Chapter 97: The Day the Imperial Mausoleum Was Reborn

"I am leaving."

"Calling the two of you here today was simply to inform you in advance."

Inside the small courtyard, Wei Wuqi suddenly spoke.

Li Qing froze for a moment before anxiously asking,

"Why? Elder Wei, where are you going?"

Li Shun, however, seemed to have anticipated Wei Wuqi's decision long ago. His expression remained calm.

"I've grown accustomed to a quiet life. Now that Imperial Mausoleum Commandery is about to disappear, more and more outsiders will soon be arriving here..."

Wei Wuqi shook his head.

"I truly don't know what madness has possessed the Qian Emperor. The Imperial Mausoleum has existed for thousands of years, yet he discards it just like that? What are people like us supposed to do now?"

Li Qing found it difficult to accept the reality before him.

And he was far from the only one.

In truth, the Qian Emperor's imperial decree had come as a complete surprise to nearly everyone in the world.

No one understood what he was thinking.

The Imperial Mausoleum, built at the cost of unimaginable manpower and resources, had been abandoned by him with a single casual decision.

"The Imperial Mausoleum was conceived because of impending collapse and demise. Yet We have no expectation of an imminent passing. If there is no prospect of death, why should We prepare a resting place for Our bones?"

"He doesn't even need his own tomb anymore. Could it be that the Qian Emperor truly has no fear of death?"

The upheaval surrounding the Imperial Mausoleum had begun as an attempt by the court officials to probe the Emperor's intentions.

Yet it had been brought to an abrupt end by the Qian Emperor's overwhelmingly forceful response.

For now, Li Shun still did not know what had truly happened within the Sacred Capital.

But the tremendous changes coming to Imperial Mausoleum Commandery were already inevitable.

"The county will be dissolved and returned to the normal administrative structure of Great Qian."

"I read in the records of Dongshan Town that Imperial Mausoleum Commandery was originally called Daizong Commandery. When the Imperial Mausoleum was first constructed and an entire commandery was designated as its restricted territory, countless people were forced to relocate, abandoning their homes and ancestral lands."

"Now that it will no longer be a royal forbidden zone, the old counties and towns must be restored. A portion of the population will certainly have to be moved back."

"And then there are the countless burial treasures within the Imperial Mausoleum. What should be done with them? Leave them in place? Transfer them into government vaults? Or return them to their original locations?"

"And what about the billions of Effigie burial figures within the county?"

To abolish the Imperial Mausoleum's status as a forbidden land sounded simple enough when spoken aloud.

But once one considered the practical implementation, it became an undertaking no less colossal than the original construction of the mausoleum itself.

The more one thought about it, the more terrifying the scale became.

Most importantly, what future awaited the Tomb Guardians who had lived for generations in the Eight Guardian Towns?

Now that there was no mausoleum left to guard, their purpose had vanished as well.

In the days following the decree, after their initial ecstasy had faded, the people of Dongshan Town gradually fell into confusion.

Some even spent their days weeping, unwilling to return to what others called a "normal" life.

They had long since become accustomed to life within the Imperial Mausoleum's barrier.

As a result, they were filled with fear toward the uncertain future.

"I still remember when they first moved here. Every day they cursed the heavens and dreamed of escaping."

"But in less than three generations, their hatred toward the Qian Emperor slowly disappeared."

"They gradually forgot their original identities and came to regard themselves solely as the Tomb Guardian Clan."

"Now that the seal is gone, they don't even want to leave anymore. Yet..."

Wei Wuqi looked at the strange atmosphere permeating Dongshan Town and sighed deeply.

"Elder Wei..."

Li Shun lowered his voice.

"What exactly is he thinking?"

Wei Wuqi snorted.

"His thoughts have never been something outsiders could easily understand."

"It's been who knows how many years since I last saw him. How could I possibly know?"

"Still..."

Wei Wuqi dusted off his robes.

"The restrictions on me have genuinely disappeared. I can leave this place whenever I wish."

"I have to admit, it's a little hard to part with it."

"But perhaps it's time. It wouldn't hurt to go out and take a look. I haven't personally seen the lands of the Xuanhuang World in many years."

