Martial Cultivator

A horse carriage departed from the Divine Capital, seemingly ordinary and merely constructed out of ordinary wood. However, a heavy yellow cloth curtain hung in front of the carriage, thick enough that even on windy days during the journey south, it never fluttered to reveal the true face of the occupant inside the carriage.

The coachman looked equally unremarkable, dressed in coarse cloth attire and bearing a face as ordinary as could be. The silent man only seemed to know how to drive and did not speak. Over the half-month journey from the Divine Capital southward, he did not utter a single word. At meal stops, he naturally halted the carriage, fetched food from his belongings, and quietly ate alone beside the carriage. As for the interior, he never seemed to concern himself with it, leaving one to wonder if anyone was actually inside.

One day, half a month later, the carriage veered off the main road onto a small trail. By traveling through here, it could save half a day’s travel time by crossing the border into Yellow Dragon Prefecture earlier. However, this small trail, coupled with its uneven surface, made the journey even bumpier. Despite the bumpy ride, no sounds emanated from the carriage throughout the journey, maintaining an eerie silence.

All the way until the carriage crossed a wooden bridge over a small river, where locals began to gather along both sides of the path. Many paused in their tracks to look at the carriage. The coachman remained silent and just swung his whip to slow the carriage. But as the horse carriage approached these civilians, an elderly farmer who looked like he was past sixty years old suddenly dropped his hoe and charged straight towards the carriage.

The coachman’s expression remained impassive as he swung his whip. It directly struck the farmer solidly across his body with a sharp crack. The farmer’s body split in two and fell from both sides of the carriage. Simultaneously, the other civilians who were originally still watching suddenly made a move, rather than scatter.

Clearly, this was a well-planned and orchestrated ambush, targeting both the carriage and its occupant.

The coachman was silent, his brows furrowing slightly. The whip in his hand swung more frequently now. Many assassins who pounced over failed to evade the whip in his hand. Without a doubt, those assassins who were struck by the whip were all lying in pools of blood at this moment.

An hour later, the carriage rolled slowly onwards, its wheels stained with blood, leaving two long trails on the ground that took a long time to fade away.

The man who had not uttered a word throughout, spoke numbly after the carriage had traveled a considerable distance, ”There was an information leak, it was a mole.”

A voice from inside the carriage responded in a gentle and soothing tone, ”Spies are everywhere, it’s no longer a secret. The question is where this particular spy comes from. It needs thorough investigation.”

The man outside murmured, ”There might be some trouble on this journey. We might not make it to the end.”

The person inside the carriage chuckled, ”In my life, I’ve walked on thin ice, every step precarious. I’ve lived well in the most dangerous place in the world. What does it matter to me? But for you, don’t be too arrogant. Remember, there’s always someone stronger. Keep my words in mind, or you might not make it back alive.”

The man shook his head indifferently and said, ”If I die, I die. I don’t have much to live for anyway.”

Hearing this, the person inside the carriage sighed softly and said, ”You really lack that will.”

The stoic man did not speak.

……

……

The carriage left Changping Prefecture and entered Yellow Dragon Prefecture. Inside Yellow Dragon Prefecture, they faced several assassination attempts. The stoic man endured numerous battles and ended up seriously injured. Less than a few thousand miles from Sword Qi Mountain, the carriage slowed to a stop by the side of the official road. The person inside the carriage smiled and said, ”Do you really want to die here?”

The man did not speak and just coughed, some blood trickling down his lips. He wiped it away calmly and said, ”I never intended to return alive.”

The person inside the carriage chuckled, ”If you die out here, His Majesty won’t be happy. And if His Majesty isn’t pleased, you know the consequences.”

The man sighed, gently stood up, and pushed aside the yellow cloth curtain. Only then did he see the person inside: pale-faced with fair skin, not the sickly kind of pale, with even a pair of slender eyes that inclined upwards, giving off an aura of gentleness and unbiasedness.

The person dressed in ordinary silk clothing reached out to help the man up, and then stepped out of the carriage. Tossing a box from his embrace, the man caught it and asked somewhat dazedly, ”Is this the thing?”

The other person smiled and said, ”Yes, His Majesty has ordered it to be delivered to Sword Qi Mountain. If any problems occur, kill all the people who caused the problem.”

The man sighed, ”It’s been many years since I’ve heard His Majesty speak like that. Sometimes I wonder, wouldn’t we be more comfortable just hunting and drinking in the Prince’s Manor all our lives. Wouldn’t it have been more comfortable than being the emperor?”

Li Heng, who also came out from that Prince’s Manor, smiled, ”With your thoughts, it’s no wonder His Majesty always restrains you from going to the Northern Frontier. If you really went there, after a few drinks, you might even dare to find the Demon Emperor to risk your life.”

The man shook his head, ”I like drinking, but I’m not an idiot.”

Li Heng smiled but said nothing. He simply sat on the carriage, lightly picked up the whip, and gave a tug on the reins. Driving a carriage was something he had not done in many years. Back when the current emperor was not yet emperor, he was the coachman. But after His Majesty ascended the throne and became emperor, he stopped riding in carriages as frequently. He too, stopped being a coachman.

However, after many years, he still handled it with great familiarity.

Li Heng watched the scenery fall away on both sides, reflecting on the words His Majesty had said before leaving the palace, feeling vicissitudes of emotion.

The scenery under heaven, to say that it was beautiful, it was indeed beautiful. To say it was not, it was actually not nice too. Actually, whether it was beautiful or not depended on who you were with. When it was not beautiful, it was probably that you were not in the mood.

Scenery resided in the heart, and it was different for everyone.

The carriage moved slowly ahead, and several figures appeared on the road ahead.

Li Heng saw them but pretended not to.

The carriage continued as usual. Looking as it was less than several yards away from them, Li Heng sighed, ”Move aside, don’t block the way.”

Someone said with a blank expression, ”Bring out the thing.”

Li Heng looked at the person and asked, ”What?”

The person frowned, ”You know what, don’t waste time. What else can the person in the carriage do?”

Li Heng shook his head and said softly, ”What I’m saying is, what[who] do you think you are?”[1]