Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Blood splattered on the pavement as horses trotted through the street.
Jiang Li’s face was solemn, while the faces of the nine envoys who delivered him the emperor’s decrees were pale.
The scene before him looked like hell in the mortal world.
In the distance…
Nie Changqing was wiping blood off the butcher knife with a cloth. Ning Zhao was walking slowly, and Yi Yue was rolling her long whip.
Luo Cheng and the 500 armored horsemen from Beiluo looked in the direction of the sound of horses’ clip-clopping.
Jiang Li remained calm.
The envoys went weak at the knees. Nie Changqing and Ning Zhao threw them a look. Some timid ones even fell off their horses and were drenched in blood.
“I’m Jiang Li from Drunken Dragon City.”
On horseback, Jiang Li cupped his hands at Nie Changqing, Ning Zhao, and the others.
Nie Changqing slightly nodded. Ning Zhao nodded with a smile, while Yi Yue sized up Jiang Li with curiosity.
Luo Cheng and the 500 armored horsemen from Beiluo were quite excited.
Jiang Li was regarded as the Great Zhou Dynasty’s Military God. Although they had never seen him before, they had heard about his name.
There were no small talks.
Ning Zhao and Yi Yue got onto the carriage.
Nie Changqing placed the butcher knife on the carriage and sat in the coachman’s seat.
“Done. Go back to Beiluo.”
Ning Zhao’s voice came from behind the curtain.
Nie Changqing smiled as he picked up the reins and motioned for the horses to turn. When the carriage moved forward, blood got stuck in the wheels as they rolled.
The evening glow was as red as a burning fire.
Luo Cheng cupped his hands at Jiang Li. Then he led the 500 armored horsemen to follow the carriage, protecting it until they had left the Imperial City.
“White Jade City of Beiluo, the most powerful cultivation force in the world…”
While watching the 500 armored horsemen from Beiluo marched through the capital city’s gate, Jiang Li thought he vaguely saw a mysterious white-clothed teenager sitting in the wheelchair.
“Rumor has it that Lu Ping’an from Beiluo is a narrow-minded man… So he is.”
“The denunciation was circulated like crazy among the aristocratic families in the capital city. However, Young Master Lu did not make any verbal response to the denunciation. Instead, he sent 500 armored horsemen and three cultivators to the capital city to slaughter those aristocratic families…”
“He is totally unreasonable…”
Jiang Li was impressed by White Jade City’s strength, but at the same time, he was startled by their strategies.
Glancing over the dead bodies on the ground, Jiang Li let out a heavy sigh. Then he went to the Imperial City on horseback.
The fact that Prime Minister Zhao Kuo had mobilized elite soldiers meant that there was a drastic change in the capital city.
Jiang Li was not dumb. He knew Zhao Kuo’s wild ambition very well.
He went into the Imperial City on horseback directly, not bothering to think about the nine envoys.
There was no traffic at all on his way to the Imperial City.
There was a riot among the Imperial City Guard. The soldiers killed one another. Blood was flowing in the capital city’s long street. The jade steps before the Imperial City were also covered with corpses and blood.
The pungent stench of blood wafted through the air and could be smelled everywhere in the capital of Great Zhou.
Jiang Li looked extremely serious. Brandishing his knife, he rushed into the fighting crowd and started to stab the rebellious guards. Although summoned back to the capital city by the emperor’s decrees, he was actually a criminal.
After all, he was still a minister of Great Zhou.
Jiang Li’s name was still very intimidating.
Under his command, the Imperial City Guard found their confidence back. Together, they repulsed the troop bought by Zhao Kuo.
The sword Jiang Li that was carrying at the waist was still unsheathed. Instead, he took a spear. Sparks flew off while he was brandishing the spear, and then a rebellious leader was killed.
He went straight into Zijin Palace and then into the garden.
As soon as he entered the garden of the Imperial City…
Jiang Li waved his hand to stop the troop behind him.
Grasping the spear with one hand, he looked at the garden under the setting sun.
