Chapter 24: The Flourishing Tang Dynasty Style

  The Yellow River flows far away between white clouds, a solitary city amidst ten thousand mountains.

  The name of White Cloud City comes from this poem, and even the name of the city lord Ye Gu Cheng is hidden in it.

  Nanhai Baiyun City is like a cloud in the sky, free and noble. At first glance, it seems to be a "paradise on earth". It does not follow the current laws and regulations, there are no government officials supervising, no taxes, no miscellaneous fees, and the people live and work in peace.

  The supreme existence within the White Cloud City is the city master, Ye Gu Cheng. In this island and in this city, he is like an emperor, with his words becoming law and his orders being carried out without question. The people of the city revere him as if he were a god.

  Because Ye Gu Cheng liked to wear white clothes, as a result, in the city, white fabric was more valuable than dyed fabric.

  In this city, any young man who learns to wield a sword will inevitably imitate the lord of the castle, wearing white clothes and carrying a long sword, as cold as frost. The naturally lively and carefree young men force themselves to put on an aloof face, which is somewhat comical, but no one in White Cloud Castle would laugh at these young men, because everyone knows they are chasing after someone's shadow.

  That person is like a celestial being, cold and proud, noble and unapproachable.

  The people in the city admire him, worship him, and dare not offend him. They work hard, regardless of the weather, and are willing to offer their best things to the lord of the city because they know that the peace of White Cloud City is due to Ye Gu Cheng's protection. If there was no Lord Ye, any paradise would become a deserted island overseas.

  Water can carry a boat; it can also capsize it.

  People's hearts are against each other, it is obvious.

  Whether the common people obey someone out of fear or admire and love someone can be seen from subtle details.

  Therefore, although the people of White Cloud City spontaneously retreated to both sides of the road when they saw Ye Gu Cheng return, bowing down in reverence like they would before an emperor, Yao Guang could still clearly distinguish that one strand of adoration mixed with fear and respect, a fervent desire to draw near yet seemingly shrinking back in self-abasement.

  Yao Guang couldn't help but burst out laughing.

  She is not unfamiliar with such feelings, and she has also experienced them personally. It is precisely because she knows that she is moved.

  During the war, she followed her fellow disciples down the mountain to assist in the battle. There were refugees who escaped and were rescued by them, calling them "immortals". At that time, they had such a godly demeanor. The refugees who fled had nothing but kept saying "thank you for your kindness" and "heaven bless the kind-hearted people".

  That kind of sincere gratitude was warmer to her than anything else. She stretched out her hand to help the old man who was bent over, his head almost touching the ground. The old man with white temples actually took a few steps back, his face flushed red as he said "The old man's body is dirty, don't get your hands dirty, fairy". At that time, she was stunned in place, and it wasn't until after a while that she chased over to help the old man up.

  That was the first time Yao Guang faced such a sincere and genuine gratitude and warmth.

  She couldn't help but wonder if she would also be regarded as a "fairy"?

  Is it because of appearance, is it because of beautiful clothes, or is it because of a heroic act? Or perhaps all of the above?

  The initial Yao Guang... The initial her, should have nothing much different from these people in front of her. When did Yao Guang, who was also a poor family's daughter, undergo such changes?

  Undoubtedly, the eight years on Mount Hua had transformed her. If it weren't for Master Yu bringing her to Mount Hua, if there hadn't been the Pure Yang Palace, she wouldn't be Yao Guang today, nor would she have the power to wield a sword and roam as a knight-errant. Perhaps she would have died in Chenliu's siege, or perhaps she would have perished on this precarious journey of fleeing from dawn till dusk.

  Huashan Pure Yang Palace spent eight years reshaping "Yao Guang", making her stand out from the crowd. She learned swordsmanship at six and achieved success in eight years, wielding a long sword in hand, able to walk through the chaotic world, perhaps also protecting a peaceful land, exchanging for a tranquil life.

