Chapter 701: Confucian Order and Position

Chapter 701: The Rank of Confucian Order

Hum.

The fragment of the dharma ruler lodged in Shang Lu's chest suddenly tore free and flew up. Yang Baize, already at the end of his strength, had no time to react and could only watch helplessly as the fragment shot into the other's body.

"Who the hell are you?!"

Without needing to think too much, Yang Baize knew that the bizarre-acting man before him was not the Zou Sijiu he knew.

"Yellow Millet Law Domain, now that's a truly remarkable treasure. But before that, I need to transform these unyielding Lawkeepers into Yellow Millet Ghosts."

'Zou Sijiu' licked his lips, his eyes slightly closed, his expression one of pure delight.

"But they probably won't refuse either. After all, freeing them from those insensate Lawkeepers is like giving them a chance to live again. Besides, what they guard is the Great Ming Law of the Zhu family, wouldn't you agree?"

"You are Zhan Shun of the Eastern Palace?!"

Yang Baize suddenly realized and blurted out the other's true identity.

"No, Zhan Shun is dead. I am Zou Sijiu, Divine Lord Zou Sijiu of the Eastern Palace."

As he said this, the man's gaze did not fall on Yang Baize, but he smiled and looked behind him.

"What damn bad luck, I just got here and hear someone spouting bullshit. Zhan Shun, you old bastard, you're addicted to impersonating me, aren't you?"

Yang Baize turned at the sound, and in his slightly dazed vision appeared a slicked-back head of hair, a raised chin, arrogant eyes, and an air of cynicism—each detail confirming the newcomer's identity.

"Master Zou..."

In that instant, the last breath Yang Baize had been holding in his chest finally dispersed, his taut heartstrings suddenly slackened, and endless fatigue instantly swallowed him whole; he fainted before finishing his words.

"Pretty ruthless, aren't you?"

Zou Sijiu looked at the battered Yang Baize and the horribly dead Shang Lu, his face twitching, a murderous intent surfacing.

"Zhan Shun, do you think that now you've latched onto the Zhu family's coattails, you can come out and stir up trouble again?"

Zhan Shun crossed his arms over his chest, tilted his head, and looked Zou Sijiu up and down, a glint in his eyes. He said with no small amount of envy: "No wonder I waited so long outside the Dragon Tiger Cave Heaven but never saw Zhang Xiji appear. So his authority has already fallen into your hands."

Zhan Shun clicked his tongue in admiration: "Zhang Fengyue is indeed generous. Isn't he afraid that giving you so much authority will lead to the tragic outcome of raising a tiger that turns on him?"

"I, Master Zou, act uprightly and sit properly. I'm not a double-crossing scumbag like you."

Zou Sijiu sneered: "That the Zhu family would transfer thirty percent of their bottom-line authority to you—that, I'm not surprised at. After all, a cornered dog will jump over the wall; doing something insane and forgetful of one's ancestors is normal. But that you had the balls to accept it—that I really didn't expect. Zhan Shun, I advise you to worry about yourself, or you might end up trying to steal a chicken only to lose your rice, and die an ugly death!"

"He is a ruler among men, I am a god in dreams. Each has their own domain, and we keep our distances. Joining hands to deal with you madmen who seek to change heaven and earth—that's only natural."

Zhan Shun paused, then suddenly grinned: "And you simply cannot imagine how powerful the Yellow Millet, having broken free of thirty percent of its restraints, truly is."

"I think what you've unlocked is the ability to brag."

Zou Sijiu shouted, his voice deep: "Cut the crap. Hand over the Yellow Millet Law Domain, or you won't leave here today."

"I can't leave? Based on you, or based on that old-school Daoist up in the sky?"

Zhan Shun pointed upward. Chen Qisheng, whose disguise had been seen through, no longer hid and revealed himself among the thick clouds of the high sky. With his hands behind his back, standing on a sword, behind him a blue dharma image covered the clouds and obscured the moon.

"Last time, if that Bodhisattva of the Ten Directions hadn't entered the dream to help, you would have been completely devoured by me. Now she is severely wounded and has no choice but to return to her domain. Even if you hold sixty percent of the authority, what can you use to act arrogantly before me?"

Zou Sijiu's expression was calm; he did not show anger at having their situation known by the other party.

The battle outside Nanjing had been too great a commotion, and now many great clans had defected to the Zhu family. Such matters could not be hidden from anyone.

And Zhan Shun was not wrong: although Zou Sijiu now held a full sixty percent of the authority, Zhan Shun likewise held thirty percent. When offset against each other, the relative strengths and weaknesses remained exactly the same as before.

