Although the words were an understatement lightly said, it caused all those around to
take in a harsh breath. Many had in their minds: you’re nothing more than a powerless
rubbish god, how could you be so shameless to say to the one Lang Qian Qiu, Martial
God of the East, that if you fight he’ll die for sure? What arrogance! It was like the
request for banishment was because fighting Lang Qian Qiu was beneath him. Pure
bullshit. Yet Lang Qian Qiu didn’t think his words were exaggerated at all. “I said, life
and death don’t matter! I don’t need you to let me off easy either!”
Xie Lian ignored him and reiterated his request to Jun Wu, “Pray my lord banish me to
the lesser realm.”
Shi Qing Xuan suddenly raised his arm, “Wait! I have more to say!”
“Speak, Wind Master.” Jun Wu said.
“Everyone here seemed to think His Highness Xian Le spilt the blood of YongAn royalty
for revenge. Yet, if it was revenge, then why did he let the Crown Prince of YongAn, His
Highness Tai Hua go? Logically, the one an avenger would want to cut down the most
should be the Crown Prince himself, am I wrong?”
It wasn’t that no one had thought of this detail, but no one had thought it necessary to
voice it either. Now that the Wind Master took the lead, some nodded their heads in
agreement. Shi Qing Xuan continued, “His Highness and I haven’t known each other for
long, but I did see with my own eyes him fighting head on against the scimitar E-Ming in
order to protect His Highness Tai Hua. Qian Qiu, if he regarded the YongAn monarchy
with hatred, why would he unnecessarily defend you against the blade?”
Hearing that Xie Lian faced E-Ming head on, both Feng Xin and Mu Qin stared at Xie
Lian. Around, there were whispers saying, “Maybe he was just feeling guilty”, but Shi
Qing Xuan immediately raised his voice to exclaim, “That was the weapon of
misfortune; the cursed blade! SO! I think this whole business is highly suspect!”
“I’m envious that His Royal Highness has gained the Lord Wind Master’s friendship to
defend him so.” Pei Ming said, “Too bad our Little Pei isn’t as fortunate.”
“General Pei, don’t muddy the waters.” Shi Qing Xuan said, “Can Little Pei’s case be
compared the same? I saw him commit crimes with my own eyes too, and heard with
my own ears his admission of said crimes.”
“Then isn’t that exactly the same as today?” Pei Ming argued, “His Highness Tai Hua
saw him commit crimes, and heard him admit to said crimes with his own ears. How is
that any different?”
Shi Qing Xuan grew furious and was about to argue back when Xie Lian held him back,
“Lord Wind Master, thank you, I am in your debt. But please let this go.”
Shi Qing Xuan himself hadn’t thought of a good comeback against Pei Ming yet, so he
only pointed at him but no more words came out.
Finally, Jun Wu spoke, his tone tranquil. “Everyone please calm down.”
His voice wasn’t particularly loud, very serene, yet everyone within the Great Martial
Hall heard his words clearly, and they all stood back to position. Once the hall quieted
down, Jun Wu spoke again, “Tai Hua, your actions have always been impulsive. When
situations arise, one mustn’t be rash; listen calmly, assess, and then evaluate once you
know the whole story.”
Lang Qian Qiu lowered his head to heed the lesson. Jun Wu continued, “Xian Le
refuses to give us that full story, so his request for banishment is denied. He will be
detained in the Palace of Xian Le, and I will personally interrogate him afterwards.
Before then, the two of you shan’t meet.”
It was a conclusion no one had expected.
Jun Wu actually shielded Xie Lian, the laughing stock of the three realms who had no
temples, no devotees, and no merits!
Lang Qian Qiu was the martial god who ruled the east; if he was unhappy with the
verdict, then what a losing business! Even then Jun Wu chose to shield Xie Lian…
didn’t that mean he’s still very much in favour?!
Many of the officials now saw where the wind was blowing, and decided mentally that
from now on they wouldn’t publicly mention the words “laughingstock of the three
realms”. Shi Qing Xuan let out a sigh of relief and loudly praised Jun Wu for his wisdom.
Lang Qian Qiu on the other hand, only stared at Xie Lian intently, “Whatever the lord
wishes to question, go ahead and question, but whatever the conclusion, I will still duel
him!”
With that, Lang Qian Qiu bowed to Jun Wu before he turned and left the hall. Jun Wu
waved his hand and a couple martial officials came forward to take Xie Lian away. As
they passed by Shi Qing Xuan, Xie Lian spoke in a soft voice, “Lord Wind Master,
thanks for everything. But if you must help me, don’t say anymore on my behalf, but can
I ask you to do two things for me?”
