The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “Yes, Your Majesty!”

  An Yaluoshan was all smiles as he came forward, holding the dragon pearl in both hands.

  Everyone watched as An Yaluoshan got within a few steps of the ‘Sage Emperor’ and then went down on one knee, lowering his head as he raised the dragon pearl.

  Everything fell silent as everyone stared at the Sage Emperor and An Yaluoshan.

  Wang Chong said nothing as he stared at the Sage Emperor, An Yaluoshan, and the so-called dragon pearl.

  He had been examining An Yaluoshan this entire time, but he still could not see what An Yaluoshan was up to.

  There didn’t seem to be anything strange about the pearl in his hand, other than the fact that it could glow like a luminescent pearl. But Wang Chong’s intuition told him that things were not as simple as they seemed.

  An Yaluoshan was taking a great risk in coming to the capital, meaning that he had not come simply to offer a gift.

  But Wang Chong did not dare to act recklessly until he had firm evidence.

  The Sage Emperor of the present was not the Sage Emperor of the past. Leaving behind incriminating evidence could not only fail to help, but also give the ‘Sage Emperor’ a pretext to get rid of him!

  Buzz!

  On his throne, the ‘Sage Emperor’ finally reached out a hand toward An Yaluoshan’s dragon pearl.

  “A good treasure! Is it really a dragon pearl?”

  The ‘Sage Emperor’ was influenced by the excitement of the crowd, and the light from the pearl created a variety of shadows on his face. But just as the Sage Emperor’s hand touched the dragon pearl, something inside the pearl seemed to activate. Whoosh! A furtive energy shot into the ‘Sage Emperor”s body with astonishing speed.

  The ‘Sage Emperor’ trembled and raised his head, staring at the half-kneeling An Yaluoshan with a look of… joy!

  “Not good!”

  Everyone was entranced by the dragon pearl, but not Wang Chong. He had noticed the look in the Sage Emperor’s eyes and the change in his body.

  The ‘Sage Emperor’ had a chaotic energy streaked with a band of extremely pure energy. But the moment the ‘Sage Emperor’ touched the dragon pearl, Wang Chong sensed his energy darkening, turning even more chaotic.

  Moreover, Wang Chong had previously been able to sense some of the true Sage Emperor’s energy, but now, as if it had been sealed, that energy began to rapidly weaken.

  “Good!”

  The ‘Sage Emperor’, or ‘Third Son Xuan’, snatched the dragon pearl from An Yaluoshan and gripped it in his hand.

  His eyes were bright, his face brimming with excitement.

  “An Yaluoshan, We like this dragon pearl! You are truly too kind! Come; reward him!”

  The ‘Sage Emperor’ was happy– no, ecstatic!

  An Yaluoshan was truly a wondrous person!

  He seemed to know exactly what was lacking!

  When he wanted to bring women into the palace, this Hu sent him one hundred Hu beauties, all of them virgins!

  That other fellow had been opposing him all this time, even getting Gao Lishi to secretly work against him and brew up medicine to suppress his personality and make him sleep for several decades. He had been trying to find a way to remove this annoyance, but he had never been able to find a very effective method. He had never expected someone to deliver the solution right to his doorstep.

  Chapter 2002 - : An Yaluoshan’s Dance!

  Chapter 2002: An Yaluoshan’s Dance!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  The moment the ‘Sage Emperor’ touched the dragon pearl, he had sensed a stream of energy entering his body and rapidly suppressing ‘that scoundrel’.

  The ‘dragon pearl’ did not harm his own body. On the contrary, he felt refreshed and with an even greater degree of control over his body.

  Meanwhile, ‘that scoundrel’ had greatly weakened and was continuing to weaken.

  Though he didn’t know where An Yaluoshan had obtained this dragon pearl, was it not exactly what he had wanted?

  A wonderful man!

  Truly wonderful!

  This An Yaluoshan was like his star of fortune!

  ‘Third Son Xuan’ wanted nothing more than to loudly laugh.

  On the right side of the ‘U’, Wang Chong looked at the faces of the ‘Sage Emperor’ and An Yaluoshan, his heart sinking.

  Fast!

  Too fast!

  Before he had time to intervene, the dragon pearl had ended up in the hands of the ‘Sage Emperor’.

  “An Yaluoshan!”

  Wang Chong’s gaze shot to An Yaluoshan, his eyes immediately chilling.

