Agreement… The old man squinted when he heard these words, moving his gaze away from Xu Qi’an and looking into the distance.
There was an aura of dusk about him. “Dusk” was not a derogatory term, people simply longed for new life, so they were not fond of the word.
The sense of dusk on this old man was the product of years gone by, an air deeper than the mere changes of a normal life.
He was as old as the state itself, born in the late Zhou, having witnessed the rise and fall of two dynasties.
He raised the banner of rebellion in chaotic times, leading righteous forces to overthrow tyranny. He had experienced too much, and seen too many.
That sense of dusk had naturally seeped into his very bones.
Strangely, Xu Qi’an had never seen such an aura of dusk on the Jianzheng, Arhat Duqing, nor even on the two Vajras and other beyond-mortal experts.
Is it because he’s always remained in the mortal world… or simply because he’s a coarse martial artist… Xu Qi’an thought.
After a long pause, the old man slowly spoke:
“When Emperor Wuzong rebelled and usurped the throne, I had not yet gone into seclusion. At that time, the emperor of the Great Feng favoured treacherous ministers and had thrown the whole imperial court into chaos.
“Of course, short-lived political turmoil was nothing compared to the chaos of a dynasty’s fall.
“Wuzong was Emperor Gaozu’s grandson, his talent no less than his grandfather’s. Both were ambitious and capable heroes. Wuzong took advantage of the discontent among the court and country towards the incapable emperor and treacherous ministers, claimed to be purging the evil gripping the crown, recruited soldiers, and launched his rebellion.
“It was a clever move. If he had rebelled outright, he would never have won the people’s hearts or gained the support of men of talent.
“At that time, he was merely a third-rank martial artist. Attempting to rebel right under the nose of the first generation Jianzheng was as difficult as reaching the heavens.
“So, cleverly, he found himself three helpers: the Confucians, the Buddhist sect, and the current Jianzheng.”
At this, Xu Qi’an could not help interrupting, surprised:
“But I heard that when Emperor Wuzong rebelled five hundred years ago, the Confucians sat on the sidelines throughout.”
The old man replied with a sneer,
“Sitting on the sidelines was the greatest help of all. Otherwise, given the Confucians’ foundations at the time, plus the first generation Jianzheng, could Wuzong have succeeded? Not unless the Buddha himself intervened.
“The Confucians had long been dissatisfied with the emperor back then, but the original Jianzheng kept a balance, leaving them helpless.”
He waited for a moment. Seeing that Xu Qi’an had no questions, he continued,
“When Wuzong first raised his standard, his troops were too few to take on the Great Feng. So, he set his sights on the Wulin Alliance.
“And the one sent to persuade me to send troops was none other than the current Jianzheng.
“At first I refused. If the venture succeeded, what would I gain? Wuzong would never give me back Jianzhou. If it failed, the Wulin Alliance I’d toiled for over a hundred years to build would be destroyed overnight.
“Why not guess how the Jianzheng persuaded me?”
Xu Qi’an’s heart stirred: “Did it have to do with this agreement?”
The old man nodded, then shook his head.
“To be precise, it was a transaction.
“In the hundred or so years since I returned to Jianzhou to establish the Wulin Alliance, I’d already reached the peak of third rank, yet I’d never managed union with my Dao.
“The most terrifying thing in the world is not hardship or setback, but seeing no hope at all. That one surnamed Ji, back in the day, was about my equal in cultivation. When he became emperor, fortune rested upon him, letting his cultivation soar a thousand miles a day, eventually stepping into the first rank.
“I never really accepted that in my heart, and so never stooped to inquire and ask him for experience in breaking through to Hedao.”
Not stooped to inquire, indeed! Old man, you’ve snatched all the bamboo shoots from Quanrong Mountain… Xu Qi’an silently lampooned.
“At the time, I didn’t know that those with fortune could not live long. Decades later, before I could persuade myself, that Ji became a short-lived ghost, passing away…”
The old man shook his head and sneered,
“I imagine that first-generation sissy boy wept buckets, hahaha. I always suspected he was a rabbit. Ah-ahem… In short, I’d lingered at the peak of third rank for many years, unable to break through, with no hope in sight.
