After saying those words, little sister stomped out of the room.
Wang Chong fondled his forehead and realized that his hand was full of cold sweat. He really thought that she had managed to sneak in without anyone’s notice. Even if she managed to get past their father, she was unable to escape their mother’s all-seeing eye!
However, it wasn’t a surprise. Given his little sister’s capability, how was it possible for her to escape the Buddha’s Five Finger Mountain?
After his little sister has left, Wang Chong closed the door and leaned against the wall. His face tilted slightly upward as he stared at the high roof of the room. His face slowly regained its calmness.
Today’s happenings were simply too bizarre. He needed some time to muse over them.
Everything that happened during his moment of death appeared in his mind and eventually, the shooting star he saw slowly clarified. Some distant memories that he thought that he had forgotten through time abruptly emerged clearly in his head.
Wang Chong could remember clearly that in AD2022, on Earth of another parallel universe, it was a scorching day of summer. When he was walking on the street, a shooting star suddenly fell from the sky onto him. After which, he was brought into this foreign world.
When he transcended over, he thought that he would obtain some ‘transcender’s privilege’. However, he lived an ordinary life, even up to the moment of his ‘death’. Other than his identity as the son of a general, he was no different from any other person.
That shooting star was an enigma. Other than bringing him into this foreign and distant land, it hadn’t showered any miracles upon him.
He didn’t think that it would appear at the moment of his death.
“Was it resentment? Or indignance?”
Wang Chong pondered.
No matter what, he had returned. He had truly returned to this day, thirty years ago! This year, he was fifteen while his little sister was ten!
The era of prosperity and strength for the Center Divine Continent!
Regardless of whether it is the Qin Dynasty or the Han Dynasty, there wasn’t a single dynasty which territory had expanded as massively as the current one. The eastern sea, the western ridges, the southern prefectures and the northern Yin Mountains. They were all part of the sphere of influence of the empire.
With its 600 000 large army, the Great Tang ruled over the entire Divine Continent, dominating all of the foreign countries and tribe by its orders. Furthermore, its military was filled with countless talents of general caliber and it was reputed to possess ‘The Radiance of the Hundred Generals’. Even the Hu had to submit to this massive empire.
In short dozens of years, the territories of the empire expanded continuously, resulting in its current size.
Without doubt, this was the center of the world.
The era where the Central Plains was at its greatest.
As such, those of the Central Divine Continent term the one in the palace as the Saint Emperor. In this Central Divine Continent, everyone was proud of their identity and complacency lingered in the air.
However, oblivious to the others, Wang Chong knew that under its powerful exterior, this prosperous empire was on its way to its downfall.
Under the illusion of prosperity and peacefulness, the empire was surrounded by countless threats.
In the highlands at the west of Great Tang, the Ü-Tsang was swiftly growing stronger. Going slightly further, the Umayyad Caliphate had fallen and replacing it was the empire that brought the Arabian world to the peak of its strength, the Abbasid Caliphate.
In the northeast, Yeon Gaesomun was training troops and purchasing steeds. In the south, the Erhai was also moving in the shadows.
All kinds of dangers were present, just waiting to burst.
On the other hand, the Great Tang of the Central Plains was still immersed in the illusion of prosperity. They were completely ignorant of the potential dangers that were lying around them. In fact, when the barbarians propped up their military might and were viewing at Great Tang menacingly, those Confucian scholars were trying to bring about a new line of thought by persuading the royal court to extract their army and return others their territories. They hope to move them through virtues so as to earn the Center Divine Continent and the barbarians everlasting peace.
This was an unprecedented occurrence of one weakening their own army:
A tiger was crippling its claws, a wolf was plucking its sharp teeth!
Four years later, when the avaricious barbarians came conquering its territories, when a destructive catastrophe was sweeping across it, the Central Plains found itself without the strength to retaliate.
After four years, all of these hidden threats came surging one after another from all directions! Eventually, this massive and prosperous empire fell completely.
His beloved homeland fell into decline within this four years and fragmented. As such, the powerful clan of generals fell to the point of struggling in mud.
He lived his previous life groggily, only awakening when everything was already fixed into place. However, this life, with the memories and experience of his previous, he will not allow the same situation to reenact!
He had contemplated many times over why this massive empire would fall apart in a short period of time. If he was able to put in place the plans he had thought of ‘thirty years later’, the fall of the Tang Dynasty could still be reversed.
But before so, he has to first prevent the major event that was going to happen in this household. His little sister, his eldest brother, his father, his mother and the entire Wang Clan… Everyone would be affected by this matter.
It was due to this matter that the Wang Clan fell further and further into decline, unable to rise up once more.
After a series of events after the happening of this matter, those that he loved and those that loved him slowly left him.
This all happened not long after he transcended into this world.
Just that, he was still ignorant then. However, he was determined to change it all this life!
