Beginning of Cultivation -
Chapter 54: The Greatest Emperor
Chapter 54: The Greatest Emperor
The emperor’s conjecture also surprised everyone. Everyone was quite astonished that the emperor could make such an accurate guess in such a short time.
Jun Wu Xiao, upon seeing the emperor guess correctly, also openly revealed his identity:
"Indeed. I am the Demon God that Chu Wu spoke of years ago. However, I am curious about something. How were you able to figure this out?"
The emperor nodded at his own correct judgment and explained:
"Many decades ago, it’s been too long so I don’t remember the exact time. But I remember Chu Wu’s expression back then when he talked to me about the Demon God. From what I saw, his relationship with this person was very good, not just ordinary. It was entirely different from Chu Wu’s relations with other great officials. And now, I see that same element in Chu Wu and the six behind him. Although the number is somewhat large, I don’t think it’s impossible."
After hearing the explanation, Jun Wu Xiao was even more surprised about this old emperor. He clapped his hands in admiration and laughed:
"Ha ha, well done. To think that despite your age, your mind is still as sharp. It’s no wonder that you unified the world during your reign. Surely, you deserve to be called the The Greatest Emperor."
The great officials listened and were stunned. Although they knew the man in front of them was no ordinary person, they didn’t expect Jun Wu Xiao to converse so freely with the emperor. This is what people call confidence that only those with real power possess.
The emperor was momentarily stunned upon hearing this, and then he muttered:
"Greatest... Emperor..."
"Cough, cough... ha ha ha. I like this title." The emperor laughed and said.
"Your Majesty!" the great officials said anxiously.
At this moment, the emperor was very old, and full of illness. He also understood that he wouldn’t live much longer.
"I’m fine. Birth, aging, sickness, and death are all natural. Even as an emperor, I’m still a human." The emperor waved his hand and said.
Jun Wu Xiao found this emperor quite interesting, so he asked. However, he could not help the emperor live any longer, since cultivation is not a gift but a trade-off.
"What if I said there is a way for you to live longer, would you be tempted?" Jun Wu Xiao asked.
The emperor was quite surprised to hear this question. It was only ’quite’ because he had already seen the state of Chu Wu, a state that clearly should not belong to someone over a hundred years old. But he sighed:
"Haiz, the price must be very high, right?"
"Do you really have a way to help His Majesty live longer?" the great officials asked with a tone of skepticism.
Their doubt was not unfounded, as throughout thousands of years of history, countless humans have sought the secret to eternal life, but everyone knows the results, that is failure.
Jun Wu Xiao ignored the great officials but was more surprised by the emperor’s response. He thought the emperor would ask how it could be done, not about the price to be paid. He replied with a question:
"Your question seems a bit odd. As an emperor, theoretically, you are the one who can spend the most money. Why then do you ask about the price to be paid?"
The emperor just shook his head, knowing full well that such matters couldn’t be settled with money. He said:
"If it could be bought with money, then why in history, among thousands of emperors, no one been able to purchase it? I obviously know that the price to be paid is definitely not monetary."
Jun Wu Xiao clapped his hands in appreciation. This emperor truly did not disappoint him. He laughed and said:
"Ha ha, old emperor, you are not wrong. Surely you have seen Chu Wu, he is about your age but the difference in your conditions is stark. Surely you can guess what he has been up to since he retired."
The great officials were shocked, they had not expected Chu Wu’s retirement to be for such a reason.
But the emperor was different. Although he didn’t know exactly what Chu Wu had been doing, he knew that for more than twenty years, Chu Wu had stayed at home and did not go anywhere. He said:
"If that’s the case, then I understand. I may not know exactly what needs to be done, but I know that once started, it cannot be stopped, otherwise Chu Wu wouldn’t have stayed home for over twenty years, only leaving when specifically invited out."
Jun Wu Xiao nodded, the specifics of course were beyond the emperor’s guess, but what he said wasn’t wrong. He asked:
"So, are you interested in this matter?"
"No." The emperor simply answered with one word, stunning everyone.
At that moment, not only the great officials and Chu Wu, but also the person behind them were surprised by the incredibly concise and resolute answer.
"Oh, may I know the reason why?" Jun Wu Xiao asked in a curious voice.
The emperor pondered for a moment, reflecting on his life’s experiences. After a while, he said:
"My life has its own path. I wanted to improve the lives of humanity, to provide opportunities for everyone to thrive. For this reason, as long as I am alive and able to think, if I cannot help human life become better, I will feel extremely uncomfortable in my heart.
Throughout human history, humanity has been divided into countless nations, with endless wars of invasion. Here they fight, there they fight, everywhere there is fighting. How can humanity develop if all they think about is how to survive? Moreover, during my process of unifying the world, I tried my utmost to persuade everyone. I wanted humanity to unite under one complete government, not to enslave anyone and thus lead to humanity’s self-destruction.
But in that process, bloodshed was unavoidable. Countless people claim to be emperors, they live for the country, they live for the people, but they do not wish for their people to have a better life. They only want to protect their boundless power. They deceive their people and make up lies so that the people hold hatred towards us.
But what do their people gain? Blood flows into rivers, homes are destroyed, families are torn apart, and people die of hunger everywhere. Are such individuals deserving of being called human? Do they deserve to be called emperors? Clearly not, which is why I eventually eliminated such individuals. The true emperors are still leaders of vast regions, even larger than their kingdoms before.
If living longer means I must spend my days training or doing something meaningless, then it holds no value for me. My life is only worth living as long as I can breathe and contribute to humanity."
"Your Majesty!" the great officials, usually so strong, now felt moved to tears.
They had worked for many years, clearly seeing the emperor’s way of being, and they respected him immensely. Moreover, after understanding the situation, they no longer desired to live longer by doing something like Chu Wu.
If they lived like that, to them it would be no different from dying. Living but not being able to do whatever you want. Living but always lacking time.
Jun Wu Xiao and the others, after hearing this, felt that this person truly deserved to be an emperor. Dao San Qian said:
"I understand why Chu Wu willingly serves under this man. He truly deserves to be called the Greatest Emperor."
"I have no objections to this, from ancient times to the present, a ruler with such thoughts truly deserves to be ranked at the top." Chu Wu affirmed.
Hearing this, everyone else, including the great officials, nodded in agreement. If anyone were to say he does not deserve this title, they would be the first to hit that person.
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