Ch. 91 – This and That

“You two…..”

This scene was an exact replica of Hao Chen’s first day here, more than half a month ago.

Feng Ye opened his eyes with absolutely no expression on his face.

Because he really didn’t know which expression to wear in a situation like this.

Last time, he simply lay there with Hao Chen as if nothing was wrong. But this time…..

Feng Ye tilted his head and locked gazes with Hao Chen, who was also tilting his head to look at him.

Hao Chen’s eyes were deep and unfathomable, hinting at something unspoken.

Going by his words and how disheveled his robes were, something seemed to have happened.

But Feng Ye had no idea what that might be.

He had merely fallen into a brief slumber after his soul returned to his body, and during the adjustment period, he had entered that dream again. But this time, the dream had taken an unfamiliar turn. He had almost succumbed to it, but managed to break free due to the unexpected peng bird that Hao Chen had transformed into to drive away the darkness.

And now, things were like this.

Fang Yang’s tone was somewhat hesitant: “Were you two cultivating in bed again?”

Feng Ye: “…..”

Although Fang Yang’s question didn’t mean what most people would think in this sort of situation, Feng Ye normally would have wanted to clear his name.

But this time….he did want to defend himself, but he wasn’t sure if he had actually cultivated or not. So he didn’t say anything at all.

“Then I won’t bother you, Shixiong. I’ll come find you again this afternoon.” Fang Yang was quite perceptive this time, and saw himself out.

Feng Ye didn’t stop him. He really needed some time alone with Hao Chen to figure out what was going on.

With a creak, the wooden door closed in front of him.

Feng Ye then turned onto his side and looked at Hao Chen next to him.

Their eyes met, and Hao Chen spoke before Feng Ye could. He pulled his loosened collar back up, saying in a very tactful tone: “It’s fine if you don’t want to take responsibility. I won’t insist.”

He turned away as he spoke, leaving Feng Ye with a view of his back that spoke of lonely, forlorn acceptance.

Feng Ye thought this would be the end of it, but little did he know that Hao Chen was just getting started.

With his back to Feng Ye, Hao Chen murmured in a low voice: “Don’t feel guilty. Although losing one’s innocence in our line of work can have serious consequences, and some people might even hang themselves…..”

Feng Ye couldn’t help but reach up and touch his neck.

“Or cut their wrists.”

Feng Ye touched his wrist.

“Or stab themselves through the stomach.”

Feng Ye covered his stomach.

Hao Chen spoke in a placid tone as he listed these terrible consequences. Then he took a breath and said as if he was holding back tears: “In any case, I don’t blame you.”

But you’re implying that you do blame me, ah! Feng Ye complained internally. Hao Chen’s blame was almost tangible, like a rope wrapped tightly around his neck. And under the resentment, Feng Ye could detect a hint of a threat.

Hao Chen’s attitude clearly stated, if you don’t take responsibility, I’ll kill myself.

Feng Ye was not an irresponsible person, but the thing was….he really needed to know what happened.

He couldn’t take it anymore. He was completely nonplussed, and Hao Chen had unilaterally labeled him a scumbag who ran away after eating. He forcefully turned Hao Chen back toward him and propped himself up, looking down at Hao Chen as he asked: “What happened after I passed out?”

Hao Chen’s eyes darted around before he replied: “After you fainted, I carried you back and stayed to watch over you all night. Then, you did this and that to me while you were asleep…..”

His description was absolutely brilliant, immediately sparking a person’s imagination.

But Feng Ye didn’t fall for the trap, and asked directly: “What do you mean by ‘this and that?’”

Hao Chen’s words became vague: “Well, ah, various things…..”

Feng Ye narrowed his eyes. The fox had finally revealed its tail. This hesitant and evasive speech was definitely suspicious.

He said bluntly: “If you can’t describe it, then how about demonstrating it?”

“This…..” Hao Chen hesitated briefly, but he didn’t seem to have an excuse to refuse, and could only reluctantly begin the demonstration.

“While you were asleep, you suddenly seemed to be having a nightmare and started to move around a lot. You waved your arms as if trying to grab something, so I came over to check on you, and you…..grabbed my collar with your right hand like this…..”

Hao Chen grasped Feng Ye’s collar above him and continued: “Then you wrapped your left arm around my neck.”

He wrapped his left arm around Feng Ye’s neck and drew him downward. Their lips nearly touched, but Feng Ye turned his face away at the last moment, and only their noses brushed against each other.

Hao Chen was not satisfied with the results of his demonstration, and said while their noses were touching: “Then you kissed my cheek.”

Feng Ye blinked: “That’s it?”

Hao Chen blinked back: “That’s it.”

Was this what he considered to be losing his innocence?

The moment Feng Ye realized what was going on, a big # appeared on his forehead. Then, he raised his leg and kicked this fish who had climbed into his bed uninvited and tried to slander him.

The bed was small to begin with, and Hao Chen was only a finger’s width away from the edge of the bed. With this kick, he immediately rolled onto the floor.

Then he stood up and dusted himself off, and even had the audacity to argue his point: “Customs vary from place to place. Where I’m from, a kiss on the cheek is equivalent to robbing someone of their innocence, and one must absolutely take responsibility.”

Feng Ye’s eyelid twitched: “Why have I never heard of such a custom?”

Hao Chen’s words were largely true. His unconscious struggle in his dream may have caused him to grab Hao Chen’s collar, which was why his robes were in such a state of dishevelment.

But as for the notion that he had kissed Hao Chen on the cheek, that was probably a lie. No way was there such a coincidence. And even if it had happened, Feng Ye wouldn’t believe Hao Chen’s story.

The idea that someone had to take responsibility for a kiss on the cheek sounded like a complete fabrication to entrap him.

Hao Chen shook his head with an expression that suggested that he wouldn’t argue with an ignorant person. He said helplessly: “Is Fellow Daoist Feng Ye from the south?”

Feng Ye’s eyes darted around. He had lived in the Southern Ocean for a long time, which indeed made him a southerner, so he nodded in response.

Hao Chen’s eyes flickered. Another clue. He was quick to conceal his suspicion, and maintained his expression of helplessness: “So you’re unaware of our customs in the north. That’s really how we do things there.”

“Oh….” Feng Ye drawled. Despite agreeing, his tone clearly revealed his disbelief.

That said, he couldn’t be bothered to argue with Hao Chen any further. Now that he knew nothing had happened and that he didn’t need to take responsibility for this fish, he simply got out of bed, put on his shoes, and left the room.

He planned to go find Fang Yang and see what that silly boy wanted, then figure out what had happened in Lingxiao Sword Sect while he was asleep.

Hao Chen watched Feng Ye leave right in front of him. He didn’t chase after him like he usually would, nor did he try to argue with him about his innocence.

He simply watched Feng Ye’s receding figure with a complicated expression.

Who was Feng Ye?

Yinglong, the God of War.

While he wasn’t one hundred percent certain, Hao Chen knew that he was likely correct.

Feng Ye had inexplicably vomited blood and lost consciousness. Despite pretending to be weak and on the verge of death, after one nap, he was able to jump out of bed, likely having forgotten that he was supposed to be injured.

In fact, Hao Chen had suspected that Feng Ye was Yinglong the moment the God of War actually appeared.

The timing was too coincidental. Not long after Feng Ye fainted, the God of War manifested in the body of Fang Yang, his dear shidi. No matter how he looked at it, all of these coincidences were inextricably linked to Feng Ye.

But he simply couldn’t rationalize it in his mind. How could Feng Ye be Yinglong?

How was it possible?

Their personalities were far too different. Although Feng Ye did have a decisive and ruthless side, he was usually very gentle, both to Hao Chen and others.

He didn’t take the slightest offense personally, and never really held a grudge against anyone. This was the complete opposite of the God of War who, in the eyes of the masses, had turned the mortal world into a fiery inferno just because people had the gall to climb Jianmu in an attempt to reach the heavens.

Therefore, even though Feng Ye’s sword in the Floating Island Secret Realm had been similar to Yinglong’s, he didn’t think they were one in the same.

But as it turned out….he was wrong.

Any time he guessed something about Feng Ye, he never seemed to guess correctly regarding his identity or strength.

He’d initially thought that Feng Ye couldn’t possibly be stronger than him, but who would have thought…..

Hao Chen recalled the series of stupid things he’d done and felt a sharp pain in his cheeks, a pain that even his thick skin couldn’t withstand.

Despite his stinging face, he reminded himself that he had at least guessed one thing correctly – his age.

Feng Ye was indeed younger than him. Yinglong was at most only two or three thousand years old at this point, which was significantly younger than Hao Chen.

But guessing this one thing correctly was not worthy of celebration. It simply provided definitive evidence that he was an old fish eating a young dragon.

Thinking of this, Hao Chen came to the sudden realization that this entire time, he had been taking advantage of Yinglong.

He had taken liberties with a notorious villain, whom few in the heavens even dared to approach.

Not only would others refuse to believe it if word got out, but even Hao Chen himself felt a sense of unreality.

If Hao Chen had still been ignorant of Feng Ye’s true identity when he fainted into his arms like that, he definitely would have taken further liberties with him when he carried him all the way back to bed.

Although it was a sin to take advantage of someone in a moment of vulnerability, it would be a real loss not to at least touch him a couple of times.

But now that he suspected Feng Ye of being Yinglong, he didn’t dare to let even a finger go astray.

He did indeed stand guard at Feng Ye’s bedside all night, but kept at least a meter between them. Now that he knew who Feng Ye was, he could no longer approach him as casually as before.

After spending so much time with him, he felt that he had a decent grasp on Feng Ye’s character, but he couldn’t help distancing himself once his true identity was revealed.

This distancing was solely due to his wariness of a creature who was as powerful as himself.

Feng Ye had been unconscious for a day and a night, and Hao Chen had remained there the entire time while never crossing that one-meter distance.

He didn’t know how he would face Feng Ye in the future, or if he should treat him as he would treat Yinglong, maintaining a polite yet distant relationship and not interfering with one another.

Or he could continue to tease and pester Feng Ye just like before, shamelessly taking advantage of him wherever possible.

In fact, Yinglong’s appearance matched Hao Chen’s aesthetic standards quite well, but Hao Chen’s heart would never move for such a person. Setting aside Yinglong’s fearsome reputation, based on his strength alone, Hao Chen’s wariness would prevent him from harboring any improper thoughts. 

But the order had been reversed. His heart moved for Feng Ye first, and only afterward did he discover that he was Yinglong.

This wasn’t like buying and selling goods, where one could make an exchange if a deficiency was discovered. He had already given his heart away, and it was not so easy to take it back.

Therefore, even though Hao Chen knew that avoiding further entanglement with Feng Ye was the safest option, he hesitated to take that final step.

He didn’t draw closer, but he also didn’t distance himself.

With an indescribably complex expression, he watched over that person on the bed.

Then the unexpected happened, and that peaceful sleeper was no longer peaceful. His brow furrowed, and he flung his arms around. It was unclear if he was fighting someone or trying to grab onto something.

It looked like he was having a nightmare. A normal nightmare wouldn’t be a problem, but Hao Chen suddenly felt a chill that went right to his bones.

And although Feng Ye was obviously the source of the chill, it didn’t seem to originate from him.

A vein twitched in Hao Chen’s brow. As an ancient god, he was very attuned to potential crises, and realized that Feng Ye’s current situation was not good.

Without further consideration, he stepped forward and crossed the meter of space between them he had been so hesitant to infringe upon.

He shook Feng Ye and called out his name, but even as Feng Ye struggled more and more violently, he showed no signs of waking up.

Then, Hao Chen was pulled onto the bed. Something soft seemed to touch his cheek, then pulled away just as abruptly.

But Hao Chen had no time to figure out what it was. He rolled with the force of Feng Ye’s pull, then lay down beside him and closed his eyes.

Using a unique North Sea method, Hao Chen successfully connected with Feng Ye’s dream realm, where he saw a vast darkness that blotted out the sky.

Hao Chen was very aware of his own size, and even he felt like a speck of dust in the face of this boundless darkness.

He had only entered the outer layer of Feng Ye’s dream, while Feng Ye’s consciousness had been bound to the dark depths before him.

He was briefly at a loss, unsure how to locate Feng Ye in such a vast realm of nothingness and wake him up.

Just then, he saw a light shining at the edge of the dream.

It was the same dazzling light as when Yinglong summoned Fleeting Shadow.

But even the divine sword sharp enough to sever Jianmu was helpless against the abyssal darkness of this place.

Fleeting Shadow was blocked by the surging black mist. The sword pierced continuously through the haze blocking its path, but was hindered by successive waves of black mist that prevented it from advancing.

Seeing this, Hao Chen suddenly had an idea. He might not be able to locate Feng Ye himself, but he could use Fleeting Shadow to do so.

So he transformed into a peng bird, and with a flap of his wings, unleashed a world-shattering hurricane to clear the way for Fleeting Shadow.

He then shouted into the darkness: “Feng Ye!”

Not knowing if Feng Ye could hear him, he still called out with all his might.

Fortunately, he succeeded. The black mist receded, and Fleeting Shadow shot downward. The tides had turned, and the monster that was attempting to devour Feng Ye in his dream escaped.

The darkness shattered, dissolving into the light of day.

The dream ended.

When Hao Chen opened his eyes, he saw Feng Ye lying next to him suddenly sit up, panting heavily and visibly shaken.

Due to his abrupt awakening, Feng Ye didn’t notice Hao Chen at first, and Hao Chen remained silent rather than draw attention to himself.

He had crossed that one meter distance only due to the urgency of the situation, but had yet to come to an actual decision.

But when Feng Ye returned to his senses, Hao Chen subconsciously uttered those four shameless words.

When he realized what he’d just said and wanted to take it back, it was already too late.

Although his tone was still as irreverent as before, his inner feelings were completely different.

In order to avoid arousing Feng Ye’s suspicion, Hao Chen turned his back to him to hide his expression, speaking to him as he usually would while attempting to put on a mask of indifference.

By the time Feng Ye flipped him back over, his expression had returned to normal.

The two of them followed their usual pattern of interaction and messed around for a while, and when Feng Ye left, Hao Chen was finally able to drop the pretense.

He watched Feng Ye’s departing figure with a complicated expression, a myriad of thoughts swirling in his mind.

And at that moment, he came to a decision.

Whether he was Feng Ye or Yinglong, Hao Chen couldn’t leave him at this point in time.

The Yinglong in North Sea City must have been the fake, and was likely related to the boundless darkness in that dream. And that person was specifically targeting Feng Ye.

Feng Ye was indeed very strong, but even someone as powerful as the God of War nearly succumbed to his opponent in that dream.

Had Hao Chen not been here today, Feng Ye likely would have been dragged into the depths of the abyss, never to wake up again.

Clearly, Hao Chen was still very useful.

His sense of self-worth swelled, and he felt that Feng Ye wouldn’t be able to live without him.

As a responsible and dependable man, he would never leave the object of his affections to face danger alone.

Even if that person was Yinglong, he would not let him go.

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Chapter 90 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 92

Ch. 90 – You Must Take Responsibility

Black. All different shades of black.

Feng Ye lifted his right foot and took a step forward.

It’s this dream again, Feng Ye thought, looking out at the vast, seemingly endless realm of darkness around him.

Although he couldn’t tell which way was which in the dark, he still walked in a certain direction as if he knew where he was going.

He walked for an unknown amount of time, for in such abject darkness, he was unable to see the sun, moon, or stars. Finally, he caught sight of the outline of a sapling.

A Jianmu sapling.

Having reached the stage of the show, Feng Ye stopped and idly waited for the dream to continue.

Next, the little figures appeared like they always did. Although he was only a dark shadow in this dream, Feng Ye had learned that this human’s name was Ling Yun when he went down to the mortal realm over a month ago to investigate the cause of these dreams.

The story told in his dreams was just a compact version of reality. At present, the small figure was busily tending to the sapling, watering and feeding it with meticulous care.

 But in reality, Ling Yun had paid a much higher price to cultivate Jianmu.

Xuanming Water, Living Soil, and the rising sun of the far east – other than the latter, these ingredients were very difficult to obtain.

Ling Yun gathered them one by one until, at last, Jianmu sprouted.

Then came the scene before Feng Ye: the sapling remained a sapling, with no noticeable growth.

Of course, the growth of Jianmu was just too slow to see. With eight hundred years equaling one spring and autumn, the human lifespan paled in comparison.

It did indeed grow, but so slightly that it was imperceptible, leading people to believe that it wasn’t growing at all.

Having exhausted every method, the little figure slumped to the ground in despair.

But he didn’t remain despondent for long. Nobody knew how he had come up with the idea, and even Feng Ye had never imagined that giving a human heart to Jianmu would promote its growth.

But this person did think of it, and he put it into action.

He offered his heart to Jianmu, burying it within its roots.

Thump, thump, thump….

The sapling grew at visible speed to the rhythm of the heartbeat. With each blink of the eye, it grew taller and taller, dwarfing the mountains and clouds, until finally….it connected heaven and earth.

The little black figure cheered for the towering tree. He called upon his friends, summoning his shidi, Ji Chengyue, along with cultivators from all over the world, so that they could ascend to the heavens together.

A dense cluster of shadows climbed the giant tree, moving in an orderly manner after a brief period of chaos.

But just when it seemed they would reach the heavens…..

Feng Ye looked up and saw himself appear amongst the clouds.

After one glance, he looked away – because unlike a certain fish, he wasn’t a narcissist. There was really not much about him that was interesting.

He then cut down Jianmu, thus severing these peoples’ ambition to reach the heavens.

He watched as the world was instantly transformed into a sea of fire, living people wailing in agony within it. His golden eyes reflected this tragic scene, seemingly unmoved.

His current expression was identical to that of his counterpart in the clouds. Feng Ye watched in silence as it all unfolded before him, listening to the crackle of flames and the wails echoing across the land.

Finally, after raging for three days and three nights, the heavenly fire burned everything to ashes.

Everything, including Jianmu and the mortals ascending it.

Only embers were left to dance before his eyes.

The dream was coming to an end, and just like before, Feng Ye tried to step forward for a closer look.

He watched as a seedling broke through the soil, exactly the same as the fragment he’d handed to Ji Chengyue, which sprouted again after absorbing his divine power.

And beneath the seedling, he also saw the whirlpool rising up from below.

Something was watching him from the depths of that abyss. He had already met it in the outside world…..that black mist that had controlled Xue Ren, and looked so similar to Feng Ye.

Although Feng Ye couldn’t quite pinpoint what the other party was, he knew where he had come from…..

The Emberless Horizon.

Only there could such filth exist.

Just like Feng Ye himself.

A black tendril crawled up Feng Ye’s ankle, but he ignored it. The other party was blocked by an invisible barrier, and could only frantically and ineffectually scrabble at his ankle.

It was always like this at the end of the dream. Just as he was about to see what lay within the abyss, the dream would conclude.

Feng Ye readied himself to open his eyes and return to reality.

However, this time…..

He didn’t wake up.

Not only did he fail to wake up, but the barrier that the other party had been unable to break through seemed to have vanished while he wasn’t paying attention. The black mist, like tentacles, began to wrap around his limbs.

Feng Ye was caught off guard, and was pulled to his knees as the black mist wrapped around his calves.

He braced himself with his arms, struggling to break free. But pressing his hands to the ground was like trying to exert force against a swamp, and he only sank deeper and deeper.

Feng Ye was swiftly pulled to the ground, but made no further moves, because he witnessed something unexpected.

Feng Ye’s eyes widened slightly as he finally caught sight of what was lurking within the abyss.

It was a very familiar face…..

A face identical to his…..

The moment he saw it, Feng Ye almost thought he was looking into a mirror.

But the expression on that face immediately told him that it wasn’t his. The other person was smiling. It was a smile that Feng Ye had never worn, exuding a strange, sinister aura.

That person called his name affectionately: “Feng Ye.”

They were separated only by a thin membrane, him on one side and that person on the other.

But now, that thing wearing his face reached through the thin membrane and broke through the barrier. It wrapped its arms intimately around his neck, and then…..forcefully pulled him down.

The tentacles around his limbs pulled at the same time, and Feng Ye realized that something wasn’t right. This dream was not simply a dream. There were countless methods in this world, and it was indeed possible for some monsters to devour the soul of their prey through dreams.

Although he didn’t know where the other party wanted to take him, he absolutely could not let them succeed!

Feng Ye exerted all of his strength, and amidst the tentacles holding him down, managed to open his right hand…..

But then, Feng Ye stared at his empty hand in shock. Fleeting Shadow, which always appeared immediately upon being summoned, was nowhere to be seen.

No light blazed from the sky to pierce the darkness. Everything before him was black. Pure, boundless black.

Whether or not it was due to the dream, his power had failed him.

A mocking laugh came from below as his mirror image mocked his powerlessness from the bottom of the abyss.

Feng Ye watched as the other party drew closer.

They were so close that their noses almost touched. Any closer, and he would be swallowed up by the other party and dragged into the depths of the abyss.

Suddenly, a sharp cry reached his ears.

Its volume was ear-piercing, cutting straight through the boundless darkness.

The man’s grip on his neck loosened slightly, and Feng Ye took the opportunity to break free, though his limbs were still bound to the ground by the tentacles. With difficulty, he turned his head to look toward the sky.

The darkness surged, then retreated.

A hurricane appeared on the horizon, its violent winds dispersing the darkness of this world.

The gale whipped across Feng Ye’s face, and very slowly, a sliver of light appeared in the receding darkness above.

That tiny glimmer shone through the gaps of what appeared to be feathers.

Those were…..wings so colossal that they defied imagination, blotting out the sky.

The darkness was swept away by the hurricane, but due to the bird’s enormous size, only a faint beam of light was able to pierce through a gap in its feathers and illuminate the person trapped in the darkness below.

In all his life, Feng Ye had never seen such an enormous bird.

Wait. He had seen something like this before. A certain person who always stuck to his side…..

“Feng Ye!” 

Hao Chen’s voice sounded from above. So it was really him who stirred up a hurricane with a flap of his wings, Feng Ye thought blankly.

How had Hao Chen come to be in his dream?

But that didn’t matter. The important thing at the moment was….

Feng Ye opened his right hand and caught the sharp sword that came from beyond the sky, piercing through layers of darkness with its bright glow.

His power had not failed him in this dream. The darkness had simply been too thick for Fleeting Shadow to penetrate.

But Hao Chen, who had suddenly appeared in his dream as a giant peng bird, had used the hurricane stirred up by his wings to dispel some of the darkness.

Fleeting Shadow finally found an opportunity, and rushed to his side.

The moment the divine sword entered his hand, he released a sword glare that severed the tentacles binding his limbs.

And as the tentacles dispersed, so did his opponent’s ambition.

The creature in the abyss clicked his tongue in disappointment, glancing at the troublesome peng bird before meeting Feng Ye’s gaze again.

He then promised Feng Ye: “We will meet again.”

“It won’t be long, Feng Ye…..” The other’s voice grew fainter and fainter, then faded into the distance.

The darkness shattered before his eyes, and the light on the horizon grew increasingly bright.

Under this radiance, the peng bird became an elongated silhouette against an incandescent background.

Bathed in white light, Feng Ye closed his eyes.

And as the dream ended, he opened them again.

He sat up abruptly, chest heaving in the wake of his perilous dream.

After taking a moment to catch his breath, he finally had a chance to take in his surroundings.

It seemed to be daytime. Sunlight streamed over Feng Ye’s body through the window beside his bed.

The furnishings were familiar. This was his dormitory in Lingxiao Sword Sect.

And he was currently sitting on his bed, which felt a bit cramped…..

Feng Ye belatedly glanced to the side, where he found Hao Chen lying next to him with his clothes all disheveled…..

Hao Chen was looking at him expressionlessly. When Feng Ye finally looked over at him, he slowly sat up and straightened his collar while speaking four words: 

“You must take responsibility.”

Feng Ye: “……”

What was going on here?

All at once, he realized that he might not have awoken from his dream.

Thus, he simply lay back down again.

This was not a good turn of events. His bed wasn’t big enough for two people. It was perfectly fine as a single bed, but squeezing two people into it made it a bit crowded.

Feng Ye bumped into Hao Chen’s shoulder as he lay back, causing Hao Chen to fall down with him.

The two lay on their backs, shoulder to shoulder.

Even though the warmth of the person beside him felt so real, Feng Ye still closed his eyes and attempted to deceive himself.

However, the sudden opening of the door and a barely audible “Shixiong….” rendered Feng Ye’s self-deception null.

Fang Yang stared at the two people who were sleeping together again and felt a sense of deja vu.

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Chapter 89 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 91

T/N: Thanks so much to Saulene for the Kofi donation! Here’s the regular update and a couple bonus chapters for you! (I posted two extras since they were so short.)

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Ch. 89 – Sprout

The God of War, Yinglong?!

This name, which was rarely spoken, seemed to have been heard repeatedly in a short period of time today. But just when everyone thought they had accepted a shocking truth, the reality turned out to be even more shocking.

The perfectly good trial ceremony had become a disaster. First, Xue Ren rebelled, then he took out Fleeting Shadow and claimed that he was acting on Yinglong’s orders to seize Jianmu, which should have long been reduced to ashes, and proceeded to fight his master.

Jianmu then reappeared in the wake of Ji Chengyue’s defeat, and Cao Zirui and a lesser-known disciple seemed to perish under the blade of Fleeting Shadow. But unexpectedly, the grand drama that everyone thought was coming to an end was not over yet.

The real climax was just beginning.

One hundred years later, a god once again descended upon the world.

His fierce appearance was just as intimidating as it was a century ago, and his power was just as great.

The sword glare that even Ji Chengyue was unable to withstand, which had destroyed even Mountain Breaker, shattered under his power, but he seemed to take this as a matter of course. With a mere flick of his fingers, the black blade was no more.

