Chapter 515: Dividing Roasted Fish and Dragon, Dark Night Star Visits

"A revolution in military strategy is imminent!" Duke Weiguo suddenly exclaimed.

Heavenly King Tiance and others nodded in agreement upon hearing this.

Qin Mu, along with thousands of scholars and divine arts practitioners from Daoism, Buddhism, and Little Jade Capital, had been playfully experimenting with a 'Primordial Spirit Conference.' While the divine arts practitioners found it amusing, the impact on the generals leading armies was immeasurable.

Since ancient times, battlefields have been ever-changing, and communication between commanders, reinforcements, supplies, and the emperor has always been a major challenge. In the past, the Imperial Preceptor of Yankang created flying ships, allowing river boats to soar through the air, and developed land-going vessels, paving roads to facilitate rapid travel between regions.

Besides benefiting the common people, these innovations were primarily for transmitting messages. It was precisely due to these geographical and aerial advantages that Yankang's territory expanded continuously.

However, as Yankang's borders grew and its land expanded, the time required to relay messages became longer, and the time it took for armies to reach the frontiers also increased.

Although Qin Mu improved the alchemy furnaces in the river boats, speeding them up, the medicinal stones consumed by the furnace for a single message transmission were considerable.

If a single river boat were to travel from the capital to the True Heavenly Palace in the Western Lands, it would take several days, and the burned medicinal stones would likely be enough to fund a small battle.

For large-scale troop deployment, strange beasts were still needed for transport, supplemented by infantry. Using river boats to transport troops was simply too expensive.

However, with Qin Mu and others' Primordial Spirit Conference method, messages could be transmitted simply by having primordial spirits gather. This allowed them to grasp events happening hundreds of thousands of miles away.

For warfare, this method could virtually decide the fate of battles!

"Your Majesty, Prime Minister Qin's use of the term 'conference' smacks of rebellion!"

An old minister knelt with a thud, loudly proclaiming, "'Conference' refers to a court assembly, a gathering of civil and military officials in the imperial court before Your Majesty. Prime Minister Qin's unauthorized use of this term clearly reveals his treacherous ambition! I implore Your Majesty to execute him!"

Emperor Yanfeng was speechless, while other military generals angrily rebuked the old minister. The old minister, however, kept banging his head against the ground, displaying great loyalty.

After a moment, Emperor Yanfeng waved his hand, saying unhurriedly, "The term 'conference' is not exclusively for the imperial court, Elder Yu. You've read too few books. While 'court conference' is certainly used for court assemblies, the term can also be applied elsewhere. Many years ago, Heavenly Blade penned a poem titled 'First Ray of Sky' and wrote in its preface: 'conferred with friends by the Wei River.' Heavenly Blade was a giant in literature, his knowledge a hundred times greater than yours, and his writings are still widely praised today. He was not an emperor, yet no one accused him of rebellion for using the word 'confer.' It is an ancient term used for modern purposes."

The Emperor helped Elder Yu to his feet, speaking kindly, "Elder Yu, you are old. I will not have your head. You are permitted to retire and return home."

Other ministers wondered inwardly, "His Majesty is in a surprisingly good mood today; no executions. Elder Yu only lost his position, not his head; he's incredibly lucky!"

"Everyone, please be quiet for a moment!"

Qin Mu's voice rang out clearly, "First, I'll verify whether primordial spirits can communicate! Can you all hear me?"

Inside the Imperial Academy Hall, various voices clamored, countless voices responding, "Yes! We can hear you clearly!"

Qin Mu asked, "When you activate your cultivation technique, do you feel any discomfort in your primordial spirit?"

The many primordial spirits in the Imperial Academy Hall buzzed with activity. Suddenly, someone's primordial spirit vanished with a thump, only to reappear moments later, quite startlingly.

Others' primordial spirits flickered in and out of sight, while some drifted aimlessly. Various laughter filled the air, making the Imperial Academy Hall chaotic and dizzying.

Qin Mu recorded the various anomalies, clapped his hands, and said, "Alright, meeting adjourned!"

Everyone retracted their primordial spirits and vanished from the Imperial Academy Hall, thus ending the first Primordial Spirit Conference in history.

Emperor Yanfeng turned his head and asked the historian behind him, "Have you recorded it?"

The historian, holding thick scrolls, hesitated, "Your Majesty, this 'Primordial Spirit Conference' was merely Prime Minister Qin's playful antics with a group of scholars. Only a few sentences were spoken in total, most of which were nonsense. Does it really need to be recorded?"

Emperor Yanfeng sighed, tapping emphatically on the scrolls used for recording imperial affairs. He said earnestly, "If, a thousand years from now, future generations read Yankang's history and search through the annals, yet find no record of the first Primordial Spirit Conference, they will curse you and shame you! Not only must you record it, you must also draw it! Depict the Primordial Spirit Conference!"

