Dragon Canon

The return journey went smoothly. As they neared Ningxi Commandery, the landscape gave way to thousands of li of barren wasteland that was completely devoid of civilization, human, or Shaman.

Wei Yuan wasted no time upon returning to the realm of Qingming. He immediately set off once more for the capital of Bianning after grabbing the immortal silver. This time, he brought Xu Wenwu along and gave him the blue steed to ride. Even before they reached the city, Wei Yuan already spotted the military supply convoy trudging along the road.

Shipping the goods already even though they hadn’t received payment? Sun Chao’en must have been doing quite well these past few months. Yue Qilin trusted him implicitly as well.

After handing the immortal silver to Sun Chao’en, Wei Yuan did not even stop for a drink of water before setting off on the return journey. Xu Wenwu, who had been expecting a banquet, some songs and dances, and even a night’s stay, was deeply disappointed as a matter of course.

He had thought that his master was finally starting to introduce him to the world of officialdom, and that he would be starting right off the bat as a vice administrator, a fairly high-level position. Within a commandery, a vice administrator ranked second only to the commandery administrator. Although a vice administrator helped little actual power, it was by no means an insignificant status. Should anything happen to the commandery administrator, the vice administrator would have to take over all his duties.

Little did he know that Wei Yuan would say barely a few words, drop off the immortal silver, and leave just like that. Xu Wenwu hadn’t even had the time to get a good look at the study’s furnishings, or see if there were any “red-sleeved beauties[1]” in the vicinity. And if they were to appear, from which door would they enter through? The back door, or perhaps from behind the bookshelves?

The return journey was another several thousand li.

After being imbued with fortune for an extended period, the blue steed had finally fully transformed into a spirit steed. Clouds circled its hooves and left behind a trail of blue light in its wake. Not only did it move with incredible speed, its hooves never touched the ground. It was literally running on clouds. In just one night, the four of them had returned from the capital of Bianning to the realm of Qingming.

Wang Yu and Hsu Yi were heaven foundations, but even they felt extremely tired. Naturally, Xu Wenwu was as worn out as a dead dog. Wei Yuan literally had to glue him to the horse’s back with Dao energy so he wouldn’t fall off during the latter half of the journey.

Traveling back and forth four times in less than two days and covering over ten thousand li in total left Hsu Yi, a noble lady, groaning in pain. Even the insides of her thighs were rubbed raw and swollen. But despite the grueling ordeal, she and Wang Yu both could clearly feel that their cultivation had improved. As much as the improvement didn’t quite make sense, they had no grounds for complaint.

Xu Wenwu had long since fallen into a deep, dreamless sleep. Naturally, he had no idea how much his cultivation had increased.

Next, Wei Yuan prepared for the arrival of the grain convoy. He carefully selected two squadrons; one consisting of several hundred Body-tempering stage cultivators, tasked with escorting the carts and handling the cargo. The other was an elite force of three hundred Dao Foundation stage cultivators led by Cui Yu. They would be lying in ambush at a far distance.

If Western Jin had set up a trap, or if Yue Jinshan sensed something was amiss and led his troops in pursuit, they would be in for a huge surprise.

However, a minor mishap occurred during the supply delivery.

The supply convoy was guarded by a thousand soldiers and led by four commandants. Song Chao was merely one of them, and not the commanding officer. At the moment, the convoy was just over ten li from the military fort, close enough for the soldiers to spot the distant banners on the walls and lit up with joy.

The soldiers quickened their pace, but the expressions of the commandants were strange. They seemed to be waiting for something.

Suddenly, the wilderness fell completely silent, and even the wind had stopped. The next moment, masked rider began appearing from all directions. Though there were only a few dozen of them, they somehow felt as intimidating as a force of a thousand troops!

Fear crept on the faces of many officers and soldiers as they began scanning the surroundings for an escape route. Though they had not been in the western regions for long, they had already heard many tales about the Heaven Fighting Gang. It was said that this group was lawless and ruthless like no other. It was said that their leader was a monstrous half-breed of a Shaman and a human. It was said that he relished eating raw human flesh and possessed boundless strength—so strong that he had once crushed an Avatar with one hand.

