Chapter 877: Western Chu Overlord (4)

On the southern wall of Tai'an City, an old man and a young woman stood out among the clanking armor. The old man, dressed in plain linen clothes and cloth shoes, carried a long sword on his back, appearing as a typical swordsman. The young woman, her figure blossoming like a spring bud, had an air of grace. She not only carried a sword on her back but also had two swords at her waist and held another in her hand, making her look less like a female knight or swordswoman and more like a girl selling swords on the street. They were precisely Chai Qingshan, the current sect leader of the East Yue Sword Pond, and Shan Eryi, who had received a copy of "Records of Swordsmanship at Green Water Pavilion" from the young vassal king in Taoshu Town. Earlier, several figures had stormed out of the city, only to be flung back, their bodies embedded in the city wall like flies and mosquitoes splattered on a window. The gruesome sight sent shivers down the spines of many military officers with official titles from Liyang who were on the city wall. They instinctively glanced at the master and disciple from Sword Pond, whose ages were so disparate, before finally regaining some courage.

The young woman's face was somewhat pale. This was not because her physique was inferior to that of ordinary soldiers, but because once one truly masters martial arts, their perception of the world's vital energy differs from that of common people. It's like ordinary folk seeing a river's surging waters and only perceiving its grandeur, while qi practitioners can discern the flow of the world's fate from it.

Her master, Chai Qingshan, a veritable grandmaster of the sword, naturally chose her as his closed-door disciple because of her exceptional talent and innate aptitude. He had even, quite proudly, mentioned to the old master of the Wu family's Sword Mound that his female disciple's swordsmanship talent was second only to Jiang Si, the Empress of Western Chu. The young woman, whose name sounded like "three two one," felt as if she was standing atop Wudi City and would be instantly crushed by towering waves. She clenched her teeth, gripping her long sword, her delicate body swaying precariously. It was only when Chai Qingshan extended a hand to rest on "Chufeng," the ancient sword on her back, that she let out a sigh of relief and, trembling, asked, "Master, what exactly is Grand Official Cao trying to do? Is he truly attempting to breach the capital alone? Will he only stop after infiltrating the imperial palace for the fifth time?"

Chai Qingshan, who had been traveling across the land with the young woman in recent years, shook his head and said, "Master also doesn't know what Cao Changqing seeks by abandoning the path of a scholar for the path of an overlord."

The young woman gazed at the lonely green robe outside the city, feeling a strange melancholy. Rumor had it that the Grand Official, who once served as the Qi Daizhao (chess attendant) of Western Chu, harbored affection for the Empress of Western Chu but never expressed it in his lifetime, always adhering to the proper etiquette between ruler and subject. He ultimately passed away without revealing his feelings, even though they were separated by life and death. The young woman didn't care if the scholar who became a Confucian Saint on the ancient battlefield of Xilei Wall was the most celebrated figure of the Cao family, nor did she care about Cao Qingyi's early feat of passing through the Liyang Imperial Palace three times as if strolling through a corridor. This naive young woman, with nascent romantic feelings quietly blooming in her heart, simply envied that poor woman who had been reviled for twenty years as a bringer of disaster, even though various unofficial histories painted her as a disreputable vixen and the culprit behind the downfall of Great Chu. The young woman merely thought, how wonderful it would be if, upon her own death one day, there was still such a devoted person to sincerely remember her. Thinking of this, the young woman sighed softly, raised her arm, and gently patted her chest with the blade of her half-new sword, "White Python." There, beneath her gradually thinning spring clothes, lay a yellowed secret manual, "Green Water Pavilion." That place, perhaps, was where her heart truly found peace. It was also the reason why, after leaving Beiliang, she truly began to practice swordsmanship with earnestness for the first time. That young man was tall and slender, so when he spoke to her in Taoshu Town at the foot of Wudang Mountain, he always had to lower his head. Although his smile was gentle, he merely saw her as an innocent girl of the jianghu, a junior passing by, for whom future encounters were inconsequential. She disliked this.

As Cao Changqing once again picked up a piece and placed it on the chessboard, a rainbow light, as thick as the pillars of Wuying Hall, rapidly descended from the sky. Tai'an City was once again rocked by a tremendous tremor.

Chai Qingshan did not look back at the magnificent pillar of light landing in the city behind him. He remarked with emotion, "We swordsmen, from ancient times to the present, have tirelessly pursued the ultimate realms of 'qi reaching the Big Dipper' and 'qi penetrating the rainbow.' I never imagined that Cao Changqing could draw the vast and righteous qi, abundant in the heavens, down into the human world. Gao Shulu's so-called mystical celestial beings are nothing more than this. What a Cao Changqing! It's like adding ten feet to a hundred-foot scroll."

If a master of qi cultivation from the Northern lands, one who supports dragons, were standing on the city wall at this moment, they would notice faint wisps of blue-purple energy from Tai'an City slowly flowing into the young woman's seven orifices, yet she herself was completely unaware. Even Chai Qingshan, who had long ago reached the 'Tongyou Dongwei Zhixuan' realm, did not perceive it. Different fields are like mountains apart; though the Heavenly Phenomenon and Land Immortal realms are separated by only one layer, they represent entirely distinct worlds.

