plumnovel Chapter 42 Appointment of the Grand Master of the State
Chapter 42 Appointment of the Grand Master of the State
Bi Gan bowed and replied, "Your Majesty, this man's surname is Jiang, his given name is Shang, and his courtesy name is Ziya. When I passed by the South Gate, I happened to encounter him setting up a fortune-telling stall on the street."
He recounted the story of Jiang Ziya in detail.
It turned out that after Yun Zhongzi and Yang Chan spotted the woman with a cold and aloof demeanor opposite the Destiny Hall, the wooden sword in the palace issued a warning. Yun Zhongzi immediately rushed to the palace, while Jiang Ziya's side was also in turmoil.
Jiang Ziya immediately recognized that the woman was a demon in disguise, but he remained calm and collected. He first pretended to be friendly and performed a divination for her, then seized her wrist and tightly gripped her lifeline when she was off guard.
The demon's demonic energy was sealed, and it could not break free. Jiang Ziya picked up the inkstone on the table and smashed it.
How could a stone inkstone kill a demon? But this demon was just a jade pipa spirit with low cultivation. After its life force was seized, it lost all its demonic power and was smashed by Jiang Ziya until its head was bleeding profusely.
The surrounding people had no idea what had happened. They only saw an old man with white hair grabbing a young and beautiful woman and smashing her to death with an inkstone. The crowd immediately erupted in uproar.
Some shouted, "The old thief is lusting after a beautiful woman and is forcibly taking liberties with her!" Others yelled, "The woman is chaste and fierce, and will die rather than submit!" Still others had already run to report it to the authorities.
When the constables arrived, Jiang Ziya still held tightly to the woman's wrist and refused to let go, saying only:
"This is a demon; fellow villagers, do not be deceived."
Bigan happened to be passing by the South Gate at that moment. Upon hearing of this, he sent men to arrest the old man.
A short while later, Jiang Ziya was surrounded by constables and taken to Bi Gan.
When Bi Gan saw Jiang Ziya, he noticed that although Jiang Ziya had white hair and beard, he possessed an extraordinary demeanor. Despite wearing coarse clothes, his speech and mannerisms exuded an air of otherworldly elegance.
But he still held the woman tightly in his hand, and in his wonder, he stepped forward to ask her.
Jiang Ziya confidently said, "This woman is a demon. If we let go, she will surely turn into a demonic wind and escape, at which point we will be unable to prove our innocence."
After hearing the whole story, he was in no hurry to solve the case. He simply ordered his men to bring Jiang Ziya and the woman's corpse back together. Knowing that Emperor Xin was now widely inviting talents from all over the country, Bi Gan went to the palace to report.
Upon hearing this, both Emperor Xin and Wen Zhong turned ashen-faced.
"Even within the imperial city, there are still demons causing trouble."
Di Xin snorted coldly, "Is this an attempt to deceive my Great Shang Dynasty by saying it has no one to rely on?"
Wen Zhong's divine eyes on his forehead opened and closed slightly. He didn't speak, but he was extremely angry. These demons were definitely not ordinary.
The demons in Beihai are helping Yuan Futong, the Western Sect is secretly plotting against Nuwa Palace, and now even demons have infiltrated Chaoge City. Each and every one of these incidents must have a ulterior motive.
"Bring him up," Di Xin waved his hand.
At this time, Daji had not yet entered the palace, and the Star-Picking Tower had not yet been built. Emperor Xin and Wen Zhong chose a side hall to wait.
Before long, Bi Gan led Jiang Ziya into the palace.
Jiang Ziya had white hair and beard, a gaunt face, and although he was over seventy years old, his eyes were still bright and piercing.
He held the plump female corpse, its head bleeding profusely, in one hand, his steps steady, the hundred-pound body feeling as if it were nothing in his grasp.
Wen Zhong glanced at her with his divine eyes, nodded slightly, and nodded to Di Xin, indicating that the woman was indeed a demon.
Di Xin understood in his heart, but remained expressionless on his face.
After a series of questions, Jiang Ziya answered them one by one, but only mentioned that he was taught the Daoist teachings, without mentioning the name of his sect.
Emperor Xin asked, "I see that this woman's appearance and demeanor are no different from ordinary people, without the slightest flaw of being demonic. What makes you so certain that she is a demon?"
Jiang Ziya said, "If Your Majesty wishes to see the demon's true form, simply bring several loads of firewood and burn it; the demon will then reveal its true nature."
Emperor Xin immediately issued an edict, ordering palace servants to move a large amount of firewood and pile it outside the side hall.
Jiang Ziya took out a talisman and stuck it on the demon's head to seal its true form before loosening his grip on the wrist that had been clenched for half a day.
They then affixed Taoist talismans to its chest and back, suppressed its limbs with hand seals, dragged the demon corpse onto a pile of firewood, and ordered it to be lit.
