Chapter 365: Hongyu (Part 2)

Chapter 365 -140: Hongyu (Part 2)

He sighed and continued, “To prevent the upper echelons of the Great Yu from falling into degeneracy, the Saint Emperor also left behind a contingency plan. He used the Purple Cloud Pavilion to divide power and create a check against the Royal Family, selecting scholars of outstanding character and ability to join its ranks. The Purple Cloud Pavilion Profound Chief, moreover, was a Profound Monarch in every generation…”

“Is that so?”

Fang Rui frowned. “You’re not wrong. After the cataclysm, given the circumstances at the time, the Saint Emperor’s various measures did have a positive impact.”

“But what law can apply for all eternity? As times change, so too must the methods!”

He recalled the endless, uncanny aura at Two Realms Mountain, which had reflected scene after scene of cannibalism within the Great Yu.

“You have a point, Master.”

Yu Qian agreed wholeheartedly. “As time went on, the situation the Great Yu faced changed, and the methods of governance should have changed with it. The laws established by the Saint Emperor back then are no longer suited for the present day.”

“The Court discovered long ago that with every round of harvesting Qi Fortune, as all living beings cried out in agony, the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi would roil, and a massive amount of uncanny aura would be generated.”

“Furthermore, practitioners of Martial Arts and Imperial Spirit Masters haven’t completely abandoned Spiritual Qi. When they cultivate Spirit Medicine and the like—when they consume people—an uncanny aura is also produced.”

“The more uncanny aura there is in the world, the more power Great Black Heaven can project into it. The Deceit Domains and the Black Heaven Mysterious Books are manifestations of the Outer God’s power, projected by using the uncanny aura of this world…”

“So you’re saying that every harvest of the masses, every cultivation of Spirit Medicine, and all such acts… are like opening the door and inviting in a thief?”

Fang Rui sighed. “What was once a good law has become an evil one.”

“Your eyes are sharp, Master.”

Yu Qian nodded. “From ancient times until now, the frequency with which Black Heaven Mysterious Books and Deceit Domains appear has been shortening. It’s gone from once every thousand years to once every eighty to a hundred years. This is clear proof.”

“My reforms were meant to address this.”

“The harvesting of Qi Fortune is a necessity for the world, so it can be postponed. But…”

His voice was firm as stone. “Banning Martial Arts, Imperial Spirit Masters, the cultivation of Spirit Medicine, and the like is a matter of utmost urgency!”

“No wonder…”

Fang Rui murmured, taking a long, deep look at this student of his.

‘No wonder Yu Qian nearly lost his life from the sheer force of the backlash after only just beginning his reforms.’

‘Banning the use of people to cultivate Spirit Medicine, Divine Medicine, and so on sounds simple, but in reality, it placed him in direct opposition to the Great Yu Royal Family and all the Noble Families.’

‘This wasn’t just cutting a slice of their flesh; it was chopping off their heads.’

‘Saint Emperor Yu used the Great Yu’s Qi Fortune Celestial Pillar to seal away Spiritual Qi, causing the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi to decline. The lifespans of Cultivators were already drastically reduced. If the practice of using humans to cultivate medicine was also banned, breakthroughs would become even more difficult.’

‘In that case, the upper echelons of the Noble Families, who could live to be eighty, ninety, or even over a hundred years old by relying on their Upper Three Grades Martial Arts Realms, would all have their lives cut short. From then on, their lifespans would be no different from that of an ordinary person.’

‘Furthermore, without their high-level combatants to maintain control, their rule would become unstable.’

‘How could they possibly tolerate such a thing?’

“Those people know that consuming others breeds this uncanny aura, but they just keep gambling on their luck. Their foolishness is beyond belief!”

For a rare moment, a look of profound disappointment crossed Yu Qian’s face. “Don’t they understand? If one day the uncanny aura in the world breaks past its limit, the gates to this world will be thrown open, and Great Black Heaven will return with a vengeance! An entire world will be annihilated! When the nest is overturned, how can any egg remain unbroken?!”

“It’s an impasse.”

Fang Rui shook his head.

It was just like the Late Ming Donglin Faction.

They didn’t want to see the Great Ming fall, but it was even more impossible for them to spit out the meat they had already put in their mouths and stop undermining the dynasty’s foundations.

Did they not know that if they kept digging, they would cause the Great Ming to collapse?

They knew!

Did they not know that if the Qing Army broke through the pass, their own lives would be miserable?

They knew!

But they just couldn’t stop.

The final result was that the Great Ming really did fall. The Qing Army broke through the pass, and the real misery began as they were slaughtered like pigs and dogs by a horde of Tartars.

‘Today’s Great Yu is so similar to the late Ming of my past life.’

Fang Rui sighed to himself.

“I tried to implement reforms time and again, but every attempt ended in failure.”

Yu Qian’s body swayed. The Celestial Heart Seal hanging at his waist was crisscrossed with cracks, but he paid it no mind. He felt no fear of death, only regret.

“I still remember a fictional story you told me when I was young, Master. About Kong Ming’s six campaigns from Mount Qi. ‘To die before his mission’s won, leaving heroes to weep for ages on.’ “

“My life’s work is unfinished, and my time is almost up. I cannot accept it! I wish I could borrow another five hundred years from the heavens!”

