Chapter 114: The Heaven-Reliant Sword |
Chu Xun looked up and saw Liao Shouyi walking into the courtyard.
There was anticipation on his face, along with nervousness and confusion.
That aged face, paired with armor scarred by countless battles, strangely evoked a sense of sorrow.
This single “Brother Xun” had lingered in Liao Shouyi’s mind for five full years.
Ever since the divine weapons descended from the heavens, he had been wondering why Chu Chen had been acknowledged by Brother Xun.
Was it simply to find someone to inherit the family estate?
If so, wouldn’t Zhang Jingheng, the Minister of Revenue, have been a more suitable choice than some randomly adopted stranger?
The longsword that had helped him defend Liaoyuan City for five years was a true divine weapon.
There was no doubt that even the Wu Kingdom, famed for forging weapons, possessed no such craftsmanship.
So why would a young man capable of forging divine weapons come live as the grandson of a farmer?
Again, the same question.
Was it really just for this tiny inheritance?
A single divine weapon placed in the martial world would spark a bloody scramble worth fortunes beyond measure.
How much wealth could a village farmer possibly possess?
This baffling question pointed toward an answer that seemed impossible.
Chu Chen… was Chu Xun.
Once he accepted this as the answer, countless mysteries suddenly made sense.
Why the Song family had been wiped out on the very day Chu Xun left.
Why a young man capable of forging divine weapons had appeared in Pinecone Village.
Why a crow had traveled thousands of miles to deliver him divine weapons despite the two not meeting often.
Why the crow obeyed him.
Why he also loved drinking Bai Family Old Cellar wine.
All these seemingly unrelated details became entirely different when placed together.
And so, after many years away, standing once more in the familiar courtyard of his childhood village.
When Liao Shouyi saw the young man holding the hammer, he instinctively called out, “Brother Xun?”
The young man across from him remained calm and expressionless as he replied lightly, “Who are you calling?”
Liao Shouyi looked at him and let out a faint sigh.
Then he asked, “The swords sent to the southwest… you had the crow deliver them, didn’t you?”
This time, Chu Xun did not deny it.
“Yes.”
“They were incredibly useful. On behalf of my soldiers, and the people of Jing Kingdom… thank you.”
Liao Shouyi raised his right fist and pounded heavily against his armor twice.
This was a military salute.
There were very few people left in the world worthy of such solemn respect from Liao Shouyi.
Bang! Bang!
Heavy pounding sounds echoed from outside the courtyard.
The guards who had returned with him, around thirty or forty men were doing the same.
All of them had fought bloody battles in Liaoyuan City.
No one understood better than they did how much those divine weapons had changed the war.
“How did the emperor allow you to leave Liaoyuan City?” Chu Xun asked.
“The Wu Kingdom retreated,” Liao Shouyi replied.
Just five simple words explained everything.
With the Wu army withdrawing, he had to leave Liaoyuan City.
Otherwise, the emperor would only grow more suspicious.
Of course, homesickness was also a major reason.
“Will you go back?” Chu Xun asked.
Liao Shouyi seemed to recall something. He pulled a New Year print from his robes and unfolded it.
On it was a mighty general, with the words:
“Heaven-Blessed Guardian of Yong’an, Great General Liao Shouyi.”
Liao Shouyi grinned broadly.
“Look. They painted me on it.”
Chu Xun stared at the image in a daze.
He remembered when Stone had left home to join the army because he wanted to become a general painted on New Year prints.
When he came back that year, he had said, “The day they paint me on a New Year print… I’ll never leave again.”
From the thirtieth year of Jing Kingdom until now.
Forty-six full years had passed.
From a nineteen-year-old youth to a sixty-five-year-old old man…
He had finally achieved it.
After fighting wars his entire life, now at sixty-five, it was finally time to remove his armor and return home.
After Liao Shouyi left, Chu Xun lowered his head and looked at the great hammer and the meteorite iron in his hands.
“So much time has already passed…”
The return of the Duke of Wei sent not only Pinecone Village, but the entire Zhangnan County into an uproar.
The county had produced a Minister of Revenue.
And now, a duke as well.
It was said even the leader of the refugee army had come from here.
And not only that, even the late Duke Ming, Tang Shijun, had once served here as county magistrate for eight years.
Many people said Zhangnan County was a land blessed with exceptional talent.
In only a few decades, it had produced so many dukes and high officials.
Such prosperity rivaled even the founding era of the dynasty.
Among the celebrating crowds, an old man in rough clothes carrying a hoe watched the procession heading toward Pinecone Village from afar.
