In the dim, dark cave, the opening of the Grand Emperor’s eyes caused scintillating, multi-colored light to spread everywhere. It was like an astral redirection, in which all living things transformed. The cave itself was hidden by the light, as a huge starry sky took over everything. Xu Qing felt as if he had been dragged outside of Revered Ancient and into the starry sky beyond. There, dazzling starlight glittered everywhere, like a great, starry river.
The countless bits of starlight merged together to form a huge figure. The figure of starlight wore a resplendent imperial robe and had a shining imperial crown. His facial features were threatening without being angry. He was none other than the Grand Emperor. The Grand Emperor made of stars sat cross-legged, his might filling the universe and covering Revered Ancient.
Seeing this, Xu Qing felt as small as a grain of dust. He inclined his head, clasped his hands, and bowed deeply.
“Tell me, what is the original purpose of the Swordsage Division?” the Grand Emperor asked, his voice echoing through the starry sky and causing the void to tremble.
Xu Qing looked up at the Grand Emperor, and respectfully answered, “The Swordsage Division was intended to lead humankind to the heights of glory, and to bring about a golden age of peace. That was its original intention.”
“What is the mission of a swordsage?” the Grand Emperor asked.
“To swordsages, the sword means life. We protect all living beings, swear to sever the doom of dawn, and cause the light of heaven and earth to blossom.” [1]
In response, the starlight-formed Grand Emperor glittered brightly as if in approval.
“What do you do if nonhumans try to stop you?” The words contained something profoundly aggressive about them.
Expression somber, Xu Qing calmly said, “Execute them!”“What do you do if other humans try to stop you?”
Without any hesitation, Xu Qing said, “Execute them! An emperor represents 10,000 citizens. But an emperor is only one person. That illustrates why the Swordsage Division can execute judgment on anyone except the emperor!”
“What do you mean by emperor? What kind of emperor?” There was killing intent in the Grand Emperor’s glittering eyes, and it caused the starry sky to turn cold.
Upon hearing the question, Xu Qing bowed his head. He needed to think. A moment later, he looked up, and his eyes glittered.
“Is it an Ancient Emperor?”
The Grand Emperor didn’t respond. Xu Qing didn’t say anything. A long moment passed. Finally, the Grand Emperor spoke in an ancient voice.
“To the swordsages, that ‘emperor’ could be an Ancient Emperor or it could be the emperor of humankind. To swordsages, that ‘emperor’ is no single person. The purpose of an emperor is to ensure the survival of a species. In other words, an emperor... is whatever makes sure a species survives.
“The true meaning of ‘can execute judgment on anyone,’ as far as the Sword Division is concerned, means that anything which can negatively affect the survival of our species... can be executed by the swordsages! Even if that’s the emperor himself!”
A tremor passed through Xu Qing, and he struggled to control his breathing. This was actually different from his understanding of the swordsages.
Based on the Grand Emperor’s choice of words, Xu Qing now understood that there was a difference between the Swordsage Division and the Sword Division. The very earliest swordsages actually came from this Grand Emperor’s Sword Division.
“However, there have to be limits to power. And thus, after my Sword Division turned into the Swordsage Division, I issued a dharmic decree stating that, after my death, all generations had to have a Sword Division successor. His responsibility is... to supervise. And only the Sword Division successor has the power I just mentioned to you.
“The Summer Immortal Palace has another responsibility other than maintaining historical records, and that is to oversee the Sword Division successor. It’s a cyclical relationship.
“That said, my dharmic decree has not yet taken effect. The reason is that this clone of mine still has a scrap of life force left. After all... things have changed a lot since my day, and I’m not ready to let go yet....”
Xu Qing felt shaken to the core. He now understood that the Sword Division successor was really the last bit of insurance to ensure the survival of humankind. The Grand Emperor looked at Xu Qing but didn’t say anything further. Then he closed his eyes. Apparently, the only reason he woke up was to tell Xu Qing this information.
