Chapter 73 The Grand Tutor Returns to Court

Chen Yuan remained behind closed doors for two days, seeing no one.

The doors and windows of the bamboo building were tightly shut as the Shangqing Immortal Arts operated day and night, pouring Taiyi Peak magic power into the Great Dao Golden Wheel like a rising tide.

Lines on the golden wheel surfaced one after another, as clear as if they had been carved by a knife.

However, the final barrier remained completely unmoved.

He opened his eyes and ceased his cultivation.

No rush. He was missing a catalyst; forcing it would only damage his Foundation.

On the morning of the third day, the sound of horns drifted from the direction of the city gates.

One blast followed another, deep and lingering—it was the General-Welcoming Horn, the highest specification in the military rites of the Great Shang.

Bixiao peeked her head over the courtyard wall, glanced toward the North Gate, and her expression changed slightly.

"Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong is back."

Chen Yuan was putting on his outer robe, and his hands paused for a moment.

Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong. Grand Preceptor Wen.

The trusted minister to whom Emperor Yi entrusted his son, the God of War of Great Shang, the direct Disciple of the Golden Spirit Holy Mother of the Jie Sect, and a Taiyi Golden Immortal.

(The plot requires a modification of Grand Preceptor Wen's strength here.)

After three years of suppressing the rebellion in the North Sea, he returned to court today.

"The timing is quite coincidental."

Chen Yuan tied his belt, his tone very flat.

Bixiao jumped down from the wall and walked to the door.

"Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong is from the Jie Sect, a Disciple of the Golden Spirit Holy Mother. In terms of seniority, he's a generation below mine."

"But he is even more so Emperor Yi's man," Chen Yuan added.

Bixiao said nothing more.

At the North Gate of Chaoge, the commoners lined the streets.

A troop of elite cavalry galloped from the end of the official road, their iron armor as black as ink and their banners fluttering.

The leader rode a pitch-black Ink Kirin; his face was like cold iron, and a tightly closed slit—the Heavenly Eye—stood vertically in the center of his forehead.

A three-stranded long beard hung down to his chest, giving him a naturally majestic and intimidating air.

Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong entered the city but did not return to his manor, instead riding the Ink Kirin straight into the palace.

Along the way, his Heavenly Eye cracked open slightly, scanning the entirety of Chaoge.

In the direction of the royal palace, purple Qi was steaming, but it had become turbid. Much more turbid than three years ago.

In the direction of the Crown Prince's manor, golden Qi was bursting forth with a sharp, piercing edge.

To the north of the city—

Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong's gaze narrowed.

In that direction, there was a mass of Luck, unfathomably deep, like an abyss or a sea.

The faint phantom of a Qilin could be seen churning within it, yet it was shrouded by a layer of mist of unknown origin, making it impossible to see clearly.

This thing wasn't here three years ago.

He withdrew his Heavenly Eye, his expression unchanged, as he urged the Ink Kirin to pick up the pace.

The Royal Hall.

Emperor Yi dismissed his attendants to have a private talk with Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong.

The Eastern Yi War, the ambush at Broken Soul Ravine, the slaying of immortals at the Altar of God, the triumphal enfeoffment, the twin gems of chaoge—

Emperor Yi broke down every event in detail, and by the end, his voice was pressed extremely low.

"The late King King Wending of Shang said on his deathbed: The Guardian Qilin can make the Shang prosper, but it can also overthrow it."

Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong sat upright and motionless, listening to the entire account, then remained silent for a long time.

"Does Your Majesty have evidence to prove this person has rebellious intentions?"

Emperor Yi opened his mouth.

He couldn't answer.

Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong did not press further, only saying four words: "Allow me to see."

Emperor Yi nodded, then changed the subject.

"Grand Preceptor, I have a matter I wish to discuss with you."

"Please speak, Your Majesty."

"I intend to bestow Huang Yuerong in marriage to Chen Yuan."

Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong's hand holding the tea stopped.

Emperor Yi leaned forward slightly.

"The Huang Clan is loyal to the Great Shang, and Huang Yuerong has a fiery temperament; she is incapable of double-dealing."

"If she marries into the Chen manor, his every move will be under my eyes. If I need to move against him in the future—"

He didn't finish, but the meaning was clear enough.

Uproot him entirely.

Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong set down his teacup and glanced at Emperor Yi.

"If that youth is truly loyal, wouldn't Your Majesty's move chill the hearts of your meritorious subjects?"

Emperor Yi sneered.

"I would rather I fail the world than let the world fail me. Minister Wen, you observe this person clearly for me, and then I will make the final decision."

Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong rose, bowed, and exited the Royal Hall.

The moment the palace doors closed, he looked back at Emperor Yi's retreating figure.

After three years, this monarch's suspicion was more than ten times heavier than that of the previous ruler.

