Martial Cultivator

Seeing the two characters, Chen Chao naturally recalled the place deep within the Imperial City where the Great Liang Emperor had once brought him.

The secrets of that place were likely known to very few. However, it was understandable that Li Heng, as the emperor’s most trusted eunuch, would be privy to them.

Li Heng handed the token to Chen Chao and said calmly, “Before His Majesty departed, he decreed that Hundred Streams Pavilion would henceforth be under your command. It’s the most secretive blade of Great Liang, you must wield it well.”

Looking at the token in his palm, Chen Chao naturally understood its significance. After hesitating for a moment, he said, “Logically, this should be handed over to His Highness the Crown Prince.”

Li Heng frowned slightly and replied, “His Majesty’s decree is not something you or I can alter.”

Chen Chao thought about it, then finally nodded without saying anything more.

Including this new position and the fact that his role as Lord Warden Commander had not yet been publicly announced, the authority Chen Chao held in Great Liang was truly staggering.

After putting away the token, Chen Chao turned his attention to the other items Li Heng had brought. Among them was even an imperial decree.

After handing it to Chen Chao, Li Heng shook his head and said, “I don’t know the contents either.”

Chen Chao opened the decree and read a few lines. After understanding its contents, he smiled bitterly. “Uncle still has his mind on such matters?”

But Li Heng was not as relaxed as Chen Chao. He said very solemnly, “A man like His Majesty has profound intentions behind every action. You should give it serious thought.”

Chen Chao acknowledged this with a hum and put away the imperial decree.

Finally, Li Heng placed a small wooden box on the table. Looking at Chen Chao, he said calmly, “After His Majesty’s northern campaign, he returned and left this behind, instructing me to ensure it was delivered to you. This is of great importance.”

Chen Chao asked in surprise, “Did Uncle...”

Li Heng shook his head. “At that time, the great battle hadn’t begun yet. And even if it had, with my meager cultivation, how could I possibly see what was happening?”

Although Li Heng had already reached the end of Nepenthe, the gap between his abilities and those of existences like the Great Liang Emperor was immeasurably vast.

Chen Chao nodded, understanding the logic in Li Heng’s words. Chen Chao then turned his attention to the box. For the Great Liang Emperor to deliberately return to the Divine Capital for it, the contents were bound to be of great importance.

“You can examine what’s inside later. There’s something else I need to tell you.”

Li Heng pushed the box toward Chen Chao and changed it to another topic.

Chen Chao asked, “What is it?”

Li Heng did not speak. Instead, he clapped his hands.

A man dressed in black approached from a distance.

Upon seeing Chen Chao, the black-clad man first bowed slightly before speaking. “Your Excellency, news has come from the Infatuation Daoist Temple. During the Temple Master’s inauguration ceremony, several sects have united, saying that they intend to visit the Divine Capital to pay respects to His Highness the Crown Prince in the coming days.”

Chen Chao frowned and asked, “What about the Infatuation Daoist Temple?”

The man in black shook his head. “The Infatuation Daoist Temple will also come, but according to our informants, it’s not that Temple Master’s intention. Rather, it’s the other daoists who wish to investigate the death of the former Temple Master.”

Chen Chao remained silent. Though the Great Liang Emperor’s life and death were uncertain, the Divine Capital was now without an emperor. The intentions behind the foreign lands uniting and entering the Divine Capital again were clear to Chen Chao.

However, the excuse they gave made it difficult to refuse.

Although His Highness the Crown Prince had not officially ascended to become the new Emperor, he had, after all, become the nominal wielder of authority in Great Liang. With their intent to pay respects, Great Liang had no grounds to reject them. РἈɴօʙËṩ

Cultivators entering the Divine Capital would never be a calm situation. This was the first test following the Great Liang Emperor’s departure from the Divine Capital, testing the current Great Liang.

Chen Chao pondered for a long time but did not give an answer for the time being. He simply saw off Li Heng and the man in black.

Standing beside the carriage, Li Heng gazed at Chen Chao’s back view and could not help but sigh. The vast empire of Great Liang and countless citizens now rested on the shoulders of this young man. It was undoubtedly not an easy thing.

When Chen Chao returned to the bamboo building, he saw He Liang, drenched in sweat, crouching under the eaves to catch rainwater. He glanced at him for a moment longer than usual. Noticing Chen Chao’s gaze, He Liang quickly stood up and hesitantly called out, “Master.”

He Liang felt more affection than reverence toward Chen Chao as his master.

Chen Chao waved his hand, saying nothing more. He entered the bamboo building, retrieved the box again, and slowly opened it. Inside, there was a letter and another item.

Seeing the item, Chen Chao immediately smiled.

This was something he was very familiar with.

As for the letter, it contained detailed instructions, many of which were things the current Crown Prince was unaware of and had been entrusted solely to Chen Chao.

After reading the letter, Chen Chao casually tossed it into the fireplace and watched as it burned, wisps of smoke curling upward. He felt a slight headache.

A great trial was approaching, but he still had many unresolved matters at hand.

In fact, since that day, he had yet to visit the Crown Prince.

