Joy of Life

By the sea, on Dong Mountain, the umpteenth hurricane of the seventh year of the Qing calendar came to an end quietly and without fanfare. In the near future, this hurricane would bring much needed and difficult to attain rainwater to the wide expanse of Qing Kingdom, which was already showing signs of a small drought. Furthermore, it had been very gentle and not caused any major disasters.

At this time, after the hurricane passed over the ancient temples and old eaves on the mountaintop, the walls were ruined. Shattered tiles lined the ground. Mud flew wildly. The sight was too tragic to bear. The rain scoured the mountain and then flowed down it, creating pure white waterfalls on the jade-like precipices.

There was occasionally a streak of blood red in the waterfalls, while the mountaintop gradually became cleaner. No whiff of the stench of blood remained. Was this scene created by the might of heaven or from the Grandmasters’ astonishing battle?

In reality, it was the might of heaven. The dome above Dong Mountain was slowly revealing its true appearance. The thick, black clouds were blown by powerful winds and moved at a speed observable to the naked eye as they headed west inland. A patch of bright and clear sunlight descended onto the mountaintop and onto the bodies of the most powerful warriors standing by the precipice.

He was the most powerful person in the world, bar none.

No one called him by his name because he was the Emperor of Qing Kingdom, the most powerful country in the world. He was once a general who had led three expeditions to the North and forcefully shattered the Wei Kingdom, a general that completely changed the shape of territories. He was skilled in using monarchical schemes. He was the best at silently enduring, and he was the toughest conspirator.

These three identities were enough to title him as the most powerful in the world. Yet, at the very end of the Dong Mountain attack, it exposed his last identity.

The most mysterious of the four Great Grandmasters. The strange creature that was rumored to tirelessly guard the Qing Palace. The Great Grandmaster that had forced Sigu Jian to retreat through Tyrannical power when he had entered Jingdou alone and, thus, indirectly proved his existence.

It was the Emperor of Qing Kingdom.

This was the Emperor’s final trump card. Fan Xian had once wondered on what basis was the Emperor’s powerful self-confidence and naturally flowing presence built on? Many people had guessed at the Emperor’s trump card. In the last moment, Fan Xian had guessed the Ye family. He would never have guessed that the words “Grandmaster” would be written on the back of this trump card.

…

…

Hong Siyang was only a cover. He was a flagpole the Royal Palace had extended from the back. Fluttering gently in the wind at night, it drew the gazes of all the wise men. Without question, the old eunuch was indeed a powerful warrior of this world. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to kill the Hu assassin with one strike in the Hanging Temple. However, it was difficult for a not-whole person to reach the peak of the heavenly way.

For the sake of killing Ku He and Sigu Jian in one go, the Qing Emperor and Eunuch Hong had worked hard and been careful about this huge setup. They had played their roles for a full 20 years.

At this time, Eunuch Hong had already gloriously completed his mission of 20 years and dissolved into a fog of blood, rinsed by the storm and cleansed by the breeze. He entered the East Sea through the white waterfall and the moist air of the woods, and soothed the earth. His life force, flesh, and blood had melded with the beautiful water and lands of Qing Kingdom, impossible to separate again.

Watching the middle-aged man in the bright-yellow dragon robe, the people who had, fortunately, survived all sank into an endless and boundless shock. Everyone’s throat seemed to be squeezed by an invisible hand, unable to make a single sound.

Without question, the truth that was revealed today on the summit of Dong Mountain was the most astonishing and earth-shattering news since the sudden death of the mistress of the Ye family 20 years ago.

The buzzing of the clock in the rubble of the ancient temple gradually grew weaker and eventually fell silent.

Beside the large tree, which had shattered into countless wooden shards, the Northern Qi Imperial Advisor Ku He, in his torn hemp clothing, calmly watched the Qing Emperor standing beside the precipice with a clear light shining through his eyes. The ruthless Tyrannical zhenqi in his body finally calmed as the clock fell silent. He knew that his internal organs and 13 meridians had already been turned into a formless mass by this wave of zhenqi.

Not even a temple could save him.

Understanding the reality, he immediately accepted it. The dignity and state of mind of a Great Grandmaster made Imperial Advisor Ku He’s expression calm. He looked at the Qing Emperor and gently sighed. His eyes had already seen through everything clearly. Everyone had failed. They were defeated by the opponent’s 20 years of endurance and pretense.

