568-571

Chapter 568: The Way Of The Emperor

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

On Dong Mountain.

In order to ensure the integrated ruthlessness of this strike, Sigu Jian had to pour all of his spirit into it. If he wanted to deal with the Flowing Cloud Ye Liuyun sent in his direction, he had to scatter his sword. If he didn't do so, he could only attack an enemy that had to be saved. However, he could only diverge a sliver of spirit. The only person of the five people present that could be killed with a sliver of his spirit was the Qing Emperor, who had nothing but grandeur.

It had to be said that from the beginning of Sigu Jian's strike, he had suppressed Ye Liuyun in manner and wisdom. At this moment, he gave Ye Liuyun a difficult problem and a surprise.

What surprised and angered Sigu Jian, and had made him uneasy and helpless, was that Ye Liuyun didn't acknowledge the empty sword in Sigu Jian's illusory grasp. That ball of Flowing Cloud continued to surge toward his face.

After the empty sword in his illusory grasp gave a weak splutter, it pierced through the wet stone pavements on the mountaintop and landed in the air.

That smudge of bright yellow, the dim eyes on the dragon robes, disappeared abruptly and strangely in front of the empty sword.

…

…

On top of Dong Mountain, there were four Great Grandmasters and one monarch. Everything appeared very slow. In reality, it all happened within a second. Within this second, Sigu Jian had used the sword in his hand to tease Ye Liuyun's cloud. He used his empty sword to stab toward the Qing Emperor.

On the other side of this second, another even more astonishing story was happening.

This story happened at the beginning of the second.

When Sigu Jian's sword flew to within inches of the Emperor's back, the Emperor had already sighed darkly. He then let go of Eunuch Hong's old hand, which he had been holding this entire time as if not wishing to prevent this old man from getting the most enjoyment he could out of the last battle of his life.

At the same time, Northern Qi Imperial Advisor Ku He placed his hand with unflagging effort against old Eunuch Hong's chest. This touch and press caused his thumb and index finger to spread apart slightly. Like a cool breeze brushing against a mountain, it was extremely soft and natural. Compared to the storm and lightning around them, it was completely different. After the breeze passed by, chaos sprung up from nowhere in the mountain.

Eunuch Hong calmly watched Ku He's face. His hands were like a pair of dragon whips, twisting and changing. They climbed onto Ku He's right arm but did not stop his touch.

With a splutter, Eunuch Hong's chest completely split open. As Ku He knew the way of heaven, his touch contained the power of heaven and earth. His breastbone was like a piece of delicate tofu, neatly crushed and collapsed down.

Fresh blood sprayed out quickly from Eunuch Hong's organs. With the collapse of his breastbone, the crazy spraying of his blood and leaking of his zhenqi, his life force flowed away quickly. There was still a faint smile and mockery in his old eyes, as well as a killing intent.

A sense of emptiness like an abyss came from the palm of his hand. Imperial Advisor Ku He's pupils quickly constricted.

The oldest Great Grandmaster present, the uncle of Northern Qi's first Emperor, once an astonishing Ascetic Monk of the Wei Kingdom, had gone through countless events. He had visited temples to pray for guidance and discussed martial arts with the world. His temperament was steady and natural. No one was comparable to him. However, with the four Great Grandmasters meeting at Dong Mountain, he had to newly evaluate his gains and losses and take his victory and defeats back into his hands.

The Tyrannical zhenqi that emanated earlier from the eunuch, who had hidden for a number of years in Qing Kingdom, had mixed up the dry wind around them. At the same time, the realm he secretly demonstrated was, without question, that of a proper Grandmaster. Thus, Imperial Advisor did not hold back. This second touch already contained the deep and unfathomable ultimate Tianyi Dao zhenqi that flowed through his body.

In a battle between Great Grandmasters, an astonishing change could happen at any moment or anywhere. When Ku He's touch was imprinted onto Eunuch Hong's chest, he didn't show a glimmer of joy.

His first touch had already been forcefully bounced back by the Tyrannical zhenqi in Eunuch Hong's body. Although this technique of circulation was overly dominating and could not last for long, Ku He believed that Eunuch Hong must have had a way to deal with his second touch.

Eunuch Hong did not block this touch, and his chest split open. The Tyrannical aura on the old eunuch's body immediately disappeared without a trace to somewhere unknown.

Perhaps Ku He wouldn't even be surprised if Eunuch Hong's chest suddenly turned into a metal board or sprouted a second head.

It was this sight that Ku He found unbelievable. Where had the powerfully defensive Tyrannical zhenqi gone? The Great Grandmasters were still people and not gods. Even given his and Sigu Jian's miraculous cultivation, it was still impossible to completely dissipate in an aura that had already reached the peak of humankind.

Just like a sphere filled with energy, how could it completely discharge in an instant?

Any transfer of power needed time. The shorter the time, the more terrifying the vibration during this process.

Regardless of whether it was Ku He, Sigu Jian, or Ye Liuyun, if they completely discharged the vital energies in their bodies in such a short time like Eunuch Hong, in the next moment, they would be unable to avoid the consequence of dying through bodily dissipation.

How? How could Eunuch Hong achieve this? Why did do this?

Ku He's pupils constricted. A drop of rain stopped half an inch from his eyes and refracted the faint black light.

Unconsciously, he felt an unfamiliar sense of danger, the sense that death had arrived. In his long and slow journey through life, the last time Imperial Advisor Ku He sank into such a state of mind had been in the fifth year of the Qing calendar when he had reunited with that blind man. The danger he sensed presently was more so than before.

When these thoughts brushed through Ku He's mind like a sky full of raindrops, his right hand had already shattered Hong Siyang's breastbone. Like a hot knife through butter, he broke through that thin and old body, extending his hand through his back. The heart that had been shattered into five pieces shot out an arrow of blood in a terrifying way under the quiet curtain of rain.

Hong Siyang was already dead. No one could survive after their heart was shattered. His body bent forward. Unlike Sigu Jian's god-like and dominating look when he ascended the mountain, he was like a pitiful dwarf hanging off of Ku He's right hand.

Hong Siyang was not yet dead. Although his heart was shattered and breath was gone, the meridians in his body maintained the state they were in a moment before his death. All of his vital energy was struggling desperately to be released from the ends of his meridians into the surrounding nature. Although there was a deathly stillness like a black hole, he relied on some mysterious order with his body as a bridge for his meridians. Emptily it emanated, absorbed, and dimmed, including the arm in his body.

Imperial Advisor Ku He put all of his power into this touch. The copious zhenqi in his body seeped out of every pore in his body and from every inch of skin. Following Hong Ziyang, it moved against the tide and endlessly drained out with the price of his life as the secret technique.

Ku He's eyes lit up, it was not understanding but a response. The drop of rain that was less than an inch from his eye continued to hover. He understood now that he had fallen into a trap. Dong Mountain itself was a setup.

Hong Siyang was not a Great Grandmaster. The Tyrannical qi he had emitted earlier on the summit had been borrowed. His realm had also been borrowed. Because it wasn't his, that was why he was able to dissipate it without regard to his bodily spirit and at a level that mankind shouldn't have. That was why he had appeared particularly ruthless.

Hong Siyang had long known he would die.

Someone wanted to use his death to absorb some of his zhenqi. However, his final touch, which depended on the mountain and water, had already sent out his vital energy. Gaps had already appeared in the protection around his body.

That person wanted to use this gap.

That person was the one who had raised their cultivation to a remarkable realm and demonstrated it through Hong Siyang.

…

…

Sensing too late the change between the sword-obsessed idiot and Flowing Cloud, Imperial Advisor Ku He's eyes became a little brighter, like the autumn moon, and appeared without any foreshadowing in the pond of clear water.

His favorite female disciple, Haitang, had the cleanest and most beautiful pair of eyes in the world. If they were compared to Ku He's eyes right now, it would be like comparing the light of a firefly to the moon.

Ku He had the most sensitive response to the environment around him in the world. He was someone with the gentlest yet strongest personality. One could sense something of this during his journey between temples many years ago.

When he realized Eunuch Hong was a trap, his reaction happened. The situation changed quickly. If he didn't act, there was no one else.

Perhaps it was only one-hundredths of a moment that he was slightly faster than the person who set this up had expected, but it was the difference between life and death.

Ku He's eyes were as bright as the moon and as clean as an isolated star. He took a deep breath, which seemed about to suck in all the air on the mountaintop. The old man's chest suddenly expanded upward. It appeared to grow two inches.

Following this breath, ultimate Tianyi Dao zhenqi in his body began to flow near his right arm. Following the natural breathing between heaven and earth, gently it left the draw of the aura emanating from Hong Siyang's body. It began to use the quickest speed to return to its own meridians. Such a quick turnaround could only be demonstrated so naturally by Tianyi Dao's calm techniques.

There was no difference between time and stillness. It was too late to do any movement controlled by muscles. However, the zhenqi that flowed through the body like mercury or light could faintly break through the control of time and complete their task.

The zhenqi flowed back. Eunuch Hong's weak body dissolved into a blood fog, but it did not dissipate.

No one noticed that a finger had risen naturally on Ku He's left hand, which hung by his side, and drawn a half circle in the air. It was a hand gesture that had never before appeared in this land. Following this gesture, the sky full of converged rain drops paused once more. The light aura mixed in with the wind and rain atop Dong Mountain. It sunk into gaps between the walls of the ancient temples and poured into his body at a remarkable speed.

The aura summoned by this strange hand gesture was weak but at a critical juncture. A stick of firewood and a drop of water were al precious existences in a battle between Grandmasters.

What exactly was this hand gesture that could absorb zhenqi from the empty air and between the temple's eaves?

Magic practiced by the wizards far away across the ocean, yet it appeared in Imperial Advisor Ku He's hands.

Ku He had finally used the biggest trick up his sleeve. He used a trick that was usually of no help. At this moment, it could help him quickly recover his vital energy.

He had not even used this magical weapon when he fought with Wu Zhu. At this moment, he demonstrated it without hesitation.

