Chapter 653: Mandate of Heaven

Imperial Palace, Library Pavilion.

Ji Hanzheng hunched over and walked inside, starting to tend to the bookshelf. Suddenly a book fell off the shelf, titled “Martial Emperor’s Celestial Revelation Martial Arts Overview”.

Ji Hanzheng picked up the book and began to browse through it. Despite bearing the name of the Martial Emperor, the overview was not actually authored by the Martial Emperor Gu Zhan, but was compiled by many who had heard Gu Zhan’s teachings. It was quite popular in the current Wu Dynasty.

“It’s truly peculiar,” Ji Hanzheng said softly, as he perused the book with a hint of bewilderment in his eyes, “The rules of this world shouldn’t have allowed Martial Arts to reach the current level. This Martial Arts, from the Divine Sight Realm created by the Martial Emperor onwards, is filled with contradictions. This redolent peculiarity… it’s probably not Martial Arts itself, but Gu Zhan as a person!”

After browsing for a while, Ji Hanzheng gently put down the book and looked up at the deep night sky outside the window.

“Martial Emperor, a man without roots, neither past nor future, how did he come to appear in this world?

Confucian Saint, could this really be your handiwork? But if this is indeed your handiwork, why do the acts of the Martial Emperor contradict your schemes?”

He hummed a few lines softly,

Ji Hanzheng’s eyes emitted a flash of light, instantly merging with the darkness, heading beyond the heavens.

…

Meanwhile, somewhere in the human world, inside a large mountain.

An old man with a white beard was lying on a long chair under the eaves of a hut, eyes slightly closed, using a ruler in his hand to swat mosquitoes.

Suddenly, the white-bearded elder abruptly opened his eyes, casually waved the black ruler in his hand, sat up straight, looked towards the sky, stroked his white beard, and chuckled lightly, “Oh, Celestial Dao, you’ve got more tricks up your sleeve than I thought. If I hadn’t been constantly vigilant, you would have slipped back up to the heavens this time.”

The white-bearded elder wore a smug smile on his face as if he were a child.

At the same time,

In the Wu Dynasty Imperial City, Ji Hanzheng’s radiance vanished in an instant from his eyes, but his face still carried a smile. A moment later, he sighed with a hint of helplessness, “That old codger too has moments of negligence.”

Below the eaves of the mountain cabin, the white-bearded old man lay back down, leisurely rocking his chair.

“Teacher, it’s time to eat!”

From inside the hut, a young man with disheveled hair came out holding a steaming iron pot and set it on the stone table beside him.

The white-bearded elder sat up with a burst of excitement, looking at the iron pot with exuberant anticipation, then his smile quickly vanished, “Yuanbao, can’t every meal stop being just green vegetables? I want to eat meat!”

The young man brushed his disheveled hair aside to reveal a rather handsome face, chuckling without speaking as he respectfully handed over a pair of chopsticks to the white-bearded elder.

If it were before the Spiritual Qi Revival, people from the Yunxi Martial World would certainly recognize this young man as Jin Yuanbao, the former Young Valley Master of the Medicine King Valley among the five major forces of the Yunxi Righteous Dao Martial World.

But Jin Yuanbao, who was once a round and chubby figure, had transformed into a robust young man.

White-bearded elder watched Jin Yuanbao silently munching on the green vegetables and laughed, “What’s on your mind again, recalling the time you were running for your life?”

Jin Yuanbao nodded, “Back then, when the Yunxi Martial Arts world was in turmoil, Medicine King Valley picked the wrong side, eventually suffering a torrential calamity. I fled in panic, surviving by eating green vegetables that kept me alive and gave me the chance to meet you, Teacher.”

While speaking,

Jin Yuanbao’s thoughts returned to many years ago.

At that time, there was no Spiritual Qi Revival, no Immortal Sect, no cultists; he was still a renowned young talent in the Martial World, the Young Valley Master of the top Sect Medicine King Valley, destined to be a future giant in the Jianghu, making friends broadly, enjoying galloping across the Martial World.

But alas, all that beauty became an illusion overnight, all because of that one person, the one revered by the world as the legendary Martial Emperor!

“Do you hate him?” the white-bearded elder asked.

Jin Yuanbao shook his head, “What’s there to hate? Surviving in the Martial World means the victor stands, the defeated falls, it’s just the norm. Plus, thinking back, when the Yunxi Martial Arts were in chaos, Gu Zhan always showed consideration for our past friendship and held back continually.

Although he never explicitly said so, I know in that great battle, he spared Medicine King Valley several times but Medicine King Valley was adamant about standing with Sword King City, ultimately losing, and it wasn’t his fault. Moreover, if it weren’t for Gu Zhan sparing me, I wouldn’t have had the chance to leave Yunzhou, and certainly wouldn’t have met you, Teacher!”

The white-bearded elder chuckled without asking further, instead saying laughingly, “Meeting me was destined.”

Jin Yuanbao was surprised, “Teacher, what do you mean?”

“Who am I?” The white-bearded elder asked Jin Yuanbao, grinning.

“You are the Confucian Saint, the legendary Confucian Saint,” Jin Yuanbao replied.

Speaking of which, Jin Yuanbao felt full of emotion in his heart.

At that time when he left Yunzhou, before the Spiritual Qi Revival occurred, he had prepared to withdraw from the Jianghu and live a simple life as a common man, only to encounter an old man claiming to be the Confucian Saint who insisted on taking him as a disciple.

Initially, he thought he was being teased by a martial arts veteran roaming the human world, only later when the Spiritual Qi revival and the Cultivation World came about, did he step by step accept the staggering fact that his teacher was indeed the legendary Confucian Saint.

The Confucian Saint looked at Jin Yuanbao with a smile, saying, “See, there you have it, I am the Confucian Saint. Do you think meeting me was accidental? Could it be coincidence?”

Jin Yuanbao was stunned; he never thought of this question before.

The Confucian Saint took a bite of the green vegetables, saying, “Yuanbao, the time has come. You should descend the mountain. There are things I need to tell you.”

The Confucian Saint put down his chopsticks, “Meeting me was destined because I had already begun searching for you before you were even born, causing a bit of a spectacle by finding the wrong person since the timing was wrong.”

Jin Yuanbao asked, “Who did you find?”

“Mo Jingzhou,” the Confucian Saint answered, “I predicted you would appear in this era, in Yunzhou. But Yunzhou is rather large, with decades passing, it’s not short. The first time I found the wrong person, I found Mo Jingzhou, who later made quite a name in Yunxi.”

Jin Yuanbao suddenly understood, “So, the legend about Mo Jingzhou’s encounter with an immortal coming amidst dragons and receiving blessed fortune from an immortal turned out to be true.”

The Confucian Saint chuckled, “When I met him, I knew he wasn’t the right one, but fate had its way, so I lightly left him a thread of intention, originally to ensure his lifetime without illness or disaster, unexpectedly he made quite an achievement.”

“Man proposes, Heaven disposes!” Jin Yuanbao chuckled, then asked, “Teacher, why were you looking for me?”

“Because, you are the destined one!”