Chapter 388: Boundless Boldness, the Wolf King

Li Li Guan's battle spear pressed against the Wolf King's throat; though he breathed heavily, his grip on the weapon remained utterly steady, not a tremor in sight. The Wolf King's lips were stained with thick blood, his eyes fixed on the warrior before him.

Only eighteen, yet his name resounded across the land.

He had truly, face-to-face, defeated a general who had roamed the world unchallenged.

Even if he had been careless and overreached, such an end was inevitable—he commanded a million troops, sought to strike deep alone to seize Anxi City, and fell into a chain of traps: Chen Guo, Ying Guo, the Western Regions, Lu Lu Youxian, He Ruo Qinhu, and even lingering problems left by Chen Chen Dingye.

All these forces and factions were entangled upon this battlefield.

Yet in the end, this war still came down to the valor of the general.

The Wolf King leaned against the cliff, Li Li Guan's weapon pressed deeper, the bloody aura stinging the Wolf King's neck into raised gooseflesh. The Wolf King laughed:

"Marquis Qin Wu, such boldness—but this blade at my throat? Uncomfortable."

Li Li Guan replied: "Prince Prince Puyang, your name echoes through the land."

"How could I afford the slightest lapse against an opponent like you?"

Though the Thirty Thousand Wolf Riders bore many wounds, this elite armored force could not be easily shattered; now their cold gazes locked onto Li Li Guan, who pressed his weapon forward, brows raised in fierce resolve.

Thirty thousand men dared not move.

General Wang Wang Shunchen, the Divine Marksman, had led the elite warriors of the Western Regions to close in.

Li Li Guan said: "The world is vast, heroes clash—Prince Prince Puyang, the spring light of Jiangnan is sweet. Lay down your armor, return to Jiangnan, and play chess with my great-grandfather beneath the blossoms, and spend your remaining days in peace."

"As for Brother Chen Wenmian, I will care for him."

The Wolf King laughed: "Oh? If I leave, the hundreds of thousands behind me will collapse. I'll tell you plainly—those troops are gathered from the worst scoundrels. They obey none but me. If I flee, they'll rebel."

"And the khans I've granted lands to."

"Besides, if I fall, He Ruo Qinhu—the fifth greatest military blade in the land—will turn his spear toward you. And Lu Lu Youxian. Li Li Guan, Li Li Guan—you've beaten me, but only me."

"Can mighty Qin Wu conquer a nation?"

Li Li Guan answered: "What I do today is precisely to claim the throne of a nation."

Chen Chen Chengbi, the Wolf King, stared at Li Li Guan—the young general amid ten thousand troops, his aura blazing, his brows calm yet radiating an unmistakable sharpness. He was a blade, now fully forged.

He had truly, without flaw, defeated the greatest general of the last generation, using the Wolf King's lifetime of warfare as a stepping stone to become the world's supreme warrior.

Full of spirit and vigor.

Who in the world does not know my name!

Within the Wolf King, Chen Duke's martial art flowed and transformed—a realm surpassing his ancestors. If he willed it, he could step forward, like a roaring flame, enough to drag this young man into death with him.

But the Wolf King lowered his gaze.

He merely sighed: "You are stronger than your father."

"In martial skill, in spirit—how could he have sired you?"

"My martial skill is no lesser than his, my courtcraft far outstripped his. Yet his prestige surpassed mine, and his son… also…"

He paused, then said: "Still, my son is no worse than you."

The aged wolf sighed: "Marquis Qin Wu, when the world is finally settled, if Chen Wenmian still serves under you, I hope you…" He paused. Prince Prince Puyang fell silent for a long while, as if about to ask that Chen Chen Wenmian be granted a dukedom or marquisate.

But in the end, the aged divine general only said: "Then, when the time comes, let him do whatever he wishes. He lived under Chen Chen Dingye's schemes; for these past three years, he fought beside me."

"He has never been allowed to do what he truly wanted."

Li Li Guan felt the Wolf King's final trust.

Suddenly, the Wolf King reached out, seized the Tiger Roar Battle Spear, and drove it straight into his own throat. Li Li Guan's pupils contracted—he instinctively pulled back his weapon—but in that instant, the Wolf King surged forward.

The old wolf launched like a cannonball, crashing into Li Li Guan's chest.

Li Li Guan's pupils shrank violently, his divine form erupted.

Qi exploded.

At such close range, the Tiger Roar Battle Spear was pinned. Li Li Guan raised his hand—the Wooden Sword Long Tu appeared. He unleashed the sword art of Elder Murong Longtu, clashing fiercely with the Wolf King. A torrent of force sent Li Li Guan reeling several steps back.

Yet his battle fury surged—he held the spear in his right hand, the sword in his left.