Even if the various rumors were all absurd and implausible, there was no denying the fact that the Heaven Fighting Gang had stripped four thousand soldiers naked. With just a few dozen horsemen, they had launched consecutive raids on multiple military forts—each garrisoned by at least a thousand men—and crushed all of them. Not only that, they had only severely injured some officers and killed no one—clearly, they had more than enough strength to spare.

Now, they were surrounded by the infamous Fifty Bandits of Heaven Fighting themselves. Although the military fort was only a dozen or so li away, none of these soldiers believed they could hold out until reinforcements arrived.

Among the commandants, one man—of average build and unremarkable appearance, yet possessing a countenance of steely resolve—showed no fear. He drew his saber and shouted, “I am Song Chao, commandant of Great Jin! You who dare to plunder our military provisions, this is a crime punishable by the extermination of your entire clan! Withdraw at once, and you may yet keep your lives for the time being!”

A horseman wearing a jade mask let out a low chuckle. “Why don’t you lot withdraw at once, so we may all avoid a clash?”

Song Chao burst into loud laughter before roaring, “The audacity of mere bandits! You dare haggle with the official troops of Great Jin?! Today, this commandant will see if you truly have the skills to back up such a bold claim!”

The horseman said no more. He waved his hand once, and his fellow riders stopped hiding their aura and advanced slowly.

Song Chao’s Dao energy began to soar rapidly. Just as he was about to engage the enemy in battle, the other three commandants suddenly turned their horses and fled without a word!

The commanding officer himself was on the run, so of course the soldiers under his command wasn’t going to stay behind. It was clear from their practiced, unhesitating reactions that this wasn’t the first time they had to do such a thing either: if the commanding officer was running, bloody run after him!

In the blink of an eye, only Song Chao and the one hundred soldiers directly under his command remained on the battlefield.

Surprisingly, Song Chao showed no fear. He even roared at the enemy in challenge, welcoming what was certainly a suicidal battle. His one hundred soldiers were also fighting with everything they had, heedless of their own lives.

Though Song Chao was only an earth foundation, his Dao Foundation was the extremely rare saber-and-shield type, excelling in both offense and defense. His five bodyguards were also highly trained, maintaining a disciplined formation. Even with Wang Yu and Hsu Yi—both heaven foundation—leading five Dao Foundation stage cultivators in a coordinated assault, they couldn’t break through for a surprisingly long time.

Unfortunately for them, the rest of their troops were only at the Body-tempering stage. They were completely helpless before the overwhelming barrage of Dao spells being hurled in their direction and suffered heavy casualties in the blink of an eye.

Song Chao’s eyes bulged with fury as his men fell all around him. Suddenly, he turned his head and looked toward the distance. The previously fleeing commandants had slowed their pace, glancing back from time to time. Several generals were also standing on the ramparts of the military fort and gazing in this direction. One of them, clad in striking armor, was none other than Wang Kun, a skirmish general.

Wang Kun narrowed his eyes as he watched the fierce battle taking place in the distance.

The Fifty Bandits of Heaven Fighting clearly possessed profound cultivation. They were also unleashing high-level Dao spell after high-level Dao spell like nothing. The generals standing beside Wang Kun could not help but turn ashen with fear seeing this. They realized that in a one-on-one fight, they would likely be no match for any single bandit—let alone the jade-masked rider, who had not made a single move from the beginning. If the rumors were to be believed, this man had once crushed an Avatar with his bare hands.

Wang Kun’s expression grew complicated as he watched Song Chao’s bodyguards falling one by one, and Song Chao himself sustaining more and more wounds. But in the end, it all morphed into a cold, sinister expression. “Song Chao, Song Chao,” he said, “why do you have to repeatedly thwart the young general’s plans? You’ve brought this upon yourself, you know.”

Noticing the ashen look on his men’s face, Wang Kun let out a snort and said, “Look at all of you, pissing your pants! I’ll let you in on a secret today: if you run into the Heaven Fighting Gang in the future, give my name or the young general’s name. With luck, you may yet save your useless hides.”

The officers’ eyes all lit up; it was as if a whole new world had opened up before them. A quick-witted one realized something and asked, “Can we ask for their help if we run into something?”

