Orden des Roten Lotus

Kapitel 82

"Before I came here, I went to the capital and borrowed 200,000 troops from the emperor, and he agreed." The man with the jade flute said easily. "General Xu of Yingzhou and General Cheng of Tianzhou have already stationed their troops on the coast of Dongming. When I left, I told them that if I did not return within a month, they could send troops to Dongming."

ah?!

The man with the jade flute spoke so casually, yet his words were like a boulder thrown into water, creating a thousand waves!

The news was so sudden and unexpected that the heroes were speechless, staring wide-eyed.

Even Yun Wuyai was shocked.

The emperor of the dynasty is going to send troops to the Eastern Sea?!

The imperial army is about to set sail from the East Sea?!

If the imperial army really does arrive at Dongming Island, then...

The situation changed in an instant, and the heroes of the imperial court found a way to survive again.

"With the strength and military power of Dongming, it is far from being a match for the Imperial Dynasty. Therefore, let's leave it at that. And please, give up the idea of taking over the Imperial Dynasty forever." The man with the jade flute appeared relaxed, as if he were just having a casual conversation, yet every word he uttered made one's heart pound. "Otherwise, when the Imperial Dynasty's army arrives, Dongming will surely collapse in an instant, just like the North Sea five hundred years ago."

Yun Wuyai stared intently at him for a long while before asking in a deep voice, "Who are you?"

Let what he holds vanish in an instant, so that he at least knows who defeated him!

The man playing the jade flute did not answer, but said, "The past is history. Discussing right and wrong, merit and demerit, is futile. Why not look at the present? In the Eastern Sea, a kingdom has been established, and the people live in peace and happiness. Why cling to empty dreams and waste generations? Furthermore..." He looked intently at Yun Wuyai with a radiant light in his eyes, "To place one's unfulfilled desires on future generations is, in my view, nothing more than a foolish act that harms and harms descendants. One should do what one likes and is capable of doing, not what one's ancestors wanted us to do. That is just as foolish!"

Yun Wuyai was finally moved, staring blankly at the man with the jade flute.

Was this person saying these words specifically for him?

Suddenly, I felt as if the heavy burden I had carried for half my life was beginning to loosen.

"Is what you're doing now truly what you want to do?" The man with the jade flute looked at Yun Wuyai and asked him earnestly.

Those eyes weren't as alluring as Lan Qi's, but they were equally deep, yet also incredibly clear and bright, as if one could see right through them, to the sky, to the sea, to countless mountains and rivers. Under the gaze of those eyes, Yun Wuyai was momentarily dazed, and then involuntarily uttered, "One man, one cup of wine, one sword to the ends of the earth."

The man with the jade flute smiled slightly, gently twirling the flute between his fingers before putting it away, his demeanor incredibly elegant and graceful. "Let go of the past, and you can be carefree." Saying this, he turned to look behind him, "The person who can make the decision for you has arrived."

Everyone looked over and, sure enough, Mingying, Mingluo, Lan..., and Lan... walked up. Behind them was a man in a purple-red robe with a crown on his head, exuding an extraordinary aura. Behind them were many of the Ming and Lan families' subordinates, each with some scars, but none of them were serious.

The crowd roughly understood that the person in the purple-red robe was the Northern King, the ruler of the Eastern Sea.

"Your Majesty!" Qu Huailiu and Wan Ai exclaimed. Qu Huailiu did not move because he was holding the "Lan Yin Bi Yue", but Wan Ai and several Dongming experts rushed forward as soon as they saw it, only to be stopped by Ming Ying and Lan Yi with a sword.

The Northern King and Yun Wuyai exchanged a glance across the crowd.

"It seems this matter will end like this." Lan Qi turned to look at Ming Er. "Second Young Master, are you disappointed?"

Ming Er raised an eyebrow, looked at Lan Qi, and asked, "Where is Seventh Young Master?"

Lan Qi glanced at everyone and said indifferently, "Neither is true nor false."

Ming Er simply smiled.

The man with the jade flute looked at the Northern King with a smile on his face and a clear, melodious voice, and said, "The imperial army is ready to set off in Tianzhou and Yingzhou. I wonder if the Northern King is willing to fight, or if he wishes to let bygones be bygones today?"

Upon hearing this, the Northern King stared intently at Yun Wuyai. After receiving confirmation, a look of resentment instantly flashed in his eyes as he glared fiercely at the man with the jade flute.

The man playing the jade flute remained calm and asked, "What is the Northern King's opinion?"

The Northern King did not answer, but turned his gaze back to Yun Wuyai.

At that moment, however, Yun Wuyai showed no emotion whatsoever, neither sorrow nor joy, nor anger nor hatred.

