Chapter 13: Whether Autumn Wind or Spring Wind, Let Us Smash Trees
In this world, Chen Changsheng had only ever had one idol before, his senior brother Xu Ren. Later, after experiencing that storm in Xunyang City, he gained another: Wang Po. Golden light shimmered gently on the lake’s surface. He watched the koi in the water, especially that fat one slowly sinking into the mud, and thought to himself that he didn’t want to live like that. If he could survive this trial of life and death, then he wanted to live like Wang Po.
He truly admired Wang Po, even felt a kind of worship. Wang Po was the top of the Carefree List, recognized across the continent as the strongest of the middle generation. Many people worshipped him; it was common. Logically, hearing Chen Changsheng’s words, Tang Thirty-Six should have found it perfectly natural. But his expression showed he didn’t think so, because he knew what kind of person Chen Changsheng was. When Chen Changsheng said he wanted to live like Wang Po, it absolutely wasn’t about wanting to be as strong as Wang Po, like other admirers. It was about other aspects.
Tang Thirty-Six thought that was bad. Looking at Chen Changsheng, he said, “Don’t become Wang Po.”
Chen Changsheng withdrew his gaze from the lake and looked at him, puzzled. “Why?”
Tang Thirty-Six said, “Because becoming Wang Po is too bitter, too hard, and it easily turns tragic. No matter how we want to live, it’s best to stay far away from the word ‘tragic.’”
Chen Changsheng said, “I don’t quite understand what you mean.”
Tang Thirty-Six suddenly asked, “Do you know why he’s called ‘Tianliang Wang Po’?”
Treading Snow Xun Mei, Painting Armor Xiao Zhang, Unmoving as a Mountain Liang Wangsun, Great Name Guan Bai—these top-ranked experts on the Carefree List all had titles known across the continent, each with its own reasons and origins. Some came from cultivation methods, some from native places, some from eccentricities. Chen Changsheng had always thought Wang Po was called Tianliang Wang Po simply because he was from Tianliang County. Hearing Tang Thirty-Six’s words now, he realized there was another reason.
Tang Thirty-Six said, “Back then, Tianliang County had four great clans: Zhu, Liang, Chen, and Wang. Among them, the Liang and Chen families successively became imperial clans, ruling the entire human world. The Zhu family produced countless experts and powerhouses, like the current Moonlit Solo Drinker Zhu Luo. The Wang family could stand alongside the other three because they were extremely wealthy. Many years ago, they could even be compared to my family.”
Chen Changsheng asked, “So how did the Wang family fall?”
Tang Thirty-Six said, “The problem was that the Wang family always supported the Liang family, but in the end, the Chen family rose to replace the Liang and became emperor.”
Chen Changsheng was silent for a moment, then said, “Just like that?”
“A family that lasts a thousand years is like a thousand-legged worm. Especially merchant families, they’re always good at diversifying their investments. It’s impossible to lose everything on one wrong bet. But after the Chen family rose up, the Wang family was naturally affected. Eighty or ninety percent of their property was confiscated as military funds. The Liang family surrendered quickly, and the Zhu family always stayed close, so they fared relatively better,” Tang Thirty-Six said. “In this process, the Zhu family did a lot of things. So from then on, the Zhu and Wang families became sworn enemies.”
Chen Changsheng recalled the battle in Xunyang City and the Saintess’s words, finally understanding why she said Zhu Luo had selfish motives. Since they were enemies for a thousand years, Zhu Luo naturally wouldn’t want to see the already ruined Wang family restore its reputation through Wang Po’s meteoric rise.
“As I said earlier, the Wang family had always been on good terms with certain big shots in the imperial clan, and the founding emperor still remembered old ties, so he didn’t make things too miserable for them. But the Wang family never imagined that this would be the reason for their eventual destruction.”
“What do you mean?”
“When the founding emperor was about to deal with the Wang family, Chen Xuanba went to the palace with his sword to vouch for them, and the crown prince married a Wang family daughter.”
“The crown prince?”
