Chapter 56: Shengping Heavenly Kingdom, The Undying Demon Empress (Two-in-One)

Lu Yuan naturally had never heard the name Lin Xingchao.

He also noticed that Xu Dahu and Xu Erhu both wore confused expressions, clearly unaware of who this person was.

After the surprise of hearing the announcement, Li Junxian's eyes shifted for a moment before he said in a low voice:

"Go and bring him in."

The gang member who delivered the message acknowledged the order and left immediately, and Xu Dahu couldn't help but ask curiously:

"Master, who is this Lin Xingchao?"

Li Junxian seemed to have had memories from long ago stirred up by this name, and he said in a low voice:

"Lin Xingchao can be considered your Martial Uncle; like me, he was once a disciple of the Shenquan Sect."

Martial Uncle?

Lu Yuan and the other two couldn't help but look at each other.

Li Junxian continued on his own:

"Your master and your Martial Uncle both lost our parents when we were young, begging on the streets to survive, until we were fortunate enough to be spotted by our benefactor and taken in as disciples. We practiced Martial Arts bitterly for many years, and it wasn't until we were twenty-eight that we were able to finish our apprenticeship."

"At that time, the Shengping Heavenly Kingdom uprising was just beginning. Under the leadership of the Founding Saint King and the Eight Great Heavenly Kings, the Shengping Army swept through the southern provinces, occupying nearly half of the Great Jin. Your Martial Uncle and I were young and vigorous, and having long been disgusted by the corrupt Jin Dynasty, we threw ourselves into the Shengping Army, intending to make a great display of our talents and restore our Han rivers and mountains."

The Shengping Heavenly Kingdom!?

So Master really had rebelled!

Upon hearing this, Lu Yuan felt a slight tremor in his heart; recalling what had happened before, he suddenly felt it was unexpected yet reasonable.

The name of the Shengping Heavenly Kingdom was known to all.

For the past hundred years, the corrupt Jin Dynasty's high-pressure rule and various forms of exploitation and oppression had left the common people unable to bear the burden, leading to constant uprisings of various sizes everywhere.

Especially after the first invasion by the Holy Roman Powers, when the Jin Dynasty was defeated and forced to sign a series of unequal treaties, the imperial court invented various pretexts and established all kinds of exorbitant taxes to pay war indemnities, intensifying the plundering of the people's wealth.

At the same time, corrupt officials and local tyrants in the private sector took the opportunity to squeeze the people dry. Under the combination of natural and man-made disasters, the unbearable commoners rose up in rebellion in various places.

Among them, the most powerful was the Shengping Army from over thirty years ago.

The Shengping Army originated in the Guang Province area of the thirty-six provinces. Because the Jin Dynasty was defeated in the first Holy Roman war, the Holy Roman Powers obtained the right to preach in the coastal areas and began building churches in large numbers to spread the Heavenly Lord Holy Church.

In a certain county in Guang Province, a failed Martial Examination candidate named Chen Kequan accidentally came into contact with this religion and was greatly influenced by it. He then began to use it to absorb believers and develop his power, eventually even absorbing the doctrines of the Heavenly Lord Holy Church to create the Shengping Sect, which advocated for holiness, equality, and a world of Great Datong.

At that time, the people were in deep water and scorching fire, suffering immensely and in urgent need of psychological comfort. As this doctrine spread, the number of believers grew like a snowball, reaching twenty or thirty thousand in just one year.

Although the local officials were incompetent and occupied their positions without doing any work, they still sensed that something was wrong and mobilized a unit of the Jin Army, wanting to ban and exterminate the Shengping Sect that had just emerged.

As a result, this Jin Army was soundly defeated by the Shengping Sect believers, who had reacted and organized in advance, and the Sect Leader Chen Kequan even led this ragtag army to capture the entire county seat!

After occupying the county, Chen Kequan executed corrupt officials and local tyrants, then equalized the land and wealth, and officially formed the Shengping Army.

