Chapter Thirty-Six: Mental Tactics
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无罪 update:2022-07-21 15:26
Ding Ning looked into Fu Su’s eyes and said, “Other than me, no one knows the true secret of the Nine Death Silkworm, not even Yuanwu. Yet he concluded publicly in front of so many people that I am that person reborn. He did not just feed an excuse to kill me in that situation, he also wanted to see what changes there will be, see how many people will stand on his side, and how many on mine.”
“To him, the powers that form in the dark are like the vines that climb onto the trees. For his empire and his rule, the earlier they are exposed, the earlier they are uprooted, the better it is than letting them grow freely.”
Pausing, Ding Ning ignored the impatience and fury in Fu Su’s eyes and said slowly, “But even if the news is shocking enough, even if he deliberately spreads the news, no matter if it is the people who want to come and kill me or the people who want to save me, they will need some time before they will learn of this. He needs the time, and I also need the time to let people know I am here.”
Fu Su was stunned but then immediately understood, sneering he said, “You need time for people to detect where these night demon apes have gone and passed through, so people who want to save you will find you. Very good idea…… but have you ever thought that many people will die in order to save just one of you. Many people’s lives will be sacrificed so you can live. This is the kindness and justice of the Ba Mountain Sword Field?”
“Do not be so excited.” Ding Ning slowly put his sword away and calmly responded. “Our situation is just like waiting for death on the Chu Qin border. Even if I do not do something, through Yuanwu’s help, the news will quickly spread. The people will do what they do. What I can do is only have them become efficient, and maybe the danger will be reduced. If many people will die on the way here, then what I can do is do my best to make sure their deaths are of more value.”
Fu Su’s chest rose and fell violently. He still felt that Ding Ning’s words were very shameless, but in terms of debating, he felt that he could not compare to the person in front of him.
“I now believe some of the things you say. Something like coming back to life is too vague. You are not like Wang Jingmeng at all,” he said with rare hate after taking a few deep breaths. “Back then, many people felt that Wang Jingmeng was very stupid, because they felt that if he had endured for a few more years, he may have reached realm eight and gotten his revenge. But he fought his way into Changling for the lives of some people. He was willing to die and not willing to have others die for him. So even though Ba Mountain Sword Field was destroyed, it won the respect of the world.”
“Let me correct your words,” Ding Ning said seriously, “The Ba Mountain Sword Field did not win the respect of the world because of him alone, and also, he fought his way into Changling because he was forced to by the situation. Also, if Yuanwu and Zheng Xiu were willing to accept an exchange, he would not have gone to Changling to die. Some things could be used to threaten him, but not Yuanwu and Zheng Xiu. The conditions were not equal.”
“Did you not want to see my mother’s intention, and see if she cares about my life and death. Have you seen it?” Fu Su wiped at the blood that had flowed to his collar and had stuck to his clothing. He then furiously pointed at the sky as he asked Ding Ning.
“I do not want you to die,” Ding Ning said, “I hope that her attitude to you is all like this, especially when Yuanwu’s news passes to her ears.”
Fu Su chose to close his mouth. He felt that there was no meaning to arguing with such a dislikeable person, much less when he could not win.
“You are very kind, I hope that you will always be like this.” But Ding Ning did not want to stop talking now. He said slowly, “But kindness does not mean stupid. If you are truly blinded by some things, both the cruelty of her in Jiaodong Commandery that I told you about before, and the choice made out of helplessness in the past will remind you that my guess is you may be abandoned by her. Some beautiful things are not as beautiful as you imagine. If you are going to be the emperor of the Qin Dynasty in the future, you cannot look at things as purely as you do now.”
Fu Su smiled in anger. “You are teaching me? You are using my life as a threat, and you are teaching me?”
“I am just having you take a trip with us,” Ding Ning looked at his face and said lightly. “It is most likely that we will die together, but you may live, or after the trip, we will be alive, and you would have survived. Regardless of what happens, I hope that the trip we will take will have some influence on you in the future,” he looked at the stunned Fu Su and said.
Fu Su breathed heavily, and did not know his own emotions.
It was silent again.
“In reality, there is a most important question you have not asked because maybe in your view, this is an insult to Zheng Xiu.” Ding Ning looked away and at the night sky where the demon apes were flying. He said softly, “You are not concerned if you are Yuanwu’s son or not?”
