In order to become a Heroic Spirit, I had no choice but to cause trouble in history.

"Sir, please say the word. As long as it's something you need, I, Old Liu, will definitely do it for you!" Liu Jin'an was quick-witted and didn't mention his big money making by reselling grain again.

“Let Zishu come back. Isn’t he a Confucian scholar? I have two nephews who need to learn some knowledge. Among my retainers, he is the most fond of learning. He has been away for more than half a year and hasn’t come back yet. It’s time for him to come back and play a role.” Xiang Liang said, pinching the corner of the table.

"Zishu... alright, I roughly know where he is. I'll pass on a message to him for you later." Liu Jin'an nodded vigorously. "Is there anything else?"

"That's all. Don't worry about my matter. I'll talk to the prefect later and make sure he doesn't withhold your money." Xiang Liang nodded and waved his hand, signaling Liu Jin'an to leave quickly.

"Alright, alright, thank you, Lord Xiang! Well then, I'll take my leave now!" Liu Jin'an said with an awkward smile, as he tried to leave.

"Wait a minute," Xiang Liang interrupted Liu Jin'an's actions.

"Oh? Lord Xiang, is there anything else? Just tell me what you need, and I'll do it." Liu Jin'an turned around again and patted his chest.

"I don't have anything else to say. I know you know what you're doing, but..." Xiang Liang stood up, his tall figure allowing him to look down at Liu Jin'an.

He extended a finger and tapped Liu Jin'an's chest: "When you're doing business, you have to have a scale in your heart. Don't lose your conscience, or I won't be able to protect you on that day."

Liu Jin'an's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly nodded, "Then, that's for sure, sir. I, Liu Jin'an, have never done anything against my conscience. Don't you know me, old Liu..."

"Alright, instead of giving me assurances, you should ask yourself if you've actually done it." Xiang Liang waved his hand. "Go do what you're supposed to do, just remember what I said."

"Okay, okay..."

Liu Jin'an left the Xiang residence, wiping the cold sweat from his brow.

He had been a merchant for many years, while Qin Liqian had already started doing business. Living in the cracks, he should have been fearless long ago.

However, the pressure Xiang Liang put on him was truly immense.

This was the first time he had dealt with someone from a military background, and the sense of oppression he felt was completely different from that of others. Unfortunately, Liu Jin'an wanted to continue doing business in Wuzhong, so he had no choice but to pay a visit to the person in charge of Wuzhong.

Liu Jin'an glanced at the plaque of the Xiang residence, sighed, and walked along the street.

Let's lower our grain prices a little...

......

"Ah Shu, Ah Shu—"

Beside the small river outside Zijia Village, a little girl ran and shouted.

The little girl was about seven or eight years old, very cute, with a hint of anxiety on her face.

"Sister Ahua, I'm here!"

Downstream, a little boy stood up and waved to the little girl.

The little boy looked about 80% like the little girl and stared at her with a puzzled expression.

"A-Shu! What are you doing here? Grandpa's looking for you!" The little girl named A-Hua looked at A-Shu angrily.

"Huh? Why does Grandpa want to see me?" Ashu was startled and shrank his neck. Could it be that he found out I secretly licked a mouthful of lard?

"I don't know, but it seems like Father is back from his corvée labor!" Ahua smiled beautifully. "Let's hurry back!"

"Hey? Dad's coming back!" Ashu's eyes lit up. "Dad's been gone for a year! He'll definitely bring us delicious food when he comes back!"

"Absolutely! Let's go back quickly!"

The siblings started running from the riverbank toward the village.

These siblings are twins. The older sister is named Zijuan, nicknamed Ahua, and the younger brother is named Zihuai, nicknamed Ashu. They are children born and raised in this village.

No sooner had the two children left than a person arrived at the riverbank.

Dressed as a Confucian scholar, he bent down, dipped his finger in the river water, and held it under his nose.

With a flick of his sleeve, he frowned and looked at Pangshan.

"...The mountain lord drinks water, but..."

"Um......"

He narrowed his eyes.

"It's weird."

Snapped!

He suddenly clapped his hands, his eyes emitted a blue light, and he exhaled a breath of stale air.

"Let me cast a divination to see if it's auspicious or inauspicious before we decide."

After fiddling around for a while, the scholar frowned and smacked his lips.

"The strange things that happened..."

"It seems unlikely we'll be able to get out anytime soon, but..."

"Tsk, it's all my fault for not studying hard back then, I can't see anything clearly."

He stomped his foot.

"In short, let's find a way to tell Lord Xiang about what's going on here. He's handled these kinds of things before."

The scholar looked up at Pang Shan, shook his head, and turned away.

At this moment, the lush green forest appeared somewhat dark and eerie.

