Zhou Tongwen, which is the name of the old Scholar.
He had a profound influence on Qingshan Village, but when Wang Sheng investigated, he found that there seemed to be few traces left by him in the village.
Almost everyone knew of his existence, but if asked, they could not explain why.
Even Wang Sheng himself had only a vague memory of the old Scholar as his teacher, despite the fact that the old Scholar was his original self’s teacher and had a significant influence on him.
Not only that, Wang Sheng viewed this segment of the memory from the perspective of an observer.
He discovered that his original self’s memories of the old Scholar were gradually diminishing.
There must be some problem in this.
However, before this, Wang Sheng had no means to solve this puzzle, and now that he had the opportunity, he naturally wanted to clarify it.
The conversation between Wu Yuancheng and Yue had already revealed Wu Yuancheng’s identity as the Minister of War.
He was a First Grade official of the Great Zhou Dynasty and had been the Minister of War for decades, a powerful figure with surely abundant knowledge.
Wu Yuancheng was stunned for a moment when he heard the name, “Zhou Tongwen… is he a member of the Imperial Family?”
Hearing the surname Zhou, his first thought was of the imperial surname of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Wang Sheng shook his head and said, “Probably not!”
According to the village chief, the old Scholar was originally from Qingshan Village, but he left when he was young and returned later, and he was even the village chief’s cousin.
This information was traceable and unlikely to be incorrect unless someone could alter so many people’s memory.
This possibility was very small, almost nonexistent.
“Not a member of the Imperial Family, and also surnamed Zhou…”
Wu Yuancheng appeared to be only in his thirties or forties, but in reality, his age would not be less than that of the village chief, simply because of his profound strength, being a Grandmaster Level expert; if nothing unexpected happened, he could live for over 200 years.
Currently, this age was only about one-third of his lifetime.
This was also the reason Wang Sheng wanted to inquire.
If the old Scholar, Zhou Tongwen, truly was a court official, then he should have served at the court alongside Zhou Tongwen.
Could it be, the old Scholar also affected Wu Yuancheng’s memory?
Wu Yuancheng thought for a while, then remembered something and said, “I seem to recall now, Zhou Tongwen was once my colleague, and not just that, he was one of the only two individuals who achieved six titles in succession since the foundation of the Great Zhou Dynasty.
Some even said he achieved six titles because there were only six available, possessing talents that could reach the heavens and penetrate the earth, and he almost founded a school of thought at that time. Unfortunately, it seemed he offended someone, was dismissed directly from his position, and then disappeared.
Strange, why is my impression of him not deep…”
Because of the last remark, Wang Sheng grew somber.
Indeed, there seemed to be some issue with Zhou Tongwen.
Or rather, something was deliberately erasing his traces.
Wang Sheng continued to ask, “Do you know what caused his dismissal?”
The reason for the dismissal might provide some answers.
Wu Yuancheng shook his head and said, “I am not clear; the matter back then did not seem to cause much stir.”
Hearing this remark, Wang Sheng did not fully believe it.
According to Wu Yuancheng’s own words, the old Scholar possessed talents that could reach the heavens and penetrate the earth, and his sudden dismissal must have caused some uproar.
It was very likely that Wu Yuancheng’s memory was somewhat blurred.
But precisely because of this, the clues seemed to be cut off here.
Wu Yuancheng himself did not know much; no matter how much more he was asked, it would not yield any more information.
“Is there anything else about Zhou Tongwen?”
Wu Yuancheng first shook his head, then remembered something and said, “I do not know, but the imperial archives might have something; such dismissal must be recorded, and the reason should be noted there.
Oh yes, the Imperial Book Collection Pavilion too, it’s said to house all the scripts in the world, and Zhou Tongwen was a man who wrote books and established schools. Most of his doctrines were seized but not destroyed; the reason might be found there.”
After Wang Sheng’s inquiry, Wu Yuancheng seemed to recall more and more, and a lot of sweat appeared on his forehead.
This was also due to fright, as he himself realized that something was amiss.
A person as formidable as Zhou Tongwen, he should not have such a shallow memory of him.
He then felt a chill rise from his body, wondering if the questions asked by this big shot were all so intricate.
He thought that as long as he did not engage in fights and killings, the problems would not be serious, but it now seemed not to be the case.
Answering these questions could also be deadly.
The matter regarding Zhou Tongwen was definitely not simple and must be very troublesome, involving real big secrets.
These were secrets he did not want to know at all!
Please, ask no more; he knew nothing.
Wang Sheng seemed to understand this as well and did not trouble Wu Yuancheng further.
Wu Yuancheng appeared to be affected as well; he certainly knew a lot before, but now, he probably forgot most of it.
This person was also clever; obviously, he did not want to be involved in this matter anymore, so Wang Sheng did not pursue further inquiries; he had essentially found out what he needed to know.
