Peace Order
Chapter 604 - 47: The Wind of the Mighty, The Last Martial Arts Legend_2

Chapter 604: Chapter 47: The Wind of the Mighty, The Last Martial Arts Legend_2

Yan Chen’s expression was unchanging as he said, "Your nature is upright and pure, but also impetuous; this is your strength as well as your flaw. The Qilin Army is an army of benevolence and righteousness, embodying noble martial ethics. Gentlemen should join its ranks. They lack someone like you, and you lack a place to wield your martial skills."

"You should go there."

"Yet I am a subject of Chen Country and have received the Emperor’s grace; I cannot accompany you."

Yan Daiqing sat in silence.

Yan Chen understood his son well and reiterated Daiqing’s concerns, saying:

"For now, go."

"Alright, let’s eat."

Then he picked up his bowl and silently began to eat.

Eat without talking, sleep without speaking; after the meal, he cleaned up, read, and rested, just as in days past.

The next day, Yan Daiqing led the team delivering gifts to Jiangnan. Yan Chen and his wife watched him until he was out of sight. Daiqing’s mother, Wu Liu, had already been crying until her eyes were red, but Yan Chen still stood there, his back straight, his expression unchanged.

He said nothing; he just watched his son depart.

Staring intently as Daiqing receded into the distance until he vanished from view, Chen didn’t move an inch. When Wu Liu looked up, she realized that the staid and reserved Confucian scholar had, at some point, lifted his sleeve to wipe away tears, and replied:

"In summer, the wind is strong; it has whipped up dust and sand that irritated my eyes."

"Wife, let’s go, back home."

Back home, Wu Liu finally could not hold back her tears, weeping, "My son is gone. With his departure, who knows how many years it will be before he returns. How will he manage in the chaotic lands of Jiangnan?!"

"Didn’t you say, ’As long as one’s parents are alive, one should not travel far’?!"

"Why didn’t you stop him?!"

Yan Chen took his wife’s hand and replied softly:

"The Master said, ’As long as one’s parents are alive, one should not travel far.’

"But there is another line that follows, ’If one must travel, there must be a righteous cause.’

"My son is traversing the world."

"He cannot be stopped, cannot be stopped..."

......

Ying Country·Dragon City.

The night was deep, and the news had arrived long ago. At the very top of Dragon City, there stood a tower so high it seemed one could pluck the stars from the sky with an outstretched hand. An old man with white hair sat there, gazing over the world, as tranquil footsteps approached from behind.

The valiant guards of Ying Country did not stop the approaching man. Even if the Great Emperor of Central State were to come here, he would be blocked. In the vast world, there was only one person who had the privilege of coming here without needing to announce his arrival.

A man wearing a loose robe with graying temples walked in. His white hair was fastened with a wooden hairpin, and with a gentle smile he said, "Your Majesty, are you not sleeping tonight and instead admiring the stars here?"

Emperor Ying replied, "Grandmaster, aren’t you doing the same?"

The Grandmaster of Ying Country smiled as he approached the highest point of the entire Empire, indeed of the entire world. There was a portrait of an extremely beautiful woman looking down as if smiling at this place. The Heroic Ruler sat there, in front of the lady’s portrait, looking over the world.

She was the biological mother of Jiang Gao and Jiang Yuan, and she had passed away.

This lady was also from a prestigious aristocratic family. She and Emperor Ying had fallen in love in his youth when he was not yet accomplished, but she was offered to the Great Emperor of Central State at that time.

The young Emperor Ying himself had done the bold act of taking a horse and sword to snatch his bride right in front of everyone. His young, fierce, and heroic heart, which conquered the world, had also conquered the young lady’s.

But she ultimately left him too early.

The Emperor thus never took another wife.

Only in this highest tower was her painting kept.

Here he would come, alone.

The Grandmaster of Ying Country mentioned the news, saying, "Li Guanyi is about to be made a Marquis."

Emperor Ying said, "Yes, even higher than I had anticipated. It seems the Emperor of Central State is much stronger than his ancestors, not stingy at all, and has a gambler’s boldness. This is not good news; after all, if there are too many heroes, they cannot be wholly vanquished. When can the world ever find peace?"

"But this old fellow’s heart has also started to beat faster."

"With such enemies one after another, it keeps me from feeling old."

The Grandmaster looked at the old man’s silhouette and whispered, "Ji Zichang is summoning Marquis Qin Wu, Li Guanyi, to Central State to join the Emperor’s royal hunt."

Emperor Ying replied, "The Emperor’s hunt, with lords attending in his retinue; Ji Zichang wants to return the world to its original state." He looked at the prosperity of Ying Country’s Imperial City and said with ease, "But the era of the Red Emperor is long past..."

The Grandmaster smiled and asked, "Your Majesty, what will you do?"

Emperor Ying replied, "Let’s go to Central State! We will go too!"

"The Great Emperor of Central State is hosting a banquet for all, and he has already invited Marquis Qin Wu. Us relics of the old era must make an appearance. Now that the winds of change are stirring throughout the world, let this be the last royal hunt in the annals of history."

"The prestige of the eight-hundred-year rule of the Red Emperor should end with dignity."

"This royal hunt will be the last time the lords gather as recorded by historians. Let Ji Zichang see the illusory nature of the world in this final feast; after that, let him begin his plans to consume the Empire. Although I regret not seeing the Qilin come into full maturity, I do want to see it. However, time no longer waits for me."

The aged Heroic Ruler smiled with composed tranquility as he made the decision to stir the great trends of the world.

"Besides, the Sword Madman has already invited you, hasn’t he?"

The Grandmaster said, "If Your Majesty does not permit it, I will not go."

Emperor Ying shook his head and said, "Go ahead, why wouldn’t you? The Sword Madman also approaches his curtain call, and you are the first Martial Arts Legend of the world. Such an event should not be missed."