"This is going to be tricky to resolve. The maternal uncle Li's mother used to be my father's wet nurse. With that connection, Fang Chen can neither touch her nor leave her alone—he's caught between a rock and a hard place, haha..."
Outside the palace gates, the crowd was growing larger by the minute.
The Li family seized the opportunity to tell everyone how Fang Chen had been slaughtering the innocent. Hearing this, the common folk looked at him in disbelief, pointing and whispering among themselves.
Right at that moment, the old woman let out a sudden, miserable screech, clutched her chest, and slowly sank to her knees. Maternal Uncle Li rushed forward to support her, glaring at Fang Chen with fury.
"How dare you strike down my mother!"
"I didn't do a thing. So many pairs of eyes are watching," Fang Chen said calmly.
"You're a martial artist! An Elixir Qi martial artist! To kill my mother, you don't even need to lift a finger—your inner Qi alone is enough!" Maternal Uncle Li roared as he checked the old woman's condition.
His words instantly changed the way the surrounding crowd looked at Fang Chen.
"You... you must avenge Huang'er..."
The old woman's eyes suddenly flared with the unnatural clarity of the dying. She gripped Maternal Uncle Li's collar fiercely, pointing a trembling finger at Fang Chen. "Avenge Huang'er... kill him... confiscate his property..."
With those last words, the old woman kicked her legs out and passed away.
Maternal Uncle Li let out a shrill, heart-wrenching roar.
"Mother!!!"
"Did the Military God Fang really attack an unarmed woman and child?"
"Don't talk nonsense! The Military God Fang hasn't fought back at all!"
"An Elixir Qi martial artist doesn't need to lift a hand to kill. I reckon there's more to this than meets the eye."
As the murmurs rippled through the crowd, a young scholar suddenly stepped forward and shouted at Fang Chen, "Military God Fang! No matter what, you shouldn't have raised your hand against the people of Daxia!"
Up on the city wall, the Crown Prince watched the scene unfold and smiled. "Qinghe, do you know what it feels like to be condemned by a thousand people?"
"Uh, I... I wouldn't know," Ye Qinghe replied, shaking his head slightly.
"Just look at Fang Chen, and you'll see. He's in deep trouble now. The chances of him ever making a comeback are virtually zero," the Crown Prince said with a faint smile.
Ye Qinghe thought about it for a moment, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. He turned to the Crown Prince and said, "Your Highness, this move of yours is truly brilliant! Even if His Majesty wants him to lead troops again, Fang Chen has lost the hearts of the people. No one would ever agree to it!"
The only reason Maternal Uncle Li had appeared before the palace gates today was because he had received word from the Crown Prince.
"What is Fang Chen doing?"
The Crown Prince frowned suddenly. Ye Qinghe followed his gaze and saw that Fang Chen had squatted down in front of the old woman, appearing to check her pulse.
***
### Chapter 24: The Emperor's Disposition
"What are you doing! Let go of my mother!" Maternal Uncle Li roared in fury.
"She only fainted from sheer physical and mental exhaustion. If she isn't treated immediately, it really will be beyond saving." Fang Chen smiled as a surge of spiritual energy poured into the old woman's body.
Spiritual energy naturally possessed the property of nourishing all things. As this energy washed through the old woman's body, even her chronic, deep-seated ailments were healed.
She slowly opened her eyes, looking bewildered. "Child... has Mother arrived in the netherworld?"
Maternal Uncle Li stared in utter disbelief.
Astonishment spread across the faces of the surrounding onlookers.
"Maternal Uncle Li, you know very well what Li Huang did at the Qingsong Superior Hostel. If you're bitter that I killed him, use whatever means you have to come after me.
"Just don't use an elderly woman as a shield. I no longer command troops, and fame and fortune are far behind me; I couldn't care less what the people of Daxia think of me."
With a light chuckle, Fang Chen stepped past Maternal Uncle Li and walked toward the imperial palace.
Eunuch You hurriedly gestured for You Longchang to follow.
Maternal Uncle Li stood frozen in place, silent. He could hear the implicit threat in Fang Chen's words.
Up on the city wall, Ye Qinghe looked stunned. "Fang Chen has tricks like that up his sleeve?"
The Crown Prince's face turned ashen. He had hoped to use this incident to smear Fang Chen's reputation, only for the man to bring the old woman back to life. His careful scheme had fallen through completely.
In the Imperial Study within the palace, Fang Chen stood before the Emperor once more. Unlike him, You Longchang kept his head bowed, his body tense and visibly nervous.
"Look at the mess the two of you have made," the Emperor said coldly, glaring at them. "Who authorized you to raid the Qingsong Superior Hostel? Do you have any idea what kind of consequences this could trigger?"
You Longchang immediately dropped to his knees, not daring to make a sound.
Fang Chen, however, merely smiled faintly. "Your Majesty, the Qingsong Superior Hostel is nothing more than a tumor right here in the Daxia Capital. Over the past five years, it has slaughtered countless innocents."
"You think I didn't know about that?" the Emperor snapped coldly.
"Daxia's situation is precarious. Even if you've recovered your cultivation and become an Elixir Qi martial artist, so what? Can you match tens of thousands of troops? The Wolf Army alone numbers one hundred thousand. Can you handle them all by yourself?
"Our Daxia has long lacked sufficient military strength. If the Qingsong Kingdom uses this as an excuse to launch an invasion, Fang Chen, I ask you—can you solve this?"
The Emperor stared intently at Fang Chen. Even You Longchang pricked up his ears, desperate to know if Fang Chen had a foolproof plan behind this stunt.
"Your Majesty, you don't know Grand Marshal Xiao's temperament. Unless he has absolute certainty of success, he won't make a move," Fang Chen said with a calm smile.
"As long as he remains unsure of my current condition, he won't dare to invade Daxia for a single day."
"That's just your guess. I'm asking you, if things really go south, can you take responsibility?" the Emperor asked in a deep voice.
"I shall bear all consequences myself," Fang Chen replied with a nod.
"Very well," the Emperor said, nodding slowly. "Your stunt today was indeed reckless. Envoys from Guchang, Longdu, and Yizhou are all watching me to see how I handle you. If I don't give them an explanation, it won't be easy to smooth things over. Daxia is already at mortal enmity with Qingsong; we cannot afford to alienate those three states as well."
"Your Majesty need only give the order, and I will obey," Fang Chen said.
"Starting today, your father Fang Canghai will be demoted by three ranks, and I am ordering him to surrender the Tiger Tally of the East Tiger Camp. As for you, you are forbidden from ever setting foot in the imperial court or commanding troops again. Consider this the promise I make to them—only then will they let the matter rest," the Emperor said coldly. "Do you have any objections to my ruling?"
A look of utter disbelief crossed You Longchang's face, immediately followed by a wave of shivering terror. If even Fang Chen faced such punishment, what about him?
Could he keep his position as the deputy commander of the West Tiger Camp?
"I have no objections, and I strictly obey the imperial decree." Fang Chen cupped his fists and bowed, his expression serene, his state of mind completely undisturbed.
Watching this, a deep-seated revulsion flickered in the darkest depths of the Emperor's eyes. He waved a dismissive hand. "You may withdraw."
"Understood."
Fang Chen took his leave.
You Longchang stood dazed for a moment. It was over just like that? The Emperor wasn't going to punish him? Seeing that the Emperor had already gone back to reading memorials, You Longchang didn't dare say another word and hurriedly followed Fang Chen out of the Imperial Study.
"Milit... Military God Fang..." You Longchang stammered, unable to hold back any longer as they walked in silence.
"Something the matter?" Fang Chen glanced at him and smiled.
*He can still smile?!*
You Longchang cursed inwardly before lowering his voice. "Military God Fang, His Majesty has barred you from the court for life and stripped you of your right to command troops forever. Aren't you feeling even the slightest bit resentful?"
"Why should I feel resentful? Such a punishment is precisely what I wanted right now. Court affairs are far too exhausting; I'd much rather live the carefree life of a young lord back at home," Fang Chen said with a smile.
You Longchang could sense the genuine sincerity in Fang Chen's words, which only made it harder for him to believe. After all, the Fang Chen of the past was nothing like this!
