Silent Crown

by Feng Yue

  “Ah, isn’t it very romantic?” Ye Xuan nodded. “The early human beings were full of beautiful thoughts of fantasy indeed.”

  “It is exactly what I can’t understand, the agreement between the humans and God…” He looked at Ye Xuan, as if he was gazing at Ye Qingxuan hidden behind, and recited the dogma in the book, word by word, “You shall not make for yourself any idol, nor bow down to it or worship it.”

  776 God

  It was the feeling of waking up from a short afternoon nap, where one’s limbs would feel completely relaxed, like lying on clouds. There was only comfort and freedom. Charles opened his eyes and could smell smoke coming from the corner.

  Wolf Flute was sitting on a chair and looked up at him, “How was the rest, Charles?”

  “After an afternoon nap, I feel really refreshed.” Charles propped himself up on the bed and looked outside the window, only to see that it was already night. “Is it night time already?”

  Wolf Flute looked at him and there was a weird look in his eyes. “An afternoon nap that has lasted for an entire week should probably be considered a pretty long and deep sleep.”

  A week? Charles was stunned and looked confused. He never expected himself to sleep an entire week away. But shortly after, he heard the commotion outside the door. He pulled the curtains apart and saw a massive crowd outside of the hospital. Countless people were shouting at the top of their lungs while pushing each other and trying to get past the guards. The commotion and noise could not be heard clearly only because of the thick layer of glass on the window.

  Charles was stunned. “What’s happening?”

  Wolf Flute extinguished the tobacco roll before preparing another new one for himself. His voice sounded bored, “The things that you have done in Asgard have spread around the country.”

  “Is that so…” Charles was stunned for a moment before quickly forcing a smile. “I suppose I have given all of you a lot of trouble? I’m sorry, I never expected so many people to hate me so much.”

  In the rush of the moment, he had not thought carefully before instinctively saving as many people as he could, even if they were enemies that had been terrible to Caucasian. He had ignored the big picture, thereby almost causing the frontline to be defeated. At this thought, Charles could understand why the people were outside were so furious.

  Wolf Flute shook his head. “They don’t hate you. How do I put it? In any case, it’s quite complicated. There are rumors that you are dead.”

  “I’m not.”

  Wolf Flute did not say a word and only looked back at him. The look on his face gave Charles goosebumps. After some time, he extinguished the new tobacco roll and sighed. “Yes, many people know that you will not die.” He said, “They believe that you will be revived once again after a deep sleep.”

  He got up and waved to Charles. “Follow me.”

  The moment the door was pushed open, the entire corridor fell into complete silence. It was as if time was frozen. Charles was wearing a pair of slippers and was using the walls for support as he walked out of the room. Then, he saw the looks of shock that everyone was giving him, including those doctors and nurses and a few guards. They all seemed to be in a daze as they stared at him and the looks that they were giving him were not something he could understand.

  As he walked, everyone else seemed to be rooted to the ground as they all stared at him. It was as if they were witnessing a gigantic monster walking along the corridor, despite the fact that he was feeling weak and had lost an eye and often had to stop to catch his breath. The further he walked, the louder the commotion. It was almost suffocating.

  Countless people were screaming and shouting. They were also repeatedly trying to dash to the front and break through the barriers.

  The flames on their torches lit up the night sky and shone light onto their faces. They looked like they were either screaming or gasping in admiration. Amidst the commotion, someone was shouting while holding up a torch and a passage from the Bible. He was surveying the crowd like how a sheepdog surveyed its sheep. When he looked in the direction of the hospital, there was a terrifying look of fervor in his eyes.

  “Look! Can all of you feel the selfless and compassionate love?” The old man, who was being held up high, was screaming at the crowd, “Look at how close all of you are to a miracle! All of you, mortals, are so close to your redemptions! The will of God runs here! Mortals, He is right here and He is watching all of you!!”

  With that, the crowd responded by screaming and waving their hands fervently. They were so emotional that they were full of tears and some of them were even beginning to lose consciousness.

