You, a tyrannical ruler, roam the heavens; you cannot understand my joy.

"Wandering the Heavens as a Tyrant: You Don't Understand My Joy," a masterpiece by a man whose mental illness has slightly improved. Click to read now!

The next day, in Yingtian Prefecture, on the second floor of Deyue Tower.

At this time of day, the restaurant is usually bustling, but it is mostly filled with customers chatting and drinking leisurely.

Today, however, things were quite different. The place was so bustling with noise that it almost lifted the roof off. There weren't enough tables, and even the aisles were packed with people. Waiters struggled through the crowd with trays in hand, sweat beading on their foreheads, but their faces gleamed with pride.

"Excuse me!"

"The piping hot braised pork knuckle is here!"

The waiter, Wang San, shouted loudly, squeezing past a group of tea drinkers who were gathered together, their faces flushed with excitement.

"Hey, did you hear?"

"That fourth prince of the Jin Dynasty, that...that Wanyan Zongbi!"

A fat man dressed in a silk robe, looking like a merchant, slammed his hand on the table, making the cups and plates clatter: "They were killed by our Emperor!"

A tall, thin scholar opposite him, clutching a folding fan but forgetting to wave it, nodded repeatedly: "Absolutely true!"

"My elder brother works as a lowly scribe in the Privy Council. He came back last night, his face pale with excitement!"

"It's said to be Marshal Han's urgent, six-hundred-mile-long report of victory, delivered straight to the palace!"

"It's written clearly inside: His Majesty personally led a surprise attack, straight to the heart of the enemy, and took the head of the Golden Chieftain amidst ten thousand troops!"

Wow!

A chorus of gasps and gasps erupted around them.

"Amidst a vast army?"

"Take the general's head?"

An old man's hand, which was stroking his beard, froze in mid-air. His eyes were fixed on the spot as he murmured, "This..."

"Isn't this a skill possessed only by ancient heroes like Xiang Yu and Guan Yu?"

"His Majesty..."

"When did he acquire such extraordinary martial arts skills?"

A younger man standing nearby, who looked like a porter on a pilgrimage, had his dark face flushed red and retorted, "Why not?"

"I knew it a long time ago!"

"His Majesty dealt with Qin Hui and his gang of treacherous officials with swift and decisive action a few days ago. Wasn't that the true Son of Heaven unleashing his power?"

"Isn't it only natural that the Son of Heaven, a true dragon, possesses some supernatural powers and magic?"

"But this is too... too far-fetched!" the silk merchant hissed. "That's Wanyan Zongbi!"

"That living devil who led the Jin army and chased us across half the country!"

"...it's just gone like that?"

"Did His Majesty do it himself?"

"Of course it's true!" The scholar snapped his folding fan shut, his eyes gleaming. "The victory report also said that the Jin army routed for a hundred miles, leaving behind armor and weapons that blocked the river ford, and the prisoners they captured stretched as far as the eye could see!"

"Okay! Okay!"

Li Fu slammed his fist into his palm: "My hometown is in Huaixi, so many relatives and neighbors died at the hands of the Jin dogs..."

"Heaven has eyes! His Majesty is wise!"

"This is revenge for us ordinary people!"

"This is more than just revenge!" the scholar took a deep breath. "This is a war that will determine the fate of the nation!"

"Slay their commander in battle, crush their courage!"

"From now on, the Jianghuai region will likely enjoy peace and stability for many years to come!"

"Yes! Stable!" The silk merchant slapped his thigh. "With the Jianghuai region stable, trade routes will be open!"

"My batch of silk that's stuck in Runzhou...it's saved!"

"Waiter, another jug ​​of good wine, and two pounds of the finest mutton!"

"I'm in a good mood today, so I'll treat the brothers at this table to a drink!"

"Thank you, boss!"

"Let's drink to His Majesty's great victory!"

Laughter, clinking glasses, and even more heated discussions erupted, almost bursting through the floorboards.

Wang San carried the empty plate downstairs with a brisk pace, thinking to himself: With such a joyous occasion, business is likely to boom for quite some time, and this month's bonus will certainly be substantial!

.....

Near the West Gate, the vegetable market was less noisy than the restaurants, but the excitement and commotion in the air were just as palpable.

While absentmindedly weighing fresh greens for customers, Granny Liu, who was selling vegetables, was listening intently to Butcher Hu from the meat stall next door and a few porters squatting in the corner chatting.

"Hey! You guys didn't see it!"

A porter, spitting as he spoke, exclaimed as if he had witnessed it firsthand: "Yesterday afternoon, several horsemen galloped in through the west gate like the wind, their hooves practically sparking!"

"The man on horseback had three red feathers stuck in his back, and his face was ashen, but the light in his eyes was frighteningly bright!"

"Running while shouting 'Great victory! Great victory in the Jianghuai region!'"

"The guards at the gate didn't even stop them; they let them through directly, causing a stir throughout the city!"

