the child named Zheng.”

Yong City was the capital of the Qin Kingdom at this time.

Duke Mu of Qin suppressed his elation, offered another bow, and once again led the way. To the side, the army of ten thousand raised their weapons and bowed their heads in salute.

The Cyan Bull did not ascend to the clouds, but traveled directly upon the Earth. With each step, Niu’Er crossed a hundred rivers and strode over a thousand mountains. Duke Mu of Qin accompanied him at his side, with the Eighty-One Armors following behind.

‘He was secretly amazed. This Cyan Bull that Lu Zi rode was clearly extraordinary. With a single step of its hooves, thousands, even tens of thousands of miles, were covered in an instant…’

Fortunately, Duke Mu of Qin was a Grand Grade himself. Although the Grand Grades of this era couldn’t manifest a Golden Great Dao like those of later ages, allowing them to arrive wherever their thoughts willed in a single step, they could still travel ten thousand miles in a single breath with ease when moving at full speed. He was just able to keep pace with the Cyan Bull.

As they traveled, Duke Mu of Qin said respectfully,

“Lu Zi, in the thirty years you’ve been gone, the world has changed so much…”

Lu Xuan smiled serenely. As if suddenly remembering something, he asked with a chuckle,

“In recent years, have any new sages or men of virtue appeared among the Hundred Schools of Thought?”

“Yes,” Duke Mu of Qin nodded. “The most outstanding is a Great Virtue named the Ghost Valley Master… He was born in the year you were invading Qi, and yet he is already a Great Virtue.”

He said with admiration,

“That Ghost Valley Master’s talent is truly exceptional. He founded a brand-new school of thought, and there are even Great Sages among his disciples. Some now praise him as the third greatest master of our time.”

“Oh?” A faint smile appeared on Lu Xuan’s face. “And who are the first two?”

“You and Kongzi.”

As he spoke, Duke Mu of Qin seemed to recall something else and added,

“It seems Kongzi has also had a realization. He has begun traveling through the states with his disciples. Confucianism is now one of the preeminent schools of thought in the world.”

“Good.” Lu Xuan nodded.

In the time it took for them to speak, they had already crossed thousands of mountains and rivers. Yong City was now close at hand.

Duke Mu of Qin quickened his pace to lead the way. All the city officials had come out early to welcome them. The city gates were wide open, and countless citizens were craning their necks in anticipation.

Niu’Er, however, did not pause. It continued its slow advance, yet despite its unhurried pace, it was like a sudden gale, moving step by step, mile by mile, straight into the city.

As the Cyan Bull carried the old man into the city, overwhelming chants of praise erupted once more, all welcoming Lu Zi.

Although Lu Zi’s name resounded throughout the mountains and rivers of the Human World, it was most celebrated in Luoyang and the Qin Region.

The former was where Lu Xuan had long resided and had revealed great miracles time and again. The latter was thanks to Duke Mu of Qin’s earnest efforts to spread his name. Now, every household sang Lu Zi’s praises, and he was even showing faint signs of being deified.

As a result, most of the Incense and Candle Thoughts of All Living Beings from the Qin Region, which would have originally flowed to the Celestial Vault, were now directed toward Lu Zi.

Amid the welcome of the officials and the common people lining the streets, Lu Xuan smiled serenely. The aura around him surged and grew, and the purple qi reappeared above his head.

By the time he walked into the Qin Palace, the chants outside were still loud and fervent, the people all rejoicing.

“I am hardly worthy of such a ceremony.” Lu Xuan sighed as he rode the Cyan Bull into the Royal Palace. “This is my first time in the Qin Region, yet these people praise me so. I feel quite undeserving.”

“You’re too modest,” Duke Mu of Qin said quietly, his head lowered but his eyes sparkling. “If you hadn’t stopped Duke Huan of Qi’s mad expansion by invading Qi, this land would have long been plunged into the flames of war, and the people would be living in misery.”

As he spoke, he suddenly thought of the disasters and calamities plaguing the various lands, and his expression dimmed slightly.

