In Xin'an City of the State of Zhuang, an old man with graying hair knelt before the Ancestral Temple and would not rise.
Few in the sprawling city recognized him. But in what had once been the Maple City Domain, he had been known to virtually everyone.
He was the former Castle Lord of the Maple City Domain, the man who had held the post before Wei Quji.
His governance had been marked by benevolence and diligence. During his tenure, he had walked on foot to every town and every village under his charge. It was something Wei Quji had never done. In all of Zhuang, there had been no second castle lord who had ever done the same.
Back when the thirteen-year-old Du Yehu had killed a man in open court, it was this old man who had personally presided over the retrial. He had even arranged for Du Yehu to enter the Dao Academy for cultivation — and that was how the rising warrior of the Black Armor Division, now spoken of with growing reverence, had come to be.
During his time governing the Maple City Domain, he was deeply beloved by both soldiers and civilians. When he felt his age advancing and his cultivation weakening beyond recovery, he had voluntarily stepped down to live out his days in retirement.
His entire life had been without children, without close kin, without disciples.
When Zhuang Gaoxian had waged war against the State of Yong, he had fought with extraordinary valor. For his meritorious service, he took over the Maple City Domain from the hands of Zhuang Ting, accepting not a single coin. After dedicating his entire life, he had returned the domain to the state.
And now the Maple City Domain was gone.
Not a single dog, not a single chicken, not even a handful of earth remained. Everything within its borders had been wiped clean.
They said it was the Bone Path that had caused the chaos.
A heretical cult that had slumbered for a century — where could it possibly have found such power?
What had the Bureau of Investigation been doing? Why had there been not the slightest hint of forewarning?
Why had the entire Maple City Domain perished, yet Dean Dong alone survived?
Why had Dean Dong uncovered the conspiracy, yet Du Ruhui — the great Preceptor of the State, renowned across every nation — still arrived too late?
Why...
Zhuang Ting's explanation could convince every soul in the world.
Not because it was flawless or beyond reproach.
Simply because those who listened had not been people of the Maple City Domain.
Simply because there was no one left in the Maple City Domain!
Only Liu Yi'an remained.
Only this aging body, this fading life, still pursued the truth with dogged persistence.
But when he petitioned the Chancellor, the Chancellor refused to see him.
When he appealed to the King, the King remained behind locked palace doors.
When he questioned the court officials, none would spare him a glance.
Who would bother with a broken old man who could never rise again — a man whose qi was fading, whose cultivation had collapsed, who possessed not a shred of fighting strength?
Especially one this stubborn, insisting on peeling open festering wounds at a time when all of Zhuang was basking in prosperity.
The old man was now an ordinary commoner, stripped of all rank.
Liu Yi'an, the commoner, wandered alone through the vast city of Xin'an, asking his questions for nine full days.
Nine days, and no answers.
No one would listen.
On the tenth day, he knelt before the Ancestral Temple.
He would ask the founding ancestor himself!
If the ancestor were still alive and could see what had become of this nation, would he too remain silent?
"The ruler is the boat, and the people are the water. Water can carry the boat, but it can also overturn it!"
Before the Ancestral Temple, he wept without restraint.
Helpless as a small child.
...
Outside the Ancestral Temple, at the corner of the long street across the way.
Dong A, Vice Chancellor of the State of Zhuang, stood with his hands tucked in his sleeves, utterly silent.
...
...
Beyond the ruins of the Maple City Domain.
Du Ruhui, his black hair dark as ink, stood with hands at his sides. Though his face bore the marks of age, his spine was straight as a spear.
In all of Zhuang, the only person who could command such deference from him was the ruler of the state — Zhuang Gaoxian.
He was a middle-aged man with placid features, carefully examining the Maple City Domain as mist swirled across it. At first glance, he looked no different from any wealthy gentleman out for a spring excursion.
From appearance alone, no one would have imagined that this was a man of ruthless decisiveness. His hardness and sharpness in matters of state surpassed every monarch Zhuang had ever known.
