Mang Shusheng's Ink Painting Practice

Chapter 212 The Decline of Liao
The interrogation of Shi Youzhao was conducted by Zhou Su personally. Standing there with a scroll in his hand, this Confucian scholar naturally had the demeanor of a master.

His first question was very interesting: "Will the Emperor of Beiliao be willing to pay to redeem you?"

Shi Youzhao's face twitched, and then he sighed and said, "Ask whatever you want to ask. Those who can answer will naturally answer."

Zhao Yifu found it very interesting. It seemed that Shi Youzhao's defense was broken, right?

Zhou Su laughed and said, "Then let's just treat it as a casual chat between friends. After all, you are of noble status, and we won't torture you to extract a confession."

Shi Youzhao still had a tense expression and didn't seem to be relaxed at all.

He turned to look at Zhao Yifu, who was also present, and asked, "Who is this hairless brat, and what qualifications does he have to stand beside you and me?"

Zhou Su said calmly, "This is the newly appointed Manshan County Magistrate, Zhao Yifu, courtesy name Junxin. He is my most talented student and the successor to whom I can entrust my family."

Zhao Yifu's focus wasn't on 'favored student' or 'successor', but on the phrase 'entrusting the family'... Good fellow, don't think he doesn't know this old man only has one daughter! His intentions are sinister...

Shi Youzhao was surprised and said, "You are actually a disciple of Lord Haoran. I wonder what sutra you are studying."

Zhao Yifu hesitated for a moment, then pulled out his metal-enclosed copy of "Encouragement to Study" and said, "I have already studied Lunyu and am now studying Yi."

Shi Youzhao: “…”

Why does this book feel like a meteor hammer?
Zhou Su quickly reassured, "That's just how he is. He likes to write down everything he thinks and learns, and carry it with him. You know we're in such a state of chaos right now, so he prepared a metal casing."

Shi Youzhao nodded in agreement and said, "I see."

He had no choice but to admit defeat because he had already seen the chain around Zhao Yifu's waist... My goodness, this was really a meteor hammer.

This reminded Shi Youzhao of his status as a prisoner, and it would be better for him to "listen to advice" at this time.

However, Shi Youzhao immediately recalled the unusual events in Manshan County. He asked, "My beloved general Shi Erjin died in Manshan County. Could it be Zhao Junxin's doing?"

Zhao Yifu shook his head and said, "No, that was done by Yang Zaixuan, a righteous man under my command. It has nothing to do with me."

Shi Youzhao was surprised and asked, "But he's just a young general with a white horse and a silver spear? Just a righteous man?"

Zhao Yifu nodded and continued, "He was a talented person I promoted while serving in Fenglin County. When I was transferred to Manshan County, he abandoned his post and followed me. Due to the urgency of the situation, I haven't had time to recruit him for a new position yet."

As he spoke, he looked at Zhou Su and said, "However, he has made great contributions this time, and he has a mentor here...why not let the mentor directly recruit him to join the company?"

Zhou Su said in surprise: "I thought you would let him return to Manshan County to continue commanding the troops for you."

Zhao Yifu said, "How can you have better opportunities staying with me than staying with your mentor?"

"Also, Master, we need more talents to assist us in defending Xiangyang."

Zhou Su nodded in agreement and then said, "I know the character of this young man Zaixuan. He is a good boy."

Shi Youzhao saw the master and disciple chatting about personnel appointments around them as if no one was around. He did not interrupt, but just stood quietly by and smiled bitterly.

Zhou Su quickly noticed this and said, "That's off topic. Today we're mainly entertaining Marshal Youzhao... Junxin, do you have any food and wine ready?"

Zhao Yifu nodded, and a puff of oil smoke floated out from his sleeves...

Zhou Su was speechless. With his Yang God's eyes, he could see through it at a glance...
As Zhao Yifu also achieved the Yang God, Zhou Su could no longer see through the true intentions of this disciple.

But he knew that there was an old man cooking hidden in Zhao Yi Fu's sleeves!
How should I describe this scene... I always feel a little embarrassed.

