Chapter 1969: Intervention

The Emperor was gravely ill. All factions were preoccupied with vying for the throne. Unexpectedly, the turning point originated from outside.

*Smash!*

Yulang's hand trembled, and the teacup slipped, shattering into pieces on the floor. Ignoring the tea splattered on his clothes, Yulang stared intently at the names on the urgent dispatch: Qifu, Cizhen, Zhongning... Without exception, these were all prefectural cities in Luzhou. The Great Liang Nation's main target for this attack was Luzhou! And the prefect of Zhongning in Luzhou was none other than Chen Zhenqing, Master Chen!

Unlike the cultivation world, where communication talismans and spells transmit news instantly, battlefield reports in the mortal realm were delayed. When the Great Liang Nation invaded, several prefectures almost immediately became isolated cities. By the time the news was sent out and reached the capital, several days had passed. No one knew if Luzhou's imperial army could withstand this surprise attack, or what the situation was like in the cities now!

Within the Yan Nation, there were four provinces bordering the Great Liang Nation. Among these four provinces, Luzhou, though having experienced several wars, was not strategically the most vital. Normally, if the Great Liang Nation invaded Yan, Luzhou wouldn't be the first choice. Precisely for this reason, the Yan Nation had not deployed the most troops in Luzhou. The Crown Prince, after all, was not the Emperor, and interfering with military authority was a grave taboo. Yulang could, at most, discreetly arrange for more guards to be sent to Zhongning.

The Great Liang Nation's sudden assault on Luzhou had occurred without the slightest warning. Even Yulang, who was close to the central government, had seen no related intelligence, indicating how covert this attack was. Caught completely off guard, how long could Luzhou hold out? How long could Zhongning Prefecture hold out?!

*Creak!*

A woman in an egret-yellow brocade gown pushed open the door and entered, carrying a soup bowl. The woman was beautiful, with graceful manners and a gentle expression. She was Yulang's lawfully wedded wife, the daughter of the Minister of Rites, Mu Yunwan.

"Husband, please drink your ginseng soup," Mu Yunwan said softly, glancing at the porcelain shards on the floor as she set down the soup bowl. Just then, she met Yulang's gaze, and her heart clenched. What kind of look was that? Perplexed, helpless, panicked, terrified... In the court, no matter how dangerous the situation, her husband had always been composed. She had never seen such an expression on him before.

"What happened?" Mu Yunwan extended her soft hand and gently held Yulang's, trying to soothe him with her tenderness.

Yulang seemed to snap out of a trance. "Is the messenger still outside?"

Mu Yunwan hummed in affirmation.

Yulang abruptly stood up, swiftly shed his official robes, and pushed open the back window. Instead of using the main door, he prepared to climb out. Just as he was about to climb out, Yulang seemed to remember something. He turned his head and instructed, "When Tao Teng arrives, tell him to wait for me in the study. I'll go to the East Palace after I return!" Even without using spiritual energy, Yulang was a true master of innate skill, and his qinggong was superb. He swiftly left a message, then, like a nimble cat, he vanished into the darkness.

Mu Yunwan stood by the window, clutching the window frame tightly, gazing into the dark night, her face filled with worry.

***

By Yuyao Lake, at Qingyang Teahouse.

Yulang left the Qin Manor and rushed here without delay, using qinggong the entire way. The urgent letter lay before Xiao Wu. Unlike Yulang's panic, Xiao Wu remained silent for a moment before saying, "Master won't leave."

Yulang understood his senior sister's meaning. He replied, as if comforting himself, "Zhongning Prefecture is a prefectural city; even if besieged by the enemy, it shouldn't fall so quickly..." However, they both knew that the Great Liang Nation's sudden border invasion must have been long premeditated, aiming to strike decisively and seize the maximum advantage! On the border, apart from a few major strategic passes, the so-called prefectural cities were often nominal, some even rebuilt on the ruins of older towns, with city walls probably only slightly stronger than those of ordinary county towns.

Yulang's voice was strained. "Master has a protective talisman."

"Master won't leave!" Xiao Wu repeated.

The protective talismans they had given Master were merely for warding off accidents and resisting cultivators' spells. They could forge better talismans, but spirits and deities would not permit it. Once surrounded by an army and under attack by blades, a protective talisman would be useless. Moreover, given Chen Zhenqing's character, he would surely choose to live or die with the common people!

"I'll go to Zhongning Prefecture!" Xiao Wu touched her brow, and a flash of spiritual light erupted with a *bang*. A complex rune appeared, then instantly shattered, as if breaking a seal. Xiao Wu's cultivation was fully restored! The next moment, Xiao Wu vanished from where she stood.

