Master Mu’s face flushed red as he bowed alongside Miss Tan, saying, “Please forgive this old man for taking such liberties, Miss. It’s just that this person speaks nonsense, but if we don’t let him finish, it would make us appear guilty. Better to hear what he has to say, which would also demonstrate the Miss’s magnanimity.”

Miss Tan frowned slightly, then nodded and said softly, “Very well, go ahead and speak. Why do you refuse to accept me as Valley Master?”

The purple-robed man lazily tossed his black hair and slowly rose from the ground. Looking at Miss Tan, he said, “First, I must ask Master Lu a question: can the position of Penglai Valley Master only be inherited by the direct bloodline of successive Valley Masters, with no outsiders able to claim it?”

A yellow-bearded elder stepped forward from beside Miss Tan upon hearing this: “Before founding the valley, the Master established the rule that the Tan surname lineage would inherit the Valley Master position generation after generation. For over a thousand years, regardless of Penglai Valley’s prosperity or decline, this rule has never been broken. Why does Chief Zhu ask such an obvious question?”

“Exactly!” Zhu Yuanqing laughed heartily, “In that case, it would be quite inappropriate for the Miss to assume the position of Valley Master.”

Master Mu angrily shouted, “What kind of rogue are you to cause such trouble? The Miss is the old Valley Master’s only blood descendant, carrying Tan family blood in her veins. Why shouldn’t she be able to serve as Valley Master? If you continue spouting nonsense, I won’t spare you!”

“Master Mu, please don’t be angry. I’m merely concerned that since the Miss is a woman with no brothers or sisters, who will serve as Valley Master after her passing a hundred years hence?”

Master Mu said gravely, “Naturally it would be the Miss’s descendants. Surely not you, Chief Zhu?”

As soon as these words fell, everyone below burst into laughter. Zhu Yuanqing wasn’t angered either, continuing to smile as he said, “Naturally not, but I wonder – what surname would the Miss’s descendants bear? Would they be surnamed Tan? Would Tan family blood flow in their veins?”

The moment these words were spoken, the crowd fell completely silent. Master Mu pondered for a long while before saying gravely, “We’ve already considered this point. It’s simply fate that the old Valley Master had only one blood descendant during his lifetime. This is merely an expedient measure.”

Zhu Yuanqing smiled, “So you’re saying the next generation’s Valley Master wouldn’t be a Tan family member? The valley’s rules would be broken, and thereafter outsiders would also have opportunities to serve as Valley Master?”

Though he wore a smile, his words were sharp and his tongue quick. As soon as he spoke these words, everyone immediately fell silent. Only Master Mu thought for a moment before gritting his teeth and saying, “That is correct.”

“Haha!” Zhu Yuanqing suddenly laughed loudly, then leaped onto the high platform with a bound, walking to the center as casually as strolling through a garden. He declared in a clear voice, “Since the rules will be broken sooner or later, why not break with the old and establish the new today? Since outsiders will eventually serve as Valley Master, why cling to whether it happens today or tomorrow?”

Tan Sheng nearby became furious upon hearing this, angrily saying, “Aha! After all your talk, you want to lay claim to the Valley Master position!”

Zhu Yuanqing laughed lightly, “What’s wrong with that? Penglai Valley has seventeen surname lineages – Tan is supreme, Mu, Lu, Yao, Huang, and Xie are upper ranks, while Lu, Song, Bai, Li, Zhang, Zhao, Xu, Liang, Sun, Ji, and Zhu are lower ranks. Unfortunately, after a thousand years, the Valley Master’s lineage has dwindled until only the Miss remains. Continuing the succession would lead to extinction anyway. Why not revise the valley rules today and let those with virtue take the position? Penglai Valley has over two thousand people who, blessed by the Master’s unparalleled wisdom, possess countless mathematical arts, craftsmanship skills, firearms, and classical texts, not to mention inexhaustible wealth. If we employ the wrong person and the valley falls into chaos, attracting outside covetousness and destroying our ancestors’ thousand-year foundation, what face would we have to meet our forebears in the underworld?”

