Chapter 2698: Throwing Gold Like Iron

Fan Si Nian was without a son. In his early years, he had an extremely favored son, who, because he violated national law, was personally executed by Fan Si Nian. From this event came the saying, "Orders issued, prohibitions in place, Qin people dare not touch the law."

Fan Si Nian's wife, therefore, greatly hated Fan Si Nian, believing he killed his son for fame, that he deliberately used his son's life to demonstrate his resolve to advance the law. After several failed attempts to kill him, she committed self-immolation and died, saying, "With this, burn the hate, may the flame never extinguish. Take this as your shame, may it never be cleared your whole life!"

After this, Fan Si Nian never married again.

This historical passage has already been recorded by the industrious academy and will certainly appear in the future *History Knife Chisel Sea*. The *Qin Book* also does not shy away from this topic.

Fan Zheng, in such circumstances, was raised by Fan Si Nian as the direct grandson of the Fan family. The weight he bore was clearly visible to the naked eye.

From a young age, it was the classics of a hundred schools, replacing green plums and bamboo horses. Ancient and modern strategies, driving away the song of birds and the fragrance of flowers.

When the True Monarch of Zhen River drew lots and fixed the names, Fan Zheng supported his knees and rose. He deeply glanced at Fu Yan Ci, who also rose at the same time, framing all observations from his seat within his pupils.

Then, one by one, battle strategies blended into his pupil light amidst the spiritual light.

He walked towards the outside, each step light, yet his momentum was heavy.

He had the standard figure of a thirteen-year-old boy, somewhat slender and tender. But his expression was serious, his thoughts deep. At the age of thirteen, his eye sockets held worries.

"Who do you all say will win?" Emperor Jing's voice leisurely sounded, but only circulated near the six-direction pillars, not reaching the ears of the crowd.

"I will not participate in the discussion." Mu Tian Zi smiled, his voice vaguely floating outside the clouds:

"Parents love their children without counting their resources, let alone Fu Yan Ci being such a heaven-favored talent, such a figure! However I look at him, I cannot see the possibility of him losing." He Lian Yun Yun was indeed the weakest among the emperors present. Although she quickly grasped power and consolidated the court since ascending the throne, her succession was relatively sudden, with too many inherent shortcomings that needed time to be filled.

This gathering of six emperors for the Yellow River meeting was also a big test for her.

But she had obviously already adapted very well to this occasion, acting relaxed and at ease, not viewing this as a test.

"I see Fan Zheng has a lot of momentum." Emperor Jing suddenly said:

"Youth showing age, has the demeanor of a great general."

"Piling mountains on a child's shoulders creates this momentum. This kind of strength is indeed strong, full of killing intent." Emperor Chu's voice held pity: "Qin Prime Minister is inevitably too harsh in his teaching, discarding gold like iron everywhere, sharpening jade like stone without pity."

If Zhuge Zhuo was a naturally serious little adult, the self-aware successor left by the Star Witch, then Fan Zheng was the ideal entrusted by Fan Si Nian. Every step he had taken up to now had been strictly within the lines of rules, never deviating once.

His occasional curiosity and his interest in provoking language were already his very youthful parts. Stripped of these, in his youth which should have been filled with growing grass and warbling birds, he truly only read books and cultivated.

Both were serious boys. Zhuge Zhuo's seriousness came from inner thinking and reflection. Fan Zheng's seriousness came from external scrutiny and shaping.

The former was missing externalized as armor, the latter was expectation internalized as a cage.

This fundamental, extremely subtle difference could not be perceived without a detailed understanding of their past lives. Emperor Chu doing this kind of serious homework on a thirteen-year-old player at the Yellow River meeting... he was absolutely not as frivolous as his posture suggested.

Emperor Qin's light laugh was dignified and not thin:

"Stone not broken cannot show jade, person not carved is difficult to get pattern. The backbone of the Qin people is precisely in carrying mountains and becoming strong. It is precisely in discarding gold like iron, sharpening jade like stone, that we have the Yu Abyss Great Wall. Small family mentality, what great matter can it accomplish?"

