Chapter 683: Matters of Death
That inexplicable world had its own rules of operation—rigid, monotonous, repetitive. Even if occasionally some unexpected plot points emerged, when one looked deeper, they were still just rehashes of old tales. Beneath the sunlight or under the starry sky, there was nothing new. Conspiracies and betrayals were filled with a nauseating stench of decay.
Young people who still held expectations and hope for this world, who still had the courage to stare into darkness under the sun and look up at morality beneath the stars, naturally could not develop any fondness for such a world. Take Tang Thirty-Six, for example. But in the eyes of that second master of the Wenshui Tang clan who loved to smile silently, in the eyes of those elders of the Tianhai family, in Zhou Tong's eyes, the thoughts of young people were always so naive and laughable.
Life could not be a game of make-believe. Chen Changsheng could even imagine how many similar words Tang Thirty-Six would hear on the journey from the capital back to Wenshui. He could also picture that at this moment, in the East Imperial General's Mansion, Xu Shiji, with a solemn face and righteous aura, would be speaking to his wife after the table of dishes had been cleared, saying that everything he, as a father, did was for his daughter. "If I hadn't made a decisive move and turned the tide, after Her Holiness the Saint Empress died, do you think she could have sat securely in the position of Holy Maiden?"
The starlight faintly scattered, the night grew deeper. Suddenly, there was some commotion in front of the National Academy. Then Su Moyu hurriedly came to the lakeside and told him the news.
The news from Xuelao City was indeed shocking. Chen Changsheng remained silent for a long time.
The Demon Lord was dead. For him, this was an excellent thing. In the Zhou Garden, he and Xu Yourong had nearly been killed by Nanke several times. He had no good feelings toward that young demon princess with her somewhat wide-set eyes. But thinking that an enemy who had once fought for life and death had vanished like a splash of water in this magnificent upheaval, he couldn't help but feel a trace of melancholy.
"Leave the capital. This is the best choice," Su Moyu said to him.
Chen Changsheng understood his meaning.
The Demon Lord's death and the demon race's internal strife had elevated Shang Xingzhou, who had orchestrated all of this, to the altar. Before human memory had completely faded, no one would have the courage to resist him.
Today, His Holiness the Pope had protected him and the National Academy with an extremely tough stance, but that could only maintain a stalemate.
But as His Holiness the Pope had said, he was old and nearing death. If that day truly came, how would Chen Changsheng face that person?
That person would become the deity of the entire continent—and he was his teacher.
Chen Changsheng fell silent again for a long time.
He truly wanted to leave the capital. During the time he had sat in meditation in the Scripture Depository, he had several times wanted to pack his bags but ultimately gave up.
He knew he couldn't leave, because that person wouldn't allow him to leave his sight—unless he died.
Yu Ren also knew this, so he quietly played his role as emperor in the palace.
Chen Changsheng silently waited for time to pass at the National Academy.
They were the ones in this world who understood Shang Xingzhou best, even more than His Holiness the Pope.
Although in their minds, their teacher had once been just an ordinary Daoist, he was now a Dao Venerable.
But whether an ordinary Daoist or the supreme Dao Venerable, he was still their master.
...
...
On the fourth day after the Heaven's Book Mound Incident, another shocking message came from Hanshan.
The Heavenly Mechanism Elder had passed away peacefully in a small hut by the Heavenly Lake.
This foremost of the Eight Winds and Rains, an elder of the same era as the Pope and Shang Xingzhou, had ultimately failed to withstand time and pain, his spirit returning to the sea of stars.
After being shaken by this news for a moment, the capital once again entered an orderly chaos.
It was called chaos because people were dying everywhere, and homes were being confiscated. It was called orderly because everything was carried out under the strong control of the imperial court. Whether in scope or intensity, it remained within a level that most people could bear and wouldn't provoke excessive public disgust.
Some ministers of the Tianhai dynasty had died. Most of those thrown into prison had already been released, with only a few hardliners still holding out—or perhaps holding on until their autumn execution.
Perhaps because Chen Guansong had been burned alive by the Tianhai Saint Empress's Heavenly Phoenix True Fire, and Han Qing's true identity had been exposed and he had left the capital, the Great Zhou dynasty couldn't find a famous general with enough seniority to hold the line. Fierce battles frequently broke out in the military headquarters of various prefectures and commanderies, so the military purge came with correspondingly more ruthless and violent intensity.
The rebellion in Xuelao City had caused the deaths of seven demon generals. On the Great Zhou side, eight divine generals had already died, and several more had become disillusioned and retired from military service. The most chilling thing was that, according to an edict from the palace, the bodies of Divine General Xue Xingchuan and those Feather Forest Army generals loyal to the Tianhai Saint Empress were still abandoned by the official road outside the city for public display, not allowed to be buried.
The whole world knew that Divine General Xue Xingchuan and Divine General Tian Chui were the left and right arms of the Tianhai Saint Empress, her most loyal subordinates.
Divine General Tian Chui's remains had turned to blue smoke and ascended to heaven with the Tianhai Saint Empress. But Xue Xingchuan could not receive the same treatment.
Not to mention that Xue Xingchuan had once fought against the demon army in the northern military headquarters and rendered great service to the Great Zhou dynasty—even if he were just an ordinary general, why should he suffer such humiliation after death?
Many people felt this was wrong but dared not oppose it, because it was an edict from the palace, and people knew it was a strong response from certain powerful figures to a rumor circulating in the capital.
In that rumor, Xue Xingchuan had died under Zhou Tong's scheme.
Zhou Tong had betrayed the Tianhai Saint Empress and also betrayed his only friend.
People's hatred and contempt for Zhou Tong reached a new height as the rumor spread.
Then the palace edict came out: Xue Xingchuan and those Feather Forest Army generals were to be exposed to the elements.
Those powerful figures wanted to use such a cold display to tell the world that anyone willing to cut ties with the Tianhai Saint Empress would receive their leniency and strongest protection. They were even willing to humiliate the dead in this way to show their resolve and support Zhou Tong.
A saying had long circulated across the continent: if Zhou Tong died, only one person would come to collect his body—that person was Xue Xingchuan.
Now Xue Xingchuan was dead, killed by Zhou Tong's hand, yet because of Zhou Tong, he had no place to be buried.
This was chilling. Many people began to grow angry, yet the entire capital remained silent.
Perhaps the news of the Heavenly Mechanism Elder's death made people recall His Holiness the Pope's words on the night of the Heaven's Book Mound Incident: he too was old and nearing death.
If even His Holiness the Pope died, who could withstand the wrath of that Dao Venerable?
Someone could withstand it—or rather, she never even considered whether she could, because she was Xue Xingchuan's wife.
At dawn, Madam Xue walked out of the city gate for the fourth time.
She came to the official road and looked at the bodies carelessly scattered by the roadside, still unable to distinguish which one was her husband.
Then she looked at the Ministry of Justice official in charge of the guard and said, "Sir, I would like to for my late husband..."
Her face was pale, her expression weary, her lips dry, but her demeanor remained calm, carrying a natural dignity.
That Ministry of Justice official didn't let her finish.
With a sharp crack of a whip!
A corner of Madam Xue's skirt was torn open.
Perhaps because he was intimidated by Madam Xue's calm and dignity, and thus felt somewhat annoyed, the Ministry of Justice official's voice turned shrill and unbearably harsh.
"Xue Xingchuan followed the demon empress in treason, convicted of rebellion. Exposed for ten days, then fed to the dogs!"