Chapter 157: Sever the Dragon Vein!

Zheng Fan had visited the imperial palace in Yanjing before. That time, following behind Eunuch Wei Zhonghe, he had walked for quite a while.

In truth, Yan's imperial palace was not especially large. The previous Emperor had once expanded it because he enjoyed luxury and extravagance, but after Ji Runhao took the throne, he radically changed how the palace was used.

Ji Runhao was not an Emperor devoted to pleasure. He did not care for grand halls, monumental buildings, or landscaped gardens. Even his daily imperial meals were rather plain.

As for women the Sixth Prince had once put it to Zheng Fan this way:

His imperial father probably should not have loved women at all, because whenever it came to his own wives, he had always been perfectly willing to strike without mercy.

He was a hard-hearted Emperor. The Sixth Prince had never seen a machine; otherwise, he might have described his father as a machine without sentiment.

Ji Runhao showed no strong personal likes or dislikes toward the women of his rear palace. When selecting an Empress or consorts, what mattered to him was the family standing behind the woman. To Ji Runhao, women were symbols serving political alliances and the continuation of the imperial bloodline.

Most monarchs accumulated a few romantic anecdotes, and common people delighted in repeating them.

Ji Runhao had none.

He could not even be bothered cultivating that sort of image.

Two of his own women had already seen their natal clans destroyed by his hand.

After meeting Zheng Fan, he had once sighed:

Even if We do not care about Our own son, could that boy truly not care in his heart?

Those words had not been empty.

Tian Wujing had annihilated his own household. The Third Prince had merely been the object Tian Wujing used to vent his rage. Ji Runhao had tacitly accepted that exchange, and even after Zheng Fan served as the "implementer," the Emperor still regarded this subject of his from the standpoint of appreciation.

Romance stories often indulged in sentimental complaints that "an Emperor is heartless."

With Ji Runhao, there was not even enough emotional clutter present to make the phrase melodramatic.

At this moment, snow fell outside a pavilion in the imperial garden.

It was the same pavilion beside which Zheng Fan and the Marquis of Zhenbei had once roasted a lamb leg.

Ji Runhao sat inside. Opposite him sat an elderly man in a padded robe. Between them rested a Go board.

The game had reached its end.

Yan was bitterly cold. Tiancheng Commandery was not even the northernmost part of the state, yet its winters remained hard to endure.

But this winter, far too many people had other ordeals occupying them. So many, in fact, that the cruelty of the weather seemed almost forgotten.

Another middle-aged man sat kneeling inside the pavilion. He had a long beard, closed eyes, and looked as though he had fallen asleep. Behind him knelt a young eunuch, apparently responsible for pouring tea and serving those present.

Wei Zhonghe, who normally stayed close to Ji Runhao like a shadow, was absent.

The white-haired elder playing Go with the Yan Emperor was Ning Fangsheng, Minister of Rites. Age spots had already appeared across his face.

"Heh. We lost."

Ji Runhao lifted his teacup and took a sip.

Minister Ning cupped his hands. "Your Majesty's skill at Go has improved greatly."

This was a ruthless Emperor. A merciless Emperor.

Yet at the same time, he was surprisingly easy to deal with.

When playing Go with him, you did not need to deliberately throw the game, nor did you need to fawn over him.

"You flatter Us, Elder Ning. We haven't touched a Go board for quite a few days."

As he spoke, the Yan Emperor looked toward the middle-aged man kneeling beside him.

The man's body had gone slack. His eyes were closed. His lips fluttered faintly with every breath. If one listened carefully, one could even hear him snoring.

Snow fell beyond the pavilion, but heavy fabric screens enclosed all four sides. Wool carpets covered the floor, and three braziers burned within. It was quite warm.

"Zhao Jiulang."

The middle-aged man jerked awake, opened his eyes, and muttered with some dissatisfaction, "Your Majesty, this subject only just managed to fall asleep."

This middle-aged man was none other than the Chief Minister of the Great Yan court.

"You've worked hard these past days."

The Yan Emperor did not care about his attitude.

"Hardship isn't the problem. What frightens me is wanting to work hard and finding no place to spend the effort. Your Majesty may laugh at me, but although this subject's body has nearly fallen apart from exhaustion these days, my heart has savored every moment."

"Spare Us the pretty words."

"Your Majesty knows this subject never says pretty words to you."

"Enough, enough." Ji Runhao waved a hand, then looked toward the Minister of Rites. "If We remember correctly, Elder Ning once passed Qian's provincial examination?"

Minister Ning stroked his beard and nodded.

"Your Majesty makes me ashamed. This subject was indeed somewhat unruly in his youth."

Qian used the imperial examination system. Passing as a juren was roughly equivalent to passing the provincial examination.

Yan scholars were allowed to sit Qian's examinations.

The origin of that arrangement went back a century.

After the first Marquis of Zhenbei smashed Qian's army, he rode through Qian's Three Northern Commanderies and forcibly relocated many of their inhabitants into Yan.