  He had been watching An Yaluoshan this whole time, but to his surprise, he had still managed to succeed. He had inspected numerous books to find a solution for the Sage Emperor’s problem, even sending Young Master Qingyang and Sword Dragon to the Kunlun Mountains to seek the Rainbow Glass Divine Grass. But while all this was going on, An Yaluoshan had used his ‘dragon pearl’ to suppress the Sage Emperor right when he was at his weakest, and right in front of Wang Chong’s eyes.

  An Yaluoshan wasn’t so capable as to hide all this from him. There had to be someone giving him instructions!

  “You’re seeking death!”

  Wang Chong clenched his fists, his body erupting with intense killing intent.

  Did An Yaluoshan really think he wouldn’t dare to kill him in the Imperial City? Since he dared to pull his tricks in front of him, he would do everything in his power to turn him into a corpse.

  “Stop!”

  As Wang Chong’s killing intent pulsed, a soft voice pleaded into his ears. Xu Qiqin hooked her slender arms around Wang Chong’s right hand and shook her head, an imploring and nervous look in her eyes.

  Though others did not notice, Xu Qiqin was so close that she could not possibly fail to see what he was thinking.

  In truth, Xu Qiqin had been able to sense Wang Chong’s killing intent the moment An Yaluoshan had appeared in the Pavilion of Petal and Sepal. However, no matter what An Yaluoshan did or what he was planning, she could not permit Wang Chong to strike at this time.

  This was the feast of all countries, and all the countries had gathered with the ‘Sage Emperor’ presiding over all.

  The ‘Sage Emperor’ already regarded Wang Chong as a thorn in his side in the court, but he lacked the excuse to get rid of him. If Wang Chong struck at this time, this would be a gift to the ‘Sage Emperor’, one that he would use to seize Wang Chong and even the Wang Clan.

  Xu Qiqin raised her head and calmly whispered, “There will be another chance to deal with An Yaluoshan. There’s no need to rush it.”

  These words were like spring waters gushing into his heart. The sound of her voice and the sight of the anxiety and concern in her beautiful eyes made Wang Chong take a deep breath and clear his mind.

  Xu Qiqin was right. There would be more chances to deal with An Yaluoshan.

  However, for everything An Yaluoshan had done… Wang Chong would kill him!

  With this thought in mind, Wang Chong’s temper cooled.

  Coming to the capital was easy, but leaving would not be!

  While Wang Chong had calmed down, Cui Qianyou and Gao Shang were incredibly nervous.

  They had been feeling Wang Chong’s razor-sharp gaze for more than half the feast, and even the delicacies arrayed before them seemed tasteless. And all of them could sense Wang Chong erupting with killing intent when he glared at An Yaluoshan.

  How powerful was Wang Chong!

  Even though they had made ample preparations, they were still incredibly nervous. If he really struck, they really didn’t know if they would be able to deal with him. Fortunately, Wang Chong had given up.

  “This person will always be the greatest threat to our plans!” Tian Chengsi said, turning to Gao Shang.

  “Sir Strategist, it all depends on you.”

  Gao Shang nodded and said, “Get ready. We’re going
to start.”

  The capital was Wang Chong’s territory, and Gao Shang was well aware of the immense pressure on his shoulders. If not for the fact that this was the feast of all countries, the Sage Emperor was present, and they had an imperial decree protecting them, he would never have even dared to attempt this plan.

  Tian Chengsi nodded and left his seat.

  Wang Chong’s expression darkened. He glanced at Beacon General Jiang Yunrang, who was seated at the very end of the ‘U’. The man nodded and also departed.

  Wang Chong quickly put aside Tian Chengsi and turned back to the ‘Sage Emperor’. The old eunuch at his side now waved his horsetail whisk, unrolled a decree, and began to loudly speak.

  “Acceding to the will of the heavens, the Emperor declares!

  “Newly appointed Andong Protector-General An Yaluoshan is a loyal servant of the country whose devotion is to be lauded. In the war of the northeast, he displayed exceptional valor and defeated the Goguryeo Empire, rendering great service for the Great Tang and serving as one of the critical subjects of the Great Tang. We are pleased to see this, and grant him a golden plume dragon robe, a dragon sword, a jade token to enter the palace, and a jade belt. Thus is the Emperor’s will!

  “Andong Protector-General, hurry and thank the Sage Emperor!”

  “May the Emperor live ten thousand years!”

  An overjoyed An Yaluoshan hastily prostrated and kowtowed several times.

