Chapter 74: Chapter 73: That’s My Junior Brother

「Ancient Times. Linzi, Qi Palace.」

A grand banquet was being held in the palace.

“The Qin Kingdom was soundly defeated in this battle, and all of you have performed meritoriously!” Duke Huan of Qi sat upon his throne, a gentle smile on his face. “However, it is not yet time to reward your deeds. The Sui Kingdom has allied with the Qin Kingdom. I wish to attack the Sui Kingdom first, to cut off Qin’s arm. What are your thoughts?”

Seated to the side, Zhang Ling frowned, asking in confusion:

“Why not press our advantage and pursue the Qin Kingdom? If we wait for Duke Mu of Qin to recover his strength, attacking Qin will become much more difficult.”

He found it hard to understand. ’The Sui Kingdom is just a minor state. It can’t have any real impact on this war. Why attack it first?’

But Duke Huan of Qi simply frowned and said flatly:

“Do as I say.”

At this, Zhang Ling fell silent. The atmosphere in the hall grew somewhat cold.

Duke Huan of Qi, aware that he had perhaps been too autocratic, sought to ease the tension. He asked with a smile:

“By the way, I hear General Zhang’s old home is in Luoyang and that you still have family there. Why not bring them here?”

Zhang Ling smiled.

“I don’t have any family, but I do have a junior brother. My junior brother is quite extraordinary. He holds the post of Keeper of the Records in the Guardian Storage Room, so of course he cannot come.”

“Oh?” A Supreme General who was at odds with him sneered from the side. “The Keeper of the Records? That’s just a minor post, nothing prestigious. Why not summon him to our Qi Kingdom to enjoy wealth and glory? Wouldn’t that be better than staying in some dusty old room?”

Zhang Ling shot him a look and said coolly:

“My junior brother’s ambitions do not lie in such things.”

“Is it that his ambitions don’t lie there, or that his abilities are lacking?”

Zhang Ling’s expression turned cold. He slammed his hand on the table.

“Say that again, and I’ll cut you down.”

The Supreme General’s smile froze.

From his high seat, Duke Huan of Qi frowned. He gave Zhang Ling an indifferent glance before breaking into a smile.

“It was merely a jest. Why must you get so angry, General Zhang? Your contributions in this campaign against Qin have been immense, truly peerless. I imagine your junior brother must also be a man of great talent.”

“Of course!” Zhang Ling said, holding his head high.

Duke Huan of Qi chuckled twice, his meaning unclear.

“In that case, the matter of attacking the Sui Kingdom is settled. I will personally lead the army, with Guan Zhong and Zhang Ling accompanying me. What do you all think?”

“Excellent!” cried the Civil Servants and Military Generals in unison.

Duke Huan of Qi nodded in satisfaction. Just as he was about to say more, a minor Official rushed in to report.

“News from the southwest! A Great Virtue has appeared in the world!”

Everyone at the palace banquet was stunned. Guan Zhong asked, his voice filled with shock and doubt:

“A Great Virtue? Explain in detail!”

A so-called Great Virtue was someone who might not appear for thousands or even tens of thousands of years. They either possessed Heaven-Reaching Cultivation or astonishing knowledge, or both!

The Official caught his breath and said hurriedly:

“It is said that when a great master was expounding on the Dao, a phenomenal vision spanning three thousand li appeared! Heavenly flowers rained down, Golden Lotuses sprang from the earth, and a purple mist filled the air!”

Duke Huan of Qi frowned.

“A vision of three thousand li? How can that be called a Great Virtue?”

The Official stammered:

“The report says… the one preaching the Great Dao was doing so in Luoyang…”

The faces of everyone present changed, and they all rose to their feet.

Zhang Ling was also stunned. ’Luoyang? I couldn’t be more familiar with that place!’

Luoyang, the capital of Great Zhou, was a city spanning three thousand li. It was the core of the Human Race’s destiny. Immortal Gods detoured around it, and Bodhisattvas found it difficult to enter!

For a vision from preaching to cover the entirety of Luoyang meant it was acknowledged by the destiny of the Human Race… This person could indeed be called a Great Virtue!

From his throne, Duke Huan of Qi’s breathing grew ragged. He asked urgently:

“Who is the one preaching? And to whom is he preaching?”

