If you don't give up, I'd like to be your adoptive father.

Chapter 1448 If we don't unite, we're finished!
Just as the old Dragon King had thought.

Once the matter of bestowing the true dragon's fortune was revealed, Xiang Liang, Wei Jiu, Jing Ju, and other "T0-level hidden dragons" were all excited and overjoyed. They were deeply grateful to the old dragon, had no hesitation about the oath, and had no concern about the content of the oath.

The dragon race simply wanted to add "true dragon" before "Son of Heaven".

Why worry about something as trivial as a mere "trademark naming rights" that can bring you genuine dragon luck?

This is like in Xiaoyu's previous life, where some football stadiums and international airports were given the title "Chief," resulting in a win-win situation for both sides.

Moreover, this is not a new contract, but a renewal, and it represents an increase in investment.

Our ancestors had already signed a cooperation agreement with the true dragon, and now that a destiny has been formed, it certainly cannot be defied.

Now, he's merely representing the human race by signing a renewal contract for additional investment.

To be able to sign on behalf of humanity is an honor, a destiny. There is no coercion or helplessness, only pure joy.

Those who signed contracts and received signing fees were overjoyed, but Liu Laosan was extremely depressed.

Without Commander Li to lead the way, it took him quite a while to leave the main hall of the Dragon Palace and return to his own courtyard.

"Damn it, you clearly said you summoned me for two important matters, and now you haven't accomplished one, and you've completely forgotten the other?"

Liu Laosan didn't hide anything from his own brothers.

"Brother Ji, are you stupid? True Dragon Luck sounds like a good thing, why not take it?" Lu Wan exclaimed in frustration.

"You know nothing!" Liu Ji sneered. "Li Zhong should just stand right next to me. Old Long can kill him with a single glance, without any mercy."

Xiahou Ying sighed, "Commander Li was actually a very good man. It's such a pity that he died so hastily."

Liu Ji said, "Brother, Lao Long is killing someone right in front of me!"

"Oh, he's making an example of you, Brother Ji, to tell you to behave and stop causing trouble," Xiahou Ying said, suddenly realizing.

Liu Ji shook his head and said, "This is probably only the first meaning. The deeper purpose is to make me understand authority and obedience."

My provocation of Chen Sheng was considered an act of insubordination in the eyes of the Dragon King.

The main purpose of this alliance meeting is to unite the heroes of China to jointly confront the tyrannical Qin Dynasty.

What is 'unity'? Simply put, it means recognizing one's own role and obediently listening to the 'elder'.

Obviously, I can't be among the candidates for 'boss'; I'm the kind of person who's a troublemaker.

Old Dragon has this kind of thinking and attitude, and the great immortals probably won't be an exception.

In other words, after this alliance meeting, there will be a large-scale 'merger of rebel armies'.

Or rather, the 'bochang' intends to annex various rebel armies on a large scale.

If I possess the true dragon's destiny, no one will let me go.

But how much fortune can the Dragon King give me?
It's a bit of a loss to be guarded against and coveted by all the hidden dragons for a tiny bit of luck that may not even be of any use.

These words didn't get to the point, but they were his true thoughts, so they weren't entirely insincere.

"Alas, it seems we won't get any help from this alliance meeting."

"Even the Dragon King has this attitude, so a Quasi-Great Luo Immortal would certainly not consider us important pawns," Lu Wan sighed.

Liu Ji looked disgusted. "Aren't important pieces pieces?"

Lu Wan said, "Important chess pieces can stay in the Super VIP Courtyard and receive meticulous care from quasi-Grand Luo Immortals."

Look at Chen Sheng, in terms of real ability, he's not even a hair's breadth from you, Brother Ji.

Because he was destined to lead the uprising, a group of near-great immortals served him, allowing him to rise to become the King of Chu.

Now he's going to be a 'bozhang' (a high-ranking official) again, how impressive!

If Yan Wushuang weren't an important pawn, just look at what happened to her.

They were easily sacrificed, just to make way for an important pawn.

Just because we're not important pieces now doesn't mean we've left the chessboard or are no longer pieces.

Liu Ji felt irritated and said, "A quasi-Great Luo wouldn't personally go down to help you conquer cities and territories."

The real benefit is to be able to get to know and befriend so many heroes of China.

"Now that Commander Li is gone, who will arrange for our heroes of Western Chu to go out and make friends with heroes from all over the land?" Xiahou Ying asked.

"The alliance meeting is tomorrow, so there might not be time for us to coordinate with each other again!" Lu Wan said.

"Let's wait for the Dragon Palace's arrangements!" Liu Ji said.

They didn't have to wait long. That evening, as the sunset shone through the 'water mirror,' casting a golden veil over the magnificent Dragon Palace, new servants came to the door.

"Greetings, sirs. I am 'Quick-Runner,' and I have come to serve the heroes of Western Chu on the orders of the Thirteenth Chief Steward."