“Until the day the current Jianzheng came to me. He said, if I was willing to send troops and help Wuzong seize the throne, he would help me ascend to second rank.”
Xu Qi’an burst out laughing,
“I see Senior, you were cheated by the Jianzheng. I never thought the Jianzheng was such an old schemer even then.”
The old man glanced at him, half smiling,
“I used to think the same. But now, I really have achieved second rank.”
For more than ten seconds after this sentence, the smile on Xu Qi’an’s face remained unchanged at first, then as if something occurred to him, it gradually froze and disappeared from his face.
Had a camera filmed the whole process, his “acting” would have been truly perfect.
…Xu Qi’an stared blankly at the old man, his lips moved, and he forced out the words with difficulty:
“You mean… the nine-coloured lotus root, no, my helping you, is the Jianzheng fulfilling that promise from back then?”
The old man grunted assent: “I cannot think of a better explanation.”
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Xu Qi’an retreated three steps, staring at the elderly man, his expression twisting, hard to tell if it was shock or fear.
Perhaps it was both.
No one could guess what was happening inside his mind. Beneath that blank expression, emotions surged and exploded, a torrent of information boiling.
If things truly are as the old man had said, what does that mean?
I recall Xu Pingfeng saying that Masters of Heaven’s Mandate had the ability to peer at Heaven’s secrets and can to some extent see the future. Precisely because of this, the Jianzheng cannot interfere in the things he foresaw, only lie the groundwork and influence events indirectly.
To peer at Heaven’s secrets is already to defy the heavens, and leaking Heaven’s secrets brings retribution. But that’s not the main point. The key is…
Five hundred years ago, the Jianzheng wasn’t a Master of Heaven’s Mandate at all, how could he possibly have foreseen the future, how could he?!
Xu Qi’an’s expression became terribly ugly, as if his entire worldview had collapsed.
“Have you thought of something?” The old man, noting his terrible expression, asked with a frown.
Xu Qi’an did not reply, holding his ugly expression for a long time before finally regaining his composure.
Then, based on this information, he arrived at three guesses and a question.
First guess: The one who foresaw the situation five hundred years ago was not the current Jianzheng, but the first generation Jianzheng.
If so, then the secrets involved were truly horrifying.
Second guess: There was something wrong with the current Jianzheng’s identity. He was likely the first generation Jianzheng in disguise. The so-called disciple was perhaps just the original’s alternate identity.
But if that were the case, why would the original go to all the trouble to stage his own “suicide”? What was the point?
Moreover, Buddhist Bodhisattvas took part in all this, and every one of them commanded the power to upend the world’s order. Hiding an alternate identity from them would be no easy feat.
Third guess: Both the above were incorrect, and the current Jianzheng’s ability to foresee five centuries hence was a problem in itself.
As for the question…
Now recalling the Arcanist system’s curse, where pupils betrayed their masters, Xu Qi’an realised there was a paradox.
The current Jianzheng was fearsome, and so naturally must have been the original.
If the current Jianzheng could foresee the future, so could the original. He could easily have found a way to remove Wuzong before he rebelled.
Even if a Master of Heaven’s Mandate could not intervene directly, Xu Qi’an believed that, in all the dangers Wuzong faced in his life of war, there must have been countless near-death moments.
If the first generation Jianzheng had seized the chance and exerted side influence, Wuzong would certainly have died.
There was no doubt in Xu Qi’an’s mind that the first generation Jianzheng could have done so.
And there were countless such ways. The first generation Jianzheng had more than enough power to prevent Wuzong from ever finding a chance to rebel.
This paradox, on the face of it, seemed to confirm the first and second guesses, but in truth, it could also confirm the third.
If there was something wrong with the current Jianzheng himself, then that indeed could break the paradox.
Another explanation is that the first Jianzheng foresaw the betrayal of his successor, yet chose not to stop it, opting instead to play a game of wits against him. Just as the current Jianzheng does with Xu Pingfeng.
