Inheriting a Taoist temple, the story begins with Wu Zetian offering incense.

Chapter 39 Worldline Deviation, Merit +2! [Requesting Monthly Tickets]

In the Han army camp, Chen Tang found the Kangju prince who was about to be sent to Chang'an as a hostage, and secretly took out a spicy condiment from his pocket:

"Want it?"

The Kangju prince received it and struggled to read the words on it:

"Wang Shouyi...who is he?"

Chen Tang made up a story:
“We have a very famous hermit in our Han Dynasty. Yesterday, the mutton we ate was dipped in this. What did you think of the taste?”

The Prince of Kangju didn't speak, but swallowed hard.

Clearly, this spicy and savory seasoning left a very deep impression on him.

Chen Tang then asked:
"This whole bag is yours, do you want it?"

The Prince of Kangju nodded emphatically, his eyes filled with joy.

People in border regions tend to be rough around the edges. They like what they like and want what they want. They never hide their ambitions and thoughts, nor do they bother to hide them.

In comparison, Chen Tang, this learned fellow, was a bit wicked:

"If you promise me one thing, I will not only give you this packet of seasoning, but I, Chen Tang, will also cover all your expenses when you arrive in Chang'an. Beautiful clothes, sweet wine, a big house sheltered from the wind and sand, and all kinds of fine silks and satins—you can enjoy them all!"

The Kangju prince was immediately captivated and asked in broken Chinese:
What do you want me to do?

"Come closer, and I'll explain everything to you in detail..."

A quarter of an hour later, the Kangju prince came to the edge of Tianchi with his hands tucked in his pockets and started playing in the sand on the beach, like a harmless fool.

Prince Cilimi of Wusun paid no attention to him. When he got tired of playing, he came out of the water and swaggered onto the beach. When he passed Prince Kangju, he even wanted to make a sarcastic remark, but before he could speak, Prince Kangju pulled out a curved knife from his sleeve, pounced on him, and stabbed Cilimi in the stomach.

Kangju and Wusun were sworn enemies, plundering each other's livestock and people every year and attacking each other. Even when they were sent as envoys to the Han Dynasty, they would curse each other in the court.

If Chen Tang and Gan Yanshou hadn't ordered the Western Regions states to attack Zhizhi Chanyu together, Kangju and Wusun would still be fighting, and would never have stopped, much less joined forces.

Many people on the shore were stunned to see the Kangju prince assassinate the Wusun prince.

The female Limi glanced at the Kangju prince, then looked down at the wound on her waist, and suddenly roared:
"kill him!"

The Wusun people were in high spirits and quickly gathered a group of people.

But the Kangju prince gave them no chance to avenge themselves. He threw down his scimitar and ran away, hiding among the Han soldiers who happened to be patrolling nearby.

The Kangju people, unaware of what was happening, worried that their prince would be at a disadvantage, so they quickly gathered around and began to confront and shove the Wusun people.

At this moment, Chen Tang, now in armor, arrived with a troop of cavalry and separated the two sides. Seeing that Ci Li Mi was still able to stand and talk, a hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes.

However, he quickly began implementing his backup plan, and said in a strong voice while still on horseback:
"The Prince of Kangju has committed murder and assault, a crime that cannot be forgiven. He shall be imprisoned in solitary confinement, and no one shall be allowed to approach him!"

Then he lowered his head and said to the female chestnut:
"I deeply sympathize with your plight, but unfortunately he is a prince and I am merely a captain, unable to uphold justice for you... However, rest assured, once we reach Chang'an, we will report directly to His Majesty, and he will surely punish the Prince of Kangju severely to avenge you!"

The woman, Kurimi, whose wounds were being bandaged by her subordinates, became anxious upon hearing this:

"I...I didn't...want to go...to Chang'an, please...let me go back, I...would be...deeply grateful!"

Chen Tang, bursting with a sense of justice, firmly disagreed:

"No! This matter occurred in our camp and involves two princes. We must go to Chang'an to ask His Majesty for a divine judgment... Yangwei Camp, bring the Wusun prince into the camp and take care of him day and night. There must be no mistakes!"

Thus, the future restorer of Wusun, the daring leader who dared to lead an army to besiege the Protectorate of the Western Regions, was forcibly kept in the camp by Chen Tang... The history of the Western Han Dynasty began to shift.

As Tom Cruise plucked the strings of history, Zhou Yi and Gongsun Da Niang had just finished eating crayfish and were about to drive back.

Sun Chenglin packed two portions of shrimp for Zhou Yi:

"You can just heat it up at night and eat it. The soup can be used to mix with noodles or rice. It tastes good."

Aunt Gongsun took it and said with a smile:

"Thank you, Mr. Sun. I wish you booming business and great wealth!"

After leaving the county town, Zhou Yi drove to Hunyuan Palace and parked his car in front of the Sanqing Hall.

Grandma Gongsun circled the carriage, looking at it from left to right, and the more she looked, the more beautiful it seemed.

"That Land Rover is nowhere near as good-looking as Xiao Bai, Daoist Master, what do you think?"

