Chapter 277: Chapter 10: Cause and Effect
Leng Qianhu—no, that should be Leng Wanhu now. He had changed a great deal. Before, though his demeanor was cold, he seemed to burn with an inner fire, a fire that drove him to plead for the common people. Now, he was outwardly enthusiastic, but his spiritual consciousness was as cold as an ice cellar.
He was no longer dressed in his former simple, practical attire, but in the robes of a Third-Grade Military Officer. On his head was an imperially bestowed golden crown, and the golden medallion of the Commander of the Imperial Guard hanging from his waist was dazzlingly bright.
Wang Ping received Leng Wanhu at the entrance to the Mountain Peak Dojo. A young servant followed by Leng Kezhen’s side. While still more than ten steps away from Wang Ping, he bowed deeply in greeting. "This humble one, Leng Kezhen, pays his respects to Daoist Changqing. Boundless blessings upon you, Daoist."
As he bowed, he presented a formal calling card.
Wang Ping took the card, glanced over it, and asked, "You changed your name, too?"
"In answer to your question, Daoist, I wouldn’t have survived if I hadn’t."
Leng Wanhu—no, he should be called Leng Kezhen now—replied with a radiant smile on his face.
This was a far cry from the Leng Qianhu Wang Ping remembered.
"You have changed quite a bit, but your desire to seek the Dao is stronger than ever," Yu Lian commented, coiled upon the eaves of the courtyard gate and looking down at Leng Kezhen.
"Time changes many things. If I hadn’t changed, I would be dead."
Leng Kezhen cupped his fist. "My own life was never worth much; if I died, I died. But it ate at me to see those who deserved to die living on. So, I found a new way to live. Now, if I’m to die, I’ll at least be taking one or two of them with me. Wouldn’t it be a waste otherwise?"
Wang Ping gave him a serious look, then stepped aside. "Fellow Daoist, please."
"I wouldn’t dare. After you, Daoist."
Leng Kezhen bowed politely once more.
Not wanting to waste time on pleasantries, Wang Ping turned and entered the courtyard. Leng Kezhen gave a quick order to the servant beside him before hurrying after Wang Ping into the garden.
"This place of yours is truly wonderful. It’s countless times better than the dungeons I face every day." Leng Kezhen trailed just a step behind Wang Ping, his eyes full of envy as he gazed at the courtyard filled with Spirit Wood and Spirit Grass.
"It’s just a humble place. With your current status, Fellow Daoist, building a courtyard like this should be a trivial matter for you."
"That may be true, but Shangjing City is under His Majesty the Emperor’s direct scrutiny. The position of Commander of the Imperial Guard is especially sensitive, and His Majesty would question the slightest disturbance, particularly given the current climate."
As they spoke, the two men arrived at a Stone Table beneath a tall Spirit Wood. A board with an unfinished game Wang Ping had been playing in his leisure time sat upon it. After Wang Ping invited Leng Kezhen to sit, they both wordlessly began clearing the pieces. Yu Lian, draped over a nearby Spirit Wood Tree branch, watched them with curiosity.
"What is the situation in Shangjing City?"
"I won’t hide it from you, Daoist. The people are restless. The great clans monopolize power, while scholars from humble backgrounds are filled with grievances. The common folk below them care only for their fleeting pleasures, even as they are used as weapons by others daily. And beneath them all are millions of serfs, whose resentment has grown so thick that His Majesty the Emperor can no longer sleep at night."
Leng Kezhen handed the black stones to Wang Ping, speaking in a leisurely tone, as if these matters had nothing to do with him. His former air of someone who worried for the nation and its people was completely gone.
Wang Ping accepted the black stones, quickly placed one on the board, and said, "The way you speak, it sounds as if the realm’s Divine Artifact is about to be replaced."
"Perhaps it really is!"
Leng Kezhen seemed to say this with a hint of anticipation. He met Wang Ping’s gaze. "I hate the stagnation of Shangjing City. That city hasn’t changed in five or six hundred years."
