Chapter 46 You Hit Donghuang Taiyi, So You Can't Hit Me, Okay?

Chen Capital.

The current capital of the State of Chu.

Back in the day, when Bai Qi led his armies to breach the city of Ying, the State of Chu had no choice but to relocate its capital here.

"Eastern Emperor Taiyi."
"Lord of the Clouds, Eastern Lord."
"Lord of the Xiang, Lady of the Xiang."
"Grand Master of Fate, Lesser Master of Fate."
"God of the River, Mountain Ghost."
"These are all the deities worshipped by the State of Chu."
"And yet, mortals actually dare to usurp their identities and masquerade as them?"

Lu Ge felt a trace of bewilderment.

As Shen Dao drove the carriage, he explained, "Master, it is not that they usurped their positions."
"Rather, they are the most zealous devotees of these deities."
"Having received divine grace, they mastered supernatural powers."
"Consequently, they assumed the names of the gods, styling themselves as the earthly embodiment of the deities."

With that, a worried expression flickered across Shen Dao's face.
"Master, although they participated in the ambush, there are safety in numbers, and if we simply march over there like this, I fear we might be at a disadvantage."

After pondering for a moment, Lu Ge shook his head slightly.
"If they were truly that formidable, they wouldn't have fled after their defeat at the Grand Music Terrace."
"I am a man of narrow mind."
"Since they sought to kill me, that constitutes a threat."
"Until I eradicate this threat, I have no appetite for meals and cannot sleep peacefully at night."
"Besides, they each have their own residences and are not gathered together."
"That makes them even less of a cause for fear."

Seeing that Lu Ge's mind was made up, Shen Dao said no more.

The carriage rolled forward slowly, soon arriving at the royal palace of Chu.

Lu Ge's first target, the Eastern Emperor Taiyi, resided within the palace.

"Forbidden royal grounds, unauthorized persons halt."

With a clanging sound, two crossed spears blocked the path of the carriage.

Shen Dao spoke softly, "The path ahead is broad and unobstructed, we ought to be free to pass."

As the words fell, his command took effect.

The guards blocking the way were instantly shoved aside by an invisible, mighty force.

Driving the carriage, Shen Dao entered the palace as if stepping into an uninhabited realm.

"Your 'word-is-law' ability is becoming increasingly proficient," Lu Ge praised.

Shen Dao chuckled, "I owe it entirely to Master's lectures along the way for my rapid progress."

Throughout the journey, whenever Lu Ge had spare time, he would expound upon the Dao De Jing to Shen Dao.

Most of it consisted of Lu Ge recounting the teachings Lao Dan had imparted to him in the past.

Naturally, Lu Ge's own insights were occasionally woven into the discourse.

Listening to the Dao while driving the carriage all the way, Shen Dao's cultivation naturally rose with the tide.

At the very least, his "word-is-law" ability no longer restricted him solely to things he could physically accomplish by his own strength, as it once had.

Instead, he could now mobilize a portion of the world's mighty forces.

For instance, at this moment, expecting his aged arms and legs to physically push away two elite guards would be pure fantasy.

Under his previous limits, such a command would inevitably have failed.

However, with his heightened cultivation, he could easily suppress them using the mighty forces of nature.

The carriage rumbled forward, and news of their intrusion into the palace was quickly reported upward.

Before long, an imperial canopy, an entourage of royal carriages, and a phalanx of imperial guards appeared ahead.

"Could this be Master Lu in person?"

Before the imperial carriage even came to a complete halt, a voice rang out with an eager inquiry.

The monarch of the State of Chu bore the Mi clan and the Xiong surname.

The current ruler of Chu was known as Xiong Yuan.

Just as Lu Ge lifted the carriage curtain, he saw a man leap directly down from the imperial carriage and run toward him.

"Master Lu's arrival is truly a most joyous occasion!"

Rushing up to the carriage, the man took a deep breath, composed himself, and executed a profound bow.

"This is the current King of Chu, Xiong Yuan," Shen Dao whispered under his breath.

"He puts on this display most likely out of fear that you will kill him, wishing to avoid the King of Zhao's old path, which is why he is fawning over you so."
"After all, we have never heard of this fellow possessing a reputation for treating scholars with courtesy."

Lu Ge clicked his tongue.

That sounded as though he had a penchant for murder.

The reason he killed the King of Zhao was because the latter had struck first.

