Chapter 419: Demon Stone
The State of Qian.
Shangjing.
The Warm Pavilion.
The people of Qian loved extravagance and pursued refinement. As the ruler of Qian, the Emperor naturally stood at the summit of that taste.
Over the course of an entire year, he might personally step into a field once before the spring plowing, purely to set an example and remind the people of the importance of agriculture.
The rest of the time he barely touched the smoke and dust of ordinary life.
Years earlier, Yan soldiers had ravaged Shangjing during the war.
Yet today, songs still rang through the city and dancers still danced.
One could accuse the people of Qian of forgetting pain once the wound healed.
But it was also proof of something else.
The State of Qian possessed vast territory, abundant resources, and an enormous population.
The household was rich.
It could survive being wrecked.
Inside the Warm Pavilion, the Emperor wore a loose Daoist robe and held a handful of dried fruit.
Before him, artists were painting.
The scroll was extremely long and broad.
The man holding the principal brush was Xu Fangyan, the Painting Saint of contemporary Qian.
To his left stood Gu Zhutong, a renowned master from Jiangnan.
To his right stood Kong Mingzhou, an imperial court painter.
Even the men grinding ink and preparing pigments nearby were famous figures in the outside world.
“Your Majesty, by next spring, this *Winter Solstice Snow-Treading Painting* should be complete.
“This work will surely be remembered for a hundred generations.”
The speaker was Yao Zizhan.
Dressed in white, he sat beside the Emperor with a wine cup in hand.
At this moment, one could say the Warm Pavilion had gathered the true fortune of Qian’s calligraphy and painting traditions.
It would not even be excessive to claim that more than half the literary pulse of the entire East had assembled here.
The Emperor nodded.
He tossed a piece of dried fruit into his mouth and chewed slowly.
Other paintings depicted spring days.
Blazing summers.
Falling autumn leaves.
But if he was going to paint something he wanted the sight of Shangjing in the heart of bitter winter.
The prosperity of Shangjing could not be covered even by snow.
That was the bustle he wanted.
The atmosphere he wanted.
Every man expressed grandeur differently.
The Emperor of Yan liked standing atop city walls, waving one hand while armored cavalry and war banners moved below.
The Emperor of Qian preferred sitting in the center of a warm pavilion, lifting his eyes and seeing literary splendor everywhere.
It was difficult to say which was superior.
Each had formed his own world.
“Teacher Yao.”
“Your Majesty, this minister is here.”
“I like that boy Tianlang very much.
“But I worry that what is too hard breaks too easily.
“Young men get hot-blooded.
“Once their temper rises, they may stop caring about anything.
“The main banquet has not even begun yet.
“If he ruins his stomach eating the cold appetizers beforehand, that would be a terrible loss.”
“Your Majesty, when this minister returned from Jin last time, I drank with Zhong Wendao.
“Tianlang was there as well.
“That child may look young, but he is not actually reckless.
“As the saying goes, jade cannot become a vessel without carving.
“Tianlang once told this minister that the armies of Great Qian fear Yan like a tiger.
“The reason traces back to Emperor Taizong’s northern campaign a century ago.
“And during the Yan invasion two years ago, whenever Great Qian’s troops met Yan forces in the field, they almost always collapsed on contact.
“They dared only cling to fortified cities.
“Armor can be repaired.
“Cities can be built.
“Warhorses can be raised.
“Soldiers can be recruited.
“But the courage inside men’s hearts—that cannot be recovered without victory after victory.”
“That does sound reasonable.”
“Youthful sharpness is precisely what Great Qian requires now.”
“Sharpness.
“Sharpness...”
The Emperor lifted a cup of fruit wine and took a sip.
“He is a general on the frontier.
“Naturally, he thinks about breaking cities, seizing fortified positions, and taking enemy generals’ heads.
“But We are Emperor.
“What We see is that he has already made quite a name for himself and caused the Yan people to suffer several times.
“If he falls now, it will be like dumping a basin of cold water over the martial spirit our border armies have only just begun recovering.
“Governing a great state is like cooking a small fish.
“Pouring oil over a raging flame may look spectacular and satisfying.
“But only when the firewood burns out and the flames die do you truly see the wreckage left everywhere.
“What Great Qian needs is enduring national fortune.
“Not a northern expedition pursued at any cost, only for Qian itself to disappear after destroying Yan.
“That Emperor of Yan has become accustomed to gambling.
“If he does not gamble, he has no chance to overturn the board.
“But if you gave him another choice—do you think he would actually want to gamble?
