Chapter 275: Chi Xiao Sword, Come!

Enter the court without hastening, be announced by title rather than name, and wear sword and shoes upon the palace steps.

Establish a private mansion, with ceremonial rites equal to the Three Excellencies.

Command all military forces under heaven, Grand Marshal.

Honored as Heavenly Strategy Supreme General!

The ancients said: if one does not speak, then fine; but when one speaks, one startles the world; if one does not fly, then fine; but when one flies, one soars to the heavens—Ji Daochun had always thought such phrases were mere exaggerations from history books—in the palace, within the imperial clan, a young emperor was raised, every move watched by the clan.

Because he was young, he had no one he could trust.

Because he was young, he had never been taught the breadth of mind of an emperor, the spirit of a hero.

To govern the realm is like cooking a small fish.

To govern an emperor is the same.

Such an emperor, nominally the lord of all under heaven, was in truth merely a puppet pushed forward by the clan—power resided not in the emperor himself, but in the clan; he had witnessed three emperors in succession, yet had never, never been so unprepared!

A heroic transformation!

The dragon's transformation rises with the tide—Ji Zichang was Li Guanyi's great tide, yet this Qin Wu Hou, who rose from obscurity and roamed the Jiangnan region—was he not also Ji Zichang's great tide?

As this string of titles was proclaimed, the very words "Qin Wu Hou" became a vast, overwhelming tide across the realm; the entire court of Zhongzhou fell into a deathly silence—whether nobles, marquises, or clan princes, all were struck mute.

Their hearts felt clenched.

Pressed down by the surging pressure of the storm, unable to speak.

Ji Zichang remained the Great Emperor; he might not command all Zhongzhou's troops, might not secure the full loyalty of the great families, yet he was still the lord of all under heaven, and he could still bestow this title.

The Zhongzhou clans did not recognize it.

But the people of the realm would still recognize this title.

Will you stand in the way of heaven's great tide and the eight-hundred-year glory of the Red Emperor?

Ji Daochun suddenly stepped forward and said: "No, Your Majesty!"

"It cannot be!"

He was very old; in seniority, he surpassed Ji Yanzhong, whose internal Qi had reached the Patriarch realm and whose true martial skill was no lesser than that of the Ten Great Masters.

Yet Ji Yanzhong, this benevolent elder, cared only for martial cultivation, serving as the Sword Guardian, protecting the Chi Xiao Sword from falling into the hands of these clan factions and becoming their tool for tyranny.

Bestow the title of Hou Jue—a position of extremely high status within the clan.

Appoint as Grand Preceptor and Grand Tutor.

He was effectively the foremost civil minister; even men like Jiang Wanxiang and Chen Dingye would greet him with smiles and respectfully call him "Old Grand Preceptor"—and now, this foremost figure among the clan stepped forward, leaning on his dragon-headed cane as he knelt and said:

"No, absolutely not."

"To grant him the title Qin Wu Hou was already a violation of taboo—he was born a Bai Ding, a commoner; even with martial merit, how could he be elevated all at once to the rank of Hou Jue?"

"Many generals have fought for the state and never received such a title."

"But you are the Emperor, the Son of Heaven—I, your humble minister, dare not speak further—but such an honor cannot be given to him!"

The clan's true objection was not the title "Supreme General of Heavenly Strategy"—the Heavenly Strategy Star was but one star in the heavens, and the title of Supreme General meant nothing.

Nor was it the previous honors of sword and shoes on the palace steps.

They believed they themselves could easily attain such prestige.

It was the middle title—【Establish a Mansion with Rites Equal to the Three Excellencies】.

Or rather, the word "Establish a Mansion."

"Rites Equal to the Three Excellencies" meant Li Guanyi's status and privileges were equal to those of the Three Excellencies.

But "Establish a Mansion" meant Li Guanyi himself had the authority to found his own administrative office and appoint his own staff—his staff, including Military Advisor, Chief Secretary, Chancellor, Chief Clerk, Deputy General—all mirrored the court in rank and function, and this office existed solely around Li Guanyi.

Like Yan Daiqing, who served as Prefect of the Eighteen Provinces of Jiangnan.

