The loud voice was mixed with the sound of violent breathing, which inexplicably made people feel tense and their scalp tingle.
The inn's lobby was like a battlefield after a great victory, now eerily quiet.
The golden armor clashed with a dull thud. The newcomer held up a yellow scroll, his arm trembling slightly, his face covered in sweat, and his eyes bloodshot.
The passersby and the shopkeepers in the lobby were the first to react, and they all knelt down and shouted in unison, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
Xie Shuci stared blankly at the scene, wondering if he and Xiao Xun needed to kneel down like them. Fortunately, no one noticed them at that moment.
A series of hurried footsteps came from the attic, and in no time, the soldiers of Songjiu Camp had arrived in the main hall.
Fang Xunxue walked at the very end, her steps unhurried, her eyes empty and lifeless, looking no different from usual, except that she had changed into a purple gauze dress and her hair, which was gently tied back, was adorned with a plum blossom hairpin.
He walked slowly to the front of Songjiu Camp, looked up at the general in golden armor. The general clenched his teeth, and under his unobstructed gaze, his lips trembled so much that he could not utter a word.
Fang Xunxue looked at him quietly for a moment, her almond eyes softening from listless to tender, once again displaying a loving expression. He dusted off his gauze sleeves and knelt down on one knee.
On the day he agreed to surrender, he made a condition to the emperor: when meeting the emperor, the soldiers of Songjiuzhai could only kneel on one knee, never on both knees. This caused a great deal of criticism in the court, but the emperor eventually agreed under great pressure.
His slender figure knelt before the crowd, like a steep green mountain shrouded in a light mist.
The soldiers of Songjiu Battalion immediately knelt down and shouted in unison, "Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
Perhaps because he had held it for too long, the general took the scroll down very slowly.
He slowly unrolled the scroll, his voice hoarse: "Please, all soldiers of the Ninth Battalion, receive this decree."
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
"Our dynasty's war with Dongli has just ended, and since our dynasty has not yet shown its sincerity in negotiating peace, I hereby order all the soldiers of Songjiu Battalion to leave the pass the next day to meet with the Dongli army. Dongli shall immediately withdraw its troops and return to the court, escorted by Songjiu Battalion. Songjiu Battalion enjoys freedom, and I consider your hard work and great achievements, therefore, you may not return."
In just a few words, their fates were laid out clearly.
Sending a battalion of less than a hundred men to escort the Hundred Masters of Dongli back to the capital, without requiring them to return, is tantamount to handing their lives over to Dongli for their own destruction. Even if they die on the way, or at the hands of the Hundred Masters of Dongli, it can be considered that they have gained the freedom to remain in Dongli. This emperor... truly found a grand and respectable reason for his ruthlessness!
The lobby remained silent for a long time.
This is such an obvious truth that Xie Shuci can understand it, Song Jiuying can understand it, and the people present can also understand it.
Xie Shuci held his breath and saw several people in the corner with red eyes and their heads down. But unexpectedly, the Songjiu Camp members did not show any surprise after hearing this.
"Gentlemen of Songjiu Camp, are you willing, are you willing to accept the imperial decree?" The general's voice was almost choked with emotion. This imperial decree was different from any of the previous ones. The emperor himself had said that they were willing to accept the decree.
Fang Xunxue slowly raised her head, her gaze calm and composed, as if she had not understood the imperial edict. With just a few words, she had already made them the pawns of the Qi Kingdom.
His lips, tinged with vermilion, curved slightly upward, his eyes smiling, a thousand charms emanating from his brows. "Does Your Majesty have anything to say to me?" (From the novel "After Transmigrating into a Book, I Picked Up the Protagonist")
The general closed his eyes, and a tear rolled down his cheek. "His Majesty once said that the privileges granted to you still stand. If you do not wish to accept them, you may choose not to."
Fang Xunxue's long eyelashes trembled slightly, a soft light welled up in her eyes, and she smiled brightly. She was different from the person Xie Shuci had seen before. It was as if a beam of light had appeared on her body, and she became more energetic.
“Not long ago, the soldiers of Songjiu Camp committed a serious mistake and I expelled them all from the camp. Now there are only nine of us left in Songjiu Camp. Has His Majesty said anything about this?” Fang Xunxue said calmly.
The general gripped the scroll tightly in his hand and said, "His Majesty said it was the entire Songjiu Battalion, so it has nothing to do with anyone else."
Fang Xunxue's smile deepened as she said, "Please tell His Majesty that imperial decrees are like the will of Heaven; there is no right or wrong, no willingness or unwillingness. The will of Heaven cannot be defied."