Now, although Chen Qisheng was by his side, Zou Sijiu knew well that the old-school Daoist order was far too weak a threat to an entity like Zhan Shun, a Yellow Millet ghost without physical form, and even less able to intervene in battles within the Yellow Millet Nether Sea; he was essentially useless.

"You want to kill me, and I want to eat you—we both know that. Even without the struggle over authority, merely for the identity of 'Zou Sijiu,' there is no possibility of reconciliation between us."

As the Yellow Millet was gradually unlocked, Zhan Shun's behavior seemed to change accordingly.

Zou Sijiu couldn't describe that strange feeling. If he had to put it into words, it was probably that he had become more... human?

"Sooner or later, one of us will die, but not now, and not here. Take your people and leave."

Zhan Shun slowly straightened his back, spread his legs apart as if imitating Zou Sijiu's stance, and slowly smoothed his hands along his temples, the smile at the corners of his mouth growing more joyful.

The two 'Zou Sijius,' whose appearances and auras were indistinguishable from each other, silently faced off, the scene utterly absurd and eerie.

Bang!

The sudden gunshot ripped through the bizarre atmosphere.

Zhan Shun's head was struck as if by a hammer, jerking violently backward!

The shooter was none other than the boy who should have run far away. For some reason, he had returned and was now gripping the Wei Wuzu rifle that Yang Baize had dropped, panting heavily.

"Interesting... How very interesting."

A bloody hole was punched into Zhan Shun's forehead, and a dark red trickle of blood wound its way out of the bullet hole.

"Is this what Zhang Fengyue wanted to see? But even if you personally push these sheep to the edge of a cliff, they are still sheep in essence. What can they use to resist?"

Bang!

"I'll kill you ghosts, kill you all!"

The boy, tears streaming down his face, pulled the trigger all the way, venting his hatred and fear through the bullets.

As Zhan Shun's consciousness departed, the body he had stolen fell backward under the impact of the gunfire.

There was no joy of revenge in the boy's eyes; instead, he suddenly pressed the hot, smoking muzzle against his own temple.

"Don't be afraid, little sister. Big brother is coming to keep you company..."

Bang!

The last bullet slid out of the barrel and vanished into the night sky.

The boy, having fallen into a dream, collapsed to the ground. On his tear-streaked face were still frozen an unshakable guilt and a bone-deep hatred.

Zou Sijiu's face was dark and ugly; he exchanged a glance with Chen Qisheng, who had descended from the sky.

Both of their eyes were filled with gravity.

Boom!

The tightly closed gate of the government office was blown to pieces by a shot. Amidst the rising dust came a loud shout.

"Uncle Li, I've come to take you home!"

Zhang Siyuan appeared, carrying a rifle over his shoulder, his steps leaving bloody footprints on the ground. Behind him, the broad central avenue was likewise paved with mangled corpses and soaked with blood. It was clear how many lives had become his gun's victims along the way.

In the vast main hall of the office, a head with eyes wide open in anger was placed on the large table.

"I apologize for troubling you, Young Master Zhang, with this long journey. Please forgive my rudeness."

Shi Qing stood alone by the table, bowing from a distance to Zhang Siyuan, who had burst through the gate. Just as he straightened up, a cold gun muzzle pressed against the back of his head.

The grinning Zhang Siyuan carrying the rifle in front suddenly dissipated like a bubble, and a voice like shards of ice sounded behind Shi Qing.

"Did the Zhu family send just you to meet your death?"

"Everyone says that Young Master Zhang's 'Archery' is superb, but I never expected you to be so accomplished in the most obscure 'Music'; a single word can make one see illusions. I am full of admiration."

"Flattery won't work on me."

Zhang Siyuan sneered: "Where are your ambush forces? You went to all this trouble just to hook me, didn't you? Now that I'm here, why not bring them out and show them?"

We originally prepared a funeral procession that could be called luxurious for you, Young Master Zhang, but unfortunately, with a figure like Li Gejun protecting you in the shadows, we had no choice but to give up.

As soon as Shi Qing finished speaking, he clearly felt the breathing of the person behind him suddenly grow heavier, and he could not help but realize.

"It seems you didn't know? Well, now the entire coastal region's Huangliang is blockaded by the Eastern Palace. Of course you wouldn't know that after killing Zhang Xiji, he dragged his wounded body here without rest to rescue you. Such brotherly affection is truly moving."

Zhang Siyuan snarled, "Since everyone else has fled, how dare you stay here?"

"Of course I don't dare. As a swan lurking in the shadows for many years, finally getting a chance to step onto the stage, how could I easily waste this life?"

Shi Qing laughed, "This is merely a false body used to convey words. No matter how powerful your gun is, Young Master Zhang, can you kill me through Huangliang?"