But if Li Guanyi lost control of that region, the provincial office would vanish—but with the right to establish a mansion, he could directly select his own staff—Military Advisor, Chief Secretary—and these men answered only to him.

Like a miniature court.

This meant Ji Zichang had elevated Li Guanyi's authority to its absolute peak.

To the clan that controlled the realm,

this change in status and mechanism was far more terrifying than sword and shoes on the palace steps or entering court without bowing—it meant their absolute loss of control.

"Your Majesty, please reconsider! Your Majesty, please reconsider!"

The clan elder bowed his head to the ground, tears streaming down his face, utterly sincere.

His tears were profoundly genuine, filled with sorrow.

For his own interests suffered immense loss.

One after another, civil and military officials prostrated themselves in full ceremony.

As they bowed, their wide court robes fluttered—Li Guanyi stood there, gazing up at Ji Zichang seated on the throne, wondering: from his perspective, looking down, did those cascading sleeves of the courtiers resemble waves crashing toward him?

Ji Daochun thought Ji Zichang would yield.

But this time, the monarch merely lowered his gaze and said coolly:

"Oh? What reason do you have? Speak."

Ji Daochun's heart sank slightly; he raised his eyes, his gaze traveling upward from the embroidered Fire Qilin on the emperor's robe—Qin Wu Hou's gaze was lowered, calm and detached—and in that instant, Ji Daochun felt as if pierced by some sharp, hidden thing within that gaze.

Was it the sharpness of youth, or the indifference of a hero?

Or perhaps both.

The most dull yet most intense affair of the court was about to begin.

Debate.

………………

In the first capital of Zhongzhou, the sunlight was warm and gentle, having faded from the peak heat of summer; when the wind blew, it carried a refreshing sensation—Jiang Wanxiang gazed quietly at the sky, leisurely and composed.

"The court must be very lively right now."

Jiang Wanxiang gazed casually at the scene, took a sip of wine, lowered his eyes to the distance where Jiang Su stood beside a man reading under the shade of trees, and said, "Your Majesty doesn't seem worried at all."

Jiang Wanxiang replied coolly, "Worried about what?"

"There's no worse possibility left."

"Central Plain—a place as muddy as sludge—is one no man with any ambition would ever set foot in. Back then, the Red Emperor and his brothers forged legends no one could ever match—but that legend…"

"Has rotted away over these eight hundred years."

"I'd actually hope they say they want to keep Li Guanyi."

Jiang Su was startled: "You're not the kind who'd delight in that."

Jiang Wanxiang winked and burst into laughter. "Then I could justifiably pull that brat out, wed him to a princess—he's deeply grateful, you know!"

"I hope the nobles of Central Plain give me this chance."

Jiang Su smiled and said, "You don't mean to bestow favor on him—because even if these Central Plain people try to keep him, he'll still walk out."

"Let me guess."

"What you want to see is Li Guanyi's face—forced to thank you for saving him, yet still seething with resentment."

Jiang Wanxiang laughed triumphantly. "Hahahaha! You're right. Though heroes abound in this world, among them, only the Grand Preceptor understands me!"

"Then, Grand Preceptor—have you accomplished what you said?"

Jiang Su's smile faded. "I've sent my aura to the Whale Fisher."

Jiang Wanxiang asked, "When will you meet?"

Jiang Su replied, "The Whale Fisher is wild by nature—he must be treated with courtesy. I've already summoned him by aura. After speaking with Your Majesty today, I'll go meet this youngest legend of martial cultivation."

Jiang Wanxiang nodded, lifted his head, and his gaze—like a tiger or a dragon—fixed on the distant Imperial Palace of Central Plain. "Do you think something astonishing will happen today?"

Jiang Su said, "Such things always happen somewhere in the world."

Jiang Wanxiang chuckled thoughtfully. "Indeed."

He plucked a falling leaf, blew on it, and let it rise.

The leaf drifted gently down in the wind.

The wind had grown strong.

Ripples stirred in the pond; when they calmed, they reflected the face of a handsome but cold man—Chen Dingye sat on a stone, fishing calmly, his gaze steady as he watched the water's ripples.

"Has Li Guanyi reached the palace yet?"