  “In that case, from the bottom of your heart, repent! Mortals, have you ever cleansed yourselves of your sins?” Someone stared angrily at the crowd as if he was staring at a group of dirty criminals. He screamed, “No, you have not! Tell me, who was the one that is bearing all your sins?”

  “It’s the Son of God! Son of God!” Countless people were crying in the crowd. Some people were kneeling on the ground and the were naked above the torso. They were crying in pain while picking up rattan whips to whip across their own back. They did not care that their backs were already swollen and bloody from the whips.

  “Mortals, answer me! Who is the one that is suffering on your behalf?” The hoarse voices continued to stack on top of one another while fervently screaming in praise and repentance, “The Son of God!”

  “Who is the one that told all of you to live you instead of dying!”

  “Son of God!!” Some were laughing with joy, others were broken down, crying, and there were some that were beating their own chests and stomping their feet. Everyone was shouting in unison, “It was the Savior! It was the envoy of the only God that has saved us from our sins!”

  Charles was stunned. In the commotion, someone at the front of the crowd shouted with pleasant surprise, “Look, he’s awake!” That woman shouted excitedly, “He has come back to earth once more!”

  “He… he’s looking at me!” The old man turned back to the crowd excitedly. “He’s looking at us!”

  At this point, the crowd pushed forward once more, like waves crashing against the guards. Time and again, the painful cries of people being trampled on were being drowned out by the screams of excitement. Even though there were a thousand guards that were trying their very best to stop the crowd, a few people still managed to wriggle their way through and run all the way to the hospital. Despite many levels of obstruction, a number of them still managed to dash into the hospital. They did not seem to care about the whips that the guards wielded as they single-mindedly ran towards Charles. Even when they were pinned onto the ground, they continued to struggle and wriggle all the way to Charles, just so that they could kiss his foot. A simple contact was enough for their faces to be completely covered in tears.

  Subconsciously, Charles stretched out his hand. Then, he suddenly froze and did not know what he should do.

  “Oh, Son of God! Please give me your blessings!” The man, who had been pinned down on the ground by guards, was screaming at the top of his lungs as he stretched out his hand to try and touch Charles. As he got closer and closer, he continued to shout, “I am willing to devote the rest of my life to follow you and obey your teachings. My only hope is that you may lead me onto the right path and lead me to heaven!”

  With all his energy and strength, he was now just a small gap away from Charles’ fingertips. Shortly after, he was knocked out by a guard’s stick before being dragged out.

  Very soon, the gate closed and the fervent crowd was kept out. In the silence, there was only Charles and Wolf Flute left in the hall.

  “Did you see that, Charles? You have never gained a bad reputation for all that you have done.” Wolf Flute continued to smoke as he lowered his eyes. “You lost your power, and that’s when you truly became a God.”

  At this moment, it no longer mattered if this was what Charles wanted. God had truly descended into the world.<
br />
  …

  At dawn, Ye Qingxuan heard Bai Heng’s voice from the cage, “Ye Qingxuan, why do you think God does not exist in any tangible shape or form?”

  Ye Qingxuan was emotionless as he turned his head to look at him. “You have called me over so early in the morning just to discuss theology?”

  Bai Heng laughed. “You are the Chief Inquisitor after all. Since I have your company, naturally I must gain some knowledge from you.”

  “You are a Duke yourself. Don’t tell me you have never read the Holy Bible?”

  “Yes, I have. But it seems like all those pages were written only to prove one point.” Bai Heng yawned and looked over with a smile on his face. “God and Man are two different things, aren’t they?”

  Ye Qingxuan did not say a word and continued to look at him in silence.

  “I guess, this is the irony between ‘God’ and Man. Humans are adept at scheming. They created a savior that did not exist, as a result of their desire for redemption. Towards Him, humans may fear and respect and admire, but humans will never love something that is different from them.” He stretched out his hand and extinguished the incense in the porcelain plate in front of him.

