Chapter 127: Demon Lord

Beacon Fires for the Feudal Lords

From beginning to end, King Jing'an, Zhao Heng, did not once mention Princess Pei Nanwei. Indeed, the coldness of royalty is thinner than paper.

After dismounting, Xu Fengnian approached the bodies and wounded of the Beiliang light cavalry. He plunged his Chan Na spear into the road, then walked over to a young cavalryman whose wounds were being personally bandaged by General Yuan Meng. Xu Fengnian squatted down and took over from Yuan Meng. All the light cavalry clearly saw how skillful the Young Master's movements were, especially when he lowered his head to bite the knot of the bandage, tightening it securely. Even Ning Emei, the Great Halberdier, was moved. They had gained some understanding of the Young Master's character during their journey. He had risked his life to save people in the rapid waters of Ghost Gate Pass, but afterwards on the boat, he never engaged in casual pleasantries with anyone. Later, in the battle against the Qingzhou navy, he led the charge. Was there any hint of hesitation that might have diminished the Beiliang army's morale? He even threw King Jing'an's heir into the water like a drowning dog! Who would dare say that his earlier vow to hang the Eastern Prohibition Deputy Commandant, a former subordinate of Gu Jiantang, on the walls of Yingchuan City, if he were present, was mere empty talk?

Today, not to mention his powerful self-defense with a blade—a mere glimpse of his swordplay with the Phoenix Battalion showed it to be astonishing—just now, he personally led eighty cavalry against six hundred heavy cavalry, and even knocked down and stabbed to death that formidable Qingzhou general of considerable strength with a single spear thrust!

Before the battle, he only said "draw sword." After the battle, he only said "sheathe sword." How similar was this bearing to the King of Beiliang?! And now, he silently bandaged the wound of a humble cavalryman, whose status was vastly beneath his own, without a single word of pretense or nonsense?!

Before standing up, Xu Fengnian quietly said to the red-eyed cavalryman, "I know your name. It's Wang Chong. You were on night watch when I practiced my sword on the deck of the Spring God Lake boat." Xu Fengnian paused, then continued, "The one who was on watch with you then was Lin Heng. He died in battle, pierced by Wang Mingyin's halberd. I remember he quietly argued with you on the deck then. Lin Heng rarely spoke well of me, saying my sword practice wasn't just for show. It's a pity he died." After standing, Xu Fengnian pulled out his Chan Na spear and walked towards the carriage, saying blandly, "I hope no one else dies."

Over ninety White Horse Righteous Guard cavalrymen, regardless of their injuries, all knelt in unison and declared solemnly, "The Phoenix Battalion is willing to fight to the death for the Young Master! We will not retreat!"

In the distance, Princess Pei Nanwei of King Jing'an looked pale, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

By the scattered huts in the reed marshes, an old man rose and departed, clutching a handful of small grasses, easily found everywhere, for *sheshi* divination. This was a lost ancient divination method. Though the divining grasses were readily available, not everyone could perform *sheshi* to glimpse the secrets of heaven. Thus, among the eight ancient divinations, including tortoise shells, *sheshi* was the easiest to begin but the most difficult to master. The old man, who resembled a Confucian scholar, casually tore the grasses repeatedly, scattering them on the ground. As he walked out of the reed marsh, he coincidentally encountered a young man emerging from another dense patch of reeds. Behind the young man followed a talisman-armored figure in red, like a heavenly soldier, holding a great sword and exuding an imposing aura.

The young man showed neither annoyance nor pleasure, merely mumbling to himself. Upon seeing the old man, his initial reaction was not caution, but rather fear that the puppet behind him might frighten innocent bystanders. He observed closely, breathed a sigh of relief, and smiled brightly, revealing a set of white teeth, appearing remarkably harmless. He stopped, clearly intending to let the old man pass first. Whether he cherished the young was hard to say, but his respect for the elderly was absolute. The old man seemed not to mind, and as they passed each other, he quietly said, "Zhao Kai, did your mother ever tell you that before you were born, she dreamed the sky opened several *zhangs* wide, and four celestial beings arrived, holding the sun? Don't disbelieve it; when you were born, I personally saw a red sun appear at night, its crimson light encircling the room. As for the white snake you killed when you were six, rumored to be the White Emperor's young son, that was false. It was merely to fulfill the Imperial Astrological Bureau's prophecy of the Red Emperor slaying the white dragon. I deliberately teased that old fool Nan Huaiyu with that."

