Chapter 130

Inside the mourning hall, the coffin was gradually being sealed, and the mourners sat before the door, clad in hempen mourning garments.

The spirit money was consumed by the flames, and as the night wind gusted, it scattered across the sky.

Gray, silent, and mingled with the sound of wind through leaves, it was like a requiem that stripped away all vanity; death is something life can never escape and must eventually face.

No matter how illustrious or earth-shattering a person may be, they are no different from an ordinary person when facing death.

Everyone will die.

The strays in the village will, the masters in the prefectural and state cities will, and your own loved ones will too; tonight, Mistress Tong was naturally the one keeping vigil.

Song Cheng did not walk away either.

He sat before a burning basalt tripod, tossing spirit money into it one piece at a time.

Because of the faith in the Xuanwu Temple, coupled with Song Cheng's deliberate displays of power in slaying ghost servants, the "Xuanwu" patterns began to multiply and appear everywhere, as people generally believed that the "Xuanwu Emperor" could ward off evil and bring blessings.

The recuperation after the wars and the encouragement of childbirth made the land of the Great Shang, though shrunken, feel full of vitality; with more people, the Xuanwu Temple became increasingly bustling.

The high and mighty Xuanwu Emperor became even more sacred.

Yet, even the Xuanwu Emperor could not bring Lady Zhushan back to life, nor could he even extend her lifespan; Mistress Tong watched Song Cheng toss the spirit money for a while before sitting over and leaning her head against her husband's shoulder.

Although she possessed medical skills and lived a life of luxury, the years had left faint traces on Mistress Tong's face.

Neither of them spoke.

Suddenly, Mistress Tong took the initiative to speak, first asking about some cultivation matters, then shifting the topic to their son.

"Xiao An is such a worry, but he married Lingxue last month; with her looking after him from now on, I feel much more at ease."

Song Cheng responded softly.

Although Song An's aptitude was average, with a father like him and such a family background, he was only sixteen by nominal age and already proficient in both literature and martial arts.

In literature, he could command troops and break ten thousand with a thousand cavalry.

In martial arts, he had reached the perfection of the Yellow Grade Grade B, which is the Form Realm, and was currently breaking through to the Qi Realm.

As for people like Mistress Tong and Sister An, their progress was much slower due to the toil of worldly affairs; they were currently stuck at the entrance of the Qi Realm, and that was only after being forcibly pushed there by various methods from Song Cheng.

It is worth mentioning that Ying'er had already entered the Qi Realm, closing herself off daily like a martial arts fanatic, but Ling'er, as a Soul Refiner, was destined to have no connection with the Qi Realm.

Mistress Tong nestled in her husband's arms.

Endless memories were flooding in.

So much so that, most of the time, there was only silence and stillness.

Seven days later.

Lady Zhushan's coffin was buried.

After the group returned to the An residence, the mansion returned to its daily routine.

Everyone was busy; Song An, the eldest young master of the Song Prince's Mansion, ran out to practice martial arts, dressed in fine clothes and riding a spirited horse, attending small gatherings and flirting with young ladies, surrounded like stars around the moon, while his wife, Zhao Lingxue, quietly studied beast taming at home.

Mistress Tong ran over to her daughter-in-law's side to spend time with her.

The former Zhushan Temple had long been completely swallowed by the Yinkui Society, becoming a part of it.

And the Vice-Master of the Yinkui Society, the Four Protectors, began to manage the situation.

Mistress Tong had taken a break and was being forced by Song Cheng to practice martial arts.

But she was bored alone, so she went to find her daughter-in-law.

Zhao Lingxue was very filial, and the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had a good relationship.

Seeing the crisp autumn weather today, Zhao Lingxue said, "Mother, the Liangyi Zhai in the Imperial City has new silk woven this year; it is light, translucent, and thin as a cicada's wing, called Cicada Gauze. Would you like to go see it?"

Mistress Tong readily agreed.

Thus, guards drove the carriage, taking the two of them out of the Song Prince's Mansion.

After ordering clothes at the Liangyi Zhai, the two returned; while passing by a "Tianxian Tower," they heard a bustle from upstairs. Mistress Tong vaguely heard a familiar voice, so she pulled back the carriage curtain and looked inside through an open window. She didn't see much, but the voice in the room was undoubtedly her son's.

Song An's voice was mixed into a cacophony of debauchery and suggestive sounds, with both men and women, and from time to time, sweet calls of "Brother Song" or "General Song" would flash out.