“The affairs of the world are noisy, complicated, and endlessly strange.
“In truth, they depend on only one thing:
“what exactly is beneath your backside.
“A wooden stool?
“Red sandalwood?
“Or... a dragon throne.
“And even dragon thrones differ, do they not?
“How much silver.
“How much gold.
“How many eastern pearls set into it.
“None are quite the same.”
“Yes. Your Majesty speaks truly.”
“That is also why, while We have vigorously promoted military families these past two years, We have continued investing heavily in civil culture.
“Two years ago, when we could not defeat Yan, every mistake and every sin was piled onto the heads of the civil ministers.
“That was convenient.
“But it was also too simple.
“Look at the Emperor of Yan across the border.
“When the great clans refuse to obey, he sends cavalry to trample them.
“Certainly satisfying.
“But once the foundations of the state are shaken and military strongmen stand everywhere—if he did not have those two Marquises supporting him, then even if Yan rose to blazing prosperity for one generation, it would still be destined to collapse by the second.
“Teacher Yao, Our meaning is simple.
“Our purpose in commissioning this *Winter Solstice Snow-Treading Painting* is equally simple.
“We are telling all of you that Great Qian’s policy of honoring the scholar-officials will not change.
“We have given them face.
“They must take one step back for Us as well.
“They cannot push their noses higher and climb onto Our head.
“Otherwise—
“We may not want to learn from that Emperor across the border.
“But that does not mean We cannot.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.
“This minister understands.”
“There is another matter.
“We have decided to appoint a new Governor-General of the Three Frontiers.
“Teacher Yao, We must trouble you to make another journey for Us and for Great Qian.”
“Your Majesty, this minister understands only letters and ink.
“When it comes to military affairs, I know absolutely nothing.”
“Hahahahaha!”
“Why does Your Majesty laugh?”
“Teacher Yao, someone once said the same thing to Us.
“He stood before Our face and told Us directly:
“‘You do not understand warfare.’”
“Oh?
“Who had the courage to be so bold?”
“So bold as to what?” the Emperor asked.
“So bold as to tell the truth.”
“Hahahahaha!”
The Emperor laughed loudly.
Fortunately, the masters working on the *Winter Solstice Snow-Treading Painting* had long since become accustomed to their Emperor’s unruly temperament.
None were disturbed.
“That man is someone Teacher Yao should know.
“A Yan man.”
“Zheng Fan?”
“He has a noble title now.”
“Count Pingye.”
“That Emperor of Yan is still too stingy.
“If Zheng Fan entered Great Qian, We could grant him the rank of Duke of State without hesitation.”
“Your Majesty is generous.”
“Because We know he will never come.
“So We can enjoy saying it.”
“Your Majesty...”
“As for the Governor-General of the Three Frontiers, Teacher Yao need not feel burdened.
“First, this appointment is meant to quiet criticism across court and country.
“The policy of honoring civil officials while suppressing military power has continued for a century.
“Changing it cannot happen in one morning or evening.
“As We said—we must move slowly.
“Second, We know Teacher Yao’s temperament.
“You may safely sit in the Governor-General’s seat.
“If anything happens, discuss it more with Zhong Wendao.”
The meaning was only one step short of being spoken aloud.
*Precisely because you do not understand warfare—and because you yourself know perfectly well that you do not understand warfare—We are sending you.*
“This minister understands.
“This minister is willing to go.”
“We have troubled Teacher Yao.”
“Your Majesty is too courteous.
“Truthfully, this minister has always felt that the poetry and songs I wrote through most of my life possess sufficient grace and delicacy, yet lack iron and ringing force.
“It has long been one of my regrets.
“This minister must thank Your Majesty for giving me this opportunity.”
“Then We will remain in Shangjing and await Teacher Yao’s new work.
“It should surely contain the vastness of lone smoke rising beneath a setting sun.”
“This minister will not disappoint Your Majesty’s expectations.”
At that moment, a report came from outside the Warm Pavilion.
“Your Majesty, Mr. Xundao of Houhai has arrived with three officials from the Imperial Astronomical Bureau and requests an audience.”
Houhai was not actually a sea.
It was a mountain south of Shangjing.
The mountain was not especially high, yet remained warm through all four seasons and overflowed with flowers.
Master Zang had come from Houhai.
After Master Zang entered Yanjing and severed the dragon vein, only one half-bloomed white lotus had been brought back by Hundred-Li Sword.
From that day onward, the person presiding over Houhai had been Mr. Xundao—
Master Zang’s eldest direct disciple.
Qi Refiners flourished in Great Qian.
