Chapter 1172: Dai Ren Submits to Sang

The students have recently grasped the meaning of the scriptures and chapters, which is indeed the foundation of learning. However, the path of scholarship is not merely about rote memorization; what matters is understanding principles and putting them into practice....

Since you have read the writings of the sages, you should constantly reflect and ask yourselves: How to cultivate oneself? How to establish character? How to extend oneself to others?

Now we lecture on the chapter "Loyalty and Reciprocity"—not only to explain words and analyze sentences, but more importantly to perceive its spirit—"

The afternoon sunlight streamed in through the carved window, dust motes dancing in the beams. Ink droplets fell from the pen tip, blooming on the white paper, and the old teacher's voice as he paced while reciting made one feel drowsy.

Wen Wen Shi Yun idly flicked his wolf-hair brush.

What a great Confucian scholar of Jiangnan, a retired Nine Ministers official—no matter how exalted his status, his lectures are all the same old rubbish.

He glanced at the sundial in the courtyard; the end of class seemed as distant as ever.

His gaze drifted out the window, then suddenly paused, landing on the girl by the window. A tall young woman, earnestly copying at her desk, wore a plain white training uniform, her waist bound, sitting in the spring sunlight, a fine down on her face glowing with a golden light, her high ponytail swaying, her hair jet black, her chest slightly rising like a small hill.

He Yu-yu, perhaps because she was a girl, was clearly several years older than them, yet she was in the same cohort at the clan school, relying on her mother's permission and endorsement, she constantly lectured him, escorted him to and from school every day, making it impossible to skip class—truly a little gossipmonger, more hateful than the teacher himself.

Wen Wen Shi Yun had countless fantasies of mastering his cultivation, then punching her until her nose was blue and her face swollen, opening a soy sauce shop with red, black, and purple hues—but for some unknown reason, today he unexpectedly found He Yu-yu somewhat attractive, no longer so dislikeable.

Pa-ta.

The little paper ball wobbled across the desk, nearly slipping to the floor.

Wen Wen Shi Yun, quick-eyed and quick-handed, caught the paper ball and flattened it.

The handwriting was crooked and twisted.

"Are you peeking at He Yu-yu?"

His heart leapt violently; Wen Wen Shi Yun glanced toward his warm-eyed, wiggling-browed clansman Wen Junxuan on the right, and a sudden surge of shame and annoyance welled up within him, inexplicably—whether from being exposed or slandered, he did not know.

The wolf-hair brush flowed freely.

"Not even looking at a dog—"

"Wen Wen Shi Yun!"

"Here! Mr."

The chair scraped against the blue stone bricks; Wen Wen Shi Yun seized the paper slip and sprang to his feet.

"Come explain—what does this sage's saying I just recited mean?"

The ruler tapped the desk edge, knock by knock.

"Um—yes, yes—"

Wen Wen Shi Yun's palms sweated, soaking the paper slip, blurring the ink; he glanced askance at Wen Junxuan, who lowered his head, feigning death.

Suddenly, He Yu-yu by the window raised her textbook, her forefinger pointing to a passage.

Wen Wen Shi Yun's eyes lit up; he quickly scanned the textbook, found the passage, and realized half the characters were obscure, biting his lip.

"Mr.!"

A female voice at the door interrupted the lesson.

"Crown Princess?" The teacher backhandedly raised the ruler, pressing it against the back of his hand, "Now is class time; if there is no urgent matter, please do not disturb my teaching."

The Crown Princess bowed and said: "It is an urgent matter—great victory at the southern frontier, Qinzhou recovered, Pan Da fallen, the Marquis of Xingyi knocked open the Heavenly Pass, achieving the pillar of our Great Shun State."

"Whoa."

The classroom erupted in commotion.

Wen Wen Shi Yun jerked his head up.

The old teacher exclaimed in surprise: "Has such a great event really occurred?"

The Crown Princess smiled faintly: "Therefore, as Wen Wen Shi Yun is a disciple of the Marquis of Xingyi, both emotionally and logically, he should go pay a visit; thus I have come today to request a five-day leave for him, Teacher, rest assured, his studies will not be delayed."

The commotion grew louder.

The students all turned heads in unison, looking at Wen Wen Shi Yun with envious eyes, whispering incessantly, especially envious of the five-day holiday.

