[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-if-you-will-not-reject-me-i-wish-to-bow-and-take":3,"chapter-if-you-will-not-reject-me-i-wish-to-bow-and-take-if-you-will-not-reject-me-i-wish-to-bow-and-take-chapter-96":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","If You Will Not Reject Me, I Wish to Bow and Take You as My Adoptive Father",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2276823,4454,"Chapter 96: Lady Huo (Bonus Chapter for Patron","if-you-will-not-reject-me-i-wish-to-bow-and-take-chapter-96",96,"\u003Cp>Shu Kingdom cavalry cleared the way for the Fire Crow Army, escorting Marquis Lieyang from west to east, crossing through Tianmen Town.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Passersby on the roadside, not given any special instruction from the “Shangguan,” still prostrated themselves toward Marquis Lieyang, some shouting, “May the Great Nation’s Military Marquis have a safe journey,” others weeping and crying, “Great Nation’s Lord, do not leave us,” some calling out, “Divine General, bless my son to cultivate inner Qi and pass the martial examinations,” or “Divine General, grant your blessing so I may prosper this year and wed Jin Lian of the Hongxiu Brothel,” while young women shouted, “Great Nation’s General, look back at me, look back at me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No matter what they shouted, their tones and expressions were fervent and sincere.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aunt Liu, don’t leave just yet—I’ve never seen a Biaoche. Let’s go take a look.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu now finally understood how the “Great Qin Iron Cavalry” crossed the Liusha River.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not an “immortal magic steamship,” but an “immortal magic aircraft.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’ve already set a time with Lady Huo.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In truth, Aunt Liu was also hesitant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Marquis Lieyang’s return from the west to Great Qin was a matter of immense importance; she naturally paid close attention.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Sigh, if Lady Huo knew you encountered Marquis Lieyang en route, she’d surely understand. Perhaps Lady Huo herself is standing among the crowd watching Marquis Lieyang.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu wasn’t making it up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because of the incident with the Thousand-Handed Bandit Saint’s Er Bu, patrol soldiers filled the streets while ordinary civilians were scarce.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But once news of the Fire Crow Army’s arrival spread, many civilians opened their doors and stepped out from homes or shops.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those near the Fire Crow Army knelt to pay homage to Marquis Lieyang; those too far away stood on tiptoe to gaze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Actually, there’s nothing much to see—the Kunlun Biaoche is just a larger version of the Zhou Rao Kingdom’s flying carriage.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aunt Liu eventually relented, not allowing Xiao Yu to push ahead alone, but following the crowd from behind to watch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Leaving the eastern city gate, they continued east along the main road for about four or five li, when the area ahead suddenly opened up.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A hundred zhang square, with no buildings whatsoever—only neatly laid gray-black stone slabs forming a vast open platform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The open platform connected westward to Tianmen Town’s eastern gate; to the north and south stretched wide yet winding roads, while to the east lay a rugged mountain range. From afar, the sound of waves crashing against rocks could still be heard beneath the mountains.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Great Qin’s “Kunlun Biaoche” had already landed on the platform.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because its four wheel-like propellers were made of soft feathers and could not support ground contact, slender support columns extended downward from the front, back, left, and right of the Biaoche.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The columns were no thicker than a thumb, but each had a disc-shaped base as wide as a plate, securing the Biaoche firmly in place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Dock workers” pushed a six-wheeled ramp toward the Biaoche; Marquis Lieyang stepped onto the wooden ladder and was the first to board.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Fire Crow Army had been reduced to fewer than a hundred soldiers; besides the “Great Qin Giants,” only about a dozen western generals remained.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hmm, they were all generals, for their armor was both luxurious and sturdy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right now, they were all removing their armor beside the Biaoche.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Not only were the western generals shedding their armor, but the Great Qin soldiers were also striving to lighten their load.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Outer armor was almost entirely discarded; only inner armor and chainmail were retained by a dozen or so junior officers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Weapons were kept only as swords and knives; the steel spears, two zhang long and as thick as a wine cup, used by the fifteen-zhang Great Qin Giants, were tossed aside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Huh, what’s the purpose of the talismans they’re sticking to their bodies?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu’s eyes were sharp—even from two or three hundred steps away, she could see Marshal Cai pulling a stack of talismans from a yellow cloth sack and pasting them one by one onto the soldiers’ chests and backs; for the fifteen-zhang Great Qin Giants, he also stuck a yellow talisman on each arm and thigh.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re probably ‘Divine Soldier Talisman Armor,’” Aunt Liu whispered. “To reduce the Biaoche’s burden, they’ve removed their armor, but Marquis Lieyang certainly doesn’t want the Fire Crow Army’s combat power or defense weakened.