Zhang Kui Asks the Way in Investiture of the Gods

At this time, the city of Xiqi was filled with mourning clothes and endless cries of sorrow.

For decades, Ji Chang, the Marquis of Xibo, ruled Xiqi with benevolence and virtue, winning the hearts of the people. Upon hearing of the passing of this wise ruler, the people were filled with grief, and every household hung white silk to bid farewell to this benevolent lord.

Zhang Kui and Gao Lanying descended from the clouds in a secluded corner of the city, concealing their auras, and like ordinary mourners, blended into the endless stream of people, silently walking towards the mourning hall for Ji Chang.

The atmosphere inside the mourning hall was solemn and respectful.

Since most of the feudal lords and important officials of the court had not yet arrived, the majority of the people present were local officials and commoners of Xiqi.

Mr. and Mrs. Zhang followed the crowd forward, respectfully offered incense, kowtowed, and bowed to complete the memorial ceremony before preparing to leave.

Just as they turned to leave, an elderly man with white hair and beard, an air of otherworldly wisdom, dressed in simple yet elegant robes, walked straight toward them, escorted by several armored soldiers.

"May I ask who you are, General Zhang Kui?" the old man asked after bowing.

Zhang Kui's gaze sharpened, and he quietly activated the Great Yin-Yang Void-Piercing True Eye, instantly seeing through the old man. He saw that although the old man's cultivation was only at the Earth Immortal level, his body was surrounded by pure energy, faintly connected to the burgeoning fortune of Xiqi.

"So it was him..." Zhang Kui remained calm, returning the greeting with a cupped hand. "It is indeed my wife and I. May I ask who you are, senior...?"

The old man smiled and replied, "I am Jiang Shang, courtesy name Ziya. I have been granted the position of Prime Minister by the late Lord. The spirit of the late Lord in heaven must be pleased that General Zhang has come. Before his death, the late Lord left a will, mentioning an old item that he wanted General Zhang to keep personally. There are too many people here, so I wonder if General Zhang would be willing to move to the back hall for a chat?" As he spoke, Jiang Ziya raised his hand and stepped aside to invite him.

Upon hearing this, Gao Lanying frowned slightly and immediately sent a secret telepathic message to Zhang Kui: "Husband, this person comes from the Xuanmen sect. He is inviting us to meet in private. Be careful, it might be a trap."

Zhang Kui remained calm and secretly replied telepathically, "Don't worry, Marquis Ji Chang of Xibo is a benevolent man and should not harm me. Let's see what he's up to first, and I know what I'm doing." Then, he said frankly to Jiang Ziya, "How dare I refuse the Prime Minister's invitation? Please lead the way."

A hint of appreciation flashed in Jiang Ziya's eyes. He personally led the way, taking Zhang Kui and his wife to a secluded side hall behind the mourning hall. He waved away the armored guards on either side, and when only the three of them remained in the hall, his expression turned solemn. He then formed hand seals and chanted incantations. A hazy light screen unfolded from his hands, quickly enveloping the entire side hall and isolating it from all communication and divine sense.

After doing all this, Jiang Ziya carefully took something out of his wide sleeves.

The moment that object appeared, it immediately stirred the spiritual energy within the side hall.

A book, neither gold nor jade, radiating a warm luster, floated quietly. Its pages moved without wind, and mysterious hexagrams flowed endlessly on them, bursting forth with a brilliant yet gentle golden light of merit, illuminating the entire side hall in splendor, and faintly emitting a cheerful and intimate hum.

"The Book of Changes!" Zhang Kui's face showed undisguised shock. He recognized this object as a sacred artifact of the human race, painstakingly created by Ji Chang, containing supreme human wisdom and merit.

Jiang Ziya looked at the Book of Changes that was jubilantly moving before Zhang Kui, a complex and inscrutable sense of disappointment flashing across his face. He sighed, "General, you truly have a deep affinity with this treasure. I have studied this object for many years and thought I had grasped its essence, connecting it with my mind. But I never expected it to be so joyful and lively upon seeing you, General." As he spoke, he deliberately released himself from the constraints of the Book of Changes.