How can one sweep across the world without cleaning their own household first? How can any egg remain intact under a ruined nest? If he doesn’t salvage his own home, how can he save the world?
No matter what, he has to stop it from happening!
With such thoughts in his mind, Wang Chong pushed the door open and walked out.
Central Plains refer to China when it was still in the feudal era.
Epiphyllum is a flower that blooms only for an instant before disappearing.
In the Han mythology, all Chinese are said to originate from the Yan Emperor and Huang Emperor (aka Flame Emperor and Yellow Emperor). As such, we term ourselves as ‘Descendants of Yanhuang (of the Yan Emperor and Huang Emperor)’.
Buddha’s Five Finger Mountain
Journey to the West Reference.
After challenging wrecking the Heavenly Palace, Sun Wukong was challenged by the Buddha to escape from his palm. Thus, Sun Wukong traveled to ends of the world and upon seeing a pillar, he peed on it. However, it turned out that the pillar was Buddha’s finger, and he wasn’t able to escape from his grasp. After which, he was trapped under a mountain known as the Five Finger Mountain for 500 years.
The Southern Prefectures actually meant Northern Vietnam. ()
Hu could be translated as Hu Tribe, but it isn’t actually a tribe.
It would be safe to assume that it refers to all foreign tribes/races.
In some era, the term was used to refer to the nomads. There are various explanations why it is called the Huren, one of them is because the Xiongnu Tribe termed themselves as ‘hu’.
In the Qin & Han Dynasty, Huren mainly refers to the Xiongnu Tribe.
In the Tang Dynasty, it referred mainly to the Caucasian.
(Note: This story is situated in Tang Dynasty)
Ü-Tsang is the ancient name for Tibetans.
I’m assuming that Erhai refers to Dali.
The autumn wind rustled.
The closer Wang Chong got to the grand hall, the more nervous he felt. Perhaps only when you lose someone will you know how dear they were to you.
He lived his previous life in a daze, caring for nothing at all and not allowing anything to bother him in the least. It was hard to imagine that just having a meal would make him so nervous.
“This should be what they call fear of returning to one’s homeland.”
Wang Chong mumbled. Lifting his head, he saw a massive gate with two lion heads on it, one on the left, one on the right. His family’s dining hall was just in front.
The Wang Family wasn’t a great clan of nobility and as such, it wasn’t tightly restricted by traditions and decorum. However, it was still a clan of generals. His mother might not have created many rules to limit their actions, but they still had to maintain the etiquette befitting of a great clan.
The Wang Clan had many offsprings. However, regardless of who it was, and this was including his father as well, as long as they were in the capital, they had to return home for the weekly family gathering. Everyone would gather around a huge round table and share a harmonious meal.
This was the last day of Wang Chong’s grounding. This was also his first family meal gathering in the last seven days. However, what Wang Chong was bothered with wasn’t this.
If things progressed as how it did in his previous life, at this time, his father should have returned home by now. Due to his father’s official duties, he often left the home early in the morning and returned only late at night. Even as his son, he wasn’t able to meet him whenever he pleased.
After that incident, his father would swiftly leave the capital to the military barracks. Most likely, for the next half a year, he wouldn’t be able to meet him.
If he wants to prevent that incident from happening to change the destiny of his clan, this family gathering will be the best opportunity for him to do so, as well as the final one.
However, will his father believe him?
Recalling how he was then, Wang Chong went silent.
One reaps what he sows. In his previous life, he always thought of himself as a transcender and acted like a hedonist. Taking life as a mere game, he committed many different ridiculous actions.
In the very beginning, he obstinately wanted to wander this world leisurely and fool about. As such, he stayed out day and night and made a lot of bad company.
The ‘Ma Zhou’ which his little sister spoke of was one of them.
In his previous life, Wang Chong was a straightforward and honest person. He didn’t think deeply into things. He often thought that since they were friends, they should treat each other with sincerity. Never would he thought that the other scions were so scheming. On the surface, they treated you as their brothers but behind your back, they threw multiple daggers at you.
These fellows made use of his name to fool about outside. In the end, he was even labeled with the sin of raping a female villager in the daylight.
The other matters could be forgiven, but ‘raping a female villager’ was truly overboard. Even his father who was often out in the fields and rarely interfered in his affairs, upon knowing of this matter, rushed back in the middle of a night.
Wang Chong was then grounded for a week due to the affair.
He had completely disappointed his father due to this matter. In the period after his transcension, even though he was rebellious and often committed inappropriate actions, he hadn’t fallen to such a point.
But raping a female villager…
This was already challenging the moral boundaries of his father. From then on, his father gave up all hopes on this son of his and never bothered with him again.
Wang Chong only realized a long time after the incident that he was done in by Ma Zhou and the other bastards and he was extremely depressed for a long period of time.