"Red Feather Victory Report? That's top-priority military intelligence!" Butcher Hu wiped his greasy face, forgetting to put down his cleaver. "So... it's true?"

"Were the Jin army truly defeated?"

"It's collapsed! It's definitely collapsed!" another older porter laughed.

As Granny Liu listened, she misread the crosshairs on the scale twice, but her heart felt warm and cozy, as if she were sitting in a cozy stove.

Her son is a junior colonel in Han Shizhong's army. A few days ago, he wrote home saying that the situation was tense, which made her worry day and night.

now……

"A great victory...the Jin chieftain was killed in battle..." she murmured, her eyes welling up with tears. She quickly lowered her head and wiped them with the back of her rough hand.

With the blessings of the Bodhisattva and the divine might of His Majesty, perhaps my son... will be able to return safely?

Is this battle almost over?

"If you ask me, our Emperor is truly amazing!" A young porter squatting on a carrying pole exclaimed with admiration, "He's a master of disguise, and when he strikes, it's earth-shattering!"

"Even more formidable than Zhao Zilong from the opera!"

"That's right! The Son of Heaven!" Butcher Hu waved his hand proudly, "Just for that, I'll sell these last few big bones cheap!"

"Make some soup for the kids at home to nourish them, so that they can one day be like His Majesty, capable of slaying the Jurchens and protecting their homeland!"

"Brother Hu is so righteous!"

"Give me two!"

Several people had gathered around the small meat stall, creating a lively atmosphere.

.....

Near the city gate, a gathering place for news and crowds.

The people entering and leaving the city were more restless than usual, walking hurriedly, but most of them had happy faces and were whispering to each other.

The guards stood up straighter than ever before. Although they were still conducting strict checks, their brows were less tense and more subtly proud.

Several farmers, who had just paid the city entry tax and were pushing empty carts on their way home, gathered at the foot of the city wall to rest.

An old farmer wearing a tattered felt hat took out his pipe, but instead of lighting it, he said mysteriously to his companion:

"I've heard that His Majesty didn't go down alone; he led a heavenly army!"

"That night, golden light flashed and thunder roared north of the river; it was the heavenly army coming to the rescue!"

"Really?" A farmer with a missing front tooth asked skeptically.

"How could it be fake?" The old farmer tapped his pipe confidently. "Otherwise, how could Wanyan Zongbi, a general known as a match for ten thousand men, just disappear like that?"

"It must be His Majesty's true dragon aura that has attracted divine power!"

A more pragmatic middle-aged farmer chimed in: "Regardless, it's true that the Jin army suffered a crushing defeat."

"We have a distant relative in Jiangbei from our village. Yesterday, he sent a message saying that the defeated Jin troops were running around like headless flies, robbing several households in their village, but they were quickly wiped out by the royal army that came to pursue them."

"The royal army also distributed some grain to them, saying that His Majesty had decreed that the people be appeased."

"His Majesty is so benevolent!" several farmers exclaimed.

"After such a great victory, can the taxes be reduced a bit in the future?" the toothless farmer said wistfully.

"Maybe..."

The old farmer took a puff of his finally lit pipe, squinted at the bustling streets inside the city gate, and looked towards the imperial palace from the depths of those alleys.

"With such a powerful emperor, our lives as ordinary people might... finally have something to look forward to."

……

Several more days passed...

Yuelai Inn, lobby.

Merchants and porters from all over the country gathered here, making it a place of great diversity and a breeding ground for legends.

At that moment, around a square table near the counter, four or five people were sitting. A peddler with a weathered face and a Hebei accent was speaking in a low voice with an extremely mysterious expression.

"Hey guys, what you've heard about is nothing!"

The peddler looked around, as if to make sure there were no government spies, before whispering, "I have a sworn brother who's a laborer transporting fodder for Marshal Han's army. He saw it with his own eyes... he almost saw it with his own eyes!"

"What did you see?" A young merchant eagerly moved forward, not even caring that he knocked over his teacup.

"That noon, a strange wind suddenly rose up in Jiangbei, and dark clouds loomed overhead, but it didn't look like it was going to rain."

The peddler's voice lowered, trembling with the trepidation of someone telling a taboo story: "My brother was hiding in the reeds by the river, dodging stray arrows, when he saw..."

"We saw that His Majesty wasn't riding a horse or traveling by boat!"

"How did you get across?" An old man next to him asked, fiddling with peanuts but forgetting to put them in his mouth.

"We flew there!"

The peddler slapped his thigh suddenly, his voice rising involuntarily: "It's true!"

"His Majesty just... just like that, with a 'whoosh,' his feet stepped on a golden light, like a sword immortal from a storybook, and 'flew' from the south bank to the north bank!"

"The golden dog's arrow flew about seven or eight zhang away from His Majesty, and then it fell into the river with a 'plop'!"

hiss!