Then his foot halted.

His expression flickered—he sensed a change within himself. A mysterious, unfathomable energy, drawn from the Wolf King, settled into his body—sublime, ineffable, profound beyond words.

It transcended the orthodox cultivation path entirely.

Even surpassed the mysteries of the Nine Heavens.

Though subtly different, in essence and height, it stood equal to the Array Sovereign's arrays and the Dao Sect's methods.

The aura of the Martial Dao legend.

Li Li Guan could have struck—but before him now lay this legend's mystery, and instinctively, he held back. In that single moment, the Wolf King broke free and retreated.

White-haired, yet his boldness undimmed, he laughed triumphantly, wild and unrestrained, the unyielding spirit of a man—unchanged even at death: "Your old man was right!"

"Castor oil and aphrodisiacs aren't poison."

"But who says castor oil and aphrodisiacs can't stop a man?"

"Today, I've been defeated—heartily, gladly. And so, I give you all I've taken through a lifetime of war and slaughter!" The Wolf King's steed galloped up. Fire Qilin prepared to act—but the Wolf King seized his weapon.

Even in this direst moment, the aged wolf refused to yield. With a method akin to 【Transmitting Power】, he deliberately created a flaw that was no flaw at all.

Li Li Guan nearly cursed aloud.

Any general, any martial cultivator of the Military School,

forcibly given the mystery of the Martial Dao legend aligned with the Military School's tactics, would freeze for a moment.

Amid his roaring laughter, the Wolf King rejoined the military formation, his aura fierce and bold, sighing to himself: "Pity, pity—it was meant for my son."

"But recently, I realized—the path of the Martial Dao legend would only harm him. He could never walk my road. Yet because of my request, he would force himself to try."

"I had planned to take this insight to the next world."

"Now you've come, defeated me—good."

"How was it? I suffered greatly fighting the Array Sovereign."

"But I thank him—he showed me the final direction of the path."

The Wolf King looked at Li Li Guan, smiled, leapt into the air, and mounted his steed. His aura was badly wounded, yet his valor remained unmatched. He swept his gaze over the approaching Western Regions army, calm and composed:

"Consider it your reward."

"When my son one day wishes to abandon his military post and live as he pleases—"

"Do not stop him."

Li Li Guan stared at the Wolf King, then spoke: "What are you going to do?"

The Wolf King turned his back to Li Li Guan. Those words stirred a memory of an old friend. He smiled: "I? Merely your defeated foe. But as a man, there are things one must do, promises one must keep."

"Li Li Guan, today you defeated me—but you cannot hold me."

"Unless you kill me."

"When you have the strength, come fight me again. I'll wait—for you to truly defeat me—"

The Wolf King stubbornly left these words behind.

He spurred his steed. As Li Li Guan moved to act, he heard the Wolf King's laughter—and the Thirty Thousand Elite Warriors, silent for long moments, their commander dismounted. All thirty thousand Canglang Guards knelt in unison.

General Wang Wang Shunchen and the Western Regions army arrived, and saw only this.

A moment of silence. Li Li Guan sighed—he knew he could not pursue.

Unless he slaughtered these tens of thousands.

Though he had won the battle honorably, the old wolf had outmaneuvered him in character. Li Li Guan felt, for the first time, a strange kinship with his distant father.

These elder divine generals—even in defeat—were cunning, always finding a way to escape. He gripped his weapon, watching the retreating aged wolf, sensing that this Wolf King had truly let go of something.

Or perhaps, finally picked up something.

This great battle, heart-stopping, involved many factions with their own agendas: Ying Guo hoped the Wolf King's forces would fracture; Cheng did not want this old wolf dead yet, nor did he wish for Marquis Qin Wu to rise utterly from this victory.

Chen Guo hoped the Wolf King could escape, to claim this great triumph.

Young generals yearned to escape their fate as pawns; the oppressed Crown Prince Jiang Gao sought to regain glory; old comrades longed to charge; famed generals clashed; strategists locked wits—beyond every scheme lay another.

The court, the battlefield, struggle, valor, ambition, conspiracy, treachery.

Yet in the annals, it would be but a few lines.

On this day—

Marquis Qin Wu, Li Li Guan, and Grand General Lu Lu Youxian led their troops against the Wolf King.

A long battle.

Marquis Qin Wu shattered the Wolf King, captured Prince Chen Wenmian and over ten officers, took more than forty thousand prisoners.

Wolf Wang Chen Chen Chengbi escaped with his life alone.

Thus, Marquis Qin Wu's name resounded across the land.

Over a hundred cities beyond the pass submitted to his seal.

