After hearing Wu Dingyuan’s lengthy discourse, the generals finally understood the full circumstances. Looking at Qin Zhonghai, they realized this man had spent his entire life revolving around the character “heart” – when dealing with subordinates, he sought to win their hearts; when hosting banquets, he aimed to share genuine fellowship; when confronting enemies, he always prioritized psychological warfare. Who would have thought that this person’s military strategy was so sophisticated, and his martial arts even more so? That evil “Undying Heart” technique he employed would not achieve success unless he was near death, making him fight more courageously as battles intensified, truly like an undying demon.

Looking at Qin Zhonghai’s abilities, if he were to break into the imperial palace, he would likely leave corpses piled like mountains in his wake. However, listening to the Grand Commander’s detailed explanation, it seemed this man still harbored some reservations in his heart. Though they didn’t know the exact circumstances, they could only “believe it might be true rather than dismiss it.”

The Zhengtong Army represented the foremost warriors of the Zhengtong court. If even they were worried and afraid, the feelings of the common people could well be imagined. Wu Dingyuan understood his subordinates’ concerns and was just thinking of ways to speak encouragingly when laughter came from outside the tent: “Food’s here! Come eat it while it’s hot!”

There was no need to boost morale – the ones providing encouragement had come on their own. The generals turned to look and saw Hua Mei and A’Xiu rushing in first, the two children each carrying a bamboo basket. Inside were vegetarian chicken, vegetarian dishes, steamed rolls, and mantou. Seeing there was no meat, the generals couldn’t help but sigh, but at that moment they saw Cuishan walking into the tent, holding a wine jar in both hands, which brought smiles back to everyone’s faces.

Cuishan distributed the food and wine, always picking the best for Yan Feng – selecting the finest steamed rolls, choosing the softest ones, picking the most fragrant vegetarian chicken, and even giving him double portions of wine in large bowls. Hua Mei, not to be outdone, took double portions of everything for her father. If these two girls were really in charge of serving food for the entire camp, everyone would probably starve to death.

Seeing these two women showing such favoritism, A’Xiu quickly grabbed a large mantou and began chewing on it vigorously. While eating, she noticed that the staff officers were sitting cross-legged and not touching their chopsticks. A’Xiu asked in puzzlement, “What’s wrong? Aren’t you hungry?” Before her words were finished, Wu Dingyuan clapped his hands, and immediately the sounds of crunching and chewing arose from all directions. Only then did everyone understand that military men had strict rules even when eating.

In the battlefield where winds rose and clouds surged, situations could change at any moment, so everyone would stuff an entire mantou in their mouth at once, like wind sweeping away remaining clouds. A’Xiu usually prided herself on wolfing down food, but at this moment, before she had even finished one mantou, everyone else had already wiped their mouths and was drinking wine – truly showing her up.

While she was still admiring this, Jiao Sheng had already walked in from outside the tent. This man’s rank was insufficient to normally dine at the same table with the camp’s officers, and now he was standing guard outside without a single word of complaint. It seemed military rules were indeed like this. He came to Wu Dingyuan’s side and bent down to whisper in his ear: “Commander, Lord Lu from Kaifeng Prefecture requests an audience.”

Hearing that an outside guest had arrived, Wu Dingyuan frowned and said, “Didn’t I say? No official business tonight.”

Jiao Sheng whispered in his ear, “This Lord Lu isn’t here on official business. He says he has an invitation to deliver to you.”

Upon hearing “Lord Lu,” Wu Dingyuan tilted his ear slightly to listen and detected four people approaching outside the tent. He felt that the first three had long, heavy steps, some light and some heavy, with quite considerable internal energy. The last person had a thin build but displayed strange footwork – first light then heavy, heavy then light, cycling every nine steps as if concealing some mysterious stepping technique. Wu Dingyuan realized: “It’s people from Mount Hua.”

Before his words were finished, clear laughter came from outside the tent: “Lord has excellent skills! Recognizing us just from our footsteps – admirable, truly admirable!” The staff officers went forward to greet them, and saw three men walking in from outside the tent. The leader was about sixty years old, with a thin build, wearing court beads on his chest and a black gauze hat – this was Lu Yingchang, from the Bureau of Personnel of Kaifeng Prefecture and ninth-generation disciple of Mount Hua.

Everyone performed the proper courtesies. Lu Yingchang first greeted Gong Zhi and the others, then shook out his official robes and bowed to Wu Dingyuan: “This humble official, Lu Yingchang, Director of the Guangji Treasury of Kaifeng Bureau of Personnel, pays respects to Lord Wu.”

Lu Yingchang was over sixty years old. Though he was of the same generation as Ning Bufan, the martial world was the martial world and the official government was the official government – the kowtows that needed to be performed absolutely had to be performed. Both sides conducted the court ceremony properly. After Lu Yingchang finished bowing, Wu Dingyuan also stepped forward to help him up and returned half the courtesy. Turning to look at the Mount Hua Twin Eccentrics, they had already hidden far away and were pointing at their martial nephew’s bottom while snickering.

A’Xiu had been gnawing on her mantou when she suddenly heard continuous snickering. Looking up, she was amazed to see two elderly men with strange appearances, quite lacking in dignity for their age. Overjoyed, she shouted: “Two seniors, you must be the renowned Mount Hua Twin Immortals!”

Feicheng Guai had been waiting decades for these words and was both surprised and delighted: “Good child! You actually recognize grandpa! What’s your surname and name?”

A’Xiu seemed to have met family members, her eyes immediately shining as she cupped her hands: “My humble name is not worth mentioning! This junior has admired the deeds of both grandpas since childhood and has long wanted to visit and pay respects.”

The Twin Eccentrics, seeing A’Xiu so courteous, were naturally moved and quickly said: “Good child! You actually know to admire us! Who are your parents? How did they teach you to be so outstanding!”

The two old men and one young person hit it off immediately, holding hands and talking loudly. Wu Dingyuan, listening from the side, heard continuous foul language and, fearing his daughter would be corrupted, quickly pulled A’Xiu away: “It’s rare that ‘Mister Ruolin’ has graced us with his presence. Is there some important matter?”

Lu Yingchang quickly said: “Lord is busy with official duties, this humble official dares not disturb you. Tonight I’m here on the orders of the National Uncle to specially deliver an invitation to you.” As he spoke, he took out a red invitation from his sleeve and respectfully handed it over.

Seeing the red invitation, Wu Dingyuan understood and nodded: “Congratulations, this must be Miss Qiong’s wedding invitation.”

Hearing that the Qiong residence had happy news, Cuishan and Hua Mei were naturally full of curiosity and quickly gathered around to look. They saw the wedding invitation wrapped in gold thread with “National Grace, Family Celebration” written in large characters, completely different from ordinary families’ “Heaven-Made Match” or “Heaven-Bestowed Good Union” and other celebratory words, immediately revealing the grandeur of a powerful official family. Hua Mei exclaimed with joy: “Aunt Fang is going to be a bride!”

Wu Dingyuan, seeing his daughter’s excitement, handed the invitation over with gentle words: “Come read it aloud for everyone to hear.”

Father intentionally letting his daughter show off, Hua Mei was naturally delighted and took the invitation to recite: “Magpies announce good news, the vast seas rejoice… We respectfully select the seventeenth day of the second month of the eleventh year of Zhengtong for our eldest granddaughter and Su Junying to hold the wedding ceremony. Ziyun Pavilion respectfully prepares a celebration feast and humbly awaits the First-Rank Loyal and Valiant Marquis, Grand Commander of the Five Armies and Northwest…” Wu Dingyuan’s titles grew longer with age, and even he found them tiresome to hear. He quickly patted his daughter’s little head and instructed: “Just read the signature directly.” Hua Mei responded and, seeing the old National Uncle’s official seal, declared loudly: “By Imperial Mandate, Meritorious Military Minister, Special Advancement First-Class Duke of Honor, Duke of Ying, Qiong Wuchuan, Hereditary Iron Tablet, this seal.”

Hua Mei’s voice was sweet and tender, naturally delighting all listeners. Lu Yingchang, being tactful, quickly exclaimed in amazement: “Miss is so intelligent! They say ‘no mediocre daughter comes from a tiger father’ – truly a scholarly family is different from common folk.” The Twin Eccentrics, not to be outdone in flattery, also gave thumbs up in praise: “Amazing! Knows many characters, knows many characters!”

Hua Mei, hearing the praise, was naturally overjoyed. A’Xiu, however, only lowered her head and smiled secretly. Looking at Wu Dingyuan, who had earned all his honors on horseback, the words “scholarly family” were really too high praise. Hearing everyone’s full compliments, his face couldn’t help but redden slightly as he said: “Too kind, too kind. It’s just that this little daughter of mine naturally likes reading and writing, so I let her learn some principles of proper conduct so she can be a virtuous wife and good mother in the future.”

Hearing about washing hands to make soup, Hua Mei’s heart was displeased, and she pouted: “No! I want to learn from Madam Qiong. In the future I want to be a heroine and a constable, not a stupid housewife.” The Twin Eccentrics, hearing these words, naturally laughed with glee. Lu Yingchang, deeply afraid of inappropriate comments, quickly cut off the conversation: “Yes, yes, with Miss’s talent and abilities, even if she wanted to become a female commander in the future, that would be more than sufficient.”

In ancient times, among heroic women generals, there was Hua Mulan before and Mu Guiying after, each celebrated through the ages. Hua Mei, thinking of the lively heroic image in military dress, was naturally filled with joy. Wu Dingyuan, thinking of the bloody and gory scenes of battlefields, could only smile bitterly. He sighed and was about to put away the wedding invitation when he heard Lu Yingchang say: “Lord, speaking of which, our sect master’s ability to successfully marry is really thanks to your blessing.”

Wu Dingyuan said with surprise: “Thanks to my blessing?”

Lu Yingchang smiled: “Isn’t that so? If you hadn’t organized the ‘Kuixing Battles Five Passes,’ how would our sect master have had such a good opportunity to show his skills and win Old Qiong’s favor?”

Though Su Ying’s martial arts were strong, his reputation in the martial world was still somewhat green. This “Kuixing Battles Five Passes” grand tournament platform naturally helped to support him. Wu Dingyuan laughed heartily, never expecting that holding tournaments could also serve as matchmaking – truly an unintentional act bearing fruit. He immediately laughed: “If that’s the case, then I, Wu, should definitely drink this cup of celebratory wine. If I’m in Beijing at that time, I’ll definitely personally visit your residence to offer congratulations.”

Lu Yingchang had been waiting for exactly these words and was immediately overjoyed: “Lord’s distinguished presence will bring glory to Ziyun Pavilion.”