  A minor eunuch had been waiting on the side with a red sandalwood tray covered in golden silk. Atop the silk was a golden plume robe, a dragon sword, the jade token, and the jade belt.

  “Your Majesty’s favor to this lowly subject is as weighty as the mountains, and An Yaluoshan is so grateful as to weep, feeling both awe and terror. It just so happens that this lowly subject prepared a dance for this feast of all countries to present to Your Majesty!”

  An Yaluoshan raised his head, a fawning look on his face.

  “Oh? You also prepared a dance?”

  The Sage Emperor’s eyes brightened in surprise.

  “Lord An, jokes are not permitted in front of His Majesty,” the old eunuch said.

  For generations, dancers had always been the slender, graceful, and beautiful palace ladies. But An Yaluoshan had a short and chubby figure, and was a man. What sort of dance would he perform?

  A fatty dancing, and for the Sage Emperor?

  This was unheard of!

  “Your Highness, this lowly subject does not lie. Your Majesty needs to only watch to understand!” An Yaluoshan firmly said.

  “Hahaha, good! This is a rare occasion when all the countries have gathered and the sovereign can celebrate with the people, so there is no need for any refinement or elegance. Let Us see your dance, An Yaluoshan!”

  The ‘Sage Emperor’ stroked his beard and chuckled.

  All the countries paying obeisance had fulfilled one of his lifelong desires, and the gift of the ‘dragon pearl’ had made him even happier. He naturally did not care about such trifles.

  “This lowly subject receives the decree!” An Yaluoshan loudly called out, and then he smiled as he took the rewards and departed.

  On the right side of the hall, Wang Chong and Xu Qiqin glanced at each other, seeing their mutual concern.

  They had both reviewed the itinerary, and there was no dance from An Yaluoshan scheduled for this feast. For An Yaluoshan to offer this dance at this time was far too suspicious.

  As the two were wondering what was going on, the palace maids who had been standing behind the officials and foreign dignitaries turned around and extinguished the torches lining the walls.

  At the same time, a lid was placed atop the fire basin in the center of the hall.

  In the blink of an eye, the Pavilion of Petal and Sepal was cast into darkness.

  “Ah!”

  Cries of alarm came from outside the walls, the common folk confused as to why the Pavilion of Petal and Sepal had suddenly gone dark.

  But just a few seconds later, the torches were relit and the fire basin was reignited.

  The entire Pavilion of Petal and Sepal was brightly lit once more.

  Ding!

  Bong!

  Instruments began to play, and then sumptuously dressed dancing girls gracefully stepped into the hall. But the most striking thing was the giant bronze ball being rolled into the Pavilion of Petal and Sepal right behind the dancing girls.

  The ball had been made to look like a flower, and it rumbled and groaned as it was rolled across the ground.

  Bang!

  Before anyone could react, the bronze ball exploded, and a figure jumped out from within.

  An Yaluoshan was standing in the center of the pavilion, wearing a jacket that left his arms bare and his belly exposed, and a pair of puffy pants.

  “Hahaha!”

  An Yaluoshan’s comical appearance made everyone break out in laughter.

  Compared to the palace beauties, An Yaluoshan’s attire was truly amusing, particularly when one contrasted his jiggling belly of fat to the graceful dancing girls around him.

  And An Yaluoshan was not ashamed, even winking and suggestively glancing at the Sage Emperor and the rest of the crowd, causing them to laugh even harder.

  In his seat, Wang Chong grew even more solemn.

  He was one of the few people in the room that was not laughing. Even in another dimension that greatly differed from this one, An Yaluoshan’s dance was famous.

  No one understood more than Wang Chong that An Yaluoshan’s performance was just disguising himself as a pig to eat tigers. He was making the crowd laugh at him so that they would underestimate him.

  A comical clown had none of the dignity or grace of a major official of the court, a commander of the border. How could someone who cared only about amusing the crowd present a major threat to the realm?

  It would be simply ridiculous for the Great Tang to meet its end at the hands of a clown like this.

  In Wang Chong’s memories, this was what many major officials had thought.

  Wang Chong turned his eyes to Prime Minister Li Linfu, who was seated on the left.

  The saying ‘honey in mouth, sword in belly, shrewd as a thief’ was meant to refer to none other than this man.

  Although he had no evidence, Wang Chong knew that this man was behind many things, but his strategies were simply too profound. No matter how others ended up, Li Linfu was always able to emerge unscathed.

