"Who exactly are you?"
Looking at the black dragon coiling in the air, its scales vividly detailed, Shan Meixian took a long while to suppress the shock in her heart before she finally spoke, her voice trembling slightly.
This was a real dragon, a divine dragon, which held extraordinary significance in Chinese culture. If this were modern times, it might be easier to accept, but in this era, if Daniel Davis were to openly summon this dragon, Cihang Jingzhai's plan to "choose the emperor on behalf of heaven" would undoubtedly be abandoned immediately. No matter how unwilling Cihang Jingzhai was, they would have no choice.
Choosing the emperor on behalf of heaven? Daniel Davis was the true representative of heaven.
Of course, Daniel Davis wouldn't do this. While it might allow him to quickly unify the Central Plains, the problems that would follow would be even more troublesome.
Just look at Emperor Yang of Sui's current situation to understand the consequences of such actions. All of Emperor Yang's plans were related to the nation and the people's livelihood, but the result was chaos across the land.
Even if Daniel Davis wasn't afraid of chaos—after all, unlike Emperor Yang, he had a plan to restore order—this would only lead to the current situation. If that were the case, why not start this way from the beginning?
"Who am I?" Daniel Davis stood up and waved his right hand. In the next moment, the two of them and the dragon disappeared from the room, reappearing above the Fragrant Ship.
The black dragon, originally only a dozen meters long, instantly grew to several hundred meters. Daniel Davis and Shan Meixian stood on the dragon's back, soaring into the sky, reaching nearly a kilometer in altitude in the blink of an eye.
Even though Shan Meixian was a grandmaster-level expert, she had never seen anything like this. She was so shocked that she stumbled and fell onto the dragon's back.
"I wasn't lying to you earlier. I am indeed a member of the Taoist Heavenly Sect, but this Taoist Heavenly Sect doesn't exist in this world."
"Are you from the immortal realm?"
In this world, where the concept of "Breaking the Void" exists, the idea of another world is more easily accepted. After Daniel Davis's words, Shan Meixian immediately exclaimed.
For ordinary people, "Breaking the Void" was akin to ascending to immortality. An unknown world being called the "immortal realm" was perfectly normal.
"You could say that." Daniel Davis didn't deny Shan Meixian's statement, as explaining the truth would be too complicated.
"With such power, unifying the world should be as easy as flipping your hand, right?"
After the initial shock, Shan Meixian gradually calmed down. Under the moonlight, she looked at the hundreds-of-meters-long dragon and couldn't help but speak.
If Daniel Davis revealed the dragon, the four great families, the demonic sects, Cihang Jingzhai, and Jingnian Chanyuan would surely submit. Even Goguryeo and the Turks would be nothing in the face of this dragon.
As for the likes of Fu Cailin, the Sword Master, and Bi Xuan, the Martial Art, they would probably be crushed by a single swipe of the dragon's claw.
"What I want to do isn't just unify the world and become an emperor." Standing on the dragon's head, looking up at the moon in the night sky, Daniel Davis's expression was very serious.
What he wanted to do was forge the soul of the nation. In the world of "Qin's Moon," this wasn't necessary because, in that era, the Central Plains were the strongest. Even the State of Yan could stand up to the Xiongnu without fear.
But in this era, there was an innate fear of the Turks. Many people believed that the Central Plains couldn't defeat the Turks and that compromise was the only option. This included those led by Cihang Jingzhai. Shi Feixuan had mentioned this multiple times in the original story.
She had repeatedly used this to threaten Xu Ziling and Kou Zhong, urging them to give up their ambitions to compete for the throne. If they fought Li Shimin for the throne, the Turks might take advantage of the chaos, leading to widespread suffering.
This was complete nonsense. If that were truly the case, wouldn't it be better for Li Shimin to surrender to Kou Zhong? After all, Li Shimin had no notable achievements against the Turks, while Kou Zhong, Xu Ziling, and Ba Fenghan had once held off Jieli's Golden Wolf Army for an entire day and night.
This mindset persisted until modern times, when it finally changed. Those enemies once thought invincible by some weak-kneed individuals eventually fell.
"We'll discuss this later. What's your decision now?" Of course, this wasn't something Daniel Davis could explain to Shan Meixian. The main issue now was the Dongming Sect's stance.
"The Dongming Sect is willing to pledge allegiance to you, sir." Faced with Daniel Davis's display of power, Shan Meixian didn't hesitate this time. She was about to kneel, but in the next moment, Daniel Davis used his energy to gently stop her.
