Remnants of the Former Dynasty

The fishing boat moored at Zhen'e, and Nian Shangyou followed Qiao Yi ashore. Right by the port was a train station. Qiao Yi and Nian Shangyou boarded a train together, traveling through the mountains for five full hours. All the while, Nian Shangyou gazed out the window, eager to see what the capital of the former dynasty actually looked like. Yet along the way, he saw not the slightest trace of a city. There were only dense forests and heavy snow; aside from the tracks and platforms, he did not glimpse a single other building. When the train reached the heart of Zhen'e, Qiao Yi led Nian Shangyou off the train, and they climbed a mountain peak on foot. Looking down from the peak, Nian Shangyou stood dumbfounded. Before his eyes loomed a colossal ring. The base of the ring rested upon the wilderness below, while its summit reached level with the mountain peak. Inside the center of the ring, shifting, flickering dark silhouettes stirred, making Nian Shangyou dizzy in waves, as if he might be swallowed by boundless darkness at any moment. "Shangyou, do you know what this is?" Qiao Yi asked. With a thud, Nian Shangyou dropped to his knees, unsure whether he should kowtow to Qiao Yi or to the Great Totem. Though his mind was in utter disarray, instincts honed over many years took over. He kowtowed ceaselessly toward the Great Totem while his mouth poured forth endless flattery for Qiao Yi: "My lord has raised a tower hundreds of ren high, fortified ramparts of a thousand jun, and rebuilt the Great Totem—such monumental achievements outshine past and present! "My lord commands strategy from the tent, holding the creation of yin and yang in his sole grasp. In a single breath, wind and thunder surge; with a single glance, rivers flow backward! "Your heroic vision spans the rainbow, your sweeping sleeves settle the realm, your prestige shakes the Nine Netherworlds, and your majesty dominates the ten directions..." "Hold on!" Qiao Yi barked, cutting him off. "This was not accomplished by my power alone. In this endeavor, the False King's contributions cannot go unrecognized!" Looking at Qiao Yi, Nian Shangyou ventured, "Does my lord mean the False King discovered Zhen'e, giving my lord the perfect location to rebuild the Great Totem?" "Not at all! Rebuilding the Great Totem was not my doing alone—that False King contributed even more effort than I did!" Nian Shangyou still did not quite grasp Qiao Yi's meaning. "My lord, are you saying the False King once advocated rebuilding the Great Totem?" Qiao Yi shook his head. "He never advocated anything openly. The moment he proposed it, wouldn't his intentions be laid bare for all to see? "Do you recall that according to old custom, when cultivators from Puluo Province went to the Great Shang to cultivate, they first required the False King's approval?" Nian Shangyou remembered that. Back when the Sage was still in Puluo Province, Ninth Layer cultivators seeking advancement to the Tenth Layer in the Shang State nominally required the Sage's approval. Even if they had acquaintances in the imperial court, they still had to pay their respects to the Sage and go through the motions. Nian Shangyou also recalled another detail: "Back then, the False King held the authority to judge loyalty and treachery." Judging loyalty and treachery meant the Sage could directly decree whether a cultivator was loyal to the Shang State. If deemed "loyal," the cultivator could secure a relatively easy job upon reaching the Shang State. If branded "treacherous," the cultivator would face grueling cultivation upon arrival—simply put, living worse than beasts of burden. Many cultivators never survived to reach the Tenth Layer because the cultivation process pushed them far beyond the limits of human endurance. Qiao Yi nodded repeatedly. "The truth behind that authority to judge loyalty and treachery is exceedingly subtle, hiding all of that False King's deep calculations." Nian Shangyou said, "Your subordinate has also heard whispers that the basis of the False King's judgment had nothing to do with loyalty or treachery at all, but entirely on who was close to him and who was distant!" "Not just that." Qiao Yi looked toward the bustling crowd beneath the Great Totem. "Those whom the False King trusted completely were sent to Zhen'e to rebuild the Great Totem." Nian Shangyou was shocked. "In that case, how many years has this Great Totem been under construction?" Qiao Yi replied, "Ever since the False King lost his dominion over Puluo Province, he set about building the Great