Carrying Bai Qingniao on his back, Luo Cheng reached the city in the snow. One step after another, he finally arrived at the gate of Beiluo City.
As soon as he entered the city, Beiluo’s guards hurried to support him by the arm.
Luo Yue had heard about his return. He came back running from West Mountain immediately, armored, stirring the snow from the ground.
Seeing everything was fine with Luo Cheng, that he was not limping or one-armed, Luo Yue felt relieved.
However, Luo Yue looked over Luo Cheng’s shoulders with his eyes narrowed. There stood an unkempt scholar and a teenager carrying a spear behind him.
“This is Haoran Sect’s leader, Kong Nanfei…”
Carrying Bai Qingniao on his back, Luo Cheng introduced them.
Without speaking too much, he had been on his way to take Bai Qingniao to Beiluo Lake to see Lu Fan.
However, he heard Lu Fan’s voice in his head as soon as he walked forward.
On the long street of Beiluo, Lu Fan was sitting in the wheelchair in the snow. His clothes were also white as if he had morphed out of the snow.
Luo Cheng was very emotional to see Lu Fan.
This made Luo Yue feel weird.
This bast*rd was not even emotional when facing his father.
“Young Master, Qingniao infiltrated the Imperial City. She rescued Jiang Li, fought the Black Dragon, and passed out,” Luo Cheng said immediately.
Lu Fan’s hair was blowing in the wind. He slightly raised his eyebrow.
Bai Qingniao infiltrated the Imperial City?
The Imperial City was guarded by the emperor’s Black Dragon Guard, and there were almost one thousand cultivators in it. Besides, the Black Dragon, although in the wrong way, was strong. It had the strength of the Internal Organs Realm.
But Bai Qingniao and Luo Cheng had come back alive.
“The second transformation of the Nine Phoenixes took place?”
It occurred to Lu Fan. He was slightly surprised.
He waved his hand.
Bai Qingniao, carried by Luo Cheng on his back, instantly floated and flew up to Lu Fan.
Lu Fan raised his hand. He pointed at the middle of Bai Qingniao’s forehead.
Spiritual Sense flowed into Bai Qingniao’s body and ebbed after flowing from her head to toe.
Bai Qingniao opened her eyes slowly. Her long eyelashes trembled. She seemed a little lost.
She was shocked at the sight of Lu Fan.
“Young…Young Master!”
Lu Fan nodded with a calm face.
Bai Qingniao had not been heavily injured. She only passed out because she had forced herself to reach a breakthrough.
She just needed to rest for some time.
In the distance, the unkempt scholar Kong Nanfei and his apprentice Meng Haoran looked over with curiosity.
Meng Haoran saw Lu Fan.
“Master, is that Young Master Lu of Beiluo?”
The unkempt scholar Kong Nanfei nodded after pushing the hair on his forehead aside.
“Rumor has it that Young Master Lu of Beiluo is very bad-tempered, but it doesn’t look like it. He seems nice,” Meng Haoran said, tightening a hand around the spear on his back.
Kong Nanfei glanced at Meng Haoran. “He’s just the kind of guy who would give you a wrong impression.”
Bai Qingniao did not have the nerve to move after waking. She was just scared to see Lu Fan in front of her.
After all, the Young Master was a mysterious man and she really felt pressured.
“Focus on cultivation. You just reached a breakthrough, but you lack is a solid foundation. There is a pagoda on West Mountain. You can go and give it a try,” Lu Fan said.
Then, he turned the wheelchair towards Beiluo Lake.
It was snowing heavily. Snowflakes were flying around.
The snow gradually blurred Lu Fan from their view.
There were few cultivators at the lakeside because most of them went to West Mountain.
Leaning against the back of his wheelchair, Lu Fan pushed it onto Beiluo Lake and then towards Lake Island, as if the lake was solid ground.
The little Responsive Dragon popped its head out of Beiluo Lake. Flapping its wings, it splashed Lu Fan with water.
Lu Fan touched the little Responsive Dragon’s head. He went back to Lake Island after spending some time with the dragon.
