Chapter 32: Zhu Wushi’s Overactive Imagination and Impotent Rage

Alas, fate did not follow his wishes.

As Zhu Wushi waited in a state of anxious unease, an elderly man in simple Taoist robes emerged from the reception hall. The moment he stepped out, he caught sight of Zhu Wushi and could not help but cast a glance his way.

That single glance struck Zhu Wushi like a bolt of lightning.

Zhang Sanfeng was currently on the verge of transcending into the realm of a Celestial Being, his inner energy perfectly fused with the heavens and earth. Even without intentional effort, he radiated a pressure akin to the vast, overwhelming majesty of the heavens, forcing a pained grunt from Zhu Wushi.

"Wudang, Zhang Sanfeng!"

Zhu Wushi’s heart sank into an abyss.

Zhang Sanfeng had not appeared in the martial world for sixty years, yet the Ming imperial family—and by extension, the Imperial Dragon Villa—possessed the most precise records of the appearance of this Imperial Preceptor and martial arts legend.

More importantly, it was that look Zhang Sanfeng had given him. It made it impossible for Zhu Wushi to lie to himself. He could not be certain if it was a warning, a probe, or something else, but he knew that even a grandmaster of the Celestial Phenomenon realm, possessing centuries of internal energy, should not have his blood and qi roiled by a mere intangible gaze.

"The Celestial Being realm."

"So this is the unfathomable, legendary Great Longevity of the Immortals!"

"He truly is Zhang Sanfeng."

"Then the conversation I overheard inside, his promise to Prince Su, does that mean..."

Zhu Wushi’s heart roared in turmoil. He could not describe his current state—was it grief, shock, despair? Or perhaps all of the above?

What he had heard was no staged performance. This meant that Zhang Sanfeng, the legend of the martial world, had truly chosen to stand with Prince Su. To him, this was an absolute catastrophe.

Little did Zhang Sanfeng know that merely by recognizing the origin of Zhu Wushi’s martial arts and pausing for a moment, he had led the man to conjure up elaborate theories about Wudang’s intention to support a coup.

"That old brat Tianchi’s martial arts? The Power-Absorbing Art he developed with that old immortal Xiaoyaozi—didn't he always squawk about taking it to the grave? To think a successor still exists, and with royal status at that."

"But this Power-Absorbing Art seems to lack a certain finesse. It misses the aspect of strengthening the body. Without self-fortification, it cannot reach the ultimate realm."

Zhang Sanfeng shook his head with slight disappointment, took Zhang Wuji by the hand, and walked toward the lodgings arranged by Li Chengen, leaving a stunned and vacant-eyed Zhu Wushi behind.

...

Tiance Mansion, Linglong Hall.

Zhu Jinzhen glanced at Qin Yiyan, his eyes silently questioning if he had done something to Zhu Wushi; otherwise, why had the Iron-Gall God of War remained so deathly silent since seeing him?

"If the God of War is not enjoying his peace in the capital, what brings him to my bitter, frozen borderlands?"

Zhu Jinzhen’s voice startled Zhu Wushi from his internal reverie. He lifted his head, a flash of malice vanishing from his eyes. "The Imperial Dragon Villa has the authority to oversee all officials of the Ming Dynasty. I hold the Iron Certificate and the Imperial Executioner’s Sword granted by the late Emperor; even the Ming clansmen fall under my jurisdiction."

"I am here because I received news."

"Oh?" Zhu Jinzhen sipped his tea with graceful leisure. "What news is worth such a grand mobilization that you would travel ten thousand miles from the capital yourself?"

"Could it be that some treacherous sycophants in the court are framing me again?"

Zhu Wushi asked in a low voice, "Prince Su, why are you so certain it is a frame-up?"

Because of Zhang Sanfeng’s appearance and the latent power of the Prince Su estate, Zhu Wushi’s mind was in chaos. He regretted the words the moment they left his lips.

"If the God of War believes it is not a frame-up..." Zhu Jinzhen watched the visibly flustered Zhu Wushi with a mocking, enigmatic smile. "I could immediately act on your implication, raise an army, and purge the court of traitors."

Prove his innocence? Did he need to?

"Prince Su, you..." Zhu Wushi’s body trembled violently as he stared at Zhu Jinzhen in horror. "Such rebellious words, you dare to..."

He wanted to reprimand him, but he dared not. He forced himself to restrain it, for he knew well that Zhu Jinzhen was no ordinary kinsman. He was not a man to be manipulated; he was the Ming Dynasty’s youngest Earthly Sword Immortal, its most prestigious prince, and the commander of a million soldiers.

And now, he had somehow secured the support of Zhang Sanfeng.

Zhu Jinzhen was a man who meant what he said—a man who would truly dare to rebel!

"Why would I not dare?"

"Now, can the God of War tell me if the rumors in the capital are true?"

Zhu Jinzhen’s expression was playful. The accusation he feared least was that of treason. Because he truly dared to do it, and truly could—was that even a crime in his eyes?

Zhu Wushi was so agitated he felt like killing someone. He knew Zhu Jinzhen was forcing his hand, using the momentum of the situation to corner him. Yet, besides impotent rage, Zhu Wushi could do nothing. He dared not nod, and even though his hands, hidden in his sleeves, were clenched into white-knuckled fists, he could only grind his teeth and reply:

"Prince Su is loyal and devoted. Such rumors are completely groundless, malicious slanders. Who does not know that if it were not for your desperate defense of the nation, Jiayuguan would have been trampled by the Mongol-Liao forces long ago? How could the Ming enjoy such peace and stability today?"

"So, the God of War thinks that, too?"

Zhu Jinzhen’s calm voice felt like the stillness before a storm. A terrifying, awe-inspiring aura surged from him, pressing down like a thousand falling mountains, nearly forcing blood from Zhu Wushi’s throat.

"But the Emperor does not seem to think so. The Eastern and Western Depots, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the Six Gates, the Imperial Dragon Villa, and the Protecting Dragon Clan have all received word that I am plotting rebellion."

"Even a fool knows this is a frame-up."

"Yet you came nonetheless. Within these few days, first you, then Lu Xiaofeng, the gold-badge investigators of the Six Gates, the Vermilion Bird of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and Liu Xi, the deputy supervisor of the Six Gates—either you have already arrived at Jiayuguan or have entered Shaanxi."

"I have done nothing, so why does the Emperor find me so intolerable?"

"Can the God of War tell me what the Emperor intends?"

Zhu Wushi’s scalp tingled. How was he to answer? Did the Emperor not know this was a frame-up? Of course he knew! Everyone involved understood that this was a plot to paint Prince Su as a traitor, and the charges of collaborating with foreign enemies were merely an additional excuse to ensure his demise.

They could understand this implicitly, but it could not be exposed, nor could the Emperor’s petty schemes be laid bare in front of Zhu Jinzhen. Otherwise, the situation would spiral out of control.

If he answered "yes," he suspected Zhu Jinzhen would kill him on the spot as a sacrificial flag and then raise an army under the banner of "clearing the Emperor’s side." If he answered "no," it would be too self-deceptive.

Judging by Zhu Jinzhen’s words, the Emperor had sent so many trusted subordinates that this was no longer an investigation—it was an attempt to take him down. Or perhaps... the Emperor was forcing him to rebel?