Totem, day after day, without interruption. Because he acted with meticulous care, the imperial court never noticed all these years. "It was only after I entered the Grand Secretariat that I noticed peculiar circumstances surrounding certain cultivators who came from Puluo Province. Take Literary Cultivator He Caiyuan, for instance: after three years of cultivation in the Shang State, he was granted a high official post on account of 'distinguished service.' What that service was, the records never made clear, and no one even knew where he had spent those three years. "When it came to He Caiyuan's son, He Haiqin, matters grew even more absurd. After cultivating in the Shang State for less than a year, this man attained an important post. When asked why, everyone gave vague, evasive answers, and no one could explain it." Nian Shangyou found this unreasonable. "And no one looked into it?" Qiao Yi sighed. "People tried to investigate, but it was all covered up by fabricated merits invented by the False King." "Merits can be fabricated?" Qiao Yi gave a bitter smile. "Back when He Haiqin was in Puluo Province, he severely battered the Lu brothers and protected the likes of Lu Maoxian. Such trivial matters were styled as 'great merits' by the False King." Nian Shangyou had heard of that as well. "Shouldn't that just be considered a clash between local powers? Such feuds happen every day in Puluo Province! How could that count as merit?" Qiao Yi looked into the distance. "Back then, the False King was in Puluo Province; if he claimed it was merit, he could always spin a plausible tale. "Moreover, the entire court viewed cultivators from Puluo Province as thralls—who would bother arguing with the False King over mere thralls? "Though the False King had fallen from power, he still held the title of a state ruler. When I began investigating back then, I ran into countless obstacles. "Who would have thought the False King would try to be clever by moving Daogui Ridge to Sage Peak? He believed he had gained a sharp weapon, utterly unaware of his own limits. Once Sage Peak was overrun by daolao ghosts and he fled back to the Great Shang in panic, my investigation finally made progress." Nian Shangyou hurriedly said, "It must have been the False King slipping up, and my lord noticed his flaw." Qiao Yi shook his head repeatedly. "He didn't make a careless slip on his own. Rather, I kept wondering back then: how did he manage to escape from Sage Peak back to the Great Shang?" Nian Shangyou searched his memory. "Rumor had it that he used the Heirloom Seal of the Realm. He left the seal at Sage Peak and flew straight back to Chaoge." Qiao Yi waved his hand. "At first, I believed that too. But the timing didn't match up. The time the False King arrived in Chaoge was far later than the time he left Sage Peak. "Later, I examined the manufacturing methods of the Heirloom Seal of the Realm many times, proving that things were not so simple. "The False King indeed used the Heirloom Seal of the Realm, but it depends on how it is used. The seal possesses no means to let a person travel back and forth at will. Its true purpose is to produce transit documents that open certain special roads. "These roads existed to begin with—some are even older than most territories in Puluo Province—but originally, they could not be traversed. Documents stamped with the seal serve as keys to unlock these paths, but the price of using such a document is leaving the seal behind on the spot." Nian Shangyou felt something was off with this explanation. Everyone claimed the Heirloom Seal of the Realm possessed vast divine powers, so how had its stature diminished so drastically in Qiao Yi's telling? Nian Shangyou asked, "The seal was lost in Puluo Province. Can my lord deduce its purpose merely by examining the manufacturing methods?" Qiao Yi chuckled. "It wasn't me who examined the methods. Artisan Cultivator Patriarch Duan Tielu examined the seal's craft. Do you still doubt his discernment?" "N-no, it's not that your humble servant doubts him, it's that my lord..." Nian Shangyou froze. A while ago, Nian Shangyou had uncovered the whereabouts of the Artisan Cultivator Patriarch. Patriarch Duan Tielu had promised he could repair the Great Smelting Furnace within three months. Yet Qiao Yi had claimed he didn't trust him and refused to let him come. Now Qiao Yi was saying he trusted him. What on earth was going on? With so much information thrust upon him in such a short time, Nian Shangyou's brain struggled to process it all, unable to make sense of certain