"If it weren't for Elder Long giving us a heads-up, saying you represent a powerful government department, we wouldn't have even let you in the door!" Fiona Nangong said coldly from the side.
"Elder Long? Who's that?" Shawn Young found her words sharp but didn't take offense, instead asking in return.
"Lucas Longcloud of the Swordmaster Sect! The top expert on China's Dragon-Tiger Leaderboard! He's the head of your country's Military Paranormal Taskforce!" Fiona Nangong replied smoothly.
"Uh—so Dragon King’s real name is Lucas Longcloud! I didn’t even know that. Looks like you all know more about him than I do!" Shawn Young said, a bit stunned.
"Heh—there's plenty you don't know! But that's not important right now. Uncle Quentin, let's get back to the meeting!" Fiona Nangong sneered and ignored Shawn Young's question.
"Hmm—" Quentin Easton smiled, his gaze full of meaning as he looked at Shawn Young and Fiona Nangong, then slowly opened the handwritten Codex of Ascension on the sandalwood table. He flipped through a dozen pages before stopping and pointing to one illustration, saying, "The Codex of Ascension has sixty illustrations in total. This is the thirty-fourth. Let's start with this one!"
Shawn Young leaned in for a look. The thirty-fourth illustration showed a river running across the middle, with wild grass growing chaotically along both banks at the top. At the bottom, by the river, two sets of gleaming white bones were twisted together in a strange, messy heap. It was hard to tell if they had died embracing each other, or if they were still locked in a struggle even after death.
Hair unbound, white-clad brings dread; In tranquil days, kings spill kings' blood.
In peaceful times, blood blossoms in the air once more—
Five-colored threads, woven robes inside and out.
Floodwaters rise, and seedlings fail to sprout,
The Central Plains once saw dreams overturned.
Next came the famous late Ming scholar Jin Shengtan’s commentary on the thirty-fourth illustration. Though centuries have passed, Shawn Young still felt a chilling, sinister aura radiating from the image. He realized—the thirty-fourth illustration in the Codex of Ascension foretells the Taiping Rebellion: brief, yet earth-shattering, a tragedy that forever shaped Chinese history. Note: The Taiping Rebellion stands as the deadliest war in human history. China’s population loss exceeded one hundred million, with at least seven million direct deaths. At the time, the nation’s total population barely surpassed one hundred million! The Taiping War was a true calamity—unmatched in its duration, scale, devastation, and far-reaching consequences. Its brutality and destruction stand alone in world history; even World War II, with atomic bombs and global battlefields, scarcely compares. The Taiping storm swept the land, leaving homes in ruins and fields barren. Decades after the violence, scars remained—devastation and desolation everywhere. The populous middle and lower Yangtze River region, at the heart of the conflict, suffered most: In southern Jiangsu, you could travel thirty miles without seeing a single resident; in some places, only a fifth of the population survived.
"Brother Shawn, I’m sure you’ve realized it too—the thirty-fourth illustration in the Codex of Ascension foretells the Taiping Rebellion, which started in Jintian, Guangxi in 1851, lasted for four years, and occupied the prosperous middle and lower Yangtze for years, with fighting spreading across half of China!" Quentin Easton explained.
"Yeah, yeah—this thirty-fourth illustration has already come true. The predictions in the Codex of Ascension are eerily accurate!" Shawn Young said with feeling.
"Exactly! And not only that, but many earth-shattering secrets were buried in the torrent of history after the Taiping Rebellion ended—especially those guarded by our Three Great Houses of China. These are secrets among secrets! The tides of the world are unstoppable, like the surging Yangtze. Back then, our ancestors from the Three Great Houses swore brotherhood just like Liu Bei, Guan Yu, and Zhang Fei in the Peach Garden—they even sold off all their ancestral land and property to join Feng Yunshan, the strategist of Hong Xiuquan, and threw themselves into the epic Taiping Rebellion. They rose to great heights, becoming three of the Heavenly King's elite commanders. But after the 'Tianjing Incident,' the Taiping forces splintered, and their dream of ruling the Central Plains ended in tragedy. Looking back now, it’s truly heartbreaking!" Quentin Easton sighed deeply.
"Oh, so the ancestors of the Three Great Houses were sworn brothers? That kind of bond lasting over a hundred years, through all the ups and downs—no wonder we younger generations admire you so much!" Shawn Young exclaimed sincerely.
"Heh—that’s what makes the Three Great Houses so proud! Back then, all our ancestors were Hakka, and members of the 'Heaven and Earth Society.' When the society responded to the Taiping Rebellion, the three became sworn brothers and followed Feng Yunshan, fighting everywhere. But after Master Feng died young, we followed Hong Xiuquan through countless battles, all the way to founding the capital at Tianjing—now Nanjing! The dangers they faced are beyond what we descendants can imagine. From the day they swore brotherhood, they followed the society’s code: no matter rich or poor, honor or disgrace, they stood together, never abandoned each other, brothers for one lifetime, brothers for all generations! Thankfully, our ancestors truly kept their promise—never abandoned, brothers for life! That’s why this became the first rule in our family code. Anyone who breaks it will be cast out and shunned by every member of the Three Great Houses!" Quentin Easton grew a bit emotional as he spoke of his forebears.
This chapter isn’t over yet~.~ Click next page to keep reading the exciting story!
"Oh—your ancestors really set an example! I bet the three founders of your Three Great Houses were true heroes—fearless, sword in hand, galloping across the land!" Shawn Young’s eyes shone with admiration, because 'loyalty, brotherhood, battle, and hot-blooded courage' are dreams every man keeps deep in his heart!
Quentin Easton shifted the topic: "Sadly, reading the Codex of Ascension's prophecy about the Taiping Rebellion now, you realize no matter how heroic an individual is, their impact on the tide of history is tiny. 'Heads with hair' refers to Taiping followers keeping long hair instead of the Qing-mandated queue, earning the nickname 'Longhairs.' 'Clothes fear white' alludes to the bloody Tianjing infighting, where North King Wei Changhui, waving the white flag, massacred East King Yang Xiuqing, his family, and over twenty thousand followers. 'In peaceful times, kings slay kings'—that’s truly terrifying! After Hong Xiuquan entered Tianjing, he stopped advancing, became arrogant and decadent, and began building the lavish Heavenly King Palace, forgetting his earlier vow to bring peace and justice to the world. Not only did he squander resources and exploit the people, but the leadership was also plagued by infighting. Most disastrously, Hong Xiuquan handed out 'king' titles to his own relatives and cronies—there were over twenty-seven 'kings,' most of them useless or reckless. Because they were all 'kings' and all Hong’s kin, nobody listened to anyone else, so feuds and bloody clashes were constant. After the Tianjing Incident, Wing King Shi Dakai, suspected and persecuted by Hong, led his troops away, and from then on, the Taiping Rebellion began to collapse." Quentin Easton shook his head.
"Oh—looks like that old saying is true—absolute power brings absolute disaster!" Shawn Young remarked.
"Exactly! After Hong Xiuquan established his capital at Tianjing, he lost all drive, abandoned his early ideals, ignored governance, and after building the extravagant Heavenly King Palace, he just hoarded beauties and treasures from all over, living like an emperor and a god! The level of decadence and debauchery was unmatched—even among the worst rulers in history! That’s a big reason why the Taiping Rebellion failed—Hong Xiuquan was a total scoundrel!" Quentin Easton said, visibly annoyed.
"Yeah—I heard that after Hong Xiuquan set up his capital, he couldn’t wait to live like a king, grabbing beauties and treasures from everywhere to fill his Heavenly King Palace. Classic peasant-turned-tycoon mentality!" Shawn Young nodded.