Death… and me

A servant softly walked forward and parted the curtain of tassels in a gentle and graceful manner. After Chu Yang had walked in, the servant released the curtain and left quietly. Not a single sound was made from beginning to the end.

Chu Yang was shocked the moment he walked in.

In front of him was a cushioned seat with someone resting on it. However, to consider that a person was not exactly accurate. In fact, it seemed more like a pile of skin and dried bones.

Apart from the bones, this individual's organs did not seem to weigh more than half a pound. Thus it could be said that it was really just a bunch of wrinkly skin glued on top of a skeleton.

His face was completely pale without a single hint of pink hue. His two opaque eyes were the only part of him which shone with life. It was only when he opened his eyes that others would be aware that he was still alive.

The gloomy aura belonging to the dead quietly oozed out from this living person's body.

This person was clad in a bright yellow robe. However, the color from his attire was unable to conceal or lighten the gloomy aura surrounding him.

At that moment, his eyes focused on Chu Yang as he looked in his direction with intense effort.

Chu Yang couldn't imagine that such a body which was so thin and frail would even be able to sit even though he was in fact reclined and supported by the cushions.

"Are you… Chu Yang?" The voice from this person was so low that it would have been inaudible if one didn't pay close attention to the words in which he spoke. However, the one fortunate thing was that each faint word was articulated sufficiently for others to understand albeit with some slight difficulty.

Tie Bu Tian stood behind this frail body with one arm on his shoulder. Tears started to well up at the edge of his eyes and it looked as though they would fall to the ground at any moment.

This person was none other than Tie Shi Cheng, the leader of Iron Cloud Nation and Tie Bu Tian's father.

He had constantly been in and out of consciousness. However, the lengths of time which he spent unconscious usually lasted more than twenty hours while each time he was awake and lucid was less than fifteen minutes!

This was one of the greatest torment for his family! Even insanity would have been easier on them. However, when he woke up this time, he had heard about Du Shi Qing's disappearance and immediately demanded from Tie Bu Tian a dose of a Dragon Spirit Fragrance!

The Dragon Spirit Fragrance was also known as the Recover Spirit Fragrance. It could help in revitalizing a dying person and help to assist in being able to speak what they needed to say and do what they wanted to do!

However, this period would be extremely short. Moreover, once the period was over, the spirit's fire would be completely extinguished resulting in the death of the individual!

"Yes." Chu Yang replied softly. He truly did not dare to use any force when speaking. Looking at the shape this emperor was in, he felt that the slightest of disturbances would be unbearable.

"Ah, no need for ceremony." Tie Shi Cheng's eyes slightly twitched, "Come closer and let me see you. You are standing so far; I can't see what you look like."

Chu Yang complied and took a few steps forward.

The distance between him and Tie Shi Cheng earlier was about five or six steps, and yet Tie Shi Cheng was still unable to see him… From this, it could be seen that his eyesight had severely deteriorated.

"Not bad. You are indeed talented and good looking." Tie Shi Cheng smiled slightly. He was at least a little better looking when he did not laugh. However, when he laughed, he looked like a horrifying demon.

"Your Majesty is too kind."

"Bu Tian often praises you in front of me. Haha. Even though he thinks that I cannot hear him, I am actually able to hear everything clearly." Tie Shi Cheng smiled with a trace of pride; and he sighed as he continued, "Today is the most relaxed I've been in this whole decade."

Behind him, Tie Bu Tian's slightly reddened face suddenly became pale.

"During this period, I have heard about the things that you have accomplished." Tie Shi Cheng's eyes gradually grew brighter and sharper. A majestic aura slowly emitted outward from within his soul.

This was Dragon Spirit Fragrance gradually having an effect from inside his body.

"You have done well!" Tie Shi Cheng's sharp gaze judged Chu Yang as he continued at a slow pace, "I have also told Bu Tian countless times that in order to be a ruler, he has to be a little cruel. He has to give the order to kill when it is deemed as necessary even when it is one of your own descendants. There is nothing that he can do. This is the path that a ruler has to travel. It is no doubt a lonely one filled with many ups and downs, filled with uncertainty."

"It is by far much more exhausting to be a ruler rather than a commoner. There are some people who you know that you should not kill, yet you still have to kill. There will also be some people you know that you will miss but you still have no choice but to kill them! There are also things that you are aware are wrong. Yet, the decision to do them still has to be made! This is simply because as a ruler, it is your burden to bear all on your own!"

Even though Tie Shi Cheng was looking at Chu Yang, his words seemed to be not for Chu Yang but for Tie Bu Tian.

"What it takes to be a ruler… What you need to think is about the world, not to focus on yourself and especially not your family. Such is the pain and the obligation of being a ruler. There is no one in the world who is without feelings! Although they might not be allowed, rulers have them too for we are only human. Therefore, at its core, the heart of rulers are usually lonely and pitiful. There will be countless things that will constantly be on their conscience! They torture themselves day and night; that is why, to this day, the life expectancy of a ruler is not long…"

Tie Shi Cheng let out another sigh; whatever he was thinking about now caused an extreme sorrow to appear in his eyes.