The young woman suddenly asked curiously, "Among the Three Schools besides pure martial artists, Buddhist monks become Vajra upon entering the First Rank, Taoist realists become Zhixuan upon entering the First Rank, and Confucian scholars reach the Heavenly Phenomenon realm in one step. Master, you always used to be vague, why do you say that there is no distinction of superiority or inferiority among the three? And why is it particularly difficult for Confucian scholars to achieve sainthood?"

The old man hesitated for a moment, as if reluctant to reveal heavenly secrets, or perhaps unwilling for his prized disciple to encounter that level too early. Finally, unable to resist the young woman's pitiful gaze, Chai Qingshan said helplessly, "Listen to what I'm about to say, but don't take it too seriously, and certainly don't dwell on it, lest your sword heart waver and deviate from the path of swordsmanship you should be on. In my early years, I often visited Huishan Daxueping and had many deep conversations with a scholar named Xuanyuan Jingcheng. He had unique insights into the matter of the saints of the Three Schools, and his words were always profound and startling. For example, he spoke of the common saying, 'Lay down the butcher knife and become a Buddha instantly.' You must have heard this countless times, but Xuanyuan Jingcheng's view was different. He said this saying is good; it has the merit of encouraging people to abandon evil and embrace good, but it also causes significant harm. Achieving Buddhahood, one must understand, relies solely on gradual, arduous cultivation, requiring immense effort and hard work. It's like the phrase 'perfect articles are crafted by a skilled hand through occasional inspiration.' The literary masters who utter this naturally speak with great reason, but for many 'others,' it is quite unreasonable.

"Xuanyuan Jingcheng spoke of many pioneers, especially those scholars who, in the past millennium, transformed from wandering literati into powerful gentry families. All of them pursued the 'Three Immortal Achievements' advocated by Sage Zhang: establishing virtue, establishing merit, and establishing words. Xuanyuan Jingcheng offered a unique perspective on this, not because he disagreed with the saints' teachings, but because he lamented the misguided paths of later generations. He gave the example of burying one's child to care for one's mother. This act undoubtedly aligns with the principle of filial piety being the foremost of all virtues and was highly praised by countless people. However, Xuanyuan Jingcheng asserted that such a person was destined not to achieve good karma. If there truly were a next life, if there truly were a divine will in the unseen, then this person's actions were bound to incur divine punishment and prevent transcendence.

"Heaven creates all things to nourish humanity; by common sense, it's a matter of give and take, and humans should, in turn, repay Heaven and Earth. Taoist sages long ago left three thousand words to admonish later generations: 'Heaven and Earth are impartial; they treat all things as straw dogs.' This speaks precisely of the great impartiality and selflessness of the Heavenly Dao, not the shallow 'inhumanity and injustice' some people mistakenly believe it to be. Xuanyuan Jingcheng greatly approved of the four characters 'Heaven and Earth are impartial.' Yet, at the same time, he said that scholars precisely must, even knowing that Heaven's will cannot be defied, go against the current to establish rules for Heaven and Earth and the human world, seeking lasting peace and universal well-being. Therefore, they built a framework with the five virtues of benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trustworthiness, ultimately extending into that incredibly stirring phrase: 'To establish a heart for Heaven and Earth, to establish a destiny for the common people, to continue the lost teachings of past sages, and to create peace for all generations!'

"But, my disciple, think carefully: If Heaven and Earth have spirits, do they need us humans to dictate to them? Furthermore, would eternal peace for humanity truly conform to the rules of the Heavenly Dao's cycles? Therefore, truly wise individuals in Confucianism, especially those great sages who have achieved sainthood, worry not for themselves but for future generations. All of them possess the fervent spirit of 'even if a thousand or ten thousand stand against me, I shall go,' willing to perish with the Heavenly Dao if necessary. They are all, without exception, nobly embracing death."

The young woman simply said, "Oh."

After saying this, the old man frequently sighed deeply, a mix of emotions on his face.

Chai Qingshan asked with a smile, "Did you understand?"

The young woman grinned, declaring confidently, "Completely lost."

The old man couldn't help but chuckle, patting her head. "You don't need to understand. It's better to be a bit muddled; a hundred years of life will be easier and more carefree. Otherwise, living with so much pent-up frustration is too exhausting. For us swordsmen, being able to right wrongs with a three-foot blade is enough."

Chai Qingshan softly said, "Only after visiting Beiliang, after witnessing the desolate frontier landscapes and seeing the battlefields and passes, can one truly understand how flimsy our carefree jianghu lives are. However, my disciple, you don't need to blindly resent Liyang simply because you feel injustice for Beiliang. Let me tell you, if the day ever comes when the Northern Mang army breaches the Liang-Liao border, countless people in this city who now curse Beiliang will also throw themselves into the fray, ready to die. Even if the Northern Mang barbarians fought their way all the way to Guangling River, it would by no means be an uncontested advance; rather, on both sides of their iron cavalry's hooves would lie the fallen soldiers of Liyang."

