Chapter 180 — Willingly Becoming the Blade!

“Eh eh eh? Grand-disciple Yue, you’re leaving already?” 

“So hurried?” 

The little Daoist Mingxin had learned early in the morning that Yue Shiru was departing. He had originally been quite spirited, but all at once became somewhat listless. The entire morning, he remained dispirited, even considering whether he should turn the Three-Yellow Chicken into a pot of stewed chicken soup, frightening the bird so badly that it flapped its wings and flew up onto the corner of the Daoist temple’s eaves. 

Yue Shiru could not help but laugh, saying: “Little Martial Grand-Uncle need not feel anything over it.” 

“One who cultivates the Dao will eventually roam beneath the heavens. Parting, too, is something that ought to happen.” 

“In future years, you will ultimately understand.” 

The Daoist glanced at the old Daoist, whose cultivation had already neared the limit of the Innate One Qi realm. This great battle had, in the end, damaged his vitality. Yet one at the level of Innate One Qi was not qualified to receive the Heavenly Emperor’s talismanic registers. Yue Shiru said nothing of it, while the old Daoist merely smiled and shook his head. Thus, the young Daoist only smiled as well and said: “We cultivators should indeed be like this.” 

“Many thanks, True Person, for saving my life. I have no way to repay such kindness. If there is still a chance for us to meet again one day—” 

“I only hope I will not disgrace the grace of this rescue.” 

Yue Shiru cupped his hands, then said to the young Daoist with graying temples: “Since the Lianyang Sword has chosen the True Person, this junior shall not bring it up further. Still, I must leave behind some proof to show that I truly did come to Lianyang Temple and did not neglect my duties.” 

He had originally intended to leave behind a strand of sword intent and had already taken out a jade slip for correspondence. Yet the Lianyang Sword suddenly let out a cry. 

Accompanied by resounding sword chimes came the howl of sword qi. 

The three characters “Lianyang Sword” upon the blade itself were forcibly driven free. 

They transformed into spiritual radiance and imprinted themselves upon the Daoist jade slip, cold and solemnly luminous, like the long cry of a sword. 

These three characters had originally been inscribed by means of the Daoist Sect’s Supreme Spiritual Pattern jade script. Left upon this sword, they were the restraint and shackles that Lü Chunyang had placed upon this ferocious sword, savage as a demon, and also its karmic connection with Lü Chunyang. 

Now that the sword had cast off those three characters of its own accord, it represented the severing of karmic ties. From this day onward, it would no longer be bound by Lü Chunyang’s restraints. 

Yue Shiru understood its meaning and inwardly sighed in admiration that it truly was a divine weapon, so spiritual that it had reached such a degree. 

Thinking of the legends surrounding this sword, he could not help but sigh again. Such a baleful sword was tyrannically powerful, yet the True Person was indeed extraordinary to have made this sword submit willingly and sincerely. 

Could it be that he also understood some supreme sword-immortal method for cultivating and forging swords? 

Just as Yue Shiru was about to put away the letter, the young Daoist raised a hand to stop him. He then asked for the jade slip and said: “…As for your Daoist Sect’s Patriarch Lü, I also have something I wish to say to him. So I’ll have to trouble you to deliver it for me.” 

Yue Shiru replied: “When the True Person gives a command, how would this disciple dare refuse?” 

“It merely means making one extra trip.” 

The young Daoist returned to the scripture pavilion. During this period of time, from Yue Shiru’s account, he had already learned that his Patriarch was the Lü Chunyang whom Qi Wuhuo needed to find. He was an existence of the same realm as Senior Sister Yumiao, with cultivation roughly at the Earthbound Immortal level. Afterwards, he encountered an obstruction; if he could break through it, he would have the potential to become a Divine Immortal, worthy of the title of True Lord, and could continue advancing further. 

He should also have been that Daoist whom he had seen while writing the couplets. 

Qi Wuhuo lifted the brush. From Yue Shiru, he had already learned of the so-called characters within dreams. 

