Editor: Areth Kyntaul
"Father, what is Lord San Shen? This… hero, he…" Being young, Princess Hongzhuang was unaware of older stories, so she had never heard of the name Lord San Shen.
The Emperor revealed a look of concern. He wondered to himself that it was understandable for her not to know of Lord San Shen, but does she not know of the Divine Moon Sect either? That's a major well-known name in the Demon Sect. His daughter was attracted to San Shen, so he had to inform her in time to stop her from falling deeper in love. If he couldn't she would ruin her own life, never to escape.
"Hong'er, listen to me carefully as this is very important for you. Listen carefully."
"Yes, I am listening."
The Emperor put on a stern expression. He rarely ever spoke to her so sternly, so despite his stern look, Princess Hongzhuang didn't take him seriously. Instead, just looking at him indifferently.
Seeing the fruitlessness of his stern act, he could only console himself, 'I need to learn to be more fierce next time so that my children take me seriously.'
"Cough, cough, the Divine Moon Sect… in other words, the Demon Sect we speak of, originates in the seven nations in the west with a long history. In some of the western nations and even state religions, their worshippers worship a god similar to how Tianzhu people worship Mahākāla, yet are completely different. Their god is called 'Daytime.'"
Princess Hongzhuang nearly burst out laughing.
"Pfft, D-Daytime? I bet there's a Nighttime too then!" Seeing her father's serious look made it even more hilarious to her, so she couldn't help herself. She grabbed her belly and laughed, "What sort of unserious sect is that to name the god they worship like that?"
"Hey! Be serious!" The Emperor shouted, "Don't laugh. This is a very serious matter."
"Okay, okay, okay, I will not laugh… hihi, please forgive me for being disrespectful! I think I need to laugh for a while longer. Oh my god, Daytime." Princess Hongzhuang honestly couldn't help herself. She covered her small mouth while tearing up as she laughed.
The warriors behind them would probably have been rolling on the floor laughing as well if they had their meridians released.
Long Zaitian was the only one who was serious the entire time, nodding throughout.
He drank wine all afternoon with the Orange Prince before coming here. Then he drank quite a bit of tea as well. Unfortunately, he didn't get to make a trip to the loo before coming here with everything that transpired. He was trying so hard to hold it in he was sweating bullets on his forehead. If he laughed, he was most likely going to wet his pants.
Long Zaitian understood his situation, 'I put on a great show today. I'll probably be promoted three ranks when I get back. If the Grand Commander puts in some nice words for me as well, I'll be promoted up four ranks! But wetting my pants in front of the Emperor is not a joke. I'm not going to let all my efforts today be pissed away! Hold it! Hold it in no matter what, my brother!'
"Listen! This god…"
"Daytime?"
While Princess Hongzhuang is heroic and suave, she is a girl, after all, so she still had a charming side to her. Especially because her father always doted on her. Unlike her usual casual and generous nature, she was as coquettish as a little kid right now. That caused the ten or so warriors behind to feel that they missed out on something great when they were eliminated from the tournament.
They thought to themselves, 'If she could give me a smile like that, I'd be willing to die.'
"Cut it out! Listen to me!"
The Emperor cut her off and with a serious look explained, "The Divine Moon Sect is divided into the Bright God Faction and the Dark Moon Faction. According to their sect's creed, their strength in the world was comprised of the combination of the two factions. Hence, they alternated with each other every generation, choosing one to act as the leader from one faction and a vice-leader from the other faction to assist. That's how they've always operated."
"The leader leads both sects. In this particular era, the leader was Ximen Chuideng. Underneath him were three Guardian Kings, four Lawless Wardens, and six Black Lotus Envoys. Back then, they were skilled martial artists who could cause major uproars in the martial world. As for Lord San Shen… It's said that he came from an ancient tradition of the Demon Sect."
"Tradition?"
"According to their creed, light and darkness in the world act as a balance of power that was not to be disturbed, or else there would be catastrophes. This consequently resulted in the alternating between the two factions. However, to avoid anybody being selfish and destroying the balance, their Heavenly God will send them an incarnate to protect their creed by stopping those who try to stir trouble and punishing them. That incarnate is Lord San Shen."
