His few personal guards were at a loss, but finally knelt on the ground with lowered heads, awaiting the judgment of Fang Chen.
"Perhaps you would rather be a citizen of Qingsong. In your next life, remember to be reincarnated properly and do not come to Daxia again."
Fang Chen smiled faintly.
Li Huang suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with venomous malice: "Fang Chen, do you really intend to kill me? If you kill me, my aunt will not let you go! Do not think that being the Military God gives you the right to act recklessly; the Emperor has long since regarded you as a thorn in his eye!"
Splat!
Tiema swept out with a single sword stroke, slicing Li Huang instantly in half at the waist. He did not die on the spot, but the bone-piercing agony and the certainty of his impending doom were to Li Huang a torment no different from descending into purgatory!
"Ah, ah, ah!"
Li Huang shrieked in agony.
The few guards beside him stood motionless, cold sweat dripping from their foreheads.
"Jackals to the tiger, they cannot be spared either."
Tiema sneered, severing the heads of those guards.
"Fang Chen! The Emperor was not wrong about you! You harbored rebellious intentions long ago, secretly cultivating loyal assassins. Hahahaha, even as a ghost, I will not let you go!
If the Emperor learns of this, you will soon join me down below, you will join me! You will never know just how terrifying the Emperor is, hahahaha!"
Li Huang laughed like a maniac, his eyes filled with mockery as he looked at Fang Chen.
A few breaths later, his laughter grew fainter, and a layer of ashen gray gradually veiled his eyes.
Li Huang was dead.
"Have you arranged an identity for yourself within the Capital?"
Fang Chen looked at Tiema.
"Not yet."
Tiema said in a low voice.
"Good, go to my Fang family's private school."
Fang Chen said with a faint smile.
"Thank you, Young Lord!"
Tiema was somewhat emotional; this way, he would be able to see the Young Lord often!
Fang Chen walked out of the Qingsong Superior Lodge entirely alone. At that moment, the place was already surrounded by countless commoners and Daxia martial artists who were asking one another, eager to know what had happened here.
"Don't you know yet? Military God Fang led men and fought his way inside. I heard the master of the Qingsong Superior Lodge has already lost his head!"
"Is such a thing true!?"
"Absolute truth!"
"Then what are we waiting for!"
A scholar rolled up his sleeves and roared as he charged into the Qingsong Superior Lodge.
Immediately afterward, a peddler handed his child to his wife, his eyes reddening as he brandished a shoulder pole and charged toward the Qingsong Superior Lodge.
More and more people rushed in: ordinary Daxia commoners, soldiers clad in leather armor, and martial artists wielding swords in the Jianghu.
Their backgrounds were all different, but at this very moment, they shared only a single identity.
Subjects of Daxia!
Not long after, a fire was set inside the Qingsong Superior Lodge. The blaze was fierce, and everyone retreated outward—yet not a single Qingsong Kingdom martial artist could be seen.
"Military God Fang, the Qingsong Kingdom martial artists inside are all dead, but some managed to escape."
You Longchang looked at the raging flames consuming the Qingsong Superior Lodge and said in a low voice.
"Tonight is a sleepless night."
Fang Chen said softly with a smile.
Chapter 14 Beyond Reach
The night in the Daxia Capital was exceptionally lively and prosperous. Although the defeat five years ago had dealt a heavy blow to Daxia's vitality, the extravagant and decadent lifestyle had instead intensified all the more.
When night fell, brilliant and dazzling lanterns would be lit along the banks of the Daxia River, the largest river in Daxia, and the sweet singing of courtesans drifted from the multi-story pleasure boats and pavilions.
This was the favorite place of the Qingsong Kingdom martial artists, but tonight's guests discovered that those Qingsong Kingdom martial artists, usually so lavish with their spending and overbearing in their ways, had all vanished without a trace.
Just as people were wondering, someone brought the news that the Qingsong Superior Lodge had been wiped out by Fang Chen and his men. This news immediately made this night in Daxia anything but ordinary!
Where did news spread the fastest? Naturally, in taverns and teahouses, but none of those places could compare to the pleasure quarters.
