Martial Cultivator

As the Dean spoke, he poured half of the alcohol in the jug onto the grave in front of him. Then, he took a sip of the alcohol himself and chuckled, "How is there a monk like you anywhere in this world, who drinks, eats meat, and does everything but meditate and chant scriptures."

The Dean continued to muse to himself, "But considering it's you, it's not surprising after all. After all, you had always been a daring monk." "The first time you met His Majesty, you dared to say you wanted to give him a white hat. It's fortunate that His Majesty is also quite bold; if it were someone else, you would have likely been thrown into jail right then and there. But you, a monk from that ancient monastery, with a high level of cultivation, how could you have died so early?"

The monk mentioned by the Dean was none other than the black-robed monk who had assisted the Great Liang Emperor in winning that great battle. He hailed from the Deercry Monastery but had left it early on to travel the world. Eventually, he arrived in the Divine Capital and met the Great Liang Emperor who was still a prince then. Afterward, he seemed to believe that this Fourth Prince was the future emperor of Great Liang for no reason whatsoever. He worked tirelessly for the Great Liang Emperor. Although the Great Liang Emperor failed to become the crown prince after the late Crown Prince passed away from ailment, he still refused to give up and eventually succeeded in his wish, allowing the current Great Liang Emperor to ascend to the throne. However, he did not live for long after, passing away a few years later on this mountain. According to his last wishes, there was no tombstone or grand funeral held for him. Consequently, few people knew that the monk referred to as the Black-robed Nation Teacher was buried here.

Since not many people knew the location of his burial site, there were naturally not many who came to pay their respects on his death anniversary over the years.

The Dean was one of them.

Back when the black-robed monk was still alive, they often had conversations. Despite one being confucian and the other being buddhist, there were no barriers between them. Many times, their discussions ended without any discord. They were true friends, transcending the boundaries of their respective beliefs. That was why the Dean had been thinking about this monk for so many years

"After you left, I couldn't find an opponent in the entire Great Liang Dynasty who could match me. Whenever I trashed people with my tongue, I would miss you, old monk. With you by my side, why would I feel so lonely on the chessboard?"

As he sipped his alcohol, the Dean rambled on. From time to time, there would be swear words coming out of the mouth of this leader of scholars throughout the land. If any other scholar were to hear it, they would find it hard to believe that their most respected Dean could have such a side to him.

Soon, the alcohol in the half-empty jug was running out. The Dean suddenly asked in a soft voice, "Old monk, they say you knew the past eight hundred years and the future eight hundred years. When you were alive, did you ever calculate the fate of our Great Liang Dynasty?"

Asking questions to the dead was undoubtedly absurd, especially to someone who had been dead for many years.

Having received no answer, the Dean naturally felt a bit disappointed. After shaking his head, he slowly got up, feeling a sense of regret. "The most regrettable thing is probably that you, old monk, didn't have any disciples. But knowing your temperament, you probably found students troublesome. After all, you always wandered alone, without any attachments."

After saying these words and finishing the last sip of alcohol, the Dean stood up and walked away slowly, leaving the wine jug behind in the mountains.

After the Dean descended the mountain, a tall figure appeared in the woods - it was none other than the Great Liang Emperor

The Great Liang Emperor slowly approached the mound, holding a jug of alcohol in his hand too. Clearly, like the Dean, he had come to pay his respects to his old friend. However, unlike the alcohol that the Dean casually bought from the street, the jug of alcohol in the Great Liang Emperor's hand was a genuine fine wine, aged for over a hundred years. It was a royal stash that would rarely be brought out. Only a few flasks were bestowed upon that distinguished Great General previously before he returned to his hometown.

Now, the Great Liang Emperor poured the entire jug of alcohol onto the mound without hesitation.

This Great Liang Emperor had no interest in fine wine or beautiful women, so his eyes remained emotionless.

After emptying the jug, the Great Liang Emperor casually discarded it and stood silently before the mound for a long time.

He was an emperor of great talent and bold vision, but he was also tainted with a crime that he could not wash away; seizing the throne from his own nephew. Regardless of the reasons, he would surely face countless criticisms in later generations. In his legendary life, he had few friends and even fewer confidants. There were likely only those handful of people to whom he could speak his heart. But sadly, those handful of people were almost all gone too.

Standing before the tomb of this Nation Teacher who was destined to leave his mark in history, the Great Liang Emperor slowly said, "We have been to the desolate north, as you said, the Demon Emperor isn't invincible, and the desolate north isn't impossible to reclaim. But how much longer it will take, We cannot determine."

After saying this, the Great Liang Emperor fell silent once again, gazing at the small mound before him. He knew there would be no one to answer him, but he was still waiting for an answer.

After an unknown amount of time passed, the Great Liang Emperor spoke again, "Sometimes We cannot see many things clearly. If you were still alive, you could probably tell Us what to do."

