Chapter 1017: Zhong Shan's Gift

At the outskirts of Xianyang Sacred City, within one of the Noble Guest Houses, two house masters were leisurely sipping tea and conversing.

"Master Wang, I've had the honor of receiving six red invitations this time, all personally penned by Prime Minister Li Si, making them the most prestigious guests of Great Qin! How about you?" one of them said, taking a sip of his tea.

"Six?" The red-robed Master Wang raised an eyebrow, clearly displeased by the other's success.

"Don't let it bother you. Out of the eight hundred Noble Guest Houses, perhaps only we have been fortunate enough to host more than six of such distinguished guests," the other house master said with a smug smile, though he tried to hide his pride.

"Master!" a soft voice suddenly called from outside the hall.

"Oh? It seems one of your people is here. Could it be that something has gone wrong on your end?" the other master joked with a chuckle.

"Come in!" Master Wang called out.

Soon, a man in a green robe entered, bowing respectfully to Master Wang.

"Has something happened?" Master Wang asked with a hint of concern.

"No, Master. The Right Pushe has something he wishes to report," the green-robed man said.

"Oh?"

"A person with an invitation arrived today."

"Another one?" Master Wang's face lit up with a smile, clearly pleased by the potential for another achievement.

"Yes, but the invitation was quite strange. The Left Pushe immediately identified it as a forgery, though the Right Pushe still instructed me to report it to you," the green-robed man explained.

"Haha! Master Wang, it seems even your house encounters oddities. Who would dare present a fake invitation?" the other house master laughed, taking another sip of his tea.

Master Wang's expression soured as he inwardly cursed the Right Pushe for causing unnecessary trouble. However, he kept his tone neutral as he asked, "How was it identified as fake?"

"The person presented a black invitation. The Right Pushe mentioned that it seemed to be made of black gold," the green-robed man replied.

"Pfft!" The other house master, shocked, spat out his tea.

"A black-gold invitation?" Master Wang exclaimed, jumping to his feet.

"Yes, a black-gold invitation. The Left Pushe and Right Pushe dismissed it as a forgery and sent the person away," the green-robed man continued.

"Whoosh!"

In the blink of an eye, Master Wang vanished from the room, leaving the green-robed man bewildered.

As for the other house master, he was left staring at the green-robed man with a complicated expression. How could one even begin to explain this?

At the Gift Hall Plaza where Zhong Shan and his group had just cut in line, their sudden advancement had enraged those waiting behind them, especially the members of the Penglai Qian Clan.

The Qian Clan had brought a large number of gifts, each worth several times that of other families' offerings. They had waited patiently for their turn, eager to make a grand impression. Just as they were about to have their moment in the spotlight, it was snatched away, leaving them stifled and unable to express their pride.

"Penglai Qian Clan, please wait a moment!" the official had said.

"Why should we wait? We've been in line for so long, and yet they get to cut in front of us?" the Qian Clan's representative demanded angrily.

"Yes, exactly!" A few others in the crowd began to echo the sentiments of the Penglai Qian Clan's representative.

The Ministry of Rites official cast a cold glance at them and said, "Great Qin's affairs are none of your concern."

With just those few words, the Qian Clan's representative broke into a cold sweat, not daring to say another word. Had he lost his mind just now? How could he have shouted at a Great Qin official? But the humiliation was hard to swallow—so many people were watching, and they had been cut in line without even being allowed to complain. This frustration would surely become a source of ridicule among many families.

Unable to direct his anger at the official, the Qian Clan's representative redirected his resentment toward Zhong Shan and his group. A cold smile flashed in his eyes as he thought, Let's see what kind of treasure you have that could surpass what our Qian Clan has offered.

"Please, proceed," the official said, gesturing toward Zhong Shan.

Zhong Shan nodded in response.

"Should we offer something as well?" the East Sea Dragon Prince whispered, clearly feeling the pressure after the embarrassment at the Noble Guest House. The situation back there had been relatively private, but here they were surrounded by layers upon layers of onlookers.

