Slag Shou Cultivating Manual Chapter 1

Chapter 1: Dead

Inside the Ziliang Golden Pillar Palace, a dignified man sat on the top. He was He Zheng, the fifth prince of the He Dynasty and also the most favored crown prince in the current emperor’s eyes.

At the entrance of the palace, another man dressed in a white winter robe walked slowly forward. 

There was a massive incense burner burned with high-quality fragrances blurring the man’s face because of the rising smoke, revealing only an elegant outline. 

He Zheng on the high seat seemed to ignore him, his gaze fixed on the documents in front of him, casually and lazily playing with a jade seal in his hand.

After a long while, the visitor saw that He Zheng was indeed indifferent to him and couldn’t help but hold back, forcing out a sentence, “We haven’t seen each other for a long time.”

The man in white had a clear voice, cold as ice cracking, crisp as red jade colliding, with a touch of warmth in his plain tone.

The following parts of the text will be scrambled to prevent theft from aggregators and unauthorized epub making. Please support our translators by reading on secondlifetranslations (dot) com. If you are currently on the site and and you are seeing this, please clear your cache.

Tl Hbldt tzydnle wr pzktbvzu okvb yd kdekqqlaldv yvvkvwel, “Fs, kv’p vbl vbkae rakdnl. Ebyv cakdtp usw blal?”

Tl Nydt, yeealpple yp vbl vbkae rakdnl, nzldnble vbl letl sq bkp pzllhl, yde vbl obkvl fyel kd bkp byde oyaxle qasx vbl vlxrlayvwal sq bkp ryzx.

“Gb Hbldt, R byhl psxlvbkdt vs tkhl usw,” Tl Nydt’p psqv hsknl ekprlaple kd vbl prynkswp byzz, pllxkdtzu bkp rwarspl qsa nsxkdt.

Tl Hbldt pllxle vs byhl fwpv blyae bkp osaep yqvla y zsdt obkzl yde aykple bkp blye dsdnbyzydvzu, bkp tygl eakqvkdt esodoyaep. Mblal oyp ds fsu kd bkp lulp; kdpvlye, kv zssjle yp kq bl oyp csvblale cu obu vbl vbkae rakdnl oyp tkhkdt bkx psxlvbkdt ytykd.

Tl Nydt’p qkdtlap xshle, yde bl pyke vs Tl Hbldt, “Mbkp kp vbl fyel rldeydv xsvbla tyhl xl clqsal bla ryppkdt.”

Kyel rldeydvp nswze cl przkv kdvs vos rklnlp, sqvld wple yp vsjldp sq zshl clvolld zshlap kd vblka nswdvau. Ysalshla, sdl rklnl oyp xlydv qsa vbl alnkrkldv, yde vbl svbla qsa vbl tkhla, pktdkqukdt y zkqlzsdt nsxxkvxldv. Tl Nydt bye sdl rklnl, yde bl oydvle vs tkhl vbl svbla vs Tl Hbldt vs alhlyz bkp qllzkdtp.

Tl Hbldt oyp yzalyeu cwpu okvb pvyvl yqqykap, bszekdt y xlxsakyz yde alhklokdt kv. Ebld bl blyae vbl osae “fyel rldeydv,” bkp casop pzktbvzu qwaasole, cwv bl eked’v zkqv bkp blye yde pkxrzu alrzkle, “Ls dlle.”

G bkdv sq ekpyrrskdvxldv qzypble vbaswtb Tl Nydt’p lulp. Rd vbl rypv, Tl Hbldt oswze sqvld alflnv bkp tkqvp, cwv vbkp vkxl, kv oyp ekqqlaldv. Ls xyvvla obyv, bl oydvle vs tkhl Tl Hbldt bkp xspv ralnkswp kvlx.

Seeing He Lang’s persistence, He Zheng freed a hand from the memorial, pressed his temple, and showed a trace of impatience. He instructed the maid next to him to take the jade pendant.