Once these words were spoken, silence fell all around. Tan Sheng looked about angrily and said, “Surnamed Zhu! If the Miss cannot serve as Valley Master, what makes you think you can?”

Zhu Yuanqing smiled, “Brother, you have good eyesight. That is precisely my intention.”

Tan Sheng laughed from extreme anger, stepped forward aggressively, drew his sword from his waist, and said gravely, “Good! Let me test your mettle and see what skills you have to boast so arrogantly here!”

Zhu Yuanqing turned to avoid him, laughing, “Excellent, excellent! So Brother Tan Sheng also wants to compete for the Valley Master position? Very well, let’s have a friendly match.”

Tan Sheng glared furiously, saying gravely, “Where do I want to compete for any Valley Master position? I merely want to teach an arrogant, conceited fellow like you a lesson. The Miss is the old Valley Master’s only blood descendant – her assumption of the Valley Master position is beyond question. If you know what’s good for you, withdraw obediently, or don’t blame my blade for being merciless and injuring your pampered body.”

“Hehe, I’m quite slow-witted. Brother Tan Sheng naturally doesn’t covet the Valley Master position – you probably want to be the old Valley Master instead.”

Tan Sheng angrily demanded, “What nonsense are you spouting?”

Zhu Yuanqing smiled faintly at the corner of his mouth, “The old Valley Master had no sons back then. To prevent problems after his passing, he took you into the Tan family and changed your name to Tan Sheng. Wasn’t this so you could marry the Miss in the future, and the children born would still be surnamed Tan, allowing them to continue legitimately inheriting the family business? Unfortunately, a pheasant is still a pheasant – it can never become a phoenix. Moreover, whether the Miss will obey the old Valley Master’s command and marry you is another matter entirely. You’re counting your chickens a bit too early.”

“You!” Tan Sheng’s eyes turned red with rage, nearly going mad.

Zhu Yuanqing turned and shouted, “Fellow descendants of all lineages! We have lived secluded in this deep valley gorge for a thousand years, enslaved and driven by the Tan family, serving as oxen and horses. Now the outside world is in military chaos with people displaced, and various nations have been in conflict and warfare for over three hundred years. We possess the world’s most advanced weapons technology and sufficient wealth – if we just leave the valley to trade, raise our banners and recruit soldiers, why worry about not achieving great things? When the time comes, everyone will be ennobled as marquises and ministers, bringing honor to ancestors with carriages and horses like clouds! Why must we cower here like shrinking turtles, forever without hope of advancement?”

His words were extremely inflammatory, and the valley’s young people all waved their hands in approval, with voices of agreement rising continuously. Miss Tan’s face turned pale, her brows knitted tight, her eyes looking toward Chu Zheng in the corner with panic. She saw that Chu Zheng’s expression remained peaceful – he merely smiled at her slightly before turning away.

“All bullshit!” Tan Sheng shouted loudly. “Penglai’s ancestors originally came here to escape warfare. The Master left behind construction secrets so we could have the ability to protect ourselves. Now that the outside world is filled with weapons and warfare, you actually want to leave the valley and join the military? This is completely absurd!”

Zhu Yuanqing laughed heartily, “Brother Tan Sheng speaks correctly, but this time is different from that time. When our ancestors retreated from the chaotic world, it was because they were weaponless and skillless, unable to establish themselves in turbulent times. Now we are militarily strong, our various crafts are unparalleled in the world, and we control gunpowder manufacturing – equal to thousands of troops and ten thousand horses. A great man living in this world has things to do and things not to do. Heaven’s mandate descending this great responsibility upon us is to have us break with the old and establish the new, unify the realm, and end warfare. Now that favorable timing, geography, and human harmony all rest with us, I, Zhu Yuanqing, would rather be a hero who dies fighting in chaotic times than spend my life as a mediocre rodent with short-sighted vision sitting in seclusion!”

“Saint Ousi, you are this term’s ceremonial official and know well the outside situation. You should know my words are not false.”

