The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 227: Young men grow old in the martial arts world, when will the spring flowers and autumn moons end?

Murong Longcheng kept running, his figure was as fast as lightning, with only a dark shadow flickering in the air.

I don’t know how much time passed before the rain stopped, and I don’t know how much time passed before the sky became bright.

He finally stopped. The aura of alternating life and death on his body was unpredictable, as if it was out of control and completely disordered. He looked ferocious, like a Shura demon, and no longer had the appearance of a celestial being.

The events of the past flowed before my eyes one after another, Murong Yanchao, Murong Yanzhao, Murong Yanqing, Shi Jingtang, Liu Zhiyuan, Liu Chengyou, Guo Wei, Chai Rong, Zhao Da, Li Yu, Yelu Deguang, Duan Sicong, Xiao Siwen, Gao Huaide, Pan Mei...

Shanhaiguan, Yuexingtian, Shamanism, Changchun Valley, Shenjiu Palace, Kunwu Mountain, Kaifeng Wuyou Tomb...

and also……

Murong Longcheng slowly closed his eyes, and two lines of tears silently slid down.

The Murong family established the Yan State five times, namely the front, back, south, west and north, and was destroyed five times, and never rose again.

However, due to numerous wars and the establishment of five nations, their bloodlines became completely complicated and chaotic. They were originally a minority tribe of the Xianbei, with mixed family relationships. In fact, their family tree is extremely inaccurate.

Between the destruction and the establishment, although several clans all claimed to be royal descendants, in fact it was impossible to verify whether they were the true bloodlines. Each clan had its own family tree and called themselves royal descendants.

Among them, the Northern Yan emperor Murong Yun was particularly noteworthy. His original surname was Gao and he was a descendant of the Goguryeo people, not Xianbei. He was the adopted son of the Later Yan emperor Murong Bao. Later Yan was hit by a coup d'état by Feng Ba, who overthrew Murong Yun and proclaimed himself emperor, while still using the name of Yan. All of this had nothing to do with the real Xianbei Murong.

After the complete demise of the Murong Yan State, not only the royal family but also many ordinary Xianbei died in the war. Time goes by and things change over time. By the end of the Tang Dynasty, only three Murong families still claimed to be descendants of the Yan royal family.

At the beginning, the three families were all officials and generals of the Later Tang Dynasty during the Spring and Autumn Period of the Five Dynasties and Ten Kingdoms.

Among them, Murong Yanchao was successively promoted to the governor of four states during the transition between Later Tang and Later Jin. After Shi Jingtang replaced Later Tang with Later Jin and proclaimed himself emperor, Murong Yanchao's half-brother Liu Zhiyuan was suspected by the Emperor Xu of Later Jin, who raised an army in Taiyuan and established Later Han. Murong Yanchao led his troops to surrender and became a military governor.

Murong Yanzhao's father, Murong Zhang, was the governor of Kaizhou in the Later Tang Dynasty. After Liu Zhiyuan established the Later Han Dynasty and raised an army in Taiyuan, Murong Zhang and his family joined him. His son Murong Yanzhao became a disciple of the Privy Councilor Guo Wei.

His father Murong Zhaoguang was a minister during the reign of Li Siyuan, the Mingzong of Later Tang. When Shi Jingtang replaced the Tang with the Jin Dynasty, he also surrendered. Liu Zhiyuan raised an army in Taiyuan and established the Later Han Dynasty, and then he defected to the Later Han Dynasty.

From then on, the three Murong families worked together in Later Tang and Later Jin, and then together belonged to Liu Zhiyuan of Later Han.

The reason for his surrender to Liu Zhiyuan was that after the death of Shi Jingtang of the Later Jin Dynasty, his successor, his adopted son Shi Chonggui, was unable to win the support of the people. In addition, he was suspicious of the generals and could not strike a balance. During the Five Dynasties, the generals and ministers were all unruly and thus defected one after another.

The three families had extensive contacts at that time. Regardless of whether their bloodline was still confirmed after hundreds of years, they all had the surname Murong and held the Xianbei Murong ancestral tree. After tracing their roots back a long time, they naturally called each other clansmen.