The line hung from Chen Dingye's fishing rod; his attendants, including the Grand Eunuch, bowed their heads in silence, some too afraid to look at the Emperor. For some reason, the Grand Eunuch felt vaguely that the Emperor had become less like himself from five years ago.

But more like himself from ten years ago.

The water rippled violently—Chen Dingye had caught a fish. The Grand Eunuch hurried forward with a bamboo basket to collect it, but Chen Dingye merely plucked the fish off the hook and tossed it carelessly back into the water:

"A fish raised in a pond—no chance of leaping the Dragon Gate, not even worthy of being caught. The Emperor of Central Plain is such a fish. Even if he had the potential to become a dragon, it was crushed long ago."

The Grand Eunuch dared not speak.

Chen Dingye laid down his rod. The Grand Eunuch offered a silk cloth. Chen Dingye wiped his hands clean and said coolly, "If so, it's time for me to make my decision. Bring me the item."

The Grand Eunuch presented the imperial decree.

It was the decree of Chen State. Chen Dingye gazed calmly at its words. The world was in turmoil. Had he been deciding alone, he would have weighed the powerful clans of Jiangzhou. But now—he would not.

Chen Dingye remained silent for a long while, then wrote only one decree.

"By imperial edict, Chen Tianyi is named Crown Prince, to be instructed by distinguished ministers and generals."

"Build the Eastern Palace."

"One day, he shall inherit the throne."

The Grand Eunuch's expression changed drastically. He clutched the decree, his body trembling slightly. Chen Tianyi was the son of Chen Dingye and Empress Xue. This decree would be made public throughout Chen State.

Chen Tianyi would become the known heir of Chen State to all under heaven.

Chen Dingye said coolly:

"Inform the Xue family. I have only one son—Chen Tianyi."

"The future of Chen State is his."

"This time, the Emperor's word is final."

He said "the Xue family," not "Xue Daoyong."

The sheer scale of the clan meant that once its members learned this news, they would become a check on that bold, fierce tiger—Xue Daoyong's weakness. His courage, his martial spirit, his grandeur—all ultimately served the clan's survival.

The Grand Eunuch felt his temple throb. He stared at the Emperor before him. Chen Dingye's temples had somehow turned white. The Grand Eunuch suddenly realized something, his face paling. "You—you cultivated…!"

Chen Dingye said, "Yes. The ancestral divine art."

"I burn my lifespan as fuel. I am only forty now—can I live another twenty years?"

The Grand Eunuch fell to his knees, his face filled with grief. "You, Your Majesty…"

Chen Dingye did not turn around.

To cultivate the true ultimate art of Chen Baxian requires a foundation too strong to sustain—even Chen Baxian himself five hundred years ago did not live as long as Elder Murong. Chen Dingye said:

"I no longer care for a thousand autumns or ten thousand generations. My era is here, now."

The Grand Eunuch held the decree and the letter, then whispered softly:

"Do you… regret it?"

As he spoke, he realized the man before him was no longer the young prince once called "womanly mercy," who knelt in the rain for a lowly eunuch. A vast terror surged within him.

Chen Dingye suddenly laughed. He sat there, back turned to the Grand Eunuch.

"Are you speaking of Li Wanli, Dan Tai Xianming, Yue Pengwu?"

Chen Dingye answered: "Only gentlemen and sages regret. But a sovereign…" He lifted his head, as if seeing the past—the old Chen State: Chen Fubì, Li Wanli, Dan Tai Xianming, Yue Pengwu, Xiao Wu Liang, and himself.

Chen Dingye simply gazed silently at the vision, his eyes utterly still—no ripples, no fear, no longing, no more evasion or regret. He said:

"Only a sovereign never regrets. All that has passed was done by this very self. Even if the path ahead is a ten-thousand-foot cliff, I shall ride my horse and leap—crushed to dust, I will die on the road I chose."

"Immortality... heh..."

His eyes lowered, just as he had once slain with his sword the sorcerer who had tempted him to brew the elixir of immortality using children's lives—he slew his own longing for longevity, casting his lifespan into the lingering warmth of the fire still burning within his heart, blazing fiercely.

He had shaken off Dantai Xianming's influence and faced squarely the past of killing Li Wanli.

