Dying for the Nation

Between the Spirit Dragon's open fangs, a cloud of purple qi mist slowly condensed, like a pearl held in the dragon's mouth.

The purple qi grew increasingly dense, and the aura gradually solidified and compressed, transforming into a solid purple bead the size of a pigeon's egg.

The purple qi that had gathered in the surrounding void vanished, Spirit Dragon, with the purple bead that embodied the last bit of Fate of the Great Feng Dynasty in its mouth, turned its head to look at Huaiqing on the shore.

"Call"

With a snort, it spat the bead toward Huaiqing's brow. A flash of purple light, and the purple bead scattered between Huaiqing's brows, staining her pupils and fair skin purple.

A few seconds later, the purple light faded.

"Very good!"

Huaiqing nodded slightly, flicked his sleeve, turned around, and headed towards the palace.

"Aww."

Spirit Dragon's black, button-like eyes stared at Huaiqing's retreating figure, and it let out a mournful cry.

Huaiqing, cold-hearted and hardened, neither turned back nor stopped. She returned to the imperial study, sat down behind the large table covered with yellow silk, and said calmly:

"Step back!"

The eunuchs and palace maids standing in the hall bowed and left one after another.

After everyone had left, Huaiqing spread out the letter paper, held his sleeve, personally ground the ink, dipped his brush in the ink, and wrote on the paper:

Ningyan:

After writing the two characters, I stood there for a long time, my heart filled with a thousand words, yet I didn't know how to express them.

After hesitating for a long time, she finally put pen to paper again:

"Those who gave me life do not like me, and my clan also hates my perverse actions, that a woman should become empress. Yet, I have never been ashamed of my ancestors and heaven and earth, nor of my clan and relatives; I have always been upright and honorable."

After much thought, I realize that I only wish to confide in you about what's on my mind.

"I studied the classics and practiced Martial Dao diligently because when I was young, my tutor said in the school, 'A woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent.' I have been competitive all my life, and I never backed down in fights and squabbles with Lin'an. I was naturally unconvinced by my tutor's words."

"Who says women are inferior to men? Who says women are born to stay at home embroidering? I will become a renowned talented woman in the capital, and I will write books and compile history to prove to the world that all men are worthless."

"As I grew older, the youthful ambition faded with time. However, after ten years of diligent study, I became learned and wanted to emulate the Confucian Sage in educating the world, the Sub-Sage in establishing a school of thought, and the Emperor Gaozu in making great achievements."

"But my womanhood bound me tightly, so I had no choice but to endure it and delay getting married. I secretly paid attention to the court and cultivated my confidants. Before I met you, I often thought that in a few years, when I lost my ambition, I would get married."

"Initially, I showed you many favors out of appreciation and a desire to cultivate you. Your rivalry with Lin'an was simply a matter of habit and your domineering nature."

Later, I gradually came to admire you and couldn't extricate myself from it, but I was still unwilling to face my heart and unwilling to admit defeat. I stubbornly told myself that what I wanted was one man for life and one woman, and I would never share a husband with other women.

"Unexpectedly, that brat from Lin'an beat me to it. She's been furious about it in private and has even targeted Consort Dowager Consort Chen because of it. I haven't voiced these thoughts before, but I'm not afraid to tell you now."

Although we are not husband and wife in name, we are husband and wife in reality, and I have no regrets in this life.

"With the emergence of the Shaman God, the Nine Provinces are in imminent danger. At this critical juncture for the survival of the Great Feng, I, as the ruler of the nation, must shoulder the responsibility. The Son of Heaven guards the nation's gates, and the monarch dies for the state; this is the proper course of action."

"I will share this world with you."

"I have never been willful in my life, this is the only time, and the last time."

"When you have quelled the great calamity and brought peace to the world, do not forget to inform me during the spring sacrifice, and I will rest in peace with a smile in my grave."

"Huaiqing's Last Words!"

The area bordering Yuzhou and Jianzhou.

