Chapter 1196: Unbearable Recollection Of The Homeland

After sitting for a while, Zhao Heng slowly walked toward the window, basking in the looming moonlight and looking up at the cold moon as desolation and confusion filled his heart.

Although he was now a successor to the throne of the Great Zhou Dynasty and had a share in the forces of living beings that were more powerful than when Nan Mian was crowned king, it was highly unlikely that he would be able to succeed the Supreme Throne within his lifetime. This was firstly because Gao Lan had achieved the Summit of the Celestial Being and was only one step away from attaining the Legendary state, meaning that his future was limitless. So unless there were unforeseen circumstances that occurred, he would be able to live a very long life that Zhao Heng could not afford to wait for. Secondly, even if there was an accident and Gao Lan passed away in the midst of it, he would not be the one who ascends the throne, neither would it be Xiaomeng who was ahead of him on the line. By then, the new King of the Great Zhou Dynasty could only be the next chosen master of the Emperor’s Sword!

However, he did not think that there was going to be any miracle regarding the matter of the Emperor’s Sword choosing its master.

Therefore, the ambitions and wishes that he had held in the past would only remain as fantasies. What was the point of even holding such a position and sharing the forces of living beings if he could not have all that he desired?

He would just be muddling through life soullessly and mindlessly!

Should he just let go of the past entirely and look for a new path again?

But where would his future be?

Zhao Heng questioned himself repeatedly, but he could not come up with an answer.

After some time, as he watched the moon fall in the west, and an idea popped into his head,

“I wonder if those in Shen Du can see the same moon as I do?”

Once the thought appeared, he was suddenly overcome with nostalgia. The place that was full of memories from the past decades of his life were like scrolls of art that flashed through his head: the palace, the halls, the King of Wei’s Mansion, the streets and alleys…

It was probably time for him to go back and take a look…

Take a look at the vestiges of the past and take a trip down memory lane in search of a new path!

After making the decision, Zhao Heng went into Changle Palace as soon as the sky brightened and met with Gao Lan, saying that he had not returned to his hometown for many years and that he wished to go back to Shen Du to worship his ancestors in sudden nostalgia.

Gao Lan looked at him with an unexplainable gaze, but he did not ask further and merely nodded his head in allowance.

…

At noon, the thousands of boats that sailed along the canal were so numerous in number that their sails seemed to block even the sunlight as they surged their way through. It was indeed a picturesque sight of flourishing hustle and bustle.

Shen Du was located by the canal, standing magnificently dignified in its large size, like a gigantic beast from the Archaeozoic Era. Houses were built along the sides of the canals, structured but also lively at the same time.

“Shen Du still looks magnificent as always…” Hu Dou, the eunuch, stood at the bow of the ship, one step behind Zhao Heng. Looking at the familiar scenery, he sighed, “It is indeed a terrain of coiling dragons and crouching tigers imbued with spirits that could conquer the world.”

Zhao Heng sighed softly when he heard what Hu Dou said, it was like he was back in his teenage days.

At that point in time, Shen Du had been the center of the world that was way more developed than Changle. All businessmen and aristocrats had gathered here and with the star Kochab shining so brightly upon the city, they had been a real conquering force with King Dao and kept strong people and experts from creating trouble.

Today, although the structure remained, its force had long disappeared!

The ship stopped at the jetty and with his hands behind his back, Zhao Heng led Hu Dou through the city gate, across many years of history.

He was a Great Guru, so it was impossible for him to have a Dharmakaya Supreme protecting him along the way. Hence, he could only bring along his loyal eunuch, Hu Dou as he headed south, keeping a low profile.

After entering Shen Du, Zhao Heng paused for a while before quickly choosing a direction to head in. He did not head toward the inner city but deviated further away from it.

“My Lord, are we going to…?” Hu Dou found that the scenery around him became more and more familiar, so upon impulse, he asked the question.

Zhao Heng nodded slightly and said, “Yes, we’re going there.”

As they were talking, an enormously spacious garden appeared in front of them, containing all types of exotic flora and trees. Rivers that ran across Shen Du flowed through the garden as well, making it an absolutely stunning and beautiful view to see.

“The Jade Forest Garden…” Hu Dou murmured the name of the garden softly.

This royal garden was renowned for the Grand Banquet that was once held here. During the banquet, prominent figures like the Primitive Emperor, the Demon Emperor, and others had shown off their talent, leaving a glorious entry in the pages of history.

Yet for the Zhao family in Shen Du, the memorableness came from the hopes and disappointments represented by the Grand Banquet.

With a flash of the conveyance light, Zhao Heng and Hu Dou entered the Jade Forest Garden to see that the crooked rivers within had changed their paths, leaving some obvious traces behind along with a crystal clear pool. All around it was desolate scenery that included cracks and crevices.

Zhao Heng walked around it slowly and observed these traces closely with mixed emotions. It was their appearance that had destroyed the last chance for the Zhao family’s restoration to glory in Shen Du!

He had not felt it at the time, but it had become clearer to him in recent years. If the Grand Banquet had really been set up successfully at the time without the Legendary Celestial Ruler, Han Guang, and the mysterious figure who released the great thunder trial stirring up trouble, the Zhao family would have had someone with Dharmakaya who could have balanced the situation, helping them catch up to the fluctuating changes that came afterwards.

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It was not that Dharmakaya meant defeating Gao Lan, but with Dharmakaya, they would have been able to demonstrate their value and occupy Da Jin that covered such a wide territory in the Real World. They would not have worried about lacking alliances with influential figures and could even have expanded as time went by to compete with Gao Lan.