Amidst the swirling flakes of black, the god flicked his sleeves and stood with his hands behind his back, his golden eyes sweeping over the crowd before looking up at Xue Ren, and at Fleeting Shadow in his hand.

The crowd followed his gaze and came to a belated realization.

Xue Ren was acting on Yinglong’s orders, and wielded Fleeting Shadow as proof. But now, the God of War had inexplicably arrived to stop Xue Ren. What was going on?

Everyone was in complete disbelief.

Cao Zirui was equally baffled, but he knew a little more than the others.

He knew why Yinglong had suddenly appeared. It was because of…..the God-Summoning Token…..

When that deadly blade descended, he had told Fang Yang to run, but the other boy hadn’t seemed to hear him at all.

He tried to push Fang Yang’s shoulder to wake him up, but he was too injured to move, and could only sit there and helplessly watch Fang Yang die alongside him.

Before the black blade could reach them, he felt a gust of wind that almost stung his skin, and the sound of something hurtling through the air reached his ears. Fang Yang seemed to have shouted something, but Cao Zirui was unable to hear it.

He instinctively tried to raise an arm to shield himself – a futile gesture, as the sword glare would sever his arm along with the rest of him.

But several seconds passed, and the expected agony did not come. When he opened his eyes in astonishment, he saw a cloud of swirling black mist just like that of Fleeting Shadow.

Each was equally sinister and terrifying, a mere glimpse chilling him to the bone.

But for some reason, he felt that they were slightly different. He just couldn’t put his finger on it.

Tentatively, he reached out to touch the black mist. Although he withdrew his hand at once, he was still terrified by the chilling sensation that surged into his body at the moment of contact.

He gasped for breath, shaken as he stared at the black mist surrounding him. He dared not touch it again, but the mist was as fine as silk and as thick as fog, vast and chaotic. Although he did his best to avoid it, he was gradually enveloped by the pervasive mist.

Just as he felt that he was about to be devoured, the black mist suddenly began to deliberately avoid him.

A small pocket of clear air formed around him.

Cao Zirui was baffled by this change, and when he raised his head in confusion, he caught sight of a man standing before him.

He was graceful and proud, steady and powerful.

Cao Zirui stared blankly at the man. The person in front of him clearly should have been Fang Yang.

But this was certainly not him. Fang Yang wasn’t that tall, nor did he have such broad shoulders, and his clothing was completely different. Fang Yang wore the Lingxiao Sword Sect uniform, while the man in front of him wore unfamiliar black robes.

The style of those robes was unlike anything found in the mortal realm, but despite their unfamiliarity, Cao Zirui felt like he had seen them somewhere before.

He just couldn’t remember where. Amidst his confusion, he could vaguely hear a voice outside the black mist demanding to know who this newcomer was.

The man’s response was like a key, instantly unlocking a box of memories in Cao Zirui’s mind. He remembered where he had seen those robes before.

On that jade slip, which recorded the events of one hundred years ago, the god standing high in the clouds had worn just such a robe.

Could it be that this person was actually…..?

Cao Zirui’s gaze suddenly shifted downward. The man had caught the incoming blade with his left hand, while his right hand held…..Fang Yang’s God-Summoning Token.

The incantation on the token glowed with a faint golden light, from which the black mist surged forth.

Cao Zirui’s pupils contracted. He suddenly understood why Fang Yang had vanished, and why this man had appeared in his place.

It was because of the God-Summoning Token. This unnamed summoning token, which should have been nothing but a piece of scrap metal, had actually worked.

The sea otter brothers in North Sea City had said that if the God-Summoning Token was used successfully, a god would descend to the mortal world through this medium and imbue the owner of the token with divine power.

So the man before him was actually Yinglong, the lofty and unparalleled God of War?!

But…..how was this possible?!

Whether or not the summoning succeeded depended upon the will of the gods themselves, which meant that, even more unbelievably, Yinglong’s presence here was voluntary.

Wasn’t Yinglong on Xue Ren’s side? Why would he intervene to stop him and save Cao Zirui and Fang Yang?

Moreover….could the way the mist suddenly surged away from him be the work of the man before him?

The answer seemed obvious. Only this supreme deity was capable of controlling the eerie and terrifying black mist, but Yinglong was supposed to be cold-blooded and ruthless.

One hundred years ago, he had taken so many lives without a moment’s hesitation.

Even though it didn’t seem to take much effort, that he would protect Cao Zirui from the black mist now was incredibly hard to wrap his mind around.

Of course, among everyone present, the one most overcome by shock was not Cao Zirui. It was Hao Chen, who clutched Feng Ye’s body while staring wide-eyed at the man standing with his hands behind his back.

Under everyone’s riveted gazes, Yinglong finally moved.

He stepped across the flat ground, and with each stride, the black mist slowly gathered toward him.

The vast swell of mist continued to dwindle and condense, shrinking until it finally merged into the man’s tall, upright form.

No, it didn’t merge with him. It was he who was composed entirely of the black mist.

With a clear goal in mind, he ignored the looks of shock and fear around him and trained his eyes on Xue Ren, walking straight toward him.

Xue Ren reflexively shivered when he met those golden eyes, and snapped back to reality with a start.

Upon seeing that face, he also thought he was gazing upon the God of War himself. But then he wondered…..why would the god who had granted him his own power stand against him?

Now, he understood. Although the face was the same, the person behind it was entirely different.

The Yinglong he was familiar with always wore a faint smile on his lips, and although he was equally aloof and his eyes held a deep disdain for mortals, he was far more amiable than the man before him.

This God of War wore an indifferent expression, his eyes cold and unfeeling. Such eyes did not belong to a living creature, but to a drawn sword that only knew killing and the taste of blood.

In fact, this visage was more in line with what everyone expected from Yinglong. When he appeared amongst the clouds a century ago, he had worn the same expression.

That Yinglong with a perpetual smile on his face had always seemed a bit off, but his appearance was exactly the same, or if not identical, then so similar that the average person was unable to tell them apart.

Before today, Xue Ren had never imagined that someone so similar to Yinglong existed. So even though he found it strange that the ruthless God of War seemed so mild-mannered, he didn’t harbor any doubts.

But now, he couldn’t help but wonder, if there were two Gods of War…..then which was the real one?

Was it the one in front of him, or the one who had bestowed Fleeting Shadow upon him and also claimed to be….

Wait. Xue Ren suddenly realized that the deity had never referred to himself as Yinglong. Xue Ren’s speculation about his identity stemmed solely from his face, which bore an uncanny resemblance to Yinglong.

A wave of panic immediately crashed over Xue Ren. If the Yinglong he encountered was a fake, then who exactly had he made a deal with?

Ji Chengyue’s words had caused his deeply-held beliefs to waver, but how could he be wrong when a god was on his side? Thus, he firmly believed that he was in the right, and that he was only taking back what should have belonged to him in the first place.

But if that god was fake, did that mean everything else was a lie? Did it mean….he had made a mistake?

“You did nothing wrong.”

Xue Ren turned his head toward the wisp of black mist that had climbed up his shoulder along Fleeting Shadow. It resembled a venomous snake, and flicked its tongue as it whispered in his ear: “I didn’t deceive you. What I bestowed upon you is indeed the power of the God of War.”

“But…..” But the real God of War was right before his eyes.

“Our powers originate from the same source.” The black snake suddenly chuckled, its mouth opening wide as fangs unfurled from its upper jaw. It stared at the man approaching, and hissed in Xue Ren’s ear: “Go and fight for me! So what if he’s the God of War? I am more powerful than him!”

This thing of unknown origins spoke with a boastful tone, but this time, Xue Ren didn’t believe it.

The black snake had not lied to him; it had merely misled him. When Xue Ren mistakenly came to the conclusion that he was Yinglong, the man had not refuted him.

Such a person could not be trusted, and even though he claimed to be stronger than Yinglong, Xue Ren didn’t dare to challenge the other god. That was the ruthless God of War, who killed without blinking an eye. It would be fine if he could win, but if he lost, his death was inevitable.

But at this point, whether or not he wanted to fight or dared to fight, it was no longer up to him.

Xue Ren was horrified to discover that he had lost control of his body. The black mist emanating from Fleeting Shadow had somehow wrapped around every joint in his body.

Although he struggled desperately, he was unable to move. The black mist engulfed him, and at the same time, he felt unimaginable power surge into his body.

He had already felt as if he held the world in his hands after drawing Fleeting Shadow, but at this moment, he truly felt the difference between gods and mortals.

The surging power inflated his confidence. If he had previously believed himself to be the strongest existence on earth, then he now felt that even in the heavens, there was nobody he couldn’t defeat!

He was no longer afraid. Instead, he accepted the black mist’s control with a mixture of delight and submission. The body was Xue Ren’s, but its contents were no longer the same.

Under the eyes of everyone, Xue Ren smiled faintly at the man walking toward him, and then the black mist completely concealed his figure.

It expanded into the air, condensing into a giant python hundreds of meters long. The python twisted mid-air, staring menacingly at the man on the ground, then opened its massive jaws and pounced.

Feng Ye frowned slightly as he scanned the crowd around him. Although many people had retreated out of fear, they were still within the python’s attack range.

The black mist that had already condensed into his body surged once more, and he transformed into a genuine yinglong, soaring upward. Dragon and snake collided mid-air, tangling together as they tore at each other’s flesh with their fangs.

Neither of them were physically present. Instead, they were using Xue Ren’s and Fang Yang’s bodies as vessels for their power. Therefore, the dragon and snake were conjurations of black mist, unlike their scaled counterparts. They were unable to feel pain, and the flesh they tore from one another was simply the black mist that formed their bodies.

As a result, their attacks grew even more ferocious. The snake bit into the dragon’s neck and tore off a hunk of flesh, while the dragon seized the snake with its claws and ripped into it.

They tore at each other in a frenzy, their bodies becoming increasingly mangled as the crowd below watched on in horror. They had never witnessed such a brutal fight. If this dragon and snake had been real, they would have been torn to shreds by now.

Very soon, not even their skeletons remained. Only two amorphous shapes lingered in the air, indistinguishable from one another.

The black mist obscured everyone’s line of sight, making it impossible to see what was happening inside.

The crowd gradually came to the realization that the Yinglong behind Xue Ren and the God of War who had just appeared in person were probably not the same entity. Therefore, they had different goals and were at each other’s throats.

But there had never been stories of two Yinglongs in this world, so there was only one possibility: one of them was a fake.

However, nobody could tell which one was real and which one was fake. The power of Fleeting Shadow was just as strong as they had imagined, but the man with the cold face just now didn’t seem like a fake either.

The crowd stopped speculating and held their breath, paying close attention to the changes in the black mist.

Ji Chengyue was also focused on the black mist, but in contrast to the inquisitive gazes of the others, his expression was tinged with worry.

As for which of the two Yinglongs was the genuine article, Ji Chengyue already had a guess in mind. If everything was as he suspected, then Xue Ren might not have encountered a god at all, and was merely a pawn in the hands of a monster.

And now he was caught up in a battle with the God of War. His chances of survival were slim…..

Despite Xue Ren’s numerous crimes, Ji Chengyue could not simply disregard him, just as he had been unable to run him through with his sword. After all, this was the disciple he had raised.

But there was nothing he could do. In this battle between dragon and snake, mortals could not interfere, and he was relegated to watching from the sidelines with the others.

Out of sight within the black mist, Feng Ye changed back to his human form and rapidly cast about for the enemy lurking in the darkness. 

His gaze sharpened, and he swung his head around. Striking behind him with his elbow, he sent “Xue Ren” stumbling back a few steps.

Feng Ye didn’t hold back, and his attack landed squarely. Logically, “Xue Ren” should have felt some pain.

But “Xue Ren” showed no sign of discomfort, and even wore a pleased smile as he playfully scolded: “Feng Ye, is this how you greet someone?”

Feng Ye’s pupils contracted slightly. The other party indeed knew his name.

“Who are you?” he asked sharply.

“Me?” ‘Xue Ren’ smiled faintly, tilting his head with childlike whimsy. “Why don’t you guess?”

Feng Ye frowned. He was unwilling to guess, but just as he opened his mouth to inquire again, something occurred to him.

Feng Ye gazed at the surging black mist around him. It was not under his control, nor had he conjured it. It belonged to the other party.

But as the two were talking, the black mist stealthily climbed up his ankle and attempted to engulf him.

Feng Ye immediately raised his right hand, and those outside saw a ray of light suddenly break through the overcast sky, passing through the clouds toward the vast, ever-expanding black mist below.

The light was unstoppable. The domineering black mist retreated as if it had met its nemesis, and the tendrils climbing Feng Ye’s body instantly dispersed.

Finally, when the light pierced through the black mist, the crowd caught sight of Xue Ren and a man shrouded in light.

As for who was the fake, there no longer seemed to be any doubt.

The menacing black mist immediately became docile in the man’s hand, condensing into a jet-black sword that was similar to but subtly different from Xue Ren’s.

Xue Ren’s Fleeting Shadow didn’t reflect light, but the sword in the man’s hand emitted a faint glow, making it difficult to tell if the light came from the sword itself or from the sky.

This was the true divine sword, Fleeting Shadow!

As Fleeting Shadow took shape, Feng Ye raised his eyes slightly. He regarded Xue Ren with killing intent, but didn’t immediately take action.

He was giving the other party one last chance. Confess honestly, or fight stubbornly with his back to the wall.

However, the other party chose neither of these options.

Xue Ren also raised his Fleeting Shadow as if preparing for battle, but in reality, the black mist that had been controlling his movements was making a silent retreat, giving him back control.

But rather than easing his nerves, this sent him into a panic.

That power…..that power that gave him ultimate authority over life and death was fading away…..

Having committed so many taboos, he didn’t dare to imagine what fate awaited him after losing this power, but it was out of his control. The voice that had been whispering in his ear left behind a mocking laugh as it abandoned him.

And it left with the Jianmu fragment in its grasp.

Feng Ye’s eyes narrowed. Although the other party had cunningly left a large swath of black mist on Xue Ren as a decoy and only used a small amount to ferry away the Jianmu fragment, Feng Ye noticed this immediately. Without hesitation, he slashed at the tiny wisp of black mist.

The light of his sword was as fierce and sharp as it had been one hundred years ago.

Nothing in its path could survive!

“No!” Xue Ren roared, well outside the path of the sword. He could not, would not, lose this power!

In an instant, he turned and lunged toward the fleeing black mist…..and was severed along with it.

Ji Chengyue only had time to call out once: “A-Ren!”

He wanted to stop it, but nothing could stop that blade. Just as he couldn’t stop Yinglong from cutting down Jianmu one hundred years ago, he couldn’t stop him from killing Xue Ren today.

Amidst the falling rain of blood and particles of black mist, Fleeting Shadow transformed back into mist and slowly dissipated.

“Ai, our current strength is insufficient to confront him head-on.” A man who looked exactly like Yinglong stood in a corner beyond the reach of the sun, lamenting to Ling Yun beside him.

He had only realized this when he was already in snake form and locked in combat with Yinglong. Otherwise, he would have lacked the courage to confront Feng Ye, and would have fled with Jianmu instead…..although he had ultimately failed in that endeavor.

Ling Yun’s focus, however, was on something else. For the first time, his placid, stagnant heart stirred with emotion. He gazed up into the sky where Feng Ye stood, the same place where Xue Ren and the Jianmu fragment had been severed together.

Ling Yun’s tone was filled with unconcealed solemnity: “God, Jianmu has been destroyed. We…..”

“Hehe.” The man’s sudden chuckle interrupted Ling Yun. He shook his head and denied: “He wouldn’t destroy Jianmu.”

His tone was extremely confident, and he murmured while gazing in Feng Ye’s direction: “That’s because…..”

Feng Ye stared at the black and red rain falling before his eyes.

Suddenly, he raised his head and looked directly in front of him. Rather than avoiding him like the rest, someone was actually stepping toward him.

It was Ji Chengyue.

Those watching stared blankly at their sect leader, whose face was a mask of wrath. He, a mortal, was challenging a god.

“Why?!” He roared almost at the top of his lungs.

Again and again, why did he keep destroying everything he cared about?!

His shixiong and his disciple had both perished under this man’s sword.

When he saw that familiar face, memories surged uncontrollably to the forefront of his mind.

This face might be unfamiliar to others, since it had only appeared in the world once, but it was strangely familiar to Ji Chengyue – he saw it often in his dreams.

Or rather, in his nightmares.

When Yinglong once more drew Fleeting Shadow, the dazed Ji Chengyue had seemed to see that scene from a hundred years ago before his eyes. A flash of light from that sword, the thunderous collapse of the giant tree, and the heavenly fire that ignited along its trunk and fell to the ground.

All of this combined to form a depiction of absolute hell.

People struggled and screamed within a sea of fire, all while the god remained unmoved among the clouds.

Perhaps gods should be as cold and ruthless as him, but looking back even a century later, Ji Chengyue still felt that such a god was terrifyingly cruel.

How was he any different from those savage demons in myths and legends? Was it merely his handsome appearance that set him apart?

There was no way of knowing.

How could mortals hold a god accountable?

There was nothing they could do but accept it, keep quiet, and forget.

Ji Chengyue seemed to have accomplished the first two points, but forgetting was another story. He had tried his best not to think about it, to seal it away in the darkest depths of his heart. But this scene today, which was like history repeating itself all over again, instantly laid waste to all of his efforts.

He couldn’t forget.

He couldn’t forget the raging, all-consuming fire. He couldn’t forget his shixiong being reduced to ashes. And he could not forget how his disciple Xue Ren died tragically beneath that blade.

And all of this was thanks to the supreme deity before him!

His anger consumed his rationality, but also gave him the courage to confront this god. Even if he were to die here, he wouldn’t care.

He just wanted answers.

“What exactly did my shixiong do wrong?!”

“Is it really so unforgivable for mortals to attempt to ascend to heaven?!”

“Time after time, why do you keep destroying everything?!”

Even a century later, he wouldn’t let even this lifeless piece of Jianmu wood slip through his fingers.

Ji Chengyue roared his questions with every step, until he finally stood before the god.

Feng Ye silently looked at Ji Chengyue. Faced with these questions, he neither answered nor evaded them. He simply stood there, looking back at the man across from him.

Although Ji Chengyue had not imbued his voice with spiritual power, his shouts were so loud that everyone could hear him clearly. He had completely abandoned all of the trappings of a sect leader, his eyes bloodshot due to the intense emotions surging within him.

This middle-aged man who was no longer in the prime of his youth seemed to have traveled back a hundred years, transforming into the shidi who had lost everything, yet could only stand helplessly before the ashes of his shixiong.

“Ai…..” Elder Zhou sighed as he watched this scene.

He wanted to stop Ji Chengyue from angering this god, but knew that he wouldn’t succeed. Ji Chengyue had been suppressing these questions for too long, keeping them bottled up inside for a hundred years.

In order to protect Lingxiao Sword Sect, he had pretended to be indifferent to Ling Yun in front of everyone. He was forced to join the rest in branding his revered shixiong as an eternal sinner. Bearing the responsibility of revitalizing the sect under such circumstances of widespread criticism must have been incredibly difficult.

But just as a blocked river would eventually breach its dam, suppressed emotions would always find an outlet. Today was the day that dam burst, and in his search for answers, he no longer feared death.

Cao Zirui watched his master with concern. He didn’t know much about this grudge from a century ago. Most of it was hearsay, and his master had never spoken to him about it.

Only now did he realize that his master had been keeping so many things bottled up inside. On the heels of this realization came unending worry that Yinglong would take offense and kill his master.

And his fear seemed to be close to becoming reality.

“Why, ah…..” Ji Chengyue asked again. His voice lacked its prior fierceness, and had grown hoarse from his shouting.

When he uttered this final question, Feng Ye moved.

He raised his right arm and extended his clenched fist toward Ji Chengyue.

Cao Zirui exclaimed: “Shifu!”

He tried to stand up and help him, but could only manage to lift himself an inch before falling back down due to his injuries. All he could do was watch helplessly as Yinglong raised his fist to Ji Chengyue.

Then, he flipped this wrist and spread his fingers to reveal what was hidden in his palm.

Ji Chengyue froze, completely dumbfounded.

The man with Yinglong’s face looked up and watched all of this. Feng Ye wouldn’t destroy the Jianmu fragment, because…..

He spoke his belated explanation: “He is too soft.”

His tone was a mixture of lamentation, ridicule, and delight, his feelings so complex that even he couldn’t make sense of them.

He was completely unsurprised by the scene before him, and had no need to see with his own eyes what Feng Ye was holding in his hand. He simply turned his head away, his form slowly dissolving into black mist that concealed itself on Ling Yun’s body.

Ling Yun glanced back, then turned around and left the shadows.

Ji Chengyue stared blankly, unable to comprehend what was happening. Hadn’t Yinglong destroyed the Jianmu fragment? Wasn’t that why he had come here in the first place?

But even in his confusion, he still reached out to take the Jianmu fragment from Feng Ye’s hand. The piece of wood was perfectly intact where it lay across Feng Ye’s slender fingers.

Then he looked up at the person across from him.

The god remained as indifferent as always. He had no intention of explaining his actions or arguing back.

With one last look at Ji Chengyue, he dissolved into black mist and departed from Fang Yang’s body.

The mist vanished mid-air, and the boy, now lacking divine power, immediately began to fall from the sky. Ji Chengyue quickly caught him in his arms.

Only afterward did he have time to look at his palm, where he felt a slight anomaly.

A weak force emanated from it, almost like…..

Ji Chengyue spread his fingers, and his eyes widened.

The lifeless Jianmu fragment in his hand had somehow…..

Sprouted again.

---

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Chapter 88 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 90

Bustling with activity, Splendid Plaza was as lively as ever.

Chu Jiubian got out of the carriage on the long street outside the market and then went in.

He was still clad in the dark crimson-purple robes that only the highest-ranking officials could wear, and also wore a thick cloak with a soft, fluffy fur collar, giving him a majestic and imposing appearance.

However, his hairstyle was different from that of this era’s people, and his windblown hair softened the seriousness of his attire, lending him a lighter, more ethereal appearance.

His tall, slender figure, as well as his exquisitely handsome, almost god-like face, caused him to stand out from the crowd.

He became the center of attention from the moment he appeared.

Everyone in the capital now knew of Grand Tutor Chu, but no one truly knew what sort of personality he possessed. Seeing his cool and aloof demeanor – and keeping in mind that gods were inherently high above mortals – everyone kept their distance and didn’t dare to approach him.

Chu Jiubian took in their reactions but didn’t pay them any mind, just continuing to make his way inside.

Before long, he noticed a shop that was particularly lively, with the sounds of drums and cheers filling the air. But the most striking sight was the three large, red drums in the center of the crowd, with dancers gracefully performing atop them.

The dancers wore long dresses in the latest style, their hair adorned with glittering gold and silver ornaments and jewels.

The movements of their dance were graceful and captivating.

But what truly made them stand out were the clothes they were wearing.

The style was similar to the dresses worn by women in the capital, but the quality of the fabric was vastly different.

The light pink, soft yellow, and pale purple silk was soft and lightweight, draping beautiful as it shimmered in the sunlight.

Presenting the fabric through the use of real-life models was all Situ Zhaoling’s idea.

Their silk products would target the high-end market. The best way to achieve this was to have noble ladies from the palace wear them, but there was currently no empress, no concubines, and no princesses in the palace, so there was no one to act as a “brand ambassador.”

Therefore, they had to settle for the less ideal solution and simply have dancers wear the dresses for display.

The status of dancers and singers in Great Ning was not high. Respectable women from good families usually avoided associating with them, and even the maids from some high-ranking families had a higher social status than these singers and dancers.

Situ Zhaoling had no such concerns in the Nanjiang region, which led her to conceive of this plan, but Wang Qichen was somewhat worried.

However, he quickly reconsidered. Ultimately, the dancers wearing these silk garments were merely showcasing the fabric, and since they themselves were among the audience for such a product, there was nothing wrong with using them as models.

He would also wear the silk garments himself and act as a male model.

And since Chu Jiubian had worn the same fabric at the Mid-Autumn banquet, the ladies and wives who had been fortunate enough to attend would surely recognize it.

Since a son of a noble family and even Grand Tutor Chu, the incarnation of a god, had worn the fabric, these women would have no reservations.

Therefore, Wang Qichen had decided to go ahead with live models for the grand opening.

Rather than entering the silk shop, Chu Jiubian stood on the outskirts of the crowd and observed for some time.

Prices were high in Splendid Plaza, so those who could afford to shop and stroll around here were generally from well-to-do families. There were also many women among the crowd, although their faces were concealed by veils.

Chu Jiubian glanced around and noticed one or two slightly familiar faces, likely people he had seen at the previous palace banquet.

At the moment, these women and the onlookers around them were whispering among themselves.

“This is actually silk from Nanjiang – it looks even better than the silk from Jiangsu and Zhejiang.”

“Indeed, and look at the texture and color. They’re unlike anything I’ve seen before. If the price isn’t too high, I’ll buy several bolts of each color and have them made into dresses at home.”

“But dancing girls are wearing these silk dresses. Won’t we invite ridicule if we wear them?”

“What ridicule? We already wear silk from Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the same as dancing girls, so why would Nanjiang silk be unacceptable?”

“That’s right, and I also have some extra information.” The person speaking was someone Chu Jiubian had met at the palace banquet before, the very same girl who had played the pipa so beautifully.

“What information?” another girl in the group asked.

“When I returned from the Mid-Autumn Festival Banquet, didn’t I mention that the clothes Grand Tutor Chu was wearing looked like immortal garments?”

“I remember now, could it be that Grand Tutor Chu was wearing Nanjiang silk?”

“Exactly! And that delicate shade of pink, combined with an overlapping collar and belt, created an indescribably handsome appearance.”

“Ah, just imagining it makes me feel wonderful. If only I could meet Grand Tutor Chu in person.”

“Why are you blushing? Could it be…..?”

