Chapter 51

Glancing sideways at He Junbei, Zhang Junbei put away his demon beast cosmos bag and turned to smile, "Lord He, I know your Heaven-Shaking Hammer is the best drumming divine artifact, capable of greatly boosting the morale and combat power of soldiers on the battlefield. Why don't you lend it to Yue Heng to use?"

He Junbei grunted unhappily, "Why should I lend it to him? To let him win?"

The officials all sighed in unison, shaking their heads. The He family must all have big heads; it’s genetic. Zhang Junbei’s suggestion was clearly well-intentioned. If Yue Heng won, it could be attributed to the Heaven-Shaking Hammer. If Yue Heng lost, it could also be attributed to the Heaven-Shaking Hammer. A tie between Yue Heng and He Yong would maintain harmony. What’s wrong with that?

Wen Zhangyuan, hearing this sarcastic response, became increasingly angry with He Junbei. He slapped an object on the table and shouted loudly, "Yue Heng! Take my Three Lives Stone!"

The civil officials were greatly shocked, standing up and staring at the Three Lives Stone, asking in surprise, "Lord Wen, you actually have a Three Lives Stone?"

"Which inscription is on it? Let me see, it’s really the 'Drum' inscription!"

"Lord Wen, the Three Lives Stone is a priceless treasure, this is too..."

"I remember now, two years ago, eighteen civil officials and military officers from Hong County went to the Chu South demon beast mountain range for a rotation. Lord Wen and Mr. Zeng were in danger and almost didn’t return. Was it because of this Three Lives Stone?"

Upon hearing this, even the military officers were surprised. This Three Lives Stone was actually related to the demon beast mountain range rotation!

Yue Heng’s heart raced. He remembered something Min Xuhuai had mentioned to him earlier during a chat at the Spirit Washing Tower.

A literati’s battle doesn’t necessarily mean they have to personally fight on the front lines. Often, literati serve as support in the army. For example, the 'Drum' inscription can enhance the combat power and morale of soldiers around the literati. The army welcomes such literati, but those with the 'Drum' inscription in the divine palace are very rare and are highly sought after wherever they go.

If a literati doesn’t have the 'Drum' inscription but wants to use its power, what should they do?

The Three Lives Stone solves this problem. Under certain conditions, high-level literati can infuse their inscription power into certain carriers. The Three Lives Stone is the most basic carrier. After a high-level literati infuses the 'Drum' inscription power, any literati can easily activate the stone and control the inscription power.

However, this has its drawbacks. The literati world cannot widely implement this method. One major reason is the extremely high cost of infusing inscription power into a Three Lives Stone, which both the maker and user can hardly afford.

Another drawback is that the Three Lives Stone’s energy storage is not permanent. It releases about one-third of the inscription’s power each time, and after three uses, the stone becomes useless, just a piece of ordinary rock.

The most fatal flaw is that over time, even if the Three Lives Stone has never been used, the inscription power inside will gradually disappear, losing about one-third per year, and becoming completely useless after three years.

In the Central Yuan world, besides the Three Lives Stone, there are better options like the Five-Colored Stone, the Seven-Colored Stone, and even the legendary Nine-Yao Stone. However, these can only be used a few more times, making the inscription power last longer and capable of withstanding the infusion of higher-level inscription power.

Wen Zhangyuan threw the Three Lives Stone to Yue Heng, his reluctance evident, his eyes turning red.

His voice trembled as he recalled painfully, "Mr. Zeng was my best friend, we’ve known each other for thirty years. Two years ago, in the demon beast mountain range, he risked his life to save me, exchanging his life for this Three Lives Stone and the 'Drum' inscription. I have never used it, always keeping it in my heart!"

Everyone was deeply moved, realizing that Wen Zhangyuan had such a painful past, and the truth behind the fall of Mr. Zeng from the office.

Wen Zhangyuan walked over, looking into Yue Heng’s eyes, and said word by word, "Although it is very precious, it is not as valuable as the firm literary heart of a literati, or the resilient and proud spirit of a literati. This is also a reflection of Mr. Zeng’s life. I believe his spirit in heaven will support you! Yue Heng, today you represent the honor of all the literati in Hong County. You must win, not lose!"

Yue Heng felt Wen Zhangyuan’s anger and also felt a strong fighting spirit rise in his heart.

A literati should not be a lowly profession. The spirit of a literati should be the strongest. A literati must not be underestimated!

"Thank Lord Wen for the stone! Thank Mr. Zeng’s spirit in heaven for his blessing!"

Yue Heng bowed, holding the Three Lives Stone containing the 'Drum' inscription high above his head, and shouted loudly, "To all the literati! The literati must win!"

"The literati must win!"

"The literati must win!"

All the literati in the hall rallied, their momentum like a rainbow, their talent shaking the sky!

Even the neutral craftsmen and officials expressed their support, acknowledging that literati have pride, a firm literary heart, and enduring pride!

Yue Heng, holding the Three Lives Stone with the 'Drum' inscription, said disdainfully to the stunned He Yong and He Junbei, "Then I will show my clumsiness!"

He Junbei immediately shouted, "Wait! This is unfair!"

