Liu Xie withdrew his gaze, gave his sleeve a gentle sweep, and, resting a hand on the Son of Heaven Sword at his waist, took the lead onto the stone steps up the mountain.
The assembled ministers followed close behind.
The stone steps along the route had long since been swept spotless. This ascent was not to be taken lightly; there was a great deal of ceremony to observe.
They could go neither too quickly nor too slowly. Ideally, they would reach the summit just as the sun rose and then begin the rites, signifying purple qi coming from the east and radiance shining ten thousand fathoms.
Mount Tai surpassed all the mountains beneath heaven in its grandeur, with a total of six thousand two hundred and ninety-three stone steps leading up it.
Liu Xie and his ministers had begun climbing before daybreak precisely so they could reach Jade Emperor Summit at sunrise.
His stamina went without saying. He exercised regularly, and he was in the prime of his life; climbing some stone steps was nothing to him.
Lü Bu, Zhang He, Zhang Liao, Yuan Xi, and the others were also robust men. A mere mountain ascent could hardly defeat them.
But Guo Jia, Jia Xu, and the other civil officials suffered.
Guo Jia was sickly, Jia Xu was advanced in years, and Liu Jue was still young. Before they had covered even a third of the six thousand steps, they were already panting for breath.
Yet none of them would choose to give up halfway.
What supreme honor it was to take part in the Fengshan Sacrifice! How could they abandon such glory over this little exertion?
Guo Jia in particular gritted his teeth and held on despite sweating like rain and his vision going black, slowly climbing with