Wu Dingyuan laughed: “I wouldn’t dare claim that. Master Su will have to work harder in the future – the National Uncle is still waiting to hold his great-grandson.”

Qiong Wuchuan was over eighty years old. He had fame and power – he lacked nothing except a great-grandson. Everyone knew the old man’s wishes and all voiced agreement, filling the tent with joy and happiness. Everyone had joyful expressions. But at this moment, they heard Cen Yan ask: “Lord Lu, I heard that the National Uncle made an agreement with Master Su – it seems Master Su’s first son should take the Qiong surname. Is this true?”

The Qiong family had only one granddaughter and no male heir, so the National Uncle having such wishful thinking was reasonable and logical. However, Lu Yingchang felt slightly uncomfortable in his heart, though he forced a smile: “This military gentleman jests. Our sect master is not marrying into the family. Whether future children will take the Qiong surname is for Old Master Qiong to negotiate with him personally – we have no authority to interfere.”

Since ancient times, men who married into families were often looked down upon, with no glory to speak of. Therefore, Cen Yan’s words had already seriously touched on a taboo. Gong Zhi, listening from the side, knew that because of the “Number One Under Heaven” title, there was some discord between Mount Hua and the Grand Commander. He didn’t want another incident to arise from this, so he quickly said: “Lord Lu, we admire Master Su’s character and demeanor. Though we know our status doesn’t match, we’d still like to drink a cup of celebratory wine to congratulate Young Master Su. Do we have such honor?”

Gong Zhi was a disciple of the Iron Casting Manor, formerly nicknamed “Lion Gong,” with sword-forging skills famous throughout the country. Swordsmen from all corners knew of him. Lu Yingchang, hearing his humble words, quickly said: “Master Gong, what are you saying? We’d be afraid we couldn’t invite such distinguished guests as yourself. What do you mean by worthy or unworthy…” As he spoke, he turned his head and called loudly: “Defu! Bring out the invitations for the military gentlemen!”

Hearing the name “Defu,” everyone simultaneously turned their heads and saw a wretched-looking youth standing outside the tent, holding an iron broom in his left hand and a thick stack of wedding invitations in his right, constantly peering into the tent. It was Chen Defu.

Seeing a crowd of high officials in the tent, he was about to kneel and kowtow while announcing his name, but Lu Yingchang coughed and said: “Defu, take out the invitations for the four chief staff officers.”

Truly insignificant people didn’t need to kowtow because they didn’t even have names worth mentioning. Chen Defu quickly agreed and began searching up and down, busying himself for quite a while before suddenly saying: “Wait, who are the four chief staff officers?”

Everyone couldn’t help but laugh, smiles appearing on all their faces. That Cen Yan, who managed money frequently and always looked down on people, seeing this fellow’s incompetence, came to mock him: “Haven’t you even heard of the four chief staff officers of the Zhengtong Army? Remember this: my surname is Cen, given name Yan, I’m the grain officer of the Zhengtong Army.”

Chen Defu exclaimed in surprise: “Chen Yan? I’m also surnamed Chen! Are you a relative of mine?” Cen Yan spat: “Cen! It’s not the Chen with ear radical, it’s the Cen of flowing water, understand?” Chen Defu seemed to understand but not really, quickly placing the thick stack of invitations on his lap and searching with quick hands and feet, muttering: “Cen eye, Cen eye, may I ask if it’s the left eye or the right…”

Before the word “eye” was out, Cen Yan’s anger flared, and he wrote the character “fire” on the ground, roaring: “What do you call one fire?”

Finally encountering a character she recognized, A’Xiu naturally showed off greatly: “I know! One fire is ‘fire’!” The Grand Secretariat’s son knowing characters, Cen Yan naturally praised loudly: “Young Master Yang is clever! What about two fires?” Hua Mei clapped and laughed: “Yan!” Cen Yan gave a thumbs up and loudly praised, then turned to Chen Defu and roared: “What about three fires?”

Chen Defu thought for a long while and mumbled: “Three fires? Wouldn’t that burn to ashes?” Everyone burst into laughter. Gong Zhi, being kind-hearted, helped resolve the situation: “Three fire characters read as ‘Yan,’ understand?” Seeing Chen Defu’s blank expression, he spoke gently again: “I am Gong Zhi of the Zhengtong Army. The other two are Yan Feng and Gao Jiong – they also have fire in their names. ‘Feng’ as in beacon fire reaching the sky, ‘Jiong’ as in bright and piercing. Little brother, have you found them?”

Chen Defu asked in surprise: “Why do their names contain fire?”

Everyone was waiting for their wedding invitations, yet this Chen Defu still had curiosity. Suanpan Guai’s face turned red with embarrassment and he shouted: “Everything’s urgent and you’re still so slow! Let grandpa find them!” As he spoke, he threw a punch at Chen Defu’s back of the head. With a cry of pain, Chen Defu’s body pitched forward, and instantly wedding invitations flew everywhere – nothing could be found.

Hearing everyone’s laughter, Suanpan Guai became so angry his horse face turned red as he shrieked: “Pick them all up!” Chen Defu seemed quite resigned to his fate. Hearing everyone’s mocking laughter, he actually joined in with a few laughs himself. Fearing the invitations had flown far, he picked up his iron broom to sweep them into a pile. Feicheng Guai roared: “Stinking boy! The sect master’s wedding invitations and you’re bringing them bad luck? Watch me beat you to death!”

Everyone really couldn’t contain themselves. They never expected that the famous Mount Hua would have such an incompetent disciple. Disregarding Lu Yingchang’s face, they all laughed until they doubled over. Even someone as experienced as Gong Zhi couldn’t help but shake his head greatly. Cen Yan, laughing gleefully, asked: “Lord Lu, looking at this child’s intelligence, could he also be a disciple of ‘Number One Under Heaven’?” The words “Number One Under Heaven” were drawn out extremely long. Lu Yingchang’s face couldn’t help but redden as he quickly said: “Gentlemen jest. This child is named Chen Defu. He used to be a servant boy to my martial brother Bufan, specifically to serve the sect master’s daily needs. Usually he makes tea and cooks rice, never practiced any martial arts – I’m afraid we’ve made everyone laugh.”

Wu Dingyuan saw over a hundred wedding invitations scattered everywhere, east in one pile, west in another, all over the tent and ground. Chen Defu was frantically picking them up with clumsy hands and feet, breaking into a heavy sweat. Apparently his tendons weren’t stretched properly, his hands and feet weren’t agile, and his bones were quite stiff.

Hua Mei, seeing him like a little laborer, felt some pity and said: “Let me help you.”

Wu Dingyuan, seeing his daughter’s compassion, was also very pleased. Seeing the young lady personally laboring, how could the staff officers remain idle? They all bent down to help the young man clean up. Lu Yingchang said frantically: “Unacceptable! Unacceptable! Miss, please don’t trouble yourself!” He was about to step forward to help, but Wu Dingyuan stopped him: “No need, you’re a guest, just rest.”

Everyone became busy. Wu Dingyuan stood to the side watching with a smile. The most diligent in the tent was naturally Hua Mei, picking up here and there, afraid she wasn’t working hard enough. The laziest were the Mount Hua Twin Eccentrics, with invitations all over the ground before them, yet they only moved their mouths, not their hands. Looking at those mixing in and being lazy, that was Cen Yan, picking up red invitations with his left hand while yawning with his right. The worst was A’Xiu, who appeared to be picking up invitations but was actually stealing glances at Cuishan’s rear, specifically picking up invitations behind her bottom. As for this beautiful maid, she and Yan Feng somehow kept touching the same invitation with their hands – when their hands touched, it was like being struck by lightning, separating and coming together again, together and separating again, remarkably consistent.

Everyone was busy with their tasks or playing around, but the hardest working were Gao Jiong and Gong Zhi. The two chief staff officers looked outside the tent and inside, afraid that invitations might fly out of sight and never be found again. Lu Yingchang, observing from the side, knew these two must be Wu Dingyuan’s trusted confidants, acting meticulously – even handling such trivial matters, they could instantly grasp the key points.

Wu Dingyuan’s experience was now extensive, even surpassing Lu Yingchang’s. After observing someone’s behavior briefly, he could tell their character – whether good or bad, and their martial arts depth – everything fell within his grasp. After watching for a while, he yawned slightly, tired from the day, and slowly closed his eyes, about to nod off when he suddenly heard Chen Defu say: “Lord, could you please move a bit?”

Wu Dingyuan slightly awakened, realizing there was an invitation pressed under his stool that was being blocked by himself. He quickly lifted his heel to let Chen Defu crawl down to pick it up.

Under the Grand Commander’s gaze, Chen Defu sighed and first put down the thick stack of invitations in his arms, then knelt on the ground to search and grab. Wu Dingyuan smiled, but suddenly glanced at his invitations and couldn’t help exclaiming “Ah!” his expression becoming extremely rigid. He took a deep breath and said: “Child, come here.”

“Wait… wait…” Seeing the invitation had fallen behind the stool, Chen Defu stretched out his hand and grabbed painfully, but was always half an inch short. Just as he was about to ask the Lord to move, suddenly a warm energy surged from his back into his heart, and he involuntarily stood up.

Chen Defu was greatly startled. Glancing sideways, he was shocked to see that the mighty Longshou actually had his hand on his shoulder? Thinking of various legends about this martial god, he was already scared out of his wits, mumbling: “Great… great lord, what… what do you want to do…”

Wu Dingyuan knew his face full of fierce features would inevitably frighten children, so he smiled warmly: “Child, are you Master Ning’s disciple?”

Chen Defu gulped down saliva and said tremblingly: “Yes… yes, Master loves the hot tea I brew most…” Seeing all the staff officers holding red invitations and looking at him, he couldn’t help but laugh awkwardly: “Lord, would… would you like a cup too?”

Amid the mocking laughter, Wu Dingyuan made no sound, only looked Chen Defu up and down. Lu Yingchang, watching from the side, was also puzzled and quickly said: “Lord, this martial nephew of mine has been serving tea and pouring wine for years, hasn’t seen the world. If he has offended in any way, please forgive him.”

Wu Dingyuan, hearing these words, only shook his head and extended his gray iron hand to feel Chen Defu’s knees, back and other places, as if examining something. Seeing the Grand Commander with his myriad daily affairs showing such concern for this nameless youth, the staff officers couldn’t understand the reason. But they still held invitations in their hands and were looking for a place to put them when they suddenly saw a tall stack of wedding invitations already on the ground, so without thinking, they added their invitations to the pile.

After a while, Feicheng Guai laughed: “Lord, what’s so special about our little Fuzi? Is he some kind of martial arts prodigy?” Suanpan Guai laughed heartily: “What martial arts prodigy? Does this boy have horns growing on his head?”