Rolling black clouds surged into the sky, obscuring the blue sky and the rising sun. The world seemed to be split in two: one side was dark and terrifying, with an endless army of Walking Corpse surging in like a tidal wave; the other side was sunny, with people fleeing in panic all over the mountains and fields.

They were like a swarm of ants who had lost their leader; though numerous, they were scattered and disorganized, only knowing how to flee for their lives in a panic.

At the boundary between light and darkness, a hundred-man army escorting civilians was shrouded in shadow. The next moment, the soldiers and civilians, including their warhorses, froze. Then, the eyes of the men and beasts rolled back, their expressions numb, and they became part of the zombie horde.

"Help! Help!"

The exhausted civilians at the front, seeing this, were terrified. They screamed shrilly as they unleashed their inner strength to continue their escape.

But soon, they stopped howling, and their expressions became stiff and numb.

They too became part of the zombie horde, advancing forward along with the dark clouds.

More and more people are being turned into Walking Corpse, losing their lives without any resistance. Under the influence of the Transcendent Rank, there is no essential difference between humans and ants.

As Chu Yuanzhen stood on his flying sword, an indescribable sense of sorrow and pain welled up in his heart, emotions that almost overwhelmed him.

Not long ago, the Shaman God emerged and swept across the Central Plains. He watched as armies were devoured and groups of civilians were transformed into Walking Corpse.

The escape formation was instantly disrupted, eventually turning into the scene we see today: people everywhere, disorganized and aimless, running around in a panic.

This situation is also occurring in other parts of the three states that border the Northeast.

Faced with this catastrophe, the horde of corpses that Chu Yuanzhen saw before him was only a part of it.

The three prefectures of Xiang, Jing Jiang Prefecture, and Yu were destroyed. Tens of millions of people perished in this catastrophe that devoured the Central Plains. Behind them was Jianzhou, followed by Jianzhou, and then the capital.

No war has ever been so devastating; even the Battle of Shanhai Pass only resulted in one or two million casualties.

Witnessing such a disaster firsthand was cruel for him.

Perhaps ten or twenty years from now, he will be awakened by this disaster in the middle of the night.

At this moment, Chu Yuanzhen's gaze sharpened as he was drawn to a mother and daughter in the distance. The mother and daughter were situated at the boundary between the realms of light and darkness, with endlessly expanding black clouds behind them.

The little girl fell down.

"Mom, I can't run anymore."

The seven- or eight-year-old girl was covered in sweat, her yellowish hair stuck to her face in clumps, and her lips were chapped.

Her little feet were blistered, and she ran unsteadily. After witnessing the tragic deaths of people behind her, she abandoned her and her mother and fled for her life alone.

The young mother, dressed in simple clothes, still had some strength, but not enough to carry her little girl and escape. She held her young daughter in her arms, repeating over and over:

"Mommy's with you, Mommy's with you."

She trembled with fear, her face deathly pale, yet her arms around her daughter remained incredibly firm.

"Mother, why doesn't Father want us anymore?"

Sorrow was evident on the mother's face:

"Because the monsters are coming, Dad can't protect us anymore."

The little girl's expression was different from her mother's; her face held hope and certainty as she spoke in a clear, crisp voice:

Silver Gong Xu will protect us.

Children who have been to restaurants and teahouses, watched shadow puppet shows, and listened to itinerant doctors tell stories all know Silver Gong Xu.

He is a great hero who protects the people.

At this moment, Chu Yuanzhen descended on his Sword Control, grabbed the young mother's arm, and carried the mother and daughter into the sky together. Then, he suddenly turned around and swept away.

The Shaman God did not intervene, probably because such ants were not worth His attention.

"Thank you for saving my life, chivalrous hero."

The young mother, having narrowly escaped death, hugged her daughter tightly, tears streaming down her face, and repeatedly expressed her gratitude.

However, she spoke in a dialect that Chu Yuanzhen couldn't understand, and could only understand it intuitively.

Are you Silver Gong Xu?

