Chapter 63: Clearing Up the Misunderstanding

“Both of you should sit and meditate for a while, strive to reach the peak of Blue Qi. Once the stone egg has fully hatched, we’ll head to the capital again.” By now, Zhou Yi already possessed the Purple Qi; he no longer needed to cultivate through meditation. The spiritual energy of heaven and earth gathered around him naturally. Even eating and sleeping constituted cultivation for him.

Capital City.

Zhang Xun, Kang Youwei, and Meichuan Yuzhi sat together on the sofa, sipping tea and chatting.

“You mean to say that next month is the optimal moment?” Zhang Xun took a sip of tea and asked.

“That’s what Young Friend Zhou Yi said when I returned,” Kang Youwei nodded.

“Commander Zhang, feng shui is not to be fully believed, but neither can it be dismissed. Right now, you have a strong army, and there is discord between Li Yuanhong and Duan Qirui. If you strike now, a single blow could decide everything,” Meichuan Yuzhi said with a smile, speaking confidently.

Zhang Xun raised his cup, but after hearing Meichuan Yuzhi’s words, he set it down on the table without drinking.

“Is that your suggestion, Mr. Meichuan?” Zhang Xun did not press further, for in such circles, there was rarely need for explicit words.

“Indeed. Since the chessboard is set, there is no reason to halt midway. Regardless of victory or defeat, one must play the game to its end. What do you think, Commander Zhang?” Meichuan Yuzhi smiled faintly at Zhang Xun, his expression laden with meaning.

At that moment, a knock sounded at the door.

Zhang Xun paused the conversation and called out, “Come in.”

His personal secretary entered, not bothering to keep anything from Kang Youwei or Meichuan Yuzhi, and spoke directly: “Commander, Liu Tingchen, Chen Yi, Shen Zengzhi, and several others have jointly written a letter for your eyes.”

Zhang Xun was momentarily stunned, but quickly took the letter and opened it before them all. As he read, his smile grew broader. He finished quickly, slapped the letter down on the table, and laughed heartily.

“Heaven blesses our Great Qing! Heaven blesses our Great Qing!” Zhang Xun laughed and shouted.

Kang Youwei picked up the letter, glanced through it, and his face lit up with joy. “Congratulations, Commander Zhang! Congratulations indeed!”

Zhang Xun waved his hand, still smiling. “It’s too early for congratulations. Prepare my official robes. I must enter the palace to see His Majesty.”

Hearing that Zhang Xun would go immediately, Kang Youwei hurried to restrain him. “Commander, there is no need to rush. We have waited years for this; a day or two more is nothing.”

“Do you mean not to inform His Majesty?” Zhang Xun asked.

Kang Youwei bowed with clasped hands. “Restoration is already a foregone conclusion. Why not, as loyal subjects, arrange all affairs first? Let His Majesty awaken to find himself once more in the Great Qing era—would he not be all the more delighted?”

Zhang Xun nodded repeatedly, saying, “Exquisite, truly exquisite! Brother Guangxia, you’ve thought of everything. We shall do as you suggest.”

Kang Youwei bowed again. “As subjects, it is our duty to ease the Emperor’s worries.” And with that, both men laughed heartily.

Meichuan Yuzhi joined in their laughter, though his was more a cold, sly smile. His ambition—or rather, Japan’s ambition—was written plainly on his face.

Mount Changbai.

The stone egg had shed all its shell, revealing within a black little dragon wrapped in a film of water. To call it a dragon might be premature—it was so small, more like a lizard.

The little dragon now opened its eyes, blinking at Zhou Yi. Finding it adorable, Zhou Yi squatted down and smiled, meeting its gaze.

But after only a moment, Zhou Yi felt a strange daze. Having already survived the heavenly tribulation, his will and spiritual sense were astonishingly strong—how could he be bewitched by a little dragon?

He quickly collected himself, recalling that the ghost’s soul had entered the stone egg. Knowing this little dragon harbored ill intent, he could not bring himself to kill it, so he simply avoided its gaze.

As Zhou Yi stood, the little dragon burst through the watery membrane and lunged at him.

But how could such a creature harm him? With a wave of his hand, he flung the little dragon aside.

The little dragon scrambled to its feet, preparing to attack again. Zhou Yi pointed at it coldly. “I spared you because you are weak—don’t mistake my mercy for softness.”

As he spoke, he released his Purple Qi, letting it swirl around him.

The little dragon instinctively backed away at the sight, then scurried into a nearby cave and vanished.

Zhou Yi knew this little dragon was the spirit of Changbai’s dragon vein and could not leave the mountain. He made no move to pursue. Glancing back, he saw Baozi and Mu Chen had already awakened from their meditation.

It turned out that with the little dragon’s hatching, the power of the Five Elements Gathering Array had weakened. When the little dragon left the mountain’s heart, the array had naturally dissipated.

The conditions for setting such an array were strict—the first requirement was a spiritual treasure as its core, and the stone egg, nurtured by the dragon vein, was just that. Otherwise, Zhou Yi could set up arrays at will and reach the realm of the Supreme within a year, rivaling the likes of the Ancestor Hongjun or the Buddha Tathagata.

“It’s done here. Let’s go.” A new spirit of the dragon vein had been born in the mountain’s heart; their task was complete.

“That’s it?” Baozi asked, eyes wide.

“If you want to stay here, I won’t stop you.”

“No way, Brother Yi, I’m not staying here.” Baozi replied, following Zhou Yi into the cave beneath Tianchi Lake.

Once out of the mountain, Zhou Yi did not wait for Baozi and Mu Chen. He summoned his spiritual energy and flew through the air, returning to the village in no time.

Outside the village, he withdrew his energy and ran home. Though he had crossed the tribulation, he was still only in his twenties—a young man at heart, homesick and eager, running instead of walking.

His longing for home intensified. Never having traveled far before, he’d been gone over a month, leaving without bidding his mother farewell. Now, he hesitated at the door.

“Second Brother, you’re back! It’s so good you’re back!” Zhou Mo called out, carrying two pheasants, a hunting rifle slung over his shoulder—he’d just returned from the mountains.

“I’m back,” Zhou Yi replied with a smile, nodding.

“Come in! You’ve been gone so long—Mother talks about you every day.”

The brothers chatted as they walked inside. “Sister-in-law came by. She knows it was all a misunderstanding. She said if you returned, you should visit Nanshan Village.”

“When did she come?”

“About half a month ago. She didn’t look well. Father’s gone, and you abandoned her…” Zhou Mo sighed.

“Never mind that. How’s Mother?” Zhou Yi changed the subject casually.

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to talk about her—he’d already made up his mind to visit Nanshan Village early tomorrow.

“Oh! I almost forgot something important!” Zhou Yi slapped his forehead. He was already at the door, but before going inside, he dashed off hurriedly again.

“Second Brother, where are you going?”