In the split instant Eunuch Hong died and in the moment before the ball of blood fog had time to dissipate, a hand as white as jade reached out from the fog of blood.

This scene appeared unusually demonic. A jade-like pale and steady hand reached out from the bloody ball of fog. It was like a god hand had reached out from the afterlife and wanted to seek out life-forces in this world.

In the instant he sensed this hand, the light in Ku He's eyes grew brighter. His first reaction was normal. This hand should belong to Ye Liuyun. But, Ye Liuyun's hand could be so steady and mysterious.

Ku He was not afraid because the Tianyi Dao zhenqi in his body had already recovered. The faint vital energy from heaven and earth he had summoned through magical means had seeped into his meridians through the 36,000 pores. The zhenqi in his body had been filled to the top. He had already reached the extreme that humankind could tolerate.

If the other person wanted to use Eunuch Hong's death to create a gap in his power, Ku He's quick reaction and the magic hand gesture, which no one expected, should have perfectly filled in this gap.

Perhaps it was slightly overly perfect.

That pure white hand suddenly hid the light on its skin. It appeared even more terrifying as it remained absolutely unmoving in such a high-speed realm. With unbelievable steadiness and power, the hand passed with incredible speed through the fog of blood and dropped down.

In the process of passing through, the hand relaxed its four fingers, but its index finger perked up. The gentle but steadfast fingertip pricked through the drop of rain an inch in front of Ku He's eyes and gently landed between his brows. It seemed like it would leave a bright red mark between his brows.

That drop of water shattered on impact and formed into a hollow right of water, there were beautiful ripples around the edges that were slowly expanding.

No red mark appeared between Ku He's brows. On the contrary, it had become even brighter. The light in his eyes that Ku He was subduing was being sent to the space between his brows.

Ku He combined the ultimate Tianyi Dao zhenqi that he had exquisitely cultivated over dozens of years and the vital energy summoned through magic to converge between his brows, forcefully carrying the burden of this beautiful finger.

The slightly raised and steady index finger did not crash into the pure zhenqi that converged between his brows. It used a slow a gentle method to pour in. There was no ruthlessness, no killing method, and no natural aura. There were only the proper rules of humankind.

The way of the Emperor!

The tip of the finger lowered again and shot out with a whoosh, directly into Ku He's chest. Although it was only movement from a finger, it made one faintly feel as if there were dragon and tigers walking. The one finger seemed to carry the respect of tens of thousands of generations of Emperors.

Ku He had already drawn back his right hand and stuck out his thumb with a solemn expression. Remarkably, it went forward to meet the index finger and gave out a muffled splutter. The index finger came down again and pierced right into Ku He's abdomen.

Ku He lowered his eyes. His hemp clothing swayed slightly. Flattening his fingers into a palm, his right palm trickled down like a narrow stream following the topography of the mountain. It naturally drooped down and blocked the finger in front of his abdomen.

All this happened naturally and inevitably.

Ku He's body began to tremble violently. A spot of red appeared in the center of his palms like a heated brand, spluttering.

The steady hand only used three fingers. These three fingers were not to kill, destroy, or resist. Rather, it was to show respect, properly and without any intention of ambush. The manner of being an Emperor was contained within these three fingers. The way of the Emperor was demonstrated with nothing remaining.

Lightning once again rang out in the sky.

Ku He's body was like a kite with a broken string. Decrepitly and weakly, he drifted into the distance, toward the large tree beside the stone path on Dong Mountain. He sat cross-legged and sighed.

Ku He knew he had been wrong from the very beginning. His most fatal mistake had happened before the three fingers. After he sensed Hong Siyang's trap, his reaction had been too quick and the magic too abundant. He had raised his cultivation to an overly perfect realm.

At that moment, Imperial Advisor Ku He was like a large tree that had reached through the clouds, stretching to mankind's highest places. He was like a lake of autumn water, a majestic power.

That person had only used three fingers to pour about half of the zhenqi in his body into Ku He's body.

Having endured the way of the Emperor by pouring Tyrannical qi into him in such a short time, it was as if another giant tree had been placed on top of the large tree that reached through the clouds. It was like the heavens had suddenly toppled over half a lake's worth of water into the already full lake.

Water overflowed as the banks of the lake failed.

The tree branches also broke with a crack.

When compared to a mortal, a Great Grandmaster's state of mind and power were close to a god. Ku He was known as the person closest to being a god in this world. Great Grandmasters still had their own weaknesses.

Their weakness was their own fleshy bodies. There was always a limit to the meridians inside the body and how much a body could endure.

Ku He was forced through the limits by the zhenqi poured into him by the three fingers. The meridians inside his body and his physical body had been irreparably damaged.

Sitting cross-legged below the tree and feeling the skin on his body expanding, Imperial Advisor Ku He still had an important question in his heart. How could that person, the master of that, spit out so much zhenqi in such a short time. This was a speed that one's meridian could not endure.

However, everything should already be over.

…

…

When Hong Siyang dissolved into a fog of blood, the empty sword Sigu Jian held in his left hand had just stabbed forward and struck empty air. Ye Liuyun had no choice but to react to his attack, but he didn't move.

That ball of Flowing Cloud had already enveloped Sigu Jian's face.

Sigu Jian trembled with rage and gave a ruthless roar. Lowering his head, his right wrist twisted. The sword pressed toward Ye Liuyun's abdomen.

The illusory sword in his left hand struck empty air. He immediately lowered his head. A glimmer of weakness finally appeared in the ruthless and integrated sword power. He had no choice but to dodge because he knew that the situation had changed. He had to survive.

Sigu Jian survived, but the flesh and blood on half of his face had been shattered by Ye Liuyun's Sanzhou slap.

Ye Liuyun also survived. He coldly lowered his head and clenched his left hand, tightly holding onto that sword. He only allowed the sword to enter an inch into his abdomen.

Things had not ended.

Ye Liuyun's Sanshou attack had not ended. Confidently and easily, it chopped down and landed with a crash on Sigu Jian's shoulder. The five fingers were like a dragon's claw as they stretched out viciously from the clouds and sank their tips into flesh and bone.

It was as if Sigu Jian could not feel pain. He pulled back his left hand and, with a slapping sound, struck it on his own wrist.

The sword sank another inch into Ye Liuyun's abdomen. Then, the tip of the sword glowed with light and was shattered into pieces by the powerful force of the sword, blooming into a beautiful flower.

This was a terrifying sword. Although it had run into many unexpected problems along the way, in the end, it still successfully heavily injured Ye Liuyun through the ruthlessness it had from the beginning.

At this time, that ball of blood fog dissipated.

A bright yellow figure appeared from behind that fog of blood. It was like it contained the countless people's blood each Emperor had spilled to build their foundation that lasted through generations.

The bright yellow figure appeared in front of Ye Liuyun and Sigu Jian and punched out with a fist.

There weren't any frills or tricks. It was a simple and clear punch.

There was no one in the world who was able to strike out with such a simple and clear punch, properly and openly, making it so that it was impossible for people to dodge or want to dodge.

First, there was a tearing sound. The body received a powerful zhenqi attack. Sigu Jian's right arm, which was held in place by Ye Liuyun's dragon claws, was torn apart.

Immediately following this was a muffled sound like that of the ancient temple's copper bells. A complicated emotion flashed through Sigu Jian's eyes. Looking at the bright yellow figure in front, his entire body was sent flying out.

Wearing that expression, Sigu Jian flew out with his broken arm and crashed directly into the wooden door of Qing Temple on Dong Mountain. The powerful force broke countless structures within the temple. Like a large rock, he shattered everything that came into contact with his body. In the end, he crashed into the large bell inside a little ancestral hall deep within the ancient temple, making a buzzing sound.

Right across from the ancient temple, below the large tree by the stone path, Ku He watched this sight with a perplexed expression. Sitting cross-legged, it was as if he was drawn by the sound of the clock. Something in his body suddenly exploded. He abruptly expanded and then immediately shrunk. Blood seeped out of his eyes and ears.

The large tree behind Ku He's body fell with a boom and shattered into powder. All the stone within a 15-meter radius had been pressed and twisted into three-dimensional shapes by the zhenqi that exploded out of his body. Sinisterly or sorrowfully, they raised their pointy corners to welcome the rain that the heavens finally bestowed.

Most of the structures inside the old temple had turned into useless walls. The myths that had been painted with colorful pain had become powdered things of the past. The moss-covered pond was missing a large piece. The rainwater collected inside and flowed out, mixing into the mud. A few white cranes were scared by the sound and shrunk timidly behind the pond. A yellow cloth landed on the ground, covering Sigu Jian's body, which lay on the ground at the end of the miserable channel. One could only hear his very weak voice coming from under the yellow cloth as he mournfully cursed at something. His weak voice was soon completely covered by the sound of the bell above him.

The buzzing of the clock rang out through the entire summit of Dong Mountain.

Hurricanes by the seaside came quickly and also left quickly, just like the changes in the world and Emperors' joy and rage. Earlier, there was still a downpour and wild winds. Now, the wind had reduced and the rain had stopped. Suddenly, an opening appeared between the dark clouds in the sky, revealing the gentle porcelain blue behind the clouds.

A glimmer of sunlight shone through clearly and landed on the figure in bright yellow clothing standing beside the Dong Mountain precipice, lighting up his face clearly.

The Qing Emperor's face was pale white as he stood where he was. All four of his limbs were trembling. Half of the Tyrannical zhenqi in his body had been poured into Ku He's body. The last punch had squeezed out his last drop of energy. He was completely exhausted.

Under the faint sunlight, the most powerful monarch in the world had his dragon robe soaked by the rain. His hair was disheveled and lay weakly across his forehead. The calmness in his eyes contained countless inexplicable emotions.

He had never been so pathetic looking in his life. He had never been so powerful in his life.

Chapter 569: Entering The Sea Like A Waterfall, The Sun Rising Like A Mountain

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

By the sea, on Dong Mountain, the umpteenth hurricane of the seventh year of the Qing calendar came to an end quietly and without fanfare. In the near future, this hurricane would bring much needed and difficult to attain rainwater to the wide expanse of Qing Kingdom, which was already showing signs of a small drought. Furthermore, it had been very gentle and not caused any major disasters.