Once news appeared here, it would spread like the plague, reaching the nobility above and the common laborers below, until every single person knew of it!
Inside the most famous flower boat on the Daxia River, the "Immortal Boat", seven or eight young masters sat drinking. They had chartered the entire Immortal Boat, and their spending was extremely lavish, all because their family backgrounds were quite extraordinary.
"Everyone, what do you think of Fang Chen's actions this time?"
A handsome young man opened his folding fan and waved it gently, admiring the dozen or so courtesans dancing gracefully before him, while casually asking the rest of the company.
This handsome young man was Ye Qinghe, son of the Minister of War, and since he possessed the highest paternal official rank among the young masters present, he occupied the seat of honor.
"I say his actions were utterly reckless. Although I heard from my family that today in the imperial palace, Fang Chen displayed extraordinary methods, slaying a wolf army leader with a single strike and even driving Goddess Xiao out of the Capital, he should consider that even at the very peak of his past, he still fell defeated to Wolf Commander Xiao!"
"True enough. And now he is also slaughtering the Qingsong Kingdom martial artists in the Capital. If word of this reaches the Qingsong Kingdom, I fear Wolf Commander Xiao will make a move immediately, and who knows how much Daxia will have to pay in reparations to appease his anger."
"You Longchang of the West Tiger Camp has truly gone mad, actually taking part in this with him. He didn't stop to think that if these Qingsong Kingdom martial artists could be killed, wouldn't the Emperor have made a move already? Come to think of it, why hasn't the Emperor's side made the slightest reaction?"
"Not only has the Emperor not reacted, but all sides seem to be just watching a show. But if they watch to the very end, I fear it will backfire on them. Brother Ye, what did Minister Ye say?"
"My father only said one thing: wait and see how the situation develops."
Ye Qinghe said indifferently.
"It seems... Fang Chen's former prestige still deeply terrifies quite a few people. It would be one thing if he truly had been reduced to a cripple, but now his cultivation has actually recovered..."
"I believe Daxia's greatest mistake in the past was letting Fang Chen ride roughshod over the Ministry of War, and even over the Emperor! That led to his megalomania, which ultimately destroyed our Daxia army of six hundred thousand!"
"Brother Ye, I heard that your martial arts have progressed greatly recently, and the soldiers of all the Capital's camps hold you in high regard. Why don't you step forward and take Fang Chen's place!?"
Someone looked at Ye Qinghe with expectant eyes.
"My cultivation has indeed improved. By some good fortune, I encountered a wandering Daoist priest who bestowed upon me a Golden Core. After swallowing it, my cultivation increased considerably."
Ye Qinghe smiled faintly: "Yet compared to Fang Chen, I am still left far behind, unable to even see his dust."
"Far behind..."
Hearing this phrase, everyone's memories instantly rushed back to five years ago. At that time, the most popular saying in the Capital was: Look at Fang Chen—compared to him, we truly cannot even see his dust!
"However... Fang Chen's actions truly run counter to the current situation, so I must ask you all to speak with your families and help me spare one person's life.
As long as he does not die, Fang Chen's actions today will still have room for maneuver."
Ye Qinghe smiled.
Everyone was slightly startled, a look of curiosity dawning on their faces. Whose life was so formidable that it could alter the events of today?
Ye Qinghe stood up and looked out toward the hall: "Brother Xiao, please come in. These brothers of mine will not betray you."
A gloomy-faced young man walked in from outside the hall, and at the sight of him, everyone's expressions shifted.
The newcomer was none other than Xiao Tianci's son, Xiao En!
They never imagined that Xiao En was still alive, and moreover, that he would appear on the Immortal Boat. Connecting this to Ye Qinghe's words just moments ago, everyone instantly understood Ye Qinghe's move.
"Brother Ye, I am grateful for your assistance. Were it not for you, I fear I would have died right on the streets of the Daxia Capital."
Xiao En cupped his fists, a self-deprecating smile on his face: "When I return to Qingsong, I shall remember this kindness."
"Brother Xiao is too polite. None of us agree with Fang Chen's actions. Today, Daxia and Qingsong ought to unite like friends, and should no longer resort to slaughter. That benefits neither side."
