Chapter 263: I Will Have Your Head Cut Off
After they had swept away the residual divine abilities of the Dao Lord and Tathagata, Qin Mu also found a way to continue treating Yanfeng Emperor. He calculated to himself, "With the residual divine abilities gone, his soul can stabilize. Although the Emperor's divine repositories have been shattered, if we can find enough spiritual medicine, I can use the Demon Shadow Illusion Art and the Dharma Heaven Mustard Seed Art to enter his divine repositories and refine pills there. Perhaps I can repair the damage to his divine repositories. But..."
He had never treated an injury like this before, and he had no confidence whatsoever in whether the treatment would succeed.
If it were merely cracks in the divine repositories, he could treat them. But Yanfeng Emperor's divine repositories were completely shattered. The Medicine Master had passed down a great deal of medical knowledge to him, but none of it contained a method for treating this kind of injury.
There were some medicinal herbs that could treat injuries to the divine repositories, and the Great Nurturing Demon Sutra contained some techniques that could strengthen the divine repositories. Qin Mu felt that perhaps he could attack the problem from both sides.
The two of them left Yanfeng Emperor's divine repositories. As dawn broke, Granny Si woke up, while Li Tianxing had fallen into a deep sleep.
Qin Mu undid the Creation Demon Art on Yanfeng Emperor and said, "Your Majesty, I'm going out to buy medicine. It may take three to five days. During this time, do not leave this room. Someone will bring you food and leave it at your door. At night, no matter what sounds you hear, do not step out of the room even half a step. If someone tells you to look outside, do not look."
Yanfeng Emperor said weakly, "Minister Qin, where exactly have you brought me? It's so mysterious."
Qin Mu's expression was grave. "Your Majesty, this is where my grandmother and Sect Leader Li live. You only need to know that whoever comes to find you at night will be Sect Leader Li. If you look outside, you will die. But it won't just be you who dies—it will also include the entire Yan Kingdom! Also, if you step out of this door, you will die without a doubt!"
Seeing how serious he was, Yanfeng Emperor smiled and said, "Rest assured, I understand. I am not that curious a person."
Qin Mu left the door slightly ajar. He picked up a brush, dipped it in ink, shook his body, and manifested the form of Earth Star Lord—a human head on a serpentine body. He channeled his magical power, raised the brush, and painted a gate on the door, writing the words "Gate of Receiving Heaven" in the language of the Nether Realm.
Then he restored his body, wrote a line of text on the ground, and said, "This is a gate manifested by the Earth Star Lord Earth Marquis True Art from the Great Nurturing Demon Sutra. If you can read it, you may enter. If you cannot, you stay outside."
Qin Mu put away his brush and ink and said to Granny Si, "Grandmother, do not touch this gate under any circumstances. When delivering food to the Emperor, use a bamboo pole to hand it to him. Never enter the gate."
Granny Si studied the words on the door and blinked. "This gate?"
Qin Mu also blinked but said nothing.
Granny Si understood. "I will absolutely not enter."
Qin Mu walked out of the courtyard, jumped onto the back of Dragon Qilin, and looked back at the room where Yanfeng Emperor was staying. He thought to himself, "If Li Tianxing recognizes the language of the Nether Realm, then so be it. If she doesn't and tries to force her way in, she will be pulled into the Nether Realm, and her soul will belong to the Earth Lord! Then Grandmother will be free."
Yanfeng Emperor's condition had improved considerably, and he could barely walk. But he strictly followed Qin Mu's instructions and never left the room. At noon, Granny Si used a bamboo pole to carry a basket to the door. Yanfeng Emperor crouched down, opened the door a crack, and pulled the basket inside. After eating his fill, he put the basket back at the door without stepping out.
Since becoming emperor, this was the first time he had felt so stifled.
After dinner, suddenly a tinkling laugh came from outside. It was pleasant to the ear, seeming to burrow into the brain. It was indescribably beautiful, enchanting Yanfeng Emperor so much that he felt none of his three thousand palace beauties had a voice so captivating.
"Since Sect Leader Qin is not here, I'll play with the Emperor for a while. If I have fun, I'll skin him and make clothes out of his hide, then go to the capital and become the Empress myself."
Yanfeng Emperor was both terrified and fascinated by the voice, which made his heart race. He wanted to open the door and see what this woman looked like, but he remembered Qin Mu's words. He thought to himself, "This is Sect Leader Li Tianxing, using demonic sounds to lure me out! This old demon is actually pretending to be a woman's voice—utterly shameless."
He covered his ears, but the seductive voice seemed to have already burrowed into his brain, unforgettable.
"Hmph, that brat actually wants to test me! He really doesn't know his place... I really don't recognize these characters. I also cultivate the Earth Star Lord Earth Marquis True Art, and he cultivates the same art. I don't believe I'm inferior to him!"
...