Wang Kun added, “You’ll have to give the young general’s name then. Mine won’t do you any good in that situation.”

In an instant, every officer on the rampart stood as straight as a banner, faces beaming with renewed confidence and convinced they could once again walk with their heads held high in the Shattered Realm.

By now, Song Chao was little more than a bloody mess. His saber had broken, and he was desperately holding his ground with his shield in both hands. Only two horsemen were attacking him now, their Dao spells as potent as they were brilliant. They were clearly Heaven-tier Dao Foundation cultivators. The officers all realized that they had ordered the ordinary riders to stand back for fear that Song Chao might try to take someone to the grave with him.

By now, all one hundred soldiers under Song Chao’s command had fallen in battle. Not a single one had fled or surrendered.

Suddenly, Wang Kun couldn’t bear to watch this any longer and turned around, walking down the steps. Just then, a deafening roar rang out behind him, “I, Song Chao, die today before your eyes while staying true to myself, my king, and heaven and earth! If my death can awaken even a shred of honor and shame in your hearts in the days to come, then I shall have died a worthy death!”

With that final shout, Song Chao planted his shield on the ground and struck himself at the top of his head, shattering his sea of consciousness. Blood streamed from his eyes, yet his body remained standing.

Wang Kun’s footsteps faltered for a moment.

He looked up at the sky, sighed, and muttered to himself, “It is already mayhem upstairs; how can we possibly know if what we’re doing is right or wrong? Perhaps wrong is right, and right is wrong.”

He shook his head and returned to his tent, his retreating figure carrying a touch of loneliness.

Within the military fort, the soldiers and officers still standing on the ramparts watched helplessly as the few dozen riders drove the supply convoy past the encampment and toward the west.

Suddenly, someone wondered out loud how much money they would receive from this operation, and everyone perked up immediately, joining the discussion. From top to bottom, everyone in the battalion—including the three commandants who had deserted the supply convoy and their men—would receive a share of the spoils.

As they spoke of this, the soldiers grew increasingly animated, and their faces flushed with excitement. Many wished more supply convoys would come their way and be seized.

In a matter of moments, the still-warm corpses lying at the foot of the military fort were completely forgotten.

After the supply convoy had traveled several dozen li westward, a relief force took over to transport the supplies back to the realm. Wei Yuan and his fifty riders had to remain behind to guard against potential pursuers. Standing where they were and watching the supply convoy grow smaller in the distance, the atmosphere felt strangely somber for some reason.

Just then, Wei Yuan spoke up. “Song Chao said he was true to himself, his king, and heaven and earth. He was correct on the first two accounts, but not the third. By blocking me from seizing the provisions, he had, in fact, let down heaven and earth. When you have understood this, your cultivation will improve.”

His riders looked surprised, some wearing looks of deep thought on their faces.

Wei Yuan continued, “You’ve all fought by my side through life and death many times already, so I don’t mind sharing some things with you. As long as the realm is firmly established, there exists endless possibilities. There may yet be hope for your path to immortality to extend further.”

With the exception of Wang Yu and Hsu Yi, every rider wore an expression of shock, followed by wild elation.

They were all Earth-tier Dao Foundation stage cultivators. Normally, their paths would end right before reaching the Avatar-stage. That was why they were unafraid to fight to the death on the battlefield—their paths had already ended, so why not stake their lives on something tangible? Even if they could not benefit from it themselves, they could leave it for future generations.

But now, Wei Yuan was saying that there might yet be hope for their paths to extend further.

Many people’s first reaction was disbelief, but they immediately recalled how so many who had once had no hope of establishing a Dao Foundation had suddenly managed to do so. Perhaps miracles really did exist in Qingming? Moreover, Wei Yuan never spoke idly, and as far as they knew, it seemed that every boast he had made had come true.

Just then, a red figure appeared in the air and dropped a piece of jade paper into Wei Yuan’s hand. The figure disappeared in the next instant.

1. “Red sleeves adding fragrance to the air.” It refers to beautiful women accompanying a man reading or working in the study. If you ever thought ancient people are less creative than modern people when it comes to such plays, you cannot be more wrong. It’s the opposite. ☜