Jin SeCh44 - Chaos

The area around Ziyun Temple, located in the northwest corner of Pingyang City, was entirely closed off to civilians. The imperials guards within the city had secured it thoroughly inside and out. There were many civil and military officials solemnly lining the street. At their head, was Zou Yanlai and a man wearing a tall headdress.  

Normally, the wide Gunjin Street in front of the temple was a bustling marketplace with a river of people, carts, and horses flowing through it. But now, the only ones there were soldiers, armored and armed. YdN0HG

There was a tall building on Gunjin Street named Longwang Pavilion. It was regularly packed with people; if one got there late they wouldn’t even be able to squeeze past the front door, for it was the tallest building in Pingyang City. On the top floor, one could see almost the entire capital, aside from the imperial palace and inner city. Yet now, it was strictly under guard. The curtains on the top floor had been lowered, though one could sometimes catch sight of fleeting shadows moving behind it. Occasionally, there’d be healers carrying boxes of medicine rushing in and out.

Inside the uppermost floor of Longwang Pavilion, there was a long couch. A young man stood silently beside it, his head bowed. On the long couch, there lay an old man, his hair and beard completely whitened, his face shriveled, his eyes sunken. He looked past the curtains gently swaying in the breeze, towards Ziyun Temple. A hand covered with liver spots peeked out from under the covers. Yet the color of the man’s robes was golden yellow — the emperor who’d gone forth to Jiulu Mountain at the prime of his life to borrow luck was now old and stooped. The Grand Mentor Yan Zhen stood by his side.

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Right at noon, dark clouds had cast their gloom over the whole of Pingyang City. A deafening clap of thunder struck the old scholar tree in Ziyun Temple’s courtyard. Then, the temple’s heavy lacquered doors slowly swung open from within. The temple had once been the place of seclusion for generations of Imperial Preceptors, but the position had been left empty ever since the last dynasty. It seemed that it’d been hundreds or even thousands of years since the last time the doors to Ziyun Temple had opened. 

The hinges screeched terribly like the creaky bones of an old corpse with one foot in the grave, clawing its way out its coffin, reaching unrelentingly for something it wasn’t willing to part with. E56KWR

Clouds of dust puffed up into the air. It was so silent that the sound of breathing could be clearly heard. A long, long while later, a silhouette emerged from the pitch-black darkness behind the doors. In the Longwang Pavilion, the old emperor struggled to sit up. The young man by his side hurriedly stepped forth to help him, yet the aged emperor still craned his wizened neck, the very image of an old turtle peeking out of a hotpot. His muddled eyes were fixated on the person standing in the doorway.

A man chanted in a raspy voice, “The Demon Lord has arisen –”

Afterward, countless voices drowned each other out. One could hardly tell that they were yelling the words “all hail.” A horse-drawn cart made its way through the crowd, escorted by four fully-armored imperial guards. On the cart, was a deathly pale young girl, her hair disheveled, clothed in prisoner’s garb. The word “sinner” was drawn in bold red across her chest. She had been gagged, unable to do more than silently weep.

That man once again bellowed, “Present the sacrifice –”

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Shortly, the young woman was brought before the entrance to Ziyun Temple. Only then did the figure shrouded by darkness suddenly reveal himself. His face was perfectly gorgeous, his hair was unbound, and his forehead bore a black symbol. Oddly, it was shaped like a flower; those who saw it would be unwittingly struck by a sense of aberrance.

His eyes were horribly cold, resembling glass more than flesh. He stepped forward. When his gaze landed on the young woman, she shivered violently as if she’d been splashed with icy water.

He languidly reached out and grasped the young woman’s head. His actions were soft and gentle as if he was merely helping her smoothen her bedraggled hair. The young woman looked up at him dazedly before a white mist rose out of her skull; her eyes began to glaze over, the gag fell out from her mouth. Yet the expression on her face twisted into that of adoration.

Her body rapidly shriveled and dried like it was being sucked dry, becoming no more than a stick-like skeleton. The head, wobblingly attached to the rest of the skeleton, seemed unnaturally large in Bai Li’s hold. sc3NrR

The four guards who’d escorted the cart all recoiled in horror. The man who’d come out of Ziyun Temple took another step forward and suddenly let go. The young woman’s bones instantly shattered into dust and drifted out from the prisoner’s garb. All that was left of her was a shiny skull that rolled to a stop by the cart.

