Chapter 26: Both Ridiculous and Respectable

Chapter 26: Both Ridiculous and Respectable

Shijia Alley, at Shao Pingping’s home.

"You only ended up with two broken legs?" Qin Yuan looked at the man who had just been carried back, filled with surprise. He had gathered clear intelligence that almost everyone who had accompanied Prince Gong on that expedition had perished.

"After my legs were crushed, I passed out on the spot. They assumed I was dead, so I managed to keep my life," Shao Pingping said, gritting his teeth against the pain.

Looking at Qin Yuan, who appeared completely unscathed, Shao Pingping recalled a piece of advice his father had once given him: "In the Left History Institute, Qin Yuan is the most shrewd. Whatever he does, just follow suit." At the time, Shao Pingping had not only argued against his father but had also been filled with disdain for Qin Yuan. Now, he felt only infinite regret. If he were given another chance, he would never have followed Prince Gong to the south.

"I cannot make you stand again, but I can help alleviate your pain and preserve your life," Qin Yuan said. Although Qin Yuan possessed over thirty years of internal energy, he lacked the methods of an immortal practitioner to heal injuries. He blamed the world for this; if it were a martial arts world, it had things martial arts shouldn't have, and if it were a cultivation world, the immortals were nowhere to be found, relegated entirely to mythology.

"Preserving my life is enough. I trouble you, Uncle Qin."

Qin Yuan stepped forward, removed the bandages from Shao Pingping’s legs, and tore away the trouser legs, revealing two horribly swollen, blackened limbs. Had this been his past life, survival without amputation would have been impossible. Qin Yuan pretended to reach into a nearby box for anesthetic, though in reality, he was retrieving it from his energy reservoir, sprinkling it onto Shao Pingping’s wounded legs.

After a short wait, Shao Pingping exclaimed in surprise, "What is this? I have no feeling at all; it’s completely numb." If he couldn't see them with his own eyes, he would have thought his legs were gone.

"Anesthetic." Over the years, besides mastering the art of disguise, Qin Yuan had also learned the way of poisons. Preparing a high-grade anesthetic was second nature to him.

"I am starting now." Using his hand as a blade, he sliced through the skin and began carefully removing the bone fragments one by one. His spiritual sense was not particularly strong, but it was more than enough to locate the shards. It didn't take long to extract all the fragments, drain the stagnant blood, channel a bit of internal energy to knit the fractured tendons, apply medicinal powder to accelerate healing, and finally re-bandage the wounds.

"Done."

"That fast?" Shao Pingping felt a sense of unreality. The entire process had taken Qin Yuan less than an hour.

Half a month later, in mid-November of the first year of the Longxuan era, Wei Ting arrived at Beijing Prefecture directly from his ancestral home, took command of the fifty-thousand-strong army, and launched an offensive against the Beijing insurgent army. Just as the insurgents were on the verge of collapse, he ordered the attack to cease and sent envoys to sue for peace. Simultaneously, he dispatched messengers to the capital, demanding that the imperial court negotiate a peace with the sixteen self-governing southern prefectures, effectively turning the monarch into a figurehead.

"Wei Ting is a master of boiling a frog in warm water. First a figurehead monarch, and in a while, it will be a direct abdication." During this time, Qin Yuan had learned more news from merchants arriving from the south. The gentry had long since obtained the secret arts of the Western sea nations and now possessed tens of thousands of expert eunuchs. Aside from a lack of unity, their strength already surpassed that of the imperial court. As long as Wei Ting wasn't a fool, he would certainly continue to push his advantage.

"For me, improving my ability to protect my path is what matters most." Qin Yuan buried himself in further strengthening his spiritual sense and the Indestructible Vajra Divine Art. Perhaps because his spiritual sense had just been reinforced, progress was somewhat slow, so he shifted his focus to the Vajra Divine Art.

"Black Widow." Qin Yuan produced a hideous-looking giant spider. This Black Widow had cost him a significant amount of silver; it was a poison among poisons. "This is the benefit of living in the mundane world. If I had to search for this myself, it would take an eternity."

