Chapter 121: Ling Yi, Return My Herb Garden
Chapter 121: Ling Yi, Return My Herb Garden
Late at night.
In the Imperial Palace of Chu State.
The Aged Monarch, with a wrinkled face and sagging muscles, leaned on a soft couch. His fierce tiger-like eyes were half-open and half-closed.
Beside him sat a young man with red-rimmed eyes, his mood severely low.
The young man’s slender, pale hand was held tightly by the Aged Monarch’s thin, eagle-claw-like hand.
“Father, is there no other way?”
The young man’s choked voice carried a hint of hoarseness.
“There is none.” The Aged Monarch shook his head slightly. “Blame me for being too stubborn. Don’t blame him.”
The young man’s eyes were bloodshot. “Even now, Father speaks for that villain?”
The Aged Monarch smiled faintly. “When a person lives, can they have not a bit of ambition? Those with truly no ambition at all are useless. Just like you youngsters, always saying you like to be lazy, claiming to be laid-back… nonsense! Do monks not want to become Buddhas? Buddhism’s non-contention is not a lack of drive.”
“Besides, this is also Lu Qingming’s way!”
“I promoted him back then precisely for his ambition.”
“Even then I knew only he could help Great Chu realize the dream of unifying the world.”
“Even then I knew that if used well, this man would be a divine weapon; if not, he would hurt his master.”
“But when one has desires, how can one avoid risk? The greater the desire, the greater the risk.”
“What truly made things spiral out of control wasn’t him, but the collapse of the Sect behind our Chu Imperial Clan…”
“So, go. Leave quickly, before the Seven Free Swords sent here appear before you.”
“Take the token I gave you. Go far overseas, to Yingzhou Island.”
The Aged Monarch opened his eyes and looked at his son.
“The Ancient North Ming Sect has a branch there.”
“They do not interfere in secular matters, but with that token, they will take you in.”
The young man wept. “What about you? What about my sister?”
The Aged Monarch sighed. “I am old and frail, my lamp is almost dry. It doesn’t matter for me.”
The young man said, “How can I possibly leave you here?”
The Aged Monarch waved his hand. “Yanping, though I have many children, only you and your sister are my true, legitimate heirs.”
“Your sister chose to cooperate with Ling Yi, so keeping her life should not be difficult.”
“But you must go, because once Lu Qingming makes his move, he will surely shift the blame onto others.”
“It now seems more likely the blame will fall on Ling Yi and your sister.”
“If you stay here, he definitely won’t spare you.”
“Only if you live can you one day stand up and clear your sister’s name.”
The young man’s eyes were full of hatred, but more than that, it was the self-blame of feeling powerless.
The young prince of Great Chu, Chu Yanping, seemed very close to Lu Qingming, but in fact, that too was on the Aged Monarch’s orders!
From the moment he promoted Lu Qingming, the Aged Monarch had never relaxed his guard against this man.
But Lu Qingming grew too fast, and the support from the Carefree Sect behind him was too strong!
And what truly went wrong was the decline of the guardian Sect behind the Chu Imperial Clan!
The Aged Monarch didn’t know the reason for this decline, but he faintly guessed it was directly related to the Carefree Sect.
With this conclusion, the truth completely surfaced.
Those who truly wanted Great Chu to unify the world and change the dynasty… were the Carefree Sect!
Understanding this, for the Aged Monarch, all resistance lost its meaning.
No matter how powerful a secular state, no matter how strong its overall might, it could not stir even a ripple before an ancient, powerful Sect like the Carefree Sect.
The Aged Monarch was a man who had lived through countless storms in his life. As his life neared its end, faced with this situation, he could only make plans amidst near-impossibility, searching for that slim chance of survival.
But he understood that all of today’s disasters stemmed from his ambition to unify the world.
If he hadn’t employed Lu Qingming back then, today wouldn’t have happened.
But considering his character, even if given another chance, he would still choose this path.