After the war, perhaps because Qian wanted to advertise its civilizing influence—or perhaps because it hoped to expand its influence through cultural penetration—the Qian court decreed that descendants of the former inhabitants of those three northern commanderies could return to Qian and sit the imperial examinations.

The custom continued.

Over time, eligibility expanded until Yan scholars, regardless of ancestral origin, could enter Qian and participate in the examinations.

It had to be said that aside from military affairs, the people of Qian were highly skilled at nearly everything else.

Correspondingly, generation after generation of Yan Emperors maintained an open attitude toward the arrangement.

One side truly dared admit foreign scholars to the examination halls.

The other truly dared allow its own scholars to go.

There had indeed been some loss of talent.

But some people always came back.

In his youth, Ning Fangsheng had taken the Qian examinations all the way to juren rank. He simply never continued to Upper Capital for the final examinations.

"Elder Ning speaks too seriously. In the past, the Great Yan had no imperial examination system. That was our Great Yan's failing. We wronged scholars like Elder Ning."

"Your Majesty speaks too seriously. Far too seriously."

Minister Ning immediately bowed low to the ground.

"Enough. Rise, Elder Ning. What We mean is that next year, We intend to open the imperial examinations. When the time comes, We ask Elder Ning to oversee the matter. As for this memorial requesting retirement, Elder Ning can take it back for now.

"You know Our temperament. We truly cannot be bothered with the theater of three requests and three refusals."

"This subject thanks Your Majesty's vast grace on behalf of all scholars of the Great Yan!"

Minister Ning accepted the resignation memorial he had previously submitted.

The Ning Clan could technically be considered one of the great clans, though not among the foremost. When the Zhenbei Army trampled the great clans, the Ning Clan proactively surrendered most of its land and wealth and was therefore spared.

Even so, Minister Ning had felt it improper to cling to office and had submitted a memorial asking to retire.

But now His Majesty intended to establish imperial examinations—the first imperial examinations in several centuries of Great Yan history.

Minister Ning had no reason not to remain in office.

The significance was simply too great.

Past Yan Emperors were not ignorant of the advantages of the imperial examination system.

The problem was that the great clans had been too powerful.

Imperial examinations meant competing with the clans for political resources. That meant digging at the clans' roots.

Naturally, the clans would never agree.

Now that problem had been solved.

Ji Runhao pointed at Zhao Jiulang and laughed.

"You came out of Huaiya Academy too. How come you never went to Qian and tried your luck in their examination halls?"

Zhao Jiulang smiled.

"Why waste the effort? This subject wanted to accomplish something. I had no desire to become some Minister made of paper."

Minister Ning's face instantly reddened.

Among the Six Ministries, the Ministry of Rites enjoyed the highest reputation for cultured prestige but possessed the least actual power.

Especially in Yan, where ritual and literary culture were not valued particularly highly.

A Yan scholar could go to Qian, pass the examinations, return, and still receive office.

But if he hoped to take charge of a yamen with real authority, that was almost impossible.

His background and loyalties would inevitably be considered ambiguous.

Zhao Jiulang's words were unquestionably a slap across Minister Ning's face. But Zhao Jiulang's influence and prestige at court were enormous, and his role in presiding over the purge of the great clans had only increased them.

Minister Ning did not dare voice dissatisfaction.

"You really don't know how to speak pleasantly, do you?"

"Your Majesty, there is too much work. This subject has no energy to waste circling around every sentence."

"We know you've worked hard."

Ji Runhao rose.

Once he stood, Zhao Jiulang and Minister Ning stood as well.

"Open them."

The eunuchs outside immediately pulled back the heavy fabric screens surrounding the pavilion.

Snow still fell beyond.

The sky, however, seemed much darker.

An imperial palanquin waited outside the pavilion.

The Yan Emperor walked over and sat upon it.

"Elder Ning, sit here a while longer. The Imperial Kitchens will send ginger broth shortly. Warm yourself before leaving the palace."

Minister Ning had already noticed Zhao Jiulang walking out with the Emperor and understood that he had no room to refuse.

He immediately bowed.

"His Majesty is benevolent."

Ji Runhao looked toward Zhao Jiulang again.

"The palanquin is too small. We won't pretend to invite you to sit with Us."

Zhao Jiulang smiled.

"This subject just stole a brief nap inside. A little walking will loosen the body."

Ji Runhao nodded.

"Qiming Hall."

"His Majesty proceeds to Qiming Hall!"

The procession began moving.

There were not many people in it.

Four strong eunuchs carried the palanquin, two in front and two behind. Another eunuch attended beside it.

Other than them, there was only Zhao Jiulang.

"Jiulang, there is something We have been curious about."

The Yan Emperor sat sideways on the palanquin and looked at Zhao Jiulang.

"Your Majesty, please ask."

"The war in the south has dragged on until now. You are Chief Minister, yet you haven't said a single word about it at court. You haven't even sent Us a private memorial. Why?"

"Your Majesty jokes. This subject knows where his abilities lie. I do not understand warfare. Naturally, I do not ask questions about things I do not understand."