————《Chen·Lu Ye Zhou Wang Liezhuan》

Even in his own age, and by all later generations, this battle was seen as the pivotal turning point where Marquis Qin Wu truly became the world's supreme figure.

Before this, he was the leader of the younger generation, a promising young lord.

After this battle, his direct defeat of the Wolf King granted him true deterrence against the two emperors.

The Wolf King, who had risen and fallen across the land, suffered his greatest defeat at the hands of a father and son—a tale so beloved it became popular storytelling in teahouses and taverns.

Once, the protagonist of the tale heard it, and for once, on his own initiative, ordered it halted. All were struck—【His Majesty】 refused to glorify past glory, and thus, his humility inspired even greater admiration.

Later, when the Imperial Historian spoke with Marquis Qin Wu of this matter, he fell silent for a long while, then answered: "I could not see through him."

"I defeated him—but from him, I truly learned that battlefield victory is not always absolute. Even unexpected defeat can become a tool."

"The truths of this world are never so simple."

"He taught me much…"

At that time, Qin Wu Hou extended his hand to warm it by the fire, his golden eyes and ink-black hair framed by a broad, black robe embroidered with gold thread; the world was blanketed in snow, his gaze gentle and serene as he spoke softly:

"I saw no Yu Langwang."

"I did not know the heroes of this world could be so bold—and so treacherous."

"So invincible."

……………………

Yu Langwang Chen Chen Chengbi returned alone to his own camp; Xiao Xiao Wuliang and the others fell silent, only relieved to see that though badly wounded, the Yu Langwang radiated vigor; the Western Regions' Living Buddha came to treat his wounds, the sight heart-wrenching.

With his current physique, such grave injuries might have killed him on the road—he somehow dragged himself back, drank several cups of wine to steady the troops, then collapsed, not regaining consciousness for days.

The old Living Buddha tended his wounds and changed his bandages; Yu Langwang closed his eyes and sat quietly for a long while, then spoke: "I lost."

Those words startled the emaciated monk; he turned to see the nearly dead Yu Langwang seated calmly, deep in thought, and Yu Langwang smiled: "Qin Wu Hou is far harder to swallow than his old man."

The old Living Buddha said: "Why not say it was Tai Ping Gong and his son?"

The old Yu Langwang laughed and added: "True."

"But now, in my eyes,"

"it is the cunning, unyielding Qin Wu Hou—and his kind, easily exploited old father."

The old monk said: "When Tai Ping Gong was alive, you would never have said that."

The old Yu Langwang boasted: "Isn't he already dead?"

"The dead should keep silent; let the living paint them as they please. No matter how much they resist, they can only choke on it, unable to speak—and even if they resent me, they must wait until I join them before they can complain."

The old monk fell silent for a long while, then said: "Your Majesty, if you cast aside all restraint and take that step, Qin Wu Hou cannot defeat you."

The old Yu Langwang said: "At my age, to be careless and overconfident enough to lose to that boy is already disgraceful; to risk my life fighting the son of a friend—that is not the way of a general."

"Too petty. That move was never meant for him."

"This boy is still green—but what choice do I have? His father died too soon; the ways of the battlefield, and beyond it, only I can 'teach' him."

The old monk sighed: "You call that teaching?"

"In every real battle, haven't you always wanted to capture Qin Wu Hou and bring him back as Tai Ping Gong?"

Yu Langwang laughed: "In this world of strife, where swords clash, there is no room for mercy. If he cannot defeat me, how can he claim the world? Let him return home, live as Tai Ping Gong, and enjoy wealth and honor."

"Now I have lost."

"I was counting on him to care for my son."

The old monk was startled: "You won't send Master Chen Wenmian back to Chen Guo?"

The old Yu Langwang grew unusually calm, his white hair falling like an old man's; he squinted and said: "No. With this defeat, Chen Guo has lost its greatest general…"

"Though I and Chen Chen Dingye are mortal enemies, in grand strategy we stand together. Now our momentum is broken—what good would sending Chen Wenmian back do? Let him sit on that throne full of scheming rats and suffer a lifetime of pain?"

"The old era is rotten. Only through the sword can we reopen peace."

Yu Langwang raised Chen Chen Dingye with contempt:

"To force your desires onto others is but weakness. A true man, if he wants something, fights for it; if he cannot win, he takes it; if he still cannot take it, he grows stronger—and tries again!"

"My defeat today has damaged Chen Guo's grand momentum."

"When I die, Chen Guo will barely cling to life—no hope left for the world. This is the tide: no matter how valiant the generals or brilliant the strategists, it cannot be changed."

The old monk's hand paused as he looked at the old Yu Langwang.

The old Yu Langwang sat on his bed, gazing quietly outside; sunlight streamed into the room, dust swirling in a faint golden haze. After removing his armor, he spoke of his death with calmness and acceptance.