During the time of Murong Yanchao, there was a saying that they were the descendants of Tuyuhun, who migrated westward from the Xianbei. However, there was also a family tree, claiming that they were of the same clan. At that time, the Murong bloodline was not prosperous, and even Tuyuhun had the same ancestor, so there was no other unnecessary consideration. They were all of the same clan, secretly preparing for the revival of Dayan.

Later, Liu Zhiyuan died and his son Liu Chengyou succeeded him, and the reign was named Qianyou.

In the first year of Qianyou, Li Shouzhen, the governor of Hezhong, Zhao Siwan, the governor of Yongxing, and Wang Jingchong, the governor of Fengxiang, successively rebelled. The imperial court sent troops to suppress them many times, but all returned without success.

At this time, the Later Han Dynasty was in turmoil, and Liu Chengyou sent the Privy Councilor Guo Wei to lead the army in person. Guo Wei defeated three families in a row, killed Li Shouzhen, and captured Zhao Siwan and Wang Jingchong, which saved the Later Han Dynasty from danger. He then moved his troops to the north and defeated the Khitan. He entered Yedu and became the governor of the Tianxiong Army. All the prefectures and counties in Hebei were under the command of Guo Wei.

At this time, Liu Chengyou was very suspicious of Guo Wei and other meritorious generals, and secretly summoned his trusted military governors to kill Guo Wei, Wang Jun, Wang Yin and other old generals of the previous dynasty.

As a result, the news leaked out, and Guo Wei used his subordinates to counter-announce the imperial decree, saying that Liu Chengyou ordered him to kill those trusted generals and then raise an army.

In the third year of Qianyou, Liu Chengyou killed all of Guo Wei's family members in Kaifeng, including Guo Wei's elders and children. At that time, the capital of the Later Han Dynasty was Kaifeng, which was called Bianzhou.

When Guo Wei learned about this, he was heartbroken and led his troops to attack Bianzhou.

At this moment, both Murong Yanchao and Murong Zhaoguang were in Kaifeng Bianzhou, while Murong Yanzhao's branch was under Guo Wei. The three parties had no choice but to communicate secretly with each other and decided to bet on both sides.

Later, Guo Wei's army was unstoppable. He led the army across the Yellow River, won a great victory at Qilipo, and went straight to Kaifeng. He pretended to support a member of the Liu clan as emperor. Then he suddenly reported the Khitan invasion to the south and led his army north. When passing through Chanzhou, the soldiers launched a mutiny. Guo Wei put on the yellow robe, returned to Kaifeng, abolished the Liu clan, and seized power.

Guo Wei proclaimed himself emperor, named the country Great Zhou, the reign title Guangshun, and established the capital in Kaifeng Bianzhou. He was known as the Taizu of Later Zhou.

Previously, Murong Yanchao was the governor of Yanzhou and was ordered to rescue Kaifeng, but he returned in defeat. After Guo Wei proclaimed himself emperor, he considered that since the Murong family had already bet on both sides, it would be better to pretend to pay tribute, secretly recruit soldiers and horses, store money and food, and contact the Northern Han established by the Liu clan in Taiyuan and the Southern Tang in the south of the Yangtze River, intending to rebel against Zhou together.

In May of the second year of Guangshun in the Later Zhou Dynasty, Emperor Taizu Guo Wei personally led an expedition to Yanzhou and refused to accept the surrender of the city. The Yanzhou army was defeated and the city was captured. Murong Yanchao and his wife jumped into a well and died.

As for the Murong Longcheng branch, when Liu Chengyou of the Later Han Dynasty captured Kaifeng City, the clansmen fled one after another and went to Yanzhou to join Murong Yanzhao.

Murong Longcheng was only in his thirties at that time. He was sent by Murong Yanchao to contact Southern Tang. As a result, Yanzhou City was broken and Murong Yanchao died. He took some of his clansmen who escaped from Yanzhou and stayed in Southern Tang. They built Chanhe Village on Taihu Lake and lived there.

