Chapter 111: Human Emperor (IX)

Bai Fan looked at the general before him. He slowly shook his head, his voice calm yet filled with unquestionable majesty:

"There is no need to bow. From this day forward, all ranks of nobility and titles are hereby abolished.

This place shall be your land—everyone's land.

The ruins of the Imperial Court will be removed to build the People's Representative Square.

The common people shall elect their own representatives to office, with elections held every year. There will be no more hereditary succession!"

Bai Fan's words struck the hearts of all the Imperial Guard soldiers like a heavy hammer.

Ling Xiaotian was stunned for a moment, then slowly raised his head to look at the young monarch before him.

His words contained no condescending commands, but were instead filled with the faith and promise of a brand-new era beginning.

"Brother Fan is right!" Princess Zhaoyang echoed softly, her eyes sparkling with excitement,

"This is the shared hope of everyone. What we need is a new world without constraints, without nobility!"

The Imperial Guard soldiers looked at one another, their faces filled with confusion and astonishment. Yet, the cheers from the crowd grew louder, and that heartfelt joy and gratitude slowly infected everyone.

Just then, a shrill voice rang out from the ranks of the Imperial Guard:

"Nonsense! As long as I, Your Highness, am still here, how can you people be so presumptuous!"

A tall young man rode out on horseback; it was the Ninth Prince. His face was full of fury, and his eyes burned with anger.

"All Imperial Guard members, hear my order: suppress the rebels immediately and uphold the dignity of the royal family!"

However, after the Ninth Prince gave his order, the entire Imperial Guard remained silent, like a stone dropped into the ocean. No one responded.

The Ninth Prince was stunned. He looked around in disbelief. The Imperial Guard soldiers all lowered their heads, their expressions silent; no one obeyed his command.

Ling Xiaotian sighed, turned to the Ninth Prince, and bowed deeply, his tone heavy with sorrow:

"Your Highness, the Imperial Court has been destroyed, and the old Dynasty no longer exists. The situation today can no longer be reversed by human effort. I implore Your Highness to fulfill the wishes of the people and follow the trend of the times."

The Ninth Prince widened his eyes and pointed a trembling finger at Bai Fan, as if wanting to roar something, but in the end, he did not say it.

He slowly lowered his hand, removed the golden crown from his head, and walked away into the distance with his hair disheveled.

Bai Fan simply watched the direction in which the Ninth Prince had left, his gaze deep. He said nothing.

In the square, the common people continued to cheer. They waved their arms vigorously, sending their warmest welcome and expectations toward the new future and the new monarch.

"Human Emperor! Human Emperor!" The shouts swept over once again, as if shaking the entire world.

Ling Xiaotian took a deep breath, slowly stood up, and bowed to Bai Fan, saying:

"This subordinate is willing to serve the Human Emperor, the master of the people, and swear to defend the newborn order with my life!"

Bai Fan nodded, his gaze gentle yet firm: "Then, from today on, you shall be the guardian of the People's Representative Square."

At this moment, a new era quietly began.

On the ruins of the Imperial Court, the People's Representative Square would rise from the ground, marking the arrival of a brand-new era.

Princess Zhaoyang gently tugged on Bai Fan's sleeve, her soft voice reaching his ears.

"Brother Fan, let's go see Father."

"Alright, let's go." Bai Fan nodded slightly, reached out to stroke the hair hanging by Zhaoyang's ear, and gently drew her to his side.

"You all stay here and soothe the emotions of the common people."

Princess Mingxi, Princess Qiyue, and Princess Yaohua, the three attendants, respectfully agreed, then watched as Bai Fan and Princess Zhaoyang slowly departed.

Along the way, the people cleared a path, their eyes filled with reverence and gratitude.

Bai Fan and Princess Zhaoyang pushed through the crowded masses, heading toward a slightly dilapidated palace ruin.

Deep within the ruins, there was a simple stone house that stood in stark contrast to the surrounding rubble and broken walls.

Outside the stone house, a few guards stood quietly.

Seeing Bai Fan and Princess Zhaoyang approach, they immediately bowed their heads respectfully and stepped aside to clear the way.

Princess Zhaoyang gently pushed open the door of the stone house and led Bai Fan inside.

