Martial Cultivator

”Great General, we’ve arrived.”

The carriage quickly arrived in front of the imperial city, and Xu Ansheng gently pulled the reins, bringing the carriage to a slow stop.

The Great General stepped out of the carriage, and waiting for him was not someone else, but Li Heng.

This was Li Heng, the chief steward of the inner-palace, His Majesty the Emperor’s most trusted eunuch, personally waiting here for the Great General.

Upon seeing the Great General, Li Heng smiled slightly and said softly, ”Before the ceremony, His Majesty has a few words he wishes to speak with Great General.”

The Great General nodded. After the monarch and subject parted this time, they would not meet again. Wanting to have a conversation at this moment was reasonable.

Li Heng led the Great General forward, and soon they arrived at the White Dew Garden.

The Great Liang Emperor, dressed in imperial robes, was waiting there.

Just as the Great General was about to bow, the Emperor’s voice quickly sounded, ”Today, we are not monarch and subject. No need for formalities.”

The Great General did not say anything and just straightened his body slightly.

The Great Liang Emperor turned around and said, ”Before Ning Ping left, We also met him here.”

The Great General smiled but remained silent.

The Great Liang Emperor said, ”Although you and Us are monarch and subject, our meetings over these years have been limited, and there can’t be said to be much camaraderie. Many have even suggested that We should replace you as the Great General of the Northern Frontier after ascending the throne. But We never acted on it. As for these past years, many in the court have submitted reports, accusing you of having too much influence in the Northern Frontier, saying that the soldiers in the Northern Frontier only recognize Great General and not Us. We have heard such talk far too often over the years.”

The Great General chuckled, ”A bunch of impoverished scholars.”

The Great Liang Emperor also chuckled, ”But without these people, entrusting the common people of the world to us martial artists might not go so well.”

The Great General nodded, ”This subject also admits that.”

The Great Liang Emperor smiled, ”So when We hear such nonsense, at most, it’s just irksome to Us, and We didn’t send it to the Northern Frontier to annoy you.”

The Great General laughed, ”Thank goodness it’s Your Majesty. If it were someone else, this subject might have been demoted from this position long ago.”

The Great Liang Emperor dismissed it with a smile.

After a moment of silence, the Great General suddenly asked, ”Will Your Majesty be visiting the Northern Frontier frequently in the future?”

This was something that the entire Great Liang would want to know, but no one would dare to ask so openly in front of the Great Liang Emperor.

The Great Liang Emperor nodded, grunting in agreement without hiding anything.

”In that case, do remember to take care of your health. Your Majesty”

The Great General knew that advising would not sway this Emperor, so he only said this one sincere sentence.

The Great Liang Emperor did not speak, as if these two strongest martial artists in the world had originally intended to speak some heartfelt words, but now it seemed unnecessary.

The Great General spoke softly, ”It’s Great Liang’s fortune to have Your Majesty.”

The Great Liang Emperor said, ”We wish to live a bit longer, and you too, to finish all the unfinished business.”

His words did not quite make sense, but the Great General understood.

”This subject is old and can’t accompany Your Majesty on the road ahead anymore.”

The Great General chuckled self-deprecatingly, and his previously neatly combed hair seemed to have scattered inexplicably.

The Great Liang Emperor originally wanted to call for palace maids to redo the Great General’s hair, but the Great General waved it off, saying, ”Old is old, let it be. Whether it’s dignified or not, who dares to say that this Great General is not dignified?”

The Great Liang Emperor smiled, expressing his agreement.

The officials had been waiting in the square for quite some time. The square, which had been destroyed by Chen Chao and Lu Chu before, had been repaired day and night by artisans from the Ministry of Works over the past few days. Now it was restored to its original state. However, as Chen Chao stood in the line of court officials, looking at the square, he could not help but feel moved.

But at this moment, when he was lost in thought, the eyes of many court officials fell on him. More specifically, their gazes fell on the saber hanging at his waist.

