Chapter 323: Blood Spirit Array

Shu is rich in heroes and outlaws.

It means the people of Shu's underworld would risk their lives for righteousness.

This Chen Ming was a famous wandering hero of Shu; in a land teeming with sword immortals, his bamboo pole made him seem utterly out of place.

Yet it was precisely this man who used a bamboo pole to beat others who enjoyed an excellent reputation in Shu.

He even earned the mighty nickname "One Shoulder Carries the Sun and Moon."

"Rank 471 on the National Martial Arts List."

Li Rui was startled.

Chen Ming ranked higher than Jiang Lin in this year's National Martial Arts List; his strength was unquestionable, and the spectacle just now proved it.

To make a name for oneself in Shu, one must not only be willing to die, but also know how to survive.

Otherwise, one's methods would not match one's heroic spirit, and one would have died long ago.

Chen Ming's small boat remained perfectly still as his bamboo pole propped up the large ship, lifting it five feet into the air.

It defied the laws of heaven and earth.

"Give him a fulcrum, and he could lift the entire Earth?"

Li Rui recalled something a great master from his past life had said.

Chen Ming achieved this through his immensely thick true qi—he had enveloped the small boat beneath his feet with true qi, keeping it from sinking.

Under such circumstances, he could still indulge in idle thoughts.

Of course, because he knew exactly what he was doing.

Chen Ming daringly announcing his name proved nothing would happen today; if he had truly come to kill, he would have slipped aboard in black robes and struck immediately, not staged this display.

Soon.

He Qianian and Nie Siming both appeared on the deck.

He Qianian let out a cold snort.

"Down!"

The massive ship crashed down, splashing back into the river, swaying violently.

Look again at the river—where was the "One Shoulder Carries the Sun and Moon"? Chen Ming had already vanished into the distance.

Only the people on the ship stared at each other in silence.

That's it?

Such a grand display, only to lift a ship and leave—somewhat anticlimactic.

At that moment,

the third princess of Wu Kingdom, veiled in a light gauze, was escorted by several Wu maids onto the deck: "No need to panic, gentlemen. Chen Ming came for me."

Nie Siming frowned slightly:

"Princess, what do you mean?"

Xia Yun spoke slowly: "Chen Ming had a close friend who once served as a blade-wielder in Wu Kingdom. I was his employer; he died carrying out one of my missions. I heard Chen Ming traveled ten thousand miles to slay the man responsible. Today's arrival was surely to avenge his friend."

Nie Siming fell silent.

If this happened elsewhere, it would seem insane.

But in Shu, it made perfect sense—utterly normal.

After all, Shu has produced countless fanatics who traveled ten thousand miles, spent their entire lives, just to keep a promise.

Otherwise, "Shu is rich in heroes and outlaws" would be nothing but a joke.

Compared to that, Chen Ming's actions today were already restrained.

Nie Siming had only heard of such things—he came from the military, always a pragmatist, and had always sneered at such chivalric acts.

He impatiently told Li Rui:

"If such a person comes again next time, shoot him outright."

Li Rui nodded: "Yes."

He had not acted immediately just now because he had already recognized Chen Ming's identity, hence his calmness.

Unlike Nie Siming,

he would never do such a thing himself, but he could still admire it.

The underworld is precisely because of these wandering heroes that it is so vibrant.

Li Rui felt this journey out of Qinghe had already been worth it.

Where in Qinghe could one witness such heroic spectacle?

Purely for the sake of broadening one's horizons.

At the other end,

by the Chijiang River, in the woods.

"Elder, shall we still act?"

A young man in black robes gazed at the middle-aged man with a hawk-like nose.

These two were underlings of the Blood Shadow Ancestor of the Ghost Ming Sect.

They had been sent by their Ancestor to investigate.

The Ancestor intended to disrupt the marriage alliance between Yu and Wu Kingdoms—ideally by killing the Wu third princess outright.

To this end, the Ancestor himself had transformed an entire band of river pirates into blood corpses and set up the Blood Spirit Array beneath the Chijiang.

They had disguised themselves as pirates, fooling the imperial troops sent to search.

They had been lying in wait here all along.

But just as they were about to strike, Chen Ming, the "One Shoulder Carries the Sun and Moon," appeared, catching them off guard.

They could not tell whether Chen Ming had come to sabotage their plan.

The hawk-nosed man narrowed his eyes, pondering long.

Finally, he gritted his teeth:

"Plan unchanged. Continue preparations. Act tonight."

"Everyone in Shu is mad. Chen Ming's grudge with the Wu princess won't interfere with our mission."

Then, hesitating slightly, he added: "Send someone to shadow him."

The young man beside him nodded and promptly flattered:

"Elder, your wisdom is unmatched."

They had heard Chen Ming's words from afar—such a commotion could not possibly be a gift-giving gesture; it was clearly meant to provoke the Wu princess.

There must be a grudge between them.

Otherwise, even if Chen Ming was one of Shu's madmen, he wouldn't risk offending the imperial court like this.

Of course,

Chen Ming's actions had already been insane enough.

But because of his Shu origins, they now seemed reasonable.

The young man turned and left.

The hawk-nosed man stared at the large ship on the river, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.