Those last few words, falling into Xie Shuci's ears, were deafening.
The general trembled, clenching his teeth, "Please, all of you from the Ninth Battalion, receive the imperial decree!"
Fang Xunxue lowered her head, her long eyelashes casting a shadow on her cheeks. She spread her right hand out and raised it in the air, her voice cold and clear, like an icy spring, "Your subjects receive the decree."
A light, fluttering yellow scroll, seemingly having traveled a great distance and through countless years, carrying a heavy burden and an unspeakable weight, was steadily placed in his clean, white palm.
Among the people kneeling on the ground, some began to utter low sobs.
After receiving the imperial edict, the leaders of Songjiu Camp stood up, while the golden-armored general in front of them knelt down with a thud.
He was almost in tears as he kowtowed three times to Fang Xunxue and the others with great force, his forehead covered in bluish-black marks.
One of the leaders of Songjiu Camp tried to reach out to help, but Fang Xunxue stopped him and forced the general to kneel before her.
"Return to your rooms to rest. You will emerge from seclusion at Chenshi (7-9 AM) tomorrow." Fang Xunxue, holding the imperial edict, turned and walked up to the pavilion in everyone's sight.
Several burly men from Songjiu Camp bent down and gave the general a tight hug, as if everything was understood without words.
The news spread like wildfire, and in no time, it was known to everyone in the Southwest Pass.
It's likely that this imperial edict will not only reach the southwest pass, but soon it will be known to everyone in the Qi Kingdom.
Xie Shuci and the other person returned to the room. He leaned against the window and looked down. The streets were deserted and desolate.
The king howled tirelessly, his cries adding an air of inexplicable sorrow to the otherwise quiet and silent southwest pass.
Its voice was already a little hoarse, but perhaps because it lacked emotion and its state of mind hadn't reached that point, its howls always seemed empty.
But this emptiness seems to suit the current environment better.
The vast Southwest Pass resembles a giant beast lying on the ground, fast asleep.
Xiao Xun appeared behind him at some point, followed his gaze downwards, and after a long silence, said, "It's worth it to exchange the lives of these nine people for the temporary stability of Qi."
Xie Shuci lowered his eyes, his mood somewhat complicated. He originally thought that Songjiu Camp did not know the purpose of the emperor sending them to the Southwest Pass, but judging from what he just saw, even if they had not received the imperial edict, they had already guessed what the emperor would do. Therefore, Fang Xunxue had expelled the others from Songjiu Camp first, leaving only the nine of them in the entire Songjiu Camp.
It is undoubtedly worth it to exchange the lives of nine people for the peace of a nation.
Even if it's just temporary peace, it will allow the State of Qi to safely get through this winter.
The emperor's decree is the mandate of heaven...
To them, the imperial edict was merely a notification; they had no need to resist it, for the final outcome was already predetermined. Only by obeying the emperor's command could they protect the people of this dynasty.
What about destiny?
What about the Water God's prophecy?
That was actually just a notification, telling Xie Shuci that he would die at that time, and that if he resisted, he would definitely pay a price far worse than Xie Shuci's life.
Xie Shuci seemed to understand a little better; the meaning of destiny cannot be defied.
Perhaps it's not that he will die in the end even if he struggles, but rather that if he struggles and tries to escape, he will pay a price that is many times worse than his own life.
Fang Xunxue could not disobey the imperial decree, and Xie Shuci could not disobey the will of Heaven.
They share a common trait: they are both willing to face death.
"The losses in this battle will probably be no less than those in Qi. They are not demanding territorial concessions or reparations, but only their lives. After two years of war, they are probably afraid of these nine people from the bottom of their hearts."
Perhaps sensing Xie Shuci's low spirits, Xiao Xun moved closer to him, seemingly trying to soothe Xie Shuci's emotions.
These people are different from others; they are just ordinary people who have earned the respect and fear of other countries through their own hard work.
Do you want to help them?
Xie Shuci shook his head blankly. He couldn't help them. He was a cultivator and couldn't interfere in these matters. If Xie Shuci saved them, the entire Qi Kingdom would be affected, which would go against their wishes.
"The Emperor of Qi used such a clumsy excuse to pronounce their fate, which shows that he did not want to hide the truth."
Xiao Xun walked to Xie Shuci's side and placed his hand on the back of Xie Shuci's hand, feeling the warmth emanating from his palm.
"His purpose in doing this was to make the people of Qi understand that these nine people sacrificed themselves for them, and to make them remember their kindness forever. He gave those people a choice: they could refuse the imperial edict, but they chose to protect the country."
