Chapter 250: What are you doing?
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Wen Dabao had charged against the door with all his might. He struck the door with such speed and accuracy.
This could be seen from the trickle of blood from his forehead.
Even though Wen Dabao was just planning to ride his time out in the Mountain Breaking Army, he was not weak. After all, he was the heir to a ministerial post.
If not, he would not have bled from the impact.
Ping Yang looked at the unconscious Wen Dabao suspiciously, then back at Fang Zhengzhi
"What did you tell him?"
"Nothing much. I just told him truthfully that the door was the exit. As long as he charged it, he would be doing something great for the empire!" Fang Zhengzhi said truthfully.
"He believed you?" Ping Yang asked incredulously.
"Of course not, but what if she had said it?" Fang Zhengzhi glanced at Chi Guyan.
"You"re... really shameless!"
"Thank you!"
"What now?" Ping Yang pointed at the unconscious Wen Dabao and the blood stained stone door. She was clearly saying that the path was wrong.
"What do you mean?"
"The stone door is a fake!"
"What do you mean by fake? I just made a tiny calculation error." Fang Zhengzhi said calmly.
"Tiny error?!" Ping Yang was doubtful. You call this a tiny error? It nearly cost someone his life! Although I don"t really care about that guy"s life...
"The door is the real one." Chi Guyan spoke up.
"Why is Sister Yan taking his side?" Ping Yang said unwillingly.
"Look at the bloodstain on the door." Chi Guyan pointed to the spot where Wen Dabao"s head had crashed against the door.
Ping Yang"s eyes widened. Then, her expression of suspicion turned into one of joy, almost as if she had just been fed honey.
She saw a crack, a crack which was hidden by the blood.
The crack was small.
However, this was a crack that wasn"t there before. No matter how intense the battle got, the throne room did not give.
However, Wen Dabao had cracked the wall.
The result was obvious.
"In order to break the stone door, one must be powerful enough. This is simple logic. Sometimes, smart people like me miss out the simplest of details." Fang Zhengzhi lamented.
"Humph!" Ping Yang snorted, but her hands did not stop.
The Blazing Qilin Spear trembled as its flame shot skyward, a golden light flickering in the air.
Ability wise, Ping Yang may not be Fang Zhengzhi"s match. However, with the Blazing Qiling Spear in hand, there were few who could match her offensive prowess.
"Boom!" A loud sound echoed out.
In the sea of fire, a golden light homed in on the stone door. Then, it exploded, sending light flooding in from outside.
It shone on the ground, revealing a black tunnel.
"Oh, it doesn"t lead straight out?" Ping Yang was shocked to see the black tunnel.
"I said that there are two possibilities. The first is that there is another throne room within this one. The second one is that the altar is the throne room." Fang Zhengzhi replied.
"I thought you said the first option was impossible?"
"Stop harping on the small details. All roads lead to Rome. Do not be too concerned with the insignificant details." Fang Zhengzhi waved Ping Yang off.
"Oh please!" Ping Yang huffed, then looked at the pitch black tunnel. "Now that we have found the door, should we send someone to scout ahead?"
"Isn"t there someone already?"
"Really? You?"
"Of course not!" Fang Zhengzhi shook his head and glanced at Wen Dabao. "The path is clear for you to see. If you continue to play dead, you will not have the chance to make your contribution!"
When the p.r.o.ne Wen Dabao heard Fang Zhengzhi, he shot up immediately, almost like a monkey.
Ping Yang was in disbelief.
Chi Guyan was calm and composed, almost as if she had expected this from the start.
"I had a dream just now. I dreamt that a golden armored heavenly general descended from the heavens. He said that I was a deputy, and that I was to protect princess Ping Yang and princess Guyan. He ordered me..." Wen Dabao began to narrate.
"Enough rubbis.h.!.+ The color of blood in the blood bag on your forehead is a little faded. When you get back, make sure to make it a little darker. That would make it a little more believable. Understand?" Fang Zhengzhi waved him off.
