Chapter 25: A Thousand-Year Debt
Over the centuries, the story of Wu Jiang’s exile became a rallying cry for his descendants. It wasn’t merely about revenge; it was about reclaiming their rightful place in history.
To the Jiang Clan, the emperor’s decision represented everything wrong with the rigid hierarchies of the old world—an unwillingness to adapt, to embrace change, or to recognize true talent when it emerged.
This resentment simmered quietly for generations, passed down through stories told around campfires and etched into the annals of the Jiang Clan’s records.
Every child born into the clan learned of the injustice suffered by their ancestors, of how the Wu Imperial Clan had turned its back on one of its brightest stars. And every child grew up knowing that their ultimate goal was to prove the emperor’s decision wrong—to rise above the circumstances forced upon them and become something greater than anyone could have imagined.
The final days of Emperor Wu Tianheng were marked by a mixture of regret and resignation. As he approached the end of his mortal coil, preparing to ascend to another realm or fade into oblivion.
In a quiet moment, surrounded only by his most trusted advisors and personal guards, Wu Tianheng issued a final decree.
This document, written in his own hand with trembling fingers, sought to amend the harsh judgment passed down centuries earlier.
Recognizing the overreach of his initial decision, the emperor declared that the descendants of Wu Jiang would no longer be considered traitors. Furthermore, they were granted permission to return to the Sea and Mountain Realm under certain conditions: after a period of one thousand years, any member of the Jiang lineage could petition for reintegration into the Wu Imperial Clan.
This stipulation carried symbolic significance.
One thousand years was both a long enough span to allow passions to cool and grudges to fade, yet short enough to ensure the Jiangs wouldn’t be forgotten entirely. It also served as a test of endurance—if the Jiangs could survive and thrive despite their expulsion, perhaps they truly deserved redemption.
"The old man was too soft," Wu Shu spat coldly, his gaze fixed on the horizon. "He should have let me eradicate them when he had the chance. He was the one who cast them out—he should’ve finished the job, not left behind a seed."