1005 Every Human Being Has Compassion (1/2)

The governor of Chuzhou was a virtuous man. But he could be easily mistaken as an ordinary farmer because of his swarthy cheeks and rough hands. It was usually hard to distinguish the virtuous from the ignorant by appearance.

He had just come back from the dam and was worried about the coming autumn flood. But what worried him more was the invading troops. Chuzhou was a beautiful place, but it was located by the border.

Just like his virtues, his emotions were never shown on his face. He finished the government affairs calmly, stepped out of his office accompanied by a servant, and walked with a crutch toward the east mountain to seek for some peace.

There was a newly built pavilion on the east mountain. He supervised the expensive construction and was reproached. But he never cared.

The jar was opened and the scent of liquor pervaded. The governor was drinking at the pavilion under the bright moon and was about to compose a poem for the beautiful rivers and mountains in front of him.

Right then, a refreshing breeze came from thousands of miles away in the south. It crossed the mountains and wilderness and made three circuits around the pavilion. It entered, lingered for a while, and then left.

The governor was dead. It was quiet. He could not chant his poem or leave imperishable travel stories. He could not write anything, or say anything to the Chuzhou people. He died quietly.

...

...

It was quiet in front of the relics of the imperial city in Linkang. The Eldest Brother looked to the direction of Chuzhou and pondered for a long while. He turned pale and asked, ”To make me and the Tang people suffer, what good will that do to you?”

”Because… I am afraid of death. The longer I live, the more fearful I become.” The Drunkard looked into his eyes and said, ”Previously when I knew that danger was coming, I was really scared. Throughout these years I had never been that close to death. It was really horrifying. I've lived too long to be familiar with that kind of feeling. But I experienced it again tonight. It was still horrifying and even more overwhelming. I could barely stand it. Therefore I am very angry.”

He showed no expressions and his face seemed like a hardened field after countless years of exploiting. Yet he still smelled like fine liquor. His anger was not shown on him but distinctively conveyed in the human world. Because in the far away Chuzhou, the governor who used to be fond of drinking was dead now.

”I don't want to go through that feeling or become the target of the Academy again. Therefore I have to make you suffer, to make the Tang people suffer, and to make the Academy suffer. I want you to suffer and fear, so that you won't be able to do anything.” The Drunkard continued to stare at the Eldest Brother with no expressions. He seemed indifferent and invincible. ”I can kill. I can kill many Tang people. As long as I initiate the intent, you could never be fast enough to stop me. And I'm going to kill the ordinary because they are less troublesome. Ning Que won't be able to stop me either because he can't see me. You could only stay and watch me kill and torture until you collapse in pain.”

The Eldest Brother shivered slightly. His clenched his hands extremely tight and could almost feel the pain.

The Drunkard continued, ”More than dozens, more than hundreds, I will kill tens of thousands of people. Therefore unless you are absolutely sure, you should not try to kill me ever again, not even to come up with an attempt, even an attempt slimmer than the willow or lighter than the flying catkins.”

The Eldest Brother lowered his head and kept quiet for a long while. The willows along the moat kept quiet with him. They wiped the water and pushed the scatter cloths away. The catkins would not fly again until next spring. He could not wait that long or could the Academy or the Tang Empire. Then what should he do?

Suddenly he looked above to the bright moon in the night sky and said, ”I could also kill.” Then he turned to the Drunkard and said firmly, ”When I am determined to kill, no one could stop me either, not even you. So stop pushing me.”

The Drunkard showed no expression and said, ”Please go ahead.”

The Eldest Brother lifted his eyebrows.

The Drunkard repeated, ”Please kill as you wish.”