The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Old Master Yao stared at Yao Guang Yi with deep, purposeful eyes.

  “If you wish to eliminate that child, and if the Wang Clan exacts vengeance with King Song’s backing, and the Sage Emperor blames us, I can shoulder it all for you. However, are you certain that you want to do this?”

  Except for the burning wick in the oil lamp, the room was completely silent.

  Yao Guang Yi fell into deep thought.

  Old Master Yao shook his head. Yao Guang Yi wasn’t able to clearly see the situation he was in. This child hasn’t fully recovered from his defeat yet.

  “Guang Yi… Do you think that our Yao Clan gained power by eliminating all of our adversaries? If that was the case, how are we different from those general clans?”

  Old Master Yao spoke calmly and casually.

  Weng!

  After hearing these words, Yao Guang Yi’s body trembled as several thoughts flashed across his mind.

  Suddenly, a layer of cold sweat emerged on his forehead.

  “Looks like you understand my words. The crux of this matter is not that child, but you! Do you know why you want to kill him? It’s because you fear.”

  Old Master Yao narrowed his eyes, but he didn’t look at Yao Guang Yi. Instead, he gazed at the dancing flame in the lamp.

  “In the long history of our Yao Clan, we have weathered through innumerable storms. Many were figures even more formidable than that child. Was Zhou Chang weaker than him? Was Li Yu weaker than him? Was Wang Gen weaker than him?… There were so many formidable individuals who we didn’t eliminate, yet you chose to direct your killing intent toward this child. This is because you feel fear! You are terrified!”

  “…And your opponent is just a child!”

  As though a light drizzle, cold sweat dripped off Yao Guang Yi’s forehead. Every single sentence spoken by Old Master Yao added another layer of dampness to it. Eventually, by the time Old Master Yao finished his piece, Yao Guang Yi was already soaked throughout.

  “Meeting an opponent isn’t fearsome, our Yao Clan never fears a rival! If we meet one, we will just defeat him with our wits. If you fear him, it implies that you lack the bravery to face him with your intelligence. Guang Yi, you better think it through. Do you truly intend to eliminate that child?”

  The room was silent for a long time before a long sigh sounded.

  “Father, I was wrong!”

  “It’s not too late for you to realize this. That child of the Wang Clan must be eliminated, but not in this way. The Consort Taizhen incident is a good opportunity. Utilize your wits to assist King Qi and win his trust.”

  After saying those words, Old Master Yao closed his eyes.

  “…Yes, father!”

  Yao Guang Yi lowered his back and slowly retreated from the room respectfully. When he came, he was filled with worries, but when he left, he felt as though he was stripped of all his burdens!

  …………

  Wang Chong knew that neither the Consort Taizhen incident nor the regional commanders policy could be resolved swiftly.

  The ruckus in the royal court would surely continue for a very long time.

  But all of these had nothing to do with him.

  After his grandfather’s birthday, Wang Chong’s life reverted to back to normal; he would visit the Ghost Tree District everyday before working on his cultivation. Gradually, it became his daily routine.

  As for the second seven chi long slender Wootz steel katana, he had already completed the design and handed it over to Tuoba Guiyuan to handle the primary work.

  (2.33m)

  As for the crucial steps such as quenching and tempering, Wang Chong would deal with them personally later on.

  “…Origin Energy Tier 6. Perhaps it’s time for me to choose a secret art to boost my strength.”

  Training alone in the flower garden beside a fake hill, a thought suddenly flashed across Wang Chong’s mind. It was on his battle with Xu Xuan.

  Even though Xu Xuan lost to him, his ‘Ferocious Elephant Technique’ left a deep impression. The Xu Clan was a duke’s clan in Great Tang, so naturally, the martial arts the Sage Emperor bestowed them was extraordinary.

  Compared with the techniques that many other general clans practice, 《Ferocious Elephant Technique》 was ranked among the top of the strength boosting secret arts. It was also because of this technique that Xu Xuan was able to stand out among his peers.

  If not for the ‘Herculean Punch’, Wang Chong might not necessarily be a match for Xu Xuan in a battle of strength!

  Origin Energy Tier 6 opened up a whole new world for a martial artist. One would have the choice to specialize in speed, strength, or dexterity.

  Many people would choose strength, and Wang Chong was no different. However, this wasn’t because Wang Chong wanted to go down the path of a strength-type martial artist, but because he had no other choice.

  At Origin Energy Tier 6, he could only learn strength-type secret arts.

  Wang Chong dived into his memories and browsed through all of the techniques he had learned in his previous life.

  The first thing that Wang Chong did was to eliminate the ordinary strength-type secret arts. To him, the technique must at least be on the level of 《Ferocious Elephant Technique 》, or even better, exceed it.

  “Found it!”

  Wang Chong suddenly recalled one ultimate secret art which he learned after he became the Great Marshal of the Central Plains.

  To the expert he was then, it wasn’t a particularly powerful technique, but to Origin Energy martial artists, it was an ultimate secret art which could augment one’s strength swiftly.

  Ire of the Barbaric God!

  This was the technique which Wang Chong worked together with numerous experts to create back then. It was the fastest, strongest, and best method to augment a martial artist’s strength.