*Bang!* Qin Yuan crushed the Black Widow with his bare hand. Green venom trickled down his palm. As the lethal toxin entered his body, his golden film glowed brilliantly. After a long while, the toxin was absorbed as medicinal power to strengthen the golden film. As time passed, one venomous creature after another vanished, and Qin Yuan’s golden film grew ever stronger. If there were a progress bar, it would already exceed twenty percent.

During Qin Yuan’s period of secluded cultivation, the world outside underwent the changes he had anticipated. After two months of negotiations between the north and south, the result was clear: Emperor Longxuan would abdicate, and Wei Ting would serve as the administrator. When the news reached the capital, it was naturally rejected by Prince Gong and the other powerful nobles. Without the Hun Dynasty, they would be nothing; anyone could kill them then.

"If you wish to fight, then let us fight." The white-haired and bearded Prince Gong gave a defiant response.

On a gloomy night, not a breath of wind stirred, creating an extremely oppressive atmosphere. At the Left History Institute, atop the Star-Gazing Platform—the office of the Institute used the former site of the Imperial Observatory, hence the platform—Qin Yuan stood, looking toward the palace. There was going to be a good show tonight.

Soon, footsteps approached. Qin Yuan was far too familiar with the sound. Before long, Wei Tong walked up, his face taut.

"Director." Wei Tong was startled to find Qin Yuan there. "Recorder Qin is here too? Have your injuries healed completely?"

"They healed long ago," Qin Yuan replied.

"You were perfectly fine, but the moment the southern expedition was announced, you were injured. What a coincidence." Clearly, Qin Yuan’s schemes could not deceive someone as sharp as Wei Tong.

"This official does not understand what the Director is saying," Qin Yuan said, his expression unchanged. Wei Tong snorted.

Just then, countless torches appeared in the direction of the palace—thousands upon thousands of them, illuminating half of the inner city. The Imperial Guard was attacking the Imperial City.

"Your Majesty..." Wei Tong’s fists were clenched, his eyes bloodshot. Qin Yuan looked surprised. Wei Tong was Wei Ting’s younger brother; shouldn't he be happy at this moment?

"Do you also think I am in league with Wei Ting?" Wei Tong suddenly asked. It was certainly what it looked like.

"Aside from women, martial arts, and my official duties, I care for nothing else," Qin Yuan said, feigning ignorance.

"I am a scholar. I have studied the way of the sages. To eat the monarch’s grain, one should be loyal to the monarch’s cause," Wei Tong said, his emotions running high. He was a completely different person from the gentle, easy-going man he usually appeared to be.

Qin Yuan realized it instantly. Wei Tong was a civil official raised on the Confucian ideal of loyalty to the sovereign. Knowing he couldn't change anything, he had chosen to live a life of compromise. But having reached the point where he could compromise no further, his true self had emerged.

"I cannot stop Wei Ting, but I can make my own choice." Wei Tong took a step forward, a look of death in his eyes. It was dozens of meters down; Wei Tong knew no martial arts, and falling meant certain death.

Qin Yuan urged, "There is no dynasty that does not fall. There is no need to be buried with it."

"Then what was it I studied all these years?" Wei Tong muttered to himself, as if possessed.

Qin Yuan suddenly understood. Wei Tong wasn't doing this for the Emperor; he was martyring himself. Martyrdom for the Confucian path of loyalty. It was ridiculous. Yet, compared to the civil and military officials and nobles whose integrity was worth less than a prostitute’s, it was also somewhat respectable.

"My relationship with Wei Ting is actually quite distant. Even if I die, it will not implicate you."

"Director..." Qin Yuan wanted to say more, but meeting Wei Tong’s pleading eyes, he swallowed his words.

Wei Tong leaped into the void. Qin Yuan lifted his hand, then let it drop. A man who has set his heart on death cannot be saved. In the distance, the Imperial Guard had breached the Imperial City, and the screams of the dying could be heard faintly, mingled with the shouts of battle.