ATEG Chapter 118.2

Shitou very much wanted to become smarter. But its heart-flame was too tiny, and even when the heart-lamp was lit, it was still quite slow-witted. And it couldn’t even maintain the heart-flame continuously yet — its first task was simply to keep that flame from going out.

Its progress in cultivation had always been very slow. It had always assumed this was because its soul was incomplete — but Master had said that wasn’t the reason. The reason was that its heart lacked resolve. The heart-flame of Mingdeng Sect was extraordinary — somewhat similar to the precept-keeping method, it was a technique that manifested the power of one’s character and cultivation, unaffected by spiritual qi environment, magical power, or divine consciousness.

Shitou thought Master was right. It currently had a body of stone, with no circulation pathways for spiritual qi, and that pitiful scrap of a soul couldn’t cultivate much either — yet it could still light its heart-flame, so those things must not be the reason. Since it wasn’t smart enough, it could only use the slow method: recalling and pondering over and over again — what was it thinking when it successfully lit the heart-flame? What did it feel like? Compassion…

A faint, firefly-dim light flickered on and off atop the stone, barely illuminating the space of a single palm. Then the dark room was suddenly filled with brightness — the stone looked over with envy. In Yang Cang’s palm, a lamp flame burned steady as a bean of light, flooding the entire room with clarity, yet without a single ray leaking outward.

Yang Cang hadn’t noticed the stone. He sensed that Changpu was seeking to contact him.

Since the plan had begun, Yang Cang never initiated contact with Changpu unless there was news of major change. Bie Chunian’s deployments throughout the Sui capital were an unknown quantity — if he had set his sights on Changpu, it would be dangerous. So it had always been Changpu who contacted Yang Cang, and only after confirming she was safe.

Changpu briefly described her situation. Everything was going smoothly, though news from within the palace was difficult to obtain, and they could not confirm the precise state of affairs. Ying Bufu had great skill and had kept the royal palace locked tight as an iron barrel. Yu Jian could only passively receive news through the qin masters within the palace who worshipped him, with no ability to transmit divine decrees and actively make use of them — that would be detected by the formation arrays and cultivators within the palace.

Changpu and Yang Cang quickly exchanged information. Just as she was about to end the communication, Changpu showed a rare trace of hesitation.

Yang Cang thought something had gone wrong, and asked with urgency, “Don’t take risks — don’t overlook even the faintest feeling. What happened?”

Changpu knew he had misunderstood, and said, “No — I am very safe.”

She hesitated for a moment. “It’s a piece of news from the palace.” She felt it wasn’t important — it had no bearing on what they were trying to do — but Master might want to know.

“Mister Yu said he heard from the qin masters in the palace that the Sui King herself admitted… that Zhenren Bie in the palace is her personal favorite…”

Yang Cang: …

“Master… Master?” Changpu called out to him carefully.

Yang Cang’s voice drifted. “…I understand.”

“Are you all right?”

“I’m fine.” Yang Cang wiped his face with his hand.

He simply hadn’t expected that after his heart-flame went out, Bie Chunian would become… so possessed of a spirit of self-sacrifice.

If this was truly the case, things had become somewhat more complicated. Their aim had only ever been to deal with Bie Chunian — there was no intention of dealing with the Sui King. Of course, the contingency plan did include arrangements regarding the Sui King, in case she had been completely brought under Bie Chunian’s control. They had considered the possible nature of the Sui King’s relationship with Bie Chunian — at best, she would be wary of him; at worst, she would already trust him completely. But so long as Bie Chunian’s scheme was exposed, faced with someone who wanted to seize her throne and her territory, no matter how ill-advised the Sui King might be, her first instinct would surely be to have him killed.

But they hadn’t anticipated that the Sui King might have a deeper relationship with Bie Chunian…

Love… it doesn’t follow any logic…

A matter like this… Yang Cang stared blankly into the distance, turning over what he knew of his master…

To ensure his plan was absolutely foolproof… Bie Chunian would probably, perhaps, possibly, presumably… actually be capable of it, right?

Beside him, Shitou — tired from its practice and about to take a rest — quietly turned its attention over. It watched Master, who had not moved a single muscle, his expression empty and perfectly still, and thought with great admiration: So this is what Master means by having resolve in one’s heart.

****

Liang Kingdom.

Feiying was patiently waiting.

He had already cast out the bait to probe Xuanqing Sect — now he only needed to wait for the result.