The woman outside the door tried to decipher the mystery of the words on the door, repeatedly practicing the Earth Marquis True Art but never succeeding. Unknowingly, she spent most of the night at it. Yanfeng Emperor, terrified and anxious, spent most of the night worrying and finally fell asleep.
The next day was the same as the previous one. At night, the woman came out again, trying to decipher the meaning of the words on the door. Yanfeng Emperor was almost driven to madness by her voice, always feeling a sweet, seductive voice in his heart calling him to open the door and take a look.
On the third night, the woman said angrily, "I can't cultivate it! I can't decipher it! I might as well just barge in, kill the Emperor, and skin him. Why do I need to solve a puzzle?"
Yanfeng Emperor was startled. Then he heard the woman say, "No, no... When Sect Leader Qin used this technique, a third eye appeared, and the room suddenly went dark. The lamplight turned green, as if it wasn't the human world... This gate is strange. If I go in, I might enter another world. This kid is cunning—he's probably trying to ambush me..."
Yanfeng Emperor was amazed. "This woman is very clever... No, it should be that Sect Leader Li is extremely cunning! But isn't Sect Leader Li an old man? Why is he pretending to be a woman's voice, and such a seductive one at that?"
He couldn't resist wanting to take a look. He thought to himself, "Just one look shouldn't be a big deal, right?"
Just as he was about to peek through the crack in the window, a dragon's roar came from outside. Qin Mu strode in, making him abandon the thought.
"Sect Leader Li didn't enter the gate? Could it be that she doesn't recognize the words on the door? Do you admit that your Great Nurturing Demon Sutra was practiced incorrectly?"
"None of your business!"
"The words on this gate mean 'Gate of Receiving Heaven,' in the language of the Nether Realm. I'll teach you."
With that, Qin Mu taught Li Tianxing the Nether Realm phrase and said, "Sect Leader Li, now that you've learned it, you can enter the gate."
Li Tianxing giggled and said, "I've learned this Nether Realm phrase and understand the meaning of the words on the gate. So now it's safe for me to enter? Sect Leader Qin, I am also a sect leader and a holy teacher—a shrewd person. You can't fool me."
Qin Mu shook his head, stepped forward, entered the gate, and used his sword energy to scrape off the words on the door. He said to Yanfeng Emperor, "Your Majesty, I went to a few nearby cities to buy medicine. With natural and man-made disasters, the pharmacies had very few herbs. I only managed to buy a few kinds. I don't know how effective they'll be."
"Minister Qin, just do what you can."
Yanfeng Emperor said, "Minister Qin, did you get any news on this trip?"
"Your Majesty has passed away."
Qin Mu glanced at him and said unhurriedly, "News from the capital says that Your Majesty, overworked with state affairs, died suddenly on the road. The Crown Prince is handling the funeral arrangements, and the entire nation is in mourning."
Yanfeng Emperor's heart trembled slightly. He smiled wryly and said, "I have already passed away? Truly my good son, my good son... What about the Heavenly Strategy General and the others? Are they still alive?"
Qin Mu prepared the medicinal herbs and refined spiritual pills. He said, "In that battle outside Ba Prefecture City, our Heavenly Saint Sect only rescued the Emperor. After you left, they lowered their banners and teleported away. The Heavenly Strategy General, the High Minister, the Minister of Education, and the Minister of Public Works were captured. The Dao Lord and Tathagata did not kill them but handed them over to the Crown Prince. They are the heads of the great aristocratic families and have great influence in the capital. The Crown Prince needs the support of these great families to ascend the throne. Rest assured, Your Majesty, they won't die."
"My good son..." Yanfeng Emperor sighed.
The power of the Heavenly Strategy General and the others was too great. They controlled most of the power in the capital, including military authority and other forces in the court and countryside. The Crown Prince needed their support to ascend the throne.
"A country cannot be without a ruler for a day. The Crown Prince's ascension should be in early March. The auspicious day of March sixth—the Crown Prince should ascend on that day. With the support of the Dao Sect and the Great Thunderclap Monastery, his becoming emperor is a sure thing. Anyone who dares to oppose will have their family exterminated and their property confiscated."
"Where is the National Teacher? I wouldn't have fallen to this state if he were here."
"The National Teacher went on a honeymoon trip and there's still no news. On this trip, I also saw many spies searching for Your Majesty's whereabouts. It is said that the Crown Prince ordered, 'Alive, see the person; dead, see the corpse.'"
Qin Mu activated the Demon Shadow Illusion Art and the Dharma Heaven Mustard Seed Art, drilled into Yanfeng Emperor's divine repositories, and in the Embryo Divine Repository, he activated the medicinal power of the spiritual pills. But although the medicinal power dissipated in the Embryo Divine Repository, it did not repair it. The effect was minimal.
Qin Mu frowned, switched to a few different spiritual pills, but the effect was equally minimal.
