Chapter 150: Save Some
Principal Zhou didn’t seem flattered by what Qiu Yu said. He pursed his lips and said, “That guy is strong after all. Close to half of the cultivation masters in Chang’an went after him, but he still escaped. You said that I allowed him to escape, which is also true. Everyone who knows about this incident in Chang’an all feels like I’m the only one who could capture him.”
“However, Chang’an only has you, yet the Buddhist Sect has four heavenly lords, one Great Wheel Wisdom King, and 3,000 golden-body monk soldiers who are said to be invulnerable to swords and sabers,” Qiu Yu said earnestly.
“Yeah… Four heavenly lords and one Great Wheel Wisdom King.” Principal Zhou shook his head and said while walking, “But when the military of Great Sui marches west, how many monk soldiers could still fight? How many heavenly lords could still move? Who knows? One of them couldn’t move anymore about 11 years ago. This time, at least another one will be immobilized as well, right?”
Qiu Yu didn’t understand. She wasn’t a witness of the tragic battle that happened about 11 years ago; she wasn’t on that level yet back then.
However, Qiu Yu seemed to have picked up on something. Although she wasn’t a part of what happened 11 years ago, it didn’t mean that she didn’t know about it. Therefore, she immediately thought to herself, “Someone has traveled west again? That talented figure traveled west with a group of courageous, fearless, and determined people 11 years ago, even making the world change color. Who has the courage and strength to travel west again 11 years later?”
She wanted to ask, but she knew that Principal Zhou wouldn’t tell her anything.
For some reason, Principal Zhuo’s presence changed. Looking at him, Qiu Yu suddenly felt a sliver of coldness and desolation.
“Principal Zhou is reluctant about something?” Qiu Yu wasn’t sure and didn’t dare to confirm.
…
-Smooth Spring Garden-
Royal Guard Captain Luo Weiran stood before the Emperor with a bent back, and his expression was solemn. What he just learned was too shocking, so his heart rate doubled when he was on his way to report to the Emperor.
The news that disturbed him was also crucial for the Emperor of Great Sui.
After hearing what Luo Weiran said, the Emperor shivered, and the ink brush in his hand fell onto the desk. It seemed like he wanted to pick up that ink brush, but he didn’t dare to. With his head lowered, the Emperor looked pale as tear wetted his eyes uncontrollably.
“About 11 years ago, I just became the ruler for not too long…”
After a moment of silence, the Emperor took out a handkerchief to wipe his tears and slowly picked up the ink brush on the desk before slowly putting it back into the brush pot. This action was simple, but it felt like it consumed a ton of his energy. His voice even shook when he talked.
He saw that a section of the desk was stained by red ink, and he felt like he saw a puddle of blood.
“Due to the fight between us brothers, the government even started to crumble. Father appointed me as the next ruler before he died because he wanted to stabilize Great Sui. However, some people still saw the weakness and thought that cracks appeared in Great Sui’s foundation. I was only on the throne for about half a year, and I imprisoned one of my brothers and demoted another. I also didn’t have children back then. If I died, Great Sui would experience great turbulence.”
“Mongo-Yuan gathered a big group of cultivation masters and planned to sneak into Great Sui. Li Yuanshan learned about it and quickly informed Chang’an. My seventh brother left Chang’an and traveled west without telling me anything. He had a ton of connections in the martial arts circle, and he issued enemy-killing summons while traveling west. When he got to the northwest border, hundreds of heroes already gathered around him. In the northwest, my seventh brother killed all the cultivation masters of Mong-Yuan. I thought he would come back to Chang’an after that, but he only asked one person to bring a message back to me.”
“How dare these barbarians to offend Great Sui and Your Majesty? Since they dare to come, I dare to go to them as well. I’m going to let the people in the west know that Your Majesty’s dignity couldn’t be offended. They couldn’t even have such thoughts. If they do, I will go and kill them, letting them know the power of Great Sui.”
When the Emperor said this, his tears were already flowing down his face.
“He and his friends from the martial arts circle battled the enemies, and more than half of them were either dead or severely injured. Only about 100 of them lived, yet they all marched over Wolf Breast Mountain Range and ventured into Mongo-Yuan. I don’t know how many people they killed, but I never saw this brother of mine again. He ditched everything he had for Great Sui and me.”