At the rear of the island, Mo Tianyu was sitting cross-legged. There was a humble gravestone beside him.
Mo Tianyu was still mourning.
Lu Fan thought for a while, then he told Luo Yue through voice transmission to take Kong Nanfei and his apprentice to the island.
Lu Fan did not go to White Jade City’s pavilion. Instead, he pushed the wheelchair along the lake in the snow and came up to a Biluo Peach Tree.
Despite the snow, Biluo Peach Blossoms were still blooming. Each flower on the tree was in full bloom.
Luo Yue led Kong Nanfei and Meng Haoran to the lakeside. He found a boat.
Sailing the boat on the lake with snowflakes flying around, they kind of enjoyed it.
Meng Haoran was a little thrilled.
He was going to Lake Island of Beiluo, where White Jade City, the holy land for all cultivators in the world, was located.
He had never imagined he would be able to set foot on Lake Island one day.
Beiluo Lake was shrouded in a fog of Spirit Qi. It was so dense that people could not help but breathe it in with greed.
“Sit cross-legged and cultivate. Don’t waste such an extraordinary and unique cultivation environment,” Kong Nanfei said seriously while Meng Haoran was looking around.
Kong Nanfei struck Meng Haoran’s head with his index finger and middle finger.
Meng Haoran hurried to stop looking around and cover his head. He sat cross-legged to cultivate. Instantly… Spirit Qi surged into his body violently.
Luo Yue was slightly surprised.
“This youngster is really talented,” Luo Yue said.
Leaning against the deck, Kong Nanfei, in a dirty Confucius robe, smiled.
“Well, not bad. I found this apprentice by accident. His Qi Core capacity is only eighteen wisps.”
Luo Yue was dumbstruck. His Qi Core capacity was eighteen wisps. What a freak.
If this young man could live a long life, he would have a promising future.
The Responsive Dragon’s Dragon Gate was suspended in the air over Lake Island. Meng Haoran, in the middle of cultivating, opened his eyes secretly. “Is this one of the legendary Dragon Gates?”
“It’s said that the Dragon Gates started the era of cultivators. I finally saw one today!”
Meng Haoran’s face flushed with excitement.
Kong Nanfei was speechless. Could he stop being so naïve? He was naïve indeed.
When they had reached Lake Island, Meng Haoran was even more thrilled.
“Look at that chrysanthemum! It’s so big and spiritual. Check out those peach blossoms! They are delicate and charming…”
Luo Yue was leading the way.
He saw Lu Fan playing with a peach petal in his wheelchair under a peach tree.
“Young Master.”
Luo Yue bowed.
Lu Fan nodded. Then, he fixed his eyes on Kong Nanfei.
Kong Nanfei, who used to be so refined, courteous, and graceful, was so unkempt now. But his free mind made Kong Nanfei’s attainments improve greatly.
“Haoran Sect? Good,” Lu Fan said, twiddling a peach petal.
The appearance of the Haoran Sect was a good start for the cultivator’s version of the Hundred Schools.
Lu Fan looked over Kong Nanfei’s shoulders. He fixed his eyes on Meng Haoran.
“Qi Core capacity… Eighteen wisps?”
Lu Fan raised his eyebrow.
What a freak.
It was only fifteen wisps for Overlord, sixteen for Li Sansi, but this Meng Haoran’s Qi Core could hold eighteen wisps. This was the most talented person Lu Fan had seen so far.
Of course, Qi Core capacity was not everything. If one could not reach Internal Organs, a big Qi Core capacity was just useless.
Meng Haoran trembled under Lu Fan’s gaze. The shapeless pressure made him go weak at the knees.
“Mo Tianyu is at the rear of the island. Go ahead,” Lu Fan said, looking away from Kong Nanfei and Meng Haoran.
He picked another petal to play with.
Kong Nanfei was dumbstruck. He looked emotional. He had come to Beiluo this time to see Mo Tianyu after all…
He pulled Meng Haoran, who was almost too weak to walk, with him to the rear of the island.
Meng Haoran patted himself on the chest, seemingly very scared, once they were far away.