On the nine-turn bridge paved with flagstones…
The emperor’s dragon robe was stained with blood. A black dragon was wrapped around the emperor’s body, its skin glistening under the sun. When the dragon saw Jiang Li, its gill opened and enlarged. It looked like an angry lion.
The emperor was holding a sword, blood still dripping off the tip of the blade.
On the flagstone bridge, Zhao Kuo’s dead body was already cold. His head was somewhere far away.
The two martial arts Grandmasters were dead as well.
The old eunuch was kneeling on the ground, too afraid to breathe hard.
The clip-clops of horses trotting could be vaguely heard.
The black dragon sprang into the pond. The water rippled as the blood on the emperor’s sword dripped into the pond.
When Yuwen Xiu turned, he looked at Jiang Li from a distance.
Looking at Yuwen Xiu, with his dragon robe stained with blood, Jiang Li was stunned.
The situation was a little different from what he had expected.
He had intended to rescue the emperor alone. But at the moment, he threw the spear aside and jumped off the horse. He knelt down on one knee.
“I came too late.”
Gazing at Jiang Li, Yuwen Xiu was a little emotional.
“It’s all right. Minister Jiang, it’s just about time.”
“From now on, we’ll kill whoever accuses Minister Jiang of disloyalty…”
******
Forty miles away from Yuanchi City.
In one of the tents in the North County Army’s barracks…
A messenger pigeon flew over. One of its white feathers fell.
When Tantai Xuan opened the letter, his face slightly turned pale after he had read the news from the capital city.
“Giant, you are right. The cunning Zhao Kuo launched a rebellion indeed…”
Mo Ju slightly nodded while waving his feather fan. “This man has a wild ambition. He always wanted to bring the emperor under control and be a regent. I’m not surprised that he launched a rebellion.”
Below, Mo Beike hunched forward.
“Beiluo sent 500 armored horsemen to the Imperial City, and Kong Xiu retreated to his Book Pavilion. Of course, Zhao Kuo would take this opportunity to seize power completely.”
His hoarse voice echoed in the tent.
“Actually, this is our opportunity too. Zhao Kuo made the capital city more chaotic, and Jiang Li was summoned back to the Imperial City by the nine decrees of the emperor…”
“We can take advantage of the situation to defeat the Great Zhou’s armored horsemen and enter the capital city,” Mo Beike said.
However, Tantai Xuan shook his head with a bizarre face.
“Zhao Kuo was killed…”
Mo Ju and Mo Beike were both shocked.
Obviously, they both didn’t anticipate that news.
“Don’t know any details yet, but Yuwen Xiu cut Zhao Kuo’s head off… And his body was dismembered. Jiang Li subdued Zhao Kuo’s rebel army in the capital city under the emperor’s orders. Now he has taken control of Zhao Kuo’s rebel army.”
“But there is good news too…”
“Zhao Kuo’s rebel army was greatly weakened by Beiluo’s 500 armored horsemen, and most of them were killed. So Jiang Li’s troop isn’t too strong yet,” Tantai Xuan said.
He looked awful.
Was this supposed to be good news?
Mo Ju’s hand trembled while fanning. He could hardly believe what he had heard. “How could Beiluo’s 500 armored horsemen be so strong?”
“No, they are not… They were just there to intimidate others. In fact, it was White Jade City’s cultivators who defeated Zhao Kuo’s 8,000 rebel soldiers…”
Tantai Xuan took a deep breath while looking at the letter.
Cultivators…
Three people defeated 8,000 elite soldiers!
Mo Beike’s wrinkled face also trembled.
After a long pause, he let out a sigh. “They are not humans.”
******
Drunken Dragon City.
A bright moon was hanging high in the sky.
A carriage was waiting outside the yard of a farmer’s house.
Chi Lian walked through the small gate of the fence. Bai Qingniao was kind of reluctant to go.
The chick Lil Phoenix One’s head popped out of her collar. It kept rolling its eyes.
“Get on the carriage. The Lord told me to take you to Beiluo City,” Chi Lian said.
