Chapter 121: 155, 156

"Tuoba Qi wants to kill me?"

Lady Zhushan was still quite incredulous.

Seeing her astonishment, Yuan Biye quickly said, "Please follow me back first. I am a disciple of Mr. Song; I have infinite respect for my teacher, and I would never harm you."

Lady Zhushan looked at this anxious Third Princess and fell into deep thought.

In the Yu Prefecture wilderness, the tall grass was half-withered, dancing like blades in the wind, flickering with moonlight as if flickering with blade-light. Amidst the whistling wind, Yuan Biye's pretty face was filled with worry, her eyes scanning the surroundings rapidly, as if fearing that iron cavalry might charge out from the darkness.

"If we encounter him today, Tuoba Qi might even kill me. My Lady, make your decision quickly."

Another urging followed.

Lady Zhushan finally turned her wolf around and followed her back, saying as they went, "How has Song Cheng been lately?"

She had not been in contact with Song Cheng for a long time, and even when they did communicate, Song Cheng never spoke of what he was doing or how he was faring; he only asked about her situation.

The two rode their wolves at a gallop.

Yuan Biye said quite proudly, "Teacher is already very famous. Whether it is in training troops or his own strength, he has become renowned throughout the world.

In Donghai Zhou, that most elite Tiger Leopard Cavalry in Zhao Hua's hands was brought up by Teacher.

And now, my younger brother Yuan Shouyu, who was originally good-for-nothing, is able to be entrusted with heavy responsibilities by Father King and command troops, all because of Teacher's guidance back then.

As a hostage, the fact that I can still have this status after returning to the Barbarian tribe is thanks to Shouyu's capabilities.

These were all bestowed by Teacher.

And Teacher's strength, in the battle at Duanhun Gu in Fengzhou, has been spoken of as something miraculous."

A look of yearning appeared in her eyes as she said, "With a single Manifestation, he broke three thousand armored troops—and they were the invincible soldiers of the Six Towns, the Divine Archer Army of Gongyang Valley."

Lady Zhushan had been isolated from outside news for a long time, and since Song Cheng was not the type to brag about small matters at every turn, she knew nothing of this. At this moment, she could not help but be stunned and said, "If I remember correctly, Song Cheng should be about the same age as you, right?"

Yuan Biye was also taken aback.

Only then did she remember that, it seemed... that was indeed the case.

However, the aura and majesty surrounding that Teacher Song were so heavy that it made it impossible for one to remember his age, and one would subconsciously treat him as a respected elder.

The two chatted as they rode quickly toward the Barbarian camp.

Lady Zhushan was filled with emotion, feeling that the world had changed too fast in these few years. She still remembered the scene when she first met little Song.

At that time, little Song was still very green, but now, had he really become this formidable?

Manifestation breaking three thousand armored troops—this level... Lady Zhushan could no longer imagine it.

And that fox spirit she had visualized and guarded against had actually become little Song's wife.

Lady Zhushan truly did not know what to say.

In the blink of an eye, nearly five years had passed.

At that time, she still acted as a "stabilizing tripod" for the entire situation; she stirred the winds and clouds, temporarily suppressing the hatred between the Barbarians and the Shang, bringing long-lasting peace to this land.

But now, noble families were emerging one after another.

The world had already begun to rapidly turn into a place she no longer recognized.

Subsequently, the two returned.

In the Barbarian camp, things were rowdy precisely because of Lady Zhushan's disappearance.

Yuan Biye brought Lady Zhushan to the Barbarian King's great tent, requested an audience with her father, and then recounted everything Tuoba Qi had done.

The Barbarian King was clearly a bit drunk; the smell of alcohol surged from his entire body. Even in late autumn, his strong physique remained exposed and uncovered. On his left and right legs, two fair and beautiful women hung without any pretense—these were his female slaves, all Water Spirit women raised by the Great Shang Dynasty.