"Don't worry. The Dongming Sect doesn't need to get involved in the affairs of the Central Plains. What I need you to do is investigate information about overseas countries, with a focus on maritime routes."
Since he had come to this world, the Age of Exploration would naturally begin with him.
"By the way, do you need me to intervene in the Dongming Sect's internal affairs? I know the Dongming Sect isn't entirely under your control."
If the Dongming Sect were entirely under Shan Meixian's control, there would be no need for Shan Wanjing's arranged marriage. It had to be said that Shan Meixian, being from the demonic sects, was quick to submit. After all, in the demonic sects, strength was respected. The strong ruled.
In this era, most beauties had little control over their lives. Some had more restrictions, while others had fewer.
Even Song Yuzhi and Shang Xiuniang from the Flying Horse Ranch were the same. Song Yuzhi certainly had no affection for Li Mi's son, but for the sake of the Song family, she had to agree to the marriage. Even though Song Que had told her that he wouldn't force her if she didn't like it, as the Song family's eldest daughter, she still had to take responsibility for the family.
Similarly, Shang Xiuniang almost married Li Jiancheng and became one of his concubines. The Flying Horse Ranch could remain neutral during chaotic times, but once the situation became clear, they would have to take sides.
Shan Wanjing's arranged marriage was perfectly normal.
"Trouble is brewing."
If possible, Shan Meixian naturally wanted the Dongming Sect to be entirely under her control. However, reality forced her to compromise. Her strength wasn't enough to fully control the Dongming Sect, but with Daniel Davis's intervention, everything would be different.
"It's just a small matter."
For Daniel Davis, this was indeed a small matter. After the two returned to the Fragrant Ship, Daniel Davis immediately dealt with the Shang family members on board.
Of course, Daniel Davis didn't kill them. He simply controlled them and handed them over to Shan Meixian to deal with.
The sudden change didn't affect the Fragrant Ship's normal operations. With the Shang family's forces here completely wiped out, those remaining on Ryukyu Island posed almost no threat to Shan Meixian.
After all, this was a world where strength was respected. The Shang family members who had followed Shan Meixian to the Central Plains included one grandmaster and four preeminent experts. Without them, the Shang family only had one grandmaster left on Ryukyu Island, and his strength was far inferior to Shan Meixian's.
The Dongming Sect was divided into the male Shang faction and the female Shan faction. Of course, the Shan faction wasn't composed of Shan Meixian's family members but rather women she had taken in. In this era of war, there were too many widows and orphans. This was why the Shan faction was extremely loyal to Shan Meixian.
Thus, they had no objections to Shan Meixian pledging allegiance to Daniel Davis. Only Shan Wanjing wanted to say something, but faced with her mother's stern expression, she eventually relented.
"Have you ever thought about branching into other businesses, like women's clothing?"
Shan Meixian left a good impression on Daniel Davis. To put it bluntly, Shan Meixian's actions were far more substantial than Shi Feixuan's empty talk about bringing peace to the world.
This wasn't Daniel Davis being biased against Shi Feixuan. It was a fact. Throughout the original story, aside from fighting Wanwan and chasing Shi Zhixuan, what concrete actions did Shi Feixuan take? She merely carried the Heirloom Seal and talked about choosing the emperor on behalf of heaven.
She claimed to be a Buddhist, detached from worldly affairs, but in reality, she personally intervened against Kou Zhong. When she realized Kou Zhong's strength exceeded expectations, she had to back down and then tried to justify her actions.
Later, when Kou Zhong gained the upper hand, she not only called upon Ning Daoqi but also prepared to fight Kou Zhong herself.
"Women's clothing?" Shan Meixian looked at Daniel Davis in confusion.
"While weapons are profitable, that's only during times of war. If peace comes, the weapons business will be difficult. But clothing is different."
Daniel Davis then explained some modern concepts, especially women's underwear, like bras, and unique women's clothing. Although Shan Wanjing blushed, Shan Meixian nodded thoughtfully.
Even Daniel Davis didn't expect that his words today would lead to the birth of the first women's clothing chain brand in this world.
"Li Shimin is inquiring about the Taoist Heavenly Sect. Don't worry about him. The Li family is nothing. I'll handle it. Oh, this is for you." Daniel Davis took out ten Real Pill Pills and two Immortal Gathering Pills, explaining their effects.
Upon hearing the effects of the Immortal Gathering Pills, Shan Meixian's eyes lit up. For her, whose martial arts had nearly reached their peak, improving further was extremely difficult. The Immortal Gathering Pills could help her strength advance further.
