Chapter 1505 (1504): The Grand Finale (Part 7) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
There was a problem that Shen Tang had subconsciously ignored for many years.
What exactly is the way of the feudal lords?
Yuan Liang and the others speculated that it might be related to agriculture, but Shen Tang had never clearly sensed its existence, let alone actively controlled it. However, it was certain that the way of the feudal lords was not the same as the way of the scholar. So, for someone who was skilled in both literature and martial arts, what was the way of the scholar? The way of the scholar was to question one's own heart and understand one's true nature. Shen Tang did not believe that someone of her character would be without even the way of the scholar.
Watching her officials jumping around in excitement as the ceremony was completed, it was impossible for her not to feel curious and envious.
Looking at it again now, she couldn't help but feel suspicious—
Is it true that it doesn't exist?
There was still one, but she never knew?
She felt she had only been lost in thought for a short while, but Chu Yao perceived it differently. His master's pupils were lifeless, as if all life had been drained from him in an instant, turning him into a cold, lifeless statue, which made him inexplicably flustered. It took several soft calls to bring her back to her senses.
"It's alright, I'm fine."
He indicated to Chu Yao that he didn't need to worry about him.
However, just as Chu Yao was about to take his leave, Shen Tang, who had just said she was going to rest and recuperate, suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood. Her entire face was contorted in extreme pain from her heart. Her hands and feet were stiff as a puppet, unable to move, and she fell straight forward.
This scene nearly made Chu Yao's soul fly away.
"My lord—"
A streak of light flew out from within the city; it was none other than the staggering incarnation of Wuyou. Shen Tang's pupils trembled slightly, and with bloodstained lips, she uttered a few barely audible words: "Yes, yes, Zizi Xu..."
When had Chu Yao ever seen Shen Tang like this?
"Zixu? What happened to Zixu?"
The muscles in his palm felt stiff, like lifeless objects.
Wu Youdao said, "Zixu has been killed."
Chu Yao looked up at her, recalling that Wu You had also been inexplicably killed before, and that his master at that time had also suffered a backlash, but the reaction was far less frightening than it was now. Seemingly sensing the chaotic thoughts in his mind, Wu You quickly said, "My situation was different from theirs."
The next sentence, "The avatar is nothingness," was rejected again: "No, it's the same. The person who did it was the same. It's just that before I was ambushed and killed, I deliberately released my avatar and returned to my original body. The Void didn't have that luck; it was just killed... and its true spirit was taken away."
【子虚乌有】A literary incarnation unlike anything else.
Each of the two avatars carries a trace of the original spirit.
This is also the main reason why he has been away from his true self for a long time.
The true spirit is the most important core of the soul.
Even if only a small part is forcibly dispersed or stripped away by external forces, the main body will suffer severe damage at the soul level.
Chu Yao's killing intent intensified: "Who did this?"
The three entities—the avatar of nothingness, the avatar of the void, and the original master—share the same vision. Given the void's strength, it's impossible that it couldn't even see the killer's face before being killed. Ji Moqiu channeled divine power into Shen Tang's meridians, and Shen Tang barely recovered some color from the brink of death.
Wu You was about to answer.
Shen Tang spoke first: "It's a good intention."
The person who kills the avatar and steals the true spirit is acting out of good intentions.
She wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth with her trembling hands and said in a hoarse voice, "Not only this time, but last time... when Wu You and Meng Yuan were besieged in the Northeast Continent, it was also it that took the opportunity to launch a sneak attack."
If it weren't for the fact that the incarnation of Wuyou reacted quickly, it would have ended up the same way.
It seems unlikely that it will have the chance to return to its original body.
Shen Tang shared vision with the avatar of Zi Xu, so he naturally saw the scene before the latter's death—the woman in green, carrying a sword, killed the avatar of Zi Xu in public. Before Zi Xu's pupils dilated, she spoke to Shen Tang through Zi Xu's eyes: [Last time, that little piece of trash Wu You escaped, but this time you didn't fail. Hmm, and you'll be next too.]
Wu You looked at the original body with sympathy: "It's going to fight you to the death."
It took Chu Yao a while to process what he had just heard.
Uncertainty: "Does the Lord now intend to sever all good intentions?"
Wasn't the time to sever good intentions when advancing from a 19th-rank Marquis within the Pass to a 20th-rank Marquis? Severing good intentions would break the bottleneck, and everything would fall into place naturally. Normally, Chu Yao would be overjoyed, but now he panicked—his lord's strength hadn't even reached the 19th-rank Marquis within the Pass yet!
What good intentions should be eradicated at this stage?
Wu You added, "It's now clear that she was killed by kindness."
Both of Zixu Wuyou's avatars had been bullied by the benevolent thoughts more than once, each time a merciless and futile beating. Its true form was only slightly stronger than its avatars, and even then, it had no hope against the benevolent thoughts. The avatar Zixu Wuyou sighed; it felt it was also in danger.
Shen Tang meditated and regulated her breathing for a small cycle.
With blood dripping from his mouth, he shouted fiercely, "Bring it on! Do you think I'm afraid of it?"
The anger in my heart almost burned away all reason.