“I’m talking about the real crown prince, of course.”
Chen Changsheng thought of the bloody storms hundreds of years ago, of that cold story in the Hundred Herb Garden, and felt a chill run through him. He realized that since the Wang family supported that crown prince, the succeeding Emperor Taizong naturally couldn’t tolerate them.
“What happened next?”
“You should know the rest of the story. In the Hundred Herb Garden Incident, Emperor Taizong killed his own elder brother. Earlier, Zhou Dufu killed his own younger brother. The world finally found peace.”
When he said “peace,” the corners of Tang Thirty-Six’s mouth lifted in an indescribably mocking way.
Chen Changsheng was silent for a long time upon hearing this, then said quietly, “Are you saying… Chen Xuanba’s defeat and death when he entered the Zhou Garden was Emperor Taizong’s conspiracy?”
“What else could it be?” Tang Thirty-Six looked at him and said, “Emperor Taizong and Zhou Dufu were sworn brothers of different surnames. Chen Xuanba was his own blood brother. Why would they fight?”
Chen Changsheng said, “It’s said that Chen Xuanba, seeing the state affairs settled, wanted to pursue the highest realm of martial arts, so he took the initiative to challenge Zhou Dufu.”
Tang Thirty-Six said, “At that time, the Tianliang County army had just entered the capital. The situation in the capital was chaotic. Even the hunters of the demon race knew what the founding emperor’s sons wanted to do. Family affairs weren’t settled yet, so how could state affairs be settled? Chen Xuanba, as the strongest martial force of the crown prince’s faction, would leave at such a time? Do you think the once peerless martial god, the strongest of the Zhou imperial clan in a thousand years, was an idiot?”
Chen Changsheng said, “Or… maybe he just didn’t want to see flesh and blood tear each other apart, so he simply left, out of sight, out of mind?”
Tang Thirty-Six gave a cold laugh and said nothing.
Chen Changsheng knew his reasoning wasn’t convincing at all. He felt a sense of melancholy, and an inexplicable sadness.
He lowered his head to look at the sword at his waist and felt it grow hot.
Not burning, but a scorching heat his skin could feel, like the feeling of his eyes heating up.
It was a kind of mournful emotion.
Inside this sword was a sword soul—the soul of the Dragon’s Roar Sword.
The Dragon’s Roar Sword was Chen Xuanba’s sword.
In a sense, he and that once-young martial god were vaguely connected through this sword.
The sadness and melancholy came from that.
“What about the Wang family?” he asked. “Chen Xuanba died, the founding emperor abdicated. After Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, how did he deal with the Wang family?”
“When an emperor wants to deal with disobedient ministers, why would he need to specifically target them?”
Tang Thirty-Six’s expression was somewhat indifferent as he said, “In the third month after Emperor Taizong ascended the throne, when the autumn wind rose, he leaned on the railing to view the scenery and casually said one sentence.”
“What sentence?”
“It’s getting cold. Let the Wang family go bankrupt.”
The lakeside fell silent. The night grew darker, with a slight chill.
Chen Changsheng didn’t speak for a long time.
So that was the origin of “Tianliang Wang Po.”
Emperor Taizong was a great ruler, a powerhouse rarely seen in a thousand years in both means and ability. But he didn’t need to use any means. He only needed to casually say one sentence, and countless people would use countless methods to get it done.
Chen Changsheng understood what Tang Thirty-Six had said earlier. Power truly was the most terrifying thing in this world.
When the autumn wind rose, Emperor Taizong said one sentence. As autumn deepened, the Wang family was ruined.
He didn’t know how many heads had fallen, how many estates and fields had been seized, how many servants and maids had been displaced.
The Wang family of Tianliang County faced their most terrible time, utterly miserable, and as the years passed, they were gradually forgotten by the entire continent.
It was at this time that the Wang family produced a young man.
His name was Wang Ping. His talent in cultivation was extremely exceptional, even rated by the Heavenly Mechanism Elder as the most remarkable genius in the human world since Su Li.