One only had to look at the Daoist robe the Emperor was wearing to see the influence of that culture.
“Oh?
“If Mr. Xundao has come personally, then something must have happened.
“Teacher Yao, come with Us.”
...
In a pavilion outside the Warm Pavilion, the Emperor approached after changing clothes.
Yao Zizhan followed beside him.
Mr. Xundao looked only a little over thirty years old.
By ordinary reasoning, someone his age could not possibly have been Master Zang’s eldest disciple.
Master Zang’s second disciple was already over seventy this year.
But when Master Zang found this man years ago, he believed the youth’s fortune and aura were extraordinary.
So he broke precedent and accepted him as a disciple on behalf of his own master.
That irregular act created a great deal of controversy.
Later, Master Zang’s existing disciples voluntarily shifted themselves down one place in seniority, allowing Mr. Xundao to jump ahead and become the eldest senior brother.
“Your Majesty.”
Mr. Xundao did not kneel.
He formed a hand seal and bowed.
The three Imperial Astronomical Bureau officials behind him knelt normally.
Before the Emperor could even ask why they had come, Mr. Xundao spoke directly.
“Several days ago, Houhai observed a star falling along the southern frontier of the state, near the Southern Sea.”
“A falling star?”
The Emperor’s head began aching the moment he heard the phrase.
He did not especially believe in ghosts and gods.
In truth, many ministers did not either.
But that never prevented ministers who disbelieved such things from using a celestial phenomenon to beat him over the head.
They could claim Heaven was enraged.
Accuse him of acting against the proper order.
That sort of thing.
And these past two years, his promotion of military officers had already made the civil officials deeply uncomfortable.
Mr. Xundao had no interest in those political twists.
He had not entered the palace to flatter the Emperor.
Houhai and the imperial house of Qian had always dealt with one another as relative equals.
Besides, the imperial clan of Qian had long maintained a custom of sending princes into Houhai.
The custom had been well intentioned in the beginning.
Later it gradually changed.
It became something close to Yan’s Lake Pavilion.
Princes who lost political struggles were sent into Houhai to become Qi Refiners.
“Your Majesty, this falling star is no ordinary matter.
“After calculation by the cultivators of Houhai, the starfall along Great Qian’s southern frontier was not isolated.
“It is linked through the qi of the Four Phenomena.”
“The qi of the Four Phenomena is linked?”
The Emperor sounded curious.
“Then that means there are three more?”
“Yes.
“One star fell along Yan’s western frontier.
“One fell along Jin’s eastern frontier.
“One fell within Chu’s Great Marsh.
“Houhai has not personally examined those three, but the linked Four Phenomena qi cannot be mistaken.
“They must exist.”
The Emperor frowned slightly.
“How should this omen be interpreted?”
Mr. Xundao drew in a deep breath.
Then spread both arms and declared loudly:
“Four linked falling stars summon an age of great contention!
“The ancient records say this celestial phenomenon has appeared twice before.
“The first time was during the ancient Great Xia Dynasty.
“When the omen appeared, the Son of Heaven of Great Xia declared:
“Wherever the stars fall, all that land shall be Our domain.”
“And so the Marquis of Yan, the Marquis of Jin, and the Marquis of Chu carried the Son of Heaven’s command and opened new lands for the various Xia peoples.
“The second time the phenomenon appeared, within half a year two consecutive Sons of Heaven of Great Xia died soon after taking the throne.
“Chaos erupted inside the Great Xia palace.
“The Xia Cauldron was lost.
“And Great Xia fell.
“The Marquises of Yan, Jin, and Chu established their own states and opened ancestral temples of their own!”
Among the four great states, Qian had been founded latest.
It did not belong to that same lineage of founding.
The Emperor asked in a low voice:
“Then in Mr. Xundao’s view, what does the reappearance of these Four Phenomena starfalls foretell this time?
“You spoke earlier of an age of great contention.
“We already knew that.
“We want something more specific.”
“Your Majesty.
“Heaven’s will cannot be measured.”
“Oh?
“Then did Mr. Xundao come today merely to tell Us that single sentence?”
Mr. Xundao knelt.
But he did not kneel toward the Emperor.
Instead he faced east.
“One is beginning.
“Two is birth.
“Three is ending.”
The Emperor closed his eyes.
A long while passed.
Then he said:
“We understand.”
Mr. Xundao rose.
“May Your Majesty enjoy health and fortune.”
With that he left.
The three Imperial Astronomical Bureau officials who had come with him remained standing nearby.
The Emperor waved a hand.