Xiao Xun's voice was calm and composed, yet it miraculously soothed Xie Shuci's heart.
“Xie Shuci, it’s not that this country abandoned them.” He tightened his fingers and pressed them against Xie Shuci’s back. “It’s that they risked everything to protect this country.”
Xie Shuci's heart suddenly trembled, and an indescribable tingling sensation spread through his heart.
It wasn't that the country abandoned them, but that they risked everything to protect the country.
His purpose in doing this was to make the people of Qi understand that these nine people were willing to die to protect them, and that they would remember them forever.
Both Xiao Xun and Xie An were far more insightful than Xie Shuci.
When you have a reason to willingly face death, death will no longer be difficult to confront.
If Xie An is unwilling to seek him out after Xie Shuci's death, then he should be selfish and at least ensure that Xie An never forgets him.
Xiao Xun stood by the window, looking at the empty street, listening to the low sobs coming from a courtyard, and feeling the silent sorrow carried on the wind. He slowly raised the corners of his lips, a glimmer of light appearing in his eyes, and looked at Xie Shuci, saying with a smile, "Xie Shuci, these people deserve to be saved. However, not everyone deserves to be saved."
Hearing this, Xie Shuci looked at him with some confusion.
Xiao Xun looked away again and smiled, "Xie An certainly didn't tell you why he insisted on cultivating the Path of Slaughter."
Xie Shuci's heart stirred slightly, and he said cautiously, "If he won't tell me, you can tell me."
Xiao Xun turned around and stared at him intently. "If you want to know."
Xie Shuci nodded emphatically and said, "I want to know."
Xiao Xun chuckled softly, "Mm."
——
On the day Xiao Xun was born, there were already unusual signs before Madam Xiao went into labor.
A cloud hanging above the Xiao family's immortal sect was dyed the color of fire, as if it were pregnant with enormous lightning and storms.
This strange phenomenon was also recorded in the book about Luo Jingyu's birth.
The Siming Pavilion is like the Hundred Gates in the Floating Pagoda Realm, with twelve elders in charge, inheriting the will of Heaven and acting on behalf of the Heavenly Dao.
Therefore, whether in the cultivation world or the Floating Pagoda Realm, the Hundred Gates and the Fate Pavilion are places that many disciples of immortal sects and families yearn for.
When the elders of the Siming Pavilion discovered the existence of the Heavenly Dao Saint Child of the Xiao family, they ordered the construction of a Gathering Star Tower for him within the Siming Pavilion.
Almost the instant he landed, startled birds took flight one after another from the red auspicious clouds, circling the Xiao family's immortal gate in circles, their melodious calls echoing into the ears of everyone in the Xiao family.
The long-awaited child was born.
Before they could even rejoice, the elder of the Siming Pavilion personally visited the Xiao family. Before Madam Xiao could even see her child one last time, the elder took her back to the Juxing Tower.
Madam Xiao gave birth to a child destined by Heaven, but her mortal body was unable to bear the great fortune bestowed by Heaven. She died at home less than two hours later.
On her deathbed, she clutched a broken jade bell tightly in her hand. It was a gift she had given to her child, intending to tie it to the child's body herself before she died, but she never had the chance.
In a single day, Xiao Chenfeng not only lost his wife, but was also separated from the child he had never even had a chance to see since birth.
Perhaps for the world, the birth of the Heavenly Dao Saint Child brought them hope, but for Xiao Chenfeng, the birth of the Heavenly Dao Saint Child deprived his wife and children of the chance to survive.
This is absolutely, absolutely not a good thing.
That night, after arranging his wife's body, Xiao Chenfeng, carrying a long sword, stormed into the Si Ming Pavilion alone, determined to retrieve the child he hadn't even had a chance to see.
But before he could even get close to Juxing Tower, the Xiao family elders who had chased after him broke his legs and pinned him down under the tower, his eyes blurry with tears as he looked at the faintly flickering spiritual light above the tower.
"Chenfeng, don't do anything foolish."
The head of the Xiao family stood behind him, his tone helpless and weary, his gaze towards Juxing Tower complex and profound.
"Father... he is my child! He is my child!" Xiao Chenfeng fell to the ground in a sorry state, tears mixed with dirt sticking to his face. The once glorious young master of the Xiao family was now pressed down on the muddy ground outside the Juxing Tower.
"He is your child, and also the Holy Son of Heaven."
"Heavenly Dao Saint Son... Heavenly Dao Saint Son... What a load of rubbish! Father! You still think... Xun'er, Xun'er can be like Luo Jingyu!"
The head of the Xiao family lowered his head. "Chen Feng, he is destined to be..."