"As Chief Minister, you should still understand a little."

"Your Majesty, in anything beneath Heaven, it is better either to master it completely or understand nothing at all. The most dangerous state is understanding half while not understanding half. That is when people ruin things most easily."

"Go back and read some military classics."

"This subject obeys. I will do my best to read enough that I can at least chat with Your Majesty about them."

"You..."

They arrived at Qiming Hall.

The hall stood in the northwestern corner of the imperial palace.

The previous Emperor had built quite a few new halls. After Ji Runhao inherited the throne, most were converted into offices for court ministries and agencies.

Qiming Hall alone remained untouched.

Because that man lived here.

Two young eunuchs were sweeping snow from the steps.

The moment they saw the Emperor's palanquin, they dropped their brooms and knelt.

The palanquin stopped.

Ji Runhao stepped down.

At that moment, a figure in a black robe appeared in the doorway of Qiming Hall.

All five eunuchs beside Ji Runhao immediately knelt.

"Greetings, Grand Elder."

Within the Yan imperial palace, only one man could be addressed as "Grand Elder."

He was the ancestor figure of every eunuch in the inner palace.

Even Wei Zhonghe did not receive such treatment.

If Wei Zhonghe himself came here, he too would kneel and kowtow respectfully.

Zhao Jiulang did not kneel. Instead, he bowed deeply.

The black-robed old man atop the steps possessed a mutilated body, yet he had rendered great service to the entire State of Yan.

Without him, there would be no present Yan Emperor.

And there would be no flourishing Great Yan of today.

Zhao Jiulang, Chief Minister of the realm, gave this bow willingly.

Ji Runhao climbed the steps.

After straightening, Zhao Jiulang followed two steps behind.

When Ji Runhao reached the top and stood before the black-robed elder, the old eunuch knelt and performed the full ceremony.

"Xue Yi pays respects to Your Majesty!"

Ji Runhao made no move to help him rise.

Instead, he smiled.

"Uncle Xue, Imperial Father once decreed that within the Great Yan, you need bow to no one."

Xue Yi raised his head.

"It is only proper."

There was another sentence Xue Yi did not say.

But the Yan Emperor understood.

This might be the last time he ever bowed.

"Uncle Xue, are the rice cakes ready?"

"Your Majesty sent word this morning. They have only just come out of the steamer. They're at exactly the point where they stick to the teeth."

The Yan Emperor rubbed his hands together.

"Then We truly cannot wait."

The furnishings inside Qiming Hall were extremely simple.

It was called a palace hall, but inside were a bed, tables, and even a kitchen.

On ordinary days, Xue Yi did not casually leave the grounds of Qiming Hall.

Steam still rose from the bamboo steamer on the stove.

The Yan Emperor found a cushion and sat down, signaling Zhao Jiulang to sit as well.

Soon, Xue Yi carried over two large strips of rice cake. He tore off a piece from each.

One went to the Emperor.

The other to Zhao Jiulang.

"Chief Minister, have a taste as well."

Zhao Jiulang hurriedly thanked him and accepted it.

Before this old man, even he did not dare put on airs.

The Yan Emperor tore off a piece and chewed it.

The cake was fragrant and sweet.

Nothing had actually been added to it.

Yet it tasted excellent.

Zhao Jiulang ate as well.

The longer he chewed, the richer the flavor became.

It truly was good.

"Uncle Xue's rice cakes are something We will never forget in this lifetime. Every so often We crave a few bites. They're best at breakfast. Steam them, pair them with congee, and the whole meal feels wonderfully comfortable."

Xue Yi said, "This subject has already taught the method to a clever boy below."

In the future, that boy would make them for His Majesty.

Zhao Jiulang looked at Xue Yi.

Then at the Emperor.

He sensed something.

But he asked nothing and simply focused on eating his rice cake.

"Drink some sugar water."

Xue Yi prepared two cups of brown-sugar tea.

The sugar was not particularly refined and contained plenty of impurities.

But one bite of rice cake followed by a mouthful of sweet tea truly tasted excellent.

The Yan Emperor ate more than half his rice cake by himself.

Licking his fingers, he said, "When We were children, the thing Liangting and We loved most was pestering Uncle Xue to make rice cakes for us."

A kindly smile appeared on Xue Yi's face.

"The Marquis of Zhenbei rarely got anything good to eat when he was young. That's why he kept pestering this subject to make cakes for him."

"Later, We must take two strips with Us and have someone send them over for him to taste."

It was winter, so rice cakes kept for a long time.

Even if they froze rock-hard, one only needed to steam them by the stove while cooking before they could be eaten again.

The people of Yan loved steaming rice cakes in winter.

They were also a fine gift around the New Year.

"There are plenty. This subject made extra this time. Enough, enough. Let the various Highnesses taste some too."

The various Highnesses naturally meant the Yan Emperor's sons.

The Yan Emperor shook his head and laughed.

"Those brats look down on food like this.

"Sigh.

"They've never lived through hard times."