How come my own master cannot do something great for the country and people, so I could get a holiday?

He Yu-yu likewise looked on with envious longing; her more mature, matured self was not envious of the holiday, but having heard the news that the Marquis of Xingyi had achieved martial sagehood and repelled the southern barbarians, she felt that life has no death, and what matters is establishing merit—what heroic spirit.

Heavy breathing, pupils dilated, Wen Wen Shi Yun was dazed by this sudden great joy, his heart racing, his head spinning,

Almost wanting to leap up.

Five days off! It's like New Year's!

Master! Invincible!

Looking again at He Yu-yu's gaze, Wen Wen Shi Yun, besides excitement, felt an immense, boundless satisfaction.

Pa-pa.

The ruler struck the desk, private talk ceased abruptly.

Silence.

"As the saying goes: 'When auspicious signs appear and the suburban sacrifice is completed, sweet dew is bestowed for three days'—the great victory in the south, our Great Shun has gained another pillar, truly a national joy, fitting for celebration." The old teacher twisted his beard, closed the book, "Since that is the case, today we shall dismiss early, granting a combined two-day leave, tomorrow is the ten-day rest, 【50】 and we shall resume class the day after tomorrow; review today's lesson well at home, and there will be a test the next day."

Let's continue the lesson the day after tomorrow; today's material, go back and memorize it thoroughly—there will be a test the next day.

Roar!

The classroom shook like mountains and seas, echoing with revelry.

Marquis of Xingyi.

Invincible!

Wen Wen Shi Yun shouldered his bookbag and ran out excitedly.

Ride the black dragon, eat grilled fish, go to A Fei!

Heaven and earth revolve, rivers like mayflies, mountains rise to form heaven and earth.

The Prince of Ningjiang Prefecture, the Prince of Pingyang Prefecture with the Vajra Ming Wang, the Prince of Heyuan Prefecture with the Dragon-Elephant Wang, the Prince of the Outsea Suk Wang, the Imperial Clan Prince of the Capital, Guanzhong, Southern Zhili, Huangzhou, the Great Snow Mountain, the Northern Court...

All under heaven know, in an instant.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The great spear exploded, raising huge waves; the Guimu Sect disciples trying to flee were hurled back by the waves, the ships disintegrated, and the river was full of splintered wood.

"Quick, quick, quick! Land on the island, land on the island! Don't let a single one escape!"

"Bandits, where do you think you're running!"

The Heposuo great ships advanced in majestic array, encircling the island; true gang floated and pulsed, roots of exploding spears were cast out one after another, arrows loosed in unison, thick smoke billowing,

wailing everywhere.

Inside the mountain cave the Guimu Sect disciples were in a complete panic.

"How did Great Shun find us? Where is Lord Wang? The Heposuo ships have arrived, why was there no report? Why was there no report?"

"Lord Wang's jointed withered water caltrop! Lord Wang's jointed withered water caltrop!"

Su Guishan stood in the wind, his robes fluttering, commanding the warships; behind him the high officials of the Heposuo stood in a row, wings spread; Xu Yuelong, Wei Lin, and many other masters who had been summoned, just withdrawn from the Southern Frontier front line, had not returned to their home sects, and urgently joined the battle line, encircling and blocking the three main veins of the Great Qian remnants.

Dragon-man water, two wings support.

"What about the Guimu Sect's self-severed Wu Sheng? If we run into him, wouldn't we be wiped out to a man?"

"Marquis Xingyi said he would make a move!"

"Both self-severed Martial Saints, have both been traced? Not in the same place; if we lose one of them we're done for."

"Since Marquis Xingyi said so, then it's fine; moreover we brought the ritual implements on the ships."

The Jianghuai Great Marsh underwent a dynastic change.

A vast, sweeping purge made countless people, countless water beasts, feel timid and weak in heart and spirit.

River dolphins and dragon sturgeons circled the island, capsizing the Guimu Sect disciples fleeing by boat into the great marsh.

Bubbles rose dimly.

The Old Mother's ten arms twisted and spread, her countenance serene, each grasping or holding aloft a dharma conch, a precious parasol, a double-headed fish, and — atop her head a golden-thread nanmu coffin.

