“You seem to … Feel guilty.” Looking at Feng bujue, who was slowly getting up, Cao Xin said calmly,”
“No, I just feel that she’s not worth it.” After Feng bujue stood still, he threw a cold gaze at Cao Xin.”As a chess piece, her life has been too heavy and sorrowful.”
“A … Chess piece …” Cao Xin said slowly, then smiled.”Master Feng … It seems like nothing in this world can escape your eyes.”
“Now that Lin Yan is dead, can you tell me the whole story?” Feng bujue continued.
“It’s possible …” Cao Qin said.”But … Is there really such a need?”
“Eunuch Cao, you are a man of great foresight. If you don’t find someone who can understand you and tell them all this …” Feng bujue replied,”wouldn’t you be casting pearls before swine?”
“Ha … Alright.” Cao Xin smiled.
He paused for a few seconds, organized his thoughts, and continued,””This … I have to start from the year of the sword duel at Cang Ling.”
“I, Feng, am all ears.” Feng bujue added.
Cao Qin nodded and continued,”back then, there was a sword competition. The world changed.” Lin Chang’s collusion with the commander of the brocade guard, Qian Yong, had undoubtedly reached the former Emperor’s ears. The previous emperor believed that this matter should be taken as a warning and should not be taken lightly … If the forces of the martial world and some of the forces of the court secretly form an alliance, then they will quickly become a force that no one can control, even posing a threat to the Imperial power. ” He paused for half a second and continued,”so … Not long after, a long-term and heavy mission fell on my shoulders.”
“I see …” Feng bujue asked.”It started then …”
Cao Xin did not answer him. Instead, he continued,””In order to accomplish this mission, I need two pawns. One … Is a person whose martial arts is unrivaled in the world and who listens to my every word. The second … Is a person with ambition, determination, and knows how to seize opportunities. ”
“Lin Yan and Yuan han.” Feng bujue added.
“Ha …” Cao Qin laughed but did not answer. He continued to talk to himself,”it takes time to cultivate the first person. Fortunately, I don’t lack time. Since we don’t lack time, the next thing to decide is the candidates. ” He paused.”Lin Yan … Is the perfect candidate.”
“It’s easier to control a little girl like that, right?” Feng bujue said coldly.
“It’s not as easy as you think, but … I did succeed. ” Cao Xin replied proudly.
Then, eunuch Cao untied the wine pot hanging on his waist and took a sip before saying,””After Lin Chang’s death, his widow, who was pregnant with his child, was chased out of the ye residence. I’ve sent spies from the East military execution order to keep an eye on her for a few years. I wanted to see if I could find out Lin Chang’s Secret martial arts manual from her. In the end … I didn’t find the ‘Taixu nothingness Grand technique’, but … My Spy accidentally discovered that Lin Chang’s daughter is a peerless genius with an outstanding root bone. ”
As he said this, Cao Xin subconsciously glanced at Lin Yan’s body.””I waited for five years and felt that it was about time … So, I sent someone to spread the news that Lin Chang’s widow had hidden in a small town with the secret manual that her husband had left behind.
Sure enough, in less than half a month, some Jianghu bandits who smelled the fishy smell were lured here.
That night, I hid in the dark and waited until they forced Lin Yan’s mother to her death. Then, I saved the girl.
From then on, I became her foster father. ”
“And then you sold me out?” Feng bujue interjected.
“Haha … Master Feng, you have to understand.” Cao Qin said,”to grow, one must have motivation. Her mother’s death was a huge blow to her, but I’ve already dealt with the murderer on the spot. It’s not like I didn’t think about it … Letting a few of them go on purpose so that they would become Lin Yan’s future revenge targets. However, to be honest … That group of people was not qualified at all. With Lin Yan’s talent, she would be able to kill them all for revenge before she turns ten. ”
“So … I, the ‘enemy who killed my father’, became the best choice.” Feng bujue added.
“You’ve seen her current martial arts. ” Cao Xin extended his hand and pointed at the corpse.”Master Feng, you should feel honored … Without you, there would be no Lin Yan.”
“Why don’t you continue with your mission?” Feng bujue did not turn to look at Lin Yan. He only looked at Cao Xin and used an unfriendly tone to communicate with him.