This was meant as a joke, but Chen Defu, hearing the words “martial arts prodigy,” couldn’t help his heart pounding. He raised his head and stared at Wu Dingyuan, hoping he would nod – then there would be hope for this lifetime.

When Wu Dingyuan was young, every time he met important people, they would either praise him as extraordinarily gifted or say he had limitless wealth and honor. Now that Dingyuan himself had grown older and become a noble person for later generations, hearing the Twin Eccentrics speak, he patted Chen Defu’s cheek and smiled: “Sorry, I saw this little brother had stiff bones and slow hands and feet, so I was curious and couldn’t help wanting to examine him.”

Everyone, hearing these words, all laughed: “Stiff bones? Is that worth examining?” Wu Dingyuan smiled faintly: “Indeed not worth examining. This child’s natural talent is completely unsuitable for learning martial arts. If he went to Shaolin or Wudang to practice, he wouldn’t pass the first test.”

Wu Dingyuan was the current dynasty’s martial god, his words carrying such authority that no contemporary master could surpass him. Chen Defu, hearing that he was completely unsuitable for martial arts practice, felt his eyes redden. Lu Yingchang sighed inwardly. Though he knew Wu Dingyuan spoke the truth, he felt he was too blunt, inevitably hurting the child’s feelings.

Hearing the Grand Commander’s words, Chen Defu knew this was his fate. Looking at how his mouth held a smile while his eyes struggled to hold back tears, it seemed he had endured enough humiliation in this lifetime.

Wu Dingyuan laughed heartily and placed his iron hand on Chen Defu’s forehead, saying solemnly: “This little brother, do you know who is the most ordinary person I, Wu, have ever seen in my life?” Seeing Chen Defu staring blankly, he patted the youth’s shoulder and said softly: “It’s your master.”

Chen Defu, hearing this encouragement, was both alarmed and delighted, wiping tears from his face while his mouth was foolishly smiling.

Wu Dingyuan said no more. Seeing that invitation still pressed under his stool, he personally picked it up for Chen Defu. Just as he was about to hand it back, he suddenly glanced and saw written on the invitation “Respectfully welcoming Prince Qi” and other characters.

Lu Yingchang was very good at reading expressions. Seeing Wu Dingyuan holding the wedding invitation with an unusual expression, he quickly asked: “Lord, is something wrong?”

Wu Dingyuan looked at the wedding invitation repeatedly, pondering: “Are you also looking for Prince Hui?” Prince Hui was one of the four leaders of the Royalist Army. The Zhengtong Army and Royalist Army had enmity – this was known to all. Lu Yingchang was afraid of getting involved and quickly told the truth: “I dare not hide from you, Lord. My son was ordered to deliver invitations to Prince Hui. But this prince is most difficult to find. Several times we went to his residence to pay respects, they said he’d gone to the Capital Garrison Camp. When we went to the Capital Garrison Camp, they said he’d left the city. Back and forth several times, we never managed to see him.”

Cen Yan laughed: “Lord Lu, you’re looking in the wrong place. To find Prince Hui and deliver invitations, you should go to Yihua Court.”

Lu Yingchang coughed: “Gentlemen jest. According to my son, Prince Hui seems to have gone to Bazhou.”

“Bazhou?” The staff officers, hearing this place name, looked at each other, all feeling puzzled. Gong Zhi asked in surprise: “What’s he doing in Bazhou?”

Lu Yingchang shook his head: “I’m also unclear about the circumstances. I only heard that not just Prince Hui went to Bazhou. It seems the four princes ‘Lin, Hui, De, and Qing’ went together. My son heard this personally, so it should be true.”

The Zhengtong Army was specifically responsible for bandit suppression, while the Royalist Army’s duty was to guard the capital and protect the emperor. Since the restoration, they could be said never to have left the capital even for a moment. Suddenly hearing that four princes had left the city together, Cen Yan couldn’t help laughing, immediately bursting into wild laughter: “Absurd, truly absurd! The four great princes all left the city together – don’t tell me even the emperor went out to play? Haha! Haha!”

Though the Twin Eccentrics didn’t know why he was laughing, they never fell behind in any kind of laughter, mocking or otherwise, so they also doubled over.

The Royalist Army’s total forces reached one million, their military might even surpassing the Zhengtong Army. If they were all to be transferred away from Beijing, that would be an unprecedented major event. Everyone laughed until tears came to their eyes, but Wu Dingyuan glanced at Gong Zhi, and the two whispered a few words. Gong Zhi then called Jiao Sheng and asked: “Jiao Youji, you said earlier that the million Imperial Guards were all taken away?”

Jiao Sheng nodded: “Yes, the garrison commander said all the troops in the camp were taken away. Though we wanted to borrow three thousand iron cavalry, they couldn’t spare them.”

Though Lu Yingchang wanted to take his leave, the situation seemed somewhat strange, so he couldn’t leave conveniently. He could only say: “Commander, what exactly is the matter? Can you tell us?”

Wu Dingyuan narrowed his eyes and said softly: “Actually, it’s nothing major, just that if the four princes leave the capital simultaneously, then our Beijing city…” He shook his head: “I’m afraid it has become an empty city.”

At these words, everyone from Lu Yingchang above to Hua Mei and A’Xiu below all exclaimed in surprise. Wu Dingyuan shook his head and waved his iron hand, saying in a deep voice: “Someone! Spread out the map!”

Wu Dingyuan was no military genius. When fighting, he was like handling cases in the past – when acting, he didn’t seek merit but sought to avoid mistakes. Someone like him, when winning, had to win solidly and reliably; when losing, had to lose step by step with everything under control. He sought to be “solid as a golden fortress, stable as Mount Tai.” Whenever he encountered anything unusual, he would be the first to become alert. At his command, Yan Feng quickly spread out a geographical map on the ground.

Lu Yingchang and others, fearing they might see military secrets, were about to tactfully withdraw, but Wu Dingyuan said: “Gentlemen need not avoid this. I’ll have some questions to ask shortly.”

Since the Grand Commander invited them, Lu Yingchang couldn’t very well take his leave, so he remained with trepidation to join the discussion.

Before them was a Capital Defense Map, oriented north-south following the principle of “facing south as king.” This map differed from ordinary geographical maps – it had no prefectural boundaries, only dense numbers of various types marking the exact troop numbers of garrisons in each location. Mountains were marked with heights, waters with depths, and rapids and dangerous slopes were all marked with red ink. Lu Yingchang, looking at this, nodded inwardly, knowing the Commander’s military methods emphasized “solidity.”

A’Xiu and Hua Mei were seeing a military map for the first time and were naturally full of curiosity. They saw their father take a charcoal pencil from his subordinate and draw straight lines from Juyong Pass, Shanhai Pass, Niangzi Pass and other locations. Where the three lines intersected, two characters were written: “Bazhou.”

A’Xiu loved hearing war stories most of all, so at this moment she was naturally excited. She looked down and saw three sets of numbers marked beside Bazhou city. Reading in sequence, she saw “7”, “3”, and “241117”. All the staff officers were veteran generals who didn’t need explanation to know that inside and outside Bazhou there were a total of seven cities, three major garrison offices, and including civilian laborers, the total military strength reached 214,117 men.

Though the others couldn’t understand the code, they didn’t dare ask and quietly waited for Wu Dingyuan’s explanation.

Wu Dingyuan pondered slightly. From the defense map’s perspective, this Bazhou was hidden in the rear with light defense duties. But first, it neighbored the capital region, and second, it was positioned at a strategic junction, so though Bazhou hadn’t fought a war in twenty years, it was still garrisoned with military forces. Wu Dingyuan put down his charcoal pencil and asked: “Who is the commanding general of Bazhou?”

Gao Jiong consulted the roster and quickly said: “It’s veteran general Zhong Siwen of the Reserve Army.”

Hearing that a veteran general was there, everyone felt somewhat relieved. This Zhong Siwen was a minister of three reigns – during the Wude era he guarded the western frontier, during the Jingtai years he transferred under Jiang Chong’s command. Having served forty years without a single defeat, guarding this city was more than sufficient. Looking further, west of Bazhou there were countless mountain passes and strategic positions – to suddenly erupt in warfare was truly hard to believe.

The city was small, the land blessed. Guarding Bazhou should have been a comfortable retirement posting, which was why the “Zhengtong Army” wasn’t stationed in this place either. But clearly killing a chicken didn’t require a butcher’s knife – why would the “Royalist Army’s” million strong forces need to go there for reinforcement?

Was it true or false? Was it rumor? Was it intelligence? Wu Dingyuan couldn’t understand the logic and could only stand up and pace back and forth. Though he had traveled the world since leaving Xiliang, he had uniquely missed Bazhou. He repeatedly pondered: “Bazhou… Bazhou… which of you has been to Bazhou…”

A’Xiu, lying beside the map and looking intently, was first to raise her hand with a smile: “I haven’t been there.” She turned to Hua Mei: “What about you? Have you been there?”

Hua Mei was an eight or nine-year-old child – if she were to travel for pleasure, she would definitely be accompanied by her parents. Since Wu Dingyuan had never been to Bazhou, of course she hadn’t either. She glared at A’Xiu and asked the maid: “Sister Shan, have you been there?”

Cuishan said blankly: “No.” She then turned her gaze to Yan Feng, but saw this staff officer blink, apparently never having been there either. Everyone looked at each other for a long, long time, but surprisingly no one answered. Cen Yan asked in surprise: “Master Gong, you also haven’t been to Bazhou?”

Gong Zhi shook his head. In his youth he had settled in Changzhou, in middle age he had fought in the northwest – having rarely visited strategic locations in the capital region, naturally he had never been to Bazhou. He asked Lu Yingchang: “Brother Lu has extensive knowledge and experience, surely you’ve been there?”

Lu Yingchang shook his head: “This humble one settled in Mount Hua in early years, and has resided in Kaifeng in recent years, rarely traveling elsewhere.”

How strange it was – Bazhou was only three hundred li from the capital, clearly not far, yet no one had been to this place. Everyone looked at the map but no one could recall what historical sites this place had, much less know what the local scenery was like. Vaguely and indistinctly, they only felt this city was unremarkable and attracted no disputes, but was actually a direct route to the capital.

In the silence, they suddenly heard Suanpan Guai say: “I remember now, I’ve been there once.”

The Twin Eccentrics had never been serious in their lives and were probably about to play the fool again. Lu Yingchang quickly said: “Uncle Master, we’re discussing serious matters, please don’t joke around.”

Suanpan Guai scolded: “Ruolin! You’re being disrespectful again – I really have been there!”

The Twin Eccentrics lived on the mountain their whole lives – every time they came down the mountain, they needed the sect master’s golden approval before they could make the trip. Lu Yingchang sighed: “When did Uncle Master go? How do I not know about it?”