After observing for a time, Zhuang Gaoxian said with a smile: "This time, Teacher dealt the Bone Heresy a truly painful blow. He tried to drag this place into the Netherworld, but managed only to pull it halfway. Now the Maple City Domain hangs between the mortal world and the Netherworld, becoming a land of death. It neither gets digested by the Netherworld, nor does it vanish from Zhuang's territory — instead it becomes a permanent scar. To harm another without benefiting oneself — that is the mark of pure resentment."
Had the domain been pulled entirely into the Netherworld, the territory in the mortal world would have been erased. Eventually, neighboring regions like the Qichang Mountain Range might have bordered Wangjiang or Sanshan, and in time the whole affair would have been forgotten.
But now, straddling the boundary between life and death, the Bone Heretic God had wasted divine power for nothing — gaining nothing in return. And Zhuang was left with a scar that would never heal. Every person who saw this wasteland would remember what had happened here.
Ever since Zhuang Gaoxian had been Crown Prince, Du Ruhui had been his teacher.
After Zhuang Gaoxian ascended the throne, there was no second candidate for the position of Chancellor.
"Your Majesty." Du Ruhui bowed slightly. "This old minister has heard that the sage kings of antiquity rejoiced when the people were at peace and wept when they suffered. Outside the ruins of the Maple City Domain, Your Majesty should not smile. Lord Zhuang's ascension to the True Vision realm is an honor for the state. But sacrificing the people to achieve that realm is a disgrace. Moreover, the souls who will never find rest lie before Your Majesty's eyes."
"Gaoxian stands corrected." The Emperor immediately composed himself, speaking with contrition. "I was too eager after catching up to that old scoundrel of Yong. Thinking that the border would finally be secure and the people at peace, I let myself forget my station."
Though Zhuang Gaoxian's cultivation had long surpassed Du Ruhui's, he still maintained the respect a student owed his teacher.
Du Ruhui heard him out, neither pressing further nor expressing deep satisfaction. He simply moved past the matter with a gentle hand.
"Your Majesty could erect a Memorial Stone for the Living near the domain's edge, as a gesture of remembrance. Let it bear the admission of lost territory, recorded as a national grievance. Restate the eradication of the Bone Path as official policy, and swear to honor the departed. In this way, you can calm the people's anger, win their hearts, and rally their will."
Zhuang Gaoxian was full of admiration: "Truly words of gold!"
The last time Zhuang had declared the eradication of the Bone Path as national policy had been during the era of the founding ancestor, Zhuang Chengqian. At that time, the cult had indeed been uprooted entirely.
Today, the revived Bone Path commanded nothing like the power it had once wielded. But reasserting the policy would still stir the memories of Zhuang's people. It would signal both adherence to ancestral precedent and an unyielding resolve against the Bone Heresy.
All the people's resentment would be focused upon the Bone Path. Once the cult was eradicated, Zhuang Gaoxian would not only escape blame for the loss of the Maple City Domain — he would win the people's hearts through the recovery of a national grievance.
Du Ruhui moved his pieces like spring rain nourishing the earth — seasoned, elegant, and flawless.
This was a key reason why he had been able to sustain the court during Zhuang Gaoxian's long recovery.
Mist churned within the Maple City Domain, concealing the horror within. It was as though everything that had occurred on this land had fallen into the gap between yin and yang. Never again to see the light of day.
"You have seen the Lifeless Deathless Array. What will Your Majesty do now?"
Zhuang Gaoxian lightly brushed his sleeve. "Since we have come to Qinghe Prefecture, how could we not visit our elders along the Clear River?"
...
...
After departing the State of You, Jiang Chen continued onward toward the State of Qi.
The Blessed Land had been but one stop on his journey. He had his own road to walk.
Merely traveling was not the sole objective — more important still was the tempering of sword, body, and heart along the way.
He used heaven and earth as the furnace, the mortal world as the flame, and his own body as the copper.
From the Small Cycle, he moved toward the Grand Cycle.
When he came to mountains, he climbed. When he came to rivers, he waded. When he came to inns, he rested. And when he came upon injustice... he drew his long sword.
The road beneath his feet grew ever longer; the path of cultivation grew ever wider.
He gradually felt that some transformation was underway.
Like a road hidden behind cloud and fog, growing ever clearer, ever more certain with each step.