Edict of Peace 137

Chapter 137: The Red Glow Howls, Enemies Meet

The clang of the Chixiao sword resounded, vibrant and powerful. Like a dragon emerging from the abyss, its sound echoed far and wide. Everyone in the Taihe Hall froze, their expressions hardening. The many Masters of the Academy showed a mixture of astonishment, delight, and underlying apprehension.

The Imperial Guards maintained grave expressions. The chief eunuch rushed forward, his tone sharp:

“Who… who are you?!”

“The principles of loyalty and patriotism, do you need this old one to teach you?! Masters, why trespass in the Forbidden Palace? Are you rebelling?!”

“Are you rebelling against the Academy’s eight hundred years of service to the Emperor?!”

BOOM!!!

A wave of energy erupted. The chief eunuch, whose cultivation wasn’t weak, saw a blur. A white-haired, elderly man appeared before him. In an instant, he felt his own body shrink, the old man towering infinitely, his gaze cold and condescending. His navy blue robe billowed, exuding an overwhelming aura that inspired fear.

The eunuch’s face paled instantly.

He instinctively tried to retreat.

The next moment, Si Wei had his throat clamped in a grip, lifting him into the air. He said calmly:

“Rebellion.”

“How about it?”

The room was filled with speechless terror. The eunuch’s face lost all color; his legs trembled.

Si Wei remained impassive, throwing the eunuch violently to the ground. He said directly:

“If you can’t do it, don’t say it.”

“Just a barking dog.”

“Your master is already in dire straits, yet you don’t understand the need for discretion. You’re making enemies here – what a fool!”

The eunuch spat blood, his heart filled with terror and despair.

The old man stepped over his body, standing in the middle of Taihe Hall. Behind him, the Imperial Guards raised their weapons, but looking at the old man—simply white-haired, in ordinary robes—they dared not advance.

Only the eunuch lay there, crushed on the ground.

Si Wei stood before the sealed Chixiao sword, sadness in his eyes. He reached out, caressing the weapon bound by countless red talismans and cords, recalling the bold and composed tales of the Red Emperor’s three conquests of the world. The great emperor was gone, yet his weapon was locked away here due to the fear of his successors. Si Wei’s expression was mournful as he murmured:

“Chixiao…”

“The divine weapon wielded by the Red Emperor, adorned with seven-colored pearls and nine-layered jade, its blade always like frost and snow, its brilliance dazzling; it’s what the Guangya (ancient Chinese dictionary) refers to as the snake-slaying sword, a divine weapon that once vied for the empire with the warlord’s halberd eight hundred years ago.”

“Red Emperor!”

He reached out, grasping one by one of the red cords concealing talismans within, then raised his head and shouted:

“Your descendants are utterly useless!”

“They used sorcerer’s ropes to lock away your empire-conquering weapon!”

His voice was full of grief and mockery:

“And now, such a man is the Emperor!”

“Such a child!”

“Is the Emperor!”

The faces of all the Masters, Imperial Guards, and eunuchs turned ashen.

Then they saw this reckless man reach out, ignoring the glowing cords cutting deep lines into his palms as he strained with all his might. The red cords shattered. He disregarded everything else, tearing all the ropes apart!

A war chariot appeared, its horse’s head adorned with feathers. The Emperor appeared at the palace gate, gasping for breath, his expression rigid. Ancient imperial coins scattered on the ground, clinking softly.

The other Masters performed obeisance, while the Imperial Guards knelt on one knee, their hands pressed against their breastplates. The eunuch who had cared for the Emperor since childhood reached out, blood on his lips, saying: “Your Majesty, Your Majesty…”

“Save…”

He couldn’t finish. A foot landed on his back, crushing him into the ground.

Si Wei turned, his sleeves billowing. He held the howling Chixiao sword in his right hand, looking at the Emperor, then raised the weapon, pointing the hilt at the Emperor. His voice was calm:

“Emperor, the Chixiao sword sings, but not for you.”

“Do you understand?!”

