Chapter 573: Sacrificing to the Departed

Your Majesty, where did you go?

Faced with Xue Changqing's question, Sa Atandi thought of that sovereign's figure, and for a moment did not know how to answer; she stood up on the rooftop, patted down the hanging hem of her robe, and then leapt straight down from above.

Although she was not one to excel in Wu Gong, with Wu Gong at the peak of the Second Heaven, relying on her lightness skill to leap down was no difficult matter; it did, however, leave Xue Changqing—who had spread his arms, wanting to catch his wife—rather awkwardly withdrawing his hands and pretending to be very busy.

Sa Atandi said: "Is it those few who are looking for him?"

Xue Changqing said: "Sister is still doing fine, it's Mr. Fang Qiao and Mr. Nan Hanwen who are looking for Your Majesty. Now that the four directions have all been pacified, those heroes and gallant figures, famous generals and sovereigns who roamed the world in the previous era have all passed away, one by one."

"When names are not right, words do not accord; when words do not accord, affairs cannot be accomplished."

"Mr. Nan Hanwen proposed that the founding of the state and the setting of the tripod be used to sacrifice to Heaven and Earth, to proclaim to all the people, calling it the grand ceremony of the founding of the state."

"Before this matter, everything else is no longer so important."

Sa Atandi nodded, also acknowledging this statement.

For several thousand years, this generation's sovereign swept across the chaotic age, opened up a new era, and obtained the throne with a legitimacy unprecedented; everyone was waiting for the sovereign to finally settle this matter, to proclaim from a more solemn station the end of the chaotic age and the arrival of an era of peace under heaven.

Of course, the 【General Amnesty for the Realm】 segment that every previous generation of sovereigns had was canceled.

Handle things as they should be handled.

Qin Huang, Your Majesty, is incomparably magnanimous in spirit, able to contain the whole realm through the ages, yet petty in his heart; many matters he cannot tolerate even a little. Since one has already committed a crime and broken the law, how could there be a light general amnesty? There is absolutely no such principle.

Sa Atandi thought for a moment and said: "I think Qin Huang, Your Majesty, should have gone to see old acquaintances."

"Old acquaintances…"

Xue Changqing opened his mouth, then fell silent; he touched the scar on his cheek, thought of those former comrades, and his expression grew absent-minded as well; on his young face there was already a touch of sorrow,

Sa Atandi's expression softened; she gripped her husband's hand, stood beside Xue Changqing, raised her eyes to look into the distance, and was silent for a long time. Along this road, Qin Huang had paced forward step by step, and for the ideal of peace under heaven, lost too much—too many people had departed.

If one has this Bai Yu, then one must split it with blades and hew it with axes.

Many matters under heaven are not so simple and straightforward; as they came all this way, sweeping the realm head-on and accomplishing an incredible feat, yet on the other side, they had also lost far, far too much. The four characters 'lonely ruler of a lonely house'—for an individual, how utterly cruel they are.

Strong wine spilled down, and the wind carried a rich scent of liquor; Li Guanyi, in a blue robe, his hair bound with a jade hairpin, sat alone before a row of stone steles, the strong wine spilling onto the ground as if old acquaintances were right before him.

His sleeves rose in the wind, and before him he seemed to see many old acquaintances.

His parents, his great-grandfather, the clan elders, Master Wang Tong, Yu Langwang Chen Fubi, the Twenty-Four Generals of the Taiping Army, the comrades who died in battle, as well as Yuwen Hua who died under his military might, and Master Yuwen Tianxian who taught the wandering legion its earliest battle formations…

His good friend Jiang Gao, whom Li Guanyi had personally killed.

His bosom friend Ji Zichang, who burned himself to death in resolute determination to make Qin Wang proclaim himself emperor.

That thirteen-year-old Li Yaoshi, whose eyes held nothing but silver and roast goose.

Just like that, step by step moving forward, step by step losing; in the chaotic age and under heaven he shed the appearance of youth and became the Qin Huang who settled the chaotic age. Now the fine wine remains as before, yet old acquaintances have withered away—in the end, it is no longer a youthful outing.

Old Master Siming looked at Qin Huang's back, smelling the scent of wine in the air.

