Chapter 243 – Burying Oneself in the Mountain, Awaiting the Harvest, Truth About the Emperor - Part 3

Shards of rock rained down as Li Yuan lightly descended the mountain. He tossed his blade and robe into a shallow pit, built a cairn over them as a grave marker, then looked back at the carved words on the cliff. The characters were charged with power, every stroke brimming with fierce, dominating energy. If any traveler in the future gleaned insight from them, so be it.

A warm sun shone through drifting clouds. Li Yuan let out a hearty laugh and turned away. This was the end of his

heroic wanderer

life.

He had ruled out the possibility of completing the Thousand-Mile Hero by himself. He also discarded the possibility of completing Southern Mountain’s Ghostly Rain; it was too steeped in too much darkness and cruelty.

That left only the Young Master Riding the Deer—a painting that embodied a carefree, unencumbered spirit. It seemed closest to his own temperament, though, on second thought, he wasn’t quite as detached from the world as it required.

He shook his head, helplessly amused. So his immediate plan was to refine his forging craft and find a way to

mature

the seed. If he could spread his original cultivation technique far and wide, its growth would hasten, paving the way for his own next breakthrough.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

After returning to the Holy Tree Temple’s inner district, Li Yuan spent his days quietly smithing weapons. Outside, horrific battles raged on, yet all he needed to do was focus on his work.

One day, deciding to venture out in the open again, he found himself barred from leaving by the guards. They explained—almost kneeling in apology—that it was by the higher-ups’ order.

Li Yuan was furious, but he didn’t make trouble for the guards. He turned back, well aware that if he truly wanted to leave, no one could stop him or even notice.

Before long, Gu Xuejian arrived in a hurry. As a deputy temple master who got along with Li Yuan, she was evidently sent to convey a softer approach from the Holy Tree Temple.

“Li Yuan, you’re now one of our top weaponsmiths,” she told him. “You can’t just stay within the first gate anymore. We’ve prepared a residence for you in the core area behind the third gate—you’ll be able to see Ping’an more often there. He misses you.”

Initially, she’d kept Li Yuan away from Ping’an, worried he might interfere with the boy’s training. But the situation had changed.

Even so, Li Yuan flatly refused. Of course he missed his son, but he wouldn’t risk dragging his jade husk daughter into danger. Ping’an would be safe inside the third gate, but his daughter, Sheng’er, was another matter. If something happened to her, there would be no going back.

In the worst case, Ping’an might fuss or cry about not seeing his father, but losing Sheng’er would be devastating. Li Yuan wasn’t about to take that chance.

“I’m used to living outside,” he said. “I don’t want to move into the third gate.”

Gu Xuejian pressed on. “We’re worried someone might infiltrate the first gate—maybe a spy from the Black Lotus Cult or an undying husk—and try to assassinate you. Then what?”

Smiling, Li Yuan replied, “A real man can’t cower in the face of danger. If I did, my spirit would be cramped, and without a free spirit, how could I smith weapons at my best?”

A sparkle shone in Gu Xuejian’s eyes. She was easily won over by displays of boldness and heroism. Having played the role of the White-Robed Blade King for a year, Li Yuan had become skilled at channeling that easy swagger.

Yet she suddenly recalled something else and asked, “Could it be you’re still upset by what I said before? You know, that you and Ping’an no longer belonged to the same world?”

She didn’t wait for an answer. Taking two steps back, she made a graceful bow. “If so, I offer my sincerest apology. I spoke rashly and failed to see your true caliber.”

Direct as always, Gu Xuejian had no qualms about lowering her head if it meant preserving peace in the Holy Tree Temple.

Li Yuan shook his head. “Certainly not. Do you take me for such a small-minded man?”

She paused, then continued, “But the temple truly is worried for your safety. Everyone else would kill for a spot behind the third gate. Why refuse it?”

With a laugh, he said, “All of that’s well and good, but it’s just not my style.”

Gu Xuejian froze for a second, her eyes shining even brighter. Then she clapped her hands in delight. “Well said! We martial artists live for freedom and fierce loyalties! So that’s where Ping’an got his bold streak. All this time, I wondered how he ended up so fearless; it must be from his father!”

“Hmm~? My son is fearless? Care to explain, Deputy Gu?” Li Yuan asked, his smile turning curious.

That brat... Didn’t I teach him the Scripture of Steadiness? Where’s this wild streak coming from?

he thought.

She pulled up a chair to chat, while Li Yuan called out, “Xiao Zhu, bring wine!”

After two shouts, a tall-legged maidservant appeared in place of Xiao Zhu, carrying two pots.

“Master, you forgot. Xiao Zhu is with the madam at the Ginger Tavern,” Yao Jue reminded him with a playful grin.

Li Yuan let out a hearty chuckle. “I’ve been so wrapped up in forging, I’ve forgotten everything else!” He did indeed cultivate the image of the obsessive smith, though the truth was that most of his household all left with Xue Ning to join the Windfall Group. That included the four maids—Mei, Lan, Zhu, and Ju—Pang Yuanhua, Auntie Wang, Wang Dalang, Wang Chuliu, and Zhou Jia.

Ying Mei’er was the president, but Xue Ning quietly controlled things from behind the scenes. It was Xue Ning herself who proposed going. Though a special pill had restored her youthful appearance, she was in her mid-thirties and wanted to do something meaningful with the time left to her. The Windfall Group’s vast network offered a chance to achieve that.

