Light gradually returned before Zhu Xiaocun's eyes, and memories of what had transpired slowly surfaced. Yet all he could recall was an overwhelming barrage of attacks raining down upon him, followed by his dharma idol seeming to inhale a puff of poisonous smoke, after which everything went blank.
He opened his eyes and found himself inside a prison cell. His dharma idol was firmly bound, and his physical body was limp and powerless; he could barely twitch a finger.
Standing before him was a young man with a peculiar air of vicissitude between his brows, watching him.
"Who are you? This official is an imperial censor of the court, an imperial commissioner! Daring to kidnap an imperial commissioner—do you wish to have nine generations of your kin exterminated?" Zhu Xiaocun demanded with harsh severity, showing no fear whatsoever.
The young man smiled faintly. "Lord Zhu, since I dared to capture you and bring you here, I naturally do not fear the extermination of my clan."
By now, Zhu Xiaocun's mind had cleared somewhat, and the young man before him gradually matched the portrait in his memory. He blurted out in shock, "You're Wei Yuan!"
Wei Yuan chuckled. "Indeed. I am Wei Yuan, and this is Qingming. I hear Lord Zhu intended to strip me of my military command, exercise the authority of Military Commissioner in my stead, and investigate my alleged crimes along the way?"
"This is the King's decree! Do you dare defy the royal edict?!" Zhu Xiaocun glared at him in fury.
A precious sword appeared in Wei Yuan's hand. He drew it partially, examined it, and sheathed it again. "For Lord Zhu to dare accept this assignment, is your only backing this Shangfang Sword?"
Zhu Xiaocun sneered. "In coming here, this official relied on far more than a single Shangfang Sword! This official relies on ten thousand years of orthodoxy, the system of the Son of Heaven, and the hearts of all under heaven! Wei Yuan, killing me is easy, but can you stop the wagging tongues of the entire world?"
Wei Yuan gave a wry smile. "Originally, I wanted to ask what gave you the confidence that you could hold back a million-strong Shaman army. Now it seems there is no need to ask. You wouldn't be able to hold them back at all; when the time came, you would merely pack up and flee, abandoning the common folk of Qingming to the Shamans.
"The 'hearts of all under heaven' that Lord Zhu speaks of refers only to the hearts of the pure stream faction. The 'wagging tongues of the world' are merely the mouths of remonstrance officials. Ordinary folk do not count as human to you."
"Mortals are ignorant and unlearned, foolish and stubborn! They can see nothing beyond their petty, self-serving scrambles—what could they possibly understand? Naturally, it falls upon scholars like us, who have inherited the teachings of the sages, to speak for the world and voice the will of the populace!"
"Has Lord Zhu ever considered whether what you call 'speaking for the populace' is truly what the people feel in their hearts? Have you ever spoken with them? Have you ever visited their homes? Have you ever experienced even half a day of their lives?"
Zhu Xiaocun scoffed. "All that occupies their heads is firewood, rice, oil, and salt. Any casual thought reveals it—why would one need to go ask or look?"
Wei Yuan did not argue with him further. "Listening to Lord Zhu's words today has been quite illuminating. Henceforth, the people of Qingming will have their own avenues to speak; they will have no need for anyone to speak on their behalf."
"You are turning heaven and earth upside down! This is outright treason!" Zhu Xiaocun raged.
Wei Yuan said calmly, "Does Lord Zhu know why I went to the trouble of bringing you all to Qingming?"
"Why?"
Wei Yuan smiled, showing a flash of white teeth. "Because in Qingming, your souls cannot escape."
Zhu Xiaocun finally realized that doom was inescapable. Struggling violently, he shouted, "Wei Yuan, you act in defiance of nature! Your name will stink for ten thousand years, reviled and spat upon by every scholar under heaven!!"
Wei Yuan smiled faintly. "Ah, I forgot to mention. There is another benefit to Lord Zhu dying in Qingming: your death will be utterly worthless, beneath mention!
"How will the history books record your end? Died at the hands of highway bandits, whereabouts unknown?
"No, Lord Zhu's rank is not high enough. The history books will not spare you a single word."
Zhu Xiaocun went mad with rage. He roared frantically at Wei Yuan's departing back, rattling his iron chains until they clattered violently, abrading the skin on his wrists and ankles until blood seeped out. But Wei Yuan had already walked away, leaving only his impotent bellows echoing in the cell.