“For the next ten years, Lin Yan’s martial arts skills improved by leaps and bounds. She was extremely intelligent and had built her Foundation with the fate reading mystic art at the age of six. She also received countless true inheritances from me … By the time she was eighteen, there were few people in the martial arts world who could compare to her. ” Cao Xin continued,”and most importantly, she’s very obedient … In contrast to hatred, she’s filled with gratitude towards me, her ‘Savior’ and ‘teacher’. As long as it’s a mission I ask her to carry out, she will complete it without hesitation. ”
“If I’m not wrong … The King of Hell was born at that time, right?” Feng bujue asked.
“Yes, I am.” Cao Xin replied,”the existence of the burial heart Valley and the legend of ‘eternal life’ of King Yama … Were all part of the plan.” He took another sip of the wine and looked at brother Jue with a strange look.”You should be able to understand that those skills that can last forever are no longer ‘martial arts’ but ‘Dao’. “As for me … I only entered the Dao through martial arts when I was over 50 years old. Lin Yan took advantage of me … In order to keep her young and ‘never age’, I would pass on a portion of my xuandao cultivation to her every year. I also instructed her to meet all the residents of the burial heart Valley once a month and let them bear witness.”
“But this … Is different from real immortality, right?” he asked. Feng bujue added.
“Naturally, it’s different.” Cao Qin said,”didn’t you see it just now … Once her inner energy dissipates, her body will age multiple times.”
“To put it bluntly … You’re overdrawing her lifespan in advance.” Feng bujue said.
“I’m also very helpless … After all, the Dao heart is different from martial arts. It’s not something that can be easily cultivated by someone of her age.” Cao Qin waved his hand.”In order to prevent her from aging, this is the only way.”
“Then … What happened after that?” Feng bujue did not want to hear that anymore, so he asked another question.
Cao Xin also calmly continued,””Twenty-one years ago, the matters in the burial heart Valley had basically settled down. I felt that the time was right, so I started to look for the second chess piece. ” He raised his head to look at the cherry tree beside him, as if recalling something from the past.”That year, it was the first year of Shengping. After the previous emperor passed away, the Crown Prince … The current Emperor had just ascended the throne. It was a period of murder, and the court was in a state of carnage, with countless heads falling to the ground …
For ten months in that year, I was racking my brains to pin crimes on a group of people who stood on the wrong side and send their entire family to the execution ground.
It wasn’t until the twelfth lunar month that I had some free time. I turned into a blind fortune-teller and went for a walk in the Jianghu …”
“It was at that time that you chose Yuan Kuang.” Feng bujue added.
“Ha …” Cao Qin said,”you can also say that Yuan han came to me of his own accord.” He took another sip of wine and said,”my encounter with him was indeed a coincidence. At first, I thought he didn’t meet my requirements, because he was a bit mediocre and he was not young anymore. But later, I found out that … Because of this, he was the best choice. The more he realized his mediocrity, the more he understood the value of opportunities. In addition … Yuan Kuang already has half of the mysterious life technique, which saves me a lot of trouble. I have to say … This is an opportunity. ”
“So … The two chess pieces are buried.” Feng bujue said.
“Yes.” Cao Xin smiled.”What I have to do after this … Is wait. Wait for the right time to come.”
“And the Emperor…Has chosen the right time for you.” Feng bujue added.
“You seem to know something?” Cao Qin said.
“I knew from the beginning that the Emperor was behind this.” Brother Jue replied,”I don’t think … He’s in critical condition at all, right?”
“Hahaha …” Cao Xin laughed out loud.”Amazing.”
“It’s nothing impressive. It’s just simple reasoning.” “If the Emperor is really looking for the ‘art of longevity’, he could have asked you, the old man who is getting younger and younger. Why would he need to look for the King of Hell …” Feng bujue paused.”Other than that, after listening to your explanation, I can confirm that … The current Emperor knows about the King of Hell and the mission that the previous emperor gave you. From this, it can be seen that this so-called “skill-seeking” mission actually has another purpose …”
“It’s so relaxing to chat with Master Feng~” Cao Qin nodded.”You’re right … This journey is actually a ‘cleansing’ mission.” When he said this, his expression became a little more serious.”The current Emperor is old and only has one son, and he has not officially named a Crown Prince. As for Prince Jin, Zhu zhizhao … He was at the right age and had a high reputation among the people. Although he did not have any thoughts of overstepping his boundaries, there were many people in the court who wanted to push him up … And use this opportunity to rise to the top.
