Lao Tzu is Ji Gong

The two chatted idly as they reached the highest point of the Deer Terrace, where palace maids brought them chairs. "The moon is exceptionally beautiful tonight!" Daji exclaimed first. Lady Huang looked up at the moon and agreed, "Indeed, exceptionally beautiful! It's been so long since I've seen such a beautiful moon. Tonight, we're truly blessed by my sister."

Suddenly, a figure walked in from a distance. King Zhou of Shang strode over, surrounded by a large group of people, and said, "So my beloved concubine was hiding here. I've been looking for her for a long time!" Daji and Lady Huang quickly stood up and bowed.

Daji replied, "Your Majesty, you have wronged me. I brought my sister here today to admire the moon." She then pointed to Lady Huang. King Zhou asked, puzzled, "When did my beloved consort acquire a sister? I knew nothing about it." Daji then introduced Lady Huang to King Zhou, who then learned that she was Huang Feihu's wife.

Finally, the three arrived at the Deer Terrace, where Daji ordered someone to bring a pot of fine wine. She poured a full cup for King Zhou of Shang and said, "Your Majesty, to celebrate the arrival of my elder sister, you must drink this cup!" With such a beauty in his arms, King Zhou of Shang could not resist. He picked up the cup, drank it all in one gulp, and laughed, "My beloved concubine, I am happy for you. Here, pour another cup."

Immediately afterwards, Daji poured several cups of wine for King Zhou, which he drank all of. King Zhou said, "My beloved concubine, why do I feel like this house is spinning?"

Suddenly, King Zhou noticed Lady Huang sitting quietly to the side. He felt that Lady Huang's beauty was different from Daji's flamboyant beauty; Lady Huang possessed a restrained, subtle beauty that was more captivating. King Zhou stared intently at Lady Huang, and suddenly, he lunged at her, intending to force himself on her. Lady Huang was terrified. Although he was a king, she already had a husband. How could he act so recklessly? Lady Huang would rather die than submit, desperately pushing King Zhou away.

Consort Huang lived cautiously in the palace, thus temporarily escaping Daji's harm. One day, a palace servant rushed to Consort Huang's inner palace and reported: "Your Majesty, something terrible has happened! Lady Huang has been summoned to the palace and has already arrived at Deer Terrace."

"When did you enter the palace, sister-in-law? Who summoned you?" Consort Huang asked anxiously.

The palace servant knelt before the hall, trembling as she answered, "It was delivered to the Huang residence by the eunuch who served Daji at Chenshi this morning."

Consort Huang raised her voice and asked, "Does Your Majesty know of this matter? Where is my brother? Has he not returned to court yet?"

He immediately ordered the palace servants to prepare the Deer Terrace, attempting to rescue his sister-in-law from Daji's clutches as quickly as possible.

Consort Huang was in a state of utter confusion, completely at a loss for what to do. Clutching her personal maid's hand tightly, the palace servant followed her, panting, until they reached the vicinity of the Deer Terrace. Suddenly, a scream rang out. Consort Huang, not daring to think further, quickened her pace towards the Deer Terrace. The palace servant's face also turned deathly pale.

Approaching the Deer Terrace, and looking at the scene before her, Consort Huang was terrified and asked in grief, "Sister-in-law must have been harmed by Daji. My brother is now powerless to help, and what am I to do?"

Chapter 1127 Huang Feihu's Rage Against Chaoge

Daji sent a close eunuch to fetch Lady Huang. Upon hearing Lady Huang's outrageous remarks, the eunuch quickly informed Daji in hopes of receiving a reward.

"Your Majesty, Consort Huang made outrageous remarks at the Deer Terrace, falsely accusing you of killing Lady Huang in anger. Many palace servants are kneeling below the Deer Terrace," the eunuch announced.

Upon hearing this, Daji angrily smashed her teacup and, with a fierce glint in her eyes, ordered, "We're going to the Deer Terrace. Consort Huang is far too audacious!"

