"This situation is hardly going to be easy to resolve. Minister Li's mother used to be my father's wet nurse. Because of this connection, Fang Chen cannot touch her, yet doing nothing is not an option either—what a dreadful dilemma, haha..."
Outside the palace gates, more and more people were gathering.
The Li family seized the opportunity to accuse Fang Chen of slaughtering the innocent.
Hearing this, the common folk looked at each other in disbelief, pointing fingers at Fang Chen.
Just then, the old woman let out a sudden, miserable scream, clutched her chest, and slowly sank to her knees. Seeing this, Minister Li rushed forward to support her and shouted furiously at Fang Chen:
"How dare you attack my mother!"
"I didn't do a thing. So many people are watching," Fang Chen said with a faint smile.
"You're a martial artist—a Danqi Realm martial artist! You don't even need to lift a finger to kill my mother; your internal Qi alone is enough!" Minister Li roared as he checked the old woman's condition.
His words caused the surrounding crowd to look at Fang Chen with entirely changed expressions.
"You... you must avenge Huang'er..."
The old woman's vitality suddenly flared up before death. She grabbed Minister Li's collar in a death grip, pointing one finger at Fang Chen. "Avenge Huang'er... kill him... confiscate his property..."
With those words, the old woman kicked her legs out and breathed her last.
Minister Li immediately let out a piercing, agonized howl.
"Mother!!!"
"Did Military God Fang really attack an unarmed, helpless old woman?"
"Don't talk nonsense, Military God Fang never even retaliated!"
"A Danqi Realm martial artist—why would he need to use his hands to kill? I sense there's more to this than meets the eye."
As whispers rippled through the crowd, a young scholar suddenly stepped forward and shouted at Fang Chen: "Military God Fang! No matter what, you had no right to raise a hand against the citizens of Great Xia!"
Up on the city wall, the Crown Prince watched this scene and chuckled. "Qinghe, do you know what it feels like to be reviled by thousands?"
"Uh, I wouldn't know..." Ye Qinghe replied softly, shaking his head.
"Just look at Fang Chen and you'll understand. He's in deep trouble now; the chances of him ever making a comeback are practically zero," the Crown Prince said with a faint smile.
Ye Qinghe thought about it carefully, a sharp gleam flashing in his eyes as he turned to the Crown Prince. "Your Highness, this move of yours is truly brilliant! Even if His Majesty wants Fang Chen to lead troops again, he has lost the mandate of the people. No one would ever agree to it!"
The only reason Minister Li had stationed himself outside the palace gates today was because he had received word from the Crown Prince.
"What is Fang Chen up to?" The Crown Prince suddenly frowned.
Hearing this, Ye Qinghe looked down and saw that Fang Chen had squatted in front of the old woman, appearing to check her pulse.
***
### Chapter 24: The Emperor's Disposition
"What are you doing?! Get away from my mother!" Minister Li roared in fury.
"She merely fainted from physical and mental exhaustion. If she isn't treated immediately, then indeed nothing more can be done," Fang Chen said with a smile as a surge of spiritual energy poured into the old woman's body.
Spiritual energy naturally possessed the property of nourishing all things. Once this spiritual energy washed through the old woman's body, even some chronic, deep-seated ailments were completely healed.
She slowly opened her eyes, looking around in bewilderment. "Child... has Mother reached the netherworld already?"
Minister Li stared in disbelief.
The surrounding onlookers also wore expressions of utter astonishment.
"Minister Li, what Li Huang did at the Qingsong Guest House, you know very well in your heart. If you resent me for killing him, use whatever means you have to come after me.
"But do not use an elderly woman as a shield. I no longer command troops; fame, fortune, and glory have long been cast behind me, and I couldn't care less what the people of Great Xia think of me."
With a light chuckle, Fang Chen stepped past Minister Li and walked toward the imperial palace.
Eunuch You hurriedly followed, bringing You Longchang along with him.
Minister Li stood rooted to the spot in silence. He could clearly hear the implicit threat in Fang Chen's words.
Up on the city wall, Ye Qinghe looked astounded. "Fang Chen possesses such tricks as well?"