“I know you intend to betray me, but I won’t try to prevent it. We’ll settle things in the way of Arcanists, once and for all.”
In Xu Pingfeng’s words, this is the curse of the Arcanist system, there is no escape from it. Unless one wishes to see the tradition of Arcanists end once and for all, one must take on pupils, and then accept the inevitability of being betrayed by them.
It’s what the world calls, ‘the rules of the trade.’
Besides these three speculations and the one question, Xu Qi’an also had another more practical line of reasoning in his mind.
This theory did not resort to so many conspiracies, the truth might simply be that the Jianzheng back then truly was an old politician who was simply stringing the old fellow along.
As everyone knows, politicians always agreed a price in advance, then reneged when the time came.
Once the Jianzheng advanced smoothly to first rank, why would he fear revenge from a crude martial artist?
As for five hundred years later, the old man actually managed to advance to second rank with the help of the nine-coloured lotus root. It was likely that many years later, the Jianzheng realised he could use the lotus root to fulfil his old promise and thus made arrangements.
Essentially, there may never have been such a thing as foreseeing five centuries into the future.
Overall, Xu Qi’an felt that this was the likely truth.
The reason was simple: to accurately foresee a particular event five hundred years later, such an ability was impossible, even for a first rank.
Not even a beyond-rank could manage such a thing.
By now, Xu Qi’an was no longer a naive rookie, he had killed second rank Zhende, fought against a first rank Dharma Aspect, and even though he’d never met a beyond-rank, he had some concept of what they could do.
Putting all this aside, Xu Qi’an asked,
“Senior, how did you determine that the Jianzheng’s promise referred to me?”
The old man sighed,
“The old fellow once said: ‘Live well, and the day you achieve Hedao will be the day the people of the Central Plains need you.’
“Of course, perhaps it was just an excuse, Arcanists always love to sound mysterious. But since I managed to advance, I’ll consider it a fulfilled promise.”
…Xu Qi’an felt his scalp prickle.
Just then, someone skimmed through the air atop the cliff, stopped in the distance, and bowed with clasped fists:
“Old Ancestor, this junior is Wen Chengbi.”
The old man looked a little confused.
Xu Qi’an helped out with introductions:
“He’s your vice leader of the Wulin Alliance.”
The old man nodded in sudden realisation, and asked, “What is it?”
Wen Chengbi explained the current troubles facing the Wulin Alliance, and cautiously asked,
“If we made the military garrison the core of the headquarters’ expansion, we’d indeed save a lot of manpower and resources. But Alliance Leader Cao can’t make up his mind, so he asked me to seek your opinion, Old Ancestor.”
The core issue is just a lack of funds… Xu Qi’an summed up inwardly.
In this era, when technology was primitive, massive construction projects demanded enormous financial and human resources. As Xu Qi’an well knew from history, there were plenty of dynasties that fell because of such over-ambitious works.
Sui and Qin were prime examples. Of course, the downfall of a dynasty never had a single cause, there were always other factors. But since posterity so often blamed public works projects, it was enough to show how much they exhausted the people and treasury.
The old man pondered aloud,
“Money is not a problem. The silver is buried under the mountain, I’ll see to finding it. The headquarters must still be built in the mountains. That is non-negotiable.”
Xu Qi’an understood his meaning. With chaos looming, the Wulin Alliance’s headquarters would be like a fortress, able to advance or retreat as necessary.
If it were built on the flatland of the military garrison, when hostile cavalry arrived, the whole force would collapse at once.
Wen Chengbi said gravely,
“But if we do that, most of the Alliance’s accumulated savings over the years… At any other time, it wouldn’t matter, at worst, the brothers would tighten their belts. But now, with disasters everywhere, if there’s no silver for relief work, Jianzhou will descend into chaos as well.”
The old man said immediately, “Then let the brothers of the Alliance and the soldiers do the work together.”
Wen Chengbi shook his head. “Still not enough hands.”
The old man frowned, thinking a while, then turned to Xu Qi’an.
“What’s your view?”
