Before Mochi Xiangyang could understand what was going on, a voice rumbled at his ear, “Sir Mochi, His Highness sent me to wait for you here. Sir Mochi, please come with me!”
These words caused Mochi Xiangyang to turn as white as a sheet.
Chapter 1592 - Great Tang War God Su Zhengchen!
Chapter 1592: Great Tang War God Su Zhengchen!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
With the domineering appearance of the Public Order Squad, the protest involving tens of thousands of Hu was ended, with more than twenty thousand Hu being jailed. Wang Chong’s posted memorial also sent a massive tremor through the capital.
After this, all the Hu became much more restrained, with the emissaries from their various countries even telling them to strictly comply with the laws of the Great Tang and not act recklessly.
As for the Imperial Court, it issued a decree to all the local governments that the Hu and Han should be treated the same, and the Hu were not to receive any special treatment.
……
In the northwest corner of the capital, in the Sage Temple deep within the plum forest…
“Senior Brother!”
Within the hall, Li Junxian lowered his head in reverence.
“Haaaa!”
A long sigh echoed through the hall. Master Zhu, holding one of Wang Chong’s posters, looked at Li Junxian and shook his head.
“Do you know where your mistake was?”
“Senior Brother, please instruct me!”
Master Zhu’s eyes were brimming with disappointment. Li Junxian pressed his head even lower. He had always felt nothing but respect for his senior brother.
“The reason you lost this round was not that you did not know the laws of the Great Tang well enough, or that you did not know about Tang Gaozu’s decree. It was because you handed over the hearts of the people. You did not lose to the Public Order Squad. You lost to this poster.”
Master Zhu shook his head and glanced at the poster once more.
He had criticized the scion of the Wang Clan, the writer of ‘Might Makes Right’, as a promulgator of heresy, but Master Zhu had to admit that the poster that he had written, the memorial that he had offered to the First Prince, was extremely convincing. It was no wonder these words had been able to win the cheers of the people.
“If you lose the hearts of the people, how can you realize the Harmonious World? Think very carefully about your errors!” Master Zhu sternly said.
“Junxian understands his mistakes!” Li Junxian declared with sincerity, not even attempting to argue.
The hall once more fell into silence.
……
Whoosh!
With the end of the incident, countless messenger birds took flight.
Amongst these, a hawk the size of a fist crossed mountains and flew all the way to the Tibetan Plateau. Several days later, it shot like an arrow into the royal palace of Ü-Tsang.
Incense drifted through the palace, filling the air with the unique scent of yak butter.
Tap!
An arm reached out of the smoke and received the hawk.
“As expected! It seems like the Great Tang’s militarist-Confucian conflict is far from over. That man is truly not easy to deal with.”
Dalon Trinling raised his head and muttered to himself, a thoughtful look in his eyes.
Only a few words had been written on the letter.
‘Mochi Xiangyang captured! Operation failed!’
Dalon Trinling was not particularly surprised. How could someone who was able to kill Dalun Ruozan be that easy to deal with?
Mochi Xiangyang had not listened to his warning and had decided to risk himself. From the moment he had summoned the Hu to gather in front of the Imperial Palace’s gates, he had already failed, and failure had its price to pay.
“Great Minister, Mochi Xiangyang is dead, so what do we do now?”
Behind Dalon Trinling was a short, energetic, and extremely dangerous Tibetan general.
“There’s no need! Someone is already beginning to move.”
Dalon Trinling faintly smiled.
……
The Public Order Squad had appeared out of nowhere and shifted around the political structure of the capital, also bringing back to memory the decree issued by Emperor Gaozu. As the curtain fell, the conflicts subsided, but the undercurrent would never stop flowing and surging.
At the King Qi Residence…
King Qi sat motionlessly in a golden sandalwood chair, his brow furrowed. Behind him were his goateed advisor, the Three Elders of the Northern Sea, and the other strongmen that King Qi had recruited. A bizarre mood permeated the room.
They had rushed over upon receiving King Qi’s summons, but when they arrived, they saw King Qi sitting motionlessly on his chair, occasionally muttering to himself.
If King Qi said nothing, the others could only sit and wait.
Seeing that King Qi was still showing no signs of movement, everyone turned to the goateed advisor, their eyes exerting an invisible pressure.
Their intentions were clear, and the goateed advisor paled and broke out in a cold sweat.
King Qi had a temperamental personality, and it would be difficult to predict what would happen if he was interrupted in the middle of his thoughts. In the King Qi Residence, numerous servants and maids had lost their lives for provoking King Qi.
The goateed advisor worked up his courage and asked, “Your Highness…”
But before he could say anything, he heard the voice of his lord.
“You’re all here!”
At some point, King Qi had opened his eyes.
“Your Highness!”
Everyone lowered their heads. Meanwhile, the advisor sighed in relief, feeling like he had narrowly escaped death.
“Your Highness, for what reason have you summoned us?” the advisor cautiously asked.
“I have an important mission for all of you!” King Qi suddenly said.
He had apparently comprehended many things over this period of time.
