Chapter 48: Traces in the Snow
Snow drifted through the skies of the capital, and the same was true over the Peaceful Dao.
Few knew that these flying snowflakes came from a blizzard at the Heavenly Academy.
All the prince mansions’ gates were tightly shut, silent without a sound. The Prince of Xiang’s mansion was as still as a tomb.
Those snowflakes flew over the mansion’s high walls, landing where the priests from the Celestial Palace could not see, yet they never reached the ground.
Behind the walls, countless gusts of wind ceaselessly blew the gentle snow.
Hundreds of cultivation masters and soldiers carrying divine crossbows stood in the Prince of Xiang’s gardens and courtyards, separated from the black ocean of priests by only a single wall.
They made no sound, maintaining absolute silence, so the sound of their breathing became distinct.
The clearer it was, the heavier it became; the shorter, the more tense.
Those early spring snowflakes from the sky could not touch the ground—was it because of these breaths, as silent as riddles and as heavy as mountains?
The Prince of Chenliu stood by the window, gazing at his subordinates in the garden, silently pondering these matters.
Snow danced endlessly outside the window, and his face was somewhat pale.
From exhaustion, not unease.
At a time like this, any regret was pointless.
He turned to look at the three Daoist priests in blue robes.
The three blue-robed priests looked toward the white-haired old Daoist.
The old Daoist was a true powerhouse of the Daoist sect, having been half a step into the Divine Domain for many years.
Aside from Minister Wei of the Tang family, the Blind Lute Master, and a few hidden figures from southern noble houses and sects, no one could compare to him.
But even he had no confidence in defending the Prince of Xiang’s mansion.
None at all.
He knew very well that if the Celestial Palace decided to strike with full force, unless the Great Zhou imperial army was fully deployed, no one could withstand such a raging tide.
The old Daoist said to the Prince of Chenliu, “Leave.”
The Prince of Chenliu’s face grew even paler, but his expression remained calm. “I cannot abandon those loyal to me and my father.”
The old Daoist replied expressionlessly, “I’ll stay and hold them off. You go with the three junior disciples first.”
The Prince of Chenliu was stunned, never expecting the man to willingly take such a risk.
The old Daoist walked to the window, ignoring him, and slowly closed his eyes.
A breeze stirred the scattered snow, landing on his wrinkled face. His white hair fluttered slightly, a touching sight.
Seeing this, the Prince of Chenliu’s eyes grew moist. He wanted to persuade him otherwise but ultimately held back.
In the shortest time, he regained his composure, bowed to the old Daoist, and turned without hesitation.
The floor of the flower hall sank in sequence from the window to the center, forming a stone staircase descending into the earth.
The Prince of Chenliu and the three blue-robed priests followed the stairs downward.
Ahead lay darkness, the path unknown.
Suddenly, the lamps on the stone walls ignited on their own, illuminating the ground not far ahead.
The ground was damp, with moss in the corners, as if it hadn’t been cleaned in years.
The light fell on the Prince of Chenliu’s face.
He was very calm.
No moisture could be seen in his eyes.
No emotion showed on his face.
All of that was meaningless.
He had always believed this.
The upcoming battle was also meaningless.
Whether that old Daoist from the Eternal Spring Temple left alive or died a heroic death, he didn’t care.
He only needed to know that this old Daoist would surely inflict heavy losses on the Celestial Palace’s masters.
Whether those family generals and masters in the mansion surrendered or died in battle, it didn’t matter either.
He had never doubted their loyalty or passion, but these people were never the Prince of Xiang’s true trump card.
The Prince of Xiang’s real power would not appear in the capital today at all.
Because his judgment was very close to Chen Changsheng’s—he believed that nothing would happen at the Heavenly Book Mausoleum.
The final decisive battle had not yet come, but many would still die today.
He needed to ensure his own life was not threatened, so he had to leave.
He would pass through this dark tunnel to emerge on the banks of the Luo River, then leave the capital.
Outside the capital, those hundreds of black-armored light cavalry had been waiting for him for a long time.
He would lead these black-armored light cavalry to Hanqiu City, then reunite with his most loyal subordinates, troops, and the descendants of the Zhu family.
When that time came, what should he do first? Issue a proclamation of war? Or poison all the useless members of the Zhu family?
If it were the Taizong Emperor, what would he do?
Poisoning was too conspicuous; better to place them under house arrest and deal with them after ascending the throne.
Thinking of these things, a hint of a smile appeared deep in his eyes, lit by the lamps.
The three blue-robed priests behind him naturally couldn’t see it.
His father was a Divine Domain powerhouse, so there was no need to worry about his safety.
Even if the Dao Lord were to lose by some chance, Xu Yourong and Chen Changsheng were not the kind of ruthless people to harm the concubines and half-brothers in the mansion.
The Prince of Chenliu felt he had thought of everything, considered everything, calculated everything.
But he hadn’t thought of his newlywed wife, Pingguo, nor even the matter itself.
Nor had he calculated that someone was waiting for him somewhere ahead in this dark tunnel.
……
……
In the quiet tunnel, every sound was especially clear.
Like the sound of water moving underground, or ants crawling across the walls.
The two Daoist nuns opened their eyes.
Footsteps came from ahead, from the direction of the Prince of Xiang’s mansion.
Huai Shu glanced at her senior sister.
Huai Ren’s expression was calm.
Suddenly, the faint light coming from ahead underwent a strange refraction.
As if the space there had twisted in some way.
What kind of power could silently twist space like this?
Huai Shu sensed that aura and exclaimed in shock, “What is this?”
Huai Ren raised an eyebrow slightly, somewhat surprised. “Has His Holiness the Pope also made a move?”
……
……
When the space in the tunnel twisted, a similar phenomenon occurred in the sky.
The dim daylight scattered everywhere, illuminating the surroundings of the Prince of Xiang’s mansion with extreme clarity.
An indescribable pressure descended from the distant sky to the ground.
The wind and snow suddenly turned violent.
A black dragon claw broke through the clouds, slowly descending.
The claw was like a black mountain, its scales like dark windows, exuding an extremely terrifying aura.
Those family generals and masters could no longer remain calm, shouting in panic.
The white-haired old Daoist suddenly opened his eyes, a sharp light shooting forth.
A clear light enveloped the Prince of Xiang’s mansion—a very powerful defensive formation.
The old Daoist looked at the sky and shouted coldly, “Evil beast, die!”
Before his words faded, his Dao sword flew out on its own, turning into a piercingly sharp streak of light, flying toward the sky, piercing through the thick clouds, slashing at some unknown target!
He knew his opponent today was formidable, but he showed no fear.
This sword condensed his lifelong cultivation, infinitely close to the Divine Domain, and combined with the mansion’s formation, as long as the opponent was not yet fully grown, they would surely be wounded and retreat!
But he didn’t know that today’s true opponent was not deep in the wind and snow, but had been inside the Prince of Xiang’s mansion all along.
When he poured all his spirit and energy into that sword, that person also moved.
That person stood in a corner, shoulders drooping, a seemingly ordinary sword loosely tied at his waist.
At some point, his slender fingers grasped the sword hilt, extraordinarily steady and harmonious.
If anyone had seen this scene, they might have even had an illusion.
His hand and the sword were one.
How could there be a faster sword than this?
A flash of sword light appeared, then vanished.
Like a burst of fireworks, or a fleeting bloom.
Two holes appeared in the brick walls.
A sword tip pierced through the blue Daoist robe, stained with blood.