With that, Ye Qinghe laughed loudly: "Why hasn't Fairy Yu come on stage to dance yet? Today I am banqueting distinguished guests, do not neglect them!"
As he invited Xiao En to be seated and introduced him to the youths at the same table, a woman in white with bare feet slowly entered the hall and began to dance gracefully upon the stage.
The woman in white possessed an exquisite beauty, her skin surpassing snow and her eyes like the stars. Every flicker of her brows and every smile was intoxicating and captivating, and every gesture carried an otherworldly, immortal grace.
An expression of infatuation appeared in Ye Qinghe's eyes, his gaze closely following the movements of the woman in white.
"She is truly worthy of being Fairy Yu, the most famous courtesan on the Daxia River. This dance is indeed as detached from the mortal world as an immortal."
Xiao En's gaze was cold. The beauty before him not only failed to dispel the exhaustion of his day, but instead made him recall the sight of the Qingsong Superior Lodge burning with raging flames.
His fist clenched slightly: Qingsong would surely avenge this hatred!
While the Daxia River was filled with song and dance, the Daxia Capital was witnessing slaughter after slaughter. One Qingsong Kingdom martial artist after another found nowhere to run and perished beneath a flurry of blades.
Morning light gradually broke. In the ruins of the Qingsong Superior Lodge, Fang Chen sat quietly upon an unburnt stone stool, a pile of talisman papers spread before him.
In the span of a single night, he had produced many more Purple Lightning Talismans, bringing his current total to sixteen.
Aside from the Purple Lightning Talismans, he had tested the Speed Talisman, Vajra Talisman, and Mighty Strength Talisman, producing three of each kind. Their manufacturing difficulty was far lower than that of the Purple Lightning Talisman.
"My spiritual Qi is twice as dense as before. It seems tomorrow I can attempt to condense the second immortal vein and advance to the 2nd Level Qi Condensation."
Putting away the talisman papers on the table, a figure hurried over from afar—it was You Longchang, stained all over with blood.
He felt as though he were dreaming, that one day he would actually be able to take orders directly from Fang Chen and execute Qingsong Kingdom martial artists one by one.
"Military God Fang, we can no longer find any trace of the Qingsong Kingdom martial artists. Counting the numbers, we are short of two people from the list you provided."
You Longchang said in a low voice: "One is Tiema, a Qi Control expert of the Qingsong Kingdom, and the other is Xiao En, the son of Xiao Tianci. These two seem to have vanished into thin air; no matter how we search, we cannot find them."
"I already know where they are, so leave them to me. General You must be tired, go back and rest."
Fang Chen said with a faint smile.
Chapter 15 Common Mortals, How Can They Compare to the Young Lord?
You Longchang was indeed tired, and without saying anything further, he bowed respectfully and turned to leave.
Silently, a figure appeared by Fang Chen's side.
Looking at Fang Chen with a trace of heartache, she slowly stepped forward and stood behind him, gently kneading his shoulders.
"Young Lord, Ye Qinghe has taken in Xiao En, seemingly wishing to use him to curry favor with the Qingsong Kingdom and incidentally deal with you."
"There was no need for you to come personally; I had already received the news. If someone were to see you here, wouldn't the people of Daxia tear me limb from limb?"
Fang Chen smiled.
A blush appeared on the woman's face: "What are you saying, Young Lord..."
"You are Fairy Yu, after all. The men who adore you could line up from the Daxia Capital all the way to the doors of the Qingsong Kingdom's Xiao family."
Fang Chen said.
"Those common mortals, how can they compare to the Young Lord?"
Fairy Yu snorted. "Young Lord, Tiema has already rejoined the ranks. When can I complete my mission and return to your side?
Even being a maidservant by your side, beating your back, kneading your shoulders, and washing your feet would be better than putting on a forced smile in front of that group of nauseating wretches."
"That day won't be long now."
Fang Chen smiled, then took out a Speed Talisman, a Vajra Talisman, and a Mighty Strength Talisman, handing them to Fairy Yu: "Your cultivation hasn't reached the Qi Burst Realm yet, and these are troubled times. If you encounter any danger, stimulate them with your internal Qi; they can help you."
