Martial Cultivator

The sudden overthrowing of the Xia Family overnight left the entire Divine Capital trembling with fear. Especially those court officials who had some involvement with the foreign cultivators or had ambiguous ties with them. At this moment, they were trembling with fear and trepidation. When the Left Guard was hunting down spies in the Divine Capital previously, although they were somewhat vigilant, they did not pay too much attention. After all, they thought as long as they were cautious enough in their daily activities, these matters would not be exposed. At least, that was what they all thought at the time. However, with the collapse of the Xia Family, these individuals now realized, perhaps belatedly, that the Emperor had been aware of all their actions. When would the sword hanging over their heads fall?

Some people began frantically trying to cover their tracks, burning all written correspondence with the foreign cultivators, and then living each day akin to treading on thin ice. But after a few days passed, until the Lantern Festival was arriving, there was still no action from the Left Guard, and no movement from the Warden's Office, which made everyone heave a sigh of relief. However, the stone in their hearts continued to hang, making them feel uneasy.

But luckily, everything remained peaceful.

After the Emperor returned to the Divine Capital, he did not convene a court session or summon his ministers. This puzzled many courtiers, but some understood. The severely injured Emperor was currently recuperating and had no time to deal with other matters. Once the Emperor fully recovered from his injuries, there would likely be another purge.

So everyone was waiting for the first court session since the New Year.

At this moment, when everyone's eyes were on the Great Liang Emperor, it naturally meant that they temporarily forgot about Chen Chao. In fact, these past few days had not been easy for Chen Chao either. He was severely injured by a casual blow from the Great Liang Emperor. The first day was bearable; he could still walk back to the lakeside courtyard. But starting from the second day, it became difficult for him to even sit up. The injuries were just too severe. The powerful aura of the Great Liang Emperor circulated through his meridians, and Chen Chao could not stop it. He could only let that aura roam freely through his body. His original vitality was also being suppressed, making him weaker than an ordinary person at this moment.

These days, he was often feeling groggy, rarely fully conscious.

Fortunately, he was in the academy, and it was in Xie Nandu's courtyard, it was still considered safe. Xie Nandu's constant companionship made Chen Chao feel somewhat reassured.

After a few days, Chen Chao struggled to climb out of bed. He glanced at the girl reading by the window, parted his pale lips, and grunted hoarsely. Xie Nandu turned her head, looking at him, and asked, "Not dead yet?"

Chen Chao smiled bitterly and said, "Worse than death."

At this moment, he felt pain coursing through his body constantly. He did not know if it was intentionally inflicted by the Great Liang Emperor or if it was originally the severity of the injury. Either way, it was extremely uncomfortable, and he could only endure it silently.

Xie Nandu came to the bedside, took out a clean small jade bottle, and said, "Open your mouth."

Chen Chao did not understand but obediently opened his mouth. Xie Nandu poured out the pill from the clean small jade bottle, used her fingers to place it into Chen Chao's mouth, and then asked, "How is it?"

Chen Chao licked his lips and said, "A little salty."

Xie Nandu's cheeks reddened slightly, somewhat dissatisfied.

"This pill is very expensive, there are only a few of them in the Xie Family. You owe me again?"

Xie Nandu took back the jade bottle and sized Chen Chao up.

Chen Chao said helplessly, "Since it comes from the Xie Family, don't I owe the Xie Family a favor?"

Xie Nandu said calmly, "Just owe me."

Her words were carefully chosen, and Chen Chao did not think too deeply about it. He was not too concerned about owing a favor to the girl he liked. After all, it was the most trivial thing in the world.

Xie Nandu glanced at Chen Chao and said softly, "Commander Song has visited several times. You should return that official seal to him."

Chen Chao frowned and muttered, "I've only been the commander for a short time, why do I have to give it back to him so soon?"

Regarding Song Lian, Chen Chao was relatively at ease. Their relationship was quite delicate, and it was unclear whether they could be considered friends.

However, he quickly took out the seal of the Left Guard Commander from his pocket. It was a good thing for Song Lian to return to the Divine Capital. The affairs of the Left Guard were not easy for a young man like him to handle, so it was better to leave them to Song Lian. But he immediately asked, "What about the deputy commander? Is that position left for me?"

Xie Nandu could not be bothered to answer that question and continued on her own, saying, "The Xia Family is gone, everything has been investigated clearly during this period. The charges of colluding with the foreign lands have been established, and the entire clan is to be decapitated."

Chen Chao was taken aback and asked, "How many people will be executed?"

Xie Nandu shrugged, "Compared to the past, His Majesty has already shown a lot of restraint. But it's surprising that they settled on this particular charge."

After the events of that night, it was already a consensus that the Xia Family would be destroyed. However, the method of their eradication had been a subject of speculation among various factions in the Divine Capital. There were countless accusations that could have been leveled against Xia Clan, but no one had expected it to be as straightforward as this.

Chen Chao sighed, "It's a warning to others. His Majesty's boldness is truly unmatched."

Xie Nandu nodded, "It should be so, to let those cultivators from the foreign lands know that the Great Liang Dynasty isn't a place that they could humiliate at will."

Chen Chao just made a noise of acknowledgment without saying anything further. He could not be bothered to think about these matters. Either way, the decisions made by the Great Liang Emperor could not be changed by anyone.

Xie Nandu said, "Now everyone is wondering if the Xia Family is just the beginning, so all eyes are on this first court meeting."