The sky was growing dim, the gathering dusk soft and heavy. Youji hid in the shadows, tucking his chapped hands into his sleeves to warm them, his face raw and stinging from the cold wind.

He was a Xuanqing Sect child-disciple now, and by the rules, it was time to return to his quarters — he shouldn’t be wandering outside. Youji had always been obedient before; he didn’t want to be cast out, so he had made himself into a good, compliant child. But this time was different. This time was a test given to him by Feiying Zhenren!

Feiying Zhenren had told him: if he could, after nightfall, go to a certain place and leave a certain thing there, he would teach him cultivation upon his return! Youji had been overjoyed. He had heard that when great figures took on disciples, they always put them through trials first — this was his trial right now! If he could accomplish the task Zhenren had given him, he would be able to study under the Zhenren!

Youji had been freezing until his complexion turned blue, yet he hid outside until dark. Only once the streets were empty did he began to move. He could not be seen by anyone.

The outside after dark was terrifying. The cold wind moaned and howled. Youji hunched his body and kept his head down, running along the route he had memorized earlier. When he finally arrived at the place, Youji huddled his neck into his shoulders and looked around, then reached into his coat and pulled out the box Zhenren had given him, letting out a quiet breath of relief. He was still afraid, yet there was a flicker of happiness too.

As long as he set the thing down, he could go back. The box had no lock — he could open it at any moment — but Youji would not open it. Though he was curious, he knew: this was part of Zhenren’s test for him.

Youji stretched the corners of his mouth, stiff with cold, and bent down to place the box on the ground. His frozen fingertips lingered with reluctance — the box had been tucked against his chest the whole way, warmed by his body heat.

He prepared to go back. Back inside it would be warm, with a thick paper quilt.

Youji straightened up, and suddenly felt a chill at his chest. He collapsed to the ground. The surface beneath him was moist and warm, carrying the fresh scent of blood.

So cold… Mother… Mother, where are you? Ah Bao is so cold…

The light went out from his wide-open eyes. The sword withdrawn from his chest split open the wooden box on the ground. The box was empty.

A cold snort came from somewhere in the night.

****

In a room, Feiying suddenly opened his eyes. His expressionless face was carved like stone — even when another person abruptly appeared in the room, not so much as his brow twitched.

“So it is Daren Fu,” Feiying said.

Daren Fu had narrow-set eyes that made him look sinister without expression, and when he smiled, it looked like a cold smirk: “You didn’t know it was me — so how did you send such a perfectly fitting gift?”

The box was empty, with no hidden compartment. The box was not the thing to be delivered — Youji was.

“I had my suspicions, but did not dare be certain. Daren Fu’s Nine-Son Ghost Mother Sword has long been ready for this — what I sent was merely an added detail,” Feiying said.

“Your eye for things is not bad,” Daren Fu said with a meaningful tone.

It had been he who had brought Feiying from Lu Kingdom back then. Feiying had been so weakened he was nearly dead, yet he had still been able to perceive that Daren Fu was cultivating the Nine-Son Ghost Mother Sword. But what was even more impressive was that after being deposited in Liang Kingdom’s Xuanqing Sect, Feiying had managed to find his own way here.

“Daren Fu flatters me,” Feiying said, and breathed out in relief.

Xuanqing Sect indeed had more to it than what he had seen on the surface. And those Xuanqing Sect members openly present in Liang Kingdom might not even know that within their order there was another hidden layer. Now that Daren Fu was willing to reveal himself and meet with him, it meant he was willing to bring Feiying into the true Xuanqing Sect — and that was precisely what he had sought.

Having taken this step, it was time to understand the direction ahead. By now, Liang Kingdom had largely fallen under Xuanqing Sect’s hand. But what he had seen in Lu Kingdom earlier had seemed to be not going quite as smoothly. Feiying probed Daren Fu for information.

Daren Fu let out a contemptuous laugh. “You think it is only a matter of Lu and Liang?”

The coldness between his narrow-set eyes spread into open arrogance. “Our Xuanqing Sect takes nations as our children. All nations under heaven are subject to our designs!”

****

In this month, the day reaches its shortest. Yin and Yang contend; all living things are thrown into flux. The noble man fasts and maintains discipline, keeping himself well-sheltered wherever he dwells.

Sui Royal Palace.

Sui King Ying Bufu, clad in phoenix-bird black robes and crowned with a jade-and-pearl hundred-bird coronet, received the envoy from Great Yin at court.