“Do you still remember the sword attack the King of Foreign Lands used against the Three Elders of the Northern Sea outside the Imperial Palace gates? That sword art is unique in the Great Tang, and only one person can pass it down. I need you to investigate this matter.”
The thing that had left the deepest impression on King Qi during the Public Order Squad incident was not the establishment of the Public Order Squads or Gaozu’s decree, but the Art of God and Demon Obliteration that Wang Chong had used.
Su Zhengchen!
This name was a taboo in the Great Tang. The last will of Taizong was like a cage that firmly imprisoned this legendary existence of the Great Tang. Anyone who could obtain Su Zhengchen’s approval could inherit his supreme martial art and his formidable art of war. This was the greatest power in the world.
If one had this strength, one could even…
King Qi stopped this line of thought.
But everything about Su Zhengchen was a major secret, and even worse was that Taizong had ordered in his will that those who infiltrated the Su Residence would be executed! Not even the members of the imperial household dared to defy this order.
Each sovereign after Taizong, including the previous Emperor, had not tried to unlock this cage or weaken its restraints. Instead, they only made the cage sturdier, turning it into an iron law. It was even rumored that a group of special guards had been set up to especially deal with descendants of the imperial household who tried to intrude upon the Su Residence.
And unlike others, King Qi had long ago inspected the files in the palace, which clearly recorded how those Princes who had defied the edict had been heavily punished, even executed. All of this had left an extremely deep impression on King Qi.
Thus, although he dearly wanted to know the answer, he was extremely fearful and did not dare to use his full force.
But now that the idea had taken root, King Qi co
uldn’t remove it, so in the end, he had still summoned his men.
“Remember! Not a single clue is to be left behind! Otherwise, this king will not forgive you!” King Qi sternly said.
“Yes, Your Highness!”
The hall quickly fell silent.
……
Time slowly passed, and as night fell and the capital fell quiet, while the people were still in tea houses discussing the incident, an inconspicuous estate that stood apart from the rest of the capital welcomed a guest.
Rap tap tap!
A light rapping sounded at the back gate of the Su Residence. Wang Chong had come in the third quarter of the Zi Period, dressed in casual clothes, his hair held by a white jade hairband.
The Su Residence was utterly silent. Behind the wooden door was seemingly another world.
“Is it Senior Brother? Hurry and come in! Master has been waiting for you for ages!”
As a child called out, the door opened with a creak.
An energetic and strange child poked his head out, and after taking a glance, he let Wang Chong into the Su Residence.
Although Wang Chong had met with Su Zhengchen several times, this was the first time Wang Chong had ever stepped into the Su Residence.
Quiet.
This was Wang Chong’s first feeling. Scholar trees with sparse foliage towered within the back garden of the Su Residence, and the ground was covered in a thick carpet of leaves.
“Little Jian, this is…”
Wang Chong glanced at Little Jianjian.
“It has nothing to do with me. I said that I wanted to sweep these leaves up, but Master said that we should just let nature take its course. I don’t know what he means, but this is the result.”
Little Jianjian stuck out his tongue and shrugged.
“Nature?”
Wang Chong frowned in thought, as if recalling something. But before he could ponder the deeper meaning, he heard Little Jianjian urging him on.
“Come on! Master has never left his residence before, but when he heard you were coming, he prepared alcohol and food to welcome you. It’s been a long time since he’s been this happy!”
A startled Wang Chong was dragged forward by Little Jianjian.
It had been more than sixty years since the Su Residence had been renovated, and even the red paint on the main gates had begun to peel.
But as the legendary and invincible War God of the Great Tang, Su Zhengchen possessed a vast estate, even larger than the estates of many nobles.
The Great Tang dispensed rewards according to achievements. The Su Residence had reached this size nearly one hundred years ago, so one could only imagine how resplendent it was in its prime.
After passing through several abandoned villas, Wang Chong spotted Su Zhengchen once more beneath several withered banyan trees. Just as Wang Chong remembered, Su Zhengchen did not exude any mighty aura, nor did he exude the dignity and lavishness appropriate to his status.
Su Zhengchen was wearing a cloth robe and seemed like an ordinary old man. He was seated on a bamboo chair, and in front of him was a simple wooden table. Several small dishes had been placed on the table along with a jar of wine and two white porcelain cups.
In the center of the table burned a small oil lamp.
This man was no different from any other elder of advanced age in the capital. In no way did this man seem like the Great Tang War God who had shaken the world.
Chapter 1593 - Su Zhengchen’s Instruction!
Chapter 1593: Su Zhengchen’s Instruction!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Elder Su!”
Wang Chong respectfully bowed to Su Zhengchen.
Su Zhengchen had never let Wang Chong call him ‘Master’, but deep within his heart, Wang Chong respected Su Zhengchen just as much as one.
“You’ve come.”
Su Zhengchen raised his head, smiled, and then pointed at the bamboo chair across from him.
“Sit.”
Wang Chong had never once entered the Su Residence to pay Su Zhengchen a visit, but Su Zhengchen seemed unsurprised by his visit. He had even prepared drink and food.
“Yes!”
Wang Chong bowed again and then sat down.
Wang Chong scanned the small table. He saw peanuts, salted beef, and green vegetables. The dishes were the same as the last time he had met Su Zhengchen.