This was a terrifying yet respectful opponent. To be able to endure silently for so long and not have a single person catch wind of it, Ku He felt that this was even more admirable than the shocking truth of the Qing Emperor being a Great Grandmaster.

Ku He involuntarily thought of the many conversations he had with the empress dowager and Emperor before he left Shangjing. At that time, that grandson of his had received some inauspicious signs. However, Ku He still came because he and Sigu Jian had made abundant preparations.

These two Great Grandmasters had not expected for the Emperor to attack.

“Clever calculations and intrigues bring nothing but one’s own doom…” Ku He sighed gently. The smile that acknowledged his fate rose to his face. He involuntarily and quietly said the words that Fan Xian had recorded in a book. When it came to tenacity and silent endurance, no one of the tens of thousands of people in this world could compare to the Qing Emperor. Imperial Advisor Ku He felt no regret losing to such an opponent, even though he felt a sliver of worry for his homeland.

…

…

Just as the Emperor was going to attack, Wu Zhu grasped the metal drill tightly in his and immediately released it. He did this three times until he finally let go of the metal drill and placed his hands behind his back. The black cloth on his face fluttered in the wind and rain as they blew across his face. During the battle, everyone on the summit knelt on the ground and used the trembling of their bodies to express their fear and respect. Only he stood woodenly, watching it all with cold eyes.

Ku He sat by the tree. Sigu Jian sounded the bell. Wu Zhu turned his head slightly. The corner of his lips twitched slightly and involuntarily on his usually emotionless face.

The truth of the Emperor being a Great Grandmaster would bring great shock to the entire world. Wu Zhu still only tilted his head slightly and calmly watched the Emperor through the layer of black cloth as if he was looking at a strange object. He did not look at him like the sun in the sky.

In this instant, Wu Zhu seemed to remember something but then forgot it immediately. With great rareness, his brows furrowed. He remembered something Chen Pingping had once said. After the assassination at the Hanging temple, Chen Pingping had smiled and said that he was going to have Wu Zhu watch a show, but it hadn’t happened in the end.

What show? A show where the Emperor turned into a Great Grandmaster? It looked like old cripple closets to the Emperor still managed to guess the secret that no one else in the world knew. But, why did he want Wu Zhu to watch this show?

Wu Zhu began to think. He had many things he wanted to ask the Emperor, but he didn’t know where to start. With a multitude of loose ends, he couldn’t pull out that one thread. Furthermore, Dong Mountain right now was not truly quiet. Although Ku He and Sigu Jian had received heavy injuries, they were not dead. Given the Emperor’s personality, since he had shown his last trump card, he would not overlook anything.

Wu Zhu cut off his thoughts and quietly took a step forward.

His one step made everyone present feel a glimmer of fear and terror. Although no one knew who this black-clothed mysterious figure was, the attitude of the Great Grandmasters earlier already demonstrated that he was an ace at the level of a Grandmaster. Under the present situation, if he exploded into action, then all four Great Grandmasters, including the Emperor, would probably fall into the bloody puddles.

Wu Zhu did not attack. He only looked at the Emperor calmly.

The true movement came from deep inside the ancient temple. In extreme ruins, the piece of yellow cloth that covered Sigu Jian suddenly moved as if someone was trying to stand up under it.

With one arm broken and his body struck by a powerful punch, could Sigu Jian stand up again? Was a Great Grandmaster’s body truly behind the bounds of a mortal person?

The Emperor’s eyes narrowed as he looked in that direction. Everyone followed the Emperor’s gaze. Ku He was not an exception. However, this Imperial Advisor only smiled tartly.

Someone tore the yellow cloth away with force. A blood-covered young man crawled out from underneath. As he coughed, he tore the yellow cloth into strips. His face was weighed down with an unswerving persistence. Although the cloth was full of blood, he didn’t show a glimmer of panic. He coughed endlessly, but he didn’t stop the movement of his hands.

All these eyes on Dong Mountain watched him, particularly the powerful figure who far surpassed the mortal realm. It was as if he couldn’t feel it at all. He only continued his actions with his head down. He wasn’t Sigu Jian. He was Sigu Jian’s last disciple, Thirteenth Wang.

