Chapter 115 A Beginning Long Ago

After the King of Zhenbei and the King of Jingnan knelt,
Zheng Fan and the First Prince immediately followed suit.

Break it, a century-old backbone.

Even though Zheng Fan wasn't a native of this world and couldn't fully empathize with the eight-hundred-year blood feud between the Yan people and the barbarians that was etched into their bones, he still couldn't help but feel his heart surge at this moment.

This was a dream,
this dream,
originated many years ago,
its beginning,
was two children fighting over a chicken leg.

One said that when he grew up, he would make the territory of Great Yan vast and boundless;
the other scratched his head, wiped the greasy oil from his mouth after gnawing on the chicken leg, grinned, and shouted:
"I'll help you fight!"

Later,
they met an even younger brother who shared the same dream.

Dreaming isn't difficult;
people can all dream, at night, during the day, when they're free, and even when they're working;
but very few can spend decades, step by step, slowly turning that childhood dream into reality.

The blood that the Emperor vomited at the banquet was probably fake.
But the Emperor's body had truly reached the end of its rope;
because on the way back to the imperial study, supported by Wei Zhonghe, Zheng Fan, who was following behind, saw the Emperor take a red pill from Wei Zhonghe and put it in his mouth.

The Emperor was very excited now,
an unnatural excitement;
Zheng Fan, who was kneeling, was very close to the Emperor at this time,
the wrists under the dragon robe's cuffs vaguely showed brown spots, his lips were too red, and the area around his eyes was too dark. The Emperor must have put on makeup before attending the grand banquet, but now, the powder was falling off, and his complexion was frighteningly pale.

Everything was telling how the Emperor had managed to hold on until today;
but,
you couldn't help but be impressed by the aura emanating from the Emperor now.

This was a true Emperor of the mortal world,
before,
Zheng Fan only had a vague idea of what a great emperor was like, but it was this Emperor who gradually made it clear to him.

Some things could be put aside for the time being, some problems could be temporarily ignored;
simply looking at him,
and then looking at the Great Yan he ruled,
was enough to prove his greatness.

For Zheng Fan, Old Tian was an invincible older brother who would always stand in front of him;
for Zheng Fan, the Yan Emperor was more distant and higher up, and he had only met him a few times, but it seemed that this distance created a feeling... similar to the way the people of Xuehai Pass looked at him back then.

The "dying" Emperor,
in the twilight of his life,
was still thinking about eliminating the last threat that might become an opponent in the future for this empire!

You could say his methods were too extreme,
you could say he was too eager,
you could say he couldn't wait any longer,
you could even say he was greedy, wanting to accomplish in his lifetime what three generations of wise rulers could only do;
but you couldn't deny or even question,
how perfectly this Emperor had interpreted the supreme status of the Emperor.

He gave up personal enjoyment, even though these were innate to him;
he abandoned personal feelings, not a good husband, not a good father, and even not a husband or a father;

Hidden beneath the imperial crown,
were always those cold eyes,
but it was precisely this stubbornness,
that created a kind of pilgrimage-like influence.

Not the kind of religious ritual that covers your understanding layer by layer, but standing in front, like a beacon, guiding a path.

Li Liangting, the inheritor of a century-old Marquis's house,
and Tian Wujing, a natural talent,
could be made to kneel at his feet,
to open up territory for him, to gallop for him, to fight for him, and to abandon their own restraints together;
this was the Yan Emperor,
the Emperor who could stand in front of the two Kings.

Zheng Fan tried to break free from this emotion, tried to get rid of this atmosphere;
he had too many reasons not to integrate into this iron triangle, not to accept their inheritance, but it was undeniable that at this moment, Zheng Fan couldn't suppress a kind of excitement in his heart;
destroy it,
trample it,
not only the enemies in sight,
but also those who might become a threat to the empire in ten, twenty, or thirty years!

I,
will clear all obstacles for Great Yan!

"Marquis of Pingxi, Wu Jiang."
"Your subject is here."
"Your son is here."

"At dawn, the King of Zhenbei and the King of Jingnan will leave the capital for Beifeng County. I have specially arranged for the Jingnan King's Mansion to be next to the Marquis of Pingxi's, and the Zhenbei King's Mansion to be next to your residence, Wujiang."

