The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  In his entire life, he had never seen anyone as talented as Wang Chong. It was to the point that he wasn’t a match for this child at all.

  Toward these two children, he couldn’t toughen up his heart.

  Setting out the chessboard, the stones clashed with one another. A few hours later, the white stones, as usual, were forced to a corner. For the past few days, Su Zhengchen had lost tragically to Wang Chong consecutively, and it was of no exception today.

  Looking at the board, Su Zhengchen’s face paled, and eventually, he sighed deeply. Grabbing the wine cup on the table, he gulped it down.

  Perhaps it was because he had abstained from alcohol for the past few decades, he choked on this mouthful. His entire face turned red, and he coughed several times.

  Upon seeing this sight, little Jianjian burst into laughter. He felt that this big brother was an interesting person.

  Wang Chong couldn’t help but chuckle as well.

  Once the gears had started turning, it couldn’t be stopped anymore. Even though Wang Chong had brought many snacks the past few days, the ex-war god didn’t touch them at all.

  But with this gulp of wine, everything would change.

  In the distance, under an inconspicuous roof, the old servant, Fang Hong, smiled upon seeing this sight. It had been a long time since he had seen such an expression on the old master.

  Choked on the alcohol, Su Zhengchen’s face flushed red. However, at this moment, Fang Hong could sense that the sorrowful aura that had accompanied him for many years was fading.

  For some reason, Fang Hong found himself extremely fond of that youngster named Wang Chong and that four-year-old child.

  Wang Chong’s judgement was spot-on!

  After drinking that cup of wine, it was as if a barrier had been shattered. The control that Su Zhengchen had been imposing on himself was destroyed.

  In the next few days, Su Zhengchen would occasionally pick up a few pieces of peanut, a few slices of beef, few side dishes, and drink a mouthful or two of wine…

  Even though it wasn’t much, he seemed much more casual than before. The atmosphere also wasn’t as tense as before.

  This was a positive change!

  Seeing that the elder he respected was finally able to put down some of his sorrows, Wang Chong felt happy for him.

  …

  Day after day passed, but Su Zhengchen still didn’t reveal his identity. At the same time, Wang Chong didn’t point anything out either. Every single day, the elder and the youngster would sit beneath the Chinese scholar tree, and they would play chess like anyone else.

  During this period of time, Wang Chong came into contact with Uncle Li Lin, and upon hearing that the saber was sold for three hundred thousand gold taels, he was astounded!

  Wang Chong didn’t think that the Death’s Abyss could be sold for such a fearsome figure. This strengthened Wang Chong’s resolution to walk the high-end route.

  This three hundred thousand gold taels also helped to fill up Wang Chong’s treasury, which was already running low.

  However, there was still no progress on the matter regarding the ‘Demonic Emperor Old Man’. No matter how many men Wang Chong sent, there wasn’t any result.

  …

  “Wang Chong, what are you doing? Stand like a tree, sit like a bell, one should be disciplined in his actions. How can you behave so casually?”

  Su Zhengchen frowned in displeasure.

  Wang Chong seemed to be becoming more and more casual before him. Awhile ago, he had only brought some alcohol, but now, even his sitting posture had changed. He began to play while lying down.

  “Hahaha, the purpose of life is happiness, don’t allow your wine cup to face the moon emptily. What’s the use of restricting yourself so much? Being happy is enough.”

  Wang Chong chuckled happily, not paying it any heed.

  Since Su Zhengchen didn’t reveal his identity, Wang Chong was also content to act ignorant. Otherwise, if Su Zhengchen were to flash out his identity as the ex-war god, he wouldn’t be able to behave so casually anymore.

  Su Zhengchen frowned, but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he turned his attention back to the chessboard. On the golden chessboard, the white stones were on the verge of collapsing once more.

  “Cough! Cough! Cough!”

  Suddenly, a series of violent coughing sounded. While the duo was immersed in the game, Little Jianjian sneaked to the little table Wang Chong brought, and he gobbled a slice of braised beef and drank a small mouthful of wine.