The old monk's nose twitched.

Then suddenly he rose, striding forward.

Without hesitation, he slapped the old Yu Langwang on the head.

He yanked back the quilt and seized a wine cake from beneath the Yu Langwang's hand—its scent of alcohol strong; the monk's lips twitched, his dark face turning pale with rage as he shouted:

"You're half-dead and still drinking?!"

The old Yu Langwang said: "Monk, you broke your vow of silence."

The old monk cursed: "To hell with it—give me that!" The contemporary master, ranked first among Western Regions monks, strained with all his might to wrest the wine away.

But the old wolf refused to let go; the monk, relying on his Buddha-like Vajra-body, forcibly tore the wine from the dying wolf's grip, turned, and slammed the door shut with a bang.

Inside, the old Yu Langwang shouted: "I don't have many days left!"

The old monk spat: "Pfft."

The old Yu Langwang called out again: "I always regretted not splitting your skull open back then!"

So the Western Regions' Living Buddha merely rolled his eyes.

He sat outside the door, gazing at the vast sky, then sighed, looked at the wine cake, and, seeing no one around, tilted his head and took two quiet sips; his face, already grim, grew threefold more bitter.

The old Living Buddha fell silent, sighed, looked upon this world, upon the dust of mortal life, thought of the past, and whispered softly:

"How bitter it all is."

………………

Just days later, the Yu Langwang recovered from Li Li Guanyi's brutal assault; that young general had held nothing back, determined to break the old wolf's legs if needed just to drag him south to play go.

Without troops, his great-grandfather's single sword had pinned him down.

Yet despite such wounds, the old wolf had recovered—and now he rewarded his army; of the remaining four hundred thousand troops, half were logistics, but the twenty-three thousand frontline soldiers all drank and sang wildly.

The old monk could only warn the Yu Langwang not to act rashly; after a pause, he said:

"You gave him your son—and along with him, the five ten-thousand-strong frontline force that could secure his position—will you really turn and fight them again?"

The old Yu Langwang said: "If you can't speak properly, don't speak at all."

The old Living Buddha said: "Then you won't."

The old Living Buddha, ever clever, whispered: "Then whose blade will your army strike next…"

Chen Chen Chengbi smiled: "To this day, I have known wealth, glory—all is perfect bliss. Even if my martial arts are stripped away, I rise again to walk this world. Long life means nothing to me."

"I may live only another sixty years—but I've lived more joyfully than any so-called immortal."

"I've had a lifelong comrade in life and death, a virtuous son, a woman I nearly lost by a hair's breadth. I've known the world's deepest loss—and its greatest joy. I ask for nothing more than to fight fiercely."

"For my son. For his son. For every man's son."

"To carve a path."

"If I say this, will you think me hypocritical?"

The old Living Buddha looked at him and whispered: "No."

"The treacherous, murderous Yu Langwang was left behind with Qin Wu Hou—without regret, fully satisfied. What remains here is not Chen Chen Chengbi the Yu Langwang, but Shen Wu Wang, who, with Tai Ping Gong, carried a great vow toward the world."

The old Yu Langwang burst into laughter, drunk, and rubbed the monk's bald head hard:

"No wonder you know how to speak!"

"Look—this is what a Living Buddha truly is!"

He said: "My great defeat, like Chen Chen Dingye's, proves we share the same blood and the same flaws. Didn't I, too, underestimate the heroes of this world?"

"All great generals fall because of pride."

"But I am different from him in one way."

Yu Langwang rose, raised his cup, and invited his entire army to drink; lowering his gaze, he smiled, his white hair flowing, radiating majesty:

"I never treat men as pawns in this final grand game."

"I am one pawn myself—bound to live and die with them."

"Old monk, after this drink, leave. Go anywhere—your temple, find my son, or my uncle—you were friends, after all. No need to stay with me."

The old monk sighed, drank, and said: "I won't leave."

The Yu Langwang stared, dumbfounded.

The old monk replied shyly:

"Aren't you still going to use my relics to gamble with the King of Hell?"

"If I go, who'll accompany you to the underworld?"

"I'll watch your victory or defeat."

The Yu Langwang roared with laughter, utterly free, utterly released; when he drank to his heart's content, he reached out instinctively: "Chen Wenmian, you too—" then froze; his hand extended, but no pale-robed, serene young man stood beside him.

What he held was only emptiness—only wind.

Yu Langwang lowered his gaze, calm and peaceful.

Yet for some reason, a faint ache stirred in his heart, a quiet sigh.

Young when his father died, he rose against his brother, deposed the emperor; his most cherished kin, his dearest friend, and that woman lost to fate—he kept gaining, kept