But then, plates of stir-fried dishes with the aroma of the wok were brought out, along with fine wine... Zhou Su didn't mention it anymore.

An old man is an old man, if he had the conditions, he would also like to hide an old man like this in his sleeves.

Shi Youzhao wasn't surprised to see this. He simply said, "County Magistrate Zhao, you're clearly an outsider cultivator, aren't you? How dare you intervene so directly in the struggle between Daliao and Southern Xu? Aren't you afraid of being haunted by karma and ultimately ruining your cultivation?"

Zhao Yifu laughed heartily upon hearing this and said, "You have the guts to attack the Emperor of Great Xu. You've already broken the rules. What do I have to fear?"

"To be honest, I did intervene in this war, and I thought I'd gain a considerable amount of karma from it... but unexpectedly, I suffered almost no losses. The only reaction I experienced was when I secretly pushed down a noble general who had climbed onto the city wall."

Shi Youzhao was puzzled by what he said. He calmly asked in a probing tone, "Why is this happening? Our great shamans are clearly facing severe backlash for interfering in human affairs, yet how come you are able to remain unscathed?"

Zhao Yifu stroked his slightly stubbled chin and said, "This can be analyzed from three perspectives... The first is naturally that you attacked our Great Xu Emperor first. This is an extremely unruly act. Under the influence of karma, it is equivalent to lowering the threshold for cultivators from Great Xu to intervene."

Shi Youzhao nodded, this was also a point he agreed with.

Then Zhao Yifu added, "Secondly, it's because of my master."

Shi Youzhao looked at Zhou Su curiously and asked, "Could it be that Lord Haoran is also a cultivator?"

Zhou Su shook his head and said, "I didn't practice cultivation. I was just his teacher. The school he was talking about should be the Moshan Danqing School."

Shi Youzhao's face twitched violently.

Zhao Yifu raised his eyebrows and asked, "Oh? Have you also heard of the name of Danqing Sect?"

Shi Youzhao took a deep breath and said, "After thousands of years of disintegration, the first leader of the Chunyang Sect came from the Danqing Sect. How could I not know that?"

Zhao Yifu nodded and said, "I see. It seems the connection between Wanshoumen and the Liao Kingdom court has not been severed. I should pay attention to it later."

Shi Youzhao's scalp tingled. Zhao Yifu said this in a very natural manner, and it was obvious that he had a high status in Danqingmen.

However, he didn't dwell on this, instead changing his perspective: "A hundred years ago, my Danqing Sect elders were forced to get involved in the dynastic struggle for hegemony due to some reasons. We failed last time, and our entire sect was nearly wiped out."

"It was our ancestors who shouldered the consequences of their actions, bearing the infamy and karma, and departed alone. This is how our sect was able to survive."

"But in reality, all the causes and consequences have already been planted, so our sect's involvement in the dynasty dispute is justified."

Shi Youzhao seemed to have thought of something and nodded, "I see... But aren't you afraid of the conflict between royal power and divine authority?"

Zhao Yifu was stunned when he heard this, then burst out laughing. "So this is why your army lacks wizards! It seems the Liao dynasty has been living too comfortably these past hundred years, occupying the fertile northern Central Plains. Not only is the nobility corrupt, but internal conflicts are also brewing... Wonderful, truly wonderful."

Zhou Su nodded and twirled his beard upon hearing this. "Indeed, according to historical records, ethnic minorities that were lucky enough to gain access to the Central Plains would quickly become corrupt and degenerate within a few decades or even years. Considering the current situation, history is a true mirror for me."

Shi Youzhao fell into deep thought after hearing this. He really wanted to explore the problem.

He thought for a moment and asked, "Then, is there no way for my Liao clan to rule the Central Plains?"

Zhou Su said: "Of course there is."

Shi Youzhao's eyes lit up and he asked, "What's the solution?"

Zhou Su said: "Learn our Han culture and inherit our Han legal tradition."

Shi Youzhao said in astonishment, "If this is the case, is my Liao clan still the Liao clan?"

Zhao Yifu asked in response, "What about the Liao people?"

Shi Youzhao looked over, not knowing what he meant.

