Sword from the Tang Dynasty

Chapter 226 The Joys and Sorrows of the World (Final Chapter)
The spring breeze swept across the north of Yongqiu, allowing the lingering chill of winter to permeate Yanggu.

As dusk falls and the twilight recedes in the west, plum blossoms wither and fall along the official road outside the city, while tender green shoots of grass sprout.

However, compared to the vibrant scene of spring.

The most eye-catching sight in front of Yanggu City was an elderly man dressed as a steward and a young man beside him.

It was none other than Steward Sun of the Cao family in Yanggu and Cao Chengxian, the most outstanding successor of this generation.

The Cao family was a merchant family, originally only known to a small extent in the vicinity of Yongqiu.

Now, however, he has reached a height that others could not have imagined.

Back when the Zhou emperor was unknown, Cao Ruinian, the patriarch of the Cao family, had a keen eye for talent and sent people to follow him to Nanyang long ago.

The person sent was naturally Cao Chengxian.

Almost everyone in Yanggu knew that this young master of the Cao family had always been helping the emperor, and could be said to be favored by the emperor.

In the first year of his career, he traveled to various places to collect precious medicinal herbs.

The herb merchant noticed that he was very particular about selecting herbs, so he inquired about the destination of the herbs and later learned that they were all being sent to the Ziwei Palace in the Eastern Capital.

There are many medicine merchants in the world whose businesses are larger than Cao's, but only a handful can actually get their medicine into the Ziwei Palace.

The Cao family of Yanggu was one of them.

Knowing the Cao family's background, when they saw Cao Chengxian and Steward Sun waiting for someone at the city gate for several days, they couldn't help but feel suspicious, wondering who this person was that warranted such a large commotion.

Even more unexpectedly...
As the sun set, an elderly man with white hair and a cane, escorted by a large number of guards, quickened his pace toward Steward Sun and Cao Chengxian.

Upon seeing this man, everyone in the city looked on with disbelief.

Old Master Cao actually came to greet him personally!

Just as the discussion was getting heated, a horse-drawn carriage came from the north of the city.

Before the people in Yanggu City could react, the Cao family members, with expressions of fear and excitement, rushed forward to greet them.

"Cao Rui Nian pays his respects to Your Majesty!"

The old man's powerful voice not only brought the surrounding conversations to an abrupt halt, but even caused people to hold their breath for a moment!

Everyone wondered if they had misheard.

On the other side, Cao Ruinian, along with Cao Chengxian and others, had already presented a grand salute.

However, the old man suddenly found himself being supported by a force, and he could not bend his waist and legs.

Just as I was getting excited, a voice came from inside the carriage.

"No need for formalities, Mr. Cao, please get in the car for a chat."

After he finished speaking, the carriage curtain was lifted, revealing a young boy and girl.

Yan Qiu and Xia Shu jumped off the carriage, greeted Cao Ruinian with smiles, and helped the old man into the carriage.

During the time the two stayed at the Cao family home, Cao Ruinian treated them extremely well.

Therefore, when they saw the old man again, they were very enthusiastic.

It's easy to imagine that once this scene gets out, the Cao family's standing in people's eyes will change again.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Cao Rui Nian boarded the carriage.

Soon, laughter and chatter filled the carriage.

The carriage continued on its way, with Steward Sun and Cao Chengxian leading the way, some following behind.

Soon after, the entire city of Yanggu, whether ordinary citizens or martial arts practitioners, was engulfed in a frenzied atmosphere.

Zhou Tang has only been established for one year.

The grandeur of all nations uniting under the rule of the Nine Provinces is already undeniable.

Compared to the Sui Dynasty, the Zhou and Tang Dynasties gained a sense of belonging among many common people in a short period of time.

Whether it was the reduction of taxes and corvée labor, the construction of academies and the establishment of the imperial examination system, the improvement of the supervisory system, or various policies that benefited the people and enhanced production, all of these measures made people feel the changes in their lives and the desire to strive for the future.