He knew that his senior brother could recognize his writing. 

Thus, after pondering for a long while, he dipped the brush in ink and, using the same script, wrote down two characters. 

Their name was— 

[Taishang]. 

At the moment the brush was set down, though the characters remained the same, the choices he had made along his journey caused these two words to naturally carry a sense of calm composure and serenity. Then they slowly faded from sight, so that only those bound by fate would be able to see them. 

Afterwards, he carefully put away the letter and handed it to Yue Shiru. The latter curiously asked: “Senior is sending a letter to my Patriarch. Could it be that the True Person’s own elders and patriarchs also knew my Patriarch?” 

After all, the era in which Patriarch Lü had been active was at least a thousand years ago. 

Back then, the Blood River Sword Sect had shaken the world for a time and had even crossed swords with the Patriarch. 

Now it had already turned to dust and vanished from existence. 

Yet the young Daoist before him was only sixteen years old. The gap between them was simply too vast. 

The young Daoist answered gently: 

“Yes. If my guess is correct, there should be old ties between us.” 

Yue Shiru came to an understanding. 

Old ties—so it seemed this True Person Qi’s forebears also had some connection with Patriarch Lü. 

He cupped his hands and smiled: “This disciple will certainly not fail the True Person’s trust!” 

Then he cupped his hands once more toward Mingxin and the old Daoist alike before turning away. 

A Daoist, wearing straw sandals, clad in Daoist robes, carrying a bamboo basket upon his back, holding the Tianpeng Bell and Demon-Subduing Sword, leaning upon a green bamboo staff, walked down the mountain while laughing loudly: 

“If one attains the Mysterious Elixir preserved within the Three Palaces,

Then Taiyi’s flowing pearl may rest upon Kunlun.

Layer upon layer, twelve-ringed pavilions and towers,
From highest to lowest, all are True Persons.”

“Jade halls and crimson palaces are all Mysterious Sanctuaries,
The Xuanji and Yuheng shine with the hue of emerald jade.
I gaze afar and see a child seated lingering there—
I ask whose child this is, dwelling within me?”

Yue Shiru recited the Yellow Court Scripture as he walked. After only a few turns, he stepped into the mortal city and merged into the sea of people, vanishing from sight. 

The little Daoist Mingxin rested his chin in his hands, full of melancholy, and sighed. 

Yet he saw that Martial Uncle Qi still swept the grounds as before, then read through the Daoist canons. The old Daoist still gazed at his worn old books, splitting wood to make a qin. 

Even the Three-Yellow Chicken still strutted along the wall corner exactly as it always had. 

Suddenly, he felt that he himself was not acting very Daoist-like at all. 

He patted his cheeks, stood up as well, and went to meditate and refine qi. 

Within the Daoist temple, things were no different from when Yue Shiru had arrived. 

When a person comes, it is merely one extra pair of bowls and chopsticks, one more seat at the table—nothing different from before. 

When a person leaves, it is merely a single prayer, a brush across the qin strings. Why be melancholic over it? 

Heaven and earth are but a narrow crevice; what harm is there in the coming and going of living beings? 

It was merely one phrase— all according to nature. 

The markets and wards stretched in uneven rows, every kind of thing available. When people came, sleeves billowed like clouds; when they left, the noise and commotion surged endlessly. What magnificent prosperity the Imperial Capital possessed! 

The Shenwu Dynasty was the kingdom that inherited the throne of the very first Human Emperor, and occupied the vast central lands of the mortal world. Compared to Shenwu, the other human kingdoms were no more than tiny specks of territory, hardly worth mentioning. 

Now that the Shenwu Dynasty intended to hold a Grand Sacrifice, every kingdom had already dispatched envoys and honor guards to attend the ceremony at court. 

Only because a sudden calamity had erupted in the Central Plains had the matter been delayed again and again, postponed for several days straight. 

Today, at last, it truly arrived. 

