Chapter 19

Deep in the hills near the Long River in Jialing Prefecture, inside a mountain stronghold, the bandit leader bowed and scraped before the girl in red sitting in the main hall, his face wreathed in smiles.

He had no choice but to be careful and ingratiating; the girl before him was a ruthless character who had single-handedly stormed his stronghold with a pair of hammers.

Good heavens, the three thousand lackeys had truly been slaughtered through by this young lady all on her own.

Just look at that pair of gilded bronze hammers—they caused injury upon a graze and death upon a touch; who would dare be disrespectful? It was truly hard to fathom how this young lady, who clearly had a slender build, had the strength to swing those two hammers, each weighing over a thousand catties, with such effortless ease.

This girl in red, whom the bandit leader revered as a god, was none other than Ding Yun, daughter of Ding Peng.

Half a year had passed since Ding Peng stretched out his neck for the executioner. It had also been two months since Fang Longye brought these dozens of "dead people," Ding Peng's friends and family, to Jialing Prefecture.

"You only know the locations of these few remnants of Li Hao? Give me a full and honest account, and don't try to pull the wool over my eyes," Ding Yun shouted in a sharp, delicate voice.

"Grandmother, ancestor, it really isn't that I'm holding back out of any sense of camaraderie. Although I once served the Nine Mountain King, I wasn't his direct subordinate, and seven years have passed since his defeat; I truly only know these few," the bandit leader pleaded helplessly.

"Fine, I'll believe you for now. You may go first and help sort out the lackeys under your command."

"Then this subordinate will take his leave."

After the bandit leader left, Ding Yun rubbed her brow and said to Fang Longye, who was sitting to the side in meditation: "Sir, is this really useful? Although I have already captured thirteen bandit strongholds, how long will it take for me to train these people, who don't even count as soldier-ruffians, into an actual army?"

"It has only been two months, what results did you expect?" Fang Longye said with a beaming smile, "Those who accomplish great things must have patience."

"The Nine Mountain King left behind quite a few good things in this southwest region—people, wealth, armor... As long as you can integrate everything he left behind, it will be enough for you to sweep across the southwest."

The Nine Mountain King that Fang Longye spoke of was a rebel king in the southwest whom Ding Yun's father, Ding Peng, had led an army to pacify seven years ago. It was also during that time, while passing through Longyuan Prefecture, that Ding Peng had a brief encounter with Fang Xian, the original owner of this incarnation.

The Nine Mountain King was surnamed Li, given name Hao, courtesy name Anmin; he was originally a scholar from Sanchuan Prefecture, living in wealth, with a bold nature and decisive actions.

Seven years ago, he was prompted by a so-called expert named "Nanshan Weng," who told him he possessed the aura of an emperor, which stirred his ambition, leading him to recruit soldiers and horses and rise up in a single stroke.

He started his uprising in Sanchuan Prefecture and successively attacked Longyuan Prefecture, Jialing Prefecture, and Linchan Prefecture.

Perhaps it was a surge of destiny, but after Li Hao started his uprising, everything went smoothly; he easily seized large swathes of territory in the southwest of the Zhang Kingdom, and after taking the four prefectures, he declared himself king and established a royal title.

His title was: Nine Mountain King! Well, it sounded quite imposing and domineering.

The key was that this title was a standard one for a grassroots king in troubled times, mere cannon fodder paving the way for a True Dragon~

So, in less than a year, he was done for. To be precise, it was seven months.

After all, as the saying goes, even a rotting ship has three pounds of nails left.

The Zhang Kingdom was gradually weakening, beaten by the Cang Kingdom in the north until only half the country remained, and the emperor was muddle-headed and incompetent, obsessed only with pleasure. But even so, besides the elite troops and capable generals on the northern expedition, the Zhang Kingdom still had over a million soldiers suppressing the four corners, barely maintaining its majesty.

Although Li Hao came from a family of local magnates, his personal ability was too poor, wasting that surname and name.