The powers in Yu Prefecture had supplied him with quite a few; he had picked twenty good-looking ones to keep by his side, choosing a few to serve him in bed every night.

At this moment, he sat with his hands hooked around those two women, sitting in a bold, unconstrained posture, listening and then squinting in thought.

After some thought, he raised his eyes to look at the somewhat noisy night outside, and finally cast his gaze upon the fat woman wearing a thick cotton-padded jacket.

The scenes of this fat woman helping the Barbarians back then surfaced in his mind.

The Great Barbarian King closed his eyes for a moment and said in a muffled voice, "Lady Zhushan, there is still a friendship between this King and you. From now on, stay with the Barbarians, don't go anywhere, and don't think about leaking Barbarian information out again... then this King will ensure your safety and your glory."

Lady Zhushan said, "This old woman is no longer young and wishes to retire to her hometown. The Barbarian King should have no use for this old woman now, right?"

The Great Barbarian King pinched the small braid tied into his beard and said in a muffled voice, "Song Cheng is a person worthy of respect, and also a terrifying person. And you have been in my Barbarian tribe for so long; even the Great Shaman's beast-taming secret arts, you should have seen seven or eight out of ten, right? With that being the case, do you still need this King to say anything more?!"

"Ah!"

"Ah!"

The two women on his left and right thighs suddenly let out cries of alarm, as the Great Barbarian King was pinching their flesh hard.

And the Great Barbarian King, like a beast with bristling hair and fur ready to devour someone, stared fiercely at Lady Zhushan and said word by word, "Stay, and live! Leave, and die!"

Afterward, he glanced at Yuan Biye and said, "Since you brought Lady Zhushan back, then from now on, you will be the one to watch over her."

Having said that, he lifted the two beauties and turned back into the great tent; inside, sounds of lewd indulgence could be heard.

In this world, let alone the Great Barbarian King, even small families with a bit of power—which one didn't have many women? Someone like Song Cheng was already considered very conservative.

The next day.

The Great Barbarian King did not punish Tuoba Qi.

Because Tuoba Qi was already his bridge to the noble families of Yu Prefecture.

The noble family of Yu Prefecture was the Zhao Family.

The Zhao Family had long since had people stationed in the Barbarian lands.

Not only that, but the Zhao Family had also brought a monk along today.

The monk requested an audience with the Barbarian King, and afterward, they began to talk.

This conversation lasted for three days and three nights.

No one knew what they had talked about.

But, three days later, the Barbarian King emerged from the tent in high spirits, and even made a promise that if things progressed, he would definitely declare Buddhism the state religion.

What exactly this matter was, even Tuoba Qi was completely unaware.

Jiangnan has many Buddhist temples; amidst the autumn rain, if one climbs high to gaze out, they are all that meets the eye.

The master of this province, who holds power here, is surnamed Xiao and is a powerhouse of the Qi Realm.

Because of a natural barrier, Jiangnan forms a contrast with the chaos in the North.

This place remains peaceful.

Furthermore, this long-lasting peace has brought about strong troops and sturdy horses, as well as abundant resources—so abundant that "this Governor Xiao, in order to curry favor with the Buddhist Sect, even donated himself to the Buddhist Sect, and then had the various major powers of the entire Jiangnanzhou pay money to redeem him."

In this way, Governor Xiao performed a great virtuous deed, the Buddhist Sect gained a great benefit, and both sides achieved their goals at once.

Governor Xiao never tires of this.

The various major powers of Jiangnanzhou are also exhausted from running about.

There is no other reason: the Xiao family holds too much power in Jiangnanzhou; besides Governor Xiao, other members of the Xiao family also wield significant power.

The entire Xiao family covers the sky with one hand.

And the fact that there is a "Great Clan Xiao" behind the "Xiao family" has long since ceased to be a secret.

Nowadays, Governor Xiao also sees the chaotic situation in the North.