Today was the ceremony to bid farewell to the Great General; still a very formal occasion. Only he alone, a young martial artist, had the special right to carry a saber.

Hence, who would everyone look at if not him?

Some court officials even felt quite annoyed with Chen Chao: You, a young junior military official, even if you have been granted the right to bear arms by His Majesty, on such an occasion, at the ceremony to bid farewell to the Great General, you should show restraint. You should not have brought a saber so blatantly. Why don’t you understand this principle? Yet you insist on bringing a saber into the palace?

Chen Chao did not care about these matters. Even if he knew what the court officials were thinking, he probably would not care either. As long as it was allowed, he was destined to be inseparable from his broken saber. Whether he had a saber at his waist or not, it always gave him a different feeling. Without a saber by his side, he always felt uneasy in his heart.

While the Great General had yet to appear and the Great Liang Emperor had not arrived either, Song Lian took a few steps back and approached Chen Chao, asking in a low voice, ”I heard that you went to the Great General’s mansion a few days ago?”

Hearing Song Lian’s inquiry, Chen Chao returned to his senses and nodded, saying, ”Didn’t this lowly official inform Your Excellency about the fact that the Great General invited this lowly official?”

Song Lian looked speechless and said somewhat impatiently, ”Why would the Great General want to meet you? Did you secretly give him a lavish gift?”

Chen Chao felt a bit helpless. ”Your Excellency, do you think I’m someone who has lavish gifts?”

Song Lian had a serious look and nodded. ”I think you do.”

Chen Chao rolled his eyes and said bluntly, ”There was nothing much. But, the Great General wanted to guide a junior, so he gave some guidance in martial arts to this lowly official.”

Hearing this, Song Lian furrowed his brows and gritted his teeth, ”What the hell did you say?”

Chen Chao had an innocent look.

Song Lian took a deep breath and cursed under his breath, ”How the hell did you get so lucky, you brat?!”

Chen Chao did not say anything, but he thought that if he mentioned that the Lord Warden Commander had even imparted him his insights on martial arts, Song Lian would probably be consumed with jealousy.

Song Lian said in a low voice, ”What did the Great General say? Can you tell me...”

Before Song Lian could finish, Chen Chao nodded and said, ”Of course I can, but it’ll cost you extra!”

Song Lian chuckled and scolded, ”You little punk.”

Before Chen Chao could say anything else, there was some movement nearby. Song Lian looked up, immediately walked ahead, and returned to his designated spot.

On the square, the court officials all looked forward, waiting for the arrival of His Majesty the Emperor. However, they were surprised to see the Emperor and the Great General walking side by side. This sight startled everyone. While they had thought the previous courtesies were excessive, they could not say much due to His Majesty’s decree. But now, seeing the Great General walking shoulder to shoulder with the Emperor, disregarding the etiquette between ruler and subject, many court officials felt it was inappropriate.

The expressions of many civil officials changed at this moment, but they quickly composed themselves, not daring to show anything.

As for the military officials, apart from admiration in their eyes, there was nothing else.

When the two appeared in front of the main hall, His Majesty the Emperor stood still, and the Great General slowly straightened his body, descended the steps, and finally stood in the middle of the court officials.

Li Heng held the imperial decree and began to read aloud. It was not a reward but a recounting of the Great General’s lifetime achievements to all the court officials present. After finishing, His Majesty the Emperor looked at the white-haired Great General before him and said calmly, ”On behalf of the people of this world, civil and military officials, We thank you for your decades of guarding the Northern Frontier.”

It was another unexpected scene for the court officials. But as His Majesty finished speaking, the Premier spoke first, saying, ”Thank you, Great General!”

Following his lead, regardless of their willingness, the court officials also spoke up, and the square echoed with the words ”Thank you, Great General.”

The Great General was silent, simply giving His Majesty the Emperor a deep look before slowly turning around and walking forward.

The Great Liang Emperor stood in place, watching the departing figure of the Great General in silence.