The starry sky blurred. The stars went dark. The cave returned. The Grand Emperor once again became a withered corpse with only a tiny scrap of life force in it.
Xu Qing lowered his head, bowed respectfully, then turned to leave.
That was when the Grand Emperor suddenly said, “Do you remember what I told you during the assessment of the heart?”
Xu Qing stopped in place and nodded.
“No matter what happens... never change!” The Grand Emperor said nothing further after that.
Xu Qing vanished from the dark cave.
The Grand Emperor went back to sleep. The red color was fading from the sky.
After Xu Qing returned to the Swordsage Division, it was as if everything from before was a dream. His return caused another convergence of gazes and divine will.
All organizations in the imperial capital were paying attention. They had no idea what the Grand Emperor said to Xu Qing. They only know that he returned to the Swordsage Division after the time it takes an incense stick to burn.
The surrounding swordsages looked at him as well, and that included the division lord. The palace lord didn’t ask him any questions. He just looked at him long and hard, then walked back into the Swordsage Division. The other swordsages backed up and also returned to the Swordsage Division. However, as of this day, Xu Qing had left a deep impression in all of their hearts.
Eventually, he stood alone outside. He had his eyes closed as he replayed what just happened with the Grand Emperor. Gradually, he felt sorrow.
Is the Grand Emperor going to perish...?
Xu Qing could sense that he had been bequeathed by the Grand Emperor with an important responsibility. And that responsibility was humankind. Xu Qing opened his eyes, bowed to the Swordsage Division, and left with mixed emotions.
The dome of heaven was dark. The moon was bright and the stars were faint. A breeze blew as Xu Qing walked the streets, his garments swaying along with his long hair.
The wind here was different from the wind in Sea-Sealing County. Instead of being humid, it was very dry. It was a strange sensation.
As Xu Qing walked along silently, he contemplated everything that took place after he arrived at the imperial capital. It had been one thing after another, and he still needed time to process it all.
Time passed. Eventually, Xu Qing caught sight of Ningyan’s mansion and the lake. Beneath the light of the moon, the lake looked like a mirror, reflecting the canopy of heaven. If you stared long enough, you might get the mistaken impression that the moon in the lake was real, while the moon in the sky wasn’t real.
Back inside the mansion, Xu Qing meditated for the rest of the night. The next morning at dawn, he looked in the direction of the Swordsage Division and sighed.
A response came from Tenth Prince’s mansion.
Tenth Prince refused. He said that the request was complete nonsense.
It didn’t make sense. Given Xu Qing’s actions upon arriving, most people with a brain would choose not to stick their heads out. They would only end up as test fodder for others to determine where Xu Qing’s bottom line was. That was especially true considering what just happened with the Grand Emperor waking up. The most logical thing for Tenth Prince to do would be to return the items. That would be the norm for human nature, and is what anyone but a fool would have done.
Xu Qing shook his head. He didn’t believe Tenth Prince to be an idiot, so clearly there had to be some reason that this action would benefit him.
The imperial capital really is a complicated place full of convoluted relationships. Everyone wears a mask, and a different one at that.
Eyes glittering coldly, he stood, called Ningyan, Kong Xianglong and the others, and left the mansion. The Captain and Plumdark had long since gone out on their own, and were nowhere to be seen.
On the way to Tenth Prince’s mansion, Ningyan looked at Xu Qing with reverence and respect. He was obviously aware of what happened with the Grand Emperor.
After thinking about Tenth Prince’s actions, he leaned closer to Xu Qing and quietly said, “Biggest Bro, just so you know, Tenth Prince is somewhat simple-minded. He has ordinary talent and an average cultivation base. When he was small, his mother’s clan didn’t seem to like him very much, nor did my father. It was my mother who took pity on him and cared for him for several years. Unfortunately, after my mother passed away, he forgot favors and violated justice .”
“I’d like to see him for myself,” Xu Qing said calmly.
Ningyan didn’t offer any more explanations.