A nearby tenant farmer laughed and said, “Old Kui, you came late, so you probably don’t know. The Duke of Wei, Jing Kingdom’s God of War is from Pingshui Town! Back then, Master Chu was already extraordinary. If you ask me, Pinecone Village really is a special place.”
Another tenant added, “Exactly! I’m thinking of moving there myself. Maybe my son can become a high official someday too.”
“Your son? No chance. Big head and thick neck, at best he’ll become a cook.”
“Get lost!”
The old man they called Old Kui withdrew his gaze and sighed softly.
“The Duke of Wei truly is remarkable.”
No one understood better than he did how terrifying that man was.
Liao Shouyi had held Fenggu City against impossible odds, forcing the refugee army to unite and attack the capital.
Officials from every level came to pay him visits.
Fenggu City had even prepared a grand estate for his family to move into.
Liao Shouyi refused directly.
He had already experienced wealth, power, mountains of blades, and seas of fire in this lifetime.
Now that he was old, he only wanted to remain in his hometown with his wife and enjoy family happiness.
Those among his guards willing to return home did so.
Those unwilling were granted local household registration by the county government, along with ten mu of military farmland each.
By the twenty-eighth year of Chongming, Emperor Chongming died suddenly after consuming too many “immortality pills.”
Because the crown prince had been imprisoned, and because the emperor died too suddenly to leave behind a final decree.
The princes immediately descended into bloody conflict over the throne.
The capital, and indeed all of Jing Kingdom, fell into chaos once more.
Every faction supported different princes.
The Chief Eunuch Zhang Li supported the young Fourteenth Prince.
Minister of Revenue Zhang Jingheng supported the kind-hearted Seventh Prince.
These two became the leading contenders for the throne.
Zhang Jingheng sent a letter hoping Liao Shouyi would lend him support.
After all, Zhang Li’s influence was immense.
Many court officials had either been bribed or intimidated by him.
Though Zhang Jingheng had prepared for conflict over the years, he still lacked complete certainty.
He could not bear to see the national policies he had implemented abandoned halfway through.
If the military represented by Liao Shouyi backed the Seventh Prince, victory would be virtually guaranteed.
Because of this, Liao Shouyi had no choice but to make a trip to the capital.
Before he arrived, Zhang Li gathered spies and numerous martial experts to assassinate both the Seventh Prince and Zhang Jingheng.
Inside the Seventh Prince’s residence, over a hundred assassins dressed in black radiated murderous intent.
Compared to them, the guards protecting the prince and Zhang Jingheng seemed vastly outmatched.
Even though Zhang Jingheng had long guarded against Zhang Li and built some power of his own, he still could not compare to the old eunuch who had served Emperor Chongming for years.
Just as battle was about to erupt.
A strange sound came from the sky.
Caw—
Caw—
Then came a thunderous crash.
Seven longswords descended from the heavens, landing before Zhang Jingheng and the Seventh Prince.
The blades trembled lightly, white radiance flickering across them.
Zhang Jingheng looked up at the bird vanishing into the distance, and a smile spread across his aged face.
He drew one of the swords and swung it casually.
A white streak burst from the blade, slicing several assassins ten meters away clean in half.
The legend of Liao Shouyi defending Liaoyuan City with only two thousand soldiers thanks to divine weapons descending from the heavens had already spread throughout the land.
Now, upon seeing these seven swords, the assassins were terrified.
“Divine weapons!”
“The divine bird brought them divine weapons!”
Zhang Jingheng pointed his sword toward the assassins and shouted:
“Kill them!”
“Enter the palace and execute Zhang Li!”
After a night of fierce battle, the old eunuch Zhang Li was defeated.
While rallying officials to resist “injustice,” he fled the capital with the Fourteenth Prince under the protection of spies.
Their destination was Liaoyuan City.
They planned to collude with the Wu Kingdom and Ma Huaian, promising half of Jing Kingdom’s territory in exchange for support.
The next day, Liao Shouyi arrived in the capital.
Naturally, the military immediately sided with the Seventh Prince.
Three days later, the Seventh Prince ascended the throne under the reign title Changning.
About eight hundred li from the capital, on a rural road in Taihe County of Nanming Prefecture.
This place lay near Mount Taihe, home to the Taihe Sect, famous for its palm techniques.
Legend said the sect founder had received teachings from an immortal.
At the highest level, the Taihe Palm could split an entire mountain apart.
Of course, no one had ever witnessed such a technique.
Still, the disciples of the Taihe Sect were genuinely formidable.
Every year they hosted martial competitions and welcomed heroes from across the land.
Recently, it was precisely the season for those competitions, so martial artists from all over had gathered.