***

*Splash, splash...*

The lake water rippled, and the sounds of the night water were exceptionally clear, reaching into the Qingyang Teahouse. No candles were lit in the room. After Xiao Wu left, Yulang sat alone in the darkness. At this critical juncture, with the political landscape shifting dramatically, he remained there for a long time. His senior sister had gone to Zhongning Prefecture to save someone. Cultivators interfering in the mortal realm was precisely what he had most detested before. Yet now, he could not, dared not, stop her. Regardless, he couldn't stand by and watch Master Chen die. Even if he knew clearly that if Master Chen insisted on staying and perishing with Zhongning Prefecture, his senior sister would definitely intervene to force the Great Liang army to retreat. The mortal realm's situation, the fates of countless people, would change because of his senior sister alone.

Yulang slowly bent over, burying his head in his hands. A breeze drifted in. A figure appeared beside him; it was the young man named Shi. Not only did Yulang not stop his senior sister from saving someone, but he had also made two sets of preparations. If his senior sister couldn't break the seal, he would ask Brother Shi to go to Zhongning Prefecture.

After understanding the circumstances, the young man named Shi sighed softly, patting Yulang's shoulder. "Still can't figure it out? Heh, you'll learn in time that there are many things in this world you won't be able to comprehend! You should go back! If Master Chen dies on the battlefield, it will be a worthy death. If you ask, I can slaughter the entire Great Liang army for you, but then your venture into the mortal world would have been meaningless. I believe that Master Chen, with his spirit in the afterlife, would rather see you assist the Crown Prince in ascending the throne, strengthen the Yan Nation, and honorably defeat the Great Liang Nation to avenge him!"

***

The official road was packed with refugees. The night was exceptionally dark today. The common people were exhausted, weakly pushing forward. As long as they had an ounce of strength, they dared not stop; the enemy army was right behind them. They could only flee, escape towards the interior.

Xiao Wu flew through the sky, her gaze sweeping over the ground. Upon entering Luzhou, she followed the official road leading to Zhongning Prefecture. If Chen Zhenqing's family had escaped from Zhongning, they would surely have taken this route. At this moment, a familiar aura finally appeared within her spiritual perception. Xiao Wu immediately descended.

By the roadside, a carriage was moving slowly. The carriage didn't appear luxurious, and the driver was a burly man with fierce eyes, clearly not someone to be trifled with. Inside the carriage sat a mother and daughter. The daughter was nestled in her mother's arms, asleep. The mother held her daughter, her face pale, tear-streaked. Her body swayed with the carriage's bumps as she stared blankly into the darkness ahead, her eyes unfocused. This mother and daughter were precisely Chen Zhenqing's wife, Madame Chen Liu, and their daughter.

"Master's wife!"

Madame Chen Liu, who hadn't noticed Xiao Wu's sudden appearance, was startled by the call. Her eyes darted about before she came to her senses. A faint light glowed inside the carriage. Recognizing Xiao Wu, Madame Chen Liu was filled with surprise. "Xiao Wu, why are you here?"

"Master's wife, did Master not leave the city with you?" Xiao Wu had a premonition, but facing the reality, her heart still felt incredibly heavy.

"He found an opportunity to send us out of the city, but he himself refused to leave, vowing to share life and death with the people in the city!" Madame Chen Liu clutched her daughter tightly, unable to stop her tears. Her voice was filled with sorrow, yet also a hint of strength and pride. "He did it. He fulfilled his vow from back then!"

Xiao Wu fell silent, looking towards Zhongning Prefecture. Master Chen's declaration of his aspirations, made after drinking at Qingyang Temple years ago, was vivid in her memory!

Madame Chen Liu recalled something, reaching into her embrace and trembling as she pulled out a letter. Having fled through hardship and suffering, this letter was preserved perfectly, without a single crease. "This is what Zhenqing left for you."

Xiao Wu took it and opened the letter, finding only eight characters written on it: "To die with the people, to die without regret!" The ink was somewhat smudged, clearly folded away in haste before it had dried. Yet, from the strong, resolute strokes, one could feel a powerful conviction and determination.

"Xiao Wu..." Madame Chen Liu asked hesitantly, "Are you... perhaps, not ordinary people?" Xiao Wu was far away in the capital, yet she had suddenly appeared here. Even on the fastest steed, such speed would be impossible. Back in Seven Rows Village, the couple had already recognized that Daoist Qingfeng possessed an extraordinary demeanor, an exceptional recluse, and that his two disciples were also outstanding individuals. However, Madame Chen Liu didn't know *how* extraordinary they truly were. Seeing Xiao Wu nod in affirmation, Madame Chen Liu's eyes gradually lit up. "Could you..."

"I'm going to Zhongning Prefecture now!" Xiao Wu left a protective spell on the carriage and then continued to fly towards Zhongning Prefecture. With her cultivation, she could reach Zhongning Prefecture in an instant from here. Yet, she slowed her pace, as if hesitating, afraid to approach the prefectural city.

Darkness enveloped the land. Xiao Wu flew alone, her speed reduced to that of a bird. Finally, she saw Zhongning Prefectural City. She remembered that when she came years ago, Zhongning Prefecture had recuperated for many years, gradually recovering its vitality, showing signs of prosperity. Now, within the prefectural city, countless torches illuminated the night sky, also revealing the broken walls, ruined buildings, and mountains of corpses and rivers of blood!