After fighting with Xiong Ji for several decades, the opponent had shaved his head and gone to the mountains. He assumed the posture of an 'experienced person' without any psychological pressure:

"Prime Minister Fan exhausts his loyalty for the country, exhausts his duty for the world. The Qin Court is grateful to him and asks for nothing. How to teach the younger generation is, after all, a family matter. Although I am the Ninth Five Supreme, I should not interfere. What, has your country's Lie Zong himself left home, yet still left behind the tradition of managing the family matters of his subjects?"

"Now ascending the View River Terrace, none are not contending for the country. How can there be family matters? All are national matters!" Emperor Chu's voice was full of amusement, like a carefree youth, more than a king wielding supreme power:

"Emperor Qin need not overreact. Hundred years of dust matters, dropping half a strand of temple frost. Wind travels ten thousand miles, moving a corner of the terrace flag. To see Strong Qin through Fan Zheng is like peeking at a leopard through a tube, seeing only a single spot."

"Indeed, you can see a single spot!" Emperor Qin's laughter did not change:

"Speaking of which, Fan Zheng is also the direct line moved into the clan genealogy by Prime Minister Fan, and Zhuge Zhuo is also the adopted successor of the Star Witch. Neither are related by blood, but by wisdom and emotion."

"Fan Si Nian was strict with others and strict with himself, leading to the great expansion of the Qin grand plan; Zhuge Yi Xian was lenient with others and strict with himself, leading to the Chu candle burning to ash. Is this due to different water and soil? Loss of virtue or talent?"

When people now mention the Great Qin Empire, they only mention Qin Tai Zu Ying Yun Nian's transcendence of water and channels, only Crown Prince Xia Shan Ying Wu's "river and mountain solid." On the contrary, the current Emperor Qin, who clearly won the great battle of the River Valley and built the Yu Abyss Great Wall, has no great sense of existence.

He is always like a silent mountain, possessing substantial power and weight. But he is always subconsciously ignored.

But all who ignore him will eventually have to look up to his majesty!

Hong Jun Yan only discovered today that this Son of Heaven of Qin, who has never been known for his words, rare as it is for him to engage in a verbal battle, is actually so sharp-tongued.

"The Star Witch planned for the country, his calculations executed transcended, his merits reached the realm of fallen immortals, his legacy blesses ten thousand generations! I will not evaluate Fan Si Nian. After politics, Qin will have its own discussions, which should be in the monarch's heart." Emperor Chu leisurely said: "Emperor Qin speaks of the country's situation thus, I want to say that each person has their own ambition. The harsh winter is already here, frost does not exist outside. If the spring wind permits, ten thousand purples and a thousand reds! Romantic guests from ancient times to the present were all born of heaven and earth, free in countless ways. Relying on chiseling open brains to pour out articles is pouring in nothing."

Jiang Wang seriously watched the competition that had already begun on the stage, yet always had three points of his mind focused on the knowledge entering his ears.

It turned out that on the Yellow River meeting, these dharma images of the Sons of Heaven did not just sit and say nothing.

They also engaged in various verbal skirmishes, lengthy and trivial, no different from the viewers in the viewing seats who often turned red in the face and argued about this and that. At most, they had read more books, and their scolding was more veiled...

It's just that before, as a player, he couldn't hear what was happening among them. Now as a referee, he could join the chat at any time!

Of course, he kept his mouth shut tight. It wasn't as if he wanted to referee when the Sons of Heaven from various countries got into a fight, did he?

"Good one, 'Harsh winter is already here, frost does not exist outside'! Isn't this exactly talking about my Li Dynasty!" Hong Jun Yan strongly joined the group chat:

"But the frozen snow in the northwest is not just one kind of frost color. In the depths of the snow plains, there are also various purples and reds. The world barrier has been long, seemingly a bleak autumn forest! We still need more exchanges in the future."

For a while, the Sons of Heaven from the hegemonic countries were all silent.

After a long time, Emperor Wei supported the field:

"Elder brother is absolutely right. The scenery of the ten thousand li snow plains, I yearn for it greatly. We ought to exchange!"

"Actually, it's easy to say!" Emperor Jing suddenly laughed:

"Inner River countries indeed rarely see ice and snow. Since Emperor Wei is so interested in the snow plains, find a time, I will raise my whip and leap on my horse, and bring you to see it!"

