The black tiger was fortunate to escape this disaster but the people of Da Xi were not as lucky. As they prepared to cross the Luo River, the ground started to shake, causing the river course to open and yellow water started pouring in.
The troopers that were ahead could not escape the waters. But as the earth trembled, the tigers and leopards panicked and had caused a stampede that took the lives of many troopers.
The dark clouds up in the sky converged, sending thunderous sound down. The wind and clouds changed their colours as lightning came striking down from the tip of the clouds.
The Da Xi troops looked insignificant in front of the prestige of the heaven.
The Monarch of Da Xi trembled to the prestige of the heaven. It was extremely chaotic and he had to be protected by his personal guards. But as all hell broke loose, the yellow water emerged through the cracks on the ground to engulf the lives of many more troopers.
The upheaval of the beast turned the situation from bad to worse. The disaster happened so suddenly that the Monarch had no time to prepare at all.
He brought the elite warriors of Da Xi for this very battle. If God gave him another chance, he would do otherwise. However, he was not capable of turning back time.
The thunders were striking, heavy rain pouring, it was pitch black. The entourage of the Monarch’s personal guards was getting smaller and smaller and everything under his feet felt muddy. Not far away, a lightning struck down and the Monarch could smell the odor of charred human flesh.
Under such weather conditions, Liu Mende could not cast any spells. He was like a lonely lamp that lit up in this stormy night and shined on the sacrificed troopers. The high ranking generals were no different from these ordinary troopers. They were like ants who shivered when disaster struck, they were either struggling to survive or were dead.
Liu Mengde had finally found the Monarch. The confused Monarch was sitting on a small earthbag. The earthbag was filled with his most loyal personal guards.
刘梦得的一点火光照醒了他,大雨噼里啪啦落在他身上,在他清醒时给他最严厉的鞭挞.
The Monarch said, “How could this be?”
Liu Mengde sighed, “This is a trial of the heaven. Monarch, please leave with me.”
“Leave? Where do we go?” The Monarch answered emotionlessly.
“Let’s go to a place where you can get some rest.” Liu Mengde answered gently. His voice penetrated the wind and rain and landed in the ears of the Monarch.
“When I close my eyes, all I see are their souls. How can I sleep? The state of Da Xi started off with only ten miles of land and we now have thousands of miles of territory. So much blood and tears went into it during the expansion. But tonight, those blood and tears were drowned in the flood. Where else can I go to? National advisor, tell me, is this disaster coincidental? Or was it the intentional work of the son of Master of Xi Liang?” The Monarch needed to clear his doubt or else he would not be able to rest in peace.
Liu Mengde responded, “I am not sure.”
The Monarch said, “You have to take me to see him. I need to know the answer.”
Liu Mengde gazed intensely at the Monarch and said, “Come with me.”
He wielded the sleeves of his robe and a group of clear light transformed the Monarch and him into a fire wire and headed towards Mount Jieyang.
It was already morning by the time they arrived at Mount Jieyang. It was quiet and peaceful with barely any people.
The first morning sun came through the clouds and shined on the dew on the plants. It was a beautiful sight.
When the Monarch saw Shen Lian, Shen Lian was trimming the plants skilfully, just like the movements of clouds and flowing water. Even the most interesting dance he had seen was not as smooth and charismatic as Shen Lian’s actions when trimming the plants.
With grey hair and a haggard look, the Monarch could not help but feel terrible about himself. A crisp childlike voice could be heard, “Why are you here again and who is this person?”
Liu Mengde smiled at the little girl and then turned to Shen Lian, “Senior, the Monarch would like to see you. I could not bear to disappoint him and that’s why I brought him here.”
Shen Lian finished trimming and turned toward them. His deep eyes were like a painting, as if he was a celestial being. He looked at Liu Mengde and said, “Do you think you can come and see me as you like? Today onwards, you will have to guard this mountain for me for the next ten years as a punishment of your rash actions.”
His words were calm but it was hard to disobey. Liu Mengde nodded his head and promised to do so.
Shen Lian was an extraordinary person. Liu Mengde was able to meet Shen Lian because he was blessed and also because Shen Lian wanted to meet him. Conversely, the Monarch of Da Xi did not have such blessings and was someone that Shen Lian did not intend to meet. Liu Mengde was prepared for this when he decided to bring the Monarch to Shen Lian. Moreover, not anybody would have the rights to owe Shen Lian. Thus, he was not maddened by the punishment and instead was glad that Shen Lian noticed him.
The Monarch opened his bitter lips and asked, “Why did you not give us a chance and destroyed my entire military with spells? That was the lives of ten thousand people.”
Shen Lian did not look at him and said, “They are not worthy of my actions. It was the will of the heaven.”
“Will of the heaven? Then why would it be so coincidental to have such a disaster last night? Also, your mother left with her troops just before the disaster? They even abandoned their heavy equipments.” The Monarch questioned with a loud voice.
Shen Lian placed his hands behind his back and answered, “Because I knew about the will of the heaven.”
The Monarch laughed dejectedly, “You will face retribution one day.”
“Who dares to retribute against me?” Shen Lian smiled.
The Monarch somehow managed to summon all his strength and charged towards Shen Lian. All of a sudden, the scenery in front of him changed and he was standing in the void with a deep clif under his feet. The Monarch fell downwards from mid air but a sound could only be heard after a while.
Shen Lian looked at Liu Mengde and said, “He does not hate me, he hated himself.”
Liu Mengde responded, “I know.”
Shen Lian continued, “Maybe I was a little cruel. There were better ways to solve it but I was too lazy to do so. Although I’ve known about the disaster last night in advance, the source of it was you. You planted the seed of the peach and disrupted the spiritual vigour of this surrounding area and as a result affected the Luo River. After nine years of subtle influence, the crust of the earth started to change and caused the incident last night.”
Liu Mengde was shocked. He thought of all possibilities but it did not cross his mind that his actions of planting the peach of his Senior Apprentice-Brother would trigger such a disaster.
He dejectedly said, “If I knew sooner, I would have never done that.”
Shen Lian responded, “I’ve heard of a saying that goes ‘those who are virtuous by intention, though virtuous, shall not be rewarded. Those who are wicked without intention, though wicked, shall receive no punishment.’ There’s nothing much behind this saying but maybe it would make you feel better.”
Liu Mengde laughed bitterly, “Senior, I don’t know if I should thank you for consoling me or hate you for not reminding me in advance.”
“I don’t mind either. Just remember to guard the Xuandu Temple for the next ten years. I will be back and I hope by then you’re still around.” Shen Lian embraced his sister, rode on the Black Tiger and headed downwards of the mountain.