Now, only a few maids handling the household chores remained in the front courtyard, while Li Yuan, Cui Huayin, Yao Jue, Sheng’er, and three seventh rank ebony marquises occupied the rear yard.

Cui Huayin was in seclusion, trying to break through into the sixth rank with the Cycle of Withering And Growth. Yao Jue practiced it as well, though she spent her free time drawing with Sheng’er and tending to Li Yuan’s needs.

Presently, Yao Jue set the pots on the table. “Deputy Gu, my master almost never drinks. He says it dulls his focus for smithing. If he’s asked for wine, he must feel you’re a true friend.”

Gu Xuejian’s mood visibly brightened. “A clever girl,” she said with approval.

Yao Jue bowed and withdrew, pausing at the moon-gate to call back with a smile, “Just let me know if you need anything else.”

Li Yuan smiled at her retreating figure, then popped the seal off one pot, pouring wine for Gu Xuejian. “Let’s drink.”

They clinked cups and drained them in one gulp before she began recounting the antics of Ping’an, like how he sometimes broke through in the middle of the night and let out a wild cry of celebration; how he never hesitated to stand up for bullied disciples or servants, often single-handedly settling a score with sword in hand; and how he pestered the senior disciples daily, begging them to take him on real missions...

All in all, she said, he went from ninth rank to eighth rank in three short months, and after a year he had already reached peak eighth rank, nearly at seventh; his cultivation soared as if no bottleneck existed.

Hearing all this, Li Yuan was stunned. That innate shadow blood coursing through his son’s veins was even more extraordinary than he’d imagined.

Li Yuan listened on, and the more he heard about his son’s exploits, the darker his expression grew, even though he forced a smile.

Just wait till that brat comes home

, he thought.

I’ll teach him a lesson he won’t forget.

Before long, Yao Jue returned with a few tasty side dishes. Li Yuan and Gu Xuejian lingered in conversation for quite some time until they reluctantly said their goodbyes.

Watching Gu Xuejian disappear down the road, Li Yuan narrowed his eyes. Clearly, something serious must have happened on the front lines. Why else would the higher-ups of the Holy Tree Temple suddenly insist he move into the third gate? If he guessed right, in a few days his entire neighborhood would be crawling with surveillance—not spying on him per se, but stationed there to thwart any spies or assassins who might sneak into the inner district and target him.

Still...what crisis could possibly make the Holy Tree Temple’s leadership so desperate?

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

That night.

After sharing some wine, Li Yuan lay in bed with Cui Huayin. They chatted about everyday things, then grew affectionate as husband and wife would...until Cui Huayin frowned and asked, “You’re not done yet?”

“You’re just too beautiful,” Li Yuan teased.

“One more time, and I’ll make you sleep in the next room,” she warned, half-indulgent, half-annoyed.

“Just one more round,” he wheedled.

They bantered like newlyweds, without any pretense. Cui Huayin gave him a peculiar look. “It’s so strange to think you’re

Master Li

—the same man who’s unified the underworld of the inner district behind the scenes and even controls the Windfall Group.”

“All for you, my dear,” he shot back shamelessly, fully enjoying his wife’s beauty in his arms. If not for the chaos of this era, a woman like her might have been living in the imperial palace, maybe even as empress. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever seen. He couldn’t help imagining how the infamous King Zhou of Shang might have felt upon meeting Daji.

[1]

She rolled her eyes at his rough teasing. “Hurry up. I have something to tell you; it’s about the emperor.”

Li Yuan froze.

“What’s that look for?” she asked.

“You remember saying you had a special

reward

for me? Is this it?”

She blinked. “You still remember that?”

“Of course I do. I wouldn’t dare forget anything you say.”

“We’re already husband and wife,” she replied wryly. “No need to sweet-talk me like I’m some innocent girl.”

“All right, all right. I’ll listen to whatever you say,” he promised.

Cui Huayin nodded, feeling oddly pleased. Then she realized she was letting him flatter her again. “Let’s focus on the important part,” she insisted. She fell silent for a moment, then said, “This is just my own speculation. I haven’t told anyone else... Do you know why the emperor is working with the Red Lotus Cult now?”

Li Yuan responded, “Because he wants to renege on opening the Great Zhou Treasury to the public. He turned to the undying husks to keep the jianghu in check. That led to a pact with the Red Lotus Cult. Now there’s also Black Lotus, White Lotus, and Green Lotus Cult...”

Cui Huayin shook her head. “That’s only what’s on the surface.”

“On the surface?”

“The truth is that the emperor and the Four Lotuses share the same goal.”

“What goal?”

“They want to

strengthen

the ghost domains—to expand them—so the meat fields can grow beyond the fourth rank, producing even more powerful martial artists. For the Four Lotuses, those powerful martial artists would be used to

suppress

the ghost domains in the end. For the emperor, it’s a path to forging an unprecedented golden age under his rule.”

“...” Li Yuan listened quietly.

“Natural disasters and human miseries—it’s all a byproduct of the ghost domains growing,” she went on. “You’ve noticed the poor harvests year after year, haven’t you? Both the Four Lotuses and the emperor are of one mind. If the worst times are inevitable, they’d rather

initiate

them under their own control than just let things unravel on their own.”

“Are you saying the Four Lotsues are trying to

save

the world?” Li Yuan asked, stunned.

Cui Huayin shrugged. “If I’m right, then yes. And the reason you’re now under lockdown is probably because...their plan has already begun. Things we know nothing about are happening, out there in the distance.”

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

1.

You can read about the story here on Wikipedia.

☜