Mythical Three Kingdoms: Martial Arts Reach Divine Ranks, I Alone Rule the World

The small courtyard in the north of the city.

This is a secluded and tranquil place that Yuan Ji, the current head of the Yuan family, built specifically for himself.

Surrounded by forests, it blocked out the constant noise of carriages and horses in the streets and alleys, and also kept out the undercurrents of power struggles and schemes in the imperial court.

Only a wide river flows through it.

The water flows ceaselessly, day and night.

Standing in the garden, overlooking the water in a high pavilion.

Leaning on the railing and looking up, one can take in the entire course of the great river flowing from west to east to the sea; the view is truly vast.

Zhang Mu rested one hand on the cool, carved stone railing, his gaze sweeping over the scenery below, and murmured, "This is quite a nice place."

He turned his head to the side.

Looking at Yuan Ji walking slowly beside him, he continued, "It has a kind of elegant feel to it, like the Cai family's residence hidden in the bustling city of Luoyang, a place of tranquility amidst the noise."

Although Xiaoyuan is named with the word "small," its scale is by no means small.

Zhang Mu's gaze quickly surveyed the entire area.

Almost instantly.

He already knew in his heart that this villa covered an area of ​​at least five miles in circumference.

The garden is filled with pavilions, waterside terraces, covered walkways, and flower-lined paths. A quick glance at the servants and maids who come and go to attend to the guests reveals that there are no fewer than two hundred of them.

But if you think about Yuan Ji's identity for a moment...

Zhang Mu then concealed the slight surprise in his eyes, and his expression returned to calm.

The entire territory of Runan and the vast lands of Lianghuai can be considered the private base of the Yuan family of Runan.

No matter how magnificent this villa is, how can it compare to even half of the Yuan family's wealth?

"Gongzhi actually knows Cai Bojie?"

Yuan Ji's white robes, with their wide sleeves fluttering slightly in the river breeze, were gently brushed away by the fine willow catkins clinging to his shoulders. He sighed softly, "Heh, I can't compare to him."

"Although we served in the same court and were both masters of literature, he was of noble character and refined taste, while I..."

Yuan Ji looked down at the flowing river at his feet, his tone tinged with envy.

"They are entangled in worldly concerns, yearning for elegance but unable to attain it!"

"If that's not the case."

Yuan Ji raised his head and looked at the drifting, leisurely clouds in the sky, his brows furrowed with genuine melancholy, and let out a long sigh.

It fully reveals the helplessness Yuan was under as he was bound by his dual identities as the head of the Yuan family and a high-ranking official.

"Why would Ji take time out of his schedule every month to come here just to seek a quiet place?"

Zhang Mu stood quietly, his expression calm and peaceful.

He could understand Yuan Ji's helplessness in being bound by family and official position, but he could never truly empathize with him.

The reason is as simple as it gets.

He did hold the title of garrison commander of Yanmen County, but he never interfered in the county's internal affairs.

All sorts of trivial matters.

He entrusted everything to Guo Qun, the uncle of his friend Guo Jia.

The border military affairs that he should have been in charge of were all handed over to his younger brother Zhang Liao under the pretext of training him.

In other words...

As the garrison commander, all he needs to do is hold the highest military power in Yanmen and use his top-notch cultivation to guard the border and intimidate all sides.

He never touched any of the other complicated official duties.

After a brief silence.

Zhang Mu raised his eyes and gazed towards the north gate of Luodu, his gaze piercing through the thin mist and locking onto three figures rushing towards him. He smiled and said, "Finding a quiet place is easy enough, isn't it?"

"Just leave the matter to your subordinates and clansmen."

"According to Mu."

As he spoke, Zhang Mu slightly raised his chin and gestured towards the direction of the newcomer, indicating to Yuan Ji, "Your two brothers are quite good."

"Given time, he will surely achieve great things."

"It's not impossible for me to surpass you."

Zhang Mu calmly commented on Yuan Shao and Yuan Shu, but the doubts in his heart did not dissipate in the slightest.

After several encounters, he acknowledged the two men's exceptional qualities.

However, this excellence is purely a standardized product meticulously cultivated by top-tier families with massive resources.

In Zhang Mu's view...

Even an ordinary pig, if raised with such resources and nurtured in such a family, can develop an extraordinary sense of self-worth.

The excellence fostered by this system made it impossible for Zhang Mu to see the inherent destiny that these two men should possess to become regional overlords in the late Han Dynasty.

In Zhang Mu's understanding.

Yuan Shao, Cao Cao, and Yuan Shu were all key figures who stirred up the world's格局 (geju, a concept encompassing overall situation, overall structure, and overall dynamics). They should have been favored by the heavens and earth, and their cultivation would have progressed by leaps and bounds, far surpassing ordinary people.

But reality is quite the opposite.

Yuan Shao and Cao Cao were both nearing middle age, yet they had yet to cross the threshold of becoming masters of literature and philosophy.

Mind this.

Zhang Mu slowly raised his head, his gaze fixed on the sky above Luodu.

In the void, the phantom of the dragon symbolizing the destiny of the Han Dynasty appeared and disappeared, coiled in the sky, and its oppressive power enveloped the entire imperial capital.