Once Thirteenth Wang had decided on something, he went and did it. He never cared about what others thought or how they would obstruct him. Although he was a disciple of the Sword Hut, he listened to Fan Xian’s orders. He resisted the rebel soldiers at the mountain gate. Ye Liuyun had sent him flying out dozens of meters with one strike, yet he still bravely climbed to the summit.

He had been getting ready to finish his task when he saw his teacher get his right arm broken and struck to the ground.

Thus, he had stood up, torn apart the yellow cloth, and had placed his heavily injured teacher with a broken arm onto his back, securing him tightly with the strips of cloth. With a snap, his right hand chopped through a thin beam lying on the ground. He gripped it in his hand. Walking to the door of the ancient temple, he faced everyone on the summit.

Sigu Jian lay on his disciple’s body. There was already a miserable hole in this chest that was bloody and dripping. It landed on Thirteenth Wang’s body and then immediately fell to the ground.

There was a ruthless smile on his face, but the smile was very pleased. He was on the back of his favorite disciple.

The blood-covered Thirteenth Wang carried his blood-covered teacher on his back. The yellow strips of cloth were immediately dyed a bright red. He held the slender wooden beam in his hands. There was not a glimmer of fear on his face. He only stared ruthlessly through the yellow-robed middle-aged man.

His meaning was clear. He was going to carry Sigu Jian off the mountain, who was going to stop him?

…

…

In the mouths of later storytellers, the earth-shattering and future-affecting killing scenario on Dong Mountain was filled with many crafty changes ad killings. Those involved in this matter were all the most respected people in the world. The telling of the story was particularly exciting and stimulating. Each time, it would take more than three days and nights to finish it.

What was said during these three days and three nights was basically the events of a single second. Within this second, the Qing Emperor abruptly attacked. Ye Liuyun was heavily injured. Ku He and Sigu Jian were sentenced to death.

All of the storytellers forgot a relatively small player: Thirteenth Wang. It was because they didn’t know the truth of the ending on Dong Mountain and, at that time, Thirteenth Wang was an unremarkable person when compared to the Great Grandmasters.

Although the Qing Emperor had burned through a great deal of his essence and vital energy, given his Great Grandmaster realm, it would be the work of a moment if he wanted to kill Thirteenth Wang.

Thirteenth Wang, this small fry, was still not fearful. He stared viciously into the Qing Emperor’s eyes as he gripped the slender beam tightly in his hands. It was as if in the next moment, he was going to give the Emperor a beating with the wooden stick he had casually picked up.

Ye Liuyun, with a large wound in his abdomen, was sitting cross-legged not far from the Qing Emperor’s side circulating his power to heal himself. Looking at this scene, he couldn’t help a small smile of admiration from appearing at the corner of his lips. He sighed, “What an incredible young man.”

Sitting cross-legged below the remains of the tree, Ku He’s bitter smile also gradually became bright. Perhaps he was also thinking of his true final disciple, the one whose temperament was equal to nature, Haitang Duoduo. With a slight smile and an admiring sigh, he said, “Each generation there are talented people born. The change in natural law describes this.”

The Qing Emperor watched this unfamiliar young man calmly. A moment later, he smiled slightly. Then, he gently moved one step to the side, making way for Thirteenth Wang carrying Sigu Jian on his back. With his dignity as an Emperor and position as a Grandmaster, he actually made way for Thirteenth Wang.

On his dying breath, Sigu Jian opened his eyes with difficulty and glanced at the Emperor. A few bloody bubbles seeped out of his mouth. His wild violence could still be heard in his weak voice, “What do you think of my disciple?”

“Teacher, don’t speak anymore.”

Thirteenth Wang spoke coaxingly to his teacher like he was a child. After the Qing Emperor unexpectedly made way for him, he didn’t choose to immediately go down the mountain. Instead, in front of everyone’s astonished gaze, he walked up to the Qing Emperor and lowered his body to pick up something. He picked it up so naturally it was as if the Qing Emperor, with his ten thousand fathoms of radiance today, didn’t even exist.

What he picked up were Sigu Jian’s broken right arm and the normal sword.

With Sigu Jian on his back, the broken arm and sword in one hand, and the slender beam in the place of his usual green banner in his other hand, Thirteenth Wang disappeared on Dong Mountain’s stone path.

