Martial Cultivator

First to die for the country!

The many cultivators present were greatly shaken.

These few words, if spoken by an ordinary person, say a soldier of the Northern Frontier, they would not provoke much thought. But who was Chen Chao now?

He was the foremost military official of the Great Liang Dynasty, the number one martial artist in the world.

Someone like this, even if one day the demon race broke through the Northern Frontier Great Wall, he would not necessarily have to die. Great Liang could very well follow the precedent of former dynasties, ceding thirty thousand miles or tens of thousands of miles of land, even handing over an entire province like Xinliu Prefecture to the demon race, it would not be impossible.

In short, no matter how one looked at it, Chen Chao had many paths of retreat.

Yet this young martial artist made a solemn oath here, to live and die with the Northern Frontier Great Wall. That was not ordinary.

This was him cutting off his own retreat.

And among the cultivators present, most of their sects were in Xinliu Prefecture. Even those without sects had, over the years, regarded Xinliu Prefecture as their place of cultivation.

They were the ones truly tied to that war.

If the Northern Frontier Great Wall fell, Xinliu Prefecture would become open ground, certainly the demon race’s next target.

“May I ask the Lord Warden Commander, if this Li were to die in the desolate north, would the world remember this Li?”

There was silence in the crowd for a long time before someone suddenly spoke. A cultivator strode forward, looking up at Chen Chao on the high tower.

His gaze burned bright.

Chen Chao looked at him and said calmly, “From this day on, all fellow daoists who go to the Northern Frontier to resist the enemy will be recorded by the imperial court. Their achievements, and when they... fall in battle... the imperial court will make it all known to the world.”

Chen Chao thought for a moment, then continued, “If one truly dies in the Northern Frontier, the imperial court will do its utmost to return the remains, so that you may return to your roots.”

The cultivator laughed loudly. “No need for remains. As long as I do not die in obscurity, that is enough.”

After saying this, he cupped his fists heavily and declared, “Cultivator Li Ye of Heavenly Rain Sect, from Yuting County of Xinliu Prefecture, starting today, I head to the Northern Frontier, to fight for Great Liang, to fight for the people of the world!”

After speaking, Li Ye turned to leave, but in the next moment was stopped by Chen Chao. With a casual motion, the Lord Warden Commander sent a bowl of alcohol through the air, landing in Li Ye’s hand.

“This official offers Fellow Daoist Li a bowl of alcohol on behalf of the people of Great Liang. I hope Fellow Daoist Li will shine brightly in the Northern Frontier, and afterward... return safely!”

Chen Chao spoke heavily, then tilted his head and drained his bowl.

Li Ye smiled, drank the wine in one gulp, then smashed the bowl to the ground, shattering it!

This cultivator left without looking back, heading north.

“Lord Warden Commander, I, Cong Li, also wish to drink a bowl of alcohol offered by you!”

“Me too!”

“I’ve cultivated in seclusion for thirty years, and I do not wish to remain unknown all my life. Lord Warden Commander, is there more wine?”

“Good, good, good! This Liang also wants to be a real man for once!”

“I also want to see whether those demons really have three heads and six arms!”

For a time, the entire Inviting Moon Mountain was filled with voices, countless cultivators speaking up, wanting to head to the Northern Frontier to see the scenery of the northern lands.

One bowl after another was smashed from that moment on.

Chen Chao drank bowl after bowl of alcohol, until his cheeks were slightly flushed, but there was a faint glimmer of tears in his eyes.

Among the cultivators of this world, there are those who do not treat the lives of common people as lives, and there are also those who always remember that they too are guests in this mortal world.

Very good.

It could not be better.

......

......

On the way down the mountain, Li Tang and Aunt Gan saw him off, Chen Chao walking slowly.

Aunt Gan and Li Tang exchanged a glance. Li Tang gave a slight nod, and only then did Aunt Gan softly say, “Lord Warden Commander showing yourself today was a great help to Inviting Moon Mountain.”

Chen Chao shook his head slightly. “Just helping each other.”

As he spoke, Chen Chao turned to look at Li Tang and smiled, “Fairy Li Tang not saying a word earlier did surprise this official.”

Li Tang naturally knew what Chen Chao was referring to and gently shook her head. “I won’t do things just to gain a name. If things are done well in the future, there will be no worry about no one knowing.”

Aunt Gan asked curiously, “Will the imperial court really record them and announce it to the world?”

Chen Chao smiled. “It’s not some troublesome matter. This official even thought that after returning to the Divine Capital, this official will discuss it with His Highness the Crown Prince and come up with a plan, to see which sect cultivators have contributed in the north, and then have the imperial court give appropriate preferential treatment.”

Matters under heaven were just as Chen Chao had said before to Song Lian - there must be give and take. One cannot only give, nor only take.

Everyone has a scale in their heart; what is done and how it is done, everyone knows clearly.

Aunt Gan sighed with emotion, “So many intricacies, being an official really isn’t something just anyone can do.”

Chen Chao looked at Aunt Gan and shook his head. “Not just being an official. Other things are the same. Like running a sect, it’s not enough to just have a high cultivation realm. You can’t be the mountain lord, Aunt Gan. Who’s to say there isn’t a reason for that?”