Bai Qingniao was unwilling to go.
She was carrying a basket, and inside were a number of furry baby chicks.
“Will Uncle Jiang go to Beiluo City?”
Bai Qingniao looked like she was not buying it.
She could not help but start doubting the world around her after what happened over the past few days.
“Yes.”
Chi Lian nodded earnestly with a serious face.
Despite her reluctance, Bai Qingniao got on the carriage. In the dark night, the carriage rocked back and forth on its way out of Drunken Dragon City and toward Beiluo City.
******
Lake Island, Beiluo.
It was breezy by the lake. The ten Heaven Facing Spiritual Chrysanthemums swayed with the wind.
Ni Yu, in a cute white dress, was pushing the wheelchair. The ground creaked when the wooden wheels rolled over it.
Lv Dongxuan was walking slowly beside Lu Fan.
Lu Fan was looking at the quiet Beiluo Lake, with one hand cupping his chin. His hair was blowing in the wind.
Lv Dongxuan, wearing his gold beaded necklace around his neck, was next to Lu Fan.
Lv Mudui was sitting cross-legged on the ground, holding his bamboo cane.
On the flagstone steps, Mingyue took off the cloth covering her pipa. With her instrument, she sat down on a flagstone step. Her long delicate fingers stroked the strings. The moonlight was pure and cold. Mingyue tried to focus under such a moonlight, and then she started to play. Her hand kept plucking the strings, as a melody echoed over the island.
Jing Yue, carrying his sword box on his back, sat down under a giant chrysanthemum. Feeling the wisps of Spirit Qi, he took a sugar-coated Gathering Qi Elixir out of his pocket. He licked it and then wrapped it again with care.
“Nature’s mystery is super wonderful. There is no need to manipulate hexagrams to control creatures…” Lv Dongxuan said with a smile.
Lu Fan threw him a glance, and then he turned his head to look at Lake Island.
“There are eight Dragon Raising Sites in the world. One of them is Great Zhou’s imperial palace, and Beiluo Lake is another one,” Lu Fan said to Lv Dongxuan.
When the wheelchair stopped, Lu Fan extended one hand toward the foggy Lake Island.
Boom!
Suddenly water tumbled.
Then a little golden jiao dragon leaped out of Beiluo Lake, somersaulting in the air.
It was different from the four-clawed black jiao dragon with gills on its neck.
This little yellow jiao dragon had a pair of wings on its back. They were flapping at high frequency.
Gazing at the little yellow jiao dragon, the red-lipped and white-teethed Lu Fan showed a smile on his face.
“The dragon chiming in the nine clouds will have a drastic change. As soon as it gets that natural primordial power, it will transform into a yellow dragon.”
“What’s that?” Lv Dongxuan was astounded.
“A dragon descendant,” Lu Fan said.
The little yellow jiao dragon flew toward Lu Fan and then rubbed itself gently against Lu Fan.
It kept flapping its wings like a bee. As it flew over Lake Island, the Spirit Qi on the island flowed into its body like crazy. However, the little yellow jiao dragon’s body seemed to be bottomless. With so much Spirit Qi surging in, it did not show any sign that it would explode.
Ni Yu was very curious. She waved a sugar-coated Gathering Qi Elixir at the little yellow jiao dragon. The latter flew over immediately. Its sucking force took the Gathering Qi Elixir into its mouth as if it was just a peanut.
After the little yellow jiao dragon chewed the elixir, its eyes lit up. Then it opened its mouth again, and another sucking force came.
Ni Yue was surprised.
She grasped her cloth satchel extremely tightly. Clatter! However, it was torn open. One one one, Gathering Qi Elixir flew into the little yellow jiao dragon’s mouth.
Ni Yue burst into tears, thumping her chest and stomping her feet.
The little yellow jiao dragon flew to her. It stuck its tongue out to lick her cheek.
In the distance, Jing Yue’s face froze. He silently hid the Gathering Qi Elixir that he had licked only once somewhere safe.