NOVEL WEB Chapter 35
[What, what did you say? The Phantom massacred 200,000 prisoners?!]
The elves of the world were aghast upon hearing Xiang Yu’s heinous deeds.
The God of the New Massacre had, at least, only killed the soldiers of the oppressive Qin dynasty. But the adapted slaughter that involved desperately killing soldiers gathered from the six kingdoms was far more severe.
Furthermore, in the midst of this chaos, he had recklessly caused even greater trouble.
[A red flower symbolizing the Han King bloomed on the branches of the World Tree?]
[Yes, that is correct! Because of this, rumors are circulating throughout the nation! The one chosen by the World Tree as the ruler of the world is not the Phantom, but the Han King!]
The World Tree has been revered and nurtured by elves since ancient times as the most sacred tree.
Interpreting the heavenly signs from the blooming flower was, in fact, an ancient tradition of the race.
And upon hearing that a red flower symbolizing Liu Bang had bloomed, he…
[World Tree! It was this Phantom who saved the world from the tyranny of Qin and restored your order! How dare you forget my grace and bloom for that vulgar scoundrel?]
In his fury, he committed an act of outrageous filicide that the elves could never have imagined.
[You, the King of the Nine! Immediately cut down that ungrateful branch and set the World Tree aflame! I will not forgive anything that goes against Xiang Yu!]
“What?! Set the World Tree on fire?”
“Is that really okay? Isn’t it a very sacred tree to the elves?”
“No, don’t ask! I don’t know either!”
The audience buzzed in astonishment at the unfolding events.
This command was also a result of the adaptation of Xiang Yu’s earlier misdeeds, skipping over his killing of his lord and his beheading of the Qin King Zhaoyang, symbolizing a loss of legitimacy and popular support.
And as the situation escalated like this, the majority of forces, excluding Chu, began to turn against Xiang Yu.
[Phantom, you villain! You haven’t properly recognized the merits of this Pangyuel since then, yet you expect loyalty?]
[What? You give the order to burn the World Tree, and you slyly shift all the responsibility onto this Ying Po? I would rather ally with the Han King!]
[Ugh, Xiang Yu! How dare you kill my mother! This Wang Ling! As long as I draw breath, I will not forgive you!]
Dissatisfied with the unfair distribution of rewards, Pangyuel cut off supplies to the Chu nation.
After falling out with the Phantom, Ying Po, fearing retaliation, betrayed him and sided with Liu Bang.
The filial Wang Ling, who lost his elderly mother due to Xiang Yu, was gnashing his teeth and charged forward without holding back.
To make matters worse, Han Xin, a subordinate of Liu Bang, was successively conquering Hebei, tightening the noose around Xiang Yu.
[Ha ha ha, Xiang Yu! Even though the Han King is inferior to you in every way, how can you expect to defeat him when you can’t even use wise generals or appreciate others’ achievements! Truly the bravery of an ordinary person, and the kindness of a woman!]
“This can’t be happening! Fan Zheng was right!”
“Who would’ve thought that Han Xin, who was living off of others’ pants, would be this much of a genius!”
“I never thought ignoring Fan Zheng’s advice would lead to this situation…!”
The audience sighed as they witnessed Xiang Yu’s increasingly isolated predicament.
Those who once idolized the Phantom and dismissed Fan Zheng came to realize just how accurate his insights were.
“No! So all we have to do now is listen to Fan Zheng’s advice, right?”
“Yeah, it’s not too late! Everything that has happened so far is due to Obsession and my ignorance, right?”
“Xiang Yu is still the unbeatable swordsman! If Fan Zheng can just set the right course, he can shed his downfall and win again!”
Though he had fallen due to his own flaws, Xiang Yu had been the hero everyone admired and supported from the beginning.
Could it be that consumers of culture tend to be extraordinarily lenient towards the misdeeds of characters to whom they have grown attached?
Reluctant to give up on Xiang Yu, the audience held on to a sliver of hope that the Western Chu overlord would regain his senses, overcome his obsession, and reclaim his former might and glory.
Yet, even that was a futile expectation.
The Phantom, trapped by his obsession, continued to ignore Fan Zheng’s counsel, resorting only to violence and fear, determined to solve everything through slaughter.
[Kill everyone who cooperates with the Han King without exception! Destroy the cities and set fire to the towns to leave an appropriate example!]
“Uaaah, Xiang Yu! That’s not it! Cut it out!”
“Now please, just listen to Fan Zheng! We’ve been wrong all along!”
“Chopping everything down is not the solution! If things get this tangled, at least stop being so stubborn, you frustration!”
The audience’s cries of despair echoed with exasperation.
What had once appeared as admirable stubbornness in the first act finally began to trip him up.
The experience of resolving everything through violence had blurred his vision by drowning it in Obsession.
