Chapter 300: Touring the States (Part 3)

"Huangshi Tian Shu, Lord Chunan, this figure is as enigmatic as the rest," Daniel muttered to himself. He thought of the famous phrase, "Even if Chu is left with only three households, it will still destroy Qin," and how this mysterious figure had foretold the fates of major generals like Shaoyu.

"I wonder if he foresaw Shaoyu's eventual defeat and the uncertain fate of Liu Ji. Perhaps to this figure, both Shaoyu and Liu Ji being from Chu is all that matters, and the outcome is irrelevant."

"Chu will destroy Qin, even if only three households remain. Let's see how you plan to bring down Qin."

"Young Master, we've arrived in Songhai City," came a voice from the front of the boat, interrupting Daniel's thoughts. An elderly man, his face weathered by years of exposure, stood at the bow with a respectful expression, addressing Daniel.

"We've arrived? Thank you for your hard work." Daniel nodded, standing up and stepping out of the cabin to survey the scene. The harbor was bustling with activity, filled with boats of all sizes. Songhai's harbor was a hub of trade, with its waterways serving as vital transport routes.

After leaving Jicheng, Daniel had traveled eastward, taking in the unique scenery of the era while making his way to Songhai City in the Qi State. Upon reaching the waterways, he had chartered a boat at great expense.

Daniel had no intention of visiting Linzi, the capital of Qi. His destination was the Xiaoshengxianzhuang (Little Sage Village) in Songhai City, not the Qi King.

Qi State was known as the wealthiest of the Seven Warring States, thanks in large part to Guan Zhong's policies of enriching the state and strengthening the military. Because of this, Qi was also the most merchant-friendly of the Seven States, relatively speaking.

Unfortunately, while Guan Zhong's policies had led to prosperity, they hadn't led to military strength. Qi's famed combat skills, like those of Wei's elite troops, had faded into history.

The Zhao Cavalry, Qi Combat Skills, Wei Elite Troops, and Qin Sharp Soldiers—of these, only the Zhao Cavalry and Qin Sharp Soldiers remained.

"This place is lively," Daniel remarked as he observed the bustling harbor. People were busy unloading and loading goods, and vendors were selling all sorts of items, including food. Among the offerings was roast chicken, a favorite of Tianming.

"Tastes pretty good. No wonder Tianming likes it so much," Daniel thought as he bought two roast chickens and a roast duck, savoring the flavors as he walked.

"Yijian Inn, renowned for its culinary delights," he noted as he passed the famous inn on Songhai's main street. The inn was bustling with business, known for its excellent food.

"Is the Mohist School using this inn to make money?" Daniel mused. Every organization needed financial resources, and unlike many of the other philosophical schools, which had state support, the Mohists did not. This made the Yijian Inn a crucial source of income for the Mohists.

Even without regular customers, catering to Xiaoshengxianzhuang alone would be highly profitable. The Little Sage Village housed around a thousand Confucian disciples, and feeding them every day was a significant expense.

The Confucians adhered to the principle of "a gentleman stays away from the kitchen," which meant that the Little Sage Village had no kitchen of its own. All their meals were catered, making Yijian Inn one of the earliest providers of takeaway food.

By contrast, the Agricultural School, with its reliance on gambling dens and brothels like the Zui Meng Lou, was less selective in its methods of making money.

But the most powerful of all was the Confucian School, which not only received funding from Qi but also had various income streams of its own. The introduction of paper had dealt a blow to the Confucians, as they had previously controlled much of the bamboo slip market.

"So many people delivering food to the Confucians. I guess the fine meal prepared by the cook in the animation, along with Shi Lan's exquisite lunchbox, must have been intended for the Mohist leaders," Daniel observed as he saw several carriages lined up in front of Yijian Inn. The inn's workers were carefully loading lunchboxes onto the carriages.

"These lunchboxes would probably sell for a fortune in the modern world. The Mohists sure know how to innovate, using their mechanical expertise to enhance even something as simple as a lunchbox."

