Chapter 679 – The Path to Second Rank, the New Lord of the Tang Sect - Part 1

Sun setting upon the woods, the word

Dusk

(暮) was composed of twin

Woods

(木) above and below with a

Sun

(日) resting in the center.

Dusk was the final moments of twilight, the waning years. It represented a wearied sorrow, of one who had witnessed splendor fade, of glories rise and fall, and who now walked alone with a heart gone cold.

Li Yuan had seen empires flourish and collapse. He had borne witness to the tides of history. Yet his heart had not turned cold, and he was never one to be obsessed with mere symbols of decline.

If I can’t be obsessed with Dusk...then I’ll simply make use of it. I wielded this power once before, at the dawn of the New World. No reason it shouldn’t work now.

He made up his mind, then turned to Lady Yu.

“Bring me a blade.”

“Of course, my husband.” Lady Yu smiled gently and nodded.

Though husband and wife in name, Li Yuan was still a child, far too young for any marital intimacy. Between them, there was no lust or impropriety.

As for Lady Yu, though stricken with illness, she carried herself with pride and brilliance. Her talent was undeniable. How could such a woman lack dignity?

In truth, their relationship now was closer to teacher and student than husband and wife.

And to Li Yuan, that was just fine.

In a group of three, one must be the teacher

, or so the saying went. A disciple need not always be lesser than the master, nor the master always wiser than the disciple. Everyone had their strengths. It was as simple as that.

Besides, Li Yuan did not dislike Lady Yu.

With all his experience, he could see clearly the hysteria beneath her steely exterior, an illness that had been tempered and refined by the appearance of Lord Yu. From lowly origins to great heights, the road had been anything but easy. To meet someone like this, why make her an enemy?

As for her forceful nature, it didn’t bother him in the least. To him, it was just childishness, a bit of stubbornness from a girl still clinging to her delusion.

And perhaps it was that very delusion that allowed him, a child not yet restored to full power, to stand shoulder to shoulder with the era’s most dominant force. Not once had he felt oppressed.

Lady Yu was a perfectionist. In her heart, Lord Yu had to be flawless.

But if the Lord Yu she idolized could be dominated or outshone by her, what would she think then? Would her belief collapse? And if it did...what would she become?

Thankfully, that question never needed answering.

Li Yuan looked at her, level and calm. She returned the gaze, just as composed. Mutual respect passed silently between them.

“I’ll go fetch it,” she said.

She returned shortly with a slim, curved blade, short by adult standards, but long in the boy’s small hands.

The little boy grasped the hilt.

The blade remained sheathed.

He stood there, still, as if lost in thought.

𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Beside him, Lady Yu watched, seemingly calm, but her eyes betrayed a flicker of something deeper.

Her rational mind told her,

Don’t expect too much. The perfect man you dream of is still just a one-year-old child.

But her heart screamed in defiance.

Still, he’s Lord Yu! Even if he’s a child, he can’t be ordinary! For this man, an ordinary disciple like me rose to become the leader of the the Tang Sect, conquered the Central Plains, and took over the martial world!

Rational thought and emotional impulse wrestled within her, but not for long.

Because Li Yuan had already drawn the blade.

The moment it left its sheath, the very air seemed to freeze. That wasn’t the hand of a child gripping the hilt, it was the calm, commanding presence of one who had once stood at the very peak of an era. Every movement he made exuded the poise of someone who had mastered his craft completely, down to the marrow.

No hesitation. No clumsiness. Nothing remotely childish.

Lady Yu exhaled quietly. She no longer needed to struggle with doubt.

Li Yuan had no idea what inner storm had just passed through the woman beside him. He was simply studying the blade, then asked casually, “Do I need to perform a bestowal ceremony too?”

“At the very least, you should offer a formal tribute.” Lady Yu nodded. She paused, then added, “When do you plan to go, my husband?”

“As soon as possible,” he replied.

She nodded again and passed the word to her most trusted aides. A thing like this couldn’t be avoided. The bestowal altar stood in a prominent location. It wasn’t something that could be done in secret. All she could do was say she was taking her young lord to participate in the traditional year-end rituals. Still, prying eyes were inevitable.

˙·٠✧🐗➶➴🏹✧٠·˙

Deep winter, near the end of the year.

The leader of the Tang Sect sat on the left side of the carriage bench. The little boy sat to her right. Between them, they shared the seat like equals.

Outside, the caravan stretched endlessly across the snow-blanketed road, grand as an emperor’s procession.

The bestowal altar lay nestled in the mountains once between the Cloudpeak and Hidden River Province routes. The region had long been unclaimed by any single path of influence, but now it had been carved up by three territories, Westgorge, Northriver, and Southriver.

To hold the ceremony here was a clear signal. The Tang Sect had solidified control over all three, and even the northern territory of Silkfloss Province.

The carriage slowed and came to a halt. They had arrived.

Lady Yu turned and said, “The offerings of cattle and sheep are all prepared. I will walk the altar with you.”

“Mhm...” Li Yuan nodded.

He hopped down from the seat, adjusted his robe, and lifted the carriage curtain.

Outside, the road was dusted in a soft layer of snow. In the distance stood the Fengshan Altar itself.

He looked up at it.

The stone steps and towering platform still looked relatively new. It rose over 200 feet high, a towering monument to the Tang Sect’s current ruler. It spoke volumes of her hunger for greatness, and hinted at the staggering cost this altar must have exacted from the people.

Then again, perhaps it was this very extravagance that confirmed her strength.

Li Yuan glanced around. The surrounding area was dense with forest.

The altar stood alone in the wild, like a hidden temple nestled deep in the veins of the mountains. The trees were cloaked in white now, the whole world around them blanketed in snow.

“All’s ready,” Lady Yu said softly as she stepped down beside him.

She made a point of walking shoulder to shoulder with him, not ahead, not guiding, not supporting, as if this were a man, not a child, and they were equals in the ritual.

From the far side of the clearing, the Tang Sect disciples began to approach, forming a silent welcome.

Once all was in place, the two ascended the long stone steps.

At the summit, Lady Yu raised her voice and recited the formal rites, honoring the land, the mountains and rivers, and declared publicly that

Lord Yu

was her husband.

When the final words were spoken, she raised the blade and brought it down upon the offerings. The sheep bleated, the old ox trembled, and then all was silence. The altar was left with only a heap of bloodied meat, an offering to the mountains and rivers.

The cold wind howled like blades, laced with flurries of snow. Their robes snapped and whipped violently in the air.