Amidst the shouts of killing, Yi Chen, his clothes stained with blood, rushed into the cave: "Prince, Lord Wang's jointed withered water caltrop — it must be Great Shun's doing; they've found Lord Wang, and now Great Shun's people are everywhere on the river, but the Wu Sheng has not yet arrived. You carry the Old Mother, take us and break out! We can't stay in Jianghuai any longer; let's go to the sea."

"Too late."

The Prince of Chu stepped aside; Yi Chen's vision was unobstructed, and he clearly saw the Prince of Chu's star destiny chart before him, saw the myriad points of light, large and small, spread across the star destiny chart. And a point of light that should have been in the center of the Long Gong was suspended right above their heads!

Yi Chen's pupils dilated, his face rapidly turned ashen; he looked up and cursed angrily: "Ape King! Humans don't interfere with the water races, so you water races can interfere with us humans?!"

", who said the one interfering is the Ape King? I am both light, and human."

A voice no one expected reverberated through the cave, carrying a hint of the unique amusement of a young person.

Footsteps gradually grew louder; the cave's torches cast side-light into the cave's passage along with the cave itself, light and shadow interweaving; a tall, straight nose bridge cast a shadow; Liang Qu walked out of the darkness with hands behind his back, unhurriedly.

"It's you!" Yi Chen was terrified, retreating repeatedly; "Where is the White Ape? No, that's not right, you're not in the Southern Frontier?"

The Prince of Chu frowned and asked Yi Chen: "Who is he?"

"Prince, this man is Marquis Xingyi Liang Qu! Great Shun's new Wu Sheng!" Yi Chen grieved from the depths of his heart.

"Marquis Xingyi?" The Prince of Chu frowned, pointing at the point of light below the destiny chart; "Isn't this man on the Southern Frontier front line?"

Yi Chen froze in place, then reacted; he looked at the point of light, then at Liang Qu, his mind a complete mess: "The one in the Southern Frontier didn't move; the one who moved was the White Ape — you and the White Ape swapped positions? The one in the Long Gong was you? How, how is this possible?"

The White Ape was in Jianghuai, Liang Qu advanced in rank in the Southern Frontier; the two places are separated by hundreds of thousands of li; what divine ability could swap positions without a trace?

He personally witnessed Liang Qu knock open the Heavenly Gate, the point of light that lit up in the Southern Frontier,

Liang Qu paid no heed, pointing at the golden-thread nanmu coffin.

"The one inside that coffin is the Demon Empress, Great Qian's second self-severed Wu Sheng? They're both here, right?"

"She is our Great Qian Empress! The current Empress Dowager! Who doesn't have a time of downfall?" The Prince of Chu said coldly.

"Ah yes yes yes, Great Qian Empress, Great Qian Empress." Liang Qu nodded, brushing past the Prince of Chu, examining the Guimu sculpture, and said faintly, "We've met before."

The Prince of Chu's brow did not relax: "I have slumbered for decades, awakened only a handful of times; in the past thirty years, only once. When did I meet you?"

Liang Qu did not answer.

Old Ancestor Yi Chen suddenly shouted: "The one in the Southern Frontier is a fake! You are the White Ape!"

The Prince of Chu's pupils dilated; a single train of thought flashed like lightning, quickly connecting everything; he laughed toward the sky.

"How did you do it?"

No answer.

The Prince of Chu did not press the question.

Liang Qu circled the cave, openly inspecting the old nest.

"Originally I wanted to wipe you all out in one net that very day, but discovered dealing with you is actually quite troublesome.

Two self-severed Martial Saints, unable to locate their positions, or if one slips away, it's equivalent to two 'me's escaping and being unable to catch them; hence I spent considerable effort confirming you were in the same place — why didn't you split into two?"

"Didn't expect Lord Wang would meet with mishap."

"True enough." Liang Qu nodded.

Self-severed Wu Sheng: beneath Wu Sheng no one can match them; above Wu Sheng, the Guimu Sect also has the star destiny chart for positioning, the effect equivalent to a Liang Qu who hasn't broken through the Heavenly Dragon yet can sense stones in the river; if they cannot be beheaded simultaneously, and one dragon slips into the sea, then it's thoroughly finished.

This is not merely a matter of strength, but of "mechanism".

