The twenty-fifth year of Jianwu, late spring.
The Jianwu Emperor died suddenly in the Hall of Mental Cultivation.
His passing came without warning, and the capital was immediately placed under martial law.
The emperor had long trained in martial arts and kept himself in excellent health. Just days earlier, rumors had spread that he was still vigorous enough to share his bed with eight concubines in a single night. Yet now he was gone.
Word raced through the capital's alleys and teahouses.
Some said traitorous ministers had staged a rebellion and murdered the emperor, that the palace was on the brink of a coup.
Others claimed the "dog emperor," ever hungry for war and empty glory, had brought ruin upon the realm and broken the laws of the court. They said heaven itself had struck him down with a bolt of divine lightning. Witnesses swore a thunderclap split the sky over the capital at the very moment of his death. To them, it was a sign: the old heavens had perished, and a new age was dawning. Across the nineteen provinces of Great Qian, strongmen began raising their banners in revolt.
Still others insisted a Xiantian grandmaster, unable to stomach the dog emperor's cruelty, had entered the palace and slain him with a single stroke.
Every rumor told a different story, each wilder than the last. The people worried that chaos was coming, yet behind closed doors, many clapped their hands in secret delight at the emperor's death.
Not forgetting to spit out a curse: "Good riddance to that dog emperor!"
However, events took an unexpected turn. The chaos in the imperial city quickly subsided.
On the third day after the Jianwu Emperor's death, his eldest grandson, Hao, ascended the throne with the support of the court officials. He declared a new reign era, Yong'an, and became known as the Yong'an Emperor.
The new emperor was still a child. At only twelve years old, he inherited the empire and became a boy sovereign.
The Minister of Personnel, Wang, submitted a memorial: "His Majesty is young, and the Grand Empress Dowager is still alive. I ask that the Grand Empress Dowager leave her seclusion and oversee the realm."
The emperor approved. An edict was issued, pardoning the empress who had long been confined to the Cold Palace, restoring her title as Grand Empress Dowager, and granting her the authority to govern from behind the curtain.
That empress, it was said, had been blinded twelve years earlier, punished by the late emperor with poison that destroyed her eyes after she stirred chaos in the harem. Among the people, she was known as the Blind Empress.
Her son, the former crown prince, had withered away in grief at his mother's fate and died young.
The Yong'an Emperor was his eldest legitimate son.
That day, in a secluded courtyard of the capital...
The Grand Empress Dowager ruling from behind the curtain… why does this plot feel so familiar?
When Li Qing heard the news from the palace, it felt as if he had gone back to the very beginning of his journey through time.
Back then, it had been the Taikang Emperor on the throne, with the Grand Empress Dowager holding the reins of power.
Empress Yan is a virtuous woman. She probably won't cause any trouble.
I never thought I'd outlive two emperors in two lifetimes. Maybe this time I'll even outlast two more. Longevity really is a blessing.
But alas, women are fickle.
Only three days after taking charge, the Grand Empress Dowager issued a decree: one hundred thousand commoners were to be conscripted from across the realm to build the Jianwu Emperor's mausoleum, as if the fires of war consuming the land were nothing to her.
In the blink of an eye, three months passed.
Baili Flying Eagle stormed into Li Qing's courtyard, cursing under his breath, his face dark with fury.
"Master, that Empress Yan is a real viper. Not only did she draft a hundred thousand people to build the tomb, but when it was finished, she ordered that same hundred thousand to be buried alive as sacrificial attendants!
"Such cruelty is no less than what that dog emperor himself would have done. What's she after? Back then, everyone said she was wise and just, even secretly meeting with officials to topple the dog emperor's tyranny. And now, for the sake of a dead dog emperor, she commits acts that make heaven and earth howl in outrage."
Li Qing was fully absorbed in grasping the Foundations of Formation Arts when he suddenly froze at what he heard. "Bury a hundred thousand commoners alive as a funeral sacrifice? Where did you hear this?"
Baili Flying Eagle gulped down a mouthful of tea, panting. "Three months ago," he said, "my junior sister beat up the Minister of Personnel's son. Now that minister has been promoted to Prime Minister, his power's grown a lot, and that brat's been running around trying to hire experts to get back at her. I couldn't stand it, so I planned to sneak into the Prime Minister's mansion at night and give him a good thrashing.
"But while I was there, I overheard the Prime Minister meeting with someone. They talked about burying a hundred thousand commoners alive. I didn't dare stay any longer, so I came straight to tell you, Master."
A hundred thousand buried alive?
Li Qing's expression turned grim. The Great Qian Empire had never practiced human sacrifice in burials. How could the very first one involve a hundred thousand people?
Something was wrong.
If it were just ten or so servants sacrificed, Li Qing would have ignored it. But a hundred thousand…
Something didn't add up!
And Emperor Jianwu's death had been suspicious too!
"Where's King Wei Nu of the Northern Garrison now?" asked Li Qing.
