Wang Clan Ancestral Grounds.

Violent spiritual energy fluctuations almost soared into the sky, enough to raze the entire Wang Clan ancestral grounds along with its formations to the ground, shattering everything into dust. However, Xu Shi suppressed it with a backhand.

Xu Shi gradually regained the foundation of being the number one *fangshi* (Taoist alchemist) of Shenzhou.

With every gesture, he displayed first-class術法 (Shufa, Taoist arts), easily defeating and suppressing the Wang Clan elders who had stayed behind. Even in the Wang Clan ancestral grounds with its thousand-year formation foundation, it was still the same.

The gap between them was too great.

Even Daoyan, with six hundred years of Buddhist cultivation, had been injured by a single misstep.

How could these people compare?

The formation attacks had erupted countless times, only to be suppressed by the middle-aged *fangshi*.

Accompanied by intense fluctuations of Yuanqi and spiritual energy.

The Wang Clan members fought desperately, almost sacrificing their lives, using formations in a coordinated attack.

Xu Shi remained indifferent.

With a flick of his sleeve, he used pre-Qin Taoist techniques to counter the Wang Clan's formation attack with an attack of his own, forcibly shattering it. The massive spiritual energy explosion directly destroyed the Langya Wang Clan's formation. Xu Shi's sleeves billowed slightly, and he did not suffer any substantial injuries.

He had re-familiarized himself with the moves he had been accustomed to using two thousand years ago.

He no longer held back.

He took a step forward.

Carrying a merciless killing intent, he pressed down towards the Wang Clan patriarch's brow.

This strike would annihilate both body and soul.

Suddenly, the sound of weapons clashing echoed. The old man kneeling on the ground had broken his cane, his eyes glazed over. Xu Shi felt his arm hairs stand on end. A chilling sensation surged fiercely in his heart, like a nightmare.

A Qin sword swept across the void.

Accompanied by the resounding sound of armor, a figure stepped out from the Langya Wang Clan's ancestral hall.

His face was that of a man in his thirties, in his prime, but through the coldness in his eyes, Xu Shi still saw the scene from over two thousand years ago. The Qin destroyed Qi, and the king who had once been in the eyes of the Qi people was starved to death in a small forest.

Marquis Tongwu, Wang Ben.

Then, Xu Shi sensed another icy killing intent locking onto him.

Concealed, yet not revealed.

But it was even more profound and terrifying than Wang Ben's aura.

Xu Shi quickly saw that it was also a true spirit aura erupting from the ancient artifact enshrined in the ancestral hall. It was an old and imposing general, Great Qin's Marquis Wucheng, Wang Jian.

The ancestor of the military strategists, Jiang Ziya of the Great Zhou, was conferred the title of King Wucheng. Wang Jian used Wucheng as his title, and no one in the world felt it was inappropriate, which showed his strength.

Xu Shi sneered, unafraid, and turned around.

His sleeves fluttered.

With one hand, he enveloped both Wang Jian and Wang Ben.

The father and son, famous generals who had jointly destroyed five of the six kingdoms, drew their swords simultaneously.

Amidst the deafening roar.

The two famous generals' remaining true spirits retreated step by step.

The entire Langya Wang Clan's ancestral grounds sank a foot.

Xu Shi couldn't help but laugh loudly: "Famous military strategists, without commanding troops, are nothing more than this!"

Wang Ben's tiger eyes narrowed, his voice indifferent as he said: "You're just relying on *fangshu* (Taoist magic)."

"If I were at my peak, I would have cut you down before the battle."

The current Wang Ben and Wang Jian were just remnants of true spirit aura left on the weapons. Their souls had long returned to heaven and earth. They no longer existed. But if it had been back then, Wang Ben, whose fierce reputation had earned him the title of Marquis through military exploits, might have been able to kill this number one *fangshi* of Shenzhou with his bloodthirsty aura from conquering cities and destroying kingdoms.

Xu Shi's aura was no weaker than his. He said indifferently:

"Even back then, if you weren't commanding troops, I could have taken your head."

Wang Ben sneered.

But he did not immediately retort.

After all, Xu Shi was a *fangshi* who was qualified to seek immortal mountains overseas. The fact that he could leave his name in history as an extraordinary person represented his strength. However, the strength of a great military general was completely related to their command ability. A general who commanded a large army was a force capable of destroying a nation.

Xu Shi swept his gaze over the two famous generals and said, "Since you want to protect this old man, I will let him go."

"But remember..."

He stared at the old man who was coughing blood and said:

"I am a Qi person."

As the words fell, Xu Shi calmly flicked his sleeves and left. The two famous generals did not chase after him, allowing him to come and go as he pleased. The old man guessed that Xu Shi's purpose was to chase after the general's token. His expression was anxious, but Wang Jian and Wang Ben remained calm.