Wen Dabao was stunned, but he quickly recovered, smiling sheepishly. "Your honor, it is no wonder you are the top scorer in the imperial examinations. Your keen eye and mental acuity..."
"Get down!"
"Yes yes yes, I am on my way!" Wen Dabao leapt into the tunnel before his voice had travelled to the group.
"How dare you scam me? I am a princess! You should be killed! The Mountain Breaking Army is an army of courageous soldiers. Why do we have to find such a timid guy?" Ping Yang raged as she stared down at Wen Dabao.
"Everyone has their strengths. Wen Dabao is afraid of death. As such, he will be much more cautious and observant than a courageous man!" Fang Zhengzhi smiled.
"As if!" Ping Yang c.o.c.ked her head to one side.
When Chi Guyan heard what Fang Zhengzhi said, her eyes brightened. This was something that her father had taught her.
Everyone has their strengths and weaknesses.
The best general is not one who can lead an elite army, but one who can best accentuate the strengths of everyone that he had.
How does someone who grew up in a mountain village understand this concept?
Is this really Heaven"s will?
"Your highness, princess, Sword Envoy, it is safe down here!" Wen Daobao"s voice rang out from inside the tunnel.
This time, Wen Dabao specially addressed the Sword Envoy as well.
"Take Ping Yang with you first. Uncle Xing and I will be closely behind!" Chi Guyan"s figure disappeared as she shot towards Xing Yuanguo.
"Sister Yan!" Ping Yang looked at Chi Guyan anxiously.
"Chi Guyan?!" Fang Zhengzhi stared at Chi Guyan"s back. He did not care for her elegance as she killed her way towards Xing Yuanguo.
Why would the princess of the Divine Constabulary, the top ranked youth in the empire rush out at this time?
The exit was right in front of her.
If what Ping Yang said was true, and the Heaven Dao Sage Tablet could really make one a sage, then why did Chi Guyan not seem to care? Did she not care, or was she doing this for the country...
Fang Zhengzhi did not say much. He had seen too many people in the previous world who were fiercely loyal to the country and incredibly filial.
These people rarely died of natural causes.
Were they right or wrong?
Fang Zhengzhi was in no position to judge. He simply led his life the way he wanted to. He would eat what he wanted, do what he wanted, and played with whatever he wanted.
"Let"s go!" Fang Zhengzhi picked Ping Yang up and entered the tunnel...
...
The sun rose slowly at the break of dawn. The sky turned white and dew hung from the blades of gra.s.s.
This was good weather. It was not too hot or cold; perfect weather for the villagers who started laboring early in the day.
However, no one from the Northern Mountain Village went to the fields today.
All of the villagers were gathered on the square. Zhang Yangping stood right at the front, his wrinkled face expressionless. However, it was clear that he was waiting on something.
Clouds of dust could be seen at the entrance of the Northern Mountain Village.
That was a thousand men strong army. Each soldier wore gleaming armor, their expressions solemn. Their spears shone in the son.
"General, we are here!"
"Mm! Deputy General Li!"
"Yes sir!"
"Pa.s.s the order, seal all the entrances and exits to the Northern Mountain Village! Not even a bird should be able to fly out!"
"Yes sir!"
"Deputy Zhang, Deputy Chen, Deputy w.a.n.g, follow me into the village!"
"General, if the intelligence is to be believed, Fang Zhengzhi is in the Heavenly Reflection State. If only three of us enter the village, will we..." One of the deputy generals was clearly worried.
"What are you afraid of? Do you really think Fang Zhengzhi is rebelling? Will he ignore the lives of the hundred of families here? I have been authorized by the military to do this. Fang Zhengzhi has no other choice but to surrender!"
"Yes sir!"
"Enter the village!"
...
The tunnel was much longer than they had expected. Fang Zhengzhi, Ping Yang, and Wen Dabao took almost 15 minutes to get out.
