Chapter One Hundred and Eleven: Matters of the Divine Path

Though Cihang Pudu expressed these thoughts, he still felt somewhat perplexed. Rumor had it that the Emperor was solely focused on alchemy and ignored the affairs of the court.

The Emperor seemed to perceive Cihang Pudu’s confusion and asked, "Does my minister know what my position is like today?"

Cihang Pudu pondered for a moment and replied, "Your Majesty is the sovereign of the nation, possessor of all under heaven, and the pinnacle of humanity."

"Heh." The Emperor gave a self-deprecating laugh, looked at Cihang Pudu, and said, "It may seem that I am the sovereign, but I am like a setting sun. My power has long been hollowed out. Were it not for the three thousand soldiers of the Tianji Battalion still in my hand, I might have been ousted long ago."

Cihang Pudu was startled. Although he had heard whispers of this, he had not realized it had reached such a critical stage. He remarked, "I have heard that the Marquis of Wu’an is fiercely loyal. Why not summon him back to the capital, Shengjing?"

"The Marquis of Wu’an? Let’s not," the Emperor replied, dwelling on the matter of the Marquis. "He is indeed loyal, but his faction is not to be trifled with. With him in Shengjing, no one can sleep soundly—including me. Do you think he can ever return?"

Cihang Pudu shook his head, agreeing it was impossible. He had heard much of the Marquis—a man who reached the zenith of human achievement, with three wives of formidable backgrounds and immense prestige within the military. It was easy for him to leave the capital, but difficult to return. Even if he pacified the Nanzhou region, there were those who would never allow him back; one who had already been pushed out of the circle would never be permitted to re-enter.

The Emperor continued, "Then, my minister, are you willing to help me restore the world to a state of clarity and order?"

Cihang Pudu saw the Emperor looking at him with expectant eyes and felt a moment of hesitation. He understood the Emperor’s intent: he hoped Cihang Pudu would disseminate his "Threefold Method" and use it to reclaim his lost power.

However, Shengjing was a treacherous place. Once he entered, it would be difficult to leave. Yet, if he succeeded, he would be imbued with the destiny of the realm, perhaps even ascending to become a legendary patriarch.

Reflecting on the fact that the Emperor had once saved his life, and though he was a demon—a centipede born in the courtyard of a common household—he understood the principles of the world and was not an ingrate. He rose, knelt before the Emperor, and said, "I am willing to follow Your Majesty in building a prosperous age and restoring the world to clarity."

The Emperor quickly rose and helped Cihang Pudu to his feet. "Rise quickly. With the aid of the Imperial Preceptor, it is as if I have received sweet rain after a long drought."

He added, "We shall initiate the plan tomorrow, after I formally appoint you as Imperial Preceptor."

"Very well," Cihang Pudu replied, nodding despite his lingering hesitations, having already given his word.

After speaking, the Emperor suddenly remembered something and asked, "There is a matter I require your counsel on."

"Your Majesty, please speak," Cihang Pudu said.

The Emperor thought of the memorials submitted to him recently. Most of those that reached his desk were trivial, inconsequential matters. But this time, a memorial from the Marquis of Wu’an had managed to reach him.

Ordinarily, the Emperor never saw memorials from officials below the sixth rank of the Great Liang Dynasty. He was surprised this one had reached him, but the content was peculiar. "I recently received a memorial from the Marquis of Wu’an and cannot make up my mind. I wish to ask for your analysis."

"What is the major event? What does it contain?" Cihang Pudu was startled; anything involving the Marquis of Wu’an was surely significant.

"Heh," the Emperor chuckled. "It is not a major event, but I find it somewhat difficult to comprehend."

He took an urgent, eight-hundred-mile express memorial from his sleeve and handed it to Cihang Pudu.

Cihang Pudu took it and saw three wax seals, along with the official seal of the Marquis of Wu’an. He knew this was an urgent dispatch, used only in dire military situations. He opened the letter and began to read.

