Rong State, Yinguang City.
The city-stationed General Jing Ye was in an awkward position lately.
When he "courageously exposed" the plague in Yang State, Yang was still a firm ally of Qi State. His actions carried an implicit intent to undermine Qi State's influence.
Yet no one expected Qi to seize this as justification, marching directly into Yang State and turning a nominal vassal into de facto Qi territory.
Thus, Jing Ye's deed became what some called "failing to see the bigger picture" and "ignoring the overall situation."
The root cause was that once Yang's territory became Qi's, Rong State now bordered Qi, becoming a neighbor lying right beside a tiger's bed.
Yang State's present seemed to foretell Rong State's tomorrow.
Though the hegemon of the Central Domain, Jing State, as well as the Northern Domain's Mu State, provided both overt and covert support to these small Eastern Domain states—just as Qi also supported some smaller states in the Central and Northern Domains.
But when Qi truly pressed down with overwhelming force, with a renowned general like Chongxuan Chu Liang leading the expedition, whether it was Mu or Jing, did they truly have the confidence to fight a national war against Qi in the Eastern Domain?
The reason Yang Jiande poured everything he had into a decisive battle was because he knew that only a victory could win more support.
If the positions were reversed, could Rong State truly achieve what Yang Jiande had done?
The answer seemed chilling.
Without mentioning how the Rong court secretly strengthened border counties and cities, once the Qi-Yang war subsided, the border between Yang and Rong appeared peaceful.
Common folk cared only about their three daily meals and paid little attention to the state of the world.
On the second floor of an inn within the city, a young man of unremarkable appearance leaned against the window, gazing at the pedestrians on the street, somewhat lost in thought.
"Their lives remain so peaceful, utterly unaware of approaching danger, ignorant of what the future holds. Perhaps ignorance is a bliss."
In the room, Liu Huai, wearing a false beard, sat at the table. Hearing this, he said coldly, "They are all fools, lowlife! Once the Qi army attacks, they will all bow their heads and wag their tails, begging for mercy, worse than dogs."
The man looking out the window was none other than Yang Xuance.
Hearing Liu Huai's words, he simply closed the window casually. "For ordinary people, whether the ruler's surname is Yang or Jiang, what difference does it make? If the king's surname is Jiang, perhaps their lives might be even more stable."
Liu Huai looked at him with shock and anger, but remembering this was the last bloodline of the Yang clan, he could only say, "You... how can you speak like this?"
Yang Xuance walked back and sat at the table as well, pouring himself a cup of tea. "What? The Yang State has fallen, and the old servant still cannot bear to hear the truth?"
"Young Master, keep your voice down!" Liu Huai urged. "We cannot be careless now. This old servant's death is nothing, but you carry a weight of a thousand jun!"
"Look at us." Yang Xuance laughed with self-mockery. "We are like stray dogs, not daring to show our true faces, not daring to speak our real names, our former identities carefully concealed. If we are like this, how can we demand those common people to be loyal to the nation?"
Liu Huai was speechless.
"In this world, no one owes anyone anything. Those two hundred thousand soldiers who died under the tyrant's blade—who should they blame? Blame my father?"
"His Majesty shed his last drop of blood for the nation. How can you..."
Yang Xuance raised his hand to interrupt him. "He sought benevolence and obtained it. That is all."
"Fine, fine." Liu Huai was somewhat disheartened, but after a moment, he retrieved a golden round stone and an ancient beast-skin scroll from the Storage Casket.
"This is what I brought from the palace. Which one do you want to learn?"
Written in blood on the beast-skin, the characters had endured countless ages, yet the bloodstains remained as vivid as ever. Just a glimpse of these blood-written words sent a tremor from the depths of one's soul, conveying a terrifying and immense power.
This was none other than the Emotion-Severing Blood Demon Art.
Yet Yang Xuance merely glanced at it before looking away, his gaze settling on the golden round stone.
He suddenly smiled. "The Great Sun Golden Flame Art—when would I ever have had the chance to touch it before?"
The Yang clan's secret Great Sun Golden Flame Art had been passed down only to the Crown Prince throughout the generations. It was only after Yang Xuji learned this art that he was recognized as the undisputed heir to the Yang throne.
To learn this art was to inherit the Yang clan's ancestral shrine.
But the Yang clan's ancestral shrine had already been "spontaneously" demolished by the common people of Zhaoheng City before the great army arrived. How could one inherit it? There was not even a place for worship!
The reason no one with discerning eyes believed this "spontaneous" claim was that it happened while Huang Yixing, the "People-Saving Pacifier," was traveling through Hengyang County, persuading surrenders. Destroying the Yang ancestral shrine before the Qi army had to do it—that was one of his "achievements."
But Yang State had fallen, and all were silent. Qi State certainly had nothing to say about it; they could only be pleased.
Liu Huai waited quietly for his decision.
But Yang Xuance simply shook his head, not even looking at the golden round stone again.
"My father's abilities surpassed mine a hundredfold. What he could not accomplish, I certainly cannot."
As a member of the Yang bloodline, learning the Great Sun Golden Flame Art meant assuming responsibility.
He reckoned that if he were to switch places with his father Yang Jiande, at most he might be a bit more benevolent toward the common people, perhaps win their hearts. But to sustain the nation under Qi State's watchful gaze—that was absolutely impossible.
