Chapter 65

Chapter 65: The Foolish Emperor

That was the last period of life for the founder of the Heavenly Mountain Sect, Chang Yangzi.

A person once famous throughout the martial world, but in his old age, he had become a senile old man who would hold his disciple’s hand and mutter things his disciple couldn’t understand.

Yet, his adopted disciple was truly filial. Even though he thought Chang Yangzi was either rambling or simply taking stories from evil spirit ghost books as real, when his master spoke, he still listened carefully and responded occasionally.

Chang Yangzi mysteriously told his disciple, “Ling Bo, don’t think I’m trying to deceive you! What I’m telling you today is all true, real, and certain!”

The young Ling Bozi responded in a similarly solemn tone, “I naturally understand Master’s words.”

Only then did Chang Yangzi continue, “Good, then remember this carefully. Those who approached the emperor of the previous dynasty were no ordinary scammers. They had something real in their hands…”

Ling Bozi said, “Master, please speak.”

Looking back, Ling Bozi realized that, in that moment, Chang Yangzi’s gaze suddenly shifted.

From originally being unclear and vague, it became sharp and distinct.

Ling Bozi even felt that his master had woken from his illness. However, the next words from Chang Yangzi shattered that thought and brought him back to the bitter reality that his master was gravely ill, and that the days ahead were uncertain. Ling Bozi no longer paid attention to the state of Chang Yangzi's health.

What Chang Yangzi went on to say was, “They didn’t know where they obtained a forbidden art book, called The Star Plucking Record.”

“That book first recorded some small, trivial techniques. Things like finding people, finding objects, or confusing others so they can’t see you. In the martial world, probably any con artist could do similar tricks. With these small techniques, they could muddle their way through the countryside and earn some pocket change. But if they wanted to catch the emperor’s eye, it was absolutely impossible.”

“But those evil people did indeed have some real tricks. They first used large amounts of money to bribe the emperor's chief eunuch, who introduced them to the emperor. They performed several of their tricks in front of him. At this point, although they didn’t show anything extraordinary, they were still placed in the Imperial Observatory and granted the privilege to meet the emperor.”

“Later, they seized the opportunity to claim they could offer a method to prolong the emperor’s life.”

“Which emperor, upon hearing such words, would not be tempted? But what of prolonging life? To do such a thing, one must first harm others!”

As Chang Yangzi spoke, his voice grew louder, filled with indignation.

He said, in order to "extend a person’s life," one must take the same, or even several times more, years of life from others!

The evil people took an old dog to demonstrate to the emperor. They killed chickens and ducks beside the dog, and used the blood of the chickens and ducks along with various materials recorded in The Star Plucking Record to set up an arrangement around the old dog.

When the formation was successful, the emperor watched in astonishment as the old dog, who had been panting on the ground just moments before, suddenly stood up.The teeth that had originally fallen out turned into sharp and pointed new teeth, and the rough and dry fur became shiny and glossy. The chaotic eyes were now bright and full of life.

If this were just hearsay, the emperor of the previous dynasty would surely look down upon it and dismiss it as nothing more than a simple trick, not worth mentioning. But everything that was happening now was something he was witnessing with his own eyes!

Not to mention, before the formation was set up, the demons had asked the emperor to find a dagger and casually create a wound on the old dog. When the dog revived, all its old ailments disappeared, and the only thing left behind was the wound.

The wound was still bleeding.

The emperor stared at this scene in shock, unsure how to respond. The demons, however, laughed and said, “Your Majesty’s reaction is precisely because you are the true dragon of the heavens! With Your Majesty’s dragon energy covering this knife, our spell cannot affect this wound.”

The emperor, hearing these words, pondered for a moment, then lowered his head to look at the dagger in his hand.

Then, he burst into laughter.

From that point on, the already suffering common people faced even more oppression.

The first to suffer, of course, were those within the imperial palace. Who was the emperor? He was the "Son of Heaven." The Son of Heaven used only the most precious things for his daily needs, provided by the entire nation. Now, to take someone’s life, he couldn’t possibly go after an old beggar on the street.

But he also couldn’t directly harm the concubines in the palace. As for his own children, although The Star Plucking Record mentioned that the bloodline of the emperor’s sons and daughters was suitable for such rituals, at that time, the emperor still had some sense left.

He hadn’t fully trusted the demons, or even if he had, he still remembered that his children were the "foundation of the nation." Only if his sons and daughters were healthy would his position remain stable. Otherwise, he’d have to listen to the old men in the court, constantly nagging about matters that made him anxious.

In this way, it was the palace maids and guards who suffered. The eunuchs, on the other hand, escaped due to their "incomplete bodies, not being perfect humans."

But even so, there were still troubles to deal with.

The palace maids were not so bad off. They had been selected to the palace, and not only they, but their families were mentally prepared for the fact that their daughters would never return. If they died, so be it. No one would speak out.

The guards, however, were mostly the sons of ministers, and they used their position as "the emperor’s men" as a stepping stone to enter the imperial court in the future.

In the first few months, the emperor controlled himself, refraining from targeting the bloodlines of the court ministers.

