Seeing this scene, the people of Daxia gradually turned crimson-eyed. Their breathing grew heavy, and their eyes instinctively searched the surroundings for the figures of the Qingsong Kingdom's martial artists.
"General, what should we do?"
One of You Longchang's subordinates suddenly spoke up.
"What should we do?"
You Longchang looked somewhat dazed.
"The Military God Fang has already recovered his cultivation. We have nothing to fear from Qingsong Kingdom! How can we let them run amok in the Capital? We should naturally assist the Military God Fang and exterminate them one by one!"
The subordinate lowered his voice.
"But..."
You Longchang clenched his teeth tightly. This matter was of momentous importance, and he did not dare to make a unilateral decision. To kill the Qingsong Kingdom's martial artists required a personal imperial decree from the Emperor.
"General, my younger brother was beaten to death by Qingsong Kingdom martial artists right here on the streets of the Capital."
The subordinate said softly.
"Damn it, forget it!"
You Longchang let out an angry shout. "Xihu Camp soldiers, hear my order!"
"Here!"
A heaven-shaking roar rang out.
"We follow the Military God Fang! Today, we will wipe out all the Qingsong Kingdom martial artists in the Capital!"
You Longchang's eyes gradually became covered with a layer of blood, as if he had returned to his days of campaigning on the battlefield. Terrifying murderous intent coiled wildly around him!
"Understood!!!"
With that single acknowledgement, You Longchang led his men to follow Fang Chen, rushing all the way in a certain direction. Over there stood a martial arts hall established by Qingsong Kingdom, and the Qingsong martial artists basically all frequented that place!
Countless commoners saw this and hurriedly followed along. Though empty-handed now, the pent-up grievance of a full five years made them feel spirited and filled with an inexhaustible surge of strength!
"Empress, the heir..."
A palace maid looked dazedly at the Empress.
The Empress pondered for a few breaths, then turned to the commander of the imperial guards. "Take men and follow Chen'er. If he wants to kill Qingsong Kingdom's martial artists, you will help him kill them together."
"Yes!"
The guard commander nodded excitedly, then left a few guards behind to protect the Empress while he led the rest to pursue Fang Chen.
"After today, the heavens will change."
The Empress muttered to herself.
"Empress, someone in the palace might use this matter to attack you..."
The palace maid wore a worried look.
After all, Fang Chen was the Empress's nephew. Now, on his way home, he had suddenly begun slaughtering Qingsong Kingdom's martial artists. If this matter blew up, it would inevitably implicate the Empress.
Especially that Noble Consort Hua, who would absolutely not let go of such an opportunity.
"Some people may have forgotten that before I entered the palace, I was also a member of the Fang family."
The Empress chuckled lightly. A flash of lightning crossed her eyes, and the jade thumb ring she was toying with suddenly turned into a pile of powder, slowly drifting down from her fingertips.
***
Qingsong Superior Hall.
Occupying a vast expanse of land, it was formerly a Daxia yamen office. But after Daxia's defeat five years ago, this building was taken over by Qingsong Kingdom, which established a martial arts hall here.
They used the word "Superior" to flaunt their status as superiors, while viewing the citizens of Daxia as inferior pariahs.
It was bustling with activity here. Eight or nine out of every ten of the thousand-odd Qingsong Kingdom martial artists making a living in the Daxia Capital frequented this place.
"Hehe, do you think Goddess Xiao will come to stay here?"
"Naturally she will. Our master of the hall is an old veteran of the Wolf Army and once followed the First Wolf Chief to personally defeat Fang Chen at Three Realms Mountain."
"I heard that Goddess Xiao is peerlessly beautiful and alluring. This time, it's a cheap bargain for Fang Chen."
"Don't say that. If Fang Chen becomes one of our Qingsong Kingdom's people, wouldn't there be not a shred of hope left for this Daxia? It's only a matter of time before our Qingsong Kingdom flattens this place, hahaha!"