Cold sweat broke out on the historian's forehead. He quickly recorded Qin Mu and the others' first Primordial Spirit Conference, including the few sentences they spoke. Inwardly, he felt deeply wronged: "These sentences were clearly nonsense. Will future generations really curse me over such a trivial matter? But if I don't record it, His Majesty will have my head..."

Another hour passed. Qin Mu returned from a thousand miles away, and other scholars also rushed back to the Imperial Academy. The crowd was boisterous and lively. Qin Mu summoned masters proficient in calculation and, based on the various anomalies he had recorded, deduced the shortcomings in the cultivation technique.

Before long, the cultivation technique approached perfection, and there were no longer any instances of primordial spirits spontaneously disappearing.

Qin Mu then climbed onto the Imperial Academy Hall with many scholars to correct the erroneous rune imprints. After half a day of work, a few quick-footed individuals ran out to test the method again: their primordial spirits left their bodies and gathered, and this time, there were no strange primordial spirit phenomena.

Emperor Yanfeng remained, quietly waiting for Qin Mu to finish his work until dark. As the Emperor did not leave, neither did the civil and military officials dare to, so they simply stood there.

After Qin Mu completed his tasks, he instructed the Secretary of the Heavenly Records Bureau to record the cultivation technique and rune imprints. Only then did Emperor Yanfeng step forward and ask, "Prime Minister Qin, you have rendered great service to the nation. How shall I reward you?"

Qin Mu stretched lazily and smiled, "If Your Majesty wishes to bestow a reward, then treat everyone in the Imperial Academy to dinner. This cultivation technique was not solely my creation, but a result of collective wisdom."

"Excellent!"

Emperor Yanfeng commanded, "Invite everyone from the imperial kitchens in the palace, and have them bring ingredients. I wish to reward all the scholars of the Imperial Academy, as well as these Daoists and monks! If there aren't enough hands, invite the personal chefs from the officials' own homes! I will also dine here, sharing a meal with them!"

The Imperial Academy was brightly lit. It seemed every chef from the capital's official residences had been summoned to the Academy. They lit fires and prepared meals, each demonstrating their unique skills, bringing out their best in deep-frying, stir-frying, braising, sautéing, sliding, boiling, blanching, hotpot, steaming, stewing, simmering, braising, braising, and searing… Various culinary techniques were displayed, dazzling the eyes like individual divine arts.

The myriad aromas from the Imperial Academy whetted everyone's appetites. The Emperor then ordered fine wine to be brought from the palace, hosting a grand banquet for all.

"Does this cultivation technique have a name?" Emperor Yanfeng inquired, turning slightly during the banquet.

Qin Mu shook his head. Emperor Yanfeng smiled, "As the Dao gives birth to one, one to two, two to three, and three to all things, how about we call it the 'Three Primordial Spirit Conference Art,' Prime Minister Qin? What do you think?"

Before Qin Mu could reply, Gu Lihuan, along with a group of ministers, loudly praised, "Your Majesty's brilliance is immeasurable; your humble subjects are utterly prostrate with admiration!"

Emperor Yanfeng laughed heartily, confirming the name of the cultivation technique. He then asked, "Prime Minister Qin, what are those rune imprints you drew inside the Imperial Academy Hall for?"

Qin Mu replied, "Your Majesty, the rune imprints serve to guide the primordial spirits. Primordial spirits travel incredibly fast, covering thousands of miles in an instant. With these rune imprints, participating primordial spirits can be precisely guided to the meeting."

Emperor Yanfeng frowned, "If these runes can attract primordial spirits, wouldn't they be exploitable by enemies? If an enemy were to use these runes to lure the primordial spirits of Yankang's attending generals, capturing them all in one fell swoop, wouldn't that lead to the complete annihilation of our Yankang army?"

The civil and military officials felt a chill in their hearts and nodded in agreement.

Xu Shenghua leaned forward and explained, "Your Majesty, you don't know the full extent. The runes we designed can be interchanged, and they have countless different arrangements and combinations that match the 'Three Primordial Spirit Conference Art'—billions of times more combinations than the number of Your Majesty's subjects. Such a complex rune sequence cannot possibly be deciphered."

Emperor Yanfeng was deeply impressed.

A Daoist priest rushed over, glanced at Qin Mu next to the Emperor, and boldly reported, "Your Majesty, there's a fox, a large pig, and a big chest by the lake. They went into the lake, caught two Red Dragon Carp Kings, and are now barbecuing them by the shore! It's outrageous!"

"This style sounds familiar to me," Emperor Yanfeng said, looking at Qin Mu with a smile. "Are they from your household, Prime Minister Qin?"

Qin Mu's face flushed slightly. He quickly said, "Your Majesty, I'll go at once and severely punish them! What utter nonsense!" With that, he rose and left.

