Chapter 719: Chapter 428: Epilogue (Part 1)
Watching the arrogant member of the School of Cross and Vertical leave, King Chun clenched his fist and said, "Xuanjing, why didn’t we keep him? Without these despicable members of the School of Cross and Vertical, the future of the continent would be much more stable."
Li Xuanjing shook his head slightly and said, "It’s meaningless."
King Chun asked puzzledly, "Why?"
Li Xuanjing gently brushed his sleeves, gazed at the horizon, and said slowly, "The art of Cross and Vertical is born in the gaps of the human heart. There’s a phrase he didn’t get wrong; the desires of the human heart are abysses that can never be filled. The cyclical nature of history may well repeat in the future..."
King Chun asked, "Then what should we do?"
Li Xuanjing withdrew his gaze, smiled slightly, and said, "Every generation has its own mission. Our mission is complete, and the seeds have been planted. How they will be used, whether they will be used, are matters for future generations..."
At this moment, a handsome young man walked out of Ningxin Garden. Instead of being angry about his failure, a faint smile lingered on his face.
In the School of Cross and Vertical, there is no concept of failure.
Union of the world is cultivation.
Division of the world is also cultivation.
And splitting an empire that encompasses the entire continent is far easier than uniting dozens of scattered countries.
The State Preceptor of Chu respectfully asked, "Master, where are we going now?"
The handsome young man wore a reminiscent look, murmuring, "The osmanthus brew from Fengji is unparalleled. It’s been two hundred years; I wonder if it still exists, but..."
His tone suddenly paused, looking in a certain direction within the city, he said, "Before that, I need to see an old friend. I never thought there would be a time to meet her again..."
After the handsome young man left, Lin Fuzhi looked at the State Preceptor of Chu and said, "Master, I also wish to visit an old friend..."
King Chun Mansion.
Although he had become the new emperor of Daxia, King Chun still lived in his mansion, and Li Yun’s life continued as usual.
In the waterside pavilion of the mansion’s back garden, Li Yun held the icy fingertips of the Mechanism Girl, earnestly comforting her: "Qingqing, you mustn’t think like that; this isn’t the world the Mohist want."
The Mechanism Girl shook her head, her glass-like eyes reflecting the lotus in the pond but unable to find any trace of the human world. Without a hint of emotion, she said, "Free will is the root of chaos. Only by abandoning the body and eliminating free will can the world reach Datong."
Li Yun looked into her eyes and said, "If everyone became mechanisms of unified thought, what meaning would such a Datong hold? Allowing each person to voice different opinions is the true Datong..."
The Mechanism Girl furrowed her brow and fell into contemplation.
The next moment, ripples suddenly spread across the entire pond.
A figure abruptly appeared before the two of them.
From the handsome young man standing before him, Li Yun felt immense pressure. Instinctively, he shielded Qingqing, nervously saying, "Who are you? What do you want?"
The Mechanism Girl looked at the figure shielding her, a trace of gentleness flashing in her eyes. She walked slowly to Li Yun’s front, seemingly unharmed by the overwhelming aura of a Saint.
The handsome young man looked at her, a hint of surprise in his eyes, and said, "You’ve regained the cultivation of a Saint so quickly; truly worthy of being the greatest in the Mohist after the Mohist Saint, Miss Qing’er, do you remember me?"
The Mechanism Girl shook her head, her eyes emotionless.
The handsome young man lowered his head and said, "It seems you have forgotten. Abandoning the body and most of one’s cultivation to entrust the soul to a mechanism, losing all memory and emotion in the process to gain immortality — what meaning does it hold..."
He gave the Mechanism Girl one last look and said, "Since you are no longer Mo Qing’er, I won’t bother you anymore."
Having said this, he waved his sleeve and left.
Hovering above Chang’an and gazing down at the magnificent city, his heart surged with boundless ambition.
Throughout history, every school has sought the Path of Immortality, only to meet with failure. The Mohist abandoned the body, sacrificed memory and emotion, achieving a state neither human nor machine. Only the School of Cross and Vertical has touched upon the true Path of Immortality.
The continent is in perpetual chaos, his body remains indestructible!
He alone transcends above the entire world!
Inside King Chun Mansion, Li Yun looked at Qingqing and said softly, "Qingqing, you..."
Qingqing held his hand, gazing softly, "No matter who I am, you will always be my Yun. I will listen to everything you say; let’s never speak of those things again..."
King Han Mansion.
After being forced to abdicate, the Supreme Emperor seemed to have let go of some matters and released King Han and King You, who had been confined in the palace.
However, they had also lost their former privileges. The vast King Han Mansion was devoid of maids and servants.
Two years ago, after King Han was confined, the King Han Mansion had also been sealed and left unattended, becoming desolate and unrecognizable.
The faded vermilion door of the mansion creaked, and Lin Fuzhi brushed aside hanging cobwebs. Wild grass thrived in the courtyard, and a few pale yellow wild chrysanthemums emerged from the cracks in the stone steps.
Upon seeing the thin figure clad in an old fur coat, cleaning the courtyard under the corridor, the osmanthus brew Lin Fuzhi held suddenly felt as heavy as a thousand pounds.
He stepped forward gently, his voice hoarse like rough stones, "Your Highness, you’ve grown thin..."
Upon hearing this familiar voice, the figure who was sweeping trembled. King Han turned sharply, the broom dropped from his hand, and he stared unblinkingly at the figure, saying tremulously, "Fuzhi, you’re alive!"
