After Fan Xian descended into this world, from when he was still an infant, he had begun to learn the Unnamed Martial Secret his mother had supposedly left to him. It was a thin book with a yellow cover. The Martial Secret was divided into two volumes. Wu Zhu had once told him that the first volume was about the Tyrannical Way, but what about the second volume?
It was only an irresponsible male nanny like Wu Zhu who would casually leave this dangerous Martial Secret next to a child’s side. It was only a strange creature like Fan Xian who would begin to learn it before he could even run.
Fan Xian napped and napped. Sixteen years of napping was 16 years of quiet cultivation. He was greedy for life and afraid of death, so his perseverance was shocking. Even after he entered the capital, his cultivation had never been neglected. With 20 years of hard work, he was could not be more familiar with the two scrolls of the Unnamed Martial Secret. From the age of three, he no longer had to read them. He had etched them deeply into his mind.
When he was 12, he unlocked the gateway to the Tyrannical Way when Wu Zhu smacked him on the head. Then, he went through years of life and death battles, the shattering of his Meridians in the alleys of Jingdou after the Hovering Temple, the mutual audits with Haitang during his trip in Jiangnan, and using Tianyi Dao’s natural Heart to heal his injuries. He then reached a new level. His control of the Tyrannical zhenqi had reached an almost perfect realm.
Presently, he was one of the youngest ninth-level aces. He knew that he was not a genius like Haitang and Thirteenth Wang. The Meridians in his body were not like those in other people. Furthermore, he had put in the time and energy that others would not have. Heaven rewarded the diligent Fan Xian, who had exceeded normal diligence.
However, he was still stuck on the second volume of the Unnamed Martial Secret because the zhenqi gate of enlightenment for the second volume and the locus of its movement appeared strange. Even for a strange and unusual creature like him with thick Meridians, he had no idea where to start.
Faced with a treasure mountain, he couldn’t find the path up it because the bright light from the mountain was calling to him. If he wanted to ascend the mountain, he had no choice but to dig it up. Who would be able to do it?
If Tyrannical zhenqi needed to be supported by large Meridians, then what the second volume needed was even more terrifying. Every time Fan Xian’s cultivation did not improve, he was incomparably disappointed. He would occasionally think that unless a person had no Meridians in their body—or the Meridians in their body were all connected and dispersed through their organs and limbs—only then could they cultivate the second scroll.
For many years, Fan Xian had been trapped in this problem, unable to find any possibility of breaking through. Uncle Wu Zhu had never practiced zhenqi. During his time in Jiangnan, he had occasionally spoken of it obscurely to Haitang, but she only shook her head. The entry into this zhenqi required someone to not have Meridians, which was clearly a joke.
A person without Meridians was, without question, a dead person. Thus, during this year, Fan Xian had gradually pulled away from the thought of cultivating the second scroll of the Unnamed Martial Secret. If Uncle Wu Zhu had not said many years ago that someone had once succeeded in cultivating this Martial Secret, Fan Xian would probably have thought that the second scroll was a horrifying joke the elders had used to harm people.
Now, Fan Xian had clearly and shockingly felt that kind of realm outside of the screen in Hanguang Palace. The realm he had never reached or even witnessed seeped out from behind the screen and entered his heart.
If the Tyrannical zhenqi was a mountain-splitting ax, then the atmosphere coming from the screen was like a godly hand holding a lightning blade. The atmosphere was purer and more exquisite. It was ordinary and peaceful, and strong and disciplined, suddenly appearing and seeping between heaven and earth. It made one immediately feel a sense of worship.
Fan Xian knew he wasn’t wrong. That atmosphere definitely came from the same source as his Tyrannical zhenqi, the realm was just a few levels higher. When a realm he had searched for a dozen years and had thought bitterly about but could not solve abruptly appeared in front of his eyes, his entire body became frozen and sank into an excitement that could not be closely scrutinized.