The Yin envoy brought the decree of the Yin Son of Heaven, along with a declaration of war.

The declaration was lengthy. Before the Yin envoy had even finished reading it aloud, the complexions of the ministers in the hall had already changed entirely.

This declaration was not a call to war against Sui — it was a call to war against Lu.

In the declaration, the Yin Son of Heaven bitterly condemned Lu Kingdom’s insolence, saying that Lu not only deceived and manipulated the common people, but had insulted and shown contempt toward the divine sacred.

That single line was enough to make the Sui ministers unable to sit still. The Yin Son of Heaven condemned Lu Kingdom, yet the declaration was sent to Sui — the implications were already deeply unsettling.

Beyond this, everyone knew that Lu Kingdom paid reverent homage to the Divine Court. The Divine Court was acknowledged throughout the realm as the rightful law of the divine path. If the Yin Son of Heaven said that Lu Kingdom had insulted the divine sacred, to whom did “divine sacred” refer?

The Divine Court broadly disseminated the true law among divine path cultivators across all lands, and the Divine Court’s seal was scattered throughout the world. Though Lu Kingdom revered the Divine Court most fervently, this did not mean only Lu Kingdom showed reverence — it was merely a matter of degree. The influence of the Divine Court could genuinely be called all-encompassing under heaven. Among all cultivators in the world, only the deities within the Divine Court communicated most widely with ordinary people — and so in the realm’s literary custom, when one wrote of “the divine sacred,” it typically referred to the Divine Court.

It was not that no one else could use the term “divine sacred” besides the Divine Court — it was simply that people typically did not leave it floating unanchored like this. One would add a qualifier to clarify which “divine sacred” was meant — for instance, “the divine sacred within Wuying Hall,” or “the divine sacred reachable through Mount Diancang,” and so on.

The Yin Son of Heaven said Lu Kingdom had insulted the divine sacred — he could hardly mean Lu had insulted the Divine Court. But this particular choice of phrasing… was it meant to diminish the Divine Court?

A few of the elder ministers in Sui managed to keep composed enough, and exchanged a look with those whose resolve was not yet steady, signaling them to keep listening.

The Yin envoy continued to recite:

The Yin Son of Heaven bore the responsibility of civilizing and instructing, loving his people as he loved his own children and grandchildren. He had always revered and been grateful for the grace of the divine sacred. Now, witnessing Lu’s perverse and contrary conduct — causing the earth to crack and the heavens to weep, mountains to quake and seas to run dry…

This sent even more Sui ministers shifting uneasily in their seats. “The earth to crack and the heavens to weep, mountains to quake and seas to run dry” — good heavens, this was openly pinning the cause of the great calamity squarely on Lu Kingdom.

The Yin envoy continued to recite amid the ministers’ increasingly unsightly expressions. His own expression was troubled as well — though unlike the Sui ministers, his troubled look was a matter of dramatic performance. He declared:

Because of Lu Kingdom’s affairs, the Yin Son of Heaven was so grieved he could not sleep well, so full of righteous anguish he could not eat. Yet what could he do? Yin was simply too far from Lu Kingdom — he had sent emissaries to Lu Kingdom, going to the utmost effort to try to guide them toward righteousness. But the Lu King was brutal and cruel, and had actually executed the Yin Son of Heaven’s envoys.

Dantai Liu quietly sighed. Whether the Lu King had actually killed the Yin Son of Heaven’s envoys was anyone’s guess — but the Yin Son of Heaven’s intentions were now laid bare. He cleared his throat and suppressed the stirring among the ministers — some had already locked eyes on the Yin envoy with killing intent barely contained.

The Yin envoy who had come was a figure to be reckoned with: alone before an entire court of Sui ministers, his bearing did not waver for a moment. He recited the entire declaration with rousing passion and flowing emotion, voice trembling with apparent tears. The vast body of content that followed pressed down on Lu with the weight of insolence and disloyalty, propped up Yin with grief and helplessness, and then bore down on Sui with faithfulness and righteousness. In the end it all amounted to one single sentence:

The Yin Son of Heaven, having heard of Sui’s faithfulness and righteousness, requests that Sui wage war against Lu.

The court erupted in outcry.