Even the outskirts of the county town were filled with teahouses and inns doing excellent business.
At this moment, beside the roadside stood a small tea stall.
Several old wooden tables.
A few bowls of rough tea.
Some benches.
And a shabby straw hut.
The place looked extremely crude.
A man around thirty years old with a saber at his waist approached and called out, “Boss, a bowl of tea!”
“Coming right up. Please wait a moment.”
The man sat on a bench, thinking about whether he should continue wandering the martial world after making a name for himself at Mount Taihe, or return home to open a martial arts school.
Something flew overhead.
The man looked up, startled.
It looked like… a crow?
But far too large.
“Sir, your tea.”
The man lowered his gaze and saw the owner, around his own age setting a bowl of tea before him.
The tea looked clear and pure.
No tea leaves could be seen, yet a refreshing fragrance drifted upward.
Surprised, he asked, “This isn’t rough tea?”
The owner chuckled.
“It’s just tea. There’s no distinction between coarse and fine.”
The man picked it up.
Though it was hot, he could not resist taking a sip.
Then he nodded in admiration.
“Excellent! To drink such tea out in the countryside… truly worthy of the Taihe Sect’s territory.”
Several more martial artists arrived asking for tea, and the owner served them as well.
After taking a sip, they all exclaimed in surprise.
“This tea is excellent. Do you sell the leaves? Sell each of us some.”
The owner shook his head.
“No tea leaves for sale.”
The martial artists immediately became displeased.
“You have tea but no tea leaves? Think we’re idiots?”
Martial artists tended to be hot-blooded and short-tempered.
With the summer heat adding fuel to their tempers, several stood up aggressively.
Seeing this, the saber-wielding man called out, “If he says he won’t sell, then he won’t sell. Why force him?”
The group turned toward him.
One sneered coldly, “Like meddling in other people’s business and playing hero? Think you have the skill for that?”
Fights erupting over disagreements were nothing unusual in the martial world.
There could be no true first scholar, but there could only be one greatest martial artist.
Everyone wanted to prove themselves stronger than others.
The man was not angry.
Setting down his tea bowl, he looked at them calmly.
“I am Soul-Chasing Saber Xie Ji. Do I have enough skill to interfere?”
The expressions of the others immediately changed.
Soul-Chasing Saber Xie Ji was well-known in the martial world.
Though only a third-rank martial artist, his Soul-Chasing Saber Technique was nearly unrivaled.
He had even defeated a second-rank martial artist before.
The others were merely fourth-rank fighters relying on numbers.
Facing a true expert, they no longer dared say another word and hurried away in embarrassment.
Xie Ji snorted and turned back toward the owner.
Seeing no fear in the man’s expression, he became somewhat surprised.
After observing carefully, he detected no martial cultivation whatsoever.
“You’re not afraid?”
The owner shook his head.
“There’s nothing to fear.”
Xie Ji laughed heartily.
“You’ve got some courage. Good tea too. Shame you don’t practice martial arts, otherwise you might have earned yourself a reputation.”
The owner smiled faintly.
“You’re not bad either. Perhaps you’ll accomplish something in the future.”
As they spoke, a carriage approached from down the road.
Guards surrounded it front and back.
Xie Ji glanced over and immediately looked astonished.
“What family is this? So many experts!”
There were four first-rank martial artists alone.
The rest were all second-rank or above.
Every one of them had bulging temples, a sign of experts who cultivated both internally and externally.
Inside the carriage, an obscure gaze swept over.
Though he could not see the person, Xie Ji still groaned and coughed blood, injured by that person’s aura alone.
His heart filled with horror, and he quickly looked away.
Inside the carriage sat Chief Eunuch Zhang Li, the Fourteenth Prince, and a Innate Grandmaster hired at immense cost.
This route had been carefully chosen by Zhang Li.
They had avoided official roads entirely, and spies scouted ahead constantly to ensure they remained undetected.
After traveling eight hundred li without pursuit, Zhang Li had finally begun to relax.
Turning to the eleven-year-old Fourteenth Prince, whose face was full of impatience from days inside the carriage, he said, “Your Majesty, don’t worry. We’ll arrive in a few more days.”
Though merely a prince, Zhang Li already addressed him as emperor.
His ambitions were obvious.
The wrinkled old eunuch cast a glance at the Innate Grandmaster seated beside the prince with eyes closed in meditation.
Then he eagerly handed the prince a pastry.
“Your Majesty, eat something first. Once we pass Liaoyuan City, there will be endless delicacies waiting.”
The Fourteenth Prince disliked these pastries.
They always felt dry and choking.
He raised a hand to refuse.
