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Chapter Twenty Five: Emperor Carriage
writer:无罪      update:2022-07-21 15:26
  In the many years before the Ba Mountain Sword Field’s rise, there had been many old nobility and powerful families in Changling. Some of these powers had been imperial relatives, with deeply rooted interconnected relations in court. Others were very powerful officials who had a grip off the arteries of the dynasty. Not just in Changling. Some of the commanderies had once been under the control of these old nobility.

  For a very long time, the real ruler of the Qin Dynasty had not been the emperor, but the old nobility. These old nobilities liked to increase their own power. Their secret partners even included enemy countries. They cared more about their own benefits than the benefits of the entire dynasty. In their view, it was not the imperial house giving them land, but their land and power creating the entire dynasty.

  Because they had been high up for such a long time, they were used to not following the laws, and even employed some dark tactics. Ordinary people were just like crops in the ground, after cutting down a bunch, more would grow back. No one really cared about the hardships of the people.

  The Ba Mountain Sword Field’s rise had been because of that group of powerful swordsmen led by Wang Jingmeng. When Wang Jingmeng and his group came to Changling and started the reformation, their first target was the old nobility. So the first war of the Qin Dynasty was not the great wars against the Han, Wei and Zhao. It was a war against the old nobility. Only the cultivators who had experienced that time knew how many cruel battles had occurred, and what price they had paid. Each of the old nobility had been like a dynasty.

  The black-robed man standing on the mountain was part of a family that had been one of the true rulers of Changling. When Wang Jingmeng first came to Changling, the black-robed man had been famous. His power had shrouded Changling like black moonlight.

  Many years later, when Ding Ning heard this black-robed man’s name again, he had killed one of Zheng Xiu’s confidants, Wen Houling. At that time, Ding Ning knew that the power of the black-robed man was no longer limited to his family’s power, and even his cultivation progress was beyond prediction.

  But Ding Ning did not understand. Why was such a person on Zheng Xiu’s side?

  Back then, those cruel orders had been given by Zheng Xiu and Yuanwu. This leader of the old nobility had fought secretly against Zheng Xiu for many years. Ding Ning had never expected that he was on her side. So he had never thought that Zheng Xiu’s hidden pawn was here.

  “Why?” Zhangsun Qianxue looked up at this black-robed man and asked coldly.

  With the addition of the cultivator in moon colored robes, there were only two extra grandmasters. But she knew, the arrival of the black-robed man meant that a terrifying power had come, and it was not possible to easily escape.

  “Why?” The black-robed man looked calmly at her, repeated her words, and then gathered up his hair. In his inky black long hair, there were many white hairs that usually were not seen.

  “There are many reasons for this question, for example, if the people of the Ba Mountain Sword Field were not so strong, no matter how cruel Zheng Xiu is, she could not have done what she did. Or rather, Wang Jingmeng was too strong. Such a person was a god. Compared to him, no matter how strong we were, we were just food in the mouth of the god. Such a person should not exist in the world. He died, but he left behind an heir. Also, the other seems to have the same talent as him. I do not want to see another god be born.”


  “But, in the end, why?”


  The black-robed man looked up into the wind and snow in the air. Undisguised sorrow appeared in his eyes. “You ask me why, how about you? Are you doing this for the Gongsun Family? Are you not just getting revenge for Wang Jingmeng?”


  Zhangsun Qianxue frowned. She did not understand what the other meant, but she could clearly feel the sorrow coming from his.

  The black-robed man did not look at her, and kept on speaking quietly. “Between you and Zheng Xiu, Wang Jingmeng chose Zheng Xiu and not you, but even so, you want to get revenge for him. Also, if two people are in true love, why should I not get revenge for her?”


  Ding Ning and Zhangsun Qianxue stilled, exchanging a look.