Liang Qu can now experience the disgusting feeling the Southern Frontier faced when confronting himself.

Sending Xiao Xing to evolve to the Wolf Smoke Peak still left limited capability; it was only by relying on Lord Wang's intelligence network that they accurately located the Guimu Sect main base. And Lord Wang, having his joints torn multiple times, naturally knew his existence was exposed; unfortunately it was already too late to inform the Guimu Sect.

So, with Lord Wang, there was truly no way to deal with the Guimu Sect, only suppress them; but likewise it was Lord Wang who let the Guimu Sect lower their guard,

thinking they were absolutely safe.

Who knew the Flood Dragon would collapse without any warning.

"Even if you're not the White Ape, in outsiders' eyes, it was still you who did it!" Yi Chen suddenly said,

"You're on my turf." Liang Qu was puzzled; "Pan died in the Luchang River, the Guimu Sect dies in the Jianghuai Great Marsh; what's the problem? The Flood Dragon sheltered you for too long, lived here for decades, really treating the Jianghuai Great Marsh as your own home?"

Yi Chen gaped, rendered speechless.

"Saying these things has no meaning." The Prince of Chu's brows and eyes drooped, his expression revealing deep weariness; "What do you want?"

"That's what I should ask you." Liang Qu met the King of Chu's gaze evenly. "Do you want to fight?"

"Am I your opponent?"

"Kill yourself."

"I can kill myself, but you have to leave the Empress Dowager some face."

"The value doesn't match. I need to ask you a few questions."

"Speak."

Liang Qu pointed at the Guimu statue: "How was this ritual of yours that can bring the dead back to life created?"

"It used the corpse of Qiushan's Wu Sheng, and requested Grand Master Bema of the Xueshan Sect lineage to refine it. A blood sacrifice enables the cycle of life and death, ten lives and ten deaths.

Among them, same-race affinity works best — that is, humans. Using a mountain ghost to form a fetal pearl elixir, the effect far surpasses other races, and it's not prone to complications."

"The Wu Sheng of Qiushan who died and came back to life?"

"Correct. You know quite a lot."

"Who is Bema?"

"The eighth-generation Lotus Dharma Master of the Lotus Sect. Bema means 'lotus.' I don't know if he's still alive, but when the ritual was created, Master Bema was over six hundred years old. A hundred years later he'd be over seven hundred, still far from the eight-hundred-year limit. The Xueshan's light points haven't diminished either, so the ninth generation likely hasn't been passed down yet."

"Does the Guimu Sect have other hidden treasure sites?"

"Everything is here."

"What's your relationship with the Great Qian Empress?"

His gaze turned cold in an instant.

Liang Qu changed the subject: "Why would you rather cut yourself down and flee to the Great Marsh than surrender to Great Shun?"

"Heh, surrender to Great Shun? Why would I surrender to Great Shun? You're twenty-seven this year? Twenty-eight?

A Wu Sheng lives eight hundred years. Do you think the first four hundred years and the last four hundred years are the same?

I came from the countryside. The older generation all say 'three years old determines eighty,' but in truth, whether a person is treacherous, loyal, or foolish is all forged by their experiences in the first ten or twenty years of life. After that, a hundred years, two hundred years, no matter how many more, they won't change!

You were a fisherman for fifteen years. When you reach eight hundred, it still won't wash off. You'll still view things through a fisherman's eyes. That's the root!

Great Qian is my root!"

"Prince!" Yi Chen wept uncontrollably.

The King of Chu let out a long, deep breath: "A true man's conduct: judge right and wrong, not gain and loss; judge compliance and defiance, not success and failure; judge ten thousand generations, not one lifetime."

"Regret?"

The King of Chu smiled: "If I regretted it, surrendering now would still be in time."

Liang Qu nodded, stepping back half a pace: "That's enough."

"Many thanks."

The King of Chu sat cross-legged and entered meditation.

A long while passed.

No breath remained.

Yi Chen stood dazed, tears streaming down, wailing loudly.

Golden-eyed Xiong Xiong.

Liang Qu clearly saw a soul spirit drift from the King of Chu's body. Without hesitation, he disturbed the Qi mechanism. Since before he entered, he had long since laid out the Great Marsh Nation, sealing off inside from outside, directly using the Heavenly Pass and Earthly Axis to trap the King of Chu's "soul."

