Chapter 4: Chapter Four: Peerless National Talent

The world’s morals have declined; people’s hearts are no longer as pure as in ancient times.

Dou Changsheng admired this Black Hawk Elder, a senior cultivator.

Yet the man, relying on decades of cultivation, forced himself upon a helpless, eighteen-year-old boy.

This slender hand, like an iron clamp, gripped Dou Changsheng tightly; he struggled fiercely, but it was like a stone cast into the sea—futile.

Though this Black Hawk Elder appeared frail, his strength was immense, as if he possessed the power of nine oxen and two tigers.

In pure physical strength, Dou Changsheng was utterly outmatched.

This also revealed to Dou Changsheng that this man was primarily an external martial artist who had only later entered the Post-Heaven realm.

What bad luck.

Dou Changsheng felt sorrow and bitterness in his heart.

The situation before him was clear: the Black Hawk Elder mistook him for a scion of the Wang family of Xiangzhou, believing he had come specifically to lend support.

His denials, in the Black Hawk Elder’s eyes, were merely an attempt to sever ties with the Xiangzhou Wang family.

But he had no connection whatsoever to the Xiangzhou Wang family!

No.

One could not say there was no connection at all.

In his future self, he would marry the Wang family’s legitimate daughter, win their favor, and receive the Three Yuan Qi Return Scripture, thereby gaining this month’s cultivation—this was the primordial qi generated by the Three Yuan Qi Return Scripture.

This was truly impossible to explain away, even if he jumped into the Yellow River.

Dou Changsheng truly wanted to cry out to the heavens.

Why did this Black Hawk Elder have such sharp eyes?

He had been dragged back onto the pirate ship again—this crisis was far worse than the one when he robbed the military payroll alongside Wang Xiong.

His future self had consumed countless strokes of good fortune to unlock a simple Fuben , living a smooth, untroubled life; now, he had sacrificed his own luck to earn the system’s favor.

The cruel reality was icy cold, yet Dou Changsheng had no choice but to accept it.

He could only comfort himself with pretty words.

A dispute ended; the gathering dispersed, the people gone.

The entire affair had taken less than an hour—still morning, just breakfast time.

The Black Hawk Elder personally led Dou Changsheng through winding alleys, twisting and turning, until they vanished into the labyrinth—Dou Changsheng had no idea where they were, utterly bewildered.

The Black Hawk Elder slowly explained: “We now carry the Jianmen Pass border army’s pay, and we are under intense scrutiny.”

“Countless eyes are watching us right now.”

“Don’t be fooled by Qian Xu’s words—this Qianling Guard captain, stationed in Junxian, a minor town, is already suspicious.”

“To gather the Jianmen Pass pay, the Mufu ’s treasury has long been strained; we barely managed to scrape together funds, but then the Grand General was imprisoned, the Mufu descended into chaos, many took advantage to stir unrest, causing panic and leaving a financial gap.”

“It was the invincible Fist of Heaven, Old Master Yuan, who slashed himself, using his own flesh and blood to plug the hole.”

“He is a Pure Yang Grandmaster.”

“Old Master Yuan was already ancient; this wound has severely depleted his Pure Yang blood, drastically shortening his lifespan.”

“The Grand General exhausted himself; righteous men and heroes rushed forward one after another; the border troops fought to the death—only then did we gain over a decade of peace.”

“But the Emperor is foolish, doting on a witch concubine, allowing a demon minister to ruin the state—if the former Emperor still lived, how could such a thing happen?”

Dou Changsheng listened to the Mufu insiders’ secrets and felt absurdity rising—he asked: “Jianmen Pass belongs to the court, the border army belongs to the court—doesn’t the court allocate funds?”

The Black Hawk Elder suddenly halted, standing still, his gaze fixed on Dou Changsheng as he angrily replied: “Of course the court allocates funds.”

“But that money, barely a thousand li from the capital, was buried under sand and stone by an earthquake.”

“When the dirt and rocks were cleared, every single silver ingot had vanished.”

“The court isn’t refusing—it’s just that the sum is too large; it will take time to reallocate before sending more funds north.”

“But when the money will be gathered? That’s up to the demon minister’s word.”

“The demon minister can wait; the north cannot. Jianmen Pass cannot wait.”

“For years, the previous Wolf Lord of the Hu Ren raided and plundered each time, only to be repelled by the Grand General—thus deemed incompetent, he was killed by the new Wolf Lord, his skull turned into a chamber pot. The new Wolf Lord ascended, conquered all directions, won every battle, crushed dozens of northern tribes, absorbed hundreds of smaller clans, and is hailed as a once-in-a-millennium ruler of the steppe.”