In the dim light, an old man wearing simple, coarse cloth clothes sat quietly on a wooden chair.

His hair was already gray, and his back was slightly hunched, but his features still retained a gentle resilience.

"Father…" Princess Zhaoyang called out in a low voice.

The Benevolent Emperor slowly raised his head, looked at Princess Zhaoyang standing before him, and a faint smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

"Zhaoyang, you have come."

"Father…" Princess Zhaoyang's tears could not help but fall. She threw herself beside the Benevolent Emperor and gripped his hand tightly, as if afraid he would disappear at any moment.

The Benevolent Emperor gently patted Zhaoyang's hand, looked at her with a soft gaze, and then looked up at Bai Fan. His aged eyes held a calmness that seemed to see through everything.

"Bai Fan, you have done very well."

"Your Majesty, you have been poisoned!" Bai Fan's expression changed as he instantly sensed an abnormal aura spreading within the Benevolent Emperor's body.

He tightly gripped the Benevolent Emperor's aged palm, his brow furrowed, and the exclusive internal Qi of Medicine God Valley within him began to circulate rapidly, attempting to help the Benevolent Emperor force out the poison.

He guided his internal Qi over and over again, his spiritual power flowing endlessly into the Benevolent Emperor's Meridians, washing over every place infected by the poison like a tidal wave.

However, no matter how hard Bai Fan tried, that poison remained like an invisible shackle, firmly binding the Benevolent Emperor's vitality.

It was completely ineffective.

"Bai Fan, there is no need to try anymore."

The Benevolent Emperor gently pushed Bai Fan's hand away, a loving smile hanging on his face. His gaze remained as calm and gentle as ever, as if he had already seen through everything.

"Your Majesty, it is I who came too late."

Bai Fan took a deep breath, his voice filled with deep self-reproach.

"Do not blame yourself," the Benevolent Emperor said softly. "I have spent my life for the people; though I have no shame before Heaven and Earth, in the end, I have been abandoned by all…

Now, I have no desires, I only wish to be a simple father."

The Benevolent Emperor slowly took Zhaoyang's hand and gently placed it into Bai Fan's palm.

"Zhaoyang, I leave her to you, Bai Fan…"

The Benevolent Emperor's voice gradually grew weak, and his eyes began to lose their focus.

Only that gentle smile remained at the corners of his lips, as if he had entrusted all his trust and expectations to Bai Fan.

"Father!"

Princess Zhaoyang cried out in pain, her tears falling like broken pearls.

She choked with sobs, wanting to hold the Benevolent Emperor's hand again, but that hand became increasingly stiff and cold before her eyes.

The skin rapidly lost its color, becoming gray and hard.

The speed of the petrification was shocking. In just a few breaths, his entire body stood motionless like a stone statue.

He maintained the posture of placing Zhaoyang's hand into Bai Fan's palm, as if wanting to freeze this moment for eternity.

His face still held that kind smile, as if blessing his daughter and Bai Fan with happiness in the future.

"Father… no…"

Princess Zhaoyang was covered in tears, desperately shaking the Benevolent Emperor's arm, but it was of no use.

The Benevolent Emperor had completely turned into a stone statue, forever frozen in this moment, frozen in his final image as a gentle father.

A wave of bitterness welled up in Bai Fan's heart. He lowered his head and tightly gripped Zhaoyang's hand, feeling her trembling and grief.

He knew that from this moment on, he must shoulder the Benevolent Emperor's entrustment, become Zhaoyang's support, and protect her for the rest of her life.

"Rest assured, Your Majesty," Bai Fan said softly. "I will definitely protect Zhaoyang well and will never fail your trust."

[The poison within the Benevolent Emperor had long since seeped into his marrow; his vitality had been severed many years ago.

He had only managed to barely hold on until now by relying on the Human Emperor Seal. Now that the Human Emperor Seal had been transferred to Bai Fan, he could no longer…]

Bai Fan held Zhaoyang's hand, and the two bowed before the statue that the Benevolent Emperor had become.

"Zhaoyang, let's go."

Zhaoyang looked at the statue with reluctance and nodded.

The Benevolent Emperor's statue stood quietly in the ruins, as if watching them depart, watching over his most cherished people and family, forever.