  “God does not have a shape or form and cannot be visualized…” Bai Heng continued, “But this is not to highlight how much more powerful and sophisticated He was than humans. It’s just so that humans will not be able to kill Him.”

  Ye Qingxuan asked coldly, “What do you mean?”

  “Nothing.” Bai Heng kept both his hands in his sleeves and smiled. “Just take it as a friendly reminder.”

  “Is that so?” Ye Qingxuan was indifferent. “There’s nothing friendly or kind about you. How can someone like you possibly care about others?”

  “Because you are not my concern, Ye Qingxuan, and this is why I am willing to talk to you about so many things.” Bai Heng smiled. He did not seem to be upset at all. “You see, there is a strange affinity between the both of us… Back then, I was the one who banished Ye Lanzhou, and now, you are the one who will personally be sending me to the dungeon. This is ‘karma.’ Perhaps we are fated to meet. Or perhaps, the enmity between us had already been decided by something or someone way before you were even born. What do you think?”

  “Haha.” The only reply was cold laughter. Ye Qingxuan turned around to leave.

  Only Bai Heng continued to sit in the cage with a smile on his face. He looked more like a government official sitting in his own carriage, rather than a prisoner. There was an air of authority about him.

  “Why bother, Ye Qingxuan? If I put myself in your position, I can understand your rage and pain. After all, all the people that you have cared about have been killed.” He stared at the back of Ye Qingxuan and muttered to himself, “Sooner or later, you will understand me too.”

  777 Monarch and Subjec

  On noon of the seventh day, Ye Qingxuan saw a dark outline appear on the horizon. The dense pack of pedestrians and carriages walked on both sides of the dirt road, regarding the figure curiously.

  The Empire of Aurora’s traffic was structured better than Ye Qingxuan would have thought. There was a courier station every 50 miles. The roads were wide, with more than enough room for five carriages. And the roads were flat, with some places even being paved with slab stones. There were no shortcomings other than the fact that an average person could not walk on it.

  Even in the prosperous parts of the country the road was still empty as the flow of people wound around both sides of it.

  They came and went just like they were making a visit.

  When they saw Ye Qingxuan’s white hair, they looked away in respect. For some reason, some people pointed fingers at Bai Heng riding in the prison cart from afar, unsure if that was the regent who had once had power over the court and the commons, and unsure of what had happened to him.

  The news of Bai Heng’s surrender had been nearly sealed off. They had remained vigilant, and only a few people knew who it was that had come here.

  The Ninth Heaven Tower was in sight.

  Outside the capital was already a dazzlingly prosperous area. It would be better to say that the people and structures there surpassed expectations and were not ordinary in the least.

  The people coming and going on the street were mostly black-haired. They rarely saw a noble of the Dragon Bloodlines.

  The closer they got, the stronger Ye Qingxuan’s heartbeat became.

  It was not until they reached Baizhang Gate that he remembered the familiar feeling within his tingling sensation.

  “Is this feeling?” Bai Heng smiled at him. Up until now, Ye Qingxuan had not realized why there were so many people outside the city. It wasn’t that they liked being outside, they just couldn’t be inside.

  The Iron of Decay.

  Ye Qingxuan felt the tingling sensation of the Iron of Decay. Even though the city gate was still far away, the feeling was still clear enough. For the citizens of the Empire of Aurora, their ability to resist the Iron of Decay was far less than that of nobles of the Dragon Bloodlines, and there were limits to it.

  Even within the city, the citizens probably wouldn’t go as far as the central city.

  In the centuries of rule by the Nine Families of the Dragon Bloodline, although there had been eras of wisdom and honesty, there had been no shortage of tyranny and stupidity. It wasn’t that the common folk had never resisted, but the ones controlling everything had after all been the nobles of the dragon bloodline.

  Ordinary citizens who stepped through the palace gates might as well arrange their funeral affairs, not to mention those who tried to sit on the throne. Even with tens of thousands of troops, it would be no use if they could not enter the capital.

