Chapter 71: Court Tribute

Chapter 71: The Grand Patriarch

Low, murmuring whispers echoed in his ears, like the bustling yet not overly noisy morning market. Sang Xu slowly opened his eyes, and the massive plaque reading "Ghost Gate" came into view. Frowning, he pushed himself upright. What was going on? Had he died?

Looking around, he found himself inexplicably back in the cave before the Ghost Gate. Hundreds of small alcoves were carved into the walls, each holding the skeletons of the Sang family ancestors. Now, they seemed to have come to life, their whispers coming from them, their dark, hollow eye sockets fixed on Sang Xu.

Suddenly, the tightly shut doors of the Ghost Gate were struck with a thunderous blow, dust shaking free as if something was trying to break through from the other side.

He stared at the doors, feeling tense but forcing himself to maintain composure, analyzing his current situation.

"Don't be afraid," a voice suddenly spoke beside his ear. "It's just a dream."

He turned his head but saw nothing. After a moment's thought, he took out the Yin Jiao Nuo mask from his waist and put it on. This time, he saw a tall, burly shadowy figure standing beside him, a head taller than him, looking down at him.

"Who are you?" he asked warily.

"Sang Liyou," the shadow said leisurely.

Sang Xu was startled, suddenly understanding. "Is this a dream within a dream?"

"Not too stupid," Sang Liyou's shadow said, tucking his sleeves. "My bones are buried in the marsh, not far from where you fell unconscious. I used our bloodline connection to draw you into this dream. You've repeatedly broken serious taboos on this journey—you should have turned back the moment you saw the secret message on my stone tablet. Even if you were reckless enough to enter the tomb, you should have been killed by the traps we set. Ah, who knew you'd be so tough and lucky, surviving all the way to my burial site. Having a descendant like you—I don't know whether to be happy or worried."

Sang Xu didn't know how to respond and could only remain silent.

"Emperor Min's tomb has been a trap from start to finish," Sang Liyou explained slowly. "Have you heard of the Twelve Longevities?"

Sang Xu shook his head honestly.

Sang Liyou explained, "The Twelve Longevities refer to the twelve cycles of life: Birth, Bathing, Capping, Office, Prosperity, Decline, Sickness, Death, Tomb, Extinction, Conception, and Nurturing. Birth is the beginning, when a person is just born. Death means death. Tomb is dormancy. Extinction is complete severance. Conception is the return of vitality. Nurturing is recovery. Only by reaching recovery is there a possibility of resurrection after death.

"Emperor Min's demon queen, Zhong Si, to regain her vitality, seized Emperor Min's tomb, absorbing the fortune of the Xi Shi descendants to nourish the site. The Xi Shi's fortune was cut off, leading to their extinction. She nurtured herself for three thousand years, luring countless outsiders to this tomb, hoping they would kill Wang Hui and help her break out of the coffin to see the light of day. Through a strange twist of fate, you came here, didn't die, and even killed Wang Hui. Child, should I commend your skill or condemn your folly?"

Halfway through his words, Sang Liyou seemed to suddenly realize something and asked, "Huh, who are you?"

"...I'm Sang Xiaoguai, your descendant."

Sang Liyou's tone turned confused. He clutched at his head and muttered, "Ah, I see. So it's you. Our final plan has been executed."

"Final plan?"

"The plan to send you away from the Long Dream," Sang Liyou said. "The five families betrayed us and tried to wipe us out. We were prepared early on. The guardian child was clever—he sacrificed his own eyes to open a path via the boundary stone and send the young children of the village to that world.

"East, west, north, south—one child was sent in each direction. You were sent south, the youngest, still in swaddling clothes, handed over to a childless couple to raise. That couple were merchants. The guardian child said you'd live a life of wealth and leisure with them, without suffering.

"The village cut off contact with you, leaving only four soul lamps tied to your birth charts to monitor whether you were alive or dead. The five families were formidable, though. Within a few years, they found the other three children. I watched their lamps extinguish one by one, until only yours remained. You might be foolish, child, but you're naturally lucky. No wonder you managed to survive Wang Hui."

So that was it. Now Sang Xu finally understood the whole story.

His feelings were complicated. What did it matter if he was lucky? He had still brought trouble to his parents and grandparents. They weren't related to him by blood, yet they had become divine apostles because of him.

Finally meeting the ghost of an elder, even if he was being scolded, Sang Xu seized the opportunity to ask, "Is there any way to save those who become divine apostles?"

"No. Once they become like that, death is the cleanest outcome."

Sang Xu felt a tightness in his chest, as if a great weight were pressing down on him, making it hard to breathe.

"Do they still have consciousness?"

"None. Once they become vessels for the gods, their true selves are long gone."

Sang Xu closed his eyes, suppressing the bitterness in his heart, and asked, "Why wasn't Zhou Xia allowed to enter this tomb?"

"Zhou Xia?" Sang Liyou hissed out. "Little Ancestor?"

"Uh, Grandpa told me to call him Ancestor."

"Ancestor? He wasn't even as old as my hemorrhoids when he died," Sang Liyou said. "He's here? He's been unearthed?"

"Yeah."

