Records of Mysterious Things in the Southern Dynasties

Chapter 525 Wanting Both and Wanting
Early the next morning.

Emperor Xiao Yan of the Great Liang Dynasty, dressed in monk's robes and with his head shaved, completed his morning prayers in the Buddhist hall as usual before returning to his palace for breakfast.

Xiao Gang served his father a bowl of brown rice porridge, accompanied only by two small dishes of pickled vegetables and salted ginger slices.

Now, Emperor Xiao Yan strictly adheres to the rules and regulations in his daily life, including his clothing, food, housing, speech, and behavior, making him a devout Buddhist.

"Father, Third Sister returned yesterday." Xiao Gang handed over chopsticks.

"Oh." Xiao Yan nodded and slowly sipped his porridge. "Where is he?"

“She’s back at Yingzhou Villa again.” Xiao Gang said, forcing himself to speak. “She said that she won’t come to see you until Father Emperor pardons Chen Qingzhi.”

"Hmph." Xiao Yan sneered, picked up a slice of ginger with his chopsticks and chewed slowly, "Then let her stay in Xuanwu Lake for the rest of her life."

"Sigh." Xiao Gang nodded and sighed inwardly; he knew this would be the outcome.

At this time, Zhu Yi was outside requesting an audience.

After being summoned, Xiao Yan entered the hall, went straight to the emperor, and presented a letter with both hands: "Your Majesty, this was delivered to my home last night. Upon inspection, I saw that it was presented to Your Majesty by the Marquis of Xiaoyao Pavilion. He must have asked me to forward it..."

Xiao Gang took the letter, opened the envelope, and pulled out the letter. His expression changed drastically upon reading it. He quickly presented it to Xiao Yan, saying, "Father, you should read it yourself."

Xiao Yan nodded, squinted at the letter, and saw that it read:
'Divine oracle, imperial edict to Emperor Xiao Yan: The ways of Heaven are crumbling, and wolves have stolen the imperial cauldron. Long ago, Xiao Baoyin excavated the tomb of Emperor Donghun, intending to seize the Emperor's sword and establish himself, but the sword, possessing a spirit, despised its baseness and returned to me; previously, Prime Minister Zhuge Liang manifested his divine power, using his loyal soul to complete the Emperor's sword. Now the sword is finished—it can stabilize the state for three hundred years, and command the imperial rule for twelve generations!'

"The deadline is three days, at midnight. I will escort the Chen family father and son to Guazhou, and then throw the Emperor's sword before you."

If there is even a moment's delay, Jiankang will be submerged; if even one traitor is harbored, nine generations of one's family will be burned. Do not say that divine power is ineffective!

After reading it, Xiao Yan said with a complicated expression, "So, Ren Yuan has also become a god?"

"It should be." Zhu Yi nodded and said, "The other day we received a report from Fengdu saying that Ren Yuan broke through the underworld and was banished by the Ghost King. If he hadn't become a god, it wouldn't have been as simple as just being banished."

"I really didn't expect this..." Xiao Yan's expression grew even more complicated. He shook his head and sighed, "Life is truly unpredictable, and there's no going back."

"Father, what's the deal with the Heavenly Sword mentioned in the letter?" Xiao Gang was only concerned with anything related to the throne.

"It means exactly what it says." Xiao Yan sighed.

"Is it true or false?" Xiao Gang pressed.

“It should be true,” Xiao Yan said. “That is the Emperor’s Sword. Whether it’s real or fake, you can tell at a glance. You can’t lie to anyone.”

As he spoke, he suddenly realized something and said, "Back then, when Xiao Baoyin instigated Xiao Zong to steal from the tomb of Emperor Donghun, I was puzzled as to what he was after. Although later, Xiao Zong stole the imperial seal, which seemed to provide an answer, upon closer examination, it still doesn't make much sense."

"Indeed." Zhu Yi nodded and said, "Xiao Zong stole the imperial seal two years after the theft of the tomb of Emperor Donghun, and there were many unexpected events in between. To say that Xiao Baoyin foresaw it at that time, I do not believe it."

“But if what he’s after is the Emperor’s Sword, then it makes sense.” Xiao Yan sighed with regret. “Back then, I searched for it in vain and considered many possibilities, but I never imagined that Xiao Baorong, a child in his teens, would have such cunning as to hide the Emperor’s Sword on a dead man!”

