Chapter 1258: Yang Zhao Pays a Visit! (1/2)
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Bong!
At this moment, the sounds of bells and chimes came from outside Drunken Moon Pavilion. At the same time, cheering could be heard from the crowd. It was finally the time to commemorate the Buddha's birthday.
A figure stepped forward and whispered, ”Young Master, the time to offer respects to the one hundred deceased sages has come!” It was precisely the white-robed scholar who had taken Li Junxian's place behind the brushwood door, 'Li Junshan'.
Li Junxian blinked, took in a breath, and quickly turned around.
A person at his side offered a litany written in cinnabar ink.
”The heavens and earth share the same power; the ten thousand things share the same mind. To the one hundred sages above:
”We of the junior generation of the Confucian Sect, Li Junxian, Li Zhoushan, Zhang Songqin[…]are bound to inherit the great hopes of the one hundred sages, united in common cause to realize the Harmonious World envisioned by the one hundred sages, the long-cherished wish of bringing the world together and ending all wars for eternity. The path is difficult and bound to result in many sacrifices. But as long as the people will no longer be treated like grass and devoured like meat, we do not mind our bodies being crushed and our bones turned to powder!
”We swear this oath to the heavens and earth, with ghosts and gods as our witnesses!”
With the white-robed Li Junxian leading them, the Confucians raised their wine cups, their expressions serene and their eyes brimming with immense resolve.
That grandiose voice loudly resounded through the restaurant, but an invisible energy restricted it to remain within. Not even the waiter and receptionist on the first floor could hear anything. It was like they were truly in another world.
”To the sages!”
”To the sages!”
Once the litany was finished, Li Junxian raised his own cup and was the first to drain it. Soon after, all the others toasted the air and drained their cups, their faces brimming with resolve.
When the ceremony was over, the black-clothed man wearing the featureless white mask said, ”Young Master, do you need my assistance?”
He slowly walked up behind Li Junxian, the simple sword in his hand raised up. At this moment, everyone turned their eyes to Li Junxian.
The atmosphere was one of absolute solemnity!
This was the final ceremony to commemorate the deaths of the one hundred sages!
”There's no need!”
After a few moments of silence, Li Junxian shook his head and took the sword from the black-clothed man. Swish! The black headband tied around Li Junxian's head was cut in two, and then his black hair fell to the floor with what seemed like the weight of one thousand jun!
To cut one's hair was like cutting off one's head!
Now that it had begun, he could never turn back!
”Let's go!”
With a solemn expression, Li Junxian walked out of Drunken Moon Pavilion, his snow-white feet bare. The others filed out behind him.
……
The Wang Family Residence was heavily guarded.
At this moment, Wang Chong was sitting in his study, his eyes closed in thought. In front of him was the somewhat yellowed 'Map of the Continent', precisely the one that Dalun Ruozan had brought with him from Ü-Tsang. This was the most precious and only map of the world. At this time, Wang Chong had placed black markers on the locations of Ü-Tsang, the Eastern Turks, the Western Turks, the Goguryeo Empire, the Xi, the Khitans, and Arabia. He had placed three small red flags on the locations of Arabia, Ü-Tsang, and Youzhou.
”Domestic strife and foreign aggression…”
After a long while, Wang Chong opened his eyes and deeply sighed.
In this wave of political strife that had overtaken the court, Wang Chong wasn't just facing Li Junxian and the mysterious Confucian Sect that he led, but also the Great Tang's various foes along its borders. Although the Great Tang had won major victories at both Talas and Khorasan, it had also paid no small price. It was only through great difficulty that the Great Tang had reached its current situation, but internal discord had caused it all to be ruined.
Wang Chong could already imagine the beaming smiles on the faces of Ü-Tsang's Dalon Trinling, Ishbara Khagan and Duwu Sili of the Western Turks, Yeon Gaesomun of Goguryeo, and Mutasim III of Arabia. There was no doubt that they were elated by this situation, perhaps even helping it along, using the conflict between the militarists and Confucians to tear the Great Tang apart.
But this was far from Wang Chong's only concern. His eyes flitted past the Beiting Protectorate to the Turkic steppe. No one understood more keenly than he did that a Little Ice Age, an event that took place only once every few centuries, or perhaps even once a millennium, would soon sweep down from the north.
The blizzard around Khorasan that had frozen several hundred thousand people to death would pale in significance to this event. The unprecedentedly low temperatures would force all the nomadic peoples to the north of the Central Plains to unite and invade the Great Tang.
And after that, the enormous army of otherworldly invaders, who would not die even if struck in their vital organs, would descend from the heavens and bring true death to this world.
He simply had too little time to work with.
Whoosh!
Wang Chong took a brush, grabbed several sheets of paper, pressed the papers down with a paperweight, and after a few moments of silence, he began to write. Thirty minutes, an hour, two hours… even after four hours had passed, Wang Chong was still writing in his study.