At this time, after the hurricane passed over the ancient temples and old eaves on the mountaintop, the walls were ruined. Shattered tiles lined the ground. Mud flew wildly. The sight was too tragic to bear. The rain scoured the mountain and then flowed down it, creating pure white waterfalls on the jade-like precipices.

There was occasionally a streak of blood red in the waterfalls, while the mountaintop gradually became cleaner. No whiff of the stench of blood remained. Was this scene created by the might of heaven or from the Grandmasters' astonishing battle?

In reality, it was the might of heaven. The dome above Dong Mountain was slowly revealing its true appearance. The thick, black clouds were blown by powerful winds and moved at a speed observable to the naked eye as they headed west inland. A patch of bright and clear sunlight descended onto the mountaintop and onto the bodies of the most powerful warriors standing by the precipice.

He was the most powerful person in the world, bar none.

No one called him by his name because he was the Emperor of Qing Kingdom, the most powerful country in the world. He was once a general who had led three expeditions to the North and forcefully shattered the Wei Kingdom, a general that completely changed the shape of territories. He was skilled in using monarchical schemes. He was the best at silently enduring, and he was the toughest conspirator.

These three identities were enough to title him as the most powerful in the world. Yet, at the very end of the Dong Mountain attack, it exposed his last identity.

The most mysterious of the four Great Grandmasters. The strange creature that was rumored to tirelessly guard the Qing Palace. The Great Grandmaster that had forced Sigu Jian to retreat through Tyrannical power when he had entered Jingdou alone and, thus, indirectly proved his existence.

It was the Emperor of Qing Kingdom.

This was the Emperor's final trump card. Fan Xian had once wondered on what basis was the Emperor's powerful self-confidence and naturally flowing presence built on? Many people had guessed at the Emperor's trump card. In the last moment, Fan Xian had guessed the Ye family. He would never have guessed that the words "Grandmaster" would be written on the back of this trump card.

…

…

Hong Siyang was only a cover. He was a flagpole the Royal Palace had extended from the back. Fluttering gently in the wind at night, it drew the gazes of all the wise men. Without question, the old eunuch was indeed a powerful warrior of this world. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to kill the Hu assassin with one strike in the Hanging Temple. However, it was difficult for a not-whole person to reach the peak of the heavenly way.

For the sake of killing Ku He and Sigu Jian in one go, the Qing Emperor and Eunuch Hong had worked hard and been careful about this huge setup. They had played their roles for a full 20 years.

At this time, Eunuch Hong had already gloriously completed his mission of 20 years and dissolved into a fog of blood, rinsed by the storm and cleansed by the breeze. He entered the East Sea through the white waterfall and the moist air of the woods, and soothed the earth. His life force, flesh, and blood had melded with the beautiful water and lands of Qing Kingdom, impossible to separate again.

Watching the middle-aged man in the bright-yellow dragon robe, the people who had, fortunately, survived all sank into an endless and boundless shock. Everyone's throat seemed to be squeezed by an invisible hand, unable to make a single sound.

Without question, the truth that was revealed today on the summit of Dong Mountain was the most astonishing and earth-shattering news since the sudden death of the mistress of the Ye family 20 years ago.

The buzzing of the clock in the rubble of the ancient temple gradually grew weaker and eventually fell silent.

Beside the large tree, which had shattered into countless wooden shards, the Northern Qi Imperial Advisor Ku He, in his torn hemp clothing, calmly watched the Qing Emperor standing beside the precipice with a clear light shining through his eyes. The ruthless Tyrannical zhenqi in his body finally calmed as the clock fell silent. He knew that his internal organs and 13 meridians had already been turned into a formless mass by this wave of zhenqi.

Not even a temple could save him.

Understanding the reality, he immediately accepted it. The dignity and state of mind of a Great Grandmaster made Imperial Advisor Ku He's expression calm. He looked at the Qing Emperor and gently sighed. His eyes had already seen through everything clearly. Everyone had failed. They were defeated by the opponent's 20 years of endurance and pretense.

This was a terrifying yet respectful opponent. To be able to endure silently for so long and not have a single person catch wind of it, Ku He felt that this was even more admirable than the shocking truth of the Qing Emperor being a Great Grandmaster.

Ku He involuntarily thought of the many conversations he had with the empress dowager and Emperor before he left Shangjing. At that time, that grandson of his had received some inauspicious signs. However, Ku He still came because he and Sigu Jian had made abundant preparations.

These two Great Grandmasters had not expected for the Emperor to attack.

"Clever calculations and intrigues bring nothing but one's own doom…" Ku He sighed gently. The smile that acknowledged his fate rose to his face. He involuntarily and quietly said the words that Fan Xian had recorded in a book. When it came to tenacity and silent endurance, no one of the tens of thousands of people in this world could compare to the Qing Emperor. Imperial Advisor Ku He felt no regret losing to such an opponent, even though he felt a sliver of worry for his homeland.

…

…

Just as the Emperor was going to attack, Wu Zhu grasped the metal drill tightly in his and immediately released it. He did this three times until he finally let go of the metal drill and placed his hands behind his back. The black cloth on his face fluttered in the wind and rain as they blew across his face. During the battle, everyone on the summit knelt on the ground and used the trembling of their bodies to express their fear and respect. Only he stood woodenly, watching it all with cold eyes.

Ku He sat by the tree. Sigu Jian sounded the bell. Wu Zhu turned his head slightly. The corner of his lips twitched slightly and involuntarily on his usually emotionless face.

The truth of the Emperor being a Great Grandmaster would bring great shock to the entire world. Wu Zhu still only tilted his head slightly and calmly watched the Emperor through the layer of black cloth as if he was looking at a strange object. He did not look at him like the sun in the sky.

In this instant, Wu Zhu seemed to remember something but then forgot it immediately. With great rareness, his brows furrowed. He remembered something Chen Pingping had once said. After the assassination at the Hanging temple, Chen Pingping had smiled and said that he was going to have Wu Zhu watch a show, but it hadn't happened in the end.

What show? A show where the Emperor turned into a Great Grandmaster? It looked like old cripple closets to the Emperor still managed to guess the secret that no one else in the world knew. But, why did he want Wu Zhu to watch this show?

Wu Zhu began to think. He had many things he wanted to ask the Emperor, but he didn't know where to start. With a multitude of loose ends, he couldn't pull out that one thread. Furthermore, Dong Mountain right now was not truly quiet. Although Ku He and Sigu Jian had received heavy injuries, they were not dead. Given the Emperor's personality, since he had shown his last trump card, he would not overlook anything.

Wu Zhu cut off his thoughts and quietly took a step forward.

His one step made everyone present feel a glimmer of fear and terror. Although no one knew who this black-clothed mysterious figure was, the attitude of the Great Grandmasters earlier already demonstrated that he was an ace at the level of a Grandmaster. Under the present situation, if he exploded into action, then all four Great Grandmasters, including the Emperor, would probably fall into the bloody puddles.

Wu Zhu did not attack. He only looked at the Emperor calmly.

The true movement came from deep inside the ancient temple. In extreme ruins, the piece of yellow cloth that covered Sigu Jian suddenly moved as if someone was trying to stand up under it.

With one arm broken and his body struck by a powerful punch, could Sigu Jian stand up again? Was a Great Grandmaster's body truly behind the bounds of a mortal person?

The Emperor's eyes narrowed as he looked in that direction. Everyone followed the Emperor's gaze. Ku He was not an exception. However, this Imperial Advisor only smiled tartly.

Someone tore the yellow cloth away with force. A blood-covered young man crawled out from underneath. As he coughed, he tore the yellow cloth into strips. His face was weighed down with an unswerving persistence. Although the cloth was full of blood, he didn't show a glimmer of panic. He coughed endlessly, but he didn't stop the movement of his hands.

All these eyes on Dong Mountain watched him, particularly the powerful figure who far surpassed the mortal realm. It was as if he couldn't feel it at all. He only continued his actions with his head down. He wasn't Sigu Jian. He was Sigu Jian's last disciple, Thirteenth Wang.

Once Thirteenth Wang had decided on something, he went and did it. He never cared about what others thought or how they would obstruct him. Although he was a disciple of the Sword Hut, he listened to Fan Xian's orders. He resisted the rebel soldiers at the mountain gate. Ye Liuyun had sent him flying out dozens of meters with one strike, yet he still bravely climbed to the summit.

He had been getting ready to finish his task when he saw his teacher get his right arm broken and struck to the ground.

Thus, he had stood up, torn apart the yellow cloth, and had placed his heavily injured teacher with a broken arm onto his back, securing him tightly with the strips of cloth. With a snap, his right hand chopped through a thin beam lying on the ground. He gripped it in his hand. Walking to the door of the ancient temple, he faced everyone on the summit.

Sigu Jian lay on his disciple's body. There was already a miserable hole in this chest that was bloody and dripping. It landed on Thirteenth Wang's body and then immediately fell to the ground.

There was a ruthless smile on his face, but the smile was very pleased. He was on the back of his favorite disciple.

The blood-covered Thirteenth Wang carried his blood-covered teacher on his back. The yellow strips of cloth were immediately dyed a bright red. He held the slender wooden beam in his hands. There was not a glimmer of fear on his face. He only stared ruthlessly through the yellow-robed middle-aged man.

His meaning was clear. He was going to carry Sigu Jian off the mountain, who was going to stop him?

…

…

In the mouths of later storytellers, the earth-shattering and future-affecting killing scenario on Dong Mountain was filled with many crafty changes ad killings. Those involved in this matter were all the most respected people in the world. The telling of the story was particularly exciting and stimulating. Each time, it would take more than three days and nights to finish it.

What was said during these three days and three nights was basically the events of a single second. Within this second, the Qing Emperor abruptly attacked. Ye Liuyun was heavily injured. Ku He and Sigu Jian were sentenced to death.

