Chapter 27: The Script

"Oh...!"

Xiaoyaoyou suddenly fell silent, clearly recalling the Dao Realm of the past and the Seven Elegances of the Scholarly Sect.

The Dao Realm of today might seem peaceful, but in truth, no one had truly let go of the past. They were merely reenacting it through a different play—what meaning was there in that?

Yet, the circumstances of the two men were ultimately different. King Jingri held the right of succession to Mijiang, and with his intellect, once he eliminated his rivals, he would be fully capable of managing Mijiang and steering it beyond its former glory.

Still, his ambition was something one could not afford to let down guard against... In that brief instant, Xiaoyaoyou's mind raced with countless thoughts.

"Hahahaha......"

Xiaoyaoyou suddenly burst into laughter.

"Interesting. Then what about the second script?"

King Jingri raised his cup, drained the tea within, and refilled it.

"The second script!"

King Jingri murmured thoughtfully for a moment:

"In a world without the Wind, Cloud, and Dragon Emperor, the King of Mijiang, Haoqiong Guming, driven by language, first forced the Mijiang God of War, Hidden Mirror, into a desperate fight to the death, and then attempted the same with the Pearl-Surrounded Pavilion. Neither attempt succeeded, and ultimately, Haoqiong Guming died at the hands of Hidden Mirror. Meanwhile, Qianxue Guming, who had saved Hidden Mirror's life on multiple occasions, happened to witness this very scene at the final moment—sworn brothers killing their own blood!"

"Prince Canglang is struck down and killed by unknown forces, leaving the Royal Uncle, for the sake of the greater good, with no choice but to ascend the throne of Mijiang and revitalize the realm!"

"A script without the Wind, Cloud, and Dragon Emperor?"

Xiaoyaoyou savored the meaning of those words, drained his cup of tea, and placed it back on the table.

Taking advantage of the moment he drank, he sorted through his thoughts:

"So, Prince Jing already has a decision in his heart?"

Since the Wind, Cloud, and Dragon Emperor existed, naturally, a scenario without him could never come to pass. Once the cause was altered, the effect would inevitably change as well.

"You are mistaken! If I had already made my decision, why would I ask you to appraise a script?"

King Jingri's eyes grew hazy, as though he were recalling some sorrowful past, or perhaps simply reminiscing.

"Then, why not set up a stage and simply let the characters on it play their parts freely?"

Xiaoyaoyou rose, cradling his peerless zither, and turned to leave, abandoning King Jingri alone to lower his head in deep thought.

A good play should simply be left to the spontaneous performance of its characters—and what of his own role?

The Wind, Cloud, and Dragon Emperor rose, departed from Mingzhaoxi, and without lingering further in the Dao Realm, headed straight back to Mijiang.

.........

Spirit Gu Peak, Wenhuang had all along been keeping a close eye on the conflict between Hidden Mirror and Shi Yanwen.

As one of the Three Heroes of Mijiang, how could Wenhuang possibly be unaware of the relationship between Hidden Mirror and Shi Yanwen?

The twins of destiny—two individuals who were originally twin brothers—had embarked on a path of mortal enmity.

Decades ago, Central China and Mijiang had fought in wars for many years, yet both sides refrained from attacking each other's military families.

On one occasion, Shi Fengzhou, the father of Shi Yanwen, miscalculated and attacked the families of Jiaozhi soldiers. Among them were the relatives of the Jiaozhi general Luo Tianzong, and his wife and child were killed along with the rest.

Following this, Luo Tianzong also issued orders to attack the military families of Central China, swearing to slaughter the family of Shi Fengzhou to avenge his own kin.

At that time, Shi Fengzhou's wife gave birth to a pair of twin boys, but only one child could be saved at that moment. Shi Yanwen was carried away, while Luobi was left behind.

Luo Tianzong originally intended to kill the infant boy, but driven by a vicious desire for vengeance, he decided to raise him, using the boy's own hands to slaughter the people of Central China.

Upon returning to Jiaozhi, Luo Tianzong encountered Shi Fengzhou and decapitated him. Yet, even in death, Luo Tianzong clutched the child and galloped hundreds of miles back to Jiaozhi, earning the title of the Headless General.

