The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 387 The Mountain Classic, The Yellow Gourd (Seeking Monthly Tickets)
Upon hearing this, Wang Yuyan immediately shook her head: "No, no, even if the dream is real, it is from a past life. Yan'er is Yan'er, not anyone else."

Zhao Ti thought for a moment and said, "Actually, Yunxiao is not bad either."

Wang Yuyan was stunned: "What does Your Highness mean by this? Could it be... that Your Highness knows Yunxiao?"

Zhao Ti laughed and said, "How could I recognize it? I just felt that the name was quite nice."

Wang Yuyan stared at Zhao Ti, her eyes meeting, and after a long while said, "Your Highness just said that you had heard of the Investiture of the Gods, but even my great-grandfather didn't know the name of this list; he only learned about it in a dream. Yet Your Highness knows it. Now you even say that my past life was good. Does Your Highness know something about my past life...?"

Zhao Ti said, "These are all the dream scenarios you just described; how could I possibly know anything else?"

Wang Yuyan shook her head: "Your Highness must know something but doesn't want to tell Yan'er."

Zhao Ti smiled. Wang Yuyan was incredibly clever; she had noticed even the slightest hint in his words.

However, he did not intend to tell the other party about the Investiture of the Gods at this moment. After all, it was shrouded in mystery, and there might be some secrets hidden. If he told them now, it would inevitably be one-sided and inaccurate.

"Is Yan'er right?" Wang Yuyan asked quietly, looking at Zhao Ti's expression.

Zhao Ti reached out and flicked her jade-like cheek, saying, "You are indeed very clever."

Wang Yuyan blushed slightly: "Your Highness must have a reason for not telling me now. Will you tell Yan'er later?"

Zhao Ti nodded: "This matter is complicated, with many ancient mysteries. Let me unravel the mystery one by one."

Wang Yuyan smiled and said, "By the way, Your Highness, my great-grandfather taught me many martial arts and Taoist arts. Let me tell you about them."

Zhao Ti laughed and said, "If Xiaoyaozi finds out, what will happen?"

Wang Yuyan said, "Even if my great-grandfather knew, what could he do? Never mind, I'll just tell His Highness."

She then recounted all the martial arts techniques that Xiaoyaozi had taught her. After listening, Zhao Ti's expression turned slightly strange: "The Mountain Scripture is actually such a bizarre martial art?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Yuyan's face flushed: "Your Highness must not practice this skill; just listening to it is enough."

Zhao Ti nodded. To master the Mountain Scripture martial arts, one must possess a mindset of forbearance.

What is the state of mind of enduring humiliation? It is the state of mind that can endure humiliation and live a life of humiliation, such as enduring humiliation to survive, enduring humiliation to live a life of humiliation, humiliation to be humiliated by a crotch, humiliation to be humiliated by a sword, humiliation to one's wife, humiliation to one's lover, etc. The key is the word "humiliation".

Only by possessing the heart to endure humiliation can one master this skill. One must first suffer humiliation and temper one's mind in the midst of humiliation in order to succeed.

Moreover, if one is humiliated once, one will try twice; if one fails twice, one will try three times; and if one fails three times, one will continue.

This skill can be described as extremely strange and abnormal, but once mastered, its power is immense.

Zhao Ti thought for a moment and asked, "Has Xiaoyaozi mastered this skill?"

Wang Yuyan said, "Great-grandfather... seems to have mastered it."

"Oh?" Zhao Ti blinked involuntarily.

“My great-grandfather said that when the Southern Tang Dynasty was destroyed, the Shanhai Temple was destroyed. He was rescued by a top master in the temple. He then fled to various places and finally had no choice but to escape to the Liao Kingdom’s grasslands. There he joined the Shamanism, where he suffered all kinds of humiliation before he was able to master this skill,” Wang Yuyan whispered.