Princess Hongzhuang scanned Ming Feizhen who wasn't too far away with admiration. Nobody knew what she felt when she looked at him.
The Emperor became even more concerned when he saw the way she looked at him. So he immediately followed up, "He is the incarnate of the Heavenly God that the Divine Moon Sect worships. He holds a high status that words cannot do justice. While he has no actual jobs within the sect, his status is in no way inferior to the leader. Though the Divine Moon Sect is considered a demonic sect here in the Central Plains, they have deep roots in the western region and are of major fundamental importance. I've even heard that if a branch leader were to arrive, the people where he arrives would offer their virgin daughters to the Envoy. If they could be married to an Envoy, they considered that a divine fortune. So you can imagine just how high in regard Lord San Shen is held when a branch leader is held in such high regard."
The princess then murmured, "So he…"
"However, the legend of Lord San Shen has always been an internal secret of the Divine Moon Sect. There seems to have been very few Lord San Shens who have descended to the mortal world in centuries. Once he does appear, he is one who could stir up a massive turbulence."
"Hong'er, since you now know that his duty is to subdue traitors of the sect, I don't think I need to mention his martial prowess. Even if he isn't actually an incarnation of their Heavenly God, he must possess profound skills to be able to hold the post. Therefore…"
The Emperor glanced at Ming Feizhen with concern, "If Lord San Shen is not in the mortal realm then so be it. Once he does appear, though, you know for sure that he is one with skills at the absolute pinnacle. Years ago, Lord San Shen appeared to the shock of the Demon Sect. It was said that his martial prowess was as the legends claim. At the time, the Grand Commander of the Qilin Guards and I planned day and night to eradicate the Demon Sect; for if he was to team up with Ximen Chuideng, there would be nobody in the world that could stop them. Back then, I didn't consider the consequences. I did everything I could to gather up the orthodox sects of the martial world, the Seven Champion White Princes and all of the Qilin Guards to attack the Demon Sect, partly in order to eliminate him."
Princess Hongzhuang looked at her father's expression and suddenly felt worried, "Father, are you worried…"
"Uhm… I used very extreme means to eradicate the Demon Sect back then. I basically eliminated the entire Demon Sect in the Central Plains. Even that thug Ximen Chuideng has gone missing. As a result, I offended many of the Demon Sect members. As such, he may not be here to save us out of goodwill."
"Father, he will not harm you. He…"
"Hong'er!"
The Emperor raised his voice, "Even if he really is here to help me today, didn't you hear him say that it was due to a personal grudge against Jia Yunfeng? Strictly speaking, this is an internal fight between the Demon Sect and the League of Assassins. They're birds of a feather, so there's nothing strange about them having common internal conflicts. He holds a status on par with that bastard Ximen Chuideng. My grudge against the Demon Sect is one that will never be resolved without one of us dying, so how could we possibly talk about reconciliation? He might just be here for revenge!"
"Men! Watch the princess. If she gets close to that man, you must stop her, or I'll behead you!"
Tang Ye, Tie Hanyi and the rest didn't speak. One man next to the Emperor suddenly sat up. He was the Vice-captain of the Qilin Guards, Vice-captain Long.
Vice-Captain Long put his life on the line for the nation. He sat up, made a cupped-fist salute and responded, "Your Majesty, I have released seventy-percent of my meridians. I am at your service!"
"Good! Minister Long, you shall be rewarded for your loyalty!" But then on closer inspection, the Emperor questioned, "Minister Long, why do you look so pale? Are you injured?"
Long Zaitian fought off the painful sensation rushing up from his bladder. He wiped the sweat away from his forehead and with a chuckle replied, "No, it is nothing! It is just a little hot."
"Hot?" The Emperor looked to see the ground covered in snow. He responded with amusement, "You need to look after yourself then, Minister Long."
Long Zaitian wore an expression of suffering, one where he was unable to laugh or cry, "Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty."