Martial Cultivator

A horse carriage slowly departed from Tianqing County, heading toward the Divine Capital.

Driving the carriage was a young martial artist dressed in black, a saber hanging at his waist. Inside the carriage sat more than one person - a husband and wife pair. The man had changed into the attire of a scholar for the first time.

On the other hand, the woman was an ordinary-looking woman whose appearance was not particularly striking.

The man sat with his eyes closed, resting, while the woman looked rather worried. She kept glancing at a small bundle in the carriage, her mind preoccupied with whether she had properly arranged everything at home. She fretted over whether last year's cured meat would be stolen by rats after her departure.

As for the few hens she had raised, she had reluctantly given them to the neighbors before leaving. Though she had asked them to take care of the chickens, she suspected she might never see them again. Thinking of this, her eyes turned somewhat red.

In all her years, she had never left that small county town, let alone journeyed thousands of miles to the unfamiliar Divine Capital.

She had heard that the magnificent city was the grandest under the heavens, but with such a vast city, the cost of living would be huge, right?

Worrying about the savings they had accumulated over the years, the woman felt so anxious that she was on the verge of tears.

“I don't want to go to the Divine Capital anymore.”

Some things become unbearable the more one thinks about them, and the more she thought, the more distressed she became.

As soon as the woman spoke, the man dressed as a scholar opened his eyes slightly. Glancing at the woman, he was not in a hurry to speak.

The woman noticed her husband's gaze and, feeling a bit aggrieved, asked, “Do we really have to go?”

The man replied calmly, “You don't have to go, but I probably won't ever return to Peach Blossom Alley in this lifetime.”

Hearing this, the woman felt even more dejected. She had always thought she could spend her entire life in that place.

The man said, “The Divine Capital isn't so bad. When the time comes, if you want to raise chickens and ducks, you can still live just like before.”

The woman frowned and said, “But I don't know a single person there.”

“Friends can be made again, everything can start over.”

The man said. “I'll be doing something big, and I might not come back. If you're alone in Tianqing County, you wouldn't be able to survive either."

The woman bit her lip and said, “If you die, how could I possibly live?”

The man ignored her and continued speaking to himself: “There are some things I can tell you now. You might not understand, but you can listen. I'm a disciple of the academy's Dean. Before I came to Tianqing County, my family was considered a prominent family in the Divine Capital. If you had married me back then, your life wouldn't have turned out like this.” "These past few years, you followed me and had a hard time."

The woman looked at him with some confusion.

The man continued on his own, “Life these past years hasn't been good, and I've let you down. If I survive, I might be able to give you a better life. But there are things I've been working on that I can't abandon now, so I can only wrong you again.”

The woman remained silent, her head lowered as tears began to fall continuously.

The man remained silent.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the woman raised her head and asked cautiously, “Will you really never leave me behind?”

The man shook his head. “I've already let down one woman. I won't let down a second.”

Outside the carriage, hearing this conversation, Chen Chao furrowed his brows deeply.

What the hell is this about letting down one woman and not a second? Could you possibly phrase that any worse?

The carriage rolled out of Wei Prefecture, and at the border of White Deer Prefecture, Zhou Gouqi changed into a fresh set of clothes and stepped out of the carriage.

Chen Chao quipped, “What's wrong? Did the new clothes not fit right?”

Zhou Gouqi shook his head. “I still need to make a stop in White Deer Prefecture. This outfit isn't quite appropriate for the occasion.”

Chen Chao nodded without pressing further, only smiling as he said, “Then see you in the Divine Capital?”

Zhou Gouqi nodded and took the reins from him.

Chen Chao jumped off the carriage and continued northward alone.

……

……

Divine Capital.

A storm was brewing.

A scholar left the South Lake, not by carriage, but walking straight toward his family home without stopping.

The scholar was the most famous in the Divine Capital, named Wei Xu. His family was naturally not ordinary either - it was the Wei Family, one of the two great noble families of the Great Liang Dynasty.

As a disciple of the Dean, Wei Xu spent most of his days at the academy and rarely returned to the Wei ancestral residence. But for some reason, he finally decided to go back to the Wei ancestral residence.

Standing at the gate, Wei Xu looked up at the lantern bearing the character "Wei" hanging above. He remained silent for a moment. The lantern was newly replaced, as it was every day.

A side door opened, and a middle-aged steward stepped out. Seeing Wei Xu, he asked softly, “Third Young Master, what brings you back today?”

Though a legitimate son of the Wei Family, Wei Xu was not the eldest. He was the third in line. However, neither of his elder brothers could match Wei Xu in any respect.

Thus, it was well known within the entire Wei Family that Wei Xu would one day become the successor. As a result, the entire family treated him with nothing but respect and dared not belittle him.

Wei Xu glanced at the steward without speaking, then walked directly through the gate.

The middle-aged steward smiled as he shut the door, following closely behind this scholar whose name had long shaken the world.

After a few steps, Wei Xu said indifferently, “You can leave now.”

But the middle-aged steward did not leave. Instead, he asked, “Is Third Young Master here to see the family head?”

Wei Xu stopped in his tracks and glanced at the steward but remained silent.

The middle-aged steward said, "The Family Head has been waiting for you for a long time, over at the the ancestral hall."

Wei Xu felt his mood become a little heavy, but said nothing more.

He walked through the Wei ancestral residence, heading toward its deepest part. Along the way, he noticed many people watching him.

Most of them were elderly, their hair white as snow; elders from various branches of the family. By seniority, Wei Xu would have to address some of them as grand uncles.

Wei Xu had not seen these people for a long time. Even at the annual Wei Family gatherings, many of them rarely made an appearance.

But today, they were all present.

Wei Xu was somewhat puzzled, but as he passed by, these elders said nothing and just looked at him.

Walking in silence, Wei Xu seemed lost in thought.

Finally, he arrived at the ancestral hall, where a few more people awaited him.

These elders who were also white-haired were different from the others. They were the true decision-makers of the Wei Family. Many major decisions of the family had been made by these individuals.

It could be said that they were the pillars of the Wei Family.

Wei Xu opened his mouth, wanting to say something, But in the end, he remained silent and pushed open the door to the ancestral hall.

The Wei ancestral hall was pitch dark inside.

When Wei Xu pushed the door open and entered, someone finally stood up and lit the candles inside.

These were no ordinary candles. They were made from the oil extracted from the bodies of sea-dwelling merfolk. Not only did they emit a brightness comparable to luminous pearls, but when lit, they also gave off a faint fragrance.

It was the scent of the sea.

The person who lit the candles was a middle-aged man with slightly graying hair.

This was the family head of the Wei Family.

The Great Liang Dynasty had many prominent figures. Whether it was the academy dean or the Lord Warden Commander, neither could truly be considered the most remarkable big shot.

Purely in terms of importance to Great Liang, only two individuals could be deemed indispensable.

One was the ancestor of the Xie Family, and the other was the family head of the Wei Family.

The two great noble families had stood as equals for a century. With their disciples and loyal officials spread throughout the imperial court and government, each family controlled half of Great Liang's political landscape.

It could be said that if either were to fall, this vast dynasty would swiftly collapse into chaos.

They were the two legs of the Great Liang Dynasty.

Looking at this family head, who now seemed a little younger than before, Wei Xu gave a slight bow. Even as a disciple of the Dean, he had to show his respect in front of this family head.

The Wei Family Head turned, and the candlelight illuminated his face, making him look almost like a young man.

This alone was enough to demonstrate that the Wei Family Head's cultivation realm was definitely not low.

The Wei Family Head said, "A few days ago, some eunuchs in the Imperial City were purged."

Hearing this, Wei Xu frowned slightly. He did not understand why the Wei Family Head was telling him this.

The Wei Family Head said, “Those people were agents the Wei Family sent to the palace over the years through various means. It was extremely secretive, with no possibility of being discovered.”

“One of them, a man named Zhao Sanbao, was the eunuch responsible for cooking in the Imperial Kitchen, handling His Majesty's daily meals.”

“I heard that Li Heng flayed him piece by piece, cutting off all the flesh from his body. He died a gruesome death.”

The Wei Family Head smiled faintly, seemingly unbothered.

Wei Xu finally spoke, asking, “Why?”

The Wei Family Head looked at Wei Xu and said, “Because, over the years, he had been poisoning the Empress.”

Hearing this, Wei Xu furrowed his brows even more deeply. The Empress had passed away only a few years ago, and he had never thought it could have anything to do with the Wei Family.

“Even without the poison, her body was frail and wouldn't have lasted long. At most, she could have only lived a few years longer."

The Wei Family Head appeared calm and collected.

Wei Xu said, “I’m asking why Family Head would do such a thing.”

The Wei Family Head smiled. “Poisoning is naturally to kill her, to hasten her death. In truth, if not for the fact that His Majesty's cultivation realm is too high, the poison should have been used on His Majesty instead.”

These words were spoken casually but carried the weight of a thunderous revelation.

"Why?"

This was the third time Wei Xu asked "why."

These matters, he had never known about them.

The Wei Family Head glanced at him but did not answer the question. Instead, he said, “Many years ago, Zhou Xianshan's family was also exterminated by the Wei Family.”

Wei Xu's face turned pale. The name Zhou Xianshan was something he could never forget. That was his fellow apprentice, a scholar who once enjoyed great renown in the academy.

“Why...” Wei Xu's voice became rather faint; almost inaudible.

“Exterminating his clan was simple, because back then, the Dean had virtually made up his mind to make him the next dean of the academy. But there can only be one dean. If he became dean, what would you do?”

The Dean had many disciples, but only a few had any real chance of becoming the next dean.

“If his clan wasn't destroyed, he would have become the next dean. That couldn't be allowed.”

The Wei Family Head said calmly, “In the end, His Majesty protected him and allowed him to live. It was originally an insignificant matter, as long as he could no longer become the next dean. Besides, eliminating the roots entirely would have been too risky for us to carry out.”

“But I still regret it very much.”

The Wei Family Head sighed. “Back then, I should have taken the risk and killed him thoroughly."

Wei Xu could not speak. He simply stared at the ancestral memorial tablets before him, feeling a chilling sensation rise from the depths of his heart.

“A few days ago, I sent someone to kill him. They failed. He has already become a Saint.”

The Wei Family Head chuckled self-deprecatingly. “The Dean has good judgment after all. He truly picked an excellent successor. The second Saint of Confucianism... very remarkable indeed.”