The Wang Clan members bowed respectfully, their faces ashamed but also filled with complex relief:

"Two ancestors, we, your unworthy descendants, have troubled you to come forward..."

The true spirits before them were not the real Great Qin generals, but rather the aura left on the ancient artifacts. It would gradually dissipate. When it was completely depleted, it would mean that their last mark in the world would also vanish. For the two of them, who relied on this kind of residual aura to manifest, it was no different from dying again.

Wang Jian did not answer.

Wang Ben glanced over and said calmly: "It's not because of you."

"Don't overthink it."

??!

The excitement and gratitude on the Wang Clan members' faces froze.

It was probably like, don't think too much, we didn't come out to save you.

Do whatever you want.

Ancestors, you're making it difficult for us to step down...

The two Great Qin generals did not have any other emotional fluctuations. They were not the real Wang Ben and Wang Jian, but rather the intense emotions left on the artifacts. Perhaps they had residual memories, but many emotions still had some distance. After a long period of time, only the strongest emotions could survive.

This was also the strongest memory scene that Wei Yuan could see.

Ancient artifacts conveyed the experiences and emotions of predecessors.

For more than two thousand years, even though the family had become mottled and dusty in the long sleep and years, and the connection of bloodlines had long been so weak that it was almost non-existent, there was still one person's name that shone brightly.

Wang Jian held the sword and muttered to himself silently: "I feel... a familiar aura."

"Although I don't know if it's true or false, although I know it's impossible, it doesn't matter."

"Can I see you again..."

Your Majesty.

Even if this body is just a dream, a dream within a dream of the dead.

But thinking of that scene, his heart was still surging.

The king has arrived.

How can the subject not come?

……………………

"Your tea is ready."

"If you want to order anything else, you can order online."

The waiter walked away politely.

Before leaving, he couldn't help but take a few more glances at the First Emperor.

The First Emperor in modern attire was sitting in the teahouse, on the second floor, overlooking the flowing Qinhuai River. The First Emperor refused Wei Yuan's strong recommendation.

How could he go straight to the food as soon as he arrived here?

Yuan, are you being too indulgent?

The First Emperor questioned his halberd-bearer in this way. Then, with Wei Yuan, whose pain point was directly hit, he chose a teahouse with a good view. From here, he could see the scenery of the Qinhuai River flowing through Jinling, and he could also see the modern city from a distance. The decoration was elegant and quiet enough.

Of course, in a place like Jinling City, such a place represents only one word—

Expensive!

To elaborate, it was extremely expensive.

In modern society, there is an abundance of products, but there is also a convention. Do you want elegance?

Do you want demeanor?

You can.

Bring money.

And without a doubt, every emperor in the world has an extremely weak concept of money. Therefore, the task of paying fell on Wei Yuan's head. There was no need to question this. How could you let the First Emperor pay? Do you believe that the old Qin people will take you back and conduct a moral education of love and peace?

What kind of halberd-bearer are you?

Watching his wallet shrink a lot, Wei Yuan didn't feel any heartache. Or rather, heartache was heartache, and paying was paying. They were two different things. Wei Yuan poured a cup of tea for the First Emperor. The First Emperor overlooked Jinling City. He had just asked about this city.

He took a sip of tea and asked, "Wang Jian, his descendants seem to be doing well?"

Wei Yuan nodded, thought for a while, and told the story of the Langya Wang Clan.

The Eastern Bed Son-in-Law, Wang Xizhi, whose writing penetrated three inches into the wood, was known to everyone.

Also, at that time, *Qingtan* (pure conversation, a philosophical debate) was popular, so someone once advised Wang Yan, who should have learned to view life and death like Zhuang Zhou. However, he said the sentence, "Sages forget emotions, and the lowest are unable to reach emotions. However, the place where emotions gather is among us." He left behind the phrase "the place where emotions gather."

The world all used "husband" to address wives as "Qing," and wives called husbands "Jun." This was etiquette.

However, the wife of Wang Rong, one of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove, addressed her husband as "Qing."

Wang Rong was annoyed, but his wife poked his cheek and asked with a smile, "Loving 'Qing' is why I call you 'Qing.' If I don't call you 'Qing,' who should I call 'Qing'?" Wang Rong had nothing to say. Fine, he couldn't win against her. If he spoke too harshly, he would be reluctant. One of the Seven Sages of the Bamboo Grove roared to the sky and had to let his wife call him "Qing."

As for the other six sages who joked about this matter, he simply lay down and let them mock him.

However, it left behind the four-character idiom "*Qingqing wowo*" (utterly lovey-dovey) in history, which has continued to this day.

Wei Yuan hadn't paid attention before, but once he traced it back, he would find that the Wang Clan had indeed left considerable elegant and unrestrained traces in the history and cultural allusions of Shenzhou.

