Golden Threads

The light rain fell, ceaseless.

It struck the umbrella like tiny pearls falling on a jade plate.

Mo Fengxue held the umbrella, her expression a mixture of emotions.

"Young Master, do you truly not need me... or anyone else to accompany you to Kyoto?"

Behind Mo Fengxue, the old monk from Empty Mountain Temple, the head of the Jiang Tian Xie Family, and leaders from other factions wore varied expressions.

"No need," Lin Chao chuckled. "If you all went, you certainly wouldn't return. It would be of no help, so it's better to stay here and wait for the situation to change."

"As you command, Young Master." Mo Fengxue felt a pang of reluctance but obeyed.

The others felt the same, their hearts filled with mixed emotions.

If they went to Kyoto, they would surely die.

Was it not the same for Young Master Lin Ping going to Kyoto?

"Young Master, if you cannot defeat him, perhaps it would be wise to negotiate peace with the Azure Lord, divide the river, and give the people of the world a path forward," Qi Guangying said, his voice solemn.

In truth, another outcome remained unspoken: leaving their ancestral lands and heading overseas.

With their strength, they could still carve out kingdoms overseas.

Moreover, overseas, they would not be suppressed by the Azure Dragon Stone's fortune, nor would they fear the Azure Lord.

Of course, no one mentioned this plan.

After all, they were people of the Central Plains, tribesmen of Great Xia.

Unless absolutely necessary, they were unwilling to abandon their homeland and go far overseas.

"Young Master, I will drive your carriage," Huang Xian Yuan said, clad in armor, looking like a general.

Lin Chao smiled, "Good."

In his memory, Huang Xian Yuan was Ancestor Huang.

This emperor was not famous, but he excelled in both civil and military affairs, an underestimated ruler.

Lin Chao entered the carriage, and Zhang Daolin joined him inside. Huang Xian Yuan drove the carriage.

Lin Chao looked at Huang Xian Yuan's armor and smiled, "A minister once advised the Azure Lord that the people are water; water can carry a boat, but it can also capsize it. The Azure Lord replied that he was not a boat, but a true dragon.

If Commander Huang were to be a ruler, would he be a boat or a dragon?"

Huang Xian Yuan was taken aback, then his body began to tremble uncontrollably.

The Young Master meant...

Huang Xian Yuan suppressed the fervent thoughts in his heart, "All things in the world are born of yin and yang.

If the Azure Lord is the dragon, then the people are the origin."

The 'origin' Huang Xian Yuan spoke of was the dragon's origin.

In myths and legends, the dragon's power stemmed from its origin.

Once a dragon lost its origin, it was no different from an ordinary beast.

"Commander Huang, do you believe there are dynasties that last for ten thousand generations?"

Huang Xian Yuan answered without hesitation, "No, only dynasties that strive for ten thousand generations."

"After I go to Kyoto and kill the Azure Lord, I will seek mountains and rivers to ask the Dao and explore this world," Lin Chao said calmly, seemingly full of confidence for this journey. "Sect Master Dan Jian, perhaps I will have to trouble Commander Huang to look after it."

Huang Xian Yuan's body trembled slightly.

Was the Young Master truly a reincarnated Saint?

Huang Xian Yuan understood the Azure Lord's power firsthand.

Even with the rebel army he led being the most powerful at present, they still lacked any confidence when facing the Azure Lord.

Zhang Sheng, who had such great momentum back then, had ultimately ended in utter defeat.

"Young Master, if you do not mind, I have a daughter named Liuli. She is eight years old and could be betrothed to your younger brother, Lin Zhi," Huang Xian Yuan said, suppressing his inexpressible emotions.

Lin Chao smiled.

If he remembered correctly, the historical records described Ancestor Huang as someone who remained unfazed even when a mountain collapsed before him.

Once, Ancestor Huang was sleeping in his palace at night when a meteorite fell, smashing the palace gate.