Zhang Li’s expression instantly turned cold and sinister.
“It would be bad if Your Majesty failed to take care of his own health.”
The prince trembled in fear.
Too frightened to refuse, he quickly accepted the pastry and lowered his head with reddened eyes as he ate.
He was still young.
He did not truly understand what being emperor meant.
He only knew it meant doing whatever one wanted.
But Seventh Brother had always treated him kindly.
Why did he have to become emperor?
At that moment, Xie Ji saw the tea stall owner walking directly toward the carriage.
He hurriedly shouted, “Boss! Come back!”
But the owner acted as though he heard nothing and calmly stepped into the road, blocking the carriage.
Seeing the icy killing intent in the guards’ eyes, Xie Ji sighed inwardly.
What a pity.
The carriage stopped.
A guard outside reported, “Master Zhang, someone is blocking the road ahead.”
“One person?” Zhang Li stared at the prince eating pastries while casually picking crumbs off the floor and placing them into his own mouth.
“Kill him.”
“Your Majesty, eat slowly. There’s more pastry.”
No matter who the other person was, daring to come alone meant certain death.
He even patted the Fourteenth Prince’s hand reassuringly.
“Relax, Your Majesty. With this old servant here, no one can touch you.”
The prince felt utterly miserable but dared say nothing.
Suddenly, consecutive thuds sounded outside the carriage.
Zhang Li frowned in confusion.
Wasn’t it only one person?
Why so many bodies falling?
A sense of danger instantly surged in his heart.
He turned toward the Innate Grandmaster beside him.
“Master Liu, if you won’t act now, then when?!”
But to the eunuch’s shock, Liu Hongsheng sat frozen in terror, sweat pouring down his forehead.
He did not dare move at all.
Innate Grandmasters had already surpassed the limits of the human body.
Compared to ordinary people, they sensed the threat of death far more keenly.
Though he saw nothing and no one had entered.
That fatal danger felt terrifyingly clear.
Zhang Li’s face darkened.
“I paid you ten thousand taels of gold for protection. Are you going to break your word?!”
Liu Hongsheng clenched his teeth inwardly.
Under normal circumstances, he truly did not want to risk his life.
But beside him sat Zhang Li, the most powerful eunuch in court, and the Fourteenth Prince.
And he had indeed accepted ten thousand taels of gold.
Doing nothing at all would be impossible to justify.
Just as he opened his mouth.
“May I ask who outside—”
Before he could finish speaking, Liu Hongsheng groaned.
Dense blood mist exploded from his entire body, instantly splattering the carriage red.
A Innate Grandmaster of an entire generation died before he could even finish a sentence.
Zhang Li sucked in a cold breath.
That was a Innate Grandmaster!
One of the absolute strongest experts in all of Jing Kingdom.
And he had died silently like this?
Without anyone even understanding how.
Gritting his teeth, Zhang Li grabbed the Fourteenth Prince and tried to flee the carriage.
But in the next moment, his body suddenly swelled like an overinflated sack.
Then blood mist burst from him as well.
His corpse collapsed like dried cured meat.
The Fourteenth Prince sat frozen inside the carriage.
After a long moment, he finally released an utterly terrified scream.
“Shut your mouth. Otherwise, I don’t mind killing one more prince.”
A voice entered his ears.
The prince was nearly scared out of his mind.
He had seen many powerful martial artists and all sorts of bizarre killing methods before.
But never anything like this.
Mysterious beyond comprehension.
Powerful beyond imagination.
He immediately clamped his hands over his mouth, no longer daring to make a sound.
Only endless terror remained in his eyes.
Back at the tea stall, Xie Ji sat dumbfounded.
Those first-rank and second-rank experts had suddenly exploded into blood mist and died instantly.
What kind of technique was this?
He could not understand it.
He had never even heard of such a thing.
Those were first-rank martial artists!
And they had died just like that?
Seeing the owner walk back toward him, Xie Ji instinctively gripped the handle of his saber.
“You drank my tea,” the owner said, “You haven’t paid yet.”
Xie Ji felt panic rising in his chest, but he still forced himself to remain calm and reached for silver.
The owner waved a hand.
“No need for tea money. Would you help me with something instead?”
Xie Ji had no idea how someone capable of instantly killing so many experts could possibly need his help.
The owner pointed toward the carriage.
“There’s an eleven-year-old child inside. He’s the Fourteenth Prince of Jing Kingdom. Help me deliver him to the local magistrate’s office.”
As he spoke, the owner produced a sword from somewhere and handed it over.