"Then Father, should we change it or not?" Xiao Gang asked.

"Change it, of course we should change it!" Xiao Yan said without hesitation.

After saying that, he chuckled self-deprecatingly and said, "Unfortunately, even my word doesn't count."

~~
A moment later, Wu Yang and Wu Gu arrived together and saw Ren Yuan's divine decree.

"What a petty person who has achieved his goal." Wu Gu snorted after reading it. "He even managed to get the Emperor's Sword; there's definitely some luck involved." "Why is he always so lucky? Is someone helping him behind the scenes?" Wu Yang frowned and glanced at Wu Gu.

"It must be those Taoist people, right?" Wu Gu said. "Even Chen Qingzhi is one of them, and there may be many more Taoist remnants secretly helping him become a god."

"The hope for the revival of Taoism?" Wu Yang sneered. "He's so arrogant, I'm afraid he'll disappoint them."

After the two finished their reflections, Xiao Yan cautiously asked, "Buddha, should I choose the Emperor's Sword or Chen Qingzhi?"

"Didn't you understand what my sister meant? What's there to choose? I want them all." The witch glared at him.

"I also want Ren Yuan's life." Wu Yang said coldly, "This boy has become a great threat. If we don't take this opportunity to eliminate him, we will be even less able to deal with him in the future."

"Well, wanting both and wanting more..." the witch muttered, "How is that even possible?"

“Why not?” Wu Yang raised his eyebrows and said, “He has only been a god for a short time and has not yet truly regarded himself as a god. He still considers himself a mortal.”

“Indeed. What do gods care about the lives of mortals? For him to exchange a divine weapon like the Emperor’s Sword for Chen Qingzhi is utterly ridiculous.” The witch deeply agreed.

“His willingness to exchange means that Chen Qingzhi is more important to him than the Emperor’s Sword. Therefore, we don’t need to be polite.” Wu Yang then said in a deep voice, “Tell him that we will also execute Chen Qingzhi in three days. He can exchange the sword for the man, but the location must be the Taiji Hall; there will be no exceptions!”

"This..." Xiao Yan asked with unease, "Will He agree?"

“I never make guesses. If you want divination, you should ask Aunt Wu.” Wu Yang replied forcefully, “He can change it if he wants, or not if he doesn’t. In my eyes, it’s hard to say whether Chen Qingzhi or the Emperor’s Sword is more important.”

"Understood, apply maximum pressure," Xiao Yan said, suddenly realizing.

“That’s right.” Wu Yang nodded. “I don’t believe he can give up his Commander Chen.”

~~
That afternoon, Xiao Yan ordered people to write down Wu Yang's intentions in a notice and post it all over the streets and alleys of Jiankang City.

Ren Yuan saw it very quickly.

“I knew they wouldn’t agree to the transaction outside the city,” Ren Yuan said, unsurprised. In reality, he was the one ransoming the hostages; the location of the transaction was naturally decided by the kidnappers.

"We can't agree to his request," Fa Xiu said hastily. "It's definitely another trap, waiting for us to fall into it!"

"No, rescuing Commander Chen is the top priority." Ren Yuan shook his head and said resolutely, "Even if it's a dragon's den or a tiger's lair, I will brave it!"

“That’s right!” Chen Baxian nodded emphatically. “Even a fool would know that rescuing Chen Shuai would be fraught with danger. Now that we’re back, what are we afraid of?”

"The operation three days from now is manageable for the three of us, including my elder brother A Yao." Ren Yuan then looked at Yang Zhong and Fa Xiu and said, "You two don't need to participate."

"You look down on people, don't you..." Yang Zhong's face darkened.

"Exactly! The oath to live and die together doesn't count anymore, does it?" Fa Xiu also put on a stern face.

"Second brother, you know what I mean." Ren Yuan couldn't help but smile bitterly.

"I know," Yang Zhong nodded, "but I believe Ku Tao wouldn't want her man to be a coward who deserts in the face of battle!"

“No, I’d rather you be afraid of death than not live.” Lü Kutao appeared at the door, her eyes red as she looked at her man.

"But I know that for a man, some things are more important than life itself. Preventing you from doing it is worse than killing you..."

(End of this chapter)