The palace was in chaos, but Ancestor Huang slowly put on his clothes, looked at the gate damaged by the meteorite, and seemed to say, "Is that all?"

Then, he went back to sleep.

At the time, many ministers suggested Ancestor Huang move his residence elsewhere, and some ministers said he should issue a decree of self-blame. Ancestor Huang paid no heed to any of it.

Such a composed person was now speaking with a tremor in his voice before Lin Chao.

"I have no objection to this matter, but we can wait until they are older and ask for their own opinions," Lin Chao said calmly.

"Yes, Young Master," Huang Xian Yuan replied, suppressing his excited voice.

Time passed quickly, and the carriage had already reached the outskirts of the city.

Mo Fengxue and the others also followed to the outskirts.

Huang Xian Yuan looked at Lin Chao, his voice filled with an unexplainable emotion, "Young Master, I won't see you off."

Mo Fengxue and the others looked at Lin Chao, saying, "Young Master, take care!"

The carriage traveled north.

Zhang Daolin became Lin Chao's coachman.

"Young Master, Shao Qin has been pestering me, saying he wants to meet you."

"We'll see if fate allows it."

Ten days later.

Kyoto.

Today was the day the market opened, but there weren't many people, not even as many as in Beiling.

Among the market-goers, there were few commoners and mostly wealthy merchants.

The vast Kyoto seemed somewhat desolate.

Lin Chao, carrying a sword, rode his horse and entered Kyoto unimpeded.

The soldiers at the gate yawned, not even checking for travel permits.

The entire Kyoto was like a sieve full of holes.

Yet, even in this state, Kyoto remained the most impregnable city in Great Cang.

Many rebel armies had fallen outside the walls of Kyoto.

Or, they never even got to see the city walls.

Many assassins who entered Kyoto to assassinate the Azure Lord found themselves unable to move an inch within the city.

There were nobles who forcibly captured people and bled them to make blood soup.

Or they encountered unscrupulous inns that turned them into human meat buns.

The entire Kyoto was in chaos.

Lin Chao glanced towards the Imperial Palace, his gaze deepening.

A golden light lay dormant in the ground.

Countless golden threads stretched out from all directions.

Lin Chao saw that everyone had a strand of golden thread on them.

The closer they were to the Imperial Palace, the more apparent and brighter this golden thread became.

Lin Chao had seen this kind of golden thread in Beiling as well.

However, the golden threads on the people of Beiling seemed much weaker.

If one didn't look closely, they wouldn't notice them at all.

"Drawing the world's fortune to forge Great Cang's Heaven's Mandate, a skillful move."

Lin Chao's gaze was deep.

This was not something the current Great Xia could achieve.

After all, the current Great Xia, apart from some exotic treasures, was quite normal.

Lin Chao continued towards the Imperial Palace.

The Azure Lord he intended to kill was stationed within the Imperial Palace.

However, along the way, Lin Chao discovered that the Azure Lord's Heaven's Mandate had affected him.

First, a noble's son took a liking to him and wanted to capture him to keep as a pet.

Lin Chao cut him down with a single sword strike.

A short while later, the descendant of a military official demanded passage fees from Lin Chao.

Lin Chao cut him down with another sword strike.

Bricks fell from buildings, or featherless arrows dropped unexpectedly from the sky.

If it were an ordinary person, they would have likely died long ago.

"Is this the power of Heaven's Mandate?"

Heaven's Mandate subtly altered the workings of fate.

Especially in Kyoto, this alteration had become extremely powerful, with incidents happening one after another.

No wonder the Azure Lord could rest so easy.

After all, matters of Heaven's Mandate are too profound and mysterious.

With such strong destiny, the Azure Lord has nothing to fear.

On the contrary, the Azure Lord's enemies might choke on cold water or even suffocate while eating.

Lin Chao paid no mind to these things.

Lin Chao's gaze was calm as he looked at the palace ahead, "Azure Lord, I have arrived."

ps: I need to properly brew the upcoming plot, so only one update today. My sincerest apologies!