By the next morning, when the others were only just beginning to stir, Si was already seated atop the roof of their sleeping quarters, a simple structure divided into two modest rooms that separated the male and female graveyard slaves. The world below him was waking slowly. He could hear the low murmur of voices, the scrape of worn sandals against stone, and the occasional cough from those whose lungs had long been weakened by the graveyard's yin-infested air. None of it held his attention. His gaze remained fixed in the distance, sharp and unmoving, locked onto the Bi clan banners snapping violently in the wind as thousands of soldiers marched away in disciplined lines.
The conflict between Jinshan and Yunhe would later be remembered as the beginning of the Strife of the Five Kingdoms, a decade of relentless war that reshaped the entire Central Plains. Yet few remembered how it truly began.
From its founding, the Kingdom of Yunhe had been devoted to culture, scholarship, and refinement. It was a land of poets, ministers, and thinkers, a place where ink and philosophy were valued more than steel. Emperor Fengzu himself had once praised it after his first visit, calling it the Kingdom of Poets and Ministers. When one thought of Yunhe, one imagined winding rivers, fertile lands, and vibrant cities filled with music and color. It was the most desirable destination for travelers within the Gan Dynasty, second only to the imperial capital.
Which made the question unavoidable.
Why would such a kingdom, weak in military strength, dare to wage war against Jinshan?
Honor.
Jinshan was the complete opposite. A mountain kingdom known as the Fortress of Stone, it ruled over jagged peaks and treacherous passes rich in minerals and fortified by nature itself. Its terrain alone was enough to crush the morale of invading armies before battle even began. Among the five kingdoms, it was the only one Emperor Fengzu had failed to conquer directly. Instead, he had been forced to encircle it and starve it into submission. It was widely believed that even the Immortal Phoenix Army would have suffered heavy losses attempting a frontal assault.
That history had bred arrogance.
Jinshan had always looked down on the imperial court, confident in its strength and independence, never imagining that such pride would one day lead to its complete downfall.
"If only they had not messed with Yun Meilin," Si muttered, a faint chuckle escaping him as he brushed his hair back.
King Yun Cheng of Yunhe was a man devoted entirely to ideals of culture and virtue. He had married only one wife and refused to take concubines, despite having no male heir. His only child, Yun Meilin, had once been underestimated because of her gender, but as she matured, she rose above all expectations. She became one of the Five Flowers of the Gan Dynasty, yet even among them, she stood apart.
She was not only beautiful but powerful in mind and presence. As the Crown Princess of Yunhe, the most prosperous kingdom in the empire, she attracted suitors from every corner of the land and beyond. But Yun Meilin was not simply a figure of admiration. She was a strategist, a mind that could shape battlefields and bend outcomes. In Si's past life, she had been one of the greatest obstacles in his path to becoming King of Yunhe.
Faced with Jinshan's overwhelming military advantage and their close proximity, she made a calculated decision.
She chose to marry Crown Prince Jin Ao.
A general known for his brutal efficiency in war.
At the time, the decision had been praised as wise and strategic.
Then everything collapsed.
During her very first visit to Jinshan, Jin Ao, drunk and unrestrained, beat her mercilessly and raped her. When news of this reached Yunhe, the court erupted in fury. They demanded that Jin Ao be handed over to face justice.
Jinshan refused.
That refusal ignited war.
At King Yun Cheng's call, every noble family of Yunhe rallied, eager to earn merit, recognition, and perhaps even the favor of the royal family. Some even harbored hopes of replacing Jin Ao and claiming Meilin's hand. The declining Bi clan was no exception.
"Little do they know they will meet nothing but crushing defeat at the hands of Jinshan's experts within a year, with ten thousand soldiers dead," Si said calmly.
What Jinshan believed would be their victory became the seed of their destruction.
One year later, after the devastating defeat at Kong'gong Pass, Crown Princess Yun Meilin appeared before the public for the first time since the incident.
Her speech changed everything.