But Yu Lian instinctively retorted, "How can that be? According to the books, Shangjing City was originally a barren mountain range. Now it’s covered in terraced fields, sprawling watchtowers, and countless houses. I’ve heard the Observatory at the Imperial Palace pierces the very clouds."
Leng Kezhen laughed heartily. "The buildings can be as tall and as numerous as they like, but the hearts of the people are as decayed as rotten wood."
Just then, an acolyte brought over a brazier and a kettle for tea as instructed, setting them beside the Stone Table. Wang Ping waved the boy away, then personally took the tongs, placed several pieces of charcoal into the brazier, and lit the fire. He then spoke:
"This is the nature of Divine Techniques. The Emperor uses them to watch over the realm, and the people use them to make a life for themselves. It seems like a perfect system, but they end up held hostage by one another. The longer it continues, the more twisted it becomes. Believe it or not, if this culture and these customs are allowed to persist, the ministers of the Imperial Court will also be held hostage—hostage to the whims of the common folk, and they will govern the nation as if it were all just a game."
"It is already so!"
Leng Kezhen placed a stone on the board and said with a sneer, "Public opinion already holds the Imperial Court hostage. Nowadays, whatever the people want, the Emperor and his ministers must provide."
He stared at Wang Ping. "Zhonghui Academy played a major role in this. You couldn’t possibly be unaware of that, could you, Daoist?"
While tending the fire in the brazier, Wang Ping placed another stone on the board. "Did you come here today because of Zhonghui Academy?"
"That’s a problem for the Emperor to worry about. I’ve spent the last few decades living as I please. The purpose of my visit is clearly stated in my calling card: I am here on behalf of the Imperial Family to congratulate you, Daoist, on your ascension to the Third Realm. Oh, and by the way, I only just arrived in Shang’an Prefecture when I heard you’ve also earned a seat in the Daoist Scripture Hall. That is a very valuable position indeed."
Leng Kezhen clasped his hands in a brief salute and looked down at the board. He placed another stone. "I came bearing a generous gift this time. A gift beyond your wildest imagination, Fellow Daoist!"
"Oh?"
"Jiao Hu. Commander Jiao. You must be quite familiar with him, Fellow Daoist? In his early years, he was active around Nanlin Road under the alias Li Yan. He even became sworn brothers with your master!"
The stone Wang Ping was about to place on the board hovered in mid-air. He lifted his head to stare at Leng Kezhen. "What is the meaning of this, Fellow Daoist?"
There was an unfriendly edge to his tone.
"Daoist, please don’t misunderstand..."
Leng Kezhen gave a placating smile. "His Majesty the Emperor tasked me with preparing a generous gift for you, promising to give you anything within his power. For those few days, the full authority of the throne was mine to command—they were the most glorious days I’ve had in a century. I did some digging, and by chance, I came across a cold case file concerning Qianmu Temple. That is how I learned of the old history between Qianmu Temple and Commander Jiao."
"I went before His Majesty the Emperor and requested that he give you Commander Jiao’s head, along with the Pocket World Mirror he seized from Qianmu Temple. And can you guess what His Majesty’s reaction was?"
Leng Kezhen let out a sudden, sharp laugh. "His Majesty the Emperor agreed to my request without even looking at the petition I brought him. HAHAHA... HAHAHA! Don’t you think Commander Jiao was terribly wronged? He might have died without ever knowing why. But I was kind enough to tell him the full story, from beginning to end. He was stunned for less than two breaths before the Spirit Veins in his body spun out of control."
"Luckily, however, my cultivation has improved. I managed to cut off his head before his memories were obliterated..."
As he spoke, he slapped a storage pouch at his waist and produced a square wooden box. Its surface was carved with intricate Sealing Array Runes.
"This is Commander Jiao’s head!" he declared, pointing to the box on the table.
