Martial Cultivator

In the imperial city, after a long time, the sound of bells rang out once again.

At that moment, Chen Chao and Xie Nandu had not yet left the palace. Upon hearing the bell, both of them halted their footsteps, turning to look back at the palace they had just visited.

Chen Chao recalled the end of the Myriad Willow Convention years ago. When the bells tolled then, he lost his aunt. Now, hearing them again, he knew his big sister was also gone.

Chen Chao stood on the spot and remained silent.

Xie Nandu looked at the young man before him who was unable to hide his sorrow and loneliness. After a moment of thought, she took the initiative to reach out and take the young man’s hand, comforting him, ”No one can escape this day. In the future, we may also part like this.”

Chen Chao was taken aback, smiling bitterly. ”If you’re not good at comforting people, don’t force it.”

Xie Nandu smiled faintly. It was true that she was not very good at comforting others, but perhaps only this young man before her could get a chance to hear her clumsy attempts at comfort.

Other people would not even get a chance.

After Xie Nandu pulled him along for a distance, Chen Chao said softly, ”For over a decade, I was all alone, without family or friends. I haven’t had much affection for this world, and there haven’t been many people I could trust. Especially towards that uncle of mine, I was afraid. But then I came to the Divine Capital, met many people, encountered many things, and realized that things might not be as bad as I thought. Perhaps my uncle didn’t really want to harm me, and my big sister truly regarded me as her brother. But if the result of meeting is only separation in the end, should we have met at all?”

Chen Chao rarely referred to the emperor as his uncle. Perhaps only in front of Xie Nandu would he seem more casual.

Xie Nandu glanced at Chen Chao, saying calmly, ”Giving up on a beautiful process just because you’re afraid of a bad outcome is a very foolish thing to do.”

Chen Chao smiled bitterly, ”At first, I even thought my big sister had ulterior motives, that they were all using me in ways I couldn’t yet see but it surely existed.”

Xie Nandu gently squeezed Chen Chao’s hand again, smiling, ”You can always trust me. I will never use you.”

Chen Chao curiously asked, ”What about that time in Tianqing County?”

Xie Nandu was expressionless, ”You’re not very good at talking either.”

Chen Chao laughed, consoling himself, ”Maybe it was mutual use, each taking what we needed?”

Xie Nandu shook her head with a smile, ”Only you know what you were thinking at that time. You always say you’re heartless, but you’re not that heartless.”

Chen Chao did not argue, just feeling the warmth in his hand and looking ahead.

”I don’t have a big sister anymore.”

……

……

Li Heng walked within the Divine Capital’s imperial city, which was already draped in mourning white.

Regarding this princess of the Great Liang Dynasty, many palace maids and eunuchs had deep feelings. She was like the late Empress who treated the palace staff well. Hence, the cries of mourning were sincere and heartfelt.

Hearing these cries, Li Heng naturally recalled the Empress’ passing. As the princess had said, she had always regarded Li Heng as an uncle. Similarly, Li Heng had always seen her as a junior, though their roles differed, and he often had to be very restrained.

Remembering the years spent in the Prince’s Manor, Li Heng’s eyes filled with sadness. Life indeed involves farewells, but he had never imagined he would see the Empress and the princess pass away before him.

At this moment, Li Heng suddenly felt much older.

But he knew that the Emperor was probably the most heartbroken person right now.

So, he quickly made his way to the palace.

The Emperor sat on the threshold, his emperor robe dragging on the ground. At this moment, he was no longer the imposing ruler of the mortal world but a father who had just experienced the pain of losing his daughter.

The emperor robe was now too large, no longer fitting him well.

Li Heng softly said, ”Your Majesty, condolences.”

The Great Liang Emperor did not look at him, but kept staring into the distance, his eyes filled with desolation.

”All three princes wish to enter the palace. The Third Prince even started crying and causing a commotion at the palace gates. Should we let them in?”

Li Heng looked at the emperor, whose hair had turned even whiter, and spoke softly.

It was natural for a brother to want to see his sister; no one in the world could say that this was wrong.

”Let the Youngest in. As for the other two, tell them to get back to their residences and wait there.”

The Great Liang Emperor was expressionless.

Li Heng nodded and then asked, ”Your Majesty, what about that scholar?”

The Great Liang Emperor shook his head and did not say anything.

Li Heng fell silent and went to carry out his duties.

Just as Li Heng left, dark clouds suddenly gathered over the Divine Capital, and the first autumn rain of the year began abruptly.

The Emperor did not rise, his emperor robe was soon drenched by the rain.

This ruler of all lands sat on the doorstep, lonely and drenched. Only then did he slowly stand up and walk in the rain.

He walked very slowly, even increasingly slower.

Time spares no one, everyone will eventually be defeated by time, no matter who they are.

……

……

In the palace.