At the same time.

The Qi mechanism of heaven and earth flowed entirely. The twisted Guimu statue "shed" its intuitive form, leaving only dark red Qi mechanism. Merely from the flow of Qi, it turned into a dark red great tree.

The Guimu is the trunk, the ten hands are branches, and each branch has overlapping shadows — ten bright, ten dark. The bright ones each hang a "fetal pearl."

"A bit interesting."

It looks like a great tree, but in reality it resembles the Tongtian River in the Dream Dynasty. The branching limbs are precisely the posture of the underworld Tongtian River's tributaries!

Die and come back to life — how could it not be connected to the "Underworld"? The Qiushan of old was perhaps an attempt by the "Underworld" to expand outward.

Liang Qu was resurrected, and could borrow the Guimu Sect's medium. The Underworld might not be unable to enter again. It just so happened there was now the King of Chu as an experimental subject. He leapt to the top of the statue, arriving before the golden-thread nanmu coffin.

Knocked twice.

Confirmed no ambush, slid open the coffin.

A grand red phoenix crown met his eyes, jewels crystalline, radiance overflowing.

Liang Qu's brow arched, his heart beating a few degrees faster. He had seen many beauties; cultivators' skin is rarely poor, no goosebumps or acne, looks mostly above seven points. But among them, a few are undisputedly in a class of their own — their looks alone can make a meditating old monk's heart skip a beat.

Long Eying, the Holy Empress, and the Enchanting Empress before him.

The three each have distinct characteristics.

Long Eying is the gentle softness of a Jiangnan woman. Looking at her is like seeing a virtuous wife and good mother — you want to marry her home and bury your head in her bosom. The Holy Empress is dignified and grand, full of majesty, the mother of the world. The Great Qian Enchanting Empress is bewitching, an ultimate allure, more like a consort than an empress.

His gaze moved downward.

It's not that Liang Qu was looking randomly. A man with a wife doesn't lack for this bit. It's simply because there were two people inside the coffin.

"Little Imperial Prince—"

Besides the Enchanting Empress, there was also a child of eight or nine, nestled against her side.

Both looked asleep.

No rash moving, touching, or taking. Gave the dead dignity, gave himself dignity.

Closed the coffin, struck the wailing Yi Chen unconscious, locked the soul. The little fat catfish and the little "can't move" came out, one fish lifting one side, carrying the golden-thread nanmu coffin swimming out.

The King of Chu's physical body can't be left behind. Good stuff.

Have Chishan send it to the capital at full gallop, same as delivering a coiled corpse.

The sooner it's sent, the sooner the ritual.

The Jianghuai Great Marsh trembled unceasingly. The Heposuo, the Demon Apprehension Bureau, and the Three Law Offices mobilized local cultivators, turning out in full force.

Izhi Yu stood on the bank, watching old friends and comrades in silver pots taken to prison, letting out a faint sigh.

The ancient Huaijiang flows eastward, heroes meet their end.

The Guimu Sect's suppression by the Great Qing lasted a little over a month, a large number of remnants of the former dynasty were captured, chained, and brought ashore; one by one, the state's heavy implements were loaded into the ship's hold, recorded in detail, and transported to the capital.

Liang Qu did not take it.

The current timing is very delicate; one must be politically sensitive—taking hold of this would bring more loss than gain, and could easily breed rifts.

Nanjiang and the Guimu Sect—two tremendous achievements—are enough to repay most of the loan for becoming king.

In May, Liang Qu received a secret order from the Purple Lightning Ship.

"Pingjiang, you may return."

The front line of Lingnan.

The "Liang Qu" suffused with red throughout appeared semi-transparent, red light blazing, blood flowing through the "blood vessels," heart beating, nearly indistinguishable from a living person; even with a cloth over the face, one would not feel that what lay beneath was a dead thing.

A heap of martial sage's fresh blood and minced flesh forming a "living person."

Long Pingjiang manipulated the Blood Slaughter Divine Ability Order, drilling into the 【Vortex Escape Path】.

On the same day, angels descended, Pingyang issued an edict.

The world watched intently.

Returning to the Jianghuai Great Marsh, the "Liang Qu" lingered for half a day, Xu Xu headed north!