To the common people, the emperor of Luoyang was already an extremely ideal and wise ruler.

so.
Upon hearing the news that the Zhou emperor had arrived and entered Cao's residence, no one could resist the urge to act.

However, while there was much heated discussion in the city, no one dared to visit the Cao residence at this time.

For the Cao family, this was a special night.

Cao Ruinian was filled with endless emotions.

If we're talking about the most blessed people in the world, he'd definitely be ranked among the top.

In the past, when celebrating birthdays and receiving blessings, Zhou Yi personally preached and performed the rituals with Xia Shu and Yan Qiu.

Time has passed, and looking back...

Using "blessed" to describe it is too understated.

Zhou Yi has had many bad luck moments, but the only one who can bring good fortune to the living is Old Master Cao.

Therefore, he left Cao Ruinian with four characters with auspicious meaning: "May your fortune and longevity last forever".

Early the next morning.

As dawn broke, the carriage that left the Cao residence headed south towards Yongqiu.

Zhou Yi left early, but there were still people on both sides of the road.

The enthusiastic citizens of Yanggu expressed their respect and love for the wise ruler in the simplest way.
Along the way, Yan Qiu and Xia Shu chattered on and on about the various changes in the city.

Zhou Yi mostly listened from the sidelines.

It's easy to tell from their words that "Yang Gu has become better."

In short, he was far more successful as emperor than Guangshen.

In this world, martial artists are also a form of productivity. As long as one has the strength to govern the world and doesn't cause trouble, the people, while not necessarily living a very good life, will at least not starve.

"Senior brother, do you think Master is still in Yongqiu right now?"

"exist."

Yan Qiu didn't speak, but Xia Shu asked curiously, "How did you know, Senior Brother? Did Old Master Cao keep it from us and only tell you secretly?"

Although it was Bu Tianzhi who brought the news to Dongdu.

But since the source of the information was the Cao residence, it was perfectly normal for Xia Shu to ask this question.

Zhou Yi pointed out:
"Master deliberately showed himself to wait for us to find him, so he will naturally be waiting in Yongqiu."

Yan Qiuxia and Shu both showed eagerness.

They hadn't seen their master for a long time and missed him dearly.

I have so many questions to ask.

The carriage sped up, and the three disciples, working in perfect unison, headed straight for Mount Fuzi after entering Yongqiu, ignoring everything else.

The Taiping Taoist temple was burned down back then, and no buildings remain.

Later, when the world was at peace, some ministers suggested building a palace on Mount Fuzi, since the place was of great significance.

Zhou Yi did not want to cause trouble and waste money, so he refused.

They simply had people do some basic repairs and build a few small wooden houses.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the master should be on Mount Fuzi; all three of them believed this.

However.
When they arrived at the village eight miles down the mountain, the three of them stared blankly through the carriage window at the bamboo fence of a farmhouse.

There stood a thin, white-haired old man carrying a medicine box.

Beside the elderly man was a middle-aged couple.

The village woman, holding a child in her arms, kept thanking the old man.

"The medicine should be simmered over a low flame. During these two weeks, the child should not be exposed to cold drafts."

"Yes, thank you, Daoist Master! Thank you, Daoist Master!"

The three people had no eyes to hide from the elderly couple who were giving instructions. They turned to look at the carriage parked under the big willow tree by the roadside and spotted the three people inside.

His long eyebrows drooped to the corners of his eyes, and he was smiling kindly at that moment.

The old man waved to the couple and stopped the three people who wanted to get down.

"Master, Master~!"

Xia Shu and Yan Qiu were choked with emotion when they saw how much older the old man had become.

Kakugoko arrived at the carriage and prepared to board.

"Master."

Zhou Yi also called out, and seeing the deeper wrinkles on the old man's face, he understood.

He jumped off the carriage and helped his master up.

Jiao Wuzi entered the carriage, and Zhang Chi, who was in charge of driving, became one with the horse, making the three horses pulling the carriage move slowly with almost no bumps.

“That’s right, all three of you have grown up.”

"Master~!"

Xia Shu and Yan Qiu sat on either side of Jiao Wuzi. Looking at their master's withered hands and thinking of the past, they felt extremely distressed.

