Nine Star Hegemon Body Art (WN)
chapter-4007

The Vermilion Bird Empire descended into chaos as large armies amassed along their border, pressing them on all sides. It felt as if eight sharp blades were pointed at their gates, a signal that war was about to break out.

For the commoners of the Vermilion Bird Empire, who had not experienced any war in hundreds of thousands of years, this was utterly terrifying.

As fear gripped them, countless people began to flee the cities, and all kinds of wild rumors were flying about. Some cunning propagandists, taking advantage of the situation, deliberately stoked the waves of hearsay, ensuring that these alarming tales spread far and wide.

The rumors ran rampant, claiming that war had already started and that the empire’s army lay in ruins. Some even said that the capital would quickly become a sea of fire, and soon, all of them would die.

Adding to the turmoil, some people even released fabricated diaries of people who supposedly committed terrible acts for the Vermilion Bird Empire. This deliberate slander only served to further sow chaos and discord, unsettling the hearts and minds of the people.

As a result, the commoners began to protest against the royal family, with some even welcoming the invading armies into the empire, wanting them to lead the people to a better future.

Just like that, even before the war had begun, the interior of the empire had descended into complete disarray.

At this moment, a thick layer of haze covered the sky, casting a somber and chilling atmosphere over the once lively capital. The once vibrant streets were now filled with patrolling soldiers, a sign that the city was on high alert.

With the empire in chaos, soldiers were recruited throughout the entire empire, and the offered salary was also very generous. However, to go against eight other empires was simply madness. The power disparity was very clear, and everyone knew that they couldn’t possibly win.

As a result, even before the clash of armies, the people’s hearts were already broken. One significant factor contributing to this was the haunting memory of Long Chen's merciless bloodbath at the Philosopher Institute, where numerous scholars lost their lives.

This act was now perceived as eliminating dissidents under a tyrannical ruler. Everyone thought that those scholars had pointed out all the corruption in the empire, so the empire had decided to silence them.

In any case, all kinds of unfavorable rumors for the empire were going around. With this mix of truth and falsehood, the people’s hearts were like a plate of sand in complete disarray.

Within the palace, Yu Xiaoyun’s expression was dark and his killing intent was terrifying. Seeing him like this, none of the officials in the palace dared to speak up.

“All of you really did get too used to peace! You don’t even know how to fight! They just intimidate you and you are already turned into this?! You’ve lost the face of the Vermilion Bird!” roared Yu Xiaoyun.

Those officials quivered with fright, not daring to make a sound. It had to be known that when the emperor’s anger got the best of him, no one would dare to face his wrath.

“My Vermilion Bird Empire has a thriving populace skilled in culture and martial arts! We have reached unprecedented glory! Tell me, why is the empire unable to fight back?!” roared Yu Xiaoyun.

Yu Xiaoyun’s gaze swept over the officials, princes, and princesses. But no one dared to respond. The entire palace was so silent that you could hear a pin dropping.

“Yunwen, you are the crown prince! Tell me how the empire has fallen to this extent!” demanded Yu Xiaoyun.

If Long Chen were here, he would be shocked to see the crown prince, Yu Qingxuan, Zhu Yifeng, Yu Qianxue, and all the other princes and princesses here in the palace.

That ‘Zhu Yunwen’ stood when he was questioned. Clenching his teeth, he said, “This is the natural result of valuing letters over arms. Too much peace caused people to sing and dance, while martial arts became useless. Then the scholars grew to the point of degrading martial arts. Our soldiers trained and risked their lives for hundreds of years, but a bunch of scholars who merely studied for a few years suddenly got higher positions than them. Didn’t you personally write that learning is above all else? Now that battle has descended, there is no time to prepare the umbrella for the rain. There are no soldiers who want to fight for us. Yet, you blame us? That is not the display of a noble emperor.”

Hearing Zhu Yunwen say such a thing, everyone in the palace was horrified. They stared at him in disbelief.

“Impudence!”

As expected, Yu Xiaoyun furiously roared, “You dare to speak to your emperor like that?! You are blaming me for being blind, so I have to suffer the consequences of my own actions?!”

Zhu Yunwen clenched his teeth in the face of the furious Yu Xiaoyun. He seemed to throw caution to the wind.

“I do not dare to offend you. But too much peace has caused martial power to fall out of favor. Instead, a bunch of sweet-talking scholars rose in position. When martial arts have no more use, they naturally fall out of favor. It is already considered something low-class amongst the people, and who wouldn’t wish to strive for a higher status? Martial artists are martial artists, scholars are scholars. But you force us to have both. Long Chen has said that scholars and learning are for talking reason with others. But training martial arts is what makes others talk reason with us. If we are to practice martial arts, why must we also learn to talk reason? It costs us so much time that we could have spent strengthening ourselves, tempering the sharpness that a martial artist should have. Now, we have what you wanted. Everyone has great learning and skill, but lacks the will and determination to fight for their lives. They don’t dare to fight their enemies, so just who are you going to blame for that? The battlefield requires iron men, not a bunch of useless scholars. If those scholars like to talk reason so much, why not have them talk reason with the eight empires?”

“You dare! Bring this unfilial son away! Lock him in the little black room for ten days!” shouted Yu Xiaoyun.

“Imperial father, you can’t!”

All the princes and princesses cried out. Ten days in the little black room? Other than Long Chen, no one else could endure it. It was no different than killing him.

“Your Majesty!” Even the two empresses spoke up.

“Five days! Anyone else who speaks up can go in with him!” shouted Yu Xiaoyun. He seemed to also feel like ten days was too long, but he refused to give no punishment at all.

“Dismissed!”

Yu Xiaoyun stood, swung his sleeves, and left.

His two empresses hastily followed him, while the officials and others silently left. It seemed that even the palace was also in chaos.

However, when Yu Xiaoyun, Jiang Huixin, and Xu Lanxin returned to the gate of the Vermilion Bird’s trial by fire, Yu Xiaoyun’s expression relaxed a great deal. His former rage was gone.

It turned out that everything from before was just an act to create the illusion of an oppressive atmosphere hanging over the empire. They even had actors disguised as the crown prince and the others, all for the eyes and ears of their enemies to see. After all, the fact that Long Chen and the others had entered the trial was a secret.

“They’ve already reached the sixth level. They clearly know our situation and are doing their best,” said Jiang Huixin.

“We can only stall for as much time as possible. Who knows whether it is even possible to pass this unprecedented trial?” said Xu Lanxin worriedly.

“Don’t worry, with that little brat present, there definitely won’t be any problems,” said Yu Xiaoyun.

“Xiaoyun, you really have such confidence in him?” asked Xu Lanxin curiously.

“It’s not that I have confidence in him. I only have confidence in the Heavenly Daos.”

“What does that mean?”

“A good person has a short life, but bad people have long lives. A scourge like him will definitely live thousands of years at least,” said Yu Xiaoyun.

Xu Lanxin: “...”

Jiang Huixin: “...”