"Your Majesty, isn't the whole reason the previous generation endures hardship so that the next generation can enjoy blessings?"

The Yan Emperor nodded.

"Uncle Xue is right. The previous generation suffers precisely so the next can enjoy blessings."

Rattle... rattle... rattle...

A sudden barrage of sound came from outside.

Zhao Jiulang looked toward the door.

"Your Majesty, hail is falling."

The Yan Emperor rose and walked to the doorway.

Above the imperial palace, the sky had turned almost black.

Fine hail fell in dense sheets.

Xue Yi came to stand beside the Emperor and bowed.

"Your Majesty."

The Yan Emperor's expression remained still as an ancient well.

"What is meant to come will always come."

"ROAR!"

A low roar rose from beneath Qiming Hall.

According to legend, within the Yan imperial palace lived a Grand Elder revered by all eunuchs.

Also according to legend, within the Yan imperial palace dwelled a Pi Beast possessing the purest bloodline in the world.

"Your Majesty, this subject has been nourished by the Yan Cauldron for decades. I am ready.

"I have always been afraid—afraid I would die of old age before I could live to see this day.

"The ancestors have blessed us.

"Your Majesty did not make this subject wait any longer."

Suddenly, more than a dozen senior eunuchs wearing red robes appeared in the small square before Qiming Hall.

Each was the head of an agency within the palace.

Whether inside the palace or beyond it, every one of them was a figure of status and authority.

Now, the dozen-plus red-robed eunuchs knelt together.

"This slave pays respects to Your Majesty!

"This slave greets Grand Elder!"

Squads of Imperial Guards began taking positions along the palace walls.

Ji Runhao waved a hand.

"Such a grand display. We're truly giving them far too much face."

Xue Yi replied, "Your Majesty, what harm is there in giving them this little face?"

Then Xue Yi stepped out of the hall.

Black qi began winding around his body.

The hail filling the air turned into mist the moment it came close to touching him.

The Yan Emperor stood with hands clasped behind his back.

"Xue Yi, receive the decree!"

...

"Achoo! Achoo! Achoo!"

The old man sneezed several times in a row.

Then he pinched his nose between two fingers.

"Hng..."

He flicked his hand.

Then wiped it on his sleeve.

The down-and-out swordsman laughed.

"Tell me, what expressions would those disciples and grand-disciples back home make if they learned their Old Ancestor ran all the way to Yan and nearly died of a cold?"

The old man glared at the swordsman.

"This old man cultivates the Great Dao. What would you know? This is called sacrificing the lesser self in pursuit of the Great Dao!"

"Yes, yes. Whatever you say is right. All right."

They were inside a thatched cottage outside Yanjing.

The old man sat cross-legged.

Then spread both hands.

At once, eighteen white lotuses rose within the dark cottage.

The room filled with the fragrance of lotus blossoms.

"Eighteen white lotuses. Seventeen are blooming. Why is the last one wilted?"

The old man answered, "The greatest danger in worldly affairs lies in going too far. Leave a margin in all things. That is the proper Dao."

"Stop talking nonsense. You obviously just couldn't nurture the last lotus properly."

"Shut up!"

"Why didn't you borrow some national fortune from the Zhao Emperor? At least enough to make that final lotus bloom?"

"Heh. Do you think I can be like the one inside that palace ahead, cultivating under the blessing of an entire state's fortune?"

"Tch. The Yan Emperor is generous. He'll even lend out something like that without hesitation.

"Our Emperor looks rather petty by comparison.

"I heard the man inside Yan's palace once saved the lives of the Yan Emperor's whole family. Why didn't you come find me earlier? I could've found a chance to assassinate our own Emperor, then you could jump out and save him. Maybe you'd have been able to freeload some national fortune afterward."

The old man cursed, "Bullshit. The Great Yan's national fortune is flourishing now, boiling like water. They can afford to portion some out.

"Do you not know what our Zhao Emperor is like?"

The down-and-out swordsman shook his head.

"I only know how to practice the sword. I don't understand all your twists and turns.

"Though I do find you old men amusing. Are all qi refiners like this? You cultivate until, in the end, every last one of you becomes too weak to truss a chicken?"

"The path of cultivation resonates with Heaven. Abandoning the mortal flesh is only natural.

"Besides, while remaining in the mortal world, every action can entangle one with karma. Therefore we cannot kill casually.

"Karmic ties are easy to form and difficult to dissolve."

"Mystical nonsense."

"Just wait and watch. We walk different roads. Your sword can kill men.

"My sword— can sever a state's national fortune!"

"Fine. I'm waiting."

With that, the down-and-out swordsman pushed open the cottage's broken door and walked outside, closing it behind him.

A eunuch in green robes stood in the courtyard.

Who else could it be but Wei Zhonghe?

The down-and-out swordsman did not seem surprised by his appearance in the slightest.

With his sword on his back, he said, "Troubled Eunuch Wei to come greet me personally."

"By His Majesty's order, this servant came specifically to welcome Mister Baili.