"No need. This is my gift to Great Qin. It has nothing to do with you," Zhong Shan replied, shaking his head.

Reaching into his sleeve, Zhong Shan pulled out a long, rectangular box.

"What is this?" the official asked, curious.

The official accepted the box, and all eyes were on him as he slowly opened it. Inside, there was no dazzling light, only a simple, white, rolled-up object.

"What is this? A scroll? A painting?" someone in the crowd murmured.

"A painting?" the official asked, still uncertain.

"It's a piece of calligraphy," Zhong Shan corrected.

"A piece of calligraphy?"

The crowd erupted in chatter, as it was the first time anyone had seen someone offer a piece of calligraphy as a gift.

The Qian Clan's representative burst into laughter on the spot. "A piece of calligraphy? What kind of calligraphy could possibly be worth enough to meet the threshold for entering Xianyang? The minimum value is twenty thousand immortal stones! And you think a piece of calligraphy will suffice? Who wrote it?"

"Yes, who's the calligrapher? Could it be a Saint's handwriting? Hahaha!" others from the Qian Clan joined in, mocking the idea.

The official, however, carefully untied the string binding the scroll, still curious, and glanced at Zhong Shan. "Whose calligraphy is this?"

"It's mine," Zhong Shan said solemnly.

It's mine.

The moment those words left Zhong Shan's mouth, a heavy silence fell over the entire plaza. It was so quiet that it was almost eerie, as if everyone had been stunned into disbelief. Your own calligraphy?

In the midst of the silent plaza, the Four Seas Dragon Princes began to retreat slightly, unable to bear the shame of being associated with this scene. This was beyond humiliating.

You're giving your own calligraphy?

"Hahahaha!"

"Hahaha!"

"Haha!"

Laughter erupted once more, filling the air, as the onlookers, led by the Qian Clan's representative, burst into uncontrollable fits of amusement. The East Sea Dragon Prince, his face drenched in sweat, was both mortified and somewhat relieved that he had distanced himself from Zhong Shan earlier. But did that distance really matter? A piece of calligraphy?

Among all the laughter, the Qian Clan's representative's voice was the loudest, as if he couldn't believe the absurdity of what was happening.

Meanwhile, back at the Noble Guest House where Zhong Shan had been earlier, Master Wang stormed into the building as if possessed by a madness.

In one of the Noble Guest Houses at the outskirts of Xianyang Sacred City, another guest had arrived, this time with a red invitation. The Left and Right Pushe greeted them with the utmost respect.

But just as they were attending to this esteemed guest, Master Wang burst into the room, his eyes immediately catching sight of the red invitation. Under normal circumstances, Master Wang would have been delighted and would have treated the guest with the highest respect. But now, he had no such feelings.

"Left Pushe, Right Pushe, where is the person with the black-gold invitation?" Master Wang shouted.

"The one with the fake invitation? We sent them away!" the Left Pushe replied, puzzled by the urgency in Master Wang's voice.

"Are you certain it was a black-gold invitation?" Master Wang asked, his voice laced with anxiety.

"I'm sure of it!" the Right Pushe confirmed.

"But it was a fake! The handwriting inside didn't match that of the Prime Minister or the three hundred officials from the Ministry of Rites. I'm certain they were here to cause trouble with a fake invitation!" the Left Pushe interjected.

"Wait, it wasn't handwritten by Prime Minister Li Si?" Master Wang was now utterly confused.

"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes!" the Left Pushe insisted.

"Then... can you recall what it looked like? Use a spell to recreate it. How could a black-gold invitation not be penned by Prime Minister Li Si?" Master Wang asked, still bewildered.

"I told you it was fake! Here, the writing looked like this!" the Left Pushe said as he used magic to conjure the image of the writing in the air.

The guest holding the red invitation glanced at the floating characters and compared them to the writing on their own invitation, nodding in agreement. "Indeed, it's not Li Si's handwriting."

Feeling validated, the Left Pushe looked smug, while the Right Pushe remained silent. But Master Wang, upon seeing the writing, looked as though he had been struck by lightning.

