Damn it! Let’s smash the darkness together!
Chapter 235 - 37 From Forbidden City to Forbidden City (Request for Monthly Tickets)

Chapter 235: Chapter 37 From Forbidden City to Forbidden City (Request for Monthly Tickets)

"Life is indeed as lonely as the snow..."

At 21 and a half years old, Zuo Chang’an stood on the ruinous city wall, waiting for the officers below to clear the debris, his gaze intense.

Reflecting on the things that happened since he left Chang’an at the age of eighteen, dressed in a dark purple robe, with a blood coffin strapped to his back, a trace of doubt inadvertently appeared on his beautiful, otherworldly face.

The death of the Lord he had thought about incessantly, and the Junior Minister of the Ministry of Justice, Wen Ren Xiongzao, wept for hours before rushing to meet with other colleagues, soon bringing him the intelligence known.

In early April, while busy with reforms, Grandmaster Luo received a message from Zuo Bojun, secretly left the city, and headed to Lantian County, only to encounter an ambush by the Moon Worship Sect, resulting in the destruction of Lantian County and the death of Grandmaster Luo. Two accompanying night watchmen perished valiantly in the conflict.

Afterward, the Moon Worship Sect released a message declaring, "Under the current heavens, when the night masks the stars, the country will not be at peace. Grandmaster Luo’s misleading claims disrupted the societal structure, crowing at dawn, throwing yin and yang into chaos! Our Moon Worship Sect, with humanity’s best interest at heart, condemned Luo to cleanse the monarchy!"

Upon hearing this, he was highly skeptical. What legitimacy did the Moon Worship Sect have to "cleanse the monarchy"? Moreover, the battlefield situation was too brutal to be the work of mere mortals.

This situation harbored many suspicions. He snorted coldly, not completely convinced, but immediate handling of the aftermath was the priority.

"Emperor Qing mourns the death of the Grandmaster, overwhelmed with grief, and has requested Master Mu Chan of Xuan Guang Temple to personally conduct rites for the Lord," Wen Ren Xiongzao informed him.

Xuan Guang Temple was not one of the four Buddhist temples of the Martial Arts world; it was a separate ritual ground. Master Mu Chan, originally an ascetic monk who practiced ’Thirteen Years of Chan,’ had guided Emperor Qing during his retreat from the court to practice Buddhism, and was now the Great Tang National Master.

The rites were to be held directly in the Golden Throne Hall, an exceptionally solemn and grand affair. Countless people knelt at the sides, even the Emperor himself dressed in humble mourning clothes.

This action initially faced significant opposition from traditionalists; however, Emperor Qing declared, "The more you oppose, the more it shows that I am doing the right thing; the more you remain silent, the more I shall support it! These are the Grandmaster’s ideals, and the Grandmaster’s ideals are my ideals!" This afforded the highest level of respect to the deceased Grandmaster, faultless in everyone’s eyes.

But only you furrowed your brow, knowing what your mother strived for was nothing but three things: fairness, fairness, and damn, fairness!

A world of equality, where everyone is like a dragon, without hierarchies, where all citizens live and work in peace and contentment, everyone has food to eat, and everyone has books to read. This was Luo’s lifelong wish.

To honor her as a superior after her death was to deviate from her lifelong beliefs.

Now that she was dead, those nobles who had once hidden their identities resurfaced, reorganizing their forces. Despite them also kneeling before your mother’s corpse in mourning, you couldn’t help but feel uncomfortable observing them.

"Hmph!" With a cold hum internally, you scanned the Golden Throne Hall—if anyone dare show a hint of disrespect, they would face the blade of a Half-step Master.

Their faces cried, but likely their hearts laughed! In contrast, outside the Imperial City, every household hung white banners, and the common people of Chang’an, they were genuinely distraught over your mother’s passing.

Obviously, your aura was murderous, and the courage of the noble families was minuscule; they visited the mourning hall tremblingly every day, but you still detected a few who harbored hidden joy.

The next day, in their respective homes, those veterans who had once antagonized your mother suddenly ’passed away peacefully,’ the perpetrator unknown. They could no longer laugh, and no one there dared to be in a better mood than you.

Wow! The vigor! Worthy of you, truly a contemporary pinnacle expert, a Half-step Master’s strength, wow!

"...What the heck are you croaking about; have you been affected by something as well?"

Xu Shu stroked his chin, somewhat baffled.

As for those old scholars, he had personally dealt with them.

There wasn’t any particularly significant secret reason, nor did he suspect that they were behind his mother’s death. In Xu Shu’s eyes, these people did not have the capacity to threaten Luo, having seen how formidable the night watchmen were; they were not just idly feeding.

The reason he killed them: discontent!

His horse was gone, yet their offspring dared to laugh?

Dared to laugh in front of him?

They had chosen their own death.

