Chapter Fifty-Six: Past Causes and Former Lives

Chapter Fifty-Six: Past Dust, Old Causes

At this moment, Wu Hong could see clearly through the Observation Mirror; two energies were battling within his body. One was a radiant, glass-like brilliance, resembling the holy light of the heavens, while the other was as dark as an abyss, black as ink. These two energies trembled ceaselessly inside Wu Hong, and his expression grew increasingly agonized.

Yet King Wu Wei seemed able to perceive only the boiling of one energy. Wu Hong observed that this black energy was akin to the force the burly man unleashed upon the woman in white before his death; it was the same energy.

King Wu Wei stood beside Wu Hong, holding his small hand, his face anxious and sorrowful, murmuring words Wu Hong could not hear. The young Wu Hong’s features twisted ever more painfully.

Wu Hong, however, did not recall any of this. Moreover, he noticed that within his room, two indistinct clusters of energy, one black and one white, hovered uncertainly. King Wu Wei was oblivious to this, while Wu Hong watched in fearful astonishment.

“What are these unknowns? How are they connected to me?” Wu Hong felt his scalp tingling; none of it could be explained by ordinary logic.

The glass-like brilliance on young Wu Hong’s body grew ever more intense, gradually driving the black energy out of him.

But in King Wu Wei’s eyes, the black aura around Wu Hong intensified greatly, making him frantic. He paced the room, his face cycling between anger, terror, and reproach.

Soon, a dark beam shot out from Wu Hong’s body with a swish. King Wu Wei was startled and instantly released a burst of sword energy.

But the black aura, insubstantial and shadowy, let the sword energy pass through like silken threads.

The black aura seemed terrified and tried to flee Wu Hong’s room, only to be ambushed by the lingering black and white clusters. With a crash, the door was blasted open by three streams of energy.

The three energies surged outside, whipping up a whirlwind. Every servant in King Wu Wei’s mansion shuddered, uncertain what had occurred.

King Wu Wei did not immediately pursue the dark energy; instead, he hurried to check Wu Hong’s body, finding that the boy had fallen asleep.

He slept sweetly. Seeing Wu Hong’s peaceful smile, King Wu Wei wept again, ignoring the glass-like energy enveloping his son.

Thus, young Wu Hong survived a great calamity, one both mystical and uncanny—events King Wu Wei had no knowledge of at the time.

Wu Hong, watching from the present, was left with suspicions: what was that glass-like energy? What were the black and white clusters? Why did King Wu Wei seem completely unaware?

The scenes shifted swiftly, and in the blink of an eye, three or four years had passed. Young Wu Hong was born weak, sickly and thin. King Wu Wei, a martial master himself, repeatedly examined Wu Hong, discovering his son’s meridians were sealed, his limbs stiff—he could not cultivate martial arts. Time and again, King Wu Wei felt deep guilt and treated Wu Hong with a love surpassing that of any ordinary father.

Just then, Emperor Yang summoned King Wu Wei to the palace, apparently troubled with some matter. They discussed for a long time, as if Emperor Yang needed King Wu Wei’s agreement on something.

Scenes like this appeared many times in the Observation Mirror, but Wu Hong never saw the two men simultaneously troubled, nor did he know what they discussed.

Watching beside the mirror, Wu Hong longed to smash it—why was there no sound?

Eventually, it seemed King Wu Wei agreed to Emperor Yang’s request, bringing Emperor Yang great joy; he held a grand banquet in King Wu Wei’s honor.

The Great Qian Dynasty had not been founded long; chaos still lingered in the land. After quelling a rebellion in the west, King Wu Wei returned with two dignified women.

One woman carried a child, while the other’s belly was slightly rounded.

Wu Hong nearly cried out in shock—these women were none other than Lady Zhao, the second wife, and Lady Li, the third wife.

The child led by Lady Zhao was the young Wu Lie, then even younger than Wu Hong. It was likely the child in Lady Li’s womb was Wu Songran.

Wu Hong was deeply shaken. Could these women have been King Wu Wei’s lovers before his advancement to the marrow-refining stage?

By now, Wu Hong understood that the Observation Mirror could only reveal the world of marrow-refining masters; it could not display the pasts of ordinary people.

After all, humanity numbered in the billions. If all could be observed, it would not be an Observation Mirror, but a Cosmic Mirror capable of viewing heaven and earth.