The Floating Pagoda Realm is a secret realm. When Luo Jingyu was born, the Floating Pagoda Realm did not even exist in the world. However, the appearance of the Floating Pagoda Realm increased cultivators' obsession with ascension. The spiritual energy of the Floating Pagoda Realm, whose entrance has been open for many years, is no longer as abundant as it was thousands of years ago. At this time, the birth of the Heavenly Dao Saint Child merely provided them with a tool to endlessly extract spiritual energy!
The so-called Gathering Star Tower is nothing more than an aerial cage made of twelve celestial pillars!
They will plant twelve arrays on Xiao Xun's body, using the Heavenly Pillar as a medium to transfer Xiao Xun's spiritual power and fortune to the Floating Pagoda Realm, thereby continuing the strong spiritual power in the Floating Pagoda Realm!
What kind of bullshit Heavenly Saint Son is Xun'er? In the Gathering Star Tower, she will only become a tool!
"Chen Feng, the spiritual energy within the Floating Pagoda Realm has been severely depleted. In less than a century, it will likely become exactly like the cultivation world. At that time, what will be the point of the Floating Pagoda Realm's existence? Xun'er…"
"What does this have to do with me? What does it have to do with my child? I just want him to live a good life!"
The head of the Xiao family hunched over, his eyes tightly shut. The child in the building was also his grandson. Like Xiao Chenfeng, he had eagerly awaited his birth, but the result…
"Chen Feng, he is the Son of Heaven, this is... his mission."
Mission... Mission...
What a load of bullshit mission!
Later, probably fearing that Xiao Chenfeng would break into the Si Ming Pavilion again and cause trouble, the Xiao family head ordered his men to seal him under a cliff.
From the time Xiao Xun learned of this matter, he lived in Juxing Tower.
No one spoke to him, no one told him where he was, no one told him what he was.
He knew nothing. Looking at the twelve pillars of heaven surrounding him, he could feel a connection between himself and them. So at first, he thought that he was just like these things, a lifeless, unconscious object.
He had never even seen what sunlight looked like during his childhood.
Later, when he was a little older, around three or four years old, a few people would appear at Juxing Tower every now and then. They would kneel in front of Xiao Xun and pray to him for something. He couldn't understand it, but the Dividing Heaven Pillar had already responded on his behalf, sending a wisp of spiritual power belonging to the Son of Heaven into the person's brow.
That was the first time Xiao Xun realized that he was not an object, but a "person" just like them.
On that very day, he secretly opened a window in the Juxing Building.
He has excellent eyesight and hearing; he can clearly see and hear people and voices even when they are several meters away.
It was during this process that he gradually came to understand the world, learned to read, learned how to cultivate himself, and learned to recognize who he was.
It turns out he was the Holy Son of Heaven.
It turns out that he inherited half of the Heavenly Dao, and his mission was to protect all living beings.
But why was he locked up in this place?
Xiao Xun didn't understand. He clearly heard them say that he was Xiao Xun, the young master of the Xiao family, but this place was not the Xiao family.
He wanted to go home; he wasn't satisfied with what he heard from others, he wanted to see for himself.
So he began his first act of rebellion.
The Heavenly Pillar absorbs his spiritual power and fortune, and it can be said that they have become one with him. He can enter and leave the Gathering Star Tower as if it were an empty place.
That day, he left Juxing Tower without anyone stopping him, because no one expected that even a cold pillar could escape.
Xiao Xun returned to the Xiao family. He didn't want to stay at Juxing Tower; he wanted to go home and learn about the world.
The head of the Xiao family was probably staring at his grandson for a long, long time, as if it were the first time he had seen him like this. He was completely taken aback.
"Who am I?" Xiao Xun looked at him in confusion.
The old man seemed to recognize him, his eyes glistening with tears. "You are Xiao Xun, you are my grandson, you are the young master of our Xiao family..."
"You are the Holy Son of Heavenly Dao!"
Just as they were talking, several elders suddenly landed behind Xiao Xun, and several cold chains wrapped around his body, pulling him from the ground into the air.
Xiao Xun didn't understand what they were doing.
"Greetings, Elder. I'm here to find my son..."
“He escaped; let’s take him back.”
go back……
But isn't he the young master of the Xiao family? Shouldn't this be the place he should be returning to?
Seeing Xiao Xun's bewildered expression, the Xiao family patriarch lowered his head with red eyes. "Elder, Xun'er is now over four years old, a time when his thirst for knowledge is at its peak. The Gathering Star Pavilion is dull and boring. Why not give him some books to read? Perhaps it will help his spiritual power grow."
