Chapter 488: The Son of Heaven

Zhao Guo, Anxi County, Cui Clan's ancestral grounds, Fengqi Hall.

An imposing elder stepped out of Fengqi Hall accompanied by the Cui matriarch; behind them walked a dozen young men and women, whispering among themselves.

The elder bowed in farewell and departed with the youths; the matriarch only turned back after they boarded their carriages. A middle-aged scholar hurried over and handed her a letter.

The matriarch walked to the side hall, sat down, and unfolded the letter to read it; after finishing, she said: "Go to Tianji Hall."

The Cui Clan's Tianji Hall was not tall but vast, composed of one main hall and nine subsidiary halls. At its center stood a massive sand-table map displaying the entire human realm and surrounding terrain. Around the main sand-table circled a ring of smaller ones—though called small, each spanned several zhang in diameter.

The matriarch walked straight to a corner of the hall, where a newly made sand-table map lay—clearly depicting the entire Western Region. Yet large portions remained blank, lacking detail.

Two middle-aged men arrived quickly and stood beside the matriarch. Both were among the Cui Clan's finest Fasang, with potential to reach Master Yu Jing, and now formed the backbone of the family.

The matriarch stood before the sand-table, gazing for a long while, then said: "Yu's boy wrote back, asking for aid."

Though he didn't say so outright, Little Wei Yuan knew that those who joined the Son of Heaven's Imperial Guard were all scions of noble houses. They enlisted to gain seniority and display pomp, not to fight real battles. Losing even a few of these guards would be a major trouble, so Little Wei Yuan had no intention of assigning them critical tasks—just station them somewhere safe to maintain appearances.

In one, look—

Little Wei Yuan could only smile awkwardly, unsure what to say. He had merely claimed the Xu Clan's Fasang were trash—how had it spread that all Fasang under heaven were trash?

On the same land, a second-rank Military Governor in Western Jin was only a third-rank Zhenfu in Great Tang.

He forced a faint smile and asked: "If the Sacred Witch is mobilized, this offensive must be extraordinary. How many troops has the Witch Clan deployed?"

This flying vessel was far more luxurious than any in Tai Chu Palace.

Little Wei Yuan carefully recalled the qi signatures he sensed and said: "From the qi, at least six, plus one Sacred Witch."

Wei Wei Boyang looked up at the sky and said: "This Broken Realm lives up to its name—truly troublesome. But I've been ordered here, blessed by the Son of Heaven's fortune, which naturally conceals me from the creatures beyond heaven; as long as I don't unleash my full power, they won't sense me."

Little Wei Yuan said: "The Liao tribe's northern offensive is fierce; we've lost over a thousand li of northern territory. I suspect the Prince of Jin cannot spare reinforcements. As for the Xu Clan, they've long been my enemies—they fought us twice last year. They won't come."

Little Wei Yuan and over a dozen cultivators boarded the vessel and landed on the forward deck. There, two rows of armored warriors stood already, each holding golden axes and halberds—tall, muscular, all Foundation Establishment cultivators! Their uniforms marked them as the famed Imperial Guard of Great Tang.

Great Tang, the supreme ruler of the realm, had sent General Wan Li as reinforcement; Little Wei Yuan could not afford to be negligent. He immediately notified all cultivators of Tai Chu Palace and Li Zhi, leading them out to greet the arrival.

At this moment, the massive flying vessel hovered beyond the azure heavens, its drums and flutes playing melodiously. The vessel was entirely black, adorned with golden patterns, its underside painted with blue waves of the sea.

Though he was General Wan Li of Great Tang, he could not directly call Xu Xu Wangu by name.

Wei Wei Boyang assumed Little Wei Yuan was being modest and said: "How could it not be an Immortal Fasang? Enough idle talk—let's speak of matters at hand. I've come under the Regent Prince of Jin's orders to assist; how stands the battle now? Have any Yin Witches appeared?"

After reading the imperial decree, Wei Wei Boyang helped Little Wei Yuan up, studied him from head to toe, and said: "I've long heard Tai Chu Palace produced a once-in-a-millennium genius who dares to claim invincibility and declares all Fasang under heaven are trash..."

According to Great Tang's official system, a Fu was an administrative tier between Zhou and Jun, sometimes established, sometimes not, as each of the Nine States decided. The civil head of a Fu was the Provincial Governor; the military head, the Provincial Military Commander. In frontier regions, a Zhenfu might be appointed. The Zhenfu held both civil and military authority—Cui Cui Shutong, Zhenfu of Yuyang Fu in Zhao Guo, was one such example.

"Exactly!"

Another imperial decree? This was the true Son of Heaven's will—nothing like the decrees of the Nine States. Little Wei Yuan led the crowd to receive the decree.

Wei Wei Boyang immediately rose and proclaimed loudly: "Little Wei Yuan, receive the decree!"

Wei Wei Boyang declared loudly: "... Today, Qingzhou is established as Qingyang Fu. In recognition of Little Wei Yuan's devotion to the people and his achievements in expanding territory, he is appointed Zhen Shou of Qingyang. By imperial decree!" Little Wei Yuan bowed in thanks and accepted the decree. To be sure, the Tang Son of Heaven's edict was of high caliber—it was even a magic treasure. Little Wei Yuan had, somewhat bewildered, become an official of Great Tang. But Great Tang had declined; its appointments were casual, tossing him a governor's hat like a mere trifle.

A middle-aged man said: "Didn't the Elders already send supplies to Qingming when they received the last plea for aid? Why is Lord Yu writing again?"

