Su Li lay prone in the grass, his eyebrows forcibly twisted into a โๅทโ shape.
He could not understand.
Where was the Tianshou King?
That night, he killed an impostor; although some commotion appeared inside and outside the camp the next day, and there were masters from the Holy Lotus Sect searching around, it was merely for show. The army soon continued on its way, and anyone with a brain could see that the one who died was not an important figure.
The rebel armyโs formation did not shift in the slightest. If anything was strange, it was only that those generals felt some doubts, resulting in frequent disturbances.
These disturbances targeted Zheng Tu, who held the greatest power under the Tianshou Kingโs command. It seemed they all guessed that the Tianshou King, always wearing the golden mask, was just a puppet. To become a true overlord, one had to seize military power, then gain more support and influence in the army, to bargain with the Holy Lotus Sect.
Naturally, Su Li did not understand the crux of this. He could only see that the โHoly Lotus Sectโ had far greater influence in the rebel army than expected. While its followers appeared foolish, its high-level members were not so simple. That Sect Leader Luo might have seemed hot-tempered, but in truth, he was very shrewd.
Twice, Sect Leader Luoโs aura nearly locked onto Su Liโs position, almost exposing him, or so Su Li thought.
Compared to General Zheng, who always โsuffered the Holy Lotus Sectโs wrath,โ Sect Leader Luo clearly looked more like the culprit behind it all.
Without clarifying the situation, Su Li would not strike rashly.
Only a few days had passed. For an assassin, it was not unusual to spend half a year just to kill someone.
Yet Su Li normally never did that, nor had he ever, because it would have cost him the time he used to practice his blade work and explore martial arts. In the old days, encountering such a thorny situation, he would have immediately gathered his subordinates and reported back to Ayanpuka. In any case, there were always smarter people to decide what to do next.
But now, things were different.
The swordsman himself could not say what had changed; he only vaguely felt that he was no longer the kind of assassin who took money for lives, obsessed with martial arts, indifferent to everything else.
โโHaving more worries would slow his blade, which was never good.
Why was Mo Li different?
This was the second thing Su Li could not figure out.
Indeed, he recognized who stood on Hua Countyโs city wall. Once martial arts reached their level, you could identify someone just by their moves, especially since Mo Li used a blade.
Doctor Moโฆ his blade momentum looked stronger than it had been in their encounter in Yuzhou.
He saw only from a distance the white-rainbow snowy light, flickering as over a dozen blade flashes interlaced in an instant, shining plainly and conspicuously on the city wall.
Up, down, near, farโsuddenly it came, suddenly it went, like thunder splitting the skies, like lightning dazzling the world.
Had the situation allowed it, Su Li would have chased after him to ask two things: first, to learn about his blade techniques; second, to see if he could figure out who the real Tianshou King was, or if that person never existed at all, and whether Su Li should just head home.
Su Li stroked his scabbard and continued to fret.
He had missed a prime opportunity for assassination. While tens of thousands were simultaneously stunned by the blade display on that section of the city wall, he had already reached the armyโs outer perimeter. Even if he had another chance, he could not turn back to assassinate Sect Leader Luo.
Sect Leader Luo had no unfamiliar faces around him, and even his carriage driver was a Holy Lotus Sect Protector. Su Li could only disguise himself as a Holy Maiden to draw near, and now that plan was finished.
Watching the army slowly enter the city, Su Li immersed half his body into a mud pit, slowed his breathing, and gradually became one with the rotting wood and wild grass around him.
***
Sect Leader Luo slowly descended from the carriage and silently examined the countless blade marks on Hua Countyโs city wall.
The gunpowder smell of thunder-fire bombs, mixed with blood, plus the grassy odor of thick moss being sliced apart, suddenly hit the senses and nearly caused nausea.
Most blade marks concentrated on the upper half of the city wall. Even at the closest point, there was still a personโs height. Upon touching it, sandy rubble rustled down.
โWhat ruthless methods!โ
Sect Leader Luoโs face changed, and he turned to seek Zheng Tu.
The Tianshou Kingโs carriage slowly arrived just then. Zheng Tu and other generals waited before the gate. Sect Leader Luo did not need to search specifically for Zheng Tu. He only had to proceed to greet the Tianshou King.
Because the Tianshou King bore the title โthe Ziwei Prince Descended to Earth,โ even the Holy Lotus Sectโs Cult Leader had to show courtesy before him.
Even though he was but a puppet raised by Sect Leader Luo, the Cult Leader never belittled him in public. He knew that if he showed a hint of contempt, his subordinates would show ten times as much. When that conduct spread from top to bottom, the Ziwei Prince brand would lose all value and fail to fool anyone. How would they deceive those impoverished commoners?
Having put on this godly charade for many years, Sect Leader Luo simply treated the puppet as a clay statue to worship, acting as respectfully as possible.
The puppet, who had not been in his role as the Tianshou King for long, felt timid and nearly faltered.
Fortunately, there was a curtain covering the carriage, and the Tianshou King had to wear his gold-and-purple mask, so his ruse was never uncovered.