At the front hall, a group of Qingsong Kingdom martial artists were chatting idly, bursting into raucous laughter from time to time. The servants walking among these martial artists, however, trembled with fear, their expressions filled with dread.
Because they were Daxia commoners forced to come here and serve these Qingsong Kingdom martial artists, a single careless mistake could cost them their heads in the blink of an eye.
Just then, a Qingsong Kingdom martial artist noticed something amiss.
"Why is it so noisy outside?"
He stood up and looked out, his expression suddenly changing.
"What is it?"
Someone asked.
"People, many people..."
That Qingsong Kingdom martial artist muttered to himself. "It looks like they're coming toward our place."
Many people?
A group of Qingsong Kingdom martial artists immediately gathered at the entrance, startled by the imposing and vast procession before them.
Among this procession, many were merely ordinary Daxia commoners, but they also spotted soldiers wearing military uniforms, and some even recognized Fang Chen walking at the very front.
"Isn't that Fang Chen?"
"Something's wrong! I'm going to notify the hall master!"
Someone hurried away.
By then, Fang Chen had already arrived before the gates of Qingsong Superior Hall. He glanced at the signboard and said indifferently, "General You, take down the sign."
"Yes!"
You Longchang leaped up fiercely, smashing the signboard to pieces with a single punch as debris scattered across the ground.
"You have a lot of nerve!"
The Qingsong Kingdom martial artists gathered at the entrance turned red with rage, their eyes splitting at the sight.
"Kill them."
Fang Chen said.
"Military God Fang, are you sure?"
Having walked all this way, You Longchang's mind had cooled down a bit, and he began calculating the gains and losses.
"Don't talk nonsense."
Fang Chen frowned slightly.
You Longchang felt that he was already riding a tiger and difficult to dismount; at this moment, he could only make a single choice. The next second, he roared:
"Kill!!!"
Taking the lead, he rushed straight into Qingsong Superior Hall with his men!
The Qingsong Kingdom martial artists who bore the initial impact were somewhat caught off guard and were swallowed up by the sea of people in just a few moments. Each of them suffered at least a dozen stab wounds, showing just how intense the Daxia people's hatred for the Qingsong martial artists truly was.
You Longchang cleared the path ahead while Fang Chen strolled leisurely behind, and the commoners closely followed Fang Chen's footsteps, their expressions a mix of terror and excitement.
The Qingsong Kingdom martial artists gradually recovered and immediately organized a strong counterattack. At the same time, a figure hurried over. Seeing this scene, he immediately roared:
"Stop fighting, all of you!"
This person was none other than Xiao Tianci, the master of Qingsong Superior Hall.
He was not a member of the Xiao family, but having followed Wolf Chief Xiao on campaigns since childhood, he was granted the surname Xiao by him!
Chapter 12: How to appease the anger in one's heart?
The battle between the two sides temporarily paused, and everyone's gazes landed squarely on Xiao Tianci.
"Fang Chen, what are you doing!"
Xiao Tianci gazed coldly at Fang Chen, a flicker of deep uncertainty lurking in the depths of his eyes.
The opponent had been lying low for five years, yet today he suddenly led a group of... rabble to storm Qingsong Superior Hall?
Yes, in his eyes, these people beside Fang Chen were all a mob with virtually no combat power! He could easily handle all of them by himself.
A Qi-controlling expert was no empty title; on the battlefield, a single Qi-controlling expert could at least match a thousand soldiers!
"Wolf Chief Xiao arranged for you to make contact and scheme with certain restless fellows in the Capital. I could originally pretend not to see it, seeing as those fellows... cannot sway the national fortunes anyway."
Fang Chen sighed softly. "But you should not have condoned the Qingsong Kingdom martial artists running amok in my Daxia Capital."
"A defeated general, what qualifications do you have to bring up so many demands?"
Xiao Tianci's gaze locked onto Fang Chen. "Before long, you will be my Xiao family's son-in-law. Out of respect for the young miss, I will let you take your people and leave now, and I won't report this matter to your Emperor."