But day by day, watching the young and strong men walk past him, and hearing the demons' "sincere advice," “Your Majesty, though the palace maids are also useful, if this continues, the imbalance of yin and yang will harm you. Even if you truly extend your life, it won’t be a good thing.”

The emperor’s heart began to waver.At this point, the court officials began to grow cold-hearted.

The collapse of the dynasty had shown signs, but the emperor had already begun to enjoy the pleasures brought by The Star Plucking Record.

His physique became increasingly youthful and healthy. Although he was clearly in his forties or fifties, he moved with the lightness and confidence of a young man.

Not to mention, he hadn't had a moment of vigor in front of his concubines for a long time before. It wasn't that he didn't want to, but he had harmed his foundation in his youth by being reckless. Fortunately, he already had enough children, which kept the ministers from reprimanding him.

Now, everything was different.

There was a new concubine in the palace who was pregnant. Every day, the emperor was full of energy.

He also relied more heavily on those who had presented The Star Plucking Record to him. Although there were restrictions—he didn't allow them to leave the capital to ensure that everyone remained under his control—apart from that, the demons had nothing to worry about. They enjoyed great comfort and luxury.

This continued for many years. However, the emperor's youthful vigor did not last.

Old age returned to his face, and his hair started to turn white again. What the emperor of the previous dynasty could not tolerate the most was that, the night before last, he had visited the bed of a young woman newly entered into the palace, only to find that he could not respond at all!

He angrily summoned his people to ask what had happened. The demons hesitated and answered, “Your Majesty has never used the true method, so it’s no wonder this day has come…”

The emperor stared at them for a long time until they could no longer bear it and knelt on the ground.

It was then that the emperor realized—oh, so in the end, it still came down to using his sons and daughters.

He hesitated.

But he didn’t hesitate for long.

The emperor now was no longer the person who, a few years ago, had doubted and been cautious about the pages of the Star Plucking Record in his hands.

He was filled with greed and satisfaction at the thought of "eternal life." As long as he remained in this position, the power and wealth of the world would belong to him! As for his children, as long as they could live forever, what need would he have for more children?

Now, it was his children who puzzled him. Did they really think he didn’t know about their dealings with the ministers, saying things like, “Father Emperor has been bewitched, and has done these heinous things”? A bunch of ingrates! He had been thinking that with such immortal methods, one day, he could transcend with his sons and daughters, and ascend to immortality. Once they reached the heavenly realm, he would still be the loving father and filial child.

The people kneeling on the ground quietly waited.

In the end, they heard the long-awaited words: "Alright."At this time, outside the imperial palace, there was already a lot of turmoil.

Fu Ming’s ancestor had also joined the ranks of a rebel general. However, at this moment, he was still just a humble soldier.

Even the soldier himself hadn’t imagined that one day, he would become the ruler of the world.

The emperor of the former dynasty, at this moment, could never have imagined that he would not receive the "eternal life" he had longed for…

However, all of this was a matter for the future.

In Changyangzi’s recounting, at that time, the emperor soon made up his mind.

He called for a family banquet.

All the princes and princesses were in attendance, even those who had just been born and were still in swaddling clothes.

However, the former emperor was not a fool. Although he had confidence in fathering children, believing that once his vigor was restored, there would be no more worries in the future, he still wondered—what if?

Halfway through the banquet, he gave orders for all princes and princesses under the age of eight to leave and return to rest early.

The children, under the guidance of their respective attendants, left. Behind them, the older brothers and sisters stayed at the table. Then, they never appeared again.

…

…

Years later, Fu Ming's ancestor led twenty-eight generals into the former imperial palace.

Changyangzi was also among them.

He appeared as Fu Ming’s ancestor’s strategist. Then, in the emperor’s residence, everyone witnessed a terrifying scene they would never forget for many years to come.

Ling Bozi still remembers that when it came to this part of the story, his master suddenly exerted more force, pressing his hand on the blood-clotted white skin.

He looked deeply into Ling Bozi’s eyes and told him: "Everywhere, there was blood! Everyone in the palace was slaughtered by him! Not just his children, but also his concubines, palace maids, eunuchs... and even the ministers who tried to persuade the foolish emperor to leave and later seize the opportunity for a comeback.

“Their bodies were scattered across the great hall, and the former foolish emperor stood in the middle, laughing madly. He must have gone insane, he must have—""As for those who deceived the foolish emperor, some were captured by the twenty-eight generals and executed on the spot. Others went missing, with no one knowing where they went.

"In any case, when everyone was shocked by this scene, I stepped forward and, with one stroke of my sword, cut off his head.

"It was with this sword." Changyangzi motioned for Ling Bozi to look at the "Starcatcher" in his hand. "Did I ever tell you? When I was young, an immortal came to me in a dream and gave me this sword. He said that to end this calamity, I would need to rely on it.

"I didn’t understand what this meant at the time. But when I woke up the next day, this sword was lying beside me."

At that time, Ling Bozi thought: "It’s fine, I just need to follow what my master says."

Now, with the things Mei Yinghan and Bai Zhengliu had told him, his thoughts had changed.

The author says:

See you tomorrow (night).