Heaven Official's Blessing: Tian Guan Ci Fu (Novel) Vol. 2(49)

Stepping through the front gates, Xie Lian closed the doors behind him. Looking around, it was all as he expected, all as he remembered. The palace’s appearance and all its rooms and facilities were exactly the same as his previous Palace of Xianle. The last time he passed by, he didn’t enter. He would never have guessed that the first time he set foot in here would be due to a house arrest. Not the best sign.

But after so much excitement over the past few days, Xie Lian felt drained. He passed out immediately.

He dreamt of many things.

He seemed to be meditating with his eyes closed, and when he blinked his eyes open, he found himself sitting upright before a desk. His black robes flowed on the floor in layers around him, and on his face there was a cold, heavy mask.

When he looked down, the sight before him was a young boy sprawled over the desk. The boy appeared to be fourteen or fifteen years of age and was dressed sumptuously. His form strummed with life, but he was fast asleep all the same.

He shook his head and walked over. Bending slightly, he knocked on the desk with his knuckles. “Your Highness.”

Maybe it was because of that cold mask, but even his voice was cool. The boy woke up with a start. When he looked up and saw him, he jolted and sat upright immediately in horror.

“S-S-S-State Preceptor!!”

He said, “You fell asleep again. Transcribe Dao De Jing ten times as punishment.”

The crown prince cried out in dismay. “Shifu, please no! Why don’t you have me run ten laps around the palace as punishment instead?”

“Transcribe it twenty times. Do it now, and try to write nicely.”

The crown prince seemed to fear him, and he sat up properly to start copying. Xie Lian then sat back in his original position and continued to meditate. In truth, everyone in the palace was a little scared of him. But this estrangement, this aura of untouchable and oppressive power, was one that he cultivated intentionally.

Perhaps it was due to this crown prince’s young age, but he could never hold any such fear for long. Shortly after he started transcribing the scripture, he called out, “Shifu!”

He opened his eyes. “What is it?”

“I learned all the sword techniques you taught me last time. Isn’t it time for a new technique?” the crown prince said.

“All right. What do you want to learn?” he asked.

“I want to learn the technique you used to save me!” the crown prince exclaimed.

He contemplated for a brief moment, then said, “That move? No.”

“Why not?” the crown prince asked.

“That technique is impractical. At least, it’s not suitable for you,” he explained.

The crown prince was confused. “But isn’t it useful? Using one sword to dissolve the power of two swords! You saved me with that technique!”

It was normal for the crown prince not to understand. He said, “Your Royal Highness, let me ask you a question.”

“Go ahead!”

“There were once two people, eyes bloodshot with hunger. They started fighting, each hoping to rob the other of their food. In came a third person, and he wanted to stop the fight. Do you think words would be effective in this situation?”

“…I don’t think so? Talking would be useless. They only want food, right?”

“Correct. Because the root of the problem hasn’t been solved, no one will listen to your grand explanations. Thus, the only way this third person can stop the fight is to provide what they want. To give them food from his own purse.”

The crown prince seemed to understand but also seemed not to.

“The reasoning now is the same. You must understand that the moment a sword is unsheathed, someone will be hurt. When force is released, something must receive it.

Thus, it is wrong to say I dissolved the force of two swords. Nothing was dissolved; I absorbed their attacks. To stop an attack by hurting oneself is a foolish technique and only to be used when there are no other alternatives.

As a noble crown prince, you’ve no use for something like that.”

The crown prince continued to copy his scriptures, but he still looked contemplative a while later.

He asked, “Do you have any other questions?”

After a moment of hesitation, the crown prince said, “One thing. Shifu, if the third person didn’t have enough food, what then?”

“…”

The crown prince continued, “If both of the hungry had gotten food, but wanted more, and fought harder because of greed and sought more food from the third person, what should be done?”

“What do you think?” he asked.

The crown prince pondered and said, “I don’t know… Maybe he shouldn’t have intervened from the start.”

***

The great hall was gold. Everything was gold. Right now, however, it was awash with red.

At every golden banquet table, a person was sprawled. Their throats were slit, all tragic deaths.

The hand that gripped the sword wouldn’t stop shaking. The stately king was covered in blood, and his eyes were red, filled with pain and hate. By his feet was the dead body of the queen. With sword in hand, he took one step after another and made his way over. When the king looked up and saw him, he was supremely dumbfounded.

“State Preceptor? You…”

The sword struck with cold, cruel force.