  But not even Li Linfu could have imagined that even his all-seeing gaze would misjudge An Yaluoshan.

  I wonder if you were still able to laugh when he rose up in rebellion, Wang Chong quietly remarked as he stared at Li Linfu.

  He could see that while Li Linfu was not laughing like the other officials, when he looked in An Yaluoshan’s direction, there was an almost imperceptible disdain in his eyes.

  Chapter 2003 - Sacred Lord White Tiger!

  Chapter 2003: Sacred Lord White Tiger!Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: MichyrrIt was obvious that even though Li Linfu was allied with An Yaluoshan, as a member of the imperial household, Li Linfu did not agree with An Yaluoshan’s tactics of feigning idiocy and self-humiliation.Bongbongbong!A beautiful dancing girl at the edge of the hall slowly began to shake the rattle-drum in her hand, and with the drum setting the tempo, An Yaluoshan smiled, raised his arms, and began to dance, his layers of fat dancing with him.As An Yaluoshan jiggled his body, the laughter gradually began to die away, and something strange happened to the crowd.An Yaluoshan wore a jacket on the upper half of his body and puffy pants on the lower half, leaving his plump belly in the center exposed. But as his body danced to the drums, his performance had a surprising force and beauty to it, a kind of grace that was completely different from that of a dancing girl.The hall became much quieter, and everyone was drawn to An Yaluoshan’s dance.Boom!But An Yaluoshan’s dance soon drew even greater laughter, because An Yaluoshan would wink at the crowd and make strange faces while danci
ng.The crowd had originally been drawn by the unique beauty of An Yaluoshan’s dance, but now, they couldn’t help but laugh once more at An Yaluoshan’s actions.“Interesting! Interesting! Too interesting!”“I only knew that this Hu could fight, but I didn’t think that he could dance! This An Yaluoshan is truly an incredible person!”“Of the major border commanders of my Great Tang, probably only the Andong Protector-General is capable of this!”The spectators quietly conversed while continuing to chuckle at An Yaluoshan’s comical performance.As everyone was entranced by An Yaluoshan, Gao Shang gave a satisfied nod and whispered, “It’s about time. We can begin!”This scene had achieved the entirety of the effect he desired. All the officials and foreign dignitaries were focused on An Yaluoshan, allowing them to more easily maneuver.Not only that, the louder they laughed, the more they would underestimate their liege.Even if something strange happened, no one would ever link the events back to them.“Your Majesty!”At this moment, An Yaluoshan called out.“This lowly subject’s dance was modified from the Hu whirling dance. It somewhat differs from the usual Hu whirling dance and was specially modified to present this lowly subject’s respect and love for Your Majesty!”“Oh?”The Sage Emperor’s eyes brightened with curiosity. This An Yaluoshan was truly full of surprises.“Let Us see!”Bong!Bong!Bong!The drumbeat changed into a completely different tempo, one that was tinged with strangeness.An Yaluoshan flipped his hand over, revealing a curved blade made from a bull horn.“Careful! Protect His Majesty!”The surrounding Golden Guards became nervous.“Withdraw!”The Sage Emperor was unperturbed, and ordered his Golden Guards to back away.The curved blade in An Yaluoshan’s hand was only around one foot long, and it didn’t have an edge. Moreover… he was no weakling sovereign. An Yaluoshan didn’t have the cultivation to stir up much of a storm in front of him and so many others.An Yaluoshan waved a hand, and a dancing girl immediately threw over a waist drum painted white and red, which he grabbed and tied to his belt.He swayed his waist, his left hand tapping lightly against the drum, his right hand gripping the blade as he took a step forward.Bang!As An Yaluoshan took a step forward, the distance of one hundred feet between him and the ‘Sage Emperor’ was instantly broken, and an invisible energy surged out of his body.Bang!The entire world was instantly transformed.Rumble!On the other end of the Imperial Palace, at the imperial observatory, several astronomers and officials were on the star observation platform, observing the night sky. Suddenly, the platform trembled.“What’s going on? What happened?”“Not good! The star observation platform shaking is an extremely ill omen!”The astronomers and officials panicked. Looking around, they could already see that something was wrong. In this vast Imperial Palace, only the star observation platform was shuddering.The officials instantly turned ghastly pale.This was an extremely special star observation platform, its location personally selected by the foremost diviner of Taizong’s era, Heavenly Master Yuan. Moreover, the surrounding area had been rigorously surveyed to ensure that it was located at the very center of the Imperial Palace’s Dragon Qi.Through divination, star observations, and geomancy, it had been determined that this area was where the Dragon Qi of the Imperial Palace was most concentrated.These various special conditions meant that one could observe the Ziwei Emperor Star, the numerous general stars, and the shifts in the fortunes of the country from the star observation platform. Although it was not too detailed, one could get a rough estimation of the future through observing these stars.If the star observation platform was unstable, it meant that the Imperial Palace was facing future turmoil. This was a major omen that the master of the heavens was about to change!The astronomers and officials were stunned, and looked up as one at the sky.