Back then, Fang Chen was brimming with ambition. Despite his youth, he had stood shoulder-to-shoulder with Prime Minister Li Guozhu during morning court meetings, a truly pivotal figure in the Daxia imperial court!
The number of officials he had promoted was immeasurable, and his disciples filled the ranks. In private, people even referred to them as the "Fang Faction"!
Yet ever since Fang Chen's defeat at the Three Boundary Mountain five years ago, the seemingly prosperous Fang Faction had collapsed almost overnight. Countless people began distancing themselves from him, with some even writing essays to denounce him and list his ten major crimes!
Because of all this, You Longchang believed that once Fang Chen recovered his cultivation, he should have fought to reclaim his former glory. If he were in Fang Chen's shoes, that's undoubtedly what he would have done!
"Let's go."
Emerging from the imperial palace, Fang Chen waved to You Longchang and began walking toward the Fang Estate.
How could he not know what You Longchang was thinking? But some things simply didn't warrant an explanation. Even if he explained, their states of mind were different, and the other man would never understand.
In the past, he truly had been nearly obsessed with power. While he used every means at his disposal to protect the people of Daxia from foreign invaders, he had also scrambled frantically upward.
At the Three Boundary Mountain, his defeat had indeed been caused by Qingsong Kingdom hiring an expert from an eighth-grade empire.
Yet wasn't it also true that his own arrogance had led him to concentrate his forces in a single place, attempting to crush Qingsong in one fell swoop, only to result in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of soldiers?
Hundreds of thousands of loyal souls buried at Three Boundary Mountain were, in truth, buried right in Fang Chen's heart.
Five years had passed. He had blamed himself and felt deep regret, but nothing could ever be undone.
"All I can do now is take care of the people around me, protect the common folk of Daxia, and perhaps... try once more to taste what it means to become an immortal."
A smile touched Fang Chen's lips.
Yunhe could send his spirit wandering for ten thousand li; once his own cultivation reached that realm, he would be able to do the same. That was true freedom and leisure.
Before he knew it, Fang Chen found himself passing Dahua Temple.
Li Huafeng was standing outside the temple gates, staring daggers at him. "How did His Majesty punish you?"
"Banned from court for life, never to command troops again," Fang Chen said with a smile.
A grim, satisfying smile broke across Li Huafeng's face. He glanced at the prison warden, who gave a slight nod and immediately ordered his men to bring out Huang Sihai.
"The Temple Master said that Huang Sihai eats ten catties of beef and five catties of rice every single day here at Dahua Temple. The temple can't afford to feed him anymore. Take him back yourself," Li Huafeng sneered, turning on his heel.
"Young Lord, hehe."
Huang Sihai grinned foolishly at Fang Chen.
Fang Chen offered a smile of his own. "Let's go. Xu Ge and Tiema miss you."
***
### Chapter 25: Ask Him Yourself
The next day, the Daxia imperial court made the imperial decree public.
The punishment barring Fang Chen from ever setting foot in the imperial court or commanding troops again quickly became known to the common people of Daxia.
The news sparked heated debates across all circles. Some said the Emperor's move was self-mutilation, cutting off Daxia's own arm; others argued it was the only way to appease the anger of the Qingsong Kingdom.
Over at the Fang Family Estate, Fang Canghai had already surrendered his tiger tally, stepped down as the Grand General of the East Tiger Camp, and been demoted to garrisoning the East City Gate.
Ordinarily, this would be terrible news, but the Fang Estate was instead adorned with colorful lanterns, bustling with lively celebration.
Main and collateral branches alike gathered under one roof, purely because the news of Fang Chen's restored cultivation had become common knowledge.
It was no exaggeration to say that the Fang family was now the only clan in the Capital backed by an Elixir Qi martial artist—not even the imperial palace possessed such a high-tier expert!
Xu Ge, Tiema, and Huang Sihai were busy catching up.
Although Huang Sihai, as a Dragon General, hadn't served in the same military branch as Xu Ge and Tiema in the past, all three had crossed paths. Having been separated for a full five years, they naturally had endless things to talk about.