"This... this...!" Master Wang stammered, his voice barely a whisper.

"What's wrong, Master Wang? Should I send people to arrest them? I could tell right away they were troublemakers, daring to use a fake invitation!" the Left Pushe said confidently.

"That... that's the Sacred King's handwriting!" Master Wang exclaimed, his face a mix of horror and despair.

Back at the Gift Hall Plaza where Zhong Shan's gift had caused an uproar, the laughter and mockery felt like daggers to the hearts of the Four Seas Dragon Princes. They were filled with a sense of deep embarrassment.

I offered to provide a valuable treasure, but you refused. Now you've presented a piece of calligraphy—how can I ever show my face again?

"Haha! A piece of calligraphy! Your own calligraphy! Who do you think you are? Do you think you're a Saint?" the Qian Clan's representative laughed loudly.

Zhong Shan ignored the jeers and looked calmly at the ceremonial officer. "What do you think this calligraphy is worth?"

The Four Seas Dragon Princes were on the verge of covering their faces in shame. How could this be happening? In the world of cultivation, ancient calligraphy is worthless, especially if it's written by a nobody.

"How much is it worth? One immortal stone, perhaps? Am I overestimating it?" the Qian Clan's representative sneered.

"Silence!" the ceremonial officer barked, his voice cold and commanding.

The Qian Clan's representative fell silent, but still muttered under his breath, "Is it written with heavenly treasures or something?"

Ignoring the muttering, the ceremonial officer carefully unrolled the scroll.

"Wang Qin"

How magnificent is Great Qin? The voice of Dongzhou echoes still.

The spirit of creation manifests, dividing day and night.

Clouds gather in layers, and birds return homeward.

One day, I will ascend the peak, surveying all the mountains below.

The scroll was not just a piece of calligraphy—it was a grand poem, written with majestic and powerful strokes. As the words were revealed, a wave of auspicious energy surged forth, transforming the clouds in the sky into vibrant, multicolored formations.

"What a magnificent piece of calligraphy! And the poem—it's splendid!" the ceremonial officer exclaimed.

The signature at the bottom read Zhong Shan. The officer couldn't help but admire the work, feeling a powerful aura emanating from it.

"Indeed, it's a fine piece. Perhaps it's worth ten thousand immortal stones?" the Qian Clan's representative suggested with a tone of begrudging respect, though still filled with jealousy.

"A single piece of calligraphy worth ten thousand immortal stones? Is that possible?"

"No way! How could a single piece of calligraphy be worth that much?"

"Officer, what is its true value?"

"Yes, tell us—how much is it really worth?"

The crowd buzzed with curiosity, eager to know the true value of the calligraphy. But the ceremonial officer, still staring at the scroll, was at a loss for words.

"Well? Give us a number!" the onlookers urged, growing impatient.

Just then, a powerful voice echoed through the plaza.

"Each word is a gem, each character worth a city—this is a priceless treasure!"

The voice was like a thunderclap, filled with an aura of undeniable authority.

"What nonsense! Worth a city? Priceless treasure? You must be—" The Qian Clan's representative began to mock, but as he turned to face the speaker, the words died in his throat.

Two men in resplendent robes approached, exuding an overwhelming presence that seemed to weigh down on everyone in the plaza.

"Thud!"

Without hesitation, the Qian Clan's representative dropped to his knees.

"Greetings, Prime Minister Li, Prime Minister Lü!" the ceremonial officers bowed deeply.

Li Si? Lü Buwei?

The crowd was stunned into silence, scarcely able to breathe. Had they heard correctly? The two Grand Chancellors of Great Qin were here?

"Greetings, Prime Minister Li, Prime Minister Lü!" The people in the plaza, though not kneeling, bent in deep bows as they paid their respects.

The entire plaza fell into an eerie stillness as all eyes turned to the front of the Gift Hall, where the two most powerful men in Great Qin, after the Sacred King, had appeared together.

To read the manga version, please click the YouTube link https://youtu.be/GnU613H6xm8