Three Kingdoms: My Strategy Simulator

“Yellow Talismans?!”

Yu Ji stroked his beard, adopting a demeanor of a venerable Taoist priest. Thoughts raced through his mind, and he instinctively wanted to deny it outright, but his hand surreptitiously touched the hidden pocket in his sleeve, where a large stack of yellow talismans resided.

‘Denial is futile.’

Yu Ji understood that denying it outright before someone like Li Ji would be pointless. He changed his approach and slowly began to speak.

“County Magistrate is unaware, but this is a secret art of my sect. By using yellow talismans and immortal powder, one can communicate with heaven and earth, riding the wind into the void, and instantly travel the nine provinces in spirit.”

He paused, observing Li Ji's unchanging expression, then gave a Taoist salute and said calmly, “If County Magistrate does not believe me, you can try it and see for yourself that what I say is true.”

“Oh~~~”

Li Ji drawled out the word, then looked at Zhao Yun, who was standing to the side, and said, “Zilong, please search this sorcerer’s body.”

Zhao Yun cupped his fist in acceptance of the order, then placed one hand on the hilt of his sword, remaining vigilant, while the other hand reached out to search Yu Ji's body.

Dare he resist?

He wouldn’t dare…

Having personally experienced Zhao Yun's martial prowess, Yu Ji knew very well that against a fierce general like Zhao Yun, whether within ten steps or beyond, it made no difference.

He could take an enemy general's head from amidst a million soldiers; resistance was futile.

Therefore, Yu Ji very sensibly took out all the items on his person and allowed Zhao Yun to inspect them.

Yu Ji placed before him dozens of yellow talismans, a bamboo scroll, a water pouch, a horsetail whisk, a small jar, and some miscellaneous items.

Li Ji's gaze swept over the miscellaneous items, then he picked up the stack of yellow talismans and examined them carefully, noting the powder on them.

Subsequently, Li Ji opened the small jar, which was filled with a yellowish-white powder.

“This, could it be what you claim allows one to communicate with heaven and earth and travel the nine provinces in spirit?” Li Ji asked playfully.

Yu Ji hesitated for a moment, but could only bite the bullet and answer, “Indeed, County Magistrate can verify it yourself.”

“I won’t personally verify it…”

Li Ji said, then pushed the small jar towards Yu Ji, saying, “Zilong, please feed this powder to the sorcerer, so I can see how mystical it truly is, and whether he can ascend to immortality!”

Instantly, Yu Ji's originally ethereal and detached expression changed, and as he watched Zhao Yun approach him with the small jar in his hands, his heart trembled.

Consuming a little of this stuff would allow one to travel the nine provinces in spirit, but consuming too much at once would send one's soul to the Yellow Springs.

“Pa!”

Yu Ji did not hesitate to kneel down before Li Ji on the spot, saying, “County Magistrate, spare me! This stuff can’t be eaten like that!”

In the next moment, Li Ji, finally unable to contain his anger, grabbed the horsetail whisk in front of him and threw it at Yu Ji, shouting, “Since you know it cannot be eaten in this way, how dare you use it to deceive the people under my jurisdiction?! Could it be that you saw the millions of followers of the sorcerer Zhang Jiao and wish to use this to bewitch people's hearts, gather followers, and emulate him?”

As soon as these words were spoken, Yu Ji's expression changed drastically, and Zhao Yun's gaze towards Yu Ji also filled with hostility.

“I dare not, I would never dare! I only saw the people suffering from illness and pain, and knew this could alleviate their suffering, but I feared the world would not believe it, so I used this method to make them believe, truly for the sake of helping the world and saving the people!”

Yu Ji explained repeatedly.

“How many refugees have fled from the north to Wu Commandery? Why is your figure not seen among them, but instead you appear in bustling markets, bewitching scholars? This I have seen with my own eyes, and you still want to quibble and be glib?”

Li Ji sneered, not believing a word of Yu Ji's defense.

In fact, Li Ji perhaps believed that Zhang Jiao's original intention in creating the Way of Peace was for the sake of the poor people.

After all, the Way of Peace initially did provide relief to the poor people, and its teachings also mostly taught people to be kind and create a harmonious world, but as the members gradually became mixed, it later completely went astray.

However, Yu Ji's actions had nothing to do with helping the world and saving the people. His target from the beginning was the scholars, and the next step might be the officials and nobles.

At this moment, Li Ji understood why Sun Ce in the original timeline had to kill Yu Ji despite the advice against it.

Presumably, anyone who returned home and suddenly found that their own mother and the officials and subordinates in the city were devoutly devoted to an unknown Yu Ji would also want to kill him as soon as possible.

Perhaps, Yu Ji in the original timeline thought that he had a hold over Sun Ce's mother, Madam Wu, and that in this era of extreme filial piety, he had a hold over Sun Ce.

Unfortunately, he never expected that Sun Ce was a rebellious son, and Madam Wu could not control Sun Ce at all.

Now, Yu Ji even less expected that Li Ji, based on some prescient advantages, had a clear understanding of his intentions.

Yu Ji was probably just an imitator of Zhang Jiao, and after learning from Zhang Jiao's lessons, Yu Ji no longer chose to only take the lower-level route, but instead tried to absorb believers through the upper-level route.

Moreover, he was probably still using something similar to “Five Stone Powder,” which had hallucinogenic and addictive properties, to preach and bewitch.