The little girl blinked, her face full of anticipation.

Chu Yuanzhen opened his mouth and said:

"It's me."

The little girl's face, covered in dirt and sweat, beamed with an excited and bright smile, like hope in the face of the apocalypse.

Chu Yuanzhen exhaled a breath of stale air, as if he had found solace. He then used his Sword Control to escort the mother and daughter for a distance, ensuring their safety.

The speed of the Shaman God's advance appears extremely fast to mortals, but to Transcendent experts it is actually slow, because it is not advancing meaninglessly, but rather gradually encroaching on the territory of the three states of Jing, Xiang, and Yu, refining the Mountains and Rivers Seal.

Once the Mountains and Rivers Seal is forged, the lands of the three states will belong to Him.

Afterwards, once the Great Feng Kingdom is destroyed, it can absorb the overflowing Fate between heaven and earth, contain the Mountains and Rivers Seal, and compete with the Buddha and two ancient gods Gods and Devils in the final battle.

Watching the mother and daughter flee, Chu Yuanzhen withdrew his gaze. Then, a thought struck him, and he turned around to see the Empress standing with her hands behind her back, wearing a dragon robe and a crown.

"His Majesty?"

This surprised Chu Yuanzhen, who hadn't expected Huaiqing to personally go to the front lines.

"At this rate, we should arrive in the capital in three days."

Huaiqing's tone was utterly calm. "Three days from now, Leizhou will most likely have fallen as well."

The Zhuangyuan Chu was full of bitterness.

From Leizhou to Beijing, from the Northeast to Beijing, countless lives were lost along the way.

Huaiqing continued:

"We don't know the situation overseas. He is our last hope, so delaying and waiting for his return is the only option for the Great Feng."

"Brother Chu, what do you think?"

Chu Yuanzhen hummed in agreement, but how could he delay the Shaman God? Unless another Half-Step Martial God appeared in the world.

Huaiqing smiled broadly:

"Great, we've reached an agreement."

She took out a letter and two items from her bosom and handed them to Chu Yuanzhen.

Chu Yuanzhen looked down. It was a piece of Butter Jade seal with a chipped corner, and a withered lotus petal that had been crushed into a flattened piece.

"Give them to Xu Ningyan for me," Huaiqing whispered.

Chu Yuanzhen was taken aback at first, staring intently at the Empress's stunning profile, and then he understood her resolute determination.

"No, no, Your Majesty, you shouldn't act impulsively."

Before Chu Yuanzhen could finish speaking, he was pushed away by a violent force of extreme strength and masculinity.

Huaiqing stood proudly, a dazzling golden light surging from his body. The golden light condensed into a dragon shadow, baring its fangs and claws, and letting out a silent roar towards the distant Shaman God.

The rolling black clouds in the distance stopped, and then a blurry face emerged from the Cloud, looking at Jinlong and Huaiqing from hundreds of feet away.

Huaiqing's voice was clear and resonant:

"As the ruler of the Great Feng Kingdom, I am obligated to guard the nation's borders and protect the state. Today, I carry the National Fate two-tenths of the nation's destiny to block the Shaman God at the border of Jianzhou. Chu Yuanzhen, withdraw immediately and do not disobey."

She announced her decision as if reading a royal decree.

The blurry face retreated into the clouds, and the next moment, rolling black clouds surged in, carrying an overwhelming grandeur, like the sky collapsing and mountains crumbling.

Chu Yuanzhen's eyes instantly reddened.

Just as he was about to bow and accept the order, he suddenly heard a gentle voice say:

"I have objections!"

Chu Yuanzhen and Huaiqing turned their heads at the same time, and saw a clear light rising between them, revealing Zhao Shou's figure.

"Dean?"

Chu Yuanzhen was stunned, then a look of wild joy welled up inside him. He couldn't take Huaiqing with him, but Zhao Shou could.

"Your Majesty, let me do it!"