Zhao Yifu said, "The Liao people originated as hunters and fishermen, originating in Liaodong as a tribe. Their earliest deeds are recorded in Han history books. The tribe originally had no written language, only ancient ancestor worship and totem worship. It was only during the repeated decline of the Central Plains dynasties that they continued to annex various Liaodong tribes and grew stronger."

"But it wasn't until they moved south a hundred years ago that they created their own writing system. I'd like to ask, how many of you Liaohu nobles can read and write these characters?"

"Only the nobility are qualified to learn to write Liao characters, but what kind of documents can you expect these nobles to write in the simple Liao characters?"

"History is still recorded by Han scholars, so perhaps thousands of years from now, neither the Great Liao nor the Great Xu will exist anymore, and the Great Liao known to future generations will be just a branch of the Chinese cultural sphere."

"So, what do you hope the Liao tribe will be like?"

Shi Youzhao was at a loss for a moment. However, he quickly realized that Zhao Yifu had tricked him. He said quickly, "How many people in this world can have the same understanding as you, master and disciple?"

Indeed, there is no such thing as "national confidence" in this era. It is generally still a state of "whoever gives you milk is your mother."

Zhao Yifu felt that if it weren't for his ancestors who rebuilt China in his previous life, there probably wouldn't be so many people who could awaken.

He smiled and said nothing more, because he knew there was no point in talking about this kind of thing.

He simply said, "At least this is the problem the Liao people are facing right now. After a period of prosperity, the entire nation lacks the corresponding cultural heritage to support it, leading to its rapid decline."

"Of course, this is just my personal opinion. There's no point in saying more."

Shi Youzhao nodded. This was indeed the reason why the Liao tribe quickly declined after obtaining the fertile land in the north. He had to admit it himself... But he did not agree with Zhao Yifu's opinion on how to solve this problem. He felt that if they had gritted their teeth and taken over the entire territory of Daxu in one go when they were strong, and killed millions of people, the situation might have been completely different.

Zhao Yifu knew that the old man might have some evil thoughts in his mind, but he didn't care. After all, the winner is the king and the loser is the bandit.

He said: "The third point is actually the most critical."

Shi Youzhao quickly asked, "What is that?"

Zhao Yifu said, "I've studied the teachings of northern shamanism. It's actually a very good sect, close to nature, and embodies the Taoist concept of learning from nature."

"But there's something wrong with the inspiration faction. What they've been doing is actually taking advantage of loopholes."

"Now that this loophole has been closed, their original act of exploiting it has become a heinous crime, thus implicating the Liao Kingdom, which is already deeply tied to the Inspirational Shamans."

"The fortune of Liao Nation has probably been cut in half, right?"

"No, more than cut in half."

"I've traveled to Liao Country. Every household there worships their ancestors. Therefore, most of the fortune of a family or even an entire country depends on these ancestors who enjoy the incense and blood."

"And now, the Heavenly Court has issued a new decree that the souls of the dead in the mortal world can only be worshipped by three generations. If there are no people within three generations to offer sacrifices in the mortal world, they must return to the underworld and enter reincarnation again."

"A while ago, many such ancestral spirits must have been sent into reincarnation."

Shi Youzhao took a deep breath and closed his eyes. "I see. No wonder those wizards are so anxious, even willing to take the risk of attacking the Great Xu Emperor."

"To be honest, my army was forcibly assembled under such circumstances. We hastily marched south without any preparation... How could we not be defeated?"

Zhou Su listened with a serious expression and said, "In fact, you almost succeeded. If His Majesty had not been rescued in time, you could have really made a straight advance... At least you could have taken the entire southwest of the capital, and then divided the territory of Daxu in two."

Such a scenario would be too terrifying. Even if Da Xu could stabilize the situation immediately, the best plan would be to stabilize the territory in the southeast corner... In this case, there would be no hope for the Northern Expedition.

Shi Youzhao seemed to have let go of all his worries after hearing this. He sighed deeply and said, "Yes, just a little bit."

"Now the situation is changing, the offensive and defensive situation is changing!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly covered his stomach and shivered, then foamed at the mouth and collapsed.