Embarrassed by the teasing, the girl said shyly: “Don’t talk nonsense. There are so many talented young men in the capital, but the Grand Tutor is someone we don’t even dare to dream of.”

“Yes, that person is an immortal. Let’s not mention him again.”

While everyone was talking amongst themselves, the dancers had finished their performance. But rather than coming down, they remained standing atop the drums with smiles on their faces.

The shopkeeper emerged from the silk shop, a woman who appeared to be in her early thirties. Smiling warmly, she offered some auspicious greetings to everyone before saying: “Our Nanjiang silk shop sells only newly-produced silk from that region. The quality and aesthetics speak for themselves, as you can see.”

Someone asked in a heckling tone: “Shopkeeper, how much does a bolt of this silk cost?”

The shopkeeper smiled and said: “Different methods of craftsmanship come with different prices. You are welcome to come in and take a look; all of the prices are clearly displayed, so you will know at a glance.”

In this era, fixed pricing was not yet common in shops, and shop attendants were required to determine the price of each individual piece.

However, when Situ Zhaoling and Wang Qichen were discussing how to structure the shop, the High Priest offered a suggestion. For example, the shop could be divided into sections for ready-to-wear clothing, bolts of fabric, and custom tailoring, with fitting rooms available for customers to try on the ready-to-wear garments.

Also, they could clearly display the price of every garment and piece of fabric, which allowed customers to know the price of each one without needing to ask.

There was no shortage of noble ladies in the capital, nor was there a lack of lavish spenders.

But for those who were short on cash, they would be saved the embarrassment of having to ask the price.

Both Believers thought these ideas had merit, and they even brainstormed to come up with many good ideas for marketing and development.

At this moment, the onlookers didn’t know exactly what “clearly marked prices” would look like, so they all made their way into the store.

The store had two floors, with the first divided into ready-to-wear and custom-made clothes. Upon entering, everyone immediately noticed eight long tables neatly arranged on the lefthand side of the shop, with tailors sitting behind them, working busily. To the right were two long rows of clothing racks made by Situ Zhaoyao, which displayed many ready-made garments in a variety of colors, all of them dresses.

In front of the main display of clothing racks were more than thirty individual racks, each displaying a dress with superior embroidery and a more unique, eye-catching design.

Each hanging garment also had a small piece of paper attached, which showed the price.

All in all, it made for an unexpectedly impressive sight.

The shopkeeper said with a smile: “The second floor offers a display of silk fabrics of various types and colors. You ladies and gentlemen are welcome to go up and take a look.”

At once, some people began to walk upstairs.

Upon reaching the second floor, they found that the ceiling was adorned with layer upon layer of various silks arranged in a beautiful pattern. On the shelves below were neatly-stacked bolts of silk, arranged from light to dark within the same color families. The sight was breathtaking when illuminated by the sunlight streaming in through the windows.

“This isn’t just a silk shop; I’d believe it if you told me this was the immortal realm,” someone exclaimed.

Seeing that everyone had entered the shop, Chu Jiubian remained standing in place.

His gaze was not directed toward the shop itself, but rather toward the newly renovated “Yaotai Bookstore” next door.

Bookstores were very rare in Great Ning, with most of the establishments being ink shops instead.

Ink shops mainly sold ink, brushes, paper, and inkstones, and only sold books containing the Analects of Confucius and articles published by various renowned scholars and influential figures. Such content contained philosophical debates, excerpts from poetry collections, and some fictional stories written for entertainment.

Such storybooks were very rare, and many of them dealt with ancient legends, gods, and the supernatural. They had not yet expanded to the kind of light reading featuring scholars and young ladies from wealthy families.

Of course, there were not many ink shops in existence. In the entire capital city, there were only five or six, which was already considered a large number.

This was because in Great Ning, everyone who could afford an education came from families with some financial means.

For families like this, when they needed writing supplies such as brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, they would simply send someone to the paper mill and ink workshop to place an order. The supplies would be delivered to their homes by a dedicated delivery person, so there was no need to go to an ink shop and make their selections in person.

For this reason, ink shops generally did not bring in a lot of business, with most of them being opened by pretentious scholars who wanted to show off their cultured backgrounds and refined tastes.

Therefore, Yaotai Bookstore, located in a high-traffic area such as Splendid Plaza, was incredibly conspicuous.

Chu Jiubian shifted his gaze from the elaborately-written sign toward the second floor.

The second-floor window was open, and a young man in light pink, round-necked robes stood there toying with the fan in his hand, his slightly curly hair flowing down his back.

His slightly upturned fox-like eyes contained a smile, and when he lowered his gaze, he seemed to be regarding people with tender affection.

It was Wang Qichen. 

Chu Jiubian had forgotten what it felt like when he met the other party at the auction, but now, seeing the young man display himself like a peacock, he felt that this person was really…..

The System’s mechanical voice abruptly sounded in his mind: [Host, it has been detected that you have encountered Believer Wang Qichen in the three-dimentional world. The Divine Realm’s additional function has been activated.]

“What additional function?” Chu Jiubian asked.

[When Host and a Believer meet in the three-dimensional world, a connection will be triggered. In the presence of your Believers, you will possess the same powerful and imposing aura as the “High Priest” in the Divine Realm.]

It actually had such a function?

Chu Jiubian was delighted.

Upstairs, Wang Qichen had been watching Chu Jiubian the entire time.

He had spotted him the moment he arrived.

This was his second time seeing Grand Tutor Chu, and he looked quite different from how he had appeared at the auction the first time. The current Chu Jiubian seemed to possess a greater sense of authority and sternness, no longer merely exhibiting a detached and elegant demeanor.

With such an impressive bearing, Grand Tutor Chu was enough to draw attention even while doing nothing but standing there quietly.

But when the other party looked up, and his eyes – with those emotionless, light-hued pupils – met Wang Qichen’s, an inexplicable sense of oppression came over him.

He was genuinely frightened, just as he had been upon meeting the High Priest in the Divine Realm.

Although he seemed to be standing at the higher vantage point, looking down at Chu Jiubian below, the figure of the other man was as imposing as the most magnificent statue of a god in a temple.

However, this feeling had not been present during their initial meeting.

Was it because Chu Jiubian, this god who had descended to the mortal world, had reunited with the High Priest and was therefore beginning to regain his divine power?

Ever since meeting the High Priest, he had been reading many myths and legends and learning about various deities who had fallen to the mortal world. Gods could lose their divine power for a variety of reasons, but after regaining said power, they could return to the celestial realm at any time.

So was Chu Jiubian regaining his divine power? Otherwise, how could he carry around such a heart-stopping sense of oppression?

Wang Qichen had no clue that this was actually a chain reaction caused by his establishment as a Believer inside the Divine Realm. After dealing with this flurry of wild thoughts, he simply smiled and nodded to Chu Jiubian in a faux-casual manner.

Chu Jiubian’s lips twitched, and he looked away before turning to walk toward the bookstore.

He had intended to meet with Wang Qichen today to reveal his relationship with the High Priest, and also to subtly inform him that he was aware of Wang Qichen’s status as a Believer of the other god.

That way, when he needed things done in the capital later on, he could use his identity as Grand Tutor Chu to have Wang Qichen deal with them.

Wang Qichen hadn’t expected Chu Jiubian’s smile, and certainly hadn’t expected him to enter the store.

After a moment’s hesitation, he quickly turned and went downstairs to greet him in person.

The bookstore was almost completely set up, and would be opening in a couple of days.

Its shopkeeper had previously been in charge of a shop that belonged to Wang Qichen’s mother as part of her dowry. This bookstore was currently a more important business, so he had called this person over to manage it.

The old shopkeeper’s eyes were sharp and bright. He immediately recognized Chu Jiubian’s official robes and distinctive hairstyle, and pinpointed his identity. Stepping forward, he offered a respectful bow and said: “This humble subject greets My Lord. Does My Lord have any instructions for me?”

Chu Jiubian said softly: “I’m looking for your boss.”

“The boss, he…..” As the shopkeeper was speaking, he heard footsteps on the stairs behind him and knew that Wang Qichen himself was coming down.

As expected, the young man swiftly descended the stairs in fluttering light pink robes. He approached Chu Jiubian and bowed, saying: “This one is Wang Qichen, the young master of the Wang family. Paying my respects to the Grand Tutor.”

Chu Jiubian gave a hum of acknowledgement, then said: “Would it be convenient to speak privately for a moment?”

“Of course.” Wang Qichen gestured toward the stairs. “Please, My Lord.”

Chu Jiubian walked ahead, with Wang Qichen following half a step behind.

The shopkeeper stood in place, observing their back profiles. They were of a similar height, but their temperaments were worlds apart.

Their young master was usually a very haughty person, and wouldn’t necessarily show even the Grand Tutor or Lord Ning-wang this much respect.

The old shopkeeper knew his young master well, and could tell whether the other’s respect was genuine or merely feigned.

Ordinarily, Wang Qichen treated those powerful and influential families – and even his own father and clan elders – with merely performative respect, but this Grand Tutor Chu was different.

And when had the young master become acquainted with Grand Tutor Chu?

At present, it was the Grand Tutor who was assisting in governing the court and managing state affairs, and he was also a divine being descended from heaven. If the young master was able to befriend such a person, his future would be limitless.

Feeling a mix of relief and pride, the old shopkeeper made a great effort to control his emotions.

Upstairs, Wang Qichen invited Chu Jiubian to sit by the window and personally poured him a cup of tea.

Chu Jiubian took a small sip.

Wang Qichen observed his expression, and only when the other man set down his teacup did he tentatively ask: “My Lord, may I ask why you sought out this subordinate today? Do you have any instructions for me?”

“If I really have something for you to do, will you do it?” Chu Jiubian asked with a smile.

When this aloof, ethereal young man displayed a faint smile, it was like the breaking of dawn, sending a shiver through one’s heart. 

Wang Qichen lowered his gaze, no longer making eye contact.

“This subordinate will do his utmost to carry out My Lord’s orders,” he said.

Leaving aside the fact that Chu Jiubian now held immense power, and that he wouldn’t be able to refuse his orders if he commanded a mere young master such as himself to do something, he would still do his best out of respect for the relationship between this person and the High Priest.

Chu Jiubian was just teasing him, and upon hearing this response, he chuckled and turned to look out the window.

The weather had grown cooler these days, and one could feel a chill simply by opening a window.

Watching the bustling crowd down below, he asked casually: “When did he contact you?”

He was naturally referring to the High Priest.

Just as I expected, thought Wang Qichen.

The High Priest claimed to be keeping his existence hidden, but not only had Grand Tutor Chu uncovered the High Priest’s existence, he even knew that Wang Qichen was one of his followers.

But Wang Qichen still feigned ignorance, saying: “To whom are you referring?”

Chu Jiubian regarded him with a half-smile on his face.

Wang Qichen opened his folding fan and fanned himself gently.

“You all opened the silk shop next door at his command, didn’t you?” Chu Jiubian added.

Wang Qichen: “…..”

What a telling use of “you all.” It seemed that he knew the High Priest had more than one follower.

How exactly did this Grand Tutor’s brain function?

Chu Jiubian didn’t seem to notice the complicated expression on his face, continuing in a very familiar tone: “If he offers you a share of the profits, just take it. Don’t be shy.”

Tsk, what was with this familial tone? Wang Qichen could now be certain that the relationship between these two deities was extremely close, and definitely surpassed the boundaries of “mere friends.”

It was just that…..

He couldn’t help but think of Lord Ning-wang, who was away on his military campaign.

It was widely rumored within the capital that Qin Xiao was Chu Jiubian’s destined love interest, and that their relationship was ambiguous.

Then what about the High Priest?

Thinking of this, Wang Qichen suddenly felt that the Chu Jiubian standing before him resembled Ning-wang in both his demeanor and tone of voice.

It was as if after spending so much time together, they had unconsciously influenced one another.

The more he thought about this, the more complicated his gaze fixed on Chu Jiubian became.

Chu Jiubian had no idea of what was going through his mind. After expressing what he wanted to say, he didn’t linger. He only mentioned that he would seek Wang Qichen’s help when dealing with Family Head Wang Huanzhi and his faction in the future, and then took his leave.

News of his meeting with Wang Qichen spread like wildfire and quickly reached the ears of those influential people in the capital.

Sitting in his study with a gloomy expression on his face, Wang Huanzhi sneered: “So that’s why this rebellious son has been opposing me at every turn lately – he has been colluding with Chu Jiubian.”

Did he think that aligning himself with Imperial power would guarantee him a life of ease and security?

This son of his was truly young.

The Wang family was a powerful and influential clan, a thorn in the sides of Chu Jiubian and Qin Xiao. 

He could say with confidence that if the Wang family helped the Emperor eliminate the other three families, the Emperor’s next target would be them.

“Foolish thing,” Wang Huanzhi couldn’t help but curse.

Strategist Wang Zhang’s expression turned grim, and he said in a deep voice: “Minister Wang’s current stance is unclear, and he obviously doesn’t want to get involved in the family’s internal power struggle. This is a good thing for us.”

“But with the Old Madam still alive, nearly half of the family will side with that rebellious son,” said Wang Huanzhi.

Wang Zhang said: “The Old Madam is advanced in age, and doesn’t have many days left to live. For now, we should focus on managing our businesses and maintaining our power. Once she passes away, the Young Master will lose his support and will no longer pose a threat.”

When the topic of business came up, Wang Huanzhi couldn’t help but frown.

Recently, rumors had been circulating within the capital that a certain type of paper had appeared on the market that was superior to “Langya Gold Paper.” Pure white and flawless, it was as thin as a cicada’s wing.

If such paper truly existed, then the Wang family’s paper mill would be severely impacted.

“I wonder if that so-called paper actually exists or not,” Wang Huanzhi said.

“Whether or not it exists, we must continue to keep an eye on the situation.” Wang Zhang’s cloudy eyes narrowed slightly. “If the paper is truly that good, we should acquire the papermaking method.”

In this case, “acquiring” it could mean buying it with money or seizing it through other means depending on the specific circumstances.

“I also heard that the Young Master opened a bookstore.” Wang Zhang asked, “This new papermaking method, could it be…..?”

“Impossible,” Wang Huanzhi said decisively. “If that rebellious son had such a talent, would he have waited until now?”

The opening of a bookstore was merely an attempt to gain recognition, just like smaller families with literary backgrounds sometimes did. 

Wang Zhang frowned deeply: “Let us hope that is the case.”

*

*

After washing up that night, Chu Jiubian lay down in bed.

Today was the ninth day of the eleventh lunar month, and Qin Xiao had been gone for exactly two months. The weather had also turned absolutely frigid.

The main hall and the eastern courtyard of Yangxin Hall had been fitted with underfloor heating, so that the child could sleep soundly at night without being cold in the slightest.

But due to time constraints, Chu Jiubian didn’t want to temporarily stay in another residence during the installation, so no underfloor heating was added to Yaotai Residence. Rather than a traditional heated kang bed, he simply placed down a sheetmetal stove he’d made earlier, which still provided considerable warmth.

Huddled beneath the covers, Chu Jiubian took from the System’s inventory the confidential letter from the Northwest he’d obtained the previous day.

In the letter, Qin Xiao stated that he had led his army to drive the enemy forces back to their central city.

Moba Zanpu had never imagined that Qin Xiao would be so ruthless. He attempted to surrender and negotiate several times, but Qin Xiao understood the concept of removing the root cause of a problem, and gave him no chance at all. He simply told him that hostilities would only cease once the entire Sai Kingdom royal family was dead.

The members of said royal family were stuck between a rock and a hard place. From the front, they faced the fierce assault of the Great Ning Army, while from the back, the people of the Sai Kingdom, desperate for peace, wanted to capture them and hand them over to Lord Ning-wang.

At the end of the letter, Qin Xiao wrote: I am doing well, and will return home at the end of the year so that we can celebrate the New Year together.

He didn’t specify who “we” referred to.

Chu Jiubian stowed away the letter and stared at the bed frame, lost in thought.

The second round of Imperial Examinations had concluded, and the list of candidates advancing to the third round should be sent back to the capital in the next few days.

The next round of exams would be held on the first day of the twelfth lunar month.

Around the middle of the same month, the exam papers from all over the territory would be sent to the capital for Chu Jiubian to personally review.

The Lunar New Year would arrive after all of those papers were graded, and the final round of exams would be postponed until after the holiday, by which time Qin Xiao should have returned.

Chu Jiubian shut his eyes and entered the Divine Realm.

“Let’s see what Qin Chuan is up to,” he said.

[Okay.]

The System displayed the card screen belonging to Qin Chuan.

Snowflakes were falling onscreen, blanketing the entire Lu residence in a layer of white.

An ordinary-looking man was sitting cross-legged on a thick mat, with a screen painted with flowers and birds beside him. On the other side of the screen was a handsome young man dressed in light blue inner garments, holding a bamboo scroll in his hand as he sat on a bed.

These two were none other than Lu Yao, the man who never slept, and Qin Chuan, who had somehow managed to disguise himself and become Lu Yao’s servant.

This wasn’t Chu Jiubian’s first time seeing these two in the past month or so.

Qin Chuan knew that the High Priest sometimes observed them from time to time, so instead of paying attention to that prying gaze, he gave a lazy yawn.

Tilting his head, he looked past the screen toward the person on the bed.

The Lu territory was the birthplace of the great sage Confucius, as well as the ancestral home of the Langya Wang clan, which demonstrated its rich cultural heritage.

Therefore, it was no exaggeration to say that this place was absolutely teeming with families known for their love of books and learning.

In a place like this, the local Lu family, who ran a small inn and restaurant, was simply insignificant.

But from this seemingly ordinary family appeared a young prodigy, Lu Yao.

At only nineteen years old, he had studied extensively, and the breadth of his knowledge was truly astonishing.

No wonder he had been chosen by the High Priest.

However, this person’s temperament was far too strange; not only did he remain awake day and night, but he also refused to interact with others.

And when he looked at people, he always stared intently, his dark eyes bright and profound, as if he could see right through them. Even someone as experienced and worldly as Qin Chuan occasionally felt a shiver run down his spine.

He averted his gaze, and suddenly heard the distant, echoing roar of a dragon.

His heart skipped a beat, and he instinctively turned his head to look outside.

Almost at the same time, an enormous golden dragon swam in through the window. Its massive head lingered in front of him for a moment, its dark, vertical pupils reflecting his slightly tense face.

Then, the long dragon soared past him.

Simultaneously, Qin Chuan heard the ethereal voice of the High Priest say: “Put Lu Yao to sleep.”

Falling asleep was a required condition for entering the Divine Realm. Qin Chuan was aware of this, and supposed that the High Priest intended to summon Lu Yao there.

Thus, he got to his feet and walked around the screen.

Sitting upon his divine throne, Chu Jiubian watched on as Qin Chuan raised his hand and struck the back of Lu Yao’s neck. The youth’s eyes closed, and he slumped limply onto the bed.

Chu Jiubian: “……”

He’d actually thought that Qin Chuan would employ a gentler method, such as a sedative, but it seemed that he still didn’t know this Believer of his well enough.

Without wasting any time, he immediately said to the System: “Summon Lu Yao.”

[Believer Lu Yao has been detected to be in a comatose but summonable state. Summoning in progress.]

[Summoning successful.]

As soon as it finished speaking, a figure plummeted out of the clouds.

The golden phoenix flew over and carried him on its back, then soared unhurriedly back to the long table and set its passenger down.

Chu Jiubian observed clearly that from beginning to end, Lu Yao merely observed his surroundings with curiosity, with no signs of defensiveness, vigilance, or fear.

After landing, Lu Yao gazed up at the enormous, ethereal figure of the deity hidden in the mist.

“Welcome to my Divine Realm,” Chu Jiubian said.

Lu Yao blinked, then said in a mild tone: “I wonder, Grand Tutor, if you are seeking me out in regard to the Imperial Examinations?”

“ ? ” Chu Jiubian said, “I am the High Priest.”

“En, that too,” said Lu Yao.

Chu Jiubian’s eyebrows rose.

So this was what a Believer with a 200% intelligence level looked like?

“You think we’re the same person?” he asked with deliberate carelessness.

Lu Yao nodded: “You must have compelling reasons to utilize two identities. I surmise that you don’t trust Lord Ning-wang, so you’ve prepared a means of protecting yourself.”

Chu Jiubian: “…..”

He didn’t like talking to intelligent people anymore.

“You can rest at ease. I will keep your secret, and so will my servant,” Lu Yao said.

“Do you know the identity of your servant?”

“No, I don’t know anyone from the jianghu.”

Chu Jiubian had met a variety of people during his work as an actor, including some reclusive individuals who were considered to be “geniuses.” These people shared some characteristics: like Lu Yao, their speech and actions were very straightforward, without regard for the feelings of others.

“Although you don’t trust Lord Ning-wang, he clearly trusts you. And so do I.” Lu Yao continued, “I’ve heard about your deeds, and I know that you want to improve the lives of the common people. Therefore, I will diligently prepare for the Imperial Examinations, enter officialdom, and work on your behalf.”

Chu Jiubian felt that there was no need for him to even speak. The child had said everything he wanted to hear.

However, this person’s personality was not well–suited for a career in politics. 

But considering the fact that he was a genius, capable of learning a vast array of knowledge and culture, he was naturally capable of learning interpersonal skills as well.

Thus, Chu Jiubian said: “Interacting with others is also a learnable skill.”

Lu Yao was taken aback. But after a moment’s consideration, he said: “You are correct. If one wishes to pursue a career in government, social interaction is unavoidable. I wonder if there are any books available that offer guidance on the subject?”

There were quite a few options in the System Mall, but none that were very intuitive. It was better to learn directly by spending time around others and observing them. 

“That servant of yours is no ordinary person. You will be able to learn from him,” Chu Jiubian said.

Qin Chuan possessed extensive connections and resources, making him a genius in the realm of interpersonal relationships. Having him teach Lu Yao was the perfect choice.

Lu Yao nodded and said: “This subordinate understands.”

He had already begun to act as a subordinate.

Chu Jiubian gave a slight chuckle, then said: “Go, then. I’ll see you in the capital.”

Lu Yao performed a respectful bow.

Upon opening his eyes again, he saw Qin Chuan standing beside the bed. The first words out of his mouth were: “Please instruct me in the art of social interaction and etiquette.”

Qin Chuan: “……”

What the hell?

---

T/N: Lu Yao reminds me of Liu Xian’an from Strong Winds Return Home. I think they would be best buds!

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Chapter 65 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 67

Thank you to sarah for your support on Kofi! Here’s a double update!

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On the battlefield.

Moba Zampu rode atop a tall, powerful horse. Holding a longsword, his already imposing figure was made even more formidable by the dark armor he wore.

His deep-set features were very different from those of the Central Plains people. Sweeping past the two opposing commanders who were locked in fierce combat, his gaze settled on the tall, striking figure at the forefront of the Great Ning Army.

That person was Ning-wang Qin Xiao, the most powerful and influential figure in Great Ning.

The two deputies were equally matched in the fight, and their battle wouldn’t end anytime soon. But when they noticed Moba Zanpu’s arrival, they knew that the situation had changed.

Therefore, although neither of them had emerged victorious, they tacitly stopped fighting and returned to their respective army formations. 

After his deputy’s safe return, Qin Xiao rode his horse toward the center of the two armies as Moba Zanpu did the same.

On one side was the Regent of Great Ning, who held a position second only to the Emperor, and on the other was the Sovereign of the Sai Kingdom. Regardless of who won or lost, the outcome would decide the reputations of their respective countries.

Under such circumstances, these two generals should not engage each other in combat on the battlefield. Moba Zanpu simply wished to talk things over again. 

If Qin Xiao agreed to give him Gansu, he would have no compunctions about revealing how Dingbei-wang had colluded with him. After all, tangible benefits were all that truly mattered.

But when Qin Xiao first arrived and sent people to “negotiate,” he only made one request, which the other party promptly refused. And the very next day, he launched an attack.

The situation had changed now, and Moba Zanpu felt it necessary to have a conversation with Qin Xiao.

And he had leverage on him.

The Great Ning Dynasty was currently plagued by dire internal conflict, and Qin Xiao was facing enemies on all sides.

However, if the two of them were to cooperate, Moba Zanpu could guarantee that he would keep an eye on the neighboring Shanxi and Sichuan regions for him, so that Dingbei-wang and Pingxi-wang couldn’t engage in any underhanded schemes.

This was an offer that Qin Xiao absolutely couldn’t refuse.

Qin Xiao, however, had no intention of wasting words on him, and upon approach, he squeezed his legs against his horse’s flanks and charged forward.

Moba Zanpu was caught unawares by the sudden attack. His face darkened, and he swiftly grabbed hold of his longsword, stepping forward to meet the blow.

This Ning-wang of the Qin family had recently killed several of his most formidable commanders, so he didn’t dare underestimate this opponent.

Qin Xiao’s spear thrust directly at Moba Zanpu’s face in a swift, powerful movement, displaying a level of skill no less impressive than that of a seasoned general who had spent years fighting on the battlefield.

Moba Zanpu felt an intense wave of pressure, and with a flick of his wrist, he swung his longsword horizontally. 

The blade of the sword struck the spearhead, and the piercing clash of metal against metal resonated through the air, causing both armies to stir and prepare for battle.

After the first exchange, the two immediately launched their second attacks.

Qin Xiao wielded his spear with effortless finesse, each strike aimed at a vital point. Moba Zanpu’s expression grew increasingly grim, and his hand throbbed dully, yet Qin Xiao remained utterly composed throughout, with no sign of tremors in his spear-wielding hand.

This Ning-wang’s arm strength was truly astonishing!

The spear thrust toward his abdomen this time, and when Moba Zanpu raised his sword to block it, the spearhead abruptly changed direction and lunged toward his throat.