"I think your aesthetic sense is very simple and has a kind of pure innocence that has not been destroyed by society."

Hearing this made Aunt Gongsun very happy, and she planned to write it down so she could repeat it to Wu Meiniang next time she saw her and see if she would be envious. Zhou Yi took the jacks off the car and put them in the storage room, then pushed the motorcycle out and wiped it clean.

Even with a new car, you can't forget about the old one; you have to treat them equally.

With nothing else to do, Granny Gongsun went back to her room to study Taoist classics, preparing to become a female Taoist priest who could uphold justice and earn a little money, just like the Book of Changes!

After finishing his work, Zhou Yi returned to his room. Thinking about how he had resolved a grievance earlier that day, he opened his black notebook to see if he had accumulated any merit.

To my surprise, the donation section had surged by a significant amount:

[Merit Donation: One Tael]

He rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't mistaken, then looked down at the special notes and was shocked.

[Dissolve the resentment of the stillborn child, merit +1]

[Li Jing was appointed commander of the Eastern Expedition, causing a deviation in the historical record of the Zhenguan era, and his merit points increased by 2.]

[Chen Tang detained the Wusun prince, causing a deviation in the history of the Western Han Dynasty, merit +2]

After reading it, Zhou Yi exclaimed, "Wow!"

He was not surprised that Li Jing was appointed as the commander of the eastern expedition, because it was his suggestion. But why did Chen Tang detain the prince of Wusun without saying a word?
Is this guy planning to follow Ban Gu's example and do something like "fighting all the way, and wherever he goes, it becomes Han territory"?

If that's the case, once he returns to Chang'an, the title of county marquis is practically guaranteed.

I'll have to buy him something as a reward later. As for his favorite spicy seasoning, I'll just buy two cases wholesale so Tom Cruise can enjoy it to his heart's content.

Unbeknownst to me, I had already accumulated one tael of merit, and I was only nine... no, the traditional unit of measurement is not decimal, but hexadecimal.

To accumulate enough merit points to reach one jin, you need to obtain another fifteen liang. It's a long and arduous journey!

"Damn it, why can't they keep up with the times and switch to a decimal system?"

Zhou Yi patted the cover of the notebook, then flipped to Chen Tang's page and looked at it. Brother Tang's merits had also increased by two qian, and now it was two jin, three liang, and eight qian.

The more merit you accumulate, the easier it is to move bricks.

I really hope Tom Cruise can earn more merit points so he can move more bricks and speed up the construction of Hunyuan Palace.

In the evening, Zhou Yi and Aunt Gongsun reheated the crayfish and enjoyed another delicious meal.

After eating and drinking to their hearts' content, Aunt Gongsun took a bath and continued studying the Taoist scriptures, while Zhou Yi began researching the drawing methods of various talismans. There weren't many talismans left by her grandfather, so she had to quickly improve her talisman drawing skills.

Without high-level talismans, the danger of performing rituals increases significantly.

He laid a blank talisman paper flat on the table, picked up a brush, dipped it in cinnabar, and began to draw. Throughout the process, he had to continuously chant incantations. The brush could not be broken, and the incantation could not be stopped, otherwise the entire talisman would be ruined.

He tried drawing several talismans, but the ones he produced were barely usable and didn't even meet the standards for beginners. He felt that this thing was really too difficult.

"I don't know if Li Bai is good at this. I can ask him when I see him tomorrow. Anyway, he likes cultivating immortality. I can ask him to draw talismans for me... This doesn't count as illegally using child labor, does it?"

With this question in mind, Zhou Yi felt his eyelids getting heavier and heavier, and soon drifted off to sleep.

When he opened his eyes again, it was broad daylight outside, and Gongsun Da Niang had already gotten up and was practicing her sword in the courtyard.

Zhou Yi then realized that drawing talismans was so physically demanding, and he wondered how his grandfather managed to draw a stack of high-level talismans at once.

After getting up and washing up, Zhou Yi cooked millet porridge. Just as he was about to go practice his martial arts and meditate, he saw Li Bai, wearing a white round-necked robe, carrying a schoolbag and a sword, walking out of the Wenxuan King's Hall.

The twelve or thirteen-year-old boy looks really handsome. If he were to do a live stream, this little guy would definitely attract a lot of older female fans and mothers.

"Meet the Master!"

Upon seeing Zhou Yi, Li Bai bowed respectfully, then removed his backpack and took out a pair of gold vases engraved with lion patterns and a scroll of manuscript, which he presented with both hands.

"This is a gift that my father instructed me to present to Hunyuan Palace. Please do not find it offensive, Master!"

When Zhou Yi received the golden vase with lion-shaped patterns, it immediately became slightly dimmer, and the scroll turned yellow, as if it had endured hundreds of years of wind, frost, snow, and rain.

This scene left Li Bai speechless with astonishment:
"Master? This..."

Last time you kept saying you were a mortal, but today you changed completely after receiving this... Master, don't you still admit you're a deity?

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First update delivered, please vote with monthly tickets, brothers!

(End of this chapter)