Shi Qing Xuan was still feeling bad about fanning the fire that burnt down Paradise
Manor, and wished dearly Xie Lian would ask him for anything, “Whatever you need.”
“The boy I settled in the side chambers, please take care of him.” Xie Lian said.
“Nothing I can’t do! What’s the second thing?” Shi Qing Xuan said.
“If General Pei still wants to make things difficult for Ban Yue in the future, please help
her out.”
“Of course.” Shi Qing Xuan replied, “I won’t let Pei Ming get his way. Where is she?”
“I’ve hidden her in a small pickle jar in my PuQi Shrine. If you have the time, please air
her out sometimes.” Xie Lian said.
“…”
After thanking the Wind Master, two heavenly officials brought Xie Lian before the
Palace of Xian Le before courteously excusing themselves.
“Thanks for your hard work.” Xie Lian bowed his head slightly.
Stepping through the front gates, Xie Lian closed the doors behind him. Looking around,
as he expected, not just appearance wise but all the facilities were exactly the same as
his previous palace. Last time he passed by he didn’t enter, never having guessed that
the first time he was to step foot in here would be due to detention. Not the best sign.
But after so much excitement of the past few days, his heart was tired, and Xie Lian
passed out immediately on the ground.
He dreamt of many things.
He seemed to be meditating with his eyes closed, when when he blinked open, he
found himself sitting in the lotus position before a desk, his black robes flowing on the
floor in layers around him, and on his face seemed to be a cold, heavy mask.
When he lowered his head, the sight before him was of a young boy sprawled over the
desk. The boy appeared to be fourteen or fifteen years of age, his attire distinguished,
his form strumming with life, but fast asleep.
He shook his head and walked over. Bending slightly, he knocked on the desk, “Your
Royal Highness.”
Maybe it was because of the cold mask, even his voice was cool. The boy finally woke
with a start. When he raised his eyes and saw him, he sat upright immediately in horror:
“G-G-G-Guoshi!!!!”
He said: “You fell asleep again. Copy the Ethics Scripture ten times as punishment.”
The Crown Prince cried in dismay: “Master, please no! Why don’t you have me run ten
laps around the palace as punishment?”
“Copy twenty times. Do it now, and write nicely.”
The Crown Prince seemed to fear him, and sat up properly to start writing. He then sat
back at his original position and continued to meditate.
Truthfully, everyone in the palace was a little scared of him. But this sense of distance
and oppressive power was created intentionally by him.
However, this Crown Prince may be too young, so he could never hold that sense of
fear for long. Not long after he started copying the scripture, he called out: “Master!”
He put down the book in hand, “What is it?”
“I’ve become skilled in all the sword techniques you taught me last time. Isn’t it time for
a new technique?” The Crown Prince said.
“Alright. What do you want to learn?” He said.
“I want to learn the technique you used to save me!” The Crown Prince exclaimed.
He contemplated for a bit and said: “That one? No.”
“Why?” The Crown Prince asked.
“That technique is impractical. At least it’s unsuitable for one in your position.” He
explained.
The Crown Prince didn’t understand: “But isn’t it convenient? Using one sword to
dissolve the power of two! You saved me with that technique!”
It was normal for the Crown Prince not to understand. He said: “Your royal highness, let
me ask you a question.”
“Ask!”
He said: “Once there were two people, eyes sunken red with hunger, and started
fighting in order to rob each other of food. In came a third person, and he wanted to stop
the fight. Do you think words would be effective in this situation?”
“…No, it’d be useless. They only want food, right?”
“That’s right. Because the root of the problem wasn’t solved, no one would listen to your
reason. Thus, the only way this third person can stop the fight was to provide what they
wanted. To give food from his own purse.”
The Crown Prince seemed to understand but not.
He continued: “The reasoning is the same. You must understand that the moment a
sword is unsheathed, someone will be hurt. When power is released, something must
receive it.”
“Thus, it was wrong for you to say I dissolved the force of two swords. Nothing was
dissolved; I absorbed their attacks. To stop an attack by hurting oneself is a foolish
technique, and only used when there are no other alternatives.”
“You’re an esteemed Crown Prince. You’ve no use for something of the sort.”
The Crown Prince continued to copy his scripture, but after a while, he face sunk with
thought.
He asked: “Did you have any other questions?”
After a moment of hesitation, the Crown Prince said: “One thing. Master, if the third
person didn’t have enough food, then what should be done?”
“…”
The Crown Prince continued: “If both of the hungry had gotten food but wanted more,
and fought harder because of greed, and sought more food from the third person, what
should be done?”
