Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
Ren Baqian opened his eyes, looked outside the window at the dazzling white sky for a moment, and muttered, “The time has come.”
The final day of the 30 day period had arrived.
There were no more practitioners coming from the south these last few days.
Either they were hell-bent on rebelling or they were blocked at the Wang Estuary and Ghost Ridge and were unable to make it over.
Whatever the reason, their fate had been decided.
No one would be spared.
The practitioners from the south that were Man Wheel level and above would be decimated.
All the sects and their members would be annihilated.
“I really do not want to kill so many people. The blood will flow like rivers while the river water will be dyed red right in front of me. However, this is karma. You reap what you sow, you have chosen the road, and it has ended. What I can do is send you on your way,” Ren Baqian muttered to himself.
Ren Baqian was in his official uniform as he walked out of his house in a serious mood and the humid morning air hit him in the face.
The air in Jiangbei City today was quite damp. In the past, it was quite noisy at this time, but it was quiet this time around.
The ambience in the whole of Jiangbei City was full of murderous spirit.
Even the mosquitoes seemed to feel this murderous spirit.
When Ren Baqian arrived in front of the empress’s room. Xi Wanya, Zong Shen, Gong Zheng, and others were already standing there.
Ren Baqian greeted them with cupped hands and stood across from Xi Wanya.
Some soft voices came from her room, but the empress didn’t come out even after a long time.
“All women in the world, even the empress with her peerless beauty, will dress up before going out. Regardless of whether one is beautiful or ugly, it’s their nature.” Ren Baqian smiled at Xi Wanya.
Xi Wanya’s face turned black immediately.
He dared to say these words that they didn’t dare to hear!
Thump! An object flew out of the window and landed on top of Xi Wanya’s head.
Xi Wanya could have dodged, but he let it hit him and adopted the expression of an injured innocent bystander.
Zong Shen and Gong Zheng didn’t even flinch and pretended not to see anything.
Ren Baqian grinned, stopped talking, and felt the empress’s feelings for him as she has never thrown anything at him before. Although there was no need to doubt her feelings, he still felt warm and fuzzy. It was especially nice to experience the warmth flowing through his heart just before a great war.
After a moment, the door was opened from inside and revealed the empress, who stood there with her red dress swaying in the wind.
“Your Majesty, the agreed upon 30 day period has arrived,” announced Ren Baqian as he cupped his hands.
Xi Wanya cupped his hands and said, “Your Majesty, the Protectorate of the South is ready to suppress the rebellion.”
“Your Majesty, the winged cavalry is ready to follow your vision and wipe out anyone who dares to oppose you,” Gong Zheng added.
“Army, set out!” the empress ordered coldly.
“Yes!”
A moment later, the mournful sound of an animal horn sounded three times in the city.
Following this, the two barracks in the north and south of the city opened their doors. Many soldiers filed out of the barracks, crossed the main city road, and exited through the southern city gate.
On this morning, only heavy footsteps that seemed to pierce the hearts of everyone in Jiangbei City, as well as the clashes of clanging weapons, were heard.
Throughout Jiangbei City, everyone was behind their windows and stared through the gaps to see the army that was leaving the city.
“Take her with you.” Ren Baqian passed by the courtyard where Wang Baobao was staying and pointed it out to a guard.
“Get someone to find Xing Ruo. Also, wake Lin Qiaole up. She will have grey hair if she continues to sleep,” Ren Baqian ordered.
Not a moment later, the little monk, Xing Ruo, appeared in front of Ren Baqian.
“Arhat!” Xing Ruo looked serene and put his palms together.
Ren Baqian sized him up and noticed that after less than half a month, Xing Ruo looked more mature.
He had previously received some news from the people that secretly protected Xing Ruo.
Initially, he thought that it would be difficult for Xing Ruo to convince people because of his age. Furthermore, Buddhism had never appeared in this place, so the people here had no knowledge of Buddhism.