As he watches, a small thought cannot help but arise in his heart: My Jiangnanzhou is so stable and prosperous, and protected by the Buddhist Sect, why can I not contend for the Central Plains? For this matter, he specifically consulted the Great Clan behind him, and the Great Clan only told him to go ask "Master Liaoji" of the Buddhist Sect.

Governor Xiao went to ask.

Master Liaoji only said: "The fate lies in the North."

Governor Xiao did not understand and asked repeatedly.

Master Liaoji continued: "Song Cheng of the North Land; if the Governor obtains him, the great cause can be accomplished."

"Song Cheng, I have heard of him; he seems to be spoken of as if he were divine, saying he is very good at leading troops." Governor Xiao became excited. Since the Buddha had pointed out the path for him, he would simply follow this path. Thus, he turned around and returned to discuss how to invite Song Cheng into Jiangnan.

Besides Yu Prefecture and Jiangnanzhou, the shadow of the Buddhist Sect also exists in Donghai Zhou and Tianquezhou, where the Imperial Capital is located. The young Heavenly Son of the Ji Family in Tianquezhou reached the extreme in his hatred for "Empress Dowager Feng holding power." He scouted around and dispatched trusted aides to invite Zhao Hua of Donghai Zhou to the Imperial Capital; the purpose was naturally to support the King.

As for Zhao Hua, he had just been enfeoffed as the General Who Attacks the Rebellious of Donghai last month.

Zhao Hua received the news, discussed it with his subordinates, then used the Kulou Shuangyu Peiyu to contact Song Cheng, and afterwards... resolutely decided to head to the Imperial Capital.

After all, he was born in the bitter, cold North Land where the Ghost Tide surges; if he could enter the Imperial Capital, that... was almost his lifelong wish.

The most critical thing was that the Qi Family also told him to go ahead... going would surely lead to success.

Zhao Hua tidied up, left behind the soldiers defending the Six Towns, and led five thousand men himself, wishing to head toward the Imperial Capital in Tianquezhou.

But as a result, just as he was on the road, news came from the direction of the Imperial Capital saying that the Heavenly Son had passed away, telling Zhao Hua to return.

Zhao Hua stopped halfway and continued to scout for information.

The events that followed were quite bizarre.

The young Heavenly Son had just passed away, and the Empress Dowager, in order to stabilize the court, hurriedly supported the young Heavenly Son's infant daughter as the new Emperor, while publicly declaring it to be a "male infant."

But not two days later, Empress Dowager Feng seemed to have been persuaded by someone again; she had a sudden thought and felt that "treating a girl as the Emperor, if this were exposed, the consequences would be unimaginable; it is better to correct the error while the matter has not yet blown up."

And so, Empress Dowager Feng pulled the Heavenly Son's younger brother out from the Ji Family Imperial Court and pushed him onto the throne, while simultaneously announcing to the world that there had been a mistake before, saying "the girl was mistakenly taken for a boy, which is why the girl was established as the Heavenly Son; now that it has been discovered, the girl is no longer suitable to be the Emperor." At the same time, Empress Dowager Feng executed some eunuchs, saying it was those eunuchs who had reported the situation falsely.

With this, the major powers of the Imperial Capital, and even the Ji and Yan families, all exploded.

Is it really the case that you can depose and establish the Heavenly Son however you please? Thus, after these powers had a round of contact with the Buddhist Sect, someone secretly sent a letter to Zhao Hua, inviting him to continue to the Imperial Capital to support the King.

Zhao Hua came.

The Empress Dowager was shocked and hurriedly sent people to tell Zhao Hua not to come.

But Zhao Hua did not listen at all.

The Empress Dowager sent her own troops to intercept him, but found it extremely difficult to mobilize them.

She sought help from the Great Clans again, only to find that everything was like a stone sinking into the sea.

