Peace Order

Chapter 1785 - 77: Imperial Decree and Entrustment

But now, his hair is completely white, the skin on his face lacks any gloss, pale, shriveled, like land drained of all vitality, like crumpled white paper piled together and left untouched for countless years.

His flesh and blood have dried up, resembling those of the old and dying.

The bones of his cheeks can barely hold onto the flesh, his whole person showing prominent cheekbones; even his eyebrows are white. The Azure Dragon-patterned dark blue imperial robe that once perfectly suited him now appears somewhat empty.

When the wind blows, it feels like strips of cloth hanging on white bones.

But, even so.

The eyes beneath those white eyebrows still burn fiercely, still like fire.

The tiger dies but doesn’t collapse.

The dragon is the same.

People, too, are like this.

Ji Zichang murmured softly, "So it is... You have grown old, my friend."

Jiang Wanxiang smiled and said, "What is Your Majesty saying? The autumn hunt of the Tianqi 11th year, it’s now already the Tianqi 18th year. Seven or eight years have passed; even a little child will have reached the age of establishing a family; and young people have matured, is Your Majesty not the same?"

"As for this old man."

"This old man is not old, but nearing death."

Ji Zichang looked at Jiang Wanxiang.

In the end, he also did not verbally agree.

The latter grinned slightly, and said, "Your Majesty still seems unwilling, but rest assured, this old man can wait a few more days. Your Majesty, please think carefully and rest well in the palace."

"I believe Your Majesty can make a wise and correct choice."

"This old man will patiently await Your Majesty’s decision."

Thousands of troops, Yuwen Lie and He Ruoqinhu stood to the left and right of Jiang Wanxiang—Ying Country’s elite encountered hardly any significant resistance and had already taken the entire Central State.

On this day, Ji Zichang still enjoyed the treatment of a Red Emperor, staying in the palace.

Jiang Wanxiang ascended the high building.

The lights flickered; in his youth, Jiang Wanxiang and Gao Xiang came here to abduct a bride, an empress at that, never one to be bound by rules. Now, seeing the Red Emperor’s Central State again, it lacks the prosperity of his youth, only showing distortion.

Jiang Wanxiang’s face was pale, even ascending the building left him feeling breathless.

Yet his own prowess still stems from Qi Fortune’s Nine Heavens monarch.

Powerful Inner Qi and a waning vitality both appeared within Jiang Wanxiang, giving a feeling of vibrant flowers and raging flames cooking oil.

Yuwen Lie and He Ruoqinhu watched the aging monarch with concern.

They wanted to support him, but he waved them off, thus stopping them. Jiang Wanxiang stood atop the high building of Central State, looking at Central State in the night, viewing the ancient houses, observing the upturned eaves, the grand lights of the human world, the Red Emperor’s eight hundred-year legend, those bits of heroic spirit, sentimental affairs, and the vast world of mortals, all in the lights.

Jiang Wanxiang stretched out his hand, spreading his five fingers, covering the lights ahead, and murmured:

"Lights shining brightly, the mortal world."

"Truly beautiful, yet extremely ugly."

"In such a world, how can you and I be content to just leave?"

"How can we stop before the grand wish?"

He Ruoqinhu’s eyes carried sorrow, and he said softly:

"Your Majesty’s fame and achievements are unparalleled, naturally your longevity shall be prolonged."

Jiang Wanxiang laughed heartily: "Longevity prolonged? Hahaha, stern He Ruoqinhu can even say such words, cough cough cough cough..."

He intended to laugh it off as usual, but after a few laughs, it turned into a severe cough. The cough became intense, and he spat out a mouthful of blood, staining his sleeve black. The color was like thick ink, with a foul stench, shocking to behold.

Yuwen Lie and He Ruoqinhu changed their expressions and moved forward to support him.

Jiang Wanxiang did not refuse this time, looking at the black blood on his sleeve, he said, "The Wolf King Blade injury, even with all the life-extending items in the world, can no longer be sustained. Human flesh and blood have their limits; life is about to end, and it cannot be reversed by human effort."

"What can be done?"

He looked at his own hand, an old man’s hand, trembling while holding a sword. In his youth, he held a sword, rode a horse, and fought on battlefields for three days and nights without reaching this state.

He once hid with Gao Xiang beneath the rock face during a snow-covered mountain blockade, reached out for a handful of fallen snow, stuffed it into his mouth, felt his skin turning ruddy and warm in winter, feeling the burning fire inside his heart and lungs.

He raised his head, through the fist-sized hole punched out, seeing the bright moon overhead.

The moon illuminates a young man’s dreams.

Back then, he was young, without foundation, status, or position.

But he had friends, dreams, and the restless blaze of youth.

Now he possesses everything.

But has lost that vigorous bloodline and vitality.

Stripping away Qi Fortune, the body of a monarch cannot withstand the backlash of its removal, leading to a drastic reduction in longevity. However, as he said, besides Ying Country, the world’s Qi Fortune still holds the Central State’s eight hundred years of legacy.

Even though the Qi Fortune of this eight-hundred-year Red Emperor era is already darkened and foul, toxic like poison, filthy everywhere, yet even such Qi Fortune, is still Qi Fortune.

At this moment, just like drinking ice and swallowing snow in youth.

Even regarding the most potent poison, there is indifference.

Jiang Wanxiang’s hand slowly clenched into a fist.

"Ji Zichang."

"Your capability is not sufficient to dominate in chaotic times. A peaceful place beyond worldly conflicts is where you truly belong."