"Xiaoyaozi has been to the Shamanism?" Zhao Ti raised his eyebrows. So, Li Cangxuan, the central priest of the Shamanism and the number one person under the high priest, must indeed be his son and Wuyazi's twin brother. But who is their mother?

“Yes, I have been there. Moreover, I heard from my great-grandfather that my grandfather was born in the Shamanic Church. When he was three years old, my great-grandfather mastered the Mountain Scripture and returned to the Central Plains with my grandfather. However, the Song Dynasty was still searching for his whereabouts. In the end, he went west and settled in the Tianshan Mountains,” Wang Yuyan said.

"Did Xiaoyaozi ever mention your great-grandmother...?" Zhao Ti asked.

“My great-grandfather mentioned once that my great-grandmother was a high priestess of shamanism, but he never said anything else about her,” Wang Yuyan said.

"I see." Zhao Ti nodded, his doubts completely resolved. When Xiaoyaozi fled to the grasslands, he took refuge in the Shamanism sect. For some reason, he developed feelings for the high priest of the shaman and had two sons, namely Wuyazi and Li Cangxuan.

Perhaps because of the humiliation he suffered within the sect while cultivating the Mountain Scripture, or perhaps for some other reason, he left immediately after mastering the divine skill. The two children took Wuyazi with them and left Li Cangxuan with the High Priest, and there was no contact between them since.

As for whether Xiaoyaozi's humiliation was related to this high priest, it is unknown. However, the fact that they no longer contacted each other and he only mentioned it briefly to Wang Yuyan without saying anything else suggests that this possibility cannot be ruled out.

Then Wang Yuyan began to talk about Taoist magic, with all sorts of Taoist techniques and spells appearing one after another, including earth-shattering supernatural powers, creation abilities, laws of fortune, protective restrictions, and divine thunder and lightning, totaling dozens or even hundreds of types, which did not end until noon.

The two then exchanged ideas for a while, explaining the parts they didn't understand. After lunch, Wang Yuyan went to the inner quarters to rest.

The next day, Zhao Ti held a court meeting. At this time, the troops of the Western Route Army of the Great Song Dynasty were less than ten miles away from Zhuozhou.

As the council meeting drew to a close, the city gate guards reported that the Western Route Army had arrived at the city walls.

Zhao Ti ordered the troops to set up camp outside, and the generals were to enter the city to report back.

After a short while, Zhang Jie led his officers over, entered the hall, bowed, and spoke about Western military affairs and their journey.

After listening, Zhao Ti glanced at the generals of the Western Route Army and asked, "Where is Prince Duan? Why hasn't he come?"

Zhang Jie smiled wryly and said, "Your Highness, Prince Duan said he was tired when he arrived at Zhuozhou City, so he had a tent set up and went inside to rest."

"Oh?" Zhao Ti stroked his chin. "He is now cultivating Taoist arts and is no longer the weak and feeble man he once was. Besides, he is traveling on horseback, so what could he be tired about?"

"This, this..." Zhang Jie lowered his head and said, "Your Highness, please understand, this humble official truly does not know, and has no way to order Prince Duan..."

"Enough." Zhao Ti waved his hand. "This matter has nothing to do with Minister Zhang. I will send someone to summon him."

He then looked around and ordered Liu Fa to take the command arrow out of the city to find Zhao Ji and tell him to report to the military governor's office immediately.

He then spoke a few words about military matters with the generals, dismissed them, and left only Zhou Tongbai to wait in the hall.

More than half an hour passed before the sound of hurried footsteps could be heard outside. Then Liu Fa entered the hall, wiping sweat from his brow: "Your Highness, Prince Duan has entered the city..."

Zhao Ti asked, "Why did it take so long?"

Liu Fadao said, "When I arrived, Prince Duan was sleeping. I sent someone to deliver a message, but there was no news for a long time. I didn't dare to force my way in, so I had to wait outside. He got up to see me a short while ago and then came out of the camp."