things. When he finally understood, he dared not speak lightly. Were Artisan Cultivator Patriarch Duan Tielu and Qiao Yi putting on a coordinated act? His deduction was right on the mark—the two of them were indeed performing a two-man show. Qiao Yi did trust Duan Tielu, and he had kept Duan Tielu busy with tasks all this time; Qiao Yi simply didn't want anyone disturbing him. Now Nian Shangyou could hazard a guess as to what task Qiao Yi had assigned to Duan Tielu. He had just mentioned the Heirloom Seal of the Realm and having shown its craft to Duan Tielu—could Duan Tielu already have forged a new imperial seal for Qiao Yi? With an imperial seal in hand, one could become the emperor. He must never ask about this, nor let on that he had guessed it, or one life would never suffice to pay the forfeit! Qiao Yi looked at Nian Shangyou. "Grand Academician Nian, what are you thinking about?" "My lord!" Nian Shangyou responded at once. "Your humble servant was wondering where the road opened by the False King actually leads." Qiao Yi frowned. "Shangyou, did I fail to make myself clear just now, or did you fail to understand?" "Your humble servant is slow-witted..." That was the only excuse Nian Shangyou could muster. Qiao Yi said, "The False King was trapped at Sage Peak, and cornered with nowhere to turn, he used the seal to flee back to the Great Shang. Naturally, this path leads from Zhen'e to Sage Peak! "Anyone the False King trusted also took this path, heading straight from Sage Peak to Zhen'e to build the Great Totem. "The path was there all along, but only with the aid of the Heirloom Seal of the Realm could it be unlocked. Thus, the people of Puluo Province have no idea such a road exists, much less that its terminus is the Great Totem!" Nian Shangyou leaned over to look down. "So many people walked this path, and so many saw the Great Totem—did no one ever leak word of it?" Qiao Yi stroked the back of Nian Shangyou's head. "The Great Totem can erase a person's memories." A chill rushed straight from the back of Nian Shangyou's head down his spine. He felt he had learned far too many things he shouldn't know. Now, he wanted to know nothing at all. Qiao Yi gazed at the Great Totem and continued, "After the False King returned to the Great Shang, he wanted to use the Great Totem to stage a comeback, but he couldn't obtain Xuyuan silkworms. Without them, the Great Totem was mere hollow form, entirely useless. "I went through immense hardship to uncover the Great Totem's location, after which I enfeoffed Li Qi as Prince Pingyuan, forcing the False King to turn against us prematurely and driving him out of the Great Shang. From that point on, I took over the Great Totem." "My lord's sagacity is boundless!" Nian Shangyou's lips trembled violently. The more Qiao Yi spoke, the more animated he became. "The False King's confidant, He Shengdong, was subdued by me and disclosed the whole truth. With the Great Totem and the road connecting Zhen'e to Sage Peak, it was the perfect opportunity to retake Puluo Province. "Unfortunately, I possessed neither Xuyuan silkworms nor the Heirloom Seal of the Realm at the time, so I had to shelve the matter temporarily. "But now, I have acquired the Xuyuan silkworms, and I have acquired the seal. Only one final obstacle remains before taking Sage Peak. Can you guess where that obstacle lies? "Shangyou, I trust you so deeply—you must not fail me again." This time, Nian Shangyou dared not talk nonsense. "Sage Peak... is in Critic's grasp." Qiao Yi nodded. "Critic commands the daolao ghosts, one of the greatest fighting forces in Puluo Province. Sage Peak is entrenched by them, which is why I call it the most perilous place in Puluo Province. "To take it by force would surely entail catastrophic losses, so I had to execute Critic. But tell me: why didn't I kill him sooner?" Shivering, Nian Shangyou stammered, "Your subordinate... is slow-witted. Your subordinate... dares not guess... cannot guess..." Qiao Yi pulled Nian Shangyou up from the ground. "Do you know what the Great Totem is used for?" "Your subordinate... does not know." Nian Shangyou struggled to remain standing. Qiao Yi rolled up his sleeves, lifted the front hem of his robe, raised both hands high, and glided sideways a step. Nian Shangyou was baffled, having no idea what Qiao Yi was doing. Qiao Yi's waist rippled; he spread his arms wide and snapped his head to the left. This time, Nian Shangyou caught on: Qiao Yi was dancing. Why was he dancing? Truth be told, his form wasn't half bad. Qiao Yi glanced at Nian Shangyou. "Dance