It was his nature; he couldn’t change it.
As for whether he hated Lu Qingming… there was no need to even talk about that.
If his children ever got the chance in the future, would they spare Lu Qingming, this enemy?
So talking about hatred now, aside from making oneself more miserable, held no other meaning.
“Go. It’s getting late. Since the Seven Free Swords have all come, there is no room for turning back. Lu Qingming wouldn’t have called them out unless he was determined.”
The Aged Monarch patted his son’s hand and urged again, “Be good, go quickly. I will have Elders Xuan and Huang escort you out of the city.”
Chu Yanping closed his eyes. Tears finally flowed uncontrollably.
He stood up and knelt down.
He kowtowed several times to the Aged Monarch.
“This unfilial child…”
After just four words, Chu Yanping was sobbing too hard to speak.
“Go.”
The Aged Monarch waved his hand.
More than ten minutes later.
In a secret passage within the Great Chu palace, unknown to others, Chu Yanping met Elders Xuan and Huang.
Two very old men, they were Elders of the Mount Taiyue Sect, the guardian Sect of Great Chu.
For so many years, they had stayed by the Aged Monarch’s side, never leaving.
Chu Yanping saluted the two old men. “First Master! Second Master!”
Xuanyouzi and Huangmingzi didn’t say much. They nodded at Chu Yanping. “Your Highness, let’s go!”
Traveling through the underground passage, Chu Yanping couldn’t help but ask, “First Master, Second Master, how exactly… did the Mount Taiyue Sect perish?”
Elder Xuanyouzi glanced at Chu Yanping.
Chu Yanping said in a low voice, “I need to remember.”
Xuanyouzi said calmly, “The Patriarch of Unity of the Carefree Sect, Tiantai Zi, descended suddenly just as our Ancestor, Tong Taiyue, was about to make a breakthrough. He ambushed and succeeded.”
“The Carefree Sect launched a full-scale attack on our Mount Taiyue Sect. For seven days and seven nights, they slaughtered all 230,000-plus members of our Sect.”
“Aside from your Second Master and me, the entire Mount Taiyue Sect only has a few hundred members left in the secular world.”
“We only learned this news because our Mount Taiyue Ancestor sent down a wisp of consciousness through a Magical Artifact.”
Xuanyouzi said this while looking at Chu Yanping. “Live well. Don’t think about revenge.”
Huangmingzi sighed softly. “The great calamity is coming. Only the great fortune of the Mortal World can protect a legacy. Our Mount Taiyue Sect has had old grievances with the Carefree Sect. It’s just a pity that our Mount Taiyue Ancestor’s effort failed at the last step.”
Chu Yanping, his eyes red, said, “One day, if I reach the Unity Realm, I will surely take revenge for this!”
Elders Xuan and Huang remained silent, offering no response.
Unity Realm?
Even we couldn’t achieve it… how could you, a young man filled with worldly thoughts and hatred, ever reach Unity Realm?
The passage was very long. The three of them walked quickly inside for over half an hour.
At the end of the passage, dozens of miles away from the Capital of Great Chu,
lay an old well.
The old well sat at the edge of a small village.
Its water was cold and pure, serving as the village’s water source.
No one in the entire village knew this well connected to the Great Chu Imperial Palace.
When the three emerged, the village was silent. Their presence was concealed, not even alerting the vigilant dogs.
Xuanyouzi looked at Chu Yanping and whispered, “Your Highness, take care.”
Huangmingzi sighed softly, “Do not come back.”
Tears welled up in Chu Yanping’s eyes again. He bowed deeply to the two of them.
Then, he turned and sprinted into the distance.
At that moment, a dazzling white flash lit up the night sky.
A streak of light shot toward Chu Yanping.
Chu Yanping, still running, was instantly decapitated!
Elders Xuan and Huang’s eyes widened in fury. They wanted to rescue him, but it was already too late.
With a roar, they charged forward.