  The braised beef was nothing much, but when drinking the wine Wang Chong brought, Jianjian choked and coughed violently.

  “Cough cough cough! Bad, it tastes bad. The charcoal wine from the Eastern City’s Zhou Clan is better!”

  Little Jianjian patted his chest as he said with a bitter expression.

  Upon seeing this sight, Wang Chong and Su Zhengchen couldn’t help but chuckle.

  “Little fellow, who told you to drink it without permission?”

  Su Zhengchen reprimanded. However, his eyes were filled with affection, as though he was looking at his own grandson.

  “Indeed. At your age, you should be taking on good habits instead of learning how to drink!”

  Wang Chong reprimanded with a smile as well. However, the next instant, his mind suddenly jolted. For a brief moment, Wang Chong fell into a daze.

  “Little fellow, what did you just say?”

  Wang Chong suddenly stared at little Jianjian intently. It felt as though something that the other party said had jolted him, and some memories that had sunk deep in his mind were about to float to the surface.

  “Hmph, I said that your wine is bad!”

  Little Jianjian crossed his arms in displeasure.

  “Not that, the other one.”

  Wang Chong asked anxiously.

  “The other one? The charcoal wine from the Eastern City’s Zhou Clan? You think that I’ve never drunk it? Hmph, that’s not true…”

  Hong long long!

  It felt as though a bolt of lightning had flashed across Wang Chong’s mind. His entire body trembled, and suddenly, a memory flashed across him.

  “Eastern City’s Zhou Clan, Eastern City’s Zhou Clan… That’s right, how did I forget about it!”

  Suddenly, Wang Chong’s heart started beating furiously in agitation

  He suddenly recalled the details regarding the ‘Demonic Emperor Old Man’ and the expert with mediocre talent who used the Great Yinyang World Creation Art.

  That’s right!

  That rich clan that hired the expert back then was the Eastern City’s Zhou Clan! He had only heard this name by chance several times in the past, but that was definitely it.

  In fact, Wang Chong even recalled hearing that the Eastern City’s Zhou Clan had a specialty wine which was a household name among the ordinary civilians, even though it wasn’t well-known among the larger clans.

  That wine was known as the ‘Zhou Clan’s Charcoal Wine!”

  By finding the Eastern City’s Zhou Clan, he would be able to track down that young expert and locate the whereabouts of the ‘Demonic Emperor Old Man’.

  In this instant, Wang Chong suddenly saw a ray of hope!

  Delight gushed through his heart!

  Chapter 148: Zhou Wen!

  Amidst Su Zhengchen and little Jianjian’s surprised gazes, Wang Chong left.

  Before his departure, Su Zhengchen had lost tragically to Wang Chong once more, and the white stones on the chessboard were scattered sparsely around the place. This made a deep ‘’ to furrow on the ex-war god’s forehead.

  After leaving the Ghost Tree District, Wang Chong headed straight for the city’s east before asking a few passers-by for directions. Even though the nobility in Great Tang Empire knew very little about the Charcoal Wine, it was a famous product among ordinary civilians.

  In just a short moment, Wang Chong arrived at the entrance of the Zhou Clan’s brewery.

  The gigantic court
yard was surrounded by a fence, and on the fence, a long flagpole stood taut. Written in black on a red background was:

  “Zhou Ji’s Charcoal Wine!”

  The flag drifted along with the wind, and from afar, one could vaguely see a few black spots on the red background. Clearly, it had several years to it by now.

  Given how the boss didn’t change their flag for such a long period of time, he must have been very proud of his specialty.

  “So this is where that person works!”

  Half a street away from the Zhou Clan’s brewery, a carriage stopped. Parting the window lace, Wang Chong gazed through the window to look at the Zhou Clan’s brewery with unspeakable emotions in his heart.

  Wang Chong had heard quite a few things regarding that person, and he knew that he worked for a wealthy clan, but even so, he couldn’t help but feel agitated upon seeing his working place for the first time.