Eventually, the group reached the east part of the city, where a spectacular mansion rose up in front of them. The mansion glittered with gold and jade, almost as if it were worried people might not believe it to be worthy of respect. The guardian animal statues outside the mansion were made from spirit stone. There was a buzz of conversation coming from inside the mansion; clearly a banquet was underway. Laughing and chatting could be heard, along with the sound of music.
Two guards were stationed out front, and when they saw Xu Qing coming, they got visibly nervous. Their cultivation bases flared as if they were facing a big enemy.
Xu Qing didn’t attempt to burst inside. He stopped at the main entrance and waited for the guards to announce his presence. But after a long moment passed in which the guards didn’t do anything, he thought about it for a moment, then continued forward.
The two guards moved to block his path, but before they could, their vision swam, and Xu Qing was past them. Having reached the bright red main door, he put his hand on it. When he pushed, the door rumbled, and a host of cracks spread out across its surface. Then it exploded.
Xu Qing’s eyes narrowed as the splinters of the door swept into the mansion, causing a cloud of dust to rise up. Almost immediately, a group of about a hundred cultivators rushed toward Xu Qing.
“Halt! Who goes there!?”
“This is Tenth Prince’s mansion! How dare you be disrespectful here!”
Though these cultivators were clearly enraged, they were actually moving quite slowly. And before they could even get close, Xu Qing and the others had crossed the courtyard and had arrived at the banquet.
It was a gathering of dozens of silkpants from the imperial capital. There were a host of handmaidens everywhere, all of them acting very licentiously. In the middle of it all was a young man in the robe of an imperial prince. Looking very domineering, he glared at Xu Qing and Ningyan as he produced a unique bag of holding and put it on the table in front of him.
“Get the hell out of here.”
Everyone looked on to see what would happen.
Xu Qing’s expression was the same as ever as he waved his right hand and sent his ancient sun out into the open. The face of every banquet attendee froze. Tenth Prince’s expression turned cold, and he stood. However, before he could speak, Xu Qing blurred into motion, appearing right in front of him.
Xu Qing reached out and pushed him, tapping into his god troves. A terrifying aura swept forth, causing Tenth Prince’s pupils to constrict. Then blood sprayed out of his mouth as he stumbled backward and passed out.
Ningyan hurried forward to the table, grabbed the bag of holding, and scanned it. Then he looked at Xu Qing and nodded excitedly.
Xu Qing looked at the unconscious Tenth Prince, then turned and walked back to the entrance. There, he looked back briefly, his eyes glittering with profound light.
After enough time passed for an incense stick to burn, Tenth Prince’s eyes flickered open. When others told him what had happened, he flew into a rage.
Seeing that, the guests were quick to say their farewells. Meanwhile, Tenth Prince cursed his guards, screamed at everyone, then stormed into his sleeping chamber. After the door was closed, and when he was sure no one could see, he let the fury fade away. In its place was an expression of sorrow.
Aunt Qing, there was only so much I could do. I kept your belongings safe for Ol’ Twelfth... and now they’re back where they belong. [2]
When Tenth Prince thought about that particular member of the Senior generation, he felt sorrow and bitterness. In the imperial palace, where familial love was looked down on, he would never be able to forget the only person who had ever shown him motherly love.
Sadly, this is my only option. I can’t let people realize how sentimental I am. And I promise, Aunt Qing, I’m going to figure out how you really died!
1. Xu Qing’s response echoes the swordsage oath from chapter 399. ☜
2. The ‘Qing’ character here is different from the character in Xu Qing’s name. That said, the character from his name is a component of that different character. You can see that here: this is the character from Xu Qing’s name 青, while the character from Aunt Qing is 晴. As you can see, the character from Xu Qing’s name is squished to the right. Interestingly, the character component to the left is the character for ‘sun.’ I honestly do not think any of that is significant, but it is interesting. Or who knows, maybe it IS significant! Seriously, it could be either. ☜