The fire raged fiercely, its flames reaching the heavens, and burned for two full hours, yet not a single inch of the woman's clothes was charred.
A glint flashed in Di Xin's eyes as he said to Bi Gan, "This woman is indeed a demon!"
He then turned to Jiang Ziya, "Jiang Shang, do you have any other tricks up your sleeve? If you are not up to the task, I can have Grand Tutor Wen assist you."
Wen Zhong stepped forward and bowed.
Jiang Ziya returned the greeting and said loudly to Emperor Xin:
"Your Majesty, it is not difficult to make this demon reveal its true form. Please watch me do as I do."
As soon as he finished speaking, his eyes widened in anger, and three-colored flames shot out from his eyes, ears, mouth, and nose.
This is the Samadhi True Fire that Jiang Ziya refined and condensed with his own essence, energy, and spirit. When it merges with the raging fire of the mortal world, how could that demon withstand it?
In a short while, the female corpse transformed into her original form, which turned out to be a jade-faced pipa. The pipa wailed and cursed incessantly before finally turning to ashes in the flames.
Wen Zhong saw it clearly and nodded slightly.
Although the Samadhi True Fire is not a particularly profound magic technique, the ability to refine one's essence, energy, and spirit to such a degree is something that ordinary cultivators cannot achieve.
Di Xin and Bi Gan were already dumbfounded. When they came to their senses, their eyes were filled with joy. This was also a person with Taoist magic!
After burning the Pipa Spirit, Wen Zhong took the initiative to test his martial arts skills.
From changes in battle formations to troop deployments, from the transport of supplies to the geography of mountains and rivers, the two found themselves increasingly congenial as they talked.
When Jiang Ziya spoke of the art of war, his words hinted at a ambition to conquer the world. Wen Zhong listened with increasing curiosity, and the two simply sat down on the ground and continued their deep conversation as if no one else was around.
After a long time, as dusk approached, Di Xin, who was listening nearby, had no choice but to interrupt.
Wen Zhong then came to his senses and said to Emperor Xin solemnly, "Your Majesty, this man is a man of great talent."
Emperor Xin laughed heartily, truly in high spirits when good news comes. He immediately issued an edict: "Jiang Shang, hereby confer upon yourself the title of Grand Master of State, effective today, to assist in governing the state and to participate in military affairs."
Jiang Ziya straightened his clothes, knelt down, and kowtowed to express his gratitude.
By the time we left the palace gates, it was already dark.
Jiang Ziya was about to head to Song Family Village when Wen Zhong grabbed his arm.
"Sir, could you please stay a moment longer to discuss military matters?"
Jiang Ziya, still wanting more, bowed deeply and said, "I dare not disobey."
Wen Zhong laughed heartily, summoned his attendants, and ordered them to go to Songjiazhuang to inform Ma Shi that Jiang Ziya had gone to the Grand Tutor's mansion today and would not be returning.
The situation on the Ma family's side was naturally chaotic again, but we won't go into details about that.
In the Grand Tutor's mansion, Wen Zhong ordered a feast to be prepared. The two sat facing each other, first discussing military strategy, and then discussing the current rebel army...
Meanwhile, on the other side, "Guang Chengzi" had just left Chaoge City.
The nine-headed pheasant spirit in his sleeve was still trembling. He descended from the clouds and landed in front of Xuanyuan's tomb, releasing the demon. The demon tumbled and crawled to its knees.
Without further ado, he made a hand seal with his fingertips, and a pale golden magic seal was cast into the demon's brow.
"This is the Soul-Scattering Seal. Your life and death are in my hands. From this day forward, you shall stay here and guard the Xuanyuan Tomb, quietly recite the Yellow Court Classic, and not step out of this place. In the future, I will issue a decree. If there is any disturbance during this time, your soul will be burned for forty-nine days before dispersing."
The nine-headed pheasant spirit kowtowed repeatedly, daring not to utter a single word of dissent.
"Who gave you these orders, and why did you dare to leave Xuanyuan Tomb so rashly? What are your plans for today's events?"
Faced with the stern questioning of Guang Chengzi, the leader of the Twelve Golden Immortals, the Nine-Headed Pheasant Demon trembled all over, his voice shaking:
"Reporting to the Immortal, we... ah..."
Just as he was about to answer, a golden light flashed across the nine-headed pheasant spirit's body, and his soul was suddenly bound tightly.
Seeing this, Guang Chengzi disregarded his identity and summoned the Heavenly Divine Fire Pillar, which surrounded the monster using the eight trigrams, finally saving it from being restrained and killed.
Seeing that the spirit could not answer, Yun Zhongzi already had the answer in his heart;
Perhaps this demon would still be useful in the future, so after giving a warning, he rode on auspicious clouds to a secluded place and revealed his true form.
Above the clouds, Yun Zhongzi was calculating how to maximize the power of the nine-headed pheasant spirit when a system notification sounded in his mind.