The Northern King clenched his fist tightly in his sleeve. In truth, when he learned that members of the Ming and Lan families were hidden in all four cities, and when they appeared at the Northern Palace, he knew the tide had turned and this effort would be futile. But how could he accept defeat! Yet… his gaze swept around the room, and after a long pause, he sighed heavily and said, “Do I have any other choice? I cannot allow the entire population of Dongming Island to perish under the iron hooves of the imperial army.”

The man with the jade flute smiled and nodded upon hearing this. He glanced at the assembled heroes, then looked at the people on the corridor and said, "Both Dongming and the Imperial Dynasty's martial arts have paid a heavy price this time, so let's not dwell on our grudges. Dongming will remove the Gu worms from the Imperial Dynasty's members and return their weapons and tokens, while the Imperial Dynasty's martial arts will release the people of Dongming." His gaze finally settled on Ming Er and Lan Qi, "Do you agree?"

The crowd below fell silent.

Thousands of martial arts practitioners in the imperial dynasty lost their lives at the hands of Dongming; this is a deep-seated hatred.

Similarly, people from Dongming also lost their lives at the hands of the imperial court, which is a great tragedy.

But at this moment, apart from the Ming and Lan families, everyone's life is in Dongming's hands, and they will all perish in an instant.

Not only are the four cities of Dongming under the control of the Ming and Lan families, but the imperial army is also eyeing Dongming covetously.

so……

Kong, Qiu Changtian, and the others exchanged glances and then nodded.

Yun Wuyai glanced at the Northern King, then nodded slightly.

Ming Er and Lan Qi just smiled.

At this moment, they both agreed.

From the moment the Northern King finished speaking, the heroes seemed somewhat bewildered.

The days had been filled with too many ups and downs, surprises and joys. Just when they were in despair, a way out suddenly appeared. In the end, the seemingly unsolvable predicament came to a simple and light end. So, now that everything had finally settled, they felt as if they were in a dream. They couldn't tell whether they were happy or sad.

"Oh, and their antidote." The man with the jade flute pointed to Kong and the others. "The medicine is harmful; if left untreated, there's no cure."

Yun Wuya nodded slightly to Wan Ai.

Van Ay immediately went over, took out a porcelain bottle from his pocket, and gave each person a pill.

Ming Er's heart stirred as he looked at Lan Qi, only to see her shake her head slightly, indicating that it was not the right time yet.

"Alright, that concludes today's matter." The man with the jade flute smiled. "As for the rest..." His gaze turned to "Lan Yin Bi Yue" on the corridor.

After taking the medicine, the people in the corridor, though not fully recovered in a short time, were already able to walk on their own. Qi Twelve immediately got up and walked towards the man with the jade flute, his expression strange and his eyes showing excitement.

The man with the jade flute also saw it and stood quietly, as if waiting for him.

Finally, Qi Twelve walked up to the man with the jade flute. Just as everyone was wondering what was going on, he lowered his knees and knelt down in front of the man with the jade flute, saying, "It has been more than a hundred years. I am fortunate to see your face."

This action greatly shocked everyone. Who was this person who could command such great respect from the Palace Master, who treated all heroes with disdain…?

The man with the jade flute reached out to help him up. Looking at the Palace Master, who looked like a teenager but whose eyes were filled with exhaustion, he sighed softly and said, "You've all worked so hard over the years. Now that this matter is settled, you can come back with me."

Qi Shier suddenly looked up at him, his face filled with shock and unbelievable elation.

The man with the jade flute stood hand in hand with him and said, "I have come here to take 'Lan Yin Bi Yue' back. Since the Shouling Palace has no orders, you can be free."

Upon hearing that he intended to take "Lan Yin Bi Yue" away, everyone was stunned and momentarily failed to grasp the hidden meaning in his words.

"I..." Qi Shier was so excited that he choked up and could not find the words.

The man with the jade flute patted his shoulder, took something out of his sleeve, spread it in his palm, and said to Yun Wuyai, "This is returned to you. May your Dongming be prosperous for generations to come."

Yun Wuyai and the Northern King's eyes widened suddenly, both staring blankly at the object in the man's hand holding the jade flute.

It was a square piece of white jade about two inches high, with an eagle carved on the top. The eagle's eyes were inlaid with black gemstones, and it looked down proudly with its wings folded, exuding great majesty and spirit.

"It's the Imperial Seal!" the Northern King exclaimed excitedly. He strode towards the man with the jade flute. Ming Ying, Lan Qi, and the others glanced at Ming Er and Lan Qi, and after receiving a signal, did not stop him. The Northern King walked up to the man with the jade flute, took the white jade from his hand, and turned it over. He saw the four characters "Heaven-bestowed Northern Sea" engraved on the bottom of the jade. In that instant, a thousand thoughts surged in his heart, his eyes welled up, and he looked up at Yun Wuyai, choking back tears, "It really is the Imperial Seal! Wuyai, we... can finally pay homage to our ancestors and ask them to rest in peace!"

Yun Wuyai remained silent, only nodding emphatically.