After pondering for a moment, the elder realized that the higher Xiao Xun's cultivation level, the stronger his spiritual power and fortune would become. So he nodded and said, "Well, if there's nothing else, I'll take him back."
The Xiao family patriarch gritted his teeth, "Elder, Xun'er is, after all, our sect's young master. If we keep him locked up in the Gathering Star Tower, wouldn't our young master be as good as nothing? He's already over four years old, and the Heavenly Pillar's formation is strong enough to support such a distance. Why not let him..."
The elder flatly refused: "No."
"Elder, he is, after all, a disciple of the Xiao family. Does the Si Ming Pavilion truly not take the Xiao family seriously at all?!"
The elder frowned; if the Xiao family made a scene, it would be a troublesome matter.
From that day on, the Si Ming Pavilion established a rule that Xiao Xun could return home for half a month every six months.
Over time, Xiao Xun gradually learned more about the world, his own mission, his mother's death, and everything his father had done.
He carried the broken jade bell that his mother hadn't had time to give him before she died with him, and kept searching for his father's whereabouts. Finally, one day, he broke the seal on the cliff and saw his father for the first time.
His father, his eyes red, recognized him at a glance.
His memory of that day was unclear and somewhat blurry. He only remembered that his father held him and cried for a long time, but Xiao Xun was numb inside. He didn't know what his father's tears meant.
Later, when he was seven or eight years old, he gradually developed a different perception of the world, but he still felt that he should fulfill his mission and save the world. Even when faced with certain things, he did not feel pity or empathy.
He wasn't particularly close to his father, but he loved being around him the most because his father always told him to follow his own ideas and not to be patient.
Xiao Xun didn't understand, and he had no idea what to say.
Anyway, all he needs to do is save the common people.
Not long after, his father said he was going to take him away, to take him somewhere other than the Xiao family and Juxinglou.
Xiao Xun didn't understand at the time that his father's actions were to take him with him on the run.
Along the way, they encountered many things while hiding their identities.
He sensed the emotions of ordinary people from his father.
He gradually developed more of the emotions that humans should have, but even then, he still kept his mission firmly in mind.
When they passed by a beast's lair, they encountered several disciples of the immortal sect fighting with the beast. Xiao Xun vaguely remembered that these were the people who had been tracking him and his father.
"Father, aren't we going to save them?" Xiao Xun asked, puzzled.
Xiao Chenfeng said, "That ferocious beast is no ordinary creature; we are no match for it."
"But I am the Holy Son of Heaven, shouldn't I protect them?"
Xiao Chenfeng stared at him for a long, long time, as if he had made a decision, and asked, "Do you want to save them?"
"Yes, I should protect them," Xiao Xun nodded without hesitation.
"Okay, Dad will go save them."
But just as Xiao Chenfeng said, the beast's cultivation was far superior to theirs. His father smashed his jade bell, risked his life to severely injure the beast, and saved those people, but in the end, he himself was reduced to ashes.
Xiao Xun stared blankly at the blood on the ground. He felt a drop of warm blood splash onto his face. "Father? Father..."
Where's Dad? Where did Dad go?
My father is dead.
He used the broken jade bell left to Xiao Xun by his mother and his own life to save those disciples and severely injure the ferocious beast.
Several disciples turned around and grabbed Xiao Xun, intending to take him back to the Si Ming Pavilion.
Xiao Xun kept asking them, "Where is my father?"
"Your father is dead."
Dead?
Did it disappear like a mother?
"Shall we take him straight back to the Si Ming Pavilion?"
"No, that ferocious beast was severely injured by Xiao Chenfeng's self-destruction. We might be able to take the opportunity to extract its inner core. This is a ferocious beast with thousands of years of cultivation!"
"With his inner core, our Jiang family will surely become one of the four great immortal sects!"
By the time Xiao Xun came to his senses, the disciples his father had risked his life to save had perished under the claws of the ferocious beast because of their greed.
He stared blankly at their blood and his father's blood, which were splattered all over the ground.
He didn't understand. His father had saved them, so why were they still dying?
He didn't even understand why his father would save them if they were destined to die.
Yes, why save them?
Do they deserve it?
Xiao Chenfeng sacrificed his life to free Xiao Xun from his shackles.
Xiao Xun was not good at storytelling; everything he said came out as bland, uninteresting words that failed to evoke any emotion in others.
But Xie Shuci seemed to be able to empathize with what he had experienced.
Looking at Xiao Xun, who appeared unusually calm, Xie Shuci felt a pain in her heart that made her feel like she was suffocating.
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