Immortal Manifestation
189
For him, A Qiu was like a flower blooming in the Southern Dynasty, unrelated to the bloodshed and darkness of all those past events. She was like a ray of light, able to remind him of the present moment, and able to calm and soothe his soul.
This land of the Southern Dynasties, once a beautiful and enchanting palace with gilded splendor, pearl towers and jade pavilions, and melodious songs and dances, was transformed into a bloodbath, a battlefield of slaughter and betrayal not long afterward.
The father's expression as he died from exhaustion was one of unfinished business.
Faced with Gu Yi's invitation, whether to believe him or not was a truly enormous question for Li Chongyu.
Only now does A Qiu realize just how much confidence and courage it took for Li Chongyu to come alone at Gu Yi's invitation.
She said softly, "Brother, you witnessed your father die from the deception of the Southern Dynasty, why..."
Why would you risk trusting a person from the Southern Dynasties?
Like Gu Yi, like her.
Li Chongyu said softly, "At that moment, someone reached out and closed his eyes."
A-Qiu didn't hear clearly and asked in surprise, "What?"
Li Chongyu did not answer again. His thoughts had already sunk back to the bloody battles that had taken place here many years ago.
After days of siege, with water and food exhausted, the Shuofang Army, though small in number, had deployed its best troops to attract the strongest force among the five Hu tribes—the Northern Qiang King's Army. However, the promised reinforcements were nowhere to be seen.
First came the sentry vanguard, then the central army camp, and finally my father's personal guard. All those who were here at that time eventually turned into corpses piled up inside and outside the ancestral hall, their bodies filled with endless resentment.
Each person fought to their last breath, so their bodies were covered in wounds and mangled with blood. They fought until they had no strength left to pick up a weapon before being killed by the enemy.
The last person to fall before his eyes was his father.
When the spears of the Northern Qiang cavalry came swiftly and cleanly, it was his father, who had never shown him any kindness, who mustered his remaining courage and drew his sword to block in front of him.
With a single blow, the father's Sky-Splitting Blade clattered to the ground, the spear pierced his chest, and blood gushed out.
Who could have imagined that Li Mingyuan, the powerful Marquis of Guannei in the Shuofang Army who was renowned throughout the northern frontier, would ultimately be unable to withstand even a single blow from an ordinary soldier?
Even as his head fell to the ground, his thin, gaunt face remained etched with anger, his eyes wide open.
The Northern Qiang soldiers were awarded military merits based on the number of heads they received, and obtaining Li Mingyuan's head was enough to earn them at least the title of Marquis of a Thousand Households.
In that instant, before the eyes of the young Li Chongyu, those people in the Golden Palace of the Southern Dynasty who spoke with such certainty and claimed to be able to wage war with ease suddenly appeared.
Pei Yuanli, composed and dignified with his long, three-stranded beard; Shangguan Jin, refined and gentle in his blue robes; and of course, the majestic Emperor Sima Yan, with his dragon-phoenix bearing and otherworldly beauty.
Were their passionate and enthusiastic pronouncements genuine? Were they even genuine for a moment?
And then there was the empress, whose elegant demeanor and seemingly melancholic air were only glimpsed through the screen. Was there any sincerity in her greetings at that time?
That's what it means to be all show and no substance, but rotten inside.
They have a glamorous appearance, but no human heart beating in their chest.
Li Chongyu heard his heart roaring in his chest: They are the ones who deserve to die!
He couldn't tell whether it was grief, fear, or rage; he knelt down, feeling breathless, unable to hear or see anything.
All I could see was my father's unseeing gaze.
The father's eyes were closed at that very moment.
A long, slender male hand with clearly defined knuckles reached out from who-knows-where and gently, tenderly and solemnly closed the father's eyes.
The arm of the Northern Qiang soldier who was holding his father's head was mercilessly severed by a single sword stroke.
Screams echoed all around, and the space seemed to come alive again.
He knelt there blankly, remaining motionless.
Is he already dead? Why can't I feel the pain of being hit by knives and guns?
The whistling of weapons around him continued, and the pile of corpses around him seemed to be getting higher and higher, but he was the only one in the middle of it all, yet he was unharmed.
It felt like a hundred years had passed before he remembered to look up.
In the blink of an eye, he felt as if all he could see was wind and snow.
He met a pair of cold, gray eyes, eyes that seemed extremely deep and mysterious, yet also devoid of any emotion. Their piercing gaze was fixed on him, as if trying to see through his deepest fears.
Thousands of white hairs, like auspicious clouds, spread out behind this man, and a bright radiance flooded into his eyes.
The room was filled with the flashing light of swords, like thunder striking the Big Dipper. An immortal stood within, as if eternally immortal.
Li Chongyu discovered that he could hear again. He heard the army surging towards him like a tide, and the thunderous shouts of the Northwest Army. He also heard Aunt Fan Ying's anxious calls.
Looking back blankly, the immortal had vanished, leaving only corpses scattered on the ground.
"Brother, brother!"
A Qiu's call brought Li Chongyu back from the past.
He composed himself and remembered the question Ah Qiu had asked earlier.
He had witnessed his father die from the deception of the Southern Dynasty people, so why did he still choose to believe Gu Yi and her, and once again set foot on the land of the Southern Dynasty alone?
Li Chongyu said softly, "Because when I was in my most desperate moment, I saw the immortals of this place come to help me."
Ah Qiu didn't understand what he was saying, so he could only say softly, "Brother, there are no immortals in this world."