with me!" Nian Shangyou didn't know how to dance, so he could only mimic Qiao Yi's postures. Fortunately, the dance was not overly difficult; it was composed of a succession of distinct static poses. Each movement was simple, yet imbued with an archaic vigor and power. Led by Qiao Yi, everyone on the peak began to dance, and the people below the mountain joined in as well, their movements perfectly synchronized. As Qiao Yi danced, he spoke, "This is the sacrificial rite of the former dynasty, and the proper way to use the Great Totem. Fools like Yu Zhuo gathered deceased spirits and shoved them directly into the totem, reducing who knows how many spirits to ashes and smoke!" Hearing this, Nian Shangyou hastily looked toward the Great Totem. In his distraction, he missed a step, stumbled, and amidst a low humming resonance, collapsed flat onto his backside. The humming originated from the Great Totem. Nian Shangyou watched as the dark silhouettes at its center underwent a marked transformation. Rings of haloed light shimmered around them, gradually contracting toward the center until they vanished completely. Across the wilderness, mounds of earth swelled upward one after another, and figures broke through the soil. Struggling, they crawled out onto the ground, crept forward for a moment, and slowly rose to their feet. Human beings sprouting from the earth? Was this the true purpose of the Great Totem? The beings emerging from the ground were not quite ordinary. Though their proportions were irregular, they all appeared to have three heads. Could these all be members of the royal clan? Were royal clansmen grown from the ground? Stop thinking! Such thoughts must never be entertained! Indeed, he shouldn't have thought that way—these people were not grown like crops; they had long since been fashioned by the Great Totem and buried in the earth. Nian Shangyou turned his head, not wanting to look at these three-headed people. To his surprise, Qiao Yi took him by the arm and led him down the slope all the way to the foot of the mountain. "My lord, what are you doing? Your humble servant is dull-witted and sees nothing amiss." "Then take a closer look!" Qiao Yi dragged Nian Shangyou right up to one of the three-headed people. Nian Shangyou took a look. He recognized this three-headed person, yet at the same time did not. He recognized him because he knew the middle head—it was Lord Han Bin, of royal descent, who had once followed Yu Zhuo to establish the new cabinet in Bozhou before dying of the plague manufactured by Critic. He did not recognize him because the other two heads were entirely different from the past. The left head looked like a high dignitary, whose name Nian Shangyou couldn't recall. The right head was completely unfamiliar; judging by his features, he appeared to be an ordinary commoner. Qiao Yi led Nian Shangyou to look at another three-headed being. The head on the left was Lord Lei Pin, while the other two heads were an elk and a jackal, and the torso resembled that of a bear. After examining several dozen three-headed beings in a row, Nian Shangyou squeezed his eyes shut, not daring to look any further. Qiao Yi lowered his voice and asked, "I'll ask you once more: why do you think I didn't kill Critic sooner?" "Your subordinate... does not know..." Nian Shangyou dared not say; he dared not even let himself think it. Qiao Yi said, "Say 'I don't know' one more time, and I will execute you on the spot!" Helpless, Nian Shangyou weighed his words over and over before uttering four words: "Suppressing rebels... amassing soldiers." Those four words struck right at the heart of the matter. Had Critic been killed early on, who would have dealt with the rebels in Bozhou? Many among them were royal clan members. If Qiao Yi dealt with them personally, he would surely bear the infamy of slaughtering his own kin down the line. Critic was an imperial envoy. A man working for the emperor suppressing rebels was perfectly justified. And there was something far more important than suppressing rebels: amassing soldiers. The Great Totem could not create soldiers out of thin air; it required raw materials. Critic had generated vast amounts of raw materials for the Great Totem during this period. Now only one critical question remained: why did the deceased spirits of these people gather at the Great Totem? With the Great Smelting Furnace broken, they should have become wandering ghosts drifting aimlessly. As far as Nian Shangyou knew, Qiao Yi had not dispatched Demon Cultivators on a large scale to round up spirits. Zhen'e