Given the degree to which the people of this era generally believed in ghosts and gods, Yu Ji's move was undoubtedly extremely seductive, and the harm was extremely alarming!

“Hateful, abominable, and deserving of death!”

“Men, drag this sorcerer down and cut him into a thousand pieces, as a warning to others!”

Li Ji shouted angrily, causing Yu Ji's face to turn completely pale in an instant.

“Wait! Wait!!!”

Yu Ji cried out in a hurry.

“Even if my medicine is flawed, my actions are also for treating diseases and saving people, and I have not harmed anyone's life. If County Magistrate kills me like this, even if I am convinced under the Nine Springs, I fear the world will also have many doubts, and even fear harming Lord Liu's reputation for benevolence.”

Li Ji heard this, but got up and slowly walked to Yu Ji's front, looking at Yu Ji kneeling on the ground begging for mercy, and said.

“It seems you still do not admit to the intentional deception of the people and the bewitching of people's hearts.”

How dare Yu Ji admit it? As long as he admitted it, his head would fall to the ground.

“I have absolutely no intention of bewitching people's hearts, only to treat diseases and save people.”

“Good!”

Li Ji sneered, then said.

“Besides that talisman water, you also said that you could discern the secrets of heaven, and that looking at your face told you that you would die by my hand? Then let me examine you to see if what you say is accurate or not, to determine whether you are bewitching people's hearts.”

Yu Ji's spirit was lifted upon hearing this.

The talisman water was just to fool people, but he really understood how to read faces!

At this moment, Yu Ji knew that perhaps the elusive chance of survival lay here, and he hurriedly asked.

“County Magistrate, please examine me. I will answer everything I know and say everything without reservation.”

Li Ji chuckled, then drew his sword from his waist and placed it directly on Yu Ji's shoulder.

As Yu Ji's hairs stood on end, the sword's edge stopped a short distance from Yu Ji's neck, and Li Ji finally spoke.

“What I want to ask is whether I will kill you today, you can try to answer it.”

This question completely dumbfounded Yu Ji, who stared blankly up at Li Ji.

Not to mention whether Yu Ji's face reading could be accurate to this extent, more importantly, this had nothing to do with accuracy. This was clearly a death sentence.

Answering “no kill,” Li Ji's sword would slip, and Yu Ji would use his life to prove that it was inaccurate, and give Li Ji a reason to kill him as a sorcerer who bewitched people's hearts.

Answering “kill,” then Li Ji's sword would still slip, and Yu Ji would use his life to prove that it was indeed very accurate, but Li Ji would also be acting in accordance with the will of heaven, and there would be no blame.

At this moment, wisdom was above the will of heaven…

Yu Ji understood that it was useless for him to answer either one. Li Ji's determination to kill him was so firm that it could replace the will of heaven. The sword on his neck was the will of heaven.

“Answer…”

Li Ji looked at Yu Ji, who had not said anything for a long time, and calmly urged him, which caused visible cold sweat to flow down Yu Ji's forehead.

At this moment, Yu Ji's heart was filled with regret for his actions in entering Wu Commandery.

Compared to other commanderies in Yang Province, preaching in Wu Commandery was a death-level difficulty.

“I… I…”

Just as a hint of impatience appeared on Li Ji's face, a sudden flash of inspiration appeared in Yu Ji's mind, and he said urgently.

“I can offer County Magistrate a map of the five commanderies of Yang Province besides Wu Commandery.”

“Hmm?”

Li Ji, who had originally planned to send Yu Ji away, paused with the sword he was holding.

Yu Ji hurriedly continued to speak. “Including a map of the deep mountains and old forests within Yang Province where a large number of Southern Man and Mountain Yue are hiding, I can draw them all.”

This made Li Ji's eyes slightly narrow, and this undoubtedly had a huge attraction for Li Ji.

Yang Province had been troubled by the Southern Man and Mountain Yue for hundreds of years. Those people hid in the deep mountains and old forests, mostly living in the form of tribes, not good at farming, and mostly obtaining resources by means of gathering and hunting.

It was precisely for this reason that whenever there were insufficient prey and fruits in the mountains, the Southern Man and Mountain Yue would often emerge from the deep mountains and old forests to plunder resources, and even occasionally abduct women.

Moreover, Li Ji knew that this problem would continue to plague them for thousands of years. Even in the early Ming Dynasty, the area around Yang Province had become quite prosperous, but there were still many indigenous people on the southwest side who plundered in this way.

Of course, in this matter, it was impossible to say who was right and who was wrong.

After all, among the Southern Man and Mountain Yue, there were many tribes formed by Han Chinese who fled during the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods, but more of them were still local aborigines. From this perspective, the Han Chinese were the ones who squeezed the living space of the local aborigines.

However, from Li Ji's perspective, it was a process of ethnic integration. Yang and Jiao provinces had always been a part of China since ancient times. There was never any distinction between aborigines and outsiders, just a few internal contradictions caused by the two families not being familiar with each other.

Therefore, Li Ji had always been quite troubled by the question of how to appease the Southern蛮 and Mountain越 tribes and integrate them into the local area.

More importantly, the Southern蠻 and Mountain越 tribes were hidden in the deep mountains and old forests, where miasma thrived and the terrain was complex.

Even though the Southern蠻 and Mountain越 tribes had a long history of raiding the common people, almost no local officials would choose to try to understand and communicate with them in depth. (End of this chapter)