Zhao Ti nodded: "You may leave." "Yes." Liu Fa hurriedly bowed and left.

Zhao Ti said calmly, "Old Eleven is asking for a beating. He's disobeying military orders and has become arrogant after learning a couple of spells. Does he think he can fly to the heavens?"

Zhou Tong and Bai Zhan dared not answer, they exchanged a glance, their faces twitching.

After a while, footsteps came again from outside the door, and then a figure strolled leisurely down the path in front of the hall.

The figure wore a purple-gold crown and a light blue robe with gold trim. Instead of a belt, a silk sash was tied around the waist, from which hung a small, yellowish-brown gourd about the size of a fist.

His sleeves fluttered, his steps were fluid and graceful, and he had an excellent appearance; it was none other than Zhao Ji.

When Zhao Ji reached a spot ten feet in front of the hall, he suddenly stopped and looked inside. He saw Zhao Ti sitting behind a large table, staring at him, and couldn't help but smile crookedly.

He put his hands behind his back, tilted his head slightly, and recited aloud: "Heaven and earth determine the universe, mountains and rivers illuminate my gate, skillfully discern the real from the unreal, and the Dao endures in all things."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ti expressionlessly crossed his arms over his chest, leaned back slightly against the back of his chair, and continued looking outside.

Zhao Ji raised his chin smugly, then took a few steps forward, one foot in the hall and the other outside, and recited again: "Ten thousand miles of yellow sand, no monks in sight; raging winds and rains, scholars buried; of the three religions, Taoism is the foremost; how can they sit on equal footing and share the same name!"

After reciting the poem, he entered the hall with a smug look on his face. He looked at Zhao Ti with an arrogant and triumphant air.

Zhao Ti smiled slightly and slowly said, "Taoism governs the world and transforms all things, Buddhism illuminates the world and benefits all beings, Confucianism shines through the ages and passes on the torch, the three religions work together to move forward in the world."

Upon hearing this at the gate, Zhao Ji was stunned for a moment, then immediately retorted angrily, "You brute! You actually held back a trick! I spent a fortune to buy two of your Taoist verses, and you kept this one to yourself. Was it specifically to counter my two?"

"Hmm?" Zhao Ti's face darkened, and he said coldly, "Eleventh Brother, what did you call me? Are you tired of living?"

"I..." Zhao Ji was so frightened by this that he shrank back, but then he remembered his Taoist magic and was no longer afraid of the other party. He immediately regained his courage, put his hands on his hips and said, "Am I wrong to call you a warrior? What qualifications do you, a rude warrior, have to lead an army? Why don't you hand over the military power to me and let me command the recapture of this Yan Yun land!"

"You want military power?" Zhao Ti narrowed his eyes. "Can you reclaim the Yan and Yun regions?"

"Of course I can conquer it!" Zhao Ji puffed out his chest and said loudly, "I have mastered profound Taoist arts and endless wonderful methods. I have many capable subordinates. The Divine Firmament Sect is the orthodox sect in the world. Conquering the small Youyan is a piece of cake!"

"You claim to possess profound Taoist arts and endless wondrous techniques?" Zhao Ti sneered, "You dare to boast about your mediocre skills? It's like trying to teach a fish to swim, showing off your limited abilities before an expert. You're courting death!"

"You, you mere warrior, dare to accuse me of showing off my limited skills before an expert? I..." Zhao Ji's shoulders trembled upon hearing this: "Do you know that I am no longer the ignorant fool I once was? Today, today I will teach you a lesson you won't forget!"

As he spoke, he muttered incantations and suddenly pointed his fingers upwards in a hand seal: "Behold my Xuanmen Orthodox Method!"

Suddenly, a thunderclap resounded in the void, followed by purple lightning that struck Zhao Ti amidst continuous thunder.

"What kind of profound and orthodox methods!" Zhao Ti snorted heavily, "Showing off your skills before an expert, you arrogant dragon!"

