Rise of Humanity

Zhong Yue was surprised once again, but he did not drop his cup and he asked, “Why?”

The prince replied with a smile, “I may be just a regular person but I too, know quite a lot. Brother Zhong was about to signal Eighteen Emperors of Heavenly Cloud by dropping your cup as soon as things went sideways. Such things are rather common among those in the palace.”

With a laugh, Zhong Yue said, “Then perhaps I should use the teapot instead of cup then. I know that I won’t be able to fool your highness. However, little did I know that the White Wu Chang Emissary Tian Zheng is Helian Tianzheng. My prince, what do you have to teach me this time?”

Upon seeing Zhong Yue purposely avoided himself from talking about the signaling and the revelation of Helian Tianzheng, the prince couldn’t help but to praise, “Brother Zhong, you are not one to be underestimated. You are ambitious and so daring that you actually hijacked the prison another time! I failed to identify you at first but ever since the second incident, you left behind too many trails and that made it easy to find you.”

Zhong Yue nodded and he sighed, “You wouldn’t be able to expose my cover if I hadn’t performed the [Dragon Shears] in front of you.”

“But that was just a tiny flaw. If you didn’t perform the [Dragon Shears], no one will be able to find out, not even my father. He was suspicious of you but you managed to extricate yourself away from that mess rather cleanly. Brother Zhong, you should know that if I wanted to, I would’ve reported you to my father right away instead of visiting you. You, after all, provided me with great help, which is also why I came to see you.”

“What are you suggesting?” asked Zhong Yue after he kept quiet for a while.

Helian Tianzheng said, “It is not easy to be the son of the Realm Monarch. With the temptation of power, the children of the great and honor Realm Monarch fight with each other with no mercy and with just one wrong step, one will be plunged into the abyss. Who said the son of the Realm Monarch will definitely become the next Realm Monarch? The throne can only be claimed by those capable enough. But still, the children of Realm Monarch were still fighting fiercely for the throne.”

He lamented, “My mother was a lady from an ordinary family. She loyally remained by his side back in the days where he was still a wanted criminal and after my father succeeded in claiming the throne, he made my mother the queen. Before he claimed his throne, my mother refused to have a child in fear of burdening him and when she finally had a child with him, there were already too many wives that divided his love to her. Because she came from an ordinary family, she had no strength and power and one day, she died just like that, there were no signs at all and the murderer was not even found even until now. My father was angry but for some reason, he stopped investigating into this matter and everyone seemed to have forgotten about this. Perhaps, my father was wary of the murderer’s family power; thus, zero action was taken in this matter.”

He added, “You wouldn’t know how much I’ve been through to stay alive. When my mother died, I was only four years old and from then until I was eight years old, I had already experienced 215 assassination attempts and escaped death for god knows how many times. Things happened and if it wasn’t because of a court lady that told me that I was too smart, I wouldn’t even know why did all of these happen to me.”

With a mocking smile, he laughed and said again, “My brothers and sisters all had the support of their grandparents and unlike them, I was alone without any help. I was forced to play dumb and pretend that I was just an average person. I acted too stupid, my father would simply give up on me, and if I performed too brilliantly, I would become a target for my supportive siblings.”

“Thus, when I was the White Wu Chang Emissary Tian Zheng, I stole the Book of Life and Death in order to hold my own fate and destiny firmly in my own hands. This was also the reason why I came here to thank you instead of exposing you.” Helian Tianzheng’s voice was monotone and carried an eerie calmness, “Sometimes, I hated that I was born in the royal family. If I was born in some other family, my mother would still be alive and she would be living happily. But each time after calming myself down, I always tell myself that I must live, swallow everything down my throat, control my own fate and protect my mother’s kin. So tell me, Brother Zhong, if you were me, what would you do?”

Zhong Yue kept quiet at his question.

Facing numerous attempts on his life time and time again, he also understood that what Helian Tianzheng went through was more than what he expected.

If he were in the shoes of the prince, Zhong Yue was not even sure if he could still be alive by now.

If he was the prince, he would definitely help Zhong Yue stay hidden, since if he reported Zhong Yue, then that merit would attract too much attention to himself.

Thus, the best way was to visit Zhong Yue and tell him that his cover was blown but instead of exposing him. He would help Zhong Yue remain hidden in the dark and gain his friendship. With the Eighteen Emperors of Heavenly Cloud loyally serving him, his own potentials and his importance in the eyes of Realm Monarch, Zhong Yue was someone bound to become a major figure in the future. Striking up a relationship with him while he was still making a name for himself was something he stood to gain a lot from.

Though this was not said by Helian Tianzheng, Zhong Yue knew this deep down in his heart.

After a moment of silence, Helian Tianzheng looked at Zhong Yue with clear eyes, “What do you think, Brother Zhong?”

Zhong Yue put up a serious expression and he said, “But there is one thing my prince need to know. As the sworn brother of King Geng, when he returns for his revenge, I will be on his side, so, are you sure about not reporting me?”

