Volume One: The Hidden Dragon in the Deep Chapter 94: A Discourse on the Way

The sky and clouds mirrored one another in brilliance.

High above stood the palace towers, towering and resplendent in the sunlight. Within the imperial grounds, rows upon rows of halls and pavilions rose toward the heavens, some crowned with strange flying birds, others with mighty divine beasts. Beneath the clear blue sky they shone with golden light, exuding an air of myth and legend.

Great expanses of imperial gardens and an even more magnificent palace complex stretched outward.

“So this is the splendor of the Summer Kingdom,” Wang Chuan said casually.

“It has vast territory, but it is still no match for the riches of the Central Plains,” Yang Hao replied. “Your Highness, I have been thinking these past few days. Might the ruler of Jin be planning to send troops before the autumn harvest... and seize grain by the way?”

He glanced around before asking carefully.

To launch an invasion during the enemy’s harvest season and seize farmland was also to achieve the purpose of plundering grain.

And now was precisely the season when the Summer Kingdom was most short of provisions.

On the other hand, once the new grain was stored away, things would become much harder to handle, and they might even be discovered.

What was more, there were already signs that the ruler of Jin was secretly using the black market to ship grain back to Jin, and the quantities were growing larger and larger.

Once war broke out, the first blow would likely be struck at the Summer Kingdom’s livelihood.

“That is what I think as well,” Wang Chuan nodded. “Keep digging up more of these reports.”

After they left Ying Province in the east, they entered the territory of the Summer Kingdom and drew ever closer.

After two more prefectures, they would be only a little over a hundred li from Lun City. Wang Chuan planned to rest, then change horses four times and arrive through the night.

“Wei’er, have some water.”

Wang Chuan came to sit by the carriage shafts and could not help but feel speechless.

Xu Wei only revealed the top of her little head, gazing longingly at the scenery outside while stubbornly refusing to come out.

At first Wang Chuan thought this was all right, if a little unfamiliar.

He said helplessly, “Should I just cut off your tail instead?”

“No,” Xu Wei shook her head. “Mother said that by then I’ll be able to hide it myself too. I just haven’t learned yet.”

No one knew what that mother-in-law of his had been teaching her. No wonder after that correspondence she had kept avoiding him and no longer met outsiders.

Was she secretly practicing how to hide her tail?

Yang Hao and the others had naturally noticed something was off, but when Wang Chuan said he had been thinking of home, they asked no further.

Could a fox tail really be hidden away?

“Brother Chuan, let’s go look over there.” Xu Wei tugged at his sleeve and pointed toward the great river.

“All right.” Wang Chuan nodded.

“You stay behind me.” Xu Wei added.

“Fine, I’ll shield you,” Wang Chuan said, understanding her meaning.

Only then did Xu Wei climb down, and Wang Chuan guarded her closely from behind.

He tried lowering his gaze to peek a couple of times; perhaps because of the angle, it was not yet obvious.

The great river surged eastward in mighty currents. On both banks mountains rose straight from the earth, like cities and like pillars of heaven, forming one solemn gateway after another, standing between heaven and earth.

“From what I had heard before, I thought the Summer Kingdom was vast but poor, with only this mountain range—the gateway to the capital, a natural fortress easy to defend and hard to attack,” Wang Chuan said.

Coming here, he could not help wondering how he would seize such a perilous stronghold if he were leading troops himself.

It would have to be as swift as thunder, before anyone could even cover their ears.

If one fell into the enemy’s hands and still wished to regain the upper hand, how difficult would that be?

If one were to take the Summer Kingdom first, there must be no time given for them to react.

Had he become too deeply involved?

Wang Chuan slapped his own forehead; none of this had anything to do with him.

War or birthday tributes, once the time came he would leave, and he would never take part in these affairs.

No more of that.

“What is that sound?” Xu Wei asked.

From the river came the continuous wash of water, as though someone were striking the surface.

“Carp leaping over the Dragon Gate,” Wang Chuan said after a glance.

