Chapter 20: Chapter Twenty: When Dou Changsheng Comes, He Must Die

Chen Family Fortress.

It was once an obscure place.

Villages named after surnames were countless.

Like Li Family Village, Wang Family Town—such places were everywhere under heaven.

But now, Chen Family Fortress had become a place of intense attention from countless people in the north; even if someone here let out an extra fart, it would be known by powerful figures.

All because this was the dwelling chosen by the Grand Chancellor of Great Jin’s retainer, True Person Huoyun.

True Person Huoyun was a Grandmaster on the Earth Rank, and this time he had come to the north to oversee all matters there.

Western Qin, Eastern Qi, Southern Chen, the Hu Ren—all watched True Person Huoyun, observing his every move.

Thin of frame, draped in a large coat, seated upon a stone slab, True Person Huoyun held a porcelain bowl—large, two palms wide—and now wielded chopsticks, eating a plate of fried sauce noodles.

Yet his gaze followed the street ahead, fixed on a standing figure outside Chen Family Fortress.

The man stood like a long spear, spine straight as a great dragon, head held high, eyes closed, motionless as a statue.

Since True Person Huoyun arrived at Chen Family Fortress, this gatekeeper had already appeared.

General Yu Yun had nine sons; this was one of them, the eighth, known as the Spear King of the North.

But this man did not bear the Yu surname—he bore the Wang surname.

His name was common, far from elegant: Tieqiang.

True Person Huoyun naturally possessed his records: Wang Tieqiang’s parents were brutally killed by Hu Ren when he was young; raised by his clan, he trained relentlessly in spear techniques, joined the army as an adult, rose step by step, and his martial skill grew ever greater.

He truly entered the ranks of the elite when Yu Yun recognized him and adopted him as an adopted son.

From then on, he could not be stopped; leveraging the power of the Wang Mansion, he broke through barriers again and again, earning the title Spear King of the North.

True Person Huoyun looked at Wang Tieqiang, stubborn and utterly loyal to Yu Yun, and let out a cold snort.

The Wang Mansion sent this man to Chen Family Fortress for one obvious purpose: to prevent True Person Huoyun from leaving the fortress even half a step, forcing him to command remotely, unable to step onto the battlefield himself.

Military generals who do not think of serving the imperial court, but instead become Yu’s private soldiers.

A traitor without loyalty to sovereign or father.

The Grand Chancellor sees far ahead, loyal to the throne and devoted to the nation; if Yu Yun continues to hold the north, the north will soon bear the Yu surname.

He swallowed another mouthful of noodles, then looked at the armless warrior approaching and spoke with displeasure: “Long Ying, you’ve failed this mission—and yet you dare show your face here at Chen Family Fortress.”

“Did a few fires scare you so badly?”

“You fled without fighting—how can you face me? How can you face the Chancellor?”

Long Ying hurriedly explained: “It’s not that I failed—rather, Dou Changsheng is simply too powerful.”

“Since Dou Changsheng left Junxian, he slew Wang Xiong with one sword, shattered a hundred cavalrymen head-on, killed the Earth Walker, drove back Wind Wing, and stormed into Jianmen Pass—all like a bamboo shoot splitting through rock.”

“That very day, without rest, he immediately left Jianmen Pass to rescue Black Eagle Venerable and Zhao Manren.”

“Such loyalty and righteousness is rare in this world.”

True Person Huoyun sneered: “You actually admire him?”

“Have you forgotten what you are?”

"You outlaws of the rivers and lakes—if the Chancellor hadn’t been short-handed, where would you have gotten your chance to go straight?"

“Now you want to play the good man? Are you going to steal military pay and send it to Jianmen Pass?”

“I ask you—do martial arts manuals, high rank and rich salary, gold, silver, and beauties matter more—or does being a good man matter?”

“How much is a good man worth?”

Suddenly, True Person Huoyun’s face darkened. He rose abruptly, flinging the bowl from his hand—noodles scattered across the ground—and asked coldly: “According to timing—”

“You’ve already escaped alive.”

“Then why hasn’t the military pay arrived yet?”

Long Ying wiped sweat from his brow, relieved by the sudden shift in topic—he wasn’t sure he’d survive if it continued, so he seized the chance: “The military pay on Zhao Manren was seized, then immediately sent toward Chen Family Fortress.”

“By distance, they should have arrived before me.”

“It seems the Wang Mansion has used some trickery to delay them en route.”

“I am willing to redeem myself by immediately going to reinforce them.”

True Person Huoyun waved his hand: “Take men and go at once.”

True Person Huoyun’s gaze turned dark as he stared at Wang Tieqiang in the distance, eyes flashing with cold light—the Wang Mansion had broken the rules this time, surely deploying a Pure Yin Grandmaster to set up illusions; otherwise, how could they have delayed the pay?

Both sides restrained each other, dared not strike directly—but using small tricks was easy.

This loss could not be argued over.

Because True Person Huoyun had recently been making constant small moves; that was precisely why the carriers of military pay could never escape being ambushed and killed. Now the Wang Mansion was merely returning the favor.

True Person Huoyun had taken only one step when a hand pressed upon his shoulder.

Wang Tianhe’s smiling face suddenly appeared in True Person Huoyun’s vision, so close that only a finger’s breadth separated their faces.

Wang Tianhe beamed: “Isn’t this little Yunzi?”

“Just arrived in the north and already see a familiar face.”

“What a fine thing.”

True Person Huoyun stepped back, watching Wang Tianhe warily, and asked coldly: “The Wang clan agreed with the Chancellor not to interfere in northern affairs.”

“How did you come here?”

“No one stopped you?”

Wang Tianhe affectionately gripped True Person Huoyun’s sleeve, chuckling: “Precisely because of the agreement, I came.”

“My Xiangzhou Wang clan is a thousand-year noble house, with countless seeking to attach themselves to us.”

“Every year, impostors appear—it’s become a nuisance.”

“But this time is different: someone has gained fame by using the Three Yuan Returning Qi Scripture, deliberately entering the northern conflict—this intent is sinister, truly malicious.”

“He deliberately breaks the agreement between me and the Chancellor, forcing my Wang clan to violate it, so the Chancellor will retaliate against us and destroy our reputation.”

“Concerning the thousand-year reputation of Xiangzhou Wang, I dare not be negligent—I came to the north personally to uncover Dou Changsheng’s true origins.”

“Once I learn his background, I will seize him and take him back to Xiangzhou for punishment.”

“Lock him in a dungeon, torment him daily, so he learns the consequences of pretending to be a Wang clan scion.”

“Every move I make is justified—how could the Chancellor or the Emperor punish me?”

“By the way, on my way here, I had a sudden insight during cultivation, accidentally leaked some qi, causing earth energy to become chaotic, affecting many commoners—trapping them in place, unable to leave for long.”

“When I learned of this, I immediately tried to correct it, but still caused considerable damage. I intended to compensate them with gold and silver—but sadly, I left in such haste for the Chancellor’s sake and forgot to bring any money.”

“Little Yunzi, you’re wealthy—lend me some to tide me over.”

True Person Huoyun replied coldly: “Long Ying has already gone to reinforce them. No primordial true qi cultivators remain nearby—no one can stop him.”

“You’re wasting your time.”

“If Dou Changsheng comes, you needn’t bother capturing him—he will die for certain.”