  The Way of Heaven reduces what is excessive and supplements what is insufficient. Only those who follow the Way have excess to offer to the world below.

  Yao Guang thought that since she had such abilities, she shouldn't stand by and watch as the world was painted with the colors of war, nor did she want to see more people like her lose their loved ones and be left alone in the world. With her remaining strength, she should put an end to such evil deeds and restore peace.

  Alas, Yao Guang's efforts were in vain and his sword was broken. If she had gotten what she wanted back then, would there be a few more places like the White Cloud City in the world? Or perhaps it would have been as prosperous as the Qin and Tang dynasties?

  Yao Guang sighed and looked thoughtfully at Ye Gu Cheng, who was walking slowly with a cold expression.

  The lord of Baiyun City in the South China Sea protects the people of the city with his own strength, thinking that his heart may not be as cold as it seems on the surface.

  A person who is truly heartless and ruthless can never gain genuine gratitude from others, for fear must precede respect.

  With a heart like this and a sword like this, such a person can be said to be a hero of his generation in any era.

  And so, a question involuntarily emerges in her mind.

  When the two of them had distanced themselves from the crowd and walked into the main gate of the City Lord's Manor, Yao Guang finally asked.

  "Why did Yechengzhu plot against the emperor?"

  Ye Gu Cheng turned around and faced Yao Guang, with a gaze as cold as ice and snow, and asked in a low voice: "Does Qingxu Daozhang not understand?"

  Yao Guang was taken aback, slightly furrowed his brow and said: "How would I know?"

  Ye Gu Cheng gazed quietly at Yao Guang for a moment, and unexpectedly let out a sigh, saying: "Even Dao Zhang doesn't understand."

  It's just this one sentence, but with this sigh, it seems like Yao Guang has committed a huge mistake.

  Yao Guang asked even more inexplicably: "Why should I understand?"

  This time, the stunned one became Ye Gucheng. He seemed to have thought for a long time before revealing an epiphanic expression, muttering in a low voice as if to himself: "The Taoist cultivates the Tao, naturally he doesn't understand."

  Yao Guang blinked her eyes and couldn't help but feel a little suspicious that the swordsman in front of her might have some problem with his brain.

  At this time, Ye Gucheng continued on his own without others asking: "If one day, Daozhang's cultivation is successful and he looks around the world with no opponents, power, wealth and nobility are within reach, what will he do?"

  Yao Guang furrowed his brow again and replied, "If one has the heart to cultivate the Tao, their greatest enemy is themselves. How can they be invincible in the world? If they were truly invincible, they would have already attained the Tao. Why would they still be attached to worldly desires? As for fame, wealth, and power, they are not as important to us as the words of the ancient sages."

  Ye Gu Cheng's expressionless face finally showed a change, his pupils shrinking rapidly, as if his emotions were surging uncontrollably. After a moment, he bowed to Yao Guang.

  "Thank you for your guidance, Master."

  Yao Guang hadn't even had time to exchange pleasantries when she saw Ye Gu Cheng use his qing gong and fly away like a white crane. She could only stand there in a daze for a moment before turning her head to look at the maid who was quietly waiting beside her.

  The maid in the White Cloud City had obviously received instructions earlier. After Yao Guang gave her a nod, she immediately came up and saluted respectfully, leading Yao Guang to his residence with a warm smile. The room was already prepared with some refreshments and a steaming hot bathtub.

  The maid bowed again and said softly: "Honored guest, please make yourself at home. If you need anything, just call out, I'll be waiting outside."

  Yao Guang nodded, and the other person quietly retreated and even considerately closed the door. She walked to the bathtub and tested the water temperature, which was just warm and not scalding. If it weren't for constantly adjusting the water temperature, one could only say that the news in White Cloud City spread too quickly.

  Well, since Ye Gu Cheng has thought it through, she doesn't need to save for him either.

  Yao Guang was about to take off her coronet when she suddenly noticed a low table behind the screen, on which some clothes were laid out. She walked over and shook them out, holding them up against herself for comparison, her expression becoming somewhat subtle.