Consort Huang looked at her sister-in-law's deceased body on the Deer Terrace. She was filled with anger and grief and did not know what to do. While shedding tears, she said, "I have tried my best to avoid Daji, and my brother is devoted to the king in the court. Why has my sister-in-law suffered such punishment today? All of this is because of Daji."

As she spoke, Daji led her entourage behind Consort Huang. Upon hearing this, Daji was enraged and said, "What do you mean by this, Consort Huang? Are you implying something against me?"

Consort Huang turned around, abandoning her usual gentle demeanor, and loudly retorted: "I wonder why Her Majesty the Queen summoned my sister-in-law today? And what caused her to die on the Deer Terrace?"

Daji's lips curled into a wicked smile as she said, "What is it? I summon Lady Huang? Is there a summons? Lady Huang's words are truly unreasonable. I have not seen your sister-in-law."

Consort Huang's eyes widened, tears welling up in her eyes, and she asked in return, "Did Your Majesty send a eunuch to summon my sister-in-law to the palace at Chenshi today?"

Daji took a few steps forward, pretended to ponder for a moment, then leaned down and whispered in Consort Huang's ear, "Well, it was I who summoned him. All of this is because Huang Feihu did not heed my repeated admonitions to him."

Although Consort Huang had long suspected that Daji was vicious, she never expected her to be so audacious. She did not take Huang Feihu and herself seriously and so blatantly murdered her own sister-in-law.

Then Consort Huang shouted fiercely, "Daji, you are a vixen! You murdered my sister-in-law while my brother was away! When he returns, you will be torn to pieces! The king has been bewitched by you and has lost his mind to do such a thing."

"I, the King, want to see what Huang Feihu is capable of, daring to punish my Queen." King Zhou appeared on the Deer Terrace without anyone noticing and stood behind Consort Huang.

Upon seeing this, Daji quickly stepped forward and cried out, "Your Majesty, today I was admiring the flowers in the garden when I suddenly heard Consort Huang cursing me on the Deer Terrace. Since there are many people in the Deer Terrace, it was really indecent, so I came here to investigate. I never expected that Consort Huang would slander me."

As she spoke, Daji cried and embraced the king, her sobs drawing great pity from him. Consort Huang, witnessing this, felt a pang of sorrow. Her face showed surprise, and tears welled in her eyes.

"Your Majesty, it's not like that. My sister-in-law is indeed..." Before Consort Huang could finish speaking, the king's anger erupted, and he roared like thunder, "Consort Huang, have you not seen how angry the Queen is? How dare you say such things?"

Daji took the opportunity to faint in the king's arms, which further enraged King Zhou. Coupled with the fact that he had heard Consort Huang cursing Daji and himself earlier, King Zhou was now burning with rage and immediately ordered Consort Huang to be thrown off the Deer Terrace.

And so, Consort Huang died a bloody and violent death at Lutai.

The palace servants who witnessed all of this were executed one by one. Only King Zhou himself and the palace servants around Daji were spared. Among them was a palace servant who had received favors from Huang Feihu. Seeing this, she could not bear to see the Huang family wiped out, so she secretly asked someone to tell Huang Feihu what had happened.

Upon hearing this, Huang Feihu was greatly shocked and asked, "How could such a thing happen?"

The messenger said, "Now the king is completely controlled by Daji and refuses to listen to the advice of those around him."

"I, Huang Feihu, have been working tirelessly for the Shang Dynasty, yet King Zhou hastily slaughtered my family because of Daji's words. He truly has no regard for our past friendship," Huang Feihu said.

"I hope you can find a way out soon, sir. Since Daji can openly kill your family, your situation will definitely be very dangerous from now on," the messenger advised.

"Yes, our loyalty has failed to awaken the King's remorse; instead, it has only emboldened him, making him even more wicked," Huang Feihu said disappointedly.

After saying this, Huang Feihu contacted trusted people in the court overnight, and after discussing the matter, they decided to try to escape from Chaoge at night.

Having escaped Chaoge, Huang Feihu was distraught and unsure of where to go. Just then, Li Xiuyuan appeared.

"Huang Feihu, I am Li Xiuyuan. I knew you would pass by today, so I have been waiting here for a long time," Li Xiuyuan said humbly.