All of the storytellers forgot a relatively small player: Thirteenth Wang. It was because they didn't know the truth of the ending on Dong Mountain and, at that time, Thirteenth Wang was an unremarkable person when compared to the Great Grandmasters.

Although the Qing Emperor had burned through a great deal of his essence and vital energy, given his Great Grandmaster realm, it would be the work of a moment if he wanted to kill Thirteenth Wang.

Thirteenth Wang, this small fry, was still not fearful. He stared viciously into the Qing Emperor's eyes as he gripped the slender beam tightly in his hands. It was as if in the next moment, he was going to give the Emperor a beating with the wooden stick he had casually picked up.

Ye Liuyun, with a large wound in his abdomen, was sitting cross-legged not far from the Qing Emperor's side circulating his power to heal himself. Looking at this scene, he couldn't help a small smile of admiration from appearing at the corner of his lips. He sighed, "What an incredible young man."

Sitting cross-legged below the remains of the tree, Ku He's bitter smile also gradually became bright. Perhaps he was also thinking of his true final disciple, the one whose temperament was equal to nature, Haitang Duoduo. With a slight smile and an admiring sigh, he said, "Each generation there are talented people born. The change in natural law describes this."

The Qing Emperor watched this unfamiliar young man calmly. A moment later, he smiled slightly. Then, he gently moved one step to the side, making way for Thirteenth Wang carrying Sigu Jian on his back. With his dignity as an Emperor and position as a Grandmaster, he actually made way for Thirteenth Wang.

On his dying breath, Sigu Jian opened his eyes with difficulty and glanced at the Emperor. A few bloody bubbles seeped out of his mouth. His wild violence could still be heard in his weak voice, "What do you think of my disciple?"

"Teacher, don't speak anymore."

Thirteenth Wang spoke coaxingly to his teacher like he was a child. After the Qing Emperor unexpectedly made way for him, he didn't choose to immediately go down the mountain. Instead, in front of everyone's astonished gaze, he walked up to the Qing Emperor and lowered his body to pick up something. He picked it up so naturally it was as if the Qing Emperor, with his ten thousand fathoms of radiance today, didn't even exist.

What he picked up were Sigu Jian's broken right arm and the normal sword.

With Sigu Jian on his back, the broken arm and sword in one hand, and the slender beam in the place of his usual green banner in his other hand, Thirteenth Wang disappeared on Dong Mountain's stone path.

A moment later, there came the faint sound of Sigu Jian's wild singing and crying, as well as a maniacal and sorrowful laugh. It echoed in the mountain and didn't fade for a long time.

…

…

The Emperor could kill Thirteenth Wang, but he didn't. This was not because he cherished talent. He knew of the connection between this young man and An Zhi. Sigu Jian's cried and laughed because he knew this. In his last moments, the Grandmaster still wanted to see whether or not the Emperor would make a mistake.

The Emperor didn't make a mistake. There was no need for him to destroy Dongyi's future early and cause himself to be distanced from Qing Kingdom's future. Although Thirteenth Wang's persistence moved him slightly, he still did not think much about this young man.

He still had his old, wild confidence. After today, there would be no one who didn't respect this kind of confidence.

The Emperor knew that Sigu Jian was dead for sure. He knew what kind of damage the full powered punch from the way of the Emperor would do. Even if Sigu Jian could extend his life slightly, what did a bed-ridden, heavily injured Great Grandmaster with one arm count for?

Of course, this was still not enough to explain why he would make way given his personality. When it came to his enemies, he always took the best opportunity to get rid of them completely. Fan Xian was not the real reason for his action.

The true reason the Emperor didn't attack was because Wu Zhu had taken a step forward.

…

…

Sigu Jian was gone. Ku He was also gone. The Northern Qi's Imperial Advisor had floated away to his own homeland, painfully awaiting the torture of his last few days. Four Great Grandmasters in the world. After this, two were gone. Finally, an earth-shattering change had happened to the difference in power between the three sides. The greatest obstacle to Qing Kingdom uniting the world no longer existed.

It was not until Ku He had also left the summit of Dong Mountain did Wu Zhu slowly take back his step—his silent threat.

The only person who dared to threaten the Qing Emperor and the world was Wu Zhu.

The Qing Emperor looked at him calmly and said, "Lao Wu, I need an explanation from you."

In front of Wu Zhu, the Emperor referred to him as "Lao Wu" and did not refer to himself by his royal pronoun.

Wu Zhu slowly lowered his head and said, a moment later, "I don't like it."

This blind Grandmaster had been recovering on the summit of Dong Mountain for over a year. It seemed that he had remembered some things. He was talking more and more, and his expressions were becoming more and more varied. He was becoming like a normal person and beginning to have emotions that a normal person should have, such as likes and dislikes.

The expression of his emotions were rather extreme and did not match the indifferent present on his face. He disliked what he disliked. He cared nothing for the toils to unite the world. He cared nothing for the fact he had spent 20 years to create an astonishingly large setup. If he didn't like it, it shouldn't be done.

"The young master told me to protect your safety." Wu Zhu raised his head and looked at the Emperor through the black cloth. "You are safe right now."

It had been a few days since he referred to Fan Xian as young master.

The Qing Emperor's expression was calm. There was not a trace of anger. He knew that when Lao Wu and Ye Qingmei had been in Dongyi, they had a past friendship with Sigu Jian. As for Ku He, he also knew that the young lady of the Fan family was still under his tutelage.

However, those two Great Grandmasters were useless and about to die. The Emperor was not worried about anything. He looked calmly at Wu Zhu and said, "Lao Wu, come back to the capital with me."

Wu Zhu lowered his head and thought for a while. A moment later, he raised his head and said, "I have remembered some things, but I didn't remember that the person was you."

That person was the man who had once practiced the two scrolls of Unnamed Martial Secrets. When Fan Xian was small, Wu Zhu had once told him of this, but he didn't remember who had once practiced it. It was only today that he remembered it was the Emperor of Qing Kingdom.

The black cloth on Wu Zhu's face appeared particularly stiff. "Goodbye."

This was said to the cross-legged and healing Ye Liuyun. After saying this, he held the metal drill at his side and calmly walked toward the stone steps to begin his descent down the mountain. He didn't say a single extra word to the Emperor. He didn't make a sign of farewell to the ancient temple he had lived in for more than a year before once again disappearing on the stone steps.

…

…

Everyone had left. Only the Emperor stood at the summit. Ku He and Sigu Jian were certain to die. His plan of many years had been realized. His great ambition of uniting the world could begin. However, there was not much joy on the Emperor's face. He only stood there quietly, welcoming the sun in the sky and the slightly damp sea wind. He appeared somewhat isolated and lonely.

It was lonely to be at the top. Presently, it would be difficult to find someone in the world who could stand on equal footing with him. Regardless of who they were, they would feel some strange emotions at this moment.

This kind of emotion did not last for long.

Many people had survived on the mountaintop. Most of the officials who had come along for the worship had survived, as well as most of the Qing Temple priests. Although the Grandmasters battle was unspeakably profound, they had controlled it within a perfect boundary with unusual force, except for the final punch that shattered the temple.

It was only now that the people on the mountaintop shook off their shock. Even though their eyesight was not powerful enough to see what had happened in that instant, they at least knew one thing. The Emperor had won. Furthermore, the victory had been absolute. No matter the conspiracy, no one could stand against the Emperor's might. The Qing Kingdom's future would, without doubt, be like the red sun in the sky above the summit, never sinking.

Their faces were covered with tears and a wild joy. They knelt on the ground and saluted the Emperor.

Amidst the cheering, the Emperor stayed calm. His expression did not change at all. To Eunuch Yao standing right beside him, he said in a quiet voice, "Inform the foot of the mountain. Begin the attack."

"Inform the Director and begin moving."

"Yes."

"Send a secret edict toward Yanjing and have Mei Zhili temporarily handle the political affairs. The Western camp is pressing toward the Song boundary, so have the general secretly take the earlier edict to the Northern Expedition Camp in Cangzhou to take over the Northern Expedition Army."

"Yes."

"Tell Xue Qing to choose a few capable officials and go to Luozhou… Tell him, I will wait for him in He Yongzhi's manor."

"Yes."

The Emperor did not let the victory go to his head. He coolly gave order after order. The news for Chen Pingping had to get there the earliest. He had to control the Northern Expedition Army. As for Dongshan Road…

Eunuch Hao acknowledged everything with his head down while his heart felt chilled. It was impossible that Dongshan Road did not know of such a wicked thing as surrounding Dong Mountain. Governor He had probably long since joined the Eldest Princess's side.

It looked like the first Governor to die by violence since the inception of Qing Kingdom would be He Yongzhi. The Emperor would probably purge the entirety of Dongshan Road. No wonder the Emperor wanted Xue Qing to send capable officials all the way from Jiangnan.

After laying out all of this with great steadiness and reason, the Qing Emperor finally let out a slow breath and smiled self-mockingly as he shook his head. He approached Ye Liuyun and respectfully bowed, "You've worked hard, Uncle Liuyun."

Without waiting for Ye Liuyun to return the bow, he had already straightened his body. He gazed in a daze at the ground that had been washed clean. Hong Siyang had died there, yet there was not a single trace left behind. For a higher purpose, countless people would voluntarily or otherwise sacrifice their own lives.

Eunuch Hong was worthy of the Qing Emperor's bow.

The scene was a sorry sight. There were many things the internal court had to prepare. Eunuch Yao led the still soft-legged officials into a side room still standing and moved out some things. He then began to write and stamp. The Emperor's royal seal had already been taken by Sir Fan junior, but the Emperor still had his personal seal. Since they were secret edicts, the personal seal was even more effective.

After the initial wash down from the storm, Dong Mountain welcomed a clear day. A few white pigeons cooed and flew away from the mountaintop. They made a few circles in the cerulean sky and then flew away in all directions. The news they carried was not that of the receding floods or orders for peace. They were delivering the will of a powerful monarch.

The flat summit of Dong Mountain had been quiet until now. Abruptly, there came a giant boom. It didn't shake up any sand and rocks. It shook up some water and flowers. In the center of the summit, the ground sank down nine meters as if a god had struck there with a hammer.