The Emperor of Zhongzhou, at least nominally still the supreme ruler of the land, stared fixedly at the sword and the reckless man who dared to lift it. He stepped forward, then used his finger to touch a jade bead on his wrist.

The jade bead emitted a faint, barely perceptible glow. An aura gathered around the Emperor, forming a crimson dragon. The dragon’s scales were clearly visible, its head raised, gazing at Si Wei.

The Emperor spoke: “But, Master, didn’t the sword sing because of the enemy’s appearance?”

“Its sound is fierce, like a dragon’s roar, like the thunder of charging horses, the unsheathing of a weapon.”

“It’s not the majestic sound of an emperor.”

Si Wei’s eyes narrowed, looking at the man before him.

At that moment, the Chixiao sword’s howl abruptly ceased, as if the presence that had provoked it had vanished, like an army preparing for battle, but failing to find its target. Si Wei lowered his gaze slightly, looking at the Emperor who had manifested the crimson dragon Law Physique. He casually tossed the sword back.

The divine weapon Chixiao fell back onto its stand.

“Then, the sword no longer sings for you.”

He said.

The Emperor’s expression froze, but he still maintained his authority.

The old man strode forward, his sleeves billowing. The Zhongzhou Yulin Army, comprised of the empire’s elite martial artists, uncontrollably retreated. The Emperor smiled, his fingers beneath his sleeves nearly digging into his palm.

It was said that after the Emperor returned, he was enraged, smashing countless ancient artifacts.

But Si Wei didn’t even look at him, simply saying:

“Tell the six people from the Academy, no, tell the Academy and the whole world.”

“I… have returned!”

……………………

Po Jun stopped the carriage. The horses, from the northernmost steppes, possessed the bloodline of ancient beasts, and were panting, their mouths foaming with bloody saliva. Po Jun looked up and saw the flowing light of the White Tiger Seven Mansions ignite.

Then, a lamp suddenly lit up.

The light seemed to be concealed, and the roar of the Meng Hu Xiao Tian War Halberd subsided.

Po Jun froze. He turned his head and saw the kind old man smiling: “The world is too chaotic right now… more attention would not be good for him.”

Po Jun smiled slightly, and agreed.

He looked at the old man, his eyes filled with apprehension.

From the beginning, the old man had been waiting at the entrance of the Daoist temple, and then Po Jun brought him onto the carriage. He said that leaving the city would ensure safety, including the bronze lamp.

The old man’s actions seemed to have no ulterior motive.

In the end, Si Tu De Qing, the tenth-ranked assassin in the land, gave his life, allowing Li Guanyi to vent the murderous aura within him, successfully mastering one of the moves of the Overlord’s Absolute Style, truly turning danger into safety.

The tenth-ranked assassin, who had murderous intent towards both Li Guanyi and Zu Wenyuan, died under the [Overlord’s Move].

Everything seemed to be within the old man’s calculations.

Po Jun’s expression was complex as he praised: “Senior… such strategic planning is truly amazing.”

Zu Wenyuan looked at this young man and said, “Want to learn?”

Po Jun was stunned, coughing violently.

“You don’t have to be so blunt.”

“Oh, so you don’t want to learn.”

Po Jun opened his mouth, saying: “I do!”

Zu Wenyuan said softly: “During this period, you can come to the Daoist temple to find me. My skills shouldn’t be buried here. Guanyi is a good child, but his path is different from mine. It’s not that his talent is insufficient, nor am I stingy with my skills.”

“But how can a tiger learn to fly like a crane?”

“He should gallop across the battlefield and the world.”

Po Jun pursed his lips, looking at Li Guanyi. Li Guanyi moved his wrist, lifting the Meng Hu Xiao Tian War Halberd. This divine weapon, even after eight hundred years, remained as sharp and strong as when it was newly forged.

With the assistance of the Qilin’s true energy, even the body of the tenth-ranked assassin could not withstand it.

The flesh, bone, and trachea of his neck were severed in one blow.

In that short time, Si Tu De Qing’s blood was already draining, soaking the ground. Insects licked his blood, and then his body visibly swelled before exploding.

The blood of a high-level martial artist was not something an ordinary body could contain.

