Volume One: The Hidden Dragon in the Abyss Chapter 64: Eight Measures of Talent

"Veer, what do you think yourself?" the Empress asked her. "You are grown now, and in the end, every daughter must marry."

Xu Wei was taken aback. Why was she suddenly being sent away as well?

"Your Majesty, is this really necessary?" Wang Chuan was startled too.

"Wang Chuan, I thank you for what you did that day, but there is no need to speak of it to others," the Empress said to him. "If troubled times should come, I hope you will not let Veer down."

"I will never fail her," Wang Chuan replied with earnest conviction.

"Sire, trust me this once more, as we agreed before," the Empress continued, trying to persuade the Lord of Yu. "Let Veer stay by Wang Chuan’s side."

She drew the Lord of Yu aside, speaking with him in low, serious tones.

Wang Chuan frowned as he watched them—surely there was no need for such haste.

"Veer, since it is so, come with me. I will keep you safe. The Empress… she is thinking only of your good," Wang Chuan decided, turning to her. "But if you are unwilling, I will not force you."

"Wang Chuan, what’s wrong with my mother?" Xu Wei asked, her voice tinged with worry.

"I cannot explain it all to you now. All I can say is—it concerns your birth," Wang Chuan whispered, making sure no one else heard. "If it is exposed, those with ulterior motives may exploit it. Stay with me, and I can protect you! There is nothing else for you to fear; your father, I must admit, is even more trustworthy than I am and will do better than I could."

Her birth?

Xu Wei, clever and perceptive, quickly grasped the gravity of the situation and hesitated. "If it is my mother’s wish, then I will go with you."

"So be it. Should you ever wish to return, I will bring you home at once," Wang Chuan promised solemnly.

And so it was decided.

But none of them had expected the parting would come so soon.

The Lord of Yu was deeply moved, his lips trembling, yet he found no words to say.

"I will take good care of Veer!" Wang Chuan grasped his hand, utterly earnest.

"Very well!" the Lord of Yu nodded. "Wang Chuan, I have never liked you, and I do not now. But do not let me down."

"I never have, and never will," Wang Chuan replied seriously.

"Go, then!"

Wang Chuan took Xu Wei by the hand and led her away.

"Brother Chuan, my heart aches so..." At last Xu Wei could not hold back her tears and wept bitterly. "I don’t want to go! I want my mother. I want to be with my father."

She kept looking back, her sobs rending the air.

The Empress, hearing her daughter's cries, was overcome with emotion and tried several times to go to her, but each time she stopped, tears streaming down her face, supported by the Lord of Yu.

"No, we must go," Wang Chuan said firmly, pulling her onward step by step out through the palace gates.

No matter how much it hurt, there was no turning back.

Xu Wei had to leave secretly with Wang Chuan, so the Lord of Yu could not escort her, and could only watch from afar.

But soon, Wang Chuan would surely return to claim her openly.

As Wang Chuan and the others moved farther and farther away, almost vanishing beyond the palace gates, the urge to pursue them rose up.

Yet just then, Wang Chuan and Xu Wei halted.

A voice, lifting in recitation, reached their ears:

"By the southern river we part, sorrow lingers at the water’s edge,
The west wind stirs, autumn is in the air.
Each glance breaks the heart anew,
Go now, do not look back."

"In those days, my father could still see me off at the southern waters. I think of it often. But when I reached Luocheng, I was left alone. Today, though you cannot see us off, no matter where we go, Veer will have me by her side!"

Wang Chuan bowed deeply, then truly led her away.

That familiar figure was seen no more.

"I have always wondered what my father felt when he watched me go," Wang Chuan said, not so much to comfort as to share his heart. "I recall now, I think he stood quietly behind, watching my figure recede, and his son never once looked back..."

Perhaps affected by his words, Xu Wei composed herself, gazing at him with greater calm.

And listened.

"Though it is cruel, this day must come," Wang Chuan sighed. "Some paths we must walk alone."

Just like the one who stood before him now, entering Luocheng in youth and lying low for years.

When he finally left, he was famed across the realm.

But Xu Wei still did not know where her own path would lead.

...

Yang Hao and Tian Xingzi were poring over a map, tracing the route the Jin army had taken.

"So the Jin army brought only rations?" Yang Hao asked.

"Yes," Tian Xingzi nodded. "While passing through Tang, they could resupply, but once at Yu’s border, they had only what they carried. At best, a few days left; at most, half a month."

Tian Xingzi’s intelligence was not all-seeing; he could not know exactly how much food each man carried.

Both men understood: this would be a great test for Wang Chuan, perhaps too great.

Wang Chuan, ever self-serving, would he abandon those men? If so, it would be difficult for him to find footing in Yangcheng again. The Lord of Jin had played a move that left many at a loss—how did he come to know Wang Chuan so well after all these years?

"Have you ever commanded troops, senior?" Yang Hao suddenly asked.

Tian Xingzi was taken aback. "Of course not."

