CG Chapter 190: Cleave the Ground
Away from the ominous death ki of the Li Clan and from the rebirth of the devil, a rebirth of another kind was occurring. While the devil shed the skin of an old man into a younger man, in this moment the pieces were moving once more, and the young prince of Han was shedding the skin of the foolish boy under the gaze of the Grand Overseer.
Under the desolate Tianxing Peak, Han Yi, reborn, stood in front of his new master. The aura of youth was long gone, only to be replaced by a mature and refined scholarly appearance. However, whether this was his rebirth remained to be answered.
Yet, it could not be denied that if one looked closely, they would notice an aura of profoundly obscured majesty being cultivated between his brows. This aura was transforming and growing under the dutiful guidance of the Grand Overseer.
As the gaze of the Grand Overseer swept over the young prince, his whole body seemed to freeze. No matter how long he stayed, he could never get used to it.
During his first visit, he had not been able to truly sense that, but since the massacre of his family, he was able to sense how deeply these eyes truly saw. It was akin to being seen from within, as if the past of the person lay within one eye, and the future lay in the other.
Yet, accompanying the chill, there was another feeling brewing within him, a sensation of excitement. After all, the man standing before him was his own master.
As he perceived the gaze finally draw back, he muttered in respect, "To see all that is hidden is to know all, and to know is to control all things between Heaven and Earth. Only he who sees behind the veil can control the fates of others with the grasp of his hand."
The Grand Overseer, hearing these few words, merely smiled for a second before saying, "Do you know what is most important for one to reach the peak of the Jianghu?"
He asked as he stretched his hands toward the stars before grasping back as if he were going to pick the stars themselves from the night sky.
Han Yi remained silent for a while as he heard the question. Lost in thought as he pondered, a while passed, and the Grand Overseer did not interrupt his thought process.
As the disciples playing the zither quieted down, and the night winds began to turn freezing, Han Yi cleverly spoke, "Is it fate? You previously asked me what fate is, but you did not appear truly defiant against its control but rather reluctant to oppose it, as if no matter what one did, they would remain under its control. A bird flying in the morning sky to hunt would die no matter what it did if it did not find anything to hunt. A farmer would die from starvation even if he stayed tilling the ground all night, if the rain did not fall, and the snow remained high."
The Grand Overseer stood silent in his place as he heard the words coming out of Han Yi's young mouth. Han Yi felt baffled; to him, the Grand Overseer merely appeared disappointed in his answer, as if he had missed the point.
Meanwhile, the Grand Overseer's feelings were a lot different; he glanced at the sky for one final time as he said, "Is that so? I did not notice that; time must have worn at my edges."
These words coming from the Grand Overseer seemed to have shaved off a couple of years, yet as his gaze flickered by the boy in front of him, he seemed to have made up his mind on some matter.
Shaking his head, he said, "One should control what one can control. To blame fate for one's own misfortune is the greatest failure one can fall into. It is easy for one to fall into despair, thinking the road is short, and that the entire world is against them. Yet, one must remember Heaven never closes all doors for one, and even if it closes forty-nine, there is still a final one remaining."
He quieted down for a moment before saying:
"Cleave the Ground. You might not have heard of this saying before, but it is quite famous amongst the lowly farmers of Han, especially with those living on hard terrain where rain is sparse year-round. This also represents one of the highest expressions of respect one can offer for another's effort. To cut through rocks and stubborn earth, to cleave the ground until you force it to gush water and food. Like the farmers of Han who rise each day to break the ground, dirtying their hands for a few grains, only to fight for another day."
Han Yi's eyes sparkled. "Cleave the Ground."
For some strange reason, that saying closely expressed his true emotions. To put so much work in until he reached his goal, to cleave it, and cleave it hard.
As he thought about it, however, his eyes suddenly shone even more as he said, "I am not reconciled with merely cleaving the earth; if a mountain is too hard, then I shall blow it, and if a throne is high, I shall drag it back until the rightful one sits on it. The sky is high, but I shall reach beyond the sky and lay a new order. I want to set order amongst the chaos and bloodshed."
As the Grand Overseer heard this proclamation of youthful, somewhat naive dreams, he did not rebuff Han Yi for setting it this high; instead, he smiled, turning his back to Han Yi. Despite not speaking a word, a silent sense of approval radiated from him, as if he were saying, "I shall be your hands to cleave this mighty mountain."
With this, and under the starry night sky, an oath carrying the hopes and dreams of a fallen empire ignited once more. A seed of ambition brewed within, but you know what they say about ambitions of the youth...