Chapter 22: Advancing to the Second Stage of the Qi Refining Realm!
In the hall where the upper echelons of the Grand Brilliance Bureau gathered, a group of senior officials were seated with the deputy head, Li Huafeng. They were going through stack of documents that contained information on every deceased martial artist from the Qingsong Empire.
"It’s a good thing they are dead.” One of the older men sneered, his eyes filled with satisfaction.
Strange gazes were directed at the man after he uttered those words, and they eyed him for a good second before a cold voice rang through the old man’s ears. “You are celebrating their deaths? Do you even realize how much harm this will bring to our Grand Xia? If the Qingsong Empire decides to attack us because of this, how long will we be able to hold out under their overwhelming strength?”
The older man smiled. “Deputy Head, in the past five years, those martial artists committed an uncountable number of atrocities and crimes. Look at this! Cases against them have piled up. Now that Divine General Fang has taken care of them, these aren’t our problem any further!
"As for the Qingsong Empire... That's not something for us to worry about. I’m sure Divine General Fang has his own plans. Besides, now that his cultivation has recovered, our Grand Xia Empire is no longer as helpless as before.”
Many found themselves nodding in agreement.
Li Huafeng’s expression turned solemn. "I understand why you think this way, but reality has once proved us wrong. Even at his peak, Fang Chen was defeated. It’s clear that Grand Xia is no match for Qingsong. Today, I called everyone here to discuss Fang Chen’s punishment. I suggest sentencing him to prison for a few days before sending him to the Qingsong Empire. From there, they should handle the matter themselves. They will be able to vent their frustrations to their heart's content that way, and we can rid ourselves of this grudge.”
Everyone stared at him in shock. Sending Fang Chen to the Qingsong Empire? How can they do that?!
At that moment, someone hurriedly entered the hall. "Esteemed masters, a group of people has gathered outside!”
"Are they here to demand Fang Chen's release?" asked the old man quickly.
"No..." The newcomer revealed a strange look and said, "They are from the Guhe, Longdu, and Yizhou Empires. They are saying that Fang Chen should be severely punished for harming the martial artists of the Qingsong Empire. Apparently, this matter has caused them great unrest, and now they feel very unsafe walking around in the capital. ”
Guhe, Longdu, and Yizhou were other ninth-tier empires who were engaged in trade with the Grand Xia, and as such, many of their citizens were residents of the capital city.
"Nonsense! What does this matter have to do with them?!" The old man sneered.
"No, how does this not have anything to do with them?" Li Huafeng glanced at the old man. "Zhao Sixing, did you forget about the relationship between them and the Qingsong Empire? They share mutual interests because of the high volume of annual trade between them. Now that Fang Chen has angered the Qingsong Empire, what would happen if they start to pressure us? If they turn hostile, our fates are as good as sealed!"
Realizing the implications of his words, everyone in the hall revealed solemn expressions.
Li Huafeng wasn’t wrong.
Grand Xia was in an extremely precarious situation. No one wanted to see the other empires add any more to this mess by getting involved. Because the moment they did, the matter would never be settled unless they were satisfied.
"Oh, the head is here."
"Bureau Head.”
Everyone stood up as a middle-aged man in a robe embroidered with patterns of snakes unhurriedly walked in. He nodded slightly and took his seat before saying, “After discussing this for nearly half a day, have you come up with any solutions?”
"Bureau Head, I think that Fang Chen has to be handed over to the Qingsong Empire!" Li Huafeng clasped his fist.
"Sigh. What a headache.” The bureau head stared at everyone and rubbed his temples. After a brief moment of silence, he opened his mouth. "Fang Chen's position in Grand Xia is too special. If his cultivation hadn’t recovered, we could have offered him over to them for a few more years of peace. However, now that he has recovered his cultivation, it doesn’t matter what we think. The real question is whether he is willing to accept whatever punishment we give.”
Shock filled those in the hall, and strange expressions soon rose on their faces.
Li Huafeng hesitated for a second before he asked, "Does he… does he dare defy orders of the empire?”
“You think he’s afraid?" The Bureau Head sneered. "I might be a prince and the head of the Grand Brilliance Bureau, but do you think Fang Chen will think twice before slapping me if I try and scold him?”
Silence filled the hall.
Slowly rising to his feet, the bureau head announced, "Well, that settles it. There's no need for further discussion. Let's not bother with this matter and let Fang Chen handle it himself. We've done our part anyway. What happens next is none of our business." With that, he headed out the hall.
"Deputy Head, I suggest that you stay out of this matter. It's better not to get yourself into trouble." Zhao Sixing smiled at Li Huafeng before sauntering out of the hall.
Li Huafeng's expression sank even further.
Outside, when Yuan Zhuang saw Zhao Sixing, he hurriedly walked over. "My lord, what did the higher-ups say?”
“Heh. I have to say. Now that you have brought Fang Chen back to the bureau, you’ll have something to brag about for the rest of your life,” said Zhao Sixing with a smile. “As for what happened there, you don’t have to concern yourself with that. Go. Call the rest. I’m in a good mood right now. Let’s head over to the Grand Xia River to listen to some tunes.”
Yuan Zhuang was greatly taken aback. Since the defeat five years ago, Zhao Sixing had never set foot into these types of places. He wondered what sparked the sudden interest.
*
An occasional rumble of thunder filled the prison. Everyone inside had faces filled with shock as they gathered around to see what was happening. From the idle chatter of the guards, they soon learned that Fang Chen’s cultivation had recovered and he was even practicing some kind of formidable martial technique. Once unleashed, lightning would appear and his enemies would turn into charred remains! Even Master Xiao Tianci from the Qingsong Superior Academy was killed by that move!
Once they learned of that, the prisoners, initially frightened, no longer felt threatened. In fact, they became accustomed to the noise. They even felt a sense of security every time they heard the rumble of thunder.
“The stronger Divine General Fang is, the stronger our Grand Xia will be! The heavens have truly not forsaken us!”
"The war between our Grand Xia and the Qingsong Empire is unavoidable. The battle will determine the fate of our empire. It will surely be even more brutal than the one at Three World Mountain. The stronger Divine General Fang becomes, the higher our chances of victory!”
"Hey! Guards, how long are you going to keep Divine General Fang imprisoned? Hurry up and release him so that he can suppress the Qingsong Empire for us!”
When they heard the inmates’ words, bitter smiles appeared on the faces of the prison guards. They wished for nothing more than to release the Divine General, but they didn’t have the authority to make such a decision!
Inside his cell, Fang Chen was quietly crafting Purple Lightning Talismans. Each stroke he made was vigorous and powerful.
He could feel his crafting speed increase with every Purple Lightning Talisman he made, and the spiritual qi within him grew stronger and thicker with every stroke. His spiritual qi was almost double the amount he had the day he condensed his Immortal Vein! Every time it depleted and regenerated, he could feel his reserves increase.
"It looks like cultivating isn’t that difficult..." Fang Chen laid down his wolf-hair brush and felt the surge of energy within him.
A faint smile appeared in his eyes as he felt the spiritual qi in his body.
Suddenly, he felt a calling; it was time to condense his second Immortal Vein!
With but a thought, the spiritual qi of heaven and earth flowed through his body.
Shortly later, a second crystal-clear Immortal Vein was formed.
Just like that, he entered the second stage of the Qi Refining Realm!
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