"Haimoon Pavilion requires advance reservations? That's unexpected," Daniel muttered after leaving Yijian Inn. He had planned to dine at Haimoon Pavilion, famous for its delicacies like fish fin and bear paw.

This dish was once served to Prince Fusu by Li Si, featuring ingredients sourced from Qi's proximity to the Eastern Sea, where seafood was abundant and inexpensive. However, the fish fin and bear paw at Haimoon Pavilion were unique, made from rare ingredients.

The dish was prepared with the finest golden, silver, and celestial blue-grade fin from a deep-sea beast known as the Canghai Jiao Shark, and bear paw from a half-moon marked black bear, hunted in the northernmost mountains of Yan and Zhao.

These ingredients were highly sought after, and like the Dragon Bone Eight Treasures Soup served to Han Fei's uncle, the dish required careful preparation, hence the need for reservations.

The elite and powerful enjoyed a level of luxury far beyond the ordinary. Daniel, though wealthy and influential, found himself humbled by the sheer extravagance of the ruling class. Still, the food he enjoyed was beyond their imagination—true delicacies like dragon liver from the world of Harry Potter.

"Looks like I'll have to come back here later," Daniel decided after learning the reservation process at Haimoon Pavilion. Dining there required more than just money; it required status, as only those with sufficient rank could make a reservation.

With his plans to visit Haimoon Pavilion thwarted, Daniel returned to Yijian Inn and ordered some simple dishes that would be considered ordinary in the modern world, like Kung Pao Chicken, a dish inspired by the Ox-Cleaving Technique of the cook Pao Ding.

Tianming had once used this technique to prepare two identical dishes for the Grand Minister, nearly getting himself killed in the process. Later, he had used the Hundred Steps Flying Sword to give the Grand Minister quite a scare.

"A person's name casts a long shadow," as they say. The Hundred Steps Flying Sword had a fearsome reputation, so much so that even hearing it from a child's mouth was enough to unnerve the Grand Minister.

"This is the Little Sage Village, a truly beautiful place," Daniel murmured as he hovered above the village, taking in the view. In terms of size, the Little Sage Village was comparable to the Yin-Yang School, but it was far more elegant. Even Daniel's Sun Moon Manor couldn't compare.

The village was filled with pavilions, terraces, and scenic views, but what set it apart was its location—a mountain peak overlooking the sea, where the spring was eternal. It offered a breathtaking view of the sunrise each day.

There were only two places in Songhai where one could enjoy such a view: the Little Sage Village and the Haimoon Pavilion. The Little Sage Village, perched on a mountain, offered a panoramic view of the Eastern Sea, while the Haimoon Pavilion, built by the sea, gave the sensation of floating on the water.

Eating at the Haimoon Pavilion and staying at the Little Sage Village would be a luxurious experience, especially if Pao Ding were hired as a private chef.

"Should I create a few space portals in Sun Moon Manor that connect to other places?" Daniel pondered. The idea of being able to travel from the North Sea to the Cangwu Mountains in a day was a dream for many, but for most, it was impossible. For Daniel, however, it was now within reach.

With his research on space stones, dimensional magic, and the space curses from Harry Potter, Daniel could now do what Newt Scamander did with his suitcase.

Daniel had always admired Newt's magical suitcase, which connected to different areas within his home. One door opened to an endless sea, while another led to a snowy expanse, making it seem as though he could traverse the world in an instant.

Of course, this was an illusion. In reality, Newt's suitcase didn't connect to locations around the world but to different places within the mountain where his house was located. It was the chosen location that provided such varied scenery.

To truly enjoy a global view from home, one would need a setup like the sanctums of Kamar-Taj, with magical portals showing different parts of the world.

Still, even this was an impressive feat.

For example, Daniel could build a similar house in Xianyang, allowing him to quickly travel to cities around Xianyang. If there were similar houses in those cities, connected like links in a chain, it would essentially create a teleportation array.