“Not good! A comet assailing the Ziwei, a terrible omen! Someone is attempting to harm the Sage Emperor!”“Look; the stars are dimming! This is an omen that the master of the world is changing. What… what is going on?”The astronomers first saw a massive comet brimming with black Qi suddenly slam into the Ziwei Enclosure, and the Ziwei Emperor Star rapidly began to dim. Before anyone could react, the heavens seemed to sway, and the bright stars representing the officials of the Great Tang began to flicker like candles. In just a few seconds, they had rapidly dimmed away, with eighty percent of their luminosity completely vanishing.Shock!Incomparable shock!The astronomers and officials shuddered, their bodies growing cold.Those who worked at the imperial observatory were old officials who had worked for ten to twenty years at least. But in their decades of service, they had never seen this sort of omen.“The stars dimming means a shift in the Dragon Qi! Come on! We have to report this to His Majesty!”While the others were left stunned and awed, one astronomer rushed off the platform, a panicked expression on his face as he ran toward the Pavilion of Petal and Sepal.……Rumble!At the same time, deep in the mountains of the southwest, the earth began to tremble, dust and debris rustling off the steep mountain slopes and leaves falling from the trees. Even the streams running through the mountains began to restlessly ripple.Moreover, if one looked carefully, one could see golden light seeping out of the mountains and taking the shape of a dragon. But this gold was rapidly dimming, and the dragon seemed to be struggling in pain.Roooar!The cry of a dragon echoed through the darkness, causing countless birds to take off in alarm.“The mountains are shaking! A shift in the earth veins! This… Who could be so bold to dare try and absorb the Dragon Qi of the Central Plains?!”Nearby, beneath a large zhennan tree that was streaked with golden threads, a pair of eyes fluttered open, chunks of dirt falling from the eyelashes. In a flash, a pair of bright and wise eyes had opened.The southwest was where the head of the earth dragon was located. When fortunes turned and the Dragon Qi of the Central Plains shifted, there was certain to be a reaction in the southwest. This was the most sensitive region, and thus, during the Rebellion of the Three Princes, when the Sage Emperor unleashed his attack, the mountains of the southwest had been the first to react.For this reason, many hermits and ascetics cultivated deep in the mountains of the southwest, with this elder being one of them.“Dragon Qi is the mark of the sovereign, the foundation of the Emperor. A change in the Dragon Qi means an imminent change in the realm. But the Dragon Qi of the realm congregates at the capital. If one wishes to absorb Dragon Qi, one can only do so within the Great Tang Imperial Palace, right in front of the Son of Heaven.“Just who in the realm could be so bold as to dare enter the Imperial Palace and commit such a treasonous act right in front of the Sage Emperor!? Wretch, scoundrel, bastard!“After decades of peace, the pitiable people of the realm might have to endure another disaster!”The elder’s beard trembled, as did his robes. Absorbing Dragon Qi was something that no one in the world would even think about attempting. Only the most vile and treacherous would have the guts to commit such treason.Buzz!The elder’s fingers were constantly moving as if he was calculating something.As if he had reached an answer, the elder’s fingers suddenly stopped.“There’s still a chance, still a chance. In the Ziwei Emperor’s Court, there is still Sacred Lord White Tiger. Risky, very risky. This is the only chance. Everything will depend on Sacred Lord White Tiger.”The elder looked north toward the capital, his eyes brimming with concern.Only a man of extraordinary daring and audacity would dare to enter the Emperor’s Court and steal Dragon Qi in front of the Son of Heaven. If they dared to do such a thing, it was only because they had come well-prepared and confident. Stopping them would not be an easy task!And as he was far away in the southwest, even a warning sent by messenger bird would arrive too late.The world was about to shift, and he could only entrust his hopes to the guardian of the Sage Emperor within the Emperor’s Court, Sacred Lord White Tiger!