Suddenly he recalled Guanyicheng from over a dozen years ago, that youth whose features were still tender; back then Old Master Siming had been climbing the wall and blocked at the door by this lad. Now Old Master Siming stood here, looking at the solitary yet peerless Qin Huang.

Time is like water flowing east—it does not return.

People do not return to their youth.

Even if one has already accomplished such feats, reaching the foremost rank of all the ages, what of it?

Old Master Siming suddenly felt a touch of bleakness.

The romantic figures of the ages, all beaten by rain and blown away by wind—all are gone.

All are gone.

Li Guanyi, the martial arts legend, could naturally clearly sense the old man who had arrived behind him; he poured the wine onto the ground, his back to Old Master Siming, and said to himself: "When I was young, I used to think about half a roast goose; the me of that time certainly never imagined that in the dozen-plus years after, I would walk to where I am now."

"Old senior, Li Guanyi can also be called a man with blood on both hands."

"Now that I've walked to this step, the scene of peace under heaven—these old acquaintances cannot see it. At the very least I should use this year's newly brewed wine to meet these old acquaintances. Would the senior care to share a drink?"

Old Master Siming's face changed drastically; he repeatedly spat and said: "Bah, bah, bah—young people speak without reliability. This is wine for you and your old acquaintances, not wine for me to drink."

"This old man isn't dead yet!"

"Don't you dare curse me!"

Li Guanyi couldn't help being amused by this old gentleman; a faint trace of a smile appeared on his face as he said: "If you won't drink then don't drink. Old gentleman, haven't you already seen through life and death? Why do you still care about this?"

Old Master Siming said: "How could I not care?!"

Li Guanyi smiled, was quiet for a while, tossed the wine pot in his hand forward, and said: "Sometimes I still dream, and in my dreams I still see old acquaintances."

"I open my eyes, yet they are not there. People say that if you suddenly dream of someone, it means that person has begun to forget you. Then what does it count as now? Old acquaintances have all scattered; if I were to forget them too, then a hundred years from now, there would no longer be anyone who knows what kind of people they were."

Old Master Siming looked at the back before him and said softly: "They won't."

"In the green history of the ages, they have their own weight."

Li Guanyi replied: "The green history is passed down generation after generation, yet the you and I within it—are they truly the you and I? At the very least, in the green history, the mighty are shielded from criticism; it certainly wouldn't record that Qin Huang was greedy for money yet poor, would it?"

Old Master Siming was at a loss for words, and only said:

"After this, you're going to proclaim to all the people under heaven and set the tone of peace?"

Li Guanyi nodded, gave an 'mm,' and said: "There are still many things. The arrival of an era of peace under heaven, with rules and order utterly different from the previous three hundred-plus years, will require several years' time, or even ten years' time, before it can be rolled out and proclaimed to all the people as its beginning."

Old Master Siming said: "Then your grand wedding will also have to come after the proclamation to all the people."

Li Guanyi said: "Yes."

Qin Huang rose, turned, his sleeves rolling, and said: "We have already paid such a price, made such sacrifices; this matter cannot pause, cannot slow down—there is nothing more important than this."

"I must walk to the very end."

"Only then will it not betray ten years, nor betray the old acquaintances."

Old Master Siming looked at his back, suddenly laughed, and said: "Although saying this is a bit of a damper on your temperament—still, lad, for your grand wedding, this old man won't drink this wine of yours."

Li Guanyi was stunned.

His white hair swayed slightly in the wind, yet he only murmured softly: "As for me, all those old brothers of those years are gone now; now that brat Jian Kuang has also dissolved his body into the Dao, leaving behind a legend of riding a dragon to ascend to the heavens under heaven; that old rascal Xue Qingcang's divine soul has fallen into slumber."

"I don't plan to stay in Jiangnan, but I won't go far."

"I will walk within the country and the realm that you, lad, have opened up, look at your realm and your future, and then one day, find a place with very fine scenery, find a little house, and just stop there like that."

"That little house was very comfortable to live in. There was a stone table, a wooden chair, and one day after drinking too much, he just didn't get up."

Qin Huang's eyes were deep with emotion yet unfathomable, and he did not try to keep him any longer.

He merely nodded.