Mistress Tong frowned and wanted to get off the carriage, but Zhao Lingxue gently tugged at her sleeve.

"Mother, my husband values his reputation."

Only then did Mistress Tong angrily lower the curtain.

She had come from a life of poverty, but what was the difference between her son's current behavior and the powerful elites she once despised most? That night, Song An knelt in the main hall, and Mistress Tong looked at him with extreme anger, holding a bamboo rod.

The mother and son had been talking for a long time.

And Song An had confessed everything he had done recently.

At this moment, Song An chuckled and argued, "Mother, those young ladies were all willing, and isn't your son grown up now? I just want you and Father to hold a grandson sooner."

"Then... then you still can't ruin half the courtesans in the entire Imperial Capital! And promise to take them as concubines?" Mistress Tong trembled with anger, "It's not that Mother looks down on courtesans, but how... how could you do this?!"

Just as she was speaking, a woman in tight clothing suddenly walked in from outside, as fast as a gale and as silent as a falling leaf, moving like a ghost.

This was Mistress Tong's maid, Xiao Qing.

However, in the martial arts world, Xiao Qing's identity was Yue Beiqing, the "Palace Master of the Stellaria Palace."

The Stellaria Palace was a force subordinate to the Yinkui Society, both righteous and evil; it might not count for much in the Imperial Capital, but in Chong Zhou, further south of the Yangtze, it was a force that could almost cover the sky with one hand in the martial arts world.

Yue Beiqing was naturally considered a legendary figure in the martial arts world.

But such a legendary figure was merely Mistress Tong's maid and bodyguard, and her strength was at the Pseudo-Xuan Realm.

The reason this woman was willing to serve as Mistress Tong's bodyguard was simply for the blessing of the "Xuanwu Emperor," in order to take another step forward from the Qi Realm and enter the Pseudo-Xuan.

If one could increase their lifespan by 180 years, anyone could set aside their dignity, soften their knees, and serve a master.

What's more... Mistress Tong was very kind to people.

The moment she was blessed by the Xuanwu Emperor, Yue Beiqing understood the terrifying identity of this Song Prince, so... she was willing to hide her name and become the maid of the Emperor's wife.

Not only because the Emperor's name could not be defied, but also because she wanted to be close to the Emperor to see if she could remove the "Pseudo" from "Pseudo-Xuan Realm."

Just a moment ago, Tong Jia had asked her to search Song An's room to see if there were any filthy items that brought shame to the family.

Yue Beiqing went.

For a legendary palace master of the pugilistic world, searching a room was simply using a dragon-slaying saber to kill a chicken.

Yue Beiqing opened several hidden small mechanisms in a few swift moves and took out the items inside.

At this moment, Xiao Qing came before Tong Niangzi, handed over the searched items, and said respectfully, "Madam, these were found in the Young Master's room."

Song An panicked instantly; he rudely stood up directly and struck like lightning, wanting to snatch the things back.

But Xiao Qing just swayed her body, dodged Song An's snatching, and then handed a small box in her hand to Tong Jia.

Tong Jia glared fiercely at Song An.

"Kneel down!"

Seeing he couldn't snatch it, Song An clamored, "Mom, can I not even have a few secrets of my own?"

"Secrets?" Tong Niangzi opened the box, only to find it filled with sachets.

Every sachet was embroidered with gold and sewn with jade, exquisitely incomparable.

Opening them slightly, inside were love tokens of various kinds.

Tong Niangzi read the names one by one.

Some of these names she knew, others she did not.

But with Xiao Qing there, her doubts could always be answered in time.

After looking through the whole lot, Tong Niangzi was completely numb.

These love tokens all belonged to this noble young lady or that noble young lady in the Huangcheng, and there were even some from the fallen Imperial Court Ji Family and Yan Family. As for the quantity, there were sixteen in total.

Tong Niangzi squinted at her own son and said, "Song An, very good, you've provoked over ten courtesans outside and said you wanted to take concubines; here there are sixteen Young Misses who have pledged their love, saying you want to marry them home properly."

She looked up, took a deep breath to calm her emotions, and said, "The old Song Family has really made something of itself!"

Then she looked fiercely at Song An again and said, "Why didn't your father have this ability of yours?"

Seeing his mother was furious, Song An hurriedly said, "Mom, rest your anger, it's all just for fun."

"Just for fun?"

Tong Niangzi grabbed a bamboo strip and raised her hand to strike.