“Young Master Lu is so dreadful. He looks like a monster who eats people,” Meng Haoran said with lingering fear.
Under the peach tree, Lu Fan raised his eyebrow.
He flicked away the peach petal he had been playing with.
The petal disappeared immediately. When it showed up again, it was over Meng Haoran’s head, falling slowly.
Bang!
The pressure forced Meng Haoran to fall on his face on the snow ground.
Kong Nanfei’s unkempt Confucius robe was gently blowing. Looking at Meng Haoran struggling in the snow, he sneered, “Huh, you are too young.”
Meng Haoran got to his feet quickly. He dared not shoot off his mouth again.
He followed Kong Nanfei obediently to the rear of the island.
It was quite desolate there. A man was sitting cross-legged in the world of ice and snow alone.
“Tianyu,” Kong Nanfei called.
Mo Tianyu opened his eyes, seemingly much older. He was dumbstruck at the sight of Kong Nanfei, because the latter’s big change in appearance really shocked him.
Kong Nanfei hit Meng Haoran on the head. Pointing at Mo Tianyu, he said, “Greet your Martial Uncle.”
Meng Haoran hurried to greet him. “Martial Uncle.”
Mo Tianyu was dumbstruck again. What was that?
Kong Nanfei shifted his attention to the Master’s grave. He knelt down emotionally with a complicated look on his face. He continued kneeling silently there in the snow for a long time.
Meng Haoran was a little lost. He just followed Kong Nanfei and kneeled before the grave.
The three men were super quiet.
It was snowing. The blowing wind sounded like whimpers.
A voice singing a touching elegy.
…
Jiang Li’s joining Great Xuan was a signal for the powers observing the situation.
Who was Jiang Li?
He had been Great Zhou’s Military God in the past, the Militarist Bai Fengtian’s successor. He was good at leading armies. He once led Great Zhou’s elite army to repulse North County and West County’s armies in Yuanchi City.
Such a great man had joined the Great Xuan. He was the icing on the cake for Great Xuan.
Therefore, many aristocratic families and powers who had only been observing the situation submitted themselves to the rule of Great Xuan.
In Great Xuan’s tent, Tantai Xuan finally met Tang Xiansheng, who had waited for a long time.
Tang Xiansheng seemed much older than before. In Tantai Xuan’s eyes, he almost had one foot in the grave.
“Nice to meet you, Lord of Beixuan,” Tang Xiansheng said after standing up with a smile, bowing.
Tantai Xuan did not like Tang Xiansheng, but he was a guest. Besides, Tang Xiansheng was such an old man. Despite everything, Tantai Xuan took his arm warmly.
“Mayor Tang came to Great Xuan’s camp in person. Did you come for some important matter?” Tantai Xuan asked.
A smile showed up on Tang Xiansheng’s old face. “Great Xuan was founded and is going north to challenge Great Zhou. I wish the Lord of Beixuan a brilliant victory in his first battle.”
Raising his eyebrow, Tantai Xuan did not speak.
He knew Tang Xiansheng was a cunning man, but this time, he really had no idea what Tang Xiansheng intended to do.
Tantai Xuan was pretty cautious in the beginning, but as they talked, he realized that Tang Xiansheng had not come with any scheme in mind this time.
Tang Xiansheng told him South County would support Great Xuan and send one hundred soldiers from the South Manor Army to help.
Besides that, he also spoke about how to deal with South County after Great Xuan eliminated Great Zhou.
Tantai Xuan was really confused.
Because…
It just sounded very strange to him. Tang Xiansheng seemed to be very confident that they would win the war against Great Zhou, even more confident than he, the Lord of Beixuan, was.
Finally, when they had finished talking, Tang Xiansheng cupped his hands and began to leave.
Tantai Xuan was a little baffled.
He had thought South County would start a country to compete for the world too, just like West County did.
South County was definitely strong enough to do that. Tang Yimo from South County was as strong as Overlord. Such a man certainly had the chance of winning over the world.
