“Everyone, get down!”
General Chu Xianglong roared. He instinctively wanted to lunge towards the ordinary-looking maid but restrained himself, turning instead to protect the “official” princess consort.
A massive boulder crashed down, accompanied by a strong gust of wind.
Yang Yan reached back, grasping the silver spear on his back. With a slight flick, the red tassel bloomed.
With a resounding crack, the boulder—large enough to crush half the envoy team into a pulp—shattered into small pebbles that rained down harmlessly.
The pebbles bounced off the soldiers’ armor and helmets without causing harm. The maids, lacking protective gear, crouched down, covering their heads as guards shielded them from the debris.
After this initial probing attack, a brief calm settled. The enemy didn’t rush to strike again.
Xu Qi An narrowed his eyes, peering intently. In the dense forest above, a ten-foot-tall figure stood, towering over the trees. Its body was covered in thick black hair, not muscular but with a thick layer of fat. The face was rugged, covered in black hair, and its blood-thirsty gaze, as it licked its lips, surveyed the envoy group below.
Crack, crack…
Sounds came from the southern woods as trees fell in swathes, seemingly crushed by some massive creature.
Soon, a black Jiao dragon emerged from the dense forest. It was enormous, its head alone the size of a two-story building, with black mane, scales, and forked horns.
Only about two hundred feet of its body was visible, but its total length was estimated to exceed a thousand feet.
Its vertical pupils coldly observed the crowd.
This Jiao dragon is too large. Such a body isn’t suitable for combat… Gold Lotus Taoist said in the ancient tomb that demon races don’t go for size… Does this Jiao dragon possess Divine Demon bloodline?
Hmm, perhaps all northern demon races have Divine Demon bloodline, which is why they’re allied with the northern barbarians who also possess it… Xu Qi An speculated inwardly.
Gulp…
He heard someone swallowing hard. Maintaining his vigilant posture, he quickly scanned around, noticing the soldiers and guards in the envoy team all wore stiff expressions, their eyes concealing terror.
Fear of more powerful beings is instinctive for all living creatures.
If these were ordinary people, they’d either be wetting themselves in fear or fleeing in panic at the sight of such a terrifying Jiao dragon. Didn’t these soldiers participate in the Shanhai Pass battle?… Well, Chen Xiao certainly did, there’s no fear in his eyes… Xu Qi An thought while scrutinizing the “black bear” on the mountain and the Jiao dragon to the south.
If it’s just two Fourth-Rank experts, that’s not too bad. I’ll teach them how to be proper… demons in a moment.
But just then, as everyone was gripped by fear at the Jiao dragon’s appearance, a silver bell-like laugh suddenly rang out.
Another powerful figure had arrived. Dressed in a red skirt, her black hair tied in a ponytail with a red ribbon, she walked across the overgrown wasteland, revealing red embroidered shoes with each step.
Wherever she stepped, a patch of weeds withered. In her wake, not a blade of grass survived, all life extinguished.
The woman’s appearance plunged the already tense and fearful envoy group into further despair.
“It’s them, it really is them…” Chu Xianglong muttered, seeming more bewildered than shocked by the situation.
At this point, one fact was clear: the barbarians not only knew about the princess consort’s journey north but had even predicted the time and location.
The barbarians were far less obtuse than they had assumed.
Chu Xianglong was baffled as to how the northern barbarians and demon races had learned of this and set up an ambush in advance.
“Three… Fourth-Rank experts?”
The Deputy Chief of the Court of Judicature swallowed hard, his legs trembling slightly.
The two censors turned pale, almost on the verge of breakdown. Two Fourth-Rank experts might be manageable, but against three, the envoy’s current forces stood little chance.
Even Yang Yan’s fate seemed precarious.
Civil officials were, after all, civil officials. If they were Grand Confucians from the Confucian Academy, the envoy team would be considering how to counterattack or capture the enemies alive.
“Chu Xianglong, who are these people?” Xu Qi An demanded in a low voice.
He was prompting Chu Xianglong to report the information. Since these were northern barbarians or demon race members, Chu Xianglong surely knew about these Fourth-Rank experts.
Chu Xianglong’s face was dejected, his throat dry. Even as a battle-hardened general, he saw no chance of victory in this situation.
Taking a deep breath to steady himself, he said bitterly, “The black Jiao dragon is called Tang Shan Jun, one of the three leaders of the Jiao clan, skilled in water manipulation.
“The one on the mountain is the leader of the barbarian Black Water Tribe, Zar Muha. The Black Water Tribe is known for its immense strength, second only to the Strength Gu of the Gu Tribe.