And he continued to prepare for the restoration of Great Yan. Although Murong Yanchao's lineage had failed, he won by betting on both sides. Murong Yanzhao gained Guo Wei's trust and became a close official.

In the following years, Murong Longcheng traveled around the world, made friends with powerful people, and relied on his martial arts to hardly encounter any rivals.

He had been to Khitan, passed through the Qingtang River, visited the Uighur Tianshan Mountains, walked across the Tibetan snowfields, crossed the Erhai Lake in Dali, and entered the Ten Thousand Mountains in the south.

He lobbied in the Northern Han Dynasty, met the high priest of Khitan Shamanism, was a retainer in the palace of Han Xizai in the Southern Tang Dynasty, and sang to the wind and howled to the moon on the rivers and lakes.

He has been to many places, some of which are world-famous, some of which are extremely secretive.

He has been to nearly half of the seven secret places of martial arts in the world: Shanhaiguan, Yuexingtian, Changchun Valley, Shenjiu Palace, Kunwu Mountain, Shamanism, and Kaifeng Wuyou Tomb.

However, all of this was done to find opportunities and make preparations to restore the State of Yan.

He recognized many people, Li Yu, Yelu Deguang, Xiao Siwen, Prince Guanghu, Prince Mujian, Duan Sicong, Li Yiyin, Wang Zhao, Changchunzi, Monk Yuexing, Prince Xiaoyao, and her...

When he thought of her, Murong Longcheng's expression gradually calmed down, and his temperament was full of death. At this moment, standing at the foot of the mountain in the wilderness, he was like a dead tree, without any vitality at all.

As the sun gradually rose higher and reached due south, he began to move, like a corpse that had been stiff for countless years, so stiff that it seemed as if he didn't know how to move.

He walked towards the west, his figure was dreary and he no longer had that majestic aura. Instead, he looked listless, decadent and at a loss.

He walked for one hour, two hours, and three hours. The sky had gradually darkened. He came to a small river. The gurgling water of the river hit the rocks on the beach, as if knocking at his thoughts.

Murong Longcheng could not help but be stunned and stopped by the river. As soon as he stood there, the Golden Crow disappeared and the Jade Rabbit rose in the east, sprinkling its cold light on the world.

"Zhao Da!" Murong Longcheng suddenly let out a shocking roar, and tore open his bra with both hands, revealing a fist mark that seemed to be engraved on his bone.

There was no flesh and blood in this area, as if it was a stone sculpture. A thin layer of skin was tightly attached to the sternum, and the bones were collapsed, which was extremely scary.

This was a blow from a flying punch, and the wind from the punch caused such a terrible blow that there was no chance of survival.

"Murong Yanzhao, Zhao Da!" Murong Longcheng roared to the sky. This punch was given by Zhao Da.

He traveled all over the world, made contacts in many places, countries, rivers and lakes, and when he was about to revolt against Zhou, he made an appointment with Murong Yanzhao to meet him.

Murong Yanzhao already had some military power at this time, and Zhou Taizu Guo Wei was seriously ill, so it was the best opportunity to do something big.

If Murong Yanzhao cooperated internally and externally at this time and chaos broke out again in all directions, then the Murong family would certainly gain a piece of land and divide up the Zhou Kingdom, and there would be hope for the revival of Dayan.

He went to Zhuxian Town, 45 miles south of Kaifeng City, where he met Murong Yanzhao. Unexpectedly, Murong Yanzhao brought two people with him, Zhao Kuangyin, the son of Zhao Hongyin, the commander of the Holy Capital and the inspector of the prime minister, and Gao Huaide, his close friend.

Zhao Kuangyin was only a few years younger than him, in his twenties at the moment, and had been traveling around the world since he was young. He used a Coiled Dragon Stick and was skilled in his own boxing style. He was a gambler and a scoundrel, and would not even pay for melons. He was not an upright hero.

