There were many things that seemed so heavy before a decision was made. However, once a decision was made, the weight of those things seemed to disappear in an instant. They would be blown away by the wind in the garden.
That was how Xia Hou felt at the moment. When he said that he would retire, he suddenly felt much more relaxed. His sense of perception and his vision became much clearer. He realized that this was the right choice.
Struggling repeatedly between the Taoist Demon Empire, even someone as powerful as him felt physically and mentally exhausted. He had been thinking hard about how to break out of this deadlock. It was not until now that he understood that if he gave up all the glory and wealth in the world and did not fight and did nothing as the Headmaster of the Academy had said, he would retire before he was old. This was the ending that everyone could accept.
Whether it was the West-Hill Divine Palace or His Majesty in the Imperial Palace of Chang 'an, they would all tacitly allow him to leave the contentious court and cultivation Jianghu. Moreover, Mr. First had personally come to Tuyang City, which vaguely represented the Academy's intentions.
"Mr. First is indeed generous." Xia Hou looked at Eldest Brother and said, "I will resign from all my official positions when I return to the capital at the end of autumn."
Eldest Brother looked at him and shook his head. He said slowly, "It's too late."
Xia Hou squinted slightly and looked at his face. After a long silence, he said in a low voice, "Mr. First, I am, after all, the great general of the empire. I have countless subordinates and I have to make arrangements for their funeral. Moreover, the war between the Central Plains and the Desolate Man will start in spring. I need to stay in Tuyang City to keep an eye on this war."
Eldest Brother stared into his eyes as if he wanted to hear the reason why he had to keep an eye on this war.
Xia Hou's eyes drooped slightly. He gently stroked the teacup and said, "After all, I was once a Desolate Man."
Eldest Brother got up and walked out of the garden. He suddenly stopped in front of the door and said, "You are not allowed to go to West-Hill."
…
…
The study of the General's Mansion was deep in the Winter Garden. There were all kinds of weapons on the wall shelves. There were rarely any brushes or books. A murderous intent reverberated in the room. The dim light outside the window shone in and was instantly suppressed.
Gu Xi, the military counselor, stood beside the desk in silence. His hands in his sleeves clenched and loosened from time to time. After struggling for a long time, he said in a slightly hoarse voice, "I'm not willing."
Xia Hou looked at the letter on the desk, which was still wet with ink, and said indifferently, "If I can't get the Tomes of Arcane, I'm just a mortal, and mortals have to resign to their fates. Retiring to the countryside is the best life I can see. I've sent a letter to Chang 'an, and I'm willing to resign from my military post and retire. I believe that His Majesty will give me some face. I believe that Xu Shi and the Military Ministry will fight for the military's funeral. If you're worried about the West-Hill Divine Palace looking for you, you can retire with me."
Gu Xi was touched, but it soon turned into sadness. He said with a self-deprecating smile, "Back then, I was sent by the Divine Hall to monitor the general. Who knew that after so many years, I became a real master and servant. The general can retire, but I have to return to West-Hill to report. I don't know if I'll have the chance to meet you again."
Xia Hou looked at him and said, "Don't worry too much. His Majesty and those civil and military officials in Chang 'an will not make any trouble as long as I'm willing to hand over my military power. As for the Divine Hall, this is, after all, the Academy's proposal. I believe they won't have too much of a dispute with the Academy for a retired general."
Gu Xi nodded.
Xia Hou looked at the partition on the window and the dim light that shone through. He was silent for a long time. His thick brows gradually furrowed and he said slowly, "Mr. First of the Academy is indeed a generous and benevolent person as I expected. But I don't know why Mr. Thirteen has such a strong murderous intent towards me. He wants me dead very much."
As he said this, the killing intent in the study intensified.
As a powerhouse at the Peak state of Martial Arts, Xia Hou was extremely sensitive to Qi dynamics. He could clearly perceive the true intention of Eldest Brother. Naturally, no matter how Ning Que tried to hide it, he could also feel the murderous intent in his eyes. Moreover, at the Winter Courtyard banquet, Ning Que did not hide his true intention at all.
Gu Xi glanced out of the window and said in a low voice, "Last time I reported to the general, Lin Ling vaguely found something related to the death of censor Zhang Yiqi on his last trip back to Chang 'an. There are clues that point to Mr. Thirteen. Lin Ling wanted to kill him on the grassland, which is probably related to this judgment."
Gu Xi slightly lowered his eyes and said slowly, "Fourteen years ago, the Xuanwei General's treason case was not completely solved because His Majesty returned to the capital early and the West-Hill Divine Palace suddenly stopped. I can confirm that some people are still alive, so I am wondering if Mr. Thirteen … has something to do with that matter."
Xia Hou was very clear about the investigation results of his Psyche Master Lin Ling in Chang 'an. He was also very clear that apart from the treason case of the Xuanwei General's Mansion, there was only one incident that could link Censor Zhang Yiqi and several people who died mysteriously to himself, the massacre of a village in the Yan territory.
After a moment of silence, he said, "These years, I have killed too many people in this world, and there are even more people who want to kill me for revenge. Whether Mr. Thirteen really has a feud with me or not is not a very important thing. His Majesty and the Divine Hall are happy to see me retire peacefully. Especially since the Academy has already expressed its stance, no one in this world would dare to kill me. No one will allow such a variable to exist."
