La vida de la gente del campo en la ciudad durante la dinastía Song

Capítulo 179

"Why are you crying?" Soku asked.

I forced a smile that was a mixture of sorrow and joy, and choked out, "I thought my senior brother was dead, I really thought he was dead... Please take me to see my senior brother, please."

Soku was taken aback, then slowly released his grip on my hand. He remained silent for a long time, looking at me with a mixture of emotion and suspicion.

At this moment, without needing to pretend, I could put on the most sincere expression. I straightened my body, knelt down deeply, and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness Soku, please take me to see my senior brother."

"What's your name?" Soku suddenly asked me out of the blue.

I paused for a moment, then quickly replied, "Lin Lan, Lin as in forest, Lan as in blue." The character "Ga" is only used in Buddhist terminology on the continent of Ishu, so it couldn't be used as a name, and I dropped it.

After I answered, Soku didn't say anything more. The room became eerily quiet for a moment, with only my own panting and heartbeat, a chaotic symphony of no quality, making me feel irritable.

"Alright, Lin Lan, you may come with me to Zidu." Soku finally spoke, his voice indifferent, it was unclear what he was thinking. "Weimu, take her downstairs to wash up and rest, don't neglect her."

The burly man called Wei Mu was startled and blurted out, "Young Master, are we going to..."

"Enough!" Soku glared at Vimu, silencing him, and sneered, "Are you the master and I am the master?"

Wei Mu lowered his eyes, adopting a respectful and submissive demeanor: "Please come with me, young lady."

I breathed a sigh of relief, almost collapsing to the ground. In the end, I had finally found a way to get to the Wind Whisper Palace.

It's so cold, so cold. I've taken another step closer to you. And you? Are you still waiting in that lonely, desolate corner, waiting to take my hand?

Chapter 33 The Ferocity of Chaos (Part 1)

And so, I set off with Soku. Along the way, I adhered to the principle of listening more and speaking less, calmly and patiently assessing the situation on the continent of Ishu over the past five years. However, Soku's first stop was not Zidu, but Qimang, a once bustling city to the east of Jinyao. Or rather, it was once a prosperous city, now a ruined city occupied by the Wind Emperor.

Soku switched to water transport the day after taking me on board. Due to the cold winter and sluggish business, there weren't many people on the boats, and I didn't have many opportunities to go out, so I heard very little news. However, even so, it was enough to turn my sigh of things changing and the world transforming into disbelief and shock.

The ship was mostly filled with merchants traveling between the kingdoms of Fengyin, Jinyao, and Huoling. This is how they described the five years I was unaware of:

The golden wasteland is cold, the fire is scorching, the wind is merciless, the mortal world is ferocious, and the flames of war rage across the sky.

The common people suffer, wives and children are separated, parents are filled with hatred, the gods are silent, what will become of this chaotic world?

These folk songs, neither poetry nor lyrics, circulated right under the noses of the emperors of the Three Kingdoms, yet they persisted despite repeated bans, demonstrating the depth of the people's resentment. Looking back on the year I left, I truly cannot imagine why the conflict between the Three Kingdoms had escalated to such a fever pitch in just five years.

The suffering of chaotic times is felt only by ordinary people. The ravages of war and the constant flames of conflict may seem like mere lamentations to the powerful, but for the common folk, it is the agony of families torn apart, hunger, and cold. For every general's victory, countless lives are lost. Even if the war ends and the world is unified, where will the souls of those who died unjustly find peace? How can the suffering of those innocent people be repaid in full?

The boat gradually entered the border of Jinyao, rounded Maocheng, and entered Qimang. I leaned against the bow, closed my eyes, and gazed at the desolate scenery on both sides of the narrow river. This was Qimang, the bountiful land I had once inspected as an imperial envoy, a prosperous city that rivaled Pingquan, the city of grain. But now, where was its prosperity and abundance?

The air was thick with the stench of death. While not exactly a scene of starvation, everyone's face bore the marks of hunger and cold; their skin was sallow and emaciated, their clothes tattered and barely covering their bodies, their eyes lifeless and devoid of spirit. Suddenly, a meat bun rolled out from nowhere, accompanied by howls like those of wild beasts. Everyone rushed forward, desperately grabbing it. Several wild dogs sprang out, biting a child's neck, drawing blood. The dogs were immediately seized by the bloodthirsty crowd, but no one paid any attention to the child lying in a pool of blood…

I couldn't bear to watch any longer, and I didn't want to go inside, so I buried my face in my arms. Even so, I could still seem to smell the strong stench of blood in the distance, and feel the burning envy and hatred in the eyes of those watching us from the riverbank. I knew the cruelty of chaotic times and the horror of war, but I never imagined it could be this terrifying.

If I were the leader, I would never allow such a situation to occur. Whether it be my own people or the subjects of other nations, they are all, after all, vibrant lives! However, this womanly compassion is the greatest obstacle to my achieving hegemony and ending the chaos. Perhaps, in upholding this principle, I have already paid the price with the lives of myself and my men.

It is obvious that the current Wind Emperor is far better than me, at least in this respect.

I buried my face in my arms and sighed. Wind Emperor... Wind Emperor! I've heard this word no less than a hundred times in the past five days. I can't imagine what kind of person could become another legendary figure, both god and demon, on the continent of Ishu in just five years after I left.

A year ago, he took over my Crimson Universe Army completely as the Wind Chant Emperor, expanding it to over 300,000 and beginning his westward expedition. True to his title, he was like a hurricane, leaving corpses strewn across the land wherever his iron cavalry went, turning the vast expanse of land crimson.