Thus, this monarch and subject pair parted ways.

The Great General left the square, followed by a procession of civil and military officials. His Majesty the Emperor did not need to leave the palace, but they had to accompany the Great General to the city gate, watch him leave the Divine Capital, truly retiring to his hometown.

Chen Chao followed along with the officials, his view gradually obscured by the crowd, making it difficult to see the Great General’s figure.

Suddenly, all the officials stopped.

The reason was because the Great General suddenly stopped.

The Great General suddenly shouted, ”Commander Chen, can you send this old man off!”

His voice was loud enough for all the officials to hear.

Countless gazes then fell upon this young military official.

”It’s against etiquette!” A court official said softly.

But soon someone else said, ”Today, there have already been too many breaches of etiquette. What harm is there in one more?”

Indeed, whether was it the Great General and His Majesty the Emperor walking side by side, or the Emperor’s words afterward, they all went against etiquette. But at this moment, everyone seemed to understand the underlying message. Perhaps the reason His Majesty acted this way was to convey a message to the world: my dynasty’s martial artists are not to be looked down upon, and those who have achieved merit must be treated with respect.

Chen Chao was taken aback for a moment, then left the ranks of officials and walked towards the Great General in large strides.

Ignoring the surrounding gazes, this young military official approached the Great General’s side. This time, he did not maintain half a step behind him.

There was the precedent of His Majesty and the Great General walking side by side, and now, there was him walking side by side with the Great General.

The Great General smiled, ”After today, there may be more troubles ahead. Are you not afraid?”

Chen Chao laughed confidently, ”Since Great General has invited me, there’s no reason to refuse. This lowly official doesn’t fear trouble. This lowly official will probably have no lack of trouble in this lifetime.”

The Great General continued forward slowly, the smile on his face undiminished. ”Today’s farewell is different from our previous meeting. Today, this old man will just treat you as an outstanding young martial artist, escorting this old martial artist on his way, ensuring that this old man can leave comfortably. Rather than having all those lousy scholars behind me.”

Chen Chao nodded and said, ”There are indeed quite a few.”

The Great General said, ”This old man has never liked these guys, and after hearing His Majesty’s words, I like them even less. It’s thanks to you and His Majesty that this bunch came to send this old man off. Aren’t you two genuinely exasperating this old man?”

Chen Chao smiled bitterly and apologetically.

”Luckily, with you around, it’s still somewhat interesting.”

The Great General chuckled, ”See this official robe on me? What are your thoughts?”

Chen Chao shook his head and replied honestly, ”This lowly official hasn’t thought about these things.”

The Great General asked curiously, ”So, are you just going to look at that seat then?”

Chen Chao smiled wryly, ”Great General, don’t joke about such things.”

The Great General burst into hearty laughter, genuinely feeling a sense of liberation.

The officials behind them could not hear the conversation between the two martial artists, but the Great General’s hearty laughter was clear to everyone at this moment.

The Great General smiled, ”It doesn’t matter whether you become a military official like this old man or not. As long as you become a pure martial artist, that’s enough.”

Chen Chao nodded his head.

The two soon arrived at the city gate. The Great General who had his body straightened like a rod was now gradually stooping, his official robe dragging on the ground. Glancing at it, he chuckled self-deprecatingly, ”I’ve really grown old.”

Then, the Great General turned around, looking towards the north with a complex expression.

Chen Chao knew he was not looking at the imperial city but at the Northern Frontier, further beyond the North, towards the desolate north even beyond that, the Onan River.

Chen Chao stood silently.

The Great General turned his head, standing at the city gate. He opened his mouth but ultimately said nothing.

After a long while, the Great General expressed some annoyance, ”This official robe isn’t suitable for traveling.”

Taking a few slow steps forward, he walked alone.

Chen Chao stood behind him and called out loudly, ”Martial Artist Chen Chao, respectfully sends senior off!”

The Great General waved his hand without turning back.