Song An chuckled and said, "Mom, it's useless, it doesn't hurt when you hit me."

He was handsome in appearance, and now he had grown tall and big, extremely strong, with muscles compressed into his body, showing smooth lines while containing powerful explosive force. At this time, he was smirking, unexpectedly possessing a bit of the charm of a peerless young genius. Looking like this outside, if he smiled at any young girl and crooked his finger, that girl would probably be calling him "Brother, Brother."

Seeing her son like this, Tong Niangzi was almost angered to the point of fainting. Thinking that her son was only sixteen by nominal age and was already playing with women like this outside, she was practically going crazy. "Kneel!!"

"Alright, listening to Mom."

"You just wait!!"

Seeing she couldn't subdue her son, Tong Niangzi left behind a harsh threat, then hurriedly went out to find Song Cheng.

Song Cheng was currently fiddling with the "Suppressor."

Now, even though ten years had passed, he was still stuck at the "Mysterious Grade Grade B" level, only because "Mysterious Grade Grade A" required the "Four Fierce Lands." This forced him to continue pushing the "Yunhe Project."

He felt it was very ironic.

Previously, the Holy Heaven Buddha was also working on the "Yunhe."

The "Yunhe" was not only related to draining Ghosts into the sea but also related to the "Four Fierce Lands." Rather than letting the "Four Fierce Lands" form on their own, it was better to control them manually.

And now, he had taken power, and he still let the "former Demon-Subduing Arhat, now the Demon-Subduing Perfected One" and "Yan Muyi, who had obtained the name of Perfected One Liu Yi" continue this plan.

But the difference was, the Holy Heaven Buddha wanted the world to be in turmoil.

But he wanted everything to be peaceful.

He secretly manipulated the Heavenly Son, lowering taxes, valuing agricultural production, and encouraging childbirth. Now, the Drowned Ghost had completely swallowed the Ghost Hair, Burned Ghost, and Ghost Hand, but it was still not enough to form the "Ghost of the Four Fiends" that could "give birth to the Four Fierce Lands."

Therefore, the Demon-Subduing Perfected One and Perfected One Liu Yi were carrying the Sun Nine-Pattern Golden Coffin everywhere to catch ghosts, in order to gather an opponent that could fight the Drowned Ghost. Manual control of the fusion could not be too fast; if it were fast, it would directly fall into chaos.

Although Song Cheng did not approve of the saying "using chaotic times to regulate Yin and Yang," he knew that "if this world is not yet prepared, the terrifying Ghost of the Four Fiends should not be born easily." Ghosts possess a powerful "inertia"; they only move during the Ghost Tide Period, and at other times they are all asleep. Even during the Ghost Tide Period, the larger the ghost, the more difficult it is for it to move, and there is a kind of... tendency to take root somewhere and not leave.

Song Cheng had not stopped his research on ghosts, but the harvest was not much.

And the "Suppressor" he was fiddling with in his hand, made of "Sun Nine-Pattern Gold" and said to be able to help people pass the Reappearance Tribulation, appeared especially mysterious.

Song Cheng looked at the appearance of this "Suppressor," squinting and thinking deeply.

Why could a Sun Nine-Pattern Golden Sculpture in the shape of a "Suppressor" influence the Reappearance Tribulation? What is a "Suppressor"? Dong, dong, dong. The secret room door was knocked, and Tong Niangzi's voice came from outside.

Song Cheng opened the door, saw the furious Tong Niangzi, and quickly understood. Upon understanding, he was also completely speechless.

Clearly, his son had even accepted their love tokens; the relationships that should have happened had probably all happened. If you want your son not to contact others, wouldn't that make him a heartless man?

But if he wanted them all, Song Cheng only felt it was inconceivable.

His biggest stimulation was just quietly taking the "sister-in-law" Su Mengzhen and quietly cuckolding "King Yan" Yan Boruo, who was far away in Thunder Cloud Province and still constantly offering demonic beasts.

Besides that, his three wives had never changed, and the maidservants he had touched were only An Jie's two bed-chamber maids, Ying'er and Ling'er.

But in the blink of an eye, his son had surpassed his master and won wildly over his master?

Courtesans, plus young ladies of various powerful families, that was already over thirty? "Does no one manage him usually?" Song Cheng asked with a frown.

"Song An always says he is going out to practice martial arts, drill troops, and says he is going to meet friends.