In fact, Tantai Xuan’s Great Xuan was the weakest among the three powers, because the Great Xuan did not have cultivators in the Internal Organs Realm, like Overlord or Tang Yimo.
However, Tang Xiansheng thought Great Xuan had the best chance of winning.
Tantai Xuan was really confused.
“Why?” Tantai Xuan asked involuntarily, watching Tang Xiansheng lift the curtain of the tent.
“Why?”
Tang Xiansheng’s old eyes had a faraway look. He was thinking of the past.
He thought of that rainy night that an indifferent teenager protected him. He killed enemies along a long street in the capital city, from one end to the other, until they finally escaped from the capital city…
Smiling, Tang Xiansheng shook his head.
“Well, someone prefers a stable life. If possible, I want to grant him the stable life he wants.”
Tantai Xuan was dumbstruck.
He walked out of the tent.
He saw Tang Xiansheng coughing in the snow before he entered the coach.
The coach started to move and quickly disappeared into the snow.
If Tang Xiansheng was still young, if he had not lost that battle, a new country founded by South County might have joined in the fight with Great Zhou.
However, the die had been cast and it was impossible to go back.
South County’s one hundred thousand troops were eliminated. Tang Baiyun died. Tang Xiansheng risked his life to go back to South County and was sick for three months.
South County had lost its edge. It had given up the idea of competing for the world.
Tantai Xuan stood in the storm, thinking.
Watching Tang Xiansheng’s coach disappearing from his sight, he took a deep breath.
All of a sudden, an armored scout ran in.
“Report!”
His voice broke the peace in the Great Xuan’s camp.
Many military officials walked out of their tents.
Mo Ju and Jiang Li showed up together. They exchanged a look.
“Tell me,” Tantai Xuan said, narrowing his eyes.
“Western Liang’s army has already reached Wangtian City and Tong’an City. Lord Xiang has commanded an attack the two cities without taking any breaks… Western Liang’s army is going to attack the two cities at the same time!” the scout said.
The military officials all sucked in air between their teeth.
Mo Ju, with a crane cloak draping over his shoulders, squinted involuntarily.
Jiang Li shook his head as if he had anticipated this.
“Judging by Overlord’s temper, it’s not weird that he commanded to attack the two cities so fast,” Jiang Li said.
“Hahaha, that grumpy Xiang Shaoyun. Interesting!” Tantai Xuan burst out laughing.
Seeing Tantai Xuan laughing, Mo Ju was a little speechless.
“Lord, how could you even laugh?” Mo Ju said.
“If Lord Xiang captures the two guarding cities, reaches the capital city, and infiltrates the Imperial City first, then he, not us, will get a head start. Those aristocratic families and powerhouses probably will change sides by then. That will be very unfavorable for Great Xuan.”
Tantai Xuan stopped laughing immediately. He coughed in embarrassment.
“Overlord went to White Jade City before. He knows the man in White Jade City pretty well. That’s why he had the confidence to give the order to attack without being concerned about White Jade City’s stance.
“Because White Jade City doesn’t have a stance on this matter. As long as no one attacks Beiluo, White Jade City won’t meddle in the war,” Jiang Li said.
“So?”
Mo Ju looked at Jiang Li.
Mo Beike and Mo Ju were advisors. They tended to take more things into consideration and be make cautious decisions.
But Jiang Li was different. He was the Military God, the army’s commander.
He looked at things with a perspective very different from advisors’.
“So… This is a speed competition with Western Liang.”
The military officials around him were all dumbstruck.
It was snowing heavily. However, just like a single spark could start a huge fire, many military officials were motivated.
“A speed competition?”
Mo Ju ruminated on what Jiang Li had said.
His eyes gradually lit up.
“Yes, a speed competition. In other words, we need to be faster than Western Liang’s army. We need to beat them to the capital city!”
Great Xuan and Western Liang shared the same objective after all.
However, once the Great Zhou collapsed, the world would split in two.
Half of it would be occupied by Great Xuan and the other half by Western Liang.
It would become a competition between Great Xuan and Western Liang.
Therefore, the one who captured the capital city first would have a greater advantage.