Among his excitement, he felt a trace of fear.
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…
The Emperor lifted the curtain and walked out. He glanced around at everyone and said in a quiet voice, “The empress dowager is tired. Wait outside the Palace.”
They all bowed and accepted the order. Only Fan Xian remained standing where he was in a daze, looking at the Emperor’s dragon robe with his head half-lowered and in a daze.
The corners of the Emperor’s lips twitched as he smiled. He knew this son of his had sensed something. With that gust of wind, if it were not for this child who had practiced the Tyrannical Way since he was very young, no one would have had such a deep experience and powerful shock.
At this time, Fan Xian’s dazed expression was mostly faked. He knew that in front of the Emperor, he could not hide the shock in his heart too cleanly. He decided he may as well release his defense. Naturally and smoothly, he revealed the thoughts in his head.
The Emperor was a Great Grandmaster. The Emperor had practiced the second scroll. Fan Xian knew the Emperor knew he would be able to know, so he had shown his shock and fear.
The Emperor looked at him and said slowly, a moment later, “Go to the Eastern Palace and wait for me. If you have anything to say, wait to say it.”
Fan Xian swallowed and gave a slightly tight smile. After he bowed, he backed out of Hanguang Palace. At this moment, the Palace recovered its silence. Other than the empress dowager lying on the bed, who could not speak and had reached the end of her life, there was only the Emperor sitting silently at her bedside.
The Emperor sat silently beside the empress dowager, holding her hand gently in his. His head was down as he thought about the scene earlier. That child should know and should have guessed. The Emperor had not been planning to continue hiding these things from Fan Xian. After all, after the Dong Mountain incident, there was no need to continue hiding this. Other than Fan Xian, no one else should have been able to sense the specialness of the Martial Secret that the Emperor cultivated.
Thinking of Fan Xian’s earlier shocked expression, the Emperor’s expression became soft. He thought to himself that it had not been easy for him these years and that he should receive some compensation. However, concerning this Martial Secret, he was afraid that even if he wanted to compensate him with it, Fan Xian would not be able to accept it.
Looking at the empress dowager again, the Emperor’s face was bleak. Just as Fan Xian guessed, even a Great Grandmaster could not sense the slightest change in the old woman’s body. The trump medicine that Fei Jie had solemnly handed over indeed had its own wondrous effects.
The Emperor sat by the bed thinking about something. After a long time, he suddenly opened his mouth and said in a gentle voice, “Mother, there are still many things I want to tell you and a great deal of glory I want to share with you…”
His hand gently held the empress dowager’s hand. His body was not very tall and straight. On the contrary, it was rather timid and cowering. Even the most heartless person in the world would probably feel some degree of unease and sorrow as they watched their mother gradually leave the mortal world.
The light silk fluttered in the autumn breeze in Hanguang Palace. The Emperor’s face became paler and paler. He held the empress dowager’s hand tighter and tighter. Large amounts of pure the Way of the Emperor’s zhenqi poured endlessly into the empress dowager’s body.
Perhaps the Great Grandmaster’s realm really could slow down death’s approaching steps. Or, perhaps before a person died they would have a dying flash of activity. The empress dowager’s eyes trembled. Her eyeball twitched a little as if she was going to open her eyes and wake up. In the end, she was unable to open her eyes.
The Emperor knew that this was the final moment his mother would be able to hear. His body felt a wave of cold. He knelt down properly by her bed and held his mother’s old hands in his. Moving his lips close to the empress dowager’s ear, he said, “Mother, I didn’t disappoint you. Ku He and Sigu Jian are both dead. This world will eventually belong to the Qing Kingdom.”
The Emperor was like a child, intimately and eagerly narrating what had happened by the empress dowager’s ear. He even spoke of his secret as a Great Grandmaster, just like a pleased child telling their mother that they had received their first 100 percent on their tests.
He knew his mother only had a very limited amount of time left, so he wanted her to go happily.