Jiao Wuzi gently patted the backs of their hands, and just like back then, he whispered a reprimand:
"Learn from your senior brothers. You're all grown up now. You need to learn to control your emotions. What's there to be sad about?"

Zhou Yi couldn't help but ask, "Master, where have you been all these years?"

Nature is in a place you cannot find.

Jiao Wuzi stroked his white beard; compared to his former ethereal and otherworldly demeanor, he now possessed only a kind and benevolent expression.

But when their eyes met, she couldn't help but glare at Zhou Yi:
“You, as my senior brother, are not calm enough. I told you before I left that if I hid myself, people would be wary of me, which would be of greater help to you. You sent people everywhere to look for me, which made it inconvenient for me to do my work. When I went out to treat patients, I had to disguise myself.”

There was indeed a hint of complaint in his voice.

Then he sincerely praised, "However, you have exceeded my expectations."

"Having a disciple like you is enough to make my life complete."

Xia Shu, who was standing to the side, couldn't help but say, "Master, don't we count?"

"You two are just there to make up the numbers." Kakuzu was in a great mood and teased him, then held his two little disciples' hands, his eyes filled with satisfaction.

“I was worried about my master’s safety and had many doubts. Over the years, the number of people I sent out to find my master has increased year by year because I gradually gained the ability to protect a region.”

Kakuzu understood his meaning, but still insisted on his own opinion:
“I will not see you until this moment. Compared with the general trend of the world, I am just an insignificant wanderer. If I hide myself, others will know that there is an old celestial master, and your foundation will be even deeper.”

"There's nothing wrong with hiding in the streets; I'm happy to live a carefree life."

Zhou Yi thought of what had just happened and looked at the medicine box that Yan Qiu was holding.

"In recent years, Master has been wandering among the people, practicing medicine and saving lives just like he did back in Fuzi Mountain?"

“Most of the time, yes,” Jiao Wuzi laughed. “On rare occasions, I would retreat to Zhongnan Mountain and study medical classics and pharmacology with Sun Simiao. Back then, when we, the Taiping Dao, went down the mountain to preach, the medicines we prescribed for patients all came from the Taiping Dan Fang. We obtained more different interpretations from the Medicine King.”

“Sun Yaowang’s personality is somewhat similar to mine, but in terms of medical skills and pharmacology, I am far inferior to him.”

"No."

Zhou Yi shook his head: "My master is a healer who saves lives, no less than any other doctor."

Jiao Wuzi laughed heartily and suddenly asked, "Do you know where the Xuanzhen Temple Collection came from?"

Zhou Yi guessed: "Has Master ever seen Xiang Yutian?"

"Yes, I've seen it."

Jiao Wuzi was a little embarrassed: "He was in seclusion, but I dug him out."

what?
Zhou Yi opened his eyes wide: "What's going on?"

"The reason is that I am obsessed with medicine. In order to obtain the prescriptions, I have explored many large tombs. The ancient Taoist books you are looking at were all brought out by me from the tombs."

Zhou Yi was taken aback.

When he was organizing the scriptures, he found many ancient books with mud and dust on them. He secretly thought that his master was a tomb raider, and unfortunately, his words came true.

“In a large tomb in northwest Chengdu, I discovered Xiang Yutian. At first, Brother Xiang harbored deep malice towards me and even had the intention to kill me. However, after seeing the medical and Taoist books I carried with me and learning my true purpose, his attitude underwent a huge change.”

"He first revealed his identity, which was quite surprising. I didn't expect there to be a person from the Eastern Jin Dynasty in the tomb. So I asked him why he could live for so long, and he told me that there are such rare things as relics in the world."

"Coincidentally, Xie Bo, the first evil emperor, while searching for a set of silk manuscripts on medicine, accidentally discovered a burial object in an ancient tomb dating back to the Spring and Autumn and Warring States periods. It was the relic that helped his elder brother live."

"After I learned these secrets, I got along with him more and more and we became friends."

"Later, I even agreed to do something for him."