He Zheng held the half piece of jade pendant in his hand, examining it briefly. The translucent color and warmth in his hand showed it was a top-quality item. However, he couldn’t understand why He Lang would gift him something symbolic of commitment. He looked at He Lang, who had been standing there for quite some time, and asked what he was thinking.

“I thought you knew,” He Lang lowered his gaze slightly, his voice no longer as cold as usual, but tinged with a bit of resentment. A faint blush of shyness appeared on his face, like a pale plum blossoming amid the falling snow.

He Zheng’s lips curled, his gaze still calm as he replied, “I knew.”

Upon hearing this, He Lang frowned slightly, his voice paused. He lowered his gaze slowly, not daring to look at He Zheng again, and his tone carried a hint of bitterness, “Then why did you get close to the Prime Minister’s daughter…”

“It was intentional,” He Zheng played with the jade pendant in his hand for a moment before continuing, “to make you give up on those feelings.”

He Lang’s face turned pale, and he tightly clenched his sleeve, feeling lost and helpless. He Zheng had long known about his feelings, which were beyond the boundaries of brotherly love. He didn’t expect He Zheng to accept them; he just wanted to silently watch him rule the world, even if it meant his silent joy.

However, He Zheng insisted on getting close to other women. Could it be that he wouldn’t even give him a chance to wait? Did He Zheng truly despise his feelings that much?

He Zheng glanced at He Lang’s expression for a moment, the jade in his hand losing its warmth, and he found it uninteresting. He casually tossed the jade to a maid and instructed, “Put it in the storage warehouse of my hall.”

Finally, he revealed a faint smile, “Imperial brother, I accept it. Are you satisfied?”

He Lang lowered his brows and eyes, forcing a smile, but his heart felt as if it was in an icehouse.

“After giving me the gift, is there anything else, Imperial brother?” He Zheng’s lips were still curved, but it was hard to tell if he was smiling. For him, it was just a courteous response between brothers.

He Lang held his sleeve, thought for a moment, then shook his head.

He Zheng put away the smile on his face, as if changing his mask in an instant. He lowered his head, picked up the memorial, and instructed, “Someone, escort the Third Prince back.”

He Lang stared blankly at He Zheng, who sat on the high seat, and seemed to see him sitting on the dragon throne, with great authority and magnificence, like every emperor of the He family in the past. Ruling over the world, but also cold and heartless.

He couldn’t help but bitterly smile. Since He Zheng was a young boy, he knew he would become like this in the future. But he still couldn’t help but want to give this lonely young man a little warmth, to calm his anxious and desperate heart.

He wanted to tell the young man that amidst this vast world and flourishing era, what he truly desired was not something power could obtain. Power was not as beautiful as he had imagined.

“Please,” a gentle voice from the maid brought him back to reality. He stiffly nodded, turned around, gave He Zheng one last look, and finally released the tightly clenched hand on his sleeve before leaving.

His slender figure walked alone in the vast snowy field, and the falling snow seemed even crueler than usual, engulfing his figure until he became a trail of snow.

When He Lang returned to his courtyard, his outer clothes were covered with ice crystals, looking exceptionally white. Thin frost formed on his long eyelashes, his lips turning pale, and his handsome face appeared as pure as snow.

A maid wearing coarse clothes frowned, hurriedly supported him inside, and stuffed an old carved copper warming stove into his arms, “Your Highness, it’s freezing outside. You’re only wearing a winter coat, you’ll catch a cold. Why not wear the cloak the Fifth Prince gave you?”

He Lang held the warming stove, and the coldness in his hands gradually dissipated. He removed his frost-covered outer clothes and softly replied, “I can’t bear to.”

This cloak was finely made, and if he wore it out in the snow, it would surely get wet, which would be troublesome.

The only thing He Zheng left him with was this cloak, and it was given to him under the Emperor’s suggestion. He treasured it like a precious gem, and even the slightest damage to it would make him feel heartache.

The servant girl sighed. She understood her master’s thoughts, but the Fifth Prince had made it clear that he had set his heart on the throne, and any inappropriate emotions between brothers would only be a stain on the path to becoming an emperor.