The Crown Prince's face turned livid. He had intended to use this incident to smear Fang Chen, but unexpectedly, the man had actually brought the old woman back to life. His elaborate scheme had fallen through.
***
Inside the Imperial Study of the imperial palace, Fang Chen met the Emperor once again. Unlike him, You Longchang kept his head lowered, his body rigid and clearly extremely nervous.
"Look at the fine mess the two of you have made," the Emperor said coldly, glaring at them. "Who authorized you to make a move against the Qingsong Guest House? Do you have any idea what kind of consequences this could trigger?"
You Longchang immediately dropped to his knees, not daring to utter a sound.
Fang Chen, however, merely smiled faintly. "Your Majesty, the Qingsong Guest House is nothing more than a malignant tumor right here in the capital of Great Xia. Over the past five years, it has slaughtered countless innocents."
"Do you think I was unaware of this?" the Emperor said coldly. "The situation in Great Xia is precarious. Even if you have recovered your cultivation and become a Danqi Realm martial artist, so what? Can you match an army of thousands? Why, the Wolf Army alone numbers one hundred thousand—can you handle them all by yourself?"
"Our Great Xia has long lacked any substantial military force. If Qingsong Country dispatches troops to attack over this matter, Fang Chen, I ask you: can you resolve it?"
The Emperor fixed his gaze intently on Fang Chen, while even You Longchang pricked up his ears, eager to know whether Fang Chen had absolute confidence behind this move.
"Your Majesty, you do not understand the temperament of Marshal Xiao. Unless he has absolute certainty of success, he will never make a move," Fang Chen said with a faint smile.
"As long as he remains unsure of my current condition for a single day, he will not dare to attack Great Xia for a single day."
"That is merely your conjecture. I ask you: if trouble truly arises, can you bear the 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. "Your actions this time were indeed rash. Emissaries from the three nations of Guhe, Longdu, and Yizhou are all watching me to see how I will deal with you. If we fail to give them an explanation, it will be difficult to justify. Great Xia is already at mortal enmity with Qingsong; we cannot afford to provoke these three nations as well."
"Your Majesty need only give the command; your subject will obey the imperial decree," Fang Chen said.
"Starting today, your father, Fang Canghai, shall be stripped of three ranks, and I shall order him to surrender the tally of the East Tiger Camp. As for you, you shall never set foot in the imperial court for the rest of your life, nor shall you ever command troops. This shall be my promise to them; only thus will they call off their dogs," the Emperor said indifferently. "Do you have any objections to my verdict?"
A look of sheer disbelief crossed You Longchang's face, immediately followed by a cold shudder in his heart. If even Fang Chen faced such punishment, what about him?
Could his position as the deputy commander of the West Tiger Camp possibly be preserved?
"Your subject has no objections. I will strictly obey the imperial decree." Fang Chen cupped his fists and bowed, his expression calm and his state of mind completely undisturbed.
Seeing this, a deep flash of disgust could not be hidden in the depths of the Emperor's eyes. He waved a dismissive hand. "You may withdraw."
"Understood." Fang Chen took his leave.
You Longchang felt entirely bewildered. Was it over just like that? The Emperor wasn't going to punish him? Seeing that the Emperor had already resumed reading memorials, he dared not say another word and hurriedly followed Fang Chen out of the Imperial Study.
"Military... Military God Fang..." You Longchang stammered, unable to hold back any longer as Fang Chen walked in silence the entire way.
"Something the matter?" Fang Chen glanced at him and smiled.
*You can still smile?!*
You Longchang inwardly cursed, then lowered his voice. "Military God Fang, His Majesty has penalized you so that you can never set foot in the imperial court or command troops for the rest of your life. Do you feel no resentment at all?"
"Why should I? Such a judgment is precisely what my heart desires at this moment. Court affairs are far too exhausting and taxing on the mind; it is far better to be a carefree heir at home," Fang Chen said with a smile.
You Longchang could sense the genuine sincerity in Fang Chen's words, which made it all the more unbelievable to him. One had to remember that the Fang Chen of the past was nothing like this!
