Chapter 1151: My Heart is Uneasy

"I will go over myself..."

Chen Changsheng said, "You go help him."

Manyue paused, her gaze drawn to Chen Changsheng.

Chen Changsheng exhaled. He looked away and walked forward.

Manyue's heart trembled as realization struck her.

"You noticed?"

Chen Changsheng did not look at her. "We will talk when I get back," he said.

Manyue opened her mouth, but the words died in her throat.

She watched him walk away and did not press the matter.

Chen Changsheng suddenly stopped. "Thank you," he said.

Manyue stared in surprise, detecting a strange undertone in his words.

Suddenly, her mind cleared.

"You..."

She tried to step forward, but Chen Changsheng had already stepped into Reincarnation. In an instant, he vanished.

After he left, a burst of laughter suddenly rang out.

Manyue looked back toward the laughing Evil Phoenix.

"What are you laughing at?"

Manyue demanded angrily.

The Evil Phoenix said, "I told you! I told you he wasn't stupid. That guy knew exactly what was going on. That's why he lured the Heavenly Dao in so confidently and dumped the mess on us. Turning the scheme against the schemer—brilliant, just brilliant!"

Furious, Manyue stepped forward and grabbed his collar. "You had better hope we can handle the Heavenly Dao, or we are all going to die!"

A smirk touched the Evil Phoenix's lips. "The body you are grabbing doesn't belong to me. What is the point of taking your anger out on him?"

Manyue scoffed coldly and let go.

The Evil Phoenix patted the dust from his clothes. "There is no need to worry about the Heavenly Dao. Hasn't someone already arrived to deal with it?"

Manyue paused and looked outward.

She saw Zhao Yuqing, Wooden Sword in hand, charge into the sky. His momentum was no weaker than that of the Heavenly Dao itself.

The Evil Phoenix looked completely relaxed. "We just need to sit back and watch."

...

Zhao Yuqing's momentum only grew stronger as he fought.

It even began to suppress the Heavenly Dao.

"You piece of shit! This isn't your domain anymore!" Zhao Yuqing roared. "I told you before—fight me anywhere else, and I'll beat you worse than a dog!"

"Take my sword!"

Zhao Yuqing's blade danced through the air, carving arcs across the heavens and the earth. With every shift between motion and stillness, he stirred up a boundless Sword Intent. The Immortal Sword in his grasp brimmed with Spiritual Energy, shattering strand after strand of the world's Daoist rhythm.

Long ago, during his initial battles with the Heavenly Dao, Zhao Yuqing had suffered countless hidden losses. He had carved those grudges into his heart. Now that they were fighting on different ground, all that pent-up resentment erupted. Holding nothing back, Zhao Yuqing relentlessly hammered the Heavenly Dao, forcefully beating it back.

Manyue watched the scene in a daze, scarcely daring to believe her eyes. "How can such a ferocious cultivator exist in this world...?"

The Evil Phoenix stroked his chin. "He is Chen Changsheng's disciple. Over all these years, he is the only one who has managed to uphold that demon's infamous reputation. How could he possibly be ordinary?"

Manyue recovered her wits and said, "From the sound of it, he fought the Heavenly Dao years ago?"

The Evil Phoenix shook his head. "You would have to ask Chen Changsheng about that. I have no idea."

Manyue raised an eyebrow. "That is a very strange thing to say."

The Evil Phoenix laughed. "What is so strange about it? Chen Changsheng has always been a maverick."

"You certainly have a lot of nerve."

"Naturally. Otherwise, how could I ever clash with the heavens and the earth?"

...

He stepped into that stretch of Reincarnation.

Chen Changsheng suddenly felt a wave of dizziness as sheer nothingness rose before his eyes.

A profound sense of empty desolation washed over him.

He remained in a daze for a long time, unable to comprehend where he was.

And yet, the place filled him with an inescapable sense of familiarity.

It felt exactly like the world he had entered after his death.

"What did I..."

Chen Changsheng stood in a daze for a long time.

He did not know if he had finally escaped the curse, or if all his exhaustive efforts had simply led him right back into the trap.

His emotions suddenly fluctuated.

A surge of fury and deep unease welled up inside him.

"No... it can't be..."

Chen Changsheng's thoughts rapidly spiraled into chaos.

A thousand calculations, ten thousand schemes, and in the end, it had all brought him right back to this place.

This pushed Chen Changsheng to the brink of a breakdown.

He forced himself to find solace in the thought that this was only temporary. Once Reincarnation fully manifested, he would become an ordinary mortal—the most ordinary of men. There would be no more curse. He would experience birth, aging, illness, and death like anyone else, freed from the endless torment of dying and reviving.

Slowly, his thoughts sank, becoming as heavy and quiet as a stone.

...

Inside the City God Temple in Qiuyue Fang.

Hong Sancai knelt beneath the idol, his gaze fixed upon the Heavenly Dao.

Incense and candles in hand, he quietly awaited the changes between heaven and earth.

An unknown amount of time passed.

Suddenly, he felt a stir in his heart. When he looked back, he saw that the City God Idol was undergoing a subtle change.

"The rules are being reestablished..."

Hong Sancai trembled. "Mister Chen did it..." he murmured.

Although he had always looked forward to this moment, witnessing it finally come true still left him deeply shocked.

"Reincarnation is whole!"

Hong Sancai laughed aloud, celebrating his friend's triumph.

What he did not know, however, was that the true master of Reincarnation was no longer Chen Changsheng.

...

The Human Sovereign ascended to the throne.

His edict was proclaimed to the world.

From this day forth, he restored the state title of Jing. The empire would no longer be known as the Great Xiang, but the Great Jing, under the reign era of Shunzhi. The former Prince Yu had now become Emperor Shunzhi.

On the day of his enthronement, Emperor Shunzhi conferred titles upon the major officials of the Imperial Court, rewarding both military generals and civil ministers.

Tang Mingjing, who had followed and supported him all the way, was appointed as the Minister of Revenue, taking charge of the imperial treasury. At that very moment, the Tang Manor and the Tang Family Trading Firm standing behind it ceased to be privately owned; they were absorbed into the royal family's assets.

It was a clear case of burning bridges after crossing the river, but it was also the Tang Manor's only path to survival.

The realm would never tolerate the existence of another Tang Family Trading Firm.

Amidst the chaos of war, the immense power displayed by the Tang Family Trading Firm had been unprecedented. The vast majority of Prince Yu's military expenditures had been bankrolled by the firm. Yan Nantian understood perfectly well just how terrifying that level of influence was, and so he had no choice but to guard against it.

Despite the Tang Manor's monumental contributions, Yan Nantian offered no sentimental leeway. On the very second day of his reign, he brought the matter up to Tang Shijing. He did not bother to mince his words; instead, he spoke with blunt directness.

"My heart is uneasy."

With that single sentence, Tang Shijing was left with no choice but to surrender the Tang Family Trading Firm.

Tang Shijing harbored a deep bitterness toward this outcome, but he could only swallow it down. He was not a man blind to the reality of the times.

Later, he went to ask his younger sister about it.

However, Tang Yuerong's reaction to the matter was remarkably calm.

"It is as it should be."

Tang Yuerong had anticipated this outcome long ago.

All things considered, it was actually a blessing in disguise.

From now on, the Tang Family would no longer walk the world as mere merchants, but as a family of imperial officials.

Having lived through so much turmoil, Tang Yuerong only murmured softly, "At long last, we have peace..."

She seemed to envision the near future—scenes of blooming prosperity and brightly lit homes—and felt a profound sense of comfort.