And then, at last, Xiang Yu crossed the point of no return.
After falling prey to Liu Bang’s plot, he began to suspect Fan Zheng of colluding with the Han King and started to treat him poorly.
…And as he watched the consequences of his stubbornness and ignorance be thrown directly at his mentor.
[The current situation of the world has already been determined. This useless old man wishes to return to his humble life as an ordinary citizen.]
Feeling humiliation and emptiness, Fan Zheng ultimately chose to abandon his position as Chancellor and return home.
“Aah, no! Xiang Yu, you fool!”
“What are you doing, Xiang Yu! That’s the Han dynasty’s scheme! Even a child wouldn’t fall for that!”
“Quickly repent for your mistakes! Are you really going to leave Fan Zheng’s advice like that? He’s your mentor!”
Yet, the fiery and spirited Xiang Yu, who had taken over the world, refused to bend his pride, and ultimately, his strategist and teacher, Fan Zheng, died of illness during his return.
In the original work, Fan Zheng laments his efforts coming to naught and dies with a sense of resentment.
But in Phantom’s rendition of The Hegemon-King Li’s Consort, a contrasting adaptation was created.
To emphasize the irony of Xiang Yu’s narrative, they intentionally skewed the direction.
[Heaven, please forgive the Phantom’s misdeeds.]
Feeling death approaching, Fan Zheng tidied his attire and made offerings.
With a devout attitude, he prayed for the well-being and abundant fortune of his disciple until the very end.
[To fail to guide the young on the right path is the fault of the old.]
[That the Chu state has entered the path of ruin is entirely due to my poor teaching of the Phantom.]
[If punishment is to be given, let all of it fall upon this Fan Zheng, and do not blame the Phantom for having met the wrong teacher.]
“Aah, Fan Zheng…”
“Even at the last moment, it’s worrying about your disciple…”
As the audience watched Fan Zheng’s tranquil end, their eyes brimmed with tears.
Even those who had once criticized him as a simple-minded old man held handkerchiefs and wept.
[Aaah! Mentor! Fan Zheng, mentor-!!]
And even Xiang Yu, who had been possessed by Obsession, at that moment, regained a sliver of consciousness and showed remorse.
[I was wrong! I, your unworthy disciple, was wrong! Please open your eyes! Mentor! Mentor-!!]
“Ugh, Xiang Yu, you fool! Why didn’t you do this sooner!”
“See?! What good does regretting do now?!”
They berated Xiang Yu, who cried over Fan Zheng’s coffin.
Thus, the Chu nation, having lost its only brain, began to find itself cornered.
Without the Phantom, the Chu suffered consecutive defeats, and no matter how many victories the Phantom won, the overall situation only worsened.
Gradually, the Phantom’s faction started to fall apart, with his people leaving one by one.
Yet there existed a woman who never turned her back on him, regardless of any circumstance.
The Phantom’s lover, the beautiful Wu He.
[Oh dawn, do not come~ A foolish lover overcoming calamity, that the red sun dares not separate us, night do not leave~ ♫]
As she played her lute beside Xiang Yu, Wu He sang the theme of the 1987 movie A Chinese Ghost Story, “Li Ming Bu Yao Lai.”
The audience was spellbound, captivated by Rosalyn’s emotional voice.
“Wow… she sings really well.”
“Who is that actress? She’s so pretty! Like an angel descended from heaven.”
“Wow, I suddenly envy Xiang Yu. I wish I could date a delicate and refined lady like her instead of a loudmouth.”
“Ha ha, saying that right next to your girlfriend is like asking for a death wish, right?”
“Ow! N-No, it’s a joke! Just a joke, Julian! Don’t pinch me!”
Rosalyn’s pure beauty, charming makeup, the skills cultivated over the past few days, her acting prowess, majestic singing voice, and elegant dancing blended seamlessly among the flowers and silks.
A pair of lovers holding hands amidst the abundant blooms.
In a rhythm filled with harmonious exchanges of song and dialogue, they whispered affection to each other.
[As I toast with my beloved, tonight, I hope to drink freely until dawn.]
[I have sworn to spend my life with you, and the red thread of fate that connects us will never be severed.]
The beautifully and stylishly depicted relationship between them was truly a pair destined by heaven.
However, even their seemingly unbreakable love in the face of any hardship was approaching doom.
Tw, twang~♪
Ding! Ding ding~ ♫
[Oh, that melody!]
[It’s the song from our hometown! The song of the Chu!]
[Wah, I miss my mother… I want to see my mother back home!]
Having been entirely surrounded, the Phantom’s army found itself in a situation reminiscent of the famous dilemma of being surrounded on all sides.
In a situation where only despair remained, Xiang Yu and Wu He sang together.
