Chapter 154: When a Man Is About to Die

Jingcheng, Lizheng Hall.

Empress He, full of worry, still took a blanket and draped it over the Qian Emperor, advising:

"Your Majesty, please sit and rest for a while; let the Imperial Astronomical Bureau handle the matter."

Cao Fo'er stood like a door god at the hall entrance.

The Qian Emperor, clad in a dragon robe, paced back and forth inside the hall, his brows filled with fury, yet he spoke not a word, merely silently pondering the assassination attempt just now.

A black cat appearing out of nowhere would be hard to kill, but the act of bewitching beasts to assassinate the Emperor is unforgivable!

But he could not fathom who was behind the assassination attempt.

He had only one Crown Prince under his knees; there was no struggle for the throne.

All the princes held no military power; even if the assassination succeeded, it would be meaningless while the Crown Prince still lived.

Could it be Northern Zhou...

Or perhaps Li Gongpu, his resentment reaching the heavens, transformed into a black cat to take revenge on me...

It seems the Li family must be thoroughly uprooted...

Just as he was thinking thus, a commotion suddenly arose outside the hall.

Hush~

Cao Fo'er saw the newcomer wearing a Taoist robe, thought it was bad news, yet still said with a smile:

"Why has the Director of the Bureau suddenly come to Lizheng Hall?"

Hearing the words, the Qian Emperor's face also changed abruptly; he walked quickly to the doorway:

"Daoist Lu, what of Jinghuan..."

Lu Wu Zhen stood outside the hall, clasped his hands in a bow:

"The Crown Prince is unharmed and has already gone to the Imperial Astronomical Bureau, where six Immortal Officials are guarding him. This humble official has come because Father-in-law He wishes to invite Your Majesty over for a talk."

Upon hearing this, Empress Empress stood up, about to speak but then holding back.

The Qian Emperor sensed something was wrong, looked back, told his wife of many years to return and rest, then walked outside and said in a low voice:

"Has Father-in-law encountered trouble?"

Lu Wu Zhen wore a serious expression, glanced at Lizheng Hall, and raised a hand to gesture.

The Qian Emperor usually maintained his demeanor very well, but now his face looked somewhat dazed; after a brief silence, he turned and said:

"Fo'er, protect the Empress well; do not let her be disturbed again."

"Yes."

——

Yunling County, Imperial Mausoleum.

The Immortal Officials who rushed to aid, some went to the mines within Jingzhou, while the rest stood at the gap in the stone wall, silent.

Zhang Guan and Li Jing leaned against a rock, letting familiar experts tend to their injuries, their eyes quite complex.

After waiting for a long time, a commotion came from the sky.

Looking up, they saw Lu Wu Zhen in his fluttering Taoist robe treading on the air, with the Qian Emperor in his dragon robe beside him.

"Your Majesty!"

Many Immortal Officials clasped their hands in a bow, clearing the way; behind them, the figure riddled with holes came into view.

The Qian Emperor landed before the stone cliff, his eyes first showing confusion.

But upon seeing those eyes, which bore a slight resemblance to the Empress in her youth, the Qian Emperor still trembled slightly, took two steps forward, yet was stopped by the Immortal Officials.

Father-in-law He Xiu leaned against the mountain wall, his breath faint; seeing the dragon robe, he said hoarsely:

"This old man deserves death a thousand times over; truly, I am ashamed of the Emperor's years of respect. Today I invited Your Majesty over simply to inform Your Majesty of some matters; let them withdraw, with only the Director present."

The Qian Emperor held one hand behind his back, his left fist clenched so tight his knuckles turned white, but he forced his expression to remain largely unchanged, and waved lightly:

"All of you, withdraw."

The many Immortal Officials immediately left the stone wall.

After the others had left, the Qian Emperor slowly walked into the gap, his eyes full of uncontrollable rage and hatred for their lack of struggle, just as children look at parents who have gone foolish in old age:

"Father-in-law, when have I ever wronged you even a little? How could you do this..."

"Your Majesty."

He Xiu leaned against the stone wall, looking at the two people before him, and said with faint breath:

"This old man knows that a thousand deaths cannot atone; today is not to escape blame, but to inform Your Majesty and the Director of some matters the imperial court does not know.

"In the eighth year of Jian'an, the Second Imperial Prince secretly gained the aid of Master Sikong Tianyuan, gathered over three hundred strange men and women to ambush the Crown Prince, with the condition that afterward, for his merit in following the dragon, the Wu Sect would be allowed to return to the Central Plains.

