Great Li Martial God

”Now let us discuss the matter of the Tomb of the White Emperor. This old one would like to know, what leverage do you actually hold?”

At this point, the white-browed elder within the shrine spoke again. The Qingshan Tower’s Tower Master, standing outside the shrine, suddenly showed a faint smile and said, ”Rest assured, since I have confidence in this, I naturally have something to back it up.”

”Besides, the Tomb of the White Emperor is also the burial site of the White King. As a descendant of the Great Qi imperial house, I naturally understand that ancestor far better than any outsider, and I know a great deal of the imperial family’s secret history that outsiders have no knowledge of.”

As he said this, the Tower Master paused, then continued, ”Even so, entering the Tomb of the White Emperor is far from simple. Neither I nor the Qingshan Tower alone can accomplish it, which is precisely why I must rely on you, honored elder, and the ancient city of Jingjue’s survivors, for assistance.”

The white-browed elder, seated cross-legged at the center of the shrine, remained unmoved and spoke slowly, ”Since this is a partnership, we will naturally lend our strength. But before that, you must give this old one at least some idea of what you have.”

At those words, the Tower Master of the Qingshan Tower narrowed his eyes slightly, fixing his gaze on the white-browed elder before him, and clasped his hands behind his back, ”The specific details, I cannot reveal for now. But I can make you a promise. Within two days, I will locate the true entrance to the Tomb of the White Emperor without fail.”

At those words, the white-browed elder within the shrine opened his eyes once more, and for a moment the two of them held each other’s gaze.

Then the elder withdrew his eyes, lowering them, and asked suddenly, ”Was it you who spread the news about the White Tiger Fang?”

At those words, the smile on the Tower Master’s face gradually faded, and he asked, ”Why would the Sixth Ancestor say such a thing?”

”The White Tiger Fang, though it originally belonged to White Emperor City, has been lost for centuries, with no trace of its whereabouts ever surfacing in all this time.”

The white-browed elder within the shrine spoke evenly, ”But just as our clan was preparing our plans concerning the Tomb of the White Emperor, news of the White Tiger Fang appeared out of nowhere, and our clan even received precise information that the fang was in the hands of the Yellow Spring Tribe.”

”All of this is too much of a coincidence. Though our clan ultimately failed to obtain the White Tiger Fang, that outcome may well have served your purposes perfectly.”

The Tower Master of the Qingshan Tower fell silent for a moment, then shook his head, ”Sixth Ancestor, your reasoning is somewhat self-contradictory. If I had truly been the one to spread news of the White Tiger Fang, why would I then be unwilling for you to obtain it?”

At those words, the white-browed elder furrowed his brow slightly, ”That is precisely what puzzles this old one. To this day, I still have not worked out exactly what you intend.”

At this, the Tower Master gave a light laugh, ”Forgive my disrespect, but might it not be that you, honored elder, harbor too much suspicion, guarding yourself too heavily against others, always assuming everyone has ill intentions, when in truth you are simply overthinking this?”

The white-browed elder kept his head bowed and his eyes lowered, and without looking up said, ”This old one’s instincts have always been reliable. Even so, since you are unwilling to say, this old one will not force you. When the time comes, your true purpose will reveal itself clearly enough.”

At those words, the Tower Master of the Qingshan Tower stood where he was and said nothing further.

This Sixth Ancestor of the ancient city of Jingjue’s surviving descendants before him appeared, at this moment, like someone whose life was nearing its end, a candle flickering in the wind, and yet he still radiated an unmistakable air of confidence and composure.

Even suspecting that the Tower Master had hidden motives and was deliberately withholding information, the elder seemed entirely unconcerned, as though everything remained firmly within his grasp, showing no regard whatsoever for him or the Qingshan Tower.

At this point, the white-browed elder continued, ”This old one only asks that you remember one thing. Before absolute strength, anything hidden in the dark cannot withstand exposure to the light.”

At those words, a flicker of something crossed the Tower Master’s eyes, but he quickly composed himself and clasped his hands, ”Sixth Ancestor’s teaching, I will keep firmly in mind. If there is nothing else, I will go and attend to the matter of the Tomb of the White Emperor.”

It was clear that the Tower Master of the Qingshan Tower was not entirely certain of the true thoughts of this Sixth Ancestor of the ancient city of Jingjue’s survivors, and had already developed some inclination to retreat from the conversation.

The white-browed elder within the shrine showed no intention of stopping him, and said, ”Remember what you have just said. Find the Tomb of the White Emperor within two days, and we will act personally when the time comes.”

At those words, the Tower Master gave the cross-legged, white-browed elder at the center of the shrine one final, long look, gave a single nod without saying anything more, and vanished from the courtyard.

Not long after the Tower Master had departed, a low, gravelly, aged voice rose once more within the previously empty shrine, ”What do you intend to do with this man?”

At those words, the white-browed elder, seated on the ground, raised his head and said, ”That depends on what he chooses. This old one has already pointed him toward the path.”

At this point, another somewhat coarse and elderly voice spoke up within the shrine, ”As far as I’m concerned, the Qingshan Tower cannot be allowed to remain. Do not forget that the fall of the ancient city of Jingjue back then was inseparably connected to that Tianqi Emperor of the Great Qi dynasty.”

”These remnants of Great Qi surviving in this world are nothing but a source of calamity. They ought to be exterminated entirely.”

At those words, the entire shrine fell into silence for a moment, and finally it was the white-browed elder who spoke, ”For us, the revival of our clan is the most pressing matter at hand. Expending our efforts to deal with a group of Great Qi remnants is entirely unnecessary.”

As he said this, the white-browed elder looked toward the direction the Tower Master had departed and said, ”If he knows when to advance and when to retreat, we will naturally honor our word.”

...

At the same time, in a room somewhere within the mansion, a young man sat cross-legged, cultivating, while the Tower Master of the Qingshan Tower returned from the ancestral shrine.

”How did the discussion of the Tomb of the White Emperor go?”

The young man rose immediately to his feet and asked. The Tower Master’s expression was unreadable as he said, ”Those people are no pushovers. They have already sensed something amiss with what we are doing. This is genuinely not going to be easy to handle.”

At those words, the young man’s brow furrowed deeply, though he remained relatively composed, ”Since you have returned unharmed, Tower Master, the matter must have been settled successfully.”

The Tower Master gave a slight nod, then glanced at the young man and said, ”More or less. Even so, even if this succeeds, we will no longer be able to remain in the Western Desert going forward.”

”They intend to drive the Qingshan Tower out of the Western Desert?” The young man’s expression shifted with surprise.

”A mountain cannot hold two tigers. They wish to restore and rebuild the ancient city of Jingjue, and naturally they will not allow us remnants of Great Qi to continue existing here. This, in truth, was already something I anticipated.”

The Tower Master shook his head slowly, appearing remarkably calm at this moment, and said, ”Compared to those survivors of the ancient city of Jingjue, our own path to restoring Great Qi is likely a hundred, even a thousand times more difficult than theirs. There remains a very long road ahead of us still.”

At those words, the young man’s expression shifted slightly, and he said, ”I understand what you mean, Tower Master. Settling for a corner of safety will never bring us any chance of national restoration. The Qingshan Tower must eventually step beyond the Western Desert.”

”Besides, with Great Li now the target of every kingdom’s ambition, all the other nations are already stirring restlessly. This world under heaven will surely not remain at peace much longer, and it is only right that the Qingshan Tower should step out into the world and seize this opportunity to grow stronger.”