Due to the recently experienced chaos and the conquest of the city by the aboriginals, the citizens were full of fear and uncertain about the future. Under such circumstances, Xing Ruo managed to attract some citizens.
It was a small number, only about a few dozen.
However, it was a big step forward for Xing Ruo.
Considering his age, it was a big achievement for him to attract a few dozen people to learn about Buddhism.
“We are going to set out soon. Do you want to follow us?” Ren Baqian asked casually.
Xing Ruo shook his head said softly, “No, the citizens here also need the blessing of the dharma.”
“You will have to depend on yourself in the future,” Ren Baqian said.
Xing Ruo nodded slightly. Then, he raised his head with a pitiful look and asked, “Can Arhat offer alms?”
“What does a little monk need money for?” Ren Baqian was angered by this change. He previously saw Xing Ruo as a role model, but now, he had become a shifty-eyed thief. Had he learned the art of changing faces?
“We have to find people to carve a statue of Buddha. Otherwise, these people will neither know what Buddha looks like nor who they are worshipping!” Xing Ruo said frankly. “I have even painted a portrait of Buddha!”
He took out a piece of paper from his bosom while he was speaking.
Ren Baqian glanced at the painting and thought to himself, Not bad. If they carve the statue according to this painting, they would have an even harder time knowing who they are worshipping.”
After he got someone to give the money to Xing Ruo, Xing Ruo happily went to find someone to carve the statue of Buddha.
After Ren Baqian left, Xing Ruo was truly left alone to promote Buddhism here, but he never seemed to think about it. Ren Baqian didn’t see any trace of worry on his face.
Ren Baqian called for the two guards who had been following and protecting Xing Ruo the whole time.
“There is no need to protect him covertly in the future—just shave your head and convert to Buddhism,” Ren Baqian told the two of them.
“Huh?” The two were stunned.
“If people find trouble with Xing Ruo or the other way round, the two of you will have to handle it in the future. I will inform your sect about this mission. You can go back after Xing Ruo has settled down here for a few years. You can join the Rearguard Commandery at that time. Just inform me and I will arrange some duties for you,” Ren Baqian said without giving them a chance to refuse.
After that, he picked up a knife from the side and personally shaved their heads bald.
The heads of the two newly minted monks were dripping with blood.
They gritted their teeth due to the pain but didn’t dare to resist.
“Go,” Ren Baqian said.
The two lowered their heads and withdrew. Fortunately, Ren Baqian had promised to arrange some positions in the Rearguard Commandery for them after their mission, so they felt some hope.
After making these arrangements, Ren Baqian walked out of the door and saw Lin Qiaole leaning against the wall. She was yawning, and her body was reeking of the smell of mildew.
The guard in the house had already packed her things.
“Where’s Her Majesty?” Ren Baqian asked.
“She has already left.”
“Set off!” Ren Baqian commanded.
There were a few people waiting for him by the roadside when he came out of the residence.
The 200 plus members of the Rearguard Commandery that had been staying in the city followed Ren Baqian willingly and also set out.
Not far away, Zuo Cheng and Qingyun Sword were standing on a rooftop with people from the hidden village. They signalled Ren Baqian by nodding their heads and then a few dozen people departed by jumping from roof to roof.
These people didn’t belong to the Rearguard Commandery, yet they wouldn’t be far from Ren Baqian. In some cases, they would even follow his orders. They were considered as a special group of people.
The remaining sect practitioners heaved a sigh of relief after Ren Baqian left. During these past few days, they didn’t even dare to breathe too deeply.
The aboriginals had finally left and seemed to have forgotten about them.
They were hoping that Ren Baqian would forget about them forever.
Just as they were feeling relieved, an order arrived.
“All the practitioners from the different sects are to follow the army and set out. You must all arrive before the evening. Those who disobey will be beheaded! The families of members of the Rearguard Commandery can remain here.”