“As for this woman, she’s a snake demon named Hong Ling. She and her clan are affiliated with the barbarian Qing Yan Tribe. Hong Ling herself is the favored concubine of the Qing Yan Tribe’s leader.”
He paused, then added in despair, “They’re all Fourth-Rank.”
They really are Fourth-Rank… The Deputy Chief of the Court of Judicature swayed, nearly losing his balance.
Among the crowd, the ordinary-looking princess consort raised her head, quickly scanning the three Fourth-Rank experts before immediately lowering it again, her delicate frame trembling in fear.
She was an insecure woman with little courage. Usually, just thinking about ghosts would keep her awake at night.
She never imagined she’d find herself in such a terrifying situation.
Rumors said the northern barbarians were savages who ate raw meat and drank blood. Their favorite pastime was raiding Great Shang’s borders, eating the men and ravishing the women before devouring them too.
The fate of falling into barbarian hands was unthinkable.
…
The three powerful figures from the barbarian and demon races quietly listened to Chu Xianglong’s explanation. The alluring woman called Hong Ling giggled coquettishly:
“Oh my, isn’t this Deputy General Chu from the Huai Prince’s command? After the Battle of Qu Yang River three years ago, I’ve been thinking about you day and night.”
Chu Xianglong snorted coldly, “A defeated general has no right to speak of bravery.”
“So today, this servant girl has come to rekindle our past connection,” she said in a coy voice, her bewitching face always smiling, exuding a seductive charm.
Chu Xianglong ignored her, gripping his sword hilt tightly, his body tense and on high alert.
The alluring woman smiled, her gaze sweeping over the envoy group. She paused briefly on the veiled princess consort before moving on. After observing everyone, she clicked her tongue and said:
“What a bunch of misfits. Apart from Yang Yan, only you, General Chu, are barely passable. Be good and hand over the princess consort, and this servant girl might let you enjoy one last fling before you die.”
Xu Qi An’s Vajra Body Technique hadn’t been activated yet, so there was no divine light flickering on his body’s surface.
“I want Yang Yan. No one fight me for him. The rest are yours. Kill, eat, or take captive, do as you please,” the ten-foot-tall giant in the forest above spoke, his voice booming like thunder.
“How did you pinpoint the envoy team’s whereabouts?”
At this moment, someone from the crowd spoke up loudly.
Tang Shan Jun glanced at the speaker but didn’t respond.
Zar Muha, standing in the forest on the mountain, looking down at everyone, only had eyes for Yang Yan.
Only Hong Ling, dressed in red with alluring features, showed a bit of interest in the handsome constable who had spoken. She cast him a flirtatious glance while smiling, “Guess.”
You’re quite the flirt… Xu Qi An gripped his black gold sword tightly, not angered by her disdain and teasing. His other hand secretly ignited a page of paper.
As the saying goes, a woman in red is either flirtatious or wanton. A man in white is either effeminate or gay… According to Chu Xianglong’s information, none of these three Fourth-Rank experts excelled in tracking… So there were only two possibilities: either there was a traitor among us, or they had unseen allies.
Wait, there’s no aura of other powerful beings nearby. This doesn’t add up…
Xu Qi An’s mind raced, and he sneered, “I guess you had a Ritualist’s help.”
The woman in red suddenly changed expression, her gaze sharp as she reassessed him, asking, “How did you know?”
Tang Shan Jun and Zar Muha glanced slightly at Xu Qi An, seeming somewhat surprised.
So it was a Ritualist… You’re not very clever, are you? Revealing information so easily… Xu Qi An maintained a poker face, but his heart sank.
He had almost developed a conditioned response to the word “Ritualist.”
The Supervisor who had arranged everything so neatly for him, the mysterious Ritualist who had supposedly implanted fate into his body—these were all Xu Qi An’s psychological burdens.
“Is there a Ritualist secretly manipulating this ambush? Could it be the same Ritualist who implanted fate in me?… No, if it were him, the target should be me, not the princess consort.
“That’s not right. He won’t move against me in the short term. He’s wary of the Divine Monk Shen Shu inside me. This was evident from our ‘near miss’ in the Yunzhou case.
“The protagonist of this event is the princess consort, and that group of mysterious Ritualists is plotting against her. I just happened to stumble into it.”
Seeing Xu Qi An not responding, the woman seemed somewhat annoyed. The smile at the corner of her mouth turned cruel as she said:
“Never mind, you’re just a lowly constable. When I kill you later, I’ll leave you with one last breath.”