“This Wolf Lord has purged his internal enemies and subdued dissenters; now he has united the entire steppe’s strength, his gaze fixed on the south. Where his whip points, tens of thousands of iron cavalry ride—if Jianmen Pass falls, not only will the north be lost, but the court itself will be erased.”

“Hateful.”

“The foreign enemy grows stronger by the day, yet we grow weaker by the day.”

“Our Great Jin has stood for centuries, now on the brink of collapse—yet the foolish Emperor spends his days in pleasure, and has even imprisoned the only man capable of holding the realm together.”

The north has lost all its people’s hearts.

Dou Changsheng looked at the Black Hawk Elder’s grotesque, demon-like expression; from this alone, he could see that the Grand General of the North had, through his years of garrisoning, won the hearts of the entire north with over a decade of peace.

Not just commoners, but clans, powerful families, and sects—all favored the Grand General of the North.

It also showed that the Grand General of the North truly worked for the people.

Otherwise, how could the people of the north have trusted him?

The Black Hawk Elder stepped forward slowly, dragging Dou Changsheng into a courtyard, and spoke in a low voice: “Over these past few years, the demon minister has continuously appointed outsiders to govern the north.”

“What do these outsiders understand?”

“Even if the north falls, they simply brush off the dust and leave—the suffering falls on us northerners.”

“Yet many have been bribed by these outsiders, becoming the demon minister’s hounds—don’t think for a moment that Wang Xiong truly intends to defect to the Southern Chen’s Tianmo Palace.”

“The distance from the north to Southern Chen is more than ten thousand li—he’s a wanted criminal with no background, no lineage—how could he possibly get there?”

“No Post-Heaven martial artist could make such a journey. Wang Xiong has almost certainly been recruited by the demon minister, becoming his claw.”

“Only then could he track my movements and ambush us with precision to seize the military pay.”

“Now, tens of millions of lives in the north rest on our shoulders.”

Dou Changsheng sighed inwardly—he had become the champion of Great Jin’s burdens. In the next instant, his tensed heart eased slightly, for he saw others.

A man, twenty-five or six, dressed in snow-white robes, with sword-like brows and starlit eyes, his gaze bright, arms crossed over his scabbard.

The scabbard was ornate, inlaid with gems—glance once, and you’d never forget it.

The Black Hawk Zunzhe personally introduced: “This one comes from the Mufu —he is Tang He, a man from Chen who joined three years ago.”

“His master is the Heavenly Sword Sect of Southern Chen.”

Tang He’s attire and ornaments were clearly not ordinary—he clearly came from nobility, yet he showed no arrogance, speaking gently: “When I was young, I heard of the Grand General’s expedition beyond the border, how he shattered the Hu Ren court in a single battle—I yearned for it.”

“After mastering my arts, I traveled the world and realized the Hu Ren were even more brutal than imagined—so I came north to join the army and kill them.”

Dou Changsheng gave Tang He a long look—you, a man from the southern rice lands, are more fiery than I, a northerner.

Of course, Dou Changsheng knew why—he was a transmigrator, with no emotional connection to the north; if it were Japanese invaders instead, he’d be even more enraged than Tang He.

The Black Hawk Elder continued: “This is Dou Changsheng of the north—he, like young Tang, is a Pre-Heaven martial artist.”

“But young Dou’s situation is slightly unusual—he only understands primordial qi, knows no other martial arts, so his combat power is somewhat diminished.”

Tang He smiled: “I understand, Elder. The Heavenly Sword Sect’s arts cannot be leaked.”

“But during my travels, I had a rare encounter and acquired some transmissions—I can teach them to Brother Dou.”

“I see Brother Dou also uses a sword—I have just the right one.”

Before Tang He could finish, the Black Hawk Elder coughed, then spoke: “Is there one that matches the Three Yuan Qi Return Scripture?”

“My young brother here accidentally obtained the Three Yuan Qi Return Scripture, devoted himself entirely to it, and broke through to Pre-Heaven at such a young age—he’s severely unbalanced, which is why he knows nothing else.”

Tang He exclaimed: “The Three Yuan Qi Return Scripture?”

“The famed technique of the Xiangzhou Wang family—cultivating courage, loyalty, and love?”

Immediately, Tang He changed the subject, his gaze fixed on Dou Changsheng with bright interest—so he was a Wang family scion! All suspicion toward Dou Changsheng vanished instantly.

In the north’s current complex situation, only outsiders like him could be trusted.