He arrived at the lakeside, where Fox Spirit was scolding the chest: "See, your splashing was too big, it startled the Daoist guarding the lake! You'll only get fish bones later! Dragon Fatty, make the fire a bit smaller, don't char it..."

Qin Mu stepped forward, smiling, "Save some for me."

Fox Spirit cheered, then quickly lowered her voice and giggled, "Young Master, I know you love this kind of fish, so I had Dragon Fatty catch two. But the chest was naughty; it was discovered by the lake-guarding Daoist when it tried to hide in its belly."

Qin Mu rubbed his hands, chuckling, "I've been wanting to eat a few more meals like this for a while, but I was too embarrassed to steal."

When the fish was cooked, Fox Spirit used wind blades to cut the meat, giving a portion to the Dragon Qilin, one to Qin Mu, and one to herself. The chest lay beside them, eagerly awaiting for them to finish so it could collect the fish bones.

Suddenly, a voice laughed, "It smells so good! Much better than imperial cuisine! Cult Master Qin truly is a connoisseur of food. Save some for me!"

Qin Mu looked back and saw a demonic ape and a young monk. The monk was none other than little Monk Mingxin, whose appetite was immediately roused by the aroma.

Fox Spirit gave him a piece of fish. Seeing Mingxin wolfing it down, Qin Mu wondered, "Do monks eat meat?"

Mingxin didn't even look up. "After I left Cult Master last time, there were natural disasters and human calamities. Forget fish, I gnawed on tree bark and ate insects. When I was extremely hungry, I cut my own flesh and fed it to myself..."

He lifted his monastic robe to reveal a scar on his chest. He smiled and continued, "Since then, I've comprehended my own scriptures. All living beings—not just humans and demons, but also plants and insects—are part of a cycle of reincarnation. I eat them; after I die, they will eat me. That's all there is to it. People struggle in the bitter sea of reincarnation, not seeking the Buddha, but seeking the other shore within their hearts. I have already seen that other shore."

Qin Mu savored his words, smiling, "Well said, your spiritual realm is very high."

Fox Spirit cut another piece of fish and offered it to the demonic ape, who shook its head and grunted, "Vegetables, strong!"

"If he's not eating it, give it to me." A hand reached out from the side and took the fish.

Dao Master Lin Xuan sat beside the demonic ape, smiling, "This fish smells delicious, even better than imperial cuisine!"

Qin Mu laughed, "You're also a renunciate; do you also eat meat?"

Dao Master Lin Xuan took a big bite of the fish, speaking in a muffled voice, "If the heavens themselves are false, how can a renunciate be real?"

"Cowherd, you're eating my imperial father's fish again!"

A fragrant breeze wafted over as Ling Yuxiu squeezed Fox Spirit aside from next to Qin Mu and plopped down. She clapped her hands and tore off a large piece of fish, taking a bite despite the heat, hissing as she inhaled, and praised, "Delicious, truly delicious!"

"Princess Xiu, wait for me!"

Si Yunxiang also ran over and sat down around the bonfire, intending to squeeze Fox Spirit aside. With a thump, Fox Spirit transformed into a six or seven-year-old girl, crossed her arms, and sat indignantly between the two women, refusing to budge. Si Yunxiang felt awkward about pushing her, so she allowed her to stay there.

Everyone chatted and laughed, sharing the Red Dragon Carp King. Moments later, Wang Muran, Mu Qingdai, Long Yu, and Xu Shenghua also found their way over. Wang Muran chuckled, "You won't be able to finish two such large fish kings yourselves. Let us help you; no need to thank me!"

Qin Mu looked around and smiled, "It's rare for the Heavenly Alliance to gather. Tonight, we shall not return until we are drunk!"

"What Heavenly Alliance?"

Ling Yuxiu, puzzled, quickly asked, "Is it an alliance to overthrow my imperial father? If so, count me in!"

Xu Shenghua, Lin Xuan, and Wang Muran hesitated, unsure whether to speak truthfully. Qin Mu said, "No one here is an outsider, so we might as well tell the truth. But once we do, you will also be members of my Heavenly Alliance. Is there anyone who doesn't wish to hear?"

The Dragon Qilin quickly stood up, bit the chest, and dragged it away just as it was about to collect fish bones.

"The less you know, the longer you live!" Dragon Fatty admonished the chest.

Suddenly, the bonfire flickered. A young man was sitting opposite Qin Mu. He reached out, tore off a piece of fish, and leisurely said, "What is the Heavenly Alliance? I'm quite curious myself. Please enlighten me, Divine Physician Qin."

Qin Mu felt a shiver down his spine and quickly looked towards the summit of the Imperial Academy's mountain.

The young man opposite him said calmly, "The civil and military officials of the entire court have the strength to fight me, and your Emperor is not weak; I estimate he has cultivated the Divine Bridge."

"However, before they arrive, all of you will be corpses. Divine Physician Qin, do not act rashly. Let's discuss this Heavenly Alliance."