  The black-robed man continued. “No matter if it is the Gongsun Family or the Xiao Family, while both families were destroyed by the cruel tactics of Zheng Xiu and Yuanwu, but before this, there was one Zhou Family who were punished for opposing the reformation. The people in charge of the Zhou Family were executed, their property confiscated, and family members sent to Zhushan Commandery. One miss of the Zhou Family was full of worry and fury, and during the journey, she became ill. At the time, I was still cultivating in the You Mountain, by the time I learned and went to get her, she had died of her sickness.”


  Zhangsun Qianxue paled. She finally understood this story.

  “I have a mountain in my family, I planted many roses on the mountain, all of them her favorite color. I waited for the flowers to bloom to marry her, and live there with her. But before her favorite flowers could bloom, she was gone.”


  The black-robed man slowly turned his head, and looked with great dislike in the direction of Changling. He said, “When I lost her, the pain I felt is something I think you will understand. All these ambitions had no meaning to me then. In the end, the family was full of scheming, and there were not many good people. So what if they died? But she was kind and innocent. If not for Ba Mountain Sword Field, if not for Wang Jingmeng’s rule with his sword to push the Shang Family into the reformation, how come she would have died during exile? When she died, I was not by her side. How much pain and helplessness did she feel?”


  “So if there is an enemy that I have to kill, it should be the Ba Mountain Sword Field.” The black-robed man slowly said, “I follow my innermost desire, it has nothing to do with other things. After many years, who will remember many things of the past? People only call me Ye Xiao now so who will remember a person like her? But I do.”


  Ding Ning had been silent for a long time. When this black-robed man stopped speaking, he took a deep breath and then said, “It is not possible to organize favors and grudges. One can only follow their strongest desire.”


  The black-robed man nodded. He looked down imposingly at Ding Ning. At this time, the sorrow in his eyes faded, and his eyes flashed with the light of intelligence, strength, and confidence. At this time, he was no longer an ordinary person thinking back to his past sorrows, but Ye Xiao, the emperor of the darkness, who controlled the forces of many old nobility. He looked at Ding Ning like he was an emperor.

  “I admire you greatly,” he said softly in a sincere tone. “If I had not spent more than a decade acting so Ba Mountain Sword Field would trust me, and let me learn some news about the eldest Miss Gongsun, I fear that even I could not have found where the Nine Death Silkworm is, and not guess that you will appear with her here.”


  The wind and snow intensified. The change in the killing intent caused Zhangsun Qianxue to lose control of the power of the Nine Hell King Sword. With each energy vibration, the coldness in the air grew, and the falling snowflakes grew bigger. There was gray and black snow, pale lantern light, and the world seemed to be black and white.

  The Donghu monk who had been more silent than Ding Ning moved slightly. He went to brush away the snow that had gathered on the top of his head.

  Too much talk was not likable. Especially to a cultivator like him. After saying so much, everything still depended on who could kill Ding Ning.

  So he looked at Ye Xiao and said, “Which of you can kill him?”


  Ye Xiao’s appearance meant that more grandmasters would have silently arrived and surrounded this place. But his words were matter of fact. With him here, who could kill Ding Ning? He qualified to say such things.

  But when he said such things, a strange look appeared on Sima Cuo’s face. Then he said softly and seriously, “Demon Consort Zhao is not the only one who will come to the battlefield.”


  Volume 5 25 - Changling Is Everywhere

  Bureau Chief Chen silently gazed at Ye Celeng’s back all night.

  In the morning, Ye Celeng turned around from where she had stood on the bridge like a puppet. Her gaze fell towards an ordinary gully next to Bureau Chief Chen.

  The water flowing in the gully of the ordinary street was the same as Bureau Chief Chen’s robe, deep red and giving off the smell of blood.

  “You stand here tonight and look at me. You feared the empress would do something even madder and use the opportunity to deal with me.”


  Ye Celeng pressed her lips slightly. She did not smile but showed two pretty dimples. “See, after a night, the water in the gully is even stained by blood. When one stays in Changling, one thinks of matters of life and death, and has no other idle emotions.”