‘The Qin Region isn’t at war right now, but the people are still living in misery…’

Lu Xuan didn’t know about these things. He simply dismounted the Cyan Bull, patted Niu’Er on the head, and then, holding the Tao Te Ching, followed Duke Mu of Qin’s lead toward the main hall of the Royal Palace.

The Eighty-One Armors and the Cyan Bull both waited outside the main hall.

Just as he entered the Royal Palace, Lu Xuan saw a young man with a strong, martial face hurrying toward him. Faint roars of dragons and tigers seemed to swirl around his body.

Lu Xuan’s expression shifted slightly. He sensed that although the young man was not old, he was entwined with a full hundred portions of the Human Dao Trend. Furthermore, this fortune didn’t seem to be Postnatal and accumulated, but Innate…

While he was lost in thought, the young man had already approached, looking somewhat nervous. Duke Mu of Qin, standing to the side, chided him with a laugh,

“You little rascal, this is the Lu Zi you’ve been chattering about all day. What are you gaping for?”

The young man snapped out of it and quickly bowed.

“Zhao Zheng of the Qin Kingdom pays his respects to Lu Zi!”

Then, he bowed to Duke Mu of Qin.

“Forefather!”

A look of understanding appeared in Lu Xuan’s eyes. ‘Just as I thought…’

At the side, Duke Mu of Qin gestured for Lu Xuan to take the seat of honor while making the introduction.

“Lu Zi, this is my nineteenth-generation descendant. His clan name is Zhao, and his given name is Zheng. The boy is quite bright…”

Lu Xuan gazed at the young man standing respectfully below and was suddenly filled with emotion.

‘So this is him, the emperor who will be known for a thousand ages? The very first Emperor in history?’

The roars of dragons and tigers surrounded the young man, accompanied by a dense Human Dao Fortune that was normally invisible. If one looked closely, one could see the aspect of absolute zenith.

Looking again, within this zenith, there was also an air of someone who could swallow mountains and rivers!

‘Half of the Human Race call themselves Han.’

‘And it was Qin that unified the world, leaving its legacy to the Han. The Han dynasty inherited the Qin system.’

‘The First Emperor’s might was that of a Saint, an influence he cast upon all kings who followed.’

He thought of the Starry Great Wall that encircled the entire Solar System, which had defended against the Demon Race for 6,800 years. His expression grew solemn. ‘If not for the man before me, the Ancestor Star would have long been conquered by the Demon Race in the Current World…’

Lu Xuan nodded, gazed at the young man, and said with a smile,

“Just as Duke Qin said, your appearance is extraordinary and your bearing is remarkable. You will surely become a person of great importance one day and perhaps even quell the chaos plaguing the world.”

At these words, the expressions of all the officials waiting and listening quietly at the hall’s entrance changed. Shock also appeared on the faces of Duke Mu of Qin and Shang Yang, who were closer. None had expected Lu Zi to give Zhao Zheng such a grand evaluation.

Even Zhao Zheng himself was stunned. He looked up, dazed, then quickly composed his expression and offered another bow.

“I am overwhelmed by your praise, Lu Zi!”

Though he was overjoyed, his face did not betray his composure. His every word and action were meticulous.

Thunder could be rumbling in his chest, but his face remained as calm as a placid lake.

A smile appeared on the old man’s face as he sat upon the main seat. He stroked the bamboo book in his hands and lifted his eyelids slightly. Chaos Qi flowed slowly within his eyes, seeming to contain the vastness of the Star Sea in deep space.

He chuckled.

“You happened to be born at the time I was invading Qi. I told Duke Qin that I intended to come and guide your fortune and open your wisdom, but I never imagined thirty years would pass before I returned to the Human World.”

After a pause, the old man’s expression was benevolent as he continued,

“Though I am thirty years late, it is not too late. It is a pity, however, that your Dao does not lie in sagacity and virtue, so you cannot become my disciple… Duke Qin, I wish to take this child as a junior of my lineage. May I?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep