Cao Lu had also been dispatched by Sage Hu Lan to Wu Shan sect to assist in the ensuing battle. There, Ao Xiang and Zuo BingTan from Hui lin sect were already fighting against Zuo JinLong.
The Emperor, for some reason, did not seem a tiny bit worn out. However, the same could not be said about the woman who was standing behind her. Despite still exuding a beautiful appearance, Qing Lian looked a bit worse for wear, her countenance was pale. And from the pair, the only one engaged in fights was Zuo JinLong.
Upon noticing the arrival of Zuo ZhouLei, Shen Wei, and the others, Qing Lian's expression turned ugly,
"Finally. The one I have been waiting for. JinLong, you should kill him."
How could Qing Lian not hate Zuo ZhouLei? Despite having tried to latch onto him during her younger days, to no avail; despite having been blessed by an unimaginable power, she was still bested by this younger man. She was not as dumb to not understand that it was because of his strange power that day, that her Daemons were exterminated all at once. She had even felt the blessing inside of her leaving her body as the white light of the giant Fire Phoenix engulfed the Imperial Palace and the Imperial City. If not for Zuo JinLong, who had swiftly taken her away from the Imperial Palace, she would have returned to her old self.
Weak, alone, and cold. Her immense pride could not withstand such humiliation.
Zuo JinLong need no further request, as he darted forward with his sword outstretched in his left hand.
Cao Lu blinked,
"How could Father use a sword? Wasn't he... , isn't he supposed to be infected by malice? Daemons should not be able to use Qi-imbued weapon."
Qing Lian laughed inwardly. She herself did not understand, but although Zuo JinLong had also lost his blessing during that time of purification, he still retained his cultivation from when he was still being inflicted. That made him not only as strong as he was, he was also now capable to wield his old sword.
Qing Lian sighed contentedly, "Truly, a blessed Dragon's son."
"Zuo JinLong! You are truly mad!" Sage Shen Zheng could only watch from the side, as the three Wu Shan disciples – Shen Wei, Zuo ZhouLei, and Zuo JinHai - exchanged a few moves with Zuo JinLong. Shen Zheng knew he would only be a hindrance if he were to intervene. Nevertheless, he did not stay idle. Along with other disciples and other cultivators that also included Cao Lu and Ao Xiang, he battled a few Daemons whom Qing Lian had somehow managed to sneak into the sect.
They were all clearly Daemons that were not in the vicinity of Imperial Palace when the purification occurred.
Shen Wei glanced at the Zuo ZhouLei, whose moves seemed to gradually become slower. With a few higher levelled Daemons now assisting Zuo JinLong, and others keeping Ao Xiang and Lu Bing busy, none of them had the time to summon a Fire Phoenix, let alone let Zuo ZhouLei use his Qi to amplify the beast's power.
But Shen Wei trusted that without further Daemon-carriers, as long as they persisted and managed to dispose of these existing Daemons and Zuo Jinlong, they could naturally finish Qing Lian as well. By this time, everyone was clear that she was the driving force behind Zuo JinLong's actions, malice or no malice.
"Father, you have completely gone mad. Lei is your son from the late Lady Shuan Bing!" Zuo BingTan threw a punch towards Zuo Jinlong, which was easily deflected with a swing of the latter's right leg. The force of his leg actually struck Zuo BingTan's right ribs, sending him flying crashing into a tall tree.
Zuo BingTan was already a Sage. One could only imagine Zuo JinLong's strength, to be able to hold his ground and exert pressure on the Sage levelled fighters.
"We are your children as well, Father!" Zuo JinHai howled with rage upon seeing his older brother spitting blood, "Mother had loved you for nothing! She would be turning in her grave."
At this point, Zuo JinLong actually flew away from everyone, towards the small hill Qing Lian was standing on,
"Yun Ying is right here," he smiled, pulling Qing Lian into his embrace, "Ying'er loves me, don't you? You've always loved me ever since you saved my life, that day at Hui Lin sect... ."
Qing Lian nodded, smiling in turn, "Yes, JinLong. Ying'er has always loved only JinLong."
Heck if she understood anything he was saying, but she was not going to let go of this golden thigh at this very moment! She would just follow up in accordance to whatever he said. At the moment, he was her only way to survive. Venting her grievance at these children was just proper, because they had gotten in her way.
It would be wonderful if Zuo JinLong could kill everyone. But if he ended up being killed in the process, she thought it might be alright too. Qing Lian had begun to get tired of constantly being called a dead woman's name. Her feelings towards Zuo JinLong had become somewhat complicated; he was not only her pillar, he was her heart's burden as well.
She did not know since when, Yun Ying's name became a thorn in her heart every time it came out of Zuo JinLong's lips.
"JinLong!" Qing Lian's eyes widened as she saw a swift movement from the corner of her eyes.
Zuo ZhouLei had somehow flew close and was channelling his Qi through his sword, aiming a strike towards Qing Lian and Zuo JinLong. Zuo JinLong instantly moved away with QingLian, missing the blade by a split moment. However, Zuo ZhouLei promptly followed up with a palm strike, that connected with Zuo JinLong's ribcage. There was subtle cracking sound of broken bones, but it did not make Zuo JinLong bat an eyelid. If anything, it made the Emperor more enraged and his moves became a few notches faster.
The ringing sound of swords, assaulting each other and explosions of both men's powerful Qi caused the surrounding shrubs to be flown away with the pressure of the wind. The force of the blade, despite not making actual contact, caused scratches and marks to appear on larger trees and a few boulders.
Even Shen Wei was helpless to intervene. The fight between the pair of father and son seemed to be separated from the rest of the world, the constant effusion of Qi of the two made Shen Wei and the others be incapable of entering the battlefield. But Zuo JinLong's constant grim and calm expression, and Zuo ZhouLei's pale face, clearly told Shen Wei that his Shidi was in dire predicament.
Zuo JinLong's sword swirled on his palm, effectively turning it into a striking sharp blade from the initially defensive pose he did to defend himself against Zuo ZhouLei's attack.
The Emperor's lips were lifted into a smile,
"Why don't you accompany your Mother?"
Shen Wei's eyes widened in horror and in his mind, everything seemed to be moving extremely slow as he watched Zuo ZhouLei's eyes flash in surprise.
A voice echoed in Shen Wei's mind, a male's voice that sounded somewhat aggrieved,
"Do you want to help Lei?"
There was only one answer to that, even if the voice was just a desperate plea of his own.
The voice spoke, "I owe you that much. I owe Lei more than this. But mortal, you have followed my brother across three worlds. Only because you have attached your karma to his, thus I am able to speak to you like this."
A soft resigned sigh, "It must be fate... . Fate that even Ming and myself were not able to foresee... ."
"I'll lend you my power. Go then!"
The voice, that turned as faint as a whisper, finally ceased. However, as if the voice gave birth to it, an energy suddenly pooled inside Shen Wei's three Dantians. He thought no further of it, as he pushed his legs to reach Zuo JinLong and Zuo ZhouLei.
Zuo JinLong missed Zuo ZhouLei's heart just by a hair's breath when Shen Wei's palm struck the Emperor's chest, precisely on the exact spot Zuo ZhouLei had wounded him before. The force split Zuo JinLong's sword in half.
Zuo JinLong's already fractured ribs also became almost completely pulverized, the force of the impact sending the latter to spurt blood and his body flying like a broken kite.
As soon as the palm connected, that burst of energy was gone. However, Shen Wei held onto Zuo ZhouLei who was falling onto the ground. Shen Wei immediately felt his own exhaustion kicked in, as if his three Dantians had been completely sucked dry, but Zuo ZhouLei's condition was no better. The younger man's face was pale with fatigue, and blood started to trickle from the corner of his lips.
The broken piece of the sword, although it missed Zuo ZhouLei's vital organ, had damaged a few of his meridians. A sword was imbued by the owner's Qi. The blade, as soon as it struck Zuo ZhouLei, contained Zuo JinLong's Qi, every bit of them carrying its owner's wish to cause damage.
Shen Wei pulled the piece of metal immediately, causing Zuo ZhouLei to cough a mouthful of blood.
In his worry and exhaustion, Shen Wei did not realize that a couple of strangers had gone close to the two of them. Shen Wei looked up towards the two people, wearing the blue garbs of Wu Shan sect.
They were a pair of old women. Despite wearing Wu Shan sect's uniforms, their cultivation was only at a Martial-Artist level.
"Is Your Highness alright?" One of the women knelt, her hoarse voice laced with worry. Zuo ZhouLei barely managed to give them questioning gaze, before losing consciousness in Shen Wei's arms.
The two women clenched their fists and stood rigidly. At a distance, Zuo JinLong was already standing, propping himself with what was remaining of his sword. Qing Lian was already by his side, supporting him as well. Clearly, the Emperor had also sustained considerable injury. Ao Xiang and Lu Bing made use of the turn of tide to summon some Fire Phoenixes to purify the scattered Daemons.
"Very good, Zuo JinLong! Not only you wanted to kill Shuan Bing-jie's son, you also do not bear any guilty conscience of desecrating her final resting place." One of the women spat. Her voice, laced with hate, was clear for everyone to hear.