Huang Feihu had heard of Li Xiuyuan before and admired his character, so he replied, "Li Xiuyuan, since Immortal Mo knew I was passing through here, he must have foreseen my current predicament?"

Li Xiuyuan smiled and pointed in the direction of Xiqi, saying, "We can go this way."

Because of the relationship between Xiqi and Chaoge, and also because of his own pride, Huang Feihu deliberately asked, "Where is Master Mo referring to?"

“Yes, it’s Xiqi. I know it’s not good for you to go directly to Xiqi on your own, but has my lord ever considered that with war raging all the time, do you have a better place to go than this?” Li Xiuyuan explained.

Huang Feihu still had doubts and asked, "Going there would completely contradict everything from the past, and what about the soldiers of Xiqi...?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xiuyuan, in order to dispel Huang Feihu's unease, said directly: "I will go to Xiqi with you, and Ji Chang of Xiqi is known for his respect for the virtuous and talented. You must have heard of this, sir."

Upon hearing this, Huang Feihu secretly made up his mind: I cannot stay in Chaoge for long. My ambition to serve my country now rests only in Xiqi. So he said, "Very well, thank you for your help, Immortal Mo."

After their conversation, the two spurred their horses and galloped off towards Xiqi, the dust dissipating into the distance under the moonlight with each hoofbeat.

It is said that Huang Feihu fled and was preparing to go to Xiqi to find Ji Chang, the Marquis of Xibo. Li Xiuyuan told him that he had to go west, so he kept heading west. Naturally, the journey was extremely dangerous, and Huang Feihu could not take it after only a few days.

He was a noble vassal king of a different surname, the only person in this era besides King Zhou of Shang to be officially recognized by the Shang Dynasty and granted the title of king. He was brave, resourceful, and had great talent and ambition, but he was reduced to such a state because King Zhou of Shang took a fancy to his wife.

Chapter 1128 Huang Feihu Joins the Western Zhou

They were constantly hungry and cold, and had to travel day and night to reach Xiqi. They suffered greatly along the way. Not only that, they also had to evade the pursuit of the men sent by King Zhou of Shang. It was an unbearable ordeal. Moreover, his wife was so insulted by King Zhou of Shang. How could an emperor be so shameless? Huang Feihu wished he could return to Xiqi right now, kill that licentious and tyrannical King Zhou of Shang, and let ten thousand people trample over him.

Huang Feihu held a high position and was also a famous general of this period. Every time he went to war against the border, he would go to the front line to lead troops into battle whenever there was an enemy that could not be defeated. He was at the forefront for the country and the people, and for the expansion of King Zhou of Shang's territory. But what about King Zhou of Shang? He was bullying the wives of his ministers. How shameless and despicable!

At the same time, the Huang family was also very outstanding. Not to mention that they had served as officials for generations in multiple dynasties, and they were loyal to their duties. Huang Feihu's wife was named Madam Jia. Madam Jia was famous for her beauty since childhood. As she grew up, she became even more beautiful and charming. She was not only gentle and virtuous, but also had a strong sense of righteousness.

Huang Feihu led troops into battle for many years, and she was always gentle and considerate, never harboring resentment because her husband was away from her for long periods of time, which shows that she was of excellent character.

The couple had an exceptionally good relationship; they were truly devoted to each other, their love unwavering. One was handsome and the other beautiful and charming; together, they were a perfect match.

In the eyes of others, they were a model couple; it was precisely because of the Huang family's prominence that Huang Feihu's sister entered the palace to become a concubine of King Zhou. Over the years, Huang Feihu's wife and Huang Feihu's sister, named Huang Fei, had a very good relationship, almost like sisters. It was because Huang Fei stood up for her sister-in-law and questioned King Zhou that she met such an end.

It turns out that Daji brought Huang Feihu's wife to her palace that day for a reason. Huang Feihu had accidentally injured Daji with his Golden-Eyed Eagle. At that time, Daji was not yet King Zhou's favorite concubine. Daji held a grudge over this. She was a ruthless and vengeful demon who would seek revenge multiple times. So she kept this matter in her heart and had been looking for an opportunity to teach Huang Feihu a lesson and avenge the accidental injury.