Back then, Fang Chen was full of vigor and ambition. Despite his youth, during morning court he had stood as an equal opposite Prime Minister Li Guozhu—he was truly a pivotal, heavyweight figure in the court of Great Xia!
The number of officials he had promoted was countless, and his disciples filled the ranks. In private, some 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 flourishing Fang Faction had collapsed almost overnight. Countless people began cutting ties with him, and some even penned essays denouncing Fang Chen, listing ten major crimes against him!
Because of this, You Longchang had believed that once Fang Chen recovered his cultivation, he would surely strive to reclaim his former glory. If it were him, he definitely would have done so!
"Let's go."
Upon stepping out of the imperial palace, Fang Chen waved to You Longchang and then walked toward the Fang Estate.
How could he not know what You Longchang was thinking? It was simply that some things didn't need explaining. Even if he explained, their states of mind were different, and the other person would never understand.
The old him had indeed been nearly obsessed with power. While employing every means to protect the citizens of Great Xia from foreign invaders, he had also scrambled desperately upward.
The battle at Three Boundary Mountain had indeed ended in such a disastrous defeat only because Qingsong Country had hired an expert from an eighth-grade empire.
Yet, wasn't it also due to his own arrogance—concentrating all his military forces in a single location in an attempt to crush Qingsong Country in one fell swoop—that ultimately resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of soldiers?
Hundreds of thousands of loyal souls buried their bones at Three Boundary Mountain; weren't they likewise buried in Fang Chen's heart?
Five years had passed. Fang Chen had blamed himself and felt remorse, but nothing could ever be undone.
"All I can do now is take good care of those around me, protect the people of Great Xia, and perhaps... try once more to taste the sensation of becoming an immortal."
A smile appeared on Fang Chen's face.
The White-Cranes could roam tens of thousands of miles through spiritual projection. Once his cultivation reached that realm one day, he would be able to do the exact same thing. That was true freedom and ease.
Before he knew it, Fang Chen passed by Dahua Temple.
Li Huafeng stood in front of the temple gates, staring fixedly at Fang Chen. "How did His Majesty dispose of you?"
"Never to set foot in the imperial court, never to command troops for the rest of my life," Fang Chen said with a smile.
Li Huafeng broke into a gratifying grin, then glanced at the prison warden. The warden nodded slightly and immediately ordered his men to bring Huang Sihai out.
"The Abbot has said that Huang Sihai consumes ten catties of beef and five catties of rice every single day at Dahua Temple, and the temple can no longer afford to feed him. Take him back yourself," Li Huafeng sneered, then turned and walked away.
"Heh, heir." Huang Sihai chuckled stupidly at Fang Chen.
Fang Chen also wore a hint of a smile. "Let's go. Xu Ge, Tie Ma, and the others have been missing you."
***
### Chapter 25: Ask Him Yourself
The next day, the imperial court of Great Xia publicly promulgated the imperial decree.
The punishment decreeing that Fang Chen could never set foot in the imperial court or command troops for the rest of his life became known to all the citizens of Great Xia.
This matter sparked heated discussions across all quarters. Some said the Emperor's move was cutting off Great Xia's own arm, while others argued it would allow Qingsong Country to appease its anger.
Over at General Fang's Estate, Fang Canghai had already surrendered the military tally, relinquished his post as the Grand General of the East Tiger Camp, and been demoted to guard the East City Gate.
Normally this would be considered bad news, but the Fang Estate was decorated with red lanterns and banners, bustling with excitement.
The direct lineage and collateral branches had gathered together entirely because the news of Fang Chen's recovered cultivation was now known to all.
It was no exaggeration to say that the Fang family was the sole clan in the capital with a Danqi Realm martial artist anchoring them—not even the imperial palace possessed such a powerhouse!
Xu Ge, Tie Ma, and Huang Sihai were catching up on old times.
As a Dragon General, although Huang Sihai had not belonged to the same military system as Xu Ge and Tie Ma back then, all three had met previously. After a full five years apart, they naturally had endless things to talk about.