A martial artist's internal Qi could not normally activate talismans, but Fang Chen had already embedded his own spiritual power into the talismans beforehand; one only needed internal Qi to stir that spiritual power in order to activate them.
"This is!?"
A look of immense curiosity appeared in Fairy Yu's eyes.
"Talismans. Your Young Lord has achieved success in Daoist cultivation; I suppose you could say I have forged a new path."
Fang Chen said with a faint smile.
Pausing for a moment, he added: "Someone is coming, you should go."
"Then I shall take my leave first."
Fairy Yu put away the talismans and quietly departed. Although her cultivation was not high, her lightness skill was exceedingly wondrous.
In the distance, Xu Ge pushed a wheelchair slowly toward them.
As the sun gradually rose, the surrounding onlookers and commoners slowly increased in number. Seeing that Fang Chen was still amidst this ruin, a sense of bewilderment arose in their hearts.
"Chen'er, who are you waiting for here?"
In the wheelchair, Fang Chen's second uncle, Fang Cangyou, wore a half-smile.
Yesterday, the Empress Dowager arrived at the Fang residence, and everyone in the Fang household had already learned that Fang Chen's cultivation had recovered and that he had driven Goddess Xiao out of the Capital.
Afterward, they learned that Fang Chen was leading men to wipe out the Qingsong Kingdom martial artists in the Capital, so the entire Fang household had also been busy through the night.
Fang Cangyou had not returned yet; once finished with matters, he had asked Xu Ge to bring him to find Fang Chen.
"Xu Ge, why did you bring Second Uncle to this place?"
Fang Chen frowned slightly. "Send Second Uncle back to the estate."
"Yes."
Without a word, Xu Ge pushed Fang Cangyou and turned to leave.
"Hey, wait!"
Fang Cangyou hurriedly said.
Yet Xu Ge only obeyed Fang Chen's commands, turning a blind eye to Fang Cangyou's words.
"Chen'er, let me finish speaking before we leave."
Fang Cangyou said angrily.
"Second Uncle, speak."
Fang Chen nodded slightly toward Xu Ge, who immediately stopped in his tracks.
"I have some connections at Dahua Temple. No matter what, I used to serve there myself. I will stay here with you and wait for the people from Dahua Temple."
Fang Cangyou said in a deep voice: "With me here, they won't dare to act presumptuously."
He had already guessed who Fang Chen was waiting for here.
Regarding yesterday's events, although neither the palace nor any of the various factions had made much of a reaction, once dawn broke, a silent slaughter would inevitably ensue—and Fang Chen was the core of that slaughter!
"Xu Ge, send Second Uncle back to the estate."
Fang Chen said with a faint smile.
Fang Cangyou flew into a rage, but no matter how he cursed, Xu Ge turned a deaf ear, quickly pushing him away from the location.
Just as they vanished into the street, on the other side, the troops of Dahua Temple had already surrounded the burned ruins of the Qingsong Superior Lodge.
Black-clad bailiffs holding steel sabers wore vigilant expressions. Among them, an official of Dahua Temple of noticeably higher rank walked up to Fang Chen with a few bailiffs.
"Military God Fang."
The Dahua Temple official cupped his fists in greeting.
"Here is a list. Keep it; the ones with names checked off on it are already dead. You can match them one by one."
Fang Chen handed the other party a sheet of paper covered in handwriting.
He had taken the time to write this while making talismans.
Tiema's name was also prominently on it, already checked off.
The Dahua Temple official took the list and glanced at it, his complexion gradually turning somewhat pale. The few bailiffs beside him exchanged glances, looking at Fang Chen with a trace of awe in their eyes.
"Over a thousand Qingsong Kingdom martial artists... and only one survived..."
The Dahua Temple official gave a bitter smile: "Military God Fang, you are making things very difficult for us. I received orders to come and take you to Dahua Temple for custody and awaiting interrogation."
Dahua Temple was Daxia's judicial institution. Unlike the Ministry of Justice, Dahua Temple only dealt with those who held high positions, and its temple master was always held by a direct member of the imperial clan.
