Chapter Fourteen: Marquis

After Gongyang Ji said these things, he looked at the moving river and could not help but drink from the jar again.

He had experienced a lot of troubled times in his life, the change in the throne countless times, the peak of the Chu Dynasty and being surpassed by the Qin. The decline of a powerful dynasty was like a potato in a damp corner sprouting and molding, a process that was slow and could be predicted. It was usually possible to see signs before a giant mountain fell but he had never thought that such an enormous dynasty would collapse like this.

Even if Consort Zhao Xiang managed to pass through the Nanquan Commanderies, escaping the pursuit of the Qin army, there were many other powerful families like the Nanquan ones. Her time had finished. The Chu had been split up by the Qin, Qi and Yan. This Chu Dynasty was finished just like this.

Even the most powerful family was no different than bandits in such a changing time like this.

**

As Gongyang Ji was lamenting the final fate of the Chu Dynasty and Nanquan Commanderies, in the distant Yan capital, it was very grave.

There were many heavily armored troops that were on guard outside the imperial army which usually did not exist. The soldiers at the gates carefully inspected the documents of those who passed, and detained anyone who was the least bit suspicious. There were suddenly many spies in the capital who kept patrolling the streets and caught many people.

The fall of an enormous being was a warning to another enormous being. Especially when they found the Qi Dynasty who they had been fighting side by side with could not be trusted, their wariness reached a peak. Some old cases were investigated again, and any person who was related to the Qin in the slightest was dealt with. This kind of cleansing started from the capital and spread to the major commanderies, and this was more extreme than even the Changling cleansings.

An old official left the imperial city.

This aroused terror for many people in the city. Because this old official was Ji Qing, one of the teachers in charge of educating the crown prince, and he was responsible for announcing many important orders.

Speaking simply, his appearance represented important imperial orders. The carriage procession which protected him clearly was above the usual regulation, and there were even cavalry on both sides.

The cavalry were cultivators, and they rode a kind of horned rhino. They could carry great weight. As well, they and their riders were in thick yin energy armor that had been filled with the yin energy from more powerful cultivators. This caused this kind of cavalry to have terrifying speed when they started to run.

The enormous weight and the terrifying speed caused these heavy cavalry to possess the power to fight powerful cultivators. The heavy cavalry who were protecting the carriage procession did not walk quickly. But the enormous bodies of the rhinos filled the streets. As the cavalry passed, the sounds of the hooves landing on the ground and the blooms of black frozen energy spilling through the cracks in the armor caused people to feel suffocated.

Were they going to raid the residence of an important official?

Yet the carriage only headed for Celestial Seal Sect. The old Ji Qing stopped at its gates and requested to meet Zhang Yi.

Then the verbal order from the master of Celestial Seal Sect was passed to the gates. Many teachers of the Celestial Seal Sect welcomed Ji Qing into the sect and ushered him to where Zhang Yi was cultivating.

Zhang Yi did not let this old official wait long after learning of the news, and quickly went to the mountain path to wait for Ji Qing. Standing not far from him were Murong Xiaoyi and Le Yi.

After the change in Celestial Seal Sect, everyone in Celestial Seal Sect had accepted Zhang Yi, and even accepted his identity as Qin, thinking of him as the only direct disciple of the master of Celestial Seal Sect.

Zhang Yi had some dark circles, and his eyes were a bit dazed. These days, much news had come. He did not know its veracity and could not digest it.

Some of the news made him anxious and unable to sleep. But because he was so far away, when the news reached the Yan, it was too late for him to do anything. His mind was as troubled as the world right now, and this became a problem for his daily cultivation.

Ji Qing and Zhang Yi exchanged greetings. Looking at this young person who appeared very gentle and polite but still slightly absent minded, Ji Qing coughed lightly.

A clear energy shook the surrounding energy with his cough, causing some coolness and clearing Zhang Yi’s mind, pulling him back from his messy thoughts and speculations.

He bowed his head slightly in apology.

Then, Ji Qing, on behalf of the Yan emperor, warmly announced several decrees, and then took some rewards from the officials behind him to present to Zhang Yi.

The contents of the decree were such that Zhang Yi did not feel it was real. He fell into confusion, and only when the impatient inhales of Murong Xiaoyi and the others sounded behind him did he come back to his mind.

Giving him the lands of Marquis Zhongshu?

Titling him the Country Settling Marquis?

Rewarding him with twenty Clear Mind Pills, and fifteen cultivation scrolls?

Country Settling Marquis?

A marquis with actual lands?

He was just a Qin person who had managed to end up in the Yan, but inexplicably, he had become a true marquis?

What had he done?

“This does not make sense,” Zhang Yi’s eyes were wide and he could not help but say.

“There is nothing wrong, the imperial order is sense.” Ji Qing interrupted what he wanted to say gently.

When the old official who came with the decree left, watching him board the carriage, Zhang Yi dazedly understood why it was like this. He was so shocked his body was numb.

“It seems the rumors are true,” he said softly to Le Yi and Murong Xiaoyi. “My junior sect brother Ding Ning… is really the heir to the Nine Death Silkworm, and also….”

He could not speak. Murong Xiaoyi finished what he was going to say.

“And it is likely like what Yuanwu had concluded, he is the Nine Death Silkworm reborn.” Her voice was trembling. “He successfully escaped from the Thousand Dust Mountain Formation.”

“Everyone needs to show their thoughts and what side they are on,” Le Yi struggled to swallow and said.

Undoubtedly, this nonsense reward was just a naked attempt to gain favor. This attempt could only be due to the Nine Death Silkworm reborn. No emperor would do something so uncertain. So when Yuanwu said such things, and the Yan emperor made Zhang Yi a marquis, this meant that the fact the legendary wine shop youth was the Nine Death Silkworm reborn was confirmed.

“Junior Sect Brother is really…?”

Zhang Yi was shocked. Thinking back to the details of him and Junior Sect Brother living in Changling, he still did not feel it was real.

**

“My fall was because of him. My opponent is the Nine Death Silkworm reborn, so it is not embarrassing.” At the same time, Su Qin, who also came from the White Goat Cave, stood at the bow of an enormous Nether Float and sighed softly. Then he looked at the raging waters and said, “Bai Shanshui will not die so easily, spread the message for me, I want to meet her alone.”