Xiao Wu landed on a hilltop outside the city. She stood there, silently gazing at the prefectural city. She gripped the letter left by Master tightly. The paper, fine Xuan paper from the Yan Nation, rustled in the night wind, like a white butterfly fluttering up and down. Xiao Wu stood motionless, like a statue. Within the city, Master's aura was present, but it had already lost its vitality. She was too late!

Anger, sorrow, regret, self-reproach, grief... Xiao Wu couldn't distinguish how many emotions she felt; it was too complex, more complicated than when she was betrayed by Meng Yusu years ago. She didn't dare enter the city to face it. What should she do now? Avenge him? Xiao Wu felt somewhat bewildered, looking at the eight characters in her hand. She could easily slaughter the entire Great Liang army, but what would that achieve? This was a conflict between two mortal nations. If she insisted on finding a culprit, everyone from the monarch down to the common soldiers could be considered one, but no one had a personal grudge against Master Chen. Moreover, Master Chen had the chance to leave but chose to give it up, calmly embracing death. He died for his nation, died for his people, declaring himself to die without regret!

*Rustle, rustle, rustle...* The night wind grew fiercer.

"Master, what should I do?" Xiao Wu stared blankly at the deep night sky, then finally moved, stepping down the mountain. She didn't use any evasion spells, merely concealed her tracks, walking step by step towards the city.

The city gates were broken, and the Great Liang soldiers had no intention of repairing them, not planning to stay here permanently. Along both sides of the main road, bodies were dragged to the roadside, piled together, blood flowing like a river. Xiao Wu walked along the bloody path towards the prefectural yamen. The city was exceptionally noisy. Great Liang soldiers and generals were celebrating their victory amidst mountains of corpses and rivers of blood. Xiao Wu's eyes were vacant; she seemed not to hear these sounds, arriving unconsciously before the prefectural yamen.

One of the yamen's main gates was also broken. The guards at the entrance didn't notice a woman brush past them and enter. In the main hall of the prefectural yamen, a large sand table was now set up, showing the entire terrain of Luzhou at a glance. There was only one person in the hall: the Great Liang general leading this army. He held a candle, meticulously examining the sand table, engrossed in strategizing the war.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps sounded outside. Someone reported from outside the door, "Reporting to the General, the identities of those bodies have been confirmed."

The general straightened up, his voice deep. "Are you certain it's truly the Prefect of Zhongning, not a substitute?"

The voice from outside replied, "It is his true body! This man is named Chen Zhenqing, and he holds great prestige in Luzhou! Sir Zuo asks if we should take the bodies with us, or perhaps cut off their heads and hang them at the camp gates; this would surely severely damage the enemy's morale!"

"Even I, in Great Liang, have heard of Chen Zhenqing. He truly loved his people as his own children. During the previous siege, there were oversights, and many high-ranking officials and nobles fled, yet this man, as the chief official, actually stayed behind and died fighting alongside his soldiers. It seems the rumors were not false! Such a virtuous and worthy man, whose integrity remains even after death, how can anyone permit him to be insulted!" The general was silent for a moment, then said in a deep voice, "Bury him with dignity. Let him rest in peace!"

"Understood!" The person outside acknowledged the order and departed.

***

The Tomb of Chen Zhenqing, Prefect of Zhongning Prefecture, Luzhou, Yan Nation.

Xiao Wu stood before the tomb, looking at the grave erected for Master Chen by the Great Liang soldiers and generals. She had observed the entire process, only revealing herself after the soldiers had left. After a long period of mourning, Xiao Wu paid her respects to Master Chen, and the fingers that had tightly gripped the letter gradually relaxed. Finally, she meticulously folded the letter, carefully put it away, and then walked out of Zhongning Prefectural City. Perhaps leaving Master Chen forever in this land was his best resting place.

Xiao Wu found Master's wife and used a spell to bring them back to Seven Rows Village, where she settled them. She stood at the foot of the mountain, gazing at Qingyang Temple on the peak. She hesitated, but ultimately did not go up the mountain, instead riding a cloud away.

Above the white clouds, Xiao Wu looked at the vast land, her eyes still somewhat bewildered and lost, unsure if what she had done was right or wrong. Her flight had lost its direction. She didn't even notice that she had deviated from the direction of the capital, flying to an unknown place. Suddenly, Xiao Wu's eyes moved. She looked dully into the distance, and finally, a ripple appeared in her gaze.

*Whoosh!*

Instantly soaring over multiple mountain ranges, Xiao Wu appeared above a mountain hollow. A moment later, a white shadow suddenly leaped out of the hollow, darting into Xiao Wu's arms, emitting cries of familiarity and surprise.

"Ying ying..." It was a white fox.

***

Before she knew it, another Chinese New Year had arrived. Wishing all my readers a Happy New Year, great fortune in the Year of the Dragon, and may you soar through the nine heavens!

I will also take three days off to rest and spend quality time with my family.