Shen Tang's anger wasn't because Shan Nian killed Zi Xu and stole that true spirit, but because of the circumstances surrounding Shan Nian's assassination attempt. That bastard did it at the victory banquet where the incarnation of Zi Xu was rewarding the army—meaning everyone in the branch office witnessed their leader's murder!
There is a lack of cohesion in the branch offices.
Nowadays, their scale is entirely dependent on ruthless tactics to subdue their enemies.
The negative impact of Zixu being assassinated in public is self-evident.
The thought of the branch office collapsing instantly, causing the allied forces on the southwestern front to suffer a massive blow, made Shen Tang want to clutch her chest and vomit blood. She had even complained about how Kang Shi and Xun Zhen, those officials, had betrayed her; compared to the treacherous Shan Nian, they were nothing.
"Good intentions, I'll fuck your grandpa!"
Her anger did not reach the branch office thousands of miles away.
The victory celebration banquet was in complete chaos.
They knew about the Feast at Hongmen, and they knew about Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin. They were also familiar with the tactic of revealing the dagger when the map was unrolled. But no one said that they would hold a bloody victory celebration when it was their own home ground and everyone present was their own people! The moment their lord's heart was pierced, no one, including Zixu himself, was able to react immediately.
Realizing what had happened, the eunuchs and palace maids screamed.
The scholars, led by Xiahou Yu and Gu De, were so shocked by the sudden turn of events that they lost all strength. The military generals, led by Luo Sha, reacted one after another and rushed towards the woman in green to save the emperor. The woman in green opened her mouth and swallowed a ball of green light, a look of satisfaction appearing between her brows.
He was completely unconcerned when faced with a group of generals charging towards him.
With a ripple of sword energy, the general felt as if a mountain had suddenly pressed down on him. Forget about killing enemies or protecting his lord; even moving a single finger became incredibly difficult. Only Luo Sha gritted his teeth, and the giant, arched whale phantom rippled around him, temporarily relieving the oppressive force.
The woman in green exclaimed in surprise.
But he was stingy with giving Luo Sha any extra glances.
"Little fish, little fish, are you trying to kill your master?" He stomped the trident under his foot, and no matter how much Luo Sha struggled, he couldn't budge it at all.
The mermaid was furious beyond measure.
The woman in green glanced at everyone present. The red marks under her eyes were as crimson as blood, exuding a terrifying and eerie aura. Forget killing her to avenge their lord, they couldn't even bring themselves to look her in the eye. She sneered, "Shen Youli, your indecisiveness is utterly repulsive."
Those unaware of the situation were enraged upon hearing this.
If you can't stand Shen Youli's indecisiveness, then go and mess with Shen Youli.
Why did they come here to kill their lord?
The woman in green did not harm anyone present. She simply raised her hand to dust off the dust and glanced at the group of musicians and dancers who were almost stunned with fear: "Continue playing the music and dancing. Don't let this matter ruin the celebratory atmosphere."
The musicians: "..."
The woman in green suddenly changed her expression: "Sing!"
The musician, trembling with fear, picked up his instrument.
They started playing instruments and singing intermittently, the sounds sharp and piercing.
The dancers continued, tears streaming down their faces. There was no escape; disobeying orders would mean certain death. The civil and military officials at the banquet reacted differently to the music: some were filled with grief and indignation, others with bewilderment, some wept bitterly, and a significant number were focused on maximizing their own interests. It wasn't that they were ungrateful, nor that their recently deceased lord was bad; it was simply that in chaotic times, self-preservation was paramount.
Their lord is dead, but they will live on in the future.
It's just that our lord was unlucky; he didn't die on the battlefield, but at the victory banquet, where he was killed by an arrow through the heart.
The lord had no children, and the inheritance she left behind after her sudden death would be gone if left unclaimed. Even if they didn't take the initiative to "divide the family property," others would still take a slice, and the sooner they acted, the more they would get, and the greater their chances of establishing themselves in the future. Only when the oppressive aura pressing down on their shoulders dissipated did they realize, drenched in cold sweat, that the woman in green had vanished as if she had never been there, leaving behind a corpse lying on the main seat.
"this……"
Many civil and military officials looked at each other in bewilderment.
Gu De and Xiahou Yu staggered to the body.
"My lord!"
The body had clearly been dead for less than the time it takes to brew a cup of tea; its surface was already ice-cold, the blood congealed, and the skin a bluish-gray. No one dared to speak first, and just as the atmosphere reached a tense standoff, a mournful wail suddenly rang out.
A burly general with shifty eyes knelt down, his knees cracking the stone bricks with a thud. His head pounded against the ground several times, tears and snot streaming down his face along with his wailing.
It was this shout that brought the others back to their senses.
Some howled, some wept bitterly, some beat their chests: "My lord, my lord—how could you leave your subjects behind!"
They all cried until their faces were red and their necks were thick.
Some people were faking their tears, while others were genuinely crying; it was a chaotic and noisy mess.
Xiahou Yu shouted sternly, "What are you crying for?"