He quickly shifted his defensive stance, but he was a moment too late, and could only hastily raise his arm to block. The spearhead punched straight through, splattering blood into his face.

With a roar, Moba Zanpu forcibly deflected the spearhead, his hand almost completely numb.

On the opposite side, Qin Xiao suddenly placed one hand on his horse’s back and used that momentum to leap into the air, thrusting his spear forward.

The injury slowed Moba Zanpu’s reaction time, and Qin Xiao stabbed him directly in the shoulder.

Then, without any hesitation, Qin Xiao pulled back his spear and took several steps back.

At the same time, Moba Zanpu brought his sword down with great force and unleashed a brutal attack. 

This strike was both a counterattack and a command to his troops.

A long, deep horn blast echoed from the army behind him, and those brawny men all roared and charged forward.

Rather than turning to leave, Qin Xiao instead lightly squeezed his horse’s flanks and charged toward Moba Zanpu again.

And the Great Ning Army behind him also began to move.

Qin Xiao had brought with him on this campaign the formidable commander Cheng Shuo from the capital, and when he passed through Shanxi on the way, he also recruited the local garrison leader, Hu Fang.

Hu Fang was a man in his forties, a former subordinate of the Qin family and a seasoned veteran of many battles.

With Cheng Shuo currently absent, Hu Fang was the highest-ranking military officer under Qin Xiao.

He held a military banner high, and when he waved it a few times in a strange pattern, the army instantly divided into three ranks.

The infantry on the left raised their shields and spears, forming an impenetrable “wall of steel” as they advanced at a rapid march.

The soldiers in the central ranks raised their longbows, drawing them into full moons as the arrow tips gleamed with a chilling light.

The light cavalry on the right flank were not many in number, only a bit over ten thousand-strong, but they were fast-moving and had already taken advantage of the chaos on the battlefield to encircle the enemy from behind.

“Fire the arrows!” Hu Fang shouted.

Thousands of arrows were released simultaneously.

The Sai Army raised their shields to protect themselves, but due to the short distance, the cavalry and infantry behind these shield-bearing soldiers were already being pierced through.

For a time, screams, the clash of weapons, and the cries of wounded war horses all mixed together as the entire narrow plain was painted with blood.

The battle lasted for a full three hours, from evening until late into the night.

This long, narrow stretch of land had initially given the Sai Army an advantage, but the Great Ning Army directly broke through their flanks, encircled them from behind, and formed a pincer attack.

Fearing that they would become trapped, Moba Zanpu had no choice but to turn his army around and retreat.

But the more than 10,000-strong cavalry blocking the way obstructed them relentlessly, preventing them from moving even an inch.

However, after a few hours, the entire plain was strewn with corpses, and the enemy army was able to break through the blockade behind them and flee.

Qin Xiao led his army in pursuit all the way to the enemy encampment. The prolonged marching and fighting had left the soldiers physically and mentally exhausted. The rain was also coming down heavier, and the night wind caused them to shiver in their soaked clothes.

Qin Xiao didn’t pursue them further, instead ordering his men to set up camp and rest.

They would continue their pursuit tomorrow at dawn, aiming to drive the enemy forces out of the Gansu region within a few days.

The soldiers busied themselves setting up tents and campfires.

Standing at a high vantage point, Qin Xiao could see the enemy army’s innumerable tents, as well as the scattered, disorganized formations of tens of thousands of soldiers.

Hu Fang came to a stop at his side. Looking out with squinted eyes, he said: “My Lord, Cheng Shuo will likely arrive at about noon tomorrow. Should we wait until then to take action?”

“No need,” said Qin Xiao. He turned and walked toward his tent. “The enemy has suffered at least 40,000 casualties, while we have only suffered around 20,000.”

Now that their forces were roughly equal in number, they had a very good chance of winning the battle.

Moreover, Cheng Shuo wouldn’t actually be coming to meet them; he had something else to take care of.

But this was a confidential matter, and Qin Xiao had not informed anyone else.

Hu Fang had participated in countless battles, and had learned a great deal from Grand Commandant Qin in his youth. Naturally, he could tell that Qin Xiao had other plans.

But the biggest taboo in a military camp was the leakage of military intelligence – the fewer people who knew, the better.

So rather than investigate further, Hu Fang posed a different question: “Will we pursue the enemy further after driving them out of Gansu?”

“En.”

“But —” Hu Fang glanced toward the 20,000 soldiers who had formed their own separate group within the ranks.

Those were all men from the Northwest Army, but their commander, Pang Ruizhi, was not among them.

A message previously sent from the Northwest to the capital had stated that the 70,000-strong Northwestern Army was no match for the enemy forces, and had lost Gansu within three days.

After Qin Xiao and his army arrived in Shaanxi, he had sent people to seek out Pang Ruizhi.

Commander Pang was the brother-in-law of Minister of War Lu Youwei. In his early thirties, he had a carefree and somewhat dissolute demeanor. He burst into tears upon seeing Qin Xiao, saying that he was incompetent and wished to redeem himself by accompanying Qin Xiao to Gansu.

But Qin Xiao had said: “Since you’re aware of your incompetence, take off that military uniform and go home to be a pampered young master.”

Everyone in the capital was already accustomed to Qin Xiao’s manner of speech, but this was Pang Ruizhi’s first time witnessing it.

He was only able to accept it a little easier due to his military background.

Upon hearing this, he simply said that he was indeed incompetent, but he wished to make amends if Qin Xiao would give him a chance.

He even put on a dramatic display, acting as if he was going to be unreasonable and throw a gigantic tantrum. It was unknown where he had learned such behavior.

But Qin Xiao didn’t buy into his act at all, and threatened to directly dismiss him from his position if he continued to drag his feet like this.

Only then did Pang Ruizhi quiet down.

Qin Xiao then requested another 20,000 soldiers from the Northwest Army, adding them to his forces to bring the total number up to 110,000.

In fact, throughout the journey, Qin Xiao would select soldiers and officers from city defense forces or garrison troops at each place he visited.

For military officers, the path to promotion had always been on the battlefield, so they happily followed along when this opportunity arose and brought with them their trusted subordinates. Therefore, these seemingly disorganized troops were actually quite unified.

But the 20,000 Northwest Army soldiers were different.

Perhaps because their commander hadn’t come along and there was no one among them to take the lead, or perhaps because they had been influenced and manipulated by Pang Ruizhi, they always formed their own group out of step with the main army.

It was fortunate that they still understood the importance of obeying military orders on the battlefield. Otherwise, this battle would have been impossible to fight.

What Hu Fang was worried about now was whether there were any ill-intentioned individuals among these soldiers.

Focused on driving the enemy out of Gansu, these soldiers were still obedient, but things might change once they left the Gansu region.

Qin Xiao was currently the target of assassination by every force in existence. If there were indeed any assassins hiding among these soldiers, a surprise attack during battle would be very difficult to guard against.

Therefore, if Qin Xiao wished to fight his way all the way to the Western Regions and penetrate deep into enemy territory, he would face even greater danger.

Without even glancing at those people, Qin Xiao said: “Of these nearly 100,000 soldiers, half of them belong to various factions. It is impossible to guard against them all.”

It would be better to simply place benefits right in front of them.

Recapturing Gansu would be a great achievement, but reclaiming lost territory was simply the duty of military officers, and if there were any rewards, they wouldn’t be substantial.

However, if the army were to march westward and conquer the Western Regions, that would expand Great Ning’s territory and be a tremendous achievement.

When the time came for such incredible merit to be officially recognized, everyone would receive unexpected benefits.

In addition, the border territories of the Western Regions contained much of value, all of which would be spoils of war to line the pockets of these soldiers.

What was not to like about this?

Upon hearing this explanation, Hu Fang felt enlightened, and said with a smile: “My Lord’s words are correct. This old veteran was being foolish.”

No wonder Qin Xiao hadn’t been particularly worried or cautious from the beginning. He clearly had everything under control.

These soldiers were indeed backed by powerful forces, but they were merely pawns in those people’s hands.

For them, tangible achievements were far more important than vague promises or so-called protection.

These people had already pledged their allegiance to various forces out of self-interest, so they could just as easily pledge their allegiance to Qin Xiao and be of use to him.

“Rest assured,” said Qin Xiao, “right now, everyone wants me to continue westward and conquer the Sai Kingdom. No one will attack me before then.”

Hu Fang was startled, and his expression shifted slightly.

*

*

 Meanwhile, in the distant Sai Kingdom camp, the tens of thousands of soldiers who had beaten a hasty retreat were in disarray, with many of them rushing directly into the military camp.

Inside the seemingly endless rows of tents, many small, delicate dancers screamed and rushed out, and many others were trampled to death by the speeding warhorses.

Bai Liyu sat inside his tent, listening to the commotion outside with a tranquil expression as he slowly sipped his tea.

“Master,” one of his subordinates said in a low voice, “The enemy Sai Kingdom is preparing to retreat. What should we do?”

“They haven’t retreated yet, have they?” Bai Liyu said calmly.

His collaboration with the Sai Kingdom was originally for the purpose of drawing Qin Xiao into his territory.

Everyone wanted Qin Xiao dead, but no one dared to make the first move and set the stage for his demise.

Bai Liyu was giving them an opportunity, and would wait to see how they would react.

The Wang family was currently unreliable, and it was unclear what other forces were planning. Since Ning-wang would be remaining here for some time, Bai Liyu was in no hurry to take action.

There was nothing wrong with using his own methods once everyone else had exhausted their options.

But when that time came, he would inevitably be forced to take greater risks.

Therefore, if possible, he didn’t want Qin Xiao to die by his hand.

He had previously considered using Moba Zanpu’s help to eliminate Qin Xiao, but now, it seemed that Moba Zanpu was simply no match for the man.

But having said that, the Sai Kingdom Army was indeed not going to withdraw its troops anytime soon.

Gansu was a very important strategic location; if the Sai Kingdom were to occupy this area, it would have taken the first step toward entering the Central Plains.

Therefore, unless it was absolutely necessary, Moba Zanpu would not withdraw his troops.

His decision to retreat back to the military encampment was actually the wisest choice.

This location was surrounded on both sides by steep mountain ridges, making it truly easy to defend and difficult to attack. Because the terrain was narrower than that of the battlefield, there was no need to worry about being outflanked by Qin Xiao from behind and hemmed in on both sides.

On the contrary, Qin Xiao was the one who should be more wary.

After three hours of fierce battle, both the soldiers and their horses were exhausted and in need of rest.

While the Sai Kingdom army rested and recuperated in their camp, the Great Ning soldiers would be forced to set up their tents again and restart their cooking fires. Relocating was troublesome, and there was no guarantee that they would get sufficient rest. Furthermore, with the dark nights and strong winds during this period, events capable of affecting the course of the battle were highly likely to occur.

Bai Liyu stood and walked out of his tent. Looking at the gradually calming military camp, he then raised his eyes toward the distance.

He could faintly see the flickering lights where the Great Ning Army was stationed. The terrain was higher there, and from such a vantage point, they could observe every movement in the enemy camp.

The rain seemed to be heavier than it was in the daytime, and the cold wind penetrated straight to the bone.

Bai Liyu adjusted his robes, his eyes deep and unfathomable.

By this time, the 5,000-man force sent out by Moba Zanpu should have arrived at the Ganying Post Station.

That was where Great Ning’s military provisions were stored. Bai Liyu had only mentioned it briefly, saying that they could cut off the food supply once the weather dried up, but the impatient Moba Zanpu immediately sent people over, presumably with the intention of taking a more aggressive approach.

Alternatively, they might be planning to raid and steal the grain in order to supply it to their own soldiers.

Bai Liyu was leaning toward the latter option.

*

*

Meanwhile, the 5,000 Sai Kingdom calvarymen had indeed arrived near the Ganying Post Station.

The Ganying Post Station was located in Ganying Village. Due to the small local population, the granaries were practically abandoned, so Deputy Minister of Revenue Wang Pengyi had stored all of the escorted grain and supplies there.

It was far enough from the battlefield to allow for a timely retreat if something went wrong, yet not so far that supplies couldn’t be delivered readily.

On a low hill outside the village, the leading officer and his troops concealed themselves in the woods and observed the area carefully for some time. When they saw that there were only a few dozen guards, their confidence rose.

At a wave of the leader’s hand, nearly a hundred soldiers dismounted, then stealthily entered the village carrying light equipment.

They proceeded silently, and upon reaching the granary, they ventured inside to verify that there was indeed grain stored there, to avoid any deception.

Shortly afterward, a soldier spotted a fire blazing in a certain part of the village.

This was a secret signal: if there was grain in the granaries and the guards were not a threat, a fire would be set in a random location.

If the situation changed, they would burn down the granary and the remaining soldiers would then retreat. 

The fact that it wasn’t the granary that was on fire proved that the situation was safe and that the provisions were still there. 

Thus, the leading officer issued a command and led the rest of the four thousand or so soldiers to race into town. 

However, as soon as they reached the outskirts, they saw a troop of Great Ning Army soldiers rushing out of the village, numbering two or three thousand men.

The officer’s heart skipped a beat as he immediately realized that he had fallen into a trap. He swiftly ordered a retreat, but another troop of soldiers rushed them from the rear, and they were caught in the middle.

In town, Wang Pengyi arrived at the entrance of the granary and saw that Cheng Shuo had already led his troops to capture all of the soldiers who had sneaked in.

“Thank you for your hard work, Commander Cheng,” Wang Pengyi said. “You’ve been busy all day; leave the rest for this official to handle.”

Cheng Shuo replied cooly: “It was no trouble at all, Lord Wang. We shall take our leave.”

Wang Pengyi knew that the other party didn’t trust him, so he dropped the subject and simply said: “Everything that Lord Ning-wang requested has been prepared. Please take it with you, Commander.”

“Many thanks,” Cheng Shuo said in a businesslike manner, then strode off toward the edge of town.

Behind him, the hundreds of Sai Kingdom spies who had been captured were all having their throats slit by Great Ning soldiers.

Wang Pengyi looked on with a grimace. He knew they were enemy combatants, but the thought that they were merely pawns controlled by others lingered in his mind, and he felt that persuading them to surrender would be better than killing them.

But when it came to military matters, he wasn’t nearly as capable as these commanders. His ideas were also sometimes overly-benevolent and flawed, so he had no intention of speaking up.

Unable to bear the gruesome sight any longer, he turned away and instructed a servant boy: “Have them buried.”

He didn’t necessarily believe in the concept of burial for the purpose of eternal rest, but although the weather had turned cooler, he did worry that so many bodies piled together might rot and spread disease.

*

*

At the Great Ning Military Camp.

Strategist Qian Ziming sat in his tent, his mind racing as he idly toyed with a teacup.

Previously, when he had discussed with Dingbei-wang the possibility of colluding with the Sai Kingdom to lure Qin Xiao here, he and the other strategists had listed all of the possible outcomes and countermeasures and submitted them to the vassal king.

Given the current situation, Bai Liyu would certainly inform Moba Zanpu of the location of the Great Ning Army’s supply depot and try to persuade him to deploy troops to destroy the granary.

But Qin Xiao had apparently anticipated this possibility, and directed Cheng Shuo to guard it.

Although Qian Ziming didn’t know when the commander had departed, he guessed that he had taken around 10,000 soldiers with him, which was a considerable number.

Moreover, given that a formidable military officer like Cheng Shuo had split off from the main army, it was unlikely that his sole purpose was to guard the granary. He must have other tasks to carry out.

Qian Ziming considered the current location of the troops and slowly constructed a three-dimensional model in his mind.

With mountains on both sides, it would be difficult for the nearly 10,000 soldiers led by Cheng Shuo to even attempt an encirclement. Unless Qin Xiao pushed the Sai Kingdom army further into the vast plains, and Cheng Shuo also traveled there via an alternate route and arrived ahead of time, a pincer maneuver would not be possible.

If they indeed carried out such a plan, then the Sai Kingdom would surely meet defeat.

A shrewd glint flashed through Qian Ziming’s eyes.

That being the case, the Sai Kingdom would no longer have any strategic value.

Why not allow Qin Xiao to continue fighting and expand the northwestern territory even further?

At that time, whether Qin Xiao appointed his own people to govern the newly-conquered territory or entrusted it to people from another faction, Bai Liyu would have the opportunity to incorporate this territory into his own fiefdom.

In these turbulent times, the more territory and subjects he possessed, the more resources he would have at hand to establish himself firmly amidst the chaos.

And when the chaos subsided, he would be able to strengthen himself with those resources, pursue opportunities, and ultimately seek out the highest position of power.

It would take Qin Xiao at least two or three months to conquer the Western Regions territories.

By then, the soldiers would be exhausted from intense and prolonged battle, supplies would be dwindling, and Bai Liyu, as well as other factions, would have further opportunities to take Qin Xiao’s life.

This was the optimal solution.

Qian Ziming knew that as long as Qin Xiao revealed his intention to continue attacking the Western Regions, the various forces within Great Ning would not act rashly.

They were playing the same game, and hatching the same plan as he and Dingbei-wang.

Qin Jingzhao and his wife had been discarded once they’d served their purpose, and now it was Qin Xiao’s turn.

Practice makes perfect.

*

*

Back in the capital, Chu Jiubian received a war report from the Northwest even before Qin Xiao’s third confidential letter arrived.

This report was presented at the morning court session by Minister of War Lu Youwei.

It stated that Qin Xiao had driven the foreign army out of Gansu, but he didn’t stop there. Instead, he continued westward, conquering two cities and further expanding the territory of Great Ning.

These few lines of text made no mention of the difficulty and peril involved, nor did they mention the state of Qin Xiao’s health.

But Chu Jiubian could almost imagine the scenario, and he now had a clear understanding of the situation. 

With this war report in hand, no faction would dare make a move against Qin Xiao for the time being.

They were all waiting for Qin Xiao to conquer even more territory, and also waiting for him to exhaust himself.

Several censors and other officials spoke up to congratulate the emperor with words such as “Our Great Ning is fortunate,” and “Ning-wang is a valiant hero of Great Ning.”

Chu Jiubian looked down slightly to conceal the chill in his eyes.

What good is it to be a hero of Great Ning if you still die due to political infighting?

Chu Jiubian wasn’t thinking about Qin Xiao, but rather his parents – Qin Jingzhao and Wei Lingyun.

Both the Qin and Wei families came from military backgrounds. During the founding emperor’s reign, the head of the Wei family was granted the hereditary title of ‘marquis,’ which would be passed down through generations, but since then, the Wei family had not produced any military commanders. On the contrary, they had all been scholars, which made the original Marquis Wei seem like a genetic anomaly.

That was, until Wei Lingyun was born.

From a young age, she had displayed extraordinary martial talent. A great many elders said that this was exactly the demeanor Marquis Wei possessed when he still lived, and that Wei Lingyun was destined to bring glory to the Wei family.

Not wanting to delay her progress, her family sent her to the northern frontier and entrusted her to Grand Commandant Qin.

Grand Commandant Qin took her under his wing and provided her with careful instruction.

At that time, Qin Jingzhao was also learning martial arts from his father, the current Grand Commandant, and thus grew up beside Wei Lingyun.

The two were childhood sweethearts. They later married and had their eldest daughter, Qin Feng, followed by their sons Qin Xiao and Qin Chuan.

After that, they also brought their Auntie Wu and her twin girls with them.

However, this once harmonious family found their peace shattered by the appearance of Emperor Yingzong. Unable to remain aloof from political affairs, they were forced into the vortex of the struggle for power.

Chu Jiubian had always suspected that there was something fishy about the deaths of Qin Jingzhao and Wei Lingyun. 

He had recently come to suspect that the Sai Kingdom invasion was likely a scheme orchestrated by the Lu family and Dingbei-wang, so he set out to obtain more information.

The investigation didn’t yield evidence of their collusion with Dingbei-wang, but it did reveal traces of their past activities in the Northern Desert region.

Therefore, the deaths of Qin Jingzhao and Wei Lingyun were undoubtedly connected to the Lu family!

Chu Jiubian wasn’t sure how much Qin Xiao knew about this matter, and also didn’t have any concrete evidence, so he could only put the matter aside for now and wait until Qin Xiao returned to discuss it further.

The morning court session was still underway, with everyone in unanimous agreement to support Qin Xiao’s plan to attack the Western Regions and the Sai Kingdom.

Minister of Revenue Su Sheng stepped forward and said: “Your Majesty, the treasury’s funds are insufficient to support Lord Ning-wang’s prolonged military campaign. Imploring Your Majesty to make the decision.”

Bai Lihong looked toward Chu Jiubian.

Chu Jiubian stepped out of the ranks and said: “Lord Su, there is no need to worry. The agreement for the second batch of fine salt has already been signed, and I expect that all parties will pay their deposits within the next two days.”

He had initially planned to sell only one batch of fine salt, but the unexpected outbreak of war in the Northwest had forced him to sell another.

In order to siphon even more money from the Qiu family, he had even bought more wine from the System Mall to give them.

He didn’t buy the ridiculously expensive Maotai wine this time, but rather an ordinary variety, which still tasted much better than the current cloudy rice wine. The Qiu family certainly didn’t want to miss out on this opportunity, and signed a sales agreement at a price that was much higher than that of fine salt.

Su Sheng had previously demanded payment from these people several times, and was growing increasingly proficient at it.

So upon hearing Chu Jiubian’s explanation, he unhesitatingly agreed and went to collect the money as soon as the court session ended.

In order to support Qin Xiao’s continuing war, these families stopped dragging their feet and handed over what was agreed on, not holding any of it back.

After registering the funds, Su Sheng allocated most of the money to Cai Peng, an assistant official in the Ministry of Rites, and tasked him with escorting it.

This was the candidate chosen after Chu Jiubian went over all of the options.

Cai Peng came from a family with a scholarly background, and although they were not quite as prominent as the Wang or Yuan families, they were still quite well-off.

However, he had reached his current position due to his status as a disciple of Minister of Personnel Xiao Huaiguan.

The escort selection process this time was different than it was for the initial batch of military supplies, because this time, whoever got the job would take it seriously.

Therefore, Chu Jiubian had decided on Cai Peng, who was known for his upright and somewhat rigid character. There was also one more reason for choosing him: the Xiao family.

The Xiao family had long been in a state of dormancy, and Chu Jiubian didn’t want to see them remain so cautious and timid. He must make them proud once more.

One’s downfall must be preceded by arrogance.

Only then would further weaknesses be revealed.

After the court session, Chu Jiubian instructed Hong Fu to take Bai Lihong back to Yangxin Hall, while he himself departed the palace.

Wang Qichen hadn’t even opened his own paper shop yet before busying himself with opening the “Nanjiang Silk Shop.”

Situ Zhaoling had received a large quantity of fabric the day before last, which she then delivered to Wang Qichen through the Divine Realm, asking him to help arrange it in the shop.

At that moment, Wang Qichen finally found his opportunity. He said to the High Priest: “This subordinate believes that Grand Tutor Chu may already be aware of your existence.”

In fact, when Chu Jiubian had previously worn Nanjiang silk to the Mid-Autumn Festival palace banquet, Wang Qichen heard people talking about it and felt that something was amiss. He thought that perhaps the High Priest had obtained such a valuable thing and hastily sent it to Chu Jiubian.

But this was a private matter between the gods, so he couldn’t just ask about it directly. Subtlety was needed.

Chu Jiubian, sitting upon his divine throne, felt as if he was experiencing split personality disorder.

He feigned a moment of silence before chuckling softly: “I knew I couldn’t keep it from him.”

His tone of voice purposely conveyed a subtle sense of ‘helplessness’ and ‘indulgence.’ And Wang Qichen regarded him with a knowing smile and an expression that said, ‘I just knew it.’

Chu Jiubian: “……”

He dug his toes into the ground, but his tone remained steady as he said: “There is no need to mention me specifically when you see him. If he asks about me, simply say that I am in this realm.”

Situ Zhaoling was unaware of the relationship between Chu Jiubian and the High Priest, and although she was confused, she didn’t ask further questions.

She was a playful and unconventional person, but she understood that some things could be made light of, while others could not.

Wang Qichen also didn’t actively engage in gossip, and simply kept the High Priest’s words in mind.

Chu Jiubian left the palace gates and boarded a carriage bound for Splendid Plaza. Today was the opening day selected by Wang Qichen and Situ Zhaoling, and the shop was located the most prosperous location in the city.

Chu Jiubian had decided to go and take a look – and also to meet his Believers in person.

---

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Chapter 64 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 66

Ch 23 – The Young Man Starved for Love

“What are you looking at?” the blond man asked Yu Xi.

Yu Xi looked to the left, then to the right, before finally pointing toward his own face: “Are you asking me?”

“Who else would I be asking?!” The blond man grabbed Yu Xi by the collar.

Kersz and Tau immediately rushed forward. This wasn’t a third-class planet, and communication through violence was not tolerated. If Kersz dared to pull out a gun at this moment, he would definitely find himself pinned to the ground. Plus, this blond man had a rather special identity that made him problematic.

“Sorry, sorry, my little brother doesn’t know any better.” Kersz smiled ingratiatingly as he apologized, putting an arm around Yu Xi’s waist to pull him back. “He’s never seen a fight before, and he was curious.”

Tau was also a masterclass in acting: “He contracted radiation sickness at birth and spent the first forty years of his life in a medical ward. He just recently got out, and everything is very exciting to him. I hope you won’t take it personally.”

“Radiation sickness at birth?” The blond man no longer looked as aggressive as before.

Tau was familiar with this young master. He was the youngest child of the Supreme Governor, and had six older siblings. This young master possessed average talent, performed poorly in school, and was easily angered. He would never be the heir to the Supreme Governor’s estate, nor would he inherit his mother’s territories.

Nobles were always like this. They couldn’t just raise one successor, because what if the child didn’t live up to expectations or died unexpectedly?

They always had numerous offspring, and the relationship between parents and their children was rarely close.