Zhao Yifu was shocked when he saw this, and quickly reached out to tear off the armor on Shi Youzhao's body like a piece of paper.

He tore open the man's clothes and saw that a black gas had risen from his chest and abdomen to his chest. It was obvious that a deadly poison had invaded his heart meridian and he was beyond help.

I never thought that this person had taken poison!
Perhaps he had taken the poison before he was captured, but the drug's effects did not take effect as quickly.

Zhao Yifu Zhou Su sighed and said, "His time has come, but he passed away peacefully."

Zhao Yifu turned around in surprise and asked, "Master, did you know he was going to commit suicide?"

Zhou Su said, "He had already made up his mind to die when he came in, so he was able to talk to us so calmly."

Zhao Yifu was speechless. It turned out that the old man had known about this for a long time, but he didn't remind him earlier!

He was also used to not using his spiritual sense to investigate when he was around Zhou Su, as a way of showing respect for Zhou Su.

But now... he is obviously going to suffer this loss.

Fortunately, he has an excellent sealing technique.

Since his heart meridian has been corroded by the poison, he might as well seal it temporarily!
With this operation, he not only sealed the poison spreading through the heart meridians, but also temporarily restored the blood circulation throughout the body with a water seal... Even if the heart stopped beating, what could it do? He would find a way to bypass the heart and create another blood circulation system!

Shi Youzhao was in good health and opened his eyes as soon as he caught his breath.

He looked at Zhao Yifu's hand pressing on his chest and said, "Don't bother. This is the 'Heart-Eating Blood Poison'. Anyone who gets it will die."

Zhao Yifu said, "But I can't let you die like this."

Zhou Su said quietly at the side: "Jun Xin, why don't we give up? Even the Black and White Impermanence are here."

Shi Youzhao, who was about to die, actually saw the figures of the Black and White Impermanence appear nearby.

He smiled bitterly and said, "Yes, these two are so impatient to come. I wonder which level of hell I will go to for my sins in this life."

Zhao Yifu said unhappily, "Don't be impatient, wait a moment!"

Zhou Su thought these words were directed at him, and he actually felt a little guilty, so although he felt a little offended, he did not get angry.

however……

The Black and White Impermanence standing nearby immediately took a big step back, clasped their fists and said with a smile, "Master Chou, please take your time. I can't wait any longer."

The two of them stayed aside obediently, standing like minions and acting cute.

"what?"

Zhao Yifu was also surprised.

But then he realized that he was absolutely qualified to stand up straight and act tyrannically in the underworld.

After all, the Emperor Dongyue in the underworld still needs his help.

By this time, he had finished his work and pulled up Shi Youzhao, who was lying on the ground, saying, "If you die here, it will be a problem for my mentor. If you want to die, wait until we go to the capital to surrender the prisoners."

Shi Youzhao said dissatisfiedly, "I'm not afraid of death, so how can I let you humiliate me like this!"

Zhao Yifu stopped pretending to be polite and said quietly, "Yes, I'll come find you after you die. I wonder if you're afraid?"

At this time, the Black and White Impermanence next to him immediately echoed: "That's right, if you make Young Master Chou unhappy, you will suffer in the underworld."

"On the contrary, if you satisfy Master Chou, he will arrange a good place for you."

Zhao Yifu couldn't stand it any longer. He asked, "Why do you all call me that?"

This was just a nickname given to him by a small group of people in the "Chivalrous Alliance" back then.

However, the Black and White Impermanence just smiled innocently and said nothing.

Zhou Su continued to grumble, "Isn't it your nickname 'Ghost-Seeing Sorrow'? It's a correct nickname indeed. Look at you, you've made the ghosts and gods of the underworld miserable. You're worthy of being called 'Ghost-Seeing Sorrow'. People are flatteringly calling you 'Master Sorrow', and you're not happy?"

Zhao Yifu rubbed his nose and admitted it.

Let the young master worry about it, he has already decided to cling to Tiansun Mulu anyway, so he might as well make some name for himself in the underworld so that it will be easier to operate in the future.

　Happy New Year, everyone!

　　
　
(End of this chapter)