At the time, after being prompted, he thought he had the mandate of heaven and declared himself king directly! If he hadn't declared himself king, it would have been fine; given the nature of the Zhang Kingdom's court, they might have just given him some title like Grand Superintendent of the Four Prefectures and pacified him with an offer of amnesty.

But he declared himself king, and that changed the meaning entirely. No matter how muddle-headed and cowardly the emperor was, he would have reacted immediately.

And so, very quickly, the Zhang Kingdom first gathered two hundred thousand troops to block Li Hao's momentum in attacking the prefectures. Then they directly mobilized the elite troops from the northern front to head south and suppress the rebellion.

Li Hao's uprising was too much of a farce to begin with; apart from a small portion of elites, his other troops were all fence-sitters who had joined halfway, without any reorganization.

As a result, they were routed in a single blow by the suppression army commanded by Ding Peng at the time.

He also died with his heart pierced by stray arrows while fleeing in defeat, leaving behind only the four prefectures in a mess and a million chaotic soldiers.

Ding Peng led border troops and naturally could not stay in the heart of the southwest for long, so the task of cleaning up was handed over to the superintendents of the four prefectures.

But with the rotten state of the Zhang Kingdom's court, which of the superintendents of these four prefectures was diligent and responsible? The fat man Xu Yang, whom Fang Longye had previously used the Soul Searching Technique on, could already be considered the number one "capable official" in this southwest region.

And because of this, after seven years, there was still this "gift package" left by the Nine Mountain King that no one had picked up, allowing the Ding siblings to take advantage of it.

"Do not be impatient in doing things; the Nine Mountain King is a living example. You must learn the lesson. Build high walls, store abundant grain, and claim the title of king slowly," Fang Longye exhorted earnestly.

Fang Longye didn't even know how this Nine Mountain King had managed to rank among scholars before starting his uprising.

Since ancient times, when dynasties struggle for hegemony, the protruding rafters are the first to rot.

And he was something else—not only was he the first to rebel, he even declared himself king!

Declaring himself king would have been one thing, but even if he lacked political wisdom, he was at least a scholar; yet the royal title he chose was "Nine Mountain King," the kind of grassroots title only bandits and robbers would use...

You would have been better off calling yourself the Sanchuan King than the Nine Mountain King.

It really makes one laugh and cry.

I wonder if he had ever heard the saying, "Building a mountain of nine ren, but falling short for the lack of one basket of earth."

Names are not chosen blindly; they often influence a person's fortune.

Just like how Fang Longye died on the street in his previous life; "The dragon fights in the wild, its blood is dark yellow"—a sign of great misfortune.

It was only because he was reborn as a monster in this life, a natural fierce god, that this name happened to coincide with his dragon-descendant destiny, making it a perfect match. Otherwise, the moment he understood this principle, he would have considered changing his name.

"Build high walls, store abundant grain, and claim the title of king slowly?" Ding Yun was thoughtful, and then her eyes became increasingly bright, "These nine words are truly golden advice; the teacher has great talent!"

Fang Longye remained silent and closed his eyes, sinking into his cultivation. Even as an incarnation, as long as he could make progress, he had to be diligent and tireless. After all, the incarnation would one day return to the original body, and these gains would eventually be fed back to the original body, wouldn't they? Seeing this, Ding Yun also stepped out of the hall quietly, ordered the lackeys on duty outside to serve carefully, and turned to leave to handle various matters.

Not long after she left, Fang Longye opened his eyes and smiled helplessly.

His original plan was to support Ding Peng's son in the struggle for the throne, but after these two months, he discovered that Ding Feng had at most average talent, while his sister Ding Yun was the true top-tier talent.

Despite being a woman, she possessed the strength of nine bulls and two tigers, and the courage to stand against ten thousand men. The key was that, unlike ordinary martial generals who relied on their strength and acted violently, she was exceptionally calm and remarkably intelligent.

There were some principles she might not understand, but with a slight hint, she could grasp them and even innovate.

So be it, let's wait and see. At worst, I'll just cultivate a female emperor.