Master Mu Chan, dressed as an ascetic monk, had a face that exuded gravitas beneath his hood. Chanting at sunrise and practicing Zen at sunset, he was utterly professional, conducting rituals for three entire days.

On the day Luo was buried, heavy snowfall came from the heavens as if even the world mourned the passing of this extraordinary woman.

You had Wen Ren Xiongzao take the Forge Blade Spell back to the Ministry of Justice first, needing several days to forge the 108 Sun Blades.

During this time, you continued to cultivate peacefully at home. Gu Huoniao sensed that although you didn’t speak of it, you were somewhat distressed. Witnessing this, she felt anxious and devised various ways to cheer you up, bringing you an endless supply of delicious chicken soup.

"""

[Apart from the daily necessity of roasted squab, she also carefully developed chicken wings, chicken tenders, chicken neck, and even spicy braised chicken leg burgers, emphasizing an endless supply and inexhaustible usage, her affection for you is indeed deep.]

[At the same time, Gu Huoniao realized that her body was also changing, she found she no longer needed to rely on eating humans to maintain her peak form.]

[Through daily martial arts practice with you, the results were extremely nourishing, and the vitality of her flesh was even better than before.]

[The essence of demon flesh advanced your strength, and your essence, in turn, caused her body to mutate.]

[Little did she expect that what troubled you daily was actually your cultivation level.]

[You found that since getting stuck at the Half-step Master level, continuing to eat demon flesh daily had no effect, and you had entered a bottleneck.]

["Could it be that the limit in this world is only Second Rank? Or is it that I need new yin ghost flesh essence to advance further? If so, there’s no need for her to stay any longer." You pinched Gu Huoniao’s neck thoughtfully, unaware of the looming disaster, she just continued to care for you earnestly and gently, her lips pursed, her convictions firm.]

[Would you still kill her? Just born, you really are heartless!]

["Hiss... no hurry, let’s wait and see." Gu Huoniao narrowly escaped death, because you still had many bullets left to fire. Her contributions were significant.]

[After a hard day’s work, you put Gu Huoniao into the blood coffin, and muttered to yourself, "It’s been six days, about time!"]

[On a dark and windy night, you secretly went to your mother’s grave, where the experts originally guarding it had left, and you started digging up the grave with a shovel.]

[You split the coffin open with one stroke, and under the moonlight, Luoning’s body was intact, her features as of yesterday, only a few strands of her hair had turned gray.]

[Thinking of the forensic doctor’s report that stated "died from a strong inner strength shattering the heart channels," you reached in to check her heart, performing the forensic doctor’s duties, and found her heart was indeed damaged, but the pericardium was entwined, glistening and smooth, indicating your mother was a rare Second Order expert with strong Inner Strength! How could such injuries claim her life?]

[You continued your examination and discovered several tiny holes in Luoning’s pituitary gland, as if pierced by needles—these injuries were what truly ended her life, she was indeed dead, not faking death.]

[Discovering the secrecy surrounding Luoning’s death, you were prepared to let your detective’s instinct as a son take over, to pursue the true culprit who killed your mother, you...]

[With one stroke, you sliced open Luoning’s abdomen, and inside the Forbidden City where you once lived, you found a small scroll.]

["Truly you, I’ve known since I was young that you had such Heavenly Deficiency in your reasoning, I am determined to avenge you." You unrolled the tiny scroll and indeed found the information you needed, just three sentences: ——]

["Dongfang Wucan is not the Ghost King."]

["Xiao Qinai Heixu betrayed me."]

["Beware of the Great Grandmaster Emperor Qing."]

[You gathered the scroll and your mother’s body and burned them to ashes, reburied them, fury hidden in your eyes, yet you remained very calm.]

[Heavenly Defiance, truly mother and son are connected by heart! Who else could find a scroll hidden here but you? Both of you are truly Heavenly Deficient talents!]

[Seven days passed in a blink, you entered Dali Temple full of vigor.]

[Dali Temple was where your mother Luoning’s base of operations was located, with an expanded subterranean level, the headquarters for the night watchmen.]

[Upon your arrival, all the night watchmen kneeled respectfully before you, chanting in unison, "We welcome our Young Lord to his rightful place."]

[Bringing back a full 108 Sun Blades, no one doubted your credibility.]

[At 21 and a half, you became the modern commander of the night watchmen.]

[Without any hesitation, you took the main seat, and on the desk before you was a line left by your mother—]

["Once a night watchman, always a night watchman!"]

[The handwriting was rough and hasty, as if hacked by a knife or chiseled with an axe, reminiscent of scribbles Lu Xun once made on a desk.]

["Lord, this is a secret letter left by Lord Luoning, please read it yourself."]

[A young woman with white hair and a waist-sheathed Black Xuan Tang Blade presented the letter to you, you unfolded it and read.]

[It said: My child, seeing these words is as good as seeing me...]

"""