“You may withdraw as well.”
“This minister takes leave.”
Once everyone else had left the pavilion, the Emperor finally smiled at Yao Zizhan.
“What does Teacher Yao think?”
“That depends upon what Your Majesty thinks.”
“People everywhere say Teacher Yao is a man who prefers harmony and refuses to offend anyone.
“A merchant has a son, and you can write him a celebratory verse.
“A Martial Artist advances in cultivation, and you can compose a poem to flatter him.
“You possess none of the lofty threshold or posture of a Literary Saint.
“But We know Teacher Yao has never cared much for Houhai.”
“Your Majesty sees clearly.”
“We know why.
“We are actually the same.
“We like wearing Daoist robes only because they look good and feel comfortable.
“Teacher Yao has written countless poems about celestial maidens, immortal lovers, and transcendent figures.
“Yet never once have you written a line about Houhai.
“We imagine you think, as We do, that what those people practice is mostly trickery and self-promotion?”
“This minister does not dare.”
“What is there not to dare?
“Master Zang went to Yanjing and cut the dragon vein.
“What did that Emperor across the border do?
“‘Come, come. Hurry and cut down a true dragon so We can see!’
“Hahahaha!
“We know We should not laugh.
“But every time We imagine that scene, We cannot help ourselves.
“Son of Heaven.
“Son of Heaven.
“That is what emperors are called.
“An emperor is supreme among men.
“Why add the title *Son of Heaven*?
“Because Heaven has no fixed form.
“Because Heaven does not actually stand before you.
“So recognizing it as one’s father costs nothing.
“It cannot point fingers and give orders anyway.
“Those Qi Refiners—if they want to shut themselves away, cultivate the Dao, seek longevity, or refine pills, fine.
“That should be enough.
“Instead, they insist on claiming they act on Heaven’s behalf.
“Every few days it becomes some celestial phenomenon, some Heaven’s will, some divine mandate.
“Their heads are filled with dreams of climbing above the Son of Heaven and exercising authority from there.
“Master Zang cut the dragon vein.
“So what?
“Did Yan cavalry not still ride all the way to the walls of Shangjing?
“And the lands of the Three Jin—have they not all become Yan territory?
“These things work if you believe in them.
“If you do not—they are only so much noise.
“Mr. Xundao spoke of an age of great contention.
“Did We need him to teach Us that?
“As for his one, two, three...
“Hahahaha.
“When the struggle finishes, of course there will be a first, second, and third.
“The principle could not be simpler.
“Yet they wrap it in clouds and fog and act as though Heaven’s secrets cannot be spoken.
“Do they truly take Us for the late Emperor?”
Yao Zizhan drew in a deep breath.
Then knelt very solemnly.
“Your Majesty possesses such ambition and such courage.
“This minister congratulates Your Majesty.
“And congratulates Great Qian!”
“A pity We are so much younger than Teacher Yao.
“And We preserve Our health far better than you do.
“We will almost certainly outlive you.
“If We could die first instead, We might still hope Teacher Yao would write a few beautiful lines praising Us afterward.
“Oh, right.
“This time We do not intend to summon that old dog Yang Zhong back.
“First, the old dog has managed the Three Frontiers for many years.
“He is familiar with the situation there and can assist Teacher Yao.
“Second, keeping that old dog there gives all those men with writing brushes a proper target to curse.”
Yang Zhong was the former Governor-General of the Three Frontiers, Grand Commandant Yang.
He was a eunuch.
“Your Majesty can rest assured.
“This minister understands Grand Commandant Yang.”
“You.
“You understand everyone.
“Enough.
“Enough.
“We had such a fine mood today.
“Let’s not allow those mystical people to ruin it.
“We’ll return to the Warm Pavilion and admire the painting.”
...
Some people worried over celestial phenomena.
Some pondered them deeply.
Some appeared to dismiss them entirely.
And some were dissecting them.
“I’m busy,” Liang Cheng said.
Master would lead troops into Chu before long.
Liang Cheng had to select the soldiers who would accompany him.
They needed to be elite.
Yet choosing them could not disrupt Snow Sea Pass’s larger process of training and absorbing troops after Master departed.
“I’m busier than you are.
“I only have tonight.
“Tomorrow I’m taking my people ahead into Chu to scout the route.
“Hurry up.
“There’s only this last piece left.
“Try using your fingernails.
“Be careful.
“See if you can cut it open.”
“Does it really need to be this troublesome?”
“We don’t have any high-precision equipment.
“Your fingernails have to be better than my file.
“There’s only this last section left.