“What do you think?” He asked.
The Crown Prince pondered and said: “I don’t know… Maybe, he shouldn’t have
intercepted from the start.”
—
The Great Hall was gold. Everything was golden. However, at present, it all became
crimson.
Every golden banquet table sprawled a person. Their throats were pierced, their deaths
tragic.
His hand that held the sword wouldn’t stop shaking. The stately king was covered in
blood, his eyes red filled with pain and hatred. Next to his feet was the dead body of the
queen.
His sword in hand, he took one step after another and walked over. When the king
raised his head and saw him, he was dumbfounded. “Guoshi? You…?!”
A severely cold and cruel sword struck.
Right at the same time, he sensed something and turned his head immediately. The
young Crown Prince was just outside the door, standing amidst the corpses of guards.
The boy’s eyes were blank, as if wondering what he saw was reality or a dream. He
took a step and almost tripped on the threshold, his mind lost.
He pulled out his sword; blood splattered onto his black robes.
The Crown Prince didn’t trip on the threshold but tripped on the dead bodies on the
ground. He rushed to the king’s body, his voice finally returning: “Father!? Mother?!”
Yet the king would never speak again. The Crown Prince couldn’t shake him awake and
whipped his head madly towards him, his eyes wide: “Master! What are you doing?
WHAT DID YOU DO?! Guoshi!!!”
It was a long while after before he heard his own voice devoid of emotion –
“You all deserved it.”
—
Xie Lian didn’t sleep well and rolled awake with a start.
He sleepily rubbed his eyes and realized he didn’t actually sleep that long, and didn’t
dream anything nice either. Good thing there was something on his chest that poked
him awake. He sat for a while, then found something in his clothes after feeling around
for it. He opened his palm and revealed two dice, the same ones from the Paradise
Manor.
A sea of red subconsciously floated in his mind. The scene was blurry but that crimson
silhouette was clear as day, watching him unmoving within that sea of red. Xie Lian
sighed, “I wonder how much is left of San Lang’s Paradise Manor. If I get banished
again this time, who knows how much junk I’ll have to sell or how long it’d take to pay
him back… decades, centuries, if anything I’ll pay him with my entire life.”
Xie Lian looked at the dice for a bit before clapping his hands close, shook them in his
palms and tossed them to the ground. The dice rattled and rolled around the ground
before coming to a stop.
As expected, all the luck he borrowed from Hua Cheng were used up. He was hoping
for another roll of two sixes, but it was only snake eyes.
Xie Lian couldn’t help but laugh, shook his head, and suddenly heard footsteps coming
from behind. He steadied himself immediately and packed away both the dice and his
smile.
The footsteps didn’t sound like Jun Wu. Jun Wu walked with deep certainty, unhurried.
Although Hua Cheng walked with nonchalance, often lazy, yet the aura of confidence
and surety were exactly the same. This set of footsteps however, were a little floaty. Xie
Lian turned his head around and was taken aback, “It’s you.”
The person before him was clad in black, his face fair and his lips thin. His expression
was indifferent, maybe even cool. As a martial god, he looked more like a civil god. Who
else could it be but Mu Qing.
He saw Xie Lian’s startled expression and raised his brows, “Who did you think? Feng
Xin?”
Without waiting for a response, he lifted his black robes and crossed the threshold of
the door. “Feng Xin probably won’t come after all.”
“What are you doing here?” Xie Lian asked.
“The emperor detained you, and won’t let His Highness Tai Hua come. But he didn’t say
I couldn’t come.” Mu Qing said.
He didn’t bother answering Xie Lian’s Question. Whatever. Xie Lian wasn’t actually
curious anyway, and didn’t question him further. Mu Qing looked around the newly built
palace of XianLe, his eyes ending up on Xie Lian. After some thought, he suddenly
threw something at him. A blue shadow flashed in the air; Xie Lian caught it with his left
hand, and when he opened his palm it was a small blue porcelain bottle.
It was a bottle of medicine. Mu Qing said apathetically, “Dragging around a bloody right
arm doesn’t look good.”
Xie Lian held the bottle but didn’t move, and watched him with discern instead.
After his third ascension there could only be one word to describe the way Mu Qing
treated him: weird. It always felt like he was waiting for Xie Lian to get booted for the
third time so he could make sneering remarks. Yet now that Xie Lian might actually get
booted for the third time, he suddenly became friendly and even came to gift him
medication. This 180 degree change in attitude actually made Xie Lian feel a little weird.
Seeing that Xie Lian wasn’t moving, Mu Qing smirked faintly, “Use it if you want. Either
way no one else is gonna come.”