Unlike the Sons of Heaven of the hegemonic countries whose faces could not be seen, Wei Xuan Che, who was sitting in the field, had clear features. He leaned back slightly, very clearly closing his mouth.

"To enjoy the scenery on the snow plains, why would you let a military lord lead the way?" Hong Jun Yan's tone was instead composed, his smile unchanged:

"See what time you have free to come over, I will definitely sweep the mat to wait."

Jiang Wang originally still wanted to wait for the Son of Heaven of Qi to open his mouth, to see what this eastern Son of Heaven would chat about on this occasion. Seeing the emperors on both sides about to tear into each other, chatting as if they wanted to declare war... he hastily shouted:

"Look at the tea!"

Lian Yu Chan immediately walked out. She carefully divided out the Dragon and Tiger qi, presenting eight cups of hot tea.

In order not to give these emperors a reason to pick faults, these eight cups of tea were served simultaneously, arriving at the same time, with completely consistent amounts and temperatures.

To further subtly distinguish them, she used the Dragon cloud of the Two Instruments Dragon and Tiger to present tea to the six Sons of Heaven of the hegemonic countries. She used the Tiger wind of the Two Instruments Dragon and Tiger to present tea to the Li and Wei brothers who were sitting together. Although her cultivation only reached the God Arrival stage, this water technique fully embodied the truth of the world.

Even the Central Son of Heaven said "ah":

"Lian Jing Zhi's daughter, she learned a lot of miscellaneous things in White Jade Capital!"

Although Xiang Country is a subordinate country of the Dao, how many Dao subordinate countries are there in the world? Even though it often contended with Xu year after year, shedding blood and sacrificing lives for Jing Country on the Star Moon Plain, perhaps only the monarch of Xiang Country could, in the "Dao Country Great Court" held every ten years, luckily walk into the Three Pure Profound Capital Great Emperor Palace, have an imperial audience with the Central Son of Heaven, and listen to a few words of teaching.

Even Lian Jing Zhi, the great pillar of Xiang Country, who fought his whole life and had outstanding merits, never walked in front of Emperor Jing in his lifetime, let alone conversed with the Central Son of Heaven.

She, Lian Yu Chan, unexpectedly received a single sentence of ridicule.

And from this relatively intimate ridicule, she felt the Central Son of Heaven's attention to her Lian family—knowing her father, knowing the Lian clan, and also knowing Xiang Country.

Even having already made up her mind to stay in the White Jade Capital tavern for the rest of her life, no longer returning to the world as a pawn on the battlefield of Wan He Temple, forever escaping the fate of being driven and filling trenches with her flesh, ending this lifetime, seeking a better way to help her country...

In fact, the existence of the White Jade Capital tavern, and the laying down of arms on the Star Moon Plain, was already the best future for Xiang Country.

But even such a Lian Yu Chan, at such a moment, unexpectedly suddenly felt a kind of hot-blooded ambition to "support the jade dragon and die for the monarch."

Fortunately, the heavenly wind on the View River Terrace was strong, blowing some sobriety into her. She turned her head to look at the east side of the stage, and her heart gradually calmed down. With a smile, she retreated.

She knew that Emperor Jing's ridicule did not need her to respond.

This ridicule and intimacy, were they originally not meant for her? Was it? Xi Men, was it for you to see?

Everyone saw the True Monarch of Zhen River. At this moment, his eyes were truly looking in six directions, his ears listening in eight directions, coaxing the Sons of Heaven above, protecting the viewers below, his main duty still supervising the competition. He was so busy his eyes were splitting...

On one side, he instructed Lian Yu Chan to bring hot tea to let the emperors moisten their throats, waiting for the next round of arguments.

On this side, the opening confrontation between the heaven-favored talent of Mu Country and the heaven-favored talent of Qin Country had also decided the victory and defeat.

Fan Zheng lost a move. Before he could complete his nine-mountain hunting absolute kill technique, he was wiped out of lifespan by Fu Yan Ci's dead pupils—

Of course, True Monarch Jiang intervened in time, leaving a thread of life, announcing the victory and defeat, sending the person off the stage. The whole set of actions was smooth as flowing water.