Old Master Siming laughed out loud, patted Li Guanyi's shoulder, and said: "You little rascal had better be careful. Perhaps when you grow old, this old man will still be alive, and when that time comes, I'll come find you for a drink!"

"Martial Dao legends do tend to have long lifespans."

"It's just that I don't know, in the end, which of us will outlast the other. Little rascal, let's go!"

Old Master Siming turned and strode away, but suddenly his footsteps paused.

Li Guanyi said: "Senior, wait a moment."

Old Master Siming turned his head.

Li Guanyi suddenly raised his hand and tossed something; a crystal stone spun through the air and landed in Old Master Siming's hand. Old Master Siming fumbled to catch it, held the crystal stone, examined it carefully, and was slightly stunned: "This is...!"

Li Guanyi withdrew his hand and said:

"This is the Divine Resonance Crystal Stone of General Xue Shen. It requires a grand formation to be restored."

"Under heaven, no one is more adept at this circulation of vital essence than you, Senior."

"General Xue Shen is hereby entrusted to you, Senior. Please find a place of spiritual wonder, and perhaps General Xue Shen can awaken ahead of time."

"When that time comes, you could also drink and chat leisurely with him."

Li Guanyi smiled and said:

"But old man, don't let yourself get angered by General Xue Shen's sharp tongue."

Old Master Siming looked at the crystal stone in his hand. He knew that Li Guanyi had almost forcibly given him a reason and a goal to continue living in the mortal world. The old man chuckled softly, then laughed, then laughed out loud. Gripping that crystal stone, he said heartily:

"Good, good, good!"

Old Master Siming turned and strode away, his footsteps paused, and suddenly, with his back to Li Guanyi, he said:

"Qin Huang!"

Li Guanyi looked at him.

Old Master Siming said loudly: "Farewell!"

Li Guanyi said softly: "Farewell."

With his back to him, the old man waved his hand: "If there is a leisurely day in the future, this old man will come drink with you again!" Then, under Li Guanyi's gaze, Old Master Siming strode far away, humming an ancient, rustic ballad in his mouth.

After leaving this place, the old man casually boarded a boat and departed.

But somehow, no one knew why, this boat had only traveled halfway when it suddenly began to leak. Old Master Siming was greatly alarmed and cursed: "Damn, what rotten luck! How did it start leaking?!"

"Damn it!"

"If I'd known, I wouldn't have tried to act so cool like Old Xue!"

"Bloody hell, not everyone is like that old rascal, acting so cool..."

Old Master Siming reached out and grabbed his own Mystical Tortoise Dharma Idol, then hurled it forward with all his might. The Mystical Tortoise Dharma Idol spun through the air, landed on the water's surface, and a chill ran through the Mystical Tortoise Dharma Idol's heart—it knew something bad was about to happen.

When this old fellow pulls himself out, nothing good comes of it.

Before it could even react,

Old Master Siming had already plopped his butt right down on it.

Stuffing General Xue Shen's Mystical Realm formation stone into his bosom, sitting atop the Mystical Tortoise's back, the Mystical Tortoise paddled through the water with its four claws, and Old Master Siming picked up a bamboo pole to punt forward. Even though Old Master Siming currently had no Wu Gong to speak of, for the Mystical Tortoise Dharma Idol, parting the water and moving forward was only natural.

Having passed through the mortal world's red dust, having grown accustomed to the beacon fires of the world, he now raised his head and saw ahead—water and sky merged into one color. What truly magnificent scenery, exhilarating to the extreme. The wind blew in, and his chest felt vast and open. The old man flung away the bamboo pole in his hand, clapped his hands in rhythm, and laughed heartily:

"In this peaceful and prosperous age, leisure abounds; roaming the world, joy knows no bounds."

"Green mountains and clear waters are all my companions; I gaze upon the winds and clouds with calm, my thoughts stretching on."

"Now I depart, do not grieve!"

"For at the ends of the earth, are we not all connected!"

"Now I depart, do not grieve!"

"Hahahaha, what spirit, what magnificent scenery!" Old Master Siming laughed heartily, yet there was also a note of sorrow. He patted the old Mystical Tortoise Dharma Idol and said: "Sigh, the winds of the world rise from the vast ocean. On the day this world is truly at peace, only you, old brother, are still here to keep me company."

"You truly are the old mate who has shared life and death with me."