A moment later, there came the faint sound of Sigu Jian’s wild singing and crying, as well as a maniacal and sorrowful laugh. It echoed in the mountain and didn’t fade for a long time.

…

…

The Emperor could kill Thirteenth Wang, but he didn’t. This was not because he cherished talent. He knew of the connection between this young man and An Zhi. Sigu Jian’s cried and laughed because he knew this. In his last moments, the Grandmaster still wanted to see whether or not the Emperor would make a mistake.

The Emperor didn’t make a mistake. There was no need for him to destroy Dongyi’s future early and cause himself to be distanced from Qing Kingdom’s future. Although Thirteenth Wang’s persistence moved him slightly, he still did not think much about this young man.

He still had his old, wild confidence. After today, there would be no one who didn’t respect this kind of confidence.

The Emperor knew that Sigu Jian was dead for sure. He knew what kind of damage the full powered punch from the way of the Emperor would do. Even if Sigu Jian could extend his life slightly, what did a bed-ridden, heavily injured Great Grandmaster with one arm count for?

Of course, this was still not enough to explain why he would make way given his personality. When it came to his enemies, he always took the best opportunity to get rid of them completely. Fan Xian was not the real reason for his action.

The true reason the Emperor didn’t attack was because Wu Zhu had taken a step forward.

…

…

Sigu Jian was gone. Ku He was also gone. The Northern Qi’s Imperial Advisor had floated away to his own homeland, painfully awaiting the torture of his last few days. Four Great Grandmasters in the world. After this, two were gone. Finally, an earth-shattering change had happened to the difference in power between the three sides. The greatest obstacle to Qing Kingdom uniting the world no longer existed.

It was not until Ku He had also left the summit of Dong Mountain did Wu Zhu slowly take back his step—his silent threat.

The only person who dared to threaten the Qing Emperor and the world was Wu Zhu.

The Qing Emperor looked at him calmly and said, “Lao Wu, I need an explanation from you.”

In front of Wu Zhu, the Emperor referred to him as “Lao Wu” and did not refer to himself by his royal pronoun.

Wu Zhu slowly lowered his head and said, a moment later, “I don’t like it.”

This blind Grandmaster had been recovering on the summit of Dong Mountain for over a year. It seemed that he had remembered some things. He was talking more and more, and his expressions were becoming more and more varied. He was becoming like a normal person and beginning to have emotions that a normal person should have, such as likes and dislikes.

The expression of his emotions were rather extreme and did not match the indifferent present on his face. He disliked what he disliked. He cared nothing for the toils to unite the world. He cared nothing for the fact he had spent 20 years to create an astonishingly large setup. If he didn’t like it, it shouldn’t be done.

“The young master told me to protect your safety.” Wu Zhu raised his head and looked at the Emperor through the black cloth. “You are safe right now.”

It had been a few days since he referred to Fan Xian as young master.

The Qing Emperor’s expression was calm. There was not a trace of anger. He knew that when Lao Wu and Ye Qingmei had been in Dongyi, they had a past friendship with Sigu Jian. As for Ku He, he also knew that the young lady of the Fan family was still under his tutelage.

However, those two Great Grandmasters were useless and about to die. The Emperor was not worried about anything. He looked calmly at Wu Zhu and said, “Lao Wu, come back to the capital with me.”

Wu Zhu lowered his head and thought for a while. A moment later, he raised his head and said, “I have remembered some things, but I didn’t remember that the person was you.”

That person was the man who had once practiced the two scrolls of Unnamed Martial Secrets. When Fan Xian was small, Wu Zhu had once told him of this, but he didn’t remember who had once practiced it. It was only today that he remembered it was the Emperor of Qing Kingdom.

The black cloth on Wu Zhu’s face appeared particularly stiff. “Goodbye.”

This was said to the cross-legged and healing Ye Liuyun. After saying this, he held the metal drill at his side and calmly walked toward the stone steps to begin his descent down the mountain. He didn’t say a single extra word to the Emperor. He didn’t make a sign of farewell to the ancient temple he had lived in for more than a year before once again disappearing on the stone steps.

