Star Trace Gate

Chapter 834 New Story, 2 People

Government office, inner hall.

Long Yuqing frowned as he stared at the blank memorial tablet on the square table. Bewildered and puzzled, he asked, "Brother Zhu, I'm a fool. The four city lords have already arrived, and not only did we fail to keep our appointment, you even insisted on drinking here and setting up a memorial tablet on this table. What on earth is your intention?"

Ren Ye didn't answer directly. He just paused for a moment, then placed the wine glass in his hand behind the spirit tablet and said softly, "I won't drink this glass of wine. Consider it your toast to him!"

When Long Yuqing heard this, his left hand on his leg instinctively grabbed the collar of his clothes, and a real sense of fear surged in his extremely strong heart.

"Brother Long, today I will take advantage of the good wine and food in your government office to... tell you a story, which can also help to cheer you up." Ren Ye smiled, looked at him with a relaxed expression, and said softly.

Long Yuqing came back to his senses and said with a smile, "Great, what's the story?! Tell it to me."

"Alas, this story begins in an ancient city ruled by a thousand-year-old family...!"

The Little Bad King hadn't drunk any alcohol, so his mind was clear. He spoke serenely, "It's said that in that ancient city, there lived a young man. He had an extremely fortunate fate. He was the legitimate son of the city lord, born with inexhaustible wealth. He could even inherit his father's throne in the future and wield supreme power over the common people."

"From my perspective, I suspect this young man, born into a wealthy family, didn't experience the hardships of ordinary people, but he witnessed the decay, darkness, and feudalism of this ancient city. I believe that when he was only sixteen or seventeen years old, seeing the hardships faced by the people in this ancient city, where everyone was enslaved, he must have had great ambitions and secretly vowed that if he ever succeeded the city lord, he would implement benevolent policies and restore peace and prosperity to the ancient city."

"But looking back from today's perspective, that young man's ambitions and lofty ideals... perhaps seem too naive, too presumptuous."

Ren Ye paused for a moment at this point, then added sincerely, "But in my heart, I admire the young people of that period."

Long Yuqing sat there quietly, thinking nothing of anything, and just raised his head and took a sip of the liquor.

"This young man is kind, yet also extremely intelligent. He likes to keep everything to himself, pondering and thinking for himself. However, he is cautious in his words and actions in front of outsiders, never revealing his true feelings. Even the maids and housekeepers in the mansion think that this young city lord is introverted, a little too elegant, and lacks the sharpness of a ruler."

"If this life can slowly move forward according to the beautiful dreams in one's heart... then one day, this young man will become the new city lord and realize his ambitions."

"But life is not a stage. It doesn't have so much beauty to prove all the assumptions in your heart."

"One day, the old city lord, who managed the ancient city on behalf of the Celestial Immortals, received a command from the Immortal Lord to search for a treasure in an ominous land. The old city lord knew that if he accepted this mission, he would likely not have a good ending. He had a vague feeling that this mission had nothing to do with the Celestial Immortals, but was simply a personal errand for the Immortal Lord, and it had to be kept strictly confidential."

"What do you mean by strict confidentiality? It means... even the people doing the job must keep their mouths shut forever. But the old city lord is only a mortal monarch beneath the immortals. He cannot refuse the almighty immortal master, so... he can only lead his troops into the ominous realm."

"In the twenty-seventh year of Tianbao, the old city lord found a pearl in an ominous realm. He was a fifth-rank cultivator, and the moment he took possession of the pearl, he guessed what the Immortal Lord intended. He wanted to use the pure heroic spirit within the pearl to revitalize his own decaying soul and bring him back to life."

"This is the Immortal Master's ambition to seek immortality and continue to rule this place. It must never be known to outsiders... But the old city lord already knew. Therefore, the moment he received the bead, he knew that disaster was imminent and his end was near."

"This pearl is called the Infinite Pearl. Not long after the old city lord handed it over to the Immortal Lord, he fell ill and died. I suspect... he was forced to drink the poisoned wine given by the immortal. After his return, he completely lost his freedom and was imprisoned by the Immortal Lord. He couldn't tell the truth, as it would implicate his loved ones. So, he could only bear the cost of secrecy and face death calmly. Thus, the future of this ancient city will be ruled by his son, the vengeful young man."

"However, this Infinite Pearl is only half of the supreme treasure. The other half, known as the Infinite Vase, is still within the Ominous Realm. However, after the old city lord obtained the pearl, he disrupted the balance of the Ominous Realm. Without the suppression of half of the supreme treasure, countless powerful heroic spirits and evil spirits would appear every night... As a result, the soldiers brought by the old city lord began to disappear for unknown reasons, large numbers of people were tragically killed, and even whole cavalry units were wiped out."

"During this period, the old city lord's beloved and cherished adopted daughter also died in an ominous situation. He was forced to lead his army back. Although the Immortal Lord wanted to collect all the treasures, he valued the Infinite Pearl, which contained the pure heroic spirit, more than anything else. This item could revitalize his decaying soul. As for the other half of the treasure, it would be best if he could obtain it, but if he couldn't, he wouldn't force it."

"When the old city lord returned, he was left with only a few remnants of his defeated army. Such a major event would have drawn criticism from outsiders. Therefore, to prevent his ambitions from being exposed, the Immortal Lord didn't allow him to search for the remaining half of the treasure. He only took the Infinite Pearl and then ordered the old city lord to be executed. In the following year, the generals and soldiers who had followed the old city lord into the unknown also died tragically one after another for no apparent reason. I believe they were all silenced by the Immortal Lord."