Even though he knew of these, he probably wouldn’t be able to explain it all to his parents clearly. Besides, if it wasn’t for his inability to see through the true colors of others, he wouldn’t have been betrayed like that. Given the current emotions his father and mother were experiencing, there was no way they would listen to his words.
After all, what proper things could an ignorant playboy possibly do or say?
At this point, Wang Chong felt intense bitterness in his heart. He had no choice but to swallow his bitter gourd that he had sowed himself.
“No matter what, I can’t continue acting like a jerk. I have to change father’s impression of me by hook or by crook.”
Wang Chong was fully aware that he only had this family meal gathering to change the notion that his parents had of him. He had to make them understand that he was no longer the same person as he was.
He had to slowly regain their trust.
Wang Chong took a deep breath. At this point, he already knew what he had to do.
“Young master!”
The gate was tightly shut. Upon seeing Wang Chong, the two sturdy-built guards dressed in uniforms bowed their head to greet him.
The two men looked had broad shoulders and a towering stature. Their presence felt like an indomitable heavenly tower and with a single look, it was clear that they had undergone numerous wars in the battlefield.
“It has been tough on you two.”
Wang Chong paused for a moment beside them and sincerely thanked them.
He remembered these two guards. They were specially chosen by his father, Wang Yan, from the military barracks to guard the residence.
Only with a long journey will one know the stamina of his horse, and only with time will a person’s heart show through. In his previous life, Wang Chong didn’t care much about these guards, not knowing their names even. After the incident which caused a pandemonium in the family, when all of the others guards and housekeepers had left, only these two guards and a few other housekeepers stayed closely by their side, protecting and serving them.
Until the arrival of the great catastrophe which killed the two guards just like how it did with countless other people, they carried out their responsibilities loyally until the very end of their lives.
Only at that moment did their names etched deeply into Wang Chong’s mind. One of them was called Shen Hai and the other Meng Long. They were the two most loyal guards of the entire residence.
“Young master?”
The two guards stared at Wang Chong in astonishment. In the past, this young master often acted haughtily and arrogantly, thinking that it was unbefitting for him to speak with such lowly guards.
To think that he would make the initiative to greet them as well, this was the very first time he had did so!
The two of them could see the amazement in the others’ eyes!
Wang Chong knew what they were thinking of, but he simply smiled silently. The solidification of a river doesn’t happen in a single day of frost. The impression everyone had of him in the past was simply too poor. It would be difficult to change the conception they had of him in a short period of time.
However, after making the first step, he will continue to make the second and the third. One day, they will comprehend that he had truly changed.
Placing his hands on the lion head knocker, Wang Chong pushed with great force. Jiya, the door creaked open, echoing loudly in the grand hall. After which, he stepped in.
“How fragrant!”
Before Wang Chong could clearly make out anything, the deep aroma of various delicacies that made one salivate reached his nose. In the massive room, a large table that was sufficient for more than a dozen people to sit by it was placed in the middle. There were more than twenty sumptuous dishes placed on it.
“It has been long since I have eaten something so luxurious.”
With a single whiff, his appetite was hooked. Wang Chong felt his stomach protesting in hunger. Thinking about it, in the seven days which he was grounded, the food he ate was mos
tly bland, far from the current spread that laid out before him.
However, despite the lavish spread before him, something was amiss about the atmosphere before him.
Wang Chong felt a chill in his heart. Lifting his head to take a glance, he saw the grim expressions on the faces of his father and his mother. None of them were looking at him.
Even though the aroma of the food was lingering around the dining table, there were two people who weren’t moving at all. On the other hand, his voracious little sister was burying her head in the food. A hand of her held a pair chopsticks while the other cupped a bowl. Her mouth moved non-stop as food disappeared swiftly into her mouth. From his angle, he could only see the two braids on her head bouncing up and down.
This little sister of his only had two hobbies, one was to eat and the other was to play.
Wang Chong almost died from shock the first time he saw her eating. How could this be a little girl? It was obviously a ravenous beast!
However, when one considered her astounding strength, it all made sense.
In his family, his little sister was the only one who was allowed eat outside of official mealtimes. His voracious little sister usually made a lot of clanging sound with her bowls and utensils while eating, yet this time, her mouth was wide opened but not a single sound was produced. It was clear that there was something wrong with the atmosphere.
The air in the grand hall felt so thick that it could suffocate.
“You! Are! Done! For!”
While grabbing her bowl and eating frenziedly, she shot a look of sympathy towards Wang Chong. She could already see the tragic fate that was about to befall her elder brother.
This little girl may be innocent, but she was exceptionally vindictive. She hasn’t forgotten how her elder brother lied to her just now!
Wang Chong didn’t have the time to bother with this infuriating little sister of his. He knew that even though the punishment had ended, but this matter was far from over.
“Father, mother!”
Unlike previously, Wang Chong didn’t walk straight to his seat and bury himself in the food like an ostrich. Instead, he circled around the dining table over to his father and mother and stopped before them.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 9