Chapter 589: First Encounter with “Mystic Arts”

At the residence of Zhao Bai, Meng Qi and others looked at Zhou Xin standing at the gate.

Zhou Xin wore a grim expression: “Mr. Su, our lord has issued an order. Please leave his territory immediately. If you are still here by evening, we will have to forcibly expel you. Don’t blame us for being impolite!”

Zhao Bai, a retainer of Lord Bo Le, hurriedly said: “Mr. Zhou, our lord has always been respectful toward virtuous scholars and accommodating toward others, embracing all regardless of status. Why would he expel Mr. Su and his companions? They are all highly talented individuals!”

“Their teachings defy the natural order, and they are arrogant and ungrateful. Our lord fears that the common people in his territory may be misled, hence this order,” Zhou Xin replied solemnly.

Zhao Bai wanted to argue further, but Meng Qi raised his hand to stop him, saying calmly: “We shall leave immediately.”

Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu remained expressionless, seemingly anticipating this outcome.

Zhou Xin nodded: “Mr. Su, at least you understand the situation.”

With that, he turned and left with several other disciples of the Outer Scenery Sect.

“Why didn’t you defend yourselves?” Zhao Bai felt that men of Mr. Su’s caliber should have been honored by nobles and rulers. He believed that if they had explained properly, Lord Bo Le, who was not a fool, would have listened.

Meng Qi smiled: “Lord Bo Le made this decision even after hearing Zhou Xin’s account of our teachings. His mind is made up. He appears ambitious but lacks talent, and though he seems broad-minded, he is narrow at heart. If we had argued, we would have invited disaster. Since our paths differ, it’s better to leave and seek other lords to persuade.”

Lord Bo Le was a Grandmaster, one of the highest-ranking nobles in the Han Kingdom, with many ministers and masters around him, including Grandmasters and even Outer Scenery experts at their peak. Meng Qi and his companions could not afford to confront such power directly, so they left while the situation allowed.

According to intelligence from the “Fairy Trace,” in the world of the Investiture of the Gods, none of the warring states currently possess a Dharma Body. The strongest are Half-Step Dharma Bodies, though divine treasures are used to suppress them. The secret Daoist sects and Buddhist lineages behind the major states also lack Dharma Bodies—at least none had been encountered by the Celestial Venerable of Spiritual Treasures. However, these sects possessed terrifying and bizarre artifacts, and legends of immortals persisted. The Celestial Venerable dared not be careless, for at any moment a powerful Dharma Body who had participated in the Investiture War might emerge.

—Among the former “Six Hegemons” of the warring states, all had been Dharma Bodies.

“Mr. Su is absolutely correct,” said Bai Song, a man with a short beard. He turned to Zhao Bai: “Brother Zhao, you have repeatedly urged us to join Lord Bo Le’s retinue, but my brother Wang and I have always politely declined, because we recognized that Lord Bo Le is not truly respectful toward virtuous scholars. Though his demeanor appears broad-minded and indifferent to status, in reality, he is conceited and narrow at heart.”

Zhao Bai hesitated, then clenched his teeth: “Now that I’ve become a Mohist, I should naturally follow Master. I’ll gather the other Mohists immediately.”

Meng Qi shook his head seriously: “No need. Gathering them would only endanger them.”

“Endanger them?” Zhao Bai and Wang Qi were both puzzled.

Bai Song said gravely: “You’re being naive! If Lord Bo Le is willing to damage his reputation as a patron of scholars just to expel Master and his companions, surely he has ill intentions?”

“Indeed,” Meng Qi glanced at Bai Song. This man was meticulous in thought and skilled in strategy. If not for his limited vision, he would have made an excellent advisor. Unlike Zhao Bai and Wang Qi, who excelled more in martial arts.

The Investiture of the Gods world was rich in primordial energy, with weaker boundaries between heaven and humanity than in their original world, and even weaker than in worlds like that of the Sword Emperor and Demon Queen. Thus, the requirements for the mind in advancing to the Outer Scenery were relatively lower.