This made him secretly wonder:

Must we really wait until Zhang Jiao, the leader of the Zhang sect, rises up, shakes the foundation of the Han Dynasty, and shatters the dragon of destiny...?

Only the chosen ones of this world will be able to completely break free from their shackles and rise to prominence.

If that's the case.

At that time, it will be a scene of one dragon falling and all living beings being reborn.

In the future, there will surely be an explosive increase in the number of masters of literature and martial arts.

after all.

Once the shackles of destiny of a unified dynasty are torn off in times of chaos, the barriers to cultivation will undoubtedly be greatly loosened.

For cultivators, breaking through to the next level is naturally much easier.

In contrast to the current situation of dwindling talent and the gradual decline of the Han Dynasty in its final years of peace...

In the chaotic world that followed, with war raging everywhere, outstanding talents and heroes emerged in every prefecture and county, as numerous as carp crossing a river.

"Gongzhi, you seem to have high hopes for my two brothers?"

Yuan Ji's voice pulled Zhang Mu back from his wandering thoughts.

Zhang Mu looked back.

He was holding a smooth, white jade wine jar in his arms.

Even though the jar was still sealed, the rich and lingering aroma of the wine had already begun to waft out and enter the nasal cavity.

Before Zhang Mu could examine the wine jar for even a moment...

He then heard Yuan Jimei press further, "And what about Cao Mengde?"

"Just now in the city, I noticed that your attention to him was no less than that of the Primordial.

"Excellent wine!" Zhang Mu twitched his nose slightly, first praising it before replying, "Shiji, you're talking about Cao Mengde!"

Zhang Mu chuckled lightly, his tone composed.

"Hehe, anyone who meets someone who can be described by Xu Shao as 'a capable minister in times of peace and a ruthless hero in times of chaos' would look at him with respect."

"Even if you don't believe in Cao Cao's abilities, do you not believe in the assessment of Xu Shao, the successor of the Yin-Yang School?"

Zhang Mu raised an eyebrow, his tone confident: "When it comes to judging fate, who can compare to them?"

He used Xu Shao's monthly assessment as a plausible excuse to conceal the real reason why he valued Cao Cao.

As for the time traveler knowing the truth about how things turned out in the future...

Zhang Mu didn't utter a single word.

If he were to openly claim that he could foresee the chaos that would ensue, and that his friend Yuan Ji would be implicated by Yuan Shao, and that together with Yuan Kui, they would be slaughtered by Dong Zhuo…

If Yuan Ji heard this, he might regard him as a madman spouting nonsense.

It should be noted that Yuan Kui, the Minister of Works at the time, was a master of literature and Taoism, just like Yuan Ji, and was highly accomplished.

And what about Dong Zhuo at this time?

However, he was a general in the Jugang Realm who suppressed the Qiang rebellion in Guanliang.

Given their current strength, if Dong Zhuo were to harbor even the slightest intention to harm the Yuan family, their lives would be entirely in the hands of Yuan Ji and Yuan Wei.

Based on this.

Zhang Mu's thoughts continued to wander, and he looked again at the three people rapidly approaching from the north gate, his mind filled with doubts:

When the eighteen warlords later launched their campaign against Dong Zhuo, what exactly gave Dong Zhuo the right to slaughter the entire Yuan family of Luodu?

Could it be that Dong Zhuo is also a person favored by Heaven, whose cultivation will skyrocket when the chaotic world begins?

With the assistance of his son-in-law Li Ru, who is expected to become a master of literature and martial arts in the future, the complementary relationship between the two was what caused the Yuan family, with its profound foundation, to capsize in a ditch.

"Pop!"

A crisp sound of the jade plug popping open suddenly rang out.

Yuan Ji did not wait for the three to arrive before opening the jar. He gently tapped the seal of the white jade wine jar with his fingertips, picked up the two exquisite jade cups, and with a light twist of his wrist, slowly poured the wine into the cups.

Its color is like amber, and its consistency is like fine wine.

As Yuan Ji handed Zhang Mu a jade goblet filled with fine wine, a hint of mockery played on his lips.

"You, Zhang Gongzhi, also believe in Xu Shao's theory of Yin-Yang and destiny?"

"Didn't you say that your strongest belief is that meritocracy reigns supreme?"

Zhang Mu steadily took the slightly cool jade cup, his wrist swaying slightly, and the thick wine in the cup slowly swirled, its texture remarkably similar to the liquid jelly of his previous life.

He looked up and stared directly at Yuan Ji, asking a question instead of answering.

"So, do you believe it?"

Yuan Ji lowered his head and stared at the wine cup in his hand...

A moment of silence.

He suddenly raised his hand, tilted his head back, and drank the wine in the glass in one gulp. He then gently placed the empty glass on the stone table, making a dull thud.

"I used to believe it!"

"but."

"Ever since Ji Xun Na Xu Shao cast a divination and the divination showed that I would die a violent death in the chaos of war, I have stopped believing it."

As he said this, Yuan Ji straightened his back slightly, his expression showing a hint of stubbornness and magnanimity.

"In this life, one should not be controlled by the vague and uncertain fate."

"Moreover."

Yuan Ji then changed the subject.

A hint of relief appeared between his brows as he smiled faintly, "After the divination result came out, Xu Shao also jokingly said..."

"Divination is unpredictable; there are times when he is wrong."