Daniel had never considered this before, as he had been preoccupied with other matters, mainly his training.

But now, inspired by the Little Sage Village and the Daoist philosophy of traveling from the North Sea to the Cangwu Mountains, the idea suddenly came to him.

"If I could combine the nen abilities from Hunter x Hunter with the space spells from Harry Potter, I could even set up a nationwide teleportation network across the Qin Empire. This really is a brilliant idea—why didn

't I think of it before?"

The thought of creating a teleportation network filled Daniel with excitement.

"I'll have to find time to test this when I get back." Taking a deep breath, Daniel set the idea aside for now and descended from the sky.

The Confucian School.

Throughout China's five-thousand-year history, many of its problems could be traced back to the Confucians, a fact that couldn't be ignored. Despite this, the Confucian School was so deeply rooted that it couldn't be eradicated.

Even during the time of exalting Confucianism and rejecting other schools, while the other philosophical schools were greatly diminished, they weren't completely wiped out. The rise of modern industry could be seen as the legacy of the Mohist and Gongshu schools, and biological sciences could be attributed to the Yin-Yang School.

Standing at the gates of the Little Sage Village, Daniel reflected on the fate of Qi after Qin's conquest and found himself smiling. A line came to mind: "The righteous are often butchers, and the treacherous are often scholars."

Although this saying might be seen as overly cynical, it held a certain truth. Scholars, with their knowledge, tended to be more calculating and less likely to act rashly.

This was one of the reasons why Qi had surrendered without a fight.

When Qin conquered the Six States, even the weakest, Han, put up a fierce resistance. Zhao and Yan, after their fall, formed small courts and continued to fight back. But Qi surrendered without a single battle.

From the perspective of the time, Qi's decision made sense. Qin had already crushed the other five states and was unstoppable. Surrendering spared the people from unnecessary bloodshed, a perfectly rational choice. Except for the unfortunate fate of the Qi King, most people didn't suffer much.

After all, they weren't the king. They simply changed rulers and continued their lives.

But from another perspective, the Confucian School, which Qi had nurtured for so long, turned its back on Qi in its time of greatest need. It was a betrayal that left many at a loss for words.

Look at the other philosophical schools: the elite troops of Wei fought to the bitter end despite being abandoned by their king, and the Daoist Ren Zong, Agricultural School, and Mohist School all suffered great losses for the sake of Zhao, Chu, and Yan, respectively.

If Qi's Confucian School had resisted, relying on Qi's unique geographical advantages and its navy, combined with the full support of the Confucians, it wouldn't have been easy for Qin to conquer Qi.

Because of its natural defenses, Qi was the only state with a navy; the other six states, including Chu, didn't have one.

Unfortunately, the Confucians were more concerned with self-preservation. The later exaltation of Confucianism and the rejection of other schools were largely possible because the other schools had been weakened by war, while the Confucians had conserved their strength.

Considering the pattern of dynastic changes throughout history, Daniel couldn't help but think, the waters run deep.

Of course, this applied to the later Confucian School and couldn't be used to judge the current one. If the later Confucians had known, they would have been furious with themselves, and Xunzi might have been compelled to end his own life out of shame.

With these thoughts in mind, Daniel approached the gates of the Little Sage Village and sent a strand of his energy into the compound.

"Hmm?" Fusu, who had been writing with a pen in his study, immediately sensed Daniel's presence and set the pen down.

With the introduction of paper, pens, and writing instruments, Daniel had naturally modernized these tools. The pen's design was simple; Daniel provided the concept, and the Gongshu family quickly produced it.

Compared to brushes, the pen and ballpoint pen greatly increased writing speed. For someone like Ying Zheng, who valued efficiency, these tools were quickly adopted throughout the empire.

Despite opposition from traditionalists who claimed that brush writing had soul, the tide of progress was unstoppable. After all, brush writing was far too time-consuming.

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