Princess Anping lay quietly on the bed, her eyes closed, a faint smile lingering on her face. It was clear that seeing that scholar and the kite in her final moments had eased much of her regret.

But some regrets had been part of her life all along.

The usually carefree man stood by the bed, looking at the lifeless woman before him. He smiled, ”You still look so beautiful. How is it that after all these years, you haven’t aged at all?”

Even though she could no longer hear him, the man continued to murmur, ”You never really acted like a princess. If you had told me you were a princess the first time we met, I probably wouldn’t have talked to you. This way, you might have met a man who could truly marry you and live a happy life, instead of being unhappy every day like this.”

”We were born into this world, and you were born into the imperial family, which isn’t a good thing. But given our circumstances, if we don’t strive to create a better world for those who come after us, what else can we do?”

The man spoke with a smile, but tears were already streaming down his face. He had not cried when he left the academy, nor had he cried when his entire family, except for him, had perished. But now, he could not hold back his tears.

”I’ve let you down, but I had to make a choice. I couldn’t choose any other path, so I ended up wronging you.”

The man wanted to reach out and touch Princess Anping’s face. But after a moment of hesitation, he withdrew his hand. He whispered, ”Miss Chen... I really like you, I’ve liked you for a long, long time.”

”But... thinking it over, it wasn’t just you I wronged. It’s my fault for not being able to move past it, for failing you. In the end, it’s all my fault, making you live like this was my fault too, and I’m truly sorry.”

The man’s tears would not stop, and his voice grew hoarse. ”This life ends here. In the next life, let’s not be anyone important. I’ll stay by your side forever...”

After saying this, the man turned and left, his figure fading away.

……

……

The three princes stood outside the palace gates. The First Prince, with his corpulent body, resembled a small mountain. Except, his occasional coughing reminded people that it was not a small mountain.

The Second Prince had a grim expression, his eyes full of sorrow.

Only the Third Prince, with tears streaming down his face, had already cried himself hoarse.

“Youngest, maintain your decorum. Why do you keep crying?!”

The First Prince glanced at the Third Prince with some displeasure.

But the Third Prince was just a teenager, and upon hearing that the big sister whom he was closest to had passed away, how could he contain his emotions?

The Second Prince opened his mouth, about to speak, when Li Heng’s figure appeared in the distance.

“Eunuch Li, can we enter the palace now?”

The Second Prince’s face was full of hope. “I also want to see my elder sister one last time.”

Li Heng looked at the three princes. After giving a bow, he shook his head, “His Majesty has decreed that only the Third Prince may enter the palace. Two highnesses, please return.”

The First Prince said in a deep voice, “Eunuch Li, did Imperial Father really say that?”

The Second Prince could no longer contain his anger. ”When Imperial Mother passed away, Imperial Father wouldn’t let us see her one last time. Now that Imperial Sister is gone too, will it be the same? How can there be a reason in this world for not letting a brother see his sister?!”

Li Heng looked at the Second Prince. This trusted eunuch of the Emperor just shook his head. ”His Majesty’s decree is as it is, whether Your Highness listens or not.”

The Third Prince did not hesitate and had already run toward the palace. The First Prince and Second Prince exchanged glances. The First Prince sighed, ”Imperial Father must have his reasons. What more can I say?”

The Second Prince wanted to say more, but Li Heng shook his head, ”Your Highness, mind your words.”

The Second Prince was suddenly taken aback, forcibly suppressing his anger and remaining silent.

……

……

The Third Prince ran through the heavy rain, even losing one of his shoes in the process. Panting heavily, he finally arrived at the Princess’ bedchamber.

But upon reaching the entrance, this Third Prince inexplicably stopped, unable to take another step forward. Holding onto the door frame, he looked inside, with both tears and rainwater streaming down his face, indistinguishable from each other.

He was young, and after his birth, his imperial mother had to manage various affairs within the palace. As a result, it was his imperial sister who practically raised him. Their bond was deep; something not easily understood by others. However, as he grew older, he became occupied with his lessons, and his big sister had been in low spirits over the years, leading to less frequent meetings compared to their childhood. Recently, his big sister had actively sought him out several times. The Third Prince had thought she had come to terms with some things and was happy about it. But today, upon hearing of her passing, he could not think of anything else but to see her one last time.

Having been blocked at the palace gates for a long time earlier, he had even felt considerable resentment toward that imperial father of this.

Yet now that he could finally see his big sister one last time, he suddenly hesitated to enter.

If he did not see his sister, it was as if she was still there. But once he saw her, she would truly be gone.

The Third Prince closed his eyes in anguish.

Several minutes later, he slowly walked into the palace.

”Big sis.”

The Third Prince looked at the dressing table and called softly.

No one answered.

The Third Prince took a few more steps forward.

He saw Princess Anping lying quietly in bed, with a paper kite still clutched in her hand.