Right at that moment, a boisterous voice rang out: "Hall Master Xiao, who has eaten the courage of a bear and a leopard to come here and cause trouble? Don't worry, you guys don't even need to make a move. I, Li Huang, will be the first to slaughter him!"
Everyone looked up to see a slightly plump young man walking in leisurely, accompanied by several guards whose cultivation was far from weak.
"Why is he here?"
You Longchang frowned slightly.
This Li Huang, much like Fang Chen, had an aunt who was a concubine of the Daxia Emperor, making him a royal relative.
"Fang Chen?! You Longchang of the Xihu Camp?"
Li Huang's footsteps suddenly came to a halt. When he saw Fang Chen, a flash of terror and deeply hidden resentment crossed his eyes.
"Young Master Li, I can handle this matter myself."
Xiao Tianci said with a faint smile.
"Fine, fine, fine, let Hall Master Xiao handle it then."
Li Huang immediately backed down, then stood to the side, secretly sizing up Fang Chen. He couldn't understand why Fang Chen, who had already become a cripple, would suddenly appear at Qingsong Superior Hall.
"Fang Chen, you should withdraw."
Xiao Tianci said indifferently.
A trace of hesitation surfaced on You Longchang's face, and the Daxia commoners, who had looked so excited just moments ago, were now filled with apprehension.
They knew that the man before them was a Qi-controlling expert!
"In Qingsong Superior Hall, there are three Qi-controlling experts—two in Early Qi Control and one in Mid Qi Control—fifteen at Peak Qi Burst, and one thousand and thirty-two remaining martial artists."
Fang Chen spoke slowly.
Hearing this, everyone secretly drew in sharp breaths of cold air. They had no idea that Qingsong Superior Hall's strength could be this terrifying. One had to know that the Daxia Capital only possessed a little over a dozen Peak Qi Burst experts in total!
As for Qi-controlling experts, after the battle five years ago, very few remained—you could count them on one hand!
"And this is just one martial arts hall opened by Qingsong Kingdom. Just how many experts must there be over in Qingsong Kingdom?"
Everyone thought to themselves in secret.
Xiao Tianci's expression shifted slightly. How did the opponent accurately state the number of Qingsong martial artists in the Daxia Capital?
If these martial artists were rallied together, they could completely wage a small-scale war. Even storming the Daxia Imperial Palace might not be entirely out of the question!
For some unknown reason, a premonition of doom suddenly rose in Xiao Tianci's heart. Fang Chen had been dormant for five years, and he had assumed the man had given up everything. Yet those words just now precisely proved that Fang Chen had still been watching everything all along!
"Military God Fang, what is your intention in coming here today? Don't forget, you are about to marry into my Xiao family."
Xiao Tianci's words carried a hint of threat.
"Didn't you know? Goddess Xiao has already left the Capital."
Fang Chen smiled.
Left the Capital?
Xiao Tianci was stunned. He truly did not know this news.
"You didn't know... No matter. Whether you know the inside story or not, it won't change everything I am about to do."
Fang Chen flicked his sleeve, and a bolt of lightning instantly blasted into Xiao Tianci.
A dignified Qi-controlling expert didn't even have time to make the slightest reaction before he was instantly struck and charred to a crisp on the spot.
"Hiss—"
Everyone drew in a sharp breath.
You Longchang had already witnessed this scene, but he still felt inexplicably shocked.
As for the surrounding commoners, they plunged into a state of profound shock. Among them, numerous figures gazed toward Fang Chen with a mix of awe and adoration.
"The heir is truly the heir! He has never once surrendered!"
These people felt their spirits surge, wanting nothing more than to let out a long howl.
"Now, there are only two Qi-controlling martial artists left in Qingsong Superior Hall."
Fang Chen said softly.
"General You, kill them. Not a single Qingsong Kingdom martial artist here today is to be let go."
"Understood!"
You Longchang let out a loud shout. With bloodshot eyes, he led his troops to charge at the Qingsong Kingdom martial artists who were still immersed in shock.
Matters had reached this point; he had no retreat left and could only act as a sharp blade in Fang Chen's hand—wherever Fang Chen pointed, he would slash!