Everyone else must be watched—suspected of collusion with the demon minister—but the Xiangzhou Wang family need not be; the Three Yuan Qi Return Scripture ensured their integrity—this clan’s growing prosperity came from merging virtue with martial arts.

You can deceive others, but you cannot deceive yourself.

Martial arts reveal all.

Tang He spoke warmly: “The Three Yuan Qi Return Scripture is a supreme technique—easy to enter, but progress requires one of courage, loyalty, or love.”

“To reach its peak, all three must be mastered, then unified into one.”

“Now, Brother Dou—do you cultivate love? Loyalty? Or courage?”

Dou Changsheng wanted to say he didn’t know the Three Yuan Qi Return Scripture—but he knew they wouldn’t believe him. This misunderstanding brought great risk, but the benefits were immediate: Tang He’s attitude had shifted from neutral to warm—just because of the four characters “Xiangzhou Wang family.”

He thought of his future self.

Sword in hand, blocking Wang Xiong’s robbery of official silver, alone against demons—every act embodied courage.

“Courage!”

The moment he spoke, Tang He sighed as if confirming a prediction: “As I expected.”

“If Brother Dou hadn’t cultivated courage, how could he dare join the military pay escort?”

“Delivering pay is hard enough—but even if you reach Jianmen Pass, you face the garrison commander. Even if you pass all tests, you’ve angered the demon minister and the Hu Ren—your life is in peril.”

“Unlike me—after this mission, I’ll return to Great Chen.”

“No matter how powerful the demon minister or how strong the Hu Ren, they cannot harm a Heavenly Sword Sect disciple in Great Chen.”

“Yet precisely because of this, Brother Dou deserves admiration—for country and justice, for the lives of the north, you seek no reward, hide your identity, endure such hardship.”

“Afterward, you cannot return to Xiangzhou, cannot be protected by the Wang family—even if you die, you’ll never be inscribed in the Wang family genealogy.”

“But it is precisely because of righteous men like Brother Dou that the path of justice endures.”

Dou Changsheng raised his hand, stopping Tang He mid-sentence—he hadn’t done anything yet!

It already felt as if he’d sacrificed himself for the nation.

This is fucking ridiculous.

Name and substance have always matched.

Now the name exceeds the substance—that is the path to disaster.

If Dou Changsheng were truly a Xiantian martial artist, he would naturally be unafraid; with caution, his chances of survival would be extremely high.

After all, this three-way struggle has the Bakufu at a disadvantage, but it has certainly not been crushed.

Ultra-high-level power is currently irrelevant to them; all sides are tied down. Otherwise, if a Pure Yang Master had intervened, what room would there be for Wang Xiong?

Unfortunately, he is merely a fraud.

The path of martial arts is divided very simply: Hou Tian and Xiantian.

In the Hou Tian realm, whether cultivating from outside inward or directly refining Qi, one must gradually break through the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and the Twelve Regular Meridians, finally connecting the Heaven and Earth Orifices to break into the Xiantian realm.

Dou Changsheng’s predicament is that he has not yet Datong a single meridian, yet already possesses Xiantian internal Qi.

He began at the Xiantian level, but is far weaker than true Xiantian, yet stronger than ordinary Hou Tian. Unfortunately, he lacks martial techniques and cannot defeat them.

Still, such a starting point is already extremely impressive. If Dou Changsheng devoted a year to steady cultivation, he would surely become a rising young hero.

But now he has been drawn into this vortex tied to the nation’s fate—he doesn’t even know what to say.

He glanced again at the system and found no changes.

He sighed inwardly.

There was no help for it: the system had only just arrived today, triggered one task, and already granted him Xiantian internal Qi. Relying on the system further was unrealistic—but one could never rule out a miracle.

Black Eagle Sovereign spoke gravely: “Both inside and outside the city, our movements are being watched. We cannot depart immediately, and we must also give Dou Young Brother some time to cultivate.”

“Junxian is only ten days’ journey from Jianmen Pass—not far at all. We still have a month. Let us rest for ten days first. I will create decoys to make those watching believe we have left, then we will depart Junxian.”

“The matters outside will be left to me; here, Young Brother Tang will teach martial arts.”

Tang He watched the Black Eagle Sovereign leave, then smiled and said: “After careful thought, I have a Xiantian sword art that only those with great courage and a death-bound resolve may learn.”

“This suits Dou Young Brother perfectly—no, it matches him exactly.”

“When I first obtained this sword art, I could never enter its door, and knew I had no affinity with it. I thought I would keep it locked away for life, never expecting to finally find its true master.”

“Come, I will teach you the first form, Dou Young Brother!”

“Charge first!”

“Then learn the second form: Fight to the Death, Never Retreat!”