It's strange, but every time there is a prosperous era, natural disasters are extremely rare. Yet, every time there is chaos, natural disasters seem endless. Even though Chen Xi isn't entirely clear about the exact weather conditions of each year in the late Han period, he can guarantee that in this era, the more you hope a disaster won't happen, the more likely it is that it will.
This aligns with the ancient belief in the unity of heaven and man. When wise and mighty rulers bring about a golden age, natural disasters are nearly nonexistent, and the weather is favorable. But when a chaotic era arrives, with foolish and incompetent emperors, disasters come endlessly. Indeed, the emperor, as the Son of Heaven, truly seems to reflect the will of the heavens. This notion certainly has its merit...
Because of this, Chen Xi generally expects the worst from the weather in this era. However, despite this widespread drought, his spiritual talent still seems able to withstand it. It seems that no matter how bizarre the weather becomes, his spiritual talent can hold out.
While Chen Xi was marveling at the strength of his spiritual talent, Cao Cao was experiencing chest pains. Due to the ongoing drought and the sudden outbreak of locusts in Yanzhou, Lü Bu, unable to sustain his army without grain, was forced to retreat. While this was a relief, Cao Cao couldn't help but feel a pang of frustration because of Chen Xi...
Although Chen Gong was formidable, he could only just hold off Xun Yu and the others, especially when Cao Cao, furious after his defeat by Liu Bei, unleashed two vicious strikes with Xun You's unexpected tactics. If it weren't for Chen Gong's extraordinary intellect and the strength of the Bingzhou Wolf Riders, Lü Bu might have been killed.
"You're saying that Chen Zichuan's spiritual talent can largely mitigate natural disasters?" Cao Cao asked, clutching his chest. After Lü Bu's retreat, Xun Yu finally felt comfortable enough to inform Cao Cao about Chen Xi's spiritual talent.
"It's not just mitigating disasters. Based on the information we have, Chen Zichuan's spiritual talent has reached a level where he can completely neutralize a drought of this magnitude," Xun Yu said with a bitter smile. Given the current situation, he had no choice but to believe it.
From Xun Yu's earlier analysis, Chen Xi's spiritual talent shouldn't be this powerful. With a disaster of this scale, Chen Xi's talent shouldn't be able to withstand it. But the reality was that Chen Xi had endured this widespread drought with little to no damage, and he hadn't even fallen into a coma. It didn't make sense.
Xun Yu didn't realize that his analysis was actually correct. Chen Xi's spiritual talent alone wouldn't have been enough to withstand the drought. While his spiritual reserves were vast, the amount needed to combat a disaster of this scale would have exhausted him in less than ten days, leaving him comatose.
However, over the past two years, Chen Xi had accumulated a significant amount of residual spiritual energy from his well-governed territories. In fact, the surplus energy he had received from millions of people had formed a protective shield around his talent, and even after enduring the drought, this shield wasn't completely depleted. Thanks to the mass support from the Yellow Turbans he recently absorbed, Chen Xi's rate of gaining spiritual energy had almost caught up with the rate of depletion. By the time the drought ended, he'd still have some residual energy left.
"To this extent?" Cao Cao muttered to himself. "No wonder Liu Bei has such well-trained troops and ample grain with just the territory of Mount Tai."
Then, a cold glint flashed in Cao Cao's eyes. "Is there any way to win over Chen Zichuan? If not, eliminating him would also suffice."
"Winning him over is unlikely. The incident in Xuzhou has made Chen Zichuan deeply resentful of you," Xun Yu sighed. Cao Cao also sighed, as the Xuzhou incident had caused even the Wei family to distance themselves from him.
"Then what about assassination?" Cao Cao asked.
"Without a top-tier expert at the level of Internal Qi Leaving the Body, it's unlikely to succeed," Xun Yu replied with a bitter smile. Judging by the current situation, Chen Xi's spiritual reserves were vast enough to shock Xun Yu. To assassinate him, they would need a top-tier expert, and even then, it would likely require a suicide mission.
"Alas," Cao Cao sighed, feeling even more burdened. "Let's leave it at that for now. We'll reconsider if another opportunity arises. Chen Zichuan rarely leaves Fenggao, and when he does, he's heavily guarded. What a pity."
While Cao Cao was lamenting, Liu Bei was in Beihai, feeling quite excited. A descendant of the School of Names, who had forged a reputation for himself, was talking to Liu Bei about the abilities of the people under his command. This person, known as Zi Xiao, was actually the enigmatic figure known as Master Zi Xu.
Zi Xu had recently been injured, and for a good reason—he had been ambushed by Yu Ji. Before executing his plan, Yu Ji decided to eliminate those who could disrupt it, and Zi Xu was a prime target—isolated, without allies, and not part of any group. It would have been foolish not to kill him first.
Thus, Yu Ji, along with several accomplices, ambushed Zi Xu in Langya County. After a fierce battle, Zi Xu was severely injured. For someone like him, not dying meant that Yu Ji's goal wasn't fully achieved. As a result, Zi Xu was chased by Yu Ji's group for several days and nights, eventually seeking refuge with Liu Bei, knowing that Yu Ji wouldn't dare cause trouble in Liu Bei's presence.
With a forged document from the School of Names, Zi Xu, now going by Zi Xiao, joined Liu Bei. Since Liu Bei was currently recruiting talents, and Zi Xu arrived at the perfect time, Liu Bei personally decided to meet him.
Although the document was forged, Zi Xu's abilities were genuine. After decades of traveling the world, he had become quite astute. His suggestions offered a fresh perspective that even impressed Jia Xu and Liu Ye. Naturally, Liu Bei decided to keep him around.
Yu Ji, on the other hand, was infuriated when he saw Zi Xu blending in effortlessly with Jia Xu, Liu Ye, and others, chatting and laughing. However, there was little he could do about it.
"So, you're saying my ability can enhance the strength of those who share my ideals?" Liu Bei asked Zi Xu with a smile.
"Exactly. Some spiritual talents or army souls come with negative effects, but Lord Xuande's ability can weaken or even eliminate those negative effects," Zi Xu replied with a smile. "Take Ziyang's spiritual talent, for example. He often struggled to control it, but now he should be able to manage it better. Isn't that correct?"
"Now that you mention it, it does seem that way," Liu Ye nodded after thinking for a moment. "But it sounds like you're saying you know what our spiritual talents are. How is that possible?"
Liu Ye's eyes flickered as he glanced at Jia Xu. Whether Zi Xiao had any ulterior motives, Liu Ye felt that this person could still be of great use.