"Chen'er, your auntie will finish this meal and head back to the palace today," the Empress said, looking at Fang Chen with a gentle smile. "You're already twenty-three; it's time you settled down. Is there any young lady you have your eye on? I'll go propose on your behalf."
Fang Canghai, his wife, and Fang Cangyou all turned to look at Fang Chen, a flicker of expectant hope in their eyes.
"There is indeed someone in my heart," Fang Chen said with a smile, nodding.
A look of surprise crossed everyone's faces. Fang Zhixue hurriedly asked out of curiosity, "Big Brother, which family's young lady is it?"
"I don't know either," Fang Chen replied with a shake of his head and a chuckle.
For the past five years, that figure had frequently surfaced in his mind, as if deeply branded into his soul, impossible to forget.
With strange expressions, the others murmured "oh," assuming Fang Chen was just making up an excuse. Still, they knew Fang Chen was different from ordinary men; matters of the heart certainly couldn't be rushed.
"Father, is Grandfather still in secluded cultivation?" Fang Chen asked casually.
"Mm, your grandfather is still meditating in seclusion. If he successfully breaks through, the Fang family will gain yet another Elixir Qi expert," Fang Canghai said, nodding with a smile.
Excitement rippled through the room. An Elixir Qi martial artist was the hallmark of a ninth-grade empire. The sole reason Daxia had fallen into such decline was that its succession of Elixir Qi martial artists had suffered a generational break.
Before Fang Chen advanced to Elixir Qi, Daxia hadn't produced a single Elixir Qi martial artist for over a decade. It was precisely those ten-odd years that allowed Qingsong—a nation whose national strength had once been far inferior to Daxia's—to surpass them from behind.
By evening, the Empress had returned to the palace.
Fang Chen also went back to his own small courtyard to continue making Purple Lightning Talismans. Not only would this yield useful talismans, but it was also an effective way to consume his spiritual energy and steadily advance his cultivation.
Before he knew it, midnight had arrived.
Fang Chen's gaze suddenly shifted. His grayish-white eyes slowly turned toward a certain spot in the dark, and he said calmly, "Goddess Xiao, instead of returning to Qingsong, you've doubled back here. What is your purpose?"
In the shadows, Goddess Xiao stared fixedly at Fang Chen, her eyes burning with bone-deep hatred.
She looked thoroughly wretched. Her clothes were torn to shreds, and her body was covered in a dense web of injuries—some scabbed over, others torn wide open, occasionally seeping fresh blood.
"I never would have thought that the renowned Military God Fang is nothing more than a faithless, despicable scoundrel. My father held you in the highest regard, but he clearly misjudged his man!" Goddess Xiao gritted her teeth.
"What do you mean by that?" Fang Chen frowned slightly, his nose twitching. "You're heavily injured."
"To your face, you let me leave; behind my back, you sent an expert to hunt me down. Are you still going to play dumb? As soon as I got back to the Capital, I heard that you slaughtered the Qingsong Superior Hostel. You truly are despicable!" Goddess Xiao said coldly.
"I did wipe out the Qingsong Superior Hostel. Such a tumor—why keep it around? As for you... I didn't send anyone after you," Fang Chen replied calmly.
"If not you, then who? You still dare not admit it?" Goddess Xiao's eyes were venomous.
"If I kill someone, I'll own it. Why would I take credit for something I didn't do?" Fang Chen smiled faintly. "You fled all the way to my doorstep; surely you must have doubts in your heart."
Goddess Xiao's expression flickered.
Fang Chen had hit the nail on the head.
Though she suspected Fang Chen was behind it, a lingering doubt compelled her to ask him directly, even if it meant death.
With nowhere left to flee outside the Daxia Capital, she had nowhere else to run anyway. The methods of the person hunting her down were utterly bizarre!
"Tell me, what did you encounter?" Fang Chen stood up.
A trace of curiosity had been piqued within him. Was there some major figure in the Capital who didn't want Goddess Xiao to return alive and thus sent assassins?
Goddess Xiao was gradually starting to believe that Fang Chen had nothing to do with it. Hesitating for a moment, she lowered her voice.
