"Gone?"
In the Divine Brilliance Sect’s Main Hall, Li Shentong stood with his hands clasped behind him, quietly observing in front of his ancestor’s portrait. Situ Xiao, who acted wantonly and drank to his heart’s content outside, dared not even breathe heavily in front of his master. Standing honestly behind him, he replied, "Master, not long after you left, he just up and went. He didn’t even drink his wine, fidgeting like he was sitting on pins and needles."
"Did he give sothing to you, and did you reciprocate?"
Situ Xiao replied a bit helplessly, "Yes, he didn’t even look at it, just stuffed it straight into his pocket."
Li Shentong seed puzzled as well, then suddenly laughed out loud, "Interesting. But it doesn’t matter. We offered what we had to offer, and if he throws it into the trash, that’s his business. The Divine Brilliance Sect owes no one."
What Situ Xiao gave Zhao Changhe was the core technique of Divine Brilliance Sect’s horizontal body refining—a technique fundantal to the sect.
It was obviously to repay Zhao Changhe for the healing physique he had casually given, without owing any favors. As for whether horizontal body refining would be of any use to him, that didn’t matter—the value was there.
One casually gave away a Second Layer Secret Technique, while the other readily traded a fundantal sect technique. Yet neither party truly cared about it, not even taking their own master seriously.
"Talking about striding with a long saber on one’s shoulder and hanging a wine flask at the waist, very Worldly Society... He has a heart for chivalry, but unfortunately, it’s not his role to play. The man is at the center of the storm, yet he’s soone with a strong sense of responsibility and intense loyalty. It’s not easy for him to live freely among the Worldly Society," laughed Li Shentong. "The image he describes actually suits you quite well."
Situ Xiao fell silent for a mont, then sighed, "Is that still possible now?"
"Why wouldn’t it be?"
"Now, with my identity..."
"What rubbish identity do you have? Young Master of Shu Territory?"
"Er, I didn’t an it that way. I ant others might treat it as... Er, seems like they won’t, actually..."
After all, he was already the young master of the most powerful sect. What difference would it make to wander the Worldly Society as the young master of Shu Territory? Those who should be wary of you would remain so, and those who wished to be your enemy would still do so.
The only difference was that Great Xia’s officialdom, once a friendly party, had now beco the adversary... But with Great Xia catching fire from all sides, perhaps the officials wouldn’t be able to manage anything...
Thinking this, Situ Xiao scratched his head. After all this trouble, instigating a rebellion had made nearly no difference?
Looking at his master, there really was no difference. His master didn’t go into battle or deal with affairs, still staying in the main hall as always, still appearing to be the Sect Master of Divine Brilliance.
"Do you know why I’ve been putting up with that bastard Zhai Muzhi all this ti?" Li Shentong suddenly asked.
"Isn’t it out of consideration for Snow Eagle?"
"That’s one aspect, but it’s not decisive. It’s just one of the factors... That guy really is tough. I originally thought this sewer rat would be crushed like a bug in the sunlight, but it turns out it’s not that easy. Face-to-face, he’s no match for , but if he wants to run, I can’t stop or catch him. Sixth on the Heavenly List is truly formidable, and his ranking in the Chaotic World Book is no mistake."
Situ Xiao said, "If such a character were to attempt an assassination..."
Li Shentong dismissed the idea with disdain, "He wouldn’t dare. Even if he could escape ten tis, a hundred tis, just once he gets wounded by , I’ll squeeze the shit out of him. A character used to hiding in the shadows won’t put himself at risk."
Situ Xiao nodded but didn’t ask what we would do if he tried to assassinate us.
If soone ranked sixth on the Heavenly List played such a ga, he’d lose all his dignity. If risking one’s life could drag the prestige of the sixth rank in the mud, that would be amusing.
He was more interested in the other reasons Li Shentong had endured Zhai Muzhi: "Snow Eagle is just one of the reasons. What are the others?"
"Do you want to hear?"
Situ Xiao was straightforward: "I do."
"The first reason...Yuxu and I suspect that Xia Longyuan is not helpless in controlling the chaos of the world due to being occupied elsewhere, nor is it because he can’t be bothered, simply watching the monkey show... It’s highly likely that Xia Longyuan wished to see this outco from the start."