“BLECH!”

As he spoke, he spat out a large mouthful of fresh blood, staining his robes.

“Yu Qian, you…”

“I’m fine.”

Yu Qian waved his hand. “Master, my lifelong wish was only for future generations to live in the light, not shrouded in deceit and despair. Was I really wrong?”

“If I was wrong, where did I go wrong?”

“If I wasn’t wrong, then where were my allies?”

He rose to his feet and faced the surging Luo River, tears streaming down his face. “Before me, I see not the sages of old; behind me, I see not the heroes to come. I think of the endlessness of heaven and earth, and alone, in my sorrow, my tears fall.”

HUFF!

Fang Rui took a deep breath. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.

As an observer, he saw things very clearly.

Was Yu Qian wrong?

‘No, he wasn’t. His morals were simply too lofty, and he was trying to accomplish something nearly impossible.’

‘The Great Yu has endured for ages. A breakthrough from within is now nearly impossible, unless… unless it’s a bottom-up reform, like scraping the poison from the very bone!’

‘But as I just thought, the Great Yu’s problems are too deep-rooted. That method would be incredibly difficult as well!’

Fang Rui shook his head slightly. He looked at his student, stared into his eyes, and said with conviction, “You… were not wrong.”

“Not wrong? To hear those words from you, Master, is my greatest fortune!”

“So be it. In these final moments of my life, allow me to be willful for once, to let everything go and relax a little.”

“Let us try the new tea with the new fire, and seize the day with poetry and wine.”

Yu Qian picked up the wine pot, first filling a cup for Fang Rui, then pouring one for himself. He sipped it slowly, savoring the taste.

「A few moments later.」

He drained his cup, set it down, and stood up tall. “Future generations will have their own fortunes. Perhaps there will be other ways to save the world, one can never know.”

“I only wish for my Hongyu to last for all eternity!”

Under the setting sun, the Celestial Heart Seal at Yu Qian’s waist cracked and shattered—KRAKA-KRAK—then disintegrated into light. His body froze, like a golden statue.

SPLASH!

Fang Rui rose in silence, picked up his wine cup, and poured it out before Yu Qian.

…

「Three days later.」

On the day of Yu Qian’s burial, people flocked from all corners of the land. Tens of thousands came to see him off.

…

「Another month later.」

Citing old age and failing energy, Fang Rui closed the Sanwei Bookstore. Over a thousand students from the Square Gate rushed to his side, weeping.

…

「Outside the city.」

“KREEE!”

A pair of Flowing Cloud Cyan Simurghs stared at Fang Rui, their eyes filled with resentment.

‘Ten years, another ten years, and then ten more… Why hasn’t this human died of old age yet? He said we’d be his mounts for a lifetime, but whose lifetime did he mean?’

“The year I left Huaiyin Prefecture, I was only seventeen or eighteen when I took you in. Now I’m seventy-six, and you’ve been with me for over fifty years!”

Fang Rui said with a nostalgic sigh. This didn’t change the fact that just a moment ago, this “rotten old man” had given the pair of Second Grade Flowing Cloud Cyan Simurghs another ruthless beating.

“Go on, go on, I’m not a monster. I’ll let you leave today. But you have to leave your little chick behind.”

“I promise: in thirty years, I’ll let it go find a mate too.”

“KREEE! KREEE!”

Fang Rui watched his old companions disappear into the clouds and let out a long sigh. “Ah, the passage of time!”

…

「Returning.」

“Master Fang, you’re back?”

The neighbors next door had changed again and again. The current one was a young scholar whom Fang Rui had once taught, and he greeted him with great respect.

In fact, because Fang Rui lived here, legends spread that the area was spiritually charged, granting long life and fortune to its inhabitants. This even caused nearby property values to rise by a good thirty percent.

At home, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and the Third Lady, both with snow-white hair, were basking in the warmth of the bright sun.

That’s right. After Fang Rui had changed from a handsome, middle-aged man into an old man, the Third Lady had chosen not to preserve her youthful appearance any longer.

Because, as the Third Lady said, they had once made a promise to grow old together.

There’s no doubt that women are attached to their looks, yet when given the choice, the Third Lady still gave up on eternal youth.

One had to admit, this was a tremendous test of her resolve.

“Brother!”

“Brother Ah Rui!”

Fang Ling, Nannan, and Fang Li came out as well. The whole family was reunited, with no one missing.

‘This is wonderful!’

Fang Rui sighed in his heart, but he knew the truth: Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and the Third Lady were in their eighties and nineties and truly didn’t have many years left. Even Fang Ling and Nannan wouldn’t be able to accompany him for much longer.

His Divine Technique, Withered Wood Evergreen, was not a Longevity Divine Technique, after all. Even though he had paid a considerable price for it over the years, slowing the growth of his Tribulation Points significantly, all he got in return was keeping Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and the others free from sickness and pain, able to move about as usual.

“Divine Techniques are no match for the will of Heaven!”

Fang Rui sighed helplessly.

Behind him.

The autumn wind blew past. From a tree of withered, yellow leaves, the foliage fell, one leaf at a time.