NOVPUBIt is indeed bizarre, how during each golden age, natural disasters are exceptionally rare, while in times of chaos, they seem to emerge without limit. Even if Chen Xi is not exactly aware of every precise celestial phenomenon in the Late Han period, he can assure that in this era, the more you hope a natural disaster won’t appear, the more likely the Lord of Heaven will make it so.
From this perspective, the ancient belief in the Unity of Heaven and Man holds some truth. Look, when a wise and martial sovereign king ushers in a golden age, there are scarcely any natural disasters; the winds are mild, and the rains timely. Then, as chaos approaches and the Emperor proves incompetent, disasters strike without end. Indeed, the Emperor, the Son of Heaven, deserves celebration for this phenomena... truly a testament to this idea...
Because of this, Chen Xi holds a rather bleak expectation towards the celestial phenomena of the era, ready for whatever misfortune may come—a boundless onslaught of natural calamities. But it doesn’t really matter; at least given the current situation, even a drought that spans several provinces can be withstood by his Spiritual Talent. He believes that no matter how bizarre the celestial phenomena, his Spiritual Talent will withstand it.
As Chen Xi was reflecting on the greatness of his Spiritual Talent, Cao Cao had started to suffer from heartache. The persistent drought, combined with the sudden onset of the Locust Disaster in Yanzhou, had forced Lyu Bu, who couldn’t sustain his army’s grain supplies, to retreat—indeed, a cause for celebration. However, it was Cao Cao’s thoughts of Chen Xi that pained him...
Although Chen Gong was fierce, he was only barely holding off Xi Zhicai, Xun Yu, and the others, especially when Cao Cao, freshly defeated by Liu Bei and seething with rage, was caught off guard by Xun You’s unexpected strategies, striking Lyu Bu twice, rather harshly. If not for Chen Gong’s extraordinary wit and the formidable strength of the Bingzhou Wolf Cavalry fiercely protecting their master in the Trap Formation, Lyu Bu might have been killed covertly.
"Are you saying that Chen Zichuan can avoid natural disasters on a large scale?" Cao Cao, clutching his heart, asked after Lyu Bu’s withdrawal allowed Xi Zhicai to finally relay to him the details of Chen Xi’s Spiritual Talent.
"It’s not about avoiding natural disasters. Based on what we currently know, Chen Zichuan’s Spiritual Talent is not just about evasion; it’s strong enough to completely ignore this year’s drought," Xi Zhicai said with a wry smile, having no choice but to believe the present situation.
According to Xi Zhicai’s previous analysis, Chen Xi’s Spiritual Talent shouldn’t have been able to handle such a powerful disaster. The disaster should have overwhelmed his Spiritual Talent, but Chen Xi had almost effortlessly withstood the calamity spreading across several provinces without falling into a deep slumber. It was totally illogical.
Xi Zhicai didn’t realize that his analysis was actually correct. Chen Xi’s own Spiritual Talent indeed wouldn’t have been enough to cope. Although his Spiritual Capacity was tremendous, the energy required to alter such a disaster meant that Chen Xi alone wouldn’t last more than a Ten-Day Period before needing to sleep.
However, thanks to two years of favorable weather conditions under his rule, Chen Xi had accumulated a massive amount of Free Spirit Power from his people. To put it bluntly, even until now, the spiritual shield formed by the Free Spirit Energy of several hundred thousand people around Chen Xi’s Spiritual Talent had not been completely depleted. This situation was a testament to the idea that united will can overcome nature.
Particularly since he had recently won the hearts of millions from the Yellow Turbans, and with the addition of Liu Bei’s abilities, Chen Xi’s rate of acquiring Free Spirit Energy had just barely caught up to the rate at which it was being used. After this drought, Chen Xi would still have some Free Spirit Energy remaining.
"To that extent?" Cao Cao muttered to himself, "No wonder Liu Bei, with just the land of Mount Tai, has a well-trained army and abundant grain."
Then a cold light flashed in Cao Cao’s eyes, "Is there a way to win over Chen Zichuan, or if that fails, to eliminate him?"
"Winning him over is hardly possible now. Because of the Xuzhou incident, Chen Zichuan has great animosity toward our Lord," Xi Zhicai sighed, and Cao Cao also sighed. Due to the Xuzhou incident, their relations with the Wei Family had grown somewhat cold.
"What about the assassination?" Cao Cao inquired.
"I fear that without the ability to perform a top-tier Inner Qi Manifestation, it would be very difficult to kill the opponent," Xi Zhicai said with a wry smile. Judging by the current situation, the sheer magnitude of Chen Xi’s Spiritual Capacity was enough to shock Xi Zhicai. To assassinate someone with that level of Spiritual Capacity, it would require nothing less than a top-class expert, and even then, they would have to be prepared for mutual destruction.
"Alas," a myriad of thoughts condensed into a single sigh, adding several layers to the cloud of melancholy in Cao Cao’s heart, "let’s leave it at that for now; we can talk about it in the future. Chen Zichuan doesn’t leave Fenggao and, should he move, there’s bound to be a large escort. What a pity, such a pity."
While Cao Cao was lamenting, Liu Bei was getting excited at the North Sea, listening to the ramblings of a descendant from a Famous Family about the abilities of a group of people under his command. This rambling descendant from a Famous Family was none other than Zixiao, also known as Elder Zixu.
As it happened, Elder Zixu had been injured. The reason was simple: he had been cornered by Yu Ji. Yu Ji had intended to clear out the troublemakers before implementing his plan, and Elder Zixu, being a loner without allies and not fitting in, was a prime target for elimination.
Thus, Yu Ji and a few henchmen had trapped Elder Zixu in Langya Commandery. After a fierce battle, Elder Zixu was left half-dead. For such individuals, not dying meant that the goal was not achieved. Consequently, Elder Zixu was pursued and hunted down by Yu Ji and his men for several days and nights, eventually having no choice but to hide next to Liu Bei, where at least in terms of safety, he knew Yu Ji wouldn’t dare cause trouble.
So, using a forged document of a Famous Family and assuming the alias Zixiao, Elder Zixu fled to Liu Bei to report in. Recently, Liu Bei had been recruiting talents, and Elder Zixu’s timing was impeccable, leading Liu Bei to personally take a look.
Although Elder Zixu’s documents from the Famous Family were forged, his abilities were beyond doubt. Decades of traveling the world was not for naught; his shrewdness from age ensured that many of his proposals were refreshing to both Jia Xu and Liu Ye, so naturally, Liu Bei kept him by his side.
Naturally, Yu Ji, who was unlucky, seethed with rage when he saw Elder Zixu, who was mingling and conversing jovially among the likes of Jia Xu and Liu Ye, but was rendered powerless to deal with Elder Zixu.
"So, does my ability allow those who share the same vision as me to gain greater strength?" Liu Bei asked smile, smiling at Elder Zixu.
"That is correct. Some Spiritual Talents or Military Spirits come with negative effects," Elder Zixu replied cheerfully, "Lord Xuande’s ability can weaken, or even erase, these unfavorable effects. Take Ziyang’s Spiritual Talent, for example; it’s often uncontrollable, but now it should be barely manageable. Am I right?"
"Now that you mention it, it does seem to be the case," Liu Ye pondered recent events and nodded, adding, "However, from the way you speak, it seems as if you’re familiar with our Spiritual Talents, what’s the situation here?"
Liu Ye’s eyes flickered as he glanced at Jia Xu, a notion germinating in his mind. Regardless of whether there was something amiss with Zixiao, he felt that the man had significant potential for use.(To be continued. If you enjoy this story, please visit qidian.com to cast your recommendation votes and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)