Jiao Wuzi looked at Zhou Yi: "It is about finding a true successor."

“Brother Xiang said he had four good-for-nothing disciples. I helped him teach a fifth disciple, hence the Taoist name Jiao Wuzi.”

That's it!

Zhou Yi felt as if the clouds had parted and the sun had shone: "Is the Xuanzhen Temple's collection of teachings the method in the first chapter of the Dao Heart Demon Seed Great Method for Entering the Dao?"

The first chapter, "Entering the Dao: The First Step," cultivates the orthodox mental techniques of the Xuanmen school, aiming to establish one's own "Dao Body and Dao Heart." This chapter primarily lays the foundation for the cultivator's Dao Heart, preparing them to control the demonic seed and for future demonic transformations.

The realm of demonic transformation is even higher than Yang Xuyan's alternative demonic extreme.

It is the final step to becoming a fairy.

The profound skills for entering the Dao are extremely important.

Jiao Wuzi nodded: "Brother Xiang has a very high opinion of this profound skill; even he hasn't mastered it. It's said to have been collected by the unparalleled talent 'Heavenly Demon' Cang Qu, perhaps related to the War God Temple. In the Xuanzhen Temple's collection, the phrase 'Breaking through barriers should be like a raging torrent' is precisely Brother Xiang's annotation."

He then laughed and said, "He calls it a label, but he himself doesn't really know."

"When you quickly mastered this technique, I was startled and dared not share my insights with you again, for fear of hindering you. Brother Xiang once said that the formless is superior to the formful. Looking at it now, he was right."

Zhou Yi pondered for a moment and asked:

"Why did Master choose this difficult text to pass on to me?"

Jiao Wuzi said, "Because this is the best, you have to try it. Brother Xiang spent two hundred years cultivating the Dao Heart Seed Demon, which was extremely dangerous. In my opinion, it is a great success that you were able to cultivate the Xuanzhen Temple Treasure."

Then he went on to describe the specific details.

The two of them talked back and forth.

By the time they reached Mount Fuzi, Zhou Yi had no more doubts.

Jiao Wuzi got off the carriage and said to Zhou Yi, "You are now the ruler of the world. You should prioritize the country and go back as soon as possible."

Zhou Yi shook his head: "Not at this moment."

Jiao Wuzi couldn't refuse, and the four of them went up the mountain together. The scene from that year seemed to reappear on Fuzi Mountain.

Three days later.

Yan Qiu and Xia Shu stayed here, while Zhou Yi used his lightness skill to quickly return to Dongdu to retrieve the relic. Extending someone's lifespan is an extremely painstaking and laborious task.

On this point, Zhou Yi disregarded his master's objections.

After being cleansed by the relic, Jiao Wuzi's complexion improved considerably.

However, the absorption of vital essence is related to a person's own three treasures (physical, spiritual, and physical attributes). If one's martial arts level is not high enough, the lifespan that can be extended is very limited.

On Mount Fuzi.

Seeing Zhou Yi's worried expression, Jiao Wuzi comforted him, saying, "All mortals must die eventually, so why should you worry about it, my disciple?"

"I just wanted my master to see more of the world's sights."

With a flick of his sleeve, Jiao Wuzi regained his usual ethereal and otherworldly demeanor, and smiled with satisfaction: "Disciple, you can take a look for me."

……

Seven years of open source have brought peace and stability to the land and prosperity to the world.

In this prosperous and glorious era, martial arts flourished even more.

In the coastal areas, shipping trade is booming, and there are many navigators who take pride in expanding the territory of Kyushu and conquering overseas.

Three years ago, Yuwen Huaji recovered the Japanese islands and sent a map of the mountains and rivers to the Tang Dynasty.

Japan disappeared and became Jiaopen County, which became a stop for Tang Dynasty navigators heading east.

The Zhou emperor has not been idle in recent years either.

Although he was the best in the world, his lightness skill continued to improve day by day.