At the end of the final farewell, the always stoic Emperor’s expression suddenly became heavy. It was as if he was thinking about some important question. After thinking for a long time, he finally decided. By the empress dowager’s ear, he said, “Mother, 20 years ago I listened to you. Now, 20 years later, I have decided to listen to myself. An Zhi is a very good child.”
As her life gradually faded, who knew if the empress dowager, whose body was old and as weak as a piece of wood, had heard these words and understood the shocking news contained within them. However, the empress dowager’s body suddenly stiffened.
The Emperor furrowed his brows and turned his eyes to his mother’s face.
The empress dowager abruptly opened her eyes.
Her throat worked desperately to make a sound. Because of the loosening of her vocal chords, she could not make a single sound. The last strength of her life burst out. She still could not break through the limits of her body and effects of the medicine. In the end, it could only dissolve into endless resentment, remorse, and dissatisfaction.
…
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Fan Xian entered the Eastern Palace and began to make preparations for the Emperor’s arrival. He knew what happened next would be, without question, a common show in the thousands of years of history of mutual destruction between father and son. He couldn’t help but feel cold. It was not just because of Li Chengqian’s life these years, but more because of truth he had come to understand in Hanguang Palace earlier and the last words the Emperor had said.
“If you have anything to say, say it later.”
A cold smile rose to the corner of his lips. The Emperor was the person who had learned the Unnamed Martial Secret before him. It was he who was the mysterious Great Grandmaster in the Palace. It was no wonder he was able to come back alive from Dong Mountain or why he didn’t see Eunuch Hong in the group returning to the capital.
It looked like Hong Siyang had completed his mission in history. The Emperor, with the dignity of a monarch and the strength of a Great Grandmaster, had changed from the hunted to the hunter at the summit of Dong Mountain. Along with Ye Liuyun, it was not surprising Sigu Jian and Ku He ended up in such a state.
He sighed and felt somewhat gloomy. He once again confirmed the Emperor’s cold-bloodedness and heartlessness. Thinking of that year his Meridians had shattered and he had almost lost his life, and had lost, at the very least, his cultivation, the Emperor had sent Eunuch Hong to Fan manor to check on his injuries. Given his power as a Great Grandmaster, how could he not know what had happened, especially since he was someone who practiced the Unnamed Martial Secret?
If someone in the world could get rid of the side effects of the Tyrannical Way’s Martial Secret, it would only be the Emperor. But, he had never demonstrated anything. If it had not been for Haitang’s help, he would probably he bedridden and unable to rise for the rest of his life. Thinking of this, Fan Xian’s heart chilled a bit more.
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…
“You don’t seem to be in a good mood now that father has safely returned to the Palace.” The Crown Prince Li Chengqian looked at him with a gentle smile after sitting to the side for a while. He drank of a mouthful of cold leftover tea. His thoughts seemed appropriate to the occasion, like he was enjoying the last moments of the world.
Fan Xian forced a smile and felt that he had heard these words somewhere else before. It seemed that all of his enemies could guess that his mood was not very good.
“The Emperor will arrive in a moment.” Fan Xian looked at Li Chengqian’s eyes.
Li Chengqian did not cower back. Things having gotten to where they were, he no longer had any other thoughts. A few days of house arrest were enough for him to think through a number of things. In particular, the deaths of his aunt and mother made his mood as clear and pure as a cold pool.
“Everyone will die. Mother has died, and aunt has died.” Li Chengqian slowly put down the teacup in his hand and gazed at Fan Xian. “Father will also eventually die. It is just a matter of order.”
Fan Xian thought for a moment then quietly said, “The Second Prince has also died.”
Li Chengqian lowered his head. He had been under house arrest deep in the Palace and had no idea what had happened these days. Shortly after, he raised his head and said with a complicated expression, “I have fought with him for so many years, who would have thought we would even fight for who died first.”