  Bureau Chief Chen gave a rare smile, slightly sunny like the sun. “If you do not like this place, you can leave.”


  “To where?”


  Ye Celeng once again gave off the indisputable presence she once showed against Zhao Zhan. She said coolly, “Mo Shoucheng chose to become the empress’ stepping stone to her great ambitions so she can do something no one else has done. I believe in that person’s judgement. In the future, the Qin Dynasty will consume the Chu, Yan and Qi dynasties. Where is Changling not present, where can I go?”


  “Do not say the overseas mountains.” After a pause, Ye Celeng looked at Bureau Chief Chen who moved to speak and said, “Official Xu took almost all the Qin warships overseas, and even the island countries are now united.”


  Bureau Chief Chen was not an ordinary Changling citizen. He knew what Ye Celeng said was not impossible. As such he was unable to argue.

  “If one really wants to leave Changling, they need to resolve all grievances in Changling. Otherwise, Changling is everywhere.”


  Ye Celeng smiled and turned back to the bridge. She walked towards the streets on the other side and left Bureau Chief Chen’s sight.

  Amidst the sunlight, Ding Ning slowly walked out of the room into the courtyard. He was not pretending. Even with the treatment of many famous doctors of Changling, even with the Nine Death Silkworm and the Heaven Replenishing Divine Art, after killing Palace Attendant Rong and then Liang Lian, he had surpassed his body’s limits. If not for the Heaven Replenishing Divine Art, many of his hidden injuries would not heal in his body and would grow more severe.

  When he walked out from the eaves to the sunlight, Jing Liuli appeared at the courtyard gates. She walked slowly, and her expression was extremely tired. Even her legs were minutely trembling.

  Ye Zhengnan, standing at the clinic’s doors, looked in shock and confusion at Jing Liuli. He could feel that Jing Liuli’s presence was extremely calm and the trembling of her legs was a natural response she could not control.

  “It appears you saw many battles this night.”


  Before Ye Zhengnan could react, Ding Ning looked at Jing Liuli and spoke.

  “I only missed two of Mo Shoucheng’s blows,” Jing Liuli nodded and said.

  Ye Zhengnan was shocked and then suddenly realized. Last night, Jing Liuli had chased Mo Shoucheng’s sword and seen many of his blows, and many battles between grandmasters.

  “I saw one of An Baoshi’s attacks. He is stronger than I am now,” Jing Liuli said seriously after a pause and looked at Ding Ning.

  “You are both geniuses. It depends on who learns faster. The chaser always will be faster. You will quickly catch up to him,” Ding Ning looked at her and said seriously. “Many people would never have seen many battles between grandmasters as much as you in their lifetimes. When you return to Min Mountain Sword Sect, you will have great achievements.”


  Jing Liuli stilled slightly. From Ding Ning’s calm words, she heard something extraordinary. She instinctively repeated- “Return to Min Mountain Sword Sect?”


  “You should be returning immediately to Min Mountain Sword Sect.” Ding Ning looked at her and nodded.

  Jing Liuli could not understand and said, “I still have to stay here and study.”


  Ding Ning shook his head and said, “Your master will have you return.”


  In the days Jing Liuli had studied from Ding Ning, she had undoubtedly improved. She also heard some meaning that Ye Zhengnan could not understand. Jing Liuli started to understand and her expression grew ugly. “What about you?”


  “The Yuezhi has already submitted, the Wu remain. If the Donghu is conquered, we will have no more troubles when fighting the Yan and Qi.”


  Of course Ding Ning had not heard the conversation between the empress and Yuanwu but at this moment, he spoke the exact same words.

  Then he looked at Jing Liuli and added. “As to the Chu, it seems that she has never been worried.”


  This was concerning the state of the world. Jing Liuli was still limited to Changling and could not understand. So she bowed like an attendant and said, “Please teach me.”


