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Novel: [The Primordial Law]
Volume 4: [Shuangsheng Dao Sect (Twin Rice Sect)]
Chapter 5 (260): [Xiaotian Edict]
(5th of Volume 4)
Translator: Shadow Knight AK
Editor: Shadow Knight AK
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Since the Zuoqiu Sect had organized and won the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival, there was no turning back.
Either they would become the masters of the Lingxiao Realm, or their entire clan would be annihilated.
Therefore, the fate of the Hidden Dragon could not be allowed to falter.
What the Zuoqiu Sect truly sought was not just the support of the Calamity Crossing Temple, but also momentum.
Just as Tang Wanqiu had once lamented, "Destiny has chosen them."
If the world believed destiny favored the Zuoqiu Sect, people would flock to them, seeking refuge and allegiance, causing their power to snowball.
Hidden Lord said, "In truth, the Zuoqiu Sect only wants a title. And you, right now, need that title to add another layer of protective Golden Light. I see nothing wrong with it... Stop wearing that long face! You're getting a great deal and still complaining. Zuoqiu Hongting's talent, skill, and beauty are unmatched in this era. Countless people would envy you for marrying her."
Li Weiyi said, "It's not the marriage itself that troubles me! We had already decided to retreat from the spotlight and hide in the valley of the waves. Now, aren't we being pushed back into the fiercest storm?"
Hidden Lord asked, "Are you afraid of being dragged into the world's conflicts by the Zuoqiu Sect?"
Li Weiyi said, "It's not fear, exactly... Well, never mind. I brought this on myself. What happened in the Cave Dwelling was indeed inappropriate. Zuoqiu Ting, or Zuoqiu Hong, acted honorably and treated me sincerely, never with malice. She helped me a great deal. I shouldn't have teased her like that. Women and men are fundamentally different; they lack the broad-mindedness and magnanimity of men."
The Hidden Lord patted his shoulder and chuckled: "Based on these words alone, I believe Zuoqiu Hongting will look at you with even greater respect. In truth, having her, the stunning Young Celestial Emperor, standing before you can shield you from much external scrutiny."
Li Weiyi and the Hidden Lord returned to the council hall.
First, Li Weiyi expressed his deep remorse and apology to Zuoqiu Ling, then promised to take responsibility for Zuoqiu Hongting, and so on.
The formalities concluded.
The engagement was settled.
The Hidden Lord and Zuoqiu Ling discussed the specific details while Li Weiyi withdrew from the hall.
Outside, the setting sun painted the sky with vibrant hues.
Li Weiyi descended the winding stone steps of the Third Heaven.
Zuoqiu Hongting had restored her true appearance, wearing a green Daoist robe.
Tall and graceful, she stood like a startled swan, waiting for him on the path he was bound to take.
She stood at the edge of a cliff jutting out like a duck's bill, gazing down at a sea of peach branches stretching out below like a pink ocean. Her hands were clasped within her wide sleeves, a wooden hairpin adorned her hair, and a Dao Ruler hung from her waist.
Though only a silhouette, she exuded an ethereal, serene aura - a transcendent beauty beyond words, as if she might take flight on the wind at any moment.
Li Weiyi watched her back for a long time, knowing she was waiting for him. He walked over.
Zuoqiu Hongting didn't turn around, but gazed at the sunset on the horizon.
"It was about fourteen years ago. I was nine years old then. The news of my father's death, caused by the Xiaotian Edict, arrived from Lingxiao City under a sky just like this."
"From that day on, I was consumed by hatred. I entered the Zuoqiu Hidden Sect, presenting myself as a boy to deliberately antagonize the Xiaotian Edict."
"As I grew older, cross-dressing became harder to conceal, so I had to master the Transformation Technique. I knew I was no match for the Grand Palace Mistress and might never avenge my father. But... pretending to be a man felt like I was still fighting her, and only then could the childhood hatred finally subside."
Li Weiyi listened in silence, then sighed: "I'm so sorry! Actually, Jiang Ning told me your secret long ago."