Sage Shen Zheng and Sage Meng Ting were probably the only two who still remembered who these two women were. It was true what the old woman had said, the fight that had happened was in close vicinity to Shuan Bing's grave. Despite looking older than Sage Shen Zheng even was, the two old women were actually Sage Shen Zheng's Shizhis. Because of their low cultivation level, the two could not retain their youthful appearance, merely ageing naturally with time. The two old women were Shuan Bing's two Shimeis who had accompanied her in the Imperial Palace during her living days, serving her as her maids.
After Shuan Bing's death, the two Martial-Artists returned to the Imperial Palace to ask for her ash, which was granted by Zuo JinLong himself. Afterall, for Zuo JinLong, Shuan Bing was never as important as Yun Ying. Upon returning to Wu Shan sect and properly burying Shuan Bing's remains at a secluded peak, they had been tending to her grave. They had even foregone their cultivation training in favour of looking after Shuan Bing's grave. Shuan Bing herself, who was now just a pile of dust inside a porcelain urn buried underground, would not even be aware of their dedication.
Although Shuan Bing did not obtain Zuo JinLong's love in her lifetime, she was actually dearly loved by other people. Would she be comforted if she knew such a fact? Or would she still stubbornly hold onto her futile wish of obtaining the man's heart?
"I know you are sick here," one of the women pointed towards her own head, "But I have never thought that you are as blind as a bat." She snorted in disgust as Zuo JinLong and Qing Lian displayed their affection in front of everyone.
"That little child is definitely not Yun Ying." The other old woman also spoke, "Your beloved Yun Ying? Humph! Do you know who she actually loved?"
Zuo JinLong's smile that had never faltered from his lips, despite his injury, suddenly froze as he heard her. He coldly stared at her,
"What do you know, just a lowly maggot. Ying'er and I have a long history," He turned to look tenderly at the woman by his side.
"Long story my foot!" The old woman laughed, "That witch will not even be able to tell you the least of what's going on behind Yun Ying's mind." Her friend also stepped forward, her lips pulled into a smirk. She bowed towards everyone present,
"Initially, we plan to carry this secret until death. But I think there is no point keeping this hidden anymore. Let us tell you what happened that day, the day that Shuan Bing-jie and Empress Yun Ying died of poison."
"Shuan Bing-jie was poisoned by none other than Yun Ying!"
Clamor of whisper and gasps ensued. Even Zuo JinLong listened with rapt attention. Qing Lian's body was held tightly, rendering her unable to attempt an escape.
"On that day, Shuan Bing-jie asked us to return to the sect. However, how could we just return like that? We wished to accompany Shuan Bing-jie in her last moments. We have barely left the Imperial City when we decided to return to the Palace. Do you all know what we saw?"
The two old women now had mocking smiles on their faces, when they lifted their chin haughtily towards Zuo JinLong,
"Your beloved Yun Ying was kissing our Shuan Bing-jie!!"
"With one as talented as Yun Ying, she would have been able to notice our presence in front of jie's courtyard, if she was not already knocking on death's door herself."
The two women began to elaborate what they had seen and heard that day. How they were initially aggrieved for being a step too late; when they arrived, Shuan Bing was already lifeless, laying in Yun Ying's embrace. However, the two maids were still sharp enough to notice that Yun Ying's expression was amiss. Therefore, they only stayed in front of the room, peeking through the window.
They had always thought that the Empress was always impartial, and that Yun Ying had never thought of Shuan Bing as anything significant. They were initially of the same mind as Shuan Bing – that Yun Ying was in love with the Emperor, and vice versa, and thus Shuan Bing could only concede defeat. It was clear for all members in the Imperial Harem, that for Zuo JinLong, Empress Yun Ying was at the top of his favour list.
But why would an Empress be caressing a lowly consort's face, as if the latter was the most precious treasure in the world? The two were even more flabbergasted when they heard Yun Ying whispering her confession, conversing with Shuan Bing that could no longer hear a single word. Truth was spilled like flowing water,
Yun Ying tried to protect Shuan Bing from the Harem's intricacies and cat-fights by other consorts, by pulling some strings using her power as the Empress. In the end, Shuan Bing became somewhat isolated, but she lived relatively well.
Yun Ying tried to further distance Zuo JinLong from Shuan Bing, by cleverly acting in accordance to be Zuo JinLong's ideal woman. The two women heard the Empress's pleas, as she was tightly embracing Shuan Bing's body,
["Bing-jie... . Why is it always him? Even if I wouldn't have a chance, I just wanted you to be happy."]
["All of us are mad... . Bing-jie, Bing'er, I am sorry."]
As the two women witnessed the Empress vomiting a mouthful of black blood, their own eyes already moist with grief, they heard the Empress' rasp voice,
["Zuo JinLong. You will never find out. Be as ignorant as you always have been."]
["One day, I will meet you again in hell. But in the meanwhile, you have to let me have Bing-er. You had your chance. Now it is my turn"]
["We are but grains of sand.... ."]
["Bing'er, let us dream. The two of us, together... . Of a future where we could exist under the bright sun. I will be brave then, and hold your hand. We'll never let go."]
"LIIIEEESSS!!!!!!" Zuo JinLong unleashed an explosion of Qi. In his fury, he did not restrain himself, causing Qing Lian to vomit a mouthful of blood. How could a weakened cultivator withstand the direct pressure of an enraged expert?
"You think we are lying? Why don't you ask Yun Ying in her tomb?" One of the old women taunted.
Zuo JinLong gave the two a fleeting cold look, before stepping on his sword to fly into a distance, carrying Qing Lian along.
Zuo BingTan, now shaken out of his initial stupor after listening to his late Mother's tale, shouted, "We should follow!"
"Of course we should follow. I want to see for myself the end of this bastard. The three of you," They addressed Cao Lu, Zuo BingTan, and Zuo JinHai, "Should come along. He is going to your Mother's tomb after all."
The two women displayed cunning smiles before stepping onto their own swords and spoke to Shen Wei,
"Sect leader, please look after Shuan Bing-jie's only son." Before Shen Wei could react, the two women had flown into the distance, quickly followed by Cao Lu, Zuo BingTan, and Zuo JinHai.
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Qing Lian sat on the ground, her spirit completely broken. Zuo JinLong was standing in front of a stone door – the entrance to the Empress' mausoleum. Behind the stone door, was a mound of compressed ground.
The mausoleum was located halfway between Wu Shan sect and the Imperial Palace. However, the tombstone was facing Hui Lin sect, located a fair distance away. It had been bestowed by Zuo JinLong himself in consideration of his late Empress.
The entrance was located above ground, but a room laid underneath. At the moment it only contained Empress Yun Ying's coffin. But eventually, Zuo JinLong also intended to be laid there after his death. The mausoleum was constructed using the highest quality material. If one were to descend underground, they would find a room with all six walls made of the hardest of jades. The material was incapable of being broken or damaged by any weapon nor obstructed by even a Sage's energy. The jades had been artificiallt made from various materials and crystals from the land of Yanshi.
The stone door stood unmoving, as if mocking the Emperor. He kept repeating in his mind, what Shuan Bing's maids had said before.
The two old women, Cao Lu, Zuo BingTan, and Zuo JinHai had just stepped off their swords. Qing Lian, in her despair, did not notice that the two old women had moved close to her.
"Are you the Empress?" one of them asked with mocking tone. Her voice is clear for Zuo JinLong to hear as well.
Noticing Zuo JinLong looking at her with fury and killing intent in his eyes, Qing Lian shivered. This man, the very man that had doted on her for a couple of decades, that had given her comfortable warmth at nights.
Despite her having to concede being called by another name. She recalled the sensation when their bodies were intertwined, when his heat surged into her, bringing her to the apex of pleasure. Only to be immediately dumped into cold water when he whispered Yun Ying's name into her ears.
But would it not be much better than the heated gaze he was giving her right now? He did not have even any trace of his past gentleness when they arrived at the mausoleum just moments ago, immediately throwing her body onto the ground, as if she was just a useless rag doll.
If she had to be Yun Ying for Zuo JinLong to give her that comforting warmth again, then she would be Yun Ying. She wanted to be Yun Ying.
Qing Lian pleaded as she looked at Zuo JinLong with a tear-streaked face,
"I am Yun Ying. JinLong, I am your Ying'er!"
A flicker of doubt appeared on Zuo JinLong's frosty expression. Then the other old woman laughed,
"Ah~~ But what to do? You claim that you are Empress Yun Ying, but isn't Empress Yun Ying sleeping at the very ground beneath us?"
She looked at Zuo JinLong, drawling her words slowly, "I wonder if she is really Empress Yun Ying, or if the real Empress Yun Ying is still resting below... ."
Zuo JinLong's gaze rippled. He immediately grabbed Qing Lian, struck the stone door with a Qi-imbued kick, before gazing into the depth below. Cold air emanated from within. Qing Lian mumbled in stupor as she circled her arms around Zuo JinLong's neck,
"I am Ying'er. JinLong, I have always loved you. I love you."