The heroes were stunned and unable to react for a moment.

The man with the jade flute smiled and looked at Yun Wuyai, saying, "Please hand over 'Lan Yin Bi Yue' to me."

Before Yun Wuyai could answer, the heroes snapped to attention and loudly objected, "No way!"

"This is a sacred decree of our imperial martial arts world, how can it be given to you!"

"We came here for the sake of 'Lan Yin Bi Yue'. Thousands of us lost our lives in the Eastern Sea, how can we let them die in vain!"

"Although you have been kind to us, the holy decree must never be given to you!"

…………

The crowd below erupted in cheers, while those on the corridor stared in astonishment at the man with the jade flute, now fully aware of his identity.

The man with the jade flute looked at the clamoring crowd without getting annoyed. After a moment, he asked, "What use do you have for the 'Orchid Moon Jade'?"

The voice wasn't loud, but all the heroes heard it clearly. They all fell silent and looked at him. Before they could speak, the man with the jade flute spoke again.

"After this experience, you should all understand that there should be no eternal decrees in the world, for they are the source of all conflict and chaos. Just as the 'Mysterious Lord's Decree' of the previous dynasty brought war to the world, now the 'Orchid Moon' has caused countless heroes to lose their lives. Therefore, the emperor of the dynasty ordered the forging of the sword, and that is why I must take the 'Orchid Moon' away." The man with the jade flute slowly scanned the heroes with his eyes, which contained a kind of majesty that made people involuntarily convinced.

“Furthermore, the master of the martial arts world must be someone recognized by the entire martial arts world. So even if he uses a leaf as a token, the whole world should submit.” The man with the jade flute turned his gaze to “Lan Yin Bi Yue” and said, “‘Lan Yin Bi Yue’ was used by Bai Feng Hei Xi back then, but it is not necessary for every generation to use this item as a token. Every generation’s token should have its own symbol. Besides, this originally belonged to my family. I am just taking back an old item.”

The crowd was once again filled with surprise and doubt. After a moment, they came to their senses and stared at the man with the jade flute in disbelief.

What he meant by that was... that his identity was... a descendant of Bai Feng and Hei Xi?!

Descendants of White Wind and Black Breath!

Legendary figures who disappeared from the martial arts world more than a hundred years ago... their descendants have finally appeared!

That---

He had no choice but to reclaim "Lan Yin Bi Yue"!

Those things originally belonged to his family!

Moreover, what he said seemed to make a lot of sense...

As the heroes were shocked and pondered, the man with the jade flute slowly reached out his hand, "Please hand over 'Lan Yin Bi Yue' to me."

Yun Wuyai nodded. He had already promised to return this item to the Imperial Martial Arts World, so giving it to him now wouldn't hurt, especially since he had already returned the Eastern Sea Imperial Seal.

So Qu Huailiu, holding the "Lan Yin Bi Yue" (a type of jade flute), walked towards the man with the jade flute.

Everyone watched quietly as the "Lan Yin Bi Yue," revered as a sacred object by the martial arts world for over a century, drew closer to the man with the jade flute. It was about to return to its origin, and perhaps it would disappear from the martial arts world forever...

For a moment, everyone felt a complex mix of emotions: reluctance, disappointment, melancholy, and a sense of relief.

Qu Huailiu was only a few steps away from the man playing the jade flute, and they were almost there when a voice suddenly said, "Wait!"

Everyone was startled. Qu Huailiu stopped in his tracks, and everyone looked at Lan Qi.

Lan Qi stepped forward with a smile, looking at the man with the jade flute and said, "You say this item will no longer be used as a martial arts decree, and I agree. So this item is now just a simple jade flower, which I like very much. Would you be willing to give it to me? Or would you like to exchange it for gold or silver?"

A strange look appeared in the man's eyes as he looked at Lan Qi, then shook his head and said, "Even if it is not a sacred object of the martial world now, it cannot remain in the martial world as it was once a sacred object. That would only bring more trouble."

"Oh?" Lan Qi's emerald eyes darted around. "You insist on taking him away?"

"Of course," the man with the jade flute nodded.

"Heh..." Lan Qi chuckled charmingly, "Originally, neither being a gift from others nor buying it with gold and silver suited my personality. It's better to just take it by force!"

Before the words were finished, everyone saw a flash of purple light, followed by a soft shout from Young Master Ming: "No!"

When they looked again, they saw two figures, one in purple and one in black, locked in combat. Their movements were as swift as lightning, and their attacks never touched their clothes. In the blink of an eye, they had exchanged several blows, dazzling everyone who watched. Just as they were stunned, a muffled groan suddenly rang out, followed by a cry of surprise. Then, the purple figure flew out, while the black figure drifted away and then spun around before landing back in the same spot.

After blinking, everyone finally realized that the purple figure was Lan Qishao and the black figure was the man with the jade flute.