The people of Jiaozhi held the general in the highest reverence and treated the infant boy as Luo Tianzong's own flesh and blood, naming him Luobi and raising him with care and affection.

As the boy grew, he too believed himself to be the son of Luo Tianzong. He deeply respected his adoptive father and studied diligently, hoping to live up to the name of being the son of the God of War.

However, decades ago, during a battle between Mijiang and Central China, Luobi—fighting alongside the former deputy general of Luo Tianzong—caught sight of Shi Yanwen, whose face was an exact mirror of his own.

Stunned into shock just as he hoped to achieve glory and honor his ancestors, Luobi was struck by an arrow. He retreated to Mijiang to heal his wounds and learned the truth of his birth from that very deputy general. (After slaying everyone who knew of the matter, the deputy general committed suicide, for this was a secret capable of destroying a nation.)

Luobi could neither betray the people of Jiaozhi who had treated him with such kindness, nor could he accept that the man he once believed to be his father's murderer was his actual father.

To survive, to give the people of Jiaozhi a spiritual anchor, and to bear the weight of the hundreds of lives on his conscience (those killed by the deputy general), he decided to don a mask, concealing the face that caused him such agonizing pain, and abandoned the name Luobi in favor of the title Hidden Mirror.

This was the true origin of the deeply tangled fate between Hidden Mirror and Shi Yanwen.

Wenhuang was one of the few who knew the truth of this matter; the other was Qianxue Guming. That was precisely why neither of them ever interfered in the disputes between Hidden Mirror and Shi Yanwen.

Shi Yanwen likewise wished to avoid escalating the situation, choosing instead to confront Hidden Mirror entirely on his own.

"The Three Heroes of Mijiang, ha!"

Wenhuang chuckled softly, unsure whether he was mocking something or merely laughing at himself.

Hidden Mirror, one of his dear friends, was forced to live behind a mask and kill his own flesh and blood. What more could Wenhuang do?

If the mask were torn away, who could ever heal the blood-feud forged by more than ten years of mutual slaughter?

His powerlessness regarding Hidden Mirror extended equally to his other friend, Qianxue Guming!

Though Wenhuang could now see right through the facade of Prince Beijing, what of it?

Could he simply run up to Qianxue Guming and declare, "Qianxue, that Royal Uncle who has cared for you so attentively for decades is no good man; he intends to seize the throne and commit treason!"

As brilliant as Wenhuang was, how could he not understand the consequences of such an action?

To speak would merely shatter a friendship; to remain silent meant watching his friend be manipulated by Prince Beijing, perhaps even driven to his death!

Ever since he learned of the palace coup involving the former Mijiang King—where Prince Beijing's heart meridians were injured precisely at that time, leaving the current Mijiang Prince kind-hearted and benevolent—Wenhuang had understood everything. The struggle for the royal power of Mijiang would erupt one day!

Before the Mijiang King died, he would undoubtedly take Prince Beijing down with him.

Yet Prince Beijing had prepared for years without launching a coup; perhaps he, too, harbored reservations out of regard for Qianxue and Prince Canglang.

For more than ten years, living in seclusion on Spirit Gu Peak, ignoring the rights and wrongs of the martial world, and even abandoning the Pearl-Surrounded Pavilion—was this not because he had seen through too much, yet felt entirely helpless?

Was human life always destined to be so filled with helplessness?

Because of this, Wenhuang had been waiting for an opportunity—an opportunity to help his friend and free him from the agonizing torment of slaughtering his own kin.

Waiting for an opportunity that could ignite the struggle for Mijiang's royal throne.

And the arrival of the Xijian aliran seemed to present Wenhuang with that very opportunity!

The only thing that could dissolve hatred was virtue, and the time of Central China's turmoil was precisely Mijiang's opportunity to resolve its internal affairs.

At the Prince Beijing Manor, King Jingri looked upon the increasingly mature Prince Canglang.

Canglang was exceptionally intelligent. Before the Mijiang King, he always concealed his true capabilities, and even King Jingri remained unsure just how formidable his strength truly was.

Yet none of this could escape the notice of King Jingri. Sadly, Cangyue Guming was entirely unaware of the upheaval from decades prior; otherwise, he would not have exposed so much of himself before his Royal Uncle.