"Though I obey an imperial command, being able to see Mister Baili with my own eyes is also this servant's good fortune."

Baili Feng.

Known as the Hundred-Li Sword.

Years ago, idle busybodies in the jianghu had once compiled a ranking of swordsmen.

A thoroughly conventional list of the "Four Great Swordsmen."

And, just as conventionally, each of the Four Great States had one.

The State of Jin had the Sword Saint.

The State of Chu had a swordsmith.

The State of Qian had the Hundred-Li Sword, Baili Feng.

Those three were all jianghu figures, free and unrestrained, perfectly matching the popular imagination of wandering swordsmen.

The Sword Saint of Jin was obsessed with the sword. To improve himself, he traveled through the various states challenging experts everywhere.

No one had ever seen Chu's swordsmith truly fight.

But both the Sword Saint's sword and Baili Feng's sword had been gifts from him.

In his view, only a true swordsman deserved to carry a blade forged by his hands.

Perhaps because everyone enjoyed praising one another, the reason that Chu swordsmith—who had scarcely ever fought in public—could rank among the Four Great Swordsmen was a single statement from the Sword Saint of Jin:

The reason that man keeps forging swords is because he is trying to create one he believes deserves to be carried by himself.

The jianghu needed mutual praise.

And that single piece of praise from the Sword Saint had directly raised the swordsmith's status into the heavens.

Who knew whether it had merely been a polite compliment spoken after accepting one of the man's swords?

The final member of the Four Great Swordsmen—the one from Yan—was not a jianghu wanderer at all.

Zheng Fan had met him.

His name was Li Liangshen, one of the Zhenbei Army's Seven Commanders.

"Tch, tch. Eunuch Wei, no need to be overly courteous. I'm not good at conversation," Baili Feng replied.

Wei Zhonghe shook his head.

"I only ask that Mister Baili not find this servant too long-winded."

"No, no. But why did only Eunuch Wei come?"

Baili Feng stabbed his sheathed sword into the frozen earth and rested both hands on it as he looked around.

"Jianghu matters should be settled by the jianghu."

Wei Zhonghe lowered his hands beside his body.

A faint green radiance could be seen curling around them.

"This servant did not come here today in his capacity as Seal-Holding Eunuch of the Directorate of Ceremonial."

"Oh? The Yan Emperor certainly has nerve.

"I was thinking my sword might get to drink quite a bit of blood today."

"Mister Baili jokes. Your sword can kill this servant.

"But once you kill this servant, your sword will be more than half ruined.

"Of course, if Mister Baili is willing, this servant would gladly receive the sword intent you've stored for so long.

"Even if I die from it, it would be my honor."

"Eunuch Wei, I don't look down on eunuchs."

"Mm."

"But I still think using that sword intent on you would be a poor bargain."

"Then isn't that settled?

"If you do not use that sword intent, you cannot kill this servant.

"And this servant can continue standing here.

"Which means you cannot go anywhere either."

Baili Feng turned and looked back at the cottage.

"What about the one inside?

"You people really aren't going to do anything about him?"

Wei Zhonghe smiled.

"His Majesty said meddling too deeply in jianghu affairs would make Us look cheap."

"Tch, tch, tch. Your Yan Emperor truly wasted his calling by not practicing the sword."

Wei Zhonghe continued smiling without answering.

"That madman from Jin used one sentence to force a swordsmithing fanatic into the ranks of the Four Great Swordsmen.

"If your Yan Emperor practiced swordsmanship too, couldn't he casually appoint eight great swordsmen, or even eighteen?"

Wei Zhonghe continued smiling without answering.

Receiving no response, Baili Feng asked in an exaggeratedly baffled tone, "You truly aren't going to deal with that old bastard?"

Wei Zhonghe smiled and shook his head.

"No."

"Then I dragged myself all the way here, starving and freezing for a thousand li, and there's nothing for me to do?"

The old man had asked Baili Feng to come precisely to protect him.

Because the old man needed to approach Yanjing and remain here for a certain amount of time.

He needed someone to guard him.

Wei Zhonghe pointed behind himself.

"If Mister Baili wishes, warm wine and hot dishes have been prepared beneath the city wall."

"No, no, no, no..."

Baili Feng shook his head.

"That would be too outrageous. The old bastard inside is far too stingy.

"Let's just stand here.

"You don't move, I don't move."

Wei Zhonghe nodded.

"Very well."

"Mm. Still, this is far too boring.

"And you're a eunuch, so I can't even trade dirty stories with you.

"No fun at all."

Wei Zhonghe continued smiling without speaking.

"Li Liangshen isn't in Yanjing?"

Wei Zhonghe shook his head.

"Commander Li is not in Yanjing."

"Outrageous. Truly outrageous.

"You people clearly knew I was coming, yet you didn't call Li Liangshen over to keep me company.

"That's a serious lack of respect.

"I'm honestly afraid my sword-heart might start itching until I lose control."

Wei Zhonghe still wore that seemingly eternal smile.

"If Mister Baili's sword-heart starts itching, you're welcome to travel through the Great Yan's jianghu.