The true effect of the Great Grandmasters battle only revealed its scary and terrifying nature now. The exchange of powers and vital energy formed through pressure had seeped into the heaven and earth and clashed head-on with nature, changing the shape of the earth.

The Emperor did not look at the massive crater. He only raised his head and looked at the white pigeons dancing in the sky as they flew further and further. His face was calm and incomparably confident.

Chapter 570: The Consequences Of Dong Mountain

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

The Emperor made a number of secret edicts and then furrowed his brows slightly. He said a something in a low voice to Eunuch Yao, who bowed his head low, terrified that he would reveal a glimmer of an inappropriate emotion.

In the Dong Mountain setup, the Qing Emperor had used himself as bait to kill two Great Grandmasters. He already had plans for everything that happened under heaven. For example, the 5,000 rebel soldiers at the foot of Dong Mountain and the rebellion that was about to happen in Jingdou.

Since the Eldest Princess had the power to construct such a large setup, she would not miss an opportunity to control the Qing Kingdom. This was an opportunity the Emperor had granted her. After the situation developed, if he wanted the Qing Kingdom to maintain a steady development, he would have no choice but to return to Jingdou from faraway Dong Mountain and use his ultimate authority to stabilize the situation there.

The Emperor had long laid down provincial troops along the road to Jiangbei. The move had not involved the Bureau of Military Affairs. It had been planned in complete secrecy with Xue Qing and the Governor of Jiangbei Road, so it did not alert the Qin family's power. With such an army, how could the 5,000 rebel soldiers at the foot of Dong Mountain be sufficient? All of the rebels perceived the Emperor as a fierce tiger in a trap. They had not thought that this fierce tiger had been standing beside the trap the entire time watching coldly as the hunters each lost their footing.

If the Qing Emperor wanted to rush back to Jingdou and forcefully suppress the internal conflict, it would not be difficult to do. In the Emperor's two conversations with Chen Pingping by the column outside the royal study, when they had first set up this plan, he had not thought that once he had resolved matters at Dong Mountain, he could use the army to sweep through Dongshan Road and withdraw his troops back to court to deal with court politics. Although the Dong Mountain incident was near the seashore, its influence would spread to the entire Qing Kingdom. For him, this was a rare opportunity.

Through long planning, the main goal of the Dong Mountain incident was to get rid of the two largest obstacles standing in the way of the Qing Kingdom uniting the world. Now that the outside aggression was gone, what about internal trouble?

This was the Emperor's opportunity. Using his death, he could lure out all the causes of unrest in court. Once those officials who usually appeared incomparably loyal knew of his death, would they still abide by his posthumous edict? Would they still have a shred of respect for him? Would those lowly people who hid in the darkness jump out at this time?

Just as the Emperor always emphasized to Fan Xian and his sons, when he evaluated people, he cared about their hearts. The situation in Jingdou was, without a doubt, the best opportunity to tests people's hearts.

The Emperor stood in front of the cross-legged and healing Ye Liuyun. His expression was calm. There were a few fine lines at the corner of his eyes. What he had told Eunuch Yao was simple. After sending the edict to Chen Pingping, seal the news. Keeping it away from even Fan Xian and Ye Zhong.

They were the people the Emperor trusted the most. He wanted to test them one last time. Once Fan Xian and Ye Zhong passed through this psychological test, they would have his absolute trust. The Emperor truly had not thought that the situation in Jingdou would grow to such a dangerous extent, the people in the Palace would be damaged so badly, or that his sister could be so brutal.

Ye Liuyun sighed and quietly said, "If we don't get back to Jingdou quickly, there will probably be great chaos."

If one desires great order, there must first be great chaos. A storm of rain and blood needed to be used to reveal the gold amongst the yellow sand. He had to create a unified and strong the Qing Kingdom in order to lay down a good foundation for the battle for unification in two or three years. The Qing Emperor did not think that such a price was too high. However, he did not overly underestimate his younger sister. Since it was so, the Qing Kingdom would probably sink into instability.

"I conquered this kingdom," the Emperor said coldly. "Even if Yunrui sits steady in Jingdou, I can still take it back."

After saying this, the Emperor didn't say anymore. He coughed. With Eunuch Yao's support, he made his way slowly to the bloodstained mountain gate below. At this time, the signal arrow had already been fired. The sounds of killing rang out again at the foot of the mountain. The officials and chamberlains who had come along for the worship all followed him down with faces full of terror. A number of people had prepared a stretcher and helped Ye Liuyun lie on it with great humbleness.

Although news traveled unusually slowly in this time period and Chen Pingping was far away in Jingdou, he had already arranged everything. Although the Overwatch Council was powerful enough to prevent any leaking of information out of Dongshan Road, the Emperor had accurately calculated that at the beginning of the rebellion his proud and crazy sister would send news of his death back to Jingdou and push the entire situation to a crazy point of no return. Once the bow had fired, there was no turning back. Since the Eldest Princess had started the Dong Mountain incident, regardless of the Emperor's life and death, she had to handle everything within Jingdou as if he were already dead. This was the craziness of staking everything on one throw.

However, Ku He and Sigu Jian were, after all, still alive. Plus, it was impossible to completely wipe out the 5,000 rebel troops at the foot of the mountain and Jiaozhou Navy on the ocean. In, at most, seven days, the truth of the situation on Dong Mountain would spread out.

Given the distance between the two places and Overwatch Council's ability to desperate seal the news along the way, in about 30 days, the people in Jingdou would know of this earth-shattering news.

At that time, the Eldest Princess would probably have already been on the move for a dozen days. No one knew if Jingdou would be able to hold out.

As the Emperor walked silently toward the foot of the mountain, he thought about all of this. Although he had confidence, he still didn't want Jingdou or Qing Kingdom to have too much instability. Comparing the two sides, he still wanted to take a risk to see the true heart that people buried the deepest.

He wanted to see people's abilities, particularly Fan Xian's. He wanted to see whether or not Fan Xian could understand a ruler's heart and keep hold of his homeland for him.

He had not expected that Fan Xian would fight a brilliant battle but be bound by the Eldest Princess's even more brilliant tactic. In the end, Fan Xian managed to guess the Emperor's intention. However, the method through which he controlled that homeland was one the Emperor would never have expected and did not want to see.

Despite the Emperor's calculations, he still forgot one thing: the empress dowager's attitude. This Emperor, who was famed for his filial piety and was said to rule the world through filial piety, forgot that his own mother was just like him. She forever put the ongoing existence of the kingdom and royally family above all else. Other than his life, it was more important than anyone's life.

Before he left the mountain, the Emperor, who had just won the greatest success in his life, still coldly gave one last edict: capture the head of the rebel army below. Although the black-clothed man at the foot of the mountain was not a Great Grandmaster, he was still an important person in the Emperor's heart.

…

…

With his head down in the wind and rain, Wang Qinian followed the dense woods as he escaped down the mountain. When Ku He's first strike had landed on Eunuch Hong's chest, the Overwatch Council officer quickly saw an opportunity to slip away from the summit when no one was paying attention. He was said to be the Overwatch Council's wings. Back in the day, he was a pirate who went from Dongyi to Northern Qi. He was actually quite skilled at doing such sneaky things.

The sharp edges of the leaves scratched across his body. Although it was unable to scratch through the Overwatch Council's specially made official robes, it still startled him. He didn't know what was happening on the summit. He only knew that such a situation was not something someone of his level should be prying into or be curious about.

In his opinion, the Emperor was dead for sure. No one could survive a combined attack from three Great Grandmasters. Thus, at the first opportunity, he had decided to run. His plan was simple. He wanted to, at the first instant, deliver this astonishing news to Jingdou. Although he didn't know if he would run into the also escaping Fan Xian, he had to at least inform Director Chen.

Jumping over a hollow, he carefully used the wind, rain, and trees as cover and had already reached the middle of the mountain. He suddenly heard a thunderous sound ring out from the summit. Then, the chimes of a clock reached him.

This was the moment when the Qing Emperor had punched out with the way of the Emperors, as well as when Sigu Jian's heavily injured body crashed into the clock in the ancient temple.

Wang Qinian paused and then continued to go down with his head lowered. He had not walked for long when he felt movement appear behind him. Without thinking, he hid his body in a pile of weeds and watched the stone path from a distance.

Two bloody people came down the stone path. Wang Qinian was familiar with the young man. It was Thirteenth Wang, who he had he interacted with for a long time in Jiangnan. Who was the person on his back?

Wang Qinian opened his eyes wide and listened to the weak but funny conversation between the two bloody people. Finally, he realized who Thirteenth Wang was carrying.

The bloody man with the broken army was Thirteenth Wang's teacher.

Wang Qinian was Fan Xian's closest confidant. He even knew about the chest. Naturally, he also knew Thirteenth Wang's true identity. Thirteenth Wang was Sigu Jian's final disciple.

Wang Qinian's eyes constricted in shock. He didn't even dare to breathe loudly. He could only quietly watch this remarkable and sorrowful student, and teacher follow the stone path step by step down the mountain. He came back to his senses a moment later, but he was still very dazed. He wondered what exactly had happened on the summit. Who in this world was able to hurt Sigu Jian like this?

Before Wang Qinian had woken from his shock, another shadow in hemp clothing, using a strange posture, floated down the mountain in midair. Wang Qinian looked at this sight and almost vomited blood. What had happened to Ku he? Magic? Why did his old bald donkey's face look like a zombie's?

Two Great Grandmasters passed in front of his eyes in a decrepit fashion. Perhaps they had already discovered Wang Qinian's vole-like hiding. However, how could the two almost dead Great Grandmasters have the energy to acknowledge him?

Wang Qinian had received a boundless shock. He could not understand. Only a little time had passed. How could the two Great Grandmasters, who had come to the summit of Dong Mountain like gods, become like this?

After a long time, he stood up on trembling legs and turned to look up at the summit of Dong Mountain within the clouds. He wondered if it was possible that the Emperor had won. He thought perhaps he should go back to the summit to see what had happened. The shock in his heart and some faint fear pushed him to continue walking down the mountain.