During this process, a small standoff broke out between the two sides, but the five thousand men Zhao Hua led were all the elite of the elite; they not only included Song Cheng's original Tiger Leopard Cavalry, Mountain Shield Battalion, and Drug Men, but also the Strange-Faced Iron Cavalry and Donghai Iron Cavalry gathered from outside, and they also condensed much of Zhao Hua's own heart's blood. After winning a hundred battles, these five thousand troops had long since become one body; how could the Empress Dowager's people be their match?

Zhao Hua pushed and pushed all the way, and seeing that he was about to push to the Imperial Capital.

The Empress Dowager panicked and, in her desperation, came up with an idea: she took all the concubines of the inner palace and entered the Buddhist Sect, requesting the Buddhist Sect's protection.

And Zhao Hua's five thousand troops entered the Imperial Capital with an unfathomable smoothness. This son of a former small martial arts gym master in the North rode a tall horse, traveling on the road into the Imperial Capital.

He was very unfamiliar with this Imperial Capital, because he knew the true danger had not yet been resolved.

Everything was as smooth as a trap.

Rather than saying he had fought his way into the cage of the Imperial Capital, it was more like it had suddenly opened a gap to let him in.

And the various Great Clans and major powers of the Imperial Capital were intricately intertwined.

Many people from the Great Clans came to pay their respects and also to persuade him, saying that since Empress Dowager Feng had already shaved her head to become a nun, then let it be.

The more they persuaded him, the heavier the killing intent in Zhao Hua's heart became. As someone accustomed to playing with schemes, he felt as if he had crawled into a net.

However, he was never a person who would resign himself to adversity.

Since they would not let him kill the Empress Dowager, he was determined to kill her.

Along with the leaders of these various major powers, he might as well kill them all cleanly.

What the problem was, perhaps it was hard to detect.

How to solve the problem, perhaps it was hard to do.

However, as long as the people who caused the problem were solved... then that would be enough.

There were too many court powers and the families of the Imperial Capital were too complex; this was just like a tangled mess of hemp.

Since it could not be untied, then he would cut it with one blade, and then "paint" on this blank sheet of paper.

Zhao Hua had confidence; as long as he invited the court officials, and even the heads of the families behind these officials, together under some pretext, his troops would be able to quickly crush and kill them.

He had done this kind of thing before, but he had never done it on such a large scale.

Therefore, he specifically pulled a few trusted aides together to discuss it.

These trusted aides naturally included Tie Zhenyi and Ouyang Sha who had come from Hanping Prefecture, as well as Ouyang Gong who arrived later; besides these, there was also Gao Xunle of the Gao family from the original Shenwu Town of the Six Towns, and the Zhao family brothers who controlled the "Strange-Faced Iron Cavalry." Of course, besides these few, there were also some subordinates he had recruited after he entered Donghai Zhou.

Zhao Hua stated his idea.

Among the crowd, except for a few, everyone was incomparably astonished.

Everyone had done similar things before, but they had never encountered such a massive situation.

Killing all the civil and military officials, killing the various forces in the Imperial Capital, and then replanning everything... The crowd spoke one after another, and long after, when they walked out of the hall door again, intense killing intent was revealed on all their faces.

"Great General, should we ask Mr. Song again?" Ouyang Gong clearly still harbored some hesitation, his voice even trembling slightly.

Zhao Hua glanced at him, staring for a long time.

Because of the excessive killing, his entire aura and even his gaze were now filled with fierce, demonic intent, giving people the feeling that many evil souls were crawling all over him, and much fresh blood was flowing.

These fierce auras added an indescribable majesty to his originally refined face, even though Ouyang Gong dared not look at him at all, even though both of them were actually only in the Form Realm.

Zhao Hua said: "If I tell him, it will only make him worry. We will talk after it is done."

His casual tone seemed to flow with pungent blood.

Ouyang Gong's Adam's apple bobbed; he hurriedly replied "Yes," and said no more.

And Zhao Hua also appeared calm, but in reality, his heart was already surging with waves.

