The Song Dynasty was the king for thirteen years before he knew that he was Tianlong.

Chapter 365 Returning to the Capital, Changes

Banners fluttered as the chariots moved, and the gleaming of swords protected the road. Thousands of riders, their helmets gleaming and armor shining, rode through the streets with the sound of whistling arrows.

The three thousand imperial guards were all from Tokyo, born into military households at the beginning of the Song Dynasty, not disaster victims from various places who were later incorporated into the army for disaster relief.

Everyone was excited at this moment. How could they not be happy to go home? Their families, relatives, and friends—some of them were in Kaifeng, and some were in Tokyo. Tokyo was their root.

They had almost never left the capital region before, and this was their first time in the Northwest. Given the ongoing conflict and their fear, they had made the worst possible plans.

To die on the battlefield is a good thing, but why must one be buried in their hometown? Where in life are there no green hills?

They returned safely, all beaming with joy and smiles.

Zhao Ti looked at the soldiers from his horse with a calm expression. The soldiers were unaware of the dangers of the great battle in the north and believed that they would never go on another expedition after this triumphant return.

In reality, Zhao Xu had almost completely emptied the Imperial Guards in the capital region. Some were being transferred to the Western Army for troop rotation, while others were heading north. These few thousand soldiers were naturally not spared either, and most of them would have to follow him to the old lands in front of the mountains, the former homeland of Yan and Yun.

The army marched day and night, not disturbing any cities they encountered, but simply setting up camp outside them. It did not take many days for them to reach Kaifeng.

After another half day, Zhao Ti entered Tokyo at the end of the afternoon.

He told Zhou Tong to take Murong Longcheng back to his residence to rest, and then Bai Zhan drove straight to the palace.

After passing through the side gate and walking all the way to the front of Funing Palace, the sun was already setting, and the last rays of sunlight were shining on the western sky.

Tan Zhen led the way into the imperial study, where Zhao Xu was facing away from the door, looking at a map on the wall.

The map shows the territory of Youyan, with the Sixteen Prefectures clearly listed. The Taihang Mountains, Yanshan Mountains, the Great Wall, and other places are also drawn in detail. At the top edge, there is also the Liao capital, Shangjing Linhuangfu.

"Eighth Brother is back?" Zhao Xu said in a rather ethereal voice without turning around.

"Your Majesty, I have returned." Zhao Ti was puzzled. Normally, Zhao Xu would call him the Prince of Yan, and sometimes he would call him Eighth Brother, but he rarely called him Eighth Brother.

"Eighth Brother, you must be tired from your journey. Tan Zhen, why don't you prepare some tea?" Zhao Xu said.

"Your Majesty, it's already cooking over there. This humble servant will go get it right away." Tan Zhen jogged away.

"Eighth Brother, please sit down," Zhao Xu said.

"How can I sit if Your Majesty has not yet sat?" Zhao Ti remained motionless.

“Eighth Brother is too cautious.” Zhao Xu shook his head and turned around.

When Zhao Ti saw Zhao Xu's face, he was taken aback. The other man's face was as pale as paper, without a trace of color, and his eyes were mostly white with little black, as if he were about to go blind.

"Your Majesty, you..."

Zhao Xu sat behind the desk, smiling wryly: "It's alright, it's from practicing martial arts, I won't die for now."

Although he said this, Zhao Ti could sense the deep helplessness and sorrow in his tone, but at the same time he also felt that there seemed to be an extremely powerful force within the other party, like a ferocious beast lying in wait, which would surely be earth-shattering once it erupted.

Is the opponent still practicing the Thirty-Three Heavens Fist? Since they know the terrible consequences of this fist technique, and that even the Yi Jin Jing cannot completely neutralize it, why don't they stop and continue to practice it?
Zhao Ti himself only pushed the fist to the second stance before stopping and not pushing it any further, and he rarely used it.

On the one hand, he already knew far too many martial arts, so even if this fist technique was incredibly powerful, there was no need to exhaust himself and waste time refining it further, since his own martial arts were among the world's best. On the other hand, this fist technique would be incomplete without the thirty-third form, and the risk of refining the thirty-third form was far too great, completely disproportionate to the gains.

If the calculation is wrong, even by the slightest margin, one will suffer enormous consequences: bloodline will reverse and decay, the body will be severely damaged, vitality will wither and dim, and there may even be a lack of offspring, or even the inability to have children.

