I proved immortality through the imperial examination.

Chapter 92 The Golden Sword Scheme

Xue Xiang nodded, "Then should I still let her cultivate?"

Xie Haiya said, "It's not a big problem. You just need a capable wife."

"clear."

Xue Xiang cupped his hands and said, "Then I won't bother you any longer, Senior Brother."

As he spoke, he slipped over to the coffee table and casually took two tea canisters as easily as breathing.

"I just got some of my new green tongue pepper, leave me some..."

If it weren't for his strict upbringing, Xie Haiya would have sworn long ago.

Unfortunately, Xue Xiang escaped faster than a rabbit.

As the two carriages brushed against the brows of the setting sun and stopped in front of the Zhangyin Academy, Liu Mei, who had been waiting for a long time, strode out to greet them.

She hugged Xue's mother first, then touched the little one, patted Xiao Wan, and was very affectionate.

Xue Xiang also tried to sneak over for a hug, but she gave him a light pinch on the waist.

“And me too, Sister Mei.”

Song Xiaoyuan climbed out of the carriage behind.

She had just jumped off the carriage when Zhang Shi also emerged, carrying a box in her arms. She stumbled as she got off, and the box fell to the ground and scattered, revealing a box full of mahjong tiles.

Xue Xiang was utterly speechless; this guy was someone you took everywhere you went.

He suddenly felt that his uncle should thank him; with this thing, he had been spared so much filth.

Several soldiers on duty were quite perceptive; without waiting for Xue Xiang to call out, they took the initiative to help carry the luggage.

Xue Xiang politely gave them the reward money. After the soldiers left happily, they came to the hall, where Liu Mei had already prepared the filling and kneaded the dough.

After washing their hands, the family busily started making dumplings.

Xue Xiang was making his final push for his third bowl of dumplings when the mahjong table was already set up over there.

Fan Youyi wanted to talk to his brother-in-law about the engagement, but Zhang conscripted him to work on the Great Wall.

After finishing his meal, Xue Xiang sat down beside the little guy and watched two rounds of his mother's mahjong before heading to the refining room.

After acquiring the Enlightenment Jade Realm, he dared not delay for a moment.

Whenever he had time, he would activate the Enlightenment Jade Realm to analyze the Nebula Overlord Body Technique.

Working through the night, progress was quite rapid.

The entire technique requires tracing the 172 acupoints, and nearly half of them have already been opened.

Once you complete the entire process, there will be no more difficulties in the whole technique.

Dragging his weary body, he walked out of the alchemy room.

The bright moon hangs high in the sky, the courtyard is quiet and secluded, and the evening breeze blows as Xue Xiang opens his arms.

It seems to be embracing the bright moon and gentle breeze, and also to embracing the future.

Suddenly, he noticed that there was still light in the main room.

Without a doubt, it must be Liu Mei waiting for him.

Xue Xiang entered the main hall. Liu Mei put down her book and went to get some hot soup, but Xue Xiang stopped her. "What, are you going to share a room with me tonight?"

"nonsense."

Her eyebrows were like willow leaves and her cheeks were flushed.

"I knew I shouldn't have brought Mom and the others. Turns out you were lying in wait here. Sigh, I can't sleep well without hearing your snoring."

"Who's snoring? You're accusing me of something wrong."

Liu Mei picked up the book and was about to leave, but then sat down again.

"The Difficulties of the Sutra!"

Xue Xiang was taken aback. "How can you understand such a profound book?"

He knew that lately, besides cultivating and taking care of him, Liu Mei had been reading books, but he never expected that she had read so deeply.

Even if the Spirit Race has supernatural abilities, this is still too miraculous.

The "Nan Jing" in Liu Mei's hands was the masterpiece of the eccentric scholar Zhou Tingfang, which was full of conspiracies and intrigues.

Of course, the author claims that the book's main purpose is to teach people to discern human nature, see through tricks, and thus help those in distress.

"I can understand it, but there are some allusions that I don't quite understand. I need to look them up in a reference book. My brother will send them over in a couple of days."

People say that a person with a wealth of knowledge naturally exudes elegance.

The original willow-leaf eyebrows were beautiful, a natural beauty that needed no artifice. Now, they exude a strong scholarly air, possessing an added intellectual beauty.

"Then I'll test you. Which story in the Difficulties Sutra impressed you the most?"

Xue Xiang became interested.