Situ Xiao was shocked: "Why? It’s his own empire!"
"The reason is unknown, but this is the most sensible explanation. Everything else is hard to justify," Li Shentong mused calmly. "If so, he’s waiting for to rebel... What do you think, should I just oblige him?"
Situ Xiao spoke out loud, "Just do it. What’s there to hesitate about!"
Finally, Li Shentong looked away from his ancestor’s portrait and turned to his apprentice: "Why?"
Situ Xiao said, "If practicing martial arts doesn’t allow us to protect people, to behead those dogs we can’t stand, then why are we practicing? You have to do what you think is right. Who cares what that Xia thinks, that’s none of our business."
A smile appeared on Li Shentong’s sowhat unsightly face, and he patted his apprentice on the shoulder, "The second reason, you and I can kill the Governor and County Magistrate, throw every noble family in Shu into the Jinsha River, but what then? Do you know how to make life better for the people of Shu?"
The previously confident Situ Xiao opened his mouth, but only after a long ti mumbled, "It’s hard to find a two-legged frog, but officials are aplenty, aren’t they? We’ll take care of protecting the territory and the people. For everything else, we’ll find sobody capable. We’ll oversee, and if they dare to pull any stunts..."
"Are you sure?"
"Well... mostly, I guess!"
"Good, you’ll be in charge of that."
Situ Xiao: "???"
"Don’t think your teacher is setting you up... I have much more to do."
"Do you an looking at our ancestor’s portrait here?"
Li Shentong raised his palm, and Situ Xiao dodged.
"Now that righteous armies are rising everywhere, how many are genuine, and how many are opportunists? How many are willing to swear fealty to you and , and how many want to carve out their own domain? Rebellion, rebellion, it sounds easy, but troubles are piling up. Would you rather handle all that? Shall we switch?"
After thinking for a long ti, Situ Xiao said, "Let’s switch."
"Then do it, old man’s got your back," Li Shentong slowly left the great hall, sighing softly, "To long for the life of chivalry and not be able to follow it, how could Zhao Changhe be the only one?"
Situ Xiao twitched the corner of his mouth, grateful that he, unlike those shabby masters who fight with their apprentices, was spiritually aware.
June, Shi Tieshi, an Elder of the Divine Brilliance Sect, led his forces to break through Chengdu.
Situ Xiao swept through Ba Shu, his sword taking down over a hundred and seventy bandits and chaotic soldiers, subduing more than twenty different righteous armies, his might shook the Southwest, and the Shu Territory gradually settled.
The Chaotic World Book would not record such "bullying of the weak"; no one knew how many injuries this man had suffered or if he had nearly faced death.
Instead, it would only appear in reports from the Demon Suppression Departnt, delivered to the Capital, arriving on Tang Wanju’s desk.
"Ba Shu is no longer part of Great Xia..." Days later, Tang Wanju gently caressed the report, whispering to herself, "But why do I feel a sense of relief..."
Bao Qin said, "Miss didn’t raise a bear, but he has sohow raised you."
With a "plop," the window opened, and a little maid, curled into a ball, was thrown into the pond.
"Head, Head, it’s terrible!" cried a confidant from the Demon Suppression Departnt from outside, "Great turmoil in Jianghuai, Wan Tianxiong has rebelled!"
Tang Wanju’s face remained expressionless, "I know."
"Head, Head! Wang Daoning’s forces have advanced into Hebei, fighting between the Cui and Wang in Puyang!"
Tang Wanju looked out at the peaceful scene outside the window. Just a few days ago, she had tearfully requested Xia Longyuan to first capture the Wang Family’s power in the Capital, but all had been quiet so far, with nothing happening.
Tang Wanju suddenly felt dizzy and started to cough violently.
Looking at her open palm, it was full of bloody traces.
Zhao Changhe had finally stabilized her condition, which had rapidly worsened within just a few days.
...