The people of Liyang were martial and chivalrous; since ancient times, there was a saying, "Scholars from the Central Plains travel north to study, while Liyang wanderers travel south to champion justice." The latter often abused their martial prowess to defy prohibitions, which led the various Central Plains states, led by Great Chu, to consistently view the people of Liyang as uncultured northern barbarians. However, in the past two decades, especially after Gu Jiantang resigned as Minister of War and took charge of Liang-Liao, guarding the national borders alongside Xu Xiao's Beiliang Iron Cavalry, preventing Northern Mang from advancing even half a step south, the entire Central Plains enjoyed peace and prosperity. Smoke signals from the south reported only peace, not alarms. Furthermore, countless scholars entered Liyang officialdom, the court greatly promoted the imperial examination system, opening up opportunities for commoners and impoverished scholars throughout the land. In the capital, the Guozijian (Imperial Academy) alone accommodated nearly 30,000 aspiring scholars from all corners of the realm. This massive influx of literati, like fish crossing a river, coupled with the gathering of powerful gentry and wealthy merchants from across the land, created within just twenty years a flourishing atmosphere in Tai'an City that rivaled the former capital of Great Chu. The late Emperor Zhao Dun spared no effort in promoting literati within the court. At that time, apart from the two opposing factions of Zhang Lu and Gu Lu, almost all officials of the Qing Party serving in the capital were civil scholars. A large number of young scholars entered the imperial court. The scholarly Jiangnan region supplied a wealth of talented individuals to the government. Even many Western Chu remnants, led by the old Grand Tutor Sun Xiji, cast aside their national enmity and chose to serve the Zhao dynasty. In contrast, almost all high-ranking military commanders were elderly veterans from the Spring and Autumn period. After more than twenty years of recovery and top-down influence, the Liyang court had developed a structure where civil officials outranked military ones. Had it not been for the Western Chu restoration causing unrest in Guangling Dao and Beiliang's "restlessness," it is likely that even Ma Zhongxian, a member of Liyang's foremost meritorious family, would never have been posted as the Jiedushi of Jing'an Dao in his lifetime.

Presently, Liyang's national power appeared prosperous on the surface, with even the Western Chu rebellion on the verge of being suppressed. However, even Chai Qingshan could discern the subtle situation, leaking from all sides.

The young woman, who had never been interested in the state of the world, pouted and said, "But I still think Beiliang is more pitiful."

The old man chuckled, "Master didn't say Beiliang isn't worth your sympathy, but I hope you won't harbor too much resentment in the future, nor casually vent your anger on the innocent. Do you know why Master respects that young vassal king more and more?"

Upon hearing "young vassal king," the previously distracted young woman's eyes immediately lit up, and she instantly became full of boundless energy and spirit, her face radiant. "Master, tell me quickly, I'm listening."

The old man was quite helpless and laughed in exasperation, "I won't say it!"

The old man truly fell silent. Besides being a little sulky, it was more so because Cao Changqing's moves outside the city were becoming increasingly rapid, forcing him to concentrate and gather his strength.

Chai Qingshan was standing here today with his long sword on his back, not merely to admire the scenery.

The young woman pursed her lips. Knowing her master's temperament, she did not press him further.

Chai Qingshan squinted, looking into the distance. The old man's gaze followed what must have been another wave of arrows from the city wall, all soaring towards the figure in the green robe.

On the city wall were rows of ballistas, and below, six thousand elite archers of extraordinary strength.

Waves of arrows rained down from above and surged up from below, covering the sky.

The old man inexplicably had a strange thought: If there were no grievances between the Xu family of Beiliang and the Zhao imperial house of Liyang, and that young vassal king served as a loyal subject without complaint or regret, and the Zhao emperor trusted him implicitly, providing strong support to Beiliang, with the Central Plains as a backbone, to help the Beiliang Iron Cavalry and the Liang-Liao border army jointly resist Northern Mang—how wonderful would that be? If Cao Changqing outside the city could have become an official, like Sun Xiji and many other Western Chu remnants, perhaps he would be Liyang's Grand Chancellor today. Then there would be no need for Qi Yanglong from Shangyin Academy to emerge and turn the tide. With Cao Changqing internally leading the old spring of Yonghui and new spring of Xiangfu in strategizing, and externally with three hundred thousand Beiliang Iron Cavalry and two hundred thousand Liang-Liao border troops, why would the world not be at peace? What difference would it make if Northern Mang gained several hundred thousand more armored soldiers?

On a small road north of the capital region, a single rider slowly made his way south towards Tai'an City.

By the roadside was a stall that seemed to sell everything, from dumplings to tea and wine. A young man and woman sat there, each engrossed in eating two large bowls of dumplings.

The rider dismounted, led his horse to a table nearby, and asked, "May I sit here?"

The young man glanced at him and replied, "Since you don't have a knife, you can sit."

So, Gu Jiantang sat down on the long bench beside Xu Fengnian and Jiang Ni.

After taking a seat, the Grand Pillar State, who wielded immense power, smiled and asked, "Xu Fengnian, you treat me to a bowl of dumplings, and I'll help you become emperor. Is that a deal?"