Fan Zheng losing today did not mean that the inner field of Qin Country only stopped at the top thirty-two, creating the worst Yellow River record in history—if it were truly so, this child, who originally carried a mountain of pressure, would probably not survive.

Ju Kui had put a lot of thought into the design of the competition rules.

In order to let the final ranking better reflect strength, and to minimize the luck factor as much as possible, the main competition of the Yellow River meeting was still set up with a loser bracket.

Let's take the inner field as an example.

Thirty-two people in the main competition, random drawing of lots, two by two.

Sixteen winners enter the winner bracket, sixteen losers enter the loser bracket. Then, the winner bracket has sixteen advancing to eight. The eight who lose in this round also fall into the loser bracket.

Up to this point, the loser bracket has twenty-four people.

Within these twenty-four people, they compete again two by two, and finally three people are decided.

The three people from the loser bracket still initiate challenges against any one person from the winner bracket in the form of challenge matches.

The final spots are then the top eight of the Yellow River meeting.

Then, eight advance to four, four advance to two, contending for the chief name.

Compared to the winner bracket, the loser bracket has to fight four more matches—loser twenty-four advance to twelve, loser twelve advance to six, loser six advance to three, and challenge match.

Under such a competition system, the competition is very intense.

Every person who has crossed thousands of mountains and ten thousand waters to reach the View River Terrace has their own reasons for not losing.

Strong countries want to maintain their status, small countries want to win space, sects also want to strive for discourse power, and those who fought and obtained quotas through the Tai Xu Illusion Realm with their personal names... also want to grasp a clear and visible future!

Among them, there are certainly some particularly profound stories.

For example, True Monarch Jiang's own younger sister, who in the first round of the main competition met Gong Wei Zhang, the cold and taciturn "Gong Shao Du," and was chopped into seven or eight pieces. This guy, whose fighting talent rivaled Jiang Wang and Dou Zhao, had already almost completed the *Yan Fu Sword Canon* at the inner field level. He was able to literally chop out flaws! Jiang An An became braver the more frustrated she was, rising straight in the loser bracket. In the loser bracket twenty-four advancing to twelve match, she won a match in anger! Winning a round of applause from the whole hall.

Immediately following, in the loser bracket twelve advancing to six, she met Fan Zheng, whose eyes were still red from crying for several days...

To use Bai Shopkeeper's words—she did not inherit Jiang Wang's fighting talent, and her growth speed in battle was far less terrifying than Jiang Wang's, but she inherited Jiang Wang's luck...

This kind of luck was Jiang Wang's whetstone, a continuous onslaught of wind and thunder, tempering out a world-class edge. But for Jiang An An, it was too heavy, like a mountain covering her head, smashing apart Zhao Xue's sword light...

For example, Song Qing Yue entered the winner bracket of sixteen with the momentum of a rainbow, and then suffered a miserable defeat in the winner bracket sixteen advancing to eight, falling into the loser bracket. Then, she stumbled forward from the loser bracket, twenty-four advancing to twelve, twelve advancing to six... finally falling in the match of six advancing to three.

The Water Tribe called their demon markings 'water patterns,' using them to distinguish the past.

Song Qing Yue's body showed the Jiaolong horn water pattern, which was broken bare-handed by a monk from Sumeru Mountain! She showed her Jiaolong form, and was then hammered back into human form. Various laws and techniques were all broken, and her life-fighting methods were also fought back with her life.

But this monk, inheriting from Master Zhao Wu Chan of Sumeru Mountain, also went all out, had his bottom cards seen through, and finally, without winning in the challenge match, was also refused outside the top eight.

For example, the representative of Qi Country competing in the outer building field was a military general.

He was a direct disciple of Ji Zhao Nan.

He used spear methods.

The spear that Jiang Wang brought back from the demon world that year...

Rao Bing Zhang's spear.

A single pole of Shao Hua's true transcendence of the world, killing until snow flew all over the stage.

Standing proudly on the list of the top eight, alongside Xian Yu, Lu Ye, etc., welcoming challenges from all sides.

"I didn't remember my previous name... now I'm called Ji San Si."

When the red-robed, snow-speared young general on the stage lifted his spear and made a lion's roar...

The Yellow River referee supervising the competition by the field was also stunned for a moment.

Some people can never walk out of that field of wind and snow.

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