Even if the prediction is correct, so what if this one punch is invincible? It's not enough to offset the risk of the prediction being wrong for thirty-three punches.

The effort and reward, the cost and the gain, are not proportional.

As for what secrets, shocking rumors, or even special functions are hidden in this punch, it is meaningless without knowing them.

Even if you are aware of the situation, you should consider it carefully, because the consequences are too dire. Even the slightest mistake will lead to irreversible and irreparable consequences.

Therefore, Zhao Ti did not continue practicing, but Zhao Xu did not stop at all, otherwise his appearance and temperament would not be so amazing.

Zhao Ti said, "Your Majesty's life is of utmost importance; you must be cautious and consider the well-being of the people, especially those outside the temple. You cannot afford to lose sight of the bigger picture for the sake of trivial matters..."

Zhao Xu looked at Zhao Ti, and after a long while, a smile appeared on his face: "Eighth Brother rarely offers advice, so is this considered a direct remonstrance to me?"

Zhao Ti said solemnly, "That is so. I believe that Your Majesty should prioritize your health, and everything else is secondary."

Zhao Xu sighed softly, walked around the desk and paced a few steps in front of him: "I didn't want it to be like this either. I once told my eighth brother that when the late emperor talked to me about secret matters, I wanted to run away from the palace as soon as I heard it. I didn't want to listen, do, or think about it at all."

Zhao Ti remained silent. The origin of the Thirty-Three Heavens Creation Divine Fist was mysterious. It was obtained by the Great Ancestor in Kunlun, but it did not seem to be a Kunlun inheritance. It was also unrelated to Emperor Shitian. Although there were thirty-three minor heavens where Emperor Shitian was, this fist seemed to be a martial art, not a Buddhist or Taoist art. Moreover, he had asked Xiao Feng, and there was no such fist technique in Emperor Shitian's inheritance, nor was there anything related to the number thirty-three.

Similarly, this fist technique seems to have no connection with the Thirty-Three Heavens of Taoism. Taoism has no similar Taoist arts, let alone similar martial arts.

Leaving aside the secrets hidden within this fist technique, what is its origin and what is it? Why did the founding emperor attach so much importance to it? And why did the imperial family, knowing the difficulty of mastering it, still continue to practice it generation after generation?

"Eighth brother, I don't want to either, but I have no choice. If you were in my position, I'm afraid you wouldn't be able to make the decision either. Perhaps this is what the old saying means: 'The affairs of the world are endless and the fate of heaven is inescapable.'" Zhao Xu looked into the distance, passing through the door of the imperial study and looking at the sky above. There were a few white clouds above, their shadows sparse and pale.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Ti said solemnly, "What are you saying, Your Majesty? A ruler is a ruler, and a subject is a subject. How can a subject put himself in the ruler's shoes? I dare to advise Your Majesty not to have wild thoughts and to prioritize your health."

Zhao Xu smiled and shook his head, saying, "Originally, the matter of Youyan should not be rushed. After all, the war in Hexi has just ended, and after destroying Xixia, we should recuperate for a period of time. However, I am anxious and cannot wait. I originally planned to personally lead the expedition once we completely broke off relations with Liao, to recover the old lands in front of and behind the mountains. But... my body is not in a good position, so I had to call my eighth brother back."

Zhao Ti said, "Your Majesty, I will certainly share your burdens, but Your Majesty's health..."

Zhao Xu said, "I have a plan in mind. The affairs of the Sixteen Prefectures of Yan and Yun will depend entirely on my eighth brother."

Zhao Ti said, "I will do my best, but at this moment the world is in great turmoil, and strange forces and spirits are rampant. I cannot say that I have a complete grasp of the situation."

Zhao Xu said, "I trust my eighth brother. Now that my eleventh brother has led people to assist the western army, I am still not at ease. My eleventh brother is a bookish and impetuous man. Although he has mastered some magic, I am afraid he will not achieve great things."

"Oh?" Zhao Ti asked, "I wonder where Prince Duan learned his Taoist magic, and how powerful it is?"

Zhao Xu said, "It is Shenxiao Dao beside me. I think his magic is decent, but there are many talented people in the Liao Kingdom. He is also strange and unpredictable. He has never been on the battlefield, so how can he win?"

Zhao Ti thought for a moment: "Your Majesty, the army is blocked in front of the state, and Your Majesty also said that the Liao Kingdom's methods are strange and unpredictable. What kind of abilities do they have?"

(End of this chapter)