Hearing that the family of generals, known for their power and majesty and three generals in one family, was most praised in later generations for their elegance, Emperor Qin, who was as ambitious and talented as the First Emperor, could only say that the world was unpredictable and that changes were unpredictable. He took a sip of tea and said:

"I drove Wang Ben to destroy the State of Qi and establish the Qi and Langya commanderies. King Jian of Qi died at the hands of Wang Ben. However, later generations want to use the name of the land of Qi as the name of the family. The world is mysterious and interesting. As for Wang Jian... that old fox, he has descendants like Wang Xizhi."

Wei Yuan thought of Wang Jian asking the First Emperor for a large reward when he went on an expedition.

The First Emperor raised his eyes and said, "This matter has also been passed down to this era?"

"Heh... Wang Jian, he is really an old fox. He asked for a large reward to show that he had no other intentions and to reassure me. How could I not know? I promised him to reassure him so that he could conquer the battlefield without distractions. However, he is really an old fox."

Wei Yuan was slightly stunned, and then he understood.

The First Emperor shook his head and said, "I know him, and he knows me, but he deliberately wanted this large reward. It was a conspiracy, and I couldn't refuse it. How could he not be cunning?"

Wei Yuan couldn't help but want to laugh. Besides this famous general who had followed the First Emperor since he was young, no one dared to openly and legitimately extort the First Emperor in this matter.

However, thinking about it now, the Wang Clan's ability to continue for two thousand years and the beginning of the name Langya Wang Clan may have been related to the First Emperor's reward back then.

It began at the time when famous generals were destroying cities and kingdoms, with a reward with the taste of iron and blood, but in the end, it turned into elegant words such as "*qingqing wowo*" and "the place where emotions gather," like繁花 (Fan Hua, blooming flowers) on swords, or butterflies falling on sword tips.

History is always like this.

Inadvertently, it reveals the romance that only time can create.

Wei Yuan suddenly thought of something and said, "By the way, Your Majes... Boss."

"Since you don't eat duck, I remember there are many time-honored desserts in Jinling City."

"Shall I go buy some?"

Wei Yuan added, "It's just right to pair with tea. If you come once, won't you feel regret if you don't eat something?"

The First Emperor glanced at his halberd-bearer, felt helpless in his heart, and agreed happily. Wei Yuan calculated the time and rushed out in one breath. He opened the phone and said, "I just made a reservation. Is it out of the oven? Soon, okay, I'll be right over."

So gluttonous, could it be that in some life, he was transformed into a chef or a butcher?

The First Emperor took a sip of tea.

The Yuanqi in the sky fluctuated, and he raised his eyebrows.

……………………

Wang Yushu was carrying the general's token, his heart beating wildly.

His face was pale, and he was already seriously injured.

He didn't know why, but he found that the people around him couldn't see him, as if he was an invisible man. Or rather, his sense of existence had been erased. He became more and more panicked, fearing that the terrifying and frightening *fangshi* would appear again, like a nightmare.

He tried his best to run wildly, relying on hiding in the crowd. However, in the end, this method didn't succeed. When he was near the Qinhuai River, an aura directly pierced through his body. Wang Yushu was seriously injured but not dead. He fell heavily and saw the *fangshi* appear. His heart was filled with despair.

Xu Shi walked forward slowly.

His heart was calm and peaceful. When he stepped into Shenzhou and saw the Emperor's Mausoleum, his state of mind was turbulent and then returned to calm. Then, he went straight into the Langya Wang Clan and suppressed them with a flip of his hand. Moreover, in a direct confrontation, he defeated the Wang Clan father and son. His state of mind gradually returned, and he cut off all the panicking, terrifying, fearful, uneasy, and hesitant aspects of himself.

He became more and more single-minded, more and more purely himself, like a god.

He defeated the Wang Clan's son.

His state of mind reached its peak.

Even the fear of the Emperor's Mausoleum no longer existed. Yes, for these two thousand years, it turned out that what had been trapping him all along was not the First Emperor, not the Emperor's Mausoleum, but himself. It was he himself who refused to let go of himself. After realizing this, his state of mind was clear and perfect, and he had a feeling of sudden realization, as if the monks who had been sitting on the cliff for a long time had finally realized the truth. He wanted to cry, wanted to laugh, but in the end, he clapped his hands, smiled, and was as calm as water.

So that's how it is.

So that's how it is!

He suddenly thought of a Buddhist saying.

"I have a bright pearl, long locked up by dust and labor; today the dust is gone and the light is born, illuminating thousands of mountains and rivers."

Isn't this heart a bright pearl?

A thousand-year-old dark room, one lamp illuminates it!

A great enlightenment. Even the general's token was no longer important in his heart. He had completely let go, let go of the past, let go of the previous life. From now on, I am the only me, the real me, without the previous life, without fear of the past, a true and upright god, a dignified me.

Then, he looked up.

He saw the First Emperor.

ps: Today's first update... four thousand words, thank you Qian Xing Zhi Mou for the ten thousand reward, thank you~