Chapter Ninety-Three: The Song of Chu Rings Out, Stirring the Four Quarters

When Lu Xin heard those three words, he shuddered all over and froze at once.

He thought of a celebrated essay from a later age, The Ode to the Epang Palace, written by the Tang dynasty poet Du Mu. It had even been included in the high school language textbook. He still remembered how, after Lu Tingfang had skipped grades and entered high school, he once took this essay and taught it to him line by line. Back then, Lu Tingfang had also said that if one day he could return to the past, he too would, like the First Emperor of Qin, build the greatest palace in all history, one that could gather within its halls the wealth and beauties of the world.

The six kings were vanquished, and all under heaven became one; the hills of Shu were stripped bare, and the Epang Palace rose. It stretched over three hundred li, blotting out sky and sun...

Perhaps poetry and prose always exaggerate, but between the lines one could still sense the palace’s grandeur and splendor. At the time, Lu Xin had only thought that Lu Tingfang must have been driven foolish by books to entertain such thoughts of returning to the past. But now it seemed that his cousin had long harbored ambition.

"The First Emperor united the six states and ended five or six hundred years of turmoil under heaven. What a monumental achievement. And so he wished to move the heavenly palaces down into the mortal world; he wanted to lock away all the beauties of the six states within his own walls. For that was the emblem of supremacy under heaven, the glory reserved for a sovereign of men. Yet he forgot that the destroyer of the six states was not he, Ying Zheng, but the six states themselves. And the one who destroyed his own clan was not the House of Xiang, either, but Ying Zheng himself."

Li Chunfeng lifted his gaze toward the distance. His eyes seemed to pass through time, looking upon the blaze that burned for three full months. Lu Xin did not know what the Epang Palace truly looked like, but at last he understood what his master was trying to say.

"He who destroys the six states is the six states themselves, not Qin. He who destroys Qin is Qin itself, not all under heaven. In this world, there has never been a dynasty that lasts forever. The Tang in Master's eyes, I fear, is no different."

Lu Xin let out a sudden sigh and recited the only two lines he still remembered from the Ode to the Epang Palace. Li Chunfeng glanced at him, smiled, and sat back down at the edge of the cliff.

Looking toward the city of Chang'an, the Imperial Ancestral Hall stood like a stone stele beneath Dragon-Head Plain, suppressing the whole world beneath it. Yet that world was never truly within Chang'an to begin with.

"The Overlord of Chu was bold beyond measure, loyal and righteous. When he saw the Epang Palace, he harbored no evil thoughts and reduced it to ashes; he could naturally be called a hero. Liu Bang was cunning and fickle. When he saw the beauties of the six states, lust rose in his heart. By reason alone, how could such a common ruffian from the margins rise to the throne of a sovereign, and sit as master of all under heaven? But the people do not judge by these things, nor does Heaven. Liu Bang treated those around him with kindness and justice, and so the people of the world aided him. The Overlord was proud and solitary by nature, loving only Yu Ji alone. How could he ever bring the world to submission?"

"Master speaks truly. Since ancient times, he who wins the hearts of the people wins the realm. At least since Qin, all founding emperors have, on the surface, done very well. Though Li Shimin killed his two elder brothers at Xuanwu Gate, he still gained a reputation for loving the people as if they were his own children. At times I wonder: how could an emperor and conqueror who can personally slay his own kin truly favor anyone else?"

"Yes. Pity that this is the true face of the world. Those pure of heart cannot see through it; even if they could, they would still be unable to do it. Only the quick-witted and deceitful can trample over countless bones and look down upon all rivals. Look at this vast city of Chang'an, laid out in patterns as if fashioned after Heaven and Earth themselves. Yet those who enter it often find that their hearts are left with nothing but feasts of bells and tripods, wealth and splendor. Most people in this world have their eyes clouded by the five aggregates and the six dusts. Emperors dwell long in the halls of state and receive the incense of the mortal world. Those who can bear it have already attained a spirit beyond the ordinary. Those who cannot may be even more worthless than common folk. The reason I brought you here is to let you see farther than the Tang Emperor, and clearer than everyone under heaven."

With that, Li Chunfeng swept his sleeve once more, and the Wandering Immortal Sword that had been in Lu Xin’s hand suddenly flew beyond the cliff.

It was one chi and seven cun long, thin as a cicada’s wing, entirely black and yellow, floating there in midair.

Li Chunfeng stared at the Wandering Immortal Sword for a long while before closing his eyes again.

"A divine weapon is called divine because the material from which it is forged is unlike that of ordinary things. Some come from beyond the heavens, some are born of primordial force, and some originate from the hands of divine craftsmen. The five great divine weapons of my Daoist school can all be refined into the flesh, shrinking and changing as one wills, wielded with perfect ease."

Refined into the flesh?

Lu Xin was slightly startled, and at once a famous weapon came to mind: the As-You-Will Golden Cudgel of Sun Wukong. This weapon could grow or shrink, lengthen or shorten at will. It could pierce the heavens and earth, or become a sewing needle hidden in the ear. But mythological novels were, after all, only novels, heavily embroidered with invention and not to be taken as truth.

Li Chunfeng naturally did not know what Lu Xin was thinking. With one hand he formed a seal, and with the other he pointed at the Wandering Immortal Sword. After a few breaths, the sword abruptly turned into a point of golden light and shot skyward, vanishing from sight in an instant. So fast was it that it was beyond description. Two minutes later, the sword-light returned from the south and again landed beyond the cliff in the blink of an eye. By then, the sword body, which had originally been one chi and three cun long, had vanished completely. Only a cluster of dim yellow, radiant glow remained, glittering in empty air. Lu Xin extended his fist to compare it, and that cloud of radiance was actually even slightly smaller than his fist.