The old Mystical Tortoise rolled its eyes wildly.

Is there anyone who sits their butt on their life-and-death brother's back?!

Where is there such logic?

Just as it was about to say something, the old Mystical Tortoise opened its mouth and suddenly froze, feeling that it had bitten onto something. The next moment, the old Mystical Tortoise's vision blurred, and Old Master Siming was also dragged along, sprinting across the water's surface.

"Shit!!!"

"You took the bait? We're done for, done for, done for!"

"You damned old tortoise, let go!"

"Aren't we life-and-death brothers?! I won't let go!"

Old Master Siming and the old Mystical Tortoise were both greatly alarmed. Old Master Siming stood on the old Mystical Tortoise, striking a pose of 'if you want to die, don't drag me with you,' while the old Mystical Tortoise clung desperately to Old Master Siming with its four short legs, as if the two of them were about to take the bait together.

The water's surface churned with surging waves, and the currents passing through converged like a vortex.

After holding their breath for quite a while, they were dragged up by this force, bursting through the water's surface, soaring into the air, and landing on a boat. The old Mystical Tortoise lay there, four claws paddling at the sky, while Old Master Siming lay prone on the deck, coughing violently, and then cursed loudly:

"Cough, cough, cough, you, you!"

"Which blind fisherman is this?! Whose family fishes for people!?"

A light voice said concisely: "Mine."

Old Master Siming was dumbfounded. Looking at the person on the boat—wearing a blue robe, white hair hanging down, holding a fishing rod, the Whale-Catching Guest—Old Master Siming's mouth twitched, and he said: "You, shouldn't you be with your daughter?"

The Whale-Catching Guest said calmly: "Now that the world is at peace, she's by that rascal Li Guanyi's side, perfectly safe. Besides, the Xue fellow's crystal stone is in your hands. Relying solely on you, I'm afraid one day when you're broke, you'll pawn this fellow's crystal stone for drinking money."

"Moreover, when it comes to formations under heaven, could there possibly be any that surpass this Seat's?"

"With me here, that fellow might wake up even sooner."

Old Siming froze, looked the white-haired one over, thoughtful, then suddenly burst into laughter:

"Hahahaha, you can't set your mind at ease about this old man, can you?"

The Whale Angler's eye twitched.

"Bullshit!"

The Whale Angler flicked his rod, sending Old Siming plunging back into the water to drink his fill.

Until the evening sun appeared in the sky, Old Siming spread his arms, lay flat on the ship's deck, his belly bulging, and laughed lazily: "Ah ya, this old fool thought you'd stay here, helping that little lass become some Empress or whatever."

The Whale Angler's eyes were calm: "Empress?"

"Why use that status to bind Yaoguang down? Some identities that look good in outsiders' eyes aren't necessarily suited for that lass; for her, this isn't exactly a good thing."

"Children and grandchildren have their own fortunes; this old man can't be bothered with so much."

"Let them be."

Old Siming shot him a sidelong glance: "Can't be bothered, or tried to force your way into managing it, got a noseful of ash for your trouble, and threw a tantrum to 'run away from home'?"

"Yo yo yo."

"Hey, what a grown man, still picking on the l—"

The silver-haired Whale Angler's face went cold as he rose.

He strode to Old Siming's side, hitched up his robes, and kicked this fellow—whose venomous tongue was second only to Xue Qingcang's—overboard. This martial-arts legend, born a beggar, whose venomous tongue ranked third under heaven, cursed:

"Fancy being a fish, do you?!"

Old Siming only laughed out loud:

He laughed—

"Ah hahahaha glub glub glub glub!"

"Holy shit, you white-haired fisherman, you're playing for real, glub glub…"

When Qin Huang settled the realm, he decreed that all the gold and iron under heaven be gathered and used to cast the remaining tripods besides the Nine Tripods. And now, in this situation, the Nine Tripods within his body had finally completed their transformation. The very core of the Nine Tripods—the place that had never once been stepped upon at its highest point—was revealed before him.

Li Guanyi's nascent-soul inner essence returned into the Nine Tripods; ahead, the tide of fortune surged.

The Nine Tripods gathered as one; the Bai Yu steps stretched forward, this place unfurling.

He stepped forward slowly.