This young master was a complete and utter dunce, and was always very short-tempered. He wanted to handle his father’s affairs, but he didn’t understand that his identity was completely unsuitable for associating with radical individuals, and outsiders had discovered his involvement with them.

His actions amounted to exposing his father’s association with those radicals, which caused the Supreme Governor considerable trouble.

This young master had been booted from the inheritance list. Likely having perceived his father’s attitude toward him, he was even more eager to prove himself useful.

But as a result, he was shoved to the side and became increasingly irascible.

Tau, however, knew exactly how to calm this person down.

He needed to portray Yu Xi as completely harmless, even somewhat pitiful, a weakling who didn’t pose any threat whatsoever to the young master.

Sure enough, the other party loosened his grip on Yu Xi’s collar.

“You’ve gone through radiation sickness?” the young master asked him.

Tau tensed up, but Yu Xi immediately nodded in agreement and lowered his head forlornly: “I’ve only ever seen fights on TV, and I used to be so weak that I couldn’t even swing my arms. My family tells me fighting is bad, but to me, it’s so fresh and novel. It’s something I’ve never been able to experience.”

Yu Xi even shed a couple of tears: “I’m sorry.”

Why was his acting so good now? Kersz was astounded.

Yu Xi’s acting skills had not actually improved. He still couldn’t look people in the eye when he lied, but he was able to control his tears.

“Huh?! It’s fine, it’s fine.” The young master seemed alarmed at Yu Xi’s state, and waved his hands repeatedly. “I-I didn’t know about your situation.” He appeared to be somewhat at a loss.

“Were you frightened?” The young master looked down to observe Yu Xi, who stepped back in fright at his sudden movement.

“You’re really scared of me?!” The young master scratched his head, then generously wrapped an arm around Yu Xi’s shoulders and gave him a couple of pats.

Kersz: ?

Tau: ?

What was he doing? Was he not going to let them take him away?

“I apologize. I’ll pay for anything you want to buy here.” The young master gently shook Yu Xi from side to side with his arm around him. “My name is Curtis. What’s yours?”

“Sarah.” Yu Xi glanced toward Kersz and Tau. He needed to shake off this young master.

“You and your brothers should come hang out with me, I’ll show you around. I have a big group of friends here.” Curtis was quite enthusiastic.

Yu Xi tried to restrain himself, but he had already started walking with Curtis.

Kersz could only continue to put on a show of timidity, following them with a forced smile. Tau wore a look of anxiety. He had to make that expression, because he had just made up a lie that required him to be concerned about Yu Xi’s health.

Yu Xi turned his head to glance at the man who had been beaten.

As it turned out, that man was also following them. Clutching the area where he had been punched, he hunched over and approached with small, shuffling steps: “Apologies, Director Curtis. I had too much to drink and let my mouth run.”

Curtis didn’t spare him a glance.

So this person was one of Curtis’s cronies?

“Director?” Yu Xi looked at Kus. “Are you an official?”

The other man, his face bruised and swollen, appeared shocked: “You don’t know him?”

“I do know him, his name is Curtis,” Yu Xi corrected him.

“He’s…..”

Curtis sent the man a glare, and he immediately shut up.

“I’m the director of a branch of the Human Cultural Heritage Conservation Administration,” Curtis said to Yu Xi.

“Wow!!” Yu Xi felt like he could also be considered a participant in this line of work.

“You think that’s impressive?” Curtis asked him.

“It’s very impressive. I like things from ancient times,” said Yu Xi.

Kersz chimed in: “He used to focus on stuff like that when he was sick, and we have a few old-timey things at home. He’s always yearned for the human society that existed before we ventured into the galaxies.”

Curtis looked even more delighted.

Tau knew that Curtis’s position as ‘Branch Director of the Human Cultural Heritage Conservation Administration’ was proof of his marginalization. Curtis didn’t like when people talked about this, except, of course, outsiders with no knowledge of his family’s internal disputes. This outsider in particular seemed to admire his position, and Curtis liked it when others admired and idolized him.

Curtis pulled Yu Xi over to where he had been sitting, and Yu Xi gave a shy smile.

His shyness was genuine. Because of Curtis, the other humans were exceptionally enthusiastic toward Yu Xi.

Yu Xi knew that their enthusiasm wasn’t sincere, but he didn’t care. Since humans were approaching him on their own, why not enjoy it?

After drinking some alcohol, Yu Xi was certain that there were crops on this planet, because many of the beverages here were clearly made from plants.

Yu Xi smiled shyly as he drank with the humans.

The others grew more talkative the more alcohol they consumed, and he finally figured out why Curtis had fought with that man.

Because they had been talking about Kersz.

Upon hearing that name, Yu Xi subconsciously looked in Kersz’s direction.

Kersz wore a timid appearance, smiling obsequiously at the people around the table. He continuously excused his little brother’s lack of manners, as if he feared that Yu Xi would offend this gaggle of second-generation rich kids.

But the Kersz described by these second-generation rich kids was the complete opposite in disposition.

They were all aware that the mad space pirate had sent the Supreme Governor a death threat, and Curtis had punched that man after he said that Kersz had never missed a shot.

Curtis was very fretful, and even wanted to solve this problem for his father by hiring someone to kill Kersz.

There was also that new accomplice at Kersz’s side.

Nobody knew where that accomplice had come from, and the Six Alliances were unable to discover anything about his identity. Of course, it was also possible that he was a criminal who had undergone cosmetic surgery.

But the scope of cosmetic surgery utilized by criminals was too broad, and there were too many suspicious individuals out there.

Conversation then shifted to the Illegitimate who was being controlled by Kersz.

“My father says that 152 is probably still alive.” Curtis pressed a hand to his forehead. “But he’s not entirely sure, because 152’s messages are just too strange.” Although the Supreme Governor hadn’t actually shown him those messages, his expression when mentioning them was very abnormal.

“If he’s still alive, he should take that space pirate to die with him, and that new accomplice too. What is he waiting for?” Curtis was very agitated. “Doesn’t he know who Kersz’s target is?”

They were actually discussing such things right out in the open.

Yu Xi looked toward Tau with a sigh, but the man didn’t react very strongly.

Tau was accustomed to such misconceptions. Those who were inexperienced always liked to boast and bluster, and believed that everything would be better if the world operated according to their own thoughts and ideas.

But the more they thought that way, the more they proved that they were simply a group of ordinary people without any authority. Perhaps Curtis had some limited experience through his interactions with his friends, or perhaps he was just making assumptions.

In any case, Curtis’s assumptions were meaningless.

Because Curtis never could have guessed that “mad space pirate” Kersz had also become a prisoner in a sense, and that both of them were now being held hostage by an alien robot.

After monologuing for a while, Curtis clinked glasses with Yu Xi and praised him for his ability to drink.

Yu Xi was naturally a good drinker, because his body was unaffected by alcohol.

Being neglected by his parents didn’t seem to make Curtis want to run away from his family. Instead, he wanted to prove that his older siblings were a bunch of disloyal, scheming, mediocre people, and that only his feelings toward his parents were truly pure.

“Your brother and cousin are really good to you.” Curtis was now drunk, and leaned against Yu Xi’s shoulder. “They’re so…..so good to you.”

“You have older siblings too, ah.” Yu Xi didn’t understand why Kersz and Tau had set their identities as his relatives. Were they sneakily trying to gain an advantage over him?

Kersz might do something like that, but why would Tau have similar thoughts?

“It’s not the same. They’d love it if I died,” Curtis said. “It’s really…..really not the same.”

“If you and I switched places, they would never stand up for me like your brothers did,” Curtis said with a scoff. “They would enjoy watching me getting beat to death.”

“But you’re their loved one.” Yu Xi felt that making assumptions was useless, and that he could only know how his siblings would react if the situation actually occurred.

Curtis: “I’m really not.”

Yu Xi: “But you’ve never revealed your vulnerable side to them either.”

Curtis continued to sneer.

Yu Xi: “How about you tell them that you love them, but that you can’t feel their love?”

Curtis, already so drunk that he was oblivious to the world around him, muttered in a daze: “Ah….”

Yu Xi: “Will you do it?”

Curtis: “Sure.”

Kersz and Tau were astounded once more.

What was Yu Xi doing?!

---

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Chapter 22 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 24

Ch. 88 – Call Upon My Divine Name

Yinglong, the God of War?!

This name instantly brought to everyone’s minds the image of that cold and ruthless deity standing high in the clouds one hundred years ago.

He had only appeared once, and very briefly, but the impression he had left in people’s minds was as indelible as if it had been branded into them with a red-hot iron.

The younger disciples were less impacted, as they only knew about that period in history from an outsider’s perspective. But those who were older and were lucky enough to survive witnessing such a disaster began to tremble uncontrollably the instant they heard that name.

Ji Chengyue was among them. Although he’d had a vague suspicion, he still couldn’t suppress the terror in his heart when that name reached his ears.

When had Xue Ren made contact with Yinglong? And he called him ‘master?’

Ji Chengyue hadn’t noticed. Just as he had never noticed the jealousy and resentment hidden beneath Xue Ren’s smiles.

He could hardly believe that after an entire century, that cruel and merciless god would appear once more.

But the facts had already been laid bare. When Xue Ren uttered that name, a black mist similar to that of a century ago erupted from that jet-black, nonreflective sword.

The mist slithered across his body like a venomous snake, coiling around his swordbearing arm.

Xue Ren’s cultivation level remained unchanged. He was still at Golden Core stage.

But standing before Xue Ren at this moment, a chilling fear arose in everyone’s hearts, rapidly intensifying.

Just like one hundred years before, when they gazed up at that supreme god amongst the clouds, so powerful that they were robbed of the will to resist.

But why? Why, a century after Jianmu was destroyed, had this god sought out Lingxiao Sword Sect again?

This question arose in everyone’s minds amidst their shock and fear.

Perhaps it had been wrong for mortals to presume to ascend to the heavens, but they had already paid the price. The former sect leader, the culprit who had planted the tree, was dead, along with so many others. Wasn’t that enough?

“God of War…..Yinglong…..?” Elder Zhou murmured in a trembling voice. Inconceivable things had transpired before him today. The always gentle Xue Ren had suddenly transformed into his ferocious figure, and had even attempted to murder his shidi. Yet that wasn’t near as shocking as Xue Ren’s words just now.

“What do you mean…..” Elder Zhou even felt that in his old age, perhaps his mind wasn’t as sharp as it used to be. He was unable to make sense of how or why any of this was happening. How had Yinglong become involved with Xue Ren, to the point of even lending him his sword? What exactly was Xue Ren planning to do?

Elder Zhou was not the only one who couldn’t make sense of it. Everyone was wondering how a perfectly normal succession ceremony had taken such a turn for the absurd.

Cao Zirui was equally uncomprehending. He still hadn’t recovered from the shock of his shixiong attempting to kill him.

But when he looked at his master standing in front of him, unlike everyone else, Ji Chengyue’s indescribably complex expression held little doubt. Cao Zirui came to the sudden realization that his master knew.

Ji Chengyue knew that Yinglong had appeared one hundred years ago because of Jianmu, and that one hundred years later, he was here for the same reason.

In the wake of Elder Zhou’s question, Xue Ren took a deep breath and felt power surge through his body.

This absolute power to determine life and death was beautiful to the point of being intoxicating.

He looked toward the mist wrapped around his right arm, then began to explain to the crowd: “What does this mean? It couldn’t be more obvious.”

“In accordance with the will of God, I am here to hold you accountable for secretly hoarding away a fragment of Jianmu!” Xue Ren spoke loudly and with righteous indignation.

This declaration did not dispel the confusion in everyone’s minds, but instead intensified it.

“Jianmu?! Wasn’t Jianmu destroyed one hundred years ago?”

“The great fire burned for three days and three nights, and Jianmu was clearly reduced to ashes. Everyone saw it!”

The crowd was abuzz with discussion.

Just as Elder Zhou was about to ask, a thought occurred to him and he turned to look at Ji Chengyue with shock and doubt.

Ji Chengyue was in no state to respond to him. His mind was in complete turmoil.

“Shifu.” Xue Ren smiled and called out to Ji Chengyue again.

Ji Chengyue jolted out of his chaotic thoughts and stared at Xue Ren.

“In principle, a disciple should not challenge his superior. But now that Shifu has made a mistake and angered the gods, this disciple is left with no choice.” Xue Ren adopted an admonishing expression. “If Shifu hands over the Jianmu fragment now, I will guarantee the safety of everyone in Lingxiao Sword Sect.”

In just a few words, he positioned himself on the side of justice and claimed that he was acting on behalf of the gods, while Ji Chengyue was a sinner who secretly hoarded a Jianmu fragment and harbored wicked intentions.

The situation seemed to suddenly reverse, and everyone’s attention shifted from Xue Ren to Ji Chengyue.

Could Xue Ren be speaking the truth? Did Sect Leader Ji really have a Jianmu fragment in his hands?

Compared to the reappearance of Jianmu, Xue Ren’s recent attempt on Cao Zirui’s life seemed insignificant. The Jianmu matter involved more than just a single life.

If Jianmu still existed, history might repeat itself. And if Yinglong were to be angered, everyone present would likely face certain doom.

“Sect Leader, is it true?” With their own safety at stake, the crowd could no longer remain silent bystanders. 

The moment the first person spoke, many other voices followed. The crowd erupted, everyone demanding an answer from Ji Chengyue.

Ji Chengyue glanced at the unruly crowd, but remained silent.

He had not been ignorant to the possibility of something like this happening. From the moment he hid the Jianmu fragment, he had worried that he would one day be discovered.

He was fully aware of the consequences, yet he did it anyway.

The sudden passing of his shixiong, who was like a brother to him, had left Ji Chengyue mired deep in grief. He had no choice but to accept the outcome, because there was no other option. He was powerless to stop it.

He could do nothing but wait in the distance for the all-consuming heavenly fire to extinguish itself.

But everything seemed to take a turn for the better when he found that tiny fragment of Jiamu, still radiating faint signs of life in the ashes.

Plants were far more resilient than humans, who could die from losing a single organ.

With enough nutrients, a plant could be born anew from a single branch or broken twig.

And after Ling Yun gave his heart to Jianmu, he developed an inseparable bond with the tree.

If Jianmu wasn’t dead, was it possible for his shixiong to come back to life?

Even if the possibility was small to the point of being negligible, it still fueled that tiny, unrealistic hope deep inside him. Ji Chengyue hid the Jianmu fragment in his sleeve, and didn’t tell a soul.

Over the past century, he had attempted to cultivate this small Jianmu fragment. But no matter what kind of nourishment he provided, the vitality of the fragment weakened until it was no different from a dead piece of wood.

One hundred years was a very long time, yet also very short. Over countless days and nights of waiting, his hope gradually wore away, and Ji Chengyue completely gave up hope that his shixiong could be brought back to life.

For him, Jianmu was nothing more than a lingering delusion in his heart.

If simply handing over the Jianmu fragment would guarantee the safety of Lingxiao Sword Sect, he would do it in a heartbeat.

But Xue Ren…..

“If I really do possess a Jianmu fragment, after handing it over to you, should I resign in recompense?” When Ji Chengyue finally spoke, it wasn’t the answer everyone expected.

Xue Ren was silent for a moment upon hearing this. Then he affirmed: “Naturally. Shifu has committed such a grave mistake. No matter what, a new sect leader is needed.”

Ji Chengyue suddenly laughed. He knew it would turn out this way.

Handing over the Jianmu fragment was acceptable, but passing the sect leader position to Xue Ren was not.

At this point, his decision had nothing to do with Xue Ren’s talent, but with his character. His vicious heart thoroughly disappointed Ji Chengyue.

No matter how Lingxiao Sword Sect might fall into decline, such a person must never be allowed to lead it.

So after laughing, he categorically denied it: “I have not hidden away a Jianmu fragment, nor have I committed any other crime. Likewise, Cao Zirui will remain the next sect leader. My decision has not changed, regardless of the outcome of today’s trial ceremony.”

“Shifu…..” Cao Zirui murmured from his position shielded behind Ji Chengyue.

Xue Ren, however, gritted his teeth and coldly rebuked him: “Stubborn to the end!”

“It is you who stubbornly refuses to see the truth! Xue Ren, you have made one mistake after another, and even now you show no remorse!” Ji Chengyue roared back.

Startled by his angry rebuke, Xue Ren took a reflexive step back – but soon after, he realized that he was no longer a disciple beholden to obeying his master’s every command.

He retorted loudly: “I’m not wrong! Even the gods are on my side. Shifu, do you dare to debate the gods over right and wrong?”

Just as Ji Chengyue was about to respond, Xue Ren shook his head: “Further discussion is pointless. I have received my orders, and I must carry them out no matter what.”

“Shifu, forgive this disciple’s offense!” Xue Ren raised his right hand and swung Fleeting Shadow toward Ji Chengyue.

With Xue Ren’s swing, a small portion of the black mist wrapped around his arm separated from him and Fleeting Shadow, transforming into a black bladepoint that stabbed toward Ji Chengyue.

Ji Chengyue took Mountain Breaker, the Heaven-grade magic weapon reserved for the use of successive sect leaders, from his sleeve. He assumed a defensive stance while shouting toward those who were preparing to aid him: “No one else is allowed to interfere! I’ll handle this myself…..”

“I will deal with this traitor.”

Everyone, including Elder Zhou, paused in place, unsure whether or not to obey.

Although Sect Leader Ji was a powerful Nascent Soul stage cultivator…..Xue Ren was wielding the divine sword of the God of War. Could a mortal truly contend with divine power?

Although Xue Ren was a representative of Yinglong, since Ji Chengyue had denied the allegations, most of the disciples still chose to believe their sect leader.

Under the anxious gazes of the crowd, Ji Chengyue’s Mountain Breaker clashed with the blade formed from black mist. Humans felt fear, but objects did not.

When faced with a weapon like itself, Mountain Breaker immediately began to hum, as if to challenge and provoke its opponent.

Even though its opponent was far stronger, Mountain Breaker showed no fear. On the contrary, when the blades met, it released more spiritual power than ever before.

Spiritual power connected with the black mist, creating an invisible shockwave.

Dust and fallen leaves on the ground were sent flying by the impact, and Ji Chengyue was knocked back several steps, barely able to stop himself in front of Cao Zirui.

The onlookers were also impacted, and stumbled back from the spiritual blast. In the blink of an eye, the center of the battlefield emptied.

Ji Chengyue’s appearance was no longer as neat and tidy as when he had first appeared that morning, his hair and sleeves somewhat disheveled. Although he had shattered the black bladepoint with Mountain Breaker, he still didn’t lower his guard.

This….was merely a sword glare released by Xue Ren…..

Fleeting Shadow truly lived up to its reputation as a divine weapon capable of severing Jianmu with one strike. Even in the hands of a mere mortal, it was able to unleash such terrifying power.

Ji Chengyue quickly surveyed his surroundings. The blast just now had sent some of the disciples tumbling to the ground, and although none were seriously injured, they did suffer some minor scrapes and bruises.

Thus, before Xue Ren could unleash his next attack, Ji Chengyue switched positions. Leaving solid ground behind, he stepped into the air and led Xue Ren away from the crowd.

Xue Ren saw through Ji Chengyue’s intentions, but his eagerness to defeat his master prevailed. If he could defeat Ji Chengyue, he would be proven right.

The two flashed away from the crowd and engaged in combat mid-air. Xue Ren stopped using sword glares, and instead slashed at Ji Chengyue with the blade of Fleeting Shadow.

The two swords – divine and mortal – clashed.

Despite Fleeting Shadow’s power, Ji Chengyue possessed more spiritual power than Xue Ren and showed no immediate signs of falling behind as master and disciple fought mid-air.

Hao Chen watched the scene above, then suddenly turned to look at Feng Ye beside him.

Feng Ye’s brow was furrowed. He had looked astonished when Xue Ren called out Yinglong’s name.

Hao Chen could only lament inwardly that he had already given Feng Ye a subtle warning, but this fellow simply wouldn’t listen. Today, he must have finally come to the realization that Hao Chen was not exaggerating.

Feng Ye was truly unable to handle an enemy as powerful as Yinglong.

Ji Chengyue was no better. Although he was evenly matched with Xue Ren in this battle, that was only because Xue Ren was unfamiliar with handling the power of the God of War. Once he acclimatized to it, Ji Chengyue’s defeat was only a matter of time.

As a god himself, Hao Chen understood just how great the difference in power between gods and mortals truly was.

Even if Yinglong declined to personally intervene, and instead lent some of his power to Xue Ren, a mortal simply could not stand against it.

Of everyone present, Hao Chen was the only one capable of holding his own against him.

Unfortunately, he was not one to meddle in the business of others, and the destruction of Lingxiao Sword Sect was none of his concern. 

He wouldn’t become enemies with Yinglong for the sake of these people.

But he was afraid that…..

Observing Feng Ye’s expression, Hao Chen cautiously asked: “What does Fellow Daoist Feng Ye plan to do?”

Feng Ye didn’t reply immediately. After a moment, he seemed to snap back to the present and asked: “What did you say?”

It turned out that Feng Ye hadn’t heard him at all, even though he had spoken rather loudly.

Hao Chen interpreted Feng Ye’s state as…..scared out of his wits.

He must have been so terrified upon learning that Yinglong was the enemy he’d been searching for that he couldn’t even focus on what was going on around him.

Driven by the masculine instinct to project an image of strength and security in front of his sweetheart, Hao Chen puffed out his chest and comforted Feng Ye: “Rest assured, Fellow Daoist Feng Ye. With me here, nobody will be allowed to bully you.”

Wait, what?

Feng Ye was briefly taken aback, and regarded Hao Chen with a puzzled expression. Although he didn’t know what this fish was talking about, he still thanked him politely.

Although this ‘thank you’ was only two words, it still very much satisfied Hao Chen’s vanity. At that moment, he felt that even if Yinglong himself made an appearance, he would dare to fight him head-on for Feng Ye’s sake.

Of course, this determination was very brief. After the impulse passed, he regained his senses and sighed inwardly, beauty can lead people astray.

Although Feng Ye was currently wearing a mediocre face, beauty was in the eye of the beholder, as well as in the eye of the fish.

Feng Ye paid little attention to what was going on with Hao Chen, and fell deep into thought after thanking him.

The backer behind Xue Ren…..was Yinglong?

Feng Ye had never dreamed that this would be the case.

But whether he had considered it or not, the facts had been laid bare before him. Xue Ren, with Yinglong’s aid, was defying his master in order to seize the Jianmu fragment.

Hao Chen knew perfectly well that Ji Chengyue was destined to lose, and so did Feng Ye.

Even though he had not yet rooted out the hiding place of the person behind all of this, he was unable to wait any longer.

He abruptly raised his head in search of Fang Yang.

While everyone was gazing up at the master-disciple duo in the sky, Fang Yang had shakily flown on his sword to Cao Zirui’s side.

Due to Xue Ren’s mention of Yinglong, everyone’s attention was immediately drawn to the combatants, and they completely forgot about the seriously injured Cao Zirui.

Fang Yang was the only one who remembered his friend. He asked Cao Zirui, who was sitting on the ground: “Are you alright?”

“I’m….I’m fine,” Cao Zirui replied between coughs.

His words would be more credible if he wasn’t spitting blood as he spoke.

Upon seeing this, Fang Yang couldn’t help but remember that Cao Zirui seemed to have done the same thing when they were being chased by Lu Chengye in the Floating Island Secret Realm.

Despite the change in location and the people involved, Cao Zirui was always the one getting hurt.

Cao Zirui possessed great talent and was given many good opportunities, but in some aspects, his luck was extremely poor. He clearly hadn’t done anything wrong, yet he had inexplicably become the target of Xue Ren’s attack.

“Can you move?” Fang Yang asked.

Cao Zirui nodded.

Fang Yang then helped him up and half-carried him to a corner far from the battlefield.

Although Sect Leader Ji intended to keep Xue Ren away from the crowd, swords had no eyes, and accidents could happen at any time. This situation was beyond his control, so for safety’s sake, Fang Yang took Cao Zirui a little farther away.

Once Fang Yang felt that the distance was sufficient, he stopped and turned to watch the mid-air battle with Cao Zirui.

Throughout the process, Cao Zirui’s eyes had remained fixed on the two people up above.

One was his master, and the other was his shixiong.

Before today, he had never imagined that his shixiong would attempt to kill him and even fight with their master.

Even when Xue Ren severed the spirit sword in his hand and caused him grievous injuries, Cao Zirui still couldn’t come to terms with Xue Ren wanting him dead. But then, he heard Xue Ren’s words after he lost control of himself, and felt that sword glare that was determined to take his life.

Cao Zirui wasn’t a fool. After accepting the fact that Xue Ren wanted him dead, he suddenly understood. He understood that Lu Chengye hadn’t hunted him down because he was a demonic cultivator, but because he was acting on Xue Ren’s orders.

And the bell he wore on his belt even now had likely not been given to him as an early warning system.

Cao Zirui abruptly ripped the bell from his waist and clenched it tightly in his hand. Alerted by this movement, Fang Yang briefly averted his gaze from the battle.

He saw that Cao Zirui’s lips were tightly pursed. Although Fang Yang was not very good at reading the expressions of others, he knew that Cao Zirui’s feelings at this moment were likely very complicated.

This sort of thing would perplex anyone. Fang Yang didn’t know how to comfort him, either. After thinking for a long time, he could only attempt to distract his friend: “You should take some pills and regulate your breathing. Your internal injuries from last time haven’t fully healed yet, and now you’ve been injured again. Don’t neglect yourself and cause any lingering health problems.”

Cao Zirui gave it some thought, then obediently did as he was told. No matter how his heart was in turmoil, he was too weak to move and could do nothing at this time. It would be better to rest and recover from his injuries. Once he regained his mobility, he might be able to offer some assistance.

After watching Cao Zirui take a few pills and sit cross-legged on the ground, Fang Yang was slightly relieved, and turned his attention back to the sky.