"The Golden Sword Strategy".

"Why the Golden Sword Strategy?"

"Killing someone is invisible and impossible to guard against."

"Tell me more about it."

"General Gongsun Yi was a member of the royal family of Lu. He failed in his struggle for the throne and fled to Wei. He was a skilled military commander and made many meritorious contributions."

Wei Xiangfang was good at observing people's hearts and knew that Gongsun Yi would not remain subservient to others for long.

When Fang Huai led his troops on the expedition, he worried that Gongsun Yi would take the opportunity to grow too powerful and was determined to eliminate him.

The plan was to have Gongsun Yi's only son, Gongsun Rong, accompany the army as a vanguard, and wait for Gongsun Rong to go first.

Fang Huai visited Gongsun Yi and entrusted him with important national affairs, expressing his sincere feelings.

As they parted, Fang Huai asked Gongsun Yi for his golden sword as a keepsake.

Gongsun Yi, unaware of anything amiss, took out his sword and presented it to him.

When the army arrived at the front line, Fang Huai bribed Wang Fang, a close confidant of Gongsun Yi, with a large sum of money.

When Wang Fang met Gongsun Rong, he falsely claimed that Gongsun Yi was suspected in court and that the Wei emperor would soon imprison him, so that Gongsun Rong could escape back to the State of Lu.

When Gongsun Rong saw Wang Fang arrive with Gongsun Yi's golden sword, he had no suspicions and fled overnight.

After Gongsun Rong fled, Gongsun Yi was unable to defend himself and had no choice but to resign. He never regained the trust of the Wei ruler again and died in depression.

In this plan, Fang Huai skillfully utilized the information asymmetry that his lord often spoke of, executing the scheme with unparalleled precision, leaving no trace like a deer's horns hanging in the air.

"It is said that a scholar should be looked at with new eyes after three days of separation. Sister Mei changes every day. She has only been studying for a short time, yet she has already achieved such skill. She truly puts many scholars to shame."

Xue Xiang clapped his hands lightly, his eyes full of admiration.

Liu Mei's handsome face flushed red as she whispered, "My lord, I used to have many strange ideas in my head."

After practicing cultivation, I had even more of these thoughts.

For example, the story of Fang Huai and Gongsun Yi ends here in historical records.

But I always felt that they had a story to tell.

For example, Fang Huai, according to historical records, died from a recurrence of an old wound, which revealed the internal organs.

Before his death, Gongsun Yi visited him.

I checked the time of Gongsun Yi's death, and it was about a month before Fang Huai's death.

Historical records do not state the cause of Gongsun Yi's death, nor do they explain why he visited Fang Huai.

This example is only mentioned to prove that Fang Huai-shan soothes people's hearts.

But I always felt that Gongsun Yi's visit, Fang Huai's relapse of his old wound, and the successive deaths of the two were related.

The ancient Lu Kingdom records a kind of Heart-Eating Gu, invisible to the human eye, which must be fed with heart blood to kill without leaving a trace…

Xue Xiang was dumbfounded. "You mean, Gongsun Yi risked his life to use himself as bait, nurtured the poisonous insect with his own life, and made a desperate gamble to kill Fang Huai?"

Liu Mei lowered her brows. "I just think that this information can be connected, but whether that's actually the case, only heaven knows."

Xue Xiang said excitedly, "From now on, if you need any books, just ask Si Zhou. If he can't find them, I will."

Regardless of whether Liu Mei's theory of Gongsun Yi using Gu to kill Fang Huai is based on true history or unfounded speculation,

This terrifying ability to collect, connect, and logically process information could not help but shock and excite Xue Xiang.

"May I ask, sir, what is your view of the current situation?"

Xue Xiang was stunned when Liu Mei spoke.

"Sister Mei, please enlighten me. I am all ears."

Xue Xiang became interested.

He knew that Liu Mei had recently been paying extra attention to his notes, cultivation insights, and official correspondence.

He had experienced Liu Mei's unique logic and ability to connect things before, but this was the first time he had seen her express her opinion on her situation.

With her delicate eyebrows and fingers slightly raised, she poured Xue Xiang a cup of tea. "Then I'll try to explain. If I'm wrong, please don't laugh at me, my lord."

"My lord, in Suiyang Town, did a thousand things, but in the end, it all boiled down to two words: the prefectural examination."

(End of this chapter)