Fearing people wouldn’t believe him, Suanpan Guai quickly pointed at Feicheng Guai: “I really went, went with him. If you don’t believe me, you can ask him!” The Twin Eccentrics were birds of a feather – if they were to corroborate each other’s testimony, there would be no credibility. Lu Yingchang shook his head: “If that’s the case, what scenery and cultural relics does Bazhou have that the two Uncle Masters can tell us about?”

Suanpan Guai frowned and thought hard: “Scenery… I still remember there seemed to be a big pine tree outside the city, really huge. We brought mantou and water bottles and hid up there for three days and nights, crying and crying…”

Suanpan Guai spoke complete nonsense, not knowing what he was dreaming about, making A’Xiu giggle and Hua Mei shake her head repeatedly. Everyone knew this person’s words were meaningless and not worth paying attention to. They were about to turn away when Wu Dingyuan’s heart suddenly tensed and he quickly said: “Wait! You two went to Bazhou in the fourteenth year of Jingtai, right?”

Suanpan Guai said happily: “Brother Wu, your high position brings great learning too – it was indeed the fourteenth year of Jingtai!”

The fourteenth year of Jingtai was already thirty years ago – how did this ancient, outdated matter relate to today’s grand situation? Seeing everyone full of puzzlement, Suanpan Guai smiled and said to his martial brother: “Remember? We were still young then. Hearing we had to go to Bazhou, we cried and cried… overnight we went down the mountain and spent all our silver, even arranging our funeral affairs.”

Feicheng Guai sighed: “Don’t mention it. At least we lived thirty more years.” This Feicheng Guai had been a clown all his life, but at this moment his fat face was iron-serious, as if there really was such a matter.

Everyone, hearing they had even prepared their funeral affairs, asked in surprise: “What exactly did you two go to Bazhou to do?”

Feicheng Guai stared blankly and said: “That year I… we two were ordered by the sect master to go support Shaolin’s Tianjue…”

As soon as the great name of Divine Monk Tianjue was mentioned, the tent suddenly fell silent. Cen Yan said in alarm: “Support Divine Monk Tianjue? For what?”

Feicheng Guai lowered his head and said in a small voice: “Support him… to resist Demon King Qin Baxian…”

Wu Dingyuan suddenly stood up, gathering his qi and roaring: “Someone! Immediately transmit my order – recall the hundred thousand troops from Juyong Pass!” Juyong Pass was Wu Dingyuan’s base and where his trusted forces were stationed. All the generals were shocked: “Commander, this cannot be! Those are for defending against the Mongols!”

Wu Dingyuan paid no attention, only taking a deep breath: “Gong Zhi, give me the blade!”

Everyone looked at each other in bewilderment, but heard Wu Dingyuan shout: “The blade that commoner bandit used – the Raging Cang military saber!” Gong Zhi understood, remembering Wang Yitong’s evil blade, and quickly retrieved it to hand to his superior.

Wu Dingyuan said no more, only taking a deep breath and gripping the steel blade in his hands, examining and pondering it repeatedly. Everyone didn’t understand the circumstances, but frightened by the various eerie atmosphere, their hearts began to fear. Cen Yan asked quietly: “Master Gong… what’s happening?”

Gong Zhi’s brow was tightly furrowed, but he couldn’t explain the reason. At this moment, not only Gong Zhi, but everyone wanted to know what great event happened in the fourteenth year of Jingtai, but for the moment they didn’t know where to begin asking.

Everyone was as if fallen into dense fog. The Grand Commander also said nothing, only repeatedly pondering and examining that military saber. Gong Zhi pondered: “Do any of you have a chronological record?”

This chronological record was the national history compendium – to know about previous dynasty affairs, one naturally had to check within it. Everyone shook their heads with no response. Suddenly at this moment, A’Xiu smiled and pulled out a thick, old, worn book from her bundle.

Cen Yan was overjoyed: “A chronological record!” It was an emergency situation, so regardless that the child was still flipping through the book, he had already snatched it away.

Amid A’Xiu’s protests, Gong Zhi hurriedly opened the chronological record to the pages of the fourteenth year of Jingtai and read in a low voice: “Fourteenth year of Jingtai, third month, day Bingwu… Raging Cang bandits attacked Bazhou, took the great city. Registrar Li Yan, Deputy Commander-in-Chief Ma Bao, and Zhang Wei died in battle. The capital declared martial law…”

With an “Ah!” everyone’s eyes widened. So in the fourteenth year of Jingtai, the Raging bandits had indeed approached the city gates, defeating the court forces completely, with Bazhou as their base at that time. Everyone’s hearts were terrified, finally understanding why the Grand Commander was so cautious – he feared history would repeat itself.

Bazhou neighbored Beijing, only three hundred li away. If fast horses galloped, they could arrive in half a day. Once war spread to the capital, from imperial nobility above to common people below, in times of military danger everyone would suffer tragic consequences. Even if they wanted to flee, there would be nowhere to go.

Lanterns flickered everywhere, and singing and dancing music continued without end. But in the Wu family’s flower tent was complete silence. The matter was grave – Bazhou seemed to be under attack, the Raging King appeared to have manifested. If this matter were true, the capital had become an empty city.

Cuishan looked alarmed and couldn’t help leaning against Yan Feng’s arm, saying tremblingly: “The fourteenth year of Jingtai… wasn’t that thirty years ago? Was there Raging Cang Mountain even then?”

Gong Zhi sighed: “Of course there was. The Raging Cang leader then was that Qin Baxian.”

Hearing an ancient name, Cuishan naturally didn’t recognize it and said blankly: “Qin Baxian… how coincidentally the rebels all have that surname…”

Hearing these words, Gong Zhi couldn’t help smiling bitterly: “Of course he had to have that surname. If he weren’t surnamed Qin, Qin Zhonghai would probably have to change his surname too.”

Cuishan completely didn’t understand. Yan Feng beside her said quietly: “Don’t ask anymore. Qin Baxian is Qin Zhonghai’s father, the current founding master of Raging Cang stronghold.”

Hearing this suddenly, Cuishan couldn’t help crying out, finally realizing that the Qin father and son shared the same bloodline, both born as rebels. In her shock, she shrank further into Yan Feng’s side and didn’t dare say another word.

Thinking of the many deaths during the dynastic change, everyone was afraid and shocked. The tent was silent for a long time, completely different from the liveliness in the square. A’Xiu was naturally fond of excitement – listening on the side, she felt this Qin Baxian seemed very formidable, and that Qin Zhonghai even more so, truly regular guests in children’s ghost stories. She felt somewhat excited and secretly retrieved her old book, preparing to see the results of that great battle.

In the silence, A’Xiu turned to the next page but couldn’t help exclaiming in surprise: “Fourth month, bandits attacked the border… summoned Northern Commander Liu Angtian to return to Jingfu Palace… formulated strategies to defeat the bandits beforehand.”

After that there was nothing more – even the two characters “Raging Cang” disappeared. A’Xiu tugged at Hua Mei’s sleeve and whispered: “What is Jingfu Palace?”

Hua Mei thought for a long while and said: “It seems to be the sleeping palace where the Empress Dowager lives.”

Before her words were finished, an iron hand had already reached over and taken away the chronological record. A’Xiu looked up and was surprised to see Uncle Wu with his back to her, quickly saying: “Uncle Wu, what does the Empress Dowager do?”

No one in the venue answered because the Empress Dowager had already died – eight years ago the whole country observed mourning and had laid her to rest.

Seeing the Grand Commander still gripping that military saber with an extremely solemn expression, everyone’s hearts grew more fearful and they asked quietly: “Commander… didn’t you say that fellow wouldn’t dare attack Beijing? This… what’s this about?”

Wu Dingyuan shook his head: “I don’t know.”

The Zhengtong Army was silent as death. The Mount Hua people felt even more alarmed and suspicious but dared not ask more. Wu Dingyuan remained silent – he crouched down and quietly looked at A’Xiu. A’Xiu saw Uncle Wu squinting his small eye slits, those eye corners full of wrinkles, his small pupils hidden in deep eye sockets looking very strange. A’Xiu felt uncomfortable under his gaze and quickly tugged at Hua Mei’s sleeve, asking her to come keep her company.

In the silence, everyone vaguely sensed one thing: the “Raging King” had begun his counterattack.

The self-proclaimed hero Raging Cang master had a desperate style – when quiet, he hid deep in the nine netherworlds, silent and traceless; when moving, he could spread his wings and soar high, shaking the entire nation. Such a person, once he deployed his full army, would strike with thunder’s might and sudden rain’s urgency – victory meant complete victory, defeat meant total defeat. He sought “great rises and falls, leaving no armor behind.” With such a temperament, he indeed had the possibility of striking straight at the heart.

But even as mad as Qin Zhonghai, in these ten years he had never crossed Tong Pass to advance east to Beijing… This wasn’t because he couldn’t take it, but because Tong Pass was a line between life and death. Once crossed, neither side would have a place for rest and recovery. The Raging King was demonic fire and wild wind, while the True Dragon was bronze walls and iron fortifications. If both sides were to clash head-on, the moment of decisive battle would arrive.

Wu Dingyuan breathed deeply. He raised his head to gaze at Red Conch Pagoda. For the past ten years he firmly believed Qin Zhonghai would never cross this line, because he was the Raging King, not the Killing King. Otherwise, if he insisted on breaking through this final pass… the text in the chronological record had already recorded his ending: “Summoned Northern Commander Liu Angtian to return to Jingfu Palace.” Just two lines of text, and Qin Baxian’s story was finished. From then on Raging Cang was destroyed, and the previous True Dragon also died at Spirit Ghost Pavilion.

Poor Zhonghai, unknowingly he was once again walking his father’s old path… Qin Baxian’s opponents were Jiang Chong, Tianjue, and Jingtai, but Qin Zhonghai should understand that his opponents were more sinister than Jiang Chong, stronger than Tianjue, more cruel and merciless than Emperor Jingtai… These weren’t empty boasts but proven facts… In that contest ten years ago, Jiang Chong committed suicide, Tianjue died, and even the Jingtai Dynasty had ended… Since they could unify the court’s three great factions, why would they fear one Raging Cang Mountain?

Qin Zhonghai was destined to lose. He couldn’t surpass his father’s pattern. In this majestic Zhengtong Dynasty like a mountain, the “True Dragon of One Generation” was merely the first pass. Even if Qin Zhonghai broke through, there were countless more passes ahead – open ones, hidden ones, conspiracy webs, emotional burdens – he couldn’t break this game. What his father was powerless to accomplish, what could Qin Zhonghai do?