The Official said in a panic:

“It seems… it seems to be the current Keeper of the Records of the Guardian Storage Room, a man named Lu Xuan. It’s unclear who he was preaching to… but some say it was to Confucius of the Lu Kingdom!”

As his voice fell, everyone at the banquet turned in unison to look at Zhang Ling!

The latter was stunned for a moment, then clapped his hands and laughed aloud.

“That’s my junior brother! That’s my junior brother!”

…

「Current World. East Sea City, Sakata Heavy Industries.」

Sakata Kuma wearily rubbed his brow and said:

“Headquarters still hasn’t sent anyone… More and more Celestial Humans are entering the city. I even suspect an Earth Immortal may have already slipped in unnoticed. If this keeps up, I won’t be able to handle the pressure…”

Over the past two days, a constant stream of Celestial Humans had come asking to see the burial grounds, all of whom he had turned away. The pressure on him was immense…

“Sir!”

His secretary suddenly ran in, flustered, and said urgently:

“Sir, something’s happened!”

“What is it?” Sakata Kuma asked listlessly. “Has another Celestial Human come to visit? Or perhaps an Earth Immortal decided to show up?”

“Neither!”

The secretary caught his breath and said:

“It’s the burial grounds! The first restriction has already been broken!”

“What!” Sakata Kuma shot to his feet. “The ruins are opening??”

“Not exactly…” The secretary shook his head and said sheepishly, “Only the first restriction has dissipated. Based on the dissipation schedule for the remaining ones, even if they open early, it won’t be until at least May…”

Sakata Kuma sat back down.

“Then what’s the big deal? Don’t be so jumpy next time!”

The secretary stammered:

“But… with the dissipation of that restriction, the gate to the ruins has appeared…”

Sakata Kuma nearly choked. He said fiercely:

“Next time, can’t you just say everything at once? Come on, let’s go take a look!”

He hurried out of the building, boarded a Hovercar, and soon landed at the old burial grounds in the shantytown district.

A giant pit had been excavated in the middle of the old burial grounds. Many Sakata Heavy Industries employees were gathered around the edge, looking at each other in dismay.

“Everyone, stand back!”

Sakata Kuma strode forward and peered into the pit. It was dark and murky, making it difficult to see clearly.

He focused his thoughts for a moment, then stepped into the air and descended. After going down about forty or fifty meters, the darkness suddenly gave way to light.

At the very bottom of the pit was a mottled, rust-covered Bronze Stele. The characters on it were obscured by rust and illegible. Behind the stele stood a colossal gate, also cast from bronze, which shimmered with a majestic light and was covered in dense runes.

“The focus is on this stele,” the secretary whispered. “The restrictions on the Bronze Gate haven’t dissipated yet, so we can’t enter. But this bronze stele…”

Sakata Kuma nodded slightly and walked forward to examine the Bronze Stele.

Although the stele was covered in rust, a cold light still glinted from its surface, and it was suffused with the heavy aura of countless Years.

“According to our analysis, this Bronze Stele is at least tens of thousands of years old… We haven’t removed the rust yet, as we were waiting for your arrival.”

Sakata Kuma’s expression grew serious. Without turning his head, he asked:

“Contact headquarters and ask how long until the Celestial Humans arrive… For a bronze stele tens of thousands of years old to be standing at the very outer layer means these ruins are likely far more magnificent than we imagined.”

He paused, then added:

“Tell headquarters they’d best send a few Earth Immortals. It will attract attention from all sides and draw more eyes here, but we have no other choice.”

“Yes, sir!” the secretary replied with a nod.

Sakata Kuma hesitated for a moment, then reached out and gently wiped at the mottled rust on the Bronze Stele.

As his qi and blood infused it, wisps of Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi gathered. The rust flaked off piece by piece, falling and striking the ground with a crisp sound.

Soon, all the rust on the Bronze Stele had been shaken off by Sakata Kuma’s qi and blood. The three ancient words on its surface were finally revealed, seeing the light of day once more.

“This is…”

Sakata Kuma read aloud subconsciously:

“Lu… Lu Xuan?”

“Lu Xuan’s Tomb?”

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