"To make that Huangliang ghost Zhan Shun serve you so diligently, it seems you have really paid a heavy price."

"Not much, just thirty percent of the Huangliang authority."

Bang!

Shi Qing suddenly felt his knees go numb as Zhang Siyuan kicked him to the ground, his forehead pressed to the floor by the heavy muzzle of the gun.

"What several generations of Zhu emperors dared not even dream of doing, Zhu Yiyan has done. Truly an 'outstanding' heir."

Shi Qing ignored Zhang Siyuan's mockery, kneeling on the ground in an extremely humiliating posture.

"Full authority is like ten iron chains around the neck of that monstrous flood beast, Huangliang. Everyone pulls hard, trying to ride and tame it. But no one ever thought that perhaps only the first person brave enough to unshackle Huangliang truly deserves to be the master of this beast."

"Bullshit!"

Zhang Siyuan roared in a low voice, "Once Huangliang completely breaks free, everyone who ever controlled it will be bitten to death one by one!"

"To do what ordinary people cannot—that is the imperial demeanor of a restoring ruler!" Shi Qing's voice was filled with intense reverence and admiration.

"This Great Ming Empire will sooner or later be destroyed by his hands."

Zhang Siyuan's right index finger slowly tightened, the gun's flame ready to ignite at a touch.

"I am waiting here specifically for you, Young Master Zhang, on the orders of His Majesty, to have a talk with you, the future successor of the Confucian Order."

"Not interested." Zhang Siyuan's tone was cold.

"What if even Lord Zhang wants you to talk with us?"

Boom!

The abruptly raised muzzle blasted out a dazzling flame, exploding a ten-foot-wide deep pit in the courtyard.

Shi Qing's body was thrown back by the shockwave, and beneath the torn flesh, metallic-sheen mechanical bones were exposed.

"What do you mean?"

Zhang Siyuan watched the man struggling to get up from the ground, his gaze cold as a knife.

"Any clear-eyed person knows this journey of yours is fraught with dangers, even a narrow escape from death. Pei Xingjian did not stop you, perhaps because of the sudden death of his close friend and his beloved disciple in peril, momentarily losing reason. But why didn't Lord Zhang stop you?"

"Did Zhu Yiyan send you to sow discord? If it's only this nonsense, you can shut up."

The gun muzzle aimed at him again. On Shi Qing's face, half the skin torn off, his expression remained calm and composed.

"Of course we wouldn't do something so meaningless."

Shi Qing said calmly, "As a leader determined to forge a new era, in Lord Zhang's eyes, everyone can die for the great cause, including himself. And you, as a filial person, can naturally face death as if returning home to achieve your father's cause."

"And your death would be the best choice to boost morale, unite people, and share hatred for the enemy for those Academy faction Confucian Order who still follow Lord Zhang. You know this well, so since leaving Jiangxi, you never intended to return alive. Frankly, if not for Li Jun's intervention, we would not have killed you easily; instead, we would have captured you alive at all costs."

Shi Qing suddenly changed his tone: "So when I said 'stop' earlier, I didn't mean stop you, but rather, knowing that your death would bring nothing but benefits, why didn't Lord Zhang stop Li Jun?"

Shi Qing nodded slightly, as if using this gesture to express his admiration.

"Because even if he is Zhang Fengyue, he cannot bear to watch his own son go to his death."

"My patience is limited. You'd better stop beating around the bush and spit it out!"

Zhang Siyuan's expression was exceptionally cold, seemingly uninterested in Shi Qing's words, but his right thumb kept rubbing the gun's body.

"Nowadays, the three orders of Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism seem each to go their own way, but essentially they all establish deities, build temples, and propagate faith. The difference is only that Buddhism and Taoism ask believers to seek externally, offer to gods, beg for mercy. While Confucianism asks believers to seek internally, restrain themselves, and not rely on external things."

"But when it comes to the Second Order level, these are the 'destined calling' they cannot abandon, the responsibility they must shoulder, and the faith they must defend with their lives."

Shi Qing said softly, "But you are different. Your aspirations are completely opposite to Lord Zhang's. By this action, Lord Zhang wants to use our words to make you see your own pursuit and goal, to persuade you to leave the empire's mainland and stay away from this conflict."

"And His Majesty, as Lord's last student, though they have now parted ways, still remembers his years of painstaking cultivation, so he specially ordered me to await you here."

Shi Qing said, "Therefore this time, what I tell you is not about favor or betrayal, nor about benefit or loss, but only about an ideal that a Confucian Order member cannot forsake throughout his life."

"That is, the destined calling that belongs to you."