Chapter 1178: The Deep Malice

Chen Xi thought about the current system and the words of Xu Shu and Lu Su. After some reflection, he had to admit there was some logic to what they said. However, he still couldn’t accept the idea of being represented by a nine-tailed white fox.

Without much thought, Chen Xi could already foresee that once the nine-tailed fox became associated with enchanting beauties in future historical records, there would inevitably be bizarre and unofficial stories about him.

Just imagining this made his face turn green. In future retellings of the Three Kingdoms, there would be all kinds of strange "ships" (relationship pairings) and fanfiction about him. Adding himself, now forever known as the Nine-Tailed White Fox, to the mix... he didn’t even need to think too hard to know that he would become the target of many such stories.

"I feel the deep malice of this world," Chen Xi said as he glanced at Li You. Li You looked equally gloomy, as he too felt the world's malice.

"I wholeheartedly agree with Chen Xi," Jia Xu chimed in, looking just as downcast. He turned to look at Guo Jia, who had been lively earlier but now appeared as subdued as a deflated balloon.

The four exchanged looks, all filled with resignation. Chen Xi and Guo Jia had been openly slacking, while Jia Xu had been more discreet about it, and Li You had been quietly filling in gaps in Liu Bei’s administration. When Chen Xi thought about future "secret histories" involving him, the others could only focus on doing their jobs properly from now on.

"Let’s just forget about what happened today and not mention it to anyone. As for the strange phenomena happening across the land, let’s just leave them be," Chen Xi said, trying to sound nonchalant, though he was really terrified of all the potential fan fiction about him.

"I never expected the Tian Ding and Ren Ding to have such abilities," Liu Bei said with a sigh, looking at the two bronze cauldrons atop the altar, which had dimmed after their earlier glow. "Wenru, I hope you can continue to assist me in filling the gaps in our governance."

"This has always been part of my duties," Li You replied calmly with a nod. "However, I feel that the administrative workload is becoming overwhelming, so I request that you assign Kongming to assist me."

Li You was clearly asking to take Zhuge Liang under his wing. Liu Bei thought for a moment and agreed. He understood that Li You might have requested this because Zhuge Liang was a workaholic. Since Zhuge Liang had come under Liu Bei's rule, it had mainly been Li You guiding him.

In Liu Bei’s eyes, Li You had always stood out among his ministers, so assigning Zhuge Liang to him seemed like a perfect fit. Besides, Liu Bei remembered that Chen Xi had taken in Lu Xun and later handed him over to Jia Xu, so giving Zhuge Liang to Li You for further mentoring seemed appropriate.

"Greetings, Master Li," Zhuge Liang said respectfully, bowing with a half-salute. Zhuge Liang had indeed considered becoming Li You’s apprentice, but Li You had declined. While he was willing to teach Zhuge Liang everything he knew, he also knew that it was only a matter of time before Zhuge Liang surpassed him.

"You may be busier from now on," Li You said with a smile. However, it wouldn’t be too overwhelming. After all, Liu Bei’s administrative duties were primarily managed by Li You. If Chen Xi was considered the "external prime minister," then Li You was the "internal prime minister," overseeing everything like a master of operations.

Chen Xi glanced at Zhuge Liang. Indeed, Li You was the best teacher for Zhuge Liang, even more suitable than Pang Degong. It wasn’t just about experience; Li You’s coordination and comprehensive skills were unmatched.

Li You had a wide range of talents, and over the past decade, he had become very adept at using his abilities effectively, knowing how to integrate his skills to perform well in complex situations.

"Oh right, what was Zilong’s fortune manifestation?" Chen Xi asked Jia Xu and Guo Jia, leaning back slightly. Since he hadn’t been able to push Li You out, these two probably had an easier time observing everything.

"A white dragon’s shadow."

"A white dragon’s soul!" both Guo Jia and Jia Xu said simultaneously, glancing at each other before Jia Xu added, "And that’s not all. Zilong reacted as quickly as we did. His fortune must be no less than ours."

"Too bad we’re both civil officials, not as quick as him," Guo Jia said helplessly. Zhao Yun likely had the strongest fortune among all the military generals.

"Zilong has always followed the principle of moderation, unlike you two who either act out of self-preservation or take advantage of the situation," Chen Xi remarked dryly. "But what if those beams of fortune that flew away were intercepted by others? And what do you think would happen if they reached their destinations successfully...?"

The three exchanged looks, their eyes lighting up. "The grand court assembly, Cao Cao!"

When over a hundred beams of fortune shot into the sky, it was as if each had made its own choice. Some beams, which had already selected certain individuals in Ye City, descended immediately, while the rest soared hundreds of feet high before scattering like fireworks.

The beams that flew out of Liu Bei’s courtyard took on various colors. Some of them landed right in Ye City. For instance, as Cai Wenji was playing with her nephew, a purple beam descended upon her, and for a brief moment, the shadow of an ancient Fuxi-era guqin appeared before vanishing.

In Liu Bei’s rear courtyard, where Adou (Liu Shan) resided, a beam of purple and gold light landed on the child, and a flicker of a purple-gold crown appeared before disappearing.

More beams of fortune, however, flew beyond Ye City, scattering in all directions. As Sun Ce was feasting with his followers, more than a dozen beams of light struck him. Among them, Sun Ce, Zhou Yu, and Pang De had the most powerful fortune manifestations, while the others paled in comparison.

"A phoenix?" Pang Tong’s eye twitched. While it was generally understood that a phoenix referred to a male, anyone who saw the golden dragon radiating fire above Sun Ce’s head would inevitably misunderstand.

"But what exactly did Gongjin’s manifestation represent?" Pang Tong wondered. Normally, a cloud-like shape indicated insufficient fortune to form a clear image. However, considering the overwhelming power of Zhou Yu’s fortune, Pang Tong found it hard to believe it wasn’t strong enough to take shape.

"Golden clouds..." Zhou Yu muttered quietly, clearly satisfied with Sun Ce’s golden dragon manifestation. Zhou Yu had always considered himself an accompaniment to Sun Ce, like clouds to a dragon. Without Sun Ce, he wouldn’t be able to function at full potential. No one could command him as effortlessly as Sun Ce.

The farther south the beams of fortune flew, the fewer remained. In the end, only two remained—one red and one purple—flying toward the south with incredible speed.

Zi Xu had been flying for so long that he was on the verge of vomiting. Luckily, he didn’t need to eat or drink, nor did he require rest. However, seeing nothing but ocean day after day was making him sick.

During this nausea-inducing journey, his most vivid memory was flying over a particularly high mountain and arriving at a rather impressive place, where the main structures were all towers.

Zi Xu, being mischievous, decided to peek into one of the tallest towers he’d ever seen, only to be attacked by a bald man who emerged from inside. The place seemed to be filled with inner qi practitioners, each wielding the ability to manipulate heaven and earth’s energy to enhance their attacks—a skill that was alarmingly widespread.

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