The Book of Changes transformed into a stream of light, circling Zhang Kui joyfully several times, like a long-lost friend. Zhang Kui extended his right hand, and the Book of Changes immediately withdrew its brilliance, settling into his palm like a fledgling returning to its nest, its light restrained, simple and unadorned.

"Prime Minister, this is..." Zhang Kui held the Book of Changes in his hand, feeling very puzzled.

Such a precious treasure, how could Jiang Ziya so easily hand it over?

Jiang Ziya stroked his long beard lightly with his right hand and smiled, "I am merely following the late lord's dying wish to entrust this item to the general." Then, he suddenly changed the subject, his voice urgent, "This matter is settled. General and your wife, please leave Xiqi as soon as possible. Farewell!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Kui was filled with doubts, thinking to himself, "What's wrong with this old man? He was all smiles just a moment ago, and now he's telling me to leave? His temper changes faster than flipping through a book."

Gao Lanying, unable to contain herself any longer, stepped forward, her pretty face hardening with frost, ready to argue: "Prime Minister Jiang! What do you mean by this? My husband and I have come here sincerely to offer our condolences, and it is you..."

Zhang Kui suddenly raised his hand to stop Gao Lanying, and solemnly clasped his hands in a fist salute to Jiang Ziya: "I understand the Prime Minister's good intentions. I am deeply grateful and will take my leave." Without saying another word, he pulled up the still angry Gao Lanying, instantly activated the Five Elements Escape Technique, and his figure transformed into a five-colored stream of light, carrying Gao Lanying as they rushed out of the side hall at top speed, soaring into the sky and far away from Xiqi.

As Jiang Ziya watched Zhang Kui and his wife disappear into the horizon, his tense expression finally relaxed, and he secretly let out a long sigh of relief.

He removed the restrictions, gazed at the empty palace gates, his face solemn, and murmured to himself, "My lord, you have treated me as a national hero, and Ziya... will certainly not fail in your trust."

……

After leaving Xiqi,

Gao Lanying was still furious. Standing on a cloud, she said angrily, "Husband, why did you stop me just now? That Jiang Ziya was so rude, so obsequious at first and so arrogant at second. He was simply too much. He should be taught a lesson."

While activating his escape light to the fullest extent, Zhang Kui shook his head with a wry smile and explained, "Madam, you've misunderstood. He wasn't being rude; on the contrary, he was saving our lives."

Gao Lanying's beautiful eyes widened in disbelief: "Save us? That Jiang Ziya is only at the Earth Immortal realm. Even if he has some inheritance, how could he possibly threaten us with our cultivation levels?"

"It's not Jiang Ziya." Zhang Kui's sharp gaze swept across the sky behind him, his tone heavy. "If I'm not mistaken, the reason he urged us to leave is because an unwelcome guest will soon arrive. The target is the Book of Changes that we just obtained."

Upon hearing this, Gao Lanying was startled. "Husband, you mean...?"

"Yes," Zhang Kui nodded, "Jiang Ziya deliberately let us go; he was helping us in his own way."

……

Xiqi City, Prime Minister's Residence

The wisps of smoke rising from the incense burner added to the solemn atmosphere.

Jiang Ziya sat alone in the main hall, his face calm, as if waiting for something.

Suddenly, a dazzling golden light descended from the sky above the mansion and landed directly in the courtyard. The light faded, revealing the figure of a Taoist priest. This person wore a cloud-shaped crown, a water-colored robe, a silk sash around his waist, and hemp shoes. His face was as white as powder, his lips as red as cinnabar, and he was surrounded by celestial light, exuding a profound aura.

"Junior Brother Ziya, how have you been?" The visitor was none other than Ju Liusun, one of the Twelve Golden Immortals of the Chan Sect.

Jiang Ziya seemed to have expected this. He calmly stood up, cupped his hands in greeting, and said, "So it is Senior Brother Ju Liusun who has arrived. I am sorry for not being able to greet you properly. Please forgive me."

Ju Liusun clearly had little patience for pleasantries. His gaze swept over Jiang Ziya with lightning speed before he cut straight to the point, his tone urgent: "Junior Brother Ziya, let's cut to the chase. I've come here for the *I Ching* written by Ji Chang. This book is crucial to my understanding of the Great Dao. I previously wished to borrow it, but you declined, saying it was a treasure for accumulating merit and might affect the Investiture of the Gods. Now I have informed our master, and he has given his approval. Please, Junior Brother, quickly hand this treasure over to me so I can take it back to my cave for further study."

Jiang Ziya looked troubled and was about to explain.

Ju Liusun, however, thought he was going to make excuses again, and impatiently interrupted him, saying, "Junior Brother Ziya! You've made many excuses before, but this time I've even obtained Master's decree. Are you still going to disobey orders?"

Ju Liusun had gone to great lengths for this Book of Changes, and seeing that Jiang Ziya still seemed hesitant, he couldn't help but feel genuinely angry.

Jiang Ziya sighed inwardly, knowing that this matter could not be resolved peacefully, and could only bite the bullet and say, "Senior brother, you misunderstand. How could Ziya dare to disobey the Heavenly Venerable's decree? It's just... it's just that this item is no longer with Ziya."

"What!" Upon hearing this, Ju Liusun flew into a rage, his immortal power surging so powerfully that the entire Prime Minister's residence trembled slightly. "Jiang Shang, you have repeatedly made excuses, and now you dare to use such a ridiculous reason to fob me off? Do you really think that just because you are the one who conferred the title of god, I cannot do anything to you?"

In his rage, Ju Liusun disregarded the bonds of camaraderie among fellow disciples. With a single wave of his hand, a golden light shot out like a serpent—his signature magic weapon, the Immortal Binding Rope. The rope moved with incredible speed, leaving Jiang Ziya no time to dodge. In an instant, he was bound tightly, his magical power seemingly frozen, rendering him unable to move.

"Uh..." The immense binding force and immortal power restriction from the Immortal Binding Rope caused Jiang Ziya to grunt, his face turning pale. Looking at the enraged Ju Liusun, he said with difficulty, "Senior Brother, please calm down. Everything Ziya said is true. An hour ago, Ziya followed the dying wish of the late Lord Ji Chang and handed over the Book of Changes to another person. I hope Senior Brother... will understand."

Seeing that Jiang Ziya was still stubborn, Ju Liusun was even more furious. He suppressed his anger and used his divination skills to calculate. After a moment, his face turned extremely ugly. The calculation showed that what Jiang Ziya said was true. The Book of Changes was indeed no longer in Xiqi, and the cause and effect on it were entangled and the direction was ambiguous.

"To whom was this given? Speak!" Ju Liusun withdrew his hands from his divination, staring at Jiang Ziya with a gloomy gaze and an icy tone.

Despite the pain from the Immortal Binding Rope, Jiang Ziya stubbornly shook his head: "Please forgive me, Senior Brother. I have promised the late Lord Ji Chang that I will never reveal the name of the recipient. This matter... Heaven will bear witness!" He invoked the oath of Heaven to show that he was not lying, but had no other choice.

"You..." Ju Liusun trembled with anger, but in the end, he was still mindful of Jiang Ziya's role in presiding over the Investiture of the Gods and dared not actually kill him.

He suddenly waved his hand and retrieved the Immortal Binding Rope.

With a thud, Jiang Ziya, whose magic power was suppressed, lost his balance and fell to the ground in a rather disheveled state.

Ju Liusun looked at Jiang Ziya lying on the ground, his eyes filled with anger and resentment, which finally turned into a cold snort: "Hmph! Jiang Shang, I will definitely report today's events to my master in detail. Go and explain to my master yourself." After saying that, Ju Liusun did not linger, soared into the sky and disappeared.

In the empty hall, only Jiang Ziya remained, silently getting up from the ground. He gently brushed the dust off his clothes, his face expressionless.