Zhao Kai stood dumbfounded, mouth agape, then jogged after the old Confucian scholar, asking cheerfully, "Elder, do you know my mother?"

The old man chuckled playfully, "Don't worry, I'm not your maternal grandfather."

Zhao Kai didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He waved his hand, making the golden armored figure—capable of defeating four other armored figures within the red armored talismans—disappear. Not at all afraid of the profoundly mysterious old man's intentions, he brazenly said, "It would be even better if you were my grandfather! Elder, why don't you tell me about my mother's past?"

The old man continued walking, shaking his head. "It's all just sad tales, tragic events, and unfaithful people. What's there to tell, what's there to hear? Stories are things of the past; much talk is useless."

Zhao Kai flattered him, "Heh, Elder, you truly possess great wisdom. No wonder Supervisor Nan could be fooled. That explanation for 'story' is truly fascinating!"

The old man laughed and scolded, "You brat, even today you don't know that Nan Huaiyu's surname is Nanhuai, not just Nan? And that old fellow was so eager to give his granddaughter to you."

Zhao Kai exclaimed, "Ah!" and blushed. "I really didn't know the old Supervisor's surname was Nanhuai. Are there such strange compound surnames?"

The old man waved his hand brusquely. "Stay away from me, young man. Your aura is too strong; don't make it so I can't play chess in the future. In the past twenty years, concerning the world's destiny, only a little girl named Jiang has been able to surpass you."

Zhao Kai, still appearing utterly guileless, shamelessly followed behind the old man, as if he had stumbled upon a treasure on the road.

The old man looked back and said, "It seems the Zhao family's luck hasn't declined with a lad like you. Just now, in the reed marsh, I spoke with a little girl. You should go to the Carp Guanyin Temple ten *li* away; she'll go there alone later. If she sees the firelight in the reed marsh, you must stop her. This girl has the 'Young Phoenix' destiny, the second most noble among the thirty-six female destinies. You could take her as a young wife to raise by your side. Furthermore, you will encounter a 'Little Guanyin of the Western Regions' at the temple. You've successively lost four talisman-armored red guards; if you gain her assistance, it will be equivalent to forty red guards. She and a few others will be the most outstanding figures in the martial world ten years from now. In the previous century, only two or three 'Land Immortals' appeared, but this century is strange. Let me count on my fingers... four, five, six, seven – at least seven, plus your nemesis, perhaps eight. Tsk tsk, what a rare lively scene in a thousand years! All of this is due to two people: one is far away in Beiliang, at the edge of the sky, and the other is right before your eyes – you. Zhao Kai, you didn't waste your rebirth. As for the Young Master of Beiliang, how will he emerge victorious? I am very curious."

The young man, who had seemed carefree all along, asked with a smile, "Elder, will the world descend into chaos again? Even greater chaos than the Spring and Autumn Period's national wars?"

Was it nonsense, or did he hit the mark?

The old man merely cast a light, sidelong glance. "If I say yes, then it is; if I say no, then it isn't? Can't you just wait and see for yourself?"

Zhao Kai said with a wry face, "I'm just afraid I won't live to see that day."

The old man scoffed, "You're amusingly vulgar."

Zhao Kai, who was still jogging, scratched his head. "Not amusing, not amusing at all. I was used to being poor when I was little, just timid. But I see you, Elder, walk with the gait of a dragon and a tiger – truly a master!"

Just as the old man was about to speak, Zhao Kai witnessed an astonishing scene: the very elder he had just praised for his magnificent 'dragon-tiger gait' was sent flying by a powerful, sweeping leg kick from a girl carrying a sunflower. Fortunately, the old man dusted himself off and stood up unharmed, likely too embarrassed to continue discussing the world in front of Zhao Kai, and quickened his pace. Then, an even more absurd sight appeared: a large cat leaped out of the reed marsh, followed the girl, and disappeared from sight along with the old man. Zhao Kai, standing rooted to the spot, sincerely exclaimed, "Even that fall made the elder seem like an immortal! Impressive!"

Zhao Kai thought for a moment and indeed went to find the Carp Guanyin Temple.

