Chapter 192: The Eternal Youthful Emperor

Thus, he came to understand the divine ability of the Confucian Sage.

I examine myself thrice each day.

This technique could actually reverse the flow of time and retrace an entire day's experiences.

It allowed one to avoid misfortune and seize every advantage.

Upon hearing this, all the Sage's disciples revealed expressions of admiration and envy.

The Confucian Sage continued, "Although you have yet to set foot into the Heaven-Earth realm, you can still examine yourselves thrice."

"Even if you cannot avoid the calamity of today, you may still evade the disaster of tomorrow."

At the time, most of the disciples did not understand what he meant.

Kong Changqing, however, engraved those words deeply into his heart and adopted them as his guiding principle, adhering to them to this very day.

That was precisely what had allowed the Kong Family to attain its present formidable prestige.

"Something that is too coincidental is no coincidence at all."

A sharp glint flashed through Kong Changqing's eyes as an almost absurd thought surfaced in his mind.

"My Kong Family has always remained aloof from worldly disputes, recognizing only the authority of the imperial throne. Thus, ever since Great Qian was founded, we have suffered neither disaster nor calamity."

"Then how could we suddenly be targeted from the shadows? They even went so far as to lay down such a monstrous killing scheme, determined to wipe out my Kong Family entirely."

"The only variable in all of this is..."

The aura surrounding Kong Changqing suddenly surged violently.

"Not long ago, I made the decision that from now on, the cultivation path of the Kong Family's younger generation would gradually lean toward Confucianism."

"Could it be that this alone was enough to bring down such a monstrous calamity upon us?"

Kong Changqing was filled with uncertainty.

But if that were truly the case, then everything suddenly made perfect sense.

"It was the Confucian Sage descending into the mortal world who saved my Kong Family!"

"This scheme was practically flawless, with almost no weaknesses to exploit. They chose the moment of my five-hundredth birthday to suddenly strike, making it virtually impossible to guard against. Yet before the Confucian Sage's divine ability of examining oneself thrice..."

"It could be broken with a single sentence!"

"Could the Confucian Sage truly still be alive in this world?"

The thought left Kong Changqing, a man who had lived for five centuries, so excited that he could barely contain himself.

"Because I sought to revive the Confucian tradition, I brought this great calamity upon myself. If the Confucian Sage is still alive, he naturally would not stand by and watch. Thus, he personally used his divine ability to save us."

"But ever since the Four Sages entered the capital back then, they have all concealed themselves from the world and vanished without a trace. They must be wary of that person..."

"The signs I sensed earlier of the Confucian Sage descending into the mortal world truly were not false!"

The more Kong Changqing thought about it, the more reasonable everything seemed. His heart surged with excitement, and he remained awake for a long time that night.

Sure enough, that very night, Kong Changqing once again dreamed of the vast and majestic aura that had accompanied the Confucian Sage's descent into the mortal world.

Moreover, that wisp of aura lingered above the Kong Family residence for a long time without dispersing.

The moment Kong Changqing awoke, he immediately summoned all the members of the Kong Family and formally announced the clan's decision to henceforth revere and uphold the Confucian Dao.

Although this matter could no longer be considered a secret, the decisiveness with which he publicly announced it still caught many people off guard.

However, Kong Changqing's prestige within the clan was immense. The Kong Family's reputation spanning several centuries had practically been supported by him alone. Even if some clan members who practiced other schools harbored reservations, they would never dare show the slightest intention of defiance.

That very afternoon, Li Shun also learned of the matter from Kong Zhao.

"That old man..."

"Could it be that he still retains some memories of what he experienced during the first self-reflection yesterday?"

Li Shun found it difficult to believe.

But this change could only benefit him and brought no harm whatsoever, so there was no need to investigate it too deeply for now.

Li Shun then began asking about the changes in the Sacred Capital.

After a full day of fermentation, news of what had happened the previous day had gradually spread.

"Communication with the Sacred Capital has already been restored."

"Junior Brother, your premonition was correct. It's just that the unease you sensed did not fall upon our Kong Family. It fell upon the Confucian school!"

"A group of bandits actually launched a brazen attack on the residences of all Three Excellencies at the same time. Grandmaster Dong... suffered rather serious injuries."

Kong Zhao lowered his voice as he spoke.

Li Shun frowned. "The Sacred Capital is the heart of Great Qian, where powerful figures gather. How could something like this happen? Just who are those bandits? Have they been captured?"

"That's precisely what's strange. Logically speaking, there were quite a few of these criminals who wreaked havoc throughout the Sacred Capital. Yet after the incident, they all disappeared without a trace. Apparently, not a single one was captured. A massive search is still underway."

