Chapter 472: Wang Xianzhi Comes to Conclude

Xiangfan City, adorned in white like a stately woman draped in a fur cloak, made it hard to imagine that just twenty years prior it had been a sinister ghost town. It was much like a poor widow who, upon marrying into a wealthy family, was suddenly transformed, showing no trace of her humble origins, only glittering jewels and splendor.

A carriage moved slowly down a quiet, deep, narrow alley, its horses’ hooves clip-clopping softly on the bluestone slabs, producing a series of crisp sounds. The coachman was a beautiful young woman known as Xinghua within the Jing’an Prince’s Estate, recognized by everyone as Young Master Lu’s personal maid. As the blind Young Master Lu’s position in Xiangfan became increasingly secure, her own status rose accordingly. Even the estate’s head steward would force a smile upon seeing her, fearing she might whisper ill words about them to Young Master Lu. As for whether she truly had an intimate relationship with him, only Heaven knew; everyone in the Jing’an Prince’s Estate knew Young Master Lu was the young prince’s most favored confidant, and no one dared gossip carelessly lest they be beaten to death. Xinghua, a sworn loyalist whose real name was Liu Lingbao, carefully lifted the curtain. Lu Xu stepped out of the carriage, pushed open the gate, and entered the private courtyard. Xinghua could only wait outside, not daring to glance at the gate again. It was a small, two-section courtyard where two crabapple trees had originally been transplanted. However, crabapples prefer sunlight and do not tolerate shade; the courtyard was rather dark, lacking sunlight, and one of the trees had already died. Lu Xu walked directly towards the main house. Before ascending the steps, he paused. A woman guarding the door, who had initially looked troubled, first appeared surprised, then delighted upon seeing Lu Xu. She quickly descended the steps, maintaining a respectful distance, and spoke softly and deferentially, "Greetings, Young Master Xu."

Lu Xu offered a faint smile, bowing slightly and cupping his hands, showing no lack of courtesy. Though he secretly disliked this enigmatic and beautiful woman and never concealed his feelings from the young prince, he would not outwardly antagonize her when interaction was unavoidable. From inside the house came the sound of porcelain smashing to the ground. Lu Xu looked up, "gazing" towards the main room, and frowned. Since the Avatar of Emperor Zhenwu had stepped onto the boat at Spring God Lake, the Jing'an Prince had returned to Xiangfan City distraught and had not appeared for many days. Many important political matters requiring the prince's personal annotations had been delayed. Although Lu Xu was undoubtedly the top strategist of the Jing'an Prince’s Estate, overstepping boundaries had always been a great taboo for advisors. The woman pursed her lips and sighed, "I implore Young Master Lu to go inside and speak with him. The prince has done nothing but drink since he returned, not even eating."

Lu Xu nodded and ascended the steps, the woman following closely. With a dignified appearance yet captivating eyes, she bore both a physical and spiritual resemblance to the late Prince Jing'an's concubine, who had committed suicide after his sudden death. She gently pushed open the door for Lu Xu. Inside, Zhao Xun was disheveled, sitting in a corner with his back against the wall. A dozen or so wine pots lay scattered around him, and he reeked of alcohol, showing no trace of a prince's demeanor. Upon seeing Lu Xu, he first felt a restless guilt, then lashed out in angry embarrassment. His fingers trembling, he picked up a wine pot, which was empty. The young prince, whose reputation in Xiangfan rivaled that of his father, waited for a long time with his head tilted back but received not a single drop of wine. He threw the pot, shattering the last remaining porcelain bottle on the shelf. Though Lu Xu was blind, his mind was clear, and Zhao Xun's slump was no surprise to him. This heir apparent had not experienced much hardship in his life, and after fortunately becoming the new Jing'an Prince, everything had gone smoothly. Yet, as he gradually approached the pinnacle, his dignity was fiercely trampled by his most hated enemy, who appeared almost invincible. Lu Xu offered no words of comfort. Instead, he turned, extended his hand, took a new wine pot from the woman, and sat opposite Zhao Xun, handing it to the young prince who only dared to hide and drown his sorrows in wine. Only after hearing the woman's footsteps as she left the room and the sound of the door closing did he slowly say, "If the Prince of Beiliang truly is the reincarnation of Emperor Zhenwu, then that would be a good thing."