“You’ve traveled far and delayed your journey. Take this sword as compensation. If you can gain insight from it, reaching first rank, or even becoming a Innate Grandmaster is not impossible.”
Xie Ji instinctively accepted it.
The sword was far heavier than he expected.
He did not understand why such a powerful person would not do the task himself.
But standing beneath those calm eyes, the pressure on him was immense.
All thoughts of going to Mount Taihe, fighting in the arena, and becoming famous had long vanished.
In the end, all he could do was nod stiffly.
“…Alright.”
The owner smiled and said nothing more before turning back toward the straw hut.
After waiting a long time without hearing movement, Xie Ji walked over intending to ask which magistrate’s office he should deliver the prince to.
But inside the hut, aside from a young assistant sleeping on a broken wooden bed, there was no one else.
Xie Ji stood there in a daze.
The young assistant slowly woke up and rubbed his eyes.
Seeing Xie Ji standing at the doorway, he asked, “Sir, would you like some tea?”
Only then did Xie Ji snap back to reality.
“Where’s the owner?”
“The owner?” the young man looked confused.
“I am the owner.”
The tea stall had originally belonged to his father.
After his father was beaten to death during an argument, the tea stall became his.
Xie Ji instantly understood.
The owner from before… was not this owner.
He did not dare ask further questions.
Turning around, he headed toward the carriage.
After taking several steps, he lowered his head and looked curiously at the sword in his hand.
He casually swung it.
A white sword shadow burst forth instantly, carving a bottomless trench into the earth.
Xie Ji froze on the spot.
Then wild ecstasy erupted across his face.
“A divine weapon!”
There were not many divine weapons in the martial world.
He had once been fortunate enough to see one.
But so-called divine weapons were merely sharper and sturdier than ordinary weapons.
The sword in his hand, however, could unleash sword qi with a casual swing.
Remembering the owner’s final words, that understanding this sword could allow him to reach first rank or even Innate.
Xie Ji no longer doubted anything.
His heart exploded with excitement.
With such a divine weapon in hand, if he truly comprehended even a fraction of its secrets.
Why stop at advancing ranks?
He could become unrivaled beneath heaven itself!
Yet after examining the sword repeatedly, he found no name engraved upon it.
“A divine weapon like this must have a name!”
After thinking for a moment, Xie Ji recalled an old tale once told by a storyteller.
It was said that a king of a previous dynasty had invited several men on a journey and asked each to speak lofty words.
One man named Song Yu had declared:
“Let the square earth be my carriage, the round heavens my canopy. My longsword shines beyond the heavens themselves.”
Though Xie Ji was no scholar, he had always loved that line.
It possessed incomparable grandeur.
Now, holding this divine weapon, his eyes lit up.
“How about… Heaven-Reliant Sword?”
The blade gleamed brightly.
White sword shadows flickered faintly, as if agreeing that the name was excellent.
Far down the road, already over a thousand meters away, Chu Xun seemed to hear something.
He chuckled softly.
“Heaven-Reliant Sword? You’re quite good at naming things.”
Intercepting Zhang Li had not been a whim.
First came Tang Shijun paving the road to save the people.
Then Liao Shouyi defending the southwest.
Then Zhang Jingheng stabilizing internal chaos.
Though Chu Xun lacked their desire to save the world, he also did not wish to see the efforts of his friends and loved ones wasted.
A eunuch should do a eunuch’s job.
Why meddle in politics?
It’s not like your surname is Wei.
After Emperor Changning ascended the throne, he issued an edict following the governmental structure of a previous dynasty and established the position of Chancellor, ranked first grade.
Naturally, the position went to Zhang Jingheng, who had rendered meritorious service in supporting the new emperor.
Though dukes were also first grade, the Chancellor was an entirely different matter.
Truly second only to the emperor and above all others.
Even the emperor had to discuss matters repeatedly with the Chancellor before making decisions.
Second year of Changning.
Chancellor Zhang Jingheng returned home.
No officials accompanied him.
Before departing, he had already declared this trip a private matter.
Anyone currying favor or flattering him would be demoted and fined.
“Do your own duties properly. Flattery is not part of a Jing official’s responsibilities.”
Liu Yuqing and Zhang Shaoheng returned with him, first visiting the old residence in Pingshui Town.
The house was frequently cleaned.
Though not spotless, it was still well-maintained.
Afterward, the Zhang family traveled to Pinecone Village.
The arrival of the Chancellor excited the villagers even more than Liao Shouyi’s return.
This was the greatest official Pinecone Village had ever produced.
Without question.
Above him stood only the emperor himself.
When Zhang Shaoheng was very young, he had once visited Pinecone Village.
Back then, he had only been a babbling child.