[Though strength may uproot mountains, spirit may cover the world~ ♬]
[But with the winds being unfavorable, the Chu cannot advance~♪]
[If the Chu does not advance, what shall we do~ ♫]
[Wu He, oh Wu He! What shall I do with you~ ♩]
[As the Han has already taken the world~ ♪]
[The sound we hear is the song from the Chu~ ♫]
[For the king’s valor has already faded away~ ♩]
[The lowly maid, what can she do while alive~ ♬]
According to the original source, Wu He’s fate here was to commit suicide with a sword.
However, considering the ethos of the Heavenly Church, which condemns suicide as a sin, Phantom subtly twisted the development.
Swish!
[Wu He? What are you doing?!]
[I love you. I love you, my Phantom.]
Wu He drew a small dagger and drew blood from her palm.
In the setting of The Hegemon-King Li’s Consort, Wu He was a priestess serving the deity of a remote shrine.
Originally, she would have lived a life isolated from the world, studying sorcery. She was a devoted woman who abandoned everything just to be with Xiang Yu.
[Goodbye, my Phantom. Please don’t forget me.]
Whispering softly, she muttered the incantations learned as a priestess, with a tear-filled smile.
[You were never alone. Someone was always by your side, someone who truly cared for you.]
Whoosh-!!
The red glow seeping from Xiang Yu enveloped Wu He in an instant.
And in the next moment, she quietly breathed her last in the Phantom’s embrace.
The abominable magic of Obsession that had blinded Xiang Yu’s eyes.
She had absorbed it all with her divine magic, sacrificing her own life to save her beloved’s spirit.
[Aah, Wu He. My Wu He… I’m sorry. And I love you…]
“No!”
“Not Wu He too! Not only Fan Zheng but Wu He as well! Ugh ugh!”
Sorrowfully, he pretended to kiss Wu He’s corpse.
The poignant kiss scene, hidden behind clothing, sent the sea of tears back to a flood once more.
…Was it because of this? The audience remained oblivious.
[Hmph?! Hmph, huh?!]
According to the script, Wu He, who had undoubtedly died saving the Phantom.
Her shoulders suddenly trembled, and a bewildered moan escaped her lips.
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After Wu He’s death, a brief 30-minute intermission arrived.
Confronted with the unexpectedly sorrowful turn of events, the audience couldn’t shake off the shock.
“Uaaaah! Xiang Yu, you foolish idiot!”
“Why did you disregard Fan Zheng’s advice with such urgency! If you hadn’t, Wu He wouldn’t have died!”
“Wah, wah! Mom! Both Grandfather Fan Zheng and Sister Wu He are dead!”
Though there were many inconsistencies, Fan Zheng had kept a strong master-disciple relationship.
Wu He, who was initially presented in the latter half, created a sweet romance with the Phantom throughout the performance.
Who would have guessed that both would die because of Xiang Yu’s oversight?
…However, not everyone was sorrowful for no reason.
“Wah, wah! You know what’s really frustrating?!”
Sniffling, an Academy girl turned to her friend.
After bursting into tears, she spoke with a feigned angry voice.
“It’s so, so sad and heartbreaking… that’s why it’s even more fun!”
“Y-Yeah! I’m angry, I want to cry, and I feel upset enough to go crazy… but that makes me even more want to see more!”
“Ah, I’m so irritated! Why does the anger arise and simultaneously make my heart flutter?!”
In fact, this sentiment was not limited to just two people. Rather, most of the audience felt similarly.
Even though the plot had dragged on frustratingly with numerous misfortunes.
It was so well crafted that, inadvertently, they’d awakened to the capsaicin-like charm that misfortune brings.
The sharp regret of the wrongdoers was bittersweet yet satisfying.
And the constructed despair provided both a sense of gloom and strangely gratifying sadism.
“Ugh, I can’t stand it! I really want to see Xiang Yu kneel before Fan Zheng and beg for forgiveness!”
“Exactly! Then Fan Zheng would ignore him intentionally, and when his anger subsides, he would subtly forgive…”
“Why would he forgive! Not forgiving him until the end would be more refreshing! Watching Fan Zheng turn his back while Xiang Yu regrets and knocks the ground would be perfect! Hehehe!”
“It would be lovely with a master-disciple bond, but wouldn’t it be more enjoyable to apply it to romance like Xiang Yu and Wu He? Betrayers who cheat or backstab the protagonist should sob and be discarded, it’d feel satisfying, wouldn’t it?”
“Oh! That’s a good idea! Just the idea alone would produce a novel in no time!”
Though it was far from what Phantom had intended, those who attended The Hegemon-King Li’s Consort that day had awakened to a new genre.
…Exactly, the new genre of “huepijip” which tasted like spicy stir-fried noodles.