Aunt Gan waved her hand and laughed. “This old lady’s brain isn’t very good to begin with. If I had to worry about these things too, I’d probably be full of white hair in just a few years.”

Chen Chao nodded with a smile. “So letting the capable handle things is best.”

Aunt Gan nodded with a smile. Back when the old mountain lord stepped down, she had enough prestige to contend for the position, but she had no such intention, likely for this very reason.

“Fairy Li Tang, how many people went to the Northern Frontier earlier, and which sects they came from, can you give this official a list first? This official will also send a letter to the Northern Frontier to confirm how many went.”

Chen Chao was meticulous. Once many matters were set in motion, they had to be done thoroughly, they were never small matters.

Li Tang nodded and said, ”Roughly a hundred. As for which sects, I’ll need to investigate on my end. It will take around half a month, the Inviting Moon Mountain will notify the Divine Capital.”

Chen Chao joked with a smile, “Such a trivial matter still needs half a month?”

Li Tang smiled softly and said, “One should always leave a way out for oneself. If things are stated too firmly and the timing is delayed, it’s inevitable that Lord Warden Commander would be displeased. I heard that in the northern army, such matters can cost one’s head.”

Since Li Tang said this, Chen Chao did not say anything further, only instructing, “As soon as possible.”

Li Tang asked curiously, “Is the situation in the Northern Frontier already that delicate?”

Chen Chao did not hide anything and only said, “If tomorrow a military report arrives in this official’s hands saying the demon race has already begun a large-scale city siege, this official would not find it surprising.”

Chen Chao knew how great the determination of the demon race was this time.

Previously, the message sent by Great General Ning Ping used a term in the letter - unprecedented.

Great Liang now appeared prosperous, but it could be likened to an island in the middle of a lake. Once the water rises and submerges the island, no matter what astonishing things were built on it, it would not matter.

Li Tang looked at Chen Chao, her gaze deep.

Chen Chao noticed this Mountain Lord Li’s gaze and said helplessly, “Fairy Li Tang, do you really think this is the last time meeting this official? Although when the Northern Frontier Great Wall falls will be the day this official dies for the country, this official does not believe that the Northern Frontier Great Wall will truly fall.”

“The demon race may be strong, but Great Liang is not something that can be kneaded at will.”

Chen Chao smiled. A battle with the demon race was expected, but it was not a matter of simply waiting to be beaten. One had to know that Xie Nandu had always been thinking about a northern expedition to completely wipe out the demon race.

The threat of the demon race was like a sword hanging over the heads of the human race, one that could fall at any time.

At the mountain gate, Li Tang cupped her fists and said, “Then I wish Lord Warden Commander to defeat the demon race and return carrying the Demon Emperor’s head, becoming renowned throughout the world!”

The corners of Chen Chao’s mouth twitched, not knowing for a moment whether Li Tang truly thought so or was joking.

After bidding farewell to Fairy Li Tang, Chen Chao grabbed He Liang by the collar, lifted him, and leaped into the sky, leaving Inviting Moon Mountain.

The two women stood in place looking up. Li Tang could not help but say, “Bearing of a divine man.”

Aunt Gan teased, “Mountain Lord, could it be you have developed some affection for the Lord Warden Commander? If so, I would advise Mountain Lord to give it up early. There are many men in this world one can like, but some people, once liked, are destined to be like drawing water with a bamboo basket. The one in front of you is the latter.”

Li Tang smiled and said, “Aunt Gan’s words make sense.”

Having been drawn into the topic, Aunt Gan could not stop once she started, “The reason this Lord Warden Commander cannot be liked is that his heart is too resolute. In his heart, a woman may carry some weight, or perhaps great weight, but if it is great, then it is only for one person. Since he already likes that Miss Xie, he will not like a second person.”

Li Tang nodded. She understood this point, but she still left behind a sentence that made Aunt Gan somewhat helpless.

“It is just that a man like this, with such bearing, is hard to find a second in the world. When a woman sees him, she may not be lovestruck, but she will certainly remember him deeply. After that, when seeing other men, she will naturally compare. But once compared, is there anyone else in the world who can match him? Since they cannot match him, then she will surely keep thinking of him.”

Li Tang smiled and said, “This is not trapping oneself. It is simply that after seeing the most beautiful flower, when looking at all other flowers in the world, they seem to have no color.”

Aunt Gan opened her mouth, wanting to refute, but no matter what, she could not say anything in rebuttal.

Li Tang then smiled, “Aunt Gan, rest assured. Matters between men and women, to me, are merely something that adds to what is already beautiful. I will not pursue them tirelessly.”

After saying this, Li Tang turned and went up the mountain.

Aunt Gan stood in place, looking at this newly appointed mountain lord, not very old, yet already quite seasoned in her conduct, and remained silent for a long time.

Only after Li Tang’s figure could no longer be seen did Aunt Gan shake her head and say, “To truly become one of the most outstanding women in the world, one must also give up many things. Why go through that trouble?”

......

......

Li Tang, walking along the mountain path, naturally did not hear Aunt Gan’s words. But as if their hearts were connected, she said to herself, “It is not as though all women in the world need to rely on men, or care about those so-called affairs of love between men and women. At the heights of the Great Dao, the scenery is best enjoyed alone.”