A terrifying aura of Dao Enlightenment erupted instantly.
Woof! Woof!
The village dogs were finally disturbed.
But the next moment, four figures appeared from four directions.
They surrounded Elders Xuan and Huang.
Without a word, they attacked.
Boom!
Like a thunderclap, the sound echoed through the night.
About ten minutes later.
Elders Xuan and Huang lay on the ground, their eyes wide open.
They died with grievances.
Song Guozi took a deep breath, wiping a trickle of blood from the corner of his mouth.
Song Xuzi picked up his severed arm, his face pale.
Song Shanzi and Song Shuizi were also injured to varying degrees, but they immediately came over to help Song Xuzi reattach his arm.
“These two fish that slipped through the net had been hiding deep in the Great Chu Imperial Palace for years. They finally surfaced… truly troublesome,”
said Song Xuzi, pale from losing an arm, but his tone was somewhat light.
Woof! Woof! Woof!
Fierce barking erupted from the village.
Many villagers were alerted and came out to see what happened.
“Let’s go,” said Song Guozi, grabbing the two corpses on the ground. Song Shanzi carried Song Xuzi on his back, while Song Shuizi picked up Chu Yanping’s head and body. The four of them vanished in the blink of an eye.
Six in the morning.
Looking at the three bodies laid on the ground, the three members of the Seven Free Swords who hadn’t participated in killing Chu Yanping—Song Pengzi, Song Ying, and Song Yue—were stunned.
Especially Song Ying and Song Yue, whose faces turned pale from the stench of blood in the room.
They had never experienced such brutal killings before.
The Carefree Sect always left such matters to the men; women stood aside.
This was an eye-opener for them.
Both women felt intensely uncomfortable.
Lu Qingming remained calm.
He even squatted down and carefully examined Chu Yanping’s head.
Once he confirmed this was indeed the Great Chu prince and not a substitute, he relaxed slightly and smiled faintly. “Did you really think I didn’t know about that secret passage?”
Then, he looked at Song Xuzi, whose arm had been reattached, and cupped his hands respectfully. “Apologies for the hardship, Elder Brother. I’ll take you all to the Herb Garden now. You can pick two top-tier Great Medicinal Herbs to replenish your health.”
A faint, relieved smile appeared on Song Xuzi’s face. “Thank you, Younger Brother.”
Then, Lu Qingming led the Seven Free Swords, walking relaxed toward the Herb Garden.
As expected, the Aged Monarch had tried to send his son away. But as for Chu Yanping, Lu Qingming would never leave him alive.
Just like that Ling Yi—if there was even the slightest chance, he wouldn’t let him go.
What surprised him was that killing Chu Yanping also took care of Elders Xuan and Huang.
For Lu Qingming, this was an unexpected bonus.
Now, with greater confidence, he proceeded to plan the purge of the Imperial Palace.
Arriving at the Herb Garden entrance, Lu Qingming frowned slightly. Normally, by now, he should have been able to sense the powerful spiritual energy emanating from the Miniature World inside the garden.
But this time, he felt nothing.
He checked the surrounding Formation Arrays—no changes whatsoever.
Lu Qingming sighed in relief.
If the Formation Arrays were intact, then nothing should be wrong inside.
He began a complex series of hand seals, taking several minutes to finally open the entrance to the Miniature World.
Amid the expectant gazes of everyone, Lu Qingming smiled and said, “Elder Brothers and Sisters, please…”
Before he could finish his sentence, the Herb Garden Miniature World—now nothing but a vast, empty basin—lay before their eyes.
The Seven Free Swords were dumbfounded, staring at the garden in disbelief.
Lu Qingming’s mind buzzed. He froze completely, his body turning cold, his thoughts blank!
Then,
an uncontrollable rage surged from within.
He spat out a mouthful of blood.
Eyes wide with fury, he roared—
“Little brat Ling Yi, give back my Herb Garden!”