  Based on their estimations at that time, this technique could grant the human martial artists strength to rival the foreign invaders or even subdue them. Thus, their original intention was to propagate it in the Central Plains.

  If it succeeded, they could turn the tides of battle and send those foreign invaders back from where they came from!

  The successful creation of this technique left the commanders and old elders of the Central Plains military excited for an extremely long time!

  But eventually, this plan was scrapped.

  The reason was simple. Even though Ire of the Barbaric God was powerful, and the strength enhancement was great as well, they found a fatal flaw in it.

  ——One had to have the root bone of ‘Tiger Bone’ level to cultivate the Ire of the Barbaric God!

  Most martial artists didn’t meet this criteria, and those who could cultivate this technique only numbered a handful. Furthermore, the cultivation of the root bone was an extremely lengthy and difficult process. Thus, they could only put this plan aside.

  But putting aside the flaw, even Wang Chong, who had once become one of the greatest experts of the Central Plains, couldn’t help but admit that this technique was the best strength-based secret art for martial artists of the Origin Energy realm, True Martial realm, and even up to Profound Martial realm!

  Chapter 113: Mysterious Alchemist Organization!

  “I have already reached Origin Energy Tier 6 and my root bone has also reached Panther Bone 3-dan pinnacle. However, it probably won’t be an easy task for me to achieve a breakthrough to Tiger Bone 1-dan!”

  Wang Chong thought.

  There were many martial art techniques which have a prerequisite on one’s root bone. The more formidable a technique was, the higher the requirement on one’s root bone. If one’s root bone was unable to meet the prerequisite, it might result in dire consequences.

  Wang Chong’s current root bone had yet to reach the Tiger Bone level, so it wasn’t suitable for him to practice Ire of the Barbaric God yet.

  “But it’s not that there is no way for me to raise my root bone to Tiger Bone…”

 
Standing by the fake hill, Wang Chong was immersed in his thoughts. It wasn’t impossible for one to strengthen one’s root bone swiftly, and the Xu Clan’s Bone Forging Pill was one of such means.

  Wang Chong also knew a few others means that could raise the cultivation of his root bone. However, there weren’t many that were both practical and suitable for him.

  “Found it!”

  Suddenly, a thought popped into Wang Chong’s mind and he recalled something.

  In the Central Plains, the place where most pills were centered was, without a doubt, the royal palace and the kings’ residences.

  Especially for the royal palace, there were a bunch of alchemists hired exclusively to forge pills for the Sage Emperor, princes, princesses, and consorts.

  There was a huge amount of alchemists and they were strictly controlled by the royal family. The pills they forged would go into the vault of the royal family and bestowed to the imperial army, kings, and important officials.

  Every single pill forged was strictly monitored, to the point that there were even initial numbers marked on them, making it difficult for anyone to obtain it from the market.

  Other than the royal palace, another location where pills were forged, was the residences of the various kings.

  Every single king had a personal group of alchemists who would forge pills exclusively for them. Some of these alchemists had approached them on their own accord while some were bestowed to them by the royal family.

  The number of alchemists in the kings’ residences was significantly lower than that of the royal family, numbering a handful of people up to a maximum of two dozens. However, without a doubt, these alchemists were an important strategic resource to the kings.

  Thus, every single king regarded their alchemist team highly and they wouldn’t allow any outsiders to come into contact with them. Thus, it was impossible for pills to flow out from there either.

  Due to these privately hired alchemists, almost all kings of the royal family were top-notch experts, be it King Song or King Qi.

  The rate of consumption of pills of every single king was already as though a huge abyss, but on top of that, they still had to bestow some to their guards, aides, children, comrades… Thus, there wasn’t a single king who had excessive pills to spare.

  Thus, even though the royal palace and the kings’ residences were the top producers of pills, none of these pills were leaked to the market.

  To an outsider, the pills from these two locations were far out of their grasp.

  However, Wang Chong knew of a secret route to obtain pills that leaked out from those places.

  To speak of it, Wang Chong had to bring up his previous life.

  The catastrophe back then had nearly destroyed the entire Central Plains, causing the people from all walks of life to gather together.

  Be it the lofty royal family and kings, the brutal bandits and brigands, or the honest farmers and fishermen… In times of calamity, everyone was equal.

  Before the threat of death, everyone would feel fear, and this fear would make them reveal their greatest secrets. Rather, it would even become the best way for them to relieve their stress and fear.

  It was there that Wang Chong met a distressed alchemist, and from him, Wang Chong learned that there was a mysterious group among the alchemists among the royal family and kings’ residences.

  They would falsely report on their production and forge additional pills and hide them. Then, these pills would then be smuggled out from the royal court and the kings’ residences, taken to the outside market, and sold to earn a hefty sum!

  Such actions were present in the past eras and the current one wasn’t an exception either.

  Even so, this didn’t mean that outsiders could easily purchase their pills or join their organization.

  Be it in the royal palace or the kings’ residences, it was illegal for alchemists to make a false report on their pill production. In order to make a strict warning about this matter, the alchemists caught would be subjected to severe punishment.