"The Mingshen Sect had spies in the south who intercepted the intelligence in advance; afterwards, Ye Shirong found me and asked if I needed assistance.

"At that time, the Second Imperial Prince had already launched a coup, sending people to slaughter all the Imperial Princes of the ten Wang Fu and their relatives.

"I took the Empress and my children and grandchildren to avoid disaster, escaped Jingcheng, were then pursued by the Second Imperial Prince's forces, and trapped at Yanglin Temple.

"I had no choice then; I accepted the Mingshen Sect's aid, then led the Empress and two legitimate grandsons to break out. The Mingshen Sect had few people; my other sons, daughters, and grandchildren, over thirty souls, were all slaughtered to the last.

"For revenge, I used the Mingshen Sect's power to help Your Majesty recruit over a dozen death soldiers; the Mingshen Sect secretly assisted, allowing Your Majesty to infiltrate the Imperial City and kill the Second Imperial Prince..."

"Impossible!"

The Qian Emperor had not finished listening, his eyes already blood-red:

"How could I have seized the throne by borrowing the power of demon Taoists?!"

Lu Wu Zhen frowned tightly and asked:

"The Immortal Pill you sought from the Hidden Immortal Sect, is it the 'Human Origin Pill'?"

"..."

Upon hearing these words, the Qian Emperor glared with fury, hoping for a denial.

But He Xiu continued:

"Your Majesty suffered heavily in the middle of the coup and is beyond cure. I, too, was overcome by greed; unwilling to let the throne I had so hardly obtained fall into the hands of the Dan Wang, I sought aid from the Mingshen Sect.

"The Mingshen Sect sent the Hua Yao Dan. To prevent the imperial physicians from discovering it, they altered the formula to conceal it, and I have been taking it for twenty years.

"To extend Your Majesty's life, I could only follow the Mingshen Sect's instructions, using my authority to secretly station personnel across Great Qian to produce the elixir..."

"Enough!"

The Qian Emperor's eyes blazed with rage as he cut off the words.

He Xiu let out a long sigh, revealing a bitter smile:

"In these twenty years, I have harmed no fewer than tens of thousands. Your Majesty was unaware; the guilt does not lie with Your Majesty.

"But Your Majesty did indeed seize the throne with the aid of the Mingshen Sect. Once this news spreads, Your Majesty will lose the hearts of the people, and Great Qian will plunge into civil war.

"Daoist Lu, who was tasked with monitoring demons and evil in Jingcheng, committed such a blunder; he will inevitably be condemned by the myriad sects and schools, making it impossible to continue 'upholding the Dao as supreme.'

"Therefore, regarding this matter, let it end with my life, my greed, my bewitchment by the demon Dao, and the extermination of the He family..."

The Qian Emperor raised his finger and pointed at He Xiu:

"If I were to commit suicide to apologize to the world, it would not atone for such great evil! Moreover, how many people are left in your He family? You are the Crown Prince's maternal grandfather, my father-in-law, the Empress's own father..."

He Xiu let out a bitter laugh:

"Since matters have come to this, what can be done? Your Majesty may die, but he cannot bear this stain. Otherwise, not to mention the Crown Prince, even the Dan Wang would have no face to sit upon the throne. He was able to leave Jingcheng alive back then precisely because the Mingshen Sect secretly protected him."

"You..."

The Qian Emperor's face was nearly grotesque. He paced back and forth twice, raised his finger to point at He Xiu, yet could not utter a single word.

Lu Wu Zhen stood with his hands clasped behind his back, pondered for a long time, and asked:

"The Mingshen Sect stationed so many personnel; what was their aim?"

"The Corpse Ancestor Ling, the Human Emperor Cauldron, and inciting strife among the myriad sects..."

"Who else are the hidden agents planted?"

"Simply investigate the people I recommended in the past."

"For whom was the Blood Demon Elixir refined?"

"For my eldest grandson, He Man. Now that this matter has been exposed here, he must have already fled."

He Man's childhood name was Feinu. He held the official post of Grand Tutor to the Crown Prince, managing all affairs of the Eastern Palace, and was always by the Crown Prince's side. Because he lost his father at a young age, the Qian Emperor treated him as his own son.

Lu Wu Zhen let out a soft sigh and asked again:

"The haunting at the summer palace three years ago; was that your doing?"

He Xiu nodded slightly: "I suffered a deviation in my cultivation practice and could not suppress the bloody qi. I had to deliberately create a false trail to confuse the view and fled hastily from the back mountain.

