Chapter 638: Changes

Inside the dimly lit cave, Li Huowang, whose body was scorched black, frowned slightly as he looked at the black-armored man in front of him, named You Zixiong. From their earlier conversation, he had roughly understood the man's background.

This man was a military strategist from Four Qi. With the imperial court of Four Qi gone, he was like rootless duckweed, likely having come to Great Liang with the Imperial Advisor. Li Huowang had also clarified his relationship with An Ci Temple. They had merely met halfway when You Zixiong, lacking provisions at the front, traded his sword for silver with the abbesses. Moreover, this silver was the spoils from the bandits he had killed on Reed Island. At that time, he had used that silver to get Abbess Jingxin to deal with Danyangzi, who was bothering him. The abbess had then used this silver to buy You Zixiong's sword, which she ultimately gave to him for self-defense on his journey, for his own safety.

It had come full circle, returning to the starting point; it seemed everything was predetermined. As he listened to You Zixiong's account, distant memories gradually surfaced in Li Huowang's mind, making his expression complicated and filling him with a mix of emotions.

After a moment, Li Huowang looked again at the silent You Zixiong. "Then you don't know why the abbesses of An Ci Temple died either?"

You Zixiong gently shook his head. "After I traded the Qin'a Sword for silver, I returned to camp. I never left camp again after that, so how could I know what happened in the rear?"

"Later, the natural disaster ended, and Four Qi and Later Shu began fighting again. And then..." As he said this, a trace of pain appeared on You Zixiong's face. "After that, Four Qi was destroyed. I originally wanted to fight to the death and take down as many as I could with me, but the Lord of the Directorate of Astronomy said, 'where there is life, there is hope.' So, those of us surviving military strategists and officials from the Directorate of Astronomy could only follow him all the way to Great Liang."

"The military strategists of Later Shu are actually that powerful? They actually occupied Four Qi?"

"Nonsense!" You Zixiong, hearing this, appeared exceptionally furious. "Those corrupt officials! It's because they sold out our officers and soldiers on the front lines! They wouldn't supply grain when asked, nor silver when needed! A bunch of good-for-nothings! They forced us to fight desperately against the barbarians of Later Shu, short on food and clothing! And they! In the end, they actually collaborated with the eunuchs in the palace, conspiring internally and externally to sell the entire imperial court to the Dharma Sect!"

"What?!" The moment he heard this, Li Huowang's pupils contracted sharply. "What did you say? Four Qi was destroyed because of the Dharma Sect?"

"Of course! Otherwise, do you really think the barbarians of Later Shu could cross the border? Even without grain or silver, as long as one of us from the You family was alive, they would never get through!" After angrily saying this, You Zixiong sighed deeply. "If Later Shu truly had the capability to occupy Four Qi, then our You family would admit defeat. But it was the Dharma Sect that ultimately snatched the prize. The thought of it just infuriates me!"

The clatter of chains resounded as the four *modao* blades on You Zixiong's back began to spin. As he suddenly turned and swung vigorously, the four *modao* flew out, directly dismembering the Dharma Sect corpses nearby.

"No, no, no, wait a moment." Li Huowang, with a very serious expression, walked up to You Zixiong. He said to him very earnestly, "I need to confirm something first. Was Four Qi truly destroyed by the Dharma Sect? In other words, is all of Four Qi now under the control of that Dharma Sect that worships the natural disaster?"

"Naturally," You Zixiong replied. "If it were just an ordinary change of dynasty, why would the Lord of the Directorate of Astronomy have brought us all the way to Liang?"

You Zixiong's words stunned Li Huowang on the spot. He had originally thought that the Dharma Sect, or the one from Great Qi, was just a minor inconvenience. He believed that as long as Gao Zhijian, the current emperor, wasn't foolish, and the strong military strategists cooperated with the Directorate of Astronomy and himself, given a little time, they could definitely resolve this issue. It was far from a matter of life or death. However, the news that the entire state of Four Qi had been occupied by the Dharma Sect hit Li Huowang like a thunderbolt.

This was no ordinary matter. This was the Dharma Sect, the one that could turn ordinary common people into monsters who feared neither life nor death! Now, probably eight or nine out of ten of Four Qi's populace had become Dharma Sect believers. Great Qi's experience had already proven to him the terror of the Dharma Sect once it gained momentum. Li Huowang instantly felt a mountain-like pressure weighing down on him.

If Four Qi was occupied by the Dharma Sect, it would undoubtedly spread its influence outwards. After Four Qi came Later Shu, and after Later Shu came Qingqiu. If the Dharma Sect truly managed to occupy Qingqiu as well, then what would appear before Great Liang would be an extraordinarily terrifying behemoth.

At this moment, Li Huowang no longer cared about chasing after Xuniang, who had just escaped. He hurriedly left the cave.

After Li Huowang left, the bearded man nearby said to You Zixiong, "Control your temper. That man looks like he's not to be trifled with."

"Do you think I still fear death now? If I had been defending the border then, I should have died there!" You Zixiong reverted to his despondent state, walking lifelessly out of the cave. "With the Four Qi imperial court gone, what's the point of us Four Qi military strategists living? Now I'm barely clinging to life, only to eradicate all Dharma Sect followers in the world!"

The iron-plated carriage wheels rolled slowly forward. Yang Xiaohai, holding the reins, looked nervously at the dense footprints on the main road beside them. "Oh my heavens," he murmured. "Why are there soldiers running around everywhere? Is there going to be a war?"

"Pah, pah, pah, husband, don't talk nonsense," a voice from inside the carriage replied. "Why would there be a war all of a sudden?"

Listening to the voice from inside the carriage, Yang Xiaohai no longer paid attention to the footprints. He concentrated on driving the carriage, occasionally taking out a sheepskin map to carefully identify their current direction.

"Xiumei, how much grain do we have left in the carriage?" Yang Xiaohai asked his wife. "We're almost at Qingqiu. That place is sparsely populated, so it'll be hard to buy grain on the way."

"Enough to eat. We still have several hundred *jin* of grain," she replied. "That's enough for the two of us for quite a few days. Oh, what should we eat later?"

Zhao Xiumei felt that marrying a cook was the best decision of her life. Even when enduring rough conditions outdoors, Yang Xiaohai could always come up with varied and delightful meals.

"What to eat?" Yang Xiaohai pondered. Just then, he saw a roadside stall set up in the distance. After carefully discerning the characters on it, he said, "We'll have spicy wontons."

When the carriage stopped by the stall, Yang Xiaohai saw that the seats were almost all taken. He quickly pulled his wife to claim a spot. "Master, please give us one *jin* of wontons, served in two bowls!"

"Alright! Find a seat! It'll be ready soon!"

This place was not remote. Inside the shed, Yang Xiaohai saw traveling peddlers, scholars on long journeys, and a monkey trainer. Three monkeys, chained to the ground, were smearing chili oil with their fingers and putting it into their mouths. These people were stuffing wontons into their mouths, and the aroma of spicy oil wafted over from them, making Yang Xiaohai and his hungry wife continuously swallow their saliva.