  As this was a matter of life and death, many alchemists were extremely secretive about this matter. Thus, the organization became something out of reach for those without connections.

  If not for that catastrophe, it would have been impossible for Wang Chong to know about this secret organization.

  “Falling Jade Pavilion!”

  Wang Chong rummaged through his memory, and soon, he recalled the location that the alchemist told him of. It was a secret residence which one of the alchemists in the organization bought for the organization to conduct its operations.

  It looked ordinary on the surface, but it was the secret gathering point for these alchemists. There were many of such gathering points in the capital.

  Every single gathering point was operated by an alchemist, and if trouble were to occur to one, it would be swiftly abandoned so as to ensure the survival of the organization.

  The reason why Wang Chong remembered the Falling Jade Pavilion of all other gathering points was because of a unique alchemist in it. If Wang Chong wanted to join this organization to purchase pills, this alchemist was his only chance.

  “I should go and take a look!”

  Making up his mind, Wang Chong beckoned for Shen Hai and Meng Long to tag along. Then, he dived into a carriage and headed to the Falling Jade Pavilion.

  The ‘Falling Jade Pavilion’ was neither a tavern nor a teahouse. It was a private residence on the outskirts of the capital, surrounded by many other ordinary houses.

  “How remote!”

  Looking out of the window, Shen Hai saw a huge residence. Tightly-shut crimson gates and blemished walls, not a single sound of life could be heard from within. It seemed as though it had been abandoned for a very long time.

  “Young master, are you sure that this is the location? It doesn’t seem like anyone is living within.”

  Shen Hai turned to the young master and asked.

  The residence was desolate and eerie, and it induced discomfort in one.

  “Don’t worry, this is the location.”

  Wang Chong tried to remember the interesting news that the alchemist told him about back then. Opening his eyes, he glanced at the spotted plaque on top of the entrance of the residence and saw words ‘Falling Jade Pavilion’ on it. Then, he nodded his head seriously.

  The alchemists were secretly smuggling pills from the royal palace and kings’ residences. Given the illegal nature of their business, they couldn’t do it openly. This residence was cold and remote, but it was actually suitable for the alchemists to conduct their operations.

  “I wonder if there is anyone inside…”

  Wang Chong thought.

  The alchemists in the royal palace and kings’ residences were extremely busy, and there was no such thing as rest for an alchemist. Thus, these gathering points were deserted most of the time. Only when the need comes would the alchemists appear here to conduct trade or communicate with other members.

  ‘Falling Jade Pavilion’ was a gathering point for the alchemists, but Wang Chong couldn’t say for sure whether there were people inside and whether they were conducting trade or not.

  Peng!

  Just when Wang Chong was hesitating, the doors suddenly opened. Five figures walked out swiftly with lowered heads, as though trying to conceal their appearance.

  Even from afar, the trio could smell the deep scent of pills from the five.

  There must be an alchemist among them!

  The same thought popped up in the trio simultaneously.

  “Young master, which one is it?”

  Shen Hai and Meng Long glanced at Wang Chong. Wang Chong said that they were going to find an alchemist, but there were five of them. Even if each of them were to tail a person, it still wouldn’t be enough.

  Meeting with such a dilemma, Wang Chong frowned in anxiety.

  These people were extremely wary of their surroundings. As they walked, they would scan their surroundings
prudently. Furthermore, they walked extremely quickly, as though they were in a hurry for something.

  If Wang Chong didn’t find the person in his memory swiftly, it wouldn’t be long before the five of them disappear.

  “Which one? Which one is it?”

  Wang Chong was conflicted. All alchemists in the secret organization were extremely guarded. Under normal circumstances, regardless of what method you used, they would be unwilling to accept you.

  In fact, they wouldn’t even allow you to get close to them.

  The moment they realized that something was amiss, accompanied with multiple occasions of harassment, it was highly probable that the alchemists would possibly make use of the influence of the kings’ residences and the royal palace against you.

  Back then, the alchemist had told him about this matter.

  Once an alchemist felt threatened, he would immediately report the matter to the secret alchemist organization. By then, it would be no longer the entire secret alchemist organization that was against you. It would be the entire royal court and the various kings’ residences that were against you.

  If the royal court or the kings were to suspect that someone was harboring unwanted thoughts about their alchemists, a whole string trouble would ensue.

  If it was just the guards dealing with it, it would still be a small matter. However, it wouldn’t take long before the princes and princesses got involved.

  Nothing involving alchemists was a small affair.

  Thus, Wang Chong didn’t stand a good chance in this matter.

  The five of them walked very quickly. While Wang Chong was hesitating, the five had already reached a junction.

  Jiya!

  Just when Wang Chong was in a severe dilemma, a creaking sound echoed in the air. The gates to the Falling Jade Pavilion opened, and a green-robed middle-aged man with a peculiar appearance walked out.

  He briefly scanned his surroundings before heading to the east.

  Different from the others, he walked extremely slowly and casually.

  “He’s the one!”

  Noticing that the middle-aged man was hiding his right hand in his sleeves, a thought flashed across Wang Chong’s mind. He suddenly realized that the middle-aged man was the one he was looking for.