This current temple master was none other than the reigning Daxia Emperor's own younger brother, the Fifth Prince.
"There's still one who hasn't been killed yet."
Fang Chen said with a faint smile: "Once he is dead, how about I go with you to Dahua Temple?"
The Dahua Temple official smiled bitterly: "Military God Fang, please do not make things hard for this subordinate. If I cannot take you in today, I will be held accountable."
"Did the Temple Master specify what time I should be brought back?"
Fang Chen smiled.
"Uh..."
The Dahua Temple official was slightly startled, recalling that the Temple Master indeed had not specified any such time.
"He didn't say? That's good then. I will go back with you today. If you are uneasy, you may accompany me."
Fang Chen rose and walked away.
"My lord, what are we doing now?"
A bailiff asked in a low voice.
"I wouldn't dare use force to take him, but since Military God Fang said he will return with us once matters are settled, let's just be a little patient."
The Dahua Temple official said in a low voice.
Just at that moment, a bailiff hurried over and said in a low voice:
"My lord, Imperial Uncle-in-law Li's son, Li Huang, was also at the Qingsong Superior Lodge and has already been sliced in half at the waist..."
"Things have become troublesome."
The Dahua Temple official muttered to himself, then immediately led his men to follow Fang Chen.
As they walked, they suddenly found the surroundings a bit familiar, and Fang Chen stopped in front of a residential estate's gates.
"Isn't this... the Minister of War's estate?!"
The Dahua Temple official was completely dumbfounded.
At that moment, Fang Chen had already knocked on the gates of the Minister of War's estate.
Inside the Minister of War's estate, the family was in the midst of breakfast. Minister of War Ye Dongmighty occupied the seat of honor, and adhering to the rule of silence during meals, the entire family young and old sat quietly.
"Master... Military, Military God Fang is at the door knocking..."
An elderly servant hurried over, looking somewhat flustered.
Clatter.
Rice bowls dropped from the hands of more than one person onto the table, but they immediately snapped out of it, hastily steadying themselves before turning their gazes collectively toward Ye Dongming.
Why had Fang Chen come? Wasn't this god of slaughter killing Qingsong Kingdom martial artists last night? Why come to the Minister of War's estate? Could it be because of that matter from years ago?
Ye Qinghe feigned calmness and looked toward Ye Dongming: "Father, should we see him or not?"
"Why has Fang Chen come to find this old man?"
Ye Dongming frowned slightly. After pondering for a few breaths, he slowly stood up: "Let's go see him. I want to know what he is up to."
Chapter 16 Boundless Obstruction
"Fang Chen ran off to the Minister of War's estate?"
"Could he still be holding a grudge over that incident back then? That matter couldn't be blamed entirely on Ye Dongming either; a subordinate made a mistake, which was why the military rations meant for Fang Chen were shipped elsewhere..."
"Is there any news from the Emperor's side yet? Why hasn't Dahua Temple taken Fang Chen into custody? Why are they still letting him run around everywhere?"
At that moment, the upper echelons of the Daxia Capital were staring intently at Fang Chen's movements, each dispatching their own personnel to investigate so they could receive news at the very first moment.
The heavy gates of the Minister of War's estate slowly opened, and Ye Dongming, leading his household young and old, exchanged a silent gaze with Fang Chen.
"Could Military God Fang think that Xiao En is hiding in the Minister of War's estate?"
A look of shock appeared in the eyes of the Dahua Temple official.
Logically speaking, the Minister of War had no reason whatsoever to harbor remnants of the Qingsong Kingdom martial artists—especially since it was Fang Chen who wanted them dead. To hide someone would be equivalent to setting oneself against Fang Chen, would it not?
"Military God Fang, it has been a long time. Ever since you stopped attending morning court, for you and me to meet has been as difficult as ascending to the heavens.
However, before long, we will be able to meet in the imperial court once again. I wonder what brings Military God Fang here today?"
Ye Dongming remained silent for a few breaths before speaking slowly.
The members of the Ye family were also sizing up Fang Chen. Compared to five years ago, Fang Chen seemed to have lost much of his sharp edge, nor did he appear as youthful as he had back then.