Chapter 26: Your Majesty, This Is Terrible—the Daoist Patriarch Can Summon Wind and Rain!

On the way back, Shen Dao could not help but ask, "Master, do you possess some divine power of prophecy, the ability to foresee the future?"

"This child is but an infant now; how can you be so certain that he will unify the world?"

Although he had already made up his mind to follow Lu Ge, curiosity still gnawed at him.

Lu Ge glanced at him and smiled. "I possess no such divine power."

"It is simply that the great trends of the next two thousand years all reside within my heart."

Shen Dao was left bewildered. If you know the trends of the next two thousand years, how can you claim you cannot foresee the future? Yet, since Lu Ge refused to admit it, there was nothing Shen Dao could do.

The two returned home. Shen Dao moved the bamboo slips of *Liezi* he had finished reading back to their place and went to prepare the scrolls of *Zhuangzi*.

Lu Ge returned to his room, closed his eyes, and looked inward to examine his new gain.

A Great Divine Power: "Summoning Wind and Calling Rain."

Although this power primarily involved the manipulation of material energy, it touched upon the Great Dao of wind, rain, and celestial phenomena. It required no medium and could be invoked at will. Thus, it remained classified as a Great Divine Power.

The "Big Dipper Death-Marking Sword Qi," however, was different. Its core essence was also a Great Divine Power, but because it required the medium of sword qi to be unleashed, it had evolved into something akin to a technique, downgraded to a Lesser Divine Power. Once Lu Ge fully grasped its essence and could manifest it without the need for sword qi, it would evolve back into a Great Divine Power.

Lu Ge opened his eyes and looked out the window. The sun was bright, and the sky was a vast, clear blue. With a single thought, a fierce wind rose from the ground, howling toward the heavens. Rain followed in the wake of the wind. In an instant, the azure sky was smothered by dark clouds, and a torrential downpour began to lash the earth.

Shen Dao, who was in the courtyard, was drenched to the skin. He hurriedly clutched the bamboo slips to his chest and rushed inside. "Hey, what kind of weather is this? It starts raining so suddenly, it catches everyone off guard!"

Muttering complaints, he opened the scrolls to ensure they weren't wet, then let out a sigh of relief. "Master, I have brought the bamboo slips."

Lu Ge looked at the soaked Shen Dao and immediately withdrew his power. In a heartbeat, the wind ceased, and the rain vanished.

Shen Dao looked outside, his eyes filled with confusion. What was going on? He had been fine until he entered the courtyard, and as soon as he stepped inside the house, the rain stopped? How much time had passed between the two? Could it be that the rain was specially meant to soak him?

"You are drenched; you had best go and bathe, lest you catch a chill," Lu Ge said. Shen Dao nodded and departed with a bow.

Lu Ge reflected on the sensation he had just experienced. Much like the Big Dipper sword technique, this power was not something he had cultivated through his own understanding, but rather an innate divine gift. Innate powers could not be mastered instantly; to unleash their full potential, one needed to contemplate and practice them further. With his current level of control, Lu Ge could only shroud a radius of ten miles.

He sensed, however, that the future development of this power would not be limited to mere expansion of its range. The wind and rain themselves would likely transform. The common wind of today might eventually become the "Samadhi Divine Wind" or the "Nine Heavens Gale," and the rain might evolve into the waters of the Celestial River, the Weak Water, or even the "Three-Light Divine Water." The future held great promise.

After gaining some insight into the technique, Lu Ge set his thoughts aside. He picked up the scrolls Shen Dao had brought and began to read.

*"In the Northern Darkness, there is a fish, and its name is Kun. The Kun is so vast, one does not know how many thousands of li it measures. It transforms into a bird, and its name is Peng. The back of the Peng is unknown thousands of li in length; when it rages in flight, its wings are like clouds hanging from the sky."*

Lu Ge was no stranger to these passages from *Zhuangzi’s* "Free and Easy Wandering." Though he had read them before, he had treated them merely as stories. But now, after years of cultivating the Dao, his perspective had shifted. Sparks of spiritual insight seemed to leap from the bamboo slips, diving into his consciousness and manifesting as the ink for new divine talismans. He only needed to accumulate enough ink to draw them.

In the blink of an eye, three days passed quietly. Today was the day to attend the banquet at the royal palace. Shen Zhong had prepared the carriage early. As before, Shen Dao drove the carriage, carrying Lu Ge toward the palace.

Upon arriving at the gates, an attendant was already waiting to receive them. Yet, Shen Dao’s expression was grim. "The King of Zhao is truly impolite. You are the patriarch of the Daoist school, and he sends only a single servant to receive you?"

Given Lu Ge’s status, it would have been excessive for the King of Zhao to meet him personally, but he should have at least sent a high minister or a member of the royal family. A lone servant spoke volumes.

Lu Ge glanced outside, his expression unruffled. "It is as expected. Three days ago, he would never have dared to act this way. But I met with Zichu and took young Zheng as my disciple. It is a sign of his restraint that he even sent someone to receive us at all."

After all, just last year, the conflict between Qin and Zhao had culminated in the infamous Battle of Changping, where the "God of Slaughter," Bai Qi, had buried four hundred thousand Zhao soldiers alive. The hatred the people of Zhao felt for Qin now ran to the bone. If not for the care of Lu Buwei, Zichu, currently residing in the hostage residence, might have struggled even to find food.

The carriage wheels rolled on until they reached the palace gate. Shen Dao presented the invitation. The attendant took it, glanced at it, and without a word, turned and walked into the palace.

Shen Dao was incensed. It was one thing for the King of Zhao to be rude, but for a mere servant to act this way? He was about to speak, intending to use his "Law of Words" to invoke his power, but Lu Ge placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Do not be hasty."

Shen Dao turned to look at him. "Master? They are so disrespectful, treating us with such contempt. Must we endure it? If we do not teach them a lesson, they will surely think us easy to bully."

Lu Ge shook his head. "I meant that you should let me handle it. Your power has too many restrictions. Besides, what satisfaction is there in teaching a mere servant a lesson?"

Lu Ge looked up at the sky. "Wind, come."

With a soft call, a vast, celestial wind gathered from all directions.

"Rain, arrive."

A torrential downpour descended in an instant. The deluge did not fall anywhere else; it was perfectly contained, shrouding the entire palace complex of the King of Zhao. Outside the palace walls, not a single drop of rain could be felt.

Seeing this, Shen Dao felt a sense of familiarity. Could it be...?

The attendant who had led them was stunned. Having witnessed it from the side, he was paralyzed with shock. Did this Daoist master truly possess such power? Was he even human?

Lu Ge turned to him. "Since there is a torrential downpour in the palace, we shall not enter for the time being. Go and inform the King of Zhao: we shall enter the palace only when the rain stops."

The attendant asked in a trembling voice, "And if it never stops?"

Lu Ge smiled and gave an answer that sounded like nonsense. "If the rain never stops, then it shall simply continue to fall."

Having seen Lu Ge summon the wind and rain with his own eyes, the attendant understood perfectly. This was a naked threat. Too terrified to speak further, he dashed into the palace through the pouring rain, screaming, "Your Majesty, it is a disaster! The Daoist master can summon wind and rain!"