Zhao Xun, whose eyes were clouded, froze for a moment, then regained a touch of clarity. He took the wine pot, stopped tilting his head back to drink, and stared intently at the true pillar of Xiangfan.

Lu Xu said calmly, "Back then, the Yin-Yang and Five Elements theory was prevalent in Shangyin Academy. Huang Sanjia asserted that Liyang, which held the Fire virtue, would unify the realm. Water overcomes fire, and Beiliang holds the northwest, with Wudang Mountain, which reveres Emperor Zhenwu, within its territory. Legend has it that eight hundred years ago, Zhenwu descended and became the Emperor of Great Qin, who unified the realm. The Great Qin Dynasty was of the Water virtue, originating in the southern borders of Beiliang. How could the Zhao imperial family feel at ease with this? This was the root cause of why the Imperial Astronomical Bureau instigated the 'White Clothes Case' in the capital back then. For emperors who consult spirits rather than the common people, when it comes to dynastic changes and the shift of the Five Elements, it's better to believe in something than nothing. The old prince was Wang Xianzhi's adopted son from Wudi City, and now the commotion about Zhenwu's descent has arisen at Spring God Lake. I don't believe the Emperor can remain calm. I believe Wang Xianzhi can disregard imperial edicts, but I don't believe he can resist the temptation to fight Emperor Zhenwu. What greater contest could there be in this world, more fitting as a concluding battle, than fighting a revered deity from the Celestial Palace who has descended from the heavens? The imperial court can tolerate an heir apparent who has gained power, but it will never accept a Prince of Beiliang with ambitions and a destiny to rule from the north, looking south. How about we make a bet, Your Highness? Will Wang Xianzhi leave the city soon?"

Zhao Xun's eyes immediately sparkled. He paid no mind to the implied disrespect towards the imperial Zhao family in Lu Xu's words. He clapped his hands heartily and laughed, "You have a point! No bet, no bet, I'd certainly lose!"

Lu Xu stood up, dusted himself off, and said, "A dignified prince indulging in days of heavy drinking—what kind of decorum is that? You don't fear Lu Xu's ridicule, but aren't you afraid of being laughed at by women? I've only ever heard of men puffing themselves up and acting like heroes in front of women they admire, but I've never heard of a man intentionally playing the fool in front of women."

Zhao Xun smiled with relief, feeling somewhat abashed, but fortunately, the blind scholar couldn't see him. Zhao Xun put down the wine pot, suddenly stood up, and straightened his disheveled collar. From outside came a suppressed cough from a man with a deep voice. Zhao Xun hastily opened the door, not even glancing at the face of the princely estate's sworn loyalist, and directly snatched a secret letter from his hand, which had been secretly brought to the Jing'an Prince's Estate by carrier pigeon. After unfolding it, his face turned red, and his handsome features twisted with excitement. He read the brief secret message several times before clutching it tightly in his hand. He then turned and walked quickly, embracing Lu Xu and laughing loudly, "Master Lu is truly a prophet, no less than Huang Sanjia! He's left the city! He's left the city!"

The woman standing far away in the courtyard secretly looked on, and happened to catch sight of the blind man's serene face, radiating an air of complete confidence. For some reason, her intuition told her that the gentle smile on Master Lu's face was not a true smile.

In the secluded Shen Family Village, smoke curled from chimneys, and the sounds of chickens and dogs could be heard. A scholar in a green robe with frosted temples walked into it, his demeanor refined and his bearing graceful. In his youth, he must have been a handsome man who could make many women fall in love at first sight. He stood quietly under a row of lush feng shui trees at the village entrance, meant to ward off evil and attract good fortune, seemingly waiting or looking for someone. Huang Longshi walked out of his house, and the two men looked at each other. After a moment of hesitation, Huang Longshi walked towards the aged man in green, and they stood together at the village entrance, beside the gently flowing stream. The green-robed scholar chuckled, "A few years ago, I secretly looked through the Shen family's genealogy. Your handwriting hasn't changed since your studies at Shangyin Academy. This time, I guessed you'd probably show up here, so I came to try my luck."