  “She conquered so many cultivation places in one night, and has taken over all cultivation places in Changling. What she will do next is immediately send away the cultivators of these places to avoid future troubles. By rushing these cultivators from one battlefield to another will they possess new enemies. Only a war can satisfy all needs.”


  Ding Ning gazed towards the northwest and said with slight disdain, “If I am correct, the Qin are going to start a war with the Wuzhi. The cultivators from Changling’s cultivation places will be driven to the border to conquer the Wuzhi.”


  Jing Liuli frowned. She was not angry and even admired the empress’ decisiveness inside.

  “You mean that Min Mountain Sword Sect will also accept the empress’ orders, accept the conscription order like these cultivation places and then you will go to the Wuzhi border?” she frowned and asked Ding Ning.

  Ding Ning shook his head and said, “Not just so. I will be sent to the Donghu border.”


  Jing Liuli frowned even more. “Donghu?”


  “Donghu and Wuzhi are closely connected. Also the people of Wuzhi and Donghu are all strong. If Wuzhi is attacked, Donghu would not just stand by. Even if they do not send all their armies, they will send some armies in secret to help. The Qin army has to be on guard,”


  Ding Ning looked at her and said, “Donghu, Chu and Qi border each other. They are far from Wuzhi. A place like that has too many variables and will be more dangerous. Even Min Mountain Sword Sect cultivators likely have no control over a place like that.”


  Jing Liuli’s expression grew ugly.

  “Do not think to obstruct.” Ding Ning smiled and said, “I say all this to you because I do not want you to act. Since I have expected all this, I naturally will be fine.”


  Jing Liuli looked down and thought for a moment. Then she looked up strangely at Ding Ning. “So you actually hope to leave Changling?”


  Ding Ning smiled and said, “Achieve great merit is something most cultivators pursue. The more dangerous a place is, the easier it is to get military merit.”


  “But you are not most cultivators. Your choice, and your exhaustive strategies make me feel something is not right.” Jing Liuli bowed deeply to Ding Ning after saying this. “Regardless of whether your words today come true, or if I am returning to Min Mountain Sword Sect immediately, thank you for your teachings these past few days. But in the future, I hope you do not become my enemy.”


  “Whether or not we become enemies may not be determined by our will,” Ding Ning said coolly and then looked up towards the path outside.

  Some dust was rising on the distant path. A body, mountainous and with a terrifying presence, appeared in their sights.

  This was Hengshan Marquis Xu, one of the thirteen marquises of Qin.

  Appearing even faster than him was a handsome man.

  This was Tantai Guanjian.

  “I am returning to Min Mountain Sword Sect?” When Tantai Guanjian appeared at the courtyard gates, Jing Liuli asked directly.

  Tantai Guanjian stilled slightly and nodded.

  “Ding Ning is staying and going to the border?” Jing Liuli looked at him and asked.

  Tantai Guanjian did not immediately answer or deny. After a pause he said, “This depends on the empress’ decree.”


  Jing Liuli did not look at his expression and turned to Ding Ning, saying, “You guessed right.”


  Ding Ning glanced at Tantai Guanjian and said, “I will take some people along, and I want a day or two to prepare.”


  Tantai Guanjian did not hesitate this time and said apologetically in a soft voice, “This is no problem.”


  Volume 3 26 - Trapped Dragon

  The beauty in palace attire took a deep breath.

  Silently, she looked at where Forefather Zhou, Ding Ning and Fu Su had disappeared.

  Previously, she had thought all Emperor Yuanwu and the empress did for the Qin Dynasty was justified. In order to create a great empire unprecedented in history, they had to be ruthless and make sacrifices at many times. The ruthlessness and sacrifices were to make the Qin Dynasty more powerful, so the people of Qin could prosper to a greater degree.

  Yet, to stop the king of Chu today, they had to sacrifice Fu Su. When it was her turn to personally give up on a person closest to her, her belief was slightly shaken.

  Ding Ning and Fu Su were pushed into the formation door by Forefather Zhou’s force. Though the power within the formation door had weakened greatly, to Ding Ning and Fu Su, it was still extremely powerful.