Now, he had become a forty-year-old middle-aged man.
He served as Vice Minister of Works.
Barring surprises, within a few years he would become the official Minister of Works.
Even Zhang Jingheng’s grandson had already passed the imperial examinations and now served in the Hanlin Academy.
The villagers came out voluntarily to welcome them.
The moment the family entered the village, people knelt everywhere.
Though Zhang Jingheng repeatedly told them there was no need for ceremony among fellow villagers.
Who dared rise casually?
A first-grade Chancellor who also held a ducal title.
No amount of kneeling would be excessive.
In the end, Zhang Jingheng personally stepped forward to help the white-haired Qi Ermao and others to their feet.
“In the past, I followed behind all of you while playing. Now we’re all old men. Don’t become strangers.”
Qi Ermao trembled with emotion, tears streaming down his face.
Liao Shouyi walked over laughing.
“This old fool wants to kneel to everyone. Ignore him.”
Qi Ermao awkwardly allowed his son to support him, unsure what to say.
Inside, he could only think: Back then… I also had a chance to become someone like them.
The group arrived at Chu Xun’s courtyard.
The constant clang of hammering rang out from inside.
Qi Ermao quickly urged his son to knock.
The Chancellor himself had arrived, how could Chu Xun still be forging iron?
But Zhang Jingheng raised a hand to stop him and instead instructed his wife and son to straighten their appearance solemnly.
Qi Ermao hurriedly said, “There’s no need for the Chancellor to be so courteous. He’s just a junior. How could he possibly—”
Liao Shouyi glared at him.
“You talk too much!”
Qi Ermao immediately shut his mouth.
Only then did Zhang Jingheng step forward and knock.
A clear voice sounded from inside, “Come in.”
The casual tone made Qi Ermao and the others nervous.
Even if they were relatives, he was still a junior, and an adopted grandson at that.
How could he behave so disrespectfully?
Only Zhang Jingheng and Liao Shouyi remained completely unconcerned.
They both knew exactly how capable the man inside the courtyard truly was.
Jing Kingdom surviving until now owed no less to him than to either of them.
In fact, without him, neither might have achieved such accomplishments at all.
Inside the courtyard stood a fair-skinned middle-aged man in a thin sleeveless shirt, continuously hammering meteorite iron with a giant hammer.
“Just a few more strikes. Sit for a bit first,” Chu Xun said.
He continued hammering without pause.
Neither Zhang Jingheng nor Liao Shouyi minded.
Zhang Shaoheng, however, glanced at him and seemed hesitant to speak.
Even if they were relatives of the same generation.
My father is the Chancellor.
This is a little disrespectful.
Publicly or privately, emotionally or rationally, it was inappropriate.
At that moment, something tugged at his pant leg.
Lowering his head, Zhang Shaoheng stared in shock.
A weasel had somehow pushed a stool over.
It tugged his pants again and patted the stool, signaling for him to sit.
Zhang Jingheng looked back at his astonished son and smiled.
“Sit. Don’t waste their kindness.”
Liu Yuqing still remembered clearly.
After sitting down, she looked at the crow perched beneath the roof and said to Zhang Shaoheng, “Remember? When you were little, you loved playing with them.”
Zhang Shaoheng opened his mouth.
He had been too young to remember.
Looking around, he saw several field mice digging radishes out of the vegetable patch.
The weasel carried them to the water vat, washed them clean, and delivered them over.
Seeing the smooth-furred weasel before him, Zhang Shaoheng instinctively accepted the radish.
Zhang Jingheng immediately scolded, “A gentleman acts with propriety and judges not by appearances. Have you become a muddle-headed official?”
Zhang Shaoheng’s mind felt chaotic.
He understood the principle.
But… could a weasel even count as a person?
After hesitating awkwardly, he still cupped his fists toward the weasel.
“Thank you.”
The weasel blinked and returned the salute properly.
Zhang Shaoheng’s mouth fell open wider.
He could not help inhaling sharply.
This weasel… was about to become a spirit, wasn’t it?!
Liao Shouyi sat nearby staring at the weasel.
“There are cucumbers over there, so why do you keep giving me radishes? I’ve told you many times. I like cucumbers.”
The weasel walked over, snatched the radish from his hand, and carried it away to eat itself.
Chu Xun had only taught them to treat guests properly.
He never said to keep serving them endlessly.
Liao Shouyi simply went to the vegetable patch himself and picked several cucumbers.
The field mice popped out and squeaked angrily in protest.
Liao Shouyi ignored them completely.
He washed the cucumbers in the water vat and returned happily while eating them.
