“Thank you for letting him off the hook.” In front of the 100-meter-tall Buddha statue, the imperial princess bowed to Li Mu and said apologetically, “Over the past year, he has changed. I can’t persuade him anymore.”
Li Mu said, “People will change, and they would change more quickly if they were in his position.”
Looking at this man with a valiant and heroic bearing, the imperial princess vaguely remembered the first time she met him at that outdoor noodle stall in Peace County as if it were yesterday.
Now, the people remained the same, but things had changed.
“Maybe I was wrong,” the imperial princess said with a sad look on her face, “in the first place, I shouldn’t have let him make up his mind to be an emperor. If he had chosen to be an ordinary civilian in Taibai City, he might be living a carefree and happy life now instead of being obsessed with fighting for hegemony all day long. Gradually, he became lost in his pursuit of power and did many terrible things.”
Li Mu didn’t say anything.
It was inevitable that some people were destined to go down certain paths since their births.
Qin Zheng’s path was more destined than chosen by Qin Zhen.
The only pity was that he went astray on that path.
To put it in a popular saying on the Earth, Qin Zheng eventually became the kind of person that he hated very much at first.
He was intoxicated by power.
He had attempted to expand the strength and territory of the Empire of the Great Qin Dynasty too fast. Back then, Li Mu swept through almost the entire Heavenly Land. After the Northern Song fought the battle at the Tomb of the God of Sin, it lost its capital, and the War of the Eight Princes caused great damage to its strength and foundation. As for the Southern Chu, it was disturbed and deeply troubled by internal conflicts. Later, when Li Mu killed Lord Qu’s henchmen and wiped out the Holy Clan protecting the Southern Chu, the Southern Chu fell prey to recession.
Li Mu killed many members of the imperial family of the Qin Empire, including several emperors and princes, but in the end, he helped Qin Zheng ascend the throne relying on his great influence.
To some extent, Qin Zheng’s fate had something to do with Li Mu.
“What will the Qin Empire be like in the future?” The imperial princess looked at Li Mu and asked.
“It has no future.”
Li Mu looked up at the calm, expressionless face of the Buddha statue. Countless images flashed through his mind.
In the end, he said straightforwardly, “From now on, there will be no Qin Empire, the Northern Song or the Southern Chu on the Heavenly Land, and there will only be Taibai City.”
He had made up his mind to reverse the current situation of the Heavenly Land and support the Dark Yellow Army to take full control of the Heavenly Land and prepare for the upcoming war.
Time waited for no man.
Li Mu could no longer be softhearted.
The imperial princess stared at Li Mu, at a loss for words.
It would be a lie to say that she did not love the country.
Anyway, she was part of the Qin Empire, and the blood of the Qin family was flowing within her. She had never thought that the empire and the royal family would be terminated by the young man that she met at an outdoor noodle stall.
However…
“That’s fine. At the very least, Zheng will have a good ending.”
At the thought of that, she smiled.
No matter how glorious and brilliant a dynasty once was, it would eventually fall from the pinnacle of its power and be replaced by another one in the end. There had never been an exception.
Qin Zhen had never believed that the Empire of the Great Qin Dynasty would exist forever.
Sooner or later, it would be overthrown.
If it were overthrown by Li Mu, at least the Qin family could be preserved, and the bloodline of the Qin family would not be severed. However, if it were overthrown by other forces or people, it would be highly unlikely that the Qin family would be spared.
Perhaps Li Mu’s overthrowing the Qin Dynasty was the best ending for the Qin family.
“I will protect the Qin family, and I won’t make things difficult for the officials who are loyal to the Qin family. The capital of the Qin Dynasty will still belong to the Qin family in the future. However, I have something to say beforehand. The Qin family can’t control too many troops or make an enemy of Taibai City. I have some very important things to do next, so I’ll show no mercy if anyone dares to play tricks or plot against me,” Li Mu looked the imperial princess in the eye and said in a resolute tone.
At that moment, the imperial princess felt Li Mu’s indomitable will. Now, Li Mu was like a Celestial Demon or an immortal that dominated everything and no mortals in the world could disobey.
