Luanzhuzi and the elder in the high crown walked together back into the White Jade Capital, ascending directly to the twelfth floor. On the ground sat two simple grass-woven cushions, the kind used by common folk—ordinary objects, not mystical artifacts aiding cultivators in meditation. Once seated opposite each other, the elder surnamed Lu smiled and asked, "When did you ever consult Qi Jingchun about the architectural principles of the White Jade Capital?"
Luanzhuzi chuckled and shook his head. "Never. But had I not said so, who knows whether that eccentric A-Liang would have drawn his blade and slain us all without a word."
The high-crowned elder was stunned. "Surely that's an exaggeration?"
Luanzhuzi burst into hearty laughter. "Of course I jest. A-Liang isn't that kind of man. But what I said after that wasn't a lie. Qi Jingchun indeed poured his heart into the Great Li Dynasty. He placed profound hopes in its future, and in the fate of the entire Eastern Bottle Continent. I believe A-Liang understands this in his heart as well. Otherwise, why would Qi Jingchun have built the Cliffside Academy here? Though his body remained in Great Li, he taught all scholars across the continent. Most of those who emerged from the academy have now passed on, a few still live. But all of them, as they taught the next generation, carried forth Qi Jingchun's hopes."
Luanzhuzi paused briefly before asking, "Do you truly believe that after Qi Jingchun's death, these scholars bore no resentment?"
The elder in the high crown fell silent for a moment, then replied slowly, "Given the circumstances, Great Li simply chose the lesser of two evils."
Luanzhuzi chuckled and, skimming over the topic like a dragonfly touching water, changed the subject. "To my mind, the root of today's upheaval that left us battered and bruised lies not in Great Li's campaign to assert dominance by besieging him. With A-Liang's cultivation and temperament, having once roamed the martial world of every continent, he wouldn't care for such trifles."
"I can't say what A-Liang truly thinks," the high-crowned elder sighed. "But as for what you just couldn't bring yourself to say—I'll say it for you. At the heart of it all, that man's knot lies with Qi Jingchun. Great Li, under pressure from all directions, failed to speak a single fair word for him. Then, with Qi Jingchun gone, the Cliffside Academy was disbanded—the tea cooled far too quickly. There was even a whiff of opportunism. But between you and me, we know full well that from the emperor's standpoint, this was a wise move. A lesser monarch wouldn't have even felt guilt—only considered it right and proper."
"Think about it," he added. "Our clash with A-Liang—mobilizing all of Great Li's might—must've looked to him like some low-realm cultivator flaunting bravado, ready to fight us to the death. And what's more—he seemed perfectly confident of victory."
The elder adjusted his sleeve and shifted his posture slightly with a wry smile. "The way you put it, I do feel a bit ridiculous."
Luanzhuzi laughed heartily. "If, one day, someone of some standing—like us—can reminisce about something we once did and feel awe and admiration, that would be enough."
The elder sighed, "If the thirteenth level of the White Jade Capital had been built, perhaps there'd still be hope. Now? It seems unlikely."
Luanzhuzi murmured, "I wonder which of these youths from Great Li will surprise us most in the future."
"I place my wager on Song Mu," the elder smiled.
"I'll bet on little Wang Zhu," Luanzhuzi replied with a sly grin, half-serious. "What do you think?"
The elder of the Yin-Yang Lu clan chuckled and shook his head. "One tree can stand tall, but it cannot make a forest."
Luanzhuzi also shook his head, withholding his opinion. Then he recalled something. "Didn't Qi Jingchun take on some students while in the Pearlshell Grotto-Heaven? Like Zhao Yao? I seem to recall a child surnamed Ma, contested by both the Militarists and Daoists of Eastern Bottle Continent."
The elder replied calmly, "We'll just have to wait and see. I only hope the two of us, these old bones, will live to witness the end of this chaotic age."
Maid Zhi Gui had remained on the tenth floor of the White Jade Capital all along, never stepping outside. Seizing a quiet moment, she climbed onto the windowsill, curling up and leaning sideways, gazing southward. She looked at the sky, then the southern horizon, again and again, content in the repetition.
"You always liked reasoning with ants, and even with me, you insist on preaching your lofty truths. You lived a duller life than anyone else, and your death was more tragic than anyone's. But this man, who seems to know you so well, is nothing like you. He cares for none of us—free-spirited and unfettered. Yet I still feel you're the better one. Still... being good is one thing; understanding that is enough. But to truly live in the world, one must be like this strange fellow."
The girl narrowed her golden eyes and smiled, "Hm, seems like I'm not even human, am I?"
She drifted into a trance. After a long while, she lifted a finger and gently brushed her cheek beneath her brows.
Upon the city wall, two former allies now faced each other in a tension-charged silence.
The noblewoman in palace attire shrieked, "Cui Chan! You knew that man from the start, didn't you? That's why you flung open the gates of the capital—to curry favor and let him slaughter his way to the White Jade Capital! That's treason! One death wouldn't suffice! Do you think if I fall, you'll rise? Are you mad?"
Cui Chan, the scholar in green robes, replied serenely, "Had I not lowered the city's great array, do you think anyone would've survived before the White Jade Capital? At least now, no lives were lost."
He sneered, "I know. Song Jixin has outlived his usefulness. You no longer need your other son—my brilliant pupil—to risk becoming the doomed master of the thirteenth floor. I suppose you're eager for the boy to die and be done with it."
The woman smiled with composed grace. "Oh, National Preceptor, how easily you twist the truth."
Cui Chan no longer argued and changed the topic. "The famed talisman sword in the capital, 'Talisman Script,' was originally suggested by Master Lu to serve as the keystone sword for the thirteenth floor. But Luanzhuzi found it unworthy. Moreover, to cleave the massive Dragon-Slaying Platform, two divine weapons had to be expended. The royal treasury was strained. 'Talisman Script,' praised for its tenacity, was chosen—capable, if fortune favored, of withstanding three strikes from a Sword Immortal."
The woman frowned. "What exactly are you getting at?"
Cui Chan continued, "But the Dragon-Slaying Platform was too vast. After just two strikes, the blade was riddled with cracks like porcelain from a dragon kiln—its sword essence shattered, beyond repair. Though His Majesty grieved, he held no one accountable. Then, seemingly on a whim, he bestowed the sword upon a woman named Yang Hua—your maid—and appointed her as River God of Iron Talisman River. So you lost a key aide, didn't you?"
The palace lady smiled. "Are you suggesting His Majesty was sending me a warning?"
Cui Chan sneered, "The lady is, as always, perceptive and astute."
She scoffed coldly.
Cui Chan clicked his tongue. "Perhaps consider the fate of our Five Sacred Peaks' gods…"