It wasn’t a smile without mirth; it was obvious that he’s actually feeling pretty good.
Although Xie Lian didn’t feel his right arm was in pain, there was no reason to just leave
the injuries be either. That pat from Jun Wu was a quick fix, but it’s better to have
medication. Thus, he opened the small blue bottle and carelessly started pouring the
contents onto his arm. What came out of the bottle wasn’t powder or pill, but a light blue
smoke. The smoke floated wildly, wrapping around his arm, its scent cool and
refreshing. It was certainly a high grade item.
Mu Qing suddenly asked, “Was everything Lang Qian Qiu said true? Did you really kill
all those YongAn royalties?”
Xie Lian raised his eyes to look at him. Even if Mu Qing had been forcibly hiding it, Xie
Lian could still see a thread of uncontrollable excitement in his eyes. He seemed to be
highly interested in the details of Xie Lian spilling blood at the Gilded Banquet and
continued his questions, “How did you kill them?”
Just then, another set of footfalls came from behind them. The two turned their heads at
the same time, and the one visiting this time was Feng Xin! The moment he entered he
saw Mu Qing in the main hall, even smiling next to a crouching Xie Lian, he immediately
frowned with alarm, “What are you doing here?”
Xie Lian waved the little bottle in his hand. Mu Qing schooled his expression. He was
just saying that Feng Xin wouldn’t be coming, and Feng Xin arrived the next second; not
funny at all.
“This isn’t your palace. What? You can come but I can’t?” Mu Qing rebutted.
Feng Xin ignored him and turned to Xie Lian. He hadn’t even opened his mouth and Xie
Lian spoke up, “If the two of you came to ask the same question, then I will give you one
answer. There’s no need to not believe; every word I said at the Great Martial Hall today
was true.”
Feng Xin paled. Mu Qing hated that expression and said in annoyance, “Alright, put that
face away. After everything, who are you looking pained for?”
Feng Xin glared at him, “Not for you! Get out!”
“And who are you to tell me to get out?” Mu Qing said, “Speaking as if you’re so loyal.
How many years did you last again? Didn’t you run away too?”
Veins popped all over Feng Xin’s face. Xie Lian could sense this exchange was going in
the wrong direction and raised his hand, “Hold it. Hold it.”
As if Mu Qing was the type to hold it back. He sneered, “Everyone says it was because
you couldn’t stand seeing your old master fall from grace. What a pretty excuse. At the
end of the day, you just didn’t want to waste the rest of your days following a broken
man.”
Feng Xin swung out his fist, “WHAT THE FUCK DO YOU KNOW?!”
Bam! Feng Xin’s fist landed squarely on Mu Qing’s face. Mu Qing was a standard pretty
boy; a bashing punch from Feng Xin was like a persimmon smashed on his face, bloody
and miserable. Yet he stood his ground, and without even a whine, he punched right
back. When the two ascended they both obtained their own spiritual devices, yet at the
height of anger, the best tool to release their rage was their fists. When Feng Xin and
Mu Qing fought eight hundred years ago, their martial arts were at the same level. After
eight hundred years there was still no difference. Each punch landed; the brawl was
messy and mad, each holding their own.
Feng Xin cried angrily, “Don’t think I don’t know your nasty thoughts! The more crimes
he commit the happier you become!!”
Mu Qing spat, “I knew you always looked down on me, what a joke! Look at yourself!
What right do you have to look down on me. The pot calling the kettle black!”
Lang Qian Qiu and Xie Lian hadn’t even started dueling and Feng Xin and Mu Qing
already started brawling. Their grudges had been building for a long time; the fight was
uncontrolled and riotous, each cussing at the other without hearing what was cussed
back, and certainly had no mind to hear anything Xie Lian had to say. Xie Lian recalled
back when the three of them were younger, Mu Qing had been soft-spoken and
well-mannered, and if Feng Xin had hit anyone it was all under Xie Lian’s command,
and he’d stop when Xie Lian said stop. Now neither was the case.
Dragging his arm, Xie Lian ran towards the door, hoping to call for help from any nearby
officials, but, before he even stepped foot out of the main hall, there was a huge loud
BANG that exploded from the front. Feng Xin and Mu Qing were also shocked by the
large noise and stopped, their eyes alert, looking to where the sound came from.
The front doors to the Palace of Xian Le was kicked open by someone. Beyond the door
wasn’t the expansive Great Martial Avenue of the Heavenly Court, but a dead, deep
blackness.
And from within the darkness, innumerous chilling silver butterflies rushed out towards
them.