Originally, I thought this child was introverted, having been scared too much by his sisters when he was young, feeling timid and shrinking. I even encouraged him to go out and make more friends.

He came home late, saying he was drinking with friends, and I was quite happy, feeling that this child's temperament was becoming optimistic.

But in the end... how did it become like this?!

Song Cheng, you tell me, why is this child so obedient at home, but so unscrupulous and dissolute when he goes outside?" As Tong Niangzi spoke, she looked at the bamboo strip in her hand, raised it, and handed it closer, "I can't hit him anymore, you go."

Song Cheng took the bamboo strip, stared at it for a while, as if pondering something.

Afterward, he went over together with Tong Niangzi.

Inside the room, Song An saw his father appear and panicked instantly.

In his eyes, his father... was unfathomable; almost everything he knew was taught by his father, which was simply not something his mother could compare to.

"This son was wrong."

Song An hurriedly kowtowed to admit his mistake.

Song Cheng glanced at Tong Niangzi, who rolled her eyes and then said, "What mistake could you have? You were just thinking about your mother and father holding a grandchild sooner."

With Song Cheng present, Song An dared not talk back.

Song Cheng said, "If you truly like them, then marry them all back."

Song An was so startled he hurriedly stood up, waving his hands repeatedly, and said, "I won't marry them. I was just messing around; if I marry so many, where would I have any freedom left?"

*Whack! * Song Cheng lashed out with a bamboo rod, and Song An shuddered as if struck by lightning.

*Whack! * Song Cheng continued to lash out.

Song An rolled on the ground in terror, begging for mercy repeatedly.

Only then did Song Cheng stop.

However, soon, Song An discovered that his body did not hurt at all, and there was not even a single wound.

Upon checking carefully, he realized that his father had only lashed the air a few times and had not actually struck him.

Yet the killing intent and pressure brought by these empty lashes left him terrified and panicked, like a "bird startled by the mere twang of a bow."

Song Cheng walked over, grabbed him, brushed the dust off his body, and said, "Father isn't hitting you. Father just wants to ask... you aren't young anymore; what do you plan to do next?"

Song An sat down obediently and began to ramble slowly.

His eyes shone as he said, "I have heard that west of Leiyun Continent, past the Yinyun Barrier, there are still many kingdoms. This son wants to lead troops on an expedition to bring them all into our territory and build an unparalleled legacy. I heard from Aunt Su that only those born with a Soul can enter the Profound."

"This son cannot enter, but I don't care!"

"This son only wants to live this life brilliantly and freely!"

Song Cheng thought for a moment and said, "Since you have such a Dream, I hope you aren't just bragging."

Song An said proudly, "Absolutely not bragging!"

Song Cheng said, "Since that is the case, your father will suppress his realm to the Jin Realm. Whenever you can catch one of your father's casual strikes, you will have passed the martial test."

"And as for the art of using troops... whenever you can use ten thousand soldiers to block your father's three hundred soldiers' attack, you will have passed the literary test."

"Jin Realm? Three hundred?" Song An was stunned for a moment, then said, "Father, I think we can spar right now, but it's agreed, you cannot use extra strength."

Song Cheng nodded.

Subsequently, the father and son held a sparring match.

Spectators: Tong Jia, Zhao Hua, Ouyang Chuchu, Zhao Qingxue, Xiao Qing... the father-in-law, mother-in-law, and wife had all come to watch.

Song An was full of energy; although he did not think his father was being arrogant, he also felt that "Father's requirement is not difficult."

He himself could crush a formation of ten thousand elite soldiers of the dynasty with one thousand, and within the Form Realm, he could be called a matchless opponent in the Imperial Capital at the same level.

Whether one has Qi or not, those are two completely different realms.

Unless his father cheated, a casual strike? He, Song An, would definitely block it!

Then Song Cheng casually struck with a blade using Jin Power; Song An flew backward, his thumb-web split... Afterward, the father and son challenged the Imperial Guard.

The troop types were the same.

Song Cheng led three hundred cavalrymen, and through a highly unreasonable, almost miraculous method of weaving back and forth, he shattered Song An's ten thousand troops.

Zhao Hua clapped his hands in admiration; he himself was a fierce general who had won a hundred battles, and he had his own understanding of the art of war, so he could still see a few clues.

Big Brother's use of troops had no form and no momentum, yet the momentum was everywhere; he was always using the strongest side of his army to strike the weakest side of the opponent.