……

Half a year of time passed in a flash. During this period, Ding Yun, with a group of trusted followers, subdued all the bandits and thieves within Jialing Prefecture, and her influence began to infiltrate the other three prefectures.

The remnants of the Nine Mountain King scattered in the mountain forests were cleared out by her one after another, and all kinds of swords, spears, and armor left behind by the former Nine Mountain King were continuously collected. By now, fifty thousand elite soldiers had been selected.

And so, deep in the hills where the four prefectures converged, they selected a mountain peak rarely visited by people and named it Minghe Mountain.

They established a large stronghold, acted in secrecy, and continuously trained while lying in wait.

One day, when the time comes to rise, it will surely be earth-shattering.

This day, it was just after the rain.

Fang Longye came to the back mountain of Minghe to view the scenery and relax.

He saw that the scenery before him was pleasant. The mountain rocks were lush with dark green, and the flowers and leaves were flowing with cinnabar, reflecting and shining.

Behind the cypress trees, moss covered the rocks like green clouds blanketing the earth.

The mountains and rivers looked as if they had been washed clean, and he himself felt as though he had undergone a baptism along with the earlier drizzle, suddenly clear and bright.

At this moment, Fang Longye sensed someone approaching from afar, neither too fast nor too slow.

He turned around to look into the distance, and before long, a young girl appeared beneath a rock that rose up like a lotus flower; her hair was coiled in a cloud bun, her moth-eyebrows were lightly traced, she wore crimson armor, and a precious sword hung at her waist, looking heroic and spirited, her demeanor composed.

It was none other than Ding Yun, who now secretly controlled a faction. As the distance closed, one could see her slender frame clad in armor, her expression calm and unruffled, her beautiful eyes filled with tenacity. There was an inexplicable aura about her as she walked with her sword.

Though she was only fourteen or fifteen years old, she had already shed all artifice, no longer possessing a trace of a young girl's manner; instead, she carried a hint of the bearing of a leader of men.

Before long, she arrived before Fang Longye, stopped, bowed in salute, and smiled brightly: "Sir, I have a gift for you this time."

"Oh? What gift?"

"You will certainly like it, Sir."

A quarter of an hour later, inside the mountain stronghold pavilion, Fang Longye put down the Jade Slip in his hand and sighed: "So that's how it is~"

This Jade Slip belonged to the 'expert' who had previously guided Nine Mountain King; through its contents, Fang Longye finally understood the full story of Nine Mountain King's uprising.

I was wondering why the name Nine Mountain King sounded familiar. This is just like a story from Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio~ This 'expert' who incited Li Hao to rebel and declare himself Nine Mountain King was actually not a human, but a fox demon.

It belonged to the descendants of a fox king among the many great demons that Qingshe had cleared out back then.

After luckily escaping, it cultivated for many years and achieved some success. But it dared not stay in the Ten Thousand Mountains, so it brought its whole family to live in a place inhabited by humans.

Back then, this fox demon transformed into human form and came to Sanchuan Prefecture to settle down, giving Li Hao a hundred taels of gold and silver to rent the Li family's abandoned residence.

Unexpectedly, Li Hao saw through the ruse, bought sulfur and other flammable materials, and burned a hundred foxes to death with fire, wiping out the fox demon's entire family.

To be honest, what Li Hao did was truly unrighteous. Even though the fox demon was a monster, it had not harmed anyone and had even brought real gold and silver to rent your residence. Why go as far as to exterminate them? Truly, the fox had no intention to harm humans, but the human had a heart to harm the fox.

What is called the sinister nature of the human heart is nothing more than this.

The fox demon took the alias "Nanshan Weng" and incited Li Hao to rebel, all to avenge its entire family.

After all, at that time, the Zhang Kingdom's National Fortune and Dragon Qi were still decent; as a scholar, Li Hao was protected by the Dragon Qi, and if a small fox demon at the Chengdan Realm had acted personally, it would have suffered a backlash from the Dragon Qi and been severely injured when Li Hao was at death's door.