Because the Jin Dynasty enforced the shaving of hair and changing of clothes, the Shengping Army did not shave their hair or braid their queues, wearing their hair loose, and thus were called "Longhairs."

Because of long-standing grievances, after Chen Kequan led the masses to revolt, the spark started a prairie fire that could not be stopped. Countless oppressed commoners joined the Shengping Army, and even many martial arts practitioners joined in. The power of the Shengping Sect expanded rapidly, sweeping through the southern provinces like a raging fire, capturing thirteen provinces in just five years.

These thirteen provinces were mostly wealthy southern provinces, and even included the Jiangning Province, which ranked in the top three for tax revenue. The power of the Shengping Army reached its peak, and Chen Kequan established his kingdom in Tianyun Prefecture, the capital of Jiangning Province, with the name Shengping Heavenly Kingdom, and declared himself the Founding Saint King who Pacifies the Jin, while his eight capable generals were titled the Eight Great Heavenly Kings.

After the Shengping Heavenly Kingdom was established, it relied on the thirteen provinces to stand in a stalemate with the Jin Dynasty. Because it occupied the moral high ground of the people's hearts, it had the upper hand most of the time, and all the Han people in the world were inspired by it, with countless people coming to join in secret.

However, just as success seemed within reach.

Within a few years, the interior of the Shengping Heavenly Kingdom began to experience turmoil and even infighting due to the struggle for power and profit. At the same time, many middle and upper-level generals began to settle for pleasure and even engaged in corruption, gradually becoming as corrupt as the officials of the Jin Dynasty.

With internal decay, the development momentum of the Shengping Heavenly Kingdom was halted, and the Jin Dynasty, which had deep foundations, began to counterattack step by step after catching its breath.

At the same time, because they learned that the Catholic doctrines had been tampered with and utilized by the Shengping Heavenly Kingdom, the Western Holy Roman Powers, who had great influence, were also very angry. They began to intervene, selling obsolete firearms and equipment to the Jin Dynasty, and ordered the complete extermination of the Shengping Heavenly Kingdom as a heresy.

The Jin Dynasty, after all, had hundreds of years of heritage and had obtained quite a few firearms and equipment from the Holy Roman Powers, so the combat effectiveness of their army increased significantly. The Shengping Heavenly Kingdom, which had originally had the advantage in terms of popular support and strength, began to retreat steadily.

In the end, after several years of difficult and bitter fighting, the Shengping Army suffered countless casualties, and the Eight Great Heavenly Kings who led the army were either defeated and killed or captured. All the territory they had conquered was lost, and even the capital, Tianyun Prefecture, was surrounded by tens of thousands of Jin soldiers and then broken!

On the day the city fell, the Founding Saint King Chen Kequan fought to the death in his Saint King Mansion, using his supreme martial prowess to kill three hundred and twenty-eight Jin soldiers and dozens of Jin Dynasty martial arts experts, finally dying under the simultaneous bombardment of dozens of Cannons.

Thus, the mighty Shengping Heavenly Kingdom uprising was suppressed by the Jin Dynasty once again, and it has been more than twenty years since then.

Lu Yuan had not expected that his master had such an experience; no wonder he had always been tight-lipped and never told him.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but ask:

"So, Master, the injury you suffered was from that time?"

"Correct."

Li Junxian said softly:

"When the Jin Army broke through Tianyun Prefecture and intended to capture the Saint King alive, your Martial Uncle and I were the defense commanders of the Shengping Army. That battle was bloody and cruel. Besides the thousands of troops and horses, the Jin Dynasty also dispatched the Niangan Office and even most of the martial arts and Daoist Arts experts from the Shaman State Religion."

We held on for less than two hours before the city gates were breached, and your master also suffered heavy injuries in that bloody battle, barely escaping with my life. The reason I didn't tell you before was because my identity is too sensitive, so..."

Before he finished speaking, footsteps came from outside the courtyard, along with a shout:

"Li Shu, I've brought the guest in!"

Lu Yuan turned his head and saw a middle-aged man in cloth clothes with an upright posture appearing at the courtyard gate, accompanied by a young man and woman with impressive temperaments.