At this point, the Great Liang Emperor chuckled self-deprecatingly, "In the end, We still want to chat with you. With you by Our side, We would have some confidence after all."

"Our nephew has returned, and the court thinks We cannot tolerate him. If you were here, you would know We wouldn't care about such matters. If he has the ability, there's no harm in snatching the throne from Us. Our sons are incompetent anyway, such a nephew, the Great Liang Dynasty would still be surnamed Chen, and it wouldn't be a bad thing."

The Great Liang Emperor said casually, "We have seen him."

This sentence ended abruptly, without continuation, appearing somewhat abrupt.

And as the Great Liang Emperor uttered these words, there was no display of emotion. Even if the Nation Teacher were still alive, he probably would not know what the Great Liang Emperor was thinking at this moment.

The Great Liang Emperor stood for a moment, murmuring softly, "We asked you to predict the fate of Great Liang, but you haven't told Us anything until now."

With a slight chill in the spring breeze blowing through the mountains, the leaves rustled gently, lifting the Great Liang Emperor's emperor robe.

"That Daoist from the Infatuation Daoist Temple is at a decent cultivation realm. We almost fought him. If we had truly fought... that great sword immortal from the Sword Sect, your old monk from the Deercry Monastery, We..."

The Great Liang Emperor spoke slowly, his voice faint and almost indistinct, carried away by the wind, making it difficult for anyone to hear clearly.

After uttering these words, the Great Liang Emperor slowly turned around and left this place.

Slowly descending the mountain, the Great Liang Emperor had not gone far when he suddenly stopped in his tracks. In his line of sight, there was a couple standing in the distance.

The man wore a black robe, while the woman was dressed in a long blue dress.

The Great Liang Emperor glanced at them briefly, then turned his gaze back to the mountain before his figure dissipated in the end.

…………

The two individuals who had coincidentally arrived on the mountain were none other than Xie Nandu and Chen Chao.

The weather was pleasant today, so Xie Nandu suggested going out for a spring outing, which was a yearly tradition for the students of the academy. A few days ago, the academy even invited Xie Nandu and many other students to go on a spring outing together. However, unsurprisingly, this proposal was declined by this genius daughter of the Xie Family. While such a refusal might have caused controversy if it were someone else, given Xie Nandu's special status and her tendency to keep a low profile, it did not come as much of a surprise. Nevertheless, some students who had not met Xie Nandu felt a sense of regret about the matter.

Xie Nandu did not join the other academy students for the spring outing. However, she took the initiative to suggest going for an outing with Chen Chao. Chen Chao naturally had no reason to refuse. With countless eyes watching him, both overtly and covertly, he felt somewhat distressed these days. Since that was the case, going out for a walk seemed like a good idea.

As the two of them strolled through the mountain, they exchanged some idle chatter. Xie Nandu asked, "When do you plan to leave the Divine Capital?"

Chen Chao understood that Xie Nandu was referring to going to Sword Qi Mountain. He frowned, "Although there hasn't been much going on in the Divine Capital these days, leaving isn't as easy as it seems. After all, I still hold the waist token of Deputy Commander of the Left Guard."

"Will Song Lian stop you?"

Xie Nandu gave an "oh" and said, "Song Lian won't. But, whether or not you can leave the Divine Capital actually depends on His Majesty."

Xie Nandu asked, "Are you still worried that His Majesty will do something to you?"

Chen Chao shook his head.

Xie Nandu acknowledged with a sound of agreement. "I don't think he will either. His Majesty isn't that kind of person."

Chen Chao murmured softly, "But right now, I really don't want to stay in the Divine Capital any longer. After all, a lot of trouble seems to be finding its way to me."

"The two princes haven't seen you yet, and the court officials are all waiting and watching. It's indeed troublesome."

Xie Nandu said, "But, it's a rare sight for someone of your age to be able to get swept up in politics."

Chen Chao smiled bitterly.

Xie Nandu changed the subject and asked, "Do you know why I wanted to come here?"

Chen Chao was puzzled, "Isn't it for a sprin\g outing?"

Xie Nandu looked at Chen Chao with some pity and sighed, "Do you think I would enjoy this sort of boring thing?"

Chen Chao felt somewhat helpless.

Xie Nandu smiled and said, "I heard that the Nation Teacher's tomb is on this mountain."

Chen Chao raised an eyebrow. "That black-robed monk?"

Xie Nandu nodded and continued, "It's naturally that Nation Teacher. Actually, not many people know where he is buried, but I happen to know a little."

Chen Chao did not speak.

Xie Nandu looked towards the mountain and chuckled, "Where's the fun in something like a spring outing?"

Chen Chao suddenly thought of a ridiculous possibility, "What are you up to?"

Xie Nandu seemed to know what Chen Chao was thinking and nodded, "Exactly what you're thinking."

Chen Chao frowned, "You dare to do something like that?"

Xie Nandu narrowed her eyes and said, "Just thinking about it, doesn't mean I'll actually do it."