A collective gasp filled the air. The young merchant's eyes widened in disbelief: "Flying...flying on a sword?"

"Is His Majesty truly a cultivator of immortality?"

"It's more than just cultivating immortality!"

The peddler got even more excited: "My brother said that when His Majesty landed in front of the Golden Dog camp, he didn't even need to lift a finger, he just... just glared at them!"

"Given a glare?"

"Yes! Just one glance!"

The peddler mimicked a glaring expression, his face contorted in a ferocious grimace.

"The closest row of golden dogs, at least thirty or fifty of them, had all their knives and spears snapped with a 'crack, crack,' and they collapsed as if struck by an invisible hammer, spitting out blood!"

"That scoundrel Wanyan Zongbi still wants to escape? Your Majesty just pointed your finger at him from a distance..."

"I heard a soft 'pop,' and from a hundred or two paces away, that scoundrel's head exploded like a ripe watermelon!"

"My goodness..." The old man dropped the peanuts in his hand all over the ground.

"This must be some kind of powerful deity!" The young merchant was so excited that he was incoherent. He usually loved reading folk tales about immortals and strange events, and now he automatically tried to fit the legend he was hearing into a familiar framework.

"His Majesty must be the reincarnation of a powerful being, or a star lord descended to earth for trials!"

"Otherwise, how could one possess such supernatural powers?"

"Definitely!" the peddler declared firmly, as if he were the very foundation of his argument. "What else can be explained?"

"To take the head of a general amidst a sea of ​​soldiers—is that something a mere mortal could do?"

"It must be divine intervention!"

The surrounding tea drinkers listened with rapt attention.

Soon, the version that "His Majesty is a sword immortal descended to earth, severing weapons with a glare and exploding heads from afar" spread from Yuelai Inn, becoming a popular version among many outrageous legends.

......

Near the fish stalls at Dongmen Market.

The stench of fish and the moisture of water mingled together, but that did not dampen the enthusiasm of the women and old ladies as they exchanged "top secret information."

"Granny Zhang, haven't you heard?" Ma Da Sao wiped her hands on her apron, gestured with her chin towards the direction of the imperial city to the old woman carrying a vegetable basket beside her, and said, "The news coming from the palace is quite strange!"

"What new story is this?" Granny Zhang immediately leaned closer, almost squeezing the tofu in the vegetable basket to pieces.

"My husband is the cousin of his third aunt, and he has some connections in the palace's laundry department."

Ma's wife lowered her voice considerably, ensuring that the few people around her with their ears perked up could hear: "I've heard that His Majesty's martial arts skills weren't 'practiced,' they were innate!"

"Born that way?"

"Yes! They're different from birth!"

Mrs. Ma recounted vividly, "She said that on the night His Majesty was born, the Purple Star shone as brightly as day, and a golden dragon circled the delivery room three times!"

"It still had a celestial book in its mouth, then it transformed into golden light and entered the Empress's belly!"

"That's why His Majesty uses those magical techniques!"

"No wonder!" exclaimed a young woman buying groceries, dropping a scallion without even picking it up. "So that's why His Majesty dealt with Qin Hui so swiftly, killing the Jurchens like chopping vegetables. It turns out he was sent by Heaven, with supernatural powers!"

"More than that!"

Another old man selling vegetables couldn't resist joining in, his information seemingly more "insider": "I heard from my nephew who works in the imperial kitchen that His Majesty doesn't need to eat at all!"

"Occasionally, when the imperial kitchen sends over snacks or soups, His Majesty only needs to smell the aroma, and the food itself..."

"With a 'whoosh,' it turned into a wisp of white smoke and was inhaled by His Majesty!"

"This is called living on wind and dew; only immortals possess this ability!"

"Incredible! Incredible!" Granny Zhang slapped her thigh. "Does this mean our Great Song Dynasty truly has a Son of Heaven to rule it! Let's see who dares to invade again!"

"that is!"

Ma's wife nodded: "With His Majesty, this true god, here, let alone the Golden Dog, even the King of Hell himself would have to kowtow before leaving!"

"Aunt Wang, do you still want this carp? If not, I'll save it for Aunt Liu. Her son wants to hear the story of His Majesty killing the golden dog, and I need to pack up early and go home to tell it!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Give me this one! I want to absorb some of its magical aura!"

Aunt Wang quickly took out copper coins and told him about the myths surrounding His Majesty's "extraordinary appearance" and "unworldly existence."

With the embellishment of everyday life in the market, the story quickly becomes vivid and detailed, as if the speaker had witnessed it firsthand.

......

On the corner of a quiet alley in the west of the city.

After Old Zhao, the night watchman, finished striking the fourth watch gong, he was leaning against the wall eating a hard steamed bun with cold water when he was stopped by several sleepy but curious neighbors.

"Master Zhao, you've heard this all over the place, have you? Tell me, what about His Majesty's affair... is it true or false?"