The newcomer was a short man with a pointed head.

He was less than 1.5 meters tall, with a thin body, a pointed head that gradually narrowed from his chin to the top of his head, but a very large mouth.

—This guy is definitely a fish demon, is it a tuna or a horse chub?
As Liu Ji sized up the other person, he made some calculations in his mind, but his smile remained gentle. "Commander Liu, we'll be relying on you from now on."

The man who had slipped away so quickly suddenly turned pale, waving his hands repeatedly and saying, "No, I can't do anything important, Master Liu, please spare me!"

Liu Ji's smile froze, and he murmured, "Commander Liu, what happened to Commander Li was purely accidental, and I am deeply saddened and regretful."

"If I ever had the chance to speak, I would kneel down and beg His Majesty the Dragon King."

Seeing his sincere expression, Liu Dekuai lowered his guard slightly and sighed, "Does Master Liu think that only Commander Li has been in trouble?"
Commander Yuan, who served King Chen Sheng; Commander Hu, who served King Tian Rong; Commander Ma, who served the heroes of the Baiyue—a total of eight commanders, all gone!

"Hiss~~" Liu Ji exclaimed in horror, "All the commanders are just following orders, how could this happen!"

He quickly looked around and, seeing that no one was watching, secretly transmitted his voice: "Everyone who has seen His Majesty the Dragon King, apart from the heroes of your Divine Land, has no chance of escaping."

Besides the eight commanders, there were also more than forty maids and dragon palace guards.

"Why is that?" Liu Ji was even more shocked and puzzled.

Liu Dekuai shook his head. "I don't know. All of you heroes are noble people with a destiny bestowed upon you, while we are of lowly birth and lowly fate. We can only be cautious and do less and say less."

"Sigh, I understand. Commander Liu, you can go about your business now!" Liu Ji had lost all interest in going out to make friends with heroes.

The next day, after breakfast, they practiced a set of boxing moves in the courtyard when shrimp soldiers came to call them.

Three clam maidens accompanied the shrimp soldiers.

They held trays in both hands, on which lay a set of neatly folded robes.

"This is the 'Three-Light Water Pattern Robe' that His Majesty the Dragon King bestowed upon all the heroes of the Divine Land."

It was the radiant light of the sun, moon, and stars passing through the water that was collected by the Weaver Girl of the Dragon Palace and woven into royal robes.

It is warm in winter, cool in summer, does not sink in water, and is indestructible by fire. All the princes and nobles of the Dragon Palace wear this kind of robe.

"Thank you for your kindness, Your Majesty." Liu Ji and the other two happily changed their clothes, and sure enough, they felt that the water elemental energy around them had become more approachable and controllable.

"As expected of the Dragon King of the East Sea, even a casual piece of clothing he gives away is something only immortals would wear," Xiahou Ying remarked.

"The Dragon King is wealthy, and everyone in the world knows that." Lu Wan was quite at ease and calm.

His wife was a goddess who often went to the river to collect the flowing spiritual light in the water and to the hillside to collect the radiance of the morning glow, and wove several sets of fairy clothes for him!
—The Dragon King was not only wealthy, but the old dragon also wanted to befriend the hidden dragon of the Divine Land.

Liu Ji muttered to himself, not becoming too obsessed with the fairy clothes.

Before long, they arrived at the square outside the "Xi Chu Villa" and met Peng Yue, Zhu Jishi, Qin Jia and dozens of other heroes.

They too had changed into robes with three-colored water patterns, their faces were meticulously groomed, their hair and beards were neat, and their skin was clean. They had lost much of their rough and uncouth appearance and gained much more of a heroic and noble air.

"Gentlemen, this way please!" Without wasting words, he greeted them and walked forward with his head down.

All the heroes knew of Li Zhong's tragic end, so they didn't bother to talk to him anymore and just walked on in silence.

We encountered several other teams along the way.

“Apart from the Qin Dynasty, all the heroes of China are gathered here,” Peng Yue remarked with emotion.

“The anti-Qin alliance must have a full complement of members,” Liu Ji said.

Peng Yue's lips curled into a mocking smile. "Brother Ji, you don't think this is the first anti-Qin alliance meeting, do you?"

When Chen Sheng and Tian Rong secretly formed their alliance, they never considered involving us.

Now they're calling us over, hehehe, I'm afraid the great immortal wants to find a 'master' for all of us 'lower-class guests'!

Just as Liu Ji was about to speak, a loud gong sounded from behind him, "Clang!"

Then came a loud shout: "The King of Chu has arrived! Everyone, make way!"

When everyone turned around, good heavens, it turned out to be a ceremonial guard composed of hundreds of shrimp soldiers and crab generals.

A giant crab spirit was banging a gong in front, while an old turtle shouted "Avoidance" and "Silence!"

A beautiful clam spirit dressed in colorful clothes carried a flower basket and scattered fragrant petals along the way.

