The treasures of the immortal families were sent to Daming in batches. The horses left trail after trail in the snow, leaving a muddy ravine that was repeatedly crushed. The snow clung onto the mud like geese leaving markings*. All of which were evidence of the crimes committed by the Zong Clan for plundering the world.
It had been a long time since Wuji Palace has
been so noisy, and it had taken several days just to count the annual
offerings.
The treasures of the immortals were certainly different from each other, but after all they were inanimate objects and Zong Zi Xiao was very ruthless in asking them to offer living people. Of course, what he asked for by name was the secret alchemy methods of each family. How can anyone give up this kind of treasure? With no other choice, each family could only send those people who have inherited the secret method to Wuji Palace. They became hostages at the same time when refining the core for Zong Zi Xiao.
Among these people, the most important person
is Ran Xing Wen, the young master of the Giant Spirit Villa.
Giant Spirit Villa is unique in the immortal cultivation world. It has been a sect for hundreds of years, never pursuing extreme sword techniques or cultivation, but rather craftsmanship.
Giant Spirit Villa possesses the best and most comprehensive smelting techniques in the immortal cultivation world, including armor, pills, talismans and magical treasures. It is not that all the best things in the immortal cultivation world are produced by Giant Spirit Villa, the best treasures need the best base materials after all, but from the same base materials, Giant Spirit Villa can always produce the best. Therefore, all the immortal families purchase many things from Giant Spirit Villa throughout the year, and they also send the treasures they found to Giant Spirit Villa for refining.
Giant Spirit Villa has never been involved in sect disputes. Because of its special and lofty status, the Giant Spirit Villa has always stood alone no matter how turbulent the immortal cultivation world has become.
That is, until Zong Zi Xiao appeared.
Now the Giant Spirit Villa had no choice but to send the heir to the head of the sect to Wuji Palace, which can be described as an enduring humiliation.
Ran Xing Wen was a mysterious man who lived in seclusion and didn't even attend the Jiaolong Assembly when he was younger. In addition, the Giant Spirit Villa does not prioritize cultivation, so the outside world thinks that he is mostly of mediocre talent. But that does not matter, as long as he can inherit the smelting skills from the old master, he is good enough to gain a foothold in the immortal cultivation world.
This time, he came to Daming, causing the world to want to get a glimpse of his honor. Even Zong Zi Heng was a little curious.
However, when they met him, they were disappointed. He was quite handsome, but he spoke little and was even a bit inarticulate. But, no one dared to question his genuine talent.
Zong Zi Xiao entrusted Ran Xing Wen with the important task of planning the refinement of the core and discussing with the top alchemists from various sects on the method of refining this supreme immortal core. Wuji Palace's furnace will be used to test it first, and when he's confident, real materials will then be used to refine it at Shen Nong Ding.
Ran Xing Wen showed no expression. Without
speaking nonsense, he buried himself in his research. This winter, many expensive
base materials have been wasted in one trial after another.
---
From the day Zong Zi Xiao made a great fanfare
of refining cores, Zong Zi Heng's mind was hardly at peace. He did not know exactly
what kind of core Zong Zi Xiao wanted, nor could he understand what was written
in the Heavenly Secret Scripture, but he had known many years ago that there
was a legendary core that was described as a supreme immortal core.
Which was what his own father had even told
him.
On this day, Zong Zi Heng went to the core room to see how they were progressing, only to find that the whole room was so smoky and hot that even the doorway was almost too hot to stand in. If he hadn't heard any noise, he would have thought that one of the core furnaces had exploded again.
Cai Cheng Yi stretched his neck to look
inside, but a thick cloud of smoke filled the room and nothing could be seen:
"Hey, what's going on in here? Emperor, should I go in and take a
look?"
Zong Zi Heng gave Cai Cheng Yi a protective
boundary, "Go ahead."
After waiting at the door for a while, the sound of water and yelling came from inside. He guessed that even if the core furnace hadn't exploded, it must have burned up and was being put out.
Someone approached behind him, and Zong Zi
Heng turned around to see that it was Huang Dao Zi.
"Emperor." Huang Dao Zi saluted from afar, "I happened to be passing by and saw black smoke rolling in from the core room, so I came to take a look. This is ..."