He had known Zhao Kuangyin in his early years. After all, the elders in his family were officials in the Later Tang and Later Han dynasties. Zhao Kuangyin was good friends with Chen Tuan of Huashan, and he had also dealt with Chen Tuan. He knew that Zhao Kuangyin was good at martial arts, but the two had never fought each other.

As for Gao Huaide, he is the grandson of Gao Siji, the fifth-generation spear king and grandmaster of boxing. He is known for his Hundred Strike Divine Spear and Four Seasons Divine Fist, which are rarely matched.

He was wondering why Murong Yanzhao brought these two people here, but since they were acquaintances, he didn't say much.

But with these two people around, it was not a good idea to talk about the internal and external collusion against Zhou. He signaled Murong Yanzhao to send the two away and tell them the secret. Who knew that Murong Yanzhao actually went straight to the point and persuaded him, saying that the affairs of Dayan had been going on for a long time, and now the situation in the world would be settled, so he should not think about those things anymore.

Murong Longcheng was shocked when he heard this. Not only did Murong Yanzhao not want to restore the Great Yan, but he also betrayed himself and told these things to Zhao Kuangyin and Gao Huaide. He didn't know whether Guo Wei and Chai Rong knew about it.

He was filled with rage at this time and started fighting directly. He was very confident in his martial arts skills and had hardly met an opponent in all his years of wandering around the world.

Not to mention those hidden martial arts secret places, the outside world, the martial arts world, the army and the people have always regarded themselves as the best in the world.

Murong Yanzhao was naturally no match for him, and even if Gao Huaide was good at spearmanship, he was still slightly inferior to him.

Only Zhao Da fought with him for a long time with a Panlong Stick, and kept persuading him to let go of his obsession with restoring the country and join the Zhou Dynasty. But he would not listen. Zhao Kuangyin was a very ruffian and boastful person, but his martial arts were really amazing and he could be called a top master.

In the end, the fight became heated and he used the Great Circulation of Heaven and Earth, while his opponent also used the boxing style that he was rumored to have created himself.

This boxing technique was extremely powerful and could split gold and split mountains. He even suspected that this boxing technique was not created by the opponent, but he didn't know where he got it from. They fought back and forth, and it was hard to tell who was the winner. Finally, Zhao Kuangyin used a fist, which was so powerful that it flew through the air and crossed the void. The wind from his fist could tear apart the wind and melt iron and stone. His Great Zhoutian Dou Zhuan Xing Yi was not able to move away. He was hit in the chest by this fist, and his tendons and veins were immediately broken, his acupuncture points collapsed, and his blood and qi reversed. He flew backwards and fell to the ground.

Although he looked dead, the magical skill of Da Zhou Tian Dou Zhuan Xing Yi slowly and continuously transferred the injuries inside the body to the outside. He was actually in a state of suspended death.

At this time, he vaguely heard Murong Yanzhao sighing and saying to Zhao Da that after all they were of the same clan, it would be bad to leave the body exposed in the wilderness, and it would also be bad to inform Chai Rong, so they should send someone to send him back to Jiangnan for burial.

Zhao Da responded that it was a pity. He should have become a pillar and served the country, but he was obsessed with reviving the Yan State which had been extinct for hundreds of years.

As for what happened later when he was in a daze, someone put him into a coffin, pressed a huge block of ice on it, and then shook him around until he lost consciousness. I think he was transported all the way south and back to Chanhe Village in Jiangnan to be buried by his clansmen.

As for what happened later, he heard it all from the description of the head of the Wang family. After Guo Wei died that year, his adopted son and nephew Chai Rong succeeded to the throne. Six years later, Chai Rong died. Zhao Da staged a military coup at Chenqiao and put on the yellow robe to become emperor.

Then he destroyed Northern Han, Southern Tang, Hou Shu, Southern Han, Jingnan, Wuping, Wuyue, unified the Central Plains, and all 400 military states in the world were named Zhao. Up to now, there have been seven emperors. Since the founding of the Zhao Dynasty, more than 130 years have passed...

When Murong Longcheng thought of this, his face became extremely sad. He howled loudly again, and the lingering sound filled the night sky and lasted for a long time.

