Chapter 228 – The Realm Must Be United

Liu Jing’s promise carried real weight; Li Qingqiu did need the next sovereign to give such an assurance.

Li Qingqiu was no absolute saint. He could weigh the good of all, yet the Sect’s interests came first; only after Qingxiao Sect’s welfare was secured would he extend his charity to the world.

What moved him most, of course, was the 【Saintly and Virtuous】 destiny—proof that Liu Jing could indeed become a benevolent ruler.

“Why should I believe you? Why should I back you? Putting someone else on the throne would be far easier.”

Li Qingqiu stared at Liu Jing and spoke calmly.

Liu Jing clenched his teeth. “I trust none of the realm’s lords—only you and myself. You have saved many, and under your guidance Qingxiao Sect is famed for its chivalry. Once I thought Zhu Xian was a worthy ruler; he could sweep the world and love the people as his children. Yet he died, and the other princes care only for pleasure—none can be called wise or saintly.”

“I don’t know my own limits, but I know my mind. If I wield great power, I know exactly what I will do.”

“Sect Leader, Lord Zhu’s death was a grievous wrong. He could have fallen in battle, or died of illness—but to be slain by his own general? Absurd! It proves none among Zhu Xian’s followers were worth calling virtuous!”

Mention Zhu Xian and his voice broke with tears.

Li Qingqiu could not tell if the grief was genuine, but one thing was certain: the youth’s loyalty to him ran deep.

“You are the first man reckless enough to stand before me and speak such wild words.”

Li Qingqiu gazed at him and spoke slowly.

Bold as Zhu Xian had been, he had only dared approach Zhang Yuchun; even the Pei Clan had to speak in hints before Zhang Yuchun.

Yet Liu Jing, with nothing to his name, dared seek out Li Qingqiu—a courage no other lord could match.

Call it audacity or a death wish; either way, he came.

And he had his own scheme: he carried his mother’s coffin up the mountain for every Disciple to see. Many would pity him; to kill him, Li Qingqiu would need an open, righteous reason.

That, at a stretch, counted as both brave and cunning.

Still… “I dislike your idea. The realm is vast; two coexisting courts, or even three, are better. You are worried about Li Sifeng, aren’t you?”

Li Qingqiu spoke bluntly; Liu Jing lowered his head.

He did think the realm vast, yet Li Sifeng weighed on his mind. Everyone knew Li Sifeng was carving out territory; if Li Sifeng wanted the throne, none could rival him before Li Qingqiu.

His plan was simple: win half the realm first, then move Li Qingqiu with his deeds.

He had looked into Li Sifeng—the man was utterly unfit to be emperor. Let alone ruler, as a Hall Chief he had never handled affairs. To place the people’s fate in such hands would be child’s play.

But he dared not speak those words aloud.

He believed Li Qingqiu was just, yet even sages have their feelings.

“I will let you replace Liu Lin, and you must unite the realm. No matter the cost—you will do it. Fail, and Qingxiao Sect will throw its full might behind Li Sifeng to seize the world. You know well: this Sect is capable of that.”

Li Qingqiu fixed his gaze on Liu Jing and spoke with utter seriousness.

Among the realm’s lords, Zhang Yuchun had made inquiries; at mention of the three great princes he only frowned. Liu Lin, entrenched over three provinces, was a muddle-headed lecher devoid of ambition.

Liu Jing’s heart lurched, his breath quickened with excitement.

“But Elder Li Sifeng…”

“I will summon him back. Your battlefield is the mortal realm. Once you supplant Liu Lin, you will have three years.”

“Three years…”

Sweat beaded Liu Jing’s brow—three years was crushingly brief; merely grasping power would consume months.

He gritted his teeth. “May I request aid from fellow Disciples?”

Li Qingqiu regarded him, eyes profound. “You may. How many come to your banner depends on your own skill; the Sect itself will not speak a word.”

“I will succeed!”

Liu Jing answered at once.

“Take your mother down the mountain. I never want to see such theatre again.” Li Qingqiu turned away.

Liu Jing rose hastily, bowed, then hoisted the coffin and walked toward the gate of Lingxiao Courtyard.

“Remember: the realm must be united. Whatever your reasons, the territory under Qingxiao Sect can only expand—never shrink.”

Li Qingqiu spoke with his back to Liu Jing, voice heavy with menace.

“Liu Jing will engrave it on his heart!”

Liu Jing declared, voice ringing with resolve.

Only after he left did Li Qingqiu head for his Immortal Cave, the corners of his mouth lifting in a cold smile.

“Li Clan, the realm is not yours to command.”

That very day word spread of Liu Jing carrying his mother’s coffin up the mountain; his sufferings and past were told as well.

His mother’s cruel death seemed a microcosm of the realm, stirring deep sighs.

His conversation with Li Qingqiu also leaked—though edited in places.

A Qingxiao Sect Disciple, grieving his mother’s unjust death, vowed to change the world and bring peace to all. The tale stirred hearts and filled every Disciple with a sense of mission and duty.

As Disciples of Qingxiao Sect, we must shoulder the fate of the realm!

Liu Jing buried his mother in a nearby mountain forest, an area Qingxiao Sect had set aside as a graveyard for its Disciples.

Three days later, several dozen Qingxiao Sect Disciples accompanied Liu Jing down the mountain, sparking heated discussion among the rest of the sect.

Night fell.

Inside Lingxiao Courtyard, Li Qingqiu held Li Shouzheng and Li Shoumin while listening to Zhang Yuchun’s plan.

Besides helping Liu Jing rise to power, Zhang Yuchun intended to instruct every Aristocratic Family within Qingxiao Sect to spread word that the sect stood behind Liu Jing.

Still, Zhang Yuchun had some doubts.

“Senior Brother, Liu Jing may be a Qingxiao Sect Disciple, but can we really trust him? Does he have the talent for it?”

Zhang Yuchun knew almost nothing about Liu Jing; letting just any Disciple step forward to become emperor felt like child’s play—yet Li Qingqiu had agreed.

Li Qingqiu countered: “If he truly becomes a wise ruler, how will you and the world judge my decision today?”

Zhang Yuchun hesitated, then answered: “We’ll revere you as a deity.”

Choose a Disciple at random and he turns out a sage-king—Li Qingqiu’s insight would be hailed as divine.

Zhang Yuchun suddenly recalled Li Qingqiu’s other pupils: none were mediocre; the least remarkable was Qin Ye, accepted only in the Early Stage of the sect to court the Qin Family.

He realized Liu Jing must possess abilities ordinary people couldn’t see; his Eldest Martial Uncle’s choice was hardly capricious.

“Isn’t Great Master already a deity?”

Three-year-old Li Shoumin tilted his head, lively and utterly unafraid.

His older brother Li Shouzheng was quieter, preferring to listen; right now he was studying Zhang Yuchun with solemn attention.

Li Qingqiu laughed: “I’m no deity—I’m still pursuing the Dao.”

He had already weighed whether making Liu Jing emperor might affect Li Sifeng, Pei Miao, Li Shouzheng, and Li Shoumin.

Who said they could rule only the Nine Provinces Land?

The world is vast!

In the future, Qingxiao Sect will possess far more than the Nine Provinces Land!

As for Li Sifeng and Pei Miao, they were Cultivators; there was no need to rush onto thrones—immortal cultivation could settle them first.

Li Qingqiu looked at the two little ones: “When you grow up, do you want to be immortals or emperors?”

Li Shoumin giggled: “I want both!”

Li Shouzheng asked: “Do those two things clash?”

Zhang Yuchun was startled; for some reason he felt he had misjudged them.

Would these two turn out to be earth-shaking Geniuses?

Li Qingqiu roared with laughter, hugged the boys, and turned to Zhang Yuchun: “Yu Chun, you’re a Cultivator, yet your thinking lingers in the mortal world. We have millennia ahead. If Liu Jing fails, we pick another emperor; if his Dynasty collapses, we found a new one. It’s not as troublesome as you imagine.”

Zhang Yuchun was awed by Li Qingqiu’s boldness.

Millennia!

He felt his very perceptions shatter.

While he schemed with mortals and Aristocratic Families, Li Qingqiu looked beyond the present—he strove for ages, for visions lasting myriad generations.

“Then let’s see if Liu Jing can sweep the realm,” Zhang Yuchun said with an expectant smile.

The prospect of a sovereign of all under Heaven weighed on him; he feared failure would disappoint his Senior Brother and bring calamity.

Li Qingqiu dropped the subject and turned to Li Sifeng.

Once Li Sifeng crushed Xuanji Sect, he would summon him home.

He wanted Li Sifeng and his wife to accompany their two sons in peaceful cultivation.

After wandering so many years, Li Sifeng ought to return.

Zhang Yuchun agreed; Li Sifeng should indeed come back.

Hearing their parents would soon return, Li Shoumin cheered while Li Shouzheng pondered silently, his little mind racing.

As the year neared its end, Li Qingqiu once again focused on Zhao Zhen, checking his status panel every morning.

Just as he did this dawn.

【fate is easily broken: destined for hardship, constant trials before age sixteen; after sixteen this destiny will disperse and his Comprehension Ability will rise one Rank.】

Zhao Zhen had already turned sixteen, yet the destiny remained; Li Qingqiu suspected it would linger until the year’s close.

So the closer it came to year’s end, the more anxious he grew.

He feared Ancestor Su Xing might not be Zhao Zhen’s destined calamity.

Li Qingqiu couldn’t help seeking Zhao Zhen again.

Inside the Immortal Cave, Zhao Zhen looked at his Master in puzzlement: “Master, you’ve visited a lot lately—has my tribulation still not passed?”

“Perhaps it won’t end until the year does.” Li Qingqiu sat at his stone table, sipping tea.

Zhao Zhen said earnestly: “Master, don’t worry—I won’t sneak down the mountain again.”

“I believe you; I’m only afraid that even if you stay, the calamity will still come.” Li Qingqiu sighed.

Zhao Zhen fell silent, then said: “Master, perhaps I know what my tribulation is. Lately I’ve gained insight.”

Li Qingqiu looked at him curiously: “What insight?”

Zhao Zhen drew a deep breath: “I’ve comprehended a Divine Ability, but creating it seems to require Undergoing Tribulation—and I must face it alone. The feeling is overwhelming.”