Chapter 214: Heart Knot

Gao Dichun only spent one day to quell the turmoil inside West Gate City, not only because West Gate City is small, but more importantly because he possesses outstanding administrative ability.

The next day, he arranged the brothers of the Dragon Tiger Sect properly, then he went north alone; he wanted to go to the Imperial Capital to find Chen Yi He.

……

Another seven days passed, and in the blink of an eye a month had gone by; time truly flows like water, continually slipping through the fingers, impossible to retain.

Chen Yi He did not, as before, break through from the Fivefold Heaven to the Sixfold Heaven; on the contrary, he showed a trend of stagnation, his body gradually unable to withstand the pressure exerted by the Everlasting Scripture, even if he were a heavenly genius or had an ironclad physique, he could not bear such a burden!

The Royal Ancestor went several days and nights without sleep, continuously channeling energy for Chen Yi He; without his true qi supporting him, Chen Yi He alone could not possibly continue practicing.

The Royal Ancestor's depletion was also plain to see; his black sideburns gradually turned white, the wrinkles on his face deepened, and time finally left its marks on him. Those marks were naturally his own.

"How could this be?" the Royal Ancestor muttered to himself.

Chen Yi He finished his practice, placed both hands on his knees, and slowly opened his eyes: "Haste makes waste; I feel that even if the Everlasting Scripture is supremely powerful, it will not violate the laws of martial cultivation. Without taking solid, step‑by‑step progress, even if one stands high, one will eventually slip and fall."

"You have underestimated the Everlasting Scripture, and also underestimated yourself." the Royal Ancestor said to Chen Yi He, "I have always been most accurate in judging people."

Chen Yi He lowered his head and remained silent.

The Royal Ancestor hesitated a moment, then said, "Your problem is that your mind is in turmoil. Since the day you left the Imperial Capital and returned, I have seen that your mind is in turmoil. A disturbed mind is a major taboo for martial practitioners! Now that you are at this stage, you cannot possibly be unaware of it."

Chen Yi He raised his head, looked at the Royal Ancestor's increasingly aged face, and said, "I seem to have seen an old acquaintance."

"An old acquaintance?" the Royal Ancestor exclaimed in surprise, "At this time, people fear and avoid the Imperial Capital; how could anyone dare to approach it rashly?"

"Hmm." Chen Yi He earnestly told the Royal Ancestor, "I always feel I misjudged, but no matter how I think about it, he is there, even though he is clearly dead."

"Are you sure he is dead?" the Royal Ancestor asked Chen Yi He, "Who is he?"

"The Tiger Mountain Dragon King." Chen Yi He replied.

"Didn't he disappear into the underground world of the Thousandfold Gate? And there is also my grandson." the Royal Ancestor, as if reminded of a painful matter, lowered his voice slightly.

"He merely vanished, unlike Zhou Kai's confirmed death."

"So you think he is still alive, and you even saw him?" the Royal Ancestor asked Chen Yi He again.

"Mm, yes."

"If you were certain of his life or death, could you then settle down and not be disturbed by the outside world?"

"Mm, yes."

"That's easy to handle; I'll send someone to take care of it." The Royal Ancestor was about to rise from the mat, but soon sat down again, laughing as he said to Chen Yi He, "Hehe, it looks like I don't need to go myself."

Within less than a quarter of an hour, Zhou Ke brought Ye Wuming and Situ Qing to the Scripture Pavilion.

"Forefather." Zhou Ke bowed deeply toward the Royal Ancestor.

Seeing Zhou Ke, Chen Yi He felt as if a thorn had pierced his heart, feeling very uneasy; he despised dealing with hypocritical people.

Zhou Ke, however, acted as if nothing were wrong, greeting Chen Yi He; he clasped his fists and said, "Young Hero Chen, long time no see!"

"Yes, it's been a long time." Chen Yi He returned the greeting to Zhou Ke. After all, since they had not completely broken ties, the proper etiquette could not be omitted.

Chen Yi He later learned through Ye Wuming that Zhou Ke had used him from the start; merely using him would have been bad enough, but in the end he treated him as a discarded pawn, and to avoid implicating himself, simply abandoned him.

At the same time, Chen Yi He also admired Zhou Ke's backbone; in today's chaotic Imperial Capital, Zhou Ke, as a royal prince, dared to remain firmly in the capital and could even chat and laugh freely with Chen Yi He, the enemy of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Especially, he could view Chen Yi He's seizure of the Heavenly Mechanism Sword as something quite ordinary, as if it had never happened.

Moreover, Chen Yi He always felt Zhou Ke was someone who could not be read, and even now he does not know why Zhou Ke wanted the Heavenly Mechanism Sword.

Chen Yi He thought it funny that the two major figures of the Great Zhou Dynasty—the Royal Ancestor and Prince Zhou Ke—had not mentioned even a bit about how he and the Great Jianghu Alliance had thrown the Great Zhou Dynasty into utter chaos, as if none of this needed to be investigated. Likewise, Chen Yi He was also fortunate that fortunate heavenly forces drew hatred toward him; otherwise, he would have long been crushed to ashes by the Royal Ancestor.

"How is it?" Zhou Ke asked the Royal Ancestor.

"As expected, he has hit a bottleneck." the Royal Ancestor replied.

Chen Yi He knew Zhou Ke was asking about him, but he was not clear on what Zhou Ke understood about the Everlasting Scripture.

"Hitting a bottleneck with the Everlasting Scripture is common; in fact, those who practice the Everlasting Scripture from ancient times to the present are few and far between—no one has ever seen it firsthand, and there are no records in ancient texts. For Young Hero Chen to have practiced this far is already quite good."

"So I have something to entrust to you." the Royal Ancestor said to Zhou Ke.

"Please give your orders, Forefather!" Zhou Ke, in the presence of the Royal Ancestor, showed no arrogance; upon hearing that the Royal Ancestor was about to issue a command, he hastily bowed, clasped his fists, and waited for the Royal Ancestor to speak.

"Mobilize all the forces under your command, search the Imperial Capital thoroughly, seize any suspicious persons and bring them here; I will personally interrogate each one."

"Yes!" Zhou Ke agreed.

"Are you relieved now?" the Royal Ancestor asked Chen Yi He with a smile, "Hehe, I must not only guarantee that you reach the Sevenfold Heaven, but also create a favorable environment for you; the consumption of manpower, material resources, and energy is easy to imagine—these three drops of essence blood and three strands of true qi, you haven't lost out, have you?"

"Forefather, I will send Situ Qing to round people up; besides, the Imperial Capital is now deserted, like an empty city, and even the slightest breeze will be magnified, making them easy to search." Zhou Ke pointed at Situ Qing and said to the Royal Ancestor.

"You arrange it yourself, but you must absolutely not delay Chen Yi He's cultivation, otherwise the consequences would be unimaginable." the Royal Ancestor reminded Zhou Ke.

"Hehe, I handle things, Forefather, you can rest assured." Zhou Ke said coldly.