Chu Yang did not know what to say to this dying emperor and decided to remain silent.

"When I was eighteen, I ascended to the throne as emperor. In a few years, I built up a powerful military! We were had power completely unrivaled to any other countries! From North to South, wherever we went, our enemies would surrender! In five years, we manage to expand Iron Cloud's territory by a third! Moreover, at that time, I was ambitious. I felt as if this whole world was in the palm of my hand; this whole world was for me to unify!"

"Iron Cloud was stable when Great Zhao saw Iron Cloud as a threat and attacked! I was in the prime of my life and filled with ambition; much to the extent that I led the army myself! However, Iron Cloud's weapons were sharp and unparalleled! I won one battle after another. Even with Diwu Qing Rou's leadership, they were no match for my weapons!"

"At the time, five hundred thousand Iron Cloud troops fought with four hundred thousand of Diwu Qing Rou's Great Zhao soldiers over an area of four hundred miles at Twin Dragons Mountain! I had complete faith that I was going to obliterate Diwu Qing Rou's army and grind them to dust as we directly invade Great Zhao! The idea was to use that powerful momentum to take over Limitless Nation and rule all of Lower Three Heavens!"

That hoarse voice of Tie Shi Cheng gradually rose with excitement. A pink hue appeared on his face as his gaze became proud and awe-inspiring. It was as if he was reliving the time where he led thousands of soldiers to conquer the world.

"However, the moment that the battle began, a group of assassins appeared! Thirteen Revered Martial Artists snuck into camp and attempted to assassinate me without a care for their own lives. However that was not enough, there was a saintly archer who shot an arrow at me from more than one hundred miles away!" Tie Shi Cheng's eyes showed a great resentment, "It was that arrow that pulled my world from its pinnacle straight into hell!"

"The head of the arrow was coated with a poison without any form of antidote. Therefore, in that particular battle, our soldiers became disorganized and chaotic with the lack of leadership. Eventually, we suffered a great loss and had no choice but to retreat back to Iron Cloud Citadel. Ever since then, we have been trying our best to hang on until this day…" as he got to this point his voice grew soft and trailed off.

"Ten years ago, I should have died, but I did not die until now… I have made them wait for far too long!" Tie Shi Cheng sighed. His eyes closed slightly, and two streams of tears fell down from his face.

Chu Yang said quietly, "Your Majesty, do you still have some unfinished business?" At this moment, saying something like "Long live the emperor" or some other gibberish about having a restful heart would have been inappropriate and even stupid. Chu Yang knew that if Tie Shi Cheng wanted to see him, he did not want to just talk about his feelings.

If he wants to talk about his feelings, there were many other courtiers; why would he have wanted to talk about it with someone he had just met, like me?

"Unfinished business… there are many… many…" Tie Shi Cheng's body suddenly shook a bit. His voice exposed a distracted tone with a mix of unresolved regrets.

"My unfinished business is Iron Cloud…" Tie Shi Cheng sighed. Then he suddenly asked, "Minister Chu, as a dying person, can I request that you remain at Iron Cloud?"

Chu Yang was stunned; he looked up at Tie Shi Cheng.

"Although this punk Bu Tian has the making of an emperor, he is not cruel enough!" His eyes seemed almost dried up as he stared at Chu Yang, "Minister Chu is capable of decisive killings and is able to deal with everything neatly. You perfectly complement Bu Tian's deficiencies!"

"Both of you together are truly a pair made by the heavens… a partnership!" Tie Shi Cheng's voice sounded a little weird.

"I am truly sorry. I cannot remain here." Chu Yang paused then apologetically replied.

"If you stay… I… I can marry my only daughter to you!" Tie Shi Cheng stared at Chu Yang and said, "Don't be in a rush to turn it down… Once you marry my daughter, you will be the regent emperor of Iron Cloud Nation! You will be seated at the pinnacle of power with authority in your hand!"

From behind him, Tie Bu Tian dropped his head and bit his lip. He spoke up, "Father…"

"Minister Chu, my daughter is the number one beauty of Iron Cloud Nation." Tie Shi Cheng did not pay any attention to Tie Bu Tian, and continued to look at Chu Yang, "You will have the pinnacle of power and the wealth of a nation as your wedding dowry! Will you agree to stay?"

"Number one beauty, the pinnacle of power, and wealth of a nation." Chu Yang let out a pained smile, "This is truly a hard temptation to resist, but… I already have someone in my heart. Moreover… my life's aspirations are not in the Lower Three Heavens."

Chu Yang smiled, "I greatly appreciate Your Majesty's kindness."

Two potent rays of light were suddenly emitted from the depths of Tie Shi Cheng's eyes. A long time after, he said softly, "Good! Good! You are truly worthy of the name King of Hell Chu!"

He weakly coughed twice and said casually, "Minister Chu, I have a question. You must answer truthfully."

Chu Yang answered, "Please speak, Your Majesty."

"Du Shi Qing's sudden disappearance, does it have anything to do with Minister Chu?" Tie Shi Cheng asked gravely. Behind him, Tie Bu Tian suddenly perked up and looked at Chu Yang with a sharp gaze.