Fellow Daoists Again in the Next Life

Upon hearing this oath, Di Yi finally breathed a long sigh of relief.

He knew Wen Zhong's character.

If there is one person in this world whom he can trust without reservation, it must be this fellow Daoist he has known for hundreds of years.

"Well..."

"With your words, I can close my eyes in peace."

His proudest achievement in life was making Wen Zhong as a friend and having a son Zi Shou.

Now, he wants to bind the two together tightly.

Di Yi, panting, turned his gaze to Zi Shou stood silently to the side.

"Zi Shou."

"Your subject is here." Zi Shou stepped forward and knelt on one knee.

Di Yi laboriously raised his other hand and pointed to the inner corner of the bed.

The black lacquered wooden box that was extremely similar to the one that contained the Human Emperor Sword, but even more slender.

"Open it."

The Zi Shou the instruction and opened the door.

A long, golden whip lay quietly inside.

"Take it out... and give it to the Grand Tutor."

Zi Shou held the Golden Whip Golden Whip both hands and respectfully handed it to Wen Zhong.

Wen Zhong saw the whip, his pupils suddenly contracted.

"This is..."

"Fellow Daoist."

"Take the whip."

Wen Zhong's hands trembled as he solemnly accepted the heavy Golden Whip.

Di Yi looked at Wen Zhong and, with all his might, spoke slowly and deliberately.

This whip is called the "King-Beating Golden Whip".

Wen Zhong was deeply shocked.

King-Beating Golden Whip!

The weight of those four words is immense!

Di Yi stared intently at Wen Zhong, his eyes filled with a sense of entrustment.

"Wen Zhong, heed the imperial decree!"

Wen Zhong immediately knelt on the ground and raised his Golden Whip high.

"Your old minister is here!"

"Today, I bestow this whip upon you."

"He who wields this whip can strike down a tyrannical ruler above and a treacherous minister below!"

"When your Zi Shou the throne, if he is diligent in governing and loves his people, you shall use this whip to assist him, to slay demons and monsters, and to awe all around."

"If it were him..."

Di Yi glanced at Zi Shou beside him, a ruthless and resolute glint in his eyes.

"If, upon his Zi Shou the throne, he misbehaves or becomes dissolute and immoral..."

"If he betrays Human Clan... Fellow Daoist, then use this whip to discipline him severely on my behalf!"

"Don't worry about the formalities between ruler and subject, don't worry about the fact that he is my son."

"You, just wake him up!"

These words resounded like thunder in the hall.

The power to beat the king was delegated to a subject.

What incredible trust, and what incredible resolve!

Zi Shou stood to one side, his back ramrod straight.

He listened to his father's harsh dying wish, which was almost like entrusting his son to a guardian, but his face showed no dissatisfaction.

Instead, a more intense flame ignited in his eyes.

If his Zi Shou become king, he would surely be a great emperor for all time; why would he need anyone else to discipline him?

But this whip was an insurance policy left by the King for the Great Shang Dynasty, and the highest honor bestowed upon the Grand Tutor.

He was not afraid at all; on the contrary, he accepted it calmly.

With trembling hands, Wen Zhong accepted the heavy Golden Whip.

"This old minister... obeys the decree!"

Wen Zhong raised the Golden Whip high above his head, tears blurring his vision once more.

Di Yi turned to look at Zi Shou and said sternly.

"Zi Shou, did you hear that?"

Zi Shou immediately knelt before Wen Zhong and said in a deep voice:

"Your subject has heard."

"Then why don't you come over and pay your respects to the Grand Tutor?"

"From now on, the Grand Tutor's words will be my words."

"If you disobey, even if the Grand Tutor breaks your legs, I will applaud you from the afterlife!"

Zi Shou half a step back, and bowed deeply to Wen Zhong, who was holding the Golden Whip, performing the respectful gesture of a junior.

Grand Tutor.

"My father's teachings Zi Shou etched in my heart."

"In the future, you will be the Grand Tutor in the imperial court, my Minister of Assistance."