Seeing that Zhao Bai and Wang Qi still did not understand, Meng Qi explained: “Lord Bo Le, though he claims to respect scholars and gathers many retainers, must have grand ambitions. Yet, after hearing my arguments last night, instead of seeking deeper understanding, he chose to expel us immediately, disregarding his reputation. This shows he is ambitious but lacks talent, seeking fame without substance, appearing broad-minded but narrow at heart. Precisely for this reason, he will not easily let us go. If we bring other Mohists with us, they might be in danger if pursued!”

During last night’s discussion, Jiang Zhiwei and Ruan Yushu had already suggested that if Lord Bo Le hastily expelled them instead of allowing them freedom of movement, it must indicate ill intentions. Hence Meng Qi’s decision.

Zhao Bai was silent for a moment before saying: “That’s true. We can’t carry so many people with us in flight.”

Meng Qi smiled calmly: “They only listened to my lectures. Becoming Mohists seems trivial to outsiders. Since we have abandoned them, I believe Lord Bo Le will not hold a grudge and may even treat them generously to show his magnanimity and forgiveness.”

“As for whether they wish to remain Mohists, it should be entirely voluntary. They must not reveal this to others and must wait for contact. To recruit new Mohists, at least two existing Mohists must agree and recommend the candidate.”

At this, Jiang Zhiwei took out several bamboo scrolls: “These are the Mohist cultivation techniques for opening the acupoints. Anyone who becomes a Mohist may practice them.”

Over the past few days, Meng Qi and Jiang Zhiwei, along with others, had combined their knowledge of acupoint-opening techniques they had previously studied, creating a comprehensive manual of secret techniques including swordsmanship, knife techniques, palm techniques, boxing, zither techniques, internal cultivation, and lightness techniques. They named it the “Mohist Manuscript.”

Compared to current martial arts, this manual had a clear advantage: it was highly efficient in utilizing the ambient primordial energy during breathing. In their world, after great upheavals, the primordial energy was no longer as abundant as in ancient times, making cultivation difficult. Thus, high-level cultivators in the Middle Ages had focused on maximizing the use of sparse energy, an area where ancient techniques were inferior.

This was not because ancient sages were less capable, but simply unnecessary in their era. However, for martial artists in the Investiture of the Gods world, which was subtly decaying, the acupoint-opening techniques allowed faster cultivation than others.

Originally, Meng Qi had wanted to spread the Mohist art of mechanical constructs, wanting to play the role convincingly. Unfortunately, he had no knowledge in that area and had to substitute it with techniques below the Outer Scenery level.

Was he really going to share martial arts techniques? Zhao Bai was both surprised and delighted. He had never seen any noble freely teach cultivation techniques to ordinary people without prior agreements, especially since Mr. Su had just said that becoming a Mohist was entirely voluntary!

This was true universal love!

“For you, it’s the same. You may follow voluntarily. If you have families, it’s better to leave them behind,” Meng Qi added, thinking that in three months, he and his companions would leave anyway, and he did not want to drag Zhao Bai and others into danger.

“The world is like a long night. Even preserving ourselves is difficult, let alone protecting our families,” Bai Song bowed respectfully. “I wish to follow Master and learn from his teachings.”

Zhao Bai and Wang Qi expressed the same sentiments.

“In that case, so be it,” Meng Qi sighed. “I will later lecture on my understanding of the Dao of Heaven and Earth.”

By “understanding of the Dao of Heaven and Earth,” he meant a worldview and cosmology. When Meng Qi had determined his path, he had contemplated these ideas. Among the philosophers of the Hundred Schools, aside from those offering cryptic wisdom, most had developed systems to address the ills of their time, often including reflections on the cosmos and their own worldviews.

A martial artist who did not ponder such questions could not be called a “Master”!

As for whether these views were correct, even the philosophers of the Middle Ages would not dare to claim their views were absolutely right.

“Thank you, Mr. Su!” The three Outer Scenery experts, though lacking in insight, were delighted.

Zhao Bai and others quickly found the other Mohists, relayed Meng Qi’s words, and secretly passed on copies of the “Mohist Manuscript.”

