Nightfall

“That dragon throne in the palace is something that not everybody can get their hands on, this is especially so for you and I. The Empress has the loyalty of General Xiahou and in the cultivation world, she has Zhuge from the Imperial Center Administration. She also has the support of the prince and the Nation Master. Even the prime minister is on her side.”

“She has too many chips in her hands. She is worried that variables would appear, and that the Academy entering the human realm would lead to a cold wind brewing. She is worried that the wind would blow all her chips out of existence and affect who the dragon throne would belong to eventually. That is why she is so vigilant. This is a kind of fear that is buried in the hearts of many. Even if she might be able to remain calm, those who are loyal to her cannot. This is the reason for what had happened today.”

“And we have nothing. Hua Shanyue and the others are still young. It would take years until they are capable of taking over the place of generals Xu Shi and Xia Hou. The scholars from Chang’an had long entered the imperial court, but it’d take time for their voices to be heard. That is why I welcome the Academy into the human realm.”

“Once the Academy enters the human realm, should the Academy be attacked, no matter how much support the Empress has, as long as the Academy is willing to make their stand clear, the officials and the military, as well as the cultivators, have to remain silent.”

“How can we be certain of their stand?”

“Because the person from the Academy who is entering the human realm is Ning Que. And I know him.”

“Ning Que is calm and emotionless. He might not help us because of what had happened in the past, and he might not even interfere with the matter. But there are some things that he must interfere with. And even if he doesn’t bother with it, Sangsang would.”

“Everyone in Chang’an thinks that Sangsang is just an ordinary maidservant. But what is interesting is that I have always know that that is not true. It is fortunate that I have always liked her, and she, liked me.”

“If I were to die on that day, Sangsang would care. Ning Que has got to care then. The Academy would have to make their stand clear then. Brother dearest, why would I die? Because death is what awaits us if we fail to get the throne.”

Lee Yu ended her narrative of a tale that had yet to happen. She picked up some tongs and arranged the pile of ash in the brazier. She raised her head and smiled at her brother before turning to head into the study.

In the study, Lee Yu wrote a letter to Crown Prince Chongming of the Yan Kingdom. The letter would be sent to him through Hua Shanyue of the Gushan Commandery directly to the palace in Capital Cheng of the Yan Kingdom. This has nothing to do with speed, but cautiousness.

In the letter, she mentioned what had happened in Chang’an recently and also casually mentioned her past dealings with the master and servant of Old Brush Pen Shop. Finally, she expressed her condolences for the disappearance of Prince Long Qing.

…

…

It was snowing in the palace in the capital of the Yan Kingdom, Capital Cheng. Crown Prince Chongming’s gaze drifted to the dancing snowflakes outside while he clutched on to the letter tightly.

A certain official could not hide the joy on his face. He bowed deeply to Crown Prince Chongming and congratulated him. “If Mr. Thirteen had really entered the human realm on behalf of the Academy, according to the relationship that the Princess had mentioned, the probability that the throne of the Tang empire would land in Prince Li Huiyuan’s hands is high. Your Highness, your relationship with Princess Lee Yu is good, this is very helpful for your future governance of the Yan Kingdom.”

Crown Prince Chongming have gotten the underlying message that Princess Lee Yu had sent. He knew that the Princess was trying to boost his confidence. If Prince Long Qing was really dead, then he would be the only successor to the throne of Yan Kingdom. He would benefit the most from it and the future Emperor of Tang would support him.

There were many who knew that Prince Long Qing was felled by Ning Que from the Academy but nobody knew of where he was and whether he was dead or alive. He should thank Ning Que and celebrate the situation, but he did not express any joy when congratulated by his subordinates.

“Everyone in the world thought that I was fighting for the throne with Long Qing and that we hated each other. But you have all seemed to forget that we are, after all, brothers. We have once played together in this palace. Now that he is missing and no one knows whether he is dead or alive, do you really think that I can be happy about that?”

Crown Prince Chongming stared at the dancing snowflakes dazedly, and he began to cry out of the blue.

The official looked at the tears streaming down the Crown Prince’s face and was shocked. He knelt down hurriedly and begged for forgiveness. However, he was still extremely joyful deep inside. He thought to himself, that His Highness, whom he served loyally, was really someone worth serving as he could still pretend to care about his brother at this moment, refusing to express how he really felt before the Emperor and everyone else.

…

…

The South Jin Kingdom was in the south. The climate was warm and it did not snow even in winter. The stone mountain that looked like a giant sword reflected the light of the winter sun. Every nook and cranny of the rocks could be made out clearly. The black and white old-styled pavilion at the foot of the hill exuded a prideful sword style.

Over the years, many have discovered that a cultivator’s will, boldness, and Lucky Chance was necessary for them to travel further on the long path of cultivation. And one’s boldness was usually how prideful and confident one was.

Sage of Sword, Liu Bai, studied the art of the sword in the pavilion. He was regarded as the strongest man in the world and would, of course, be extremely proud and confident. This pride and confidence were beyond the scope of regular pride of confidence and seemed to come out of the blue.