The mirror was blind to all that happened before King Wu Wei refined his marrow.

As expected, King Wu Wei held a grand family banquet, entertaining his ministers and marrying the two women.

Soon after, young Wu Songran was born. Wu Songran and Wu Lie became fast friends, but at the time, they ignored Wu Hong.

Wu Hong was five or six years old by then, and rumors about the eldest son abounded. In the luxury of King Wu Wei’s mansion, no one dared speak ill of him.

Yet among the capital’s nobility, King Wu Wei’s “useless” son became a topic of idle gossip.

The mansion’s servants privately compared Wu Lie and Wu Hong—one a genius, the other a wastrel.

King Wu Wei paid no heed to this. Every time he saw Wu Hong, he seemed to recall old memories, his affection bordering on doting.

Wu Hong grew day by day. Despite countless efforts, he could not generate a trace of inner strength.

He grew pessimistic, gave up on himself, and became a flamboyant young lord, throwing his weight around the capital. But due to his special status, no one dared offend him; even princes and princesses avoided provoking him.

King Wu Wei knew all this, but never disciplined Wu Hong, only feeling endless guilt.

The scene shifted to the time when King Wu Wei was to choose the next heir. Wu Hong’s eyes widened—this was the year his fate changed, and he could not help but pay close attention.

During this period, King Wu Wei took in a disfigured youth as a servant. Such acts were common—King Wu Wei often sheltered the needy, giving them food and work.

The mirror’s scenes always played out from King Wu Wei’s perspective. Many secrets could only be guessed by Wu Hong.

Yet many mysteries remained unresolved. For example, if Lady Zhao and Lady Li were King Wu Wei’s former lovers, why had they never shared a bed?

Each time King Wu Wei visited Lady Zhao or Lady Li, they slept separately. More than once, the women tried to seduce him, but he never yielded—an oddity indeed!

If they were former lovers, why did he show them only boundless respect and affection, with not a hint of conjugal intimacy?

Certain scenes, though not suitable for children, made it clear that King Wu Wei’s charisma was immense. When he was with the woman in white, even the most private moments between husband and wife were enacted before Wu Hong’s eyes in the mirror.

Yet eighteen years passed, and King Wu Wei never showed any hint of intimacy with Lady Zhao or Lady Li—truly incomprehensible.

Wu Hong, though inexperienced in matters of men and women, could tell King Wu Wei possessed extraordinary charm. When the two women first arrived at the mansion, they were reserved, but soon became attentive and caring, repeatedly expressing affection, which King Wu Wei always declined.

In the days before the heir was determined, Lady Zhao sought King Wu Wei out repeatedly for late-night discussions, each time speaking sternly, while King Wu Wei only shook his head.

By now, Wu Hong could guess—they must have argued over the family succession. Lady Zhao treated Wu Hong well in daily life.

But when it came to the heir, naturally she favored her own son.

King Wu Wei simply refused to promise the throne to anyone but Wu Hong. Seeing this, Wu Hong’s tears flowed—his father, perhaps out of longing for his mother, loved him so deeply! Even though Wu Hong was crippled, King Wu Wei defied all opposition to pass the title to him.

Could it be that Lady Zhao, harboring resentment, murdered King Wu Wei? Would that mean Wu Hong, indirectly, caused his father’s death?

But Wu Hong had no way of knowing; he could only see events from King Wu Wei’s perspective, not from others.

Finally, the scene froze on Wu Hong receiving a bowl of tonic from Lady Zhao’s servant, meant for King Wu Wei.

The past weighed heavily on his mind; the suspense was about to be resolved. Wu Hong trembled with excitement, staring intently at the mirror.

Wu Hong carried the tonic into King Wu Wei’s chamber. King Wu Wei, seeing it was Wu Hong, smiled warmly, and the two reminisced for a long time.

But King Wu Wei did not drink the tonic. Soon after, Wu Hong left the room, and King Wu Wei’s expression grew cold. Gazing at the still-steaming bowl, he laughed coldly for a long time, muttering words Wu Hong could not hear.

With a sudden flick, he poured it out the window.

"Ah—" Father did not drink the tonic; then who poisoned him?

Wu Hong was struck by a profound shock. He had always believed he had fallen into Lady Zhao’s trap, delivering poison to King Wu Wei.