He understood perfectly why the Blood Shadow Ancestor cared so deeply about this marriage alliance—why he had dared to come to Yunzhou, risking discovery by the Military Saint.

The Ghost Ming Sect had now merged with the Qi clan of the Southern Frontier. Most of their top experts had moved south.

All to restore the former glory of Great Xuan—who could have imagined that Great Xuan, dead for a thousand years, was truly about to be reborn?

This kept many in the Ghost Ming Sect awake all night.

The Ghost Ming Sect's Qi clan and the Southern Frontier's Qi clan were originally the same lineage; now sharing the same goal, the Ghost Ming Sect members, upon hearing it concerned restoration of the empire, worked even harder, even willing to die for it.

As always:

Who would choose to be a cultist when one could be a rightful imperial family?

If this marriage alliance truly succeeded, and the new imperial princess consort moved freely in the capital, she might actually persuade the Yu Sovereign to send troops and join forces with the Wu royal court to suppress us.

"Since you won't let us live, then you shall die."

The hawk-nosed man's eyes burned with murderous intent.

He already imagined the third princess's corpse lying in a pool of blood.

No error in any single word or detail!

Chijiang River, large ship, deck.

Dusk.

The crimson sunset bathed the Chijiang in red—this was the origin of its name.

Li Rui stood on the deck.

At that moment,

a Wu maid approached: "Lord Li, the princess requests your presence in her chamber."

Li Rui nodded.

He was not surprised.

Had it not been for Chen Ming's sudden appearance, the third princess would have summoned him long ago.

After tonight, the ship will dock.

Then he will return to Qinghe, and matters with the princess must be settled.

Immediately, he followed the maid into an extravagantly decorated chamber, filled with gold and silver, even the screens made of finest brocade, worth a thousand gold.

In the room, a stunningly beautiful woman with delicate features, dressed in a red robe embroidered with gold thread and a pearl pendant on her forehead, was being attended by several maids.

Li Rui bowed deeply.

"Princess Xia."

Seeing Xia Yun again, she was utterly transformed from the night he had met her in the Anning Guard commander's residence.

She was truly radiant, breathtakingly beautiful.

Clearly, Xia Yun had used some form of disguise technique.

Xia Yun smiled faintly: "Commander Li, my sudden visit that night was most impolite—I offer my apologies."

Li Rui raised an eyebrow slightly.

The Third Princess of Wu State was apologizing to him, a mere fifth-rank old man.

How novel.

Yet the more warmly she behaved, the more cautious he became.

Xia Yun looked at Li Rui with sincere eyes: "Commander Li, you possess great talent—why not join me in the capital and unleash your abilities?"

Li Rui remained unmoved, his stance sharply different from his usual calm, detached demeanor—he firmly shook his head:

"Thank you, Princess, for your kindness."

"I, Li, am unworthy."

Hearing this, Xia Yun sighed softly. Though she had suspected as much, his refusal still brought disappointment, and she realized recruiting Li Rui was likely hopeless.

She was the Third Princess of Wu State, beloved beyond measure, the elder sister of the new emperor, her status and rank exalted beyond compare.

Yet her circumstances were far from what others imagined.

Otherwise, she would not have volunteered to come to Yu State for a marriage alliance.

Her goal was plain to see: to persuade the Yu Emperor to send troops. But precisely because everyone knew her aim, the task grew even harder.

The Yu Emperor was no fool, and every official in court was sharp as a razor—her royal title held little weight within the capital.

So she needed an ally.

The powerful figures in court would not easily take sides; thus, the best course was to cultivate one of her own.

The war in Wu State would not end in a few years, so she had patience.

Xia Yun did not grow angry or humiliated by his refusal; she kept smiling:

"It's fine. Since Commander Li does not wish to, I shall not force you. Rest assured, no one else will learn of this."

Seeing how straightforward Xia Yun was,

Li Rui no longer hesitated—he bowed and said: "Then this old man thanks the Third Princess."

Just as he turned to leave,

A terrified, distorted scream came from the deck:

"Stop them!"

"They're coming up!"

The great ship, which had been cutting through the river, now stood motionless at the center of Chijiang—the river's surface boiled like scalding water.

Even stranger,

A ten-zhang radius around the ship turned a deep, solid red.

Under the moonlight, it looked profoundly unnatural.

Soldiers of the Anning Guard stood clustered on the deck, their eyes filled with terror.

They saw:

Corpses, rotted to the point of bloating, rose from the depths of Chijiang and crawled onto the deck.

"Shoot!"

Ning Zhongtian, the night watch commander, gave the order without hesitation.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

This time, the Anning Guard wielded powerful crossbows—arrows rained down, striking the monstrous figures.

The monsters were pierced and dragged back into the river by the force.

But soon, they rose again from the water, climbing back toward the ship.

Undead bodies!

Seeing this, the Anning Guard soldiers could no longer remain calm—they had never witnessed such terrifying sorcery.

Soon,

The monsters leapt onto the deck, and chaos erupted.

Nie Siming heard the commotion and stepped out of his room.

He stared at the monsters.

His face turned grim.

Slowly, between clenched teeth, he uttered four words:

"Blood Spirit Array!"

(End of Chapter)