24: Chapter 24 The Cicadas' Song Through the Summer

Further away, on the mountain ridge, stood a clown in a black robe... ah no, a Man in Black Robe.

Beneath the hood, those eyes that were originally filled with calculation and hatred were now left with only boundless fear and shock.

"Impossible... absolutely impossible!"

He saw clearly that that sword strike was not merely physical destruction; it also contained terrifying power capable of annihilating the soul.

That white figure had completely exceeded the scope of what he could comprehend.

Even at the peak of his and the first Zhuge Family head's strength, while they might have been able to unleash an attack of such might, they had never seen such an eerie sword technique.

"Integration Realm? Tribulation Transcendence Realm? Impossible, those are no different from ants."

"In this lower cultivation world, once one passes the lightning tribulation in the late stage of the Tribulation Transcendence Realm, ascension follows immediately. Logically speaking, there shouldn't be any true Mahayana Realm experts..."

The Man in Black Robe pondered for a moment and thought of a possibility.

"I just saw that his form seemed to be in a soul state."

"Could it be that this person is a Loose Immortal?"

A Loose Immortal is a state formed when one fails the lightning tribulation in the late stage of the Tribulation Transcendence Realm and their physical body is destroyed.

Such an existence, while their strength indeed transcends most experts in the Tribulation Transcendence and Integration Realms, views them as no different from ants.

But to the Man in Black Robe, who had truly touched the Mahayana Realm, they were not someone impossible to contend with.

The Man in Black Robe did not hesitate, his figure turning into an almost invisible trail of black smoke as he fled madly toward the south.

He could no longer stay in Great Qian.

Although the chess move for Great Wei had already been laid, it was the final trump card; he had no need to play it unless absolutely necessary.

"If that Southern Border King can refine that 'thing' I need, I will be able to recover my peak cultivation very soon."

"By then, even if I give the Southern Border a little 'benefit', so what?"

"It just so happens that by borrowing his hand, I can also create a little bit of trouble for Great Qian, which is still suffering from internal and external strife."

The Man in Black Robe's figure disappeared into the southern horizon.

...

That night.

An urgent eight-hundred-li express report delivered news of that sword light which connected heaven and earth and purified everything.

As well as the towering, white giant shadow looming within the sword light.

It became a sight that all living beings within hundreds of li around Jianging City would never forget for the rest of their lives.

For a time, this news seemed to sprout wings, and accompanied by the descriptions of fleeing rebel remnants and eyewitnesses, it quickly spread throughout all the prefectures in the east.

The news of Guo Wenzhuo's death also quickly reached Lianzhou City.

Resistance? Determination?

Before the divine might of that sword strike, all of it vanished into nothingness.

Countless cities surrendered upon hearing the news, and the rebel forces collapsed.

The Great Qian army led by Zhuge Jinyu took over almost all the major cities in the east with almost no effort.

These troops under Guo Wenzhuo were originally spineless fence-sitters.

Now that Guo Wenzhuo himself was dead, they defected to Great Qian very smoothly.

The few remaining resistance troops, under the offensive of the Great Qian army, basically did not stir up any large-scale waves.

What surprised Su Chen somewhat was Zhuge Jinyu's progress during this period.

About half a year or more after the Battle of Jianging City, her strength had already risen from the early stage of the Nascent Soul Realm to the middle stage.

The Female Prime Minister's handling of affairs was also becoming increasingly seasoned.

Most of the time, she no longer needed any guidance from him, her "Master," to handle routine matters.

Another half a year passed, and the recovery of the entire east was basically completed.

Great Qian re-established its rule over this region.

In order to win over the hearts of the people, Zhuge Jinyu not only reduced the taxes that the local populace had to pay but even exempted them from corvée labor.

Finally, it was time to return home.

...

May.

The Great Qian army returned in triumph.

The city walls were crowded with people, all there to see "what the great heroes returning in triumph actually looked like."

Walking into the city, his view suddenly opened up, and Su Chen was even slightly stunned.

The imperial city before his eyes was no longer the slightly dilapidated appearance it had when they left.

The originally dilapidated and cramped alleys in the city had almost all disappeared.

They had been replaced by wide streets, crisscrossing canals, and magnificent buildings.

"What a truly magnificent scene, like a 'Riverside Scene at Qingming Festival'!"

Su Chen couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

After he taught his series of reform measures to the Young Prime Minister, she quickly turned them into reality.

Back when they were still fighting on the front lines, Huang Ying and other confidants of the young lady had returned to the capital to begin the renovations.

That was how the current scene of pavilions and towers everywhere, with talented scholars and beautiful ladies, came to be.

"Yes, Master..."

The young lady wiped Su Chen's mirror surface with a smile.

"In the blink of an eye, I have known you for more than three years."

"In the past, you gifted me a 'Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains' painting on the city wall of Jianging City; today, I naturally must return a painting to you."

"You like this kind of scene very much."

Su Chen did not skimp on words of praise, complimenting the young lady.

"Xiao Yu's cultivation has also progressed very quickly; you are almost at the late stage of the Nascent Soul Realm, right?"

The speed of Zhuge Jinyu's cultivation progress made him even more astonished.

No matter how talented a prodigy might be, a cultivator whose progress is this fast is quite rare.

"It is all thanks to your good guidance, Master..."

The young lady said with a smile, coughed slightly twice, and quickly wiped the traces from the corner of her mouth with a handkerchief.

The carriage soon stopped in front of the palace.

Zhuge Jinyu took off her armor, put on her moon-white chancellor's robes again, and returned to her long-missed study.

Huang Ying brought her several items in gift boxes; when a few of the boxes were opened, they were all pitch-black medicinal herbs.

Zhuge Jinyu did not spare those things a second glance, but instead opened the last box made of white jade.

"Zhi——"

A crisp sound of a cicada chirping rang out from the white jade box.

The Young Prime Minister carefully opened the glass bottle.

Inside the bottle was actually a cicada.

She took the cicada out of the bottle and placed it in front of Su Chen's mirror.

"Master, please look."

Su Chen: ???

What is this for?

Could it be that Zhuge Jinyu knows about the custom of deep-frying cicada nymphs in his hometown?

"Xiao Yu, isn't this... a cicada?"

The young lady blinked her alluring, fox-like eyes and smiled slightly.

"Master, you are mistaken."

"This is a summer I am gifting to you."

The cicada was released from the glass bottle by Zhuge Jinyu and began to sing loudly.

"Master, have you heard?"

"A cicada binds itself in a cocoon underground for eighteen whole years, just for the joyful chirping of this one entire summer."

"And then... it will die very soon."

Su Chen nodded.

He had naturally heard of this saying.

On Blue Star, this phrase is always used to describe students who have finished the college entrance examination.

They have been suppressed under the pressure of their studies for eighteen whole years.

After enjoying an entire summer of youth, they slowly wither under the heavy pressure of society.

But why would Zhuge Jinyu suddenly want to gift him such a present?

A cicada...

A young lady...

Being kept in a glass bottle is just like being in a luxurious palace.

It can only be used for viewing, just like she was once unable to control her own destiny.

The chirping of the cicada, gifted to Master, is like her rising step by step today with his help.

But why, can it only chirp for one summer...?

"Cough, cough... Master, Huang Ying is looking for me for something, I will go handle it first."

After saying this, the young lady turned and left the room.

Only Su Chen was left alone, thinking by himself in the mirror.