Perhaps as a memorial, or just to remember.
After obtaining the top spot on the Azure Cloud List, that young man changed his name to Wang Po.
Wang Po of Tianliang County.
Tianliang Wang Po.
“From the day he changed his name, the entire continent knew what he wanted to do,” Tang Thirty-Six said. “He wanted to demand justice from the Great Zhou court.”
The night wind brushed his face. Chen Changsheng felt a refreshing coolness, but his face was slightly warm.
One man demanding justice from the whole world—how magnificent.
“Surely… the big shots in the capital had no reaction?”
“At that time, Wang Po had already shown potential to enter the sacred domain. Because of the vow of the Holy Word, even Zhu Luo couldn’t act against him arbitrarily. The most crucial point was that it was already the era of Her Holiness the Saintess’s rule. The people in the imperial clan were so suppressed they could barely breathe. When did they have the time or energy to deal with him? Of course, Wang Po still faced many dangers, so he went to Wenshui.”
“I heard Senior Su Li mention this. He said Wang Po worked as an accountant in your family for many years.”
“I never met Wang Po, but I heard many stories about him from my father and others,” Tang Thirty-Six said. “Wang Po never understood why the Wang family, with all their wealth, had no power to resist when facing their ruin, while the Tang family could survive to this day. Later, after working as an accountant for many years, he finally understood. The reason the Tang family could survive was, first, they never took sides or entered the fray. Second, if they invested, they preferred to invest in young people with no reputation yet.”
“Like Senior Su Li?” Chen Changsheng asked.
Tang Thirty-Six glanced at him and said, “And you… Didn’t you say my grandfather gave you that umbrella?”
Chen Changsheng said, “It was snatched away by Senior Su Li.”
Tang Thirty-Six hated his lack of ambition and dropped the subject, continuing, “After the bloodbath at the National Academy, the imperial clan’s power was brutally suppressed by Her Holiness the Saintess and His Holiness the Pope. Zhu Luo became extremely obedient. Wang Po then left our family.”
Chen Changsheng said, “I know he went south.”
Tang Thirty-Six said, “Right. In just over ten years, he bought half of Huaiyuan and became a regional powerhouse.”
Chen Changsheng was silent for a long time.
After hearing Wang Po’s story, he realized Tang Thirty-Six was right.
To become someone like Wang Po, to live like him, was truly very difficult.
“My grandfather said Wang Po lives too bitterly,” Tang Thirty-Six said, looking at him very seriously. “I don’t want you to live as bitterly as him in the future.”
Chen Changsheng said, “Then how should we live?”
Tang Thirty-Six said, “We’re young. We should live like young people. Like me—when I entered the capital and heard about Tianhai Ya’er’s evil deeds, I wanted to cripple him. This morning at the academy gate, seeing his idiot look sitting in that wheelchair, I wanted to kick him over. So I kicked him. Hot-blooded impulse? So what if it’s hot-blooded impulse? If you don’t like it, come and fight!”
Suddenly, dull thumping sounds came from across the lake.
The two looked over. In the dim night, Xuan Yuan Po was over there, constantly smashing trees.
Tang Thirty-Six laughed and said, “See? If you have energy, use it. If you have strength, spend it. Youth means being reckless. Why overthink everything?”
Chen Changsheng laughed too.
(Important correction: In the chapter before last, when referring to the National Academy’s stick, it should have been ‘stirring stick,’ but I mistakenly wrote ‘propping stick.’ This is crucial and must be corrected. The scene of Xuan Yuan Po smashing trees comes from my nephew who lived with me when I was young. He was seventeen then, full of energy. In the riverside park, he would smash trees—of course, without damaging them. Later, he did many other chuunibyou things, like secretly driving a train, or getting his butt shot by an air gun out of spite. At the time, it all seemed foolish. Now, looking back, youth really has a certain drive. Last October, I went back to my hometown and met him. We were both middle-aged. We talked all night, and we both missed those days. If life could be lived again, I think we should still live it that way.)