His robes fluttered despite the absence of any wind.

As Li Shun watched him, he suddenly felt that Elder Wei seemed noticeably younger at that very moment.

"Elder Wei, if you leave, what am I supposed to do?"

"I haven't even finished learning everything from you yet..."

Li Qing complained pitifully.

Wei Wuqi patted him on the shoulder.

"A swordsman forged behind closed doors can never become truly peerless."

"You were born within the Imperial Mausoleum and have never seen the vast world beyond."

"Take this opportunity to travel and temper yourself."

"Leave..."

Li Qing murmured to himself.

Clearly, he had yet to make up his mind.

"As for you..."

Wei Wuqi's gaze shifted toward Li Shun.

"You may use this opportunity to complete the task Mu..."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"...entrusted to you."

"If it truly is what I suspect, then for you, it will be a tremendous opportunity, no less significant than the Threefold Self-Reflection."

The secret voice transmission caused Li Shun's heart to stir.

Threefold Self-Reflection was a divine ability of the Confucian Sage.

An opportunity comparable to it...

Could it also involve a Sage?

"The Marquis of Changxin of Dai Nation."

While Li Shun was still contemplating the matter, Wei Wuqi suddenly changed the subject.

"However, I would suggest that the two of you remain in Imperial Mausoleum Commandery for a while longer."

"With the seal gone and the Imperial Mausoleum Heaven returning to the Xuanhuang Heaven, the rhythms of yin and yang will also return to normal."

"It will be a transformation akin to the reopening of an entire world."

"If you can witness the entire process firsthand, it will greatly benefit your future cultivation."

Hearing this, both Li Shun and Li Qing immediately grew serious and nodded in agreement.

"They've arrived."

After a brief silence in the courtyard, Wei Wuqi suddenly looked upward.

The sun hanging within Imperial Mausoleum Heaven abruptly dimmed.

The sky itself seemed to be torn apart by an invisible hand.

Cracks spread across the heavens, and figures began flying out from within them.

All wore purple official robes.

They descended separately toward the Eight Guardian Towns.

Through Fang Xun's perspective, Li Shun already knew their identities.

They had come from the Sacred Capital specifically to oversee the "rebirth" of Imperial Mausoleum County.

The term "rebirth" was how both the Left and Right Chancellors described the matter.

Whether the two chancellors had actually met the Qian Emperor in person that day remained a topic of endless speculation.

Neither Gu Zhizhong nor Jiang Tai'a had offered any explanation.

The two had maintained a remarkable silence.

Yet regarding the rebirth of Imperial Mausoleum County, their attitudes were completely aligned.

"Carry out the task with utmost diligence. There must be no mistakes."

This was the only imperial decree issued by the Qian Emperor in nearly two hundred years.

No official dared treat it lightly.

The officials arriving now were merely the advance contingent.

An even larger force was still on the way.

From their discussions, Li Shun also learned the rough outline of the reconstruction plan.

"The Imperial Mausoleum shall cease to exist, but the Imperial Burial Mound shall remain forever."

Although Imperial Mausoleum Commandery itself would disappear, the massive central burial mound would be preserved.

The Blood Armored Guards would continue to protect it.

Ordinary people would still be forbidden from approaching.

More and more people descended from the cracks in the heavens.

Dongshan Town became livelier than it had ever been before.

"I'm leaving."

Wei Wuqi lightly flicked his sleeve and spoke calmly.

There was not the slightest trace of attachment on his face.

Li Shun and Li Qing knew there was no longer any way to persuade him to stay.

They could only watch him depart.

Li Qing's eyes reddened with tears, overflowing with reluctance.

As he left, Wei Wuqi slowly recited:

“For a thousand years this shadowed tomb concealed an ancient edge, With one madly written page, I cast off the prison cage. Since old friends claim a lifespan equal to the heavens, Then let this fading star once more challenge the dragon's reign!”

As the final lines echoed through the air, Wei Wuqi's figure vanished from sight.

Only the poem, overflowing with boundless heroism, continued to reverberate across the heavens for a long, long time.