  If not for little Jianjian unintentionally bringing the matter up after sneakily drinking some wine, Wang Chong might have never remembered it.

  “Gongzi, we’ve checked on it. There’s indeed a person named Zhou Wen here.”

  At this moment, the carriage door opened, and a Wang Clan guard walked in respectfully.

  “I’ve asked around, and everyone inside knows him. He was born into a destitute family, and he has a mother at home to provide for. To date, he has already worked for the Zhou Clan for several years now. He is an honest and reticent person. He keeps a low profile in the factory, but due to his diligence, his co-workers have a favorable impression of him.”

  Wang Chong nodded. This was completely aligned with what he knew of that man.

  The Zhou Wen before twenty-seven-year-old was no different from an ordinary man. Despite his lack of talent, he made it up with his diligence to provide for him and his family.

  What that truly changed his fate was the appearance of the mysterious ‘Demonic Emperor Old Man’.

  It was the Demonic Emperor Old Man who turned that mediocre and amiable young man into the respected expert in the future.

  “Have you asked when he gets off work?”

  Seated in the carriage, Wang Chong asked.

  “I’ve asked. To prepare food for his mother, he would always return on time. To make up for it, he often arrives at work much earlier than the others. He would wake up before five to prepare food for his mother before heading to the Zhou Clan brewery to start working. When others start work, he would have already worked for four hours already.”

  “Even though he got off work early, his working hours are actually much longer than the others. On top of that, he’s extremely diligent. Singlehandedly, he does the work rivaling two to three people. As such, the Zhou Clan is delighted to keep him as well.”

  With a lowered head, the guard explained the situation in great details.

  Everyone in the Wang Clan knew that the current young master was different from before. After the matter at the Four Quarter Embassy, there were rumors that of the entire Wang Clan, the one most likely to succeed the old master’s position was this young child.

  As such, the guards treated this young master with utmost respect, not daring to be negligent in whatever that was entrusted to them.

  “You’ve worked hard!”

  Wang Chong nodded before closing his eyes to wait patiently.

  After a seemingly long period of time, the gates to the Zhou Clan’s brewery opened, and a tall figure walked out.

  “Heh, Zhou Wen!”

  “Zhou Wen is here!”

  “Are you returning home to prepare food?”

  “Haha, hurry along. We’ll settle the matters here!”

  …

  Outside the Zhou Clan’s brewery, a commotion sounded. Wang Chong abruptly opened his eyes and looked out of the window, only to see a tall silhouette standing at the entrance, smiling honestly at the group back at the brewery.

  “It’s him!”

  The thought flashed across Wang Chong’s head.

  Zhou Wen, who had just got off work, wasn’t as brawny, tanned, or scruffy as Wang Chong expected. Rather, he was dressed in a gray robe, and he had a clean and tidy appearance.

  He had washed his face beforehand, and a clean glow radiated from his skin. Instead of a worker in a brewery, he felt more like an academic instead.

  Zhou Wen also had a tall stature. Standing at nearly six chi, he towered over the other workers.

  (200cm)

  Even so, his simple character and honest smile allowed him to mix in perfectly with the other workers of the brewery.

  Wang Chong could tell that the other workers were extremely fond of this tall lad.

  After waving the other workers goodbye one by one, Zhou Wen placed a baggage on his back and started walking back home.

  “Follow him!”

  Wang Chong said.

  The carriage slowly followed behind Zhou Wen at a steady pace, maintaining an appropriate distance so as to not alarm him.

  The sun gradually set, and perhaps fearful that his mother was starving, Zhou Wen walked swiftly. Even though his walking pace seemed normal, his speed was almost equivalent to the jogging pace of an ordinary person.

  Wang Chong followed Zhou Wen through the streets until the latter started walking through the alleys. As the alleys were too narrow for the carriage to pass through, Wang Chong abandoned the carriage without any hesitation.

  Even though it was slightly inconvenient, it was easier to conceal himself this way.

  Following behind him, Wang Chong saw him turn around the corner, take out a copper coin, and place it into the bowl of a blind beggar.