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s ‘Divine Soldier Talisman Armor’?” Xiao Yu asked curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aunt Liu said: “Didn’t you see Yu Mian Wengqu Dou Yilin at Feixian Ferry?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Didn’t he use the immortal art of turning beans into soldiers or cutting paper into gods?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ‘Celestial Soldiers and Gods’ were made from beans, yet each stood tall and fearsome, clad in golden helmets and silver armor, looking majestic and fierce, fighting with immense strength and immunity to blades and spears.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The golden helmets and silver armor worn by the bean soldiers were one form of Divine Soldier Talisman Armor.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The ‘Divine Soldier Talisman Armor’ prepared by Marquis Lieyang for the Fire Crow Army was likely drawn by Great Qin immortals—and must be even stronger.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Immunity to blades and spears, immense strength—that’s just the baseline,” Aunt Liu’s eyes flashed with keen light as she lowered her voice. “The talisman armor is meant to defend against aerial enemies, so it must also allow the Fire Crow soldiers to briefly float and fly, and possibly even grant water and earth Dun  abilities.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So powerful?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu was startled. If even the Great Qin’s regular army was equipped like this, how strong would true celestial soldiers and gods be?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And how strong would demon kings be who could swallow ten thousand celestial soldiers at a time?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And Sun Wukong…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The Fire Crow Army operated with strict discipline and high efficiency; while Xiao Yu and Aunt Liu whispered, they had already applied the talisman armor and boarded the Biaoche.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Honor the Great Nation’s Divine General, Marquis Lieyang, and the Divine Generals of the Fire Crow Army!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides the civil and military officials of Tianmen Town and Yingxiang Prefecture, General Chen Taiping himself came to see off the Fire Crow Army.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>With his loud cry, everyone—including the common folk kneeling and watching behind—joined in unison.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Amidst the blessings of Shu’s officials and people, six Biaoche began to slowly rise into the air.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The feathered propellers turned slowly, lifting the Biaoche skyward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, the individual feathers on the feather-wheels were still visible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But then the propellers accelerated; the multicolored feathers vanished, replaced by a single mass of blue light—a dense, compressed sphere formed by countless gales.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Beneath each Biaoche, four blue orbs grew larger and larger, until—“BOOM!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Like thunder splitting a dry sky, all six Biaoche vanished from sight in an instant, too fast to track—only faint blue afterlines remained in the sky.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Those blue afterlines soon scattered, becoming gales that churned the white clouds above, blowing the officials and commoners below into disarray, their robes fluttering wildly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu gazed upward at the direction the Biaoche had vanished, unable to snap out of her daze.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“They’re gone already—what’s left to stare at?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aunt Liu pulled her back into the carriage and continued toward Lady Huo’s residence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Was that hundred-zhang square platform outside the eastern gate built specifically for the Biaoche? Are Biaoche common?” Xiao Yu asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aunt Liu shook her head. “In my lifetime, I’ve only seen two Biaoche—the first when Marquis Lieyang arrived, and the second today.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But the flying carriages of Zhou Rao Kingdom? I see those often.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What’s the difference between Zhou Rao’s flying carriages and Biaoche?” Xiao Yu asked again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The flying carriages are smaller and slower,” Aunt Liu hesitated. “I don’t know much about Biaoche—I don’t know if they have other functions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The flying carriages are likely imitations of the Biaoche.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Ancient texts record that the ancient Emperor Xuanyuan loved riding Biaoche to tour the land, and wrote a book called ‘Ten Thousand Nations’ Mountain and Sea Records,’ mapping a ‘Worldly Map of All Nations.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Both the Mountain and Sea Records and the Worldly Map mention ‘Zhou Rao Kingdom.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Presumably, when Zhou Rao received Emperor Xuanyuan, they saw the Biaoche’s speed and splendor, secretly copied its schematics, and after Xuanyuan departed, quietly built their own flying carriages.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>You just saw—the Biaoche can carry dozens; the flying carriage usually holds only two or three.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why didn’t I see any flying carriages today?” Xiao Yu lamented.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Don’t you know what happened the night before last? The Thousand-Handed Bandit fled toward Tianmen Town—likely hoping to escape the west by flying carriage. How could General Chen let him succeed?” Aunt Liu said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu frowned. “If flying carriages can fly, why must they come to Tianmen Town’s dock?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Can fly is enough? Demons fly better than flying carriages.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing Xiao Yu still wanted to ask more, Aunt Liu waved her hand impatiently. “We’re almost at Lady Huo’s—stop asking so many questions!”