Chapter 1: Once, I met an Immortal
The Grand Xia, a ninth-tier empire, suffered a devastating defeat against the Qingsong Empire five years ago at Three World Mountain.
The defeat had greatly depleted the empire’s strength and forced them to accept many unfair treaties. This caused a wave of criticism to wash over the empire. Be it among the people or within the court, from the high ranking officials to the commoners, there was a certain name on everyone’s lips, and that was the name of the eldest son of General Fang’s Manor—Fang Chen!
Five years ago, as the strongest expert of the Grand Xia Empire at the age of eighteen, Fang Chen led his troops on an expedition. He was a skilled strategist adept at aggressive warfare and a man who had never tasted defeat since the day he took post. Hailed as the “Divine General” by the masses in the empire, he had unspeakable momentum.
However, in an absurd turn of events during his final battle, of the eight hundred thousand troops he had led, a staggering six hundred thousand lost their lives! Even he, the commander-in-chief, lost both his eyes, and had his qi sea shattered. From that moment forward, he was reduced to a cripple.
Inside the majestic General’s Manor.
A young man stood in silence as he stared at the sky. With his well-defined brows that were as sharp as a sword’s edge and his nose that stabbed with defiance into the air, he exuded a faint, ethereal aura that made him hard to read.
The truth was, he couldn’t see anything at all. A peculiar layer of ash-gray glazed over his eyes and nearly covered his pupils.
Five years ago, he led his army against Marshall Lang, the highest-ranked general in Qingsong. The moment he believed that victory was within arm’s reach, the tables were suddenly turned. It turned out that Qingsong had invited a formidable expert from an eighth-tier empire over to ambush them, and in the end, he was defeated and had his qi sea shattered, turning him into a cripple.
In his severely injured, near-death state, he seemed to have seen the image of an immortal fairy standing high in the skies alongside the blazing sun. Looking at the immortal fairy, she stared back at him. The next moment, a dazzling ray of divine light engulfed him. From then on, he was no longer able to see.
Back then, instead of killing him, Marshall Lang chose to let him go. He could still vaguely remember the words that escaped the Marshall’s mouth as he let him live.
“Once you return to Grand Xia, you’ll truly understand what it means to live a life worse than death. Letting you live will be the worst torture for you.”
True enough, throughout the past five years, he had to endure many rounds of slander and insults. Those who once eagerly sought his friendship avoided him like the plague.
“Second Sister, you’re turning eighteen this year, right? You’re already at the age to marry…. Are you still going to continue to mess around and bother your older brother?” Fang Chen suddenly broke the silence.
Fang Zhixue, who was creeping over stealthily from behind, pouted and revealed a face full of displeasure. “Big Brother, how are you always able to detect me?! I’m already at the Qi Detonation stage!"
The Human Profound Realm was made up of four stages: Qi Condensation, Qi Detonation, Qi Manipulation and Qi Core.
When one reached the Qi Detonation stage, they would be considered a first-rate expert in Grand Xia. As for those in the Qi Manipulation stage, they were supreme existences who could establish their own factions!
Fang Chen had managed to break through to the Qi Manipulation Stage when he was eighteen relying on his unparalleled talent. He then went on to enter the Qi Core stage and become the sole Qi Core expert in Grand Xia.
“Is something the matter?” Fang Chen asked her softly.
“Brother, the emperor has bestowed a marriage partner upon you…” The glow in Fang Zhixue’s eyes dimmed suddenly.
“Arranged marriage? Why would the emperor arrange a marriage for a cripple like myself? And which girl would take a fancy to someone like me?” Fang Chen chuckled. “There must be something fishy about this.”
“The emperor wants you to marry into the Xiao family to ease the tensions between our Grand Xia and the Qingsong Empire. Recently, they have been showing signs of unrest, and the emperor is starting to grow afraid.” Fang Zhixue’s eyes reddened as she clenched her fists. “Father… Father has already promised…”
"Is the Xiao Family you’re talking about the strongest family in Qingsong? Isn’t that Marshall Xiao Lang’s family?” Fang Chen was slightly taken aback, but he quickly regained his composure and asked, “Why me? I’m just a useless cripple. It doesn’t make sense for them to set their sights on me…. Moreover, I used to be Marshall Xiao Lang’s sworn enemy.”