"Nor have I. It’s a headache. Managing an army isn’t like managing a household, or running a business," Yang Hao said, scratching his head. "His Highness probably won’t lead the troops himself, either."

"That’s just his way," Tian Xingzi agreed after a moment’s thought.

"But then, senior, how can you hope to help His Highness compete for the throne?" Yang Hao pressed. "With your abilities, you could govern a nation, and I could just about manage a province. But how can we do without a general?"

They had racked their brains, sparing no effort for Wang Chuan’s sake.

Tian Xingzi, understanding the situation, was momentarily lost for words.

"So I have been thinking, and I have a solution," Yang Hao said. "Surely you have one too, senior?"

"Indeed. Let us write them down and see if our thoughts align," Tian Xingzi suggested.

They each wrote down their ideas and revealed them together.

Exactly the same.

"We can move out—immediately! Their supplies won’t last much longer. Zhong Bo—"

Just then, Wang Chuan returned, but brought someone with him.

"Your Highness..." Yang Hao was startled to see Xu Wei, evidently preparing for a journey. "Is the princess coming with us?"

"She is. Do you object?" Wang Chuan’s brow furrowed, his tone growing cold.

Yang Hao hesitated. He felt sure this was unwise.

But Wang Chuan was not one to be questioned—not by anyone, about anything.

Yang Hao could only sigh, feeling that bringing the princess would only distract Wang Chuan, not help him.

Their party set out, Yang Hao still troubled, lost in thought.

The Lord of Yu had already issued orders to all the counties—there would be no obstruction. Their carriage sped along the roads.

"Your Highness, is there a way to bring these tens of thousands back with us?" Tian Xingzi asked, opening the map again.

"No. If it cannot be helped, they must be left behind," Wang Chuan replied bluntly.

The Lord of Jin had forced him to this point—there was no reason to cooperate further.

The lives of these men meant little to him.

The Lord of Jin was no doubt prepared for this, and perhaps things would be harder for him when he returned. So be it.

He had never truly desired anything for himself.

Tian Xingzi was disheartened. Even at this point, Wang Chuan was unwilling to bear that great burden.

To strive for the world—so easy for some, but never his pursuit.

But he himself could not give up; even if only for the people of the world, this was his own path.

"Your Highness, if the day comes when we are at war with another realm, someone must lead the soldiers in battle," Tian Xingzi said.

"Then... there must be war?" Wang Chuan asked.

"There must," Tian Xingzi nodded.

"I have read the military classics, but theory is no substitute for action," Wang Chuan shook his head. "If I can help it, I do not wish to face thousands of troops alone!"

Even at the level of a grandmaster, it was difficult to stand alone against an army.

Yet, numbers could not always overcome a master, either.

Rarely did masters of that level appear on the battlefield—often a single hand could turn the tide.

The court had its ways, the martial world its own. Most cultivators still abided by this unspoken rule.

"Your Highness, Yang Hao and I have discussed it. The best course is to seek help," Tian Xingzi said.

"Seek help? What do you mean?" Wang Chuan asked.

"When you return to Yangcheng, you will need capable people at your side. Right now, you lack famous generals," Tian Xingzi explained.

He would not need to command armies himself, just have loyal generals to follow his orders. That was the foundation of conquest.

So Tian Xingzi kept planning on his behalf.

"Decide among yourselves," Wang Chuan said, disinterested. They would always handle things properly and report to him after. Of course, they would seek his opinion first.

But he remained unmoved by such matters.

"But whom do you intend to win over?" Wang Chuan asked. "Is it someone I know?"

"His name is Duan Changfeng. Have you heard of him?" Tian Xingzi explained. "Yang Hao and I both think he can serve you well."

"Never heard of him," Wang Chuan replied after a moment's thought.

He was not so ignorant that he would not recognize someone of household fame; but he was not all-knowing, so there were many unknown to the world, and to him as well.

"Ten years ago, he was the youngest captain in Jin, led five thousand men to drive out the northern barbarians, and was highly valued by the Lord of Jin. He is said to have the makings of a Pillar of State!" Yang Hao explained. "A pillar of jade holding up the sky, a beam of gold spanning the seas. One day he will be the backbone of the nation! Such is his character."

"And ten years on, has he become that pillar?" Wang Chuan asked.

A sharp question, cutting to the heart.

Yang Hao and Tian Xingzi were momentarily at a loss, exchanging glances.

"No," Yang Hao answered truthfully.

"Oh..." Wang Chuan replied coolly, as if all his thoughts were compressed into that single word.

Xu Wei, listening at the side, could not help but let out a laugh.

"Ten years ago, he was full of youthful ambition, but he left Jin to pursue cultivation. Those who have met him say he will be the youngest grandmaster," Tian Xingzi explained. "Of course, that is not counting Your Highness! In the martial world, there are two sides: one is Your Highness, and only then comes everyone else. No one in the world can compare to you."

"If the martial way of the world were measured in ten parts, Your Highness would possess eight of them."