The enchantingly beautiful red-robed woman smiled faintly upon hearing this, her seductive eyes like silk as she said quietly, “As Chief Zhu says, the world is now divided into four parts with countless small nations and unrest on all sides. Each nation’s internal politics are in disorder – it’s indeed a great opportunity to rise up. The various department chiefs all hold regional power, with only the Engineering Department lineage keeping to their duties, carefully following the Master’s dying command from a thousand years ago, remaining in Penglai Valley.”

Master Mu pondered for a long while, “Some time ago I received a carrier pigeon message from the Cui family head of the Finance Department. It seems all lineages are restless and plotting great undertakings.”

Upon hearing this, everyone responded in chorus, their voices growing louder as they all became excited.

Zhu Yuanqing declared in a clear voice, “Our Penglai Valley is not the immortal Penglai Mountain, nor are we immortals. Must we really cower in this crevice waiting to ascend to heaven in broad daylight? Now we control gunpowder technology – if only the Miss would open the Construction Bureau and hand over the construction secrets, then though the world is vast, we would be unstoppable and invincible. If the entire world becomes paradise, why must we confine ourselves to this tiny corner?”

Seeing the disciples below in high spirits and several family heads nodding frequently, and thinking of their unauthorized actions today that seemed coordinated in creating this situation through call and response, Tan Sheng became extremely angry. Just as he was about to speak in refutation, someone suddenly grabbed his wrist.

He saw Miss Tan’s expression was calm as she stepped forward two paces and said gravely, “I don’t covet the Valley Master position – it’s simply our ancestor’s dying wish that unless the Master summons us, Penglai must never emerge into the world. Now a thousand years have passed, the Master long since passed away, and the outside world is in chaos. We should follow our ancestors’ wishes even more strictly, living in the valley without participating in external affairs. Any of the items controlled by the valley, should even one type spread outside, would cause enormous casualties and warfare. The Finance Department, Grain Department and other departments hide among the people, unable to remain aloof. Our Engineering Department has lived peacefully in the valley for generations – we truly shouldn’t involve ourselves in chaotic world affairs.”

“Not so, not so!” Zhu Yuanqing smiled, “Anything that exists in the world must have its reason and fate. Since we created these things, we should let them spread throughout the world. Otherwise, what meaning is there in all this painstaking construction and experimentation? Moreover, the world is already in frequent warfare – we’re going out merely to end the warfare quickly, pacify the world, and save the masses from fire and flood. This should be considered a good deed.”

Tan Sheng was extremely angry and said mockingly, “Just based on you? You’ve never stepped outside the valley – do you think you can recruit soldiers and command the world just by sitting in a well watching the sky?”

“Of course not based on me alone.” Zhu Yuanqing suddenly became serious, “We valley disciples have lived in the valley for over a thousand years with no understanding of outside affairs or national situations. Without roots or backing, wanting to dominate the world is indeed laughable.”

Tan Sheng snorted coldly, “At least you have some self-awareness. Since that’s the case, get lost!”

“Wait,” Zhu Yuanqing smiled, “I haven’t finished speaking yet.”

Saying this, Zhu Yuanqing suddenly turned around and declared loudly, “The world’s warfare continues endlessly with mourning everywhere. The Master was a great talent of his time who cared for the world – he must be unable to bear seeing the people in lonely suffering from the underworld, which is why he sent us such divine guidance through warnings. Otherwise, how could this deep gorge so coincidentally receive someone as talented as Young Master Chu? Young Master Chu, as Crown Prince of Southern Chu, is modest and benevolent but was schemed against by villains and lost in Penglai. The people of Southern Chu now suffer under the tyrant’s harsh government, desperately hoping for Young Master Chu’s return to overthrow tyranny. This is heaven’s opportunity for us. Now the tyrant has already entered the valley – within half a day he’ll surely die in the outer valley’s beasts’ bellies. If we support Young Master Chu as leader and follow him back to land, raising righteous banners, why worry that great things won’t be accomplished?”