The memorial detailed the Marquis’s campaign to quell the rebellion in Nanzhou. His troops had been blocked at the mouth of Dongting Lake by a dense fog, which he recognized as the work of the Dragon King of Dongting. Having previously encountered cultivators and dealt with the affair of his fourth son, Wang Yuanfeng, the Marquis had studied the path of cultivation and possessed some understanding of divine matters. He had devised a plan to cut the roots of the problem, hoping to use the Emperor’s authority to strip the Dragon King of Dongting of his foundations.

After reading it, Cihang Pudu said to the Emperor, "Your Majesty, although this letter speaks of deities, it contains profound implications."

"How so? Are deities not bestowed by Heaven and Earth? How can a mere imperial decree cast them down from their altars?" the Emperor asked, bewildered.

He continued, "The Marquis of Wu’an has sent thirteen urgent dispatches, requesting that I issue a decree labeling the Dragon King of Dongting an 'evil dragon.' Our dynasty has never supported nor approved of folk worship, so I am not well-versed in these matters."

Cihang Pudu realized that such things were known only to those in the cultivation world; commoners would have no knowledge of them. He explained, "There are acquired and innate methods of divinity. Your Majesty, as the Human Emperor, has the power to confer godhood. Divine entities that rely on the human race enjoy the destiny of the nation if recognized by the Emperor. However, if branded as 'illicit worship,' they lose their foundation and are suppressed by the destiny of the dynasty, falling into the ranks of the heretical and demonic."

"Such a thing exists?" The Emperor was astonished. He added, "Since the founding of the Great Liang Dynasty, we have governed through civil and martial administration. Martial practitioners do not believe in ghosts and gods, and those of the divine path are taught to 'not speak of strange forces and chaotic spirits.' Thus, we have kept the divine path in a state of prohibition, existing only in folk traditions. We did not destroy it completely like the previous dynasty, for fear of a backlash, choosing instead to suppress it in the shadows."

Cihang Pudu nodded. He understood the history of the previous dynasty. As a demon, he had lived for nearly a thousand years. The previous dynasty had fallen precisely because it pursued a strategy of exterminating the gods. At that time, humans and gods ruled together. Though humanity was strong, the power of the divine was not to be underestimated. It triggered a full-scale counterattack from the divine realm, resulting in mutual destruction, which allowed the Great Liang Dynasty to rise.

But for the current sovereign to use the issue of the divine path as a political tool was a matter worth careful consideration. He said, "What is Your Majesty’s intent? Do you intend to grant or deny the Marquis of Wu’an’s request?"

The Emperor smiled and said, "There are advantages and disadvantages to both. I cannot make up my mind, and I am not well-versed in divine affairs, which is why I brought this to you. I hope you can help me analyze the pros and cons."

"I am willing to share your burdens, Your Majesty." Having agreed to serve the Emperor, Cihang Pudu adopted a professional attitude. "While this method seems like an absurd divine technique, it shows that the Marquis of Wu’an is no simple man. He possesses significant knowledge of the divine, and perhaps even of cultivation itself."

"Why do you say that?" the Emperor was shocked. Although the Marquis was instrumental in his rise to power, this had also made him deep-rooted and difficult to shake. Even though he had used his sons to slowly erode the strength of the Marquis’s Shenfeng Battalion, it had not weakened the Marquis’s power; instead, it had caused soldiers to lose faith and nurtured sons who harbored ambitions for the throne.

He had truly become a lonely man, which was why he had turned to alchemy. Even without much real power, his fear of the Marquis remained intense. The Marquis alone was equivalent to everyone else in Shengjing combined.

Seeing the Emperor’s reaction, Cihang Pudu knew he was struggling to accept this, but he replied truthfully, "These techniques are passed down only among cultivators. Even if ordinary people know of them, it is only a superficial understanding. Only one with a profound knowledge of the divine path could devise such a strategy."

He hesitated, then continued, "From this, it can be judged that the Marquis of Wu’an has cultivators in his circle, or perhaps, the Marquis himself is a practitioner."

The Emperor had harbored similar suspicions, and now that it was confirmed, he had an epiphany. "That is not impossible," he said. "The Marquis is one of the few human-immortal martial artists in the Great Liang Dynasty. It is not impossible for him to have had contact with those on the path of immortality."