So he picked up his sword once more and walked toward the world.

Chen Dingye put down his fishing rod, rose, and passed the eunuch in charge of ceremonies; as his voice remained calm and unhurried, he suddenly reached out and struck the eunuch's neck, saying: "This blow replaces your punishment for your earlier insolence."

"Your head may remain on your shoulders—for now."

The eunuch's spine turned cold as Chen Dingye, his temples streaked with white, paced slowly:

"After I die, Tianyi shall be your lord. Tell him, his father..."

"Is no good man. Is no evil man."

"Good and evil are too narrow for me."

"He is merely a ruler in this chaotic age."

…………………

In the Imperial Academy, Wen Lingjun gazed at the sky, feeling a pang of regret; earlier, Fang Ziqiao from Master Wang Tong's school had come seeking Wen Lingjun's aid to devise a plan for his younger brother, Li Guanyi.

Wen Lingjun, out of past friendship, wrote to Li Guanyi, thus setting in motion the steps to expel Ying and Chen, seize the strategic advantage, and earn the title Qin Wu Hou—and now the current situation in that region.

In short, Pojun had plotted the strategic direction for Li Guanyi's troops.

And Wen Lingjun's strategy had secured the Fire Qilin Army's foothold in Jiangnan and across the realm.

Yet even Wen Lingjun had not anticipated that the Qin Wu Hou's spirit was so piercing, his momentum so vast—as if a caged dragon soared into heaven, unstoppable once unleashed—and now he almost regretted his own scheme.

If this man harbors disloyal intentions...

As Wen Lingjun pondered, footsteps suddenly rang out—then came Feng Xiao, always drunk, yet today seemingly sober, sprinting in and seizing Wen Lingjun by the arm, dragging him out.

Wen Lingjun said: "What's wrong, Feng Xiao?"

"What's happened that you're in such a hurry?"

Feng Xiao gasped: "Ah! There's no time to explain slowly—come, hurry!"

"They say Qin Wu Hou Li Guanyi has entered the palace wearing sword and boots, and refuses to bow before the court!"

Wen Lingjun's face turned pale.

Entered the palace wearing sword and boots, refused to bow before the court?!

In the next instant, this scholar—gentle as jade, yet possessing peak Second Heaven internal energy and Confucian physical cultivation—reached out, seized Feng Xiao with one hand, dashed several steps, leapt onto a carriage, gripped Feng Xiao with one hand and seized the reins with the other.

He controlled the carriage drawn by four Dragon Horses, racing furiously toward the Central State Imperial Palace.

Wen Lingjun's heart pounded wildly, flooded with regret.

Such a minister's arrogance—had he truly erred? Had he made a colossal mistake, nurturing a mighty power-hungry minister?

In this state, he rushed toward the court, while many students also headed there—some, like Wen Lingjun, worried for the legitimacy of the Red Emperor; others, out of curiosity, since academy students were barred from entering the imperial road.

But they could still wait outside; when they arrived, the imperial gate was already surrounded by many people—mostly Confucian scholars, but also many from the School of Names and the School of Vertical and Horizontal Alliances; the Mohists seemed uninterested.

Wen Lingjun greeted a few familiar students, found a spot, and waited anxiously. Soon, the court session ended; the students deployed their skills—some stood atop carriages, others used their lightness arts—to see a group of high-ranking officials in crimson and purple robes emerge from the palace.

Someone cried: "It's the ministers of the court!"

The men who emerged were sharply divided.

One large group of ministers, and beside them, a young man.

His back straight, aura extraordinary, clad in solemn court robes, one hand holding a sword.

Wen Lingjun said: "Qin Wu Hou, Li Guanyi..."

Li Guanyi found it utterly tedious; for half an hour in court, those old men had bickered endlessly about propriety and ritual, ending only when Emperor Ji Zichang stormed out in anger—yet Li Guanyi had retained his right to establish his own court and offices.

The title was secondary; what mattered was the ability to build his own base across the realm.

And all renowned scholars knew they could come here.

It aligned with the greater righteousness; no one could object.

Hmm—Pojun as Military Advisor, Wen He as Chief Secretary, Yan Daiqing as Chancellor, Yuan Zhi...

