Chapter 56: The Words of an Old Friend, the Tree Would Be Still

The altar stood majestic, solemn and heavy.

The grand rites resounded, solemn and reverent.

Beneath swirling incense smoke, the Emperor’s devout face was illuminated, the ritual incense rising to heaven and earth.

Praying for timely rain and sunshine, national peace and prosperity, and the enduring fortune of Daqing.

All ministers kowtowed!

You stood beneath the altar, gazing up at the thin streams of smoke rising straight into the clouds, drifting aimlessly into the unknown, your mind momentarily lost in thought.

A voice rang out, snapping you back to reality.

“Shao Bao, it has been many years—how have you been?”

The voice was rough, tinged with emotion.

You turned to see a man in plain attire among the four nations’ embassies; though standing quietly behind the others, his latent authority could not be hidden.

Only a man of high rank and great power could possess such an aura.

Yet he was also someone you knew.

He was the envoy who had once come to Bei Feng seeking peace—and the eldest legitimate son of Tuoba Shuyi: Tuoba Hongyan.

You narrowed your eyes, studying this prince.

Though his face remained calm, memories of the Lu family army’s legendary fame surged in your mind, sending a chill through you.

Over the past four years, Bei Feng had been terrified by the endless war.

In battle after battle, victory had seemed within reach—until the enemy raised the Lu family banner, causing their own troops to collapse in morale, again and again, until defeat.

Bei Feng had been broken by the Lu family army—terrified to the bone.

Since then, the northern lands had flown nothing but the Lu family banner.

Tuoba Hongyan, who had grown up accompanying his father on campaigns across the north, knew you well; his gaze grew even more fearful, and he hurriedly said: “I am here with the Bei Feng delegation—I have already petitioned your Emperor!”

“The two nations are now allies—Shao Bao, do not ruin this harmony!”

You smiled faintly, eyes still narrowed, and said nothing.

Tuoba Hongyan felt a pang of regret—he should not have provoked you, yet this was his father’s instruction.

His father, Tuoba Shuyi, had once been the man closest to the Bei Feng throne—until Lu Chen emerged and shattered his ambitions.

In that battle, Lu Chen struck with thunderous force, shattering eight hundred thousand Bei Feng iron cavalry, advancing toward Huanglong Prefecture.

The pro-war faction in court collapsed utterly; eventually, the third prince, champion of peace, ascended the throne, issuing an edict for peace that forced Lu Chen’s retreat.

That battle had crushed his father’s grand ambitions; since then, he locked himself in his chambers, staring at maps of the northern lands, desperately seeking the decisive move, replaying and re-simulating battle after battle—but no matter how he maneuvered, only death awaited.

For the man who had played chess with him in the north wielded strategy and command like a spirit or god!

How could man defeat a god?

When Lu Shenzhou retired to Mount Zhongnan, the Bei Feng royal family and generals felt as if a thousand-pound burden had been lifted.

All said: “Daqing’s move is like releasing a tiger back into the mountains.”

At this moment, Tuoba Hongyan felt uneasy, yet forced himself to speak: “Shao Bao, my father has a message for you.”

You were curious—what could Tuoba Shuyi possibly say?

“Father says, if you survive Mount Zhongnan, he will challenge you once more.”

“He vows to defeat you once in his life—or die with eyes unclosed.”

There was another line—but Tuoba Hongyan dared not speak it!

Yet remembering his father’s stern face, he gritted his teeth and said:

“But if you cannot walk down Mount Zhongnan alive, he will lead his iron cavalry to crush your Lu family’s nine clans, dig up your ancestral graves, and soothe your spirit in death.”

You heard these words, your expression unchanged.

But your heart stirred.

As you knew, four years ago, the third prince of Bei Feng had seized the throne in that power struggle.

His first act upon ascending the throne was to imprison Tuoba Shuyi—the former rival—in the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs.

His second act was to exile the fierce northern princess, marrying her off to Daqing as a tool of alliance.

With sweeping changes, Bei Feng had already replaced its entire leadership.

Logically, with Tuoba Hongyan’s current status, he should be a prisoner—yet here he stood before you.

And he delivered a challenge to duel.

Only one possibility remains!

Unless Bei Feng has changed!

The sixth prince, Tuoba Shuyi, has reclaimed power.

Tuoba Shuyi is no ordinary man—he had already swept the world before you ever met him.

Had it not been for the war, he would have long since become ruler of Bei Feng.

As for the earlier line—“cannot walk down Mount Zhongnan”?

You were still pondering.

Mount Zhongnan’s blessing ceremony: Daqing had stationed twenty thousand elite imperial guards here—carefully selected, formidable and awe-inspiring.

And Ma Bao, the imperial assassin, along with numerous generals, were among the finest martial experts—some even Grand Masters.

With such tight security, who could possibly carry out such a shocking act on Mount Zhongnan?

Kill you, the Daqing Shao Bao.

Under such defense, who could kill you?

Moreover, his words were deliberate.

They carried clear warning.

Suddenly, you wondered—had a figure beyond Grand Master arrived at Mount Zhongnan?

Lu Yu let out a cold laugh: “Who dares harm my brother? I dare say no one in the world!”

Tuoba Hongyan said no more, slipping away silently into the crowd.

Lu Yu looked at you, waiting for your decision.

You understood Lu Yu’s intent—capture him and interrogate him.

You already had a plan.

Tuoba Hongyan’s warning, though brief, revealed a glimmer of insight.

Yet you sensed he knew only a fraction of the truth—capturing him would yield nothing, and risk alerting the real enemy.

So you smiled faintly and said softly: “Let him go.”

You gazed calmly at the altar—you sensed today would bring earth-shattering events.

A faint unease stirred within you.

Tuoba Shuyi had sent his son specifically to warn you!

Mount Zhongnan may be on the verge of upheaval.

Aside from the Bei Feng delegation, you had little dealings with the other three nations.

Yet several among them showed keen interest in you.

Especially the Qianyuan delegation.

Qianyuan was the most powerful among the nations, yet its imperial successions were the most fiercely contested.

Now, after ten years of civil strife, no victor had emerged; princes and princesses vied for the throne, plunging the realm into chaos.

Moreover, Qianyuan’s most famous figure these years was a woman: the Sixth Princess, who commanded a hundred thousand troops herself, always wearing a ghostly mask on the battlefield.

Though other nations coveted Qianyuan’s weakness, all maintained a silent pact—not to intervene.

They knew that foreign interference would swiftly end Qianyuan’s chaos—and that outcome was not what they desired.

Thus, they hoped Qianyuan would grow even more chaotic, so they might profit from its turmoil.

Several members of the Qianyuan delegation held great fondness for you and wished to speak; to avoid suspicion, you deliberately avoided them.

Since you wished to distance yourself from court politics, you must avoid unnecessary social ties and suspicion.

Time passed.

The second wave of climbers arrived!

Imperial relatives, consorts from the inner palace, and families of ministers gradually ascended the mountain.

You looked up at the sky—vast, clear, and high.

The tree wishes for stillness, but the wind will not cease!

Lu Yu chuckled: “The wind is fierce, the sky high—perfect time for killing!”

You merely smiled.

(End of Chapter)