While becoming a grandmaster required the升华 of spirit and mental power, which was difficult for most, it didn't mean there was no way to overcome this barrier. With enough Immortal Gathering Pills, even if one's境界 didn't reach the required level, the sheer amount of energy could elevate one's combat power to that of a grandmaster. The only issue was that one still couldn't achieve "Breaking the Void."
In the world of "Twin Heroes of the Tang Dynasty," one of the best things for Daniel Davis was that his Real Pill Pills and Immortal Gathering Pills were no longer just candies but had become strategic resources.
With the Divine Farmer's Cauldron, Daniel Davis could now produce Immortal Gathering Pills as easily as Real Pill Pills. Moreover, due to their enhanced effects, a single Immortal Gathering Pill could elevate someone to the grandmaster level.
If he wanted, he could create hundreds of grandmasters. Even if these grandmasters couldn't match true grandmasters—perhaps needing three or even five to take down a single true grandmaster—it was still sufficient. If five weren't enough, then ten or twenty would do.
Of course, someone like Shi Zhixuan, who wasn't afraid of围攻, was a different story.
In short, with an equal number of grandmasters, Daniel Davis could overwhelm Ning Daoqi, but he definitely couldn't match Shi Zhixuan.
Even though Daniel Davis didn't care much about the Immortal Gathering Pills, he couldn't give Shan Meixian too many at once. The reason he gave her two was that the second one was for Shan Wanjing.
"Thank you, sir."
"You're welcome. These are what you deserve. Also, regarding Bian Buhu, don't worry. I'll take care of him for you. Next, it's time to deal with the demonic sects."
"Sir, how do you plan to deal with the demonic sects?" Hearing the words "demonic sects," Shan Meixian immediately put away the pills and, after a moment of hesitation, asked.
"Don't worry. I won't kill Zhu Yuyan. The demonic sects have considerable strength, and it would be good to bring them under control."
"Thank you, sir."
Although Shan Meixian harbored deep hatred for Zhu Yuyan, she was still her mother.
"Alright, I should be going now."
Daniel Davis nodded to Shan Meixian, then disappeared from the Fragrant Ship. For now, the Dongming Sect was just a side piece in his plans.
"I, Kou Zhong, will become emperor! I, Kou Zhong, will compete for the throne and establish an everlasting legacy!" On a deserted beach by the lake, Kou Zhong raised the steel sword in his right hand and shouted at the lake. After shouting several times, Kou Zhong's emotions finally calmed down.
"What an impressive ambition. It seems we'll be rivals in the future."
Just as Xu Zilian was about to say something about Kou Zhong's ambition, a voice suddenly rang out, followed by a figure stepping out from the side.
"It's Brother Daniel! You scared me. I thought it was someone from the Dongming Sect." The sudden voice startled Kou Zhong and Xu Zilian. Seeing it was Daniel Davis, they both breathed a sigh of relief.
"Don't worry. I've already settled things with the Dongming Sect. They won't pursue you."
"Really? Thank you, Brother Daniel!"
"You're welcome. Actually, I was looking for you and just happened to run into you."
This wasn't a lie. Initially, Daniel Davis had gone to the Dongming Sect for the Twin Heroes, as they were more important than the Dongming Sect.
"Looking for us? So you've been following us, Brother Daniel?" Perhaps because Kou Zhong kept calling Daniel Davis "Brother," Xu Zilian had started doing the same.
"That's right. I thought I'd have to wait longer, but you left the Li family's ship so quickly." Daniel Davis's words made Kou Zhong smile awkwardly. His earlier actions, if only seen by Xu Zilian, his lifelong friend, wouldn't have been a big deal. But in Daniel Davis's eyes, it was somewhat embarrassing.
"Brother Daniel, what did you want to talk to us about?" Xu Zilian suddenly asked.
"There is something, but we'll discuss that later. First, I have a question for Kou Zhong. Do you really want to become emperor?" Daniel Davis's expression was very serious as he spoke.
"Brother Daniel, that was just a joke earlier. Isn't there a saying that one should aim high? Even if you don't achieve it, you'll still have accomplished something." Kou Zhong, seeing Daniel Davis's serious gaze, tried to laugh it off. After all, based on what Daniel Davis had said earlier, they were rivals competing for the throne.
"If you can answer one question, I can support you in becoming emperor." Daniel Davis's expression remained serious.
"Brother, are you serious?"
"Of course."
"Brother, please ask."
"If you become emperor, will you send troops to destroy Goguryeo?"
(End of Chapter)
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