Ji Chengyue and Xue Ren had already fought dozens of rounds, their figures colliding repeatedly in the air.

Spiritual energy clashed against black mist, sending invisible shockwaves through the air.

Although Ji Chengyue did his utmost to maintain a distance from the crowd, a portion of the rippling shockwaves still reached the ground. With a flick of his sleeves, Elder Zhou used his spiritual power to raise a barrier, shielding the disciples behind it.

Everyone held their breath as they watched the mid-air battle.

The master and disciple used the same swordsmanship style, and were very familiar with one another’s strengths and weaknesses. Due to this, they fought for a long while with no clear winner.

But that was just taking swordsmanship into consideration. In terms of weaponry…..

After clashing with Xue Ren’s Fleeting Shadow, Ji Chengyue slightly increased the distance between them and glanced at Mountain Breaker in his right hand.

The blade was trembling incessantly. This was not the reaction that arose when two swords met. Rather….this sword was nearing its limit.

Even the most advanced of Heaven-grade magic weapons, representing the pinnacle of human skill, ultimately could not hold out against the power of a god.

But even though he was outmatched, he had no choice but to fight!

Ji Chengyue once again met the thrust of Xue Ren’s sword. He had said that he would deal with this traitor, but in reality, none of the moves he had made thus far were meant to kill. They had all been attempts to subdue Xue Ren.

For this reason, Xue Ren had been able to match him in terms of swordsmanship. But now, Mountain Breaker had reached its limit. If it broke, there was likely no other weapon in the mortal world that was capable of stopping Fleeting Shadow in Xue Ren’s hand.

At last, Ji Chengyue hardened his heart. This time, he accurately seized an opening in Xue Ren’s next strike. His blade grazed past Fleeting Shadow’s defense and thrust straight toward Xue Ren’s chest.

Xue Ren’s pupils contracted. No matter how powerful Fleeting Shadow was, he was still just a mortal. If Ji Chengyue’s strike connected, even if he escaped death, he would still be grievously wounded.

But he had no time to dodge his master’s attack. Just when Xue Ren thought he would be pierced through the chest, the sword came to an abrupt stop with the point pressed against his skin.

A crack appeared in Ji Chengyue’s resolute expression. He couldn’t do it…..

Although Xue Ren had become frighteningly unfamiliar, that face belonged to a person he had watched grow up through childhood. He couldn’t bring himself to kill the disciple he had raised.

Seeing Xue Ren’s stunned expression, Ji Chengyue couldn’t help but try to dissuade him once more: “A-Ren, turn back…..”

But Xue Ren was not moved by his words, and instead became even more furious.

Turn back? He hadn’t done anything wrong!

He deflected Ji Chengyue’s sword with a single stroke, then swung his blade at him while shouting: “If not for Shifu’s favoritism, it wouldn’t have come to this!”

Ji Chengyue was continuously forced to retreat as Xue Ren struck Mountain Breaker over and over again. A crack appeared, and as Xue Ren uttered that last word, the sword split completely down the middle.

Ji Chengyue watched as his precious sword, which had been passed down for over one thousand years, crumbled to pieces in his hand.

The outcome was decided.

Xue Ren was panting heavily. Although Fleeting Shadow didn’t consume spiritual power, the repeated swings had exhausted him. He regulated his breathing and refrained from attacking for the moment.

The crowd watching from below felt their hearts clench. Their sect leader had been defeated!

“Damn it!” Fang Yang cursed, clenching his fists.

Only after he had already spoken did he realize that he might have disturbed Cao Zirui’s meditation. He immediately covered his mouth and glanced at his friend, only to find that Cao Zirui’s eyes were already open.

No matter how hard he tried, Cao Zirui couldn’t calm down. Meditation was not helping his injuries, and might even cause his internal strength to spiral out of control, so he had simply opened his eyes to watch the battle in the sky while Fang Yang was distracted.

Having witnessed his master’s defeat, his heart ached more than anyone else’s.

“Is it truly impossible for a human to fight against a god…..?” Cao Zirui murmured to himself.

Fang Yang wanted to comfort him, but didn’t know where to start, because it seemed that this was indeed the case. Even with his Nascent Soul stage might, Ji Chengyue was unable to defeat Xue Ren, who had borrowed the power of the God of War. There was likely no one in the world who was capable of defeating him now.

Wait a minute. Fang Yang realized that there might be nobody in the mortal realm who could do it, but that was not the case in the heavenly realm.

Humans were unable to fight against gods, but…..another god might be able to!

Fang Yang immediately rummaged through his storage bag and pulled out the God-Summoning Token he kept at the bottom as a lucky charm.

Cao Zirui watched Fang Yang do this, and recognized the token. He had lent Fang Yang the money to buy it, only to find out that it was a scam and that the token was basically worthless.

He couldn’t help but ask: “Why did you take that out?”

Fang Yang gazed at the token and explained: “Although this God-Summonging Token doesn’t have a name on it, that doesn’t mean there’s zero chance of summoning a god. There’s no harm in trying. What if…..what if it works?”

This “what if” caused Cao Zirui’s heart to skip a beat.

The two boys exchanged a glance and a nod, in tacit understanding.

Fang Yang began the invocation with a bow, clasping his hands together with the token between them: “Please, this has to work. Ideally, this will summon a god even more powerful than Yinglong!”

An uninscribed God-Summoning Token already had a very slim chance of actually summoning a god, and the probability of summoning one more powerful than Yinglong was comparable to that of the world blinking out of existence in the next moment.

But the two held onto a sliver of hope that this desperate situation could still turn around.

“Primal cosmic energy, a universal cry to the gods…..” Fang Yang recited the first incantation.

Feng Ye, who had just completed the hand seal to connect to the bamboo slip around Fang Yang’s neck, came to an abrupt stop. Fang Yang was surprisingly quick-witted this time, and had saved him the effort of instructing him to do what he was already doing.

He remained silent, quietly waiting for Fang Yang to finish his incantation.

Unlike the rest, who were looking up at the sky, Feng Ye had kept his head lowered in order to make preparations.

He covertly drew a magic array inside his sleeve. His hand constantly shifted between movements, although he kept the motions subtle so as not to draw the attention of those around him. But Hao Chen, who was closest to him, still noticed.

He didn’t realize what Feng Ye was actually doing, but noticed that he seemed to be trembling slightly.

Although Feng Ye was mainly moving his fingers, the movement still spread up his arm and to his shoulder, which shifted slightly as he worked.

But Hao Chen attributed this movement to something else entirely.

Feng Ye had his head down, so Hao Chen was unable to see his expression. But recalling Feng Ye’s terrified reaction just now, Hao Chen’s heart squeezed.

Was he…..crying?

The word “crying” seemed to have no connection with someone like Feng Ye.

But considering the current situation, it wasn’t out of the realm of possibility.

Feng Ye was not the sort of person who would sit idly by as a person’s fate was decided, but Xue Ren was backed by Yinglong, whom Feng Ye was powerless to stop. Thus, hating his own weakness, he let the tears stream down his face.

It made perfect sense!

If he wasn’t crying, why would he be trembling with his head hanging down?

The more Hao Chen considered this, the more confident he was in his assumption. He raised his hand, wanting to pat Feng Ye’s shoulder or open his arms to comfort the man against his broad chest.

But just as his hand was about to touch Feng Ye’s shoulder, he suddenly withdrew it.

What good were words of comfort? No matter how pleasant they were to the ear, they wouldn’t change the current situation.

But….Hao Chen actually did have the ability to change it…..

Hao Chen’s hand suddenly tightened around his fan. He tapped the handle with his fingers, muttering, “Forget it, forget it.” Although he didn’t care about Lingxiao Sword Sect, he did care about the happiness of his love interest.

He experienced a sudden flash of inspiration. Yinglong had not appeared in person, but had instead used Xue Ren to seize Jianmu.

Then he could do such a thing too!

As long as he didn’t take action as himself, but instead used another identity, Yinglong would have no evidence to settle the score with him.

Although he was now just an ordinary disciple of Tiangong Pavilion, he couldn’t use this identity to make his move.

The issue lay in the fact that he had used his original face when crafting this identity. If he took action while looking like this, the evidence would be irrefutable.

He needed to find an excuse to leave momentarily and change his identity…..

Hao Chen’s eyes darted around, and he suddenly slapped himself hard on the back. Just as blood was about to spurt out of his mouth, the presumably crying Feng Ye suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

He clutched his chest, feigning weakness and difficulty breathing.

And there wasn’t a single tear on his face.

Hao Chen: “…..”

He silently swallowed the blood in his throat and asked Feng Ye: “Why did Fellow Daoist Feng Ye just vomit blood despite being unharmed?”

Feng Ye was silent for a moment, then gave a couple of weak coughs: “Cough cough….it’s probably a relapse of the internal injuries I suffered before.”

Hao Chen: “……” No way would he believe that. And the excuse this fellow gave was exactly the one Hao Chen had been about to use. What in the heavens?

Despite his inward grumbling, Hao Chen regarded Feng Ye with a blank expression.

Feng Ye silently met his gaze. It came as no surprise that Hao Chen was unmoved by his fabricated excuse, because it truly was ridiculous. But the situation was urgent, and there was no time to care about the credibility of his excuse.

Before Hao Chen could question him further, Feng Ye spat out another mouthful of blood and declared in a firm and uncompromising manner: “I’m going to pass out.”

Having said this, his head tilted to the side and he began to fall.

Hao Chen: “…..”

He instinctively reached out and caught the falling Feng Ye. Even though the man had practically thrown himself at him, Hao Chen was unable to celebrate.

He stared at Feng Ye, who had collapsed into his arms with his eyes closed, and three symbols flooded his mind: ? ? ?

The commotion between them didn’t attract much attention, as most people were still focused on the mid-air battle.

Xue Ren was finally able to regulate his breathing. He raised his chin, adopting a victorious air as he advised Ji Chengyue: “Shifu, stop being so stubborn. Do you really think you can keep something a god wants?”

Ji Chengyue glanced at the shattered Mountain Breaker in his hand and remained silent.

Xue Ren waited, growing slightly impatient. His gaze swept downward, and he soon located Cao Zirui where he had moved to a corner.

At once, he pointed his sword in that direction and threatened Ji Chengyue: “Shifu, hand over the Jianmu fragment…or you will never see your beloved little disciple again.”

Xue Ren spoke with a smile, but his last few words were particularly mocking.

Ji Chengyue followed the direction his sword was pointing and saw Cao Zirui, along with his little friend.

He closed his eyes slightly. The situation was hopeless. He was powerless to stop Xue Ren.

He was willing to die, but he didn’t want others to suffer because of his mistakes.

It was his failure to raise him right that led Xue Ren to becoming what he was today.

Ji Chengyue sighed deeply, and with this sigh, he seemed to age considerably.

He took out the spirit tablet he had been carrying with him ever since hearing a strange noise in his bedroom three days ago, and before the eyes of everyone present, broke it in two.

“What does that spirit tablet say….?!” someone with good eyesight exclaimed from below.

Elder Zhou’s pupils contracted, and he murmured: “So it’s true…..”

As expected, Ji Chengyue had never forgotten his shixiong.

The man gave a low whistle and said to Ling Yun: “Your shidi is quite clever. He hid the Jianmu fragment in the most obvious place, but we didn’t discover anything unusual about the tablet when we went to investigate the first time.”

Ling Yun looked at the memorial tablet with his name on it, and said nothing.

Among the many gazes looking upward, there were a few exceptions.

Fang Yang also wanted to see what was going on when he heard the exclamations around him, but just as he raised his head, his long-absent Mysterious Big Brother suddenly said: “Keep chanting.”

Fang Yang was overjoyed to hear his voice. In fact, he hadn’t had much hope that the God-Summoning Token would actually work, and was very anxious. But the moment he heard that voice, his heart settled.

Diverting his attention from the outside world, he focused intently on the obscure incantation on the token and proceeded to recite it slowly and with difficulty: “Absolute authority, divine communication…..”

“Hey!” On the other side, Hao Chen shook Feng Ye, attempting to wake this person whose soul had wandered off to who knew where.

Of course, nothing worked.

Ji Chengyue caressed the spirit tablet inscribed with Ling Yun’s name, then crushed it between his hands.

The strength of a Nascent Soul cultivator was far beyond that of an ordinary person, and the nanmu wood in his hands became as fragile as a sheet of paper.

Among the pieces of wood that had been reduced to rubble, one piece remained intact despite Ji Chengyue’s overwhelming power.

This was no ordinary piece of wood. It could only be…..

“Jianmu!” The man stared at the piece of wood in Ji Chengyue’s hand with a joyful expression.

After one hundred years, that towering tree once again saw the light of day.

“Take it.” Ji Chengyue had made his decision, and no longer hesitated as he tossed the piece of wood to Xue Ren.

Xue Ren reached out and caught it. After so many twists and turns, the Jianmu fragment was finally in his hands. He should have been able to breathe a sigh of relief, but after obtaining Jianmu, the first emotion that rose in his heart was not elation, but ridicule.

He said to Ji Chengyue mockingly: “Shifu truly dotes on my shidi. No matter how I tried to persuade you to hand over the Jianmu fragment, you wouldn’t listen, but the second I threatened my shidi, you were so quick to hand it over.”

Ji Chengyue gave Xue Ren a look of regret, then shook his head and said: “You believe I am biased toward your shidi, but if you were to switch places today and Zirui used you to threaten me, I would still take out the Jianmu fragment.”

Xue Ren was momentarily stunned, but he quickly recovered. He asked in a fierce tone despite his quailing heart: “What are you saying? You’ve given him every good thing, so how can you claim to care about me?”

Ji Chengyue offered no further explanation. Xue Ren was trapped by his narrow-minded jealousy, and refused to see anything aside from what he wanted to see.

But when Ji Chengyue didn’t refute him again, Xue Ren did not calm down. A small corner of what he thoroughly believed had unknowingly crumbled.

Like an avalanche, the panic and self-doubt in his heart continued to intensify. Could it be that….what he had seen as favoritism was not what it appeared to be?

No! Xue Ren decisively refused to believe it.

He had done nothing wrong!

And even if he was wrong, it was because of Cao Zirui!

If he had never appeared, Xue Ren wouldn’t be in this situation today!

At this thought, he could no longer suppress the murderous intent within him. Under Ji Chengyue’s shocked gaze, he swung his sword again with more power than any of the previous strikes.

The black mist condensed into a large blade several meters long, which then shot toward Cao Zirui.

Fang Yang once again heard the gasps of the crowd, and he seemed to hear Cao Zirui beside him shout: “Run!”

But none of this was as shocking as the sight before his eyes.

He had just recited the last few lines. Having read the inscription on the God-Summoning Token before, although he didn’t have it memorized, he had a general impression of it.

The token itself was still the same, but out of nowhere, a few words had appeared at the end of the inscription.

Fang Yang stared at those words, unable to read any further.

“Continue,” that pleasant voice echoed in his mind once more.

“But….” Fang Yang wanted to inform him of the changes.

But the man paid him no heed, and his tone left no room for argument: “Read it!”

Startled, Fang Yang subconsciously recited: “Heed this call, respond to the summons…..”

Finally, he reached the last sentence, and opened his mouth to utter two words: “Humbly inviting…..”

Then his voice caught in his throat.

No matter how sternly the man spoke to him, Fang Yang was unable to speak the name. Because this name was…..was…..

As he was hesitating, Fang Yang suddenly froze. He sensed a gust of wind approaching with such ferocity that his heart constricted.

His instincts raised a warning, and this sudden sense of crisis brought him back to his escape in the Floating Island Secret Realm. This was how it felt to be on the verge of death.

Fang Yang raised his head, and his eyes widened slightly, reflecting the image of a black blade. He finally understood what those gasps were about, and why Cao Zirui had told him to run.

He saw the crowd staring at them in dismay, and also saw that Ji Chengyue seemed to be rushing to their aid, but he would be far too late. Death was imminent. Fang Yang’s mind went blank.

But within the blankness, there was a deafening roar.

“Call upon my divine name!” 

Fang Yang abruptly raised the God-Summoning Token, closed his eyes, and shouted the name with all his might.

When he finished speaking, the incantation on the token emitted a faint golden light.

But this glimmer of light was far smaller than the encroaching black mist, and went unnoticed by everyone.

The black blade swept toward him, and the sound of it cutting through the air swallowed Fang Yang’s shout.

Ji Chengyue watched on helplessly as the enormous black blade enveloped his youngest disciple and the boy named Fang Yang.

The instant it collided with them, the black mist expanded.

Like an explosion, it instantly swelled several times in size and completely obscured the figures of the two boys.

But even with the scene obscured, it was not difficult to imagine the way they must have been torn apart.

Even Ji Chengyue might not have been able to withstand the attack, let alone two teenagers who were only at Foundation Establishment stage.

They had absolutely no chance of survival.

Everyone was in agreement.

Watching this scene, Xue Ren finally smiled.

However, that smile froze as soon as it appeared.

Hao Chen abruptly turned his head to look in the direction of that expanding black mist, and a chill ran down his spine.

He hadn’t felt this level of trepidation even when Xue Ren first drew Fleeting Shadow. But at this moment, staring at the black mist Xue Ren had unleashed, he was actually afraid.

No, that wasn’t the black mist Xue Ren unleashed!

Hao Chen’s pupils contracted when he came to this realization.

The others noticed this as well.

Because the black mist was slowly dissipating – or rather, it was condensing.

The black blade hovered mid-air as if caught by something within the black mist.

The two types of mist were very similar, yet clearly distinct from each other.

Gradually, the huge mass began to condense and shrink.

Everyone finally caught sight of what had stopped the blade.

It was a hand.

A hand belonging to a man.

With long, slender fingers and a broad palm, it couldn’t possibly belong to a youth like Fang Yang and Cao Zirui.

“Impossible,” Xue Ren murmured, staring at that hand. Even a Heaven-grade magic weapon like Mountain Breaker had shattered under Fleeting Shadow. How could someone have caught the sword glare released by the blade with his bare hand?

In his terror, he repeatedly called out toward the black mist: “Who are you?! Who are you?!”

“My name is…..” A deep, clear male voice emitted from the black mist as it continued to shrink. Following that hand with long, slender fingers, more of the man’s body became visible to the onlookers.

His arms, his shoulders…..and finally, his face.

A face that was so beautiful that it defied description, yet only inspired fear.

“The God of War…..” As he spoke, the man tightened his grip and the black blade shattered in his hand. Amidst the dark, swirling fragments, he slowly uttered his name: “…..Yinglong!”

---

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Chapter 87 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 89

Ch 22 – Is He Always This Brave?

“The meaning of life lies in life itself,” Tau told Yu Xi with a smile. “It lies in every minute and every second we spend here, and in every uncertainty therein.”

Yu Xi, slumped in Kersz’s arms: “So which of your personas is this one? A teacher?”

“Correct. A teacher.” Tau dropped his smile and nodded expressionlessly.

Yu Xi praised: “You’re really impressive.”

“It’s just a necessary skill,” Tau explained.

Kersz really wanted to free up his hands and give Tau a good beating. Did he not realize that he was successfully keeping Yu Xi’s mind off other things?

“You don’t necessarily need to have a positive, uplifting outlook,” Kersz chimed in. “I’m certainly not ‘positive and uplifting,’ but if I have a choice in the matter, I don’t want to die.”

“Because of your anger.” Yu Xi understood.

“Right, my anger.” Kersz reached out and rubbed Yu Xi’s head. “You can learn to be angry too, and lash out at the things you hate.”

Yu Xi showed no sign of perking up at these words: “Then what do I hate?”

Kersz had no idea.

“I dislike the ancient humans for abandoning me, but I can’t take revenge on them. I’ll never see them again.”

Yu Xi also felt that his method of vengeance wouldn’t be particularly over-the-top. He would simply confront those humans and ask them: why?

Thinking of this, Yu Xi was even more disappointed with himself. He couldn’t even manage to be an angry villain.

“If I were a bad-tempered robot set on taking revenge on all of humanity…..” Yu Xi hypothesized.

“Please, whatever you do, don’t think that way.” Tau grabbed hold of Yu Xi’s hand. “You must be a good person.”

“I’m becoming increasingly worried that I’m going to go down in history as an eternal sinner. Fortunately, we’ll all go down together when you enact your revenge, and there won’t be anyone left to condemn me behind my back,” Kersz said.

“I can condemn you right now,” Tau said to him.

“The condemnation of an Illegitimate holds no power over me.” Kersz was entirely unconcerned. After all, Tau didn’t even consider himself to be a human being.

“The top priority right now is to reawaken his will to live, not to throw snide remarks at me.” Tau lowered his head.

Kersz let out a sigh: “To be honest, I’ve already decided to give up.” He adjusted his position again, turning Yu Xi against his chest so that it was easier to hold him.

Yu Xi: “Wow…..”

Kersz: “What?”

Tau also didn’t know what Yu Xi was exclaiming over: “What is it?”

“Humans have such a high body temperature.” Yu Xi felt warmth humming through his entire body. But a human’s body temperature wasn’t that high, so what was the source of the warmth he was currently basking in?

Kersz lowered his head and made a sound of surprise.

Although he didn’t understand what had caused it, Tau sensed that Yu Xi was now in a better mood.

“Hold him a little tighter,” Tau said to Kersz.

Kersz pulled Yu Xi even closer. Yu Xi was visibly flustered, shifting his hands and feet slightly as if he didn’t know what to do with them.

However, he eventually found a place to rest his limbs. Tucking his legs in, he made an effort to wrap his arms around Kersz in return.

Kersz felt that their posture was a bit odd: “Do you still feel like everything is meaningless?”

“I still haven’t figured it out,” Yu Xi said truthfully.

Kersz was somewhat disheartened by this answer, because he really didn’t have it in him to figure out a marvelous angle that would allow him to convince Yu Xi that life held meaning.

“But I seem to have calmed down a little now,” Yu Xi added. “Because you’re holding me.”

Kersz, who was also being held: ……

“Then do you still want to die?” Tau asked him.

“I don’t know…..it feels like…..like I can’t escape from that dream.” Yu Xi recalled that agitated big white dog. “Maybe Kersz was right, and it would have been better not to remember, but I have a feeling that the seal on that memory of mine was opened.”

He likely hadn’t deleted that dream completely, and unlocking it had simply required a certain catalyst – for instance, learning that the central figure of that dream was still alive.

And Yu Xi had been overwhelmed by it, rendered helpless by the intense emotions that swamped him in its wake.

All energy had drained from him, and he only felt that this universe was vast and empty. His past, too, seemed like a succession of days passing by, each just as empty as the last.

But in Kersz’s embrace, he seemed to have grasped a handhold against the current.

This wasn’t able to resolve the vast emptiness within him, but at least for the moment, it did give him something.

Yu Xi couldn’t quite put his finger on what Kersz had given him. It wasn’t heavy, nor was it sacred, and seemed to be nothing more than a few small things.

Yu Xi really liked these small things.

Kersz stiffened slightly within Yu Xi’s embrace, and a thought suddenly occurred to him: “Let’s go wander around somewhere with a lot of humans.”

“A third-class planet?” Yu Xi asked.

“Nah, let’s hang out on a first-class planet instead,” said Kersz. “The people there aren’t quite as volatile.”

Yu Xi’s eyes lit up.

Kersz: “But you can’t go around touching people indiscriminately.”

The light in Yu Xi’s eyes dimmed.

“What are you planning?!” Tau asked warily. “Who are you going to make a move against?”

“Your father,” Kersz said with a sneer.

Before Tau could respond, Kersz said: “My life isn’t all fighting and killing. I actually have my own distinct insights when it comes to entertainment.”

“So shall we go to a first-class planet?” Kersz asked Yu Xi.

Yu Xi nodded. He liked places where there were a lot of humans…..but this time, the sense of urgency to see those humans seemed to have diminished.

Yu Xi felt a bit strange.

Could it be because he already had two humans by his side? Somehow, he didn’t feel quite so desperate anymore.

In particular, Kersz still had his arms around him.

An hour later, they landed at the spaceport on a planet called Daybreak.

This place was indeed different from a third-class planet, where the buildings resembled blocks of steel piled together haphazardly, a rotting skin wrapped around the planet’s surface.

But the architecture here was very beautiful, arranged in a well-ordered and aesthetically pleasing array. It was just that it was a bit too white – blindingly so.

“Do the people here really enjoy using white for everything?” Yu Xi had a panoramic view of the city from the spaceport where they had landed.

“It’s because the owner of this planet has some issues,” Tau explained.

Tau didn’t understand why they had brought him along. In his own estimation, he was a prisoner. They should have kept him locked inside the starship…..and he still had unfinished crafts to complete.

But then Yu Xi brought up the topic of his father again, and Tau had no choice but to capitulate, changing his clothes before obediently following along.

“The owner of this planet is a very interesting old man,” said Kersz. “He was one of the few men of action within the Interstellar Alliance, a real anomaly, and it didn’t take long before he was ousted from his position. Afterward, he became obsessed with carrying out construction work on various planets. He has seven of them, each with their own representative color.”

Yu Xi was astonished: “I thought you didn’t like those lords?”

“I’m not that narrow-minded. I wouldn’t kill someone just because they’re a lord.” Kersz smiled and led Yu Xi toward the exit, who in turn pulled Tau away from where he was rooted to the spot.

As the three of them left the spaceport, Yu Xi noticed that in place of humans, there were mostly robots walking around on the streets.

“Where are we going?” Yu Xi disliked such emptiness, and the uniform white of the buildings made him feel as if the place lacked even a shred of vitality.

“A retro bar. It’ll be packed with people, shoulder to shoulder.” Kersz winked at Yu Xi.

Yu Xi gasped: “So does that mean I can sneak around and touch people without them noticing?”

“Please don’t do that.” Kersz slightly tightened his grip around Yu Xi’s wrist.