Fu Su’s body froze. When Ding Ning said the first half, he already knew what he was going to say. This was the greatest fear in his heart. If it was true…… this was something that he could not face.
Ding Ning knew what he was feeling right now, and did not wait for him to respond. He said softly, “Of course you are Yuanwu’s son, and not that person’s. But the key is, even if Zheng Xiu knows it, Yuanwu is not willing to firmly believe it.”
“His cultivation has reached realm eight. In terms of perception and contact with minute energies, he is beyond ordinary grandmasters.” Ding Ning looked at Fu Su whose lips were turning blue, and said slowly but clearly, “He can immediately sense my true bone age, and know that I was born at least two to three years after that person’s death, but he still guessed that I am not that person’s heir, and may likely be that person reborn. Since he believes in such a possibility, then he naturally will believe Zheng Xiu has some means of hiding her pregnancy. The key is, he does not trust Zheng Xiu, and does not know all her secrets.”
“If my father really suspects me, then was it not created by your shameless tactics?” Fu Su’s body started trembling.
“If he really trusted, then no words would be of effect.” Ding Ning glanced at Zhangsun Qianxue and then said, “You have seen Yuanwu’s reaction already. To him, you and Zheng Xiu may be the stain on his life. His glorious throne will not allow such a stain to exist. Even if this will keep causing gossip. He can endure Zheng Xiu because there is an enemy like me present.”
Fu Su could not speak. He had many words he wanted to say in response inside, but he was unable to speak. He vomited a mouthful of blood.
“Yuanwu and Zheng Xiu are my enemies, but you are not my enemy.” Ding Ning was still not looking at him, and said in a sincere tone, “If you want to live, maybe you should be helping me.”
Volume 3 36 - Realm Eight
When the procession of the king of Yan ascended Deer Mountain, just the natural friction of hostility from the Yan and Chu dynasties cultivators caused the skies to change color. The clouds twisted, flowing in all kinds of strange shapes. The aurora that would usually only appear in extreme places appeared in the air, the sky above Deer Mountain flashed colorfully.
However, the murderous intent deprived the people from feeling any sense of beauty. They felt some monster would leap out of the colored clouds at any moment.
Not long after the imperial procession of the emperor of Yan appeared, another long procession appeared on the plains to the east of Deer Mountain. It was very far from Deer Mountain. Perhaps, the procession would arrive before nightfall.
Soon, gusts of cold wind blew, and a long black cloud suddenly appeared in the sky around Deer Mountain.
This black cloud appeared unusually sinister among the multicolored lights, flowing restlessly, unaffected by the other lights.
From such a phenomenon, Ding Ning knew that the emperor of the Qi Dynasty, usually called the “Ghost Emperor”, had arrived.
Ding Ning wore an indescribable smile.
Seeing the strongest in the world at an event like this seemed to be the best thing for Emperor Yuanwu.
In the emperor of Qi’s procession, the items of the imperial family were bright yellow, and the adornments mostly jade. But among them, there was an unusually black and enormous sedan.
Eight burly men dressed in chainmail carried this sedan. Through the holes in the mail, their skin shone with a strange white light. Their bodies did not emit heat and were unusually cold.
The interior of this enormous sedan was like a world of its own.
jade tiled the ground like it was a living room. Embedded in the ceiling were pearls that shone with cold light. There were two pruple-black wooden chairs placed at the center that gave off a strange greasy smell.
One of the people seated was dressed in dragon robes. He had a coronet in his hair and did not have a beard. He looked to be in his forties. While his face was slightly long, his body exuded an indescribable nobility. This was naturally the emperor of Qi.
The other person was dressed in a dim black robe and wore a string of white bone bracelets on his hand. His inky black hair was tied up with white bone hoops. While this was a man, his features were more beautiful than the majority of women.
“Prospect Teacher, the lives of tens of thousands of the Yan People are completely in your hands, if you …”
The king of Qi appeared extremely respectful towards the man in black robes. If someone else were to see this, they would suspect the man in black robes was the true emperor of Qi.
“You can be like this towards others. Why be so shameless in front of me?”
The beautiful man in black robes did not seem to treat him like a monarch and interrupted his words with slight dispelaure. “Since I had you create this kind of
bridge and come to Deer Mountain, I would not treasure my life and desire to return alive. What else do you have to worry about?”
The emperor of Qi laughed weakly after the man in black robes pointed out his dilemma and called him shameless. He was not angry and said with even more respect, “Prospect Teacher, if you do not like hearing these words, I will not speak. But if you want me to do something else, please speak.”