Gu Xi thought of the sharp gaze he felt on his back when he welcomed Ning Que into the garden. After a long period of silence, he said in a low voice, "That Mr. Thirteen is strange. We should at least check it out."
Xia Hou looked at him mockingly and asked, "If we find out that he is that person, what can we do?"
Gu Xi said, "Even if the imperial court does not care about this matter, there will always be a way to solve it."
Xia Hou said indifferently, "Lin Ling tried to kill him on the grassland. Although I did not know it beforehand, this time it is my fault. I tried to kill him for the Tomes of Arcane by the Hulan Sea. This is the second time. Do you really think that the Academy will give me a third chance to kill the core disciple of the Headmaster of the Academy?"
After a moment of silence, Gu Xi said, "Maybe there will be countless times. The imperial court and the Academy can't always count it on the general. That is very unreasonable."
Xia Hou looked at him silently and did not speak.
…
…
Ning Que stood by the window and looked at the snow trees in the garden. He thought about how such a beautiful garden could be built in such a remote frontier fortress like Tuyang City. He really did not know how much of the military funds allocated by the imperial court to the Northeast Border Military had been embezzled by Xia Hou. He also did not know whether the gold and silver that the West-Hill Divine Palace gave him had also been turned into the rockery in the garden.
When he thought about these things, his expression was very calm. But in fact, his mind was still stuck on the conversation in the Winter Courtyard. The shock brought by those secrets could not be eliminated in a short time.
Xia Hou, the remnant of the Devil's Doctrine, became a powerful general in the Tang Empire and a visiting professor of the West-Hill Divine Palace. He was willing to be a dog of the Divine Hall and kill innocent people in Chang 'an City and the Yan territory. All of this was to hide the identity of his sister. He did not want anyone to know that the Empress of the Tang Empire was also a member of the Devil's Doctrine!
Ning Que put his hands on the slightly cold windowsill and turned back to look at Eldest Brother in the room. He thought about how it was this ordinary looking scholar who did not have a strong aura in the Winter Courtyard. But with just a simple sentence, he made the most powerful General Xia Hou of the Tang Empire willing to give up his power and retire in glory. He could not help but feel emotional.
The sibling relationship between Xia Hou and the Empress shocked him. But what he saw and heard today, he could feel the power of the Academy and Eldest Brother, which shocked him even more. He could not help but ask, "Eldest Brother, how strong are you?"
Eldest Brother was holding the scroll and reading. When he heard Ning Que's question, he slowly closed the scroll and looked up at him by the window. After a moment of silence, he said with a smile, "Strength is actually a relative concept. For example, the goshawk and the ant. The goshawk seems strong, but the goshawk will never fight with the ant. So the ant is not weak."
Ning Que spread his hands and said, "Senior Brother, what you said is too profound. I don't quite understand."
Eldest Brother smiled and put the scroll back to his waist. He slowly walked to the window and stood side by side with Ning Que. Looking at the frost trees and ice pond in the Winter Courtyard, he said slowly, "This world, which is either red or plain, is actually divided into many different worlds. For example, the palace and the marketplace, the brilliant Divine Hall and the dilapidated Taoist temple, the so-called Unknown Place and the real life full of smoke and fire. It is said that when the chief monk of Xuankong Temple preached, countless flying ants rose from the light. What state do you think this chief monk has reached? Another example is that the abbey dean of Zhishou Abbey could teach a disciple like Ye Su. Then how strong is he? But these people will never … at least until now, they have never appeared in the human world. Then they are like goshawks overlooking ants. Although they are strong, they will not hurt you. "
Ning Que asked curiously, "What is Zhishou Abbey?"
Eldest Brother answered seriously, "Zhishou Abbey is a Taoist temple."
Ning Que waited for the follow-up seriously, but there was no follow-up.
He smiled somewhat helplessly and suddenly asked, "Is Xiahou a goshawk or an ant?"
Eldest Brother sighed and said, "He should be a goshawk in the sky of the Wilderness. Unfortunately, he was chained by himself. Since then, he has become a shepherd dog domesticated by hunters. Then, he can no longer break free."
Ning Que said after a moment of silence, "Do the powerful guests of the Divine Hall all have a chain on them?"
Eldest Brother answered seriously, "Xiahou is worried about the Empress, so it is naturally more difficult for him. But Younger Brother, you are not wrong. The guests of the Divine Hall naturally have their own difficulties."
Ning Que thought of Mo Shanshan's teacher and frowned. He said, "Is it the same for Liu Bai and the Master of Calligraphy?"
Eldest Brother said emotionally, "The Sage of Sword Liu Bai is known as the strongest in the world. Even the hierarch of the Divine Hall has to treat him with respect. However, Haotian's Divine Light shines on the world. As long as you live in Haotian's world, there will always be some rules that need to be followed. You and I are lucky to be born in the Academy. We are relatively freer and happier."
It was a very simple sentence, but it slightly moved Ning Que's heart.
The words like rules and freedom in the sentence made him vaguely feel something. Especially the last sentence about being born in the Academy, it was relatively freer and happier. It made him have many thoughts.
…
…
(There is one more chapter. It will probably be later. I will go out and have a bowl of porridge now. Recently, I have been busy writing and that personal matter. I am a little angry and feel uncomfortable. Alas.) (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian.Com to vote for me. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
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