ALL NOVEL Chapter 40: Sudden Changes
"So it is Grand Preceptor Wang Guan, I have long admired your great name." Lu Yu bowed his hands to Wang Guan.
"May I ask, Sir, why exactly have I come here?" Wang Guan, seeing that the Scholar carried an extraordinary demeanor and an indescribable air of carefree ease, thought he must be a person of high standing and therefore posed the question.
"This place is the site of my divine enthronement, you may call it the Altar of Deification. That list hanging there is the Earth Ranking, and the Grand Preceptor's name is already upon it." Having said this, Lu Yu went on to explain everything about the City God, which made Wang Guan's eyes light up.
"I've lived such a long life in folly and like to think I've done some good for the country and the people. However, when compared to the grand gestures of the various Yamas and Empress Hou Tu in the Underworld, it's like comparing a grain of rice with the bright moon.
To carve a new path for all beings under heaven, to make yin and yang orderly, life and death governed—how could I miss out on such an illustrious event?" Wang Guan was that traditional breed of scholar, with a simple love for the people. Knowing the benefits the City God would bring to all beings in the three realms, he naturally would not refuse.
It wasn't longevity he sought, but the well-being of the millions.
"You should enter the ranking, otherwise your soul form will grow weaker by the day." Shi Qingfeng, as Mountain God and the custodian of this Altar of Deification, guided Wang Guan.
"Sir, I have an impolite request. After all, the Emperor and I share a ruler-minister and teacher-student relationship. Even though it's hard to defy fate, I still wish to give him one last reminder, and I hope you will allow it." Wang Guan requested, sensing that if the Scholar before him disagreed, he would not be able to leave this place on his own.
"It's hard to defy destiny, and even if you go, it's likely to be in vain. Why waste the strength of your soul?" Lu Yu advised. This Old Grand Preceptor had his soul wounded by a strike from Su Wenji, and if he were to forcefully intrude on the dreams of the sovereign, it would only worsen his injuries, potentially harming his foundation.
"Do what we can, and leave the rest to fate!" Wang Guan said, his voice full of lament.
Lu Yu raised his hand and saw a breath of energy fly out from the Earth Ranking and land upon Wang Guan's soul form, instantly releasing an aura of profound mystery from his body.
"With this energy, you will be able to move unhindered. Resolve this karma and return quickly."
Wang Guan acknowledged and then transformed into a breeze, heading straight for Fengjing. The Yin God traveled swiftly and returned to the Imperial Palace in no time. As he prepared to enter, the fortune and destiny of the Human Path were stimulated and bore down upon him, making him feel as if a mountain weighed upon his shoulders, immobilizing him.
Then, the energy on his body flickered, and the immense weight disappeared.
Upon entering the palace, he saw the Emperor lying on the dragon bed, with Su Wenji beside him, fanning with a palm-leaf fan.
Su Wenji frowned and said to Wang Guan, who had returned, "I never thought you'd have such fortune and destiny. Why have you come back to seek revenge on me?"
"Hmph! I have nothing to say to a demoness like you. Today I am here to warn the Emperor; after today, our karma will be settled."
"That's for the best. I was only returning a favor for someone else. If there's anyone to blame, it's him for letting his greed offend those Cultivators." Su Wenji did not want to take the fall for the Cultivation Sects that hid behind the scenes. After all, the man before her was no longer what he used to be and would eventually rule as a City God overseeing yin and yang.
There might come a day when she would need his favor.
By this time, Wang Guan had calmed down. Not wishing to talk further with Su Wenji, he immediately entered the Emperor's dream.
Chen Fei sank into a deep slumber, as if he were a child once again, sitting prim and properly in the classroom of the Imperial Academy. Although he detested it, he always took great care to conceal his true thoughts for the sake of crafting a perfect image in the eyes of his teacher and his imperial father.
Mr. Wang entered the academy punctually as he always did, the only difference being that he seemed to have aged considerably, his white beard and the wrinkles on his face softened the authoritative figure he once was. It was then he realized something was amiss; Wang Guan was already dead, so this must be a dream, he couldn't help but mutter to himself.
"Your Majesty, your old subject will take leave first. Please take care, cherish your loyal ministers, distance yourself from the petty ones, and rejuvenate Great Chen." Wang Guan thought he would have many things to instruct this disciple, but when the words came to his lips, he found nothing else to say.
He simply uttered these final words and then took his leave from the dream, transforming into a breeze and flying towards Chu Yun Mountain. As he passed the peaks outside Fengjing City, he saw two Taoist priests bowing to him from the summit and couldn't help but snort coldly.
"It seems the Old Grand Preceptor has quite an issue with us!" the elder Taoist priest said with a smile.
"Being as clever as he is, he probably guessed that we had a hand in it. But now that he has severed his worldly ties, he cannot interfere in the matters of Great Chen."
"I didn't expect him to have such fortune and destiny for a long-lived position to fall into his hands so easily. It will be troublesome if a future City God holds a grudge against us."
"No matter, after all, as a god of the Underworld, he must abide by the laws of the Netherworld. Besides, our Cultivation Sects will inevitably take the lion's share of the City God's influence. There's no need to worry about him; he can't support everything on his own."
Wang Guan arrived at Chu Yun Mountain and, after bowing to Lu Yu and Shi Qingfeng, who were drinking together, he entered into the Earthly Rankings, where there exists an environment that nourishes the soul.
"It seems Lord Wang is not in high spirits!" Shi Qingfeng commented with a laugh.
Raising his cup, Lu Yu drank and said, "After all, it's the place where he struggled all his life; to watch it fall apart before his eyes must be tough to bear."
At this, Lu Yu recalled a verse from a play he heard in a past life and unwittingly hummed, "I watched him build the vermilion tower, I watched him entertain his guests, I watched his tower collapse."
"Where did you hear this rustic ditty? It's quite charming." Shi Qingfeng, having never heard such a tune, asked in surprise.
"Ha-ha, it's a secret, can't tell!" Lu Yu laughed, clinking his cup with Shi Qingfeng's while his gaze couldn't help but drift towards the sky, the scenes of his past life seeming now like distant memories.
The news of Wang Guan's death spread quickly throughout Great Chen, stirring indignation among scholars. This minister who served three emperors and was a leader in the Great Chen literary world had made such a disheartening exit, leaving everyone feeling a surreal sense of loss.
Everyone felt the Imperial Court's frailty, and those with ulterior motives began to stir. The signs of a dying nation were plainly laid out before all the people.
Meanwhile, in Zhongzhou, which had been plagued by disasters, the White Lotus Sect gathered followers and launched a rebellion. Millions of displaced people swelled the ranks, leaving Zhongzhou in disarray. The North's Black Wolf Army was ordered to suppress the rebellion in Zhongzhou.
The shadow of war now loomed over the heads of the people of Great Chen; whereas the previous power struggles had been somewhat covert, the uprising led by the White Lotus Sect had torn through the veil, laying bare the Imperial Court's weaknesses for all to see.