Even if he betrayed his father’s trust and assassinated the Zhengtong Emperor, he still had no chance of victory, because the emperor was immortal. Even if he killed Zhu Yan, killed Zhu Jin, killed all of Jingtai, Zhengtong, Wude… he still couldn’t kill more and newer emperors.

As the world’s first rebel, Qin Zhonghai should know in his heart that as long as people still gathered in this dusty world, an emperor would definitely appear. No matter what his surname or name, no matter what title he changed to, the Son of Heaven would definitely live ten thousand years, continuing through endless generations… But the Demon King was different. There was only one Demon King. Once Qin Zhonghai died, Raging Cang would immediately collapse and disintegrate, never to be seen again.

Poor Zhonghai, he was wrong from the very beginning – he never should have rebelled. Because this human world would inevitably give birth to one supreme ruler. To bring fortune to the human world, one should submit to the King of All Kings. Wu Dingyuan understood this principle, Qin Baxian understood it, but only Qin Zhonghai alone didn’t understand. Zhonghai… surrender! Don’t follow in your father’s footsteps to die lonely and sad… Kneel down! Don’t be stubborn anymore…

Wu Dingyuan sighed. He squinted at the military saber in his hand. In his confusion, he suddenly exclaimed and said softly: “Kill!”

In an instant, Wu Dingyuan’s mind spun dizzily. He too saw Qin Zhonghai’s path… “Karmic Fire Demon Blade!”

The highest sacred object in the hearts of all rebels under heaven was the Karmic Fire Demon Blade!

In martial world oral tradition, if a person had unrequited revenge, unresolvable hatred in their heart, the fastest method of clearing their shame wasn’t to steal martial arts manuals but to seize the “Karmic Fire Demon Blade.” Martial arts manuals belonged to the strong – weak women and orphans couldn’t obtain them. Stealing manuals wasn’t easy, and practicing them was even harder. Martial arts manuals belonged to the wise – even if stolen, one might not comprehend the way. Those manuals were snobbish, only ever favoring the lucky, while the sobbing of weak women and orphans could only be heard by the demon blade.

“Kill! Karmic Fire Demon Blade!” A thunderclap exploded in his ears, causing Wu Dingyuan to lean forward and fall to one knee.

In this merciless human world where tigers ate sheep and the strong bullied the weak, in those cruel six realms, the only miracle was the Karmic Fire Demon Blade. The demon blade was truly fair, the demon blade was most generous. It wouldn’t closely follow the strong – whether the person was a weak woman or orphan, as long as they touched the blade handle for that instant and were willing to exchange their life, the Karmic Fire Demon Blade would ignite hope’s light for them, bestowing upon weak women and orphans supreme divine power.

No need to practice, no need to learn. The moment life was cast aside, ten thousand zhang of demon light would shine in heaven and earth. A child holding it could subdue bears and slaughter tigers, a woman holding it could kill martial arts masters under the blade. Once it fell into a martial artist’s hands, it would be sufficient to challenge the King of All Kings’ million strong army. Though in the end one inevitably died by suicide, before death countless could be buried with them.

“When will the sun perish? I and you shall perish together!” Wu Dingyuan bit his lower lip, his ears seeming to hear the crying and wailing of rabbits and sheep. They had killed until their eyes were red, ramming themselves to death against lions and tigers, causing all beasts to perish together…

Hell’s karmic fire burns my remaining body. To win the final battle, Qin Zhonghai must unite with the demon blade. At that moment he wouldn’t just be invincible under heaven, but would be crowned and enthroned to become a true Demon King. When the moment of complete madness arrived, he would care for nothing – he would charge straight through the final pass. He wouldn’t just kill the emperor and officials, he would also kill everyone he loved. He would even blow up the human world and kill Heaven itself, not letting the Creator produce spirits…

“Haha! Dingyuan… stop pretending to be benevolent!” The military saber before him seemed to emit mocking laughter, laughing like this: “Since tigers must eat sheep and the strong must bully the weak anyway, why not let me kill them all at once? Haha! Haha!”

“Woo! Woo! Woo! Woo!” Wu Dingyuan bit his gums. Under everyone’s gaze, his eyes filled with tears as he gripped that military saber fiercely – he wanted to prevent heaven and earth from collapsing.

Wu Dingyuan’s expression was terrifying. Feicheng Guai was naturally frightened, his whole body shaking as he said in alarm: “Damn! Didn’t the court just win a great victory at Xiangyang? How did it become this ghostly appearance again?”

This statement immediately reminded all the staff officers and also reminded Wu Dingyuan. Thinking of all the strange circumstances of the great Xiangyang battle, everyone couldn’t help but secretly wonder. After all, the Raging King’s whereabouts were mysterious, everything began with the great Xiangyang battle. But why was that battle victorious? Why did the Raging King withdraw? The Grand Commander kept his mouth sealed and never explained the reasons.

Seeing his subordinates looking at him, Wu Dingyuan lowered his head again and said not a word. At this moment, only he understood all the circumstances, but as Grand Commander he had many things inconvenient to say. Even if tomorrow heaven and earth would collapse, he still had to keep many matters buried in his heart – this was the mission of a supreme commander.

Seeing Gong Zhi staring at him, Wu Dingyuan took a deep breath, knowing the situation was extraordinary and required immediately investigating the demon blade’s whereabouts. Standing up, he said: “The dharma assembly is about to begin. We should go to the Patriarch Hall.”

As the Grand Commander slightly rose, they heard “thap thap” sounds as Jiao Sheng’s military boots heavily struck the ground outside the tent, already preparing to clear the way for his superior.

Everyone present couldn’t help but wonder secretly, but Wu Dingyuan explained not a single word. He only took a deep breath and was about to step away when suddenly they heard a “pop” sound, as if he had stepped on something. Gao Jiong looked down and saw an envelope had appeared under Wu Dingyuan’s foot.

A strange envelope of unknown origin. Gao Jiong felt slightly surprised. This envelope wasn’t an official document or a Zhengtong Army report, but seemed to be a private letter. He casually picked it up and handed it to Chen Defu: “Is this a wedding invitation you brought?”

Chen Defu exclaimed in surprise and quickly picked it up. Seeing the addressee section simply written with eight characters, he read aloud: “To my brother Dingyuan, urgent… what… what is this…”

Before his words were finished, Gao Jiong’s heart tensed and he had already snatched it back. The staff officers gathered around to look. This letter was definitely not a court document – if it were, it would be written with long official titles, things like “Specially conveying to First-Rank Loyal and Valiant Marquis, Grand Commander of Five Armies” and “Respectfully presented to Northwestern Bandit-Suppressing Army Supreme Commander Lord Wu Dingyuan” – they would never dare address him as brother with just eight casual characters.

The Grand Commander wielded enormous power and constantly received anonymous letters. The contents were either exposing political enemies’ secrets or someone harboring grievances, seeking revenge against someone else – in short, hoping to curry favor with the Valiant Marquis for profit. Wu Dingyuan was unwilling to receive things of unknown origin and said in a deep voice: “Who sent this letter?”

Gao Jiong looked down at the signature in the lower left corner and couldn’t help frowning: “It’s someone called… called…” He hesitated for a long while and had to hand the letter to Chief Staff Officer Gong Zhi. Gong Zhi focused his gaze and immediately saw an ancient seal signature. He struggled to identify it and said: “Lingwu Xuanzhi.”

Lingwu Xuanzhi? The staff officers heard this strange name and naturally felt puzzled, but heard a “dong” sound as the Grand Commander somehow stumbled against a stool. Lu Yingchang beside him, quick of eye and hand, hurried to help Wu Dingyuan back to his stool.

Gao Jiong muttered: “Lingwu Xuanzhi? Is this a monk’s dharma name?” Lingwu Xuanzhi – the first two characters were quite like a monk’s dharma name, similar to Ling Ding, Ling Zhen and others. But Shaolin had “Zhi Ding Yin Zhen” before and “Zhen Xuan Ru Shi” after, but they’d never heard of this “Lingwu.”

Wu Dingyuan, seeing everyone looking at him, paid no attention, only taking a deep breath and turning his gaze to Gao Jiong, asking: “How did this letter come? Did you bring it?”

Gao Jiong quickly said: “Commander misunderstands. Your subordinate just now saw an extra letter under your foot, afraid it was something belonging to that young Mount Hua brother, so I spoke up to remind you.”

Wu Dingyuan hummed noncommittally, then turned to ask Hua Mei and A’Xiu: “Did you two see this letter earlier?”

Earlier when Wu Dingyuan’s face was full of anger with a frightening expression, A’Xiu and Hua Mei were scared silly and naturally hadn’t paid attention to the ground situation, so they shook their heads together.

Wu Dingyuan hummed and asked no more. They saw his gaze constantly sweeping inside and outside the tent, as if trying to find some clues.

The staff officers were full of surprise and quickly asked: “Commander, what’s strange about this letter?”

Wu Dingyuan shook his head: “There’s nothing strange. I just want to figure out how exactly this letter entered the tent.” As he spoke, he looked around, still searching for suspicious circumstances.

Just now, from Yang Shenji entering the tent to Song Tongming coming in, to the Mount Hua sect members delivering letters – people came and went in this flower tent, but no one paid attention to whether there was anything strange on the ground. Naturally no one knew when this letter had arrived.

Gao Jiong frowned: “Reporting to the Commander, your hearing is unparalleled under heaven. If someone secretly placed a letter by your feet, how could they hide it from you? Perhaps this letter was already here long ago.”

Everyone nodded in agreement – with Wu Dingyuan’s keen ears and eyes, indeed no one could deceive him. But Wu Dingyuan wasn’t relaxed at all, only raising his head: “No, there was no letter by my feet.” He stared at Chen Defu seriously: “Little brother, when you were picking up wedding invitations just now, did you see this letter?”

How would Chen Defu know anything? He only said in surprise: “I… I didn’t see it.”

Wu Dingyuan took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over the assembled heroes sternly: “Looking at this letter, it definitely entered the tent later.”

Seeing the Grand Commander’s gaze sharp as an eagle, completely different from his usual restrained demeanor, the staff officers were naturally full of puzzlement but didn’t know what was so significant about this matter. Gao Jiong said: “If that’s the case, this letter was probably brought in by that Young Master Song. Otherwise it was…” As he spoke, Wu Dingyuan stood back at the spot where he had picked up the envelope, pondering: “Who was closest to me just now?”

Gao Jiong answered: “It was me.”

Wu Dingyuan nodded and turned his gaze to examine Gao Jiong’s body. Gao Jiong couldn’t help being greatly shocked, saying tremblingly: “Commander… you… you don’t think it was me…”

Wu Dingyuan said nothing, but also didn’t move his gaze away – that look already said everything. Everyone was full of surprise and followed the Commander’s gaze to look, seeing him staring angrily at Gao Jiong’s right arm. That gaze was so sharp and cold, as if it were a sharp blade wanting to see through his subordinate’s armor to check if there was anything unusual on his flesh.