Now the opportunity has finally arrived. As the New Year approaches, the families of all the royal ministers will go to the palace to pay homage to the empresses. Daji knew her time had come, so she took this opportunity to plot against Huang Feihu. This Lady Jia is so beautiful, how could she not make good use of her? So she pretended to be friendly to Lady Jia, Huang Feihu's wife, and even tricked Lady Jia into coming to her territory. Then she found King Zhou, who was indulging in lust after drinking. King Zhou, seeing this beauty, naturally could not restrain himself and immediately had evil intentions.

And so the tragedy occurred, and Consort Huang, who came upon hearing the news, was also killed by King Zhou.

Huang Feihu thought of his wife and sister, as well as his family who had betrayed the Shang Dynasty with him—his brothers and sisters, and his elderly parents. He was heartbroken. His wife and sister had both fallen victim to King Zhou's cruelty, while he himself was on the run, not knowing when he would be able to avenge this terrible tragedy. His future was shrouded in uncertainty. He could only follow Li Xiuyuan's guidance to find Ji Chang. Huang Feihu composed himself and continued on his journey. The future was unknown, and he needed to give it his all.

Before long, darkness fell, and Huang Feihu set off with his deep-seated hatred.

Meanwhile, in the territory of Xiqi, that night, two people were discussing the state of the world with Huang Feihu, who was on the run.

Jiang Ziya was a man of extraordinary talent and knowledge, possessing profound understanding of astronomy and geography. He was indeed far beyond the reach of ordinary people. Since Li Xiuyuan had instructed him to come and shield Ji Chang, there must be a reason for it. That night, Jiang Ziya stood with his hands behind his back on the city wall of Xiqi, gazing silently at the sky, secretly calculating the secrets of heaven.

Jiang Ziya, also known as Jiang Shang, was surnamed Jiang, clan name Lü, given name Shang, and courtesy name Ziya. He was also called Jiang Taigong or Jiang Ziya. Jiang Taigong Jiang Ziya was from Donghai Township. Because of his extraordinary talent, he often felt that his talents were not recognized and was looking for someone who could appreciate his abilities to assist him. By this time, Jiang Ziya was already very old, over eighty years old.

It was because of Li Xiuyuan's guidance that he came to Xiqi to assist Ji Chang, the Marquis of Xibo. Li Xiuyuan told him that the Marquis of Xibo would eventually unify the world, overthrow King Zhou and destroy the Shang Dynasty. So, in order to realize his talents, help the people of the world escape the clutches of King Zhou and realize his wish to unify the world, he came to Xiqi.

"Grandfather? I wonder if you have noticed anything unusual?" Ji Chang, who was standing next to Jiang Ziya, couldn't hold back any longer and asked Jiang Ziya if he had noticed anything.

Jiang Ziya didn't speak at first, but continued to look at the sky and study it. His expression was serious, and he would sometimes frown, which made the people standing next to him very curious.

"Grandfather? Grandfather? Did you hear me?" Ji Chang continued to press. "I heard you. The Marquis of Xibo is getting impatient. Those who achieve great things must be calm and composed, not rash and impulsive," Jiang Ziya said without turning around.

"Grandpa is right, I was too impatient. Thank you for your guidance."

“I just observed the celestial phenomena last night and found that the Emperor Star in the sky is dim, as if it is about to disappear. If my calculations are correct, the Emperor Star will fall in a few days, and that will be the time for us to raise an army to overthrow King Zhou.” Jiang Ziya told Ji Chang this situation in a heavy tone.

Ji Chang found Jiang Ziya's tone strange. In his opinion, this was a good thing for them, but Jiang Ziya's tone was not as easy as he had imagined.

"Grandpa just said that the imperial star will soon fall, and then we will be able to follow the trend and overthrow the rule of King Zhou of Shang. At that time, the people of the world will be able to escape this miserable situation and live a happy and prosperous life. However, I hear that Grandpa's tone is unusually heavy. Is there something troubling you, Grandpa? Would you like to tell me? I can help you share your worries." Ji Chang looked at Jiang Ziya with a strange expression.