"Not long after I left the Capital—about a day's journey—I ran into a Daoist priest on the road. His methods were bizarre in the extreme; not only was he impervious to blades and swords, but he possessed superhuman strength. Over a hundred Wolf Army soldiers were no match for him at all.
"A dozen Wolf Army guards helped me escape while the rest tried to buy time, but no matter where I fled, that Daoist priest easily tracked me down. My guards died one by one.
"With no other option, I seized the chance to slip back into your Daxia Capital."
At this, Goddess Xiao said coldly, "That Daoist priest's strength likely already reached the Elixir Qi realm. Daxia really is a place where hidden dragons and crouching tigers dwell—you've never had a single peaceful moment in the last five years."
"A Daoist priest?"
Fang Chen's expression grew solemn.
From Goddess Xiao's description—superhuman strength, imperviousness to blades—it sounded remarkably like a Vajra Talisman or a Might Talisman.
These were entry-level talismans in the cultivation world, not exclusive to the Three Thousand Dao Gates; ordinary cultivators could generally craft them.
If his guess was correct, it meant there was a cultivator hiding right here in the Daxia Capital!
"Then again... it could also be a martial arts technique," Fang Chen thought to himself.
There were quite a few martial arts techniques capable of granting invulnerability to weapons and monstrous strength.
"Fang Chen, do you know who this person is? And on whose orders is he trying to kill me?" Goddess Xiao asked slowly.
"You just said you couldn't shake him off no matter what, and that he could always find your hiding spot?" Fang Chen suddenly asked.
Goddess Xiao was slightly startled, nodding instinctively.
With a swift wave of his hand, a surge of spiritual energy descended upon Goddess Xiao. Moments later, his spiritual sense locked onto a peculiar foreign object.
"What are you doing?!" Seeing Fang Chen walk toward her, panic flashed in Goddess Xiao's eyes.
"Don't move," Fang Chen snapped coldly. He grabbed Goddess Xiao's shoulder, pouring spiritual energy into it. The next second, a white, wriggling worm burrowed its way out from beneath her skin, struggling frantically.
Seeing this, Goddess Xiao froze in terror.
How on earth had a worm like that gotten inside her shoulder?
"The Daoist priest used this thing to track your movements."
With a sharp snap of his spiritual energy, Fang Chen crushed the white worm into fine powder.
He could now be certain that the Daoist priest was indeed a cultivator, though he couldn't yet determine the exact level of his cultivation.
"What kind of bizarre witchcraft is this?!" Recovering her wits and swallowing the urge to retch, Goddess Xiao glared fixedly at Fang Chen.
"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Fang Chen said, looking toward another direction.
Goddess Xiao instinctively looked over and saw a figure standing quietly in the distance. It was a middle-aged man dressed in a light red Daoist robe, wearing a gloomy expression.
***
### Chapter 26: Blood Spirit Cult
Goddess Xiao's body trembled, bone-deep hatred flashing in her eyes. The person standing before her was none other than the bizarre Daoist priest who had hunted her all the way here!
"Security inside the estate has really grown lax lately. Goddess Xiao sneaked in, and now this Daoist priest has sneaked in as well. Old Huang must still be snoring away without noticing a single thing," Fang Chen thought to himself.
The next instant, his soul left his physical body, standing suspended in the void as he quietly appraised the Daoist priest.
At that moment, existing in his out-of-body state, everything around him was under his complete control. No matter what sudden movement occurred, he would be able to react instantly.
*It's him?*
Recognizing the Daoist priest's face, a flash of surprise crossed Fang Chen's eyes. He remembered seeing this man some five or six years ago at a banquet somewhere in the Capital.
Too much time had passed, however, and Fang Chen couldn't quite remember whose banquet it had been. Back then, he used to attend at least a dozen banquets of varying sizes every single month!
"Only someone possessing spiritual energy could force out my mother-child silkworm."
The Daoist priest looked at Fang Chen and spoke slowly.
*Spiritual energy? What is that?*
Goddess Xiao didn't quite understand, but she knew that the bug from moments earlier was called a mother-child silkworm.
"You're a cultivator. Why did you target her? What is your objective in Daxia?" Fang Chen's soul returned to his physical body as he asked calmly.