was so difficult to find—how had these deceased spirits made their way here? This brought another question to Nian Shangyou's mind: why was Qiao Yi in no rush to repair the Great Smelting Furnace? The furnace possessed the property of gathering deceased spirits, a property now completely lost ostensibly because two leaves had been stolen by Puluo Province. Was it truly just because of those two leaves? Nian Shangyou looked back at the Great Totem. Was this Great Totem truly made of stone? Could part of the Great Smelting Furnace have been incorporated here? After all, Puluo Province was blamed for damaging the furnace. The Grand Secretariat would inevitably dispatch craftsmen to repair it, and anything dismantled in the process could be pinned on Puluo Province. Then the Great Totem could summon spirits, and Puluo Province could balance the books... "Have you figured it out?" Qiao Yi asked Nian Shangyou. Nian Shangyou tensed all over. "No... I can't figure it out..." Qiao Yi shook his head. "Even if you haven't, you must. Today we embark on our campaign. Anyone who leaves this place cannot retain memories of it, and anyone who retains memories of this place cannot leave. You and I are the sole exceptions. "You understand the art of war, and this army must be commanded jointly by you and me. I told you everything because as of today, you are the only one left whom I can trust." Nian Shangyou looked up at Qiao Yi. In terms of height, he was taller than Qiao Yi, but right now he could not stand straight and had no choice but to look up. Perhaps because the halo from the Great Totem was too blinding, Qiao Yi's face grew increasingly indistinct. Yet Nian Shangyou knew that if he wished to live, he could not say the wrong word at this moment. "Your humble servant is ready to obey my lord's commands." "Good. Take inventory of grain, fodder, and armaments. Prepare to march!" Nian Shangyou felt this was far too hasty. "My lord, warfare is no light matter. Preparing for a major campaign requires two to three months, or even half a year. Setting out today will inevitably lead to countless oversights." Qiao Yi looked at him. "Shangyou, this vicious battle has been in preparation for far longer than half a year. It embodies half a lifetime of my blood and sweat!" "But..." Nian Shangyou didn't know what to say. "These people have never fought a battle." These cobbled-together beings had almost no connection to the battlefield when they were alive. Looking at them now, their expressions were numb and their gazes dull, as if devoid of intellect. In no way did they look like soldiers capable of waging war. Qiao Yi said, "Every one of them possesses formidable combat strength because they all carry cultivation within them. Teach them a few simple formations, and they will be invincible." Was there really a formation that could be learned in such a rush? Nian Shangyou had no confidence. "My lord, can they actually learn a formation?" "They can!" Qiao Yi was brimming with confidence. "Treat them as the Blade-Honing Battalion. As long as you apply yourself, you can teach them the Thousand-Strong Force Formation!" "The Thousand-Strong Force Formation?" Nian Shangyou shook his head repeatedly. "That is a formation only those of royal blood can learn!" Qiao Yi looked at the crowd of three-headed beings. "Do you think they aren't of royal blood?" Nian Shangyou dared not speak recklessly. "Your minister feels... they probably don't count..." Qiao Yi smiled. "What makes you think the royal lineage is so noble? Shangyou, there is no need for excessive reservations. Some things become clear with a single test." Nian Shangyou said, "Then let us wait until they have been taught the formation before heading to Puluo Province." "Out of the question!" Qiao Yi snapped in stern refusal. "I told you just now: once they leave this place, their memories of it must be wiped clean. We cannot risk exposing the location of the Great Totem. "Furthermore, now that Critic is dead, Puluo Province will surely grow suspicious. With each day we delay, the news might leak, and all our painstaking efforts could come to naught!" Nian Shangyou raised one final concern: "Without Critic, the daolao ghosts may lack a leader, but they remain a ferocious mob of vicious ghosts. We must have a tactic to battle them." Qiao Yi said, "The tactic is to avoid fighting as much as possible." This time, Nian Shangyou was truly at a loss. "If we do not fight, what then?" Could they possibly talk the daolao ghosts into surrendering? Qiao Yi looked at the figures around the Great Totem, who