Unfortunately, the Zhao family in Shen Du missed this best and last chance. Now, there was nothing he could do to redeem the situation.

“If only I could go back to the past and rewrite history, how great would that be…” Zhao Heng closed his eyes as he breathed in the fresh air by the canal while images from the Grand Banquet flashed across his mind.

But there is no way to go back in time…

Beside him, Hu Dou who had also left his hometown to live in a foreign city resonated deeply, but at this moment in time, the only thing he could do was sigh.

Zhao Heng opened his eyes, looked at the inner city and sighed,

“Let’s go back to the mansion.”

The King of Wei’s Mansion was located in Duo Zi Alley that was near the imperial city and was surrounded by an atmosphere that was quiet and secluded as carriages and horses seldom passed by the area. Although the mansion had been without a master for many years, but it was still regularly cleaned by the maids. So while it felt secluded, it was clean.

Zhao Heng did not greet anyone and passed through the courtyard directly to arrive at the study room.

There were several bookshelves in the room that were filled with books. A study table was placed by the window, bathing in the glow of the afternoon sun.

Looking at the familiar scene, Zhao Heng could almost see his past self. A small figure sitting behind the table, studying hard and diligently day and night, leaving his child-like handwriting on every book.

Due to his innate physical weakness that prevented him from practicing martial arts, he had been largely ignored and looked down upon. Since he could not bear the disdain, he could only study like mad, hoping that with his knowledge, he could have the power to change his destiny.

“My Lord had already shown incredible talent even at a young age,” Hu Dou could not help commenting as though he knew what Zhao Heng was thinking about and had been pulled into the same memory as well.

That was because he had reached the point of desperation and could only bleakly grasp onto every straw that was within reach, no matter if it could save his life or not… Zhao Heng looked at the house on the left of the study room that was now empty with nothing in it.

Years ago, it had been a place of suffering for him that was filled with stoves, pots, bottles, and cans. In order to overcome his innate flaws and to cultivate his martial arts, he had searched for prescriptions from all the legendary doctors he could find and had tried numerous methods like acupuncture, medicinal sauna, medicinal hot baths, and other weird medicines and potions. He had to undergo extreme pain every time and if it was not for the experts within the mansion who protected his heart with their inner strength and the imperial doctor who was constantly on standby, he would have been dead a long time ago…

It was within this experience that he had formed his aspirations. After being treated by Samsara, he had worked hard for his ambitions step by step and had formed his own path.

That was the hardworking him, the unwilling him, the suffering him that would never give up even if he had to go through something akin to self-torture and was willing to live the life of someone dead inside for an eternity.

Zhao Heng looked at himself in the past quietly like a puppet made from clay. Unknowingly, the sun had set as time passed by and the glow of dusk danced across the sky.

He sighed again as he left the King of Wei’s Mansion and walked toward the imperial city.

After Da Jin had surrendered, Shen Du, the imperial city had fallen apart into two regions. One part of it was left for the Zhao family and another part of it as the Garrison Residence.

As soon as they got close to the Garrison Residence, a grey-haired middle-aged man came out from the Residence to greet them,

“Shen Du’s garrison soldier, Qian Qian pays his respects to King Jin.”

“Qian Qian?” Zhao Heng looked at this guru, his name sounding somewhat familiar to him.

Qian Qian laughed as he said, “My name is constantly mentioned by the public because of the Primitive Emperor, the Lord of Immorals.”

“Its you!” Zhao Heng nodded as he recalled who he was.

There were rumors that when Xiaomeng first entered Shen Du and stayed in An Tai Pavilion, there was an expert called Qian Qian who had achieved the Integration of Man and Nature that challenged him during the night. His challenge failed with a single strike but he was given advice saying that the path is under your feet. After, he had been enlightened and succeeded in defeating his internal demons. He subsequently left Shen Du and had measured his own path step by step until he had finally evolved. He was now a guru and had decided to become the Garrison soldier of Shen Du two years ago.

After greeting each other, Qian Qian led the way and brought them inside. Surrounded by the high walls of the palaces, everything looked so familiar to Zhao Heng, bringing back all his past memories.

“Garrison soldier Qian, this place brings back many past memories, so I would like to walk around the Garrison Residence,” said Zhao Heng.

Qian Qian did not refuse as he smiled and said, “As you wish, Your Highness.”

After thanking Qian Qian, Zhao Heng and Hu Dou walked into the deep ends of the Garrison Residence. It was currently the dead of night where the palace was serene and quiet, and the cold wind chilled them to their bones.

They walked slowly between the gloomy palaces. Zhao Heng had become silent for a while and Hu Dou did not dare to speak and merely accompanied Zhao Heng quietly.

Before they knew it, they were standing in front of a palace emanating gloominess and coldness.

Zhao Heng closed his eyes, exhaled and directed his acoustic voice at Hu Dou,

“After surrendering to the Great Zhou Dynasty, the King of Qin did not head to the north but instead, he tried to break through once again. Unfortunately, his attempt was in vain and since the foundations of the troops were heavily damaged to the point that recovery was impossible, he died dismally.”

The King of Qin used to struggle so helplessly and desperately.

Hu Dou suddenly felt depressed. He did not know how to answer Zhao Heng and could only follow him into the palace.

Just as they pushed the door open, they were caught by surprise because a man wearing a loose gown with big sleeves and his black hair tied up with a wooden hairpin was standing in the palace and staring at the cold moon calmly by the window.

“Devil Master!” Zhao Heng shouted.

Han Guang turned around slowly, and said with a smile,

“You are back at last.”