The Word of Heaven

Chapter 229 I’m dying
The Great Qin State has entered its second millennium since its founding. With the exception of a very small number of emperors who were deposed during their lifetime, the tombs of dozens of emperors are all buried on Tianqiong Peak without exception.

This is naturally also a forbidden area on Baidi Mountain.

On the first day of climbing Baidi Mountain, the elder who came from the Bai family's branch clearly informed them that Tianqiong Peak was a forbidden area in the mountain and no one was allowed to get close to it. Violators would bear the consequences at their own risk.

Even Bai Langxing, the third prince, was no exception.

According to past rules, Tianqiong Peak would only be open to the public when the royal family was offering sacrifices to their ancestors.

However, although Tianqiong Peak is so important, it looks guarded but has nothing to do with strictness. On the narrow mountain path leading to the top of the peak, not even a grave keeper can be seen. It is lonely under the reflection of the morning glow.

In fact, this mountain does not need anyone's protection, because the fourth emperor of Qin State is not here, but right here.

This is what Gu Zhuo speculated.

Yu Sheng told him the same thing.

"The restrictions on Tianqiong Peak are very troublesome, because the core of the formation is right there, and there are formations everywhere. With your and my current level, it will be troublesome if you take a wrong step." She said softly.

Gu Zhuo’s memory is pretty good.

The reason why he was determined to become the first in the summer festival that year was to enter Baidi Mountain to capture the true meaning of the frosty sky of all things lingering there. The most important reason why he had such confidence at that time was that he had heard about the scenery on Tianqiong Peak from someone.

Yu Shengwei raised his head and looked at the mountain that was getting closer and closer. He said calmly, "My master once sneaked into Tianqiong Peak for some reason. Although he didn't reach the top of the mountain, he remembered the scenery along the way. There hasn't been much change over the years."

Gu Zhuo was a little curious and asked, "So there is a reason, what is it?"

"Anyway, it's not a tomb raiding."

Yu Sheng didn't wait for him to ask again, and continued: "The Frost of All Things is at the top of the mountain, a place that Master didn't go to back then."

Gu Zhuo said: "Then this trip can be considered a complete success."

Yu Sheng nodded slightly because she thought so too.

Although she didn't understand what merit there was in this.

"Should we wait until nightfall before setting off?" Gu Zhuo said, "Although we are not going to rob a tomb, it would be too blatant to climb the mountain now."

"If you insist."

Yu Sheng shook his head and said, "If you don't insist, then now."

Gu Zhuo didn't think for too long. He forgot what he had said before without any psychological barriers. He nodded and said, "Mountain climbing should be done during the day."

Yu Sheng said no more, took out a hair tie from her bosom and tied up her hair carefully.

The morning glow fell on her fair neck, submerging her beautiful collarbone like water. Her earlobes were reflected in a lovely warm red by the sunlight, and the fine hairs were swaying gently.

Her expression was exceptionally calm, because she was serious and focused.

The mountain path is ahead.

Yu Sheng took a step forward and stepped onto the first stone step.

Gu Zhuo followed him.

In the morning sun of midsummer, a chill arises silently.

……

……

Climbing is not an easy task, especially on Tianqiong Peak where there are countless formations that change all the time.

Even though things remain essentially the same, they are still changing, so climbers must change with them in order to travel safely.

Therefore, Gu Zhuo and Yu Sheng always walked and stopped. At this moment, they stopped where they were like tourists immersed in the scenery, but in the blink of an eye, they walked quickly again, ignoring the beautiful scenery along the way.

In order to walk on the Tianqiong Peak where the restrictions are not yet lifted and avoid being exposed or killed, one must have a very deep understanding of the royal practice of Frost Sky Tribulation of All Things, or one's own attainments in Taoism must have reached the level of evolving all things.

This was not a difficult task for the two.

So Shan Dao had something to say.

Unlike the past nearly 360 days, this time their conversation was serious and solemn from the very beginning.

"There are some things I should tell you."

Yu Sheng suddenly said, "In the past year, I have actually been considering whether or not to kill you and let you die on Tianqiong Peak."

Hearing this, Gu Zhuo thought he would be very surprised, but there were only slight ripples in his heart, almost no waves.

“It’s really not that surprising.”

After thinking for a moment, he said uncertainly: "Maybe I think this idea makes sense?"

“It makes sense.”

Yu Sheng looked ahead quietly and said as a matter of course: "No matter from which angle you look at it, this is an excellent choice. Many potential troubles will be directly cut off with your death."