"Speaking of which, the second protagonist of this story officially makes her debut. She is the adopted daughter of the old city lord who died in an ominous place. She is also the only fourth-rank female general in Chaolong City. She was named Flying General and her real name is Long Qingyan."

When Ren Ye said this, he took out the military notes he found in the ominous place, and the "Xu Dian Lu" stolen from the document library.

He placed the two items on the table and continued, "Before his death, the old city lord specifically ordered the government officials to hold a simple funeral for his adopted daughter and build a cenotaph for her. This extremely talented adopted daughter was originally a pillar of state general he left to his son, like a sworn brother to his son, ensuring that his son would firmly control the power of the city lord in the future. Therefore, he felt distressed and regretful, and felt that he should not have taken his adopted daughter with him into the unknown."

"This military journal records the process of the adopted daughter finding the Infinite Pearl. This is very important, as it fully demonstrates the adopted daughter's personal ability. Moreover, after the old city lord obtained the Infinite Pearl, he also sent the adopted daughter to find the other half of the treasure. This is also crucial, as it lays the groundwork for many subsequent events...!"

“……!” Long Yuqing looked at the two booklets on the table, his eyes gradually becoming empty.

"The death of the old city lord completely shattered the life the young man had planned long ago. Many of the things that followed were very urgent and left him at a loss. He could only let others manipulate him in confusion and bewilderment."

"He quickly married his father's sworn brother, the eldest daughter of the ancient city's general. The bad news was that this was a marriage with clear political interests, rife with utilitarianism and profit-sharing. But the good news was that the general's daughter and the young man had been childhood sweethearts, and the two had long been in love, so... this outcome wasn't too bad. Most importantly, this move would allow the young man to smoothly take over the position of city lord."

"However, his father's sudden death meant that the young man only took on the title of city lord, but not the actual power."

"There are two huge mountains pressing down on him that seem impossible to push aside in his lifetime."

"This first mountain is the group of immortals in the sky. They are extremely powerful and have a rich heritage. There are hundreds of strong men above the fifth rank alone. If they were to become enraged and want to massacre the generals of the entire ancient city, they could do it with a wave of their hands."

"The second huge obstacle is his father-in-law's family. The general has been in charge of the military for a long time. With his father around, things have always been calm, creating a cycle of balance. But with his father's death, even if the general has no second thoughts, how can the generals around him who have endured for so many years miss the opportunity to become nobles and ministers, and become powerful and influential?"

"More and more of the general's family members were promoted and given important positions, while the balance and team left by my father gradually fell out of favor and left the center of power. This is a perfectly normal cycle of change. His responsibility does not lie with the general, but with human greed."

"How could the great general's closest relatives, after gaining power, not use their own people? How could they not seek personal gain? This is impossible; it goes against human nature."

"Therefore, there are more and more arrogant and powerful generals in this city, and they are becoming more and more rude to the young city lord. They only respect the general's family. Whenever there is any serious business, they must go to the general's mansion first."

"In such an environment, the Young City Lord was bewildered and terrified. He felt that the kingdom his ancestors had built would sooner or later be stolen by others, and that possessing the treasure would be a crime. If he appeared shrewd, capable, and strategic, he would inevitably be regarded as ambitious by the General's lackeys, and his life would be in danger sooner or later."

"So, he began to disguise himself even more deliberately, spending his days idly tending to flowers and plants, acting like a dandy young man. Furthermore... he also deliberately exaggerated his cowardly and timid side, becoming indecisive, hesitant, and completely lacking any opinions of his own."

"Under this disguise, he posed no threat to anyone and not only managed to survive, but he's also doing well."

"However, the general, known for his unparalleled loyalty and bravery, felt that his son-in-law was too weak and lacked the talent and wisdom of a monarch. He never forgot the oath he had sworn with the old city lord. He wanted to cultivate his son-in-law into a great man, so he provided guidance, advice, and careful instruction on many key political matters. However, due to his typically taciturn nature and fiery temper, he often spoke harshly and acted presumptuously in their interactions."

"In the general's heart, this young city lord is not only his brother's legitimate son, but also his own son-in-law. He is no different from his own flesh and blood. But in the young city lord's heart, this old man is the biggest stumbling block preventing him from taking over the power of city lord."

"This isn't a misunderstanding that arises when people communicate with each other. Once suspicion arises, it's impossible to dissipate. Therefore, the general's advice, scolding, teachings, and exhortations are all manifestations of authority and majesty in the eyes of the young city lord, and they are all coercion to force him to find his place."

"But the young city lord must obey, because he wants to survive and endure."

"Finally, not long after the young city lord's wedding, a surprise, a hope, suddenly appeared in his life."

"The old city lord's adopted daughter, his sister... has returned! She broke out of an ominous realm, secretly returned to the ancient city, and brought back news of the other half of the treasure—the Infinite Vase."

"The young city lord must have been incredibly excited and delighted when he saw her. I suspect that during their secret meeting, the adopted daughter revealed to him the secret of the Immortal Lord's ambition to find the ultimate treasure. She also undoubtedly informed him that the old city lord's death wasn't a natural relapse of an old illness, but rather a death bestowed upon him by the Immortal Lord."

"This first mountain not only trapped the young city lord for life, but also killed his father. How can such a great vengeance not be avenged?!"

"But speaking of revenge, how could he and his adopted daughter alone overthrow the mountain that has hung in the sky for nearly a thousand years?"

"The adopted daughter is a military commander, so naturally she's not as strategically as the young city lord. She must be thinking of keeping a low profile, honing her skills, and one day reaching a higher realm to seek revenge on the Immortal Master! But the young city lord feels that reaching the sixth rank is harder than ascending to heaven... It requires not only hard work, but also talent and opportunity."