…

…

Everyone had left. Only the Emperor stood at the summit. Ku He and Sigu Jian were certain to die. His plan of many years had been realized. His great ambition of uniting the world could begin. However, there was not much joy on the Emperor’s face. He only stood there quietly, welcoming the sun in the sky and the slightly damp sea wind. He appeared somewhat isolated and lonely.

It was lonely to be at the top. Presently, it would be difficult to find someone in the world who could stand on equal footing with him. Regardless of who they were, they would feel some strange emotions at this moment.

This kind of emotion did not last for long.

Many people had survived on the mountaintop. Most of the officials who had come along for the worship had survived, as well as most of the Qing Temple priests. Although the Grandmasters battle was unspeakably profound, they had controlled it within a perfect boundary with unusual force, except for the final punch that shattered the temple.

It was only now that the people on the mountaintop shook off their shock. Even though their eyesight was not powerful enough to see what had happened in that instant, they at least knew one thing. The Emperor had won. Furthermore, the victory had been absolute. No matter the conspiracy, no one could stand against the Emperor’s might. The Qing Kingdom’s future would, without doubt, be like the red sun in the sky above the summit, never sinking.

Their faces were covered with tears and a wild joy. They knelt on the ground and saluted the Emperor.

Amidst the cheering, the Emperor stayed calm. His expression did not change at all. To Eunuch Yao standing right beside him, he said in a quiet voice, “Inform the foot of the mountain. Begin the attack.”

“Inform the Director and begin moving.”

“Yes.”

“Send a secret edict toward Yanjing and have Mei Zhili temporarily handle the political affairs. The Western camp is pressing toward the Song boundary, so have the general secretly take the earlier edict to the Northern Expedition Camp in Cangzhou to take over the Northern Expedition Army.”

“Yes.”

“Tell Xue Qing to choose a few capable officials and go to Luozhou… Tell him, I will wait for him in He Yongzhi’s manor.”

“Yes.”

The Emperor did not let the victory go to his head. He coolly gave order after order. The news for Chen Pingping had to get there the earliest. He had to control the Northern Expedition Army. As for Dongshan Road…

Eunuch Hao acknowledged everything with his head down while his heart felt chilled. It was impossible that Dongshan Road did not know of such a wicked thing as surrounding Dong Mountain. Governor He had probably long since joined the Eldest Princess’s side.

It looked like the first Governor to die by violence since the inception of Qing Kingdom would be He Yongzhi. The Emperor would probably purge the entirety of Dongshan Road. No wonder the Emperor wanted Xue Qing to send capable officials all the way from Jiangnan.

After laying out all of this with great steadiness and reason, the Qing Emperor finally let out a slow breath and smiled self-mockingly as he shook his head. He approached Ye Liuyun and respectfully bowed, “You’ve worked hard, Uncle Liuyun.”

Without waiting for Ye Liuyun to return the bow, he had already straightened his body. He gazed in a daze at the ground that had been washed clean. Hong Siyang had died there, yet there was not a single trace left behind. For a higher purpose, countless people would voluntarily or otherwise sacrifice their own lives.

Eunuch Hong was worthy of the Qing Emperor’s bow.

The scene was a sorry sight. There were many things the internal court had to prepare. Eunuch Yao led the still soft-legged officials into a side room still standing and moved out some things. He then began to write and stamp. The Emperor’s royal seal had already been taken by Sir Fan junior, but the Emperor still had his personal seal. Since they were secret edicts, the personal seal was even more effective.

After the initial wash down from the storm, Dong Mountain welcomed a clear day. A few white pigeons cooed and flew away from the mountaintop. They made a few circles in the cerulean sky and then flew away in all directions. The news they carried was not that of the receding floods or orders for peace. They were delivering the will of a powerful monarch.

The flat summit of Dong Mountain had been quiet until now. Abruptly, there came a giant boom. It didn’t shake up any sand and rocks. It shook up some water and flowers. In the center of the summit, the ground sank down nine meters as if a god had struck there with a hammer.

The true effect of the Great Grandmasters battle only revealed its scary and terrifying nature now. The exchange of powers and vital energy formed through pressure had seeped into the heaven and earth and clashed head-on with nature, changing the shape of the earth.

The Emperor did not look at the massive crater. He only raised his head and looked at the white pigeons dancing in the sky as they flew further and further. His face was calm and incomparably confident.