Now that he had discovered the secret of gradually fading memory, there was no need to continue probing.
To know more detailed information,
He might only visit the Imperial City.
There might be clues there that can solve many problems.
Whether it’s Zhou Tongwen’s matter or the issue of the Valley Master of Stargazing Valley, they might be resolved.
“It’s not the time yet!”
Wang Sheng sighed inwardly.
He wasn’t strong enough to venture out yet, so he could only bury these matters deep in his heart for the time being.
But could the hidden treasures of the Great Zhou Imperial Family really wait until his time came?
Undoubtedly, the current state of the world could be described as chaotic.
It wasn’t as chaotic as those ordinary dynasties mainly because this world was ruled by absolute martial power; ordinary people didn’t even have the qualifications to rebel.
And on top of that, the most formidable forces needed to unite to achieve the status of Master of Destiny.
Therefore, they could barely maintain order. It was chaotic, but not completely so.
However, one thing was certain—the common people still lived in distress.
The rise of powerful individuals meant even more dreadful exploitation.
Of course, these weren’t Wang Sheng’s concerns. He was more worried about what happened to the Imperial Family after the death of the young prince—whether those archives and hidden treasures still existed.
If they were gone, then all clues would be completely lost.
Thus, he could only pose the problem to Wu Yuancheng, who had come from the Imperial City and should know something.
“Do you know what happened to the Imperial Family, whether those hidden treasures and archives might have been preserved?”
Wu Yuancheng shook his head and said, “Before the battle between King Yong Nian, Spirit Sword Valley, and Heavenly Saber City began, it was still possible to obtain information from various sources.
But since the conflict started, all channels of communication have been tightly monitored, and it’s been a year without any news from the outside world. However, now that the powers are reconciling, Jiangyuan City will reopen soon, and I estimate that news will come before long.”
Wang Sheng nodded, not asking further.
“Take this as a token of my gratitude!”
He held out a bottle of Ten-Complete Great Replenishing Pills.
“I am under your protection, I can’t possibly accept these.”
Wang Sheng said nothing, simply set down the items, and then left the Wu Family with Yue.
Wu Yuancheng was different from the Yongfeng County Magistrate.
Yi An, the Yongfeng County Magistrate, truly benefited from his protection, mining ores to even the score.
Wu Yuancheng, as a Grandmaster, could live well without his protection; his so-called protection wasn’t that crucial.
Not giving anything symbolized that his inquiry compensated for the protection; now giving something, they were even.
…
After Wang Sheng left, Wu Yuancheng collapsed into a chair.
Whether it was the feeling of powerlessness before Wang Sheng or those daunting problems, both scared him immensely, and sweat poured down his forehead.
His back was completely drenched, very disheveled.
“Someone, prepare a bath, and then call all the family members and Clan Elders to the grand hall, I have orders to give, and everyone must attend or bear the consequences.”
The servants outside promptly responded, totally unaware of what had happened in the study.
Although they didn’t know why their Family Head, who had just bathed, needed another and also summoned everyone in the middle of the night, Wu Yuancheng, as the founder of the Wu Family, was highly intimidating, and no one dared disobey.
About half an hour later, everyone from the Wu Family arrived in the council hall.
No one dared to speak loudly.
After Wu Yuancheng entered, he sat down in the highest seat.
“I know you are curious about why I called you all here. The matter is simple, based on the information I’ve received, that noble figure indeed exists.
From now on, no one is allowed to criticize that noble figure; otherwise, just leave and survive on your own—it’s a matter of life or death, and I don’t care!”
The faces in the hall changed.
The Wu Family was not particularly small, but everyone knew that the prosperity of the Wu Family was mainly due to Wu Yuancheng’s presence.
If they were to fend for themselves in such troubled times, they had no idea what might become of them.
They definitely did not want to face such an outcome.
Soon someone asked, “Family Head, who exactly is that noble figure?”
Wu Yuancheng answered, “It’s that noble figure widely known throughout the three counties!”
Upon hearing this, the crowd broke into discussions—many didn’t believe the existence of the so-called Grandmaster who protected the three counties, disregarding it completely.
Even if he truly existed, why bother?
A Grandmaster was just a Grandmaster after all, and their Family Head was also a Grandmaster, a Top Grandmaster at that, otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to serve as the Minister of War.
But now, the Family Head referred to him as “that noble figure,” and his words were full of dread.
So just how powerful was that noble figure?
To the point that he, a Top Grandmaster, feared him.
“Family Head, is that noble figure really so powerful?”
Wu Yuancheng sighed and said, “More powerful than you can imagine. Facing him, I would only be crushed, he is at least of the Grandmaster level.”
!!!
(Today has been particularly busy, I only started writing at nine and struggled to produce anything. There’s still one chapter to go, if nothing goes wrong, updates will resume tomorrow, aiming for at least three, maybe four updates. This time, I won’t make any bets {laughs}).