"The core furnace is on fire. It should
be nothing serious."
Huang Dao Zi shook his head, "After fiddling with it for so long, it doesn't look like much progress has been made. So many treasures have been thrown into it, what a waste."
Zong Zi Heng said coldly, "Aren't you a
divine predictor? Why don't you calculate whether the core that Zong Zi Xiao
wants can be refined or not."
"It cannot be refined."
Zong Zi Heng snapped his head around and
glared at Huang Dao Zi.
Huang Dao Zi remained humble and said,
"Emperor, please don't blame me, I am just being straightforward."
"What did you just say?" Zong Zi
Heng gritted his teeth, "Say it again."
"I said that the core His Holiness wants
cannot be refined."
Zong Zi Heng had killing intent for this elusive Huang Dao Zi. This man seemed obsequious, and his words were often offensive. As if he was a swindler, but it didn’t look like his words carried no weight, making it completely impossible for people to know his background story. But he was convinced that this person must have come to Wuji Palace with some purpose, and most likely had bad intentions.
Huang Dao Zi seemed to sense Zong Zi Heng's
murderous aura and unhurriedly knelt down, "Emperor, please forgive
me."
"... What is your crime?"
Huang Dao Zi smiled bitterly, "I don’t know. I'm just a fortune teller. I just answered since the Emperor asked."
"Have you really foreseen this?"
"I did."
"Then why didn't you tell Zong Zi Xiao?"
"His Holiness didn't ask, so how dare I go looking for death? Besides, even if I said so, His Holiness would probably not believe me."
Indeed. The current Zong Zi Xiao is extremely
conceited and arrogant. He did not believe that Huang Dao Zi could calculate
his own fate, and most likely he would not believe that he could not refine
this core either.
Zong Zi Heng said in a cold voice: "If I didn't ask today, would you have kept hiding it and watch as these people get tormented blindly, wasting manpower and resources?"
"It is not my intention to conceal
it." Huang Dao Zi said helplessly, "I really don't dare to say it."
"Do you know that if he fails to refine
this core, he is likely to take countless human cores?"
"I know." Huang Dao Zi hanged his
head down and stared at the ground, his gaze sharp as a hawk, "That's why
I don't dare to say anything."
"Why did you come to Wuji Palace?" Zong Zi Heng looked down at Huang Dao Zi who was kneeling beside his feet, "If it is for money, I will grant you ten thousand gold as long as you tell me your true purpose."
"My true purpose is to help His Holiness
refine the core."
With a flash of silver light, the Zongxuan sword came out of its sheath. Its cold blade instantly resting against Huang Dao Zi's throat.
Zong Zi Heng's chakra was sealed and he could
only mobilize weak spiritual energy, but the speed of his sword was not slow at
all.
"Stop pretending, who are you exactly and
what is your purpose?"
Huang Dao Zi did not panic and remained silent.
"More than ten years ago, it was you who calculated that I had an imperial destiny and told the late emperor and my mother. Letting my father covet my golden core and my mother determine that I would be the Human Emperor. The calamity of my Zong Clan and the evil of the human heart may not be calculated on your head*, but you also cannot escape from guilt!"
Huang Dao Zi slowly raised his head and said calmly, "Emperor, I’m just a mere mortal who can only glimpse a bit into heaven's destiny. I cannot shake or change it. Everything the Emperor experienced is destined. Whether I’m here or not, it’s still the same.”
Zong Zi Heng's eyes gradually turned red: "You have calculated that he cannot refine this core, yet you said you will help him refine it. Isn't that contradicting?"
"His Holiness can't refine that core because what His Holiness really needs is not that core." Huang Dao Zi's gaze grew darker and deeper.
Zong Zi Heng's heart trembled, "What are
you trying to say?"
"In the Emperor's heart, you have already guessed it, right?"
"You’re looking for death!" Zong Zi Heng's sword-wielding hand shook, and drops of blood sprinkled onto the ground.
Huang Dao Zi covered his neck with blood gushing out between his fingers, but the sword clearly did not intend to kill him. It did not touch a vital point, otherwise there were few people in this world who could have dodged Emperor Kong Hua's sword.