He stood motionless by the stream until the night ended and the day began to dawn. The rising sun shone on his face, bringing warmth to his features. The light slowly brought a hint of life to his complexion.

He then uttered an extremely complex sigh, as if he had let go of some huge worry. In the sigh, many things went away. He opened his eyes and looked at the mountains and rivers around him. It was strange yet familiar, but this space and time was no longer the same world as before.

During the chaotic Spring and Autumn Period of the Five Dynasties, there was still a chance to restore the Great Yan. But now, there is no chance at all. I wonder why that young man Murong Fu is still busy with these things.

Stupid, really stupid, stupid, really stupid...

Guo Wei, Chai Rong, Zhao Da, Murong Yanzhao, they are all dry bones in the tomb, a handful of yellow earth. Whether it is the mountains and rivers, or the country, thousands of years have passed, the mountains and rivers are still there, but the people and things have changed, and the world has changed and the years have passed.

He remembered that after the head of the Wang family told him all these things, he recited a poem by Li Yu: When will the spring flowers and autumn moon end? How much do I know about the past? The east wind blew again in the small building last night. I can’t bear to look back at my homeland in the bright moonlight…

“When will the spring flowers and autumn moons end? How much do I know about the past…” Murong Longcheng slowly took a step forward.

He came to Southern Tang from Yanzhou that day and knew many people in Southern Tang, including Li Yu, who was not the crown prince at that time but was named King of Zheng.

He took a second step.

He knew many ministers of the Southern Tang, one of whom was Si Tu Zhou Zong.

He took the third step.

At that time, he often stayed for a long time at Han Xizai's place, and also at the residence of Prime Minister Zhouzong. The first time he went to Zhouzong's house, he met a man.

Murong Longcheng stopped moving, his face full of reminiscence. It was a bright spring morning. He met her in the best season and the best weather in the world.

He sighed softly. After so many years, she... must have rotted away and her color could no longer be recognized.

There was a hint of emptiness on Murong Kongcheng's face, mixed with a hint of inexplicable melancholy and pain.

He spent the first half of his life working to restore the Great Yan nation. He never got married, had no children, and lived his entire life alone.

I originally thought that I would not be attracted to any woman in the world, but... Murong Longcheng sighed again, his eyes full of reminiscence.

He continued walking westward. As the sun rose, its light grew warmer and warmer. His heart began to melt a little, and many memories came flooding back.

The first time he went to the residence of Southern Tang Prime Minister Zhou Zong, he saw a young girl. She was Zhou Zong's eldest daughter, Zhou Ehuang. She was bright, beautiful and lively, which made his heart beat fast. That must be the so-called love at first sight, right?

Murong Longcheng gave a bitter smile. That was such a bright and beautiful woman, but he also had a love affair that he couldn't let go of, and someone he liked and couldn't forget.

His expression was filled with infinite melancholy and nostalgia. According to the head of the Wang family, in the year he died in Zhuxian Town, Kaifeng, Ehuang married Li Yu and later became the queen of Southern Tang.

Murong Longcheng shook his head, and his steps began to become heavy again. He forgot about Yan State, Murong Yanzhao, and Zhao Da. Why was he still thinking about her? He was thinking about Ehuang, the eldest daughter of Southern Tang Situ Zhouzong and the first empress of Southern Tang Li Yu.

At this moment, he even felt inexplicably fortunate. Regarding the Southern Tang mentioned by the head of the Wang family, the elder and younger Zhou empresses, Ehuang was the elder Zhou empress, who had passed away before the Southern Tang was destroyed. She did not follow Li Yu to the capital of Song like her younger sister did...

Let's take a look, let's go and take a look. Even if he gave up the idea of restoring his country, he might as well go to her grave and take a look. Murong Longcheng's steps became brisk again.

He walked all the way to Jiangning Prefecture, which was the capital of Southern Tang, also known as Jinling. After Ehuang's death, she was buried on the mountainside outside Jinling. Now... the tomb should still be there, right?
Murong Longcheng did not stop all the way and entered the territory of Jiangning Prefecture a few days later. The mountains were still the same mountains, the water was still the same water, but many people in the world were gone.

