pdf-ebookys Chapter 554: Death from Old Age
Chapter 554: Death from Old Age
Death from old age is different from death in battle. Those who died in battle threw away their heads and shed their blood. Their necks were cut by swords and their arms were cut off by axes, but when the blood was spilled, it was burning hot and emitting rising steam.
The physical strength of the old and dead declines, and the blood in their bodies becomes increasingly sticky and turbid. Past honors and desires gradually fade away, and in the end, their bodies become light and empty.
Li Shanhe is like this, and only he himself knows that his life span is just a few days. He should have called back his descendants from all over the country to enjoy the blessing of having many descendants and spreading his family.
But no.
He has maintained this old appearance for a long time. His many descendants only know that he is old, but they don't know that his life span is almost over, and Li Shanhe has never mentioned it.
His pride did not let him off in the end. In the hall, there were a hundred or eighty towering stone pillars, with dragons and phoenixes dancing on them, hundreds of beasts submitting, and thousands of tribes bowing their heads... Every pillar was a collection of thousands of craftsmanship and honors.
One stone pillar after another goes straight up to the sky. The stone used is less affected by spiritual energy, so the palace remains magnificent. In the more than three hundred years before the change and the more than five hundred years after the change, there has never been any collapse or damage.
Li Shanhe coughed twice and asked the old servant to leave. The old servant was reluctant but it was difficult for him to disobey the emperor's order. He looked back every few steps and gradually left the huge palace.
A ray of early sunlight climbed up the outermost stone pillar, on which the gilded carvings sparkled greenly, and where they refracted they appeared colorful, like the finishing touch.
The sunlight was like a naughty and demanding child. It moved a little further and shone on the stone pillars. The golden dragon seemed to come alive, flying up and down the pillars.
It's early morning.
That ray of sunlight stopped at the feet of Li Shanhe. It was so generous that it wanted to bring life to the hall. However, it became so stingy because it was so brilliant.
She didn't want to get any closer, didn't want to touch Li Shanhe in the slightest.
The magnificent palace, with towering stone pillars, and at the end... there was only an old man sitting there. The old man was wrapped in a chestnut cloak, sitting on the ground, with the breeze blowing through his curly white hair.
Lonely and cold, he watched the rising sun, the setting sun, and the moonlight.
Another day.
One less day.
In the distance, there was a faint rustling sound. Someone was approaching on tiptoe. Li Shanhe looked up and saw that it was the old slave who had returned.
"His Majesty…"
"I am worried."
"Let this old slave accompany you."
When the old slave saw that Li Shanhe had noticed something, he knelt on the ground and said in fear.
Li Shanhe is getting old, and there is a servant around him. He has been with him for decades, from a boy of more than twelve years old to now over fifty years old. The boy's back is bent and his hair is white, but he still serves Li Shanhe. On the contrary, Li Shanhe, who had white hair and beard when he first met him, has not changed much in the past few decades. But the unchanged appearance does not mean that it has really not changed. The old servant is the only one who knows that Li Shanhe will die soon and will leave.
He did not have the ability to sense his lifespan, it was just his intuition after taking care of him for decades.
His crying and pleading echoed in the hall, but only elicited a single word in response.
Li Shanhe said softly: "Get lost."
After hearing the echoes, the old servant bowed and left. He didn't understand. The old master had so many descendants and the empire was so big, but when the time came, he just had to sit there like this.
How could he know that it was Li Shanhe's last arrogance that was causing the trouble. He was the lord of the world, arrogant and conceited. When the Fu family sought revenge and exchanged his life with him, he laughed loudly, without any intention of escaping, and took the initiative to accept the retribution of cause and effect.
His pride made him not want to avoid it, but now he has to avoid it. Li Shanhe has already made up his mind to die alone in this hall, with no one knowing.
Li Shanhe's eyelids gradually became heavy, and finally his eyes went black. The second day arrived. The sunlight of this day was far more generous and far more naughty than yesterday. It climbed up the eyelids of the old man sitting in the hall and fluttered his eyelashes.
Wake him up from his sleep. Fortunately... he fell asleep yesterday, but he was just asleep. The sun was shining brightly outside the hall. The two majestic tombs on the left and right were becoming more and more complete. They looked like towering giants, or like door gods guarding the territory. Li Shanhe searched around on the ground and found a golden cup, which he immediately threw outside the hall.
The golden cup was thrown several meters away, and then it rolled to the ground with a clang, making a series of crisp sounds. Li Shanhe's voice was like sand rubbing against a stone plate, "Get out!"
Immediately afterwards, a hurried sound of footsteps was heard. It was the tactless old slave who came back quietly to peek again. He, Li Shanhe, did not need any mercy.
After driving away the old slave, he lowered his head and fiddled with his fingers. One more day was gone. It would be almost there... It was already very soon. When a person's life was almost over, every second that passed was extremely clear and profound. When the dagger scratched his fingertips, every inch was painful.
The sun took away the warmth of the day, and it was night again. Li Shanhe looked outside the palace. The sun was scorching and dazzling, and his old eyes could no longer look directly at it, but he still wanted to appreciate the bright full moon.
Seeing the full moon hanging high in the sky, like an ordinary round basin, he would smile knowingly. There was a custom in the Lingtian Dynasty that all the full-mooned children would be placed in a round plate and allowed to cry and make noises inside, and then taken out the next day.
The meaning is simple, which is to keep safe and protect peace. When you see the round basin, you seem to see the scene when his children are born. Although he has many children, he loves them all.
He was a man with ambitions that reached the sky, an emperor who conquered a continent. His love was broader than the heavens and the earth, enough for all his descendants, and even more than enough.
But there was only one person and he didn't get even a single cent.
Thinking of that person, Li Shanhe was overwhelmed with sorrow. His originally dull eyes were filled with complicated emotions. When he came back to his senses, he saw that the bright full moon was covered by dark clouds. Lingtian Imperial City fell into darkness. Li Shanhe raised his hand tremblingly, trying to push away the dark clouds. He used to be able to do it with just a thought, but now his hand was sore that he couldn't even respond.
He put down his hand and sighed.
Half asleep, another night passed. On this day, there was rain and thunder in the sky, waking him up from his sleep. The air was damp, and the rain was heavy, and it was dark, and there was no telling when it would stop.
Due to heavy rain, the construction of the two tombs had to be suspended for a day. Outside the main hall, an old slave hesitated and wanted to add some bedding, but he heard the sound of smashing cups and utensils from inside the hall, accompanied by a shout of "Get out", so he crawled away again.
It was a rainy day.
Li Shanhe counted one day on his fingers, one less day, it seemed that day had come earlier than expected, it was very close. At nightfall he looked up again, wanting to see if the moon was as bright as yesterday. It always reminded him of a lot.
But when I looked up, I couldn't hide my disappointment. The clouds were so thick that they obscured the moon. I couldn't see its shape, let alone its light.
Then I heard a rustling sound.