Zheng Fan's eyes immediately widened.
Old Tian was leaving the capital tonight?
Old Li was also leaving the capital tonight?

The two Kings would no longer be in the capital after tonight!
Then what about the struggle for the throne,
what about the foundation of the country?

However, the Marquis of Zheng's scheming had long been tempered by the Demon Kings, so he would naturally not ask such a question at this time. He also quickly understood the meaning of the Yan Emperor's latter words.

Why were the two Royal Mansions next to you?
For the sake of,
at this time,
using your two Marquises' abilities, to cover up the news that your neighbors are not there!

Using Great Yan's two meritorious Marquises,
to create a smokescreen for Great Yan's two Kings!

Even,
thinking a little further,
the so-called two Kings and two Marquises entering the capital to jointly establish the foundation of the country,
was itself the biggest fog,
used to confuse the barbarians,
so that the barbarian royal court, so that the old barbarian king, could safely hold his Golden Tent Ceremony.

This was truly,
using all the means at his disposal, all the cards,
to win every opportunity for Great Yan!

Time,
seemed to go back to five years ago,
that year,
Zheng Fan's Li Fusheng's and Li Bao's troops went south for a surprise attack, all the way to the capital, but it was just a feint to give the two Kings' Zhenbei and Jingnan armies the opportunity to outflank Nanmeng Pass.

And this time,
Zheng Fan himself didn't expect it,
Blind Man didn't expect it, Gou Moli didn't expect it, and even Sun Ying only guessed the tip of the iceberg;
then,
no matter how many spies the barbarians had in Great Yan, or who wanted to deliberately inform them,
they wouldn't know, so how could they report the news?

As for the troops,
since five years ago, half of the Zhenbei Army was transferred east to participate in various battles, but there were always three garrisons of the Zhenbei Army stationed in Beifeng County that had never moved!

Those were true veterans, those were true elites, who had not experienced the losses of war, and had not been weakened by the addition of new recruits, and had been tempered by the desert wind and sand.
In addition, half of the former Imperial Guards had been placed in Beifeng County to be screened and adapted.

Everything was ready.
"Your subject obeys the decree!"
"Your son obeys the decree!"
"You may withdraw now. Wei Zhonghe, escort my two Marquis..."
"This humble servant obeys."
"Your subject takes his leave."
"Your son takes his leave!"

Led by Wei Zhonghe, Zheng Fan and the First Prince left the imperial study.

Inside the imperial study, there were now only three people left.

The Yan Emperor, standing on the map, closed his eyes, took a deep breath, frowned,
and said;
"Liangting, help me up, I can barely stand."

Li Liangting stood up and supported the Yan Emperor.
He had thought that his body had become empty due to the continuous decline of his Qi and blood over the years, but he didn't expect that the Yan Emperor's body was as light as a piece of paper.

Tian Wujing also stood up.
"Cough cough... cough cough..."

The Yan Emperor coughed, a cough that was extremely uncomfortable to hear, because even coughing hard seemed to be beyond his ability, and he could only cough halfway each time.

Li Liangting reached out and gently stroked the Yan Emperor's back,
the Yan Emperor opened his mouth,
and a line of saliva formed at the corner of his mouth.

Li Liangting reached out and wiped the corner of the Yan Emperor's mouth.
From beginning to end, Tian Wujing stood beside him, watching calmly.

The Yan Emperor reached out and pointed to the inner partition of the imperial study;
there, was where the Emperor took a nap between reviewing memorials.

Li Liangting helped the Yan Emperor into the inner hall, where there was a bathtub filled with clear, warm water.

The Yan Emperor turned his head,
and looked at Tian Wujing,
"Wujing... Wujing... help... me..."

Today,
he had taken three red pills.

But this third red pill only supported him until he entered the imperial study and said these words, and then, it was as if all his energy had been drained, and his body completely stiffened.

In fact,
the Yan Emperor had long anticipated this.

When he stepped on the map and issued the decree to use troops against the barbarian royal court, his emotions finally reached a peak of excitement, and then, there was an extremely terrifying decline.