"Chen'er, your aunt will finish this meal and return to the palace today," the Empress said, looking at Fang Chen with a gentle smile. "You are already twenty-three years old; it is high time you settled down and started a family. Is there any young lady you have your eye on? Your aunt will go propose marriage on your behalf."
Fang Canghai, his wife, and Fang Cangyou all turned to look at Fang Chen, a flicker of hopeful anticipation in their eyes.
"There is indeed someone in Chen'er's heart," Fang Chen said with a smile, nodding.
A look of surprise crossed everyone's faces. Fang Zhixue hurriedly asked with curiosity, "Big Brother, whose family's daughter is she?"
"I don't know either," Fang Chen replied, shaking his head with a smile.
For five years, that figure had frequently surfaced in his mind, as if deeply carved into his soul, impossible to forget.
With strange expressions, everyone murmured an "oh," figuring this was just an excuse Fang Chen had made up. Still, they knew Fang Chen was different from ordinary people; such matters truly could not be rushed.
"Father, is Grandfather still in seclusion?" Fang Chen asked casually.
"Mhm, your grandfather is still in seclusion. If he successfully breaks through, the Fang family will gain yet another Danqi expert," Fang Canghai said with a smiling nod.
Everyone's expressions grew somewhat excited. A Danqi Realm martial artist was the hallmark of a ninth-grade empire. The reason Great Xia had declined so drastically was precisely because there had been a generational gap in Danqi martial artists.
Before Fang Chen advanced to Danqi, Great Xia had not produced a single Danqi martial artist for over a decade. It was precisely these dozen years that had allowed Qingsong—whose national strength was originally far inferior to Great Xia's—to overtake them.
By evening, the Empress had returned to the palace.
Fang Chen also returned to his own small courtyard to continue crafting Purple Lightning Talismans. Doing so not only yielded talismans, but also allowed him to consume his spiritual energy in the process, thereby improving his cultivation.
Before he knew it, the hour of the rat had arrived.
Fang Chen's gaze suddenly flickered. His grayish-white eyes slowly turned toward a certain spot, and he said indifferently: "Xiao Shennü, rather than returning to Qingsong, you've doubled back here. For what purpose?"
In the darkness, Xiao Shennü stared fixedly at Fang Chen, her eyes burning with bone-deep hatred.
She was in a wretched state. Her clothes were torn to shreds, and she was covered from head to toe in dense, overlapping injuries—some scabbed over, others with flesh split open, occasionally oozing blood.
"I never would have imagined that the so-called Military God Fang is merely a treacherous scoundrel who breaks his word. My father praised you to the high heavens; he truly misjudged his man!" Xiao Shennü gritted her teeth.
"What do you mean by that?" Fang Chen frowned slightly, his nose twitching. "You're heavily injured."
"On the surface, you let me leave, but behind my back, you sent an expert to hunt me down. Are you still going to play the fool now? As soon as I returned to the capital, I heard that you had slaughtered the Qingsong Guest House. You are truly despicable!" Xiao Shennü said coldly.
"I did indeed wipe out the Qingsong Guest House. Such a malignant tumor—why leave it be? As for you... I wasn't the one who made a move," Fang Chen replied indifferently.
"If not you, then who? Even now, you still dare not admit it?" Xiao Shennü's gaze was venomous.
"If I killed someone, I will own it. If I didn't, why would I take the blame?" Fang Chen smiled. "You ran all the way to my place; I daresay you have lingering doubts in your heart, don't you?"
Xiao Shennü's expression changed slightly.
Fang Chen had hit the nail on the head.
Although she suspected that Fang Chen was the one behind the attack, a sliver of doubt remained in her heart, and she wanted to ask Fang Chen face-to-face—even if it meant dying for it.
Having fled back to the capital of Great Xia, she had nowhere left to run. The person hunting her down possessed utterly bizarre methods!
"Tell me, what did you encounter?" Fang Chen stood up.
He also felt a trace of curiosity regarding this matter. Was someone of high status in the capital unwilling to let Xiao Shennü return alive and thus sent someone to assassinate her?
Xiao Shennü was gradually starting to believe that Fang Chen had nothing to do with this. 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. This priest had extremely bizarre methods: not only was he impervious to blades and spears, but his strength was also boundless. Over a hundred Wolf Army soldiers were simply no match for him.