“Careful.
“I’m afraid there might be something good inside and I’ll accidentally destroy it.”
“You think this is stone gambling?” Liang Cheng asked.
“Isn’t that exactly what it is?
“Hurry up.
“Stop dawdling.
“If your fingernails get damaged, who cares?
“You’re not going this time anyway.
“You can stay in Snow Sea Pass and grow them back.”
Liang Cheng ultimately did not refuse.
He stepped forward.
All ten fingernails slowly extended.
Then, following Xue San’s instructions, he began cutting.
“Slower.
“Yes.
“Slower.
“A little farther left.
“Careful.
“Careful.”
“Yes, yes.
“A little deeper.”
“Slowly.
“Slowly.
“Good.
“Good.
“Cut a little more.”
Finally it came free.
From a rounded meteorite roughly the size of an adult man all that remained at the center was a red stone no larger than a palm.
Liang Cheng’s fingernails were unharmed.
Xue San picked up the stone and examined it carefully.
It possessed none of an amber’s translucence.
Nor did it feel particularly heavy.
“Fuck.
“I thought we’d at least cut out some legendary mithril or something.
“Something I could forge into a weapon.
“This thing isn’t even metal.”
“I told you long ago not to expect too much.”
Liang Cheng retracted his nails and prepared to leave.
“The Blind Man was hoping for Profound Ice Coldsteel before.”
“Tsk, tsk.
“Forget it.
“I’ll bring this to Master and report the result.”
Xue San took the stone upstairs and entered the rear residence.
Inside, Zheng Fan was playing with little Tian Tian.
The boy had always liked his godfather very much even though that godfather also liked smacking his bottom.
Xue San had only just entered carrying the red stone when a cloud of black mist suddenly attacked him.
“Fuck!
“Demon Child, are you sick?
“It’s me!”
Xue San moved with extraordinary agility and dodged the Demon Child’s attack.
But the stone he had been holding dropped from his hand.
The black mist immediately reversed direction.
In an instant it plunged into the red stone.
Then, the color of the mist began changing gradually.
The Demon Child’s figure appeared within the red stone.
Only now, the deep blackness inside his eye sockets had vanished.
A crimson glow shone instead.
The red stone continuously revolved around him.
Faintly it even began displaying an amberlike translucence.
As though a source of light had awakened inside.
Xue San instinctively rubbed his chin.
He muttered:
“Not bad.
“Not a complete loss.
“Just treat it as finding the Demon Child a new nest.”
The stone was not metal.
But it seemed to possess an extraordinary attraction for soul-bodies.
At that moment, the Demon Child’s aura suddenly began fluctuating violently.
Surprise appeared on Xue San’s face.
Was he about to advance?
Every Demon King had secretly experimented before, trying to discover whether they could advance without relying on Master.
The fluctuation in the Demon Child’s aura genuinely looked genuinely looked like advancement.
Zheng Fan sensed it as well.
Still holding little Tian Tian, he turned his head and looked over.
The Demon Child struggled.
Then suddenly all the rising force in his aura vanished without a trace.
Only his original state remained.
If anything he now felt tired.
Clearly, the Demon Child had attempted to seize this opportunity and advance along with it.
But once again he failed.
It was as though somewhere in the unseen workings of the world, a pair of hands had completely pinched the Demon Kings and Zheng Fan together.
Xue San sighed.
Disappointment appeared on his face.
Zheng Fan simply turned his head away.
He resumed teasing little Tian Tian as though he had not seen anything.
There were times in life when one needed to cultivate the wisdom of deliberate ignorance.
After resting for a while the Demon Child floated over with his new stone.
Then he resumed playing the game of “I kick myself” with little Tian Tian.
Zheng Fan walked out of the room with Xue San.
“That’s all you cut out?”
“Master, that really is all.”
“Oh.
“I thought we might get some heavenly treasure from it.
“But this is fine too.
“Perhaps it is some kind of material particularly suited to souls?”
“Master is wise.
“This subordinate suspects it may be the sort of magic crystal Western mages are always talking about.”
“It doesn’t look very crystalline.”
“But once soul power enters it, the thing becomes translucent.
“Just like it did earlier.”
“Mm.
“When we get the chance, we should go visit the West too.”
Xue San immediately said:
“Absolutely, Master.
“Once the wars are finished, we can start planning a trip to Jiangnan or the West.”
Zheng Fan smiled.
“They don’t conflict.”
“Mm?”
Xue San did not understand.
Zheng Fan said:
“We can travel while we fight.”
[End of Chapter 419]
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