Everyone’s hearts tensed – they all knew the Grand Commander had become suspicious. He suspected Gao Jiong. But strangely, everyone here was one of their own – what could there be to suspect? Even if Gao Jiong had brought this letter, what would be so serious about that?

The entire venue became quiet. The clever ones like Lu Yingchang and Gong Zhi had already guessed several parts of the circumstances. The rest, innocent and naive like Hua Mei and A’Xiu, though not knowing what had happened, also understood that Gao Jiong might have done something bad.

Instantly the entire venue whispered among themselves, but all eyes remained on Staff Officer Gao’s right arm. Everyone wondered what was strange about that right arm – did it have the four characters “Loyal Service to the Country”? Or did it have “If one day I achieve soaring ambitions”?

For a moment, some guessed, some were jealous, some were shocked, some suspicious. Gao Jiong, in this position of suspicion, had already reddened around the eyes. He stamped his military boot with a loud sound and actually undid his armor clasps, exposing his sturdy upper body.

Gao Jiong was not young anymore – a man in his forties, but his muscles were still strong and robust. He roared loudly: “Zhengtong Army Staff Officer Gao Jiong! I swear to serve the Grand Commander unto death!” He stamped his military boot heavily and turned his body sharply left, boldly displaying his right arm.

Everyone could see clearly that Gao Jiong’s right arm was solid and strong, with no tattoos, no birthmarks, and not even any scars. It could truly be said to be completely clean, without the slightest suspicion.

One wave had not settled when another arose. The Mount Hua people were naturally completely confused – first, they didn’t know who this “Lingwu Xuanzhi” was; second, they didn’t understand what was strange about that letter; third, they couldn’t comprehend what the Grand Commander was so tense about. Suanpan Guai quickly said: “Let’s go, let’s go! Quickly distribute the wedding invitations and go back to sleep early.” Feicheng Guai smiled bitterly: “Yes, let’s go quickly, let’s go quickly.” Seeing Wu Dingyuan’s strange appearance, his heart had already been unsettled. Just as he was about to slip away, he suddenly saw an iron hand reach out horizontally, blocking the passage.

The Grand Commander didn’t speak, but his meaning was clear – until the matter was resolved, no one was allowed to leave. Though Lu Yingchang didn’t know the circumstances, he was unwilling to offend the Grand Commander without reason, so he immediately stepped forward: “Everyone come to me.” Feicheng Guai, Chen Defu and others, as if receiving imperial amnesty, quickly scurried behind Lu Yingchang and lined up in a row.

Cold wind blew fiercely, and snowflakes began falling from the sky. Wu Dingyuan still hadn’t spoken. He lowered his iron hand, then his square face slowly turned to quietly observe the assembled guests. Gao Jiong, stimulated by the cold wind, couldn’t help shivering, but without the Commander’s order, he didn’t dare put on his clothes.

At this moment, Gao Jiong was no longer under suspicion, but in the tent, from Gong Zhi above to A’Xiu below, including the Grand Commander, there were still twelve people total. Who exactly had brought this letter in needed to be investigated clearly.

Just then, they suddenly heard “clang clang” sounds as Yan Feng, without a word, also removed his armor and took off his upper garments. Outside the tent, Jiao Sheng had been waiting to clear the way when he suddenly saw Yan Feng and Gao Jiong taking turns removing their clothes, so he also followed suit and removed his armor. Suanpan Guai, watching from the side, couldn’t help but say in alarm: “Damn it! Are we doing strip searches again?”

In Jingzhou Temple, they had fought until heads were broken and blood flowed, all because Xiong Jun wanted to search the people’s bodies. Who knew that those who strip others will be stripped themselves? Seeing that the Zhengtong Army was accustomed to stripping and searching common people, it originated from within their own camp – they began stripping from their own headquarters.

Seeing Uncle Wu getting fierce, A’Xiu, always clever and tactful, quickly removed her upper garment and said: “Uncle Wu, do I need to take off my pants too?” Hua Mei’s face reddened as she quickly said: “Father, A’Xiu is so annoying.”

Though these words were amusing, at this moment Wu Dingyuan’s face was full of murderous intent, and no one could laugh. No one knew what exactly the Grand Commander wanted to do. Raging Cang bandits came from humble origins and often had fierce beast tattoos on their bodies – either “Like a fierce tiger lying in desolate hills” or “Dare to laugh that Huang Chao was no true man” – but everyone here was a good person. Who could be a Raging Cang spy? Or rather, if there really were spies, who would be stupid enough to carve marks and write articles on their body? Wouldn’t that be seeking death?

Tonight, Wu Dingyuan had once again become Constable Wu. He quietly examined every person in the tent, his gaze deep as lions and tigers, as hawks and falcons. Feicheng Guai, seeing him looking at himself, couldn’t help but smile obsequiously: “Brother Wu, you don’t also want me to strip…” The word “strip” had just left his mouth when he saw Wu Dingyuan’s gaze shift over, seeming to glare at him. Feicheng Guai was startled and wanted to slip away, but as soon as his feet moved, Wu Dingyuan had already seized the initiative and blocked his path at three feet distance.

The two sides were three feet apart, which was still considered courteous. If they came one foot closer, they would be breathing on each other. Lu Yingchang, observing expressions and reading the situation, knew that something major was happening. Unwilling to offend the powerful minister without reason, he took the lead in undoing his robes and declared loudly: “Mount Hua disciples! Give Lord Wu face and let his lordship understand that we are not northwestern ‘bandits’!”

With two “pop pop” sounds, Lu Yingchang had already removed both his inner and outer garments and shook them vigorously. It could be seen that Lu Yingchang appeared submissive but was actually extremely displeased in his heart – the word “bandits” was drawn out extremely long. Seeing Wu Dingyuan’s wooden expression, Feicheng Guai smiled bitterly: “Brother Wu, you martial people are really strange beyond belief. I’ve finally seen it all.” As he spoke, he also removed his upper garment, exposing his fat, rolling belly.

Suanpan Guai glanced sideways at Cuishan and sneered: “Damn! Today we’ll give you little ladies a feast for the eyes.” He then twisted his bottom and actually took off his pants first, then his shirt, becoming completely naked.

At this point, even Chen Defu had stripped. This fellow was unlucky wherever he went, always encountering unfortunate events. Seeing the Grand Commander’s gaze drift over, he quickly stripped off all his clothes, revealing his thin belly and those thin, weak arms.

Everyone’s arms in the venue were clean – no one was under suspicion. Cold wind blew in from outside the tent, making A’Xiu sneeze repeatedly and Chen Defu shiver constantly. The scene was extremely bizarre – passersby outside the tent, suddenly seeing a large group of naked men standing there, were all frightened into taking detours. Suanpan Guai roared: “Brother Wu, we’re all bare-bottomed! What exactly do you still want to do? Speak up!”

In the silence, Wu Dingyuan’s gaze returned to focus on two men and two women. Only four people in the entire venue hadn’t stripped – the young lady was Cuishan, the little girl was Hua Mei, and the other two men were Wu Dingyuan’s own staff officers – one was Chief Staff Officer Gong Zhi, the other was Grain Officer Cen Yan.

If anyone was suspicious, it must be one of these four.

Cuishan was a beauty in her prime – it would be absolutely inappropriate to force her to strip. But Hua Mei was the Commander’s beloved daughter – how could they make her undress either? As for Gong Zhi, he was even the Chief Staff Officer with his own prestige and standing – how could they arbitrarily suspect him? Speaking of it, the most convenient target was only Cen Yan left.

Sure enough, everyone’s gaze turned to the Grain Officer, as if asking why he wasn’t stripping. Cen Yan laughed dryly: “In this cold weather… brothers, we… we’re afraid of the cold…” These words were quite amusing, but everyone’s gazes were stern – not one person joined him in joking. Suanpan Guai roared even more loudly: “Strip quickly! I’m freezing to death!”

Cen Yan sighed twice, undid his clasps and exposed a body of loose, sagging flesh with a large scar on his chest – an injury received on the battlefield, quite ugly to behold. Looking at him, the reason he hadn’t wanted to strip was apparently because he was afraid of losing face. He blushed bashfully, and seeing Chen Defu stealing glances at him, he couldn’t help but chuckle and wave at him, then secretly glance at Cuishan with his mouth corners showing hidden shyness.

Cen Yan had passed. Next was Cuishan. Though she had learned martial arts following the Commander’s wife, even someone of Lu Yingchang’s status had stripped – what grounds did she have to put on airs? Seeing all the men’s gazes staring at her, Cuishan was filled with fear and quickly tugged at Hua Mei’s sleeve, whispering: “Miss, please plead for me…” Hua Mei immediately shouted: “Father! We two don’t have to strip, right?”

The way of commanding troops lay in fairness. If Hua Mei and Cuishan could put on airs and not strip, wouldn’t Lu Yingchang have suffered humiliation for nothing? Indeed, Wu Dingyuan lowered his head – he neither nodded nor shook his head, seeming to have no intention of forcing them, but he also didn’t say the two of them could pass.

The situation was at a stalemate. No one dared to urge them, but they heard Suanpan Guai laugh lecherously: “Strip quickly! Hehe, how can we tell good people from bad people if you don’t strip? Hehe…” Before his words were finished, they heard Lu Yingchang say: “Uncle Master, be silent.”

The atmosphere was subtly wrong – the real culprit was about to emerge. Cuishan, as the beloved disciple of the Commander’s wife, now had to suffer humiliation. Tears were about to fall from her eyes as she bit her lower lip, not knowing whether she should strip or not. Hua Mei was also stunned, muttering: “I don’t want to strip! Father, I don’t have to strip, right?”

As Wu Dingyuan’s daughter, if Hua Mei were sensible, she should consider her father’s face. But this little girl wasn’t just the Commander’s beloved daughter – she also had a mother. Indeed, they heard Hua Mei start crying loudly: “I won’t strip! I absolutely won’t strip! Hua Mei wants to find Mother! Mother! Mother!”

Cuishan chimed in: “Right! We’re going to find Master.” She picked up the young miss and was about to run out of the tent when they heard a “swish” sound as a waist saber blocked their path, and they heard Yan Feng say coldly: “Wait!”

With a “swish” sound, the steel blade slashed directly toward Cuishan. Amid screams, Yan Feng sheathed his blade. Looking at Cuishan’s right sleeve, it had already been torn open. Everyone focused their gaze and saw that the maid’s right sleeve had been cut by the blade edge, revealing crystal-clear skin, but without injuring the flesh.