Yue Heng countered, "Didn’t He Yong use a martial soul technique?"

He Yong immediately argued loudly, "That is a skill I obtained after my martial soul awakened, while you are using someone else’s skill!"

Wen Zhangyuan roared angrily, "On the battlefield, the only goal is to kill demons. Who cares what kind of power you use!"

Yue Heng laughed heartily, "Very well, then I won’t use the 'Drum' inscription! Today’s 'Farewell My Concubine' is being sung for the first time. If it turns out to be a battle song with lingering resonance, without the help of the 'Drum' inscription, the effect will be greatly reduced! Oh, thank you, Young Master He, for reminding me. I might as well concede right away. After all, my battle songs provide the greatest boost to warriors, and you warriors don’t like me. Why should I sing? Manager, please inform Miss Su that 'The Ballad of Mulan' and 'Who Says Women Are Inferior to Men' don’t need to be sung. Why not? Young Master He doesn’t like them... Lord Wen, I’ll return the Three Lives Stone. I’ll prepare to bow and apologize to each warrior..."

Everyone was stunned. Yue Heng really meant to leave, giving no time for a reaction, and directly ordered the manager and musicians to pack up, even requesting that Su Weiwei’s finale be canceled.

Several civil officials secretly cheered. This was a retreat to advance, forcing He Yong and his group into a dilemma.

If they agreed to use the 'Drum' inscription, Yue Heng’s performance would be greatly enhanced with the Three Lives Stone, turning ordinary songs into battle songs, and He Yong and his group would surely lose.

If they disagreed, the entire hall would not agree!

Especially the families of many officials had heard the story of the extraordinary woman, Hua Mulan. The finale of today’s victory banquet was the battle song 'Who Says Women Are Inferior to Men' with lingering resonance. Many family members who usually didn’t bother to attend the victory banquet had come specifically for it. Now, with this farce, they might not hear it at all. How could this be allowed?

"Alright, second son of the He family, do you really think you’re someone important?" An old lady angrily stood up, raising her dragon-headed cane, almost hitting He Junbei’s head, scaring him into retreating.

"Ah! Lady Wang, I really didn’t mean it..."

"Mr. He, if you dare to say another word, I’ll call your seven, eight, or nine concubines to storm your main house. Do you believe me?"

"Ah, Sister Ma, I spend eleven months out of the year in military service. How could I afford seven, eight, or nine concubines..."

"Mr. Big Head, if you dare to talk nonsense and make us lose the baptism of the battle song, be careful you don’t see tomorrow’s sun!"

"Brother Hai, I’m innocent, I didn’t say anything!"

Several people jumped out, forcing He Junbei and He Yong to make a statement and let go of their obsession with the Three Lives Stone.

Yue Heng ignored them, pretending to walk backstage.

I’m not in a good mood today, being capricious, and don’t want to sing. What can you do?

The neutral factions and family members were anxiously calling out to retain him. A few strong individuals, fearing Yue Heng wouldn’t hear, were so fierce that they beat He Yong until he cried out, and the wives of several old generals chased He Junbei, who begged for mercy.

Suddenly, a figure flashed out, blocking Yue Heng’s path. He looked closely and saw it was Wen Xin Yue in her explosive martial attire. He couldn’t help but chuckle; he had missed her after not seeing her for so long.

Wen Xin Yue whispered, "Enough..."

Yue Heng turned his head and saw that Wen Zhangyuan’s small eyes were staring at him. He understood; Wen Xin Yue must have seen her father’s hint and come to retain him.

Looking at Wen Xin Yue’s face, which was filled with anticipation and admiration, as if saying, "I want to listen too," Yue Heng felt pleased and somewhat smug.

"Do you really want to hear me sing?" Yue Heng raised an eyebrow, with a teasing tone.

Wen Xin Yue’s face flushed, suddenly thinking of Su Weiwei’s expressive eyes, feeling a pang of jealousy. She glared at Yue Heng fiercely but couldn’t bring herself to say a harsh word of refusal. She could only nod with red eyes, turning her face away.

Yue Heng misunderstood, thinking she was shy.

Since that’s the case, I won’t be pretentious. Let’s sing!

"Alright, Manager, come back. Lord Ji, Miss Ying, all the musicians, let’s finish early and disperse early!"

Yue Heng stood back at the main stage, waiting for the musicians to take their positions, and then approached a war drum.

A crowd was squeezing towards the main stage, even pushing aside Cui Shilang, who had no place to sit.

Everyone stood, facing Yue Heng and Ji Cong, and the others. This was the best spot to listen to the song. If 'Farewell My Concubine' was a battle song, the resonance of martial souls and the divine palace’s talent would be strongest here, so they squeezed in.

He Junbei’s Heaven-Shaking Hammer was secretly brought to him, but he and He Yong still couldn’t bring themselves to join the crowd, standing to the side, watching Yue Heng and Ji Cong with displeasure.

Yue Heng took a deep breath, focused his mind, placed the Heaven-Shaking Hammer on the drum, held the Three Lives Stone in both hands, exchanged a glance with Ji Cong, who was standing with a sword, nodded slightly to the surrounding musicians, and then slowly closed his eyes.