Yu Xi gave an “oh.”

But he figured that if he touched people very quickly and furtively, he was certain to get away with it.

Kersz saw through Yu Xi’s thoughts, and so did Tau.

Because whenever Yu Xi was feeling guilty, his eyes would dart around aimlessly without settling on anyone’s face.

Kersz heaved a helpless sigh and pretended not to notice. He would just apologize after Yu Xi inevitably stirred up trouble later.

When Kersz led Yu Xi and Tau to the retro bar, he unexpectedly ran into an acquaintance.

Or rather, an acquaintance of Tau’s.

Not long after they had settled into their booth, Yu Xi dashed off toward the dance floor. Kersz and Tau, however, had no interest in mingling, and had a drink at their table. But before long, they noticed a commotion as someone kicked up a ruckus.

A man sporting a head of curly platinum-blond hair was brawling with another man……no, it would be more accurate to say that he was unilaterally thrashing him.

None of the bystanders dared to step forward.

“Ah~” Kersz rested his chin in his hand and suddenly let out an amused chuckle. He glanced at Tau: “Isn’t that the Supreme Governor’s youngest son?”

Tau fell silent.

“He’s a biological child, unlike you. His parents are fully documented, not unregistered.”

Kersz laughed delightedly: “They say the Supreme Governor’s youngest son is violent by nature. Did he ever beat you up? Does he even see you as a human being?”

Tau’s expression suddenly shifted.

Kersz hadn’t expected such a strong reaction from him. Could it be that he had actually struck a nerve?

Tau’s lips trembled as he pointed in the direction of the commotion: “Is, is that Yu Xi?”

“Who?!” Kersz immediately jumped to his feet and looked in that direction.

The scene he encountered just about made him collapse.

The area around the blond man had essentially become a vacuum, occupied only by him and the man he had beaten up.

Along with one other person.

Standing between the two of them, Yu Xi leaned down to observe the groaning man before turning back to look at the blonde.

Yu Xi stood with his hands behind his back, his weight settled on one leg while the other was relaxed, looking as thoroughly at ease as a tourist at a museum. 

The blonde and the beaten man both stared blankly.

Yu Xi’s gaze darted back and forth between them.

The blonde raised an eyebrow at him.

Yu Xi finally responded by shifting his weight, settling into the same casual posture with his other leg at rest this time.

---

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Chapter 21 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 23

Ch. 87 – Fleeting Shadow

The solemn and dignified sound of the bell at the mountain peak repeated a total of one hundred times.

It must be said that while starting at the ring of a bell was cliché, its advantages were obvious. The noisy crowd was immediately silenced, and everyone covered their ears while hoping that the cacophony would end quickly.

Feng Ye looked around at the people around him, who were covering their ears just like him, and hoped for the same.

When the ringing finally ended, the elders of the sect, headed by Ji Chengyue, finally made their appearance. Today, Ji Chengyue was dressed in exceptionally formal attire. His black robes, although very similar to the Lingxiao Sword Sect uniform, were made with incomparable materials and workmanship.

Of course, no matter how expensive the materials were, it couldn’t compare to the robes Feng Ye was wearing.

Ji Chengyue and company stood before a ritual altar in the open area outside Zhenwu Hall. The three sacrificial animals were naturally indispensable. Killing living creatures as sacrifices was a long-standing human tradition, and while humans served as sacrifices in the past, cattle and sheep had now taken their place.

Ji Chengyue lit three incense sticks and solemnly bowed to the heavens: “Disciple Ji Chengyue, second disciple of Xuanxu-zhenren and thirteenth sect leader of Lingxiao Sword Sect, hereby respectfully informs his predecessors and teachers…..”

He used spiritual power as he spoke, so everyone atop the mountain and below was able to hear him as clearly as if he were speaking directly into their ear.

Any ceremony of even moderate importance inevitably involved complicated rituals and procedures, and this one was no exception. Ji Chengyue’s ritual tribute had only begun, and judging from his tone, there was much more to be said.

Feng Ye’s attention abruptly shifted away from the mountaintop, and he swiftly turned his head.

He didn’t know if it was just his imagination, but it felt like he was being watched.

Yet when he looked over, he found only empty space. Nobody was there.

Was it all in his head?

Normally, Feng Ye wouldn’t dwell on it too much. However, undercurrents were surging beneath this seemingly calm trial ceremony, and an unknown enemy may be lurking nearby. It was best to be cautious.

“I’m going to go relieve myself,” Feng Ye said at once.

Hao Chen’s eyes shifted, and he said: “I’ll go too.”

Fang Yang gave them a strange look. Why did they have to go together? But rather than ask any questions, he gave them a word of advice: “Come back soon, ah, it’ll be really exciting once it starts!”

Feng Ye nodded, then walked away.

Hao Chen paced along at his side, and asked once they were some distance away from Fang Yang: “Where is Fellow Daoist Feng Ye planning to relieve himself?”

Feng Ye glanced at the mischievously grinning Hao Chen, who was clearly asking a question he already knew the answer to.

Thus, he didn’t answer. Now was not the time for bickering; the most important thing was finding that person behind the scenes.

He walked very quickly, each stride of his long legs covering more than half the distance of his normal stride. If Fang Yang were following behind him, he would have to jog to catch up.

Fortunately, Hao Chen’s legs were long enough that he could keep up with some difficulty. He and Feng Ye were about the same height and had similar builds, so it was especially convenient to give him clothes. He could just have them made according to his own measurements.

As Feng Ye walked, his gaze swept across the crowd. There didn’t seem to be anything out of place about these ordinary-looking faces.

Hao Chen said nothing more after Feng Ye ignored him, and realized that he was probably searching for something.

What was he looking for?

Naturally, it must be a person.

Hao Chen cast his own gaze across the crowd in search of this person, and wondered if Yinglong was really here.

Xue Ren had likely made some kind of deal with Yinglong, but that didn’t mean that the god himself would make an appearance. Hao Chen attempted to comfort himself with this speculation.

As long as it wasn’t Yinglong himself who took action, he should be able to control the situation.

That didn’t mean that he would ensure the safety of Lingxiao Sword Sect, but rather that he would act to protect his future wife, who was unaware of Yinglong’s true strength.

The owner of that clothing store had referred to Feng Ye in such a way, operating under the belief that they had such a relationship. Hao Chen found it very pleasant to the ear, so in the end, he had simply let the crabs smash up the shop and refrained from taking his anger out on the shop owner himself.

However, he only dared to refer to him like that in his heart, as he might earn himself another beating if he spoke it aloud. He was not the type of fish to forget a lesson learned.

Hao Chen followed Feng Ye around the outer edge of the square. But even with both of them observing, nothing caught their eye.

There was nothing to be done. The crowd was simply too dense, everyone packed together and blocking each other’s way. Since it was impossible to get a clear view of everyone’s actions and expressions, it was equally impossible to spot an abnormality.

Suddenly, a commotion arose within the crowd. Feng Ye looked up and found that Ji Chengyue had finished his long and tedious ritual tribute.

“Disciple Cao Zirui is willing to accept the challenge!” Cao Zirui went down on one knee and bowed to his master, then turned away.

He trotted along the flat ground toward the edge of the cliff. Then, without looking, he jumped.

A gasp of shock rose from the crowd, then swiftly transformed into cheers.

The moment Cao Zirui jumped, he drew the spiritual sword on his back from its sheath and directed it to hover steadily under his feet.

Riding atop his sword, he arrived at the foot of the mountain.

Although he had yet to begin the challenge, the audience was already applauding for him. Fang Yang’s clapping was especially enthusiastic. Not everyone possessed the courage to jump like that on a whim.

Swordflying was not difficult, and the only reason Fang Yang flew so haphazardly was because he was only a beginner at Foundation Establishment stage. Similarly, catching oneself using a sword was not a demanding feat.

But people inevitably made mistakes, and most didn’t have the guts to gamble their lives on whether or not they would be the one to miscalculate. Cao Zirui’s daring showed that he was extremely confident in his swordsmanship. It seemed that he was determined to conquer these one hundred checkpoints.

Everyone had the same thought in mind – except for Xue Ren.

He stood at the peak of the mountain, watching with a cold smile on his lips as Cao Zirui strode toward the first checkpoint.

When he was unable to find what he was looking for, Feng Ye temporarily gave up the search and turned his attention toward Cao Zirui.

Cao Zirui climbed the first step, and the disciple standing there attacked. Their swords clashed three times before the first disciple guarding the pass was defeated.

Only three moves.

Although Cao Zirui’s victory was swift, few people were surprised. The difficulty of these one hundred checkpoints increased from low to high, with the guardians getting stronger as one progressed. The first fifty checkpoints were barely worth watching.

One hundred years ago, the former sect leader hadn’t even drawn his sword before passing the first fifty.

Due to the ease of the first few checkpoints, Cao Zirui didn’t actually need to draw his sword either. However, he was quite different from Ling Yun. Ling Yun possessed an arrogance that emanated from within, and looked down on these weak disciples.

But Cao Zirui felt that drawing his sword was a sign of respect for his opponent, and that he should take them all seriously regardless of their strength.

Very soon, Cao Zirui had broken through ten checkpoints in a row, with nobody lasting more than ten moves against him. His speed was comparable to that of Ling Yun one hundred years ago.

However, there was still a world of difference between his strength and Ling Yun’s. Leaving aside the fact that he was only at Foundation Establishment stage, even just taking swordsmanship into consideration, he was far from a master of the Lingxiao Swordsmanship technique.

He was able to maintain the same speed of progression as Ling Yun simply because, due to the decline of Lingxiao Sword Sect over the past century, the strength of these one hundred disciples guarding the pass was far inferior to those who had guarded it one hundred years ago.

However, compared to the ordinary disciples watching below, Cao Zirui’s swordsmanship was already far beyond their reach. These disciples couldn’t help but discuss it amongst themselves, almost all of them full of praise for Cao Zirui’s excellent swordsmanship.

However, others had the opposite opinion.

“He still needs more refinement.” Hao Chen shook his head, offering a seemingly professional critique.

Upon hearing this, Feng Ye regarded Hao Chen with some surprise. It wasn’t that he disagreed, since Cao Zirui’s swordsmanship did indeed have a lot of room for improvement. He was just taken aback that Hao Chen was able to judge the quality of his swordsmanship.

“You practice swordsmanship?” Feng Ye asked, raising an eyebrow. He looked exceedingly interested, as if he was a moment away from dragging Hao Chen out for a friendly match.

“I don’t.” Hao Chen immediately shook his head. Without using spiritual power, he would lose no matter which weapon he wielded in human form.

Before Feng Ye could ask, he explained with a smile: “It’s just that I’ve seen Fellow Daoist Feng Ye’s swordsmanship, and the difference in skill between the two of you is glaringly obvious.”

He gestured with both hands as he spoke. The hand representing Feng Ye was raised above his head, while the hand representing Cao Zirui barely reached his waist.

Feng Ye looked at Hao Chen speechlessly. He had hoped to discuss swordsmanship with Hao Chen, but it turned out that this fish was just flattering him.

He had flattered this fish before, and it was extremely easy to do. Just one compliment, and this fish would leap into the sky. But it wasn’t as easy to flatter Feng Ye, because he wasn’t nearly so superficial.

At such an age, he’s living entirely off the thickness of his skin.

Feng Ye had this thought for what seemed like the thousandth time. Then, he shook his head and continued to watch Cao Zirui face his challenge.

While they were speaking, Cao Zirui had passed over a dozen more checkpoints. Finally, at the forty-seventh level, he was no longer as relaxed as before. This time, he fought a disciple for more than twenty rounds before the winner was decided.

“It seems your descendent is not very capable, ah. He clearly learned your swordsmanship, but it took him so long to pass the forty-seventh checkpoint,” the man said to Ling Yun with a hint of sarcasm. 

Ling Yun watched Cao Zirui make his way upward and replied indifferently: “He’s only learned the basics.”

“Hehe, that’s true. Even you, the creator of this sword technique, haven’t given him any pointers, so how could he possibly learn the essence of it? How about you go and give him some advice later?” The man seemed to have suddenly thought of an idea.

But before Ling Yun could respond, he immediately shot down his own idea: “Ah, I almost forgot. He won’t have the opportunity.”

“Xue Ren will definitely kill him.” The man’s voice contained a beaming smile.

Even when speaking of something as dark as murder, he maintained a genial smile, as if he was simply talking about the weather. 

“It’s just uncertain whether Xue Ren will make a move against your shidi.” The man’s tone was somewhat anticipatory. “If Xue Ren really acts against Ji Chengyue, will you intervene?”

“No.” Ling Yun spoke this single word without any hesitation or fluctuations.

“Aren’t the two of you very close?” the man asked with regret.

Ling Yun looked up toward Ji Chengyue at the mountaintop. Standing in a secluded, unlit corner, he remained unnoticed by Feng Ye, much less the sect leader.

He replied in a flat tone: “That’s in the past.”

The man was a little disappointed by this answer, and shook his head: “You don’t seem to care about anything anymore.”

“Not true,” Ling Yun refuted again. “Don’t you know what I care about better than anyone else?”

“Hehe.” The man chuckled softly in response to Ling Yun’s question. He nodded, assuring him: “I will help you. After all…..that is my wish as well.”

“Now…..” the man’s tone suddenly became somewhat indolent. He stretched, then chuckled as he watched Cao Zirui reach the one hundredth checkpoint. “…..the show is about to begin.”

“Shixiong.” On the one thousandth step, Cao Zirui bowed to Xue Ren before making any move to strike.

“Shidi.” Xue Ren greeted him with a smile.

Ji Chengyue felt a little sentimental as he observed this scene, recalling how he and Ling Yun had been in the same situation one hundred years ago.

After they exchanged greetings, the challenge officially began.

Xue Ren held his sword in a defensive stance, adopting such a posture to invite Cao Zirui to make the first move. 

Cao Zirui didn’t refuse, and charged forward with his sword.

His strike was swift and fierce. It seemed as if his sword was going to pierce his opponent’s chest, but just as it approached Xue Ren, Cao Zirui twisted his wrist, turning the blade.

The tip of the sword, which had been thrust straight forward, angled upward toward Xue Ren’s jaw.

Although Cao Zirui had abruptly altered his move, Xue Ren’s reaction was just as swift. He leaned back slightly to avoid the attack, while simultaneously thrusting his sword forward.

Having missed his first strike, Cao Zirui quickly withdrew his sword and defended against the attack. When the blades connected, the two equally precious spirit swords shook slightly.

As personal disciples of the sect leader, both of them possessed excellent magical tools. Their spirit swords were also top-rank Earth-grade weapons, equally sharp and durable.

And in terms of swordsmanship, Xue Ren had learned the traditional techniques of Lingxiao Sword Sect, while Cao Zirui had learned the Lingxiao Swordsmanship created by Ling Yun, which was a superior technique.

However, Xue Ren was more than twenty years older than Cao Zirui, and he possessed far richer experience.

Thus, for a time, there was no clear indication as to who would emerge victorious. Each took turns attacking and defending, but neither was able to breach the other’s defenses.

After a brief clash, Xue Ren launched another attack. Perhaps due to fatigue after this series of skirmishes, Cao Zirui’s reaction time slowed and the opponent’s sword grazed his sleeve.

When the two parted, Cao Zirui’s sleeve sported a long gash.

Fang Yang couldn’t help being worried for his friend. In order to better view the scene, and to fulfill his promise to cheer Cao Zirui on, he managed to fly up somewhat unsteadily on his sword. Having flown halfway up the mountain, he had a clearer view than most of the disciples and was able to witness this dangerous moment.

Had Cao Zirui reacted any slower, he would have lost his arm.

Ji Chengyue frowned as he watched this scene. Cao Zirui had been slow to react, and even when Xue Ren’s sword was about to cut into his shidi, he showed no signs of calling off the attack.

This was just a spar, but Xue Ren seemed to be going all-out.

Could it be…..? A bad feeling came over Ji Chengyue. But he was reluctant to believe it, and convinced himself that perhaps Xue Ren was unable to stop in time, but had not done it deliberately.

Ji Chengyue continued to watch the spar……but his hand clenched slightly where it was hidden in his sleeve. He was ready to step in at any moment.

Sometimes, a bystander was able to get a clearer picture than the person involved. Cao Zirui was completely unaware that Xue Ren was trying to kill him. He just assumed that mistakes could be made in the heat of battle, and that Xue Ren would have pulled his swing if Cao Zirui was unable to react in time.

Although Xue Ren didn’t usually pay much attention to him, he had specially gifted him that warning bell before Cao Zirui entered the Floating Island Secret Realm, which showed that his shixiong was a good person.

He didn’t really want to fight Xue Ren, but this was a friendly spar, and also the final checkpoint out of one hundred. He had no choice but to win.

And it needed to be a quick victory, because he was growing tired. Ling Yun had passed these one hundred checkpoints as if strolling through a garden, casual and relaxed. Although this was not a truly grueling battle, the first ninety-nine checkpoints had certainly taken a toll on Cao Zirui’s stamina.

Cao Zirui abruptly changed his swordsmanship style. He had started off aggressively, then switched back and forth between offense and defense, but now….he abandoned defense entirely.

He would use offense as his defense!

His blade struck the middle of Xue Ren’s sword, and the sudden increase in force vibrated through the metal, bringing a tingling sensation to Xue Ren’s hand.

Xue Ren had just blocked the attack, and before he had a chance to retaliate, he barely managed to block a second incoming strike.

The second strike was even stronger than the first, and the tingling sensation in Xue Ren’s hand intensified.

“This is…..” Fang Yang murmured as he watched this familiar scene from the sidelines. This looked similar to the sword technique Useless Shixiong had used to defeat Lu Chengye.

When Cao Zirui swung again and Xue Ren was forced to take a step back, Fang Yang was certain – this technique was not similar. It was exactly the same.

Four, Cao Zirui counted to himself while once again increasing the power of his next swing.

Ever since he witnessed Feng Ye use this technique, it had never left his mind. He had attempted it before during the Foundation Establishment tournament, but without success.

But he didn’t give up after this failure. Instead, he practiced it on his own time. Although he had learned Lingxiao Swordsmanship, there was no absolute distinction between different sword techniques, as martial arts were inherently versatile.

Ling Yun had studied the strengths of many schools of swordsmanship before designing his technique.

Cao Zirui had been practicing this particular technique for almost half a month. At first, he could only use the first four or five moves at most, but now he could use the entire set of seven.

Five.

With the fifth swing, Cao Zirui reached the limit of his strength.

The vibrations from the sword were no longer limited to Xue Ren’s hand. This time, his entire arm went numb.

What sort of technique was this?! Xue Ren was filled with surprise and bewilderment.

Due to his early departure, he hadn’t witnessed the battle between Feng Ye and Lu Chengye, and therefore never learned about the Seven Strike Takedown technique.

But although he was unaware that there were seven strikes in total, Xue Ren could sense by the increasing strength of the attacks that he might not be able to keep his grip on his sword after two more moves.

Losing to Cao Zirui?

What a joke!

This trial ceremony explicitly forbade the use of spiritual power, so he was unable to simply overwhelm Cao Zirui using his Golden Core stage might. However, a different sort of power was not expressly prohibited…..

Xue Ren’s lips suddenly curved upward.

Cao Zirui spun in place, using the acceleration of the rotation to unleash a sixth sword strike that exceeded his physical limits.

The clash of their swords emitted a reverberating hum.

Just then, amidst the vibrations, the sword in Xue Ren’s hand suddenly darkened very slightly in hue.

The originally bright silver sword suddenly turned faintly greyish, like a pearl covered in dust. 

This subtle change was not very noticeable, and even Ji Chengyue, who was closest to their battle location, failed to spot it.

But Feng Ye noticed. He was particularly sensitive to the thing that caused the sword to change.

At once, he raised his head and looked toward the sky.

At some point, bright sunlight had been obscured by dark clouds. Although it wasn’t quite to the point of blotting out the entire sky, the light was much fainter than before.

And those dark clouds seemed to be growing in density.

Seven. Cao Zirui uttered the last number to himself, simultaneously thrusting his sword forward. The first six strikes had forced Xue Ren to retreat repeatedly, leaving him on the defensive and completely unable to counterattack.

The final strike would knock the sword out of his hand, resulting in Cao Zirui’s victory.

However, just as the two swords were about to collide, Cao Zirui suddenly noticed that Xue Ren’s sword had turned black.

Pitch black.

Despite being made of metal, the blade lacked the reflective properties metal should have.

Even the patterns engraved on the spirit sword had been swallowed up by the blackness.

There was nothing on the sword apart from that monotonous darkness.

Although Cao Zirui was baffled, he had no time to withdraw his sword. The blades collided.

A sword flew away as a result, but it was not Xue Ren’s.

Cao Zirui stumbled back several steps and went down on one knee, leaning on the remaining half of his sword.

“Cough, cough…..” Cao Zirui spat out a mouthful of blood, which stained his collar and dripped to the ground.

The entire place fell silent.

No one had expected this. Cao Zirui was clearly the one with the upper hand, beating Xue Ren back repeatedly, so how had he ended up losing?

And how had Xue Ren managed to sever the spirit sword in Cao Zirui’s hand?

Feng Ye had spent a considerable amount of time building up to severing Lu Chengye’s sword. He struck the same spot repeatedly, and the accumulation of these strikes had caused it to shatter in the end.

But the material of the sword itself had also played a role. Ultimately, no matter how exquisite it may be, the sturdiness of ordinary steel was limited.

But Cao Zirui’s spiritual sword was a genuine Earth-grade magic weapon. How could Xue Ren so easily sever it in two?

Ji Chengyue stared at the jet black sword in Xue Ren’s hand, his expression one of bewilderment.

Xue Ren met Ji Chengyue’s gaze with a smile. At the same time, he sheathed his sword and bowed slightly, saying: “Shifu, victory is mine.”

The silent crowd finally stirred, and the disciples at the foot of the mountain began to whisper amongst themselves:

“This was Cao Zirui’s succession ceremony, but Xue Ren won in the end. So who should be the successor?”

The same question was raised throughout the square, reflecting everyone’s common concern.

But this did not include Ji Chengyue and those next to him. There was something wrong with the sword in Xue Ren’s hand. Those far away were unable to see it clearly, but those watching from the mountaintop were able to see perfectly well.

Without even using spiritual power, he was able to cleave a spiritual sword in two. There was no way that a low-grade magic weapon was capable of such a feat. Even Ji Chengyue’s Heaven-grade spiritual weapon Mountain Breaker, which was reserved for the use of successive sect leaders, was incapable of doing this.

He had never heard of a sword with this degree of sharpness.

No…..

He came to a sudden realization. He had heard of such a sword before, and had even seen it with his own eyes.

He had witnessed firsthand the divine sword that had severed Jianmu in one strike…..

Ji Chengyue recalled their late night conversation three days prior, during which Xue Ren had suddenly mentioned Jianmu, and a premonition arose in his heart. Unbeknownst to him, a conspiracy had been brewing.

“Shifu, the position of sect leader has always been held by whoever is most capable. Since shidi failed his trial, how about giving it to me?” Xue Ren suggested with a smile.

Ji Chengyue’s gaze shifted from the sword in Xue Ren’s hand to his smiling face, which seemed to belong to a stranger.

He had already made one mistake, and to his surprise, the decision he made three days ago had been another one.

Xue Ren had never considered repentance. Instead, he had become even more excessive than before.

Ji Chengyue sternly rebuked him: “Enough! Winning through external power is not fair play! My Lingxiao Sword Sect would never accept such a person as its leader!”

Xue Ren’s face immediately iced over. His fake smile vanished as he finally did away with all pretense, revealing an expression of fierce resentment.

He confronted his master: “What do you mean by ‘fair play?’ That’s just an excuse. Shifu, you never even considered passing the position of sect leader over to me.”

He abruptly turned to look at Cao Zirui, his eyes brimming with malice: “In your heart, I am inferior to him in everything. Everything I do is wrong.”

His voice grew louder and louder: “Nothing good was ever given to me. You gave him the Linxiao Swordsmanship technique, and you even want to give him the position of sect leader!”

When he uttered the last word, he was screaming almost uncontrollably.

At the same time, he swung his sword. An invisible sword glare swept toward Cao Zirui, who was kneeling on the ground, staring in shock.

This jet-black sword had easily severed an Earth-grade magic weapon, and there was no need to mention what it would do to fragile human bones.

If this attack connected, Cao Zirui would be cleaved in two.

Fang Yang, who had been stunned by the scene unfolding before him, saw this and immediately came to his senses. He directed his sword downward, intending to rush to Cao Zirui’s aid.

But he was too far away. No matter how fast he was, he wouldn’t get there in time.

And Cao Zirui himself was suffering from severe internal injuries due to the severing of his spirit sword, to which he was bound heart and soul. Forget dodging this strike. He was only managing to remain upright through sheer power of will.

At the sight of Cao Zirui moments away from death by sword glare, Ji Chengyue finally moved. He flashed in front of Cao Zirui, simultaneously gathering his spiritual power to form a protective barrier. Normally, his Nascent Soul stage strength would have been more than enough to handle an attack from a Golden Core stage cultivator.

But at this moment, not only did the sword cleave straight through his barrier, but he was even knocked back a step.

Fortunately, Ji Chengyue was quick to react. He immediately took a protective magic weapon from his sleeve and held it in front of him, ultimately managing to block the attack.

Such terrifying power…..his suspicions were only further confirmed.

“Xue Ren, have you gone mad?! How can you attack your own shidi?!” The perpetually good-tempered Elder Zhou finally reacted to the scene before him, in complete disbelief.

Xue Ren showed no sign of backing down, and raised his sword with a sneer.

The disciples at the checkpoints reacted accordingly. Although the reason for Xue Ren’s sudden madness was unknown, he had violated the sect rule against harming fellow disciples, and should be apprehended.

Amidst the sound of countless swords being drawn, Xue Ren was surrounded.