“It has been 11 years. I haven’t seen him for 11 years.”
The Emperor saw his tears landing on the desk and diluting the red ink.
“It has been 11 years. Did he guess that I’m about to wage a war against Mongo-Yuan? So he traveled west again to alleviate pressure and resistance for me? He knew my goal from the beginning; he knew that I want to plant the dragon flag of Great Sui on the west of Wolf Breast Mountain Range. When Father was severely ill, he asked us, the seven brothers, our goals. Big Brother said that he wants to stabilize Great Sui’s territory and make the empire last 10,000 years. Third Brother said that he wants to clean out all the rebels in the south and east.”
“I only said four words – move to the west. Seventh Brother said seven words – help Fourth Brother move to the west.”
“I know that Father passed the throne to me because I said this. Also, Seventh Brother never stopped moving because I said this.”
“He knows me the best; always…”
“However, for the West Expedition, I had to pretend that the incident about 11 years ago didn’t happen. Not only did I not give those heroes the credit they deserve, I even signed an agreement with Khagan Mong Ge of Monge-Yuan, turning the place where those heroes battle into a market. He didn’t come back for 11 years; is he mad at me for turning the land that they protected into a stinky market? Would those heroes who are resting underground curse me for allowing enemies into our land?”
This was the first time that the Emperor cried like this in the last 11 years.
“After 11 years, he traveled west again for me…”
Luo Weiran lowered his head and didn’t dare to look at the Emperor, and he didn’t dare to look at the Emperor’s tears. His heart was hurting since this man who traveled west twice in 11 years was related to him as well.
There were many mountains in Capital Region Circuit. The north of Chang’an was surrounded by mountains. It looked like a giant half-moon protected the Capital.
Ordinary people didn’t understand Fengshui, but they heard people say that terrain around Chang’an was great and could protect Great Sui’s foundation for 10,000 years.
[TL Note: Fengshui is also known as Chinese geomancy, which claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment.]
Ordinary people didn’t know why the terrain could protect Great Sui. They thought it was those fearless and hot-blooded soldiers on the border who were protecting Great Sui.
However, this didn’t stop them from having great moods. One more layer of protection was never a bad thing for them.
Half hugged by mountains; Chang’an wouldn’t fall. This phrase was passed around for more than 100 years. It was heard that it came from an unworldly master when the First Emperor chose this place to build the Capital.
Fang Henshui was living humbly since he entered this mountain range four days ago. He and the young monk lifted the old monk as they traveled, and it was tough work to climb mountains and tread through rivers.
He didn’t dare to show any unwillingness since he didn’t see any unwillingness on the young monk’s face. It felt like it was normal for the young monk to carrying the old monk.
The old monk sat on the sedan chair and rarely moved on his own.
Although Fang Henshui was exhausted in the last four days, he looked for food and water without the young monk telling him to. He was becoming more and more like a qualified servant, serving his two masters as best as he could.
Sitting on a clean green boulder, the old monk looked at Fang Henshui who was climbing higher up the mountain with difficulty to look for food, and he smiled and asked, “Can you tell that he is different from before?”
“I feel like he is becoming obedient due to fear.”
“Why is that?”
“Even though the people of Sui have devils and demons in their bodies, they are still afraid of death.”
“Haha!” The old monk seemed to be in a great mood, and he laughed and said, “I wanted to travel east a long time ago, and I wanted to see how tough Great Sui is for creating that big demon. Before I came here, I felt like the people of Sui can’t be bullied since that demon told me so with the most direct method. However, I found that the people of Sui are far weaker than I thought from this trip. By cutting their flesh, the people of Sui would become slaves. I wonder how that demon who traveled west 11 years ago would feel if he knew about this.”
Chenya thought for a moment and said, “However, I still feel like this person has unwillingness in his mind.”
“Everyone is proud, so it depends on how to subdue this unwillingness. I conducted a thought experiment at Great Snow Mountain. I wondered what we could do if the devils and demons invaded from the east, or how the Buddhist Sect could spread to the east. I thought for a long time and concluded that the people of Sui are tough-minded, and they could only be killed. If the Buddhist Sect wants to spread its dogma into the east, we would need to kill all adults and re-educate the children. Since this is impossible to do, I gave up the idea of spreading Buddhism to the east.”