“Back then when my mother was murdered, if my father was more determined and bold enough, I wouldn’t even be here. However, I do not think that King Geng is a match for my father. He is a brave man, but he lacks my father’s cunning and guile.”

“You still haven’t answered my question…” Zhong Yue pushed.

With some hesitation, Helian Tianzheng said, “I will avenge my mother, then my father.”

Zhong Yue raised his cup at Helian Tianzheng after hearing his reply and said, “If so, then I will be your shield and I will ensure your safety in the palace.”

The two then had a toast before Helian Tianzheng left.

After Zhong Yue sent him off, Heavenly King Lu asked, “King Zhong, the 17th prince wants to avenge his mother? If so, he would make a good ally with as his mother’s murderer and King Geng’s enemy is the same person.”

Zhong Yue was stunned by this news and he shouted, “Are you saying that it was the Realm Monarch that killed his mother? Shouldn’t it be the current Queen that did it? Judging from what he said, Helian Tianzheng suspected the current queen for killing his mother in order to become the new queen! How is this the doing of Helian Yunshan himself?”

Heavenly King Lu shook his head and said, “King Zhong, you have yet to see how cruel this world can be. Back then when he won the throne, King Geng was unhappy with him so he fought with him. During the fight for the throne, Helian Yunshan was slowly losing the upper hand and at that time, he needed a strong ally to aid him in his fight, thus, he sought help from the Shi Clan, whose clan master was Queen Shi Ji.”

“I remember this. When King Geng heard that Helian Yunshan went to the Shi Clan, he said that the Queen is dead and that he pitied the lady that remained by Helian Yunshan’s side throughout the harsh time without any complaint. Sometime after that, the Queen passed away without a sign. We had little idea how King Geng was privy to the truth of the matter beforehand,” said Celestial Emperor Qian Shan.

Demon Empress Bi’er added, “Then, Queen Shi Ji entered the palace and became the new Queen. Come to think of it, before Queen Shi Ji entered the palace, she wouldn’t be able to fight for the title of the Queen with the old Queen. Helian Yunshan, on the other hand, had no power on his side and in order to win over Shi Clan’s support, he had to offer something valuable to move them and it seems like this something valuable was the title of Queen….”

Zhong Yue shivered and immediately, he pitied Helian Tianzheng as he said again, “Why didn’t you tell him just now?”

“We were afraid of him losing his temper.”

“If that happened, he will fail to keep the cover he maintained all the while in front of Helian Yunshan, which could prove to be fatal to him. Helian Yunshan is a man with cold blood that would even kill his wife who faithfully followed him through his harrowing journey to the throne. He wouldn’t even blink about killing one of his many sons.”

Zhong Yue remained silent upon receiving this reply before he said, “So this is the king’s way?”

Heavenly King Lu burst out laughing and said with a loud voice, “King Zhong, this is definitely not the king’s way! A leader must be a man of virtue. A leader is someone who cares for his people and takes responsibility for educating them. He must be a man of pure heart and iron will. Helian Yunshan is not a king… he is a tyrant!”

The tyrant’s ways, the king’s way?

Zhong Yue murmured and suddenly, he felt that a cloud had cleared in his mind.

However, Xin Huo popped out of nowhere and ranted, “Don’t listen to this old blind man. Whatever way produces the desired result is the best way. If it is for the rise of Fuxi Clan, I am more than willing to become the destroyer of all worlds! The Fuxi Celestial Race is in the verge of extinction, there is only one and a half Fuxis remaining, and if you plan on being someone righteous and virtuous, then we will go extinct in no time!”

Zhong Yue was stunned and he felt very conflicted on who was right, Xin Huo or Heavenly King Lu?

If it’s for the Fuxi Celestial Race, perhaps, I will go to the most extreme extent if need be. But there must always be a line that one cannot cross….

He thought, Should I walk within the good, the evil, the light or the dark? Celestials, demons, Yin, Yang, good and bad deeds, black and white… or are all of these just two sides of the same coin—the art of Yi, the adaptation to changes, the Fuxi’s way!

He raised his head and stared into the distant skies where winds and clouds constantly shifted. He looked at the sun and moon whose rise and fall cyclically alternated to produce day and night.

This era was the darkest time for the Fuxi Celestial Race and as the half of the one and the half Fuxi remaining, he walked within the dark where enemies lurk in search for a bright future for the Fuxi Celestial Race.

In dark times, the measures required must also be dark; only with such methods can win against his enemies in the dark!

“Xin Huo, has anyone of your inheritors stood in the same situation as me?” asked Zhong Yue.

“No. This dark time you’re in, I’ve not seen it, not even in the Flame Order Era and any other. I’ve never seen this and never even thought of this. Brat Yue, to be honest….”

He hesitated and said, “Zhong Yue, this burden was never yours to bear. You were never a pureblooded Fuxi. I only made you one, all you have to do is just give birth to a true Fuxi for me.”

“And give that burden to my sons and daughters?”

Zhong Yue laughed loudly and as he placed his hands behind his back, he said calmly, “Why should that be the case? I’ll just settle everything here and now.”