Those who didn’t agree with Gegewu’s deeds shifted their loyalty to Iron Guardian, who was held in the highest esteem after Great Spirit Shaman. Among those who defected to him were Poison and Fire Guardians. As the leader of the four guardians, everyone acknowledged the martial officer, so he was the best candidate to assuage he anxiety of followers.
Gegewu’s loyal lackeys, who usually took care of the dirty work, such as abducting children and women, as well as communicating with bandits, decided to compete for the vacant Great Spirit Shaman seat as soon as he was ousted from power. As soon as the idea came to mind, though, the idea and its storage unit was removed. I didn’t plan for their execution at all.
Moyan Luohou took it upon himself to execute all the filth who tried to bargain their way out when he confronted them. When their only skill was basking in Gegewu’s glory to perpetrate abhorrent crimes, it wasn’t surprising Moyan Luohou didn’t break a sweat harvesting their heads and dumping their domes in the valley four hours before Emperor Yuansheng reached the apex of the mountain.
Following their execution, Moyan Luohou sheathed his blade and declared, “Leader Iron Guardian” and then returned to seclusion after consolidating the future forces of Mount Wanyu. As such, he could be credited with turning Shaman Monarch Palace into history.
Even though I created the opportunity, my intuition led me to believe that Moyan Luohou had been biding his time to perform the excision of Shaman Monarch Palace. The only reason he didn’t get rid of them until Gegewu’s downfall was because it was against the faith’s rules to kill fellow followers. If I had to hazard a guess, he probably foresaw the conclusion from the moment I requested his cooperation.
By the time I was done contemplating Moyan Luohou’s perspective, I arrived at the throne room that Iron Guardian had now cordoned. I made my way into the conference room and raised my voice. “Please come in, Your Majesty.”
There was a moment of silence prior to Emperor Yuansheng’s entrance. He stopped by the big table and, making it hard to read his emotions, stared at me across the table. “You managed to hear me notwithstanding how windy it is. Impressive, Constable Ming.”
“Given how much transpired today, it would be unusual for you to not seek explanations from this one.”
Emperor Yuansheng subtly pulled his brows together , not yet convinced – or maybe not in the slightest. “I certainly do need you to explain the whole story. Why did we need to make haste to see the show? What have you been up to? Who is Great Spirit Shaman?”
“Did you come across our enemies on the way here?”
Emperor Yuansheng paused to deliberate, then shook his head. “We met a lot of people recently; it’s hard to answer that. In terms of those who left the deepest impression, it would be the hui you refer to as the white python and the silver-masked woman who drove off Abels with a single punch. I feel that our true enemy has yet to appear.”
“Splendid judgement, Your Majesty. Do you remember what the purpose of our pilgrimage south is this time?”
“To slay beasts.”
“Indeed. Please do not allow surface-level matters to blind you. The final boss in our journey has always been the evil beasts. Everything I have done and do is for that end goal.”
I shared my analysis of why Shaman Monarch Palace was dangerous if they got their hands on what was in Nieyao – therefore why they had to go – and the reason I had Yinhu ambush the group. I was aware Emperor Yuansheng still suspected me even subsequent to my explanation that I colluded with the four monarchs, eliminated Gegewu and called him to Wanyu for our ultimate goal. Perhaps he discriminated, but we couldn’t afford to have any more influential variables at this point in the mission.
“You may not be used to my tone as I am but a measly constable of Liu Shan Men, but there is nothing I can do about it. I will have to continue overstepping my authority for the sake of this campaign. Mayhap you will not be used to it. Nonetheless, this is the only way to reduce casualties. When I say casualties, they could be your people or innocent lives of Nanjiang. Though they lead lives foreign to what we are familiar with, they have families and emotions just as we do. There is no justification for letting them die. I do not want them to die. Thus, I cannot let unhelpful things bind me.”
Upon looking up again, Emperor Yuansheng asked without hesitation, “What is it that you want?”
“… What?”
“You are Mount Daluo’s senior disciple, yet you joined Liu Shan Men to work as a constable. What is it that you want? You are doing all the heavy lifting to slay an evil beast at your own peril. I don’t have any rewards for you, so what do you seek? I understand Mount Daluo’s undertaking, but I also have eyes to see for myself; I can tell what sort of person you are. Neither you nor your siblings are sheep who do things by the book. Tell me: what is it that you want?”
Emperor Yuansheng’s scepticism regarding me hadn’t gone anywhere. Nevertheless, he was cognisant of the fact that his only recourse at the moment was to trust me. Oftentimes, one’s goal or desires dictates the possibilities as well as directions they will venture in. Though desire is not an infallible determinant of attitude, it shouldn’t be too inaccurate. Emperor Yuansheng was willing to forego the details in order to determine if I was trustworthy or not because his vision wasn’t limited to just today; his vision was a bigger picture.
“… I hope what my eyes see is world peace.”
Emperor Yuansheng stared long and hard into my eyes.
“… That is all I seek. Would you believe me, Your Majesty?”
“Why not?” Emperor Yuansheng raised his head. “As Emperor, my wish is to see my people lead peaceful lives and see it defended from those who want to disturb their peace. I understand the sentiment. I am not so cynical that I refuse to believe there are true gallant heroes in the world. I have gleaned a lot from your response. Thank you.”
Nothing about Emperor Yuansheng’s reply was unpredicted. The Emperor Yuansheng who decreed the extermination of Divine Moon Cult and Ximen Chuideng was a good Emperor. While he wasn’t exceptional, he wasn’t a tyrant. Under his rule, people had enough to eat. Children had the privilege to study. People could afford a roof over their heads. He wasn’t a remarkable man, but I couldn’t kill him.
I smiled. “I hope you do not forget this conversation… If you understand the sentiment, the world and imperial court would not be what it is today. Ming Feizhen would not have joined Liu Shan Men, either.” As I walked off, leaving Emperor Yuansheng bemused, I added, “We will be busy tomorrow. Please turn in early, Your Majesty.”
Glossary
Hui – It’s an ancient type of snake in legends. If you want to sound like you’ve done a lot of reading of old legends, you can call someone a hui if you want to call them dangerous and villainous.