Gu Zhuo sighed and said with emotion: "There is really no way to deny this."

"If I kill you at Tianqiong Peak, I have more than 50% confidence that I can control the development of the situation and make your death unknown to others, even to the world."

Yu Sheng's voice became increasingly indifferent.

She did not stop, but continued to climb the mountain without even looking back.

Gu Zhuo was very calm and said, "Fifty percent confidence is enough, it's worth taking the risk."

Yu Sheng continued, "I started thinking about killing you after I left the General's Mansion."

Gu Zhuo took over the conversation and said, "No wonder you suddenly wanted to hide your identity and then started to wander around with nothing to do. It turned out that you did it to get rid of any eyes that might be on you."

Yu Sheng hummed in a nasal tone, meaning to acknowledge it.

"Are you angry?"

"I am laughing."

Gu Zhuo smiled slightly and said frankly: "Perhaps if you don't think in this direction and don't think about how to kill me, I will be really surprised?"

Yu Sheng raised his eyebrows and asked, "Is this a compliment or slander?"

Gu Zhuo smiled sincerely and said, "I think it was a calm judgment based on an objective perspective. It has nothing to do with such subjective words."

As they were talking, they came to a stone platform.

A thin mist floated in from the sky, filling the air and diluting the warmth of the morning sun.

I don't know when it started, but Gu Zhuo and Yu Sheng have been standing side by side.

The mountain path is hidden in the fog, appearing and disappearing, as if it is a road leading to fairyland.

"Have you ever thought about that?"

Yu Sheng said: "How should I face the possibility that I want to kill you?"

When she said this, her tone was still calm, without any embarrassment at all.

Gu Zhuo said honestly: "It would be a lie to say that I haven't thought about it, but I certainly haven't thought about it too deeply because I don't want to."

Yu Sheng turned his head, glanced at him, and said, "It's also because you always believe in one thing."

"Ah."

Gu Zhuo smiled and said, "Suspicion is the beginning of all misfortunes."

Then he added: "Once you decide to believe, you should believe it to the end. Maybe I often hesitate in other things, but I am consistent in this matter."

After hearing this, Yu Sheng was silent for a moment and then asked, "What about now?"

"Now?"

Gu Zhuo thought about it seriously, shook his head and said, "I still stick to my opinion. I don't think you will kill me."

As he finished speaking, he stepped onto the foggy mountain path. Along with the chill that could not be dispelled by the morning sun, he was also filled with many extremely complex and intense emotions.

These emotions came from the graves that Gu Zhuo had visited, including hatred, love, resentment, grief and anger, and what could not be obtained.

The passing tide came again, constantly beating against his heart of Tao.

Yu Sheng said: "Since you are not completely without thought, have you ever thought about letting me die with you?"

Gu Zhuo was speechless and sighed.

"So you don't think this sentence is too romantic at all?" He thought seriously for a long time, and finally said: "For a question like this concerning life and death, only when death really comes, I can know what choice I will make. Before that, everything is false."

Yu Sheng thought that you had made a similar choice many years ago.

There was no need to bring up the past again. The girl pretended to be ignorant and asked, "Really?"

"Ah."

Gu Zhuo said honestly: "Or maybe I just don't want to give myself time to regret."

After a moment of silence, Yu Sheng said self-deprecatingly: "After all, people like us always have to finish things before regretting them."

The sunlight pierced through the mist on the peak and fell on the two of them again, bringing real warmth.

The mountain path became increasingly rugged, and due to years of disrepair, the stone steps became uneven in height, making the way up increasingly difficult to walk on.

The top of Tianqiong Peak is still far away in the invisible horizon.

"Look at the horizon, and die before your eyes."

Yu Sheng said thoughtfully: "If I remember correctly, you also said this, right?"

Gu Zhuo was helpless and said seriously: "It's not death, it's like."

"Death is a better word. It can better describe the difficulty of cultivating the Tao, the difficulty of dealing with the world, and the pain of living. This word is too common."

Yu Sheng didn't care about his correction at all and said indifferently: "So you should give me an answer now."

"what is the answer?"

"position."

Gu Zhuo was even more helpless and annoyed, and said, "Why do I have to choose one side? Can't I just be a fence-sitter?"

Yu Sheng asked without thinking: "Are you a waste?"

"If you are a loser, then of course you can be a fence-sitter."

Her tone suddenly quickened. She seemed calm, but in fact she was dissatisfied. "I don't need to think about it anymore. As long as you are willing to nod, I can get married with you today, and no one will say a word to me."

Gu Zhuo was deeply moved and said, "So being trash can have this benefit."

Yu Sheng said expressionlessly: "But you are not a waste."

Gu Zhuo said: "Should I regret that I'm not a waste?"

Yu Sheng stopped, turned her head and looked into his eyes. She was silent for a long time and said seriously, "Give me a reason for you to stay out of this."

After hearing this, Gu Zhuo thought for a long time.

It was not until the sunlight was no longer red and warm that he found the answer.

He smiled and said, "Because I'm going to die."

……

……

"There aren't that many do-overs in this world."

Gu Zhuo's voice was gentle as usual: "Because I am about to die, I cherish my life very much. I want to live happily and happily, so I don't want to get involved in any storm. Are you satisfied with this reason?"

Yu Sheng remained silent, looking into his eyes, making sure that every word he said was true.

After a moment, she said, "So you are going to die too?"

There is a word "also" in the sentence.

Gu Zhuo heard it clearly, so he realized that the person being referred to was the White Emperor.

This wasn't a surprising thing, but he still felt a little sad.

The mountain road was quiet.

I don’t know how much time had passed before Yu Sheng’s voice rang out again.

"I am not satisfied with your reasons."

“But I accept your reasons,” she said.

There was no emotion in his words, and every word was pronounced so perfectly.

Gu Zhuo thought for a moment and said, "Thank you."

Yu Sheng was silent for a moment, then continued climbing the mountain. Finally, he said, "You're almost dead, what's there to thank me for?"

……

……

The peak has come into view and is no longer on the horizon, but it is actually still about three hundred feet high.

The mountain climbing path is never straight. The mountain path winds up and down like a long snake.

As the altitude continued to rise, the pressure from the formation restrictions on Gu Zhuo and Yu Sheng became greater and greater, making it impossible for them to continue to relax.

Before we knew it, the sun was at its zenith and the heat was getting stronger.

The sunlight shines through the branches and leaves, casting golden rays on the mountain stream, but it is unwilling to go with the flow.

Yu Sheng sat on a rock by the stream, scooped up some stream water with her hands, and gently washed her cheeks.

At the same time, her voice flowed out from between her fingers.

Just like mountains and rivers come out of the mountains.

"I never understood why you gave up the Yuanshi Dao Canon and chose Xingshuang Jie. Now I think that you did it just to stay alive and obtain the true meaning of the Frost Heaven of All Things. It was definitely not some inexplicable thing like taking care of the stars of all generations since childhood."

"It's true that it's for living, but don't you think that sounds beautiful?"

"Why do the stars need the common people to look after them? This is arrogance, not beauty."

"No wonder you are not good at any of the following, and the world in your eyes lacks beauty."

Gu Zhuo commented objectively.

Yu Sheng was too lazy to pay attention to him. She thought, since I am so good-looking, isn’t it normal that there is no other beauty in my eyes?

At this time, Gu Zhuo was standing by the road, his eyes passing through the dense forest and falling on a grave.

It was not because the emperor buried in the tomb was too famous that made his eyes linger, but because he could not sense any breath from it.

Every tomb on Tianqiong Peak looks like this, without exception.

Yu Sheng raised his face, letting the water droplets roll down his cheeks, and said, "Did you see it?"

"Ah."

Gu Zhuo said: "They are all empty graves."

Yu Sheng stood up, took out a handkerchief and wiped his face, then said calmly, "Because the bodies buried inside were dug out, just a hundred years ago, before the battle of Xuandu."

Gu Zhuo had no desire to comment.

This is someone else's family affair.

Even if Yu Sheng decided to marry him today, it was still not his business.

"continue."

Yu Sheng walked up to Gu Zhuo and said, "This is the last leg of the journey."

Gu Zhuo had no reason to refuse.

But before that, he thought about what he had seen in the old imperial city of Wangjing, and then thought about what he had seen along the way to Tianqiong Peak, and asked a question with an extremely serious expression.

"What exactly is the true meaning of the Frost Sky of All Things?"

"Do not worry."

Yu Sheng guessed Gu Zhuo’s concerns.

The corners of her lips curled up slightly, and her voice was somewhat sarcastic: "Anyway, it's not corpse oil."

　Kalvin... Kalvin, I only have four thousand today. I am very grateful to Liuli Jingtan for helping me correct the typo!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)