His army never used any subtle or cunning schemes; they were only fast, accurate, and ruthless, and even faster, more accurate, and more ruthless. That was a style completely different from mine—decisive, powerful, and ruthless, leaving you no time to even use tactics. If I had encountered such an opponent when attacking Fengyin back then, the outcome would have been very difficult to predict.

However, while I was interested in Emperor Feng's military style and governance, what concerned me most was his identity. Recalling the situation in the country back then, I was at least 80% certain that, apart from my subordinates and Mu Shuangshuang, Feng Yin had no generals or commanders fit to be emperors, and it was even less likely that any outsiders would interfere.

Fengyin is a nation that highly values tradition. They may be weak in war, but they are difficult to defeat in one fell swoop. The integrity of their scholars will drive them to resist relentlessly, and they will never compromise, even if it means staining the soil with blood. Therefore, although I conquered Fengyin with lightning speed, I dared not insult the court officials and the people in the slightest. I also had to find various compelling reasons for my attack so that they would genuinely accept it.

However, although this Wind Emperor was known as the Wind Demon in the other four kingdoms, he was revered by everyone in Fengyin. From the court to the common people, everyone sincerely supported him. In just three years, he forced the young Emperor Zhuo Ling to abdicate and ascended the throne of the Wind Emperor, even concentrating all military and political power in his own hands.

I once considered Qin Gui, but immediately rejected the idea. Qin Gui is intelligent, but lacks the talent to rule. It might not be difficult for him to ascend the throne, but it would be impossible for him to gain the support of the court officials and the people in just three years.

I had thought about Yi Han, but then I found it all quite amusing. Yi Han was a cold and indifferent person, possessing unparalleled martial arts skills, extraordinary talent, and a composed demeanor, yet he lacked any ambition for power or the ability to scheme and plot. Although he was the only one capable of taking over all of my forces, I absolutely could not imagine him becoming an emperor.

The last person I could think of was Liu Cenfeng, who had regained his memories. He possessed unparalleled wisdom, military genius, and the domineering presence of a ruler, as well as ruthlessness in killing. Given enough power and status, he was undoubtedly the most likely person on this continent of Yixiu to achieve hegemony. However, I couldn't believe he could become the Wind Emperor. Let alone whether the Fengyin court could tolerate him, he absolutely couldn't smoothly take over the military, political, and business forces I controlled. It wasn't that I was overconfident, but the Asura Dark Camp and the hundreds of thousands of Crimson Universe soldiers were absolutely formidable forces for Fengyin. If Liu Cenfeng couldn't swallow them whole, he would inevitably suffer a backlash, and how could he then lead them to conquer all nations and be invincible?

He had guessed the identity of almost everyone around him, both familiar and unfamiliar, but still couldn't figure out the Wind Emperor's identity. He had also tried to subtly probe the people chatting on the ship, casually mentioning the Wind Emperor's mysterious identity, but everyone's expression changed slightly and they fell silent, as if they were afraid of incurring a fatal disaster.

A mysterious emperor who has suddenly risen to power and is unstoppable; a puppet god-son whose power has been usurped by the masses; former generals who have all turned to serve the Wind Emperor; lovers and friends whose fates are unknown—this is the situation I now face. A mess that can't be messed up any further; not only am I incapable of cleaning it up, but they also won't give me the chance.

The divine child lies dormant, and the chaos of the world remains unresolved. The divine child, Chi Fei, still resides within me; he seems certain that I can end this chaos, that I am the only chosen divine child for this lifetime. The people, suffering their days in misery, seem to still cling to that one in ten thousand hope that their divine child, the once invincible Qin Luo, can save them.

But in my current state, I can't even save myself, so how can I save them? Now that I can't do anything, will I really not let down the last hope of millions of people?

Moreover, in this mortal world, what is right and what is wrong? Kindness and compassion, putting the people first, may ensure their temporary peace, but they are destined to prolong their suffering. Using chaos to quell chaos, using killing to stop killing, may cause pain in the moment, but it can end the horrific chaos in the blink of an eye.

Today, everyone thinks Qin Luoren and Feng Di are ruthless. But what about a thousand years from now? Who will truly be kind? Who can say for sure?

Chapter 33 The Cruelty of Chaos (Part 2)

"How long are you planning to stand here in the wind?" A familiar voice suddenly came from beside me.

I suddenly snapped out of my daze, looked up and saw Soku's face, still with an unpredictable and slightly gloomy expression. I forced a smile and said, "Let's go in now."

Just as I was about to turn around, he grabbed me. His fingers, short and slender, were white and soft, yet surprisingly strong, gripping my shoulder. I had no choice but to stop and raise an eyebrow at him. His expression remained unchanged as he withdrew his hand and said coldly, "These past five days you've been constantly gathering information on the ship, trying to find out about your senior brother's situation. Why don't you just come and ask me directly?"

The ship continued to move slowly forward, and finally the horrific scene and the pungent smell of blood disappeared from sight. However, the lingering scent in my heart could never be erased. I smiled silently, leaned against the ship's railing, and replied, "Your Highness's intelligence is naturally far more accurate than that of the common people, but I also know that Your Highness does not trust me. Rather than asking you about sensitive topics that might make Your Highness think I'm spying, I'd rather analyze those conflicting rumors myself."

Soku blushed, then quickly regained his composure, but his gaze towards me deepened: "Ask me anything you want to know now."

I was taken aback for a moment, then laughed and said, "You can ask me anything?"

Soku snorted and gave me a look that said "nothing's wrong." For a moment, I felt like I was back to that cold-on-the-outside-but-warm-on-the-inside, stubborn young man from a few years ago, and I couldn't help but want to tease him.

I coughed lightly to hide my laughter and asked seriously, "How come your skin is so fair? What skincare products do you usually use? Does your skin get tanned from sun exposure?"