Fang Zhixue whispered, “The eldest miss of the Xiao Family was the one who proposed the marriage. She said that she had seen countless men, but she still wishes to experience the allure of the former Divine General of our Grand Xia for herself. She is also using this as a chance to force the emperor to submit. If he refuses, Qingsong will start another invasion. It’s said that they won’t rest until they arrive at our capital city this time.”
Hearing her words, a faint smile rose on Fang Chen’s face before he chuckled in amusement, “My enemy’s daughter wants me to marry into her family. Haha…”
“Big Brother, let me take you away from the capital city. We can escape to the mountains where no one will find us,” Fang Zhixue urged him.
“Second Sister, if I were to leave, what do you think will happen to our Fang Family? Do you think the emperor will spare the others in the family?” Fang Chen shook his head slightly and continued, “I am nothing more than a cripple now. If I can use this useless body of mine to buy a few more years for our Grand Xia, there might be a chance for us to turn the tables. Hopefully, something will happen and our country won’t be destroyed.”
“Big Brother, don’t you know how those officials and commoners are insulting you? Why are you still thinking about them at this point? Is it really worth it to protect those peddlers and merchants who have been cursing you behind your back?” Anger surged through Fang Zhixue’s heart as she thought about those despicable people.
“Even if that’s the case, you’re still here, Father, Mother, and all the others are still here. Even if it’s just for you guys, it’s still worth it! There are innocent starving children out there that don’t know any better. Are they guilty of insulting and scolding me behind my back?” Fang Chen waved his hand and added, “Leave first… I’ll stay here for a little more.”
Slightly stunned by his reaction, she sighed softly in her heart before turning to leave.
She was well aware of her elder brother's temperament. Once he made a decision, it was impossible to dissuade or sway him from it.
Fang Zhixue left and Fang Chen continued to gaze into the distant sky, his ashen-white eyes devoid of life. Unfortunately, apart from that fleeting encounter, he had never seen the immortal fairy again.
He really wished to get to the bottom of everything and learn why after that day, his soul gained the ability to leave his body.
At some point, Fang Chen’s soul had left his body and had flown over the top of the capital, overlooking everything.
He could see and hear everything from up above, from the laughter echoing from the palace to the shouting and bargaining that filled the streets, nothing could escape his eyes, not even the smallest of details.
He even saw martial artists from the Qingsong Empire rampaging through the streets. They would beat up any passers-by whenever they felt like it. Even the officials couldn’t escape suffering under their hands and would get pummeled over the slightest bump.
He could see the fury in the eyes of the commoners who witnessed everything. He saw the pain in the eyes of the soldiers around who couldn’t do anything, and he noticed the humiliation those officials felt as they were beaten up by the other party.
"Hahaha! Your Grand Xia is hopeless! From now on, when you encounter people from Qingsong, you better address us properly. Otherwise, you better watch out when our Marshall Lang leads his troops over to level your capital city and pull your emperor off his throne!”
Their tyrannical laughter caused hatred to sprout in the hearts of many. However, all they could do was endure the heartache in helpless silence.
“Oh, there’s actually a fellow Daoist who attained such enlightenment in such a small country!” A sudden, bewildered voice rang in Fang Chen’s ear.
Taken aback, Fang Chen turned to look, only to see a semi-transparent figure standing in the void, looking at him curiously.
Endless shock filled Fang Chen’s heart. In the five years that passed, no one had ever seen him when his soul left his body! There wasn’t a need to mention the fact that the other party was speaking to him directly!
However, despite his shock, he maintained his cool expression and cupped his hands to greet the figure. “Greetings, fellow Daoist. I wonder how I should address you?”
Since the other person had addressed him as “fellow Daoist,” Fang Chen felt that it wouldn’t be wrong to do the same.
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