"As long as what the Grand Tutor says is for the sake of the Great Shang Dynasty and for the sake of the Human Clan, I will obey without question!"

Wen Zhong felt a surge of hot blood in his chest.

He Zi Shou up with one hand, gripped the Golden Whip tightly with the other, and said in a deep voice.

"Your Highness is too kind."

"This old minister will dedicate himself to the cause until his dying breath!"

With this King-Beating Golden Whip, and with these words of entrusting his son to someone else, he was able to achieve his goal.

The foundation of the Great Shang Dynasty's empire is as solid as an iron barrel!

Di Yi watched this scene with a look of satisfaction in his eyes.

The matter is settled.

His heart, which had been hanging in suspense, could finally be put at ease.

"Go... and bring Bi Gan and Shang Rong in too."

Di Yi's voice grew weaker and weaker, as if it might be swallowed by the darkness at any moment.

A moment later.

The two veteran ministers, Bi Gan and Shang Rong, rushed over. As soon as they entered the hall, they saw what Di Yi looked like.

She let out a cry of grief and collapsed before the bed.

"Your the King!"

"My the King!"

Di Yi looked at these two old ministers who had served him his whole life, his eyes filled with reluctance.

Don't cry...

"I... am leaving..."

Listen carefully.

"Literature has its Shang Rong, Bi Gan, who brought peace and stability to the country and comforted the people."

"Wu Wen Zhong, suppressed the Four Barbarians and swept away demons."

"Zi Shou... you must trust them, employ them, and not let loyal ministers lose heart."

Zi Shou nodded heavily, his eyes red-rimmed.

"Your subject will remember!"

Di Yi, clinging to the last vestiges of his clarity, scanned the group of people with his gaze.

"You... must also protect Zi Shou."

"This child... is ambitious and has a strong destiny."

"But he... is Human Clan's hope."

"Don't let him... go astray..."

"You must cooperate with the Grand Tutor... and diligently assist Zi Shou..."

"This Great Shang Dynasty... is now in your hands..."

Shang Rong and Bi Gan kowtowed vigorously and solemnly replied.

"Your the King, rest assured!"

"We, your subjects... swear to serve the new king to the death, devoting ourselves entirely to his service until our last breath!"

"Your Highness, we are determined to assist you in creating a prosperous era and live up to Your the King's trust!"

"Zi Shou..."

Di Yi called out for the last time.

Zi Shou rushed forward, grasped the hand that was already turning cold, and his voice choked with emotion.

"Father..."

"Remember... what I said..."

"To be... a true... Human Emperor..."

The light in Di Yi's eyes began to dim little by little.

He looked up at the dark ceiling above him, as if he could see the endless sky through the thick wooden planks.

He saw his ancestors beckoning to him.

I saw myself in my youth, the one who dreamed of traveling the world with a sword.

"Fellow Daoist..."

He murmured one last time, in a voice only Wen Zhong could hear.

"If there is an afterlife... let us meet again... and discuss the Way..."

The sound stopped abruptly.

The hand that had been gripping Wen Zhong's arm slipped limply and slammed heavily against the edge of the bed.

Di Yi's eyes remained open, but all their light had vanished, frozen in that last glimmer of hope.

Emperor Yi, the Shang Dynasty king, passed away.

Wen Zhong slowly raised his head, looking at the lifeless face, and two streams of hot tears slid down his cheeks.

"Fellow Daoist... may you rest in peace."

The bedchamber fell into a deathly silence.

A moment later.

"Your the King --!!!"

"Father--!!!"

A mournful cry pierced the night sky above Chaoge City.

The bell rang.

One, two, three...

Nine tolls of the death knell, and the whole nation mourns.

Zi Shou knelt before the bed, his head bowed, tears silently dripping onto the floor.

But from an angle where no one can see it.

Deep between his brows was the seal personally placed by Empress Pingxin.

With the fall of the old generation of Human Emperor, and the beginning of the handover of the Human Emperor's Luck.

A tiny crack appeared.

A vast and ancient memory, like a tidal wave, is gathering momentum, waiting for the decisive moment.