Qin Mu turned into a black shadow, flew out from between Yanfeng Emperor's brows, landed, and revealed his true form. He paced back and forth, then suddenly said, "Your Majesty, your injury is very difficult to treat. The wounds on your body, even the wounds on your soul, I can heal. But the wounds on your divine repositories, I cannot treat. My Medicine Master grandfather should be able to treat them. Would Your Majesty be willing to go to the Great Ruins with me?"
Hope arose in Yanfeng Emperor's heart. He asked, "This Medicine Master is?"
Qin Mu hesitated for a moment, then said honestly, "The Jade-Faced Poison King."
Yanfeng Emperor's face turned ashen. He said resentfully, "The Jade-Faced Poison King?"
He was the emperor, and the Empress Dowager was his mother. But the Jade-Faced Poison King had an ambiguous relationship with the Empress Dowager. Before his true identity was exposed, the Medicine Master was called the Jade-Faced Gentleman. He had lovers everywhere, and even some famous Daoist nuns and abbesses had unclear relationships with him.
Yanfeng Emperor naturally knew about this, but it was inconvenient for him to say anything. He had once ordered people to assassinate the Jade-Faced Poison King to get rid of the Empress Dowager's lover. The Medicine Master was forced to flee into the Great Ruins, and Yanfeng Emperor had a hand in that.
The thought of going to see the Jade-Faced Poison King made him extremely unwilling.
"Minister Qin, I will not go to the Great Ruins. My rebellious son is about to ascend the throne and become emperor, ruining my two hundred years of reform. I cannot let this foundation be destroyed in an instant."
Yanfeng Emperor said in a deep voice, "We are going to the capital!"
Qin Mu's heart trembled. He glanced at him and said, "Your Majesty is sure you want to go to the capital?"
Yanfeng Emperor nodded. "The capital is where the dragon veins converge. My Ling family's Nine Dragons Imperial Art will be twice as effective with half the effort there. Perhaps I can use the Nine Dragons Qi to rebuild my divine repositories. The hard work of the National Teacher and me cannot be in vain! As long as I return to the capital, I can depose the rebellious son!"
Qin Mu thought for a moment, then smiled and said, "Forgive my impertinence." With that, he took out a pig-slaughtering knife, removed the Emperor's crown, and stripped off his yellow robe.
Yanfeng Emperor's face changed drastically. "Minister Qin, what are you doing?"
Qin Mu pressed down on his head, and the pig-slaughtering knife made a sizzling sound. After a moment, Yanfeng Emperor's head was completely bald, not a single hair left.
Qin Mu then took a few incense sticks, lit them, and pressed them against Yanfeng Emperor's scalp. Yanfeng Emperor winced in pain as his scalp sizzled and burned, leaving several incense scar marks.
Qin Mu looked him over, smiled, and said, "Excellent. Now I need a set of black robes and straw sandals, plus a prayer bead necklace. And the beard needs to be shaved." With that, he laid the Emperor down and shaved his beard clean.
Yanfeng Emperor was furious but couldn't resist. After a moment, he was clean-shaven and dressed by Qin Mu as a yellow-robed monk. The former awe-inspiring emperor had vanished without a trace.
Qin Mu then took out a paintbrush, mixed some ink, and began painting on Yanfeng Emperor's face. Yanfeng Emperor tried to resist, but Qin Mu directly sealed him, leaving him standing stiffly, allowing himself to be manipulated.
After Qin Mu finished painting, he took a mirror and placed it in front of him. He smiled and said, "Your Majesty, do you recognize yourself?"
Yanfeng Emperor looked at the person in the mirror and saw a middle-aged monk with a scar running from his left eye, across the bridge of his nose, past his right cheek, and down to below his right ear. He looked like a fierce, sickly monk, giving the impression of someone who chants sutras and eats vegetarian when idle but kills and sets fires when angry.
Qin Mu took off the knife pouch and strapped it onto Yanfeng Emperor's back. Yanfeng Emperor groaned and was pressed flat to the ground, unable to move. He cried out, "Bones! My bones are going to break! Take it off! I can't breathe..."
"I forgot. Your Majesty's cultivation is now gone, and your body is not what it used to be."
Qin Mu quickly took away the two pig-slaughtering knives, went outside the room, fetched some wooden boards, and carved two wooden knives. He painted them with iron paint, black and white, and made another knife pouch, strapping the two wooden pig-slaughtering knives onto Yanfeng Emperor's back.
Qin Mu looked him over, smiled, and said, "Your Majesty can now go out with me."
Yanfeng Emperor drew the two wooden knives and said angrily, "Minister Qin, you are mocking me like this. I will have your head cut off! Stick your neck out!"
Qin Mu stuck out his head, smiled, and said, "Your Majesty, please."
Yanfeng Emperor swung the knives hard twice but was out of breath. Qin Mu handed him the real knives and said, "Your Majesty can use the real ones."
Yanfeng Emperor tried to lift the knife handles with both hands but couldn't. Furious, he threw the knives on the ground and said angrily, "Your head is on credit for now. Let's go!"