As evening approached, the three of them drove Meng Qi and his companions out of the city. Not far from the city, they abandoned their carriage and flew into the sky, heading into the distance.

After flying for a while, Meng Qi suddenly called for a stop and told Bai Song and the others: “Let’s turn northeast.”

“Mr. Su, aren’t we going to the Huan Kingdom?” Bai Song asked in surprise. During this time, Meng Qi and his companions had been inquiring about the surrounding regions and had decided on the Huan Kingdom as their destination. He had assumed they would go there to teach and persuade.

But now, instead of heading southeast to the Huan Kingdom, they were turning northeast?

Zhao Bai and Wang Qi, reminded by Bai Song, also felt they “should” go to the Huan Kingdom. Why had they suddenly changed plans?

Meng Qi smiled: “If you could know we were going to the Huan Kingdom, do you think Lord Bo Le wouldn’t?”

“I see. Actually, the Huan Kingdom is a good choice. A pity…” Bai Song nodded, secretly lamenting the effort they had put into scouting.

Meng Qi smiled at them: “With you, who know the surrounding regions, how can we fail to find a better country?”

Indeed… Zhao Bai was momentarily stunned, realizing he had forgotten that they were familiar with the surrounding areas.

Mr. Su and the others had been asking questions all along as a precaution against Lord Bo Le!

As for Meng Qi and his companions, using Lord Bo Le’s reaction as a test, their reformed Mohist philosophy had taken shape. In the future, when persuading other lords, they would know how to identify suitable targets and what ideas to conceal.

…

Between the Han Kingdom and the Huan Kingdom lay a mountain range, continuous and perilous, often shrouded in mist, with powerful monsters dwelling deep within. Thus, even for Outer Scenery experts, only a few fixed paths could be used to cross.

Precisely because of this geographical barrier and the Han Kingdom’s focus on defending against the Qin and Tang Kingdoms, the weak Huan Kingdom had not yet been annexed.

Two figures floated among the white clouds. As dusk approached, they began to show signs of impatience.

“Junior Brother, have they shown any movement?” the taller, brown-robed figure asked.

The shorter figure, with a head as large as a bowl, wearing a red robe, twitched his ears, listening to the wind: “Not yet.”

The senior brother’s eyes turned golden, emitting rays of light that pierced the void, revealing the situation above Bo Le City.

It was the “Thousand-Mile Eyes”!

After a while, the junior brother, still childlike in appearance, jumped up, gritting his teeth: “They’ve turned northeast! How cunning! If I hadn’t been monitoring them all along, I might have been deceived. If we lose track of them, it will be hard to find them again!”

“Hehe, this is exactly why the Grandmaster sent us. If not for our innate talents in cultivating the Thousand-Mile Eyes and the Wind-Listening Ears from childhood, even a Half-Step Dharma Body would lose them!” the brown-robed senior brother chuckled, clearly in a good mood.

They carefully used their Thousand-Mile Eyes and Wind-Listening Ears to track Meng Qi and his companions from a distance, using their supreme-level speed to circle ahead.

“Junior Brother, Lord Bo Le said those five are highly talented and not easily defeated. We must not be careless,” the senior brother, repeatedly warned, remained humble.

The junior brother nodded: “The Grandmaster gave us secret treasures for exactly this purpose!”

As he listened, he said: “They seem to have not crossed the First Celestial Ladder yet, but that Mr. Su’s aura is deep and unfathomable. We cannot accurately judge him. He may be a variable. We should deal with him first!”

“Agreed,” the senior brother nodded.

As he spoke, he took out a secret treasure—a dark-colored bell engraved with eerie patterns and two ancient characters: “Mishen” (Enchantment of the Spirit).

The large-headed junior brother also took something from his robe—a scroll painted with mountains and rivers.

With a light flick, the scroll unfolded, merging into the surrounding void, transforming into a blue sky and white clouds indistinguishable from reality, replacing this realm.

The secret treasure: “The Scroll of Mountains and Rivers”!