“Oh? Right here? Will they turn into dragons?” Xu Wei asked at once.

She leaned over the riverbank, watching the schools of fish swim and leap by, growing a little excited.

The sun hung high overhead, making the distant scenery exceptionally clear.

The fish wove like threads, leaping past in a living tapestry.

Stories like this should not be used to fool people too much in the future.

Even after leaving, Xu Wei was still very reluctant to part with the place, eager to see how the fish would transform into dragons.

The farther they went, the clearer everything became.

Rising mountains surrounded the land in layers, like an enormous gate thrown open to reveal a towering city beyond.

Majestic city walls stretched neatly along the horizon, while palaces and towers soared into the clouds.

Countless halls and pavilions within the city were linked into one vast whole, their end nowhere in sight.

“The ruler of Summer loves cultivation; this is known to all under heaven,” Yang Hao said as they went. “He seeks the path to immortality!”

“Immortality?” Wang Chuan paused. He had heard of it before, but had not thought about it seriously at the time. “This man is obsessed.”

“Yes, and his actual cultivation is quite ordinary. He has taken a crooked path,” Yang Hao said. “He has been on the throne for nearly thirty years, and has almost entirely ignored court affairs and paid no heed to outside matters.”

This was not the kind of relentless devotion one had to hard practice cultivation. To call it cultivation was more like the pursuit of health and longevity, truly exasperating.

“And he believes the taller the palace is built, the better, as if it draws him ever closer to communing with heaven,” Yang Hao added.

At the highest point of the imperial city stood an incomparably grand palace. Even from several dozen li away, one could still feel its astonishing grandeur.

Wang Chuan looked at it, dreamlike and dazzling, and could not help admiring it.

“Other emperors spend their whole lives building their own mausoleums. But this ruler of Summer has rejected that entirely, striving instead to prove the Great Dao of immortality. He has devoted all his wealth to this place. Forgive my discourtesy, but I fear that after death he will have nowhere...” Yang Hao concluded.

“Even so, that is much better than the others. So many people are thinking on his behalf,” Wang Chuan said.

He said no more.

Over the years, the ruler of Summer had done little besides pursue longevity and expand the palaces.

It was said that the great hall alone had a terrace stair more than ten feet high, with the hall itself over thirty feet tall, and space within for ten thousand people.

Wang Chuan had seen the imperial palaces of Wei, Jin, and Yu, yet such splendor and magnificence were still beyond his imagination.

A single edict from the Son of Heaven could shake the entire world.

That was why so many people longed to climb to that summit.

As they drew closer to Lun City, the sky grew darker and darker, as if the city had already been sealed off and passage forbidden.

Wang Chuan thought they could find an inn outside the city and rest first, but Yang Hao had already gone to make arrangements when a squad of soldiers came up.

“Where have you come from?”

“From Jin,” Yang Hao answered, stepping forward.

“Is this Prince of Crown Heir?” the commander asked quickly.

“You know us?” Yang Hao blinked.

“We have long awaited your arrival. Please, enter the city at once,” the commander said hurriedly, personally leading them inside.

Well...

Among the envoys of the various kingdoms, Wang Chuan might be the most exalted in status and the most renowned.

But he was certainly not the one most favored by the Summer Kingdom.

Before their party had even entered the city or reached the relay station, men had already been sent out of the city to greet them with such reverence.

They could not help being startled. Could it be that some of Jin’s secret maneuvers behind the scenes had been discovered?

It would not do if they thought the party had come with ulterior motives.

“Now they say the chancellor is handling affairs of state?” Wang Chuan could not help asking.

“Yes,” the commander nodded. “But His Majesty ordered us to wait here for Prince Wang Chuan.”

The emperor?

Wasn’t this fellow supposed to be indifferent to worldly affairs?

“I have prepared lodgings at the guest residence for all of you,” the commander said. “May Prince Wang Chuan follow me into the palace? His Majesty wishes to see you.”

“Now?” Wang Chuan said, speechless.

And in the middle of the night, no less.