Chapter 1129 Xiao Yin Repays Kindness

"Your Majesty, you...you actually...sigh, whatever you want. This Huang Feihu is not to be underestimated. Since Your Majesty insists on not apologizing to him, then this old minister has no choice but to send troops to kill him to avoid leaving any future trouble. Then this minister will take his leave." Wen Zhong said as he left without looking back. King Zhou saw this and just snorted.

Shen Gongbao, who was standing to the side, also saw a strange smile appear before his eyes. It was clear that the person had ill intentions, and one could tell from the smile that this person was treacherous and cunning.

Five days had passed since the battle with King Zhou's army began. Facing the encirclement and suppression of the Shang army, Huang Feihu's troops fought tenaciously and fought valiantly, finally breaking through numerous passes and heading towards Xiqi.

On this day, the dazzling sunlight shone on the earth, turning the world into a hazy yellow. In the midst of complete silence, the slow yet firm sound of footsteps echoed. No one could see who was coming, but it seemed as if the earth trembled with each footstep.

Standing atop the high walls of Lintong Pass, the soldiers looked into the distance with a mixture of confusion and panic. The sound of footsteps grew louder and louder until a colossal creature came into view. This creature was clad in heavy armor, with two sharp, upright horns pointing straight up. Its body was covered in five colors, yet no one could discern which ones they were. As it drew closer, the colossal creature turned out to be an ox. The soldiers finally recognized it as the divine beast—the "Five-Colored Divine Ox"—and carrying on its back was none other than Huang Feihu, the general who had betrayed Chaoge!

"Quickly, go and report to the city garrison commander!"

At this moment, Zhang Feng, the garrison commander of Lintong Pass, was drinking and making merry with several junior officers, thoroughly enjoying himself.

"Reporting, sir!" A soldier rushed in with a flustered message, only to be immediately pelted with a jug of wine by Zhang Feng. "What's all the noise about? Can't you see I have official business to attend to?"

The soldier, seeing stars from the impact, knelt timidly on the ground, but still stammered, "Sir, Huang Feihu has led the rebel army to the city gates. I even saw him riding a huge ox. What should we do? Please decide quickly, sir!"

"What? Huang Feihu? Didn't the King send troops to suppress him? How come he's still alive and has even reached Lintong Pass with a huge ox? Could it be the Five-Colored Divine Ox?!" Zhang Feng was shocked and panicked. He could only order his soldiers to continue investigating while he sat in his chair, not knowing what to do.

"Huang Feihu is exceptionally brave; even the army sent by King Zhou couldn't stop him. How could I, a mere city garrison commander, possibly stop him? Besides, he has the Five-Colored Divine Ox to aid him. If I were to forcefully stop him, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to stop him and would end up as a pile of minced meat under the ox's hooves. But if I don't stop him, I'm afraid King Zhou won't let me off the hook. Moreover, once we pass Lintong Pass, Huang Feihu will be even harder to capture. King Zhou is so tyrannical; if we let him pass, I'm afraid my life as the city garrison commander will be in grave danger. I should think of a foolproof plan," Zhang Feng pondered carefully, his eyes darting around as a plan came to mind.

"Someone, go and fetch Xiao Yin." Zhang Feng squinted his narrow eyes, his fingers lightly tapping the corner of the table beside him. The scene of clinking glasses and laughter just moments before seemed like a distant memory. The room was filled with a tense and deadly atmosphere. The wine glasses on the table trembled slightly as Zhang Feng tapped the table, quietly awaiting the birth of Zhang Feng's conspiracy.

"Xiao Yin, do you know why I summoned you here?"

"General, you must have summoned me because of Huang Feihu's army below the city. I wonder what brilliant plan you have in mind?"

"Hahaha, that's right. I called you here to wipe out the Yellow Army. Do you know what to do?"

"I am a rough man, only fit to fight on the battlefield. Please instruct me on how to quell the rebels."