His voice filled the air with the roar of the mighty dragon, its echoes reverberating throughout the hall.

A golden dragon appeared behind him, a technique he had obtained from Wang Yuyan. It was a method of nine dragons pulling a chariot, not an offensive technique, but it could be used for protection when summoned alone.

He couldn't summon all nine at this point; he could only summon this one at most. But it was enough to protect him, and its power was immense, making it extremely impressive.

Then the golden dragon appeared, raised its head, let out a roar, and opened its mouth to swallow the purple lightning.

"Huh?" Zhao Ji was so frightened by the sudden roar of the giant golden dragon that he trembled and took a step back. "What, what Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon?"

At that moment, the dragon opened its mouth and swallowed the purple lightning in one gulp. Then it shook its head and bared its teeth at him, letting out a violent roar.

"What is this? Look at me, look at me subdue you..." Zhao Ji was flustered and hurriedly began chanting the incantation again, trying to cast the spell once more.

"You can't even keep your word, yet you dare to show off in front of me. It's like selling calligraphy and paintings in front of a saint, or showing off your skills in front of Guan Yu. You're overestimating yourself and stubbornly refusing to listen!" Zhao Ti said, raising his hand and waving his palm in the air.

This time, he used the internal force of the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill. The sound of booming was constant, and the palm wind came whistling, directly knocking Zhao Ji down.

Emperor Huizong (Zhao Ji) lay on the ground struggling to get up, but Zhao Ti uttered a thunderous roar: "Mount Tai is pressing down on you!"

This was a spell he had learned from Murong Longcheng. A small mountain appeared in the void, its color a hazy gray, pressing down on Zhao Ji from above.

Zhao Ji was immediately crushed by the small mountain, unable to move. His muscles and bones ached terribly, and he felt as if he would be turned into a meat patty at any moment. He was terrified and changed his tone, begging for mercy urgently: "Eighth Brother, Eighth Brother, please forgive me this time. I will never dare to do it again."

"Take this madman down," Zhao Ti said calmly.

Zhou Tong and Bai Zhan immediately ran forward, took out their ox sinew ropes, wrapped them around Zhao Ji's shoulders and arms, and quickly tied him up securely.

"Eighth Brother, Eighth Brother, spare my life..." Zhao Ji's face was ashen as he lay on the ground, begging for mercy.

Zhao Ti stood up from his chair and walked over. He looked at him for a few moments and said, "Aren't you a martial artist? Why are you calling mermaids again?"

"I was wrong, I was wrong, please forgive me, Brother Eight, I will never dare to do it again..." Zhao Ji pleaded.

"He even tied a silk sash like others, does he really think that makes him a Taoist disciple?" Zhao Ti's gaze swept over his waist: "And there's a small gourd hanging from it, what is that gourd?"

"Huh? A gourd..." Zhao Ji was stunned for a moment: "It's just something to carry around for fun, it has no other use."

"Did I ask you what it's for?" Zhao Ti said, reaching out to pull off the small, yellowish-brown gourd and weighing it in his hand. "Why is it so heavy? What's it for?"

“What, it’s no use at all…” Zhao Ji’s face was filled with panic: “Eighth Brother, give it back to me, give it back to me.”

"You're barely able to take care of yourself, yet you're still thinking about this little toy?" Zhao Ti shook the small gourd. "If you care so much about it, could it be a treasure? Let me examine it first."

"Ah? No, myna, it's just an ordinary gourd, only a little pretty..." Zhao Ji screamed as if something deadly had been taken away.

"Drag him out and lock him in jail. No one is allowed to visit him. Anyone who dares to disobey will be punished for treason," Zhao Ti said, narrowing his eyes.

Zhou Tong and Bai Zhan immediately dragged Zhao Ji outside. As Zhao Ji staggered, he cried out loudly, "Eighth Brother, spare me! Spare me this time! Give me back the Thunder God's Gourd..."

(End of this chapter)