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perhaps everything today seems new to you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“But once you stay in Tianmen Town for a while, these questions will become common knowledge known to every woman and child.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you let me voice my questions, won’t they instantly become common knowledge?” Xiao Yu said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aunt Liu closed her eyes, feigning sleep, too lazy to reply.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Huo’s residence was grand: its vermilion-painted gates were tall and wide, guarded on either side by white jade Pixiu statues.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Above the gate hung a black plaque with golden characters: “Imperially Commissioned, General Who Pacifies Calamities.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Aunt Liu could not enter through the main gate—not even the side gate opened.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The carriage passed the main gate, circled around to a narrow alley behind, and entered through the back door.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Xiao Yu’s mind bubbled with questions like boiling water.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But Aunt Liu’s expression was solemn, and a Huo family maid was guiding them—she dared not speak.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In fact, before entering the Huo residence, Aunt Liu had specifically warned her: don’t speak, don’t look around, just listen quietly and glance sideways.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In short, Xiao Yu was now Aunt Liu’s little maid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Though they entered through the back door, Lady Huo did not deliberately slight Aunt Liu.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When the maid led Xiao Yu and Aunt Liu to the back courtyard’s training ground, Lady Huo stood there in a fitted martial outfit, gripping her sword backward, waiting for them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Huo was about the same age as Aunt Liu—early forties. Lady Huo’s bearing and attire were dignified and noble, appearing exactly as a woman of forty; Aunt Liu, however, wore heavy makeup, dressed in soft pastel colors, deliberately trying to look younger, appearing only in her thirties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In terms of looks alone, they were evenly matched.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But comparing their overall aura and demeanor, Aunt Liu was merely a seductive courtesan; Lady Huo radiated a magnificent, noble grace—a general’s wife born of a distinguished family.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Besides Lady Huo herself, four or five young ladies and eight or so maids stood beneath the eaves.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They were even quieter than Xiao Yu, standing still without moving or whispering.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Jin Tong~~~” Aunt Liu still wanted to exchange pleasantries, but Lady Huo tossed her sword over, saying coolly: “Xiao San, you didn’t lie—seeing you now is like seeing a patch of Yingshan Hong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This is a sign of divine aura manifesting—excellent. I look forward to it. Begin.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Liu San” was straightforward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Today she had changed into a short, narrow-sleeved, hemless martial outfit—simple and efficient.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She took the sword and swiftly performed the “Lush Blossoms” form, covering the training ground in a dazzling carpet of crimson azaleas.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Wow, it’s really Yingshan Hong—it’s sword intent!” The maids and young ladies beneath the eaves could no longer remain composed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Huo’s expression was complex: admiration, awe, and melancholy, mixed with a touch of envy, bitterness, and sorrow.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How was it?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After completing the “Lush Blossoms” form, Aunt Liu looked at Lady Huo with pride and anticipation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this moment, she was even more radiant, as if she had truly become a cluster of mountain azaleas bathed in morning dew and golden sunlight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I never expected you to gain nothing in your youth, yet to finally awaken in old age—what a miracle, surely blessed by gods and Buddhas,” Lady Huo mused.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aunt Liu said, “If only you had told me the secret to cultivating the Nine Petals Sword earlier, I would have mastered it twenty years ago.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Secret?” Lady Huo’s eyes flickered, and she smiled. “A secret must be self-discovered; if someone tells you, it’s useless.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Look at my five daughters—they’ve trained in martial arts since childhood, and the eldest is already married. Which one has mastered the Nine Petals Sword?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If there truly were a universal secret, would I still need to hide it from them?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>—You certainly didn’t hide anything, and the secret must work—but your daughters are dull and lack talent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aunt Liu sneered inwardly but did not publicly embarrass Lady Huo.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She nodded and said, “I’ve already demonstrated ‘Flowers in Full Bloom.’ Now it’s your turn, Jin Tong.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Very well. We haven’t trained together in a long time. Let me see what extraordinary effect arises when the Chaotic Infinity meets Flowers in Full Bloom.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Lady Huo selected another sword, gleaming with icy light, from the weapon rack, leaped forward, and landed before Aunt Liu.\u003C\u002Fp>",2214,"2026-06-20T00:29:13.334Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b8b2c958b9165ba1b37947398538d0cbe5367d45fb62215b794c5cc93e7d918e","if-you-will-not-reject-me-i-wish-to-bow-and-take-chapter-97","if-you-will-not-reject-me-i-wish-to-bow-and-take-chapter-95",840,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fif-you-will-not-reject-me-i-wish-to-bow-and-take-cover.jpg"]