"Killing all the officials of a dynasty and replacing them with his own people"—this was absolutely the most thrilling thing he had ever done in his life, but there was no other way; he could not see through the traps, and he did not want to play by these people's rules of the game.

Fortunately, he himself had a very heavy killing nature, and his big brother had once taught him a lesson: when taking action, you don't need a reason; if you feel it is necessary, if you feel you have the opportunity, then... just kill.

Previously, at the Five-and-a-Half Hall in Beixue Zhou, his big brother had framed the Five-and-a-Half Hall to death before things had even begun.

Poor Five-and-a-Half Hall hadn't even reacted before the army was already at their gates.

Now, he was the same.

No one thought he would kill all the civil and military officials and all the leaders of the major forces.

If it weren't for those people, he wouldn't have been able to enter the Imperial Capital at all. Shouldn't the normal path be to collude and conspire with them, and then start playing the game according to their rules? Since no one could imagine it, this was his opportunity to strike.

The waters of the Imperial Capital were too deep, and he didn't know how to wade through them, so... he would just change to a different pool.

If the rules of the chessboard were wrong, then he would flip the board and replace it with his own.

'Big brother, you taught me this.'

Zhao Hua said silently.

Half a month later, there would be a royal sacrifice.

This sacrifice might not have been grand in previous years, but this year it had to be.

Because only if it were grand would the civil and military officials and the leaders of the major forces be unable to decline, would they gather in one place, and would they be able to be wiped out in one fell swoop.

Half a month later.

The Barbarian: "Zhao Hua has already entered the Imperial Capital. He will soon become arrogant and domineering, and his army will ravage the Imperial Capital. At that time, the nobles of the city will surely beg for help. Then, it will be up to the Barbarian King."

"But how can I go south with a legitimate excuse?"

"The nobles of the city will surely invite you, and then promise the price of letting the Barbarian race plunder the Imperial Capital for three days... When the time comes, the Barbarian King can grab whatever wealth he wants, grab whatever women he wants, and if he wants to explore the secrets of the Divine Weapon Hall of the Imperial family, he can go and explore it all."

"The Master is a person from the Central Plains, right? Why help my Barbarian race like this?"

"The trend of the world is that long division leads to unity, and long unity leads to division. The Great Shang has existed for so long; it is time for a change. Since the Barbarian King has the strength, he can naturally go and contend for it."

"A monk also cares about the trends of the world?"

"This is a virtuous deed. Amitabha."

The Barbarian King stroked his chin.

Although he did not understand what this monk brought by the Zhao Family wanted to do, this matter was indeed very good for the Barbarian race.

Previously in the north, he would never have dreamed that he could actually plunder the Imperial Capital.

The beauties of the Imperial Capital had skin soaked in milk; a light touch was like touching fine silk, not to mention... there was wealth, there were resources, and there were divine weapons.

"Then, let my Barbarian race contribute to this virtuous deed." The Barbarian King laughed heartily.

The monk opposite him was gentle and refined, with fair skin, as if nothing that happened could ever disturb him.

The monk closed his eyes slightly.

These days, the Buddhist Sect had allowed the Empress Dowager to court death, and then took her in;

The Buddhist Sect secretly invited Zhao Hua to the Imperial Capital, which was the seed of chaos completely planted; the Buddhist Sect simultaneously colluded with the Northern Barbarians, and when the Northern Barbarians plundered the Imperial Capital, the second chaotic situation, besides the Six Towns, would completely erupt; besides these, the Buddhist Sect also contacted Song Cheng of Hanping Prefecture, and when Song Cheng was bound to the Xiao Family, the third seed of chaos in the south would be buried.

The chaos of the world was just around the corner.

And everyone was nothing but a chess piece... Even though the outside was incomparably chaotic, with undercurrents surging and whirlpools hidden in the calm, they were ready to swallow people at any moment.

But here in Hanping Village, it was incomparably tranquil.