  Moreover, the defensive troops and palace servants almost all had deva ancestry, and had inherited something from their ancestors to some extent. In the face of devas who held ultimate power, tens of thousands of soldiers were nothing more than mud chickens and clay dogs.

  The nearly infinite Iron of Decay guarded the control and secrets of the Devas. It was a highly toxic substance to others. At that moment, Ye Qingxuan felt as carefree as a stranded fish placed back into water.

  It was like a traveller who had been parched by the dry desert wind had returned to his home by the sea.

  And there was something else that brightened his mood that had been dark and gloomy for the past few days.

  She was here.

  Ye Qingxuan rode through the corridor under the gate, and stared at the palace in the distance.

  Bai Xi was here.

  After being apart for so long, he did not know how she was doing now.

  He was suddenly a little flustered. He didn’t know how Bai Xi was. He didn’t know if she was okay or not. He didn’t know what he should say after he saw her.

  Soon his thoughts were interrupted.

  Behind him, the eunuch he had greeted that morning covered the prison cart in white silk, and another person walked up.

  “Please allow me to escort you the rest of the way and then we can report back to the palace.” He bowed respectuflly. “Tomorrow Her Majesty is holding a welcome feast for you at Changle Palace, and she invites you to stay the night.”

  Ye Qingxuan looked at him silently. He said nothing.

  The eunuch’s smile stiffened, and he bowed a few degrees lower. Sweat dripped from his forehead onto the ground.

  “These days there are some things that I want to understand, and I’m growing tired of Her Majesty.” Ye Qingxuan looked at him from on the horse. “I helped her hold Heaven’s Gate, helped her bring Bai Heng back. I’ve shown her respect, and I hope she can do the same to me. So, go back and tell her that I don’t have time to wait until tomorrow. This evening. If I don’t see Bai Xi this evening, I’ll go to the palace to find her myself.”

  The eunuch kneeled. He got ready to say something, but Ye Qingxuan turned the horse by the reins and left.

  After an hour, a eunuch bearing an imperial o
rder rushed to Ye Qingxuan’s residence and knocked on the door.”

  Ye Qingxuan got an answer that was satisfactory to him.

  “This evening…”

  Ye Qingxuan lay back in his bed and stared at the outline of the palace outside his window. He unconsciously rubbed his thumb against his forefinger on the mark that the Jiu Xiao Huan Pei had left behind. For some reason he had suddenly felt relief. He was glad that he still had a bit of time.

  Time enough to let him think about it in detail…

  What should he say when he saw her?

  …

  In the depths of the palace, amidst the pagodas and pavilions, a eunuch stepped out of the inner chambers and stepped on to the jade steps. He announced the man who was kneeling down, “Presenting Bai Heng, Your Majesty.”

  Below the steps, Bai Heng, who was held by Jin Wuwei, did not move. He seemed not to hear. He just kept his head down and looked at the shackles around his wrists. He raised his brow slightly.

  After a moment of silence, the eunuch pointed at the shackles and ordered Jin Wuwei, “Get rid of those unsightly things.”

  Jin Wuwei hesitated for a moment, but at the urging of the eunuch he undid the shackles and took a step back.

  “Please come with me, Duke Bai. Don’t keep Her Majesty waiting.” The eunuch smiled and turned around as he led the way. “You know the palace rules better than me. I just beg that you take pity on me and not make Her Majesty angry again. Things are different now, if you make trouble now it may not go well for you.”

  “Yes, indeed. Things are different now.” Bai Heng sighed and glanced at the eunuch. “A dog like you dares to speak up to me.”

  The eunuch’s smile hardened.

  Bai Heng passed the eunuch and walked straight into the inner chambers. Candles on both sides of the space shone a dim light, illuminating the gorgeous decorations on top of the pillars through the soft gauze. In one corner of the room stood a dressing table that was completely out of place in this majestic and noble palace.

  In front of the mirror was a woman with long hair draped over her shoulders, like she had just woken from a nap. She looked up with sleepy eyes at Bai Heng’s reflection in the mirror, and her slender eyes widened slightly.