At this mont, Zhao Changhe was racing on horseback from Southern Sichuan towards the Jinsha River, planning to board a ship and follow the river to the Witches’ Gorge. In any case, whether he found them first or later, heading to the Blood God Sect would be en route as he left the Shu region.
The aura of war in a world of chaos made Zhao Changhe realize the significance of the title ’Saint Heir’ of the Blood God Sect, which he had once not taken to heart, was now imnse.
In such tis, the value of having a fundantal power base was far more important than the personal military power of the Second Layer Secret Treasure.
Sisi might count as his base, but she was too far away, beyond reach. The Blood God Sect, although not nurous, were the true elites occupying key locations. After several battles, they had beco more like a regular army and were still stationed in Xiangyang, holding significant influence.
Perhaps they should be considered under the Four Symbols Sect, and in this ti of rebellion, shouldn’t they share a part? Or should they remain inactive, ready to respond when needed as a piece in play? It was not suitable for him to openly pull them away, causing unnecessary conflict with the Four Symbols Sect.
But undertaking so actions that didn’t conflict with the Four Symbols Sect’s stance, the Vermilion Bird Venerable would probably not object. After all, he was considered the "Room Fire Pig," and since Zhao Changhe was instruntal in establishing the Blood God Sect’s "official standing," the Vermilion Bird would likely acknowledge his right to command the sect to a certain extent; otherwise, it would not look good.
Since the Four Symbols Sect and the Wang Family were currently allies, would pulling the Blood God Sect to fight the Wang Family be considered a conflict of interest?
Zhao Changhe knew it was a minor issue.
No matter the alliance, once each started their operations, it beca a stance of guarding against each other despite being allies, as countless historical examples have shown. Moreover, Zhao Changhe knew that Vermilion Bird’s relationship with the Wang Family was purely mutual exploitation and that they were bound to turn against each other eventually. With the right coordination, the Vermilion Bird might even be pleased in secret.
It might be inappropriate for Wan Tianxiong to clash with the Wang Family so early in the rebellion. Isn’t this how rebellions are done? But the Blood God Sect could, because Wang Daozhong knew that the Saint Heir of the Blood God Sect was him, Zhao Changhe. The Blood God Sect could do anything, and the Vermilion Bird could always shirk the bla onto "that good-for-nothing Zhao Changhe."
Of course, figuring out how to coordinate this is still a headache... If the Cui and Wang clash, the Four Symbols Sect would certainly love to see that, but he needed to support the Cui Family, how would he coordinate this...
It was all a tangled ss.
He didn’t have the mind to think so much at the mont; he’d see Xue Canghai first and talk about it then. He was already carrying items ant for Xue Canghai; his visit couldn’t have been more tily. Xue Canghai wouldn’t dare to disobey the Saint Heir, or he would lose the items.
After several days of hard riding, he finally reached the riverside. Zhao Changhe anxiously scanned the waters, unable to find a boat for a good while.
"Blind Blind, what realm allows one to fly? I don’t see those on the Heavenly List as being capable of flying; at most hovering or dancing in the air? Or maybe their Qinggong allows them to fly across greater distances, still not enough to truly be called flying," he wondered.
"Why are you asking when you already know?"
"I’m asking which realm enables one to... That can’t be a secret that cannot be revealed, right?"
"Do you have to be so clueless? Since you already know about the Third Layer Secret Treasure’s ability to hover, isn’t the next stage naturally flying?"
"Imperial Realm?"
"The word ’Imperial’ inherently implies controlling the wind. It’s still a bit far for you now, but keep it up, little brother," ca the retort.
Zhao Changhe watched a ferryboat appearing in the distance, he sighed without responding.
Like a frog in slowly boiling water, from the blind man’s "I’m not your walkthrough," through various stages of silence or cryptic responses, it had now beco that simply calling out "Blind Blind" and asking a question instinctively provoked an answer... Wasn’t that quite good?
The Imperial Realm was the sa... Was it far?
Probably not.
The Second Layer Secret Treasure focused on "controlling Evil Qi," which in itself was a form of "Imperial."
Each stage was progressive, all on the sa path but different milestones.
Step by step, reaching the control of heaven and earth.
————
PS: Begging for monthly tickets, sob sob sob...
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