The streets had long since been placed under curfew; not a soul was in sight.

Enter the palace at this hour?

“If not, then tomorrow will do as well,” the commander said. “Prince Wang Chuan, please rest well. I will come again tomorrow.”

“Forget it. I’ll go with you once,” Wang Chuan said.

He told Yang Hao and the others to pay attention to what was happening outside. As long as Wang Chuan could sense no danger, there should be no problem.

Though he did not know why the ruler of Summer was so anxious to see him.

It could also be considered repaying this commander’s kindness; he had waited outside late into the night, escorted them into the city, and arranged accommodations.

“Stay in the room and wait for me. I’ll be back soon. If you’re sleepy, go to bed first.”

Wang Chuan draped a cloak over Xu Wei.

“Then be careful,” Xu Wei said.

Mm, all right.

A patch of dark cloud drifted across the sky, and the light seemed to dim.

The night wind carried away ordinary sorrow, slipping through the magnificent white-stone gate towers and past the city walls lined with armored tiger-guard soldiers, then flying into the towering and solemn imperial precincts.

It seemed arrangements had already been made; Wang Chuan passed through all the way without obstruction.

The vast cluster of palaces was grave and weighty, silent as if asleep.

Atop the high terraces, the lamplight made everything seem fantastical and dreamlike.

The great hall seemed boundlessly empty and utterly quiet.

The moment Wang Chuan entered, he felt a chill of desolation, and even the light was dim enough to unsettle him.

This sort of place—why did it feel so strange?

The furnishings around him gave him an inexplicably chaotic impression.

“I greet Your Majesty. Prince Wang Chuan of Jin has arrived.”

The commander who brought him in prostrated himself at the foot of a pillar, his figure as tiny as an ant.

Wang Chuan was just about to return the courtesy when there was a sudden burst of sound ahead, and the other party hurried over. “Could it be the Banished Immortal?”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Wang Chuan was taken aback.

The man had likely not spoken for a very long time; his voice was somewhat dry and muffled, making him hard to understand.

Wang Chuan even wondered if he had heard wrongly.

The man was already standing before him, seeming incomparably eager and hopeful.

He was tall and somewhat thin, with a gaunt face and dry-looking hands.

His eyes still seemed ringed with bloodshot veins.

A black sleeve embroidered with gold thread swept past as he reached out and seized Wang Chuan’s hand. “Wang Chuan, I have heard that you are the reincarnation of a sage?”

Wang Chuan was stunned again.

In the past, he had very much needed such a claim to build momentum and rise.

Now he no longer needed it; instead, it had become a burden.

Just as a man needs a boat to cross a river, that vessel is indispensable.

But once the crossing is complete, the boat cannot be carried overland, burdening the journey onward, so it can only be abandoned.

And now, hearing it mentioned again...

Wang Chuan shook his head. “Your Majesty, those are only rumors, none of them credible.”

“All under heaven know that you are already the foremost martial artist in the world, Wang Chuan. You have seen a sage, have you not?” the ruler of Summer said to him again. “Tell me, can a sage truly attain immortality?”

No wonder. People of the world understood that once one had reached the throne, one had already reached the summit, with nothing left to seek in the mortal world.

Yet this one before him had probably pursued the Dao to the point of madness.

Immortality, was it?

“Your Majesty, please sit and speak,” Wang Chuan said, somewhat helplessly. “Sages are indeed deathless and indestructible, able to exist with heaven and earth and shine with the sun and moon.”

“I yearn for it!” the ruler of Summer cried at once, as if he had found his goal and the direction of his life. “Wang Chuan, tell me, how should I become a sage?”

“What sort of cultivation art has Your Majesty been practicing all this time?” Wang Chuan asked in puzzlement.

“Oh, yes. Look at this for me and guide me a little,” the ruler of Summer remembered, hurriedly producing the precious manual he had practiced from for many years.

He had never shown this to anyone in ordinary times.

But because it was Wang Chuan, surely they could speak of it properly.