"Wujing, what's wrong with His Majesty?" Li Liangting asked, looking at Tian Wujing.
"He took too many pills." Tian Wujing's tone was somewhat cold.
"This..."

Li Liangting knew that His Majesty's body was not good, and he also knew that His Majesty was holding on, but he really didn't expect that His Majesty was holding on in this way.
In fact, even Tian Wujing didn't know about this until he got into the carriage outside the city.

"Remove His Majesty's clothes." Tian Wujing said.
Li Liangting nodded when he heard this, and began to untie the dragon robe.

Soon, the dragon robe was untied, and the inner lining was also untied.
What was revealed was an extremely thin body hidden under the majestic and broad dragon robe, and this body was densely covered with dark brown spots.

Li Liangting took a deep breath when he saw this, and closed his eyes.
Then,
he laughed,
"Hahahaha, hahahahaha..."

The Yan Emperor looked at Li Liangting beside him.
"Your Majesty..."
"Brother, look at you, you look so funny, hahahaha..."

Li Liangting laughed and laughed, then sniffed hard,
"If you had told me earlier, we could have entered the capital earlier."
"I... should... should... suffer..."

Li Liangting picked up the Yan Emperor and put him into the bathtub.

Tian Wujing stepped forward and stood by the bathtub.
"What to do?"
Li Liangting asked.

The bathtub was here, obviously, His Majesty had prepared it long ago.
"The pill poison has entered the body. His Majesty's intention should be to ask me to help force the pill poison out of his body."
"Then what are you waiting for? Force it out."
Tian Wujing pointed at His Majesty sitting in the bathtub,
and said:
"His Majesty's body has long been exhausted, and he has been relying on pills to prolong his life, similar to the Gu cultivation of the aborigines in southwestern Qiang, but His Majesty is raising himself. This is using poison to prolong his life.
It's not difficult to force out the pill poison.

But now, if His Majesty continues to take pills, his body will continue to deteriorate day by day, and eventually he will become unconscious."
"What will happen if we force out the pill poison now?"

Tian Wujing looked at the Yan Emperor again carefully,
and replied:
"If the pill poison is forced out of the body, it will be a flash in the pan, ten days of lucidity, ten days of life."

Forcing out the pill poison,
meant a death sentence, a death sentence that could not be cured by medicine or immortals!
"This..."

Li Liangting opened his mouth. The King of Zhenbei, who was used to the desert wind and sand and was known as a killing star by the barbarians, was truly at a loss at this time.
At this time,
the Yan Emperor, sitting in the bathtub, opened his eyes again, and said to Tian Wujing and Li Liangting:
"Force... it... out..."
"Brother!"

The Yan Emperor didn't take pills to prove the Dao of longevity,
in fact,
he never believed in these things.
He had foreseen this day from the beginning when he started taking this kind of pill.
"Accept... the... decree..."

The Yan Emperor insisted.

Li Liangting raised his head, his eyes already red.

Tian Wujing took three steps back,
and knelt down:
"Your subject accepts the decree."

Then,
Tian Wujing stood up,
with his hands in front of him, white smoke began to rise from Tian Wujing's palms, this was the surge of Qi and blood.
Suddenly,
the Pixiu totem on the wall of the imperial study trembled at this moment,
in the dark,
a low roar seemed to come from below the Great Yan Imperial Palace.
"Continue..."

Tian Wujing ignored the others and put his hands under the water surface of the bathtub.

No one had ever done a specific calculation of how thick the Qi and blood of a peak third-rank martial artist was.

But it really wasn't difficult to help someone force out the pill poison in their body.

The temperature of the water in the bathtub began to rise.
A look of pain gradually appeared on the Yan Emperor's face.

Slowly,
a layer of light black began to appear in the clear water in the bathtub.

Li Liangting stood beside him with his arms folded, watching;
Tian Wujing continued to input his Qi and blood into it;
the black in the bathtub began to increase and become thicker.

Then,
a silver luster began to appear in the black.
There was no stench,
but just the color that was gradually appearing was enough to cause discomfort to normal people.
In contrast, the dark brown spots on the Yan Emperor's body began to fade gradually, and some places only had a black spot left.