Li Guanyi was calculating the composition of the Tiance Prefecture.

He walked along the imperial road, feeling considerably more cheerful; with this title, he could travel to the Western Regions or anywhere else with legitimate authority—even when meeting Li Li Zhaowen, Li Li Zhaowen's father, the Duke, could not reject him.

The title alone, the right to establish a court—these meant nothing.

Only when one held troops, talent, territory, and this legitimacy—

Would things be different.

As Li Guanyi contemplated his next moves, he realized the imperial road seemed not so long—but as he reached this point, a shout rang out: "Chaos-bringer! Traitor!"

Something struck Li Guanyi's back with a sharp, loud crack; he halted, the atmosphere froze, and even the students peering from beyond the imperial gate involuntarily held their breath.

The old man who struck Li Guanyi with a dragon-headed cane was white-haired and white-bearded.

He was Ji Daochun, the senior royal elder who had been the first to oppose the imperial decree—now he stared fixedly at Li Guanyi; even though Li Guanyi was the reincarnation of the Fire Qilin, Ji Daochun's presence remained icy and unyielding: "Rebel and traitor!"

"You were originally a minister of Chen. The Chen Emperor, pitying your origins, granted you a title and made you a Gold Guard—yet you turned traitor to your homeland, cough cough, fled your country—well, that was self-preservation, a small punishment endured, a great one escaped; still, that was filial piety."

"But you, first broke through Zhenbei Pass, then seized the Eighteen Provinces of Jiangnan—those were, cough cough, your own Chen homeland! You've done such things—unfaithful, unfilial, unkind, unjust—and now you act as a power-hungry minister!"

"I, old man, will never recognize it!"

The court ministers all voiced similar sentiments; the students outside stared in shock, whispering among themselves. Ji Daochun coughed for a while, then whispered softly: "Qin Wu Hou, though the Emperor has grand ambition, he forgets that the eyes and ears of the realm are not changed by a single decree."

"The realm belongs to my Ji family."

"Not to the Emperor's."

"Though you now have the Emperor's backing, you will lose the scholars' reputation. At the Dao Debate in half a month, I shall see how you manage—what good is it to establish your court?"

"I will make you enter the imperial treasury alone and return empty-handed. I will make you ruined in name and honor."

"I will make every scholar in the realm refuse to join your Tiance Prefecture."

"Unless you're willing to become a son-in-law of my clan, this old thing is willing to throw caution to the wind and protect you."

Qin Wu Hou gripped his sword and took one step forward.

Ji Daochun's heart trembled.

He suddenly recalled Qin Wu Hou's fierce exploits, his body tautening as he seized his dragon-headed staff and declared with righteous fury: "I have served three emperors, all of whom relied on me—I fought bravely for family and country! What will you, a traitorous rebel, dare to do?!"

"If you have the courage, come kill me!!!"

"A power minister?"

Li Guanyi stared at him.

He stared at the ministers and generals behind him, as if seeing the tangled web of interests they represented.

Li Guanyi looked at Ji Daochun before him, thinking of Ji Zichang, seated high above yet lonely and desolate, thinking of the scholar who, drunk the night before, had been wild and unrestrained—suddenly he sighed. So all these years, this is who you've faced?

You offered Li Guanyi righteousness, willing to defy your clan and the great families—yet Li Guanyi is not one who accepts kindness passively while others bear the burden.

Li Guanyi's hand was already on his sword; the air crackled with tension, Ji Daochun's body stiffened, the other ministers reacted in various ways, and the students too felt their spirits tighten—under such a situation.

Ji Daochun said: "Qin Wu Hou, do you understand the bigger picture?"

"For your own good, don't act rashly!"

Li Guanyi lowered his gaze, then released his grip.

The ceremonial sword, naturally worn with his court robes, fell to the ground.

Clang.

In the deathly silence, everyone unconsciously exhaled, their taut nerves relaxing. Qin Wu Hou stared at the white-haired old man, then smiled faintly at the assembly of officials in crimson and purple robes, at this decaying, clogged world.

He turned his back on the palace and extended his hand, shouting:

"Chixiao Sword!"

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