With that, she turned away from Xu Qi An, not bothering to look at the expressions of the envoy team. She gazed at Tang Shan Jun and Zar Muha, smiling charmingly, “Yang Yan is yours. The rest, including Chu Xianglong, are mine.”
Zar Muha grunted, “I can handle Yang Yan alone.”
Tang Shan Jun raised his head and let out an ear-splitting roar towards the sky.
Suddenly, the ground in front of the crowd collapsed and split open. Murky underground currents burst forth, twisting upwards into the sky, forming a massive water tornado.
The water tornado, carrying sand and rocks, hurtled towards the envoy group.
Starting with an AOE attack right off the bat… Xu Qi An didn’t panic. He bit down on the Confucian spellbook in his mouth.
Thump! Thump! Thump!
Yang Yan charged forward, dragging his silver spear, rushing toward the water tornado. He suddenly thrust forward, the spear tip piercing into the swirling murky current. With a deep shout, he forcefully lifted the spear.
The water tornado instantly collapsed, and murky rain fell from the sky.
The moment Yang Yan broke the water tornado, Tang Shan Jun twisted his body, his hundred-foot-long massive Jiao body launching into a charge. On a battlefield, such a charge could easily annihilate a thousand-strong cavalry unit.
On the other side, the forest trembled as the ten-foot-tall giant leaped down, pouncing towards Yang Yan.
“Hehe…”
Amidst the coquettish laughter, two short blades appeared in the red-skirted woman’s hands. Her form moved like a ghost, also targeting Yang Yan.
Their earlier words were just a ruse, deliberate. Their target is Yang Yan. They plan to kill him as quickly as possible… Everyone suddenly realized.
This realization filled them with intense panic and fear.
“Release arrows!” Chen Xiao roared.
A hundred Imperial Guards unsheathed their crossbows, some aiming at Tang Shan Jun, others locking onto the “big black bear” pouncing down.
Ding ding ding… Arrows struck the two Fourth-Rank experts, shattering without inflicting the slightest harm.
At that moment, from within the crowd, Chu Xianglong suddenly hoisted up the veiled princess consort and fled, distancing himself from the group…
The guards accompanying Chu Xianglong, in perfect coordination, picked up the other maids and abandoned the envoy team, making their escape.
Their escape routes diverged, scattering in all directions.
This was Chu Xianglong’s pre-planned contingency. If faced with an insurmountable crisis, the guards were to flee with the maids. This way, even if he was caught, the enemy would only capture a fake princess consort.
The real princess consort was hidden among the dozen or so maids. With different escape routes, the enemy would have to identify them one by one. As long as the real princess consort wasn’t too unlucky, she could use this interval to escape far away.
By then, with a disguise and the aid of aura-concealing magical tools, the chances of a successful escape were high.
“You bastard!” The Deputy Chief of the Court of Judicature cursed, jumping in anger.
Witnessing this scene, Captain Chen of the Ministry of Justice was livid.
If not for Chu Xianglong and his people, how could the envoy team have encountered such a crisis?
Chu Xianglong had implicated them all.
Last night, when the official ship was ambushed, the envoy team didn’t expel Chu Xianglong. They even sat down to analyze the situation, intending to bear the burden together and face adversity as one.
But they never expected that when danger struck, Chu Xianglong would abandon them without hesitation.
He used them as cannon fodder, letting them pay the price for his safety.
In Chu Xianglong’s mind, the hundred-plus members of the envoy team were all disposable pawns, mere chess pieces.
In a critical moment, he discarded them, leaving them to face the consequences.
“Beast!” The censor raged.
“We’re doomed, what do we do…” The three civil officials’ faces were dejected.
The hundred Imperial Guards, faces filled with indignation, had already prepared themselves to die in battle. They tossed aside their crossbows and drew their swords.
At this moment, Xu Qi An said in a deep voice, “Boss, you go deal with that woman. Leave the other two to me.”
“You…”
Captain Chen of the Ministry of Justice was about to say: How can you, a mere constable, fight two Fourth-Rank experts alone?
But in the next moment, he suddenly remembered Xu Qi An’s recent feats, subduing both Heaven and Man.
Yang Yan didn’t hesitate. He charged forward with his silver spear, spinning his body to sweep the spear horizontally.
Whoosh…
The spear shaft bent slightly, creating a piercing whistle.
“Ding!”
The red-skirted woman crossed her daggers to block, stopping the sweeping silver spear.
Yang Yan released the spear, sprinted a few steps, and then suddenly leaped up, following with a knee strike.