"No, impossible... How could he... Xiao Tianci is a Qi-controlling martial artist! How could he be struck dead by Fang Chen in a single move?! Has his cultivation recovered?!
Where did that lightning from just now come from? What kind of method is this!?"
Li Huang's face turned pale as paper, his mind descending into chaos. When he saw the surrounding Qingsong martial artists being successively hunted down by You Longchang's troops, his body couldn't help but start trembling.
"Li Huang, let's catch up."
Passing by Li Huang, Fang Chen dropped these words and walked deeper into Qingsong Superior Hall.
With a desolate expression, Li Huang glanced at the surrounding situation and had no choice but to grit his teeth and follow Fang Chen.
"These past few years, you've gotten very close to Xiao Tianci."
Fang Chen said as they walked.
A forced smile was squeezed onto Li Huang's face. "Not very close either, I just came here often to practice martial arts and exchange pointers."
Pausing for a moment, Li Huang probed cautiously, "Military God Fang, you killed Xiao Tianci. I'm afraid this will provoke dissatisfaction at court. If His Majesty finds out about this, he might punish you..."
"I killed Qingsong Kingdom's martial artists—why would His Majesty punish me?"
Fang Chen smiled faintly.
"Because... this will provoke the fury of Qingsong Kingdom. How many people in our Daxia will have to die before they appease their anger?"
Li Huang said.
"How many people do you think need to die in Qingsong Kingdom to appease the anger in my heart?"
Fang Chen countered.
At the same time, he had already arrived at the backyard of Qingsong Superior Hall. It seemed they had yet to realize what was happening outside; many Qingsong Kingdom martial artists were bare-chested, eating meat and drinking alcohol in large gulps, while gesturing carelessly at targets in the distance.
In the distance stood dozens of targets, stained crimson with fresh blood. The reason was simple: the ones bound to those targets were living, breathing people who hailed from Daxia!
"Li Huang, did something happen outside? With the hall manager around, what are you needlessly worrying about? The sparring match has reached your turn already. I hit that pariah right between the eyebrows with a single arrow; if you can't do it, you lose the match—remember to pay me a thousand taels of silver!"
A Qingsong martial artist called out to Li Huang with a laugh.
Everyone immediately burst into raucous laughter, for Li Huang had lost a fair bit of silver here over the years, leading them to view him as a prime sucker!
Combining Fang Chen's previous words with what he was hearing from these Qingsong martial artists, Li Huang's face suddenly turned incomparably pale, and the trembling of his body grew more and more violent.
"You haven't answered me yet. Tell me, how should I appease the anger in my heart?"
Fang Chen gazed at the corpses on those targets with their eyes wide open in death, speaking softly.
Chapter 13: After today, report back to your unit
"I, this, this matter has nothing to do with me! I only came here to watch the commotion, and these targets—no, I've never killed a single one of these people..."
Li Huang's voice was already laced with a trace of tremor.
His few guards exchanged glances and instinctively shielded Li Huang's vital points, terrified that Fang Chen might deliver a fatal blow right then and there.
"Is that so..."
Fang Chen smiled.
This group of Qingsong Kingdom martial artists gradually sensed that something was amiss. After taking a few more looks at Fang Chen, they were horrified to discover his identity!
"It's Fang Chen!"
"Why is he here?!"
They instinctively dropped the food and wine in their hands. Some drew sabers, some drew swords, and others raised the longbows in their grips, staring fixedly at Fang Chen.
"Fang Chen, what are you doing here?"
Right at that moment, a figure swept over frantically. This person possessed a formidable aura and nimble footwork, appearing as though his feet didn't even touch the ground upon arrival—it was the wondrous phenomenon of controlling Qi through one's feet!
"Lord Tiema!"
A flicker of pleasant surprise appeared in Li Huang's eyes.
The newcomer was precisely one of the two Early Qi Control experts of Qingsong Superior Hall. He had once been a renowned swordsman in Qingsong Kingdom before defecting to Wolf Chief Xiao to campaign with the army, and later came to the Daxia Capital alongside Xiao Tianci to manage Qingsong Superior Hall!