"The Sacred Capital has now been placed under martial law and sealed off. No one is permitted to enter or leave."

Li Shun pondered for a long while before slowly shaking his head.

"Utterly absurd. In my opinion, this matter is nowhere near as simple as it appears."

Kong Zhao nodded deeply in agreement.

"Great minds think alike. And it's not just the two of us. By now, every civil and military official in the imperial court has doubts about the truth behind this attack."

"To completely sever communication between the entire Sacred Capital and the outside world for an entire day... Looking across the world, there are only a handful of people capable of such heaven-defying means. And on top of that, they were able to divide their forces and attack the residences of the Three Excellencies, only to vanish without leaving a trace afterward."

"Most importantly, all of this happened in the Sacred Capital, right under His Majesty's nose!"

"Thus..."

Kong Zhao's expression turned slightly solemn. There was clearly something he considered highly taboo, so he simply fell silent and used his finger like a brush, writing in the air:

"Everyone within the imperial court is secretly speculating that this may have been a heaven-shaking scheme jointly arranged by the Left and Right Chancellors, with the intention of testing the current Emperor!"

Li Shun followed suit, tracing characters through the air with his fingertip to communicate.

"Why would they do such a thing? They caused such enormous upheaval, yet in the end, they seemingly failed to obtain any definite result."

"No. It already tells us a great deal."

"Oh?"

Li Shun raised an eyebrow and looked toward Kong Zhao.

"Do you still remember what happened a year ago, when Shentu Xin burned the Imperial Mausoleum?"

"Of course I remember."

"Back then, when the Imperial Mausoleum was burned, the Left and Right Chancellors personally went before His Majesty's residence to plead guilty. At the time, the officials of the imperial court had been divided over whether the two Chancellors had actually seen His Majesty's true appearance. But now, we have received a definite answer."

"The two Chancellors truly did see the Emperor's face!"

Li Shun's heart suddenly jolted upon reading this.

Kong Zhao's fingertip continued moving through the air.

"Not only that. According to what has been circulating, His Majesty's appearance..."

"Showed not the slightest trace of aging. His blood and vitality were abundant, and he radiated the vigor of youth, as though he were an eighteen-year-old at the absolute peak of his life!"

"That is why the imperial decree that followed was issued. There was no longer any need to continue constructing the Imperial Mausoleum, and the Mausoleum Commandery was thus given a new lease on life."

Countless thoughts flashed through Li Shun's mind in that instant.

Yet all he wrote was a single sentence:

"If His Majesty still possesses the means to attain longevity, would that not be a blessing for all living beings under heaven and for the foundation of Great Qian?"

Kong Zhao coldly shook his head before rapidly writing in the air:

"If His Majesty's youthful appearance is genuine, then naturally it is a good thing. But what if it is false?"

"False?"

Li Shun's brows immediately furrowed.

"His Majesty issued an imperial decree declaring that there was no longer any need to construct the Imperial Mausoleum. Yet the central burial mound, the very heart of the Imperial Mausoleum, was left completely intact. Don't you think that seems rather like an attempt to conceal something by deliberately drawing attention to it?"

"Great Qian has existed for more than five hundred years. The old generation who lived during the same era as His Majesty have all approached the limits of borrowing lifespan. Most are already in their twilight years, their vitality withered."

"Even if His Majesty has already attained the Heaven-Earth realm and become a Sage, there is absolutely no way he could preserve the appearance of a youth forever."

"You must understand that the last time His Majesty appeared before the public, his appearance was clearly that of a middle-aged man in his thirties."

Staring at the characters flickering in midair, a question suddenly arose in Li Shun's heart.

"Could it not be that His Majesty has broken through once more and already surpassed the Heaven-Earth realm?"

Kong Zhao fell into a long silence.

Only after quite some time did he begin writing again.

"When a Heaven-Earth Sage descends into the mortal world, it must be accompanied by an upheaval in heaven and earth."

"If His Majesty had truly broken through beyond the Heaven-Earth realm, such an extraordinary phenomenon would surely have shaken all thirteen provinces. The entire world would know. Yet the truth is..."

"Ever since His Majesty sealed himself within the imperial palace, there has not been the slightest disturbance."

"Furthermore, even if we take a step back and assume that His Majesty truly has ascended into some unknown realm beyond the Heaven-Earth realm, then when faced with the earth-shaking upheaval that occurred in the Sacred Capital yesterday, how could he possibly remain completely unmoved?"