Lin Fuzhi lowered his head with a sigh and said, "Your Highness, I have wronged you."
King Han grasped his hand tightly, smiling, "Let’s not speak of the past. I’m just glad you’re alive, just glad you’re alive..."
...
Ningxin Garden.
Inside the study, Li Nuo sat in front of the red sandalwood desk, slowly lifting his pen.
The Hundred Schools, each has its strengths, but to truly escape the shackles of fate, one must rely on the School of Calligraphy.
Although it’s difficult for the School of Calligraphy to enter the realm, once it does, it will inevitably control vast resources. As the works increase and spread widely, the speed of cultivation also accelerates.
Now, the continent is unified, with nearly two billion people, all potential readers of his.
As long as their education and cultural levels improve, for the School of Calligraphy to reach saint, it’s not difficult.
"Creak—"
The lacquered wooden door was gently pushed open, and two elegant figures walked in from outside. The nightingale wore a pink high-waisted skirt, her hair ornaments lightly swaying with her lotus-like steps, casting tiny speckles on the blue bricks. She was about to help Li Nuo grind ink but saw a fair hand pressing down on the ink stick first.
Gu Yanran’s black hair was styled into a Double Knife Bun, and her moon-white shirt was embroidered with silver orchids. The hand pressing on the ink stick was motionless, only the teardrop mole at her eye corner shimmered softly in the sunlight through the window.
The ink stick was held down, so the nightingale had no choice but to grab the inkstone, saying, "Miss Gu, go do other things. I’ll help brother-in-law grind the ink."
Gu Yanran protected the ink stick in her palm, saying, "Let me do it. I’m the young master’s maid, and usually I handle these tasks."
The two girls exchanged stubborn looks, neither willing to yield.
When Li Nuo wrote, he was more accustomed to having Gu beside him. After all, she possessed the innate Secretary Saint Body, which saved him a lot of time. So he said, "Let Yanran do it."
At these words, a faint curve appeared at the corner of Gu Yanran’s mouth.
The nightingale’s eyes visibly dimmed, and she handed her the inkstone, her fingertips slightly red from exertion.
Two delicate fragrances intertwined at the desk. Sensing the nightingale’s mood shifting from sunny to cloudy, Li Nuo arched his eyebrow and quickly added, "My bookshelf is a bit messy. Why don’t Zhi’er help me organize it..."
"Alright!"
The nightingale’s dim eyes brightened again, spring colors blossoming within them as she joyfully ran towards the sandalwood bookshelf.
The hem of the nightingale’s lace skirt brushed across the blue bricks, stirring up fine dust that danced in the pillars of light. Gu Yanran’s fingers holding the ink paused slightly, dimples appearing faintly at her lips, as the pine soot ink gradually transformed into a thick nightshade in the inkstone.
The tension in the study room completely dissipated.
A long while later, Li Nuo walked out of the study and let out a long breath.
Balancing everything probably was something he needed to be mindful of all his life.
In the courtyard, Li Yan was holding onto Jiaren’s skirt hem, rolling around playfully, begging his mother to play with him for a while. The tiger-headed hat tilted back, revealing two rosy cheeks.
Li Nuo walked over, gently kicked his bum, and said, "Go, go, find your aunt to play."
His father still held great authority in his heart, so Li Yan dared not roll around anymore. He patted his bum and rode off on his little mechanism horse.
Li Nuo approached Jiaren and looked at her recently completed painting.
Jiaren’s cloud-like hair was slightly disheveled, her right hand holding the brush still stained with azurite paint. In the painting, the tail feathers of the azure-winged bird shone with dazzling colors, seemingly ready to burst out of the scroll.
With Phoenix’s guidance, Jiaren’s painting skills had greatly improved since the beginning.
Though still lacking a bit for the imperial examination, among ordinary people, she was already quite outstanding.
Li Nuo hugged her waist from behind, helping her tidy up her hair, and gently said, "These years, you’ve worked hard, wife..."
A warm breath brushed past her ear. Jiaren’s cheeks turned rosy, and she glanced around in a bit of panic, softly saying, "The children are watching..."
This turn of her head reflected the flower hairpin on her forehead in the morning light, as if it were early spring peach blossoms blooming. Li Nuo couldn’t resist planting a kiss on her pretty face, and from afar, Li Yan on his wooden horse suddenly covered his face and shouted, "Daddy, shame on you!"
Li Nuo replied indifferently, "Let them watch. It’s only right for me to kiss my wife..."
That third-rate author doesn’t give Jiaren enough scenes, so Li Nuo did it himself.
Two small shadows hopped over. Mumu held a shuttlecock in one hand and Ning’er in the other, looked up and boldly asked, "Brother Li Nuo, can you play shuttlecock with us for a while?"
When they were with the Song Family before, Brother Li Nuo played with her every day.
Later, he gradually became busy, and sometimes she could only see him once every few months, with few times he could play with them.
Li Nuo gently pinched their little faces and said, "Of course! I can play with you every day from now on."
Mumu’s lively eyes suddenly lit up: "Really?"
Li Nuo laughed, "If I’m lying, I’m a little dog."
The young girl’s face blossomed with a smile, and she raised a white jade-like pinky: "Hook!"
Li Nuo hooked one hand with her and held Jiaren’s hand in the other, saying, "Let’s go."
Jiaren smiled softly and said, "You play with them. I’ll go check on Yan’er..."
Li Nuo did not let go of her hand and chuckled, "Let’s go..."