The moment the middle-aged man saw Li Junxian, his eyes became excited, and he stepped forward quickly:

"Martial Brother!"

Looking at the other person, Li Junxian was also emotionally stirred. After waving away the gang member who led the way, he said slowly:

"Junior Martial Brother, it has been a long time. Since we parted several years ago, how have you been in Jinjin?"

"I have been doing well, Junior Martial Brother..."

The two had not seen each other for many years. Lin Xingchao stepped forward to hold Li Junxian's hand, saying with excitement and emotion:

"The last time we parted was eight years ago. Are you well, Martial Brother? Do you still cough when it rains?"

"Still the same, that old ailment is just like that."

Li Junxian looked calmly at the two slightly restrained young man and woman behind him:

"Are those two young people your disciples?"

"Correct."

Lin Xingchao turned his head:

"Why haven't you come over to pay your respects to your Martial Uncle Li yet!"

The two young people, the man with a dignified and imposing air and the woman with a clear and beautiful appearance, both clearly possessing impressive Martial Arts, came before Li Junxian and bowed respectfully in unison:

"Juniors Xi Beichen (Gu Yourong) pay our respects to Martial Uncle!"

"Good, good, Xingchao, you have taken in two good seedlings!"

Li Junxian looked them over and nodded repeatedly, then gestured toward Lu Yuan and the other two:

"These are my three disciples, Xu Dahu, Xu Erhu, and Lu Yuan."

Lu Yuan, as well as Xu Dahu and Xu Erhu, immediately stepped forward to bow:

"Greetings, Martial Uncle."

"Good, good, good."

Lin Xingchao first nodded with a smile, then his gaze was suddenly drawn by Lu Yuan's unique temperament, and he said in surprise:

"Senior Brother, this disciple of yours?"

After completing the Hundred Days Foundation Establishment, Lu Yuan could be said to have been reborn, and after refining his True Qi, his temperament had developed even further toward the transcendent; anyone with a bit of discernment could see at a glance that he was extraordinary.

"Junior Brother has a good eye; this kid is a natural talent for martial arts, far stronger than you or I were at his age."

Li Junxian smiled but did not say much more:

"Why did you bring your disciples out this time?"

Lin Xingchao said: "Having stayed in Jinjin for too long, I brought them out to see the world, and incidentally, I have a matter to attend to in Fengyang Prefecture that might require your help, Senior Brother."

Li Junxian shook his head and sighed: "I knew you didn't come all the way here from Jinjin just to visit me. Come in and speak."

As he spoke, he invited Lin Xingchao and his two disciples into his room, while simultaneously looking at his three disciples:

"You three go out and busy yourselves; don't worry about me here."

This Martial Uncle's visit clearly had an ulterior motive, and seeing that Li Junxian seemed not to want them to get too involved, the three of them looked at each other in dismay.

Xu Dahu still wanted to stay under the pretext of serving tea and water, but was still chased out by the other party.

The three had no choice but to walk outside the courtyard, looking at the small room inside, looking at one another, filled with curiosity.

Xu Dahu lowered his voice, hesitant yet excited: "This Martial Uncle visiting suddenly, he wouldn't be here to drag Master into rebellion again, would he? If so, we..."

Xu Erhu shook his head and said: "Impossible. After Master's injuries healed, he long ago extinguished all such thoughts and only wants to bid farewell to strife and live out his life in peace. He told us to come out because he didn't want us to be implicated either."

Lu Yuan, however, asked curiously: "Hasn't the Shengping Heavenly Kingdom already been destroyed? Is this Martial Uncle still rebelling now?"

Xu Erhu frowned and said:

"This is our first time seeing this Martial Uncle, so I don't know what he is doing. But I have heard Master mention that although the Shengping Heavenly Kingdom was destroyed, the descendants of the Founding Saint King and even the Eight Great Heavenly Kings, and those who inherited their will, have survived and are still trying every possible way to re-establish the Shengping Heavenly Kingdom. This Martial Uncle might just..."