โโฆCult Leader, you may rise.โ
โImperial Lord, the Earth God came to report that Hua Countyโs foundation was too soft for a prolonged stay,โ said Cult Leader Luo with lowered eyes.
The people of the Holy Lotus Sect all addressed the Tianshou King as Imperial Lord. The Ziwei Prince also held the title of Ziwei Emperor in the Celestial Court, but because such a name sounded too fawning, the rebel generals and the other martial-world figures who had defected merely called him the King.
At this moment, when they heard Cult Leader Luo โbragging wildlyโ once again, using supernatural pretenses in his speech, a few people inevitably showed odd expressions.
โCult Leader Luo, what did you mean by that?โ The first to leap out was Pili Hallโs Elder Lei Xian. His old face, resembling tree bark, wrinkled up as he let out a strange laugh. โAll along the way, these soldiers have endured much. They were about to rest and recover before capturing Nanping Countyโs prefecture. Why have you suddenly shrunk back now?โ
Cult Leader Luo felt annoyed at heart but did not show it. After all, his words were not meant for the Tianshou King, but rather for Zheng Tu.
โElder Lei has traveled a whole day and must be exhausted.โ A certain general gave a chuckle, attempting to smooth things over.
Old Lei pursed his lips, taking his acerbic tongue to the extreme: โWe watched that farce of a divine general failing to vanquish demons, which was truly an eye-opener. Now morale is lowโCult Leader, do you have anything to say?โ
Cult Leader Luoโs eyebrows shot up. He already had a rough, overbearing visage, and when his temper flared, his whiskers looked like steel needles. His aura was so fierce that anyone nearby felt weak in the knees with fright. The Tianshou King, from inside the carriage, hastily gathered himself and shouted, โEnough! What is all this noise?โ
Although his tone sounded forceful, his words lacked any true weight.
Old Lei felt suspicious at once. He sensed the Tianshou King seemed different from beforeโfeeble and powerless. Had he overindulged in women these past few days, then worn himself out traveling as well, leaving nothing in him? That would be problematic; the Tianshou King had no heirs. By the time the Holy Lotus Sect simply declared that the Ziwei Prince had returned to the Celestial Court and randomly appointed a certain general as the new Star Prince, would all the painstaking efforts Pili Hall made thus far not come to naught?
Zheng Tu took in everyoneโs reactions without joining in. He merely ordered his personal guards in a low voice to investigate near the city wall.
In no time at all, they returned, their faces stricken with astonishment, as though they could not snap out of it.
โGeneral, itโs bad. That wall looked like it wouldnโt hold,โ the guard said with difficulty, extending his hand. โTouch it, and rubble fell off. Pushing it made several bricks shake. Though it might not collapse outright, it certainly canโt be defended. A few rams would bring it down. Now morale has plummeted, and even the Holy Lotus Sectโs followers have been frightened. How would we go on to attack the Nanping Countyโs prefecture?โ
Zheng Tu remained silent, but his gaze was icy.
โโThat was hardly all, Zheng Tu thought. That man did not want to leave them Hua Countyโs city, yet he still wanted to pin them down here.
Zheng Tu knew there was no chance of the army bypassing Hua County, because he and Cult Leader Luo both had to carefully examine and deduce the saber marks on the wall.
They would eventually face such an opponent anyway, sooner or later.
No matter how grand your ambitions, once you lost your life, everything turned meaningless.
Thus they had to station the troops in the city, at least for a night. Even if the wall collapsed right now, they could not leave.
Burning with anger, Zheng Tu instead smiled, thinking that since this person was so arrogant, leaving these saber marks unafraid of being deciphered, let him get caught in his own web. Had his reputation for consecutively defeating fifty experts in years past been fake? There was a path in every martial art under Heaven. As long as one studied it carefully, one could discover a flaw.
***
The moonlight was dim, devoid of stars.
Cliffs rose steeply, with jagged rocks like ghostly silhouettes in the distance.
During the first half of the night, it had not been like thisโat that time, the moonlight was extremely bright, illuminating the ground in a dazzling glow. In the blink of an eye, it turned into this bleak, pallid half-moon.
As old hunters said, a demon ghost cast a spell and sealed the moon inside a gauze net treasure, so the bodhisattvas and deities in Heaven could not see the mortal realm through that layer of gauze, allowing all manner of cruel injusticesโevil ghosts claiming lives, loyal souls dying in vainโto befall the world.
A cold wind whistled, echoing through the lonely ruins.
This once-commanding pass had only partially collapsed. Its broken silhouette blended with the cliffโs lonely wall, resembling an aged general who still stood tall without bowing his spine.
White banners used for guiding souls stuck in the ground before the ruins, snapping noisily in the wind.
Some were so battered by the gusts that they became ragged and ruined.
Meng Qi walked wordlessly past these soul-guiding banners. Lowering his gaze, he saw some simple offerings that seemed to have been fruits or steamed buns, dragged away by wild animals until only empty plates and pottery bowls remained scattered around.
He did not believe the Tianshou Kingโs army would be so compassionate as to conduct rituals for the warriors who died defending Xuanchuan Pass.
In fact, he had not even reached the ruins when he caught the smell of burning.
That stench, which lingered after so many days, came from corpses.
