Chapter 159 - If The Saints Do Not Die
TL-Checked by Sassystrawberry; Edited by Animeart
As soon as his words fell upon their ears, the room sunk in silence.
Xiao Xuan shrugged: “This Great Wizard, his actions are unpredictable and cannot be predicted using common reasoning... he is beyond the Imperial Dynasty’s control.”
Ling Fengxiao frowned slightly: “A few days ago, the corpse army attacked Jinguan City.”
“Well, hmm,” Xiao Xuan unfolded a fan and waved it whilst answering Ling Fengxiao: “The Dian Kingdom’s territory is on high ground, and the sun is at its zenith, hence the Dian people’s constitution is special, with stronger Yang qi than the average person.”
Ling Fengxiao muttered: “So the Great Wizard spread the blood poison within the Dian Kingdom in order to...to test the blood poison’s speed of transmission?”
“Exactly.” Xiao Xuan grinned: “If the blood poison could spread successfully even within the Dian Kingdom, then transmission in other places with people of normal constitution would not be an issue. Whether the Great Wizard really intended to attack Jinguan City, I do not know. However, since the Dian Kingdom was filled with living corpses... the wizards who were spreading the virus must have been unable to resist attacking Southern Xia.”
The man expressed his areas of concern, then looked towards Ling Fengxiao and Lin Shu. Since he had transferred the psychological pressure that he was facing onto others, it made him feel a lot more relaxed. His expression held some degree of gloating and he uttered lazily, “I really can’t figure out why he would do this. It’s true that if all the people in the world become corpses, he will become the Master of the world, but gaining it in this manner is so meaningless. If there are no beauties left in the world, how unacceptable would that be?”
Ling Fengxiao ignored this person’s nonsense and asked him: “Do you know the Great Wizard’s life story?”
Xiao Xuan started narrating it.
“At that time, I was also very young. The relationship between the former Great Wizard and my Emperor Father was still considered quite good, and they often discussed matters together. The wizards were also obedient to the commands of our dynasty... That day, my Emperor Father was conducting an assessment on my studies, and we were notified that the Venerable Lord was here. As soon as I turned my head, I saw the previous Great Wizard bringing over a young man in cyan clothes —who is now our current Great Wizard.” Xiao Xuan closed his eyes slightly: “...that was nearly twenty years ago.”
After he said it, he said: “At first glance, I was almost frightened by him.”
Xiao Xuan smiled and said, “He looked very sinister.”
Ling Fengxiao: “What do you mean?”
Xiao Xuan said: “At first glance, I felt that he looked evil. His eyes were as red as blood. When he looked at you, you will feel that he did not look like a human, more like a...”
He exhaled tiredly: “I am also unable to describe it.”
He paused and continued the tale.
He said that the former Great Wizard told his father, this was his personal disciple.
His Emperor Father had Xiao Xuan get to know that evil looking fellow.
He knew that his Emperor Father had matters to discuss with the Great Wizard, so he pulled that fellow’s hand and said, “Gege, let’s go to the back to play.”
That person let him pull him along, and they went.
When they arrived at the lotus pond in the yard, Xiao Xuan asked for his name, but he wouldn’t say. Xiao Xuan asked his age, but again no response.
When Xiao Xuan said this, he shivered and said, “At that time, I just took it that he didn’t like to talk much, so I fed the koi by myself. He just sat to one side... I called him over and said, “Gege, would you like to come and feed the fish together?” I only remember that when he did come over, the entire pond of koi, scattered like they were fleeing for their lives. I was startled, and just stared at him. He looked back at me, laughed a little, turned and left. Later,.. three days later, I went to my father’s palace and heard the palace maids speaking, “Everything seemed fine, how did that entire pond of Koi die.”
His face was a little pale: “From that moment on, I understood that this person was definitely not a good and kind sort. I tried to find out about his background from all sources, from my teacher, from the Emperor Father, and even the Great Wizard of that time... But no one could tell me where he came from, and the Great Wizard only said that they had met by chance. Later, when the former Great Wizard died, he took over the position to become the next Great Wizard. His level of cultivation was high, and he was acceptable to the masses — Anyone who disagreed was killed, whatever it was, within a year, all the wizards became his loyal subordinates and they gradually separated from the dynasty. ”
Ling Fengxiao asked: “Anything else?”