She did not call for revenge. She did not demand blood. Instead, she apologized.
She wept for the soldiers who had died trying to reclaim her honor.
That single act reshaped the hearts of the people and she was given a new title.
Saint Flower.
Pure in body and soul.
Those words spread across the kingdoms like wildfire.
Then came the second war.
This time, Yunhe raised thirty thousand soldiers, but they were not alone. Liangzhou, Haidong, and Lanyue answered the call, sending a combined force of seventy thousand. Together, they formed an army of one hundred thousand righteous warriors, united under a single demand.
Justice.
The war that followed was brutal and relentless, stretching over a decade before Jinshan finally fell. Crown Prince Jin Ao was handed over to Yunhe, where he was tried publicly and executed before the assembled forces of the three allied kingdoms.
"All this happened under the Seat of Heaven, yet the royal capital did nothing to intervene or assist either side, yet they benefited the most," Si said, his tone flat.
The moment Jinshan collapsed, the imperial army moved.
They seized the Gao clan, the ruling family of Jinshan, and executed them under the charge of treason. The Fifth Prince was installed as governor, taking control of the region under the guise of stabilizing the situation.
The three kingdoms that had fought, bled, and sacrificed everything gained nothing.
They had simply removed the greatest threat to the Gan Dynasty.
"However, this selfish act bred resentment in the four kingdoms, sowing seeds of bitterness. A seed I took advantage of three decades after when I carried out my rebellion…"
Si exhaled slowly, his gaze drifting upward.
"I must say, my first century alive started slow and miserable, but it was probably the most exciting time of my life. I had rivals, mortal enemies, and dangerous allies. After that, it was just their resentful offspring who could not accept the results of our conflicts. From then on, it was nothing but complaints and hollow outrage."
With a quiet sigh, he leaned back against the roof and stared into the morning sky. According to his memories, nothing significant would happen in his life this year.
That was unacceptable.
He needed to enter the political stage as soon as possible, and the most direct path remained the same.
The military.
"If I can become an Esteemed Foundation Realm cultivator, I can join the war at Hong'gong Pass and reap immense benefits from that battle… Yes… that will be my goal."
The sooner he commanded men, the sooner he could shape the future.
"What about you? What do you plan to do with your life?" Si asked, not bothering to turn his head.
From the edge of the roof, Bao slowly climbed up, his expression carrying a faint, apologetic smile. He had not slept. After Si's strange behavior the previous night and his absence, Bao had remained restless, his thoughts unsettled. Now, hearing Si speak so casually about events as if they were memories rather than plans, unease settled deep within him.
For the first time, those words no longer sounded like empty dreams.
They sounded real.
'That place must be driving him mad,' Bao thought, his gaze softening with concern.
It was not unusual. People who worked here often lost themselves. The graveyard ate away at the body and mind alike. Everyone carried something, an illness, a secret, a slow decay no one dared to speak of.
Bao believed Si had simply begun to break like the others.
If Si had known that, he might have spat blood in anger.
Bao slid closer, his smile returning.
"My life? Hmmm… I think standing beside you is enough," he said lightly before adding, "Wherever you go, I go."
Si remained still, but something stirred within him, a quiet warmth spreading through his chest. It was unfamiliar, unsettling, and he had no intention of indulging it.
"If that is the case, I will prepare a proper martial legacy for you when the time comes. For now, focus on your cultivation. You should break through soon, now that the yin qi clogging your meridians has been cleared."
His voice returned to its usual calm as he buried that warmth beneath reason. He began outlining cultivation paths and future opportunities, speaking with clarity and precision, while Bao simply nodded along, smiling as though none of it mattered.
Si understood the danger.
If he allowed himself to embrace those emotions, they would only grow, and when the time came to walk the path of the Supreme Art of Death once more, they would be torn away again.
Bao, however, did not press.
He never did.
That was what made him irreplaceable.
And that was why, in a world filled with blood and betrayal, Bao was the one person Si would protect at all costs.