Birds and insects were silent, monkeys were quiet, and everything was completely still.

Even the mountain king's cave was eerily quiet.

It seemed that something was silently radiating power in the surroundings.

That unsettling, ominous, suffocating feeling—

Power and prestige.

The mountain spirit is no longer a monster; having received offerings, it can naturally be called a deity.

However, even gods can make mistakes.

------------

Chapter 793 Iron Bucket Wood Maggots

It is now March, the season when all plants begin to flourish and spring is in full bloom.

And finally, someone returned to the Xiang residence.

"Zishu pays respects to Lord Xiang." The tall and burly scholar bowed respectfully to Xiang Liang.

"Well, did you gain anything from this trip?" Xiang Liang asked Zi Shu with a smile.

The various schools of thought suffered heavy casualties during the Warring States period, and not many remained. Coincidentally, there was a Confucian scholar who served as his retainer, and that was Zishu in front of us.

He stretched out his hand and pointed to the seat below him.

Zishu bowed and sat down, placing his hands on his knees.

“Zi Shu has indeed seen a lot during this trip.” Zi Shu’s expression was very wistful. “The world today is indeed different from the world before. Even at the age of two, it can already show signs of prosperity.”

Xiang Liang remained silent for a moment, his eyes slightly lowered.

Zishu realized who he was serving and quickly bowed, saying, "I'm sorry, sir, I—"

"It's alright." Xiang Liang raised his hand to stop Zi Shu from apologizing, and sighed, "That King of Qin does indeed have some tricks up his sleeve."

"He swept across the six kingdoms, governed the world, and defended the northern frontier with his expertise in every aspect. Such a person is unprecedented in history."

"Unfortunately... he was standing opposite me, and I'm not even worthy to say that I was standing opposite him."

Xiang Liang's expression was incredibly bitter, an uncontrollable bitterness.

Of the six states conquered by Qin, Chu was the most wronged.

Xiang Liang represented the last remaining forces of the Chu state.

Therefore, it is incredibly painful to admit that your enemy is stronger and greater than you.

"My lord..." Zishu cupped his hands in greeting, but didn't know what to say.

"When my father died on the battlefield, he said, 'Even if Chu has only three households left, it will surely be Chu that destroys Qin.' I have always kept that in mind, but the rise of Qin... is unstoppable, unstoppable..." Xiang Liang's voice trembled slightly.

No, it was trembling violently.

Hatred, helplessness, despair, and grief could all be heard in that voice.

Xiang Liang wanted revenge, revenge for his father, revenge for Chu, even if it would throw the world into chaos again, he still wanted revenge.

How can one not feel hatred when one's country is destroyed and one's home is ruined!

but......

Qin was too powerful, and the First Emperor was too powerful.

Strength lies not only in the military, but also in everything else.

Xiang Liang couldn't imagine how he could find an opportunity to overthrow such a powerful Qin Dynasty and such a powerful First Emperor.

He was like a maggot trapped in an iron barrel; despite his skills, he was powerless in the face of the iron barrel.

Xiang Liang closed his eyes and breathed heavily, taking more than ten breaths to calm down slightly.

Xiang Liang opened his eyes again and looked at Zi Shu: "What about the others? Did you notice anything unusual?"

Zishu shook his head: "There's nothing wrong with people's livelihood; the local officials are managing things quite well, it's just..."

Xiang Liang frowned: "But what?"

"Ah, Your Excellency." Zishu bowed to the person above him. "You should know that there is a mountain called Pang Mountain around Pei."

“Yes, I’ve heard that. It must be the highest mountain in this area.” Xiang Liang nodded and touched his teacup a couple of times. “I’ve also heard that there is a mountain god on that mountain who protects the people and allows Pangshan to survive even in wartime.”

“There is indeed a mountain god in Pangshan. I stayed in that area for the past few months to investigate some things.” Zishu pursed his lips, his eyes becoming serious. “That mountain god is a mountain lord who has cultivated himself. It is said that he has been there for more than a hundred years and has never eaten a person. He is only worshipped by a few surrounding villages. Those villages have even built a mountain god temple for that mountain lord. Every year before the flood season, they go to worship and pray for good weather and a good harvest.”

"Oh? So, that mountain lord is a good mountain lord." Xiang Liang's face showed a hint of interest.

"Hmm, he is indeed a good mountain tiger, but..."

"But, but, what 'but' my foot! If you're going to talk, then stop beating around the bush!" Xiang Liang glared at him and slapped his desk, startling Zi Shu.

Zishu has already said "no" several times in the past half day, dragging his feet, which is making Xiang Liang, who is already in a bad mood, want to lose his temper.

"Ah, okay, okay." Zishu nodded. "I know a little about divination, don't I? I once cast a divination and saw something."