The Sage of Sword’s calm and sharp voice sounded in the pavilion. The voice sounded as if it was about to pierce through the clouds and through the disciples’ eardrums. “I have said months ago, not to return if you were going to shame me. Why did you all return?”

The disciples of the Sword Garret lowered their heads uneasily. They thought about the edict they had received from the Divine Hall to enter the Wilderness. They had fought with those from the grassland, and then, with the Desolate Man. They had not backed away from death and bloodshed, so when had they shamed their sect?

Deep within the black and white pavilion, rays of sunlight shone on a straw house by a pond through a large cave that had been eroded over the years.

At this point, the sun has shifted and all was silent in the cave.

A man with long hair covering his shoulders sat in the light. One could not sense a strong aura from him. However, if one dared to look at him directly, they would feel an unbearable pain in their eyes after some time, and would even start tearing up.

That was because, his messy hair, the belt on his waist, the clothes draped over him, his gaze and his body, were all swords.

The man himself was a sword. He was a sword that transcended heaven and earth.

“Go to Chang’an and see what kind of person Ning Que is. He had killed a brother of the Sword Garret when he was still cultivating. How much had he improved since he became a student of the Headmaster of the Academy? Weakest World Wayfarer of the Academy in history? I don’t believe that. Even the weakest wayfarer in history would bring enough trouble to you.”

There was a young man kneeling before the straw house. He was tall and his knees looked like large trees. When he heard the Sage of Sword, Liu Bai’s sword-like voice, his face paled slightly. He tried to calm his sense of perception forcefully and said puzzledly, “But I’m afraid he would have already returned to Chang’an by the time I get there.”

“So what? Yan Se was willing to perish with Wei Guangming than to fight with me. I want to see if his successor is stronger than mine. Do not worry that the Academy would stop you from challenging him. Since the successor of the Academy is about to enter the human realm, he would be prepared to be challenged and to be killed. Mr. Ke had killed all the way back then, what right does this Ning Que have to be different?”

…

…

The lantern festival occurred shortly after the new year. Lights shone brightly at night in Chang’an as families walked on the streets. Children held candies in their hands and chattered, running around on the streets. Young girls smiled shyly and exchanged secretive glances with their lovers. No one knew how many pairs of shoes, hats and purses would be lost on the streets.

As compared to the lively atmosphere of the people, the atmosphere in the palace was naturally solemn and dignified. The Emperor and Empress had invited the senior members of the court to a feast in the palace. After the feast, His Majesty had continued to admire calligraphy, sing and drink with his civilian officials. The Empress continued chatting with some of the ladies she was close with.

No matter the prime minister, or the grand secretary, everyone had to behave appropriately at a place like this. However, when they saw Lee Yu sitting behind a desk at the head of the palace, they could not help the shock that appeared on their faces.

All were calm in the Tang Empire. The country was peaceful and prosperous. The only thing that worried the people was the succession of the dragon throne.

Everyone knew that the Empress wanted her own son to sit on the dragon throne in the future. However, Princess Lee Yu felt that her own biological brother was the rightful heir. The two did not fight openly, but the hidden struggle between the two was numerous. The Princess marrying into the grassland and the Empress not stepping into the imperial study both had something to do with this. Could it be that the two were prepared to bring it all to light now that Princess Lee Yu had appeared at a function like this?

Nobody noticed the little handmaiden who sat beside Lee Yu silently due to their turbulent emotions.

Lee Yu had not wanted to come, but the Empress had wanted to meet Sangsang. She had become very vigilant because of this. Now that many were sure that Ning Que was the one from the Academy who was entering the human realm, gaining his support would mean gaining the Academy’s support. What did the Empress want to meet Sangsang for?

All the ladies present were close to the Empress and were of course biased. However, they thought of the positions of their husbands and had to behave appropriately. They bowed to Lee Yu. However, only a lady remained unmoving.

This woman was the wife of Zeng Jing, the Grand Secretary of the Imperial Library.

She was once the beloved concubine of Zeng Jing. The main lady of the house had killed her newborn daughter. If not for the Empress who had heard of the incident by chance and had sent them divorce letters in anger, she would have died without anyone knowing. How would she have attained the position and glory that she had today without the Empress?

Mrs. Zeng was very grateful to the Empress because of this matter. She would sacrifice not only her husband’s future, but also her life just to make her happy. That was why she had remained seated behind the desk and made no move to walk forward when the prime minister’s wife and the other wives smiled and bowed to Lee Yu.

She looked at the girl dressed in handmaiden clothing beside Lee Yu, and she thought to herself, that the Princess was becoming more and more audacious. She had dared to bring her handmaiden to the Empress’ feast.

However, when she saw the handmaiden’s tanned face and bright, willow leaf-shaped eyes, Mrs. Zeng felt that she looked familiar, and curiously, her heart began to twinge painfully.