Yan Feng appeared cold but was actually helping her – this was a compromise solution that could both fulfill the Grand Commander’s intentions and allow Cuishan to escape unscathed. Yan Feng bowed with cupped hands and said sternly: “Sister Shan, official duties come first – I apologize for any offense.” He was about to reach over when Cuishan forcefully pushed him away, crying loudly: “Go away! Why did you ruin my new clothes? Go away!”

In her crying, Cuishan’s arm was exposed – crystal clear and beautiful, with skin white, tender, and smooth, without a single scar visible. Seeing Cuishan crying so pitifully, Yan Feng was completely embarrassed. Regardless of whether he should compensate for new clothes, Cuishan had passed. But there was still one little girl left looking frightened – that was Hua Mei. Now even the maid was cleared – what was she to do?

Lu Yingchang pondered from the side – actually, the one most likely to deliver a secret letter was Hua Mei, because Wu Dingyuan would be least guarded against his daughter. If someone with ulterior motives wanted to strike at the Zhengtong Army, they would definitely use this innocent little girl to have her turn against her own father. Of course, Lu Yingchang didn’t want to see such a thing happen – whoever had instigated it would be too terrible and hateful.

Seeing Hua Mei standing there in a daze, Gao Jiong pushed A’Xiu and whispered a few words in her ear. A’Xiu laughed heartily and immediately rushed toward Hua Mei without hesitation, shouting: “Hua Mei! I apologize for any offense!” With a “rip” sound, A’Xiu copied the example and had already torn Hua Mei’s sleeve. She was about to tear the skirt as well when they heard a loud “slap” – she had already received a big slap.

This was unexpected but also put people at ease. Hua Mei had passed. Gao Jiong and Yan Feng were both sensible people, knowing that Cuishan and Hua Mei were both girls and couldn’t possibly be ordered to undress in public. But to break the Commander’s rules would also be greatly inappropriate, so they could only act first and report later. Lu Yingchang and others, seeing this, secretly admired it in their hearts – these military staff officers were quite clever, instantly finding a mediation solution.

However, being equally staff officers, why were some clever at resolving matters while others claimed the position of chief but remained silent and motionless until now?

Everyone’s gaze turned to the last person – at this point, only he remained under suspicion. Seeing everyone looking at him, Gong Zhi was neither startled nor alarmed, but instead smiled slightly. He raised both hands and slowly crossed them over his chest – from his appearance, he actually refused to strip.

The Chief Staff Officer confronting the Grand Commander – the situation was unprecedented, and everyone cried out in alarm. The Zhengtong Dynasty’s ten years of comradeship – Wu Dingyuan remembered their battlefield friendship and lowered his head. He held that letter, his body trembling slightly.

It could be seen that Wu Dingyuan was very sad – his eye sockets had reddened because the Zhengtong Army had found their mole.

Though everyone didn’t know the circumstances, they also understood that the matter had come to an end. Even someone as absurd as Feicheng Guai and as reckless as Suanpan Guai – at this moment no one dared speak. Lu Yingchang was the first to put on his outer robe, and the other Mount Hua sect members also put their clothes back on. The atmosphere was extremely tense – even Hua Mei didn’t dare cry, and A’Xiu gently pulled her aside to avoid adding to Uncle Wu’s distress.

Gao Jiong, as the second-in-command among the staff officers, was unwilling to see his own people fight among themselves. He quickly walked over and said quietly: “Master Gong, please strip… even Master Lu gave us face. We’re all family here – why are you doing this…” Gong Zhi interrupted him, shaking his hand: “Don’t say anymore. Precisely because we’re family, I don’t want to strip.” As he spoke, he actually sat down on the ground, with both hands around his chest, apparently planning to hold out against his superior.

In the silence, distant firecrackers burst in strings, and crowds of officials turned toward the Patriarch Hall direction. It seemed the rain prayer dharma assembly was about to begin. Feicheng Guai said tremblingly: “Lord… Lord brother, can… can we leave now?”

Everything had been resolved. Wu Dingyuan was unwilling to say more – he didn’t even want to look at Gong Zhi again, only turning around to tear open the letter’s seal.

A strange letter had caused chaos under heaven. At this moment, everyone wanted to know what exactly was contained in this letter. From Lu Yingchang above to Chen Defu below, everyone craned their necks, wanting to find out.

With a light “tear” sound, the envelope was finally opened. Wu Dingyuan squinted and turned the envelope downward to shake it, but no letter paper floated out from inside. Wu Dingyuan slightly bit his teeth and was about to crumple the envelope into a ball when suddenly something still fell out of the envelope.

Like a nightmare, things fell out of the envelope – the first piece of paper, two pieces, three pieces, four pieces… Under everyone’s gaze, a total of five pieces of paper floated out, all landing in his iron palm. Wu Dingyuan took a deep breath and looked down. Suddenly at this moment, veins bulged on his forehead, and his body seemed struck by lightning. After a bout of swaying, paper pieces flew about in the tent and scattered to the ground.

Just a few pieces of paper, not ten-thousand-pound boulders – how could they crush a True Dragon? Gao Jiong was full of surprise and quickly moved closer to look, startled to see written on the paper: “Five Armies Grand Commander’s Office order to all prefectures, counties, and garrison offices – this ticket redeemable for one shi of white rice, redeem grain upon presentation of ticket, forgers will be executed.”

All the generals were shocked and dismayed – before them were exactly five grain tickets, the very military pay that had been given to Wang Yitong earlier! That was the life-saving money for his entire family of old and young, yet it had actually been snatched back and placed in this envelope.

“Great lord! Thank you! I thank you on behalf of my whole family! You are the best, the very best good person in the world!”

As if hearing Wang Yitong’s grief-stricken crying and shouting, Wu Dingyuan’s body slowly bent down. His mouth made low growling sounds as if he had been heavily punched. Suddenly he straightened up, gripping the blade with both hands and letting out a long howl. Looking at that face, it was filled with anger and ferocity, and his howling caused the flower tent to shake continuously above and below.

Officials’ family members outside the tent, hearing the strange howling, were all frightened into fleeing. Inside the tent, more than ten people either screamed or were afraid, all covering their ears. Wu Dingyuan roared once and suddenly turned around, glaring fiercely at Gong Zhi, his eyes full of angry fire, seeming to force Gong Zhi to explain why he had done such a thing.

The two had worked together for years with perfect understanding. Gong Zhi, seeing his superior’s expression, already understood his thoughts and immediately stood up slowly, saying: “A real man’s word is his bond. Grand Commander, Gong Zhi wants you to personally say whether you consider me your own brother.”

Gong Zhi’s gaze was firm and persistent, but Wu Dingyuan still gritted his teeth, that gaze fixed tightly on Gong Zhi’s right arm. His meaning was clear – he didn’t want to hear, he wanted to see! At this moment of suspicion, Gong Zhi naturally understood his superior’s doubt. He sighed and said quietly: “Commander, if you want to strip my clothes, you must wait a moment…” As he spoke, he drew a short gun from his waist and pressed it against his own temple.

The firearm appeared, and everyone was startled. The staff officers cried out in alarm: “Master Gong! What are you doing?” Gong Zhi waved his hand, indicating his colleagues needn’t persuade him much. He looked at Dingyuan and said gently: “Commander, a parting word of advice – I hope you’ll come to your senses.”

The situation took a sharp turn. It could be seen that Wu Dingyuan was greatly startled – his eye sockets reddened, his hands clenched tightly into fists, his face bewildered and anguished, as if he wanted to plead loudly but couldn’t speak. Gong Zhi sighed lowly and said softly: “Commander, in these times when seeing is believing…” He closed his eyes and smiled bitterly: “How about ‘out of sight, out of mind’?”

“Seeing is believing,” “out of sight, out of mind” – in this vast human world, many things shouldn’t be investigated to the root… otherwise the first one harmed would be oneself. Though this was an extremely urgent moment, everyone in the tent – Lu Yingchang, Gao Jiong, Yan Feng and others – were all greatly shaken.

Seeing Gong Zhi about to take his life, Wu Dingyuan shouted and was about to rush forward to save him when suddenly they heard “dong dong” sounds as someone knocked on the flower tent’s wooden frame, and a clear, handsome voice said: “Dingyuan, are you in there?”

Everyone turned to look together and saw a handsome man standing outside the tent. He wore a first-rank peacock-patterned civil official’s robe, with elegant brows and phoenix eyes, his left hand on his hip, expressing indescribable ease and comfort. Suddenly seeing this person arrive, Hua Mei seemed to see a savior: “Uncle Yang!” A’Xiu was greatly surprised: “Father!” She then tried to dive under Cuishan’s skirt to avoid the limelight first.

Needless to say, the arrival was none other than the current Middle Pole Hall Grand Secretariat, one of the Five Assistant Ministers, Lord Yang Suguan. With Yang’s appearance, Gong Zhi immediately released the gun handle. Seeing Master Gong abandon his death intention, Lu Yingchang also breathed a sigh of relief and was about to step forward to mediate for everyone when suddenly they heard a breathing sound, and blinding purple lightning lit up in the tent, forcing Lu Yingchang to cover his eyes.

Before anyone understood what was happening, the grain tickets on the ground had been sucked up. Those paper tickets were covered with electric light, shooting out from that mottled iron hand.

The purple radiance was the Grand Commander’s qi energy. Once mixed into the paper, those grain tickets became like throwing knives and flying daggers, sharp enough to cut throats. Unfortunately, the five flying papers came too fast – surprisingly no one in the tent noticed anything unusual. Even screams were gone – all the men and women in the venue were like wood and stone, with only Lu Yingchang still able to move. But he could move very little – only his eyeballs could still turn in time.

Too fast! Before eyelids could blink, while Hua Mei was still laughing, A’Xiu still escaping, Chen Defu still yawning, those five paper pieces had already flown ten feet – fully ten times faster than flying arrows.

There weren’t many people in the world who could see arrows in flight clearly, even fewer who could see bullets fired. As Mount Hua’s senior disciple, though Lu Yingchang didn’t have Ning Bufan’s martial arts achievements, he had Ning Bufan’s knowledge and insight. By coincidence, he could see bullets in flight, so his eyesight could still keep up with these five grain tickets.

If paper was fast enough, it could cut hands. If fast beyond imagination, it could behead. Lu Yingchang knew turning his neck was too slow, so he forcefully rotated his eyeballs. After a bout of pain, he managed to catch up with the grain tickets.

In the dim flower tent, purple qi surged, and lightning-like things slashed through the air with sharp howling sounds, passing by Jiao Sheng’s chest. Jiao Sheng had no awareness – before his eyelids could even blink, his vest was already cut through.