The divine weapon let out a low wail in the wind.

The Meng Hu Xiao Tian War Halberd had awakened, but whether it was because it had drunk blood or because of the youth wielding it, was unclear. Li Guanyi exhaled, regulating his breath. He planted his weapon in the ground, recalling the experience, feeling a bit apprehensive.

If Zu Lao hadn’t brought him out, he might have been consumed by the Overlord’s murderous aura and hatred, killing and fighting wantonly in Jiangzhou City. It was the final clash with Si Tu De Qing that had finally brought Li Guanyi to his senses.

Five Law Physiques around him were brighter than before, seeming to be undergoing some transformation. The White Tiger had completed its transformation, its golden eyes devoid of killing intent, replaced by a dignified and majestic bearing.

After all, the Law Physique of the tenth-ranked assassin was immensely nourishing.

Li Guanyi thought that he should apologize to Si Tu De Qing.

An assassin, wielding a slender sword.

He dared to stand before the Overlord’s Absolute Style unleashed by the Meng Hu Xiao Tian War Halberd, fueled by furious murderous aura.

Eight hundred years ago, there were no assassins this brave.

Truly worthy of being the tenth-ranked assassin in the land!

If the Red Emperor saw this, he would surely praise him loudly.

Awesome!

Li Guanyi sighed, then bent down, ignoring the fact that Si Tu De Qing’s neck was almost severed, his body split into three pieces, and started to search the body.

Loot the corpse!

The fun part of looting corpses!

It seemed that Si Tu De Qing had come here to hunt down Zu Lao after leaving the palace.

Li Guanyi found a sachet containing women’s rouge, some gold and silver, and two pills. There wasn’t much. Li Guanyi thought for a moment, put these things down, and imitated what Big Brother Yue had demonstrated.

He checked the inside of the clothes, the collar, and the soles of the shoes.

There was a large-denomination banknote hidden in the sole of the shoe.

The boy picked it up with two twigs as chopsticks, placing it aside to air out.

Then, he found a token-like object hidden in the collar. Li Guanyi frowned; he held it in his hand, feeling its weight, seemingly gold, yet with an indescribable mystical quality.

The front was written in large seal script:

[Ten]

The back showed a strange figure wearing a dark gold mask, with the words below: [Si Tu De Qing].

“This is the identity token of the tenth-ranked assassin.”

Zu Wenyuan’s voice came. Po Jun supported the old man. The old man’s expression remained calm. The sight of Si Tu De Qing, cut into three pieces, did not affect this gentle old man’s composure. He merely said:

“Assassins and killers across the land all have ‘masks’ to conceal their identities.”

“Killers are people who hide in the shadows. Moreover, in the Netherworld Ghost Market, there is the number one disguise expert in the world who can erase all traces and allow you to leave the martial arts world and start over. So the Ghost Market doesn’t recognize faces; they recognize tokens.”

“Si Tu De Qing might be a false name.”

“A false name passed down for countless generations. Si Qing is just the current generation, or the past few years, Si Tu De Qing. He’s dead, you have his token, you have this dark gold mask; you can be Si Tu De Qing.”

The identity of the tenth-ranked assassin.

Li Guanyi’s eyes flickered.

The old man said: “However, I don’t know if someone like Si Tu De Qing would leave some gold and silver treasures in the Netherworld Ghost Market. Guanyi, if you’re interested, when you have the chance, visit the headquarters of the Netherworld Ghost Market and check the Tian Di Tong Qian Zhuang (Tian Di Tong Money House).”

“Okay…”

Li Guanyi keenly sensed the value of this identity.

In any case, Si Tu De Qing was a top-tier figure. Without the Overlord’s Absolute Style, the war halberd’s murderous aura, and the power given by the Qilin, Li Guanyi couldn’t have killed this guy. However, this had consumed the Qilin’s life-saving trump card given to Li Guanyi.

It was indeed a life-saver.

Po Jun directly collected Si Tu De Qing’s corpse and placed it under the carriage.

“Please bear with it; the body of the tenth-ranked assassin.”

“Such a valuable thing, enough to turn the tide.”