Xue Ren swept his gaze over the swords pointed toward him. Each one was razor-sharp, gleaming with a cold and deadly light under the overcast sky.

Even so, he showed no signs of panic. He had regained his composure after his earlier outburst, and his smile returned as he looked back toward Ji Chengyue: “Since Shifu won’t give it to me, I have no choice but to take it for myself.”

Although Ji Chengyue already had a vague guess in mind about the origin of that sword, Elder Zhou didn’t recognize it, and had not yet realized that this was not the first time Xue Ren had attempted to kill Cao Zirui.

He advised Xue Ren: “Apologize to your master at once! Do you really think you can win against so many people alone?”

As he spoke, he even went to snatch the sword from Xue Ren’s hand. He truly didn’t wish to witness the tragedy of master and disciple coming to blows, nor disciples fighting one another.

However, just as he took a step, Ji Chengyue raised an arm to stop him.

At this moment in time, Ji Chengyue no longer dared to say that he understood Xue Ren. His repeated actions had completely shattered his previous understanding of his disciple.

But the one thing he was certain of was that Xue Ren was not an impulsive person. To have taken this action, he must be absolutely certain of his success.

Xue Ren reacted to Elder Zhou’s words with a scoff, asking him: “Apologize? What have I done wrong? I’m only taking back what is rightfully mine! Also…..who said I’m alone?”

What did he mean by that? Did he have accomplices? 

Just as the disciples surrounding him were filled with uncertainty, Xue Ren held the jet-black sword in front of him horizontally and flicked the blade with his finger.

He listened to the crisp sound with near rapture, then infused his voice with spiritual power and raised his voice to say to everyone: “This is the divine sword – Fleeting Shadow!”

Fleeting Shadow?! Wasn’t that…..

Everyone with knowledge of that past event recited the name in their hearts, staring at Xue Ren in abject shock.

Feng Ye, who had been weaving through the crowd in search of the person behind the scenes, also raised his head.

His eyes widened slightly as he listened to Xue Ren utter that name…..a name he had never expected to hear.

“And the name of my master is…..” Xue Ren paused, then said with a grin, “Yinglong, the God of War!”

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Chapter 86 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 88

With the knowledge that the letter was from Qin Xiao, Bai Lihong became restless.

He pushed off the chair with his calves and slid down, then ran on his short legs to stand in front of Chu Jiubian.

“Xiansheng, I want to read it too,” the young boy said. Standing on tiptoe, he used his hands to support himself on Chu Jiubian’s knees and tried to climb into his lap.

Chu Jiubian lifted him up and settled him on his lap.

Bai Lihong looked at the envelope with bright eyes: “Xiansheng, what did Jiujiu say?”

“Let’s have a look.” Chu Jiubian unfolded the letter.

The first thing to catch his eye was the familiar handwriting. Flowing and vigorous, the powerful strokes seemed to perforate the paper, possessing a unique and distinctive style.

Having left the capital a month ago, we have now arrived in the Northwest…..

In a businesslike tone, he briefly recounted everything that had transpired along the way.

In addition, on the day they arrived in the Northwest, Moba Zanpu changed his mind and prepared to massacre the city that very day, but was stopped by Dingbei-wang.

The people of Shanxi and Gansu were now spreading stories of Dingbei-wang’s heroic deeds, and his previous reputation as “incompetent” after being captured had been completely overshadowed.

Although the tone was entirely professional, Chu Jiubian still detected a hint of mockery in Qin Xiao’s words, particularly in the phrase, “Dingbei-wang is in the enemy camp, yet his name is still associated with Great Ning.”

It seemed that this matter was not as the rumors suggested.

It was a foregone conclusion that Dingbei-wang and Moba Zanpu had conspired together. All this talk of “shielding the common people from harm” and showing fearless courage in the face of death was likely just a show that the vassal king had staged for himself.

He himself had constructed the stage, then drew both Great Ning’s Imperial Court and the Western Regions onto it. He had included Qin Xiao and Moba Zanpu, and even the common people of Shanxi and Gansu into his calculations.

Not only did he successfully lure Qin Xiao over, but he even made a name for himself in the process.

He was truly a clever tactician.

Chu Jiubian’s eyes darkened slightly. He had never truly paid attention to this Dingbei-wang Bai Liyu before.

He was the youngest prince from the reign of Emperor Chengzong, and at twenty-five years old, he was the same age as Qin Xiao.

During the succession struggle under Emperor Yingzong’s reign, this Dingbei-wang was still young, and his maternal family’s influence was not particularly strong. Therefore, a fiefdom was hastily arranged for him and he was sent away, which let him avoid competing in the political power struggle.

During the eight years of Emperor Yingzong’s reign that followed, he behaved himself and kept a low profile, making himself stand out even less than Nanjiang-wang, who was far away in the south.

But now, it seemed that this was no simple person.

On the contrary, he was strategic, daring, and willing to take risks. This was a very difficult person to deal with.

These vassal kings were very adept at keeping their heads down, but now that the political situation was unstable, they were all beginning to stir.

Chu Jiubian lowered his gaze and continued to read the contents of the letter.

Envoys were sent tonight for negotiations. The army will rest for three days before the battle begins. Wish me luck.

Qin Xiao had never intended to negotiate, and had only sent the envoys as a formality. Sooner or later, war was inevitable.

But when Qin Xiao wrote it out like that, Chu Jiubian couldn’t help but smile.

However, the smile on his face quickly faded, and a furrow appeared on his brow.

It had taken four days for the letter to reach him, which meant that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Qin Xiao would have already engaged the Sai Kingdom Army in battle yesterday.

He had no idea what the situation was like, or if Qin Xiao had been injured.

He probably hadn’t.

Had Qin Xiao been injured on the very first day, it would be very difficult for him to “decisively defeat the Sai Kingdom” as he had in the novel, so he must still be safe for now.

Chu Jiubian composed himself and continued reading.

He had reached the last two sentences of the letter.

Please inform His Majesty that I am doing well, and that I will strive to return to the capital before the end of the year.

Before Chu Jiubian could relay the message, the child had already read the sentence and immediately hugged Chu Jiubian’s arm, saying: “Xiansheng, Jiujiu said he’ll be back before the New Year!”

“En,” Chu Jiubian replied with a smile.

Bai Lihong squirmed and wriggled in Chu Jiubian’s arms, saying with a grin: “Xiansheng, this emperor needs to continue his calculations.”

He needed to work hard so that when his Jiujiu returned, he would see a much-improved version of himself!

“Go ahead,” said Chu Jiubian.

The child returned to his seat, where he continued to sit upright and solve the math problems Chu Jiubian had given him. He displayed no impatience at all – only a strong sense of determination.

Chu Jiubian withdrew his gaze and read the last line of text on the letter.

I miss the jasmine in the courtyard. I wonder if it is still doing well?

He stared at it fixedly for some time before putting the letter away. Then he turned to Qin Chaoyang and said: “Fighting has likely already broken out in the Northeast. Keep a close eye on the news.”

Qin Chaoyang gave a respectful affirmative reply.

“Preparations should also be started on the residences of the vassal kings. Please monitor the arrangements for the banquet and the New Year’s festivities, along with Eunuch Hong,” Chu Jiubian said.

Qin Chaoyang bowed and said: “This subordinate accepts the order.”

The New Year Festival was approaching.

In the first year of the new emperor’s reign, all of the vassal kings were required to come to the capital to pay their respects, and it was expected that they would bring their families and retinues with them.

With there being so many people, it was naturally impossible to accommodate all of them in the Imperial Palace.

Fortunately, the Imperial Court had already bestowed residences upon these princes when they were granted their titles. Now, all that was needed was to send people to prepare those residences; there was no need to build new ones.

In addition, these manors all had servants who were left there to “look after the house,” which meant that they were not abandoned properties. This would save a lot of time when it came to cleaning them up.

There were many details to oversee regarding the New Year’s palace banquet, and it was fortunate that officials from the Ministry of Rites were responsible for coordinating it. Otherwise, Chu Jiubian’s staff would have been even more overwhelmed.

And the Ministry of Personnel was experiencing an uptick in memorials lately.

During this period of annual performance reviews for officials, and with many of them seeking transfers to new positions, there was a flurry of activity. Memorials piled up in stacks, and Chu Jiubian worked late into the night each day to review them.

Whenever he found himself unable to straighten his back at night, he thought of Qin Xiao.

If he were here, they could split the workload and make things much easier.

But Qin Xiao wouldn’t be able to return anytime soon.

Chu Jiubian spread out a new sheet of paper, dipped his brush in ink, and began writing a reply to Qin Xiao.

His letter was even simpler.

He began with recounting the recent news and events in court.

Firstly, the household registration records of the people in Hexi Prefecture had all been properly organized, and Prefect Han Yuandao had exercised his authority to suppress local forces, preventing the local nobles and other various factions from seizing the common people’s land again.

However, the Imperial Court’s four great families seemed to have guessed their intention to reform the land taxation system, and had secretly begun to take countermeasures.

Secondly, Xiao Yao, the head of the Xiao family, had recently begun to appear in public again.

Although he was slightly thinner than before, he was in a healthy mental state. Chu Jiubian had observed that the other party seemed to have already managed to suppress his addiction to mandala.

On the contrary, although Minister of Personnel Xiao Huaiguan seemed to be in good spirits, he had also started to lose weight. His already aged face had become even more gaunt, with his cheeks now visibly sunken.

Chu Jiubian subtly informed Qin Xiao that the old bastard was likely not going to live much longer.

The Xiao family had previously possessed a large quantity of mandala, and after the Imperial Court banned them, Xiao Yao had ordered everyone in his household to stay away from this substance. 

However, just one glance at Xiao Huaiguan’s condition was enough for Chu Jiubian to grasp what was going on.

That old bastard Xiao Huaiguan must be partaking in the Xiao family’s remaining mandala.

Chu Jiubian even understood why he was taking it. He must be thinking that he was already old and frail, with limited time left to live, so he might as well live more freely even if it meant resorting to drugs.

Thirdly, there was the Wang family.

Chu Jiubian felt that since he had sent Wang Pengyi to deliver the military supplies, Minister of Rites Wang Zhiyuan had changed somewhat.

He no longer participated in court affairs, only occasionally speaking up. And even then, he sided with Chu Jiubian and Bai Lihong.

Chu Jiubian informed Qin Xiao in his letter: Surnamed Wang may be considering retiring while he’s ahead, depending on the success of the military campaign in the Northwest.

If there was anyone in the Imperial Court who understood the situation the best, it was Minister Wang.

Wang family members had held official positions and served as ministers during the previous dynasty, but once Great Ning overthrew the previous regime, the high-ranking and powerful figures in the court were all weakened – with the exception of the Wang family. Because of a secret deal they made with Great Ning’s founding emperor, they were able to preserve their wealth and power.

This ability to assess the situation and react accordingly had clearly been passed down to Wang Zhiyuan. 

However, there was another very important factor that Chu Jiubian would not tell Qin Xiao.

He had obtained some inside information from Wang Qichen that the Wang family was currently experiencing serious internal conflict, and that Wang Qichen was already laying the groundwork for the release of “Yaotai Green Paper,” which would likely be available soon.

At that time, the Wang family’s monopoly on papermaking would be shattered, and if the family head couldn’t figure out a way to reverse their decline, he would very soon be overshadowed by Wang Qichen’s rising popularity.

And under these circumstances, Wang Zhiyuan, an elder in the family who held an even higher position than family head Wang Huanzhi, remained completely silent and didn’t even restrict his own grandson Wang Pengyi’s interactions with Wang Qichen. This already revealed a clear bias.

If Wang Qichen were truly to inherit the position of family head, then the Wang family would become a force that was under Chu Jiubian’s control.

The four great families’ strong alliance and mutual animosity against him would thus be dismantled from within.

Lastly, regarding the Imperial Examinations, the first round of preliminary examinations had been completed.

Chu Jiubian had established the examination system with procedures similar to those in later time periods. First came the preliminary exams, followed by the prefectural and regional exams, and finally the palace exam, for a total of four rounds.

The preliminary exam was taken by students in their respective locales. This stage tested basic knowledge, and anyone with a solid foundation would be able to pass.

For the prefectural exam, students would travel to a prefectural city depending on their place of residence. This round was more difficult, and would weed out most of those who were trying to muddle through or lacked adaptability. 

Since this was the first time the Imperial Examinations were being held, Chu Jiubian had not set a limit on the number of candidates.

So long as students achieved a passing score at each stage, with their total score exceeding 85 points, they would be able to advance to the next round.

The third round of exams was the regional exam, which also took place in a prefectural city. 

The scope of the questions was broader and more difficult, and Chu Jiubian had even added some debate-style topics.

Besides the candidates for classical subjects, other subjects such as math and embroidery were included as well. Exceptional writing skills were not required when the answers were graded. As long as the candidates possessed sound moral values, or were only slightly old-fashioned but had the potential for correction, Chu Jiubian would consider them to have passed.

And those students who passed their exams would have secured their spots in the Imperial Academy.

These students would then come to the capital to participate in the final round of Imperial Examinations.

Bai Lihong would serve as the chief examiner in this exam, while other civil and military offiials would act as his assistants.

The final exam paper was not divided into different specialties – everyone would receive the same set of questions, which numbered ten in total. 

These ten questions would not take into account professional skills, but instead would ask about the students’ reasons for entering public service, methods for improving the lives of the common people and how best to ensure their well-being, and how they would carry out their duties in their respective positions. 

Bai Lihong and Chu Jiubian had created all of these questions between the two of them, and two of the questions were matters that the child himself wanted to know the answer to.

The purpose of including these questions in the Imperial Examinations was not only to select the most outstanding students among the candidates and find the most suitable talents who aligned with Chu Jiubian’s governing philosophy, but to help these students gain recognition.

When presented in front of all those civil and military officials, the students’ answers, whether good or bad, would have a certain level of impact.

After the examinations, Chu Jiubian would have his people record these questions, as well as the students’ answers, and disseminate them.

This content would then be presented in colloquial language by professional storytellers or in crowded places such as inns and restaurants, and then spread further to various marketplaces.

This would let the common people know that the ones in charge now were Bai Lihong, Chu Jiubian, and Qin Xiao, and that those who would govern them in the future and ensure the betterment of their livelihoods were students from ordinary families who were selected by the Imperial Academy.

Unlike those from powerful and influential families, the students of the Imperial Academy would naturally be less distant from the common people.

Once their reputations spread, the common people would place their trust in the Imperial Academy, which would make a more convincing case for sending students into the Imperial Court.

He who wins the hearts of the common people wins the world.

Chu Jiubian was well-aware of this principle, and so were the officials in the Imperial Court.

These powerful and influential figures, who were accustomed to holding themselves above the masses, did not genuinely take the common people’s demands into account. They simply used their “good reputations” to use the common people like tools.

When the time came for them to charge into battle, just like what had happened with the drought in the southern regions, a minor incitement from officials could turn them into a sharp weapon pointed toward Qin Xiao and Bai Lihong.

But to them, the common people were like ants, a disorganized and powerless mass.

Even a mere county official was able to command troops to throw them into a raging river.

For another example, the recent Sai Kingdom invasion.

The common people of Gansu had become bargaining chips to be traded, and Dingbei-wang had put them in a dangerous situation without their knowledge. 

Yet he also needed the support of these common people. He intended to gain renown through this matter and gain more acceptance from them.

For this reason, he dragged many others into his scheme, using his reputation as a fearless hero who single-handedly faced off against danger to manipulate the admiration and resentment of the common people.

To him, and to those in power, the common people were merely tools to be used.

Therefore, it wouldn’t even enter their minds to “enlighten the common people.” On the contrary, they would oppress the common people to such an extreme degree that just having enough food to eat and clothing to wear would be considered good fortune.

Once the common people became a little wealthier, they would begin to pursue other endeavors and would have the time and inclination to contemplate deeper principles.

They would become less prone to manipulation, and would no longer be tools to be used.

This was not good news for those in power.

Even in newer generations, the common people naturally remained trapped in information bubbles, seeing and hearing only what certain people wanted them to see and hear.

However, there would always be people who thought more deeply, as well as those who would search for ways to transcend their social class.

Progress was inevitable in a society, and this was a good thing.

Chu Jiubian had never naively imagined that every single common person would become a talent. He simply wanted them all to have better lives, and wished to give them the opportunity to think for themselves, to grow, and to understand their ultimate purpose.

After rambling on and on, Chu Jiubian raised his head in surprise to find that he had unknowingly written an entire page.

The confidential letter would be kept safe, and if anything unexpected happened, the messenger would immediately destroy it. So there was no issue with Chu Jiubian writing such things, and no need to worry about outsiders reading it.

He was just a little bewildered.

When Qin Xiao was with him before, he never noticed how much they communicated. But now that he was writing things down, he realized that he and Qin Xiao actually talked quite a lot.

Keeping in mind that Qin Xiao’s letter only amounted to one page, Chu Jiubian didn’t say anything further, and simply wrote at the end: His Majesty is perfectly well. Court affairs are so numerous and demanding that this god even dreams of reviewing memorials. I hope you will return soon to share some of my burdens.

After a moment’s thought, he added one last sentence: The jasmine in the courtyard is in full bloom.

It was already nearly mid-October, and the jasmine was beginning to show signs of wilting.

Qin Xiao received the reply on the evening of October 15th.

The setting sun painted the sky red, and rain mixed with a few snowflakes melted into water the instant it met the ground, blending with the dirt to become mud.

Tall boots tramped through it, stirring up filth.

There was still a trace of ferocity to Qin Xiao’s expression. Blood was splattered across his chin, and his dark armor gleamed with a cold, hard light.

He strode to the entrance of the tent, tossed his spear to a guard, and opened the tent flap before entering.

Just as he reached the washbasin and was about to wash his hands, a secret guard landed silently a few steps away. Holding up a confidential letter, he said: “My Lord, a reply has arrived from the capital.”

Qin Xiao abruptly turned his head and took a couple of steps toward him. But then he stopped, turning to thoroughly wash his hands before going back to take the letter.

The secret guard disappeared in a flash.

Qin Xiao took a seat on the only stone stool in the tent, and without even taking the time to pour himself a cup of water, he opened the letter.

The young man’s handwriting was strong and vigorous, with powerful, elegant strokes.

The fierceness slowly faded from Qin Xiao’s face as his gaze moved unhurriedly across the letter.

The language in the letter was sometimes concise and formal, and at other times quite colloquial, which was very much Chu Jiubian’s style.

Upon reading “that old bastard Xiao Huaiguan doesn’t have much longer to live,” Qin Xiao let out a low chuckle.

He was relieved to read “His Majesty is perfectly well,” but he still felt a sense that something was missing.

For a long while, his gaze remained unwaveringly fixed on the last sentence:

The jasmine in the courtyard is in full bloom.

By this time, the jasmine in the courtyard was probably withering.

But it wasn’t the jasmine flowers that were on Qin Xiao’s mind, and Chu Jiubian’s response was not referring to the state of their blooms.

After a while, Qin Xiao placed the letter on the table and gently tore it in half.

The first half of the letter, which detailed various matters in the capital, Qin Xiao burned completely. 

The second half contained only the last two sentences of the letter.

Qin Xiao stood and placed the thin piece of paper into a small box, then hid it beneath his pillow.

Without bothering to tidy himself up after getting to his feet, he proceeded to walk straight out of the tent.

Someone in the capital was waiting for him to return and help review memorials, so he needed to speed things up.

*

*

Inside the Sai Kingdom commander’s tent, a subordinate rushed in and reported: “Sovereign, Ning-wang is attacking again!”

“He only just left a short while ago, why is he back again?!” Such was Moba Zanpu’s fury that he smashed down the wine cup in his hand.

Fortunately, it was made of bronze and didn’t shatter.

He glared at Bai Liyu, who was sitting at the far end of the table, and said in a temper: “This sovereign has already lost five of his top commanders. You never mentioned that Ning-wang is this formidable!”

Bai Liyu’s eyes darkened slightly, and he said in a low voice: “The sovereign should understand that nothing comes for free in this world.”

Driven by his desire to seize the territory of Gansu, he had initially been eager to collaborate with Bai Liyu – but now that Ning-wang was on the offensive, he had become anxious.

How could Moba Zanpu not know by now that he had been utterly manipulated by Dingbei-wang and these Central Plains people?

He was being used by Dingbei-wang as a sharp weapon to oppose Qin Xiao.

But at this moment in time, Moba Zanpu was truly in a dilemma.

If he were to retreat now, not only would he not retain control of Gansu, but the morale of his troops would collapse, which would have a significant impact on his rule within their country.

But if he didn’t retreat, he would have no choice but to fight Qin Xiao.

With his 130,000 soldiers facing off against Great Ning’s 110,000-strong army, it was truly uncertain which side would prevail.

But they were within Great Ning’s territory, and Qin Xiao possessed a supply train extending from the capital that ensured ample provisions. Furthermore, the terrain of the Central Plains was more suitable for the Great Ning Army’s tactics. 

At present, the only advantage Moba Zanpu seemed to possess was a position that was easy to defend but difficult to attack.

With a fierce glint in his eyes, he directed his murderous gaze toward Bai Liyu: “Since we must confront Ning-wang directly in order to take full control of Gansu, the deal between you and I is useless.”

“And you—” He sneered, “You are useless too.”

Since he was no longer useful, it was better to kill him.

What did it matter how clever this person was? Wasn’t he still in Moba Zanpu’s hands?

“What’s the rush?” Bai Liyu spoke unhurriedly, sipping his tea. “In warfare, provisions are paramount.”

He looked up at the sovereign sitting upon his throne: “My men have located Great Ning’s provisions, which are being stockpiled at the Ganying Post Station fifty li away. Asking the Sovereign to hold out for two more days. Once the weather clears up, we can set fire to Ning-wang’s supplies, and won’t the initiative then be in our hands?”

In fact, his people had already known where the provisions were stockpiled. He had also thought that Wang Pengyi, who was escorting the provisions, would share his objective and at least delay the delivery of the supplies for a while.

Unexpectedly, the other party proved to be diligent and conscientious, purchasing grain along the way and traveling at a very rapid pace. He had now joined Qin Xiao’s army, providing support from the rear to ensure the supply of basic food and supplies.

Bai Liyu had a vague sense that the Wang family seemed to be considering pledging their allegiance to the Emperor, but now was not the time to dwell on such matters.

Since Wang Pengyi had escaped his control, he would simply order his people to burn down the supply camp.

However, it had been raining and snowing for the past two days, and starting a big fire in this weather would be too difficult and disruptive. He feared that the fire wouldn’t even have a chance to get going before they were discovered.

For this reason, he had yet to take action.

But just in case, he had prepared a contingency plan. The strategist Qian Ziming was currently in Great Ning’s military camp, and Bai Liyu still had 6,000 private troops of his own.

When Moba Zanpu heard about the military supply camp, his expression shifted slightly.

The people of the Sai Kingdom valued strength, and he had secured his position as Sovereign through forcefully subduing other military leaders.

But he wasn’t just a mindless brute; on the contrary, he possessed considerable talent in military matters.

An idea formed in his mind at that very moment, and he immediately summoned a trusted commander and whispered a few words into his ear.

Afterward, the commander accepted the order and departed. Moba Zanpu also stood and walked outside, grabbing his longsword as he went.

Bai Liyu knew upon seeing this that he planned to confront Qin Xiao in person.

This ruler possessed considerable military prowess, and even the formidable Qin Xiao was unlikely to be a match for a true general. This battle was going to be a harrowing one.

It was a shame that he was currently being “held captive,” and was unable to show his face. Otherwise, he would definitely want to go and watch.

*

*

On the battlefield, Qin Xiao sat on a tall horse at the forefront of his troops, gazing out at the vast, imposing army of the enemy kingdom in the distance.

A burly general on horseback was shouting something toward them in front of the Sai Kingdom troops.

Qin Xiao was unable to understand the language, so his advisor, Qian Ziming, translated for him: “The other party is asking, why is there only one general left in your Great Ning Army? Have all the others perished?”

Qian Ziming was Bai Liyu’s strategist. He possessed a lean, upright build, and had a somewhat subtle sense of presence, making him seem less like a strategist and more like a secret guard like Qin Chaoyang.

Having resided in Gansu for many years and traveled frequently throughout the Western Regions, he naturally understood the local languages.

Exchanging insults before battle seemed to be a customary practice, but Qin Xiao couldn’t be bothered to engage in such a thing. Upon hearing the challenge, he instructed a young deputy beside him: “You go.”

“Yes.” The deputy rushed out without another word.

Seeing this, the fierce general ceased shouting and charged forward as well.

After a dozen rounds of fighting, the deputy’s robes were torn by the enemy’s longsword, but the general was wounded in the shoulder and fled back to his troops in disarray.

Instead of returning, Qin Xiao’s deputy stood before the enemy army and taunted them, asking if they had no one left who was capable of fighting.

Another well-muscled general then emerged from the other side and confronted Qin Xiao’s deputy.

Qian Ziming’s eyes flickered, and as his gaze swept across the people around him, his heart skipped a beat.

He seemed to have overlooked one very important thing.

Since the previous night, he hadn’t seen the brave, skilled warrior Chung Shuo!

The man in question was Qin Xiao’s most trusted lieutenant. And yesterday, he single-handedly killed four enemy commanders, proving himself to be even more formidable than Qin Xiao!

With such a terrifying lieutenant at his disposal, Qin Xiao certainly wouldn’t have sent him away without good reason. There must be some important arrangements to be made.

Just then, Qian Ziming saw a middle-aged man with a long saber emerge from the enemy ranks. Who else could it be but the Sai Kingdom Sovereign?

Qian Ziming came to a sudden understanding, and his heart sank as far as it could go.

It’s over, he thought.

The prince’s plan was surely ruined.

---

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Chapter 63 << Table of Contents >> Chapter 65