“Now, I finally realized that I was too narrow-minded back then. No one is truly unyielding. The people of Sui are tough since they never lost before, so they believe that they would never be defeated. After more than 100 years, every person of Sui is proud because of this thinking pattern. In reality, they would surrender when we cut a piece of flesh off them, and they will listen to whatever we say.”
“The people of Sui aren’t unyielding, and Sui isn’t invincible. I will talk with the Wisdom King about this when I return.” The old monk smiled brightly, and the pride in his eyes intensified as he said, “If I didn’t come to the east, I would never know about the truth behind the mist. The pride of these people is fake, and the invincible legend of Sui is a pathetic tale.”
“Master, should we bring this person back to Great Snow Mountain? We should let the Wisdom King see that the people of Sui are just like him,” Chenya asked.
“We should bring him back if we don’t need to kill him, but perhaps we need to kill him today,” the old monk said.
“Why?” Chenya asked.
The old monk sighed, “I inspected this mountain on the way. It is a dead mountain. Other than trees and wild grass, there is nothing alive on this mountain. By building Chang’an that is magnificent and holds worldly secrets, all the spiritual energy of this mountain was sucked away. Nothing is edible on this mountain, and the food this person has is all eaten…”
Chenya was stunned, and he thought for a bit and said, “He will last us a few days if we save some for later.”
At this moment, Fang Henshui crawled down in his ragged clothes. He panted as he walked to the old monk and said guiltily, “Sorry, there is nothing to eat. I didn’t even find any wild berries.”
After saying that, he saw the strangeness in the old monk and Chenya’s eyes, and he was overtaken by fear.
While he was stunned, Chenya took a step forward.
Fang Henshui also knelt at the same time and kowtowed while saying sincerely, “Please eat my flesh. I’m willing to sacrifice myself.”
The old monk and Chenya were surprised this time.
After a moment, the old monk’s laughter resonated on the mountain.
Chenya asked Fang Henshui, “Aren’t you going to eat as well?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Save some… Don’t need to eat me after we walk out of this mountain range.” Fang Henshui didn’t dare to say this that was on his mind.
“However, Chang’an only has you, yet the Buddhist Sect has four heavenly lords, one Great Wheel Wisdom King, and 3,000 golden-body monk soldiers who are said to be invulnerable to swords and sabers,” Qiu Yu said earnestly.
“Yeah… Four heavenly lords and one Great Wheel Wisdom King.” Principal Zhou shook his head and said while walking, “But when the military of Great Sui marches west, how many monk soldiers could still fight? How many heavenly lords could still move? Who knows? One of them couldn’t move anymore about 11 years ago. This time, at least another one will be immobilized as well, right?”
Qiu Yu didn’t understand. She wasn’t a witness of the tragic battle that happened about 11 years ago; she wasn’t on that level yet back then.
However, Qiu Yu seemed to have picked up on something. Although she wasn’t a part of what happened 11 years ago, it didn’t mean that she didn’t know about it. Therefore, she immediately thought to herself, “Someone has traveled west again? That talented figure traveled west with a group of courageous, fearless, and determined people 11 years ago, even making the world change color. Who has the courage and strength to travel west again 11 years later?”
She wanted to ask, but she knew that Principal Zhou wouldn’t tell her anything.
For some reason, Principal Zhuo’s presence changed. Looking at him, Qiu Yu suddenly felt a sliver of coldness and desolation.
“Principal Zhou is reluctant about something?” Qiu Yu wasn’t sure and didn’t dare to confirm.
…
-Smooth Spring Garden-
Royal Guard Captain Luo Weiran stood before the Emperor with a bent back, and his expression was solemn. What he just learned was too shocking, so his heart rate doubled when he was on his way to report to the Emperor.
The news that disturbed him was also crucial for the Emperor of Great Sui.
After hearing what Luo Weiran said, the Emperor shivered, and the ink brush in his hand fell onto the desk. It seemed like he wanted to pick up that ink brush, but he didn’t dare to. With his head lowered, the Emperor looked pale as tear wetted his eyes uncontrollably.