Under the dreary moonlight, the ruins bore signs of fire everywhere. Because the towering walls blocked the wind, many places had accumulated a thick layer of black ash. The moment Meng Qi stepped inside, it felt as though he entered a hellish domain of the asura, twisted and charred corpses everywhere, with a foul odor pervading, as wild beasts rummaged and gnawed.
โWoooโโ
Perceiving a deadly aura, these beasts fled in panic, not daring to let out even a growl.
Meng Qi slowly bent down. The scorched remains were not huddled together; they had merely been piled on top of each other, with no weapons beside them and no armor on their bodies. Some lacked even clothing or boots, making them appear less like once-living humans and more like shriveled tree roots in a remote forest.
Though these remains had lain here for over a month, they still spoke of tragedy and unwillingness.
The collapsed section of the city wall showed no trace of fierce battle. Although it had been scorched beyond recognition, the deep marks left by blades and weapons could not be burned away. As Meng Qi walked around the ruined part, he picked up a fragment of a torn white banner and wiped the wall until it became pitch-black, yet he did not see a single sign of city defenders bravely fighting off intruders outside the pass.
This was a terrifying thing.
It meant that when the wall collapsed, the defenders did not manage to come up and seal the breach.
Meng Qi clenched his fists. He had fought on battlefields for over a decade and had seen many mangled corpses, yet from the moment he carefully identified these fallen soldiers, he sensed something strange.
โโThere were too many beheaded bodies.
In life-or-death combat on the battlefield, one might be shot in a vital spot or struck in the chest and abdomen with limbs severed; having oneโs head cut off was not unheard of, but it would never be so uniform.
A melee was fought face-to-face, and the rebel army was not adept at mounted combat. How could Xuanchuan Passโs soldiers have been slaughtered like wheat?
There were too many remains, so many that they seemed to fill the entire ruin.
Xuanchuan Pass was enormous, akin to a city, with barracks and training grounds inside, and a graveyard behind.
The graveyard had not been damaged; a few stone monuments remained intact, with mottled inscriptions for the soldiers who died defending the pass over the years. Many listed only a surname, like Li Familyโs Erlang or Zhang Villageโs Third Brother. Some names were crude and repetitive, such as Zhaocai, Laifu, Daniu, and Mancang.
Every time a battle was fought, a new monument was erected, large or small depending on how many names there were.
The oldest monument dated back over a century, to the era of southwestern chieftains. Afterward, it ended in the Chu Dynasty. In recent years, all who died did so because of the Tianshou King.
Dim moonlight fell on this sparse row of tombstones, making them appear slightly clearer.
Meng Qi stood a long time before the empty graveyard, realizing it was far too small to contain all these dead.
โWhoโs there?โ
At the sound of movement, Meng Qi snapped his head up.
He saw a figure emerging slowly from the rubble, cloak wrapped from head to foot, slightly hunched. At a glance, one might mistake him for a wandering phantom.
The dark clouds gradually dispersed, letting the moonโs radiance spill onto the earth.
Under the cloak, that face was pale as paper, eyes seeming to burn with a ghostly flame.
โItโsโฆ you?โ Meng Qi felt very surprised, for this was someone who should not have appeared here.
Yet upon thinking, he remembered that the Ning family of Xuanchuan Pass was this personโs blood kin:
Yan Cen, second leader of Shimo Stronghold.
โMaster Meng,โ Yan Cen spoke, voice hoarse and rasping, unlike his usual tone.
He trembled, not from fear but from deep anguish and boundless hatred.
โI was fostered in Baoxiang Temple since childhood. Three months ago, I heard that the Templeโs high monks had all rushed to Xuanchuan Pass to resist the Tianshou Kingโs army. Worried, I traveled here aloneโฆโ
There was a point Yan Cen did not clarify: he knew his own lineage and also how formidable Master Yuan Zhiโs martial arts were.
What kind of situation would require all the Baoxiang Temple monks to venture forth together? After discovering Crown Prince Qi lay gravely ill and that the Ning family was teetering on the brink, Yan Cen could no longer remain idle.
He did not wish to recognize his ancestry or desire imperial blood, nor did he want anything to do with the Ning clan, for he was an unspeakable aberration who had caused his motherโs death, fit only to stay in Shimo Mountain with those equally monstrous. But that did not mean he would stand by when Baoxiang Temple and the Ning family faced disaster.
โFor the kindness of saving my life and raising me, even if I were ground into dust, I could not repay the monks a fraction of their grace.โ
Meng Qi felt some pity, but this was no time to dwell on the past. He steeled himself and asked, โOn the day the pass fellโwere you here?โ
โโฆI was.โ
Yan Cen looked up, eyes burning more intensely. โSomeone poisoned the well.โ
Meng Qi froze. The water supply was the highest priority in a siege; no slip-up could have been allowed.
Old General Ning had campaigned all his life and would never be careless in such matters. Whether guarding the well or drawing water, there would have been stringent checks. Strangers would not be permitted near.
Yan Cen could not pause to explain further. With a thump, he fell to his knees, his voice harsh and broken, โI beg you, Seniorโhelp save Master Yuan Zhiโs life.โ