"King Wei Nu is allied with the Empress Dowager's faction," Baili Flying Eagle said. "Over the past three months he's sent out his army of a hundred battles to crush uprisings everywhere. As long as he's alive, the Great Qian Empire won't be falling anytime soon.
"He is now guarding Emperor Jianwu's mausoleum day and night. The matter of burying a hundred thousand commoners alive will also be carried out by him."
Li Qing's brows furrowed deeply. There was a long silence. "Looks like I'll have to return to the Cold Palace," he said at last.
Three months ago, Li Qing had already planned to return. But Emperor Jianwu's sudden death had thrown the court into chaos, and the timing had been all wrong.
Now, however, it seemed he had no choice.
When Emperor Jianwu was still alive, he had ordered Wei Nu to wage war on neighboring states in search of a body with spiritual roots, hoping to step onto the Immortal Path.
Since the emperor was dead, Li Qing had assumed Wei Nu had come back empty-handed.
But now… maybe not.
The sacrifice of a hundred thousand lives smacked of some demonic cultivation technique. Perhaps Wei Nu hadn't found a spiritual root body to help Emperor Jianwu ascend, but he might have uncovered a fragment of immortal inheritance, maybe even brushed against the cultivation world itself.
Could Emperor Jianwu's death have been no sudden collapse, but a deliberate act?
Did he intend to be reborn through death?
Li Qing couldn't help but recall Wei Yang back in those days. When aided by a spiritual root vessel, Wei Yang's corpse had resisted decay for eight whole years.
If Emperor Jianwu were to return as some powerful abomination, Li Qing couldn't tell whether it would be a blessing or a curse.
He knew Wei Nu well. Wei Nu was utterly loyal to Emperor Jianwu, without personal motives, caring only for the emperor's interests.
There was definitely something unnatural about the emperor's death.
"How has your lightness skill been coming along lately?" Li Qing asked, shifting the subject.
"Ever since you taught me the Soaring Swan Art, Master, no one below the Xiantian realm can catch me. Once my cultivation rises a bit further, I won't even fear a Xiantian grandmaster." Baili Flying Eagle's confidence was plain.
Li Qing had long since mastered the art himself. It was no ordinary martial skill. It was a true cultivation technique.
The Soaring Swan Art allowed him to move as lightly as a feather and even stand suspended in midair. The only limitation was his current cultivation; he couldn't maintain it for long. As his cultivation progressed, sustained flight would eventually be within reach.
With this art to aid him, Li Qing's movement skills were already beyond the reach of most Xiantian experts.
Baili Flying Eagle, however, wasn't a cultivator and couldn't cultivate the full version. What Li Qing gave him was a modified form, one he'd adapted using decades of martial experience. Even so, as a lightness skill, it was more than enough.
Li Qing had never officially taken Baili Flying Eagle as a disciple, but he didn't mind what the young man chose to call him.
"The path of cultivation demands restraint. Guard against arrogance and impatience, weigh your words and actions carefully, and don't puff yourself up. As for Ying's matter, you don't need to force your way into it. Just lie low for a while. He may not chase her forever. As for this business of the funeral sacrifice, stay out of it. And you are not to enter the Prime Minister's residence again." Li Qing warned.
"Understood," Baili Flying Eagle nodded, though there was a trace of indifference in his tone.
Li Qing didn't take offense. If the young man truly showed steadiness, Li Qing wouldn't have minded making him a disciple. But Baili Flying Eagle was too carefree, his temperament clashing with Li Qing's Dao.
The next morning, Li Qing took Ling Jiao with him and stepped into the imperial city.
…
The Cold Palace.
The same old familiar air.
With his current cultivation, whether he came here or not hardly mattered, but Li Qing still wished to see it again.
Before entering, he stopped by the Imperial Household Department. Twelve years had passed, and yet his name still remained on the Cold Palace register, never struck off.
Clearly, the Household Department already knew he was a top expert of the inner court.
"Little… Little Li! You're Little Li!" A eunuch stepped out from the Cold Palace duty room, staring in disbelief. "You're not dead?"
"Master Zheng, you're still alive." Li Qing smiled in reply. The man was Zheng Chun, a familiar face, now in his early forties.
Other eunuchs from the duty room hurried out. Those who recognized him immediately called him Lord Li. Those who didn't, after a moment's hesitation, also followed suit.
The air was suddenly filled with warmth and harmony.
Even a concubine, still holding a game piece in her hand, rushed out of the duty room in astonishment. "Little Li! You really are alive!"
"Concubine Ma, it's been a while." Li Qing laughed. Twelve years had passed, and yet she was still alive. That was no small feat.
She was a princess of the steppe khanate, free-spirited by nature and not fond of rules. Back then, Li Qing had often played Go with her to pass the time, and it was from her that he'd first learned the nomads called those born with spiritual roots the "Heaven's Chosen."