“Hua Chun, you don’t need to worry about me,” He Lang touched the finely carved copper handle of the warming stove. “How can I not worry?” Hua Chun asked, her beautiful eyes shimmering with tears. The rules of the He family were well-known. 

To ascend to the highest position ruling over all, the brothers couldn’t avoid a battle. Even if her master had no intention of participating in the struggle for the throne, under the current rules of the He dynasty, the Fifth Prince couldn’t possibly let her master remain.

The rules of the He dynasty dictated a ruthless struggle for survival. Among all the princes, only the one who survived in the end could become the ruler.

His master was weak and had no powerful backing. Even his only mother, Consort Hui, was not from a prestigious family. Moreover, she had already passed away. Currently, his master had no support, and the Fifth Prince was ruthless and focused solely on power. His master was afraid he would be the first to be driven to his death.

If his master died, what would happen to the few maids who grew up with him in this courtyard?

Thinking of this, Hua Chun couldn’t help but feel desolate.

In response to Hua Chun, He Lang forced a pale smile. “What is there to fear in death? It’s inevitable anyway…”

…

In early spring, with the thriving vitality, flowers blossomed, and tender grass emerged from the ground. The accumulated snow on the trees in the courtyard had also fallen, melting into a pool of spring water, seeping into the soil.

This should have been a time of prosperity and brightness in early spring, but a slaughter was quietly underway.

In just a few hours, the original Crown Prince was accused of conspiring with a neighboring country, the Second Prince was locked up in the palace for drunkenly setting fire to the harem, and the other princes without any power were easily killed by He Zheng’s soldiers.

In the end, only the Third Prince, He Lang, remained.

Even though he had always been mediocre and unremarkable, posing no threat to He Zheng, his unusual feelings for the soon-to-be emperor were an obstacle that might erupt at any time.

He Lang had long been prepared. He didn’t use a single soldier from He Zheng’s army and didn’t want to burden him. He had already prepared a cup of poisoned wine. With the weather still cold, he sat alone in front of the pavilion, waiting for his own death.

He Zheng was somewhat amazed by his leisurely appreciation of the wine, feeling a sense of inexplicability. However, when the emaciated figure raised the wine cup with a smiling expression, He Zheng felt something was amiss but did not stop him as he slowly drank the wine.

“What are you doing?” He Zheng frowned, dissatisfied with the look of affection and reluctance in his eyes.

He Lang’s organs churned, and then he felt dizzy. Uncontrollably, blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. He took a deep breath and half-knelt on the ground, “Turn away, don’t dirty your eyes.”

He said the words with trembling, and He Zheng understood that he willingly drank the poison to die. He thought his elder brother was truly considerate, sparing him from any effort.

He turned away, quietly leaving the pavilion. He didn’t want to witness He Lang’s death, fearing it would stir up emotions he had long abandoned. Besides, compared to his other brothers, he wasn’t particularly averse to him. After about half an incense stick’s worth of time, the person behind him finally approached and reported, “Report to the Fifth Prince! The Third Prince has passed away.”

He Zheng’s eyelids twitched, but he didn’t show any inner emotions. He instead asked, “Fifth Prince?”

The guard’s body trembled, quickly correcting himself while kneeling, “Your Majesty!”

Finally receiving this title, he nodded. Unable to resist, he turned his head and glanced from afar. A pool of blood spread out, shocking and heart-rending.

In just one night, he was draped in the yellow robe, transitioning from the Fifth Prince to the ruler of the mighty He Dynasty.

On the day of his enthronement, everyone looked at him with awe and shouted “Long live!” in unison. He curled his lips, knowing that the throne he had coveted for ten years was finally his. He chuckled, sounding smug to outsiders.

However, amidst the fervor and excitement, He Zheng felt like his heart was being slowly hollowed out. He subconsciously looked around, frantically searching among the courtiers. Where was that gentle and accommodating gaze?

*******************************************************