  It looks very fitting and the fabric is as close as possible to her current Taoist robe, with similar colors and embroidery.

  What's so great about Ye Gu Cheng's observational skills?

  A moment later, Yao Guang came out of the door refreshed and renewed after her bath and change of clothes. The maid who had been nowhere to be found earlier immediately appeared as soon as she opened the door and silently led the way in front of her.

  Yao Guang walked out for a distance before suddenly feeling something was off.

  "This is the way out."

  The maid nodded and replied softly: "The castle owner is practicing sword at the seaside."

  Yao Guang turned her head to look at the maid, who was left a little dazed by the other's pure and sincere expression. The maid had an air of "it's only natural" as if going to see Ye Gu Cheng was a matter of course.

  "Let him calm down and practice. I want to read a book."

  The maid was stunned, blinking her eyes and staring at Yao Guang for a long time before nodding dazedly.

  "Yes, right away, please follow me. What book would you like to see?"

  "History book."

  It must be history books.

  Yao Guang was eager to know what era it was now and where he was.

  Times have really changed.

  When paper with ink fragrance replaced the ancient bamboo slips, the books that filled the rooms in the past might have been only a few thin volumes. The First Emperor's collection of books from all over the world, if placed today, would probably take up only one-tenth or one-twelfth of the space, but many of the books stored at that time are likely to be lost forever. During the burning of books and burying of scholars, there may still have been rare editions in the Xianyang Palace. The great fire of Xianyang, the books from the seven states collected by the First Emperor were probably also destroyed. How many classics have been scattered and returned to dust?

  Xia 500 years, Shang 300 years, Zhou 800 years, Qin 20 years, Han 400 years...

  Sui forty years, Tang three hundred years, later have Song Yuan Ming.

  The Tang Dynasty did not last more than three hundred years.

  Although I had long expected that there would be such a day, when the sun rises, it is destined to set, and things change, what dynasty can last forever? However, when I really saw the brief lines in the historical records that told the magnificent waves and smoke of countless people who lived and died for it, tears flowed uncontrollably down my face.

  The palace halls were burned, not one in ten remained, the hundred officials' offices were abandoned, and there was no beam or pillar left. In the imperial city, there were less than a thousand households, the streets were overgrown with thorns and brambles, and it was a place where jackals howled. There was a lack of military supplies, and also a scarcity of manpower. From the east to Zheng and Bian, extending to Xuzhou, from the north to Qin and Huai, passing through Suiyang, the people's livelihoods were cut off, and for a thousand miles it was desolate.

  The An Shi Rebellion started in the 14th year of Tianbao during the reign of Emperor Xuanzong of Tang and ended in the first year of Guangde during the reign of Emperor Daizong of Tang, lasting eight years.

  It was five years after that battle in Ye City that this war would end.

  Later generations called it the Anshi Rebellion or the Tianbao Rebellion. She, however, was trapped in the war and had no chance to see the day when the war ended with her own eyes.

  Now, "Yaoguang" can hold the history book and read this section, where are the people who were with her in the past and led her to the door?

  Where have all the heroes and knights of various schools who fought shoulder to shoulder with her on the battlefield in the past gone?

  In what place did the prosperous Tang Dynasty's style and elegance sink and sleep?

  That era she grew up in and was familiar with has ultimately disappeared into the passage of time, the predecessors she once respected and admired are no longer there, her peers who were once good friends are also gone, even the enemies she once hated are also gone!

  In this vast and dusty world, in the end, only she was left to escape the passage of time.

  The vastness of heaven and earth, yet Yu Guang has only one person, one sword.

  A hundred emotions converge, hot tears fill my eyes.

  And let her... cry this one time, just this one time...

  The author has something to say: Imagine if one day I woke up a thousand years later and found that the whole world had only me, a "ancient person" who didn't fit in with the world, I would probably cry bitterly.