Everyone around the Sword Hut was kneeling. Even the officials of the Qing diplomatic group were kneeling sincerely in front of this Great Grandmaster"s coffin. This was a minute detail in rites the Qing Emperor had personally authorized before they came. No one made a single mistake.

When Fan Xian rose, it was particularly eye-catching. Inside and out, there were over a thousand people. Only he and Yun Zhilan were standing in front of the black coffin.

Fan Xian did not like to kneel, other than to heaven, earth, and his parents. Each time he went to court and knelt before the Emperor, he was not happy about it. He was willing to kneel now because he was paying his respects to a powerful warrior and to the departed. However, the final words Yun Zhilan related stunned him and turned the faint respect in his heart toward Sigu Jian into a faint anger.

Everyone had heard clearly Sigu Jian"s last words as related by Yun Zhilan. These were the words the 13 disciples of the Sword Hut had heard at the same time as they knelt in front of the bed. Yun Zhilan would not lie or dare to lie. Thus, everyone turned their gaze onto Sir Fan junior, who had already abruptly risen.

Maternal registry in Dongyi? Personally instructed in sword skill? Of great talent? Host the opening ceremony?

Countless stunned, confused, and amused gazes fell onto Fan Xian, but they didn"t make his clothing flutter. He just looked at Yun Zhilan calmly as if trying to decide if the words had been an auditory hallucination or something else.

The simple words revealed four pieces of information Sigu Jian wanted to announce to the world. Fan Xian"s mother was Ye Qingmei. Although she helped the Qing Kingdom rise out of the earth, in the end, she should be considered a subject of Dongyi. This could not be considered much of a secret. As for the matter of personally instructing him in sword skills, since Sigu Jian said so in his final words, then everyone believed it. A Great Grandmaster had the right to impart the truth of the Sigu Sword. As for the evaluation that Sir Fan junior was a great talent, everyone also thought that Sir Fan junior was worthy of this praise.

The problem was that these messages gave off a faint sense of closeness, of pulling Fan Xian forcibly into Dongyi.

The maternal connection pointed to matters of bloodline. Learning the sword was a relationship between teacher and student. Being of great talent was Dongyi"s acknowledgment toward Fan Xian. As for having Fan Xian host the opening ceremony, this was the most crucial part of all.

The Sword Hut had been in existence for decades. But, it had only been 20 years since the first opening ceremony and accepting of disciples. Each time the opening ceremony had been hosted by Sigu Jian.

Other than the three years in which he had been heavily injured and waiting for death, Sigu Jian had taken the Sword Hut opening ceremony seriously. This had created a mutually understood fact throughout the world. Whoever hosted the opening ceremony was the Master of the Sword Hut.

Sigu Jian"s final words designated Fan Xian as the host. This was also handing him the Sword Hut, countless aces, and three generations of disciples to him.

This was indeed something Fan Xian had not thought of. During these two days, he had been wondering how he could truly have the other 12 swords other than Yun Zhilan at his service. There was no need to think about Thirteenth w.a.n.g. He thoroughly understood that young man"s character. But, what about the other aces in the Sword Hut?

Unexpectedly, Sigu Jian had thought of a solution for him ahead of time and resolved this problem. However, his way of resolving this issue had momentarily stumped Fan Xian.

Three messages, and one final order. The Sword Hut belonged to him. From now on, his words would have the same weight as Sigu Jian"s in the past. Thus, a sect had fallen into his hands. It seemed a marvelous thing, but Fan Xian knew that Sigu Jian"s ruthlessness was hidden behind the marvelousness.

This was a needle stuck between Fan Xian and the Emperor. He was a subject of the Qing Kingdom, yet he had become the Master of the Sword Hut. What would the Emperor think? No matter how much the Emperor trusted Fan Xian, could he watch as the explicit power in Fan Xian"s grew larger and larger, particularly under the conditions in which Dongyi appeared to be so close and loyal to Fan Xian?

Even if the Emperor was as generous as the ocean, confident as the sun and moon, and did not care about this at all, what about his emotions? People were all emotionally driven animals. The Emperor would not like that his illegitimate son was shining so brilliantly to the point of eclipsing him. There could only ever be one sun in the sky.

Fan Xian stared at Yun Zhilan"s mouth. Only now did he know that Sigu Jian had, in the end, played him before he died. He had dug a hole and made him jump in himself.

It was as if Yun Zhilan did not notice his gaze. Naturally and calmly, he finished announcing all of Sigu Jian"s final wishes. He then approached Fan Xian. Respectfully, he bowed and said, "Please."

