From atop the city wall, Emperor Yuansheng gazed at the harbinger of dawn rising into the firmament, dismissing the fog to give nature a chance to return into view after her graceful repose. Centuries following its heydays, the cursed city was as serene as many other places in Nanjiang for the first time.
The conquest of Nieyao opened the doors for the Central Plain to lay claim to Nanjiang. In the scenario another King as brilliant as Beussent’s King five centuries ago were to rise, they wouldn’t be able to compete against the Central Plain without a state by the border. In saying that, the conquest of Nieyao only cleared out calamitous beasts; there were still plenty of steps to take before it would be under the dominion of the Central Plain. Nevertheless, that was something to tackle in the future. The priority right now was giving the soldiers, who marched to Nieyao without a single complaint, a much needed rest, as well as putting the fallen to rest.
Had Ming Feizhen and Shen Yiren been present, Emperor Yuansheng’s three toasts would’ve made for a complete celebration.
Pretty much all the soldiers were still snoring after letting loose last night, including Long Zaitian. Having said that, he was one of the few warriors who maintained surveillance over his surroundings in his sleep. By some sense, he jumped to his feet and into a bow stance, albeit wobbly due to drowsiness. As he chambered his left fist, he uncorked a right cross – Houyi Shoots the Sun.
“Nice ‘Zhu Bajie Carries the Nine-Tooth Rake’. Long Zaitian, seeing as you detected me, I see you’ve improved quite a bit.”
“Wh-wh-what are you doing here?! Wait, that spear is?!”
Tianhu chortled as he removed the spear from his back to throw over. Long Zaitian’s arms almost hit the ground catching the heavy spear, validating his suspicion that the spear was the Qilin Guards’ grand commander’s Gonggong. There were only three people in Qilin Guards qualified to wield the spear forged from 9763 special materials.
“It was a hassle to take it from your boss. I thought I would get the opportunity to squash some overgrown bugs with it, but all I ran into was a stray dog. I don’t have any use for it. I can’t just discard it thoughtlessly because of its unique attribute, or I’d damage the environment. Take it back to him.” Tianhu curled his lips as though the spear was something repulsive that dirtied his hands.
“Tianhu, you don’t scare me. Don’t go thinking we Qilin Guards are afraid just because you’re Emperor’s Entourage’s number one and one of The Ultimate Three His Majesty instated. I’ll have you know…” Long Zaitian had run too far by this point to be audible.
Though the balance between the three offices was more indistinct than ever now owing to Liu Shan Men coming back into the picture, Tianhu couldn’t care less for a faction contest that he never concerned himself with. He only did what he fancied – even if it meant ruining relationships with Qilin Guards.
Tianhu ambled past the sleeping soldiers and toward the most heavily-guarded tent, fanning himself for no apparent reason.
Without having seen Tianhu, Emperor Yuansheng asked, “Arrived?”
“Yes.”
“Returned the spear?”
“Baima is as petty as they come. Your subject is not afraid of him when face to face, but nobody knows what sort sly tactics he will use. If he reports your subject to Secretary Leng, Secretary Leng will chase your subject to the end of the world.”
“Haha. So, what do you think of what you’ve seen?”
Tianhu smiled. “Not life threatening. The physician you summoned is really competent. The soldiers were treated in time, so they should wake up in ten days, at most. Save for Luo Clan’s Heavenly Swordsman and Martial Paragon, the other two will be able to gallop across the pugilistic world again in a few months. In regards to the two unconscious individuals, their lives are not in danger; however, when they wake up is dependent on their vitality.”
Emperor Yuansheng nodded, seemingly expecting those answers. “The plan was to have you carry the battle. I didn’t think I would be making you come all the way here for nothing.”
“Your subject was merely fulfilling his duty. In contrast, you personally joining the campaign is what is truly exhausting.”
A little deeper into their conversation, Emperor Yuansheng queried, “Let’s put that aside for now. How is Yiren?”
Tianhu shook his head. “Her high temperature persists for some reason. It does not seem to be illness occurring due to her injuries. Your subject siphoned true qi in to inspect, but neither he nor State Preceptor Lai could identify the cause; it is a symptom of external energies struggling to enter. In saying that, there is flow of qi full of life in her. With the passage of time, her vitality is strengthening.”
Emperor Yuansheng could only have an imperial doctor stay by the side of the maiden Tianhu brought back and pray for the best.
“… How about Ming Feizhen? What did you find out about his internal cultivation?”
No matter the strength of an internal style exponent or what profound method they used to hide, internal energy left traces once it was developed. Even if there was somebody superior to Tianhu, they wouldn’t be able to veil their qi up close.
“Mm… Your subject examined him numerous times, even physically examining his pulse. His internal energy appears to be there, yet not, which is an indication of internal injuries. Besides having a somewhat stronger pulse than the average man that is most likely attributed to his training, nothing impresses. Even without internal injuries, his internal energy is only average. Frankly, given his size, his brute strength is probably more impressive than his internal energy.”
Growingly important matters were being entrusted to Ming Feizhen. Accordingly, the need to determine whether or not he could be trusted grew correspondingly. Chalking up his frequent impressive showings as him being a man who didn’t bat an eye regardless of severity was a stretch. Emperor Yuansheng had his suspicions Ming Feizhen was hiding his true skill, but Tianhu’s report didn’t match his speculations.
“… Based on your interaction with him, what do you believe should be done with him?”
Still fanning himself, Tianhu smiled. “Your subject suggests nipping it in the bud.”
Glossary
Bow stance – also called “front stance” in TKD. This is literally how Long Zaitian whilst executing Houyi Shoots the Sun: Bow stance refers to his feet position, while the punch and chambered arm are pretty much that.
Zhu Bajie – The pig character from Journey to the West
Nine-Tooth Rake – Zhu Bajie’s trusty weapon
Gonggong – A Chinese water god who brought a disastrous flood to ruin the Earth and caused cosmic disorder. He’s sometimes referred to as Kanghui in ancient (relatively speaking) texts. He’s commonly depicted as a huge, black dragon with a human face and a horn on his head.
