The Emperor's General (ON HIATUS)

Chapter 10

When the jade finally fell into the hands of the bandits, not knowing the true value of the jade, they decided to sell it to the black market in return for a fortune. A noble who recognized the jade was shocked and prayed the bandits wouldn't find out the priceless treasure they were holding onto. Despite dealing with the black market the nobleman knew the consequences an ordinary person had to deal if they held onto the jade due to greed. Many Xu Lin citizens clearly knew the disasters it may cause to a person's life if the jade wasn't at the possession of its rightful owner. So he quickly pulled out a heavy load of gold in exchange for the jade. The rest of the story was easy to figure out. This story may seem decent and believable, however, there happened to be countless questionable stories out there too.

As ridiculous as it may sound, there was a very interesting story describing an Emperor who lost his amulet during a dear hunt. He desired the jade so much that he never parted from the amulet even during baths or pleasure activities. As a result, he ended up carelessly losing it during a hunt. The funny thing was, four days later during a night feast the Emperor found out that he almost ate the jade along with the fish that was served. It was still deeply concerning as to how a fish, even though large in size, was able to swallow the huge jade with its little mouth or how the jade even ended up in the water despite losing it in the hunting grounds that was miles away. Anyway, this happened to be the very reason the jade was now kept in confinement, in order to prevent from carelessly losing it once again.

Maybe they were all baseless stories... No one would know the truth. These stories had been passed down by our ancestors. It was deemed to have twists and turns that could partly contain the truth while also partly containing some made-up lies.

Though, regarding its mystical powers, I couldn't help but admit that there might be something miraculous happening unbeknownst to the eyes of the ordinary. I couldn't shake off the strange feeling I kept having whenever I fought on the battlefield. It's as if someone or rather something was holding me in place without letting me lose my footing. Like an invisible force was closely watching and shielding me. Along with that force comes a great deal of mental and physical strength, but more importantly the raw power to intimidate the opponent and infuse fear within their hearts...

It's as if... I was above all humans... This sort of thought had started to invade my mind since the day I was officially and publicly announced as an owner of the holy jade.

Seven days after the late Emperor's death, the Imperial Palace held the coronation of the new Emperor. On the same day, at the main entrance of the Imperial Palace, a public ceremony was held, presenting the sacred amulet to the Xu Lin citizens. It was a tradition performed whenever the amulet was passed down to the next successor.

The High Priest commenced the ceremony with two goblets of holy water in his hands, offering them to the heavens. He then announced the owners of the amulet to the public which in return stunned them, yet they dared to say a word on the decision. They could only complain and question the doubts in their hearts.

When our names were revealed, the booming sound of the drums echoed in the vicinity as the Emperor and I, dressed in fiery red robes, walked hand in hand and greeted the people. They immediately kneeled and chanted the customary greeting three times, sending goosebumps across my body. The thousands of voices could almost reach the depths of heaven. Somehow, I felt really proud of myself. At that time, I couldn't help but lift the corners of my lips into a gentle smile.

The High Priest requested us to stand at the center of the podium, our backs facing the sea of people. Down below the long stretch of stairs, people curiously stared at our tiny figures as we completed the ceremony. Since it could take almost sixty to seventy years for them to personally experience this ceremony again, the number of citizens gathering to witness the once-in-a-life-time occasion was huge.