Even if the opponent's formation had no flaws for a moment, he would use troop movements to grasp that "miraculous crack that no one could perceive," and then rapidly expand it.

This feeling was like "a skilled butcher carving an ox, his blade wandering between the bones."

Song An lost both battles, and they were humiliating defeats.

He stood dumbfounded, unable to believe it, watching from amidst his defeated troops as his father's army galloped over, extremely magnificent and fluid, like a blade parting water.

Then, he felt his collar tighten and was lifted up.

"Still far from enough," Song Cheng said indifferently, then put him down, said "Well done" to the Imperial Guards who were looking at him as if he were a god, and then rode away alone.

Song An, having suffered this blow, felt completely dejected and stood with his head hanging under the autumn sun.

Song Cheng arrived at the spectator area.

Zhao Hua stepped forward and smiled, "Big Brother's use of troops is truly miraculous; I fear no one in history could surpass it."

Song Cheng waved his hand and said, "Can the history of the Great Shang not be traced back to a thousand years ago? Calling it the first dynasty of the human world is just self-proclaimed. Who knows what heroes were on this land thousands, or even ten thousand, or a hundred thousand years ago? One must not belittle oneself, nor be arrogant and conceited."

Zhao Hua smiled foolishly and scratched his hair, just as he had back in Hanping Prefecture.

Ouyang Chuchu watched this scene in astonishment.

No one knew Zhao Hua's true nature better than she did.

This was the Regent who now truly covered the sky with one hand in the Great Shang; his schemes were terrifyingly deep, his methods ruthless and decisive, and usually, even a cold snort from him could scare his subordinates out of their wits.

This Regent was a cold-blooded and heartless person, extremely cruel to women and even his own children; if she were not Zhao Lingxue's mother, and if her daughter had not married Song Cheng's son, she would never have been able to become Zhao Hua's legal wife.

Yet, such a person was revealing a boyish simplicity and honesty in front of Song Cheng.

Zhao Hua said, "Big Brother, the things I have been doing all these years have also made progress. Westward, past a stretch of Yinyun Barrier, there are still kingdoms that exist, and there seem to be quite a few. And for some reason, there have been no Ghosts appearing there yet; it is as if the Yang energy is extremely dense."

Song Cheng said, "I know this; An'er is already thinking about leading troops to conquer those kingdoms."

Zhao Hua laughed "Haha" and said, "An'er is a young hero; with such ambition, he will surely succeed."

Having said that, he lowered his voice and added, "Big Brother, there is also the matter of the Changsheng Bulao Yao; I have been investigating it as well. Many people have come, but they were all swindlers. I killed a large batch of swindlers, and now not a single one dares to come..."

He sighed and shook his head lightly.

As they were speaking, a man dressed as an attendant with black clothes and green scale patterns hurried over from afar; he reached the drill ground, but seeing the Prince Song there, he stopped and dared not approach.

Zhao Hua beckoned.

Only then did the man hurry over.

This was the "Commander of the Azure Dragon Guard" from the "Four Symbols Guard" that Zhao Hua had reorganized.

Zhao Hua said, "Remember, seeing the Song Prince is the same as seeing me; anything you can say to me, you can also say to the Song Prince."

"Yes!"

The Commander of the Azure Dragon Guard replied respectfully, then said, "Another alchemist claims to know the secret of the Changsheng Bulao Yao."

Zhao Hua smiled and said, "Does he know that I have already killed three thousand two hundred swindlers?"

The Azure Dragon Guard nodded.

Zhao Hua said "Interesting," then looked at Song Cheng and said, "Big brother, I will go take a look first."

Song Cheng patted his shoulder and said, "Go ahead."

Zhao Hua led his men away in a hurry.

Song Cheng, meanwhile, led his family and "Song An, who was as dejected as a defeated rooster," back to the Song Prince Mansion together.

As soon as they arrived at the Song Prince Mansion, Ling'er ran over and said, "Master, Master, the Mistress told me to remind you that you must not forget your promise to the Young Lady to go play at Jilei Mountain tomorrow."

Song Cheng laughed and said, "I won't forget."

Over these years, he would take A Ting out for excursions every year.

And this year, it was to Jilei Mountain.

That great mountain which shimmered with purple light, possessed magical beasts, and served as a barrier for Leiyun Continent. However, what troubled him was that A Ting... seemed to have no interest in men.

Of course, that is a conservative way of putting it.

If one were not being conservative, it would be... A Ting seems to have no interest in living people.

(End of this chapter)