“About 11 years ago, I just became the ruler for not too long…”
After a moment of silence, the Emperor took out a handkerchief to wipe his tears and slowly picked up the ink brush on the desk before slowly putting it back into the brush pot. This action was simple, but it felt like it consumed a ton of his energy. His voice even shook when he talked.
He saw that a section of the desk was stained by red ink, and he felt like he saw a puddle of blood.
“Due to the fight between us brothers, the government even started to crumble. Father appointed me as the next ruler before he died because he wanted to stabilize Great Sui. However, some people still saw the weakness and thought that cracks appeared in Great Sui’s foundation. I was only on the throne for about half a year, and I imprisoned one of my brothers and demoted another. I also didn’t have children back then. If I died, Great Sui would experience great turbulence.”
“Mongo-Yuan gathered a big group of cultivation masters and planned to sneak into Great Sui. Li Yuanshan learned about it and quickly informed Chang’an. My seventh brother left Chang’an and traveled west without telling me anything. He had a ton of connections in the martial arts circle, and he issued enemy-killing summons while traveling west. When he got to the northwest border, hundreds of heroes already gathered around him. In the northwest, my seventh brother killed all the cultivation masters of Mong-Yuan. I thought he would come back to Chang’an after that, but he only asked one person to bring a message back to me.”
“How dare these barbarians to offend Great Sui and Your Majesty? Since they dare to come, I dare to go to them as well. I’m going to let the people in the west know that Your Majesty’s dignity couldn’t be offended. They couldn’t even have such thoughts. If they do, I will go and kill them, letting them know the power of Great Sui.”
When the Emperor said this, his tears were already flowing down his face.
“He and his friends from the martial arts circle battled the enemies, and more than half of them were either dead or severely injured. Only about 100 of them lived, yet they all marched over Wolf Breast Mountain Range and ventured into Mongo-Yuan. I don’t know how many people they killed, but I never saw this brother of mine again. He ditched everything he had for Great Sui and me.”
“It has been 11 years. I haven’t seen him for 11 years.”
The Emperor saw his tears landing on the desk and diluting the red ink.
“It has been 11 years. Did he guess that I’m about to wage a war against Mongo-Yuan? So he traveled west again to alleviate pressure and resistance for me? He knew my goal from the beginning; he knew that I want to plant the dragon flag of Great Sui on the west of Wolf Breast Mountain Range. When Father was severely ill, he asked us, the seven brothers, our goals. Big Brother said that he wants to stabilize Great Sui’s territory and make the empire last 10,000 years. Third Brother said that he wants to clean out all the rebels in the south and east.”
“I only said four words – move to the west. Seventh Brother said seven words – help Fourth Brother move to the west.”
“I know that Father passed the throne to me because I said this. Also, Seventh Brother never stopped moving because I said this.”
“He knows me the best; always…”
“However, for the West Expedition, I had to pretend that the incident about 11 years ago didn’t happen. Not only did I not give those heroes the credit they deserve, I even signed an agreement with Khagan Mong Ge of Monge-Yuan, turning the place where those heroes battle into a market. He didn’t come back for 11 years; is he mad at me for turning the land that they protected into a stinky market? Would those heroes who are resting underground curse me for allowing enemies into our land?”
This was the first time that the Emperor cried like this in the last 11 years.
“After 11 years, he traveled west again for me…”
Luo Weiran lowered his head and didn’t dare to look at the Emperor, and he didn’t dare to look at the Emperor’s tears. His heart was hurting since this man who traveled west twice in 11 years was related to him as well.
There were many mountains in Capital Region Circuit. The north of Chang’an was surrounded by mountains. It looked like a giant half-moon protected the Capital.
Ordinary people didn’t understand Fengshui, but they heard people say that terrain around Chang’an was great and could protect Great Sui’s foundation for 10,000 years.
[TL Note: Fengshui is also known as Chinese geomancy, which claims to use energy forces to harmonize individuals with their surrounding environment.]
Ordinary people didn’t know why the terrain could protect Great Sui. They thought it was those fearless and hot-blooded soldiers on the border who were protecting Great Sui.
However, this didn’t stop them from having great moods. One more layer of protection was never a bad thing for them.