Please what? Please take a seat? Please invite? A cold smile rose to the corners of Fan Xian"s lips. He unconsciously slanted a glance toward the rest of the people. Many people had already risen but were still staring at everything happening in front of the large black coffin with a stunned expression. Fan Xian glanced at the officials of the diplomatic group, particularly the Vice Minister of the Board of Rites. The Vice Minister felt his gaze and furrowed his brows in thought for a moment. He then slowly nodded.

The silent communication between the two major persons in the Qing diplomatic group stopped there. This Vice Minister knew what Sir Fan junior was worried about. However, he saw that Dongyi was about to enter the fold and didn"t want this matter affect the larger situation. The Qing people"s ambition for territorial expansion was too powerful. It made the Vice Minister think that the Emperor would not be angry at Sir Fan junior accepting the position of the Master of the Sword Hut on his own initiative.

Fan Xian thought about it silently for a long time. He weighed the pros and cons in his mind, particularly the reaction the Emperor might have.

Yun Zhilan was not in a rush. He looked at him with a trace of mockery and waited for his response.

Fan Xian knew that he was mocking. Just like his father said, he was hesitating in his decision and was not very decisive. These people had no idea how cautious one must be when one wished to do great things, particularly when faced with that unfathomable Emperor.

In the end, Fan Xian took a deep breath and said with a smile, "Who would have thought that your master wouldn"t let me go even in death."

"Since we are to help you achieve great deeds, the disciples of the Sword Hut must come under your banner." It was as if Yun Zhilan could not vitriol in his words. "It is getting late. Please accept the sword and go forward to open the Hut."

Fan Xian didn"t move. Suddenly, he asked, "After opening the Hut, the three generations of Sword Hut disciples will all listen to my orders?"

"Correct."

"What about you?" He watched Yun Zhilan"s eyes. He said with a slight smile, "If I asked you to dig out 36,000 earthworms, would you agree to do so?"

Digging for earthworms was an amusing part of another story in the other world. Yun Zhilan had not heard of it, but it did not prevent him from answering quickly. It was clear that regardless of whether it was the already dead Sigu Jian or him, he was already well-prepared for Fan Xian"s question.

"Presently, I am the Master of Dongyi. Since I have taken an official post, I have left the Hut," Yun Zhilan said with a sigh. There was no sense of frustration in his words. "I am no longer a member of the Sword Hut, so you cannot control me."

"I see." As expected, Sigu Jian did not trust in him completely. He still placed Yun Zhilan, the th.o.r.n.i.e.s.t problem, outside of the matter. He paused for a moment and then responded with a slightly mocking smile. "Don"t forget, your position as Master of Dongyi still needs the royal seal of the Qing Emperor. If the Emperor doesn"t like you, you can"t have the position."

Yun Zhilan"s expression didn"t change and he replied, "I trust that you make this matter a reality."

The two of them spoke in very low voices. They were standing alone in front of the black coffin, so there was no worry they would be overheard by others. With these words, Fan Xian knew that he was waiting to see whether he was willing to cooperate with the power of Dongyi and form an alliance, or if he was going to return to being just an official of the Qing Kingdom.

This sudden maneuver by Sigu Jian after his death had indeed throw Fan Xian"s plans into chaos. He had to take into consideration the reaction from Jingdou and Emperor. Although this maneuver was devastating, it was not something Fan Xian couldn"t accept. It was at least much better than the scenario he had been worried about.

He had been terrified that after Sigu Jian"s death, he would suddenly posthumously order the Shadow to be the next Master of the Sword Hut. With that, Sigu Jian would be forcing Fan Xian and his people to directly turn against the Emperor.

Although the present situation might cause some cracks between Fan Xian and the Emperor, Sigu Jian had kindly left Fan Xian a bit of time to prepare.

Thinking of how the weak Great Grandmaster had prepared this move secretly before his death, Fan Xian couldn"t help but sigh. He then thought of the secret plan Ku He had played out in Xiliang and Jingdou before he died. Only now did he realize that the Grandmaster"s realm was not just in martial cultivation but also in terms of the human mind and state affairs. It was all very clever and mysterious.

Fan Xian lowered his head and was silent for a long time. He glanced again at the Vice Minister of the Board of Rites below and nodded slightly. Then, he gently took hold of Yun Zhilan"s hand.

Yun Zhilan furrowed his brows slightly.

"Smile. Since we are putting on a show, we should do it well. In the future, we will be partners, just like the Qing Kingdom and Dongyi."