After about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense,
the water in the bathtub was completely occupied by silver and black;
the Yan Emperor, sitting inside,
slowly raised his head,
his face showed a healthy rosiness.
This was... the beginning of a flash in the pan.

And once this started, it was destined to usher in the end.
"I haven't felt so relaxed in a long time."
The Yan Emperor said,
with a hint of a smile on the corner of his mouth.

He raised his arms and placed them on the edge of the bathtub, looked down at the black and silver water inside, and shook his head,
and said with emotion:
"Throughout the ages, I don't know how many monarchs have longed to pursue longevity and took pills for this, they are really a bunch of stupid things, what they take are these things."

It seemed that the Yan Emperor's spirit had really recovered, and he even had the leisure to disdain his counterparts in history.

Tian Wujing withdrew his hands from the bathtub;
Li Liangting put his hands on the edge of the bathtub and carefully looked at the Yan Emperor.

"Big Brother, your complexion is good. It would be great if you were just like this and it wasn't some kind of flash in the pan, hehe."
Sadness doesn't necessarily have to be expressed with sorrow;
in fact, they might have already taken life and death lightly.

"Ten days is enough."
The Yan Emperor raised his neck,
and said;
"Liangting, help your brother rub his back."
"Forget it, Big Brother, don't you look at how dirty this water is? Although we are not golden branches and jade leaves, we are still kings now. Although we have eaten rough food since we were young, outsiders think we were born with a silver spoon in our mouths.
Don't ask me to do such a dirty thing."
Tian Wujing stretched out a finger,
a blue swirl of Qi rotated on his fingertip,
and then went into the bathtub,
and then pointed to the vegetation in the warm room on the side.
In an instant,
the black and silver things on the surface of the bathtub were stripped out and turned into a mist, spraying towards the vegetation.

The vegetation, which was cultivated in the warm room and was green all year round, instantly showed signs of decay;
but, the water in the bathtub was really visibly clearer.

Li Liangting pointed at Tian Wujing angrily,
and cursed:
"Little Jingzi, it seems that I really didn't beat you enough when you were a kid!"
He only dared to mention when he was a child.
Not to mention that his Qi and blood had declined prematurely after being injured, even if he hadn't been injured, Li Liangting wouldn't think he would be Tian Wujing's opponent after cultivating all the way to today.
Harsh words were harsh words,
Li Liangting still took a towel from the shelf next to him and walked behind the Yan Emperor, starting to rub his back for him.

The Yan Emperor closed his eyes,
as if he was enjoying it.
Once upon a time,
two chicken legs could trick the silly little marquis of Zhenbei into rubbing his back and wiping his body for him.
However,
the Yan Emperor suddenly said:
"Liangting."
"Hmm?"
"You were very skilled when you untied the dragon robe just now."
"Hahaha." Li Liangting laughed, "There's one at home, my grandfather made one in private back then, and my father also made one."
"Hehe, haha."

The Yan Emperor also laughed when he heard this.

The century-old Zhenbei Marquis's Mansion had been guarding the border for Great Yan, suppressing the barbarians, and had never rebelled.
But, people would also think about it in their hearts, and secretly wear dragon robes to have their fill.
Li Liangting said;
"Your Majesty, we two are leaving the capital, and those boys have already been provoked, I'm afraid they won't be able to hold back. If one of the boys really jumps over the wall, it might not look good."
A confident smile appeared on the Yan Emperor's face,
he shook his head,
and said:
"You can rest assured and go to conquer the desert. I promise, I will be in the capital,
to give the future of Great Yan, an explanation;
to give you,
an explanation."

After saying that,
the Yan Emperor breathed a sigh of relief,
"Liangting, Wujing, bring back the heads of that barbarian father and son for me, and put them in front of my temple statue;
then,
I want to be in the ancestral temple,
with the ancestors,
to have a good display;
let them know,
I,
although I am their descendant, their offspring,
but my achievements,
are higher than theirs!

I have never admitted defeat in my life, and I want to compete for first place in everything.
Even in the ancestral temple,
even if they want to rank seniority in front of me,
don't even think about it!"