Chapter 428: The Nine Zhou Ding that Subdued King Zhou of Shang! Unprecedented Discovery! (2)
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
With each ritual, the Zhou Dynasty seemed to surpass itself beyond anyone’s wildest expectations.
“This section outlines how King Zhou of Shang gave himself over to debauchery, resulting in the death of his faithful ministers. These crimes are inexcusable.”
“This portion suggests King Zhou’s appointment of unprincipled officials.” “Here, it highlights King Zhou’s susceptibility to the advice of women.”
“And in this section, it describes King Zhou showing irreverence towards both heaven and earth, disregarding the spirits and deities.”
Overwhelmed, Luo Feng could hardly process the enormity of these revelations.
“Why are such details meticulously recorded here? Did the Zhou Dynasty have an abundance of idle time? Much of this seems superfluous.”
“Host, are we certain this is where King Wu of Zhou carried out his rituals? It seems more akin to a chronicle of King Zhou’s misdeeds.”
“Ha, a chronicle indeed, fascinating!”
“I’ve heard that King Zhou was attacked en-masse for his disregard of spirits and deities.”
“I fail to see the issue here. Why the uproar over disrespecting spirits and deities? I challenge the heavens daily, yet face no retribution.”
“Your forward-thinking nature places you in the wrong era.”
“The majority of Chinese individuals don’t hold a belief in spirits and deities.”
“Atheism, indeed!”
Master Li interjected, “These relics likely represent the Zhou Dynasty’s chronicling of King Zhou’s transgressions.”
Luo Feng nodded in agreement, “Most likely so.”
“Based on these records, King Zhou can scarcely be labelled a tyrant. Most of his offenses seem to revolve around the disrespect of spirits and deities,” Master Li further added.
“Moreover, archaeological evidence from this era suggests that the people of Yin and Shang periods held a firm belief in spirits and deities. However, when it came to King Zhou, his faith wasn’t as steadfast. His indifference led to less fervent rituals. From a perspective of civilizational advancement, this was rather progressive. Who would have thought this was deemed sinful in his time?”
Nodding sympathetically towards King Zhou, Luo Feng suggested, “Let’s proceed with our reading.”
As Luo Feng delved further into the text, the remaining records offered nothing but repeated evidence of King Zhou’s disrespect towards spirits and deities. Nothing new or particularly intriguing surfaced.
“This tortoise shell suggests the Zhou wished for King Zhou to suffer eternal death, suppressed beneath a thousand corpses. The divination outcome: an impossibility. ”
“This one proposes the Zhou’s desire for King Zhou to experience a perpetual death, his body dismembered and interred. Divination outcome: not feasible.” A light chuckle escaped Luo Feng.
Having listed all of King Zhou’s transgressions, the discussion now shifted to the disposition of his body.
Historical records suggested King Zhou committed self-immolation, yet his corpse remained unscathed.
The term “eternal death” implied an absence of reincarnation.
Continuing his reading, Luo Feng unearthed over a hundred more tortoise shells.
Finally, he stumbled upon some Oracle bone inscriptions that noted new developments.
“The diviner, Shangfu, predicts: ‘Will King Zhou suffer eternal death if suppressed by the Nine Cauldrons? Divination outcome: If suitable, eternal death!”‘
Luo Feng prepared to translate this into modern language, but upon inspecting the tortoise shell, he paused, blinked, rubbed his eyes, and verified his interpretation.
“Little Luo, what’s the issue?”
Noticing Luo Feng’s reaction, Master Li inquired with curiosity.
“I… I believe I’ve located the Nine Zhou Dings!” Regaining his composure, Luo Feng quickly announced.
“What? The Nine Cauldrons?”
Luo Feng nodded, “Yes, the records on this tortoise shell refer to the Nine Cauldrons! It appears Jiang Ziya intended to use the Nine Cauldrons to suppress King Zhou, leading to his eternal death.”
Upon hearing this, Professor Li’s excitement was palpable, his eyes sparkling with anticipation. “So, they planned to use the Nine Cauldrons. Could it suppress King Zhou’s corpse?
“Yes, precisely. The Nine Zhou Cauldrons, relics on par with the Jade Seal of the
Realm. Prior to the Jade Seal, the Nine Cauldrons symbolized the Mandate of Heaven. They were the insignia of the sovereign’s authority,” Luo Feng elucidated.
“Quickly, search for more related records! ” Master Li urged impatiently.
“Allow me!”
Luo Feng swiftly set about sifting through the multitude of tortoise shells captured in the photographs.
He disregarded irrelevant content. At this juncture, Luo Feng was solely interested in records relating to the Nine Cauldrons.
In due course, Luo Feng discovered the relevant tortoise shell.