"A dozen Wolf Army guards helped me escape while the rest bought time by delaying the priest. But no matter where I fled, the priest easily hunted me down, and my Wolf Army guards died one by one.
"In desperation, I seized the opportunity to flee into your Great Xia capital."
At this point, Xiao Shennü said coldly, "That priest's strength likely reached the Danqi Realm. Your Great Xia truly is a place where dragons and tigers hide; these past five years, you've never once settled down in peace."
"A Daoist priest?" Fang Chen's expression grew somewhat solemn.
Judging from Xiao Shennü's description—boundless strength and invulnerability to blades and spears—it sounded remarkably like a Vajra Talisman or a Strength Talisman!
These were entry-level talismans in the cultivation world, not exclusive to the Three Dao Sects; ordinary cultivators could generally craft them.
If this conjecture was true, it meant that a cultivator was hiding right here in the capital of Great Xia!
*However... it could also be a martial arts technique,* Fang Chen thought to himself.
There were quite a few martial arts techniques capable of achieving invulnerability and boundless strength.
"Fang Chen, do you know who this person is? And at whose behest has he come to kill me?" Xiao Shennü asked slowly.
"You just said that no matter what, you couldn't shake him off, and he could always track you down to your hiding place?" Fang Chen suddenly asked.
Xiao Shennü was slightly startled and instinctively nodded.
Fang Chen immediately waved his hand grandly. A surge of spiritual energy instantly landed on Xiao Shennü, and in a flash, his spiritual energy sensed a peculiar object.
"What are you doing?!" Seeing Fang Chen walk toward her, Xiao Shennü's eyes flashed with panic.
"Don't move," Fang Chen snorted coldly, reaching out to grip Xiao Shennü's shoulder directly. Spiritual energy poured into her continuously, and the next second, a white, writhing maggot struggled its way out from beneath her skin.
Seeing this, Xiao Shennü was instantly frightened out of her wits.
How could there be such a worm inside her shoulder?
"The priest you spoke of relied on this thing to track your whereabouts."
With those words, Fang Chen's spiritual energy vibrated, instantly crushing the white maggot into fine powder.
He could now confirm that the Daoist priest was indeed a cultivator, though he could not yet ascertain what level his cultivation had reached.
"What kind of bizarre trick is this?!" Xiao Shennü snapped back to her senses, swallowing down the urge to retch as she stared fixedly at Fang Chen.
"Why don't you ask him yourself?" Fang Chen looked toward another direction.
Xiao Shennü instinctively looked over and saw a figure standing quietly in the distance, dressed in a pale red Daoist robe. It was a middle-aged man with a gloomy expression.
***
### Chapter 26: Blood Spirit Cult
Xiao Shennü's body trembled, bone-deep hatred flashing in her eyes. The person before her was precisely the bizarre Daoist priest who had hunted her all the way here!
*Security in the estate has grown quite lax lately. First Xiao Shennü sneaked in, and now this priest has sneaked in as well. Old Huang must still be fast asleep, completely oblivious.*
As these thoughts flickered through Fang Chen's mind, his soul instantly left his physical body, standing suspended in the void as he quietly sized up the Daoist priest.
At this moment, he was in a state of spiritual separation; everything around him was under his control, and regardless of any sudden movements, he would be able to react instantly.
"So it's him?"
Upon recognizing the Daoist priest's face, a flash of surprise crossed Fang Chen's eyes. He remembered seeing this person some five or six years ago at a banquet in the capital.
However, too much time had passed, and Fang Chen could no longer remember whose banquet it was. Back then, he attended at least a dozen banquets of varying sizes every single month!
"Only those possessing spiritual energy can force out my mother-child silkworms."
The Daoist priest looked at Fang Chen and spoke slowly.
*Spiritual energy? What is that?*
Xiao Shennü didn't quite understand, but she knew that the bug just now was called a mother-child silkworm.
"You are a cultivator. Why make a move against her? What is your purpose in Great Xia?" Fang Chen's soul returned to his physical body as he spoke indifferently.