Then, he cleaned up the traces left by the carriage before speeding away.

As for the bloodstains?

There were many battles outside the city; the officials and civilians were no longer surprised.

Li Guanyi touched the dark gold mask.

This was a part of the divine weapon armor worn by the ancestor of Chen Kingdom, Chen Guogong, five hundred years ago. Zu Lao explained: “Back then, he was a divine general, so Chen Guogong wore this dark gold mask, charging across battlefields. Later, Chen Kingdom established its imperial dynasty, roughly two to three hundred years ago.”

“At that time, Chen Wu Di (Emperor Wu of Chen) believed that the emperor was a figure of righteous grandeur.”

“He shouldn’t conceal his face, so the dark gold mask ceased to be the emperor’s armor and was instead displayed in the imperial treasury. In the present day… at that time, Princess Chen Qingyan was still young, the young master of the Protectorate Mountain Villa, and sent it to the Academy.”

“Later, for some reason, news leaked. At that time, Chen Chengbi and I were not yet this old. He asked me to calculate what happened. We went to find her, and at that time, she was ambushed and wounded. After killing her pursuers, she collapsed from exhaustion.”

“She was found by a self-proclaimed wandering swordsman.”

“That swordsman was only a teenager then, naturally strong, having driven away several thugs in his hometown. He considered himself a hero, wearing an iron sword at his waist, cutting down the grass until the grass in the surrounding ten miles was all headless. Later, we found that kid.”

“Chen Chengbi liked him and wanted him to join the Protectorate Mountain Villa; the Princess personally wrote a letter of recommendation. But who knew, halfway there, hearing that war had broken out in the southwest and the people were displaced, he gave all the gold the Princess gave him to the refugees and then joined the army.”

“Later, that youth experienced life and death, gained fame, pacified the southwest and the Western Regions, and fought against the number one divine general in the land. He was first ennobled, and when the current emperor ascended the throne, he was made a prince, yet he passed away three years after his ennoblement.”

“When he became a great general, the Princess proposed giving him the mask.”

“The Emperor agreed, and so this dark gold mask became the iconic object of that general. He once wore the mask to pacify the southwest, and the Turkic cavalry, seeing that their leader was clad in black armor and wore a dark gold mask, would flee at the sight of him, surrendering without a fight.”

Po Jun pondered: “…That person was…”

Li Guanyi stroked the mask, saying:

“Taiping Gong.”

He covered his face with the mask, revealing only his eyes.

His black hair slightly lifted.

Po Jun looked back, looking at the youthful appearance. He said softly:

“It’s exactly like the portrait…”

“If you appeared before everyone in this way, wearing this mask, standing on the Qilin, it’s truly frightening to contemplate. I don’t know how many responses Taiping Gong’s former subordinates would have, but his real comrades-in-arms would certainly weep.”

“Such as…”

“Yue Shuai.”

Li Guanyi closed his eyes, without answering.

He returned to the Xue family, saying nothing of where he had been. This time, the Meng Hu Xiao Tian War Halberd was placed in his courtyard, its brilliance subdued, its blade no longer as sharp as frost.

“Just leave it here. The war halberd has chosen its master. If I take it away, it will be unhappy.”

“Regarding the Seventh Prince, I have made preparations.”

“You can rest assured.”

Po Jun left readily. Li Guanyi also returned to the palace. Si Qing’s disappearance caused some ripples among a certain group, but after all, he was an insignificant official, and people quickly stopped caring. There were too many people in the palace, so many that people weren’t even considered people.

Li Guanyi spent his days reading classics, books, and organizing documents.

One day while on duty, he heard boisterous cheers from the Imperial Guard, Ye Buyidu said: “It seems that person has returned.”

Zhou Liying nodded.

Li Guanyi asked: “That person?”

His body stiffened, for at that moment, he suddenly felt an instinctive rage, the fury and icy killing intent of discovering someone who had stolen his possessions. His blood boiled. Li Guanyi looked up and saw a figure walking out, someone laughing.

“Finally back!”

“Chen Yu Yun!”

(End of Chapter)

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