The Eastern Suburbs Hunting Ground.

Zi Shou hosted a banquet to reward the meritorious officials. Over a thousand soldiers were seated, with banners covering the fields.

Chen Yuan, dressed in a plain white robe, took his seat side-by-side with Zi Shou.

Huang Yuerong attended the banquet in military attire; the bandages on her right arm had been removed, but the scar remained. Upon seeing Chen Yuan, she threw a punch at him.

"You finally decided to come out."

Chen Yuan stepped aside to avoid it, smiling without replying.

The atmosphere at the banquet was extremely heated. Over a thousand soldiers raised their bowls and shouted 'twin gems of chaoge' in unison, their voices shaking the hunting ground.

Zi Shou pulled Chen Yuan to drink three bowls in a row, his face turning bright red. He patted Chen Yuan's shoulder and said that having a brother like him in this life made it all worth it.

The wine in Chen Yuan's bowl remained untouched as he responded with a smile.

Halfway through the banquet, an urgent report suddenly came from outside the hunting ground.

"Grand Preceptor Wen has arrived on his Ink Kirin and wishes to see His Highness the Crown Prince!"

The entire field fell into a sudden silence.

The laughter of the thousand soldiers was cut off as if by a knife.

The weight of the name Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong in the Great Shang military was even three points heavier than that of Emperor Yi.

Zi Shou immediately set down his wine bowl, stood up to straighten his clothes, and quickly went out to welcome him.

Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong walked slowly into the field.

He did not ride the Ink Kirin but walked on foot. His iron armor was not removed, and every step he took on the ground carried a dull metallic thud.

The thousand soldiers stood up in unison; no one dared to make the slightest sound.

Zi Shou went forward and performed the etiquette of a Disciple.

"The Grand Preceptor has had a long journey. Zi Shou failed to welcome you from afar; please excuse my lack of manners."

Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong helped him up, his gaze scanning the entire field.

Among the hundreds of people, it landed precisely on Chen Yuan.

Their eyes met.

An incredibly thick immortal pressure brushed against his face. It wasn't oppression.

It was a probe—like an eagle diving from high altitude, sweeping over the head of its prey without dropping its talons, just watching.

The Wuwei Sutra inside Chen Yuan's body operated automatically.

All his cultivation aura was instantly suppressed to the level of a Mortal.

The Taiyi Peak magic power, the dao rhyme of the Great Dao Golden Wheel, and the fluctuations of the Shangqing Immortal Arts all vanished completely.

Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong's Heavenly Eye opened slightly.

The Chen Yuan he saw was a pale, sickly noble youth.

His Luck was mediocre, and he had no cultivation. His smile was gentle, and his gaze was clear.

He was just an ordinary person.

Alarm bells rang in Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong's heart.

He was a Grand Unity Golden Immortal.

With his eyesight, if he couldn't see through a youth's background, there was only one possibility—there were means even more brilliant than his own at work, shielding him.

Chen Yuan stood up and bowed with a smile.

"I have long heard of Grand Preceptor Wen's great name. To meet you today is the honor of three lifetimes."

His voice was neither humble nor arrogant, just right.

Zi Shou, standing by his side, introduced him vigorously, praising Chen Yuan's contributions in the Eastern Yi War from start to finish, as if he wanted to tell the story of the silk pouches three more times.

Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong remained unfazed, exchanging pleasantries with Chen Yuan.

The topics shifted from military strategy to state affairs, from state affairs to the people's livelihood, and from the people's livelihood to the Way of Chess.

Every sentence hid a sharp edge, and every question was testing a boundary.

Chen Yuan answered fluently.

Humble, measured, and watertight.

Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong silently gave an evaluation—this person's depth of character was unmatched by anyone in the entire court.

Eighteen years old.

An eighteen-year-old youth should not have this kind of seasoned maturity.

The banquet dispersed.

Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong stopped Huang Yuerong at the exit of the hunting ground.

"General Huang, please stay a moment."

Huang Yuerong turned and cupped her fists.

"Grand Preceptor."

Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong, in the posture of an elder, got straight to the point.

"How is your relationship with Chen Yuan?"

This question again. Huang Yuerong had heard it twice now; once from Emperor Yi's messenger, and once she had answered herself.

She did not hide anything.

"He saved me, he saved three thousand brothers, and he saved His Highness the Crown Prince. I don't know what kind of person he is, but he has merit for the Great Shang and has been a benefactor to me."

She looked into Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong's eyes.

"That is enough."

Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong nodded, flipped onto his Ink Kirin, and without another word, turned and galloped toward the city of Chaoge.

The Ink Kirin thundered across the official road, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Grand Preceptor Wen Zhong looked straight ahead as his Heavenly Eye slowly closed.

He already had a judgment in his heart.

But this judgment was diametrically opposed to what Emperor Yi wanted to hear.