Those civil officials are easy to deal with, I have a hundred ways to kill them; However, the embroidered uniform guards, the governor’s office, the Imperial Army, and even the people in my Eastern military power…They won’t be so easy to deal with. ”
“At this moment, these people should be dead, right?” Feng bujue had seen the bodies in the manor, so he had a few guesses.
“Hehe … Of course.” Cao Qin said,”during this trip to the burial heart Valley, I’ve gathered the few people who should be killed the most … It’s very worry-free to be able to settle it in one go.”
“What about the mission the previous emperor gave you?” Feng bujue asked again.
“About that …” Cao Xin’s expression changed slightly.”I used the art of longevity as bait to lure Yuan Kuang and many other martial artists to gather here. I originally wanted them to fight with the people from the valley trained by Lin Yan until both sides suffer heavy losses. Then, I could take advantage of the situation and kill all the top players in the Chinese world of martial artists in one go.” He paused for two seconds and continued,”after that, I only need Lin Yan to establish a sect in the martial arts world … In three years at most, she will be able to unify the martial arts world.”
“If that’s the case … Then the pugilistic world will be in your hands.” Feng bujue added.
“No… It’s the Emperor ‘s.” Cao Qin said,”…I’m just a person who does things.”
“Whatever you say …” Feng bujue said,”but … Lin Yan is dead now.”
“Yeah, she’s dead.” Cao Qin said.
“Then who will be the martial arts supremacy?” Feng bujue said.
“Hehe … Anyone can do it except you.” Cao Xin laughed.
“Why?” Feng bujue asked despite knowing the answer.
“Because you’re an uncontrollable person.” Cao Qin said,”even I … Am afraid of people like you.”
“So …” Feng bujue signaled for the man to continue.
“So …” Cao Xin finished the last sip of wine in the pot.”You’d better die Here.”
“I thought we were friends.” Feng bujue said.
“We are indeed friends. If possible … I don’t want to kill you.” Cao Qin said,”but for the sake of my dream, I must kill you.”
“Ideal?” Feng bujue rolled his dead fish eyes.”You’re a man who has just entered the path of Dao, and you’re still working so hard for the Imperial court. I won’t comment on that …” He laughed drily.”But … You actually say you have a dream?”
Yes, Cao Xin had dreams.
As mentioned before, he was a transcendent person.
Fame and fortune, glory and wealth, they were no longer important to him.
He already had an invincible martial art.
A peerless beauty … There was no need to mention this.
In short, the things that most people in the secular world pursued were no longer a pursuit for him.
However, Cao Xin still had his dreams.
What he was considering was not so much an individual’s “ideal” as an “idea.”
“Confucianism uses literature to mess up the law, chivalrous people use martial arts to break the rules.” Cao Xin’s voice suddenly became high-pitched, and his eyes became very sharp.”One word … Can put an end to factional disputes. Only by unifying the pugilistic world could there be no more so-called ‘pugilistic world’ in the world.
It’s easy to kill, but hard to destroy the heart, and in the burial Valley, it’s not just the person that’s buried, but also the heart.
“As I said … I have all the time in the world. Even if I have to spend another fifty years or a hundred years, I will still complete all of this.
The day I succeed, my Great Ming Dynasty will be able to last for thousands of years, the country will be prosperous and the people will be at peace. ”
“Good~ah~well said.” Feng bujue stuck his hands in his pockets and tilted his head.”But when that time comes, won’t you … Become a heretic that must be removed under this system?”
“This … You don’t have to worry about it …” Cao Xin said as he threw away the wine pot in his hand and released his inner breath.
At that moment, the cherry blossoms around him fell like snow, and the light fog that filled the sky spun like a vortex.
The light of dawn also fell from the sky at this time …
This was the first time in many years that Cao Xin had circulated his martial arts with a serious attitude. This was because he knew…That the opponent before him was worth it.
“Master Feng, there’s no need to be so polite,” In the midst of the chaotic falling flowers, Cao Xin flipped his palm.”In our battle today, life and death are up to the heavens. I have no regrets!”
