They swept away all the residual divine abilities left behind by the Dao Master and the Tathagata, and Qin Mu now had a way to continue treating Emperor Yanfeng. He pondered, "Without the residual divine abilities, his soul can stabilize. Although the Emperor's divine treasure has been destroyed, if I can find enough spiritual herbs, I could use the Phantom Demon Art and the Cosmic Seed Art to enter his divine treasure and refine pills inside. Perhaps I could repair the damage to his divine treasure. But..."
He had never treated an injury like this before. He had no confidence whatsoever in whether he could succeed.
If it were merely a crack in the divine treasure, he could have treated it. But Emperor Yanfeng's divine treasure had been destroyed completely. The many pharmacological principles that the Medicine Master had taught him contained no method for treating such an injury.
However, there were some herbs that could heal damage to the divine treasure, and the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra contained certain techniques that could strengthen it. Qin Mu felt that perhaps a two-pronged approach might work.
The two of them left Emperor Yanfeng's divine treasure. Dawn had broken. Grandma Si had woken up, but Li Tianxing had fallen into a deep sleep.
Qin Mu undid the Creation Heavenly Demon Art that had been placed on Emperor Yanfeng. "Your Majesty, I'm going out to buy medicine. It may take three to five days. During this time, do not leave this room. Someone will bring you food and leave it at your door. At night, no matter what sounds you hear, you must not step a single foot outside. If someone tells you to look out, you must not look."
Emperor Yanfeng replied feebly, "Lord Qin, where exactly have you brought me? Why all the mystery?"
Qin Mu's expression grew solemn. "Your Majesty, this is where my grandmother and Cult Master Li live. You need only know that whoever comes to you at night will be Cult Master Li. If you look outside, you will die. And it won't be just you who dies—the entire State of Yankang will perish with you! Furthermore, if you walk out through that door, you will die without a doubt!"
Seeing how grave Qin Mu's words were, Emperor Yanfeng forced a smile. "Rest easy. I understand. I am not such a curious person."
Qin Mu left the door slightly ajar, picked up a brush, dipped it in ink, and shook his body to assume the form of the Guardian of the Suppressing Star—a human head on a serpent's body. Channeling his power, he drew a doorway on the door and inscribed "the Gate of Heaven's Mandate" upon it in the language of the Netherworld.
Then, restoring his normal form, he wrote a line of text on the ground. "This is a gate formed by the true art of Earth Marquis from the Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra. Read it aloud and you may enter. If you cannot read it, remain outside."
Qin Mu put away his brush and ink and said to Grandma Si, "Grandma, whatever you do, do not touch this gate. When delivering food to the Emperor, use a bamboo pole to pass it to him. Absolutely do not step through the gate."
Grandma Si studied the writing on the door and blinked. "This gate?"
Qin Mu also blinked, saying nothing.
Grandma Si understood. "I will absolutely not enter."
Qin Mu walked out of the courtyard and leapt onto the Dragon Qilin's back. He glanced back at the room where Emperor Yanfeng was staying, thinking to himself, "If Li Tianxing can read the language of the Netherworld, then well and good. But if she cannot and tries to force her way in, she'll be dragged into the Netherworld, and her soul will belong to Tubo! And then Grandma Si will be freed."
Emperor Yanfeng had recovered considerably and could just about walk, but he followed Qin Mu's instructions to the letter and never once left the room. At noon, Grandma Si used a bamboo pole to deliver a basket to the door. Emperor Yanfeng crouched down, opened the gate a crack, pulled the basket inside, and when he had finished eating, placed it back at the door without stepping out himself.
It was the most humiliating experience he had ever had since becoming Emperor.
After dinner, a burst of laughter suddenly drifted in—sweet and enchanting, seeming to burrow straight into the listener's brain, so pleasant it was almost unbearable. Emperor Yanfeng was utterly captivated, feeling that none of his three thousand beauties possessed a voice so bewitching.
"Since Cult Master Qin is not here, this humble concubine shall go find the Emperor to amuse herself. If we have enough fun, I shall skin him and make clothes of his hide, then go to the capital and become Empress."
Emperor Yanfeng felt both terror and an unwilling fascination. The voice was so entrancing it made his thoughts churn. He wanted to open the door to see what this woman looked like, but Qin Mu's warning held him back. "This is Cult Master Li Tianxing, using bewitching magic to lure me out! This old monster is actually putting on a woman's voice—how shameless."
He pressed his hands over his ears, but the seductive voice seemed to have already burrowed into his mind, impossible to forget.
"Hmph, that brat actually tried to test me! He really doesn't know the height of heaven or the depth of the earth... I truly cannot read these characters. I cultivate the true art of Earth Marquis, and so does he. I refuse to believe I am inferior to him!"
...
The woman outside the door tried to decipher the meaning of the writing, repeatedly practicing the true art of Earth Marquis, but always without success. Unknowingly, she spent most of the night at it, while Emperor Yanfeng spent most of the night in trembling dread before finally falling asleep.