Huang Longshi twitched his lips. "What has brought you here? The restoration of Western Chu is imminent, and every single detail requires your personal attention, Cao Changqing. Oh, I see. So the old monster Wang has left Wudi City and re-entered the martial world. But since it's that old monster dealing with that poor fellow, even if you, Cao Changqing, have attained sainthood, you still can't stop him. Unless Deng Tai'a returns from the East Sea, and even then, he would have to be willing to join forces with you against the enemy. But if Wang Xianzhi is truly angered, and he sets his mind on killing someone, not even a Heavenly King could stop him. Such a monster, seen once every five hundred years, is even qualified to fight Lü Zu. You can't help but be impressed."

Cao Changqing chuckled and asked, "If I add Luoyang to the mix, even fighting to the death, I still can't protect Xu Fengnian?"

Huang Longshi shook his head and said, "Something happened over there. Song Nianqing directly unleashed an Earth Immortal's sword. I had thought his final fourteenth sword at most would only be a celestial phenomenon. Who would have thought that old fellow would get cramps? And Liu Haoshi seized the opportunity with incredible cunning. Luoyang was careless this time. If you want that young man to remain unharmed, you can only hope he doesn't get cramps like Song Nianqing and doesn't summon some Avatar of Emperor Zhenwu after Spring God Lake. Otherwise, even if Wang Xianzhi's original intention was just to save face for the Zhao Emperor and make a show of leaving the city, he might just get itchy hands and engage in a real battle. But inviting gods is easy; sending them away is difficult. Not to mention that such an undignified pseudo-immortal cannot withstand Wang Xianzhi's full power. Even if Wang Xianzhi were to spare him, sending away the deity would still leave that young man severely weakened. In my opinion, it's quite possible that someone close to him will die violently. Luoyang? Xu Longxiang? Or Xu Xiao?"

Cao Changqing sighed, "How is it that the reincarnation of Zhenwu sounds like it brings absolutely no benefits?"

Huang Longshi sneered, "It was a losing, one-time, rotten deal from the start. Look at that young man these past two decades—has anyone around him had an easy life? Assuming there truly is such a thing as a celestial being reincarnating, then eight hundred years ago, Zhenwu's incarnation as the Great Qin Emperor was a product of the times. Now, let alone Emperor Zhenwu, even if the three venerable lords seated in the Hall of Three Pure Ones were to descend in person, it would be useless. Because it would defy the Heavenly Dao, they would still be suppressed absolutely by the Zhao imperial family, who rule by divine mandate. Only after three hundred and fourteen years will..."

Cao Changqing, smiling, pressed further, "Only then what?"

Huang Longshi sneered, "You'll know if you live another three or four hundred years."

Cao Changqing laughed freely, "No matter what happens in the centuries to come, as long as we live in this world and do our best in current affairs without overthinking, then in the end, having a clear conscience is enough."

For the first time, Huang Longshi asked someone a question, "What about that girl Li Chungang thought highly of?"

Cao Changqing teased, "You can't calculate that either?"

Huang Longshi said indifferently, "There are many people I can't calculate."

Cao Changqing remarked, "When the man-killing cat was in Shenwu City, the princess and I were watching the battle from the sidelines. If not for that sword heading towards Wudi City, there would have been another sword descending from the heavens."

Huang Longshi said, "As for us, we're just old villagers under an ancient pagoda tree, speaking country wisdom. And this martial world? It's merely a dying flicker."

Cao Changqing merely smiled.

A burly old man with snow-white hair did not take the smooth main roads, but instead chose to traverse the seldom-trodden deep mountains and ancient forests, always moving in a flash, disappearing quickly.

Only when approaching that city did he slightly slow his dashing speed, which was still far faster than a galloping steed.

The old man in hemp sandals and hemp clothes stopped for the first time since leaving the East Sea and heading west.

A young woman of exquisite beauty stood with her hands clasped on the hilt of an ancient sword plunged into the ground.

She blocked the path of Wang Xianzhi from Wudi City.

She only had one Great Liang Dragon Sparrow sword.

Yet, she faced the world's foremost master, who had dominated the martial world for a full sixty years.