Before even the third watch of the morning had fully passed, preparations were already in full swing. Today, common folk were forbidden from walking upon the great avenues. Every ward and market had been sealed off. Only when the sacrificial ceremony reached its climax would fireworks soar into the sky, and the people would emerge holding flowers in unison. Only then would the imperial majesty and the boundless grandeur of the Human Emperor be displayed. 

The Imperial Road had already been washed so thoroughly that not a speck of dust remained. 

Every five paces stood a torch, making the avenue as bright as day. 

Meanwhile, the residences of the various princes and nobles remained sleepless through the night, all making preparations. Throughout the imperial city of the human race, there was vaguely an atmosphere of boundless solemnity, causing all who sensed it to feel the majesty of imperial authority deep within their hearts. 

And step by step, these procedures were in truth similar to Daoist ritual ceremonies and Buddhist liturgical rites—a ceremonial system used to strengthen imperial authority and further purify the aura of the Human Dao. 

The Qi Observers raised their heads and could see the vast and majestic fortune of the Human Dao taking shape as a deity-like existence, sheltering and overlooking the mortal world. 

Its majesty was incomparable. Around it revolved countless heavenly stars; beneath it lay mountain ranges, the myriad living beings, and all things beneath heaven, all gathered around its side. Furthermore, because the other kingdoms had come to pay homage, there vaguely emerged a phenomenon akin to [a host of pythons bowing before a dragon] or else the bearing of: “The Northern Star dwelling in its place, while the myriad stars revolve around it.”

“Our Human Emperor truly possesses immense bearing and ambition.” 

The astrologers of the Observatory Bureau, who understood the arts of star divination, sighed in admiration. 

For such a grand occasion, the Observatory Bureau naturally bore the responsibility of calculating the true auspicious date and hour. Yet at present, they were unable to do so. 

Several days earlier, changes had occurred among the foremost of the Eleven Luminaries, while the Four Hidden Luminaries had vanished from the heavens altogether, directly causing enormous deviations in their calculations. 

The interpretations were varied, ranging from auspicious to inauspicious.

Some said it boded ill for the Human Emperor. 

Others declared it a sign of supreme prosperity for the world. 

No definitive conclusion could be reached, and at this moment their nerves were stretched taut. Even though this Grand Sacrifice had been decreed by the Sage Human Emperor himself, if something truly went wrong now, the Observatory Bureau would still have to bear the responsibility. 

After all, the Sage Human Emperor could not possibly be mistaken. 

So if there was an error, would it not only be the fault of astrologers like them within the Observatory Bureau? 

Thus, only now, after seeing the stars gradually conceal themselves, did that old man finally relax slightly. 

Nothing should happen now… right? 

While the entire imperial capital of the human dynasty was orderly and methodically advancing the Grand Sacrifice, within the deathly silent Heavenly Prison, a visitor had also arrived. 

This guest wore a hooded cloak and, under the guidance of a stooped old man, passed through layer after layer of prison cells that held the greatest criminals beneath heaven, finally arriving at the deepest level. 

There stood a fairly decent room. 

At the very least, for someone within a prison, it was quite decent indeed. 

There was a table, a bed, and even a bookshelf filled with all kinds of scrolls and books. 

Inside the room, however, a tall young man was bound in chains. He possessed thick saber-like brows and a heroic bearing. His body was covered in wounds, and the powerful aura he should once have possessed had already dissipated. Yet although his qi presence had scattered away, the formidable physique he had tempered since youth still remained. 

Hearing someone arrive, he slowly lifted his eyes. 

Within them was a dim and turbid light. 

The visitor lifted back the hood, revealing a cool and graceful face. Her eyes were especially large and gentle, their radiance like the depths of night, as she said softly: 

“Seventh Brother, it has been a long time.” 

The Seventh Prince, bound here slightly, raised his eyes. “Qiong Yu?” 

“Why are you here?” 

Qiong Yu replied: “I was brought into the palace to accompany the Empress, and I also met the ‘Seventh Highness confined within the Cold Palace for disobedience’. But after several tests, I guessed that Seventh Highness was not the real Seventh Brother.” 

