Chapter 1125: A Face Full of Sorrow

The recently enthroned emperor possessed an extraordinary spiritual affinity.

His style of governance closely resembled the temperament of a Daoist cultivator: balancing yin and yang and heavily favoring the middle path.

A promising air of renewal seemed to sweep through the imperial court.

Yet the predicaments facing this highly spiritual monarch vastly overshadowed the glory of his three-year reign.

The nation was fractured, Prince Yu was rising in power, and the court remained weak...

Every sign seemed to foretell the imminent collapse of Great Xiang, a dynasty that had stood for less than a century.

Zhao Lingjun refused to watch this happen. He tried everything, did everything in his power, and even resorted to unorthodox measures.

He promised celestial official positions to demons and ghosts, immortals and Daoist cultivators alike. Risking the chaos that monsters could bring to the mortal realm, he established the Immortal-Demon Temple. The countless demons, spirits, immortals, and cultivators he recruited became the court's core strength against the rebels, even reversing the tide of battle on several occasions.

Through sheer willpower, he had single-handedly delayed the dynasty's demise.

Within the palace's Imperial Garden.

Zhao Lingjun had found a rare moment of leisure, but a messenger soon arrived to report that the frontline forces had lost their advantage. The demons of the Immortal-Demon Temple had fallen into a trap, their fates unknown.

Having rested for only a brief moment, Zhao Lingjun's expression instantly tightened.

He knew very well that if Gansanguan Pass fell, Prince Yu's grand army would march straight into Shangjing, and Great Xiang would be destroyed in a single day.

"Summon General Shen, the Jiwu Camp Commander, and Chancellor Yun... Call them to the palace for a council, immediately!"

"Your Majesty, the generals and the chancellor are already on their way."

"Good, good..."

Zhao Lingjun looked as if his soul had been siphoned away, his gaze turning somewhat vacant.

All of a sudden, he had no idea how to face the current situation.

The Immortal-Demon Temple had been exposed to Prince Yu. No matter what moves he made from now on, the prince would be exceptionally well-prepared.

He was tired...

An emperor would always face moments of exhaustion—especially when this was no prosperous era of peace, but a time of chaos. The immense pressure weighed down on him like a mountain, much like the Great Sage in the stories, pinned beneath Five Finger Mountain and utterly unable to move.

Several generals and key court officials convened to discuss the matter.

They deliberated over countermeasures.

At the same time, General Shen brought new intelligence.

"Your Majesty, Prince Yu's army has already reached the walls. Without reinforcements, Gansanguan Pass will fall in less than ten days..."

"Dispatch fifty thousand troops immediately as reinforcements. If we are short on manpower, draw from the city guard."

"Your Majesty, in my opinion, the city guard must not be moved. If Prince Yu makes a covert move, Your Majesty's safety cannot be guaranteed."

Zhao Lingjun shook his head. "I refuse to sit here and wait. Bring me my armor. I shall share life and death with you generals..."

Despite his young age, Zhao Lingjun donned his armor and took to the battlefield for the first time.

This former princely heir, who had once traveled the world seeking traces of immortals, felt a profound tension. It left him even more unnerved than when he had first laid eyes on a demon.

...

The unstoppable Yu Army pushed their siege engines right up to the walls of Gansanguan Pass.

That dense, dark mass of troops struck fear into the hearts of the court's soldiers on the walls.

At a single glance, there were nearly fifty thousand soldiers.

Yet Gansanguan Pass only held a little over twenty thousand men.

More than double their numbers.

"Ride out and meet the enemy!"

The defending general was acutely aware that if they merely stayed and defended, they would likely never live to see the reinforcements arrive. For now, their only option was to take the initiative. Although they would face encirclement, if they could build momentum, they might just buy themselves a great deal of time.

Daoist Wuwei rode out of the gates alongside the army.

Taking the vanguard, he led them to meet the opposing forces.

There, he found himself facing a Daoist cultivator serving under Prince Yu.

"I am Lin Jiuxuan, serving as an elder at Quanshan. Greetings, Fellow Daoist."

Seeing the composed expression on the man's face, Daoist Wuwei knew this opponent would likely be exceptionally troublesome.

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist. I am Wuwei, an elder of Qingxian Temple."

Lin Jiuxuan took a step forward and flicked his whisk. "Fellow Daoist, morale has long been on our side. Why continue this fight?"

Daoist Wuwei paused, then brushed out his own whisk.

"One must always try."

Lin Jiuxuan nodded. "After you, Fellow Daoist."

Beneath Gansanguan Pass, the two Daoist cultivators unleashed their Divine Abilities. Their whisks transformed into blades, spears, swords, and halberds. Behind them, a myriad of phenomena manifested, projecting the ever-changing Dharma Manifestations of tigers, eagles, snakes, oxen, leopards, and wolves.

Their clash triggered anomalies in the heavens and earth.

Thunder roared, and the rain began to pour.

...

Qingshan City was as peaceful as ever.

This city nestled in the mountains always possessed a certain tranquility.

When Yu Hongjin returned here once more, she suddenly realized the place had drastically changed. She could vaguely see that several areas in the city had been repaired, as if it had endured the fires of war and been rebuilt.

Although it wasn't too far off from how it used to be, it was inevitably different.

Following the directions in her memory, Yu Hongjin walked toward Chuanfeng Alley.

There was no one in the alley.

Not a single soul.

The doors were tightly shut, and dust had settled thick upon the eaves.

She arrived at the courtyard from her memories and unlocked the gate.

Creak...

She pushed open the long-sealed doors.

A cloud of dust billowed up, making her cough.

Looking inside, she saw weeds sprouting from the cracks in the stone pavement. The flowers and plants sown years ago were an overgrown mess, and moss blanketed the stone table, which had weathered countless rains.

On the roof of the house, the marks of water erosion were clearly visible.

It was as if the house had grown old, looking like it might collapse at any moment.

A courtyard bereft of human presence always fell to ruin quickly.

Only now did Yu Hongjin truly understand.

"Cough, cough..."

She coughed again. Her injuries not yet fully healed, she made her way upstairs.

She arrived at the room she remembered.

Pushing the door open, she found no familiar figure waiting inside.

The furnishings were just as they had been when she left. Not much had changed, save for the thick layer of dust covering everything.

Yu Hongjin wondered where Sister Zhishu had gone.

Until a voice called out.

"Little Miss?"

Yu Hongjin froze, then turned to look down into the courtyard.

There stood Zhishu in the shade, looking right up at her.

After so many years apart, they were finally reunited.

Yu Hongjin's eyes grew red.

Looking at Zhishu, she noticed that the maidservant was surrounded by a dense cloud of resentment. Stunned, she asked, "Zhishu, how did you end up like this? Why..."

Zhishu merely patted her head. "It's nothing, Little Miss."

The two of them sat down and chatted, just like in the old days.

Yet, it was nothing like the old days.

Back then, the people in this courtyard had always worn joyful smiles.

Now, everything was different. The smile was gone from Yu Hongjin's face, and a deep loneliness lingered in Zhishu's eyes.

It was as if they could never be happy again.

Zhishu recounted the events of the past few years, piece by piece.

She had originally intended to stay in the courtyard and look after the house for her young miss. But as the years went by, every familiar sight only triggered painful memories. Her resentment began to accumulate more and more, leaving her with no choice but to keep her distance from the place.

That was why the courtyard had gathered so much dust and slowly fallen into disrepair.

Listening to her, an indescribable heartache swelled within Yu Hongjin's chest.

She thought back to many, many years ago...

Back then, Sister Zhishu was still young. She had always worn a bright smile that revealed her dimples.

Now, her face held nothing but sorrow.