Chapter 14: Lacking
The nights in the capital city were usually incredibly lively and bustling. Despite the defeat five years ago that severely damaged the empire’s foundation, a life of extravagance and luxury became more pronounced and rampant.
As night fell, an enchanting, dazzling light surrounded the Grand Xia’s largest riverbank.
From the small boats floating in the river, and from the building near the bank, came melodious singing.
This was a fan-favorite spot of the martial artists of Qingsong.
Strangely, tonight, those who frequented those places noticed that the tyrants of Qingsong were not there.
Just as the people started to get curious, someone brought news of Fang Chen’s expedition. A piece of news that immediately turned the rather uneventful night into an extraordinary one!
The word spread fast in the taverns and teahouses, but of course, those were nothing compared to the “wildfire” in the red-light district.
The moment a rumor was voiced, it would spread like a plague; from the nobles to the commoners, no one would be left uninformed!
At that moment, in the Jade Immortal Boat, one of the most famous flower boats along the river, sat seven to eight young gentlemen who had reserved the entire place for themselves. They spent lavishly, largely due to their illustrious and distinguished backgrounds.
"Everyone, how do you view Fang Chen's recent actions?" a handsome young man asked the rest of the group nonchalantly. At the same time, he opened his folding fan and gently waved it twice while appreciating the graceful dance of the female singers in front of him.
This handsome young man was Ye Qinghe, the son of the minister of war, and the spotlight of tonight’s gathering; that was largely due to his father’s authority in Grand Xia, of course.
"His actions are extremely reckless! Even though I’ve heard from a member of my family that Fang Chen killed a commander of the Wolf Army with a single blow in the Imperial Palace before chasing Goddess Xiao out of the capital city, he seemed to have forgotten that even at his peak, he was still defeated by Marshall Xiao Lang!”
“Indeed, once news of him massacring the martial artists of Qingsong reaches Marshall Xiao Lang’s ears, I’m afraid that the marshall would immediately spur into action. When that happens, who knows how much we will have to pay in order to appease his anger.”
“You Longchang of the West Tiger Battalion must also be out of his mind to follow his orders. Didn’t he stop and think for a second why the emperor hadn't ordered for the martial artists of Qingsong to be killed, if we could’ve done so? Speaking of which, why is there no response from the Imperial Palace?”
"Not only did the emperor not say anything, but everyone seems to be treating this like some kind of massive play. This might backfire on us eventually. Brother Ye, what did Minister Ye say about this?"
"My father only told me one thing: observe quietly,” Ye Qinghe said casually.
"It seems… It seems like Fang Chen's past reputation is still feared by many. It would be one thing if he truly became a cripple, but now that his cultivation has apparently recovered…"
"I feel that the greatest mistake of Grand Xia was allowing Fang Chen’s authority to surpass that of the minister of war and even that of the emperor! That led to his excessive ambitions, which ultimately costed us the lives of six-hundred thousand soldiers!"
"Brother Ye, I've heard that you've made great progress in your martial arts recently and the soldiers of various battalions in the capital hold you in high regard. Why don't you step up and replace Fang Chen?" Someone looked towards Ye Qinghe, his gaze filled with anticipation.
"My cultivation has indeed improved. I met a wandering Daoist who gifted me a Golden Pellet, and my cultivation soared after consuming it.” Ye Qinghe chuckled softly. "But compared to Fang Chen, I'm still lacking."
"Lacking…..." Upon hearing the word, everyone thought back to five years ago. At that time, there was a popular saying that circulated all around the capital; A single glance at Fang Chen to realize you are actually lacking.
"However... Fang Chen's actions did not take into account the current situation. Hence, I request everyone here to speak with your families regarding a certain matter: I need your help in order to protect a certain someone from death. As long as that person doesn’t die, there'll still be room for negotiation," Ye Qinghe said with a mysterious smile.