We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.

Ktf wjc’r gjrqs nblmf rtbeafv bea jujlc, “Jfgfwbcs mbwqifaf –”

Ktf biv fwqfgbg lc atf tlut qjnlilbc ribkis yilcxfv, tlr fsfr yjgfis jyif ab rajs bqfc. Llr tjcvr, yjgfis wbgf atjc vglfv terxr, alutais mieamtfv atf sbecu wjc cfza ab tlw jr tf jrxfv Tjc Itfc, “Qtja lr… ktja lr atja?”

As soon as he spoke, the Demon Lord who’d walked out from Ziyun Temple abruptly looked up in his direction, as if he could sense his attention. Their eyes met. His icy gaze seemed to stab through the old emperor’s chest. For a split second, the old emperor thought he was already dead. He vaguely realized that no matter how many times people said “long live the emperor” to him, he could never really live to be a centuries-old turtle. The looming presence of death was creeping upon him inch by inch, dogging him closely as his shadow. UDOr59

“That is fate.” Yan Zhen bowed as he answered, “Your Majesty, that is the fate of our Great Qian.”

“Fate…. cough cough cough….” The old emperor was interrupted by a fit of coughing. He slowly turned to look at Yan Zhen, and thought, how could the fate of the dynasty, the fate of the world, rest on a monster that could instantly drain the body of flesh and blood? 

Still, he said nothing. For many years now, he hadn’t had much to say to people of the Yan family.

They all said that Grand Mentor Yan Huaipu was utterly devoted to Great Qian; his sacrifice at the summit of Jiulu Mountain was a deed worthy of song. At first, he’d thought so as well. Old Grand Mentor Yan had been there to guide him every step of the way as he’d grown up. The late emperor had died young, and he had been too young when he’d inherited the throne. He’d had no clue what to do, faced with the crumbling, failing state of Great Qian. Old Grand Mentor Yan had been his crutch. xr7TQn

However…. did an emperor really need a crutch that constantly lectured into his ear all day?

What right did the Yan family have, that after the old one died, the son could keep going on incessantly?

Story translated by Chrysanthemum Garden.

Because of the Mi Sect? Because of the three great sects?

Because they had the ability to mystically commune with the spirits? Just who was the emperor of Great Qian? Z 7Eqa

The aged emperor suddenly erupted in a fit of rage. Never in his entire life had he been so furious. The last batch of kindling fueling his life had been set ablaze. He wanted to roar, he wanted to scream, he wanted to loudly lambast the sagely middle-aged man “preposterous,” but he no longer had the strength.

That flame did not ignite his second spring, though it would burn him to death.

I am about to die. The old emperor fiercely grasped the crown prince’s hand. He thought, I am a weak, cowardly… man

“Luo-er.” He suddenly said, his voice clear. J97sVP

The crown prince lowered his head, “Father-Emperor.”

“I pass on the throne to you….” At that moment, no one knew what the emperor was thinking as he looked at the crown prince’s face and said those words.

They were strangely foreboding.

The crown prince’s knees weakened; he fell to his knees and cried, “Father-Emperor!” vHs21n

Yan Zhen took a step back and kneeled as well. He looked tranquilly at the ground, silently listening.

The old emperor continued as if he hadn’t heard, “You must… uphold your duty, be vigilant in political affairs, use those who are capable and virtuous, expel the treacherous. At night when you sleep, you must not forget our country’s burdens. You must not… must not forget our ancestor’s teachings, not even for a second, you…. you…. you….”

You mustn’t be like me.

The old emperor looked at the crown prince’s red, puffy eyes, uncaring whether or not it was a pretense, as he silently spoke those words in his heart. Yet he did not speak them aloud. 8DZf j

You mustn’t be as weak as me. You must be a right and proper man, be a dignified and upright emperor. You must recover the face that our imperial family has been losing for hundreds of years already, and become the true master of this land.

Those words were like a flock of crazily clucking chickens scurrying about and bumping into the walls of his chest, yet never able to emerge. The old emperor only clutched the crown prince’s hand. His veiny claw looked like it belonged to some ancient creature that’d crawled out of a hole in the ground. Against the golden-yellow robes, its color looked disturbingly green.