"There are three methods for refining a divine weapon: first, by channeling spiritual power through it; second, by letting mind and intent unite; third, by merging bloodlines. What I used just now was the first method. But to force-refine with spiritual power can only alter a weapon’s shape; it cannot obtain its spirit. Though it may unleash power greater than before, it is still no more than twenty or thirty percent of its true might. And the changes in form depend entirely on the strength of one’s own spiritual power. That is why the Yin-Yang Wandering Immortal Sword I refined cannot be hidden within the flesh."

"Mind and intent united means that once a divine weapon recognizes you as its master, you can use your own thoughts to replace the weapon’s own awareness. If refinement succeeds, the weapon can become as small as a strand of hair and attach itself to any part of the body. When fighting others, a thought is enough to summon it, and one may draw upon fifty or sixty percent of its power."

"As for bloodline fusion, that is the highest realm of refining divine weapons. At that point, the weapon is the flesh, and the flesh is the weapon. The two become one; as long as the divine weapon endures, the body will not decay. But that is only a legendary realm, one no one has entered since antiquity. To achieve it, one must first fully penetrate the mysteries hidden within the body. One must not only understand every meridian and acupoint throughout the body, but also master the art of bodily transformation. Even these are as hard as climbing to the heavens."

Li Chunfeng spoke at length in one breath about the theories of cultivation. Lu Xin listened intently, though much of it was still not easy to grasp. The master and disciple sat there upon Dragon-Head Mountain, asking and answering one another, and in the blink of an eye night had deepened. Moonlight spilled over Chang'an, mingling with countless lamps and fires, lending brilliance and splendor to the imperial city.

"For these next few days, use the method I have taught you to try refining the Wandering Immortal Sword. You and it ought to be of one mind, but your spiritual power is still far too weak, and your comprehension insufficient, so you have not yet mastered its transformations. Though Dragon-Head Plain is not a true dragon vein, here we can borrow the formation to draw upon the five elemental energies within Chang'an. There are still two days before the examination. I shall help you make an attempt."

When Li Chunfeng finished speaking, he tossed four talismans into the sky. They transformed into the shapes of the Four Divine Beasts and took their places in the east, west, south, and north. Soon, a small formation appeared above Lu Xin’s head, about ten zhang across, continuously drawing in the five elemental energies of Chang'an. Thus the master and disciple began their days of cultivation within the formation.

At the same time, in the eastern part of Chang'an, within a residence in the Quiet Respect Quarter, all the lamps and candles suddenly went dark.

In the courtyard, a white-robed man standing with hands behind his back slowly raised his head, his brow slightly furrowed. Beside him stood a youth in black, who also lowered the ancient book in his hands.

"What did Master see?"

"Nothing. The calamity is about to descend. Only, someone may be trying to stand in front of the two of us, master and disciple. Dragon-Head Plain will, in the end, suppress Chang'an. I only hope this person does not see too far."

In the southern city, in the Fragrant Purity Quarter, at the Great Compassion Temple, two monks meditating upon their cushions suddenly opened their eyes at the same time. Their gazes were both fixed toward the north, their expressions complicated.

"Brother, that one is seizing the five elemental energies of the city from above with brute force. Isn’t he being far too arrogant? Is he not afraid of becoming the target of everyone’s resentment?"

"May the Buddha have mercy. This man’s spirit sits high in the heavenly opening of the skull, and his cultivation is exceedingly deep. Either he has trained his heart’s eye to a superior realm, or he possesses some treasure that helps him glimpse the future. A man like that is not afraid of becoming the target of everyone’s resentment."

In the western city, in the Waiting for the Worthy Quarter, at Bamboo Dream Studio, the window of the Heaven-Character Room on the third floor was suddenly pushed open. A woman wearing a veil revealed a pale arm and snapped her fingers toward the window.

In an instant, five black shadows leapt from below and landed lightly in the corridor. Not a single sound was made throughout the entire scene, as though they were ghosts.

"What orders does Your Divine Envoy have for us?"

Seeing this, the woman reached up and stroked her bare right arm, shrinking in on herself as if she felt cold.

"The changes in rain and clouds are so abrupt; I fear someone is stirring up trouble. Go and take a look at the people from the Poison Sect. Before they act, make sure nothing goes wrong."

"Understood!"

The five men in black were about to turn and leave when the woman called them back again.

"I heard that Wu Haoxian of the Supreme Mystical Heaven Sect has also arrived in Chang'an. Has there been any unusual movement?"

"Replying to Your Divine Envoy, there has been none so far. The people of the Supreme Mystical Heaven Sect seem only to be escorting some tribute scholars and examination candidates from various prefectures and counties into the capital. They are all currently staying in the Lanting Quarter."

"Lanting Quarter?"

The woman suddenly frowned, then narrowed her eyes slightly, as though tired. She waved for the others to withdraw. As for herself, she turned and walked deeper into the room.

Within the imperial city, at the Office for the Reception of Foreign Envoys, in a detached residence set aside for visiting diplomats, a young man in military dress was practicing swordsmanship in the garden. But suddenly he reined in the sharpness of his blade and forcibly stopped his movement, so abruptly that one foot sank into the paving stones, cracking the artificial hill nearby.

The two Turkic soldiers attending him were so frightened they lowered their heads deeply.

"Has the princess gone to sleep?"

"Replying to General, she has already retired for the night. But the princess still refuses to eat anything. These past two days, she has only drunk a little water."

"Even if she will not eat, force her to. After the imperial examination, the princess will enter the palace. Do you mean to present the Tang Emperor with a corpse?"