Half hugged by mountains; Chang’an wouldn’t fall. This phrase was passed around for more than 100 years. It was heard that it came from an unworldly master when the First Emperor chose this place to build the Capital.
Fang Henshui was living humbly since he entered this mountain range four days ago. He and the young monk lifted the old monk as they traveled, and it was tough work to climb mountains and tread through rivers.
He didn’t dare to show any unwillingness since he didn’t see any unwillingness on the young monk’s face. It felt like it was normal for the young monk to carrying the old monk.
The old monk sat on the sedan chair and rarely moved on his own.
Although Fang Henshui was exhausted in the last four days, he looked for food and water without the young monk telling him to. He was becoming more and more like a qualified servant, serving his two masters as best as he could.
Sitting on a clean green boulder, the old monk looked at Fang Henshui who was climbing higher up the mountain with difficulty to look for food, and he smiled and asked, “Can you tell that he is different from before?”
“I feel like he is becoming obedient due to fear.”
“Why is that?”
“Even though the people of Sui have devils and demons in their bodies, they are still afraid of death.”
“Haha!” The old monk seemed to be in a great mood, and he laughed and said, “I wanted to travel east a long time ago, and I wanted to see how tough Great Sui is for creating that big demon. Before I came here, I felt like the people of Sui can’t be bullied since that demon told me so with the most direct method. However, I found that the people of Sui are far weaker than I thought from this trip. By cutting their flesh, the people of Sui would become slaves. I wonder how that demon who traveled west 11 years ago would feel if he knew about this.”
Chenya thought for a moment and said, “However, I still feel like this person has unwillingness in his mind.”
“Everyone is proud, so it depends on how to subdue this unwillingness. I conducted a thought experiment at Great Snow Mountain. I wondered what we could do if the devils and demons invaded from the east, or how the Buddhist Sect could spread to the east. I thought for a long time and concluded that the people of Sui are tough-minded, and they could only be killed. If the Buddhist Sect wants to spread its dogma into the east, we would need to kill all adults and re-educate the children. Since this is impossible to do, I gave up the idea of spreading Buddhism to the east.”
“Now, I finally realized that I was too narrow-minded back then. No one is truly unyielding. The people of Sui are tough since they never lost before, so they believe that they would never be defeated. After more than 100 years, every person of Sui is proud because of this thinking pattern. In reality, they would surrender when we cut a piece of flesh off them, and they will listen to whatever we say.”
“The people of Sui aren’t unyielding, and Sui isn’t invincible. I will talk with the Wisdom King about this when I return.” The old monk smiled brightly, and the pride in his eyes intensified as he said, “If I didn’t come to the east, I would never know about the truth behind the mist. The pride of these people is fake, and the invincible legend of Sui is a pathetic tale.”
“Master, should we bring this person back to Great Snow Mountain? We should let the Wisdom King see that the people of Sui are just like him,” Chenya asked.
“We should bring him back if we don’t need to kill him, but perhaps we need to kill him today,” the old monk said.
“Why?” Chenya asked.
The old monk sighed, “I inspected this mountain on the way. It is a dead mountain. Other than trees and wild grass, there is nothing alive on this mountain. By building Chang’an that is magnificent and holds worldly secrets, all the spiritual energy of this mountain was sucked away. Nothing is edible on this mountain, and the food this person has is all eaten…”
Chenya was stunned, and he thought for a bit and said, “He will last us a few days if we save some for later.”
At this moment, Fang Henshui crawled down in his ragged clothes. He panted as he walked to the old monk and said guiltily, “Sorry, there is nothing to eat. I didn’t even find any wild berries.”
After saying that, he saw the strangeness in the old monk and Chenya’s eyes, and he was overtaken by fear.
While he was stunned, Chenya took a step forward.
Fang Henshui also knelt at the same time and kowtowed while saying sincerely, “Please eat my flesh. I’m willing to sacrifice myself.”
The old monk and Chenya were surprised this time.
After a moment, the old monk’s laughter resonated on the mountain.
Chenya asked Fang Henshui, “Aren’t you going to eat as well?”
“No.”
“Why?”
“Save some… Don’t need to eat me after we walk out of this mountain range.” Fang Henshui didn’t dare to say this that was on his mind.
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