Over there, the old immortal in Zhao Kai's mind said earnestly, "My girl, in front of outsiders from now on, please give this old man a little face, alright? I've taught you all the life-saving martial arts I've learned in my life. I don't ask you to care for me in my old age or bury me, but at least give me a smile when we meet, won't you?"

The girl, carrying a sunflower on her shoulder and followed by a burly large cat, hesitated for a moment, then very seriously forced a stiff smile onto her poker face.

The old man sighed helplessly, "Oh well, oh well."

What followed was the old man talking to himself, with no answers to his questions: "I told you earlier that the Young Master of Beiliang isn't easy to kill, but you wouldn't believe me. Now you've failed, haven't you? It'll be hard for you to find another opportunity. As for King Jing'an, don't bother him. Zhao Heng still has some capabilities and luck. Old Monster Wang has no heirs in this life; back then, he made a pact with the late emperor and only acknowledged Zhao Heng as a half-adopted son. If things go as expected, the martial world will soon be like the scholarly circles of the last century, with a surge of talented individuals competing for supremacy. It will no longer be possible for me and Old Monster Wang to stand out like cranes among chickens, looking down on everyone. Today, Wang Mingyin was killed by you; you'll have plenty of opportunities going forward. But let me tell you upfront, among the Four Realms of the First Rank, those few who are expected to enter the Land Immortal realm, don't be so quick to act. First, I'm afraid you might not be able to kill them. Second, I'm even more afraid that if you do, the martial world will lose all its fun. Don't 'heh-heh' at me, no fake laughter allowed, it makes me shiver. My girl, think about it: wouldn't it be best to kill them after they become immortal figures in the eyes of the world? As for that young man named Zhao just now, he absolutely must not be killed. Otherwise, it would waste all the effort I put into catching a white snake and placing it before him back then. As for the 'Young Phoenix' destiny, I was just bluffing. How can there be so many coincidences in this world? If they were everywhere, they'd be worthless. Alas, in this life, I have no recourse with you, my girl. Who made you resemble my daughter, who died young?"

The girl, who always seemed innocently naive when not killing, was carrying the sunflower and finally deigned to utter a merciful "Hmm."

For the first time ever, the old man revealed a look of utter helplessness.

Who was he? With a three-inch tongue, I killed three million people! I am known as one of the three great fiends of this era, alongside Xu Xiao the Human Butcher and Han Diaosi the Human Cat! Among the Fourteen Sages of the Spring and Autumn Period (covering military, Confucianism, Buddhism, Daoism, swordsmanship, chess, calligraphy, painting, tea, poetry, etc.), I alone dominated the top three ranks.

The old man glanced at the clear sky, squinting, and said for no apparent reason, "It's going to thunder."

The girl stood on tiptoe, held the sunflower over the old man's head, and chuckled.

The old man laughed heartily, "Even the mighty heavenly thunder that could strike down Qi Xuanzhen cannot strike down this old man. My girl, let me tell you a secret: I truly am an immortal."

The girl, who quickly turned on people, kicked the old man to the ground.

This time, perhaps because no outsiders were present, the old man was not in a hurry to get up. He sat on the dirt and muttered to himself, "My father once said, 'Everyone raises their children hoping for intelligence, but I was misled by intelligence my entire life. I only wish my child to be foolish and clumsy, to reach the rank of nobility without disaster.' Why did that butcher not understand this? With his current achievements, if he had a proper, conventional eldest son, he could ensure several generations of wealth and stability. But he didn't want such an easy, good thing; he had to raise a 'fighting star' to be a demon in troubled times, causing Xu the Cripple himself to toil and run around until old age, without a moment of peace. Why bother? However, considering that it was because of your son that I met my girl, I haven't caused you any major trouble these past years. But since you've already secured hereditary succession, let your son seek his own blessings from now on. I, for one, want to see how he can contend against the martial world, the imperial court, and the entire realm."

The old man turned to look at the girl, mumbling, "For a hairpin, is it worth it?"

The girl still simply hummed in affirmation.

The old man shook his head, then nodded. "In this world, human lives are lighter than a hairpin. That's both true and untrue."

The old man slowly stood up and said, "Let's go. Soon, the Qingzhou cavalry will start a massacre under the guise of suppressing bandits. This reed marsh will still be lush next year, but those hundred or so lives will be gone."