At the summit of Datong Mountain, the scene was, as usual, shrouded in clouds and mist.
Zhuge Longsu ascended to the peak only to find that his teacher, in an uncharacteristic move, had taken on the form of an "avatar" of Vast Righteous Qi, standing at the edge and gazing towards the Divine Capital in the distance.
If one were to be specific, Zhuge Longsu could tell that his teacher was looking towards the Imperial Palace and Yangxin Hall, at soone inside there.
This was a rare sight, not only because ng Shanhe usually waited for Zhuge Longsu to arrive before forming an avatar with his ’Vast Righteous Qi’ that dispersed into clouds and mist for their eting but also because Zhuge Longsu seldom saw his teacher so sentintal and lancholic.
"I never expected His Majesty to have fallen so far," said ng Shanhe, hands behind his back, speaking indifferently with his back to Zhuge Longsu.
"Teacher, you know already?" Zhuge Longsu was both surprised and felt it was to be expected.
He had co to report about Feng Tianming’s plan to use the Nirvana Ceremony.
After the list of Heavenly materials and earth treasures that went missing from the Royal Secret Vaults was known through Si Haofeng’s investigation, without needing to ask ng Shanhe, Zhuge Longsu had already deduced that Feng Tianming intended to use the Nirvana Ceremony to extend his life.
"Emperor Star’s strange movents cannot be concealed from ," ng Shanhe continued to look towards the distant Imperial Palace and said, "Moreover, Ming Xiao disguised as a man to attend classes here and could be considered my student as well.
A month ago, within the Imperial Palace, Ming Xiao’s aura suddenly surged to the heavens and then, in an instant, beca silent without trace. Such movents naturally could not escape my attention nor could I ignore them without investigation."
"Teacher, if you already knew so early on, why didn’t you stop His Majesty’s evil deeds?"
Zhuge Longsu was genuinely astounded; he had thought his teacher had realized from the recent disturbances, but he never imagined that his teacher had already sensed Feng Tianming’s malicious acts at the ti Feng Mingxiao was being plotted against.
But if that was the case, why didn’t the teacher imdiately intervene?
Was it because of the Confucian principle of not getting involved in politics?
No, it wasn’t that.
Zhuge Longsu knew his teacher, though aged, was certainly not the kind of rigid antiquarian who was incapable of adapting. If it was necessary, let alone getting involved in politics, it would also be within reason to personally take command and give orders.
Zhuge Longsu looked at his teacher with eyes seeking confirmation, and ng Shanhe clearly felt it.
He heard him say, "If it were not for this, Ming Xiao would not be able to overco the hurdle of kinship. She would still harbor hope for His Majesty, and such hope would be extrely detrintal for Northern Zhou."
"Great turmoil is approaching, and Northern Zhou needs a true Emperor, one who can bring benefits to the country rather than gamble the nation for personal gain."
’And we don’t need an emperor who won’t abdicate even as he lies dying in his bed.’ Zhuge Longsu silently added this line in his heart.
Regarding Emperor Feng Tianming, Zhuge Longsu could only say he was born in the wrong place.
If he had been born into the Daqian Royal Family, with their imnsely profound foundation supporting him, Feng Tianming might well have been able to bring Northern Zhou under Daqian’s dominion.
Unfortunately, Feng Tianming was born into the Feng Family of the Northern Zhou Imperial Family.
This unstable country, propped up solely by ng Shanhe’s support, was really not suited for an emperor like Feng Tianming who caused trouble all day long.
His disregard for the strength of Northern Zhou and his various actions made Zhuge Longsu feel pained for Northern Zhou.
Not to ntion the events after the recent grand battle at Divine Capital, before the Laba Festival, for a re gimmick to force the Mountain River Academy to surrender the Emperor Martial Art, Feng Tianming secretly dispatched that old monster from the palace to aid General Yi Qianshan at Kuocang Pass. With the strength of the Divinity Realm, he confronted Bo Han of the Golden Wolf Han Court and annihilated an army of a hundred thousand.
Otherwise, why would General Yi Qianshan and Bo Han, having faced off at Kuocang Pass for many years, choose neither sooner nor later but precisely near the Laba Festival to suddenly slay Bo Han and also wipe out an army of a hundred thousand?
After this incident, the Golden Wolf Khan plotted to raise an army for revenge, but it was my own teacher who personally went to the grasslands, fought the Golden Wolf Khan, and forced him to retreat his troops.
So it’s said, the Emperor, who only thinks of causing trouble, would do well to abdicate early.
Hmm...
Given Feng Tianming’s nature, even if he abdicated, he would still cause trouble, so perhaps it would be better if he just died.
"Teacher, what should I do?" Zhuge Longsu directly asked.
"Observe quietly and wait for His Majesty to reveal his true face. The Academy does not involve itself in politics; it is best not to break this rule. Just ensure the survival of Ming Xiao and all the princes." ng Shanhe turned around and said.
As long as Feng Mingxiao is alive, the Nirvana Ceremony cannot succeed. Once Feng Tianming exposes his true face, he will surely be deserted by everyone, and that ti will not only be his abdication but also his death.
"The lives of all the princes? Teacher, are you saying the Sixth Prince will harm the other princes?" Zhuge Longsu asked.
Thinking of the Sixth Prince’s character, which was very much like His Majesty’s, it seed quite possible that such a thing could happen.
Especially since Si Haofeng inford that Feng Chaonan already knew about His Majesty’s awakening. Given his past actions, it was highly likely that he might take a desperate risk to eliminate all the princes and ascend the throne.
"Not the Sixth Prince, but His Majesty," ng Shanhe said, "that Forbidden Technique, because it goes against the natural order, is not recorded in the books of the Academy. The Nirvana Ceremony is not a guaranteed success, especially under the current condition of His Majesty’s fundantal injuries.
To succeed, it requires using that Forbidden Technique, using the essence blood of blood relatives as a catalyst, to share the excessive True Qi and Vitality, and then after surviving the dangerous period, absorb the essence blood of blood relatives to allow the True Qi and Vitality to flow back."
"This..." Zhuge Longsu was speechlessly shocked.
Feng Tianming had once again reset Zhuge Longsu’s understanding of him. When Feng Tianming ascended to the throne, there had been precedents of fratricide, so Zhuge Longsu wasn’t too surprised about the prospect of him plotting against his own sister’s life.
But Feng Tianming’s intention to use his own children as sacrifices deeply shocked Zhuge Longsu.
Although he had seen many families use their children as bargaining chips, it was the first ti Zhuge Longsu had encountered soone willing to personally kill their offspring for the sake of prolonging their own life.
And the number of offspring was not just one; Zhuge Longsu even speculated that Feng Tianming, to ensure a definite success, might tie all his offspring to the Nirvana Ceremony to increase his chances in the ritual.
"Northern Zhou must have a true Emperor," Zhuge Longsu declared decisively.
Feng Tianming’s actions truly chilled Zhuge Longsu’s heart. With the Emperor’s brutal nature, such sacrifices would not be a one-ti occurrence.
If he were to successfully co back to life, there would be no telling how many would suffer in the future.
"But teacher, where does the great chaos you ntioned co from?"
Zhuge Longsu suddenly rembered ng Shanhe’s previous ntion of a great chaos. Logically speaking, with Mountain River Academy and Great Zen Temple presiding over Northern Zhou, there should be no possibility of great chaos.
Moreover, even if there were great chaos, with the strength of both parties, they would be able to dissipate it into nothingness.
"Great chaos stems from the wild ambitions of man," ng Shanhe sighed deeply, "the ambition for longevity."
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