"Our territory may not be as vast as Qian's, but the Great Yan's jianghu is every bit as colorful."

"Heh. I don't have that much free time."

"Mister Baili could also visit Yinlang Commandery.

"Or Qian's Three Frontiers.

"The Great Yan's iron cavalry will be waiting there for you."

"Are you threatening me?"

Wei Zhonghe nodded.

"You finally noticed."

"Oh? Your Great Yan's iron cavalry is really that impressive?"

Wei Zhonghe nodded again.

"Yes.

"It truly is."

"............" Baili Feng.

Just then, a tremendous shout came from inside the thatched cottage, rolling outward like thunder across the heavens.

"This old man, Master Cang, pays respects to the Yan Emperor!"

...

"This old man, Master Cang, pays respects to the Yan Emperor!"

In the courtyard before Qiming Hall, the illusory figure of an old man appeared.

Eighteen lotus blossoms flickered indistinctly around him.

The moment he appeared, more than a dozen red-robed senior eunuchs surrounded him.

Xue Yi took three steps forward.

Facing the old man, he said, "Master Cang.

"I have long heard of you."

"Long heard of me?" Master Cang looked at Xue Yi standing atop the steps before him. A disdainful smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

"You?

"If you had not spent decades feeding on Yan's national fortune to cling to life, you would not even be qualified to stand before this old man!"

Xue Yi nodded.

"That is true."

The art of qi refinement flourished most greatly in Qian.

That was because both Qian's predecessor dynasty and Qian itself had produced many emperors obsessed with qi refiners.

What those above loved, those below inevitably pursued with even greater enthusiasm.

Xue Yi himself had never been among the most talented qi refiners.

The reason he had reached his present realm was that two generations of Yan Emperors had allowed him to draw on the Yan Cauldron and absorb the state's national fortune for cultivation.

Master Cang's gaze passed through Xue Yi and settled upon the Yan Emperor behind him.

"Your Majesty the Yan Emperor, this country bumpkin would like to discuss a transaction with you."

The Yan Emperor said nothing.

Master Cang smiled and continued.

"Your Majesty, look at the national fortune and Dragon Vein of your Great Yan.

"It truly inspires envy."

The instant those words left his mouth, three of the eighteen lotuses around Master Cang shattered.

The next moment above Qiming Hall, an enormous illusory black dragon appeared, like a mirage suspended in the sky.

The black dragon coiled through the air.

Its head faced Heaven.

It carried the domineering majesty of something looking down upon all beneath the sky.

Several months earlier, every qi refiner in the world qualified to divine national fortune had been shocked by the momentum of this black dragon after paying a heavy price to perform their calculations.

It meant Yan's national power had reached its peak, like oil boiling over a raging flame.

When Tian Wujing destroyed his own clan, his granduncle had spoken words of similar meaning.

Zhao Jiulang still held a rice cake.

He took one bite.

Looked up at the dragon.

Took another bite.

Looked up again.

He actually felt rather satisfied.

Because he knew part of that black dragon's strength came from his own work.

Xue Yi spread both hands.

Streams of black qi surged from his body and echoed the black dragon in the sky.

"Master Cang, with me standing here, let us see whether you can truly sever the Great Yan's Dragon Vein!"

The disdainful smile on Master Cang's face did not disappear.

"Fine. This old man truly does not believe you can stop me.

"But I did not come here simply to fight you.

"I came to make a bargain with the Yan Emperor standing behind you.

"Your Majesty, this old man can choose not to sever the Great Yan's Dragon Vein.

"But you must immediately withdraw your armies.

"Personally issue a formal imperial edict.

"For the remainder of your reign, you shall never march south against Qian!"

As he spoke, another lotus beside Master Cang shattered.

A wave of silver qi swept upward, pressing toward the black dragon above.

"Otherwise, today—the Great Yan's Dragon Vein will cease to exist!"

The greatest qi refiner of the age had projected spirit and form directly into the imperial city, using a state's Dragon Vein as leverage to force a mortal sovereign to yield!

Xue Yi raised his head and stared straight ahead.

"Then try it!"

A bleak resolve to die already filled the air.

Zhao Jiulang put the last bit of rice cake into his mouth.

Then, imitating the Emperor's earlier behavior, he very inelegantly stuck his fingers into his mouth and licked them clean.

So that was why meeting the Grand Elder of the palace eunuchs today had felt strange.

Everything earlier had basically been the man arranging his affairs before death.

Faced with the scene before him, the Great Yan's Chief Minister showed no particular fear.

When Tian Wujing annihilated his own clan, the Tian Clan granduncle had already warned him to beware of practitioners who might use arts beyond the mundane world to intervene.

Now, the old man's prediction had come true.

Faced with this threat the Yan Emperor's expression did not change in the slightest.

He merely said, "Xue Yi, receive the decree!"

The black-robed elder ahead trembled.

Confusion appeared on his face as he turned to look at his Emperor.

But he still walked back several steps and knelt.