  Then, at the remnants of a wall fencing a banyan tree, Zhou Wen took out the lunch that he didn’t bear to eat from his baggage and fed it to a few pigeons with a bright smile on his face.

  Seeing this sight from afar, many emotions ran through Wang Chong’s heart.

  Back then, he once saw Zhou Wen from afar; the other party’s face was stiff, and there wasn’t the slightest smile on his face. It seemed as though he had lost his soul, driven only by some compelling purpose.

  It was clear that he was unhappy with a single glance.

  For those who had seen Zhou Wen’s state then, seeing him smile so happily over simple matters like this was unimaginable.

  Strength isn’t everything. There were some who were willing to swap their entire world for strength, but similarly, there were also some who were willing to swap strength for an entire world.

  Wang Chong believed that if that man then saw this sight, he would definitely trade everything he had for this!

  “What’s that fellow doing?

  “He’s moving faster and faster! He started running!”

  “Did he notice us?”

  …

  Suddenly, a panicked voice sounded by Wang Chong’s ears. The guards stared into the distance in shock.

  Zhou Wen had always been walking at a steady pace, but after feeding the pigeons, he started moving faster and faster, to the point that he even started running. It seemed as though he had noticed something, and he was trying his best to get them off his trail.

  “He has wasted too much time on the way back so he’s trying to rush back home to prepare food for his mother.”

  Wang Chong explained calmly.

  “AH?!”

  The guards were astonished by Wang Chong’s explanation.

  “Look at the sky. His mother would surely be starving by now.”

  Wang Chong pointed out.

  The guards were stunned. Lifting their heads, they realized that it was already dark. Unknowingly, it was already time for dinner.

  Wang Chong didn’t think too much about it. He simply widened his strides and followed behind Zhou Wen. Due to his superior cultivation, it was impossible for him to be slower than Zhou Wen.

  Treading through alley after alley behind Zhou Wen, Wang Chong eventually saw him enter a short and shabby mud horse which had a thick layer of straw covering its roof.
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  The house stood silently amidst the darkness, and there were no other residences within dozens of zhang of this cottage. It felt as though it was isolated from the entire world.

  (~40m)

  “Mother!”

  “Wen-er! Cough cough! …”

  A slightly old voice accompanied with several pained coughs sounded from the narrow and small house. A moment later, a dim oil lamp lit up, then a series of ding ding dang dang, the sound of washing and cutting, echoed in the room.

  Standing beneath a lush camphor tree, Wang Chong soon caught the fragrance of a meal.

  “Mother, dinner is ready.”

  Zhou Wen’s respectful voice sounded. A moment later, the windows opened, and black smoke drifted out. At the same moment, Wang Chong saw Zhou Wen carrying two plates of side dishes out.

  Two chopsticks, two small bowls, and a dim oil lamp in the center of the table.

  On one side sat Zhou Wen, and on the other a silver-haired and skinny old lady. She kept placing food into the Zhou Wen’s bowl, and from time to time, she would turn to the side to cough.

  “Child, eat some more, eat some more…”

  Upon seeing this sight, Wang Chong felt his nose sour slightly. An indescribable feeling welled up in him.

  In that instant, Wang Chong suddenly realized what this man lost back then.

  This man was an honest and humble man, he didn’t harbor great ambitions.

  There were many stories about the background of this man back then, but none of them spoke a thing about his mother.

  He was a filial son. He could wake up at 5 every morning to work, and despite taking on the load of two workers, he could still smile in front of the dinner table with his wearied body. All of these were because he had a mother whom he cared for.

  But by the time he became the hero that everyone respected, he had already lost everything. He was already alone in this world.

  He lost the most important thing he held dearly in this world!

  Wang Chong suddenly recalled a rumor he had heard very long ago. It was said that the reason why this man’s character suddenly became callous was because his mother was killed by a bunch of violent ruffians.

  This news came from nowhere, and it only reached the ears of a few. It didn’t take long for it to be completely forgotten.