Crunchy and sweet, even the seeds had a pleasant bite.
Weren’t they much better than radishes?
The field mice were so angry they rushed over, climbed onto his boots, tugged at his pants, and squeaked nonstop.
Zhang Jingheng laughed helplessly.
“You’re already so old. Why are you arguing with field mice?”
Chu Xun had already returned the meteorite iron to the furnace.
Taking a towel from the weasel to wipe his hands, he walked over smiling.
“He just likes teasing animals. It’s harmless.”
Zhang Jingheng instinctively tried to stand.
But Chu Xun casually pressed a hand downward.
“We’re all family here. Just sit and talk.”
Outside, villagers peered through cracks in the wall and over fences, utterly dumbfounded.
Do you even realize who you’re talking to?
How can you act like the elder here?
Aren’t you afraid of dying?
Even Liu Yuqing looked surprised.
But seeing her husband entirely unconcerned, she wisely remained silent.
Chu Xun looked at Zhang Jingheng.
“How does being Chancellor feel?”
Zhang Jingheng shook his head.
“Not particularly interesting. Once the people’s lives improve in a few years, I plan to retire and return home.”
Liao Shouyi bit into a cucumber with a loud crunch.
“When you resign and come back, let’s dig a pond together and raise tens of thousands of koi fish for fun.”
Zhang Jingheng laughed helplessly.
He had no interest in fishing.
Besides, koi weren’t good to eat.
“I’d rather be like Uncle and travel the world. See foreign lands and enjoy the beauty of mountains and rivers.”
Liao Shouyi took another bite of cucumber and mumbled vaguely, “There’s nothing worth seeing. In the end, you’ll still come back.”
Zhang Jingheng gave up speaking with him.
Trying to reason with a soldier was pointless.
He looked toward the furnace and the meteorite iron.
“How did you learn blacksmithing?”
Chu Xun replied, “Someone taught me in my dreams. I learned it in a few days.”
Zhang Jingheng looked astonished.
So did Liu Yuqing.
Taught in dreams?
What nonsense.
Yet to her surprise, her husband’s face filled with admiration, even longing.
“Dream instruction… I’ve read of such things in ancient texts. I never imagined it truly existed.”
Chu Xun smiled.
“If you want to learn, I could teach you.”
Zhang Jingheng waved his hand.
“At my age, I can’t even lift a hammer anymore. Forget it.”
After a pause, his expression grew solemn.
“You truly don’t want to become an official? If you do, I can recommend you as Grand Guardian of the Crown Prince.”
Grand Guardian, Grand Tutor, and Grand Preceptor were collectively known as the Three Excellencies.
All were first-grade positions.
They accompanied the emperor and princes closely.
Though they held little real power, they were immensely respected.
Chu Xun shook his head.
“No time.”
Every day he gathered metal essence, refined water essence, and tempered meteorite iron.
On top of that, he constantly had to guard against attacks from incense gods.
How could he possibly have time to guide royal children?
Zhang Jingheng sighed, unsurprised.
The man before him had delivered swords twice.
Once creating a military god of war.
Once enabling the Seventh Prince’s ascension.
To someone capable of such things, a position like Grand Guardian likely meant little.
Outside, the villagers erupted in uproar.
He even refused Grand Guardian of the Crown Prince?!
Qi Ermao nearly wanted to rush in and answer on Chu Xun’s behalf.
What an incredible honor that was!
Even serving for a single day would bring glory to one’s ancestors.
Yet neither Zhang Jingheng nor Liao Shouyi appeared surprised in the slightest.
After chatting for a while, Chu Xun personally cooked several dishes.
He also invited over old acquaintances like Qi Ermao and poured everyone cups of Bai Family Old Cellar aged wine.
Zhang Jingheng no longer spoke about court matters, discussing only everyday life.
Two days later, he returned to the capital.
As Chancellor, he had countless responsibilities.
Being free for two days was already a luxury.
Before leaving, Zhang Jingheng held Chu Xun’s hand and said quietly, “After this farewell… who knows when I’ll be able to come again. If I truly can’t return, don’t forget to visit me then.”
He was already sixty-four years old.
At the age people called “rare since ancient times.”
His body had deteriorated greatly.
Combined with the burden of state affairs, he had aged even faster than ordinary men.
Once he left, there was a real chance they would never meet again.
Chu Xun nodded solemnly.
The older generation of relatives had already passed away.
Those of his own generation were nearly gone as well.
Next would come people like Liao Shouyi, Qi Ermao, and Zhang Jingheng.
Truthfully, Liao Shouyi should have died years ago.
Chu Xun had forcibly altered his fate.