Song Cheng discovered that his information channels were too few; apart from the "Kulou Shuangyu Peidai," there was nothing else.

However, the spies of the Yinkui Society had already begun to arrive and were preparing to disguise themselves as refugees to go south. To distinguish them from the Tiangang Battalion of the Yinkui Society, these spies were from the Divine Wind Gate of the Yinkui Society.

The master of the Tiangang Battalion was Song Cheng.

And the sect leader of this Divine Wind Gate was an extremely mysterious big shot.

No one knew who they were, whether they were male or female, or where they were, because even the president was tight-lipped about that big shot.

That person only had one codename—Beiluo Master Sect.

If Song Cheng was the strongest person in the Yinkui Society, then Beiluo Master Sect was the most mysterious person in the Yinkui Society.

And this most mysterious person bestowed upon every spy of the Divine Wind Gate a "blessing"—an animal that could communicate with them.

These animals were mostly birds.

The bird could speak, could see, could communicate with you, and could even help you do things. For a spy, what gift could be more convenient than this?

At this time, Song Cheng glanced at the mysterious four-year-old "Beiluo Master Sect," watched her call out "Daddy" in a milky voice, and then returned to his place of seclusion.

In everyone's eyes, his main task now was to comprehend the Third Tail technique of the Nine-Tailed Fox Spirit Scripture together with Su Mengzhen.

He was the ceiling of the Yinkui Society's strength.

The stronger he was, the safer everyone would be.

Entering the secret chamber.

Moonlight fell in, and Su Mengzhen, dressed tightly, was seen with her eyes closed beneath the skylight, as if she were comprehending something.

After passing the Reappearance Tribulation, the strength of her Soul had increased significantly, so she needed to use the moonlight to cultivate; this process required countless repetitions until her Soul was full and she grew a Third Tail.

Then, she would need to nourish her physical body and cultivate the Third Tail Huxia; even for a genius among geniuses, this process would not be completed well in less than twenty years.

Su Mengzhen had come here prepared for long-term cultivation.

For long-lived species, twenty-plus years is not long, yet twenty-plus years is merely the cultivation speed of a genius; most people actually need to spend even longer.

Song Cheng glanced at his sister-in-law, sat down under the skylight on the other side, crossed his legs, bathed in the moonlight, and circulated his cultivation method, yet in his heart, he was pondering "Mysterious Grade Grade B."

What kind of realm was that? How should one break through to that realm? Whether it was the legacy of the Su Family or his own experience, he had actually reached his limit by this point.

As for the path ahead, he feared only the Arhat of the Buddhist Sect or some Holy Heaven Buddha would know.

After all, the Buddhist Sect seemed to be hidden behind the scenes of this land, a tier higher than the noble families.

Thinking this, he suddenly glanced at his sister-in-law beside him again, only feeling that it was truly like a Dream.

Since that day in the mountain spring, after he closed his eyes and enjoyed their intimacy, his sister-in-law had pretended that nothing had happened; even after entering the secret chamber to cultivate together, they remained respectful to each other, their behavior appropriate, without the slightest overstepping.

However, the dangling flower-scented feet under the table, the wildness crawling on the lush green grass, the confession before death in the infinitely high Tower of deep cold, and the extreme wantonness and charm in the mountain spring were all infinitely magnified in this dignified, proper, and even conservative and noble posture.

This intense contrast was something no one could resist, and everyone could not help but be moved.

Song Cheng was moved too.

But he enjoyed this feeling of being moved, and even cherished it.

Therefore, he willingly followed his sister-in-law's rules, because this was a rare experience.

There are many women in the world, but this was his first time seeing a "bad woman" like his sister-in-law.

It is easy to obtain a woman, but it is extremely difficult to encounter someone like Su Mengzhen.

PS: I worked out, my muscles are sore, and even my brain feels stiff, so I only wrote this much. (End of chapter)