Then the pair jumped inside, Zuo JinLong still tightly holding onto Qing Lian.
Cao Lu, Zuo BingTan, and Zuo JinHai watched blankly. As soon as Zuo JinLong and Qing Lian disappeared underground, the entrance, where previously the stone door stood, crumbled. The compressed ground behind it also collapsed, revealing a contraption that activated plates of hard jades. Eventually, the plates of jade completely covered the opening of the entrance completely. The gravels from the mound covered the surface completely.
"I have always heard that Royalty's tombs contain traps. I should have known that Mother's tomb would also have one." Cao Lu remarked.
"Even if only Zuo JinLong alone were to enter, I would already be delighted." One of the old women chuckled, "It's perfect that he actually brought that little witch along."
The other nodded, "The traps were constructed to avoid potential grave-robbers from being able to escape. Who would have thought that his madness actually made him forget about this little fact." Her lips were lifted in a smirk, "Or perhaps he was actually aware, but his obsession with Yun Ying had robbed him of his sanity."
"But Mother is still inside... ." Zuo JinHai's lips were pulled into a wry smile, "I have always wished for Father to guard Mother's tomb for the rest of his life. I would have never thought that my wish has actually come true... ." He scratched the back of his neck, "Though in a very unorthodox way... ."
"Ah, that witch Qing Lian would not have a good end upon Father finding Mother's body still lying in her coffin." Cao Lu added.
"That is not necessarily so," The old woman gave the three Sages a grin,
"During the time of bereavement for the Empress, when the traps have not yet been activated for people to still be able to pay their respect, we visited this mausoleum."
The other nodded, "On the last day of bereavement period, we sneaked in and stole the Empress' body."
Her companion laughed, "That little witch wanted to be Yun Ying? She can be Yun Ying then. And Yun Ying should definitely be resting the eternal sleeep underground. Aren't we actually benevolent?"
Cao Lu, Zuo BingTan, and Zuo JinHai looked at them with incredulous expression. Cao Lu pointed her trembling fingers,
"Y-y-you!!! How dare you desecrated Mother's body!"
The old woman merely shrugged,
"Although we felt bad about it, and we were not too fond of the Empress either – after all, Shuan Bing-jie's death was actually caused by her – we ended up deciding that we wanted Shuan Bing-jie to have a good companion."
One of them sighed, "What better companion there was, other than the one person who had loved her so much, that the person was willing to give up her own life to accompany her in death. Who are we to be stubborn to separate them?"
"... . Does that mean?" Zuo BingTan slowly asked.
Both of the old women smiled at each other, their smiles were now tranquil, as if a heavy burden had been shed off their shoulders,
"We cremated Yun Ying's remains. Now she is still resting with Shuan Bing-jie, at Wu Shan sect's peak."
"That's why we initially did not want to say anything. But things have come to this." The old women bowed towards the three dumbfounded Sages,
"We hope Your Royal Highnesses would forgive us. And we hope Your Royal Highnesses will find in their hearts to let Empress Yun Ying still be with Shuan Bing-jie forever. We think that given the chance, Shuan Bing-jie would prefer to be accompanied by a person who loved her the most, on her journey through the yellow river and her future reincarnations."
"For that reason, Empress Yun Ying has our blessings."
--------------------
Cao Lu, Zuo BingTan, and Zuo JinHai sat blankly on the ground, by the mausoleum. The two old women had left much earlier, back to Wu Shan sect. There was no sound, apart from the gentle breeze around them, and faint rustling sound of trees in the near distance. The mausoleum was now completely hidden, the mound of compressed dirt before now looked just like ordinary gravelled ground.
"Mother... is truly incredible, isn't she?" Cao Lu finally broke the silence.
Her two brothers were silent for a while, before Zuo JinHai finally lifted his head to look at his two siblings,
"Cao Lu-jie, BingTan-ge. Do you think... do you think Mother really loved us?"
Cao Lu's eyes widened as she stood abruptly. She looked down at her brother, her mouth gaping as if she was too enraged to be able to muster anything.
"JinHai." Zuo BingTan smiled as he brushed some dust of his robes, before flinging his left arm around Cao Lu's shaking shoulders,
"Ask yourself, to the very depth of your heart. Remember her when you do, your memories of her. Were we loved by Mother?"
Zuo Jinhai looked at Zuo BingTan's outstretched right hand. Finally letting out a smile, he took his older brother's hand, propping himself up to join Cao Lu and Zuo BingTan in an embrace.
He knew the answer to his own question.
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Runexi's notes:
The end of Qing Lian. For real.