Zhao Shou smiled and said, "If the ruler is disgraced, the subject will die; if the subject is not dead, how can I let Your Majesty risk your life?"

Before Huaiqing could refuse, he recited:

"Don't move!"

Huaiqing indeed froze on the spot, unable to move.

Zhao Shou glanced at the surging black clouds and laughed:

"Your Majesty said, 'The emperor guards the nation's gates, and the monarch dies for the state.' But Xu Ningyan also said, 'To establish a heart for heaven and earth, to Establishing Destiny for the people, to continue the lost learning of the past sages, and to usher in Peace for all generations.'"

"I believe that what Silver Gong Xu said is what a scholar should do."

What does Your Majesty think?

Huaiqing did not answer, a hint of sadness flashing in his eyes.

With a gentle wave of his hand, Zhao Shou's crimson robe detached automatically, folding himself neatly and floating in the air.

"Sigh, I haven't had enough of being an official yet."

The Great Confucian touched his official robe with reluctance, then waved it down in front of Chu Yuanzhen.

He concluded by saying:

"Your Majesty, at the end of the Great Zhou, the Great Confucian Qian Zhong sacrificed himself to destroy the National Fate the Great Zhou, which led to the Great Feng's six hundred-year reign."

"Today, I, Zhao Shou, follow the example of my predecessors and hope to bring another six hundred years of prosperity to the Great Feng."

"Your Majesty, the scholars of the Cloud Deer Academy have always been worthy of the people and the nation. Let us not allow the struggle for the succession two hundred years ago to repeat itself."

He bowed solemnly to Huaiqing.

Upon learning of the emergence of the Shaman God, he decided to follow the example of his ancestors and sacrifice himself for his country.

The "one thing" he conveyed to the Transcendent beings was to ask them to defend Leizhou to the death.

Zhao Shou straightened the Sub-Sage's Confucian Crown on his head, a flash of light appeared in his hand, and the Carving Knife materialized. The Shaman God was already approaching. The wind ruffled his beard and hair, but it could not shake his resolute expression.

As his life drew to a close, this Great Confucian recalled his lame teacher from many years ago. Despite his deep hatred for the imperial system, the teacher still emphasized "the nation" and "the people" first when instructing his students.

In my ears, I could almost hear the lame man's voice again. "Don't say that the Confucian Crown a mistake, for poetry and books will not let you down; when you are successful, serve the world; when you are unsuccessful, cultivate your own virtue."

As the paper burned, Zhao Shou shouted, "Please invite the Confucian Sage!"

In an instant, pure energy filled the universe!

Between heaven and earth, a pair of emotionless eyes manifested, and from these eyes, a hundred-foot-tall figure dressed in a Confucian robe and wearing Confucian Crown Fuxian, in a state of semi-illusion and semi-solidity.

He had one hand behind his back and the other on his lower abdomen, gazing into the distance.

The Confucian Sage's spirit turned back and waved to the golden dragon.

The golden dragon roared as it broke free from the Empress, baring its fangs and claws as it crashed into the Confucian Sage's body. Then, those emotionless eyes shone with a golden light.

Vast Righteous Qi swept across the sky, filling every corner of the space.

At this moment, it was as if the Confucian Sage had returned.

The surging dark clouds showed a noticeable pause, whether out of fear or a lingering memory of the terror of being suppressed by the Confucian Sage.

Zhao Shou rose with the wind, carrying two-tenths of the National Fate and the heroic spirit of the Confucian Sage, and crashed into the dark clouds that blotted out the sky.

On the third day of the eleventh month of the first year of Huaiqing, Zhao Shou repelled the Shaman God at the border of Jianzhou and died for his country!

P. S.: This book will be finished in three or four days, so you don't need to vote for me this month.

Also, thank you all for your monthly ticket support. I'll save the thank-you chapter for when the book is finished; it'll be in a few days. This is such a heartfelt gesture.

On a side note, I still hope everyone will consume rationally, not be swayed by rumors, and not try to create rumors themselves.

I bow in gratitude!