The red-skirted woman was sent flying back. In the process, she spat venom, which Yang Yan dodged one by one. The venom fell to the ground, corroding even the soil.
Yang Yan gripped the spear tip, spun his body, and swung the long spear upwards in a strike.
Clang… The spear shaft struck the red-skirted woman’s head, producing a harsh sound. Her pupils instantly dilated, as if her spirit had left her body.
Seizing the opportunity, Yang Yan thrust his spear hundreds of times in rapid succession. His attacks, imbued with spear intent, were like a torrential rain. The red-skirted woman’s body was covered in scales, and the spear tip produced a shower of dazzling sparks.
Though she was temporarily unharmed, she was in excruciating pain from Yang Yan’s spear thrusts.
“What are you doing? Come save me!” the red-skirted woman screamed, turning to look at the envoy team.
The next moment, her expression froze, doubting if she was hallucinating.
On the other side, Xu Qi An shook off the ashes from his hand and reached out towards the black Jiao dragon, saying in a deep voice, “Lay down your butcher’s knife and become a Buddha on the spot.”
The fiercely charging black Jiao dragon involuntarily screeched to a halt, stopping in place. Its cold vertical pupils showed bewilderment as if regretting why it had been so impulsive and violent.
Even flowers and grass are life, let alone humans.
Clang… The sound of discarded weapons rang out continuously. On the envoy team’s side, the Imperial Guards uniformly threw down their weapons, showing reflective expressions.
Could it be that humans and demons couldn’t coexist peacefully?
*Buddhist magic is potent…* Xu Qi An quipped internally. He bent his knees, half-squatting, and looked up at Zar Muha, who was pouncing down from the mountaintop. He shouted:
“Take my Vajra Headbutt!”
Amidst the sound of the ground cracking, he shot skyward like a rocket.
A spot of golden paint appeared on his brow, quickly spreading across his entire body.
Bam!
He crashed hard into the “giant’s” embrace, making the other’s thick layer of fat quiver.
The two separated immediately after contact.
By this time, the Buddhist precept spell had passed, and Tang Shan Jun’s eyes were no longer confused. However, he didn’t attack, his vertical pupils cautiously fixed on Xu Qi An.
After landing and creating an earthquake-like effect, Zar Muha scrutinized Xu Qi An with uncertainty.
“Vajra Invincibility, a Buddhist warrior monk?” Tang Shan Jun spoke in human language, his cold pupils suddenly blazing with hatred.
The demon race had a great feud with Buddhism, a blood debt passed down through generations.
“Did… did Constable Xu just… fight two Fourth-Rank experts alone?” the Deputy Chief of the Court of Judicature asked in a tone seeking confirmation.
“He fought two Fourth-Rank experts alone at Wei River and even won…” The two censors suddenly recalled Constable Xu’s battle record, exclaiming in delight.
Suddenly, it felt as if the mountains had parted and the waters had cleared, revealing a bright path ahead.
*He still has the Confucian spellbook?!* Captain Chen of the Ministry of Justice’s gaze lingered on the book clenched between Xu Qi An’s teeth.
As a Seventh-Rank warrior, Captain Chen knew what had happened in the Wei River battle. When he first learned of it, he had felt only envy—envy for Xu Qi An possessing a Confucian spellbook, envy for the reputation Xu Qi An had gained.
He had thought that without the Confucian spellbook, Xu Qi An was merely a Sixth-Rank warrior. In the capital, teeming with experts, what did that amount to?
His cultivation level didn’t match his fame at all.
Of course, he was jealous.
But now, seeing the book clenched in Xu Qi An’s mouth, Captain Chen felt an indescribable sense of reassurance welling up inside him.
Thank goodness he had such a book. How fortunate.
“Constable Xu!”
The hundred Imperial Guards’ eyes lit up, looking at Xu Qi An with a gaze of “reverence as if before a deity.”
In this time of crisis, a leader who could step forward and turn the tide was even more beloved and worthy of following than the emperor himself.
Chen Xiao excitedly picked up his weapon, waving it as his fighting spirit reignited. He shouted enthusiastically, “Brothers, raise your swords and fight alongside Lord Xu!”
“Fight alongside Lord Xu!” The hundred Imperial Guards roared, their morale instantly soaring.
The terror vanished from their faces, replaced by fighting spirit filling their chests.
For soldiers on the battlefield, the most honorable thing was to fight side by side with the leader they adored, willing to be wrapped in horsehide upon death.
The guards brought by the Deputy Chief of the Court of Judicature and the censors, hearing the shouts of the Imperial Guards, felt their blood boiling and their fear dissipating.