Those nearby could clearly see that his hands, cradling the corpse, were trembling, yet he maintained a facade of composure, issuing a series of orders: to reassure those within and to remain vigilant against external threats, lest the news leak and allow the enemy to gain an advantage. The first general to weep voiced everyone's deepest concern.
"...It's not that we're unwilling, but our lord has no heir and will soon pass away. To stabilize the situation, this humble general implores Lord Xiahou and Lord Gu to step forward and lead us out of this predicament." The general's words put Xiahou Yu and his companion in a very difficult position.
How is this any different from Tang Sanzang dividing his belongings as soon as he died?
Xiahou Yu sneered: "Does the general really think that way?"
The general's intuition made him swallow his answer. He vaguely sensed something was wrong, but couldn't quite put his finger on it. The others, having recovered some of their initial panic and shock, now looked back at Xiahou Yu, then at their lord's corpse.
No, that's not right!
The lord has died suddenly, so how is Xiahou Yu still alive?
He Shu stood up and looked around: "Who said the Lord died young?"
The weeping crowd gradually stopped, raising their tear-filled eyes to look at him. Some who knew the truth breathed a sigh of relief. The branch company had expanded too quickly, especially those who joined later; many were unaware of their lord's true identity, only knowing that he had powerful backers. He Shu said, "My lord, Shen Youli, is your incarnation in the outside world. Her true self is currently unharmed."
The unsuspecting group looked at each other in bewilderment.
“Shen Youli? But she’s not…”
They looked at their colleagues blankly.
If the one who died suddenly wasn't their lord himself, but merely an avatar of him… they suddenly realized something was amiss. Xiahou Yu's life was tied to their lord's; they were bound together by life and death. There was no reason for him to live on after their lord's death.
so--
Did they really start mourning too early?
The situation took an unexpected turn, causing everyone's emotions to fluctuate wildly.
One second I'm secretly laughing, the next I'm not.
Some of the surrendered generals, who thought they could finally escape oppression, had even more distorted expressions—they thought that the Five Finger Mountain pressing down on them had been inexplicably moved away, but it turned out that not only had the Five Finger Mountain not been moved away, but Buddha had also added a Six-Syllable Mantra talisman to the Five Finger Mountain.
Ah, it's pressed even more firmly now.
Xiahou Yu and He Shu didn't have time to care about what these people were thinking.
They don't have the skills of monkeys, so don't even think about turning the tables!
“Our master should have already discovered the assassination attempt on his avatar, and is probably thinking of a solution by now. Let’s keep the news under wraps, stabilize the situation, and not give the allies any opportunity to take advantage.” He Shu gave Luo Sha a wink, and the latter nodded expressionlessly.
"Everyone, shut up."
"If you can't learn it, I can find someone to do it for you."
"If even the slightest word gets out, when our lord returns, you'd better consider whether your heads are tough enough!"
A simple warning is not foolproof.
He then forced everyone present to swear an oath of valor and integrity.
Anyone who refuses to cooperate will be killed!
The day, which had been filled with chaos, finally came to an end after the bloodshed.
Tan Ting arrived under these circumstances.
He rushed as fast as he could, but still couldn't reach the avatar of the Lord in time to deliver the message. He Shu, seeing his haggard and disheveled appearance, asked him what had happened. Tan Ting's voice was hoarse: "That day, the avatar of the Lord, Wu You, and I were ambushed. Unexpectedly, a woman in green robes suddenly jumped out and tried to kill the avatar of the Lord. She claimed that she was the real Lord."
"this?"
Gu De and the others looked at each other in bewilderment.
Tan Ting shook her head: "It should be a good intention."
He's not someone who's easily fooled.
He naturally didn't believe the woman in green.
They later discovered that the other party had no physical body and was also an avatar.
Tan Ting quickly realized that the other party might be the Lord's forgotten good intentions, which he had left behind at some point. Recalling the strange words the good intentions had uttered before leaving, he hurriedly wanted to report the news. As long as the incarnation Zixu knew who the murderer was, it would be equivalent to the Lord's true self knowing as well.
It's better to be on guard than to be caught off guard.
But it was too late.
Xiahou Yu wondered, "Although I am not a martial artist with great courage, and I don't know much about benevolence, I do know that benevolence should be a virtuous corpse, serene and clear-minded, a manifestation of accumulated good deeds. Its strength should be about the same as the original body, but that one just now..."
Does the other person have anything to do with "goodness"?
No one was not terrified by the murderous aura emanating from him.
That chilling and powerful aura looked exactly like malice.
Luo Sha pursed his bloodless lips: "I once heard General Gongxi say that our Lord Shan Nian is like a three-year-old child."
The person at the bloody victory celebration looks like a three-year-old child.
Tan Ting was confused: "I don't know why either."
Luo Sha said something that made everyone's faces turn as pale as a corpse that had been lying in state for three days: "I am not exaggerating, but the strength of this Benevolent One... far, far surpasses that of the Lord. The Lord would not last three or five hundred rounds against her, let alone thirty or fifty rounds."
In addition, Gong Xichou was also being attacked unilaterally.
_(:ι」∠)_
I'm so hungry, but I don't want to move.
(End of this chapter)
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