The group was slightly surprised as a hint of curiosity appeared on their faces. Whose life was so important that it could affect today’s matter?
"Brother Xiao, please come in. Rest assured, my brothers here won’t say a single word against you," Ye Qinghe said as he stood up and looked toward the hall.
A young man, whose facial complexion was slightly dark, emerged from the hall. The moment they laid their eyes on him, their expressions immediately shifted.
Because this person was none other than Xiao En, the son of Xiao Tianci!
None of them expected Xiao En to still be alive. Moreover, even if he turned out to be alive, him being on the Jade Immortal Boat was another surprise all-together.
However, after thinking about what Ye Qinghe had said earlier, they understood everything.
"Brother Ye, I owe you my gratitude. Without you, I might have died on the streets today.” Xiao En clasped his fist, self-deprecation painting his face. "When I return to Qingsong, I'll be sure to remember this favor."
Ye Qinghe replied with a low voice, "Brother Xiao, there’s no need for such formality. Everyone here disapproves of Fang Chen's actions. Our empires should unite as allies, not clash as enemies. There is no benefit in any further bloodshed.” Ye Qinghe stopped talking briefly before he added, "Why hasn't the Jade Fairy arrived yet? Since I have invited a number of esteemed guests today, better not keep them waiting. Let’s start the show."
He gestured for Xiao En to sit down and introduced him to the others at the table. As he did that, a barefooted lady in clad in white promptly made her way over into the room. She stepped elegantly onto the stage and began with a graceful dance.
The woman possessed exquisite beauty, with skin as fair as snow and eyes that twinkled like stars. Every expression of hers was bewitching and enchanting, especially her smile. She carried herself with otherworldly grace, and each of her movements displayed tasteful elegance.
Ye Qinghe's eyes were lost in intoxication, his gaze firmly fixed onto the movements of the lady clad in white.
“No wonder she’s the most famous female entertainer around here. Her dance is really otherworldly, like that of a fairy,” Ye Qinghe praised.
Contrary to the dreamy mood of his chaperones, Xiao En's gaze turned icy. Not only did the beauty in front of him not alleviate his weariness, it brought back memories of the flames that engulfed the academy.
His fists clenched slightly and he vowed, My Qingsong Empire will surely return this “favor” in the future!
As revelry and dance filled the establishments along the Grand Xia River, the capital city enjoyed a night full of chaos and violence. One after another, the martial artists from Qingsong were cornered and slaughtered.
*
As the first rays of dawn broke through the still darkness of night, Fang Chen sat quietly on a stone bench—one of the last few in the ruins that used to be the Qingsong Superior Academy.
There were pieces of talismans laid out in front of him.
In the span of one night, he had created several more Purple Lightning Talismans. With that, he now had a total of sixteen.
Apart from the Purple Lightning Talismans, he had also experimented and crafted three of each of the Vajra Talisman, Divine Talisman and Strength Talisman. He had learnt that the crafting difficulty for these three was significantly lower than that of the Purple Lightning Talisman.
"My spiritual qi has doubled in thickness compared to before. It seems that I'll be able to try and condense my second Immortal Vein tomorrow and advance to the second stage of the Qi Refining Realm.”
With that thought in mind, he started to collect the talismans he had laid before him. Suddenly, a figure, stained in blood, approached hurriedly from a distance.
*
You Longchang felt as though he was in a dream.
He never expected that there would be a day where he would follow Fang Chen and exterminate the martial artists of Qingsong from the empire.
"Divine General Fang, we couldn’t find any other traces of martial artists from Qingsong. After tallying the numbers you’ve given us, we're short of two individuals," You Longchang spoke in a low voice. "One of them is Tie Ma, a skilled Qi Manipulation expert, and the other is Xiao Tianci's son, Xiao En. They seemingly vanished into thin air. We can't find them."
"I already know where they are. Leave them to me. General You, you must be tired. Go back and rest," Fang Chen said with a faint smile.
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