"Some people even feel that after the journey to the desolate north, His Majesty's injuries are too severe to treat, so this is to clear obstacles for the future Emperor. Hence, many are wondering which prince will ascend the throne."

Chen Chao shook his head and said softly, "He won't die now, and he might not die in the future either."

Xie Nandu agreed with this statement. After all, if the Emperor were truly fatally injured, he would not have taken this course of action, but focused on repairing relations with the foreign land cultivators.

Suddenly, Chen Chao said, "I even suspect that he has taken another step forward."

When he said this, even Xie Nandu fell silent.

The Great Liang Emperor was already an immensely powerful figure at the end of Nepenthe, he had long become the strongest martial artist in the world. Such a figure could even rival that Infatuation Daoist Temple Master. If he were to take another step forward, what kind of concept would that be?

"Are you sure?" Xie Nandu looked at Chen Chao, her eyes filled with inquiry.

Chen Chao shook his head, "It's just a feeling, I'm really not sure."

Xie Nandu spat out a turbid breath and chuckled softly, "Regardless, it's a good thing for His Majesty to grow stronger, it's ultimately a good thing for the Great Liang Dynasty."

Chen Chao still shook his head.

That was not necessarily true. The stronger the Great Liang Emperor became, the greater the threat to the foreign cultivators. How could they allow the most powerful cultivator in the world to be a peerless martial artist like the Great Liang Emperor rather than one of their own prominent figures?

Xie Nandu changed the subject, saying, "Do you think that the recent turmoil in the Divine Capital might implicate some prince?"

In the recent turmoil in the Divine Capital, foreign cultivators were involved, and it seemed that a certain prince had shown ambitions for the throne. So, to put it plainly, would the Great Liang Emperor purge them?

Chen Chao shook his head; he could not see through the Great Liang Emperor at all.

Although it was said that there were no familial relations within the imperial family, when faced with his own children, would the Great Liang Emperor soften his heart?

In other words, since these children were all born to his empress, would the Great Liang Emperor choose to spare them once for this reason?

Xie Nandu said indifferently, "His Majesty has returned to the Divine Capital, all schemes in the Divine Capital have become meaningless because this is His Majesty's Divine Capital. No one can do anything, they just need to wait for the outcome."

Chen Chao remained silent, unsure of what to say.

But, Xie Nandu stood up, "My senior brother is still waiting for me to practice swordsmanship. You should digest the potency of the medicinal pill for now. If you can move, it's best to go see that commander, he seems very anxious."

After saying this, without waiting for Chen Chao's response, Xie Nandu turned and walked out of the house.

"Oh, by the way, if you have time, roast two sweet potatoes."

With these parting words, Xie Nandu left.

After the New Year, the heavy snow in the Divine Capital had lessened. Today, there was only a slight flutter of snowflakes in the sky, and it did not matter whether one carried an umbrella or not.

……

……

After Xie Nandu left, Chen Chao sat up again and began to meditate, harnessing the medicinal effect of the medicinal pill to regulate his body. He followed the mysterious script recorded on the girl's coffin and started cycling his qi. Just after one circulatory cycle, he was surprised to find that the seemingly casual blow from the Great Liang Emperor had actually healed the other injuries on his body. Now, with just a few circulatory cycles, the injuries that originally required a long period of rest were almost completely healed.

Although that uncle of his did not seem to treat him as a nephew at all, he had actually given him great benefits.

Was he just cold-hearted on the surface but warm-hearted inside?

Chen Chao shook his head. He did not think so. Such an emperor was not so easy to figure out.

After thinking about it, Chen Chao quickly focused his mind and immersed himself in meditation.

Four hours later, he opened his eyes. His complexion had improved significantly, and he exhaled a mouthful of white mist. Chen Chao felt much better.

After some contemplation, he suddenly took out the piece of paper covered with golden characters from his pocket. This page was obtained from the Sublime Bright Sect and had saved him several times. The paper emitted a special aura that could even make a Nepenthe Realm cultivator shrink back, but the real mystery lay not in the aura on the paper, but the words inscribed on it.

Perhaps they recorded a secret.

A secret that did not belong to this era, a cultivation secret belonging to the unknown.

This secret might even surpass the Nepenthe Realm, pointing to a higher realm of cultivation.

With this in mind, Chen Chao held his breath and focused his gaze on the paper. Just as his gaze landed on the first word on the paper, an extremely strong aura suddenly burst forth from the paper. The invisible aura poured out like countless sharp flying swords and pierced into his eyes.

Chen Chao frowned, and the white mist in his body involuntarily circulated, converging at his eyes, trying to resist these auras!

The two clashed, countless auras intertwining and entangling around him, making Chen Chao increasingly uncomfortable.

Fortunately, he endured unbearable pain each time he tempered his body, he could now bear it, albeit with great difficulty.

Chen Chao stared firmly at the golden paper before him, his gaze moving upward until it landed on the topmost word. He wanted to exert all his effort to see clearly what that word was!

However, no matter how hard he tried, his gaze could not focus; it just kept dispersing.

Within his line of sight, there was only a swath of golden light, and in the center of it, there was only one crack.

Chen Chao strained to look at that crack.

Finally, beyond those beams of golden light, Chen Chao saw a word.

It was not a character from the present era, but one that did not exist in the current era.

Chen Chao did not recognize it.

But at this moment, in his mind, he understood the meaning of this word.

The meaning of this word is... I.

I?