Then he started to struggle again, spurred by the dying flash of lucidity before death, he got up from the couch and threw off his blanket; a sour stench wafted through the air — it turned out that he’d been laying down so long that he’d peed his pants, not that he noticed it.

No one dared to show their distaste on their face. The emperor, whose crotch was wet, hobbled on his straw-like legs, shoving aside all the servants that tried to help him, and tottered like a moving stick of bamboo over to the window. He flung the curtain aside. Gasps rose out as the people below caught a rare sight of the emperor’s august visage. They all lowered their heads in awe and deference, so scared were they that the radiance might blind their eyes. Ld2PBz

Only the man who’d emerged from Ziyun Temple still stood tall, casting a shadow twice the size that of a normal person’s. His lips twitched in the faintest hint of a smile as he looked at the emperor. A moment later, he extremely perfunctorily saluted, cupping his fists. He said simply, “Long live the emperor.”

The old emperor’s face convulsed. Then, “HAHAHAHAHAHAHA……”

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He suddenly reached out and grasped the window frame, laughing uncontrollably. Who knew what kind of insanity had taken over him. Then, before the crown prince or Yan Zhen could go and steady him, the old emperor’s laughter suddenly ground to a halt. His head was craned back; his body, like a fish out of water, convulsed twice. Then, in that “throwing his head back in laughter” pose, he rigidly toppled backward, thudding to the ground.

The crown prince was utterly dumbfounded. It took quite a while before he yelled, “Father-Emperor!” NMifpv

The pitiful man hadn’t even had the chance to say anything different that whole day.

Yan Zhen hurried forth and kneeled by the old emperor’s body. He reached out a hand to his nose to see if he was still breathing. Minutes later, he said quietly, “His Majesty… has passed away.”

This old emperor who’d dragged Great Qian along with all his might, born into misery, died laughing. Though it wasn’t quite proper, it was the first time in history that such a thing had ever happened. Perhaps down in the underworld, he could finally rest in peace.

Despite Grand Mentor Yan’s presence, things still got rather hectic. Zou Yanlai stepped forward, bowed, and said at the Demon Lord’s ear, “This way please, Demon Lord. I’ve a few matters to discuss in detail with you.” ZVOBx0

The man glanced at him and followed him away from the ruckus. They got into a carriage, where the cloth-like person had already been waiting for a while. Demon Lord Bai Li reached out a hand, and it groveled over to him like a dog.

Zou Yanlai, “Please allow me to escort you to your residence, Demon Lord.”

“What do you want?” Bai Li asked as he leaned back in his seat, not even bothering to spare him a glance.

“Yesterday, I observed the night sky and saw the sundering of the milky way. The calamity has already begun; somehow, the secret treaty has been destroyed….” Wui1UO

Bai Li glanced up, a not-smile stretching across his face. His voice was almost soft as if he was afraid of disturbing the dust drifting through the air as he asked, “Was it… him?”

Zou Yanlai looked down, making no comment.

“It just so happened that right as he made his move, I came out of seclusion. Don’t you think we’re quite fated?” Bai Li’s lip curled in a mockery of a smile, but his eyes were still glacial enough to make one’s heart stop cold. He continued, “If Shi Wuduan takes action, he will surely begin with Xuan Sect. You’d best make preparations, Sir Zou.”

Zou Yanlai looked at him puzzledly. Bai Li knew the question he didn’t voice — Xuan Sect was the greatest of the three sects, the treaty’s termination might have broken the karmic link between the three sects; but, their customs had survived for thousands of years, and they were branches of the same tree. Even if the treaty was no more, how could their alliance be so easily broken? 35pBKo

Would Shi Wuduan really pick a fight he couldn’t win against the Xuan Sect?

“I understand him,” Bai Li said quietly, “I’ve always understood him.”

Translator's Note

国师 (guoshi) something like a head priest

Translator's Note

王八 also means “bastard” (for this chapter, turtle = bastard)

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3 comments

  1. Bs. You mf sadist ml. Treating a poor reader me like this. coughs I was possessed by a demon just now. (Pun intended) Pardon me.

    Thank you for the chapter! 🙂