Xu Qi’an replied testily:
“It’s simple enough, just use work for relief. Gather the refugees, have them build the headquarters. Don’t pay in silver, just feed them. That solves both hunger and cuts costs.”
Wen Chengbi’s eyes lit up and he exclaimed joyfully:
“Silver Gong Xu, what insight! Worthy of your reputation, such a marvellous idea!”
Marvellous idea? This is basic tradition… Xu Qi’an nodded modestly.
“This isn’t standard practice!” the old man frowned.
In those days, there was no precedent for work-for-relief schemes. Refugees would just expect handouts of porridge from the court or rich households, waiting for the disaster to pass and the land to thaw.
Even when there were small-scale work-for-relief efforts, they rarely became mainstream.
“Old Ancestor, it truly is a fine plan,” Wen Chengbi said quickly. “In extraordinary times, we must act exceptionally. Please give your consent.”
The old man just waved his hand, not wishing to fuss over such minor matters.
“Alright.”
As he watched Wen Chengbi leave, Xu Qi’an said,
“Senior, I am now third rank, the next step is Hedao, but I’ve not yet understood the true meaning of Hedao.”
The old man held nothing back:
“Hedao is the metamorphosis of ‘intent’. I call it the completion of one’s own martial path. Every fourth rank martial artist can only comprehend one ‘intent’, that is the martial path they themselves have chosen.
“Intent is the embryonic form of the Dao.
“To perfect the path you walk is the true meaning of second rank Hedao. But though it sounds simple, doing it is another matter.
“All my life, I honed my sabre skills, mastering the strengths of all schools and blending them as one. Yet in the end, I still became stuck at peak third rank, almost dying while failing to reach Hedao.”
Xu Qi’an hurriedly asked, “How did you manage to achieve Hedao, Senior?”
“There are countless sabre paths, comprehending the true intent brings union with the Dao. But there are many roads to understanding this comprehension. In my seclusion, my body turned to hunks of flesh, each one representing a different sabre path. Every piece had its own ideas, each believing itself to be right.”
“So, the nine-coloured lotus root can help someone achieve Hedao?”
“The nine-coloured lotus seeds can enlighten all things, and so can the lotus root, indeed, it’s even stronger. Its role lies in illuminating the countless ‘selves’ trapped in the mire, helping to establish one ‘self’ as dominant. The seed isn’t powerful enough for this, but the nine-coloured lotus root is. That’s why Qingyang wanted to seize it for me in the first place.”
The nine-coloured lotus root is akin to a stabiliser, acting as both a catalyst and a foundation… Xu Qi’an more or less understood now.
I still have a small piece left, yes, I should get Nanzhi to keep cultivating it for me. That way, when I reach second rank, I might not need to seize her spiritual essence.
Before handing over the nine-coloured lotus root, Xu Qi’an had cut off a small piece for himself, just as he had done before.
With such a rare treasure, one naturally had to ensure it could be sustained.
Having bid farewell to the old man, Xu Qi’an returned to the military garrison and found himself a courtyard. He called out Mu Nanzhi and Chai Xing’er, the latter, weakened from long imprisonment in the Stupa Tower, needed rest and nourishment if she was to be of use.
She would be useful, the ancestral tomb guarded by the Chai family had caught Xu Pingfeng’s eye, meaning its occupant must be extraordinary.
Mu Nanzhi wore a plum-coloured cotton coat and a plain pleated skirt, exuding the air of both a cultured woman and a wealthy mistress.
Even with plain features, she could not hide her unique charm.
The little white fox waited for Xu Qi’an to walk away, then spoke up quickly,
“Auntie, I need to pee.”
No sooner said than done, it leapt from Mu Nanzhi’s arms and scampered off joyfully.
It used its innate divine power, transformed into a streak of white, flitted a few times across the garrison, and soon left the buildings behind, plunging into the wilds of Quanrong Mountain.
In the time it took to steep a cup of tea, Baiji had slipped into the deep forests, far from the main peak of Quanrong Mountain.
Casting its gaze around, it picked a tall rock and leaped to the top.
Her Highness’s arrival must be a grand affair.
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