Past noon and into the night, sounds of killing started up in all directions at the bottom of the mountain, making it difficult to escape. Wang Qinian, hidden in the darkness like a bat, finally found an opportunity to break out of the battlefield. He also confirmed the truth—the Emperor was still alive and doing very well. The rebellion had failed, and it had been disastrous for the Great Grandmasters.

He made a decision to not follow the heaven worship group. Instead, he would head toward Jingdou as quickly as possible. He had to tell Fan Xian the truth of this matter and give him background information that he could consult so he would not have an unforgivable mistake.

Wang Qinian was an official of the Overwatch Council and a subject of the Qing Emperor. His most certain identity was as Fan Xian's confidant. He knew too much about Fan Xian's business and about how he thought. He was afraid that because of the Emperor's death, Fan Xian would make incorrect decisions.

It was just like the decision the General of the Jiaozhou Navy, Xu Maocai, had tried to persuade Fan Xian to make.

For some reason, after Wang Qinian guessed the Emperor's intentions, he felt fearful and worried for Fan Xian and everyone in Jingdou. Thus, as quickly as he could and going through countless twists and turns, he got back to Jingdou ahead of the Overwatch Council and before the Eldest Princess's spies. Holding onto this earth-shattering news, he came to Chen Garden.

He was the first person in the world to bring this information out.

In the end, he did not get this message out. The old Overwatch Council cripple tied him up and stuffed his mouth, not giving him any opportunity to get the message out.

In the days after the old cripple learned of the situation at Dong Mountain, he only developed one extra habit. Periodically, he would sigh to his old servant, "You have to know, it is a very difficult thing to have someone die."

…

…

As Wang Qinian had been preparing to escape, Gao Da had already been escaping. These confidants at Fan Xian's side had, without question, been infected by too much of his influence. They were different from most of the people in this world. In the depths of their heart, they had begun to unconsciously value their lives as more important than that of the Emperor's.

In a monarchical power society, this was a treasonous kind of thinking. Although Fan Xian had never said it explicitly, the way he did things behind the court's back and his imperceptible influence on the words and actions of those beside him all demonstrated this point.

One can be affected by one's environment. When Gao Da shakily escaped down the mountain, he definitely didn't think of this. Unlike Wang Qinian, he didn't see the heavily injured Sigu Jian and Ku He at the foot of the mountain.

He became scared and terrified because his identity was not the same as Wang Qinian's. The Overwatch Council officials were the Emperor's subjects, while the Tiger Guards were the Emperor's slaves or last layer of protection. Wang Qinian could run, but a Tiger Guard could not, particularly when the Emperor faced a life-threatening danger.

Escaping before a battle was, for a Tiger Guard, a kind of humiliation and a great crime. Perhaps Gao Da could lighten the feeling of shame in his heart, but he could not escape this crime.

The stone path was filled with the bodies of Tiger Guards and shattered pieces of their knives. All of his colleagues had died on Dong Mountain. When he faintly understood the conclusion of the assassination on the summit, Gao Da became angry, hurt and scared.

One hundred Tiger Guards had died. When had the Emperor cared about their lives? Gao Da's heart was cold. He knew that it was impossible for him to return to the Emperor's side. Once he showed himself, what would welcome him would be Qing laws and strict punishment by Palace rules. His death did not matter, but perhaps even his family would be implicated.

Thus, he chose an even more determined escape. He trusted Fan Xian, but he was unable to return to Fan Xian's side because he didn't want to bring any trouble to Sir Fan junior.

He only wanted to leave this unfathomable Royal Palace and this Emperor, whose prestige could not be offended, to go somewhere far away and peacefully live the second half of his life.

At the end of the Dong Mountain incident, two of Fan Xian's trusted aides chose their own paths. At the time, it did not draw the attention of many people. In fact, no one noticed. In something such as life, who could accurately predict the future? Every sip and bite was part of destiny. No one knew what bitter fruit this incident's seed would bring.

…

…

Gao Dan and Wang Qinian were on a path to escape. The thousands of rebel soldiers at the foot of Dong Mountain and the ninth-level assassins from Dongyi were also on the road to escape. The ships of the Jiaozhou Navy on the ocean didn't have time to sail into the deep ocean before they were blocked from their escape path by the boats summoned from Shazhou.

Although the battle power of the two combined Roads of provincial soldiers was far below that of Yan Xiaoyi's personal longbow group, the most important thing about two armies fighting was an imposing manner. Ku and Sigu Jian were god-like figures in the hearts of common soldiers. Even they had fallen to such a tragic end. What would these rebel soldiers, who had betrayed the Emperor, think in their hearts?

When the Emperor, dressed in bright yellow dragon robes, as well as Ye Liuyun, who had been Qing Kingdom's guardian angel for decades, walked out of the mountain gate and appeared in front of the rebel soldiers, a period had already been drawn on this rebellion. Without using military power, their morale had been defeated.

Thousands of rebel soldiers stood terrified and witless at the foot of Dong Mountain. The roads leading to the wilds had been encircled many times by the provincial soldiers who had been summoned. They knew they had reached the end of their path, but they could not summon the last shred of courage to carry out the last fight in their lives.

The Emperor's one sentence shattered their everything, "I pardon your death sentence."

Regardless of whether they believed it or not, it was still a beautiful poisonous fruit. The rebel soldiers gave up their weapons and surrendered. They did not know if they would be massacred and purged by the batch in the next few years.

…

…

When the provincial troops began to encircle the mountain before the Qing Emperor came down, Yu Zhilan and a group of about 10 Dongyi assassins attacking the mountain met up with Sigu Jian, who Thirteenth Wang had bravely carried down the mountain. Knowing the truth of what happened at the summit, they felt cold all over and left the main group of rebel soldiers. They began to kill their way toward the forests in the north. Such a group indeed had great killing power. They successfully broke through the barrier, entering into the secret paths in the mountains in front of Danzhou.

The Qing Emperor was a man, not a god. Even if he could calculate for everything, for the sake of the bigger picture, it was impossible for him to take care of everything. There were too many cracks within the Qing Kingdom. It was delusional to think one could scoop up all opposing power in one go. Thus, he was not surprised by Dongyi breaking through the barricade.

As for that black-clothed commander of the rebel army, the Emperor had given out an edict. Even though he knew the possibility of catching him was not very big, he still had to try because he was interested in that commander.

Imperial Advisor Ku He, whose face was an inauspicious dark yellow, sat on the back of the black-clothed man's horse, heading outward. For a Grandmaster to look so dim, a trace of sorrow flashed through the black-clothed man's eyes.

Because of the Emperor's edict, the most effort was put into pursuing this commander. Although the provincial troops were not strong and most of the Tiger Guards had died, the Qing Emperor's troops finally successfully barricaded the black-clothed commander in the street.

It seemed to be a dead end. The other side had at least 300 soldiers. They looked endless. The sound of pursuit started up behind him.

The Qing Emperor asked for him to be captured alive, but what if they killed him?

The black-clothed man had only brought two trusted aides. However, he had led an unfamiliar army and was able to divide and surround the imperial soldiers, not allowing a single person to escape. This could truly be said to be god-like. In the last battle, his influence had fallen like a mountain. Even though he had incredible ability, he was still unable to make Yan Xiaoyi's personal soldiers conquer the respect and fear in their hearts for the Emperor and Ye Liuyun. In the end, he had been defeated.

Looking at the hundreds of soldiers in front, the black-clothed man, who had always appeared calm and gently during the surrounding of the mountain, finally slowly stood up straight. Carefully, he tied Ku He tightly to his back. His two trusted aides beside him each took out two objects wrapped in cloth. After opening the outer layers of rough cloth, they revealed a metal stick about an arms-length long.

The black-clothed man calmly accepted it with both hands and connected them together with a click. Swinging it in one hand, killing intent surged. A long, black, metal spear appeared impressively in his hand. With his spear in hand, a powerful battle-lust abruptly exploded in his eyes, which seemed as calm as lake water. His entire body began to give off wisps of murderous spirit like a battle god.

He squeezed his horse's abdomen. Riding alone with Ku He on his back, he charged toward the 300 soldiers. His aura was like thunder. He could not be stopped. It was as if he had returned to that night in Shangjing as the rain poured down aggressively.

…

…

"His two trusted aides died, but he escaped with Ku He." A provincial soldier knelt before the Qing Emperor and reported in a trembling voice.

Ku He and Sigu Jian, what kind of people were they? Yet, they escaped tied to the back of others. The Qing Emperor listened calmly and couldn't help but feel something different in his heart. Seeing the general's fear, he involuntarily smiled and said, "If he was so easily captured by me, would he still be Shang Shanhu?"

Chapter 571: When Paper Enters A Lake, Fish Move. When A Sleeve Opens, People Die

Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

In one night, the people who came down from Dong Mountain had managed to deal with all of the matters. The first daylight rebellion in Qing history had come to a dismal end. At least, the matter of killing the monarch had come to a dismal end. It would never be able to create any more waves. Everyone, including the Emperor, was waiting cold-bloodedly and somewhat nervously for the change in Jingdou in a dozen days.

The Emperor was tired. Getting rid of Great Grandmasters Ku He and Sigu Jian was indeed the most beautiful page in his life. It also burned through too much of his strength and energy. After realizing such a long plan, the impact it had on his energy made him far less powerful than people currently saw.

In his entire life, right now was when he was the weakest and easiest to defeat. No one realized this or dared to use this. Other than encircling Dong Mountain and sealing off the news, the tens of thousands of provincial soldiers were desperately pursuing the powers that had infiltrated the country from Dongyi City and Northern Qi.

The tiger was taking a nap but forced itself to keep its eyes open a crack and glowed with a cold light. This scared the people who had come close to becoming sorry excuses for prey. Shan Shanghu, a lone rider, wanted to take Ku He up north, but he couldn't do anything. Although Yun Zhilan, who was temporarily in charge of affairs in Dongyi, was a brilliant sword master, he was not a master of military strategy. He would not think to launch a courageous surprise attack to obtain astonishing results. This had nothing to do with bravery.