Zuoqiu Hongting's face, bathed in the sunset's glow, was fair and lustrous, her profile exquisitely beautiful.
She said, "So all that nonsense about 'watching the sky in the morning, the clouds at dusk, thinking of you while walking, thinking of you while sitting' - was it all just a joke at my expense?"
Li Weiyi forced a bitter smile: "Not entirely! Any man in this world who has seen your peerless beauty would dare to say it's not stunning? Who wouldn't want to steal a kiss?"
"Steal a kiss? Do you speak so bluntly with other women too? Like Jiang Ning?" Zuoqiu Hongting raised a delicate eyebrow.
Li Weiyi replied, "I swear to heaven, I only speak so freely with you. Because I still consider you my brother. In front of you, there's no need to pretend or restrain myself. I can laugh, curse, and joke around. If it were Jiang Ning, I'd be on my best behavior, at most exchanging a few insults. I wouldn't dare tease her like this."
"Yes, it would have been so much better if we'd remained just siblings!"
Zuoqiu Hongting sighed, then continued, "The chaos in the world is inevitable. Qilin Zhuang's return has only escalated the turmoil and danger, making the situation even more complex."
"If the Zuoqiu Sect wants to seize the world, they must secure the support of the Calamity Crossing Temple."
"Li Weiyi, I don't know if you're truly willing to be betrothed to me or if you're being forced. But rest assured, it's only for a few years. The world won't remain in turmoil forever."
"Once the Zuoqiu Sect unifies the Twenty-Eight Prefectures, you can withdraw from the engagement at any time. If you don't want to withdraw, we can become Daoist partners and truly marry once peace is restored."
She continued, "From a brother's perspective, this might actually be a good opportunity to sever your ties with Jiang Ning."
"I've never met a brother who would tear apart a couple like this! No, I should call you my fiancee now... Ugh, it's impossible to treat you normally anymore..." Li Weiyi rubbed his temples. This fiancee had come too suddenly.
Zuoqiu Ting and Zuoqiu Hongting were completely different personalities.
At this moment, she was exactly as she described herself: "warm on the outside, cold on the inside." After revealing her true appearance, she was truly aloof and unsmiling, as serene as a secluded orchid, radiating an aura that kept others at arm's length.
Zuoqiu Hongting said, "From a fiancee's perspective, I would be even more determined to keep you two apart."
Li Weiyi's smile faded: "Are you saying that even if Qilin Zhuang returns and the Demon Race grows stronger, the major Human Race powers still won't unite? That the conflict with the Imperial Court remains irreconcilable?"
"Why? What threat could be greater than the Demon Race?"
Suddenly, Li Weiyi realized something.
"Is it because of the Xiaotian Edict?"
"What exactly is the Xiaotian Edict?"
"Everyone seems to be terrified of even mentioning it."
He'd only heard Yin Ershi Si say that the "Xiaotian Edict" seemed to mean exactly what it sounded like.
Zuoqiu Hongting's gaze turned distant, her thoughts drifting back fourteen years. "The character 'kill' (杀) takes its lower part, and the character 'male' (男) takes its upper part. Together, they form '(Xiaotian) or (Kill-Male) or (Little Field)' (小田)."
"The Kill-Male Edict?"
Li Weiyi's scalp prickled with horror.
In an instant, he understood why rebel armies had sprung up across the land, why their conflict with the Imperial Court was irreconcilable, and why everyone said the Grand Palace Mistress had gone mad... She truly had, and her madness ran deep.
No wonder the Imperial Court, despite its immense power, could only control Eight Prefectures.
No wonder even Jiang Ning, a core member of the Imperial Court, had openly declared that the Grand Palace Mistress had become dark and fanatical, lost herself, and fallen into an inner vortex, committing a grave mistake.
No wonder those Human Race powers chose to defect to the Demon Race.
Zuoqiu Hongting said, "Objectively speaking, a thousand years ago, the Grand Palace Mistress did indeed carve out a new era for the Lingxiao Realm. Without her, the Twenty-Eight Prefectures wouldn't exist today."