"This subject is here!"

"Return to Qiming Hall.

"You are forbidden to act."

Xue Yi looked up in astonishment.

Even if he sacrificed his own life to protect the Dragon Vein, there was still some chance he would fail.

If he did nothing at all, then Master Cang would unquestionably be able to sever it!

"Receive the decree," the Yan Emperor said.

Struggle appeared across Xue Yi's face.

"Xue Yi.

"Receive the decree!"

At last, Xue Yi lowered his head.

He kowtowed.

"This subject, Xue Yi, receives the decree!"

Xue Yi rose.

He returned inside Qiming Hall and stood beside Zhao Jiulang.

The Yan Emperor raised his head toward the sky.

Then smiled.

"This is the first time We have ever seen a sight like this above the palace where We live."

Master Cang looked at the Yan Emperor in confusion.

The Yan Emperor finally turned his gaze upon Master Cang.

Since Master Cang's spirit-form appeared here, this was the first time the Yan Emperor had truly looked at him.

"Quickly now.

"Weren't you going to sever the Dragon Vein?

"Sever it for Us to see.

"We're waiting."

"............" Master Cang.

"............" Xue Yi.

"Heh." Zhao Jiulang laughed.

He walked out of Qiming Hall and stood behind the Yan Emperor.

Looking up at the sky, he said, "Your Majesty, forget you. This subject is waiting to see such a rare spectacle too."

Master Cang stared at the Yan ruler and minister before him, utterly baffled.

The Yan Emperor pointed toward him and urged, "There are still many memorials in Our imperial study that We haven't reviewed.

"Do not waste Our time.

"Hurry up and sever it."

Master Cang gave a cold laugh.

"Your Majesty the Yan Emperor, the backlash from severing a state's Dragon Vein is something even this old man cannot withstand.

"Do you truly believe I do not dare?"

The Yan Emperor stood with his hands clasped behind his back.

"Hurry up and sever it!"

"Good!

"Then today, this old man will sever the Great Yan's Dragon Vein and break the fortune of your Ji Clan!"

The next moment, every lotus beside the old man except the single wilted blossom shattered.

Master Cang pointed one finger toward Heaven.

A terrifying surge of qi shot upward from somewhere beyond the visible world.

Immediately afterward a ray of radiant light fell from the heavens.

It struck the illusory black dragon directly.

HUMMMMM!

The black dragon split apart.

Its ink-dark color scattered and dissolved.

Coming from the unseen returning to the unseen.

Flames began burning across Master Cang's spirit-form.

There was no pain on his face.

He merely stared coldly at the sovereign before him and spoke in a drifting, almost insubstantial voice.

"Yan Emperor.

"Your Great Yan's Dragon Vein has been severed!"

The Yan Emperor had watched the changes above from beginning to end.

Only when the black dragon vanished, the dark clouds dispersed, and light once again fell from the sky did he draw a deep breath.

Then he spoke.

"The Great Yan has stood for several centuries.

"The hardship of founding this state, the hardship of defending this state—these things are branded into the heart of every man of Yan.

"The Great Yan survived these centuries not because of some damned Dragon Vein.

"Nor because of the 'national fortune' you qi refiners like to babble about!

"The Great Yan—survived because for centuries, sons of Yan have taken saber in hand, mounted their horses, ridden to the northern frontier, and dyed the desert red with their blood!

"It survived because when Emperors of the Ji Clan died in battle, the next Emperor took the throne and continued leading armies in person!

"It survived because of warhorses.

"Because of sabers.

"Because generation after generation of Yan men possessed spines that could not be broken!

"We—are the Son of Heaven!

"We do not believe in fate.

"And if fate truly exists, then men can still change it with their own hands!"

Inside the Yan Emperor's mind surfaced the image of Li Liangting as a child, staring at the chicken leg in Ji Runhao's hands while drool nearly ran from his mouth.

He remembered Tian Wujing's furious roar:

"Let the destruction of the Great Yan's great clans begin with my Tian Clan!"

He remembered the reflected shadow of the Great Yan's territory map each night as he personally carried a lamp and studied it before sleep.

Our fate.

The Great Yan's national fortune.

You say you can change it, and it changes?

You say you can sever it, and it is severed?

Then what use has the Great Yan for hundreds of thousands of iron cavalry?

What use have We for the two Marquises of north and south?

What use has the Great Yan for Us?

Master Cang's spirit-form was already on the verge of complete annihilation.

The Yan Emperor's words echoed in his ears.

Suddenly he felt confused.

The attitude of this Emperor of Yan.

His words.

His expression.

For the first time in Master Cang's life, they caused a faint crack of doubt to appear in everything he had cultivated and believed for an entire lifetime.

The Yan Emperor descended the steps.

As he walked, he spoke.

"Qi refiners.

"How many of them exist beneath Heaven?

"The roadside qi refiners make a living reading fortunes, choosing auspicious dates for weddings and funerals, and tricking common people out of money!

"Perhaps you believe yourself different from them.

"But in Our eyes—they deceive foolish commoners.