Xiao Xuan nodded: “There is one more thing, I feel that it’s quite important.”
According to Lin Shu’s observations, Xiao Xuan was indeed better than Xiao Lingyang at discerning the significance of matters.
Then Xiao Xuan said: “On the day of my crowning ceremony, according to precedent, the prince would be crowned by the Great Wizard... I was crowned by him, and after the ceremony, he was supposed to say a few words of praise. He didn’t say any, but instead questioned me.”
He said that the Great Wizard asked him, “Your Highness, in the future when you ascend to become the Emperor, what would you do?”
Xiao Xuan gave a superficial response, “I will be diligent in the future etc.”
With that, he was rather anxious, and felt that he had not spoken well, and needed to supplement this with some factual information.
He supplemented his answer further, the first was to recover the lost territory of Southern Xia, unify the world, to allow the people of the world to live in a world free from war and famine, and spend their days in peace and contentment.
After speaking, he felt that he hadn’t spoken badly, and waited to be praised.
But the Great Wizard said something very bluntly.
A sentence that made him extremely fearful at the time, and subsequently, the more he thought on it, the more terrified he became.
The Great Wizard said if the Saints do not die, the great thieves will not stop.
After Xiao Xuan said all this, he seemed to be drained out, as if he had exhausted all his strength. With his expression like a dead fish, he said: “From this moment, I knew that this person definitely had a problem. Since then, I have sent someone to monitor him secretly. Spying on him until now... He really, really plans to make the people of the world into living corpses. A few days ago, wizards made a large number of living corpses, and the people in the city panicked, and no one dared to go out. As a last resort, I sent a letter to both of you. If you had not replied, I’m afraid that I would have sent the letter to the Southern Xia Palace—but thinking about it, you both have deep ties with that place.”
“If the Saints do not die, the great thieves will not stop.” Ling Fengxiao repeated this sentence gently.
Xiao Xuan covered his face with his sleeve and didn’t speak, looking more and more like a dead fish.
Lin Shu knew that this quote was taken from the South China Sutra, which they learned in the academy.
Saints were the forefathers and Sages of the ritual legal system.
The thief who stole a hook was killed, but the one who stole a country was made a prince.
The original meaning of this sentence was very straightforward and easy to understand. Without the sages who formulate national laws; the three cardinal principles and five constant principles, then there would be no country, and with no country there would be no disputes.
But the underlying meaning of the Great Wizard’s words was definitely not just that.
Ling Fengxiao said: “There are saints in the world, hence there are also thieves. Due to the greed in men’s hearts, wars have continued for thousands of years. During the chaos of the wars, the common people suffer. Even in times of peace and prosperity, the world was not a paradise... ”
Lin Shu looked at him and saw that he had a slight smile. His tone was vague and strange: “If there were no people in the world, or if all people turn into ignorant and unfeeling living corpses, the world would indeed be really quiet and peaceful.”
Xiao Xuan said in horror: “You also feel this way???”
Ling Fengxiao’s face resumed it’s normal expression: “No, I have a deep blood feud with the Great Wizard.”
Xiao Xuan let out a sigh of relief.
Ling Fengxiao said: “You said in the letter that there is a way to deal with the Great Wizard.”
Xiao Xuan nodded.
Ling Fengxiao said: “Speak.”
Xiao Xuan was also a bit perverted—in any case, the entire Xiao family was a bit abnormal, Lin Shu quietly watched Xiao Xuan who had let himself be dominated by beauty, happily spill the beans.
“The Great Wizard is in poor health.” Xiao Xuan said this first.
Lin Shu thought that it seemed to be the case.
When the Great Wizard asked him to meet him in the Great Dragon Court that time. He didn’t wear a cloak, but only wore cyan robes, his figure had seemed rather thin. And before he had even opened his mouth to speak, he had coughed several times.
Xiao Xuan continued: “I checked on his medication, it has already been ten years.”
Lin Shu stood in awe.
Just based on this, Xiao Xuan was already so many times more impressive than Xiao Lingyang.
Respect, respect.
The next moment, Xiao Xuan said something startling: “I suspect he is not human.”
——————
The author has something to say:
If the Saints do not die, the thieves will not stop. ——”Zhuangzi . Prying open the box / Theft”
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