“After repeated deductions, I determined there were three possible places in this city where Seventh Brother might be imprisoned.” 

“And this hidden chamber in the deepest part of the Heavenly Prison was perhaps one of them.” 

The imprisoned Seventh Prince, Li Zhai, slightly raised his eyes, his voice hoarse: “How did you dare come here?” 

Qiong Yu answered concisely: “Today is the Grand Sacrifice. The attention outside has been drawn away.” 

“Besides, my father still left behind a few personal ties and favors from years past.” 

“Heh… personal ties and favors…” 

The Seventh Prince laughed a few times, subconsciously glancing toward the old jailer. From him, he sensed the faint lingering aura of military baleful qi, as though he had already guessed the truth long ago. 

“So he really did use a substitute to replace me.” 

“Reasonable enough. The scandals within the imperial family are mostly concealed from public knowledge.” 

“But you coming here now—could it be that you intend to free me?” 

“Hahahaha, Sister Qiong Yu, you wouldn’t be so kindhearted, would you?” 

“And if I said yes?” 

Li Zhai narrowed his eyes slightly. 

Then, as though understanding something, he said: “How interesting. The substitute within the imperial palace can only deceive people for a time, not forever. The best method would be for an ‘accident’ to occur, causing the ‘Seventh Prince’ to die, after which the military authority of the School of War could gradually be reclaimed. But I already gave orders. Without receiving my secret command, all disciples of the School of War will aid Fourth Brother…” 

“The Crown Prince, the Emperor, and Fourth Brother, who has the support of both the civil and military factions.” 

“The situation is already chaotic enough, though it still barely maintains stability. You and Second Brother have no chance at all…” 

“You want me released so the situation within the court becomes even more chaotic.” 

“And then to profit amid the turmoil?” 

The Seventh Prince looked at the young woman before him, delicate as a willow swaying in the wind. 

“Back then, Eldest Uncle once said it was a pity you were not born a man. It seems you truly are ruthless enough.” 

“However, let me tell you this—right now, that Human Emperor is most likely a substitute as well.” 

The Seventh Prince recalled what had happened back then, his expression somewhat complicated. “The backlash from that slash of mine came too late, and was too weak…” 

“At the time, I realized it immediately, but by then it was already too late. So from beginning to end, he never trusted anyone, not even his own sons.” 

“I guessed as much.” 

Qiong Yu’s voice remained calm. A trace of surprise appeared in the Seventh Prince’s eyes, while the young woman before him replied: “Seventh Brother, you entered the forbidden palace carrying a blade, yet the Emperor emerged entirely unharmed, while changes occurred among the palace personnel.” 

“The [General’s Garden] says that every general must possess trusted confidants as claws and fangs. If even generals are like this, then how much more so the Human Emperor?”

“I have always been accustomed to imagining my opponents as the most shrewd and cunning sort possible.” 

“So, Seventh Brother, what will you choose? To grow old and die here? Or to leave?” 

The Seventh Prince, Li Zhai, slowly said: “Release me…” 

Qiong Yu nodded. Beside her, the deaf-and-mute old man with one severed leg opened the hidden chamber. 

The Seventh Prince was released, and the military murderous aura upon his body had already fully dissipated. He rubbed his wrists; though his injuries were severe, they did not diminish his bearing in the slightest. Like a wounded tiger shaking out its body, he suddenly laughed and said: “Qiong Yu, I know you are using me, yet I am also willing to let you use me, to become a blade.” 

“But remember this—not your blade, but the blade of the people beneath heaven!” 

“Where is today’s Grand Sacrifice being held? I will personally go meet that father of mine, go meet those civil and military officials.” 

“Let me personally tear apart this so-called Human Emperor’s aura, rip open this grand and flourishing age!” 

He rose to his feet and gave a military salute toward the lame old man, his voice heavy and calm, each word deliberate, carrying the solemnity of fierce winds rising across a battlefield: 

“Please give me a suit of armor—” 

“Xuan Iron Armor.”