"At that time, Xie Jinhuan's father was patrolling the back mountain and had a quarter-hour during which his whereabouts could not be accounted for. To prevent exposure, I sent someone to silence him and remove the future threat. Pity that the person I sent never returned.

"Now to fall at this young man's hands is also a case of karmic retribution..."

His voice grew weaker and weaker.

When the Qian Emperor ascended the throne, his father-in-law had helped with all his might. The entire family died until only two grandchildren and one daughter remained. He had always treated the He Father-in-Law as his own father. Although his heart was filled with rage, seeing the other man gradually drawing his last breath, he instinctively took a step forward.

But unexpectedly:

Boom—

He Xiu's eyes turned blood-red, his body suddenly sprang up, and a claw struck toward the Qian Emperor's heart.

But in that very instant, Lu Wu Zhen formed a seal with his right hand, and the body that had just sprung up suddenly exploded into a mist of blood, staining the cliff wall behind red.

Boom—

An invisible barrier of qi in front blocked it; not a single drop splashed onto the two of them. Blood sprayed onto the ground like raindrops.

Drip, drop, drip, drop...

The Qian Emperor stood frozen in place, staring at the depression where the body had exploded into blood plasma, with not a single fragment to be found. His breathing came to a standstill. After a long silence, he let out a muffled cough:

"Cough... cough... cough..."

Dark red blood water coughed onto the ground, mixing with the blood mist.

Lu Wu Zhen pondered for a moment and sighed softly:

"Since matters have come to this, though it is hard to bear, these demon Daoists have finally been dug out. In the future, correcting the wrongs and rooting out all evil will allow Great Qian to regain clarity."

The Qian Emperor did not respond. A drop of blood hung from the corner of his mouth. Standing before the breach, he remained silent for more than a quarter-hour before speaking hoarsely:

"Send people to thoroughly investigate the Crown Prince, the Empress, and the Dan Wang. If they are demon Daoists, execute them on the spot. The fate of Great Qian shall be inherited by the Zhao imperial clan according to the line of succession.

"Exterminate the nine relations of the Hongzhang He family. Investigate the servants and female members one by one to prevent any evil from remaining. Send people to hunt down He Man; do not let him leave the border...

"For twenty years, all those who received favors from the Father-in-Law's residence shall be dismissed, imprisoned, and await trial...

"The Imperial Astronomical Bureau failed in its strict supervision; the guilt cannot be escaped. Send Master Wuxin of Tiantai Temple to enter Jingcheng. Daoists and Buddhists shall supervise together to prevent court officials from being bewitched by evil spirits..."

Lu Wu Zhen had worked diligently for half a lifetime yet could not prevent the Buddhist sect from entering the capital. Hearing this, his eyes inevitably grew complex.

But since the Qian Emperor was even investigating his own wife and children, what could he say? He simply nodded at that moment:

"At least Your Majesty is an enlightened ruler."

"Haha..."

The Qian Emperor was instantly abandoned by all. In extreme grief, a touch of madness even surged forth:

"I should never have taken on this rotten mess. To be an emperor until one's family is destroyed and one's house perishes; aside from the monarchs of fallen dynasties throughout history, I am probably the only one!

"Once this news spreads, it will give the imperial clan princes and the myriad sects a reason to take up arms. I do not even dare to issue a self-critical edict openly. How ridiculous..."

Lu Wu Zhen remained silently speechless.

The Qian Emperor swept his gaze over the desolate imperial mausoleum and asked again:

"Did Xie Jinhuan uncover this matter today?"

Lu Wu Zhen nodded: "Xie Jinhuan single-handedly wiped out the rebels who caused chaos at the mine, then came here to aid Li Jing and Zhang Guan. The Master of Mount Zihui was also among them; all suffered losses."

"Heh..."

The Qian Emperor staggered out:

"Fortunately, the Hidden Immortal Sect sent Xie Jinhuan. Otherwise, our Zhao family of Great Qian would not know what kind of calamitous demon that has shaken the world we have raised..."

Lu Wu Zhen said nothing, merely carrying the Qian Emperor aloft on the wind.

The Qian Emperor looked down upon the mountains and rivers beneath his feet, then after a long while raised his gaze to the vast sea of stars, his eyes full of sorrow:

"Daoist Lu, do you think these gods and Buddhas of the myriad heavens are blind?"

"Heaven and Earth are unkind, treating all things as straw dogs. They are not blind; they simply do not care."

———

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(End of this chapter)