His eyes turning to Su Zhengchen, he noted that Su Zhengchen had as hale and hearty an expression as ever, but for some reason, he seemed much older.
Yet when Wang Chong looked carefully, he couldn’t see any difference.
Wang Chong quickly regained his focus and guiltily said, “Elder Su, my apologies. Several days ago, in front of the Imperial Palace, I used the Art of God and Demon Obliteration…”
Although the Art of God and Demon Obliteration was extremely powerful, it had always been a major taboo of the Great Tang. In the past, numerous imperial descendants had wanted to learn this art, but Su Zhengchen had refused all of them.
This even included sovereigns. It was only after using this art that Wang Chong remembered this.
There was no doubt that this would bring many troubles to Elder Su. This was why he had come of his own volition to visit Su Zhengchen.
Before Wang Chong could finish, Su Zhengchen cut him off. “I already know of this.”
His expression was calm as if he had already predicted what Wang Chong would say. And he apparently did not plan to reproach Wang Chong.
“I also had a matter that I needed to see you for!”
Wang Chong subconsciously raised his head. This was something that he had never expected to hear.
“Senior, please enlighten me!” Wang Chong respectfully said.
“From the sword art you used, I can see that you have probably already learned everything from the sword intent I left within the white chess piece, but even though you have reached a very high level, there are still some things that you have not grasped. The Art of God and Demon Obliteration is not used in the way you use it,” Su Zhengchen lightly said, shooting a glance at Wang Chong.
Wang Chong was startled by these words, but then he felt a surge of warmth.
Even he had believed that he had acted too rashly in front of the Imperial Palace, but Elder Su seemed to not care that Wang Chong was causing him trouble. On the contrary, he cared more about the flaws in Wang Chong’s technique and whether or not he was displaying the full might of the Art of God and Demon Obliteration.
Su Zhengchen apparently hadn’t noticed the shift in Wang Chong’s emotional state. He extended his middle and index fingers, and a chopstick on the table immediately flew into his hand.
Su Zhengchen used the chopstick in place of a sword and began to perform for Wang Chong.
After just a few moments, Wang Chong paled.
The chopstick in Su Zhengchen’s hand had no power and was being waved about like any ordinary person would wave around a chopstick, but Wang Chong sensed that this chopstick was sharper and more frightening than any sword art.
Moreover, with his formidable Psychic Energy, Wang Chong was far more sensitive than any other martial artists of his level. He could sense that the chopstick had transformed into something else, and countless thin threads of Sword Qi were spreading out from it.
In Wang Chong’s eyes, Su Zhengchen’s chopstick was no longer just waving around in the air. It was shaking the fabric of space itself.
But there was clearly not a single bit of Stellar Energy being used.
“How could this be?!”
Wang Chong’s mind was shaken, and his eyes flew open. To use a single chopstick to shake the fabric of space while not using a single bit of Stellar Energy was completely beyond Wang Chong’s understanding of the art of the sword.
This was no longer in the domain of the Art of God and Demon Obliteration. Elder Su’s abilities had transcended the abilities of any martial art.
Buzz!
/> “Did you see it?”
Elder Su withdrew his fingers, but the chopstick remained suspended in the air.
Whoooah!
As Elder Su spoke, time seemed to stop. All objects in the garden froze, even the wind.
A moment later, boom! Space trembled, and the leaves of the banyan tree above Elder Su suddenly shook and drifted down. Before they had even struck the ground, they had already been sliced and diced into tiny, hair-thin threads.
As one of these thin threads drifted past Wang Chong’s eyes, he could clearly make out the smooth and glossy cut that could only be achieved through Sword Qi.
“!!!”
The shock in Wang Chong’s eyes was plainly visible in the flickering light of the oil lamp.
If Elder Su had unleashed domineering Sword Qi or had used even a tiny bit of Stellar Energy, Wang Chong would not have been surprised to see space torn apart. But Elder Su had merely waved around a chopstick without showing even a sliver of Stellar Energy, and thus, Wang Chong was incredulous.
After his northwest adventure, Wang Chong felt that he had reached new levels in insight, experience, cultivation level, and strength. Not even the likes of Song Yuanyi and the Black Yin Ancestor were any match for him. But Su Zhengchen’s simple gesture, sublimating the complex into the simple, was something that Wang Chong was sure that he could not do.
But how was this possible?
Wang Chong began to carefully examine Su Zhengchen. As he was now five times stronger than a peak Great General, he should have been able to see Elder Su’s true cultivation, but he suddenly realized that Su Zhengchen still seemed like he ever had: an ordinary old man who did not know martial arts.
But even an idiot knew that the legendary War God of the Great Tang was no ordinary old man.
Buzz!
Wang Chong suddenly realized something.
He hadn’t realized at the start, but now that he was looking more carefully, he realized that Su Zhengchen, the table in front of him, the banyan tree behind him, the falling leaves, the back garden of the Su Residence, and the surrounding fabric of space were all one being.
In Wang Chong’s senses, Su Zhengchen was a falling leaf, a table, a piece of stone, a wisp of air. To put it another way, he was one with the entire world.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 984