Behind Jiao Sheng was another person – that was Lord Yang, who had just entered the flower tent with his dashing smile still hanging on his face. But he didn’t know he had stepped into the gates of hell. Run quickly… Though Lu Yingchang wanted to shout a warning, his throat had no voice – not because of shock, but because there was no time. Those five grain tickets were like meteor showers falling from the sky, and Lu Yingchang had become a wishing girl under the starry sky – everything was simply too late.

In the moment between life and death, caught off guard, those paper pieces had already flown to within half a foot of Lord Yang’s face. Lu Yingchang squeezed out all his strength and managed to squeeze out half a “woo” sound from his throat. Just then, Lord Yang finally became aware too – purple lightning appeared in his eyeballs. He should have also seen the flying meteors, purple lightning shooting at his chest.

At this moment, dodging was impossible. The paper darts and vital points were separated by mere inches. If he wanted to reach out to intercept these five grain tickets swift as lightning, once he missed by the slightest bit, his lifespan would differ by a thousand miles. Moreover, five paper darts came in succession – unless the Thousand-Armed Guanyin were here, it would be impossible to block them all at once.

Lu Yingchang’s whole body went half cold, with only three words left in his heart: “What to do?”

What to do? Lord Yang’s hands and feet weren’t fast enough – in haste he couldn’t knock down the grain tickets. Lord Yang also hadn’t mastered the indestructible diamond body – standing stupidly would be like waiting for death. At this critical moment of life and death, what could he do?

He did nothing. Lord Yang didn’t have time to flee, didn’t have time to block – he could only pray. They saw him place his palms together in a cupped water position with a smile, his index finger nail tip coincidentally extending out and coincidentally scraping past the grain ticket’s edge.

With a “hiss” sound, the paper dart’s path deflected and collided with the second grain ticket. The two paper tickets’ paths slowed slightly, allowing the next two to crash into them squarely. In an instant, four grain tickets all slowed down. Suddenly the last grain ticket rushed forward wildly. After a loud crash echoed through the tent, the purple qi dissipated like smoke, and five grain tickets floated lightly in the air, just like heavenly maidens scattering flowers.

Looking at Lord Yang’s fingernail tip, a small piece had also been shaved off, as if cut by scissors.

Lu Yingchang stared blankly – first awed by the True Dragon’s “strength,” second intimidated by Lord Yang’s “precision.” This person was worthy of being Tianjue’s successor. Without moving a step or making half a move, just by cupping his palms together and shifting his index finger half an inch, he had resolved disaster at the critical moment. The subtlety involved could be described in just two words: “precision.”

Lord Yang had resolved the crisis for himself. Lu Yingchang also breathed a sigh of relief. The “Ah!” that he hadn’t finished shouting earlier finally escaped his lips. But this was rather superfluous after the fact. Just as he was about to clear his throat to cover up, at this moment another purple light flashed before him, and he couldn’t help shouting that “Ah!” sound completely again.

The rear guard became the vanguard. A’Xiu was still jumping, Hua Mei still laughing, and the grain tickets flying through the air hadn’t even fallen to the ground when something faster than cannonballs came after the paper pieces – that was a fist, the world’s hardest heavy punch from the “True Dragon of One Generation’s” left arm.

Under Lu Yingchang’s alarmed gaze, Wu Dingyuan’s face was filled with anger as his left fist, like a cannonball, struck later but arrived first, heavily swinging toward Lord Yang’s face.

The earlier tickets were just an opening act – now the main army of the principal had arrived. In an instant, the fist was only two feet from Lord Yang’s face. Before the Grand Commander’s heavy fist and fast feet, if Lord Yang wanted to strike first in attack, he definitely couldn’t be faster than the “True Dragon Body.” If he wanted to grapple with the Grand Commander and compete in strength, that would be even more self-defeating.

Now that both sides were engaged in close combat, how could he resolve the crisis for himself?

The fist came, carrying fierce wind. Lord Yang’s hair began to dishevel. The heavy punch drew closer, reaching within three inches of his face. Lord Yang slowly tilted his body, his upper body leaning right by one inch and six parts, his left knee lifting up four inches and five parts. His appearance was like bending down to pick up something – as long as he continued with the momentum, he could escape the Grand Commander’s iron fist heavy blow, while that world-shaking “True Dragon of One Generation” would crash into his knee.

Compared to the Grand Commander, Lord Yang appeared very slow, but he was extremely precise and detailed, so he blocked the fast move. Lu Yingchang opened his mouth wide, his inner admiration and respect truly beyond expression. His mouth corners were about to show a smile when suddenly he heard explosive sounds in the tent, fierce fist wind scraping his face like knives. The lanterns in the tent swayed in the wind, and after a bout of flickering, afterimages remained in his eyes.

The situation took a sharp turn. The last scene he saw was very strange – like the Grand Commander sinking his shoulder and twisting his waist. His left hand’s offensive disappeared, instead tightly gripping his iron hand and heavily swinging out his right fist.

Incredible! The Grand Commander’s original left fist was like a hook, going all out with absolutely no strength left behind, yet that left arm withdrew when it said withdraw, and the right fist still struck when it said strike. This unexpected strike caught Yang Suguan completely off guard – no matter how sophisticated his movement technique, he couldn’t avoid it.

In the moment of lightning and thunder, the lanterns were extinguished by the wind, and everything before them became dark. Lord Yang seemed not to notice the iron fist coming. His body continued tilting right, and just as he was about to be hit and fall, Lord Yang’s sleeve fluttered with invisible sleeve energy, and a young girl flew up, blocking in front of the explosive dragon hand.

“Pain! Pain!” Suddenly they heard loud crying in the tent. In an instant, the purple light faded, the fierce wind subsided, and the lanterns lit up again. Lu Yingchang’s mouth was still going “Ah!” in a long sound, finally finishing that cry of alarm.

“Oh my!” Lu Yingchang exclaimed again and quickly looked at Hua Mei, seeing her holding Yang Suguan tightly and crying continuously. Fortunately, this girl was completely unharmed, but her tender cheek, scraped by the dragon hand’s fierce wind, bore a red, swollen mark, as if she had been slapped hard.

Looking at Jiao Sheng, he was also examining the strange condition of his chest – though the vest was thick, it had still been cut through by the grain tickets, exposing the cotton cloth inside.

Hua Mei cried like pear blossoms in spring rain. Everyone in the venue also woke up. They heard Cuishan ask in alarm: “Miss, what’s wrong? Why are you crying?” She hurriedly moved to check. That A’Xiu, who had been waiting to dive under her skirt, pounced toward Feicheng Guai’s crotch.

Feicheng Guai was startled and jumped backward, crashing into Suanpan Guai. Suanpan Guai cried out miserably and was pressed down on Chen Defu’s head.

“Oh my!” Chen Defu had been yawning and nearly bit his tongue. The venue was full of rolling and crawling, but Hua Mei continued crying. They heard Lord Yang’s gentle voice rise, saying warmly: “Chonghua, what’s wrong? Don’t you like Uncle Yang holding you?”

Hua Mei touched her cheek and cried: “No, just now it seemed like a big bee flew over, buzzing and stinging my face… so scary… so scary…”

The Grand Commander moved like lightning – in the entire venue, except for Lu Yingchang alone, no one had seen the fighting situation. Lu Yingchang stole a glance and saw the Grand Commander silently looking down, both guilty and distressed, but saying not a word.

Lu Yingchang swallowed cold saliva. They said “Dragon Hand Grand Commander” was usually reticent and cautious in his actions, but who would have expected that today’s visit would be like encountering a mad dragon, making people greatly afraid. His whole body trembled slightly as he quickly looked to see Gong Zhi’s condition, fearing this “Chief Staff Officer” would again attempt suicide.

Turning his head to look, he happened to see this Chief Staff Officer also looking at him, except differently – he held a gun in both hands, but the muzzle was aimed at himself.

Lu Yingchang was shocked and dismayed, not knowing what heavenly crime he had committed. Just as he was about to retreat and dodge, he saw Gong Zhi smile and put away the short gun, inserting it back into his waist.

Lu Yingchang’s scalp tingled, also not understanding the reason. He could only turn his head to look around, when suddenly he saw an old man walking outside the tent. This person wore servant’s clothing but had a long sword suspended at his waist. Looking at the spotted, large hand on the sword handle, it gleamed brilliantly, with a golden ring on the index finger.

The old man’s face was calm, hiding his killing intent and concealing his footsteps. With Lu Yingchang’s knowledge, he actually didn’t know when this person had arrived. Seeing that Lu Yingchang had noticed him, the old man hid both hands in his sleeves and turned to leave.

The scene became even stranger. Lu Yingchang’s whole body went cold as he quickly turned to look elsewhere, not daring to watch more. He only saw Yang Suguan patting and coaxing Hua Mei on his own: “Chonghua, stop crying quickly. Look, your father is right here – no one in the world can hurt you, understand?” As he spoke, he lifted Hua Mei and carried her toward Wu Dingyuan.

Wu Dingyuan opened his arms to embrace his beloved daughter, but heard Hua Mei cry loudly: “No! Hua Mei doesn’t want Father! Father is strange – Hua Mei wants to find Mother. Mother! Mother!” Seeing his daughter’s hands and feet struggling continuously, as if extremely afraid of him, Wu Dingyuan looked bewildered and didn’t know what to do. Yang Suguan, seeing this, patted A’Xiu’s back.

A’Xiu, seeing Hua Mei crying like a young child, had already been watching eagerly from the side. Getting her father’s signal, she immediately burst into wild laughter: “Little Flower! Crying baby! Every day crying and calling for mama! Three-year-old child laughing ha ha!” As she spoke, she made searching and calling gestures, crying: “Mother! Little Flower is such a silly baby! Come quickly and nurse her!”

Hua Mei, both ashamed and angry, quickly threw herself into her father’s arms and said petulantly: “Father! Look at him!” Wu Dingyuan, embraced by his beloved daughter, quickly held her tightly in his arms. In an instant, his eye sockets became wet and red, and tears actually fell.

A’Xiu was startled and looked up at her father, but saw him smile at her, apparently quite approving.

Everything calmed down – children played and adults chatted, and the tent once again became that lively Lantern Festival night. Lu Yingchang was a sensible person who knew he was in a dangerous place and shouldn’t stay long. He quickly took out the wedding invitation and said with a dry laugh: “Lord Yang, the National Uncle has an invitation for your review.”

Yang Suguan took the wedding invitation and immediately exclaimed, smiling: “Young Master Su is getting married? Congratulations!”

Seeing Lord Yang had intentions of making small talk, this time Lu Yingchang had learned to be smart. While nodding and agreeing, he had already led his sect members in rushing out the door. Otherwise, if they ran a step too late and the tent exploded or caught fire later, it would be too late to escape.