Fang Zhengzhi was stunned by what he saw.
The Heaven Dao Sage Tablet... was not a tablet!
Fang Zhengzhi finally understood what that meant. However, he could not describe what the Heaven Dao Sage Tablet was. He was in a utopia.
The place was spotless, even the ground was impeccably cleaned.
The entire world was way too clean. The gra.s.s was jade green, the woods were luscious, and there was a lake.
The lake was so clear one could see the bottom.
One would expect to see fishes in the lake, but there were none to be seen.
A field, woods, lake...
Other than these, there were only four words, "Heaven Dao Sage Tablet".
These four words were not imprinted on the ground or in the woods. They were not floating on the water or engraved into a rock. There wasn"t even a rock to be seen.
Fang Zhengzhi did not know why he thought of the four words, but he knew that this was it from the moment he stepped onto the field.
The field, the woods, the lake... this was the Heaven Dao Sage Tablet.
"Have you seen it?" Ping Yang asked after recovering from her shock.
"Clean!" Fang Zhengzhi said.
"Silence?" [1]
"No I said clean!"
"Oh, so what are we supposed to do now?" Ping Yang continued.
"Break the cleanliness!"
"You want to destroy the Heaven Dao Sage Tablet?" Ping Yang was stunned when she heard Fang Zhengzhi"s plan.
"If we don"t break the Heaven Dao Sage Tablet, how do we break The Vast World?" Fang Zhengzhi asked.
"But this is utopia. Can you really bring yourself to... and, and... the Heaven Dao Sage Tablet is a gift from heaven. There are only 36 of them, how can you destroy them?" Ping Yang said fearfully.
"There are so many? 36?" Fang Zhengzhi was taken aback.
"Yes, there are 36 Heaven Dao Sage Tablets. Each one contains and embodies a Heavenly Dao. Anyone who can understand it will become a saint!"
"Has anyone done so?" Fang Zhengzhi pressed.
"Of course! The "Spiritual Sage" understood the 20th one which represented the Dao of constant change. The "Heavenly Barbarian Sage" understood the 28th one which represented the Dao of adversity..."
"And how many more do we have?" Fang Zhengzhi interrupted Ping Yang.
"You"re not wrong, but we can excavate this clean s.p.a.ce and bring it back to the capital. That way..."
"How are you going to bring it away if you can"t get out?" Fang Zhengzhi reiterated.
"You still can"t destroy it! I... I don"t agree!" Ping Yang pouted adamantly.
"Don"t accuse me of bullying you. We will decide this in a fair manner. There are three of us here, majority wins. Any objection?" Fang Zhengzhi glanced at Wen Dabao.
When Wen Dabao heard this, he began to sweat profusely. Fang Zhengzhi was not bullying Ping Yang, he was bullying Wen Dabao!
"Okay!" Ping Yang grit her teeth and nodded. She turned to Wen Dabao, "Tell us, whose side will you take? Mine, or this shameless fella!"
"In reply to your highness. I am just a lowly soldier, I will follow your orders!" Wen Dabao replied instantly.
.
"Did you hear that?" Ping Yang raised her head haughtily when she heard Wen Dabao"s reply.
"However..." Wen Dabao spoke up once again, "However, because I know that you"re the princess, you cannot remain trapped here. It would be horrible for the lands. As such... I... I have to side with the Sword Envoy. This Heaven Dao Sage Tablet must be destroyed!"
"You..." Ping Yang"s expression darkened.
"Okay then, since majority agree to destroy the Heaven Dao Sage Tablet, I shall begin!" Fang Zhengzhi ignored Ping Yang and began to undress.
"Ah! You... you shameless b*stard, what are you doing?!" Ping Yang"s jaw dropped when Fang Zhengzhi began to undress.
[1] In Mandarin, the words "silence" and "clean" have similar p.r.o.nunciations.