"If I kill you, he won't know about the
'Absolute Human Emperor'." Zong Zi Heng's voice was also trembling.
"If the Emperor really thought this, I would have been dead by now."
Zong Zi Heng's face was blue and white, and his eyes were filled with bewilderment and pain. Ten years seemed like a short time. Ten years ago, he had no choice but to raise his sword to usurp the throne in order to avoid the fate of having his core dug out, and ten years later, his core had become the supreme treasure that Zong Zi Xiao had searched so hard for.
Although Zong Zi Xiao does not know it yet, he could also kill Huang Dao Zi to silence him, but as Huang Dao Zi said, he has seen the cruelty and vileness of fate to its fullest. Zong Zi Xiao has searched all over the world, has spent countless amounts of money, and still cannot refine the core. Sooner or later, he will know this secret one day through the mouth of someone unknown, or an ancient book, or a legend.
At that time, what will happen?
What would Zong Zi Xiao do to him in order to
break through to the ninth Chongtian of the Zongxuan Sword? He was terrified
even just thinking about it.
Huang Dao Zi stopped the bleeding and said slowly, "Emperor, I have come to help His Holiness refine the core, but His Holiness cannot successfully refine the core."
"... What exactly are you trying to say?"
Zong Zi Heng said in a hoarse voice.
"This matter concerns the fate of Jiuzhou. The balance between humans and ghosts, and the heavenly secret must not be revealed." Huang Dao Zi gave Zong Zi Heng a kowtow, "No matter what happens, the Emperor cannot allow His Holiness to get your core."
Zong Zi Heng looked at Huang Dao Zi in a daze.
At that moment, Cai Cheng Yi ran out with a wail, "Emperor ah, it's too hot in there. It's the core furnace ..." He looked at Huang Dao Zi, who was covered in blood, and froze.
Zong Zi Heng put away his sword and walked
away without looking back.
---
When lunch was served, Zong Zi Xiao returned.
When he saw him frowning, he asked, "What happened between you and Huang
Dao Zi? You wanted to kill him?"
"If I wanted to kill him, would he still
be alive? He spoke rudely, so I'm just punishing him slightly." Zong Zi
Heng hung his head and whispered.
"As the Human Emperor, you punished him by drawing your own sword?" Zong Zi Xiao lifted Zong Zi Heng's chin and stared into his eyes, "Don't be perfunctory towards me. This Huang Dao Zi made you become very unusual. What is going on between you two?"
Zong Zi Heng said without expression, "He
calculated that I had an imperial destiny back then."
"And then?"
"He told Father about it, and also
Mother."
Zong Zi Xiao understood at once, and he revealed a look of disgust, "That's why that poisonous woman Shen Shi Yao was convinced that you were going to be the Human Emperor and went out of her way to clear the way for you. But even without Huang Dao Zi, it’s hard to change you and your mother’s essential nature.”
Zong Zi Heng laughed mockingly, "You are
right, even without Huang Dao Zi, my mother is still resigned to the fact that
I cannot make a name for myself."
Zong Zi Xiao gritted his teeth and tried to suppress the wild surge of emotions. Recently, he and his big brother had been getting along much more peacefully with each other. It was an atmosphere that he did not want to break, and he did not like the idea of swords being drawn all day long and bringing up old grudges over and over again. He took a deep breath: "Then why didn't you kill him?"
"He only wanted to ask for some reward. It
was insignificant." Zong Zi Heng repeatedly recalled what Huang Dao Zi had
said. This man, he must have calculated something important. Perhaps he knew
the possibility of reversing this deadly situation.
Zong Zi Xiao did not care about Huang Dao Zi either.
He calmed down a bit, "Don't see him again in the future, lest he annoys
you."
"Hmm."
"It's snowing so heavily on the mountain.
I'll take you there to enjoy the snow."
"..."
When they were young, every time during this
season, he always took Xiao Jiu to the mountains to enjoy the snow.
calculated on your head*[算到你头上]---be blamed
geese leaving markings* [雁过留痕]----when wild geese fly over, they will leave markings, but where they will fly to afterwards is unknown. It is a metaphor for a person who lives in the world, their traces of life are just a collection of events by chance.
Edited on 29 Apr. 21 (Emzie)
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