The Divine Prince's Instructions
Zane was filled with helplessness. He never expected that simply creating a birth phenomenon would lead Ying Zichu and Han Ni to believe he was a divine being and worship him. Their reverence was palpable, and even the palace maids and guards outside the hall looked at him with awe. They had witnessed his birth with their own eyes and now revered him as a Little Celestial God.
His adoptive father, Ying Zichu, was still on his knees, muttering prayers. "Heavenly God, my son, bless us, bless Great Qin with favorable weather, bless me with a long life, eternal life..."
Zane secretly rolled his eyes. Did he think he was a wishing machine? If he truly had such power, would he be here, in the midst of a dangerous, war-torn era? Ignoring the prayers, Zane focused on his immediate problem. He needed to increase his strength to become a First-Order Extraordinary Evolver and avoid conscription.
"I wonder if there are any cultivation methods in this era?" he mused. He thought about the Hundred Schools of Thought and the Daoists. If they didn't have anything, he would have to comprehend one himself. With his Extraordinary Comprehension talent, this might not be impossible. He had already comprehended the ancient language and the Innate Fetal Breath Method effortlessly. He was confident he could figure out a cultivation method on his own.
But before he could begin, he had to address the elephant in the room: his deified status. Since his parents were already convinced he was a god, he might as well use it to his advantage. He would have to maintain the illusion. Just then, a palace maid hurried in, respectfully announcing the arrival of Lord Lu. Ying Zichu quickly ordered her to invite him in.
The maid, Qiu Ling, led Lu Buwei and his two guards toward the palace, cautiously reminding them. "Lord Lu, when you enter the hall, you must not be disrespectful, lest you offend that Young Master, the Little Celestial God!"
Lu Buwei, who had rushed to the palace to deal with the rumors, was taken aback. Ying Zichu had even convinced his own servants? Lu Buwei and his guards exchanged confused glances. This was a dangerous level of commitment to a lie. Lu Buwei decided to suppress his doubts and confront Ying Zichu directly.
As he stepped into the hall, he was stunned. The room was filled with sacrificial items, and Ying Zichu and Han Ni were on their knees, praying to a child on a prayer mat. Before he could speak, Ying Zichu rushed to him. "Sir, you've come. Come, let's pray to my son together, and let my son protect you!"
Lu Buwei's frown deepened, but before he could object, something incredible happened. The child on the mat opened his eyes, looked at Lu Buwei, and spoke in a clear, soft voice. "You are Lu Buwei? A merchant from Puyang, Wei, who in his early years bought cheap and sold dear, accumulating a fortune of a thousand gold, and later in Handan, Zhao, met my father, who was a hostage, and helped him escape back to Great Qin?"
The Future Foretold
Silence fell over the palace. Lu Buwei, Ying Zichu, and Han Ni were all in a state of shock. The maids and guards outside covered their mouths in disbelief. Lu Buwei was astonished that a newborn could speak so intelligently, but he assumed Ying Zichu had simply told him about his past. However, the Ying Zichu couple knew they had never spoken of Lu Buwei's past in front of their son. How did he know?
Lu Buwei, bewildered, muttered, "Is there really such a thing as innate knowledge?" He looked at Ying Zichu. "Yi Ren, did you tell your son about me?"
Ying Zichu and Han Ni shook their heads blankly. "I have never told my son about you," Ying Zichu said, his voice a tremor of astonishment.
A chill ran down Lu Buwei's spine. The rumors he had dismissed earlier now echoed in his mind. The child who could walk and speak at birth. The claim of being "supreme." Could this be real? "Are there really Heavenly Gods in this world?" he wondered, feeling a terrifying sense of dread and awe.
Ying Zichu's eyes, meanwhile, grew increasingly fervent. He truly had a Heavenly God for a son! Overcome with ambition, he blurted out, "My son, you must bless me to become the King of Qin!"
Lu Buwei shook his head, thinking Ying Zichu was lost in a daydream. But then, Zane spoke again. After a moment of thought, he recalled the historical facts of Ying Zichu's life. "In six years, you will become the King of Qin," he said in a faint, mysterious voice.
The words sent a shockwave through the room. Lu Buwei, Ying Zichu, and Han Ni stared at the child. They knew the current King of Qin was Ying Zichu's grandfather, and his father, Lord Anguo, was still alive, with more than twenty brothers. How could he possibly become king in six years? Unless... unless their divine son's words could come true. Unless both the King and Lord Anguo died, paving the way for Ying Zichu.
They found the thought both thrilling and terrifying. Could the child's words truly alter reality? They dismissed the idea as too bizarre, even for a god. They comforted themselves that it must be childish, nonsensical talk.
Zane, seeing their disbelief, simply closed his eyes. The truth would reveal itself in time.
Lu Buwei, however, was not so easily placated. "Yi Ren," he said, pulling Ying Zichu aside. "The rumors have spread. The King will certainly test you. How will you handle this?"
Ying Zichu's face filled with worry. He knew the King of Qin would be skeptical. If he couldn't provide proof, he would be punished severely.
Zane, hearing their conversation, decided to double down on the act. Since they believed he was a god, he would teach them a few things to maintain the illusion. "I can teach you a few things," he said. "You can tell the truth, that I gave them to you."
He had Ying Zichu bring him a writing brush and ink. With his Extraordinary Comprehension, he began to draw on the palace floor, depicting advanced agricultural tools from his previous life, like the Qu Yuan Plow and the waterwheel. The drawings were incredibly detailed and lifelike, far beyond the capabilities of an infant.
Ying Zichu and the others watched in awe, believing that only a divine being could produce such beautiful, complex drawings. When Zane was done, he pointed to the illustrations and briefly explained their purpose. "These are farming tools that can greatly save human and animal labor and increase crop yields."
Ying Zichu and the others looked at each other, filled with doubt. Could these small things truly solve the grain shortages that plagued their kingdom? They found it hard to believe that something so valuable could be invented so easily. They looked at the child, now sitting with his eyes closed, and wondered: Was this what a Heavenly God was? An infant who could draw impossible tools and foresee the future? It was a truth stranger than any legend.