This King of Chu was altogether too timid.

Even if the man lacked manners, he wouldn't arbitrarily slaughter people.

At worst, he would merely summon wind and rain to afflict the royal palace.

"Your Majesty is too polite."

Since he was, after all, the ruler of a state, Lu Ge decided to grant him some face.

He stepped down from the carriage and returned the bow to the King of Chu.

Raising his head, the King of Chu looked over the legendary Master Lu.

He looked completely unremarkable.

Merely a youth in appearance, perhaps slightly more handsome than average.

He bore no resemblance to the bloodthirsty butcher described by others.

"Hahahahaha!"

"Since Master Lu was arriving today, why did you not send word a little earlier?"

"So that I could have prepared a banquet to welcome you."

Stepping forward, the King of Chu grasped Lu Ge by the elbow.

Lord Chunshen's previous attempt to win him over had failed, and he had even offered clumsy excuses.

Let us see how I treat scholars with courtesy and subdue this Master Lu today.

"Come, come, come."
"Let us enter the palace."
"I shall order a banquet prepared immediately."

The King of Chu laughed heartily.

Yet Lu Ge remained rooted to the spot and quietly pulled his arm away from the king's grip.

"Your Majesty."

"I have come today not to attend a banquet."

"To be frank, it is somewhat embarrassing," Lu Ge said with a trace of shyness. "I have come to settle a score."

The King of Chu's expression stiffened, and the surrounding imperial guards changed color in unison, their hands dropping instantly to the hilts of their waist blades.

"Settle a score?"

"Master Lu, this is the first time you and I have met today, we surely have no enmity between us."

The King of Chu's heart thumped wildly against his ribs.

Please no, I do not wish to end up like the King of Zhao.

Lu Ge smiled and said, "Your Majesty misunderstands."

"You and I naturally harbor no grievance."

"The object of my grudge is none other than the Eastern Emperor Taiyi of your esteemed state."

"Oh, not that deity himself?"
"Rather, the one residing within your palace."

Upon hearing this, the expression on the King of Chu's face did not improve.

One must understand that within the State of Chu, there were no small number of individuals who possessed profound learning, comprehended supernatural powers, and were consequently honored with the title of "Master" (Zi).

Yet every single one of them was exceedingly arrogant.

Entering the court as an official was acceptable.

But you had to govern according to their specific philosophies.

And yet, none of them could stand one another.

At best, they engaged in philosophical debates; at worst, they engaged in gang brawls.

Helpless against this, the King of Chu found that no matter whom he employed, he would inevitably offend someone.

Eventually, he simply stopped employing them altogether.

Consequently, the only figures under his command whom he could truly command were the Eastern Emperor Taiyi and that faction of divine avatars.

Those who relied on deities for bestowed powers were never honored with the title of "Master."

They were generally referred to as divine avatars.

"Master Lu, might there be some misunderstanding in all of this?"

"Why not sit down and talk it over civilly? Where is the need for such violence and killing?"

The King of Chu offered a tactful persuasion.

Lu Ge shook his head. "There is no misunderstanding."

"Previously, when I was at the Ancient Qin Terrace, I was waylaid and ambushed by the Grand Master of Fate, Ji Ge."

"There were many others in ambush at the time, but seeing that they were outmatched, they all fled."

"And Ji Ge has already confessed that your state's Eastern Emperor Taiyi was among them."

With a beaming smile, Lu Ge looked toward the King of Chu.

"Your Majesty, surely it cannot be that others may come to kill me, yet I am forbidden from retaliating."

"There is no such logic under the heavens."

A heavy sinking feeling gripped the King of Chu's heart.

He had a strong premonition that this time, the Eastern Emperor Taiyi was done for.

"Master Lu, I think..."

The King of Chu intended to make another attempt at persuasion, but seeing Lu Ge gently wave a hand, a fierce gale materialized out of nowhere, causing the banners in the royal palace to snap and ripple violently.

The previously clear sky was suddenly blanketed in dark clouds.

The King of Chu choked back his words, his sentence pivoting abruptly.

"I think what you say is quite reasonable."

"However, every debt has its debtor, and every grievance has its perpetrator."

"Since this is a personal grudge between you two, I sincerely hope you will not implicate others."

"After all, the common folk of Chen Capital are entirely innocent."

You may beat the Eastern Emperor Taiyi as much as you like, just spare me.