The next day was the same as the one before. At night, the woman returned to try again to decode the writing. Emperor Yanfeng was nearly driven to the brink of inner demons by her voice, always feeling a sweet and alluring whisper in his heart calling him to open the door and look.
On the third night, the woman declared in frustration, "I can't do it! I can't figure it out! Fine—why bother solving the puzzle at all? I'll just break in, kill the Emperor, and peel off his skin!"
Emperor Yanfeng's heart lurched. Then he heard her continue, "No, wait... When Cult Master Qin used this technique, a third eye appeared. The room suddenly went dark, the lamplight turned green—it didn't look like the mortal world at all. There's something strange about this gate. Walking through it might take me to another world entirely. That brat is cunning—he's probably trying to trap me..."
Emperor Yanfeng was startled. "This woman is remarkably clever... No, I should say Cult Master Li is cunning and crafty! But isn't Cult Master Li an old man? Why is he putting on a female voice, and one that's so seductive at that?"
He could not help wanting to steal just one look. "Just one peek shouldn't matter, right?"
He was about to lean against the window crack to peer out when suddenly a dragon's cry rang from outside, and Qin Mu strode in. Emperor Yanfeng hurriedly abandoned the notion.
"Cult Master Li did not enter the gate? Could it be that you cannot read the writing on the door? Will you now admit that your Great Nurturing Heavenly Demon Sutra is flawed?"
"None of your business."
"The writing on that door means 'the Gate of Heaven's Mandate.' It's in the language of the Netherworld. I shall teach it to you."
With that, Qin Mu taught the Netherworld phrase to Li Tianxing once and said, "Cult Master Li, you have learned it now. You understand the meaning of the writing on the door, so it's safe for you to enter."
Li Tianxing giggled. "I've learned the Netherworld phrase, I understand the meaning of the writing, and now entering the gate will be safe? Cult Master Qin, this humble concubine is also a Cult Master and Holy Teacher—a sharp and clever character. You cannot trick me."
Qin Mu shook his head, stepped forward, and walked through the gate. He used sword qi to scrape the writing off the door, then turned to Emperor Yanfeng. "Your Majesty, I went to several nearby cities to buy medicine. Due to natural disasters and man-made calamities, the apothecaries had very few herbs. I only managed to buy a few types. I'm not sure how effective they will be."
"Lord Qin, do as you see fit."
Emperor Yanfeng said, "Lord Qin, did you learn anything of note during your trip?"
"Your Majesty has died."
Qin Mu glanced at him and said, unhurriedly, "News from the capital says that the Emperor, having exhausted himself with state affairs, passed away unexpectedly. The Crown Prince is overseeing the funeral, and the entire nation mourns."
Emperor Yanfeng's heart trembled slightly, a half-smile playing on his lips. "I have already died? What a fine son of mine—what a fine son indeed... And what of the Grand General of Heavenly Strategy and the others? Are they still alive?"
Qin Mu prepared the herbs and began refining spirit pills. "In the battle outside Bazhou City, the people of the Heavenly Holy Cult were under orders to rescue only the Emperor. Once you left, they withdrew and teleported away. The Grand General of Heavenly Strategy, the Senior Minister, the Minister of War, and the Minister of Works were captured. The Dao Master and the Tathagata did not kill them but handed them over to the Crown Prince. They are the heads of great noble houses with vast influence in the capital. The Crown Prince needs their support to ascend the throne. Rest assured, Your Majesty—they will not be killed."
"My fine son..." Emperor Yanfeng sighed.
The forces of the Grand General of Heavenly Strategy and the others were simply too great. They occupied more than half the capital's power, commanding the military and various other factions in court and beyond. The Crown Prince could not take the throne without their backing.
"A state cannot go a day without a ruler. The Crown Prince's ascension should take place in early March—the sixth day, an auspicious date on the Yellow Path. With the support of the Dao sect and the Great Thunderclap Monastery, his becoming Emperor is a foregone conclusion. Whoever dares to oppose him will have their family exterminated."
"Where is the State Preceptor? Surely I would not have fallen into such a state had he been present."
"The State Preceptor recently married and went on a honeymoon. There has been no news of him since. During my trip, I also saw many spies searching for Your Majesty's whereabouts. Apparently the Crown Prince has given the order—alive or dead, he wants a body."
Qin Mu activated the Phantom Demon Art and the Cosmic Seed Art, drilling into his divine treasure. Inside the Spirit Womb divine treasure, he tried to catalyze the medicinal power of the spirit pills, but the potency dissipated within the Spirit Womb divine treasure without repairing it. The effect was negligible.
Qin Mu frowned and switched to several other spirit pills, but all proved equally ineffective.
Qin Mu transformed into a wisp of dark shadow and flew out from between Emperor Yanfeng's brows, reverting to his true form as he landed. He paced back and forth before suddenly stopping. "Your Majesty, your injuries are very difficult to treat. Wounds on your body—even injuries to your soul—I can heal. But damage to the divine treasure is beyond my ability. My grandfather, the Medicine Master, should be able to treat it. Would Your Majesty be willing to go with me to the Great Ruins?"