"Preliminary estimates: one million eight hundred thousand. Behind them, another ten million laborers and conscripts."

The decree contained other subtleties: it divided Qingzhou and Ningzhou along the Hanyang Pass. Beyond Hanyang Pass, Qingzhou was newly carved out; the four counties of Ningxi were now part of Qingyang Fu, and Little Wei Yuan was its Zhen Shou.

Little Wei Yuan immediately said: "So far, we only know one named Grandmaster Hongye—he was cast down from the Yin Witch realm. The identities of the other Yin Witches remain unknown."

The matriarch said sternly: "This matter draws the world's attention, and we truly owe Little Wei Yuan a debt. So—we'll send two Master Yu Jing Elders to Qingming to hold the line. Let the Elders from your two branches go. It's been so long; we should meet the Yin Witches again and see what formidable figures they've produced."

Just on the deck stood five hundred Foundation Establishment Imperial Guards—immense in presence. Cui Yu ranked fourth among the direct-line generation, so after his promotion to Fasang, some called him Fourth Young Master, others Lord Yu. At this time, "Young Master" was a term of respect, largely because Cui Yu was so young.

Little Wei Yuan was slightly startled. His letter to Great Tang seeking aid had been a mere idle move—how had reinforcements actually arrived? General Wan Li—the title alone sounded formidable. Under Tang protocol, he was a second-rank official, utterly different in prestige from Little Wei Yuan's own second-rank title granted by a vassal lord.

"But we paid the Immortal Silver..."

The two middle-aged men exchanged glances and hurried off.

But viewed differently, the titles granted by Western Jin were real; Tang's appointment of Little Wei Yuan as Qingyang Zhenfu was mostly nominal.

Little Wei Yuan mumbled: "Probably… I guess so…"

The matriarch spoke slowly: "Your reasoning has merit, but you don't know the full picture. Little Wei Yuan wrote to Great Tang for aid—and now Great Tang has sent General Wei Wei Boyang. The matter stirred uproar in the capital just days ago. Li Li Shenji lost face and barely suppressed it. Qingming's safety is now the world's concern. We're nearby—would you have the world mock the Ji-Zhao-Cui Clan for sending only a few supplies?"

Wei Wei Boyang's expression hardened. "How many Yin Witches?"

Wei Wei Boyang's smile had vanished; he frowned: "With this situation, did Western Jin send no troops? What has the Xu Clan done?"

Wei Wei Boyang shed his condescension and said gravely: "Are you Little Wei Yuan?"

Qingming—Little Wei Yuan was discussing new fortification designs with Yu Yu Zhizhuo when a messenger arrived: "General Wei Wei Boyang of Great Tang has arrived!"

"There are Yin Witches."

Seeing Little Wei Yuan, the general's pupils contracted slightly—he felt a faint sense of pressure! An unprecedented sensation, implying Little Wei Yuan possessed something capable of threatening him.

"Shortsighted!" the matriarch snapped. "Five hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators—can Immortal Silver buy that? If you have such ability, go get me fifty!"

The matriarch added: "Besides, Little Wei Yuan has already trained over five hundred Foundation Establishment cultivators for the Cui Clan. Even if they make no further progress, they've greatly strengthened our foundation and power."

Another said: "Qingming may be good, but it's someone else's legacy. Lord Yu is young and talented—he should return to the clan early to serve. Why waste his efforts on another's cause?"

At the end of the two rows of guards, on the raised deck, sat a mighty man, looking down upon Little Wei Yuan. Around him faint mountain ranges shimmered—clearly a Master Yu Jing, his heart-realm nearly perfected.

Wei Wei Boyang paced back and forth several times, then said: "I never anticipated such dire circumstances. Though I brought three thousand Imperial Guards, they are the Son of Heaven's ceremonial force—cannot be lightly lost. Even if used, only for rear positions, to maintain order."

The matriarch's tone had grown stern; the two dared not speak further.

Wei Wei Boyang's eyes flashed with sharp light. "Excellent! I haven't fought a Yin Witch in decades. Do you know their names? Perhaps one is an old acquaintance—I'd like to see if their realms have regressed."

Wei Wei Boyang said: "Personal grudges mean nothing before an alien invasion! That Xu... hmph!"

A Zhenfu was a smaller version of a Military Governor. Little Wei Yuan had already been granted the title of Dingxi Military Governor by Western Jin; if Tang wished to appoint him, its title must be lower, to preserve Tang's supremacy.

The two dared not speak another word. If the matriarch took ill will, their promotions might be ruined.

Wei Wei Boyang laughed heartily: "Regardless, a Fasang under twenty is rare under heaven. May I ask—your Fasang—is it an Immortal Fasang?"

Wei Wei Boyang's smile froze on his face.

With this advantage, I'll hide within your Qingming and see which foolish Yin Witch dares come to me..."

Mid-sentence, the sky rang with Lu Xuan Xuan Yue Master Fenhai Zhenjun's surprised voice: "Wei Wei Boyang?! What are you doing here? I thought you'd been dead for eight hundred years!"

Wei Wei Boyang's expression changed; he looked up to see Lu Xuan Xuan Yue Master Fenhai Zhenjun standing in midair.

He glanced at Lu Xuan Xuan Yue Master Fenhai Zhenjun, then at Little Wei Yuan, then back at Lu Xuan Xuan Yue Master Fenhai Zhenjun, and sighed: "What a fine child—how did he end up under your care, old rogue? What a waste! A pearl cast into darkness, a fresh flower stuck in your pile of manure!"

(End of Chapter)