were still dancing around it. "Remember these dances. They are sacrificial dances of the former dynasty, and they hold an evocative power over daolao ghosts." Nian Shangyou blinked. "Why would a dance of the former dynasty have an evocative power over daolao ghosts?" Qiao Yi smiled. "Where do you think the earliest daolao ghosts came from?" "They also came from the former dynasty?" Nian Shangyou's mouth hung open, his mustache trembling continuously. *** Li Banfeng sat on the snow, watching Yang Xiangjun drill the troops. He had just returned from Haichi Ridge, bringing a shipment of provisions and armaments for the Gu Cultivators, as well as payment for Yang Xiangjun. Yang Xiangjun was indeed a skilled commander. First, he led his forces in withdrawing from the village, then launched a succession of swift raids against it. Alternating tension and relaxation, he kept the Curse Cultivators off-balance; unable to match his tempo, they suffered defeat after defeat with heavy casualties. In two more battles at most, they would likely break completely. Under these circumstances, Yang Xiangjun devised a new tactic: he decided to exploit the Curse Cultivators' collapse to force Hen Wuyou to return, after which he and Li Qi would launch a pincer attack to eliminate Hen Wuyou once and for all, severing future troubles at the root. Li Banfeng had naturally agreed. After lunch, several members of the household joined Li Banfeng in watching Yang Xiangjun train the troops. Even Zhao Xiaowan couldn't help praising him: "Husband, Yang Xiangjun has wandered the pugilistic world for so many years that I thought his knowledge of military tactics would have rusted, yet his deployments and maneuvers are just as sharp as in days gone by." Hong Ying asked in a low voice, "Was he someone of note back then? Why don't I remember him?" The companion dwelling piped up, "Back then, he had the pure appearance of a man. Nowadays, he's draped in cosmetics and perfume, giving me shivers just looking at him. How could he be easy to recognize?" Li Banfeng didn't understand much about military maneuvers and grew drowsy watching. Suddenly, he heard Jiu'er cry out by his ear, "My lord, wuu-ya! Ah!" Jiu'er's features contorted together, cracks spiderwebbing across her face as streams of purulent blood seeped out. Li Banfeng was startled. Just as he moved to save Jiu'er, he sensed something amiss in the surroundings. Not only Jiu'er, but his wife, Hong Ying, Yang Xiangjun, and the crowd of Curse Cultivators—everyone's skin was splitting open, flesh swelling beneath the surface. Their limbs grew short and thick, eyes shrank, lips thickened, and fangs sprouted from their mouths. Ordinary people might not recognize what kind of creature this was, but Li Banfeng knew all too well: these were daolao ghosts. Why had everyone around him turned into daolao ghosts? They encircled Li Banfeng, performing an ancient, primal dance. A blond man in a tailcoat called out to Li Banfeng, "My friend, I always believed I helped them create this dance. But in truth, there was an error in the chronological order of my perception and understanding." It was Critic, dancing alongside the daolao ghosts. "These dances may have belonged to the daolao ghosts all along. Having spent so much time with them, I developed the same perception, which misled me into thinking I was the one who created them." Li Banfeng asked, "Did you come find me just to convey a misunderstanding?" "I came to tell you that it is the shared crystallization of our wisdom. If they lose control, what will you do?" "Why would they lose control? Hurry up and get back from the Inner State right now!" "Brother Qi, what did you just say about losing control?" Under Hong Ying's persistent shaking, Li Banfeng woke from his dream. "Husband, are you exhausted?" Zhao Xiaowan was wiping Li Banfeng's sweat with a handkerchief. Two handkerchiefs were already soaked through, yet his forehead was still drenched. "Why did I sweat so much?" Li Banfeng shivered uncontrollably. "I need to make a trip to Jianren Ridge!" PS: I wonder if heading there now is still in time? In Chapter 321, "Metamorphosis," after He Haiqin reached perfection in the Ninth Layer, he shed his physical body and his spirit arrived at Sage Peak. Taking documents from the Sage, he passed through a cavern behind Sage Peak to a mysterious location and began constructing the Great Totem; his identity at the time was a cart driver. Boss Lu has used the Heirloom Seal of the Realm multiple times, and his method of use was likewise creating transit documents.