He made some inquiries in the city, went out from the west gate, and came to a place which was the imperial tomb of the Southern Tang Dynasty.

At this moment in autumn, the scenery is gorgeous, but also slightly bleak.

The imperial mausoleum was in disrepair and had no one to look after it, so it looked messy, but he found the tomb almost immediately.

Standing in front of the tomb and looking at the mottled words on the tombstone, he was filled with infinite emotion.

Flowers bloom and fall, flowers fall and bloom, the young man has grown old, and now there are no old friends in the world, and his head is full of white hair.

He reached out his hand to tidy up the weeds in front of the stele. He seemed to see the girl from Situ Mansion again. She was bright and beautiful. However, that was more than a hundred years ago...

Tokyo, inside Prince Yan's Palace.

Zhao Ti stood in front of the flowerbed, feeling the refreshing autumn breeze. The petals were blown away by the wind and fell to the ground. He could not help but humming softly: "When will the spring flowers and autumn moon end? How much do I know about the past..."

Ah Zhu said, "Flowers bloom and fall, flowers fall and flowers bloom, another year is about to pass."

Zhao Ti turned to look at her, smiled slightly, and there was a hint of emotion in his expression.

Ah Zhu's eyes were bright and intelligent, with a hint of playfulness. She looked at Zhao Ti and said, "Your Highness, why are you so sad?"

Zhao Ti shook his head and said, "I am not sad, I am just feeling sad. Time is like running water, it is hard to stop it with human power. There are too many things in the world that are hard to accept..."

Ah Zhu said: "Your Highness is right. In this world, eight out of ten things don't go as planned."

Zhao Ti walked forward slowly: "I went to Xixia last time and saw your sister A Zi."

Ah Zhu was stunned and smiled, "Your Highness... why don't you bring her back?"

Zhao Ti sighed, "She has become a bad person in Xingxiu Sect."

Ah Zhu was silent for a moment, then said, "Your Highness, how bad is that..."

Zhao Ti walked towards the lake with his hands behind his back: "Very bad, very bad..."

Ah Zhu raised her head and showed a bright smile: "Your Highness, please bring her back. I can discipline her. If I don't teach her, no one will teach her..."

Zhao Ti glanced at Ah Zhu and shook his head: "I don't want you to be tired, and you can't control it anyway. I will ask your father to control it."

"Father..." Ah Zhu heard this and asked cautiously, "Will he care?"

Zhao Ti said: "Why shouldn't he take care of what he should take care of? And your mother, in order to please your father and keep him here so that he can visit her often, she cruelly abandoned you and your sister. She is really seeking death..."

Ah Zhu lowered her head: "Your Highness..."

Zhao Ti continued to walk forward: "Then let your father take care of it. If he really can't do it, I will have to take care of it myself..."

Ah Zhu whispered, "Thank you, Your Highness."

Zhao Ti said leisurely: "Ah Zhu, you have always been with me, why do you always have to call me like this?"

Ah Zhu showed a mischievous look: "Your Highness, I like to call myself this way, I am very happy..."

Outside the city of Jinling, the night had fallen. Murong Longcheng was still standing in front of the tomb, motionless. It seemed that the person in the tomb was not the queen of Southern Tang, but still the girl from the past.

At this time, the moon is bright in the sky, the breeze blows the leaves, crows are crying on the treetops, and insects are chirping in the grass and woods everywhere.

Murong Longcheng muttered to himself, "The autumn wind is clear, the autumn moon is bright, the fallen leaves gather and scatter, the crows roost and get startled, I don't know when we will meet again, it's embarrassing at this time and night, I should go..."

After saying this, he suddenly turned around, identified the direction, and headed straight north.

To the north is the Yangtze River, and north of the Yangtze River is the capital of the Song Dynasty, Kaifeng Prefecture, and there are no old friends in Kaifeng...

(End of this chapter)