The man in black robes shook his head and said, “No need. Just remember what you promised me. After I die, send my corpse back to my student.”
The emperor of Qi said embarrassedly, “It is not certain you will die.”
The man in black robes frowned and said, “Previously, you feared I am not willing to die. Now you say such words. Don’t you find it daring and shameless?”
The emperor of Qi shook his head and sighed. “I cannot look down upon the world like Yuanwu and the others. Mediocre people like me, if we don’t even know how to say heart-warming words, will be useless.”
The man in black robes looked at him for a moment and said sincerely, “You are too modest.”
The night arrived, and the imperial procession of the emperor of Qi reached the base of Deer Mountain.
Three emperors had arrived. They were only waiting for the emperor of Qin.
The armored ships that were riding the waves of Wu Shan’s tumultuous waters finally reached the shore. The enormous roars were like thunder, but also the groans of the earth in pain. Snowy white waves formed between the ships and the rocks on the shore.
Emperor Yuanwu took a step and was the first to land on the shore.
Countless water droplets landed on his dragon robe and the eyes of the dragon, in turn brightening this dragon’s eyes- as though it were alive.
Emperor Yuanwu raised his head.
In the bloody storm three years before his ascension, the Qin Dynasty had suffered great losses and then been severely injured by the war against the Chu. So after the third year of Yuanwu, he and the entire Qin Dynasty had been enduring and gathering their energies.
At this time, he appeared, like the unsheathing of a sword after being stored away for many years!
Emperor Yuanwu walked.
He did not have any vehicle. He only walked at the very front.
In battles many years ago, he and the powerful cultivators who had followed him had always moved first at the forefront of battle.
Now, no one was able to stand side by side with him.
The surrounding energies moved.Four enormous energies rolled through the sky, and formed four sky-reaching pillars of clouds. At the center of these four cloud pillars, stars flashed like he had plucked a piece of the sky and embedded it amidst the four cloud pillars like a jewel.
The surrounding mountains around Deer Mountain had been quiet. Suddenly, many people in the mountains seemed to sense something and turned in concert to look towards Wu Mountain.
The glittering crystal light above Deer Mountain was attacked by an indescribable force to flow towards Wu Mountain, forming many lines of stretched light.
In everyone’s sight, the four enormous cloud pillars and the starry sky slowly appeared.
All the lights fell into the sky there, all of them flowing together. But the four enormous cloud pillars did not move and calmly accepted everything.
The peaks around Deer Mountain had the most powerful grandmasters of the world. But almost everyone who saw this scene was stunned.
To them, this was still a difficult to understand and profound realm.
Many people’s presences changed due to the disturbance in their mind.
With a boom, a wave of crimson energy erupted from the mountain that had been sealed by a sword mark.
The crimson light caused the entire mountain to look like a giant torch
At the same time, a vast water vapor charged out of the mountain that Guo Dongjiang had taken over, forming an enormous blue water dragon that shot into the sky and passed through the clouds as though it was alive.
A moment later, a mountain suddenly shone with purple light like countless orchids blooming at the same time.
These presences were extremely profound and vast. Yet anyone would say they could not compare to the four cloud pillars and the patch of sky.
Ding Ning frowned deeply as he watched the four pillars of clouds and the sky come close. His eyes shone like stars in the dark night.
Emperor Yuanwu’s realm was higher than he had predicted.
…
In the palace at the peak of Deer Mountain, the old emperor of Chu held the jade hand of Consort Zhao Xiang with great emotion. “After such a long time, the Qin Dynasty … the entire world finally has a second grandmaster who has reached such a level.”
The similarly old Mo Shoucheng looked at the four cloud pillars and the patch of sky with emotion-filled eyes.
An accomplishment was built on the bones of ten thousand dead. Only someone like him knew what price had been paid to become an unprecedented emperor like this.
“It should be possible,” he turned and said softly to Pan Ruoye.
Pan Ruoye nodded.
She poured out the vital energy that had just been replenished out of her body. A white light stabbed towards the sky above this mountain like a sword.
Ding Ning’s frown deepened.
Having a power appear at such a time would only to act as a signal or make her presence known…
*What were she and Mo Shoucheng waiting for?
Translator Ramblings: Emperor Yuanwu appears with a canopy of state made from the sky. Probably the best reveal of all the emperors.
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