There were also children with horns on their heads, carrying jade and incense burners, walking in front of the huge imperial palanquin.

The imperial palanquin was carried on the shoulders of sixteen warriors from the Water Palace. It was as tall as a two-story building and was decorated with extraordinary splendor. Purple gold was used only as the base of the palanquin, sandalwood was used for the frame, and jade was used for the windows.

The gauze curtains woven by the mermaids blocked the view of onlookers, but they could still see that bright pearls were glittering inside the imperial carriage.
Liu Ji dared to bet, based on his three experiences of performing corvée labor in Xianyang, that even the emperor's carriages were not this luxurious.

"Wasn't it said that Chen Sheng's uprising was already over? Why is there such a grand spectacle?" Peng Yue murmured.

Liu Ji glanced at him.

Upon hearing "avoid," Peng Yue instinctively stepped aside.

Most of the others did the same. At most, Qin Jia glared at the imperial carriage, muttered something under his breath, and reluctantly gave way.

—You all made way so voluntarily, yet you still ask others why there's such a grand entrance.

Liu Ji muttered to himself, then sighed and said, "Everyone says that the Great Qin has long lost its mandate of heaven, but who dares to underestimate the current Great Qin court?"

Everything else is meaningless; having a hundred thousand strong army and dozens of cities is the true foundation of reputation and authority.

Then they encountered the entourage of King Wei Jiu and King Jiaodong Tian Rong, who were also very large and imposing, clearing the streets with gongs and shouting "Long live the King!"

The heroes had mixed feelings; some were envious, some gritted their teeth, and some even considered joining their ranks.

However, once inside the main hall, all the ceremonial guards were left outside, and each hero had only one seat inside.

Those they brought did not have seats. For example, Xiahou Ying and Lu Wan, like Guan Yu and Zhang Fei who followed Liu Bei to join the anti-Dong Zhuo alliance, stood behind Liu Ji.

Liu Ji and Liu Bei had similarities in their situations, but also some differences.

Both of them were quite poor when they first joined the alliance, with no powerful army and no territory.

The difference is that Liu Bei was looked down upon, while Liu Ji held a high position and was seated at the head of the "VIP" section.

Figures like Peng Yue, Ying Bu, and Qin Jia, who had soldiers and generals and conquered vast territories, were still ranked behind him.

They don't yet have strong feelings of resentment or dissatisfaction.

That's the power of reputation.

Although Li Zhong's methods were brutal, Liu Ji's reputation was indeed established. Everyone knew that he was born with the destiny of Tian Kui and that Chen Sheng had repeatedly tried to marry him but failed, which led him to want to kill him.

"Gentlemen, I am Fuqiuzi, the host of this anti-Qin alliance meeting."

Once everyone had arrived, the organizers didn't keep them waiting long. Fuqiu Gong went directly to the stage to reveal his identity and purpose: "Before the King of Chu launched his uprising, the heroes who opposed Qin had also spontaneously organized several alliance meetings."

The talks went very well at the time.

As a result, when the various rebel armies rose up, before they could fully establish themselves, the original alliance was torn up.

Before the Qin army had even truly exerted its strength, the anti-Qin rebels had already begun to fight amongst themselves.

Internal friction is still very serious.

According to the joint deductions of myself and several great immortals, if left unchecked, the Central Plains will probably return to peace within two years.

The so-called 'peace' does not mean that you have been completely swept away by the Qin army.

If the Qin army begins to sweep away the rebel kings, the life-or-death crisis will actually unite you.

Yu Fengxian was the most shrewd person in the world, and she had already seen through this.

She also used her dream-time travel technique to get all the Qin princes and high-ranking military officials to reach a consensus—to use time to erase their destiny and buy time to restore the destiny of Qin.

In other words, the Qin Dynasty would allow you to establish your own independent regime.

Even if they had the power, they wouldn't destroy your kingdom.

The most typical example is the State of Wei at this time. If the State of Qin wanted to destroy the State of Wei, it would not be an easy task, but at most half a month.

The Qin Dynasty did not do that; they only separated you and squeezed your living space.

If your ambition remains undiminished and you still wish to destroy Qin and expand your territory, then a fierce storm of attacks will immediately come from all directions.

To crush your fighting spirit and make you content to be mere feudal lords.

Ten or twenty years later, the great calamity of heaven and earth will finally come to an end, and you will be exhausted, having exhausted your energy and spirit. The Qin Dynasty will reclaim its lost territories in no more than six months.

Six months later, the Qin Dynasty regained its former glory and was completely resurrected.

Facing the shocked, angry, and fearful gazes of the heroes, Fuqiu Gong sighed softly, "Is this the ending you hoped for?"

Numbed by temporary peace, abandoning ideals, forsaking destiny, and letting Yu Fengxian successfully defy fate for the tyrannical Qin dynasty?

(End of this chapter)