Let alone that the nation had already collapsed. To rebuild the ancestral shrine, it would be simpler to hope for the Yang clan's ancestors to rise from the dead.
What surprised him was that Liu Huai simply said, "His Majesty said he would not ask you to do anything. Just one thing—he asked this old servant to give you this."
A coiled dragon jade pendant lay on the table.
One glance was enough to recognize it as Yang Jiande's personal ornament.
How many times had he hidden at his mother's side, stealing glances at that dignified yet cold man, usually seeing only a silhouette and this coiled dragon pendant!
Were those moments of bitter longing and watching ever noticed?
Yang Xuance turned away from all of this, looking down at his tea cup. But in the water's reflection, he saw his own eyes, reddened without knowing when.
He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, he appeared very calm. He reached out and grabbed both the jade pendant and the golden round stone representing the Great Sun Golden Flame Art.
"There is no need to speak of loyalty, righteousness, or resolve. Only the Yang clan owes Yang State's people—Yang State's people owe nothing to the Yang clan."
"You are free," he told Liu Huai.
To this day, this was the only person left who remained loyal to Yang Jiande. Yang Xuance had never had much fondness for this eunuch, but with the nation gone, there was no need to be bound by state affairs any longer.
After speaking, Yang Xuance rose and walked toward the door.
Liu Huai only asked, "What does the young master plan to do?"
"Though restoring the ancestral shrine and the nation is probably impossible..." Yang Xuance paused briefly at his steps before continuing toward the door. "But as a son, I must do something for my father who died in battle."
Yang Xuance left.
Closing the guest room door also closed Liu Huai's last hope.
Though he himself knew how futile that so-called "hope" truly was.
Hiding in a border city of Rong State, just beyond Yang State's border—this was Yang Xuance's idea. That absurd tenure at the World Tower had given him some insight into concealing one's tracks.
Liu Huai himself had no direction whatsoever.
Yang Jiande's final command was to find Yang Xuance and lead him out of Yang State, but he never said what to do afterward.
If there had to be a goal, he wanted to restore the Yang clan, ensure the Yang ancestral shrine would not end, and grant Yang Jiande peace in the afterlife with unending incense offerings.
But in truth, he understood that what Yang Jiande could not accomplish in life could never be achieved after his death.
Even Yang Xuance himself, the only one qualified to continue the Yang ancestral shrine, was indifferent to this "grand ambition."
What could an old eunuch who had lost both his master and his nation still do?
"You are free."
Yang Xuance, as Yang Jiande's sole remaining bloodline, declared his freedom.
But what was "freedom"?
Were those years of carefully following in his footsteps, of cautious waiting, not also "freedom"?
How many years had it been since he entered the palace? He could no longer remember.
He only remembered that back then, the ruler had still been just a prince. When entering the palace for an audience, his bearing was different from others. He walked with the stride of a dragon and tiger, as if he were the true master of the place.
Later, as expected, he ascended the dragon throne with virtually no controversy.
The prince who had tacit Qi support behind him could not make even the smallest ripple before him.
He also remembered that His Majesty had once seen him in the palace and said he looked familiar, so he casually selected him for personal attendance.
He certainly remembered that at the first grand court session after ascending the throne, His Majesty told him that this nation was rotting through, but even a rotten fruit, he would make it take root and sprout, growing into a towering tree!
He remembered when the Crown Prince was first born, he saw His Majesty shed tears for the first time.
His Majesty wept and said, "After I am gone, I will never let my son suffer like this!"
Yet...
He remembered how spirited His Majesty once was, and how he gradually became despondent.
He had witnessed all of this, felt all of this, and chewed upon all of this.
Now, His Majesty was gone, the Crown Prince was dead, and the young prince had also passed.
The empty guest room left only the beast-skin book on the table, still flowing with crimson light.
Liu Huai's lips trembled, but in the end, he could not even produce a sigh.
What alarmed him was that he found his gaze involuntarily drawn to the beast-skin book. And that scroll,had quietly unrolled itself.
The Emotion-Severing Blood Demon Art...
What frightened Liu Huai was not how this demonic art destroyed human nature, how terrifying it was, or how universally condemned it remained. Rather, he found that he could not suppress his desire to learn this demonic art.
He had no family or friends, so the severing of emotions held no fear. But if there was anything that still bound him, it was the desire to protect Yang Xuance, born from Yang Jiande's dying command.
He had witnessed how Yang Jiande slaughtered the entire royal family, killing his own children.
For a man of Yang Jiande's caliber to ultimately end up this way—if he cultivated this demonic art, he feared that one day, he would have no choice but to kill Yang Xuance himself, severing his last tie.
This thought, barely passing through his mind, left him unsettled.
That was His Majesty's last remaining bloodline—how could he?
Liu Huai formed his hands into claws, channeling his Dao Essence, and immediately tore the beast-skin book into numerous strips.
Even this was not enough to ease his worry. He summoned a ball of scorching flame and burned the beast-skin recording the demonic art into ashes.
Yet...
He was horrified to discover that the blood-written characters on the beast-skin flowed through his mind with perfect clarity—the Emotion-Severing Blood Demon Art, every single character memorized beyond forgetting.