"Why didn't I let the Little Ancestor enter Emperor Min's tomb? Huh, why was that again..." Sang Liyou clutched his head, his body hunched over, looking pained. "I can't remember. Why was it? Why is the Ancestor called the Little Ancestor? What's the difference between outsiders and locals? Our ancestors were outsiders, so why am I a local? Can't I be a local dog? Am I human or a dog?"

"What are you talking about?" Sang Xu didn't understand.

"Why can't you understand human language?" Sang Liyou glared at him suddenly. "Are you not human?"

The shadow before him suddenly grew tall and distorted, and the skeletons seated around the walls also became strange and terrifying. Sang Xu broke out in a cold sweat, suddenly remembering that Sang Liyou was a madman, long lost to insanity. Damn it, pulled into a dream within a dream by a madman—this dream was bound to be insane and terrifying.

Sang Xu tried to calm him. "I am human."

"Prove you're human! Answer my questions!" Sang Liyou's shadow stretched.

Sang Xu's mind raced through various answers before finally saying, "Zhou Xia and dogs can't enter Emperor Min's tomb because Zhou Xia is a dog, so Zhou Xia can't enter Emperor Min's tomb. The Ancestor is called the Little Ancestor because even though he's old, he's small down there. The difference between outsiders and locals is that one comes from outside, and the other is local. Our ancestors were outsiders, but we are locals, so we are locals. You are human, not a dog, because you inherited human DNA. Understand?"

Sang Liyou let out a long sigh. "I understand."

His shadow returned to normal.

Sang Xu: "..."

Truly a madman. Even he didn't understand what he had just said.

Sang Liyou asked him kindly, "Do you have any other questions? My clarity won't last for long. While I'm still lucid, ask quickly."

Ah, you're far too lucid...

Sang Xu fell silent. The person before him was a madman—how dare he ask more questions? What if he asked something Sang Liyou didn't know, and Sang Liyou went mad again? But encountering the last Grand Patriarch of the Sang family was a rare opportunity. Not asking anything would be a waste. After weighing his options, Sang Xu decided to take a risk. However, he would change his approach.

He said, "What do you know about Sang Qianyi?"

Asking a vague question—whatever Sang Liyou knew, he would answer. He shouldn't go mad again, right?

Sang Liyou looked toward the Ghost Gate and said, "She is the founder of our Sang family, the only outsider to half-step to becoming a king. The ancestral precepts, tenets, and cultivation methods of our Sang family today were all left by her. The other corrupted progenitor, Sang Wannian, was also imprisoned by her in the Homeward Gaze.

"She left the ancestral precept: the Long Dream cannot be without the six families, and the six families cannot be without a Grand Patriarch. The things in the dream are coming out—the mist is the precursor to Their descent. The Zhou family, Li family, Ming family... those cowards can't be allowed to escape. They don't understand—the other world is no safer. Ascending to immortality is suicide. The boundary stone guides not just outsiders but Them as well. They must return! They must return!"

Contaminated? Them?

What are They? Sang Xu wanted to ask but was afraid Sang Liyou wouldn't know, so he didn't dare.

Sang Liyou asked, "By the way, the Heavenly Seal was buried with me here. Without the Grand Patriarch's Heavenly Seal, how will the family pass on the next Grand Patriarch?"

Heavenly Seal? Sang Xu remembered Zhou Xia mentioning it before—it was said to be the badge of the Grand Patriarch, a symbol and mark of status. No wonder there had been no new Grand Patriarch in the Sang family since Sang Liyou's disappearance. It was because the Heavenly Seal was buried here with him. After a moment's thought, Sang Xu said, "As far as I know, there hasn't been a Grand Patriarch in the Sang family since you."

"Ruin, ruin... I'm a sinner. Even if I have to crawl, I must crawl my way back home and bring the Heavenly Seal back! But taking a step back, aren't you descendants at fault too? All so stupid, like dogs—why haven't you come to recover my remains and retrieve the Heavenly Seal all this time? Yes, it's the dogs' fault! I hate dogs the most!"

Sang Xu looked at him, his feelings complicated. This couldn't really be blamed on the Sang family. The descendants only knew that Sang Liyou had been besieged and killed by the five families but didn't know he was buried here, which was why no one had come to find him or retrieve the Heavenly Seal all these years.

Sang Liyou was insane. When he carved the secret message on the stone tablet, he should have given a thorough warning and explained the situation in the tomb clearly. Instead, he only wrote, "Zhou Xia and dogs are not allowed inside." Ah, but one couldn't ask too much of him. He was a madman—he did well enough.

Sang Xu pondered for a moment and said, "Great-grandpa, I can't take you back to Guimen Village for now. Would you be willing to be buried in Beijing first?"

"Great-grandpa?" Sang Liyou suddenly looked up and asked, "You are my great-grandson? Who are you?"

"Yes," Sang Xu repeated, "My name is Sang Xu. They call me Xiao Guai."

"Are you a person or a dog?" Sang Liyou asked.

"...A person."

"What is your name?" Sang Liyou asked again.

"...Sang Xu."

"You are my great-grandfather?"

"I am your great-grandson."