"And you—deceive Emperors, generals, and Chancellors!

"The targets differ.

"But all of you are deceivers.

"Sometimes, you deceive so thoroughly that even you yourselves begin believing every word.

"We are very disappointed.

"And Qian—disappoints Us too!

"It seems Qian truly has no one left.

"They actually hope to accomplish great affairs by relying on a jianghu charlatan!

"We do not want you to die.

"We want you to continue living.

"We want you to watch with your own eyes as the Great Yan whose Dragon Vein you severed, whose fortune you broke—takes its iron cavalry—and tramples your Great Qian's splendid realm beneath its hooves!"

At that moment, Master Cang's spirit-form finally dissolved.

Before disappearing completely, he raised one hand as though trying to point at the Yan Emperor.

He did not manage to finish the gesture.

...

Inside the thatched cottage, the surrounding aura abruptly vanished.

Baili Feng turned his head in confusion.

"It's over?"

Wei Zhonghe loosened his sleeves.

As a qi refiner himself, he had naturally already sensed that the man inside—the greatest qi refiner of the age—had exhausted the last of his vitality.

Wei Zhonghe cupped his hands toward Baili Feng.

"Mister Baili, the Great Yan's imperial palace will welcome you whenever you wish to visit.

"And the Great Yan's iron cavalry—will likewise await your arrival at any time."

Baili Feng's gaze sharpened.

Sword force surged around him.

Wei Zhonghe gave a cold laugh.

Streams of force began flowing between his sleeves.

"I truly did not expect this.

"Everyone says the people of Yan are barbarous and arrogant.

"I never imagined even the eunuchs inside the Yan palace would be this overbearing!"

The corner of Wei Zhonghe's mouth curled upward.

"Mister Baili.

"In your eyes, all beneath Heaven is jianghu."

Baili Feng frowned slightly.

Wei Zhonghe continued.

"But before a war between states—the jianghu isn't worth shit."

Wei Zhonghe stepped back twice.

"Mister Baili should first take Master Cang's dying body home.

"Perhaps you can still bring him back to his sect for one final look.

"Of course, Mister Baili may choose not to enter the imperial palace.

"You may also choose not to raise your sword against the Great Yan's iron cavalry.

"But Mister Baili—if you dare slaughter innocents anywhere inside the Great Yan, then for every Yan person you kill, the Great Yan's iron cavalry will kill ten people of Qian!

"If you kill a hundred Yan people—the Great Yan's iron cavalry will kill a thousand Qian people!

"You—may kill as many as you please!"

After speaking, Wei Zhonghe turned around.

He swept his sleeves behind him and left.

...

Inside Qiming Hall, the Yan Emperor sat once again on his imperial palanquin.

His posture looked somewhat languid.

It was almost as though everything that had just occurred had been no more significant than playing an extra game of Go between batches of memorials.

Xue Yi remained inside Qiming Hall.

Once again, he knelt.

The people of the world knew only that the previous Emperor had loved extravagance and pleasure.

But Xue Yi had once drunk tea with that late Emperor and heard him speak honestly.

The previous Emperor had said that the greatest achievement of his life was fighting his way onto the throne then passing that throne to this son.

The previous Emperor had said he knew perfectly well that he lacked great ability and possessed no grand strategic talent.

So he might as well enjoy himself more.

Indulge himself more.

Behave somewhat absurdly.

For one thing, when he had been a Prince, he had spent every day living in fear. After finally becoming Emperor, if he did not enjoy a few good days, he would feel as though his entire life had been wasted.

For another, if he acted somewhat absurdly, then when his son inherited the throne, that son could immediately restore order and establish his reputation.

The previous Emperor had also said that he had not actually lived enough.

But he feared that sitting on the throne for too many years would waste too much of this son's time.

That was why, even though he knew perfectly well that the elixirs refined by those alchemists were poisonous, he continued taking them.

The previous Emperor had said that using such a method to die earlier was still better than trying to arrange some other kind of death.

If he died in some unclear way, and the histories recorded the matter ambiguously, his son might end up carrying an ugly reputation because of it.

Old tears streamed down Xue Yi's face.

The Yan Emperor, seated on the palanquin, spoke.

"Uncle Xue, you must continue living.

"We do not care about Dragon Veins or anything of the sort.

"But Jin and Chu may care.

"If either state attempts some movement in the future, We may still need to trouble Uncle Xue to imitate the man from earlier.

"Visit their imperial palaces.

"Give them a fright."

Zhao Jiulang came out of Qiming Hall.

The Chief Minister carried two strips of rice cake and walked over to the imperial palanquin with a smile.

The Yan Emperor pointed at the rice cakes.

"Liangting likes these.

"Send someone eight hundred li at full urgency and deliver them to him."

"This subject obeys."

"Also, while you're at it, take a message to Liangting and Wujing."

"Your Majesty, please instruct me."

The Yan Emperor leaned back against the seat of the palanquin.

One hand lightly patted its frame.

"Begin."

(End of Chapter)