Yet following that surprise, Li Huang suddenly let out a cry of alarm: "Lord Tiema, be careful! Hall Manager Xiao has already died at Fang Chen's hands!"
What?!
"Hall Manager Xiao died at Fang Chen's hands?!"
"How is that possible!"
"Didn't Fang Chen's cultivation get completely crippled?!"
The Qingsong Kingdom martial artists present were shocked dumb on the spot.
Seeing this, Tiema immediately unclipped the sword at his waist. A sword beam over a zhang long swept out like a force clearing the army!
In a flash, the heads of more than a dozen Qingsong Kingdom martial artists all rolled to the ground.
Tiema's movements did not stop. As a Qi-controlling expert, his figure shifted and moved through the arena like a ghost, every single sword stroke taking the lives of several Qingsong martial artists.
In just a short moment, dozens of Qingsong martial artists—including Qi Condensation martial artists and Qi Burst martial artists—all perished under Tiema's sword.
Fresh blood slowly dripped from the tip of Tiema's sword onto the ground.
Li Huang stared dumbfoundedly at this scene, his brain struggling to turn over, completely unable to comprehend what on earth was happening.
Why would Tiema turn his blade against his own people?
The few guards at Li Huang's side were also left gaping, secretly horrified by the means of a Qi-controlling expert; if it were any of them, resisting even a single sword strike from Tiema would be difficult.
"Heir, Xiao Tianci was watching me, which was why I couldn't go to the Hidden Courtyard that day."
Tiema shook his arm, completely flinging the blood off his sword, before walking up to Fang Chen and clasping his fists in salute.
"These past few years, you've had it hard, having to witness such scenes every day. Would you say this Qingsong Superior Hall is already overflowing with grievance and malice?"
Fang Chen muttered to himself.
"The one who has had it hard is the heir."
Tiema said in a low voice.
"I knew of this matter, yet lacked the ability to prevent it..."
Fang Chen mocked himself bitterly.
"The heir must not think this way. They... were fated to suffer this tribulation. What the heir must do is not merely save the lives of one or two people.
If Daxia lacks the heir, far more people will die!"
Tiema said gravely.
Their conversation left Li Huang completely dumbfounded, his mind plunged into chaos.
"You, you guys..."
Li Huang pointed a trembling finger at Tiema and Fang Chen.
"The Daxia Hidden Guard has been reactivated. Your mission... has also come to an end. After today, report back to your unit."
Fang Chen patted Tiema's shoulder.
"Yes, heir."
Tiema replied in a deep voice.
Even though he tried hard to appear calm, the trace of trembling in his voice betrayed him.
For many years, back when Fang Chen had arranged for him to infiltrate Qingsong Kingdom, he had risen step by step until he successfully embedded himself within the Wolf Army, even winning the appreciation of the First Wolf Chief.
Through this, he had transmitted a great deal of crucial intelligence to Fang Chen and swung the outcome of several military campaigns.
He understood that his utility to Fang Chen was immense, but being stationed deep within enemy territory day after day—sometimes even forced to personally slay Daxia soldiers with his own hands—had caused him to endure endless torment night after night.
Today, he had finally returned to his unit!
"Heir, the other person already died by my hand. There shouldn't be any Qingsong Kingdom Qi-controlling martial artists left in the Capital. What should we do next?"
Tiema calmed his emotions and asked in a low voice.
"Leave none alive."
Fang Chen smiled gently. "Today in Daxia, we no longer need to maintain superficial pleasantries with Qingsong. The first step will start by purging the remaining toxins in the Capital."
"Then what about these people?"
Tiema looked toward Li Huang and the others.
"Military God Fang, I was wrong, I was wrong! I'm also a Daxia citizen too! Please, considering that both my aunt and the Empress are imperial concubines, spare my life!"
Li Huang suddenly dropped to his knees with a thud, kowtowing repeatedly.