"Over the past millennium, she has also worked tirelessly, governing with compassion and treating her people like her own children - a fact that all under heaven can attest to."
"No one knows what truly happened to her."
"First, she discovered the legendary Mother-Child Spring from ancient lore. Then, she encouraged large-scale cultivation of Ren Dao (Human Cultivation or Benevolent Rice). Finally, fourteen years ago, the Xiaotian Edict was officially issued."
"Lingxiao City was the first to suffer the consequences. All who refused castration were to be killed. In a single night of turmoil, countless lives were lost. Of course, countless others complied, leading to the mass production of Eunuch Officials and Eunuchs."
"Fortunately, after issuing the edict, the Grand Palace Mistress seemed to have encountered a major problem. She locked herself away in the Lingxiao Palace and hasn't been seen since."
"As a result, the Xiaotian Edict's impact diminished significantly outside Lingxiao City, making it extremely difficult to implement in the other prefectures. Moreover, men across the realm went into hiding, preventing the Lingxiao Realm from truly becoming a matriarchal society."
"Yet this single decree became a tool for those with ulterior motives to attack rival factions, igniting deep-seated animosity. For several years, the killing never ceased, and conflicts raged on."
"A single Xiaotian Edict can turn a thousand miles white."
"Those who weep at midnight at graves are all those who have lost their loved ones."
"Some, like me, have lost their fathers. Others have lost their husbands, sons, or brothers..."
"A few years later, war finally erupted, rapidly engulfing the entire empire. Rebel Armies rose up in every province, and even within the Imperial Court, turmoil reigned."
Zuoqiu Hongting looked at Li Weiyi: "Tell me, in such a situation, who could truly unite with the Imperial Court? The Xiaotian Edict, though long defunct in practice, remains a sword hanging over everyone's heads. If one day the Grand Palace Mistress were to step outside the palace walls and, with her prestige and cultivation, reimplement the edict, what devastation would follow?"
"Now do you understand? If you were truly recruited by Jiang Ning into the Imperial Court, you would undoubtedly be among the first to suffer when the Xiaotian Eict is revived."
Li Weiyi had not lived through that era and found it difficult to fully empathize. Yet, even from her account, he could sense the uncertainty and danger the Xiaotian Edict had created.
The problem was far more serious than he had imagined.
The fate of the empire, the knot that bound everything together, rested on the shoulders of one person.
'Is this the power of the number one person in the world?'
Every word and action determined the fate of countless lives.
Could Zen Hai Guanwu untie this knot?
Initially, Li Weiyi had vehemently opposed Zen Hai Guanwu's journey to the Lingxiao Palace.
Now, his resolve wavered.
If Zen Hai Guanwu succeeded in persuading the Grand Palace Mistress to issue an Imperial Edict of Self-Reproach and revoke the Xiaotian Edict, the major powers of the Human Race might unite against the Demon Race.
Conversely, if the Grand Palace Mistress emerged herself, reimplementing the Xiaotian Edict or even becoming more tyrannical and fanatical... the Lingxiao Realm would undoubtedly become a living hell.
After parting ways with Zuoqiu Hongting, Li Weiyi returned to the Jiu Li Clan's Martial-Mystic Cultivators' recovery site.
The Silver Feather Demon King's flesh had already been cooked.
Perhaps due to the top-tier ingredients, the taste was surprisingly good.
After eating their fill, everyone felt their bodies growing hot, their Blood Qi surging rapidly. They immediately began practicing Martial-Mystic Techniques to temper their physical forms.
Meanwhile, wedding invitations for Li Weiyi and Zuoqiu Hongting were sent out like snowflakes across the city.
Due to the unprecedented large-scale battle among the Transcendents, the major powers who had attended the Hidden Dragon Lantern Festival were still stranded in Qiu Prefecture City.
The engagement banquet was scheduled for three days later, on the twenty-fifth day of the first lunar month.
The Zuoqiu Sect was in a hurry, eager to finalize everything before the Transcendents' battle concluded.
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END OF CHAPTER
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