Sui naturally refused. They were in the midst of a great calamity — all sides had only just begun to recover, and what was needed now was rest and recuperation. What was more, they and Lu had each kept to their own affairs perfectly well, separated by the Huai River, with no armed conflict between them for seven hundred years. Who would be willing to pour endless troops and provisions into this war just because of the Yin Son of Heaven’s declaration? The Yin Son of Heaven wanted to wage war on Lu, yet expected Sui territory to bleed for it, all so he could sit back and reap the fisherman’s gain.

But this declaration had already blocked every path for Sui from the standpoint of moral legitimacy. If Sui did not comply, it would be counted among the insolent and disloyal — just like Lu — and those who were insolent and disloyal, the whole world would be justified in attacking.

Yin and Lu did not share a border, but Yin and Sui did.

The Yin envoy finished reciting the declaration and turned his gaze to the Sui King, preparing to use the authority of the Yin Son of Heaven to coerce her. The Yin Son of Heaven was the overlord of all under heaven — that title was no empty formality. Every year he collected tribute from the various kingdoms, all kingdoms sent representatives to pay homage to him, and Great Yin was indeed powerful and mighty. The Yin Son of Heaven’s qi would even exert a degree of pressure upon the royal qi of the various kingdoms.

Dantai Liu rose and interrupted him, first bowing to the Sui King, then addressing the Yin envoy. “It is true that Lu and Sui share a border, yet the Huai River lies between the two territories. The Huai River is difficult to cross. Our Sui territory has not raised arms in many years — we have no great vessels capable of crossing the river, and no water force trained in river warfare. The Son of Heaven is benevolent, and would surely not bear to see Sui people suffer and die in war. Please grant us ships and provisions, and allow us time to train our forces.”

We are not unwilling — we are not disloyal toward the Son of Heaven. But the Son of Heaven is so benevolent, loving his people as he loves his own children and grandchildren. Even though Lu deserves condemnation, the people of Sui are innocent — surely the Son of Heaven would not bear to see them come to grief. So please provide us with provisions and ships, and in the meantime, give Sui the time to slowly train its forces.

The Sui ministers stopped their uproar. The old were indeed more seasoned. If the Yin Son of Heaven sought to press them down with the weight of legitimacy, they would simply accept that legitimacy — You are so benevolent, so distressed over Lu that you cannot eat or sleep properly, so how could we bring ourselves to add to your grief on our own account? — and thus demand ships and provisions on one hand, while quietly stalling on the other.

Every word of Dantai Liu’s response was anchored in the content of that very declaration, and the Yin envoy found it somewhat difficult to refute directly. He could only seize on one point. “There is no need for great vessels. This winter is bitterly cold — the Huai River will freeze over and can bear the weight of an army.”

Dantai Liu gave a signal, and a Sui minister rose, stepping forward to engage the envoy.

“Daren has long resided in the imperial capital and has never come here — you could not be expected to know the situation,” the minister explained patiently. “The Huai River is a great river with powerful currents — it is very difficult to freeze into thick ice. Even if it does freeze to a thickness capable of bearing an army, this can only hold for a matter of days. After that the ice cannot sustain the weight. What then? How would provisions and supplies be transported? One cannot simply ferry the troops across and abandon them. So great vessels are absolutely necessary.”

A crowd of Sui ministers chimed in, picking apart the Yin envoy’s demands from every angle and direction, making clear they were unreasonable. Every time the Yin envoy opened his mouth, he was first greeted with: “Daren has long resided in the imperial capital and does not understand the situation here.”

No matter how capable the Yin envoy was, one person against so many would exhaust his reserves. He turned in a flash of quick thinking, raised the Son of Heaven’s command seal, and called out sharply. “Do you dare defy the Son of Heaven’s command?!”

The Son of Heaven’s command was woven from five-colored brocade, stamped with the great imperial seal, and upon it was concentrated the formidable might of the Yin Son of Heaven. For a moment, the Sui ministers were pressed back and could not speak.

Dantai Liu steadied himself and said, “We do not defy it — it is only that we need time…”

From the royal throne, Ying Bufu suddenly spoke, “Our Sui territory is naturally loyal to Great Yin. This winter month, when the Huai River freezes, Sui will wage war against Lu.”

Dantai Liu snapped his head up and stared at her.

Your Majesty! That is not what you were like when we last met, Your Majesty!

Ying Bufu sat high upon the throne, her expression rigid and wooden, her eyes clouded and unclear. “Transmit my — decree.”

When midwinter follows the laws of autumn, the skies will rain unseasonably, gourds and melons will not ripen, and the nation will be visited by great war.