"Hiss."

Xu Dahu gasped:

"If the Jin Dynasty finds out about this, wouldn't it mean the execution of the nine clans and death by slow slicing?"

The two discussed it in extremely low voices, one word after another, but Lu Yuan could no longer suppress his curiosity and immediately said:

"Two Senior Brothers, I forgot an urgent matter and need to go out for a moment!"

After saying this, he left like a gust of wind, leaving behind the stunned Xu Dahu and Xu Erhu.

And after exiting the backyard through the back gate.

The alley was deserted, and Lu Yuan instantly formed hand seals, stimulated his True Qi to trigger the Earth Travel Technique, and his whole body instantly sank into the ground.

Wrapped in the power of the technique, he walked through the soil as if on flat ground; with every step he took, the soil parted like flowing water, causing absolutely no resistance.

Traveling underground, he easily followed the sound back to the backyard and arrived beneath Li Junxian's room; concentrating slightly, he heard a sentence:

"... want to find Qingyike?"

This sentence came from Li Junxian, and his tone was full of surprise:

"What do you want with him?"

Hmm?

Never expecting that their conversation would involve his own alter ego, Lu Yuan, who was underground, narrowed his eyes and listened carefully.

Then he heard Lin Xingchao's voice say:

"I heard people talking about it in Jinjin, saying that this Qingyike has the ability to appear and disappear like a ghost, leaving no trace; severing throats in the void, words appearing out of thin air, all sorts of displays that are like divine miracles. Could he be a master of Daoist Arts at the Fifth Realm or even the Sixth Realm?"

"Correct."

Li Junxian replied:

"You and I have both fought against the sorcerers of the Jin Dynasty's Shaman God Sect, and we should know that such displays are extremely difficult to achieve even with Fifth Realm Daoist Arts, so in my opinion, this Qingyike is most likely a high-ranking mage of the Sixth Realm... You came to find him, could it be that you want such a master to join you?"

Lin Xingchao said:

"Correct. I have already inquired in this city; this Qingyike hates evil as if it were his enemy, specializing in killing corrupt officials and wicked bullies, and is a top-tier chivalrous hero. But the darkness and decay of this world cannot be changed just by killing a few villains. We are recently planning a very important event, so I want to invite this Qingyike to work together with us for a righteous cause!"

Li Junxian's tone changed noticeably: "An important event, a righteous cause... you want to go to Tianjing to assassinate the Undying Demon Empress!?"

Hearing the four words "Undying Demon Empress," Lu Yuan's heart trembled slightly.

The Undying Demon Empress was a figure known to everyone in the Jin Dynasty.

The current Xuantong Emperor, who had been on the throne for ten years, was merely a puppet; the true ruler of the Jin Dynasty was the current Empress Dowager: Xici.

That's right, not the Empress Dowager, not the Grand Empress Dowager, but the Great-Grand Empress Dowager, the Emperor's direct great-grandmother.

The reason for such a gap in generations was that this Great-Grand Empress Dowager Xici had been ruling from behind the curtain for seventy years, and according to historical records, her age had already exceeded two sixty-year cycles, reaching over one hundred and twenty years old.

The Great Jin had been founded for five hundred years, and over all these years, elderly people in the civilian population who could live to the advanced age of over one hundred and twenty were living legends, numbering no more than a handful.

And this Great-Grand Empress Dowager Xici not only lived for such a long time, but it was rumored that even now she was neither deaf nor blind, and was even agile in her movements, able to eat hundreds of delicacies at every meal!

With such supernatural traits, the Great-Grand Empress Dowager Xici could naturally not be an ordinary person without the strength to truss a chicken. There were rumors among the people that this Great-Grand Empress Dowager was protected by the Shaman gods because she believed in the Jin Clan's state religion, the Shaman God Sect, and that as long as she did not die, the national destiny of the Jin Dynasty would not be severed.

This was the origin of the title "Undying Demon Empress."

(End of chapter)