Chapter 806: All Arrayed and Marching Forward
Zhu Ye, Ning Shiwei, and Tianhai Zhanyi all died that night on the snowy ridge. In truth, no one knew what they had done, and there should have been no way to use this to implicate those figures in the capital. But what they intended to do was no secret. The State Church demanded that the court pay a corresponding price, and by anyone’s judgment, this was entirely reasonable.
“His Majesty is merciful, but my temper has never been good. If you refuse our demands, then this case will continue to be investigated.”
The King of Linghai took a step forward, staring into the eyes of the Prince of Zhongshan, and said, “Your Highness, you had best think carefully about whether you can bear the consequences.”
The Prince of Zhongshan’s face was icy cold, but he said nothing.
He understood very well that even if the investigation into the assassination of the Pope continued, it could never implicate the Prince of Xiang. But without the protection of a sacred-domain powerhouse, the Zhu family would inevitably face annihilation—their entire household wiped out. Setting aside the thousand-year friendship between the Chen imperial clan and the Zhu family, and even setting aside the promise made to Zhu Luo back then, neither the Prince of Xiang nor he could allow such a scene to unfold.
Tianhai Chengwen also remained silent.
The crime of assassinating the Pope was far too grave. With Tianhai Zhanyi stained by this accusation, it could never be washed clean.
The Tianhai family of today was no longer the Tianhai family of old. If the Li Palace truly crushed down upon them with the force of a thunderbolt, the Tianhai family simply could not withstand it.
In truth, this method of investigation made little sense. All the parties involved were already dead. Apart from a letter from Chen Changsheng and these two individuals, there was no other evidence. For the State Church to meddle in court affairs and try to arrange the position of Divine General of the Songshan Military Prefecture was also highly irregular. But they had done it anyway, without any pretense of concealment.
But then again—who was that person? The Pope. Just as the King of Linghai had said, the court had to pay some price.
The question was: would this be enough? Could this settle the matter?
“We will wait for the results at the Dao Hall. We hope the outcome of your deliberations comes sooner rather than later.”
Before leaving the military prefecture, the King of Linghai said to the Prince of Zhongshan, “Also, please convey to His Highness the Prince of Xiang: this is only the beginning.”
—Indeed, it was only the beginning.
In the now-silent Songshan Military Prefecture, the great figures from the capital each harbored their own thoughts, yet they all thought of that same phrase.
“Damn it all!”
The Prince of Zhongshan suddenly leaped to his feet, pointing at the two Divine Generals and cursing them outright. “Are you pigs? You dared to steal his things! You dared to touch him!”
Just then, a close attendant from the prince’s mansion appeared at the doorway and gave a soft cough.
The others understood the signal. Not wanting to endure the mad prince’s fury any longer, they quickly took their leave.
Before Tianhai Chengwen could leave, the Prince of Zhongshan grabbed his sleeve. In a low voice, the prince said, “The Tang family knew that the owner of the Cinnabar Pill was Chen Changsheng. The palace knew too. But I didn’t know. The Prince of Xiang didn’t know. You didn’t know. Don’t you think there’s something wrong with this?”
Thinking of Tang Seventeenth Master, who had also died on that snowy ridge, and of how the Tang family had never shown up today, a flicker of wariness arose in Tianhai Chengwen’s heart.
“Thank you for the warning.”
After Tianhai Chengwen left, the prince’s attendant came before him and handed him a letter.
The envelope bore no writing, but it was sealed with the most complex of seals.
The Prince of Zhongshan tore open the envelope, read the contents, and fell silent for a long time. His expression grew darker and darker.
“So the Qiushan family already knows… That old fox, did he time this letter just right?”
…
…
The trial had ultimately turned into negotiations. For now, no agreement had been reached. The great figures swept away in anger, and word of what had happened in the hall spread like wildfire.
In a very short time, everyone in Songshan Town knew what had occurred on the snowy ridge that night. Naturally, the rumors had become somewhat absurd.
A Divine General had attempted to assassinate the Pope? And other forces had been involved? All those villains had died under the Pope’s divine punishment?
But the most shocking news was that the mysterious owner of the Cinnabar Pill was none other than the Pope himself!
The Cinnabar Pill had been refined from the sacred blood of the Pope’s divine body!
Three divine carriages, escorted by countless State Church cavalry, left the military prefecture and headed west toward the Dao Hall.
Along the way, the crowds on the streets parted like the tide, prostrating themselves.
This was because the three carriages carried three great figures of the State Church, and even more because the people were genuinely grateful for the Pope’s mercy.
Some among the crowd had sharp, piercing eyes, clearly cultivation masters. Others wore the distinctive robes of formation masters. Their common trait was that they all bore injuries, some more, some less.
When the State Church carriages passed, those people knelt in silence and kowtowed.
A few among them had complex expressions, but they too knelt on the ground.
Cultivators only knelt to heaven, earth, the sovereign, their parents, and their teachers.
They were not kneeling to the three State Church magnates inside the carriages—they were kneeling to the Pope.
All of them had once suffered severe wounds on the battlefield. If they had not been fortunate enough to obtain the Cinnabar Pill, they would long ago have turned to white bones beneath the yellow earth.
Only today did they learn that they had been saved by the Pope himself, and that he had used his own sacred blood. Thinking of the Pope’s benevolence, how could they not weep with gratitude? And knowing that their own bodies now, in a sense, carried the Pope’s blood, how could they not feel reverence in their hearts?
Even those cultivation masters who belonged to other factions could not simply ignore this and walk away because of their allegiances. They, too, knelt.
…
…
The cold winter wind lifted the curtain at the window but could not blow inside.
Like the divine carriage of the Holy Maiden Peak, the Li Palace’s carriage was also equipped with a similar formation. Inside, there was not a breath of wind, warm as spring.
Anlin’s gaze passed through the curtain and fell upon the crowd along the street. When she saw the cultivation masters and formation masters, her eyes paused for a moment.
After a long silence, she murmured, “The Pope seems different now than he was back then.”
This was both a reflection and a sigh, carrying a deep meaning.
As one of the State Church’s three great figures, the Chief Archbishop of Heavenly Knowledge, what exactly did her words imply?
Anhua sat beside her and heard every word clearly. She quickly understood what her aunt meant.
“Back then” was really just three years ago.
Three years ago, Chen Changsheng was a calm and steadfast young Daoist. But today’s struggle over the position of Divine General of the Songshan Military Prefecture, along with the countless admiring gazes drawn by the Cinnabar Pill, seemed to show that his view of the world and his approach to it had changed significantly.
“Aunt, you misunderstand His Holiness the Pope. Spreading word of the Cinnabar Pill was my idea.”
Anhua looked seriously at Chief Archbishop Anlin and said, “The deeds of a sage should certainly be widely proclaimed. Only then can they better guide people toward goodness, don’t you think?”
Anlin looked at her niece with a gentle smile, affectionately stroked her hair, and thought to herself: You are now so full of reverence for the Pope. How could you possibly know that the spiritual world of that young Daoist who first entered the capital back then had no room for words like “reverence” at all?