  Chaotic branches filled Ding Ning’s consciousness, suffocating him, and reversing the flow of his energies. But a kind of coldness and murderousness that no one was aware of appeared in his expression.

  Controlled by his perception, the numerous little silkworms that had disappeared in his body, silently reappeared. They started to consume the cold energy blocking his meridians.

  With the feeding of the countless little silkworms, his blocked meridians quickly started to ease. But he still kept all of his vital energy in his energy sea, so his body’s presence did not change at all.

  Forefather Zhou did not know that the king of Chu and the Qin emperor’s tutor had made a decision to not act. He only knew he had to be quick. At the cost of half of his meridians being frozen, the thicket-like power around him, Ding Ning and Fu Su quickly faded in a few breaths and everything grew clear.

  They had passed the realm door.

  What Fu Su should be worried about right now would be his own safety. As the most valued child of Emperor Yuanwu and the empress, Fu Su knew that, for him, the Qin Dynasty had invested countless items that cultivators could only dream about. He knew what the consequences of his death here would be.

  Yet, when he passed through the realm door to see the scene inside, Fu Su temporarily forgot the danger he was in, he was completely absorbed by the ancient cultivator’s setup.

  The mountain valley that appeared in front of him seemed to be a dried riverbed without any weeds or trees. There were only oval crystal stones shaped like a goose egg.

  These crystals looked like crimson rubies, slightly transparent, and flowing with heat as though golden flames were burning within.

  The mist that had appeared to shroud the entire valley, kept hovering dozens of meters above the ground.

  At the center of the dry valley was an enormous structure made from blue rock.

  This structure was square, and grew smaller with increasing height like an enormous tomb. There were curved arches spaced around the base and every dozen meters or so upwards. Verdant greens and vines grew out from these arches with an ancient presence.

  The whole set up gave off the vibe of a garden built for a king.

  But even a garden built for the king would not possess such a strong structure to surround the rare flowers and trees within.

  “What is inside?”


  Fu Su took a deep breath. He turned to look at Forefather Zhou, his usually kind face showing a hint of murderousness. “This structure does not appear to be stopping cultivators from entering, but built to trap what is inside. What vicious beast is in there? What do you want to use us for?”


  There was only the final step now. Forefather Zhou had collapsed to the ground, unable to even sit up. But his face had a red flush due to his excitement and eagerness.

  “Since we have reached the last minute, there is no meaning in concealing from you.”


  He looked at Ding Ning and Fu Su. When he spoke, only half of his face could move so he looked unspeakably strange and vicious.

  “There is a flesh Bodhi here, and also a blind dragon.”


  Flesh Bodhi?

  Blind dragon?

  At these words, even Ding Ning was shocked.

  “There is a flesh Bodhi and a blind dragon here?” he couldn’t help but take a deep breath and say to himself.

  “What is a flesh bodhi and a blind dragon?” Fu Su couldn’t help but ask. He had never heard of these terms before.

  “They are freakish things.”


  Ding Ning looked at him and explained with an odd expression. “The primal and vital energies of some powerful cultivators, after they pass away, will not dissipate. Some of that energy will produce peculiar unions with surrounding items. The flesh bodhi is one of those. When some special plants combine with the remains of cultivators, it will become a spirit body; neither a plant nor meat. This kind of spirit object’s use was first discovered by cultivators of the Qi Dynasty who cultivated yin and ghosts. They found, if they refined such spirit objects, their own bodies would also display odd changes, and their bodies would become a kind of spirit body that would not age easily.”


  “Would not age easily?” Fu Su could not comprehend.

  Ding Ning said calmly, “The simplest example are the zombies. A spirit body that will not die even if one part of the body is seriously damaged. Unless their bodies are hacked into pieces or their head cut off. But at the same time, these kinds of spirit bodies will heal extremely slowly. So, if some holes are created in your body, they will last for a long time.”


  Fu Su finally understood why the king of Chu and Forefather Zhou came here.

  The king of Chu and Forefather Zhou were near the end of their life, but they all had powerful cultivation, especially the king of Chu. If their bodies became this kind of spirit body, he could fight more powerful opponents at the Deer Mountain Conference. The king of Chu was not an ordinary cultivator. Even if his body became a spirit body like a zombie and his cultivation could not advance any further, time and the victory at the Deer Mountain Conference would be everything.

  “The blind dragon is not a true dragon, but an enormous groundwalking insect. While it has eyes, its eyes cannot see, and it can only sense. But at the same time, it is extremely powerful, equivalent to a realm seven. As a result, past cultivators called it a dragon.” Ding Ning looked at Fu Su and continued. “Thirty years ago, even if that flesh bodhi had matured, even if it hadn’t, Forefather Zhou, who had forced his way into the formation and sustained considerable wounds, would have not been a match for it. As for now, even without the king of Chu’s appearance, I think we will pay a great price in order to kill it. So from the start, he must have wanted me to lure away this blind dragon, so he could take the opportunity to take out the flesh bodhi.”


  “You have read many books.”


  Forefather Zhou sneered when he heard Ding Ning speak as though he did not exist. He said, “But this cannot change the result.”


  Fu Su shook his head and said, “You cannot do this.”


  Ding Ning immediately frowned. He knew what Fu Su wanted to do, but he did not think it would be effective.

  Fu Su’s words were simple, but there was an indescribable nobility and authority that he usually did not have. Forefather Zhou sensed a clear difference.

  His gaze landed on Fu Su.

  “I order you to not do this.” Fu Su looked at him with a cold expression and said slowly, “Because I am not any ordinary Gongzi Su, but the imperial son Fu Su.”


  Forefather Zhou’s heart sank.

  He suddenly understood why an existence like Mo Shoucheng would appear here at this time.

  “So you are the beloved son of Emperor Yuanwu and the empress.”


  An indescribable emotion filled Forefather Zhou’s heart. He snarled inexplicably. “You order me to do this?”


  Fu Su had the aura of the imperial house as he looked authoritatively at Forefather Zhou and said, “Does the Zhou Family no longer want to stay in Changling?”


  “The Zhou Family is me, I am the Zhou Family. If I do not exist, can the Zhou Family stay in Changling?”


  Forefather Zhou said disdainfully, “Child, what is important now is my life. I need to use this wine shop youth’s life to trade for my life. You think I will listen to your orders?”


  “Also, I know that this is not urgent.”


  Forefather Zhou’s body could almost not move, but slowly a presence pushed his body to turn around. He looked at the mountain valley, and spoke with some sympathy but even more scorn. “Child, you are also someone who has been abandoned.”


  “You!” Fu Su’s face paled. He was furious but he didn’t know what to say. He instinctively shouted. “Insolence!”


  “Since I have learned your true identity, I cannot spare you.” Forefather Zhou said seriously, “Today, I am bringing about your good friend’s death If I let you live, you will not spare me in the future. But I will not kill you quickly. I can pretend to use you, so Emperor Yuanwu and that woman will hold back in their actions out of fear.”


  Such a result was something Fu Su had not anticipated. He turned around, face pale, to look at Ding Ning, his eyes filled with guilt and grief.

  “While it is a pity, he is more important than you right now.”


  Forefather Zhou looked at the silent Ding Ning and slowly said, “But if you can prove you have more value than him, I will allow you to live.”


  Ding Ning lifted his head to look at him and said, “You are dreaming.”


  Forefather Zhou’s gaze grew harsh. He did not say anything, a black wind blew from under his clothes, thrusting Ding Ning straight into one of the arches ahead.

  Translator Ramblings: The bodhi tree is a sacred fig tree in India where the Buddha achieved enlightenment. So this flesh bodhi is technically a fig fruit/plant grown together with a corpse ……