There had never been any real animosity between the two. But on that day, when the Great Liang Emperor asked Chen Chao those things in front of all the officials, it would be hard for anyone not to feel a trace of resentment, would it not??

The Great Liang Emperor definitely knew this as well, but why did he choose to act that way? No one knew the reason.

Chen Chao rubbed his temples, put away that exceedingly important item, and exhaled a turbid breath. “Yun Jianyue, are you about to step into Nepenthe?”

”I’ll be slightly faster than you.”

With his eyes closed, Chen Chao suddenly called out, “He Liang.”

He Liang hurried inside, walking somewhat cautiously. It was not out of fear, but because he had recently begun his martial arts training. Chen Chao had not taught him any techniques at first, instead focusing on tempering his body. He avoided using medicine, insisting on the stupidest method to build a solid foundation for his disciple right from the start.

”Master.”

After a bow, He Liang looked at Chen Chao with a puzzled expression.

“You have a senior brother named Yu Qingfeng. He’ll likely arrive in the Divine Capital these two days. I’ll be going into seclusion, so once he’s here, you’ll train together with him. Don’t slack off.”

Chen Chao stared at He Liang, his tone exceptionally serious.

He Liang nodded but then asked in confusion, “Master, has Senior Brother also not started cultivating yet?”

Chen Chao chuckled, “He only had the advantage of entering my tutelage earlier. Otherwise, you would’ve been the senior brother.”

He Liang scratched his head and laughed, “I don’t want to be the senior brother anyway. This way, whenever something comes up, it’ll be Senior Brother bearing the brunt, right?”

Chen Chao scolded him playfully, “You sure see things clearly.”

He Liang scratched his head again before suddenly asking, “Master, there’s something I’d like to say. Can I?”

Chen Chao glanced at him and nodded, “Go ahead.”

Looking serious, He Liang said, “Once I’ve learned some skills, can I go to the Northern Frontier and join the army? My dad died over there.”

Chen Chao was silent for a moment before asking, “So you want to die there too?”

He Liang shook his head. “Why does it have to end in death? I just want to understand why my dad died and finish what he couldn’t. Of course, staying alive would be the best outcome. But if I really die there, I won’t regret it either.”

Chen Chao did not speak. He simply reached out and ruffled this disciple’s hair.

He Liang asked cautiously, “Master, am I not allowed?”

Chen Chao did not answer directly and instead asked, “If you die over there without ever telling a girl you like her or leaving behind a child, don’t you think something would be missing?”

He Liang murmured, “I don’t know. But I really don’t dare to like any girl. If one day I do fall for someone, maybe I wouldn’t have the courage to go there anymore.”

Chen Chao smiled and said, ”Then you clearly haven’t figured it out yet, so why rush to make a decision?”

”But Master...”

He Liang wanted to speak but swallowed the words back.

Chen Chao waved his hand, interrupting him, and said in a gentle tone, ”If one day you truly make up your mind and decide to go there, as your master, I won’t stop you. But you need to remember, make sure you die after I do, kiddo. How can there be a situation where the disciple dies before the master?”

He Liang laughed cheerfully. ”Yes, yes, I’m still waiting for Master and Mistress to have a little junior brother!”

Chen Chao scowled and scolded him, ”I don’t like sons. From now on, say little junior sister!”

……

……

Before Yu Xiyi’s injuries had fully healed, he had already left the Sword Sect. This time, he did not inform anyone of his departure and had no specific destination in mind. Instead, he was heading back to his hometown.

As a youth, he had been discovered by a sword cultivator from the Sword Sect and taken in as a disciple. From then on, he had cultivated in the Sword Sect, later wandering the world on his own but never returning to his hometown.

In truth, his memories of his hometown were already quite faint.

It was a small riverside town in White Deer Prefecture.

When he was very young, he often fished and played by the river with his friends. However, upon this return home, he did not see a single one of his old friends.

Relying on fragments of memory, he returned to a modest-sized house.

The house had long fallen into disrepair. Being the only child of his family, with his parents having passed away years ago, the residence had been left vacant.

Pushing the door open, he spent half a day cleaning and repairing the place. Finally, dragging a bamboo chair into the courtyard, Yu Xiyi sat down, looking at the birds flying in the distance, lost in thoughts and emotions.

People of this world, once they look up at the sky, especially when they start climbing higher, it becomes exceedingly difficult to lower their heads and see the people around them from before.

Take himself, Yu Xiyi, for instance. In his earlier years, he had always believed he had not distanced himself from the mundane world, even walking through it without any airs. Yet, he was still like this. After leaving home, he had never returned.

Some things only make you feel regret when they’re lost, but by the time that happens, it’s already too late to do anything about it.

Yu Xiyi turned to look at the ancestral tablets arranged in the house and murmured, ”Do I still have a home now?”

His parents were gone, leaving no relatives in this world. Though there was still this house, could it truly be called home?

A dwelling and a home, they were ultimately two different things.

Turning his head, he noticed the morning glow falling in the distance, just in time to cast a ray of light on his head. Yu Xiyi stood up, looking in a specific direction.

That was precisely the direction of the Divine Capital.

He smiled and said, ”Wherever my heart finds peace, that’s my hometown.”