“We’ll die first and go first,” Li Chengqian looked at Fan Xian and said. “Then, we’ll wait for you.”
Fan Xian smiled self-mockingly. He knew they each had their pride. Gently, he said, “Then you have to steal a good spot for me.”
Li Chengqian waved his hand casually and said, “When one is alive, one can be as rowdy as one wants. But, death is a lonely matter. Of course, one has to steal their own spot.”
Fan Xian thought of the line, “Live together, die alone.” When he had seen this phrase in his previous life, he had always found it difficult to use Chinese to express its hidden meaning. Recently, watching countless people die one after another and now listening to Li Chengqian’s words, only now did he understand that these words were formed from countless realities superimposed on one another.
Fan Xian’s heart suddenly tightened. He didn’t know the empress dowager had opened her eyes in Hanguang Palace, but he unconsciously looked in that direction with fear. If the empress dowager had truly woken, then he was in big trouble.
In the past, regardless of who he was against, he had never been truly afraid. However, now that he knew the Emperor was the other Great Grandmaster, a person who stood at the apex in both the martial realm and in mortal power, what difference was there to a god who had descended to the mortal world?
Immediately after, the bells began to ring in the Palace, echoing in all directions. Fan Xian lowered his head and silently counted the number. After confirming the news of the empress dowager’s death, his mood relaxed a little. Shortly after, it became hollow again. In front of him, Li Chengqian had received a completely different message. Learning that the empress dowager, who had loved him the most, had gone alone, his face became pale white. He said to Fan Xian in a trembling voice, “There is no need to see me off.”
Fan Xian raised his hands in a salute and said, “Go in peace.”
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…
Li Chengqian’s words were not completely accurate. Death was indeed the loneliest thing in this world. But, before one died, it was often the noisiest time in the world. As the old person laid on the bed waiting for the god of death, their relatives and descendants all gathered around the bed chittering without end and being irritating.
The Eastern Palace was also like this. Fan Xian waited outside. After a long time, he heard the dense pattering of footsteps. The Emperor, surrounded by many people, came to the Eastern Palace and entered alone.
Li Chengqian did not rise to welcome his father. He didn’t detest the noise before his death. He refused Fan Xian’s risky suggestion. He did not want to go to the edges of the world to hide his life. He also wasn’t like the Second Prince, taking poison to kill himself before the Emperor returned. He still had many things he wanted to say to his father. He was going to let out all of his resentment from the past 20 or so years. If he could not spill all of it out, then he would probably become a vengeful spirit after he died.
“How exactly will the history books describe this part?” Li Chengqian looked at his father, the most powerful ruler in history, without a trace of fear.
If one did not fear death, then one would no longer fear anything else. The Crown Prince, who had grown a great deal these two years, said straightforwardly, “I waited for you to come back because I wanted to know if it was true that you care about nothing.”
The Emperor of the Qing Kingdom, in informal clothing, watched his son calmly and said, “The history books are always written by the victors. Furthermore… Unless you think there are still things that I owe you?”
After the Crown Prince sat behind the clean table, he furrowed his brows for a long time. He then smiled and shook his head. “Of course not. Mother was not powerful, but you still made me Crown Prince and allowed me to sit in that position for many years. Of course, you owe me nothing.”
These were not sincere words. The thick sense of mockery within it expressed it without a doubt.
The Emperor coldly said, “Do not learn a woman’s timid and tart way of speaking.”
“Timid? That’s all on you. You’re too brilliant and eye-catching. No one dared to steal your brilliance.” The Crown Prince closed his eyes. “I have always wondered about this question. Since you have never thought about handing your power down to the next generation, why bother making me the Crown Prince?”
The Emperor’s expression was unusually calm. He stared at him and slowly said, “Chengqian, you have disappointed me greatly. All these years, I have constantly been honing you. What was it all for?”
Li Chengqian suddenly opened his eyes and said coldly, “I am not a knife. If you hone me too much, I will break.”