But changing fate only applied to violent or wrongful deaths.
Nothing could be done about dying naturally of old age.
Within three generations, family bonds remained close.
Beyond that, people naturally drifted apart.
So when Zhang Jingheng eventually reached the end of his lifespan, Chu Xun would naturally go see him off.
Third year of Changning.
Li Changan died in Pingshui Town.
Though he had left Pinecone Village many years ago, his family still invited old villagers to visit during his final moments.
Among them, Chu Xun naturally appeared relatively unfamiliar.
Li Changan lay in bed.
By now, he was considered a wealthy man in Pingshui Town and even possessed the title of provincial graduate.
The villagers gave him face and offered words of blessing.
Only when Chu Xun stepped forward did the listless Li Changan suddenly grab him.
“Is Chu Xun your grandfather?” he asked.
Chu Xun nodded.
“Yes.”
Li Changan’s face grew even paler.
“If you ever see your grandfather… tell him something for me. I don’t want to be an official anymore.”
Chu Xun looked surprised.
He had not expected that.
A mysterious look appeared on Li Changan’s pale face.
“You know… I’ve already been a high official before. Being an official isn’t interesting at all!”
Li Changan burst into laughter and died.
He had spent most of his life dreaming of becoming an official.
If he couldn’t do it, then his son would.
If his son couldn’t, then his grandson would.
Only after awakening from a grand dream did he finally realize the truth.
Yet before dying, he still wanted to compete with Chu Xun one last time.
We both came from farmers.
Your family has lots of silver.
My family has lots of silver too.
But I was once a great official!
Even if only in a dream!
Chu Xun could only laugh helplessly.
This Li Changan…
Ghost officials arrived to take his soul away.
Chu Xun did not intervene.
First, they were never particularly close.
Second, with that sort of personality, being human again next life might not necessarily be a good thing.
Fifth year of Changning.
Qi Ermao finally could not hold on any longer.
He lived to seventy-two, already considered long-lived.
On the day of his death, Chu Xun came to visit.
Qi Ermao forced himself awake and sent all his family members outside.
Then he looked weakly at Chu Xun.
“Didn’t you say I’d get to see Brother Xun one more time? Don’t lie to me. Where is he?”
Chu Xun sat beside the bed and asked softly:
“Do you remember when you were four years old and tried touching the spirit pearl grass by the doorway? I stopped you and gave you a piece of candy.”
Qi Ermao tried hard to remember.
Did that happen?
He was too old to recall clearly.
But something suddenly felt wrong.
Using every bit of strength he had left to think—
His eyes suddenly widened.
“You gave me the candy? You… you are…”
Chu Xun raised his right hand.
Water vapor from heaven and earth gathered together, forming an image.
A four-year-old child crouched by the doorway, reaching toward the grass.
A young man emerged from the house, stopped him, and handed him a piece of candy.
Qi Ermao stared in complete shock.
What kind of immortal technique was this?
The water vapor dispersed.
Yet a real candy now rested in Chu Xun’s palm.
Peeling away the wrapper, Chu Xun asked, “Do you still have the strength to eat?”
Qi Ermao’s eyes turned red.
Only at this moment did he finally understand.
Brother Xun had never left.
Chu Xun placed the candy into his mouth.
Qi Ermao chewed with all his strength.
Unfortunately, he no longer had teeth or strength.
He could only barely taste a trace of sweetness.
While chewing, he asked vaguely, “Brother Xun… can I be your son in the next life?”
Chu Xun thought for a moment.
In the end, he chose not to lie.
“I’m afraid not.”
“Right… you never had children anyway…”
Qi Ermao’s mouth moved once more.
Then stopped forever.
He had always been a hardworking and honest man.
He had never done anything outrageous.
Even his death was simple and ordinary.
Ghost officials arrived carrying black chains and hooks.
Before they reached the bed, they heard Chu Xun say, “He was a good man. Ask the civil judge to find him a good family.”
Qi Ermao’s soul drifted free from his body and looked over blankly.
Chu Xun patted his shoulder.
“Go on.”
This was not the first time he had done such a thing.
Nor would it be the last.
Two more years passed.
Seventh year of Changning.
Chu Xun was forging iron at home when Liao Licheng’s son, Liao Xingbang, came rushing over excitedly, “Uncle Chen, did you hear? The Martial Alliance Leader has finally been decided!”
He grabbed a nearby broom and swung it around dramatically before finishing with a sword-withdrawing pose.
Raising his chin proudly, he shouted:
“When the Heaven-Reliant Sword appears, who beneath heaven can stand against it?!”
(End of Chapter)
Comments 6