Li Chongyu paused slightly and said, "Is that so?" He looked at the plaque with the three large characters "Martial Saint Shrine" inscribed on it and sighed, "Perhaps it was an illusion I saw when I was on the verge of death. But since I did not die at that time and became the only survivor in this place, I felt that there was righteous spirits protecting me in the world."
He looked at A Qiu again, but his gaze was now clear and resolute: "I have come not for my family or myself, but to see the spirit of the people in the Southern Dynasty and the destiny of the Han people's orthodoxy. If I believe, I do not believe in any one or two people, but in the future that the people of the world hope for. Do you understand, sister?"
He continued, “As a commander, the last thing I want to see is people dying innocently. If I want every war and every sacrifice to have lasting significance, then a unified regime must emerge. Otherwise, with powerful warlords vying for power and the five barbarians each controlling their own territory, the chaos will only continue indefinitely. To be frank, the Southern Dynasty is not yet convincing enough for me, Li Chongyu, to submit to its commands, but I can also sense that seeds of hope are buried beneath it and are growing.”
Li Chongyu's conclusion can be said to be fair and impartial. Just as A Qiu was about to ask him what exactly the "seed of hope" he felt was, a light suddenly lit up in the originally dark and silent Martial Saint Shrine.
A Qiu was shocked and immediately drew his sword to protect Li Chongyu, but after seeing who was inside the door, he almost couldn't even hold the sword.
Golden light shone down on the person at the entrance of the ancestral hall, making him appear tall and slender in his white robes, like a towering peak emerging from the clouds, majestic and elegant. His eyes were bright and clear, with a half-smile, as he looked at A Qiu.
It was Wan Qiqing, the master of Lanling Hall, the headquarters of assassins under heaven, who personally came to A Qiu's aid.
Wan Qiqing walked out with his hands behind his back, but after glancing at A Qiu once, he ignored her and said leisurely, "The Marquis of Guannei just said that the Southern Dynasty is not yet able to convince you to submit to his command. Then I wonder, what is the Northern Qiang, who can command the five tribes of Hu, like in the eyes of the Marquis of Guannei?"
Li Chongyu did not recognize Wan Qiqing, especially since he had suddenly appeared from the ancestral hall with the air of a first-rate grandmaster. However, upon hearing his question, he knew that Wan Qiqing was there to test his willingness to cooperate. He sneered, "Judging from your appearance, you are also a Han Chinese, but I don't know why you are willing to be a dog for the Northern Qiang? A tiger and wolf tribe, without faith or righteousness. My evaluation can be summed up in these eight words."
His father, Li Mingyuan, died at the hands of the Northern Qiang army, a grudge he would never forget. Furthermore, the Northern Qiang had been burning, killing, and looting in the Central Plains, only curbing their activities after establishing a kingdom modeled after the Han dynasty. However, in Li Chongyu's eyes, who was accustomed to dealing with them, such behavior was like a monkey wearing a crown, unable to conceal their brutal nature. Therefore, upon seeing Wan Qiqing's attempt to act as an advocate for the Northern Qiang, he immediately rebuked him.
When A Qiu heard Li Chongyu mock her master as a dog, she could no longer hide the change in her expression. Just as she was about to speak, Wan Qiqing's eyes flashed with a sharp light, and he stopped her with one hand, sneering, "If the Marquis of Guannei's policies stop here, not only will the Shuofang Army not be able to hold out in the north for long, but it is also uncertain whether you will be able to return north alive. I don't need to waste my breath on a dead man."
Li Chongyu smiled and said, "Although I do not know who you are, the Shuofang Army has never been afraid of anyone. As for what you want to say, it is nothing more than who will inherit the Han dynasty's way of governing the country. Even if they are not of Han blood, they can still win the hearts of the people. But what I want to say is precisely this: those who are not of Han blood will never truly agree with the Confucian principle of governing the world, nor will they have the heart of a truly wise and benevolent ruler. Those who do not sincerely care about the world will not be able to subdue the people for long, even if they are deceived by them in the short term."
The fierce glint in Wan Qiqing's eyes, which had been at its peak, gradually faded upon hearing his words. He coldly snorted, "What is the heart of a wise and benevolent ruler?"
Li Chongyu pondered for a moment and said, "If you really want to ask this question, I recommend someone, Junior Tutor Gu Yi. He is probably the most qualified person to answer this question. As for myself, I don't think I'm qualified."
Wan Qiqing's expression darkened considerably. This was a blatant admission that he was inferior to Gu Yi.
Seeing that the two were getting worse and worse, and that their master was about to take action, A Qiu rushed in front of Li Chongyu to separate the two. She said to Li Chongyu, "Brother, I didn't have time to introduce you. This is my master, Wan Qiqing, the master of Lanling Hall."
Li Chongyu was slightly moved upon hearing this, but he was not too flustered. He simply cupped his hands in a salute and said, "I did not know that Venerable Wanqi of Lanling Hall was actually working for the Northern Qiang. My apologies for my disrespect."
Having seen many people, he could tell from Wan Qiqing's appearance that he must be someone of great importance. And the fact that he was waiting at the Martial Saint Shrine at this time and place meant that he was probably up to no good. He had already judged Wan Qiqing's strength and intentions, so it was no longer so important which faction or sect leader he was.
Wan Qiqing's expression seemed even angrier as he shouted, "You still recognize me as your master? Why are you protecting him with your own body?"
A Qiu paused for a moment, then replied truthfully, "Master Gu Yi instructed me to protect the Marquis all the way back to the north safely."
Wan Qiqing coldly said, "You come here now, stand properly to the side, don't move or care about anything." He then sneered, "You're escorting him? He's just a minor Marquis of Guannei, not even worthy to carry your shoes, yet Gu Yi wants you to protect him."
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