"That's great!" Sang Liyou was thrilled. "I have a great-grandpa now! The Sang family is saved!"

Sang Xu stopped resisting. Being a great-grandfather was better than being a great-grandson. If Sang Liyou wanted to be the great-grandson, so be it.

Suddenly, an overwhelming pressure descended on his shoulders, as if a mountain were collapsing before him. Sang Xu's knees buckled with a thud. Confused, he looked up to ask what was happening, only to see a brilliant golden seal materialize between the eyebrows of Sang Liyou's dark figure.

"Three thousand years ago, the emperor of Xi Shi granted titles to the six families. Our Sang family guarded the south, ensuring no evil spirits arose and no demons invaded. Among the six families, the bearer of the Heavenly Seal is the Great Patriarch, the leader of the six families, tasked with eliminating traitors within, repelling villains without, serving the gods, vanquishing evil, and guarding the Long Dream. At twenty-five, I received the Heavenly Seal, carrying heaven's mandate above and protecting the people below, never daring to defy it. Now, with five families in rebellion and confusion spreading, I have no choice but to pass the seal to you.

"In the past, selecting a Great Patriarch required testing one's divine abilities and examining one's virtue. Sang Xu, since you were able to kill Wang Hui, your divine abilities should suffice. As for virtue—if you have virtue, I will pass the Heavenly Seal to you immediately. If you do not, you are a traitor to the Sang family and must remain here with me in eternal slumber."

Sang Xu broke into a cold sweat. Wasn't this a forced deal? He hadn't agreed to accept this so-called Heavenly Seal.

But there was no reasoning with a madman.

For now, survival was the priority.

"I have virtue," Sang Xu gritted his teeth, resisting the pressure.

But Sang Liyou shook his head. "You don't get to decide that."

"Then who does?" Sang Xu frowned.

Sang Liyou lifted his head and looked behind Sang Xu, where a red-clad, Nuo-masked evil spirit emerged slowly from the darkness.

"Little Ancestor, you've come..." Sang Liyou said with a hint of laughter in his voice. "Long time no see."

"Sang Liyou," Zhou Xia said coldly, "you've grown even more insane."

"No, I have never been as clear-headed as I am today." Sang Liyou asked softly, "Little Ancestor, is this child suitable?"

Zhou Xia fell silent.

Compared to the ancestors of the Sang family, Sang Xu fell short by more than a little.

Just scattering his ashes, eating his ashes, full of lies, utterly insincere. The Sang family cared for the people, willing to sacrifice themselves for what's right—how could Sang Xu ever measure up? The little room in his heart probably only had room for himself.

But... Zhou Xia remembered the kiss Sang Xu had pressed upon him while kneeling before killing Wang Hui. His heart constricted violently; it skipped a beat. Setting aside the ash-scattering, setting aside the deception, setting aside all that had happened before... overall... perhaps, maybe, possibly, Sang Xu isn't all that bad.

Seeing Zhou Xia's silence, Sang Liyou sighed in disappointment. "I understand."

Sang Xu's heart sank, a chill running down his spine as a sense of disaster washed over him.

Yet, the pressure on his shoulders suddenly lifted, all the heavy weight fading away, leaving his body much lighter.

Sang Liyou smiled ruefully. "Child, you can go."

"Weren't you going to make me stay here with you forever?" Sang Xu asked.

"Just scaring you, that's all." Sang Liyou laughed loudly. "No matter what, you are still a child of the Sang family. It's hard enough to stay alive—why should I demand more from you? If you cannot bear the Heavenly Seal, it is the fate of the Sang family, the fate of this era. Enough. It has nothing to do with you anymore. Just live well and do not let down the hopes of your family."

Sang Xu clenched his jaw, his brow furrowed.

Even though he didn't have to shoulder this heavy burden or stay with Sang Liyou forever, something still weighed on his heart, making it hard to breathe.

"Good child," Sang Liyou's shadow patted his head, "living is the only expectation we have for you."

The surroundings fell silent. Even though his shadow was dark and profound, Sang Xu could still sense his calm, caring look.

Unconsciously, Sang Xu thought of the Sang family members in Underworld Gazing, of Sang Qianyi's shouts. He didn't know any of them, yet when they sensed his presence, they still raised their blades.

Is this what family feels like?

Even if they had never met, even across different times, blood still connected them.

Sang Liyou waved his hand, and the surroundings began to stretch. The cavern faded, and Sang Xu was about to leave the layered dream.

Sang Xu suddenly asked, "What does being the Grand Patriarch entail?"

Sang Liyou paused mid-wave. "Establish the Justice Gate, vanquish evil and defeat rebels, and bring the six families back to the Long Dream."

"I can't guarantee I'll succeed, but I will try my best." Sang Xu took a deep breath. "Give me the Heavenly Seal."

Sang Liyou sighed. "But child, you are not qualified."

"No," Zhou Xia suddenly spoke up. "He is worthy."

Sang Liyou was taken aback. "Really? Little Ancestor, are you saying he can become the Grand Patriarch?"

"Indeed," Zhou Xia's voice was slow and clear. "Sang Xu is up to the task."