Sometimes she returns to the secluded forest cottage with Qingxuan, sometimes she travels west with the Holy Maiden to Baidi to revisit the Three Gorges, accompanies her cousin to ride horses on the grasslands of the northern desert, and explores the gourmet desert of Qiantang with Xiuxun. The little demoness's favorite, however, is her first encounter with Wuzhuang Temple.
Zhou Yi felt that his lightness skill was still not fast enough.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival celebrations that year.

Zhou Yi and Little Phoenix headed towards Shangcai, leaving the eldest prince of the Tang Dynasty in the palace.

True to his word, Zhou Yi pulled Xiao Feng along, wanting to take her to see the Emperor's Tomb one last time.

When we arrived in Yucheng.

Zhou Yi then recounted the scene of his battle with the Tiger and Leopard Camp of the Eagle Yang Prefecture.

Further south from Yucheng, past Fule, lies Xihua.

On the way from Xihua to Shangcai, you will pass through a village called Tusi.

"Back then, when I heard about the movements of the Demonic Sect in Xihua, I dared not linger for a day and rushed to this village overnight. That's how I met Zhang Chi. It was by catching his fast train that I was able to arrive at Ruheji so quickly and meet you."

Dugu Feng's beautiful eyes sparkled with a smile as she held his arm and listened quietly to him speak, reminiscing about those days.

suddenly
Zhou Yi's voice stopped abruptly.

Following the narrow paths, they arrived at the entrance of Tusi Village.

In my memory, there should have been a dilapidated wooden door here, but now I see a brand new bamboo woven door.

An elderly man with a wrinkled face leaned against the doorway, using a cane and appearing to have difficulty moving around. He was gazing into the distance, seemingly looking at something.

Zhou Yi suddenly felt a pang of melancholy as if something had occurred to him.

He stepped forward and asked, "Uncle, what are you looking at?"

The old man slowly turned his face and looked at Zhou Yi with a hesitant expression, as if he thought Zhou Yi looked somewhat familiar.

However, what Zhou Yi didn't expect was...
The old man showed no signs of worry, and with a contented smile, he pointed to the sky and said, "I'm waiting for the sun to set."

"Why?"

The old man didn't say anything about being old and frail, but his eyes held a hopeful look:

“As soon as the sun sets, my grandson and granddaughter-in-law will return from the city. This kid used to roam around aimlessly in the martial arts world, but now he’s finally settled down.”

Zhou Yi's disappointment vanished instantly, and he quickly asked, "Has the old man's grandson returned from the land of Yan and Zhao?"

"Yes, yes, when the world is at peace, he will come back."

The old man smiled, his wrinkles deepening: "I have to thank His Majesty for this. No war broke out in the Yan and Zhao regions, so my grandson, who had mistakenly wandered into the military camp, was able to escape unharmed. This favor is immense."

"Greetings, Your Majesty of our Great Tang Dynasty!"

Speaking of here
The old man realized what was happening: "Young hero, how did you know my grandson was in Yan and Zhao?"

Zhou Yi smiled knowingly: "Uncle, I have some knowledge of divination."

"Impressive skills, accurate prediction."

The old man believed it, and Zhou Yi said no more, taking his leave in a good mood.

After the two turned and left, Dugu Feng finally spoke up: "It's an old friend we've met. The old man didn't recognize you. Why are you so happy?"

Zhou Yi recounted how he had stayed there for the night.

The little phoenix nodded: "Human joys and sorrows are fleeting and wondrous. By sheer coincidence, you have brought a ray of light to this old man's life, which was about to turn gloomy."

Before she could finish her evaluation, she suddenly exclaimed in surprise as Zhou Yi swept her up in his arms.

"Xiao Feng, you are my ray of light."

Dugu Feng looked up at him, her eyes smiling, and said gently, "Zhou Lang is like a wind that stirs up trouble in people's hearts."

Zhou Yi saw her wink playfully and immediately understood.

The next moment, a white figure moved faster than a startled swan, traversing the air in mid-air.
As the clouds drift by and the sunset paints the green hills, the song of the wind rises once more.
……

……

……

('-'*ゞThis book is over.

(End of this chapter)