She finally understood that she and he had long become the people in two different worlds.
“Alright, the Qin family will do it.”
The imperial princess made a pledge as she put her hands in front of her with palms together and bowed to Li Mu.
“Amitabha. Please take care of yourself. We’ll never see each other again.”
She lowered her head and solemnly chanted the names of Amitabha.
Then, she turned around, walked to the foot of the Buddha statue, and sat cross-legged on the futon again. She began to chant the Buddhist scriptures and beat the wooden fish in a slow and steady rhythm. The scene was like the smooth surface of the water in an ancient well.
Li Mu looked at her back.
She was indeed a fair lady.
She was right at the age when she looked most beautiful in her life.
However, this daughter of destiny chose to keep company with the ancient lamp and Buddha to seek psychological comfort. Fate was a little cruel to her. This swordswoman, who used to be resolute, proud and strong-willed, could not cut through the mundane world with her sword. In the end, she failed to escape fate.
Li Mu thought that he should do something.
In the end, however, he just turned around to leave.
He was already greatly indebted to many women for their love.
Now that he could not pay off the debt, he couldn’t incur any more debt.
He left the temple.
He had many important things to do.
Having sensed Li Mu’s departure, the imperial princess suddenly stopped beating the wooden fish.
A drop of clear tear fell onto the wooden fish, broke into pieces, and slipped down.
Knock! Knock! Knock! Knock!
The beats of the wooden fish resumed.
The beats were as irregular as rustling leaves and raindrops hitting banana leaves. They were not rhythmic at all.
“Ha-ha-ha, are you talking about Li Mu, the god of martial arts that defeated all the opponents on the Heavenly Land back then?” The young man laughed wildly as he looked at Xu Sheng, who still refused to give in after being seriously injured.
“I know him. So what? There was no hero at that time, so he became a man with fame. That’s all. His era has long passed. Even if he came back now, what could he do?”
The young man stood up, stepped on Xu Sheng’s shoulder, and slowly pressed his foot down, saying, “I’m not afraid that he will come, but I’m afraid that he won’t come.”
“You’ll regret it.” Xu Sheng’s shoulder was crushed. He used his hands to support his weight and prevent himself from kneeling down. He sneered and said, “You would surely regret it if you knew what he has done in the Star River.”
“Oh? In the Star River? Ha-ha, I’ve heard that he did do some things, but for me, what he did is just a child’s play. It’s childish, ridiculous, and not worth mentioning.”
The young man smiled as he spoke.
Xu Sheng roared angrily as he supported himself with his hands.
His arms had grown back after he lost them, but they were going to be broken again.
“You’re a brave man. It’s not an easy thing to do for an old man like you.”
The young man raised his foot, looked at Xu Sheng and said, “I know you are not convinced, ha-ha, but it doesn’t matter anyway. I know Li Mu and what he can do, but he doesn’t know me and has no idea what I can do. Therefore, old man, don’t expect him to turn the tables. I detained you just because I wanted to force him to show up. What he has done in the Brilliance Immortal Star Region and his Aspect of Virtue are nothing to me, ha-ha-ha…”
Xu Sheng’s heart suddenly leaped to his throat.
“This young man seems to be… fearless. Why?
“Could it be that he has set a trap and he is waiting for Li Mu to fall into it?
“In that case, things would be troublesome.
“When did such people appear on the Heavenly Land?
“What should I do?”
Xu Sheng was from the Yue Mountain Faction, which was founded by the ancient sages on the Earth. In terms of origin, it was a natural ally to the Dark Yellow Army. For this reason, the people of the Yue Mountain Faction had genuine feelings for Li Mu.
At such a moment, Xu Sheng suddenly hoped that Li Mu would not come here.
However, things turned out contrary to the way he wished.
Dark blue mist suddenly appeared in the camp of the Qin Empire’s troops, and the void seemed to be melted into a whirlpool. Li Mu stepped out of the whirlpool and descended to the ground.
“Hmm? Mr. Xu?”
Li Mu frowned immediately when he saw Xu Sheng, who was seriously injured, and heard the shouts and roars.