***
At the Weaponsmith Workshop, Ren Suxing had just finished machining a cannon barrel. He was quite satisfied with it, so he dipped a brush in ink, wrote "Supreme Top Grade" on it, and carefully set it onto a rack.
This batch of long cannon barrels would be used to build the new generation of city-defense cannons. Currently, only four or five people in the entire Weaponsmith Workshop were capable of producing them.
Just then, a cultivator hurried over and said, "Senior Brother Ren Suxing?"
"That is me."
"The latest conferment of rewards has been issued. Senior Brother Ren has laboured hard and achieved high merit, so your name is on the list. Please assemble beneath the main peak at noon sharp to receive your reward. Do not be late."
Ren Suxing was somewhat puzzled, not understanding why there was a reward. Seeing that noon was not far off, he tidied up and headed toward the main peak.
Noon sharp.
Ren Suxing stood in the open clearing below the main peak. Around him were more than a dozen people, mostly disciples of the Palace of Grand Beginning, along with six or seven cultivators he did not recognize.
At this moment, Cui Yu appeared and said, "All of you rank among the highest in military exploits and other merits, and you have remained fiercely loyal to the realm. It is only right that you be rewarded. This bestowal consists of heavenly merits from the Palace of Grand Beginning as well as the bestowal of heaven and earth. Shortly, two cages will be brought forth. Everyone, stand at your designated positions and attack with the specified spells. Cage Number One will be finished off by Xu Yi, and Cage Number Two will be finished off by Ren Suxing."
In the blink of an eye, two cages were wheeled out. Concealed by spells, their interiors were completely obscured, leaving it impossible to tell whether they held dharma idol experts or Great Shamans.
In the past, during wartime, Wei Yuan would often distribute heavenly merits in passing, but now he had evolved to capturing people and wholesaling heavenly merits directly.
Including Ren Suxing, everyone present had taken part in more than one great battle and possessed formidable cultivation; otherwise, their merit points would not have ranked so high. None would refuse heavenly merits, and no one could resist the temptation of a bestowal of heaven and earth.
No matter how small a bestowal of heaven and earth might be, it carried a sliver of hope to improve one's Dao Foundation aptitudes. However faint that hope, it was still hope—the very crux of a cultivator's lifelong future.
The reward process went smoothly. Even after Ren Suxing struck the final Dao art into the cage and origin qi of heaven and earth poured down overhead, no one knew who or what had been inside.
Everyone was thrilled. Sensing the origin qi of heaven and earth scouring his body and mind, and feeling the spiritual qi within him grow purer, Ren Suxing also felt his spirits lift, light returning to his eyes. After being in Qingming for so long, he had finally taken another small step forward on the Dao path.
Originally, Ren Suxing had been stuck before the Dharma Idol realm for many years. He had assumed his Dao path had reached its end, planning only to make a desperate attempt at the Dharma Idol realm when his lifespan drew near its close. He had never imagined he would truly have a chance to take another step forward.
By then, the two cages had been carried to a secluded spot. Sun Yu appeared and exhaled a breath of alchemical fire, reducing both cages and their occupants to ashes. Wei Yuan manifested, examined the ashes, and calculated the karmic luck and causality. Finding no flaws or oversights, he nodded.
Sun Yu asked, "What should we do with the escort soldiers from the envoy mission? Should we kill them all?"
Wei Yuan pondered for a moment before saying, "Killing them would be too wasteful. Besides, these ordinary soldiers had no choice in the matter, and they haven't committed any grave crimes. Incorporate them into the frontline units for now. If they survive three battles, they can be inducted into the regular army."
"Could news leak out?"
Wei Yuan smiled faintly. "What news could leak? These men were bought by us from horse bandits—that is our story, no matter who asks. Besides, for the time being, no envoy will dare set foot in Qingming. The so-called pure stream faction isn't truly fearless of death."
Sun Yu nodded. He and Cui Yu noted the matter down, preparing to attend to it shortly.
"Is my secluded cultivation chamber ready?" Wei Yuan asked.
"It is ready. Senior Brother Xu will personally guard the outer layer."
Wei Yuan nodded. "With my dharma idol puppet guarding the inner layer, it should be foolproof. I do not know how long this journey to the Nether Cold Realm will take. If I have not emerged from seclusion after three days, find a way to wake me."
Sun Yu nodded, then added, "Bring back some local specialties from over there—like rare Great Shamans or something."
Chapter 528