The Overwatch Council was already in action. The previously prepared three groups of people from the Inspection Division were spread out on every road between Dongshan Road to Jingdou. Although Chen Pingping was in Jingdou, subordinates under him managed to execute the Overwatch Council's powerful and glorious tradition and demonstrate their terrifying ability to lock away information.

Regardless of whether it is Shang Shanhu or Dongyi, even if they were able to release the message during their journey to inform the Eldest Princess far away in Jingdou, it would not make it within a few days. In addition, they had to detour and take the long way while avoiding detection. For the truth of Dong Mountain to reach Jingdou, it would be slower than usual by about a dozen days.

The inconvenience of sending messages actually brought the Emperor and Chen Pingping great convenience.

Fan Xian was carrying out a last desperate fight to the death with Yan Xiaoyi in the depths of the mountains. He didn't know what had happened on Dong Mountain. After he had successfully killed Yan Xiaoyi, entered Song Kingdom, and headed south from Yanjing, the people escaping from Dong Mountain had only just broke out of the mountains and were heading into territory controlled by Dongyi.

Fan Xian's luck was not good. He had left the Song Kingdom a few days too early, so he did not hear of the news. Not long after he entered the territory of Qing Kingdom, the commander of the Yanjing camp received a secret edict to quietly take over the headless Northern Expedition Camp, and, at the same time, forcefully sever the boundaries between the three countries.

Regardless of whether the people returning were from Northern Qi or Dongyi, it seemed that they all unconsciously kept their mouths closed tight. By the time the little Northern Qi Emperor received the news, it was already late. Even if he sent a message to the Eldest Princess in the South, it wouldn't be in time to change anything. However, Dongyi's Sigu Jian, who was heavily injured and about to die, for some reason, did not try to inform Li Yunrui in Jingdou.

The reason was actually simple. Once the news that the Emperor had not died reached Jingdou, the internal conflict in Qing Kingdom would probably end before it even began. Thus, Qing Kingdom's national power would not be damaged. This was something Sigu Jian did not want to see.

Sigu Jian had to consider Dongyi's future after his death. In order to delay the Qing Emperor uniting the world, having the Eldest Princess finding out about the Emperor's survival a few days later perhaps better aligned with Dongyi's interests. If the Eldest Princess created a huge mess in Jingdou, Qing Kingdom's power would be negatively affected. Once the battle began, Qing Kingdom would not be able to recover its vital energy in less than two or three years and send troops outward.

Yanjing to Cangzhou was already strictly closed off. Not long after Fan Xian entered the capital, Jingdou sealed the city. Even if Sigu Jian wanted to inform Li Yunrui, it would not be simple. Most terrifyingly, the Qing Emperor seemed to have accounted for Sigu Jian's present thinking. The thoughts between the Great Grandmasters were indeed connected.

There was still the most important problem, which was Fan Xian's safety. As long as Fan Xian could successfully pass through Yan Xiaoyi and return to Jingdou, for the sake of the future of Dongyi, Sigu Jian could not allow Fan Xian to die so early.

In the last days of his life, the Great Grandmaster had to think about more things further and deeper. They had lost the most important battle to the Qing Emperor, but they had put their hope into the future and onto Fan Xian. A man who it did not seem like he could be Dongyi's hope.

These were all things that would happen in a dozen days. The Qing Emperor was not a precise calculator. He could only deduce a probability. Fortunately, the situation developed not too differently from his analysis.

After handling the matters at Dong Mountain, he didn't pause at the foot of the mountain. Instead, he traveled northwest through the night and headed straight for Luozhou, entering the city in the early hours of the morning. He entered the Governor's manor of the Dongshan Road Governor, He Zhiji [JW1] .

That day, Luozhou was strictly closed off. The Jiangbei Road provincial soldiers who had followed the Emperor north took over the heavy responsibility of defense from the local provincial soldiers by imperial edict. A dozen officials and eunuch aces of the internal court took control of the Governor's manor.

The people of Luozhou watched all of this with wide eyes and shock. They didn't know where all these unfamiliar soldiers had suddenly come from. Furthermore, the eyes of these soldiers were unkind. They looked like savage beasts and carried a faint stench of blood on their bodies. It was clear they had just come from the battlefield.

Soldiers patrolled the streets of Luozhou and watched everything with wariness on their faces. It brought a sense of severity to the largest city in Dongshan Road. With such pressure, the common people no longer gossiped on the streets. Other than necessary matters, most of the time they hid within their homes in fear.

Inside the manor of the Dongshan Road Governor, Governor He Zhiji knelt in front of the Emperor. He was not particularly fearful, but his face was ashen. After kowtowing twice, he didn't say another word. He knew he was going to die. He just didn't know if it would be death by a thousand cuts or pulled apart by horses. Ever since he joined in the Eldest Princess's plan, he knew what the consequence of failure would be.

He had not thought that the Emperor would so easily resolve the situation on Dong Mountain. Before anyone could react, he flew like a sharp arrow straight into the Governor's manor and abruptly descended in front of him.

The Emperor didn't look at him. There was no disappointment on his face. He knew the official kneeling at his feet would become the first Governor to be killed in his post since Qing Kingdom came into being 30 years ago. He was only coldly calculating the days, seeing if he could leave enough time for his younger sister.

Luozhou had become a dead city. No one could leave. Even if the Eldest Princess had put spies in Dongshan Road, it would be impossible for her to know what had happened in the Governor's manor. Some people outside the city noticed its strangeness and began to send messages back to Jingdou. Before any messenger had gone 10 li, they were killed by the Overwatch Council's secret agents disguised as commoners.

Chen Pingping had invested 40 percent of the Overwatch Council's manpower into these three directions. It was no wonder he was forced to draw the Jingdou Garrison into guerrilla warfare around Jingdou. For the Emperor's edict, the old Director had truly not spared any effort.

They waited for a few days silently in Luozhou as they estimated the time. When the news of the Emperor's death on Dong Mountain should have reached Jingdou and Fan Xian should have arrived with the posthumous edict, only then did the Emperor, waiting in Luozhou's Governor's manor, become slightly more at ease.

After a few more days, the court sent out urgent secret messages from Jingdou to the Governors of a number of Roads. The secret message to Dongshan Road's Luozhou manor, in particular, arrived at the quickest speed and began to ask about the truth of Dong Mountain, as well as begging for a confirmation.

The Emperor confirmed the news of his death through the formalities in the Governor's manor. He then waited for the court's funeral procession to arrive.

On the second day, the court's bulletin arrived speaking of the matter of the Crown Prince and Fan Xian assassinating the Emperor. Various Governor's all wrote in and began to set themselves up against the court. Other than the Governors of Jiangbei and Jiangnan, who had inside information, the other Governors were all speaking purely from the position as a border region major functionary and a loyal subject of the Emperor.

Although the Emperor did not receive the memorials of the other Governors, he roughly knew what they would say. At this time, he ordered people to bring out Dongshan Road's Governor, He Zhiji. He slowly opened his mouth and said, "I chose the seven of you to help me guard the kingdom. The six of them did not disappoint me. Only you…"

He Zhiji had been locked up for many days without food or water. He was already beyond exhausted. Hearing the Emperor's words, he didn't beg for mercy. He knew the day the Emperor left Luozhou would be the day of his death. He only kowtowed furiously, hoping the Emperor would show mercy to his wife and mother.

The Emperor looked at him coldly and didn't say anything.

The next day, the Emperor led the provincial guards, various officials, and eunuchs out of Luozhou. Before leaving, He Zhiji was granted death. His three children were beheaded. Everyone in the Governor's manor, as well as all the officials at various levels who were controlled up and down Dongshan Road, were all killed. A total of 34 people were killed.

The Emperor was someone easily moved to anger. He couldn't be bothered to use those harsh punishments to torture He Zhiji, who had betrayed the court. In his opinion, having someone lose their life was means used by a ruler to hold power. It had nothing to do with punishment.

The sixth day after receiving the bulletin of the Crown Prince's ascension and Fan Xian's crime, the Emperor who was slowly going from Luozhou to Jingdou, finally saw the group who had come to meet him. The original purpose of this group had been to welcome his body and soul.

After making contact with the court's funeral procession, the Emperor coldly gave an order for the group to move slightly faster. They continued to press closer to Jingdou.

A few more days passed. Jingdou was still in the distance. The Emperor wasn't sure what the present situation in Jingdou was like. He and Chen Pingping were like two lonely spirits floating endlessly across Qing Kingdom's wild fields. They hadn't put their energy toward the business of gathering intelligence reports.

However, these two lonely spirits cooperated too perfectly and appeared too powerful.

One day, the Emperor passed outside Xinyang. Looking at the unfamiliar city in the distance, he was silent. A moment later, he turned his head back to glance at the hearse being dragged behind them and the large coffin of unknown weight and layers within it. A slight self-mocking smile appeared in the corner of his lips.

"Tell Yunrui," the Emperor opened his mouth and said.

Eunuch Yao rode his horse alongside and quickly took out a paper and pen, listening intently.

"I am back."

The Emperor spoke coldly. He then squeezed his horse's abdomen and rode past Xinyan at the head of the group toward Jingdou in the distance.

…

…

The strings on the guqin had snapped. The flowers on the trees had withered. The Eldest Princess, in rainbow-colored clothes, was standing in a daze by the lake in Taiping Courtyard. She looked at the intelligence report she had just received in a daze. She completely ignored Fan Xian, who was sitting not far from her feet.

From when she began this plan, she had already gradually moved her power from Xinyan to Jingdou. This process took two years. Including the already dead Huang Yi and the barely alive Hong Yuandao, they all moved from the palace in Xinyan to Jingdou. After the stormy night earlier in the year, the Emperor and Chen Pingping only used an hour to sweep aside all of the Eldest Princess' influence.