At that time, living in a place inhabited by humans, it would certainly have been difficult to preserve its life.

Unfortunately, although it successfully took revenge by cleverly utilizing the change of the Human Dao, the fox demon eventually gave birth to an inner demon because its family had been slaughtered, and it died after failing to break through to the Primordial Spirit. Before dying, it recorded the Jade Slip to gift to a later arrival.

"Did you discover these in a secret treasury left behind by Nine Mountain King?" Fang Longye asked Ding Yun.

"That is correct, Sir. This secret treasury has countless weapons, armor, and crossbows, as well as many spiritual materials and divine irons; this Jade Slip and the Dharma Artifact were right beside the corpse of 'Nanshan Weng'," replied Ding Yun, who had been sitting quietly to the side, respectfully.

"I suppose after Li Hao was defeated and died, it hid in this secret treasury to cultivate. I just didn't expect the legendary 'Nanshan Weng' to actually be a fox demon, and to have such a grudge with Nine Mountain King." Clearly, she had already read the contents of the Jade Slip.

Reading a Jade Slip is not limited to the method of divine sense probing; mortals can also read this type of Jade Slip that lacks a 'password'.

One only needs to press the Jade Slip to the center of the brow, then close one's eyes and concentrate. The information recorded within the Jade Slip will be transmitted into the person's mind in waves.

Fang Longye did not care, only looking at the fortune manifesting as a flood-dragon-snake above Ding Yun's head, and said with satisfaction: "You have done well over these past six months."

Ding Yun shook her head and said: "If it weren't for you, Sir, taking control of the Jialing Prefecture Superintendent, I would not have been able to solve the problem of grain and fodder alone."

Fang Longye waved his hand and said: "A clever housewife cannot cook without rice; this is not a matter of your ability."

"Go and handle your affairs first, and come see me at the Hour of the Rooster. By the way, bring your younger brother along then. I have things to discuss with you both." He had finally made up his mind and confirmed the target for his dragon-supporting plan.

Upon hearing this, Ding Yun's eyes flickered; she then bowed respectfully and rose to take her leave.

After she left, Fang Longye looked at the various items left behind by the fox demon and sighed: "It's a pity that most of these are of no use to me. They just gave me two more divine abilities, and they are even chicken ribs at that: Moving Objects and Moving Scenery."

"This string of Millennium Clam Pearls, however, is somewhat interesting." Fang Longye reached out and summoned the string of bright pearls in front of him into his hand.

There were 31 of them in total, each the size of a fist, glowing with bright moonlight. As he channeled his Dharma power into them, they shone brilliantly.

"A fine prototype of a natural Dharma Artifact. Although I already have corresponding ideas for refining them, for now, I must prioritize increasing my cultivation realm." Fang Longye shook his head and stored them in his Storage Bag, intending to hand them over to his main body later.

A "prototype of a natural Dharma Artifact" refers to spiritual materials that, due to their material, shape, or innate spirituality, do not require fire or water refining to change their form, and can have Restrictions added to them directly to be forged into various Dharma Artifacts.

Similar to the clam pearls are things like Turtle Shells, which naturally possess Dao Patterns and are excellent materials for artifact refining.

Or, for example, the Storage Bag that Fang Longye is currently using, which relies on the miraculous properties inherent in the stomachs and furs of certain demon beasts to be refined.

Uh, to give an example, it would be snake skin or python skin that can easily swallow prey much larger than itself~

After all, the Pot Heaven Technique is not some common, worthless divine ability. As for opening a Mustard Space without relying on divine abilities or spiritual materials, one must at least wait until after becoming an immortal to do so.

He put the remaining spiritual materials into his pocket, closed his eyes to rest, and waited for the showdown that would come before long.

New author, new book; the daily release time for chapters currently varies as I am still adjusting. Once the state is smoothed out later, the daily release time for chapters will likely be fixed. If there is any inconvenience, please forgive me!

(End of this chapter)