Fan Xian didn"t look at him. Instead, he raised Yun Zhilan"s hand with a smile.

The hands of the second Master of the Sword Hut and Master of Dongyi gripped together tightly in front of Sigu Jian"s black coffin and the eyes of the crowd.

…

…

The opening ceremony was not complicated, but there was a sense of sacredness. Fan Xian himself did not have any sacred faith in the sword. When he gently pushed open the gra.s.s hut"s tightly closed door, he discovered that the att.i.tudes of the Sword Hut disciples toward him had changed slightly. The respect and cooperation now seemed to come from their heart, Thirteenth w.a.n.g was not an exception.

After everything was done, Fan Xian returned to the Qing diplomatic group and went with the Vice Minister of the Board of Rites into a quiet room. This time it was only the opening ceremony and second negotiation. Although the negotiations were going smoothly, there was still the final juncture. Other than Fan Xian, the next highest ranking official the Qing Kingdom had sent was this Vice Minister.

If they were going to announce Dongyi"s surrender to the Qing Kingdom Minister of the Board of Rights but Emperor would be interested in coming personally to receive the map and enjoy the kowtowing of the hundreds of thousands of Dongyi people, who were once foreign subjects.

The Vice Minister watched Sir Fan junior thinking silently. A moment later, he said evenly, "Sir, there is no need to be so worried. We know very well what Dongyi is thinking. If we face the fearful without fear, the fear will disappear."

"Be that as it may, it"s still not appropriate," Fan Xian said gently with a sigh. "I"ll have to trouble your to write a memorial and send it to Jingdou immediately. The Emperor must know of this matter as soon as possible."

He couldn"t help but say irritably, "If I hadn"t been put on the spot today, following regulations, I would have only accepted after receiving an edict."

"The people of Dongyi are still not completely satisfied," the Vice Minister said shaking his head. "The Emperor is wise, he will see right through these people"s provocations."

Fan Xian smiled, he knew that this Vice Minister saw through his worry but didn"t know what he was thinking inside. Of course, he didn"t share his thoughts. He said with a frown, "Looks like I"ll have to go back to the capital again."

"Although the negotiations are going smoothly, there is still a lot of conflicting emotions on Dongyi"s side," the Vice Minister said as he turned the matters over in his mind. "Without you to hold the fort, I"m afraid things may change. Before we came, the Emperor gave strict instructions to finish this in one go. I think you should continue to hold the fort here. I shall return to the capital to report these specific matters to the court."

Fan Xian was waiting for these words. He thought for a moment before he nodded and said, "I"ll have to trouble you then."

…

…

There was a rock weighing down on Fan Xian"s heart. He knew that his position as the Master of the Sword Hut would not cause the Emperor to immediately lose trust in him. But, during these years, he had overstepped boundaries many times. Each of these times was a bite from the meat of trust. Who knew if one day he would finish off this piece of meat?

This maneuverer of Sigu Jian"s was to prevent Fan Xian from turning around and selling out Dongyi. He would first sell Dongyi to Fan Xian. He would rather gift it to Fan Xian and not the Qing Emperor. If Sigu Jian lost his gamble, the end result would just be no worse than the latter. What did it matter to the already dead Sigu Jian how Fan Xian and the Emperor fought?

Once again, Fan Xian came to the seash.o.r.e outside Dongyi. He narrowed his eyes and sat on the rocks, looking at the slowly rising and falling waves. It was as if he could see Sigu Jian"s cold and indifferent eyes within them.

"Everyone"s forcing me onto the path, have you thought about the fact that it would be difficult for me?" Fan Xian looked at Sigu Jian in the waves and asked.

Sigu Jian seemed to make a reply, "Should I love you and the Qing people?"

Fan Xian shook his head.

Sigu Jian said, "So, whether or not it is difficult for you and whether or not the Qing Kingdom is in chaos, what does it have to do with me?"

Fan Xian looked at the waves and said with a smile, "I can suffer, but I can"t die. The Qing Kingdom cannot fall into chaos. I love the Qing Kingdom more than your Dongyi."

"You belong to Dongyi."

"I am a person of the Qing Kingdom."

"You are not a person of the Qing Kingdom. You are a person of the world."

Fan Xian slowly woke from his dream. He thought he was actually not a person of this world, but why could he not let go of the people of this world? Was the light of an idealist that his mother had left in this fleshly body finally emanating outward?

Do one"s best and leave the rest to heaven. If one could not prevent the battle from which rivers of blood would flow, if one could not change history, then one should leave this world to live one"s own life.

One should do as one thinks.