The Eldest Princess was essentially hidden behind the scenes in this rebellion controlling the larger picture and convincing the strong to take action. She was skilled in this role and had no choice but to choose this role. She controlled the Crown Prince and Second Prince. It was as if she controlled the Ye family and Qin family. With a clever twist of her hands, she was particularly free.

Her personal intelligence network had suffered a fatal blow. It was impossible for it to recover within two or three years. When she received an urgent secret message from Xinyan, she couldn't help furrowing her brows and feeling slightly surprised.

This intelligence report was fake. As the mistress of Xinyan, Li Yunrui recognized this at once. However, this report was real. Or, perhaps it was better to say that Xinyan was completely under someone else's control. Only then could they use her own channels to send her an urgent secret message. Who was this person?

Li Yunrui was slightly surprised, curious, and excited. Ripping open the seal, her eyes swept lightly over it. Her gaze focused on the letter.

There were only three words on the paper, but she looked at them a very long time. The emotions contained within her eyes were complicated. These three words seemed to be reflected in her dark and bright eyes. Each word jumped out. Her pupils grew and shrunk. Her gaze brightened and dimmed.

There was a powerful shock in her pupils that soon became a faint disappointment. It turned into an unreasonable anger that quickly transformed into a faint self-mocking smile. In the end, it was like a rock falling into a lake, gradually becoming peaceful.

In a moment, all these emotional changes happened in the eyes of the most beautiful and ruthless woman in Qing Kingdom.

Fan Xian watched her quietly from the side, noticing the changes in her eyes. He didn't see the craziness that scared him and made his heart ease slightly. Immediately after, he guessed the contents of that letter with a thud.

Even the Ye family's betrayal and his control of Jingdou had not made Li Yunrui forget herself. There was only one person in the world that could make her become like this.

Li Yunrui lowered her head again and carefully savored the three words on the letter, "I am back."

The handwriting on the paper was strong and powerful. It was the Emperor's handwriting. Li Yunrui could immediately tell that this was written by Eunuch Yao for him. Although the Emperor was a diligent monarch, he had to lead a large country and handle a large number of memorials. Sometimes his energy was not enough. Often he would give the less important memorials to Eunuch Yao to annotate on his behalf. After a long time, Eunuch Yao managed to learn the Emperor's handwriting almost to perfection. It was sufficient to fool the officials in court and Imperial Censors.

Li Yunrui had put a lot of effort into knowing her brother. How could she not see the difference? But, she did not suspect that it was a lie or that someone had used Eunuch Yao's handwriting to pretend the Emperor was still alive.

She knew that other than the Emperor, no one would think to say three simple and powerful words.

The meaning of these three words was clear: I am back, I am still alive. Do you as see fit.

Without reason, two lines of tears slid out from Li Yunrui's eyes. This was an indescribable and unexplainable emotion that provoked her tears. They made this girl who loved to cry in front of the empress dowager cry here in the lonely Taiping Courtyard.

This was probably the last message the Qing Emperor would send to his younger sister. They were his last words to her. Li Yunrui thought sorrowfully to herself, Did he disdain to write even these last words personally?

The Emperor would not have thought that these three words would invoke so many emotions in Li Yunrui. He was only announcing his return as an Emperor, like a lion telling the wilderness of his ultimate authority in his territory.

Fan Xian also didn't understand why the Eldest Princess was crying. There was not a glimmer of craziness on the maniacal woman's face. There was only a dim sorrow. No matter what, he would not think that the Eldest Princess crying because she was angry and unhappy that the Emperor had not personally written these three words.

Without a doubt, the Emperor and Fan Xian were both clever people, but they still did not understand women. For men, women were, without question, a completely different kind of creature. They were strangers that came from a distant and unknown place.

Li Yunrui's fingers opened weakly. The message fell from between her fingers. Caught by the early autumn breeze, it landed in the small lake right in the middle of Taiping Courtyard. Soaked with water, the paper immediately sank beneath the water.

In that graceful instant, Fan Xian saw the three words clearly and felt a jolt in his heart. Although he had considered the possibility that the Emperor was still alive after the Ye family's defection, he still couldn't help but be shocked when he saw the proof with his own eyes since he didn't know what exactly had happened on Dong Mountain.

Since the Emperor was still alive, then the Eldest Princess had completely been defeated. Although she had said what she did earlier, Fan Xian knew that if she could destroy all the powerful men in the world in one go, that would satisfy her the most.

This news was good news that Fan Xian had been waiting for. If the Emperor had died, he was truly worried about whether the Ye family would continue on this path.

Fan Xian suppressed his excitement with difficulty and clenched his fist tightly. He stood up slowly and watched Li Yunrui's back. He was worried that this woman would give some crazy order provoked by this news.

Li Yunrui gently clapped her hands. Many aces surged out from around the little lake. Fan Xian swept his eyes over them but was not worried. In the eyes of normal people, these people recruited by Xinyan were very scary. He didn't think much of them at all. He was only worried about Wan'er and Da Bao.

Out of Fan Xian's expectations and also surprising these subordinates, Li Yunrui slowly opened her mouth and said calmly, "You can all go. There is no need for you here anymore." She paused for a moment then said, "Hide your names and bury your identities. Quietly and peacefully live out the rest of your lives and don't have such silly thoughts as revenge."

The subordinates burst into an uproar. Looking at the Eldest Princess with eyes of disbelief, they cried out in pain, "Your Highness!"

From the moment Fan Xian stepped in Taiping Courtyard, these people knew that something had gone majorly wrong with the Jingdou rebellion. However, they still had confidence in the Eldest Princess.

Li Yunrui only smiled indifferently and waved her hand, not saying anything more.

"Your Highness!" The subordinates up and down on the small mound and around the little lake all knelt to her, unwilling to just leave. A few people were even crying.

Fan Xian looked at this scene in shock. Although he knew Li Yunrui already had thoughts of suicide after everything failed, which was why she was sending everyone away, he had not expected the subordinates would be so loyal to her.

He had very little contact with Xinyan and didn't know how the Eldest Princess controlled her subordinates. With the Emperor's indulgence and Chen Pingping's help, he had won more than lost in his battles with the Eldest Princess these two years. Inevitably, he grew slightly contemptuous of her.

Seeing these crying subordinates, who refused to leave, and feeling the loyalty of these people to the Eldest Princess, only now did Fan Xian faintly understand some things. For example, why the Eldest Princess had so much influence in court, why she could convince Ku He and Sigu Jian to take action, why she could control the Crown Prince and Second Prince, why…

This was only a feeling. He still did not understand where the Eldest Princess's magic came from. He knew it was not an effect that could be achieved through stunning beauty. It was a shame that Fan Xian didn't know this in the past. Now, it seemed that there wouldn't be more opportunities to see the Eldest Princess's true abilities.

Surrounded by crying sounds, standing by the lakeside, the Eldest Princess furrowed her brows slightly and appeared slightly bored. Once again, she waved her hand.

A leading official saw this and knew that matters were settled. He wiped away the tears, knelt down to kowtow to her, and then firmly turned away and left. Once one person left, many people left. These people were not cowardly or afraid of death. Since Li Yunrui had given the order and Her Highness was clearly unhappy, what else could they do other than leave?

There were only the Eldest Princess and Fan Xian left in Taiping Courtyard. Although it was like so earlier, Fan Xian knew there were many people outside watching him. At this time, he knew those people had left. His heart felt lonely and quiet. Looking at the Eldest Princess's thin shoulders, he felt slightly perplexed.

Li Yunrui slowly turned around. Her hands were placed with great elegance in front of her abdomen. Her wide sleeves hung low and formed a beautiful and luxurious line.

Although there was still a slight smile on her face, her gaze was unusually clear and deep. She was no longer the sinister figure in front of her enemies. She was no longer the weakling that was often slapped and cried delicately in front of the empress dowager. She was no longer the tough, angry, and sad younger sister under the Emperor's iron-like hand.

She was just the Eldest Princess. She was just Li Yunrui, the one and only in heaven and earth.

Li Yunrui looked at her son-in-law with a slight smile and said, "Knowing that the Emperor is still alive, you don't seem to be as happy as I imagined."

Fan Xian lowered his head slightly and said, "Many people have died recently. I can't be happy."

"So that's the way it is. Looks like you are very similar to your mother…" Li Yunrui paused slightly then laughed. Using a strange emotion to stop the topic, she turned and lightly asked, "Have you thought about why the Qin family would rebel?"

Fan Xian furrowed his brows, not understanding the meaning of this question. He didn't understand why, at this time, she would suddenly bring up the Qin family, which had already been chased out of Jingdou by the Dingzhou army.

The Eldest Princess glanced at him with slight mockery. Shen then turned and sighed, looking at the square piece of paper that had sunk to the bottom of the lake. The lake in Taiping Courtyard was clear and shallow. The white paper gradually dispersed in the lake water looking very much like bloated buns. It drew countless red carp to it to fight for, churning up the water.

She watched this calmly and said, "Really, we are all fish. It is just that we are fighting for different things. This time, I didn't get anything from this fight. I had thought I would be angry and disappointed. I am angry and disappointed. Only at the very end did I realize that I am actually happy that he is alive."

Fan Xian was slightly surprised. He immediately thought pityingly that according to what the Eldest Princess said earlier, she had achieved her life's purpose. As for whether the Emperor died or not, what did it matter? Since the Emperor had come back, the Eldest Princess had probably reached the end of her path.

Then, he saw a sight that shocked him.

Li Yunrui's expression was tranquil and content. Slowly, she lowered her arms. The wide sleeves of the light-colored palace robes naturally hung down and opened, like the falling curtains of a show. It was like the actors were walking out from the curtains for one last time to express their gratitude toward the audience.

The last actor was not just herself, it included a black poisoned dagger. The dagger was now buried deep in her abdomen, so deep that only the hilt was showing.

Fan Xian's heart jumped. He flew out, pushing her to the ground. He stretched his hand toward her abdomen.

[JW1] Since the last chapter, the original text consistently used the wrong character for his name. Using "Hou" instead of "He." The glossary has it as "He," but this error persists, making it unclear which the author considers "correct." The glossary translation will be used.