A glimmer of hope rose in Emperor Yanfeng's heart. "This Medicine Master... who is he?"
Qin Mu hesitated, then answered honestly. "The Jade-Faced Poison King."
Emperor Yanfeng's face turned ashen. "The Jade-Faced Poison King?"
He was the Emperor, and the Empress Dowager was his mother. Yet the Jade-Faced Poison King had an ambiguous and intimate relationship with the Empress Dowager. Before the Medicine Master's true identity had been exposed, he had gone by the name "Jade-Faced Gentleman," with lovers scattered all across the land. Even certain Daoist nuns of great renown had tangled, unclear connections with him.
Emperor Yanfeng knew all about this, though he had never spoken of it. In fact, he had once ordered an assassination attempt on the Jade-Faced Poison King—to eliminate his mother's paramour. The Medicine Master had been driven into hiding in the Great Ruins, and Emperor Yanfeng had played no small part in that.
To go meet the Jade-Faced Poison King was something he found utterly repugnant.
"Lord Qin, I will not go to the Great Ruins. My treasonous son is about to ascend the throne and undo two hundred years of reform. I cannot allow this legacy to be destroyed."
Emperor Yanfeng's voice was heavy. "We are going to the capital!"
Qin Mu's heart skipped a beat. He shot the Emperor a look. "Your Majesty is certain about going to the capital?"
Emperor Yanfeng nodded. "The capital is where the dragon veins converge. My family's Nine Dragon Imperial Art is far more effective when practiced there. Perhaps I can use the dragon qi of the nine dragons to reforging my divine treasure. The blood and toil that the State Preceptor and I poured into this cannot be wasted! Once I return to the capital, I can depose my traitorous son!"
Qin Mu pondered for a moment, then smiled. "Forgive the offense." With that, he produced a pig-slaughtering knife, removed the Emperor's crown, and stripped away his yellow robe.
Emperor Yanfeng's face changed dramatically. "Lord Qin, what are you doing?"
Qin Mu held his head down. The pig-slaughtering knife hissed and whirred. After a moment, Emperor Yanfeng's head was completely bald, without a single hair remaining.
Qin Mu then took several sticks of incense, lit them, and pressed them against Emperor Yanfeng's scalp. The Emperor gasped in pain as his scalp sizzled and burned, leaving several marks of ordination.
Qin Mu examined his handiwork and smiled. "Splendid. You'll also need a set of monastic robes and straw sandals, plus a string of prayer beads. And the beard must go." With that, he laid the Emperor down and shaved off every last hair of his beard.
Emperor Yanfeng was furious, but he could not resist. In a short while, he was clean-shaven and groomed, transformed by Qin Mu into a monk in yellow robes—where the once-commanding, fear-inspiring Emperor had gone, no one could say.
Qin Mu then took out a painting brush, mixed some ink, and began daubing and drawing on Emperor Yanfeng's face. When the Emperor tried to resist again, Qin Mu simply sealed him in place, leaving him standing rigidly like a statue while he worked.
When Qin Mu finished, he set a mirror before the Emperor and said with a smile, "Does Your Majesty still recognize himself?"
Emperor Yanfeng looked into the mirror and saw a middle-aged monk with a long scar running from his left eye down across the bridge of his nose to his right cheek and ending just below his right ear. He looked every bit like a vicious, sickly monk—the sort who might chant sutras and eat vegetarian meals in peacetime, but would kill and burn without a second thought in times of wrath.
Qin Mu removed the knife sheath and strapped it onto Emperor Yanfeng's back. The Emperor let out a muffled grunt, crushed face-down to the floor, unable to move. "My bones—my bones are about to break! Take it off—I can't breathe—I can't..."
"I forgot. Your Majesty's cultivation has been destroyed, and your body is not what it once was."
Qin Mu hastily removed the two pig-slaughtering knives, went outside to fetch some wooden planks, carved two wooden knives, and painted them with iron-black and white lacquer—stark and striking. He then fashioned a knife sheath and strapped the two wooden pig-slaughtering knives onto Emperor Yanfeng's back.
Qin Mu stepped back, examined him, and smiled. "Your Majesty may now accompany me outside."
Emperor Yanfeng pulled out the two wooden knives, huffing with indignation. "Lord Qin, you mock me like this and I will cut off your head! Bring your head here!"
Qin Mu leaned forward with his head extended and grinned. "Please, Your Majesty."
Emperor Yanfeng slashed twice with all his might, then collapsed in exhaustion, gasping for breath. Qin Mu handed him the real pig-slaughtering knife. "Your Majesty may use the actual blade."
Emperor Yanfeng gripped the handle with both hands but could not lift it for the life of him. In a rage, he threw it to the ground. "Your head—I'll leave it on your shoulders for now! Let's go!"