“This one reads, ‘Jiang Ziya divines: To bury King Zhou ten thousand feet west, sealed with the Nine Cauldrons. Divination outcome: if suitable, the sealing will occur.
“Hahaha, we’ve found it! We’ve found it!” Luo Feng erupted with laughter.
“Onwards, onwards, we’re off to locate the Nine Cauldrons!” Professor Li sprang to his feet, his excitement palpable.
The nearby archaeologists, hearing Master Li’s exclamation, could not resist turning to look.
“Old Li, what have you unearthed?” “Little Luo discovered the Nine Zhou Dings!”
“The Nine Cauldrons?”
“The very Nine Cauldrons that established the nine provinces during the Xia
Dynasty!”
Shock and disbelief washed over them.
“What?!”
“Little Luo unearthed this clue from the Oracle Bones. It seems that Jiang Ziya used Emperor Xin’s Nine Zhou Cauldrons to forever imprison his spirit.”
A group of elders listened attentively.
They glanced at each other, curiosity stirring in their eyes.
“Old Li, assuming this is true, isn’t it a bit late to start searching for the Nine
Provinces Cauldron now? Let’s discuss this tomorrow.” “Everyone, let’s not jump to conclusions. This is just a clue!”
“Indeed!”
It was evident that they all felt it was premature to make assumptions based on a single piece of evidence.
Turning to Luo Feng, Master Li inquired, “What’s your opinion, Little Luo?” Luo Feng responded, “Master Li, all I need to know is one thing – Do you trust
“I trust you,” Master Li affirmed.
“That’s all I need,” Luo Feng stated, addressing the others, “Esteemed masters, the location of the Nine Zhou Dings is inscribed on the Oracle Bones. Once I find it, I promise to present you all with a remarkable gift!”
Having finished speaking, Luo Feng rummaged in his backpack, produced some food and said, “Everyone, let’s eat. We need to conserve our strength for the journey ahead!”
“Ha, Little Luo, that sounds a tad ominous, doesn’t it?”
“No worries. If you follow me, I guarantee a prosperous future for us all.
Tonight, we feast!”
Following this, everyone fell silent.
They commenced their meal.
Initially, Master Li dismissed Luo Feng’s translation as fanciful.
However, he was starting to perceive a sense of conviction in Luo Feng.
After all, an invented story should be plausible, right?
Moreover, if the translations were fabricated, how could they confirm the actual historical event of Bo Yikao’s sacrifice?
If Luo Feng did indeed possess the location of the Nine Cauldrons, they would gladly accompany him.
Because, if it genuinely existed, its worth would be immeasurable.
Not merely the value of the cauldrons, but the potential historical revelations encoded on the Oracle Bones.
If these Oracle Bones were indeed genuine,
A multitude of historical mysteries could be solved.
In this regard, Master Li felt it bore a far greater significance than the Nine Zhou Dings themselves.
About ten minutes later, having finished his meal, Master Li spoke up, “Little
Luo, let’s get going. We have a Nine Zhou Ding to find!”
Luo Feng nodded, hoisted his hoe onto his shoulder, led the second-generation heirs, and guided the group outside.
“Considering it’s already dark, should we wait until tomorrow?” suggested Li Shishi.
“No need to worry, let’s venture into the mountain. The most perilous creatures we might encounter are small animals. This area is devoid of any lions or tigers!” Luo Feng reassured with a grin.
“The host’s audacity is staggering, gallivanting at this late hour?”
“Besides, how much of the Oracle Bones have been deciphered? Are we blindly putting our faith in them?”
“Are we genuinely contemplating the pursuit of the Nine Zhou Cauldrons based on these tentative translations?”
“This is a wasteful expenditure of resources and manpower!”
“Let’s ground ourselves in reality. If we manage to locate something like the Nine Provinces Cauldrons, it would be monumental! You have no idea of its historical implications!”
“Aren’t we already in possession of the Imperial Seal? Why does the Nine Provinces Cauldron matter?”
“I did some math. A Zhang from the Shang Dynasty measures approximately 1.7 meters, so ten thousand Zhang is around 17 kilometers!”
“Are you proposing to walk this distance?”
Not at all.
Luo Feng would not choose to walk when there was the option to ride vehicles.
Should no vehicle be available, only then would they rely on their own feet.
Around 10 p.m.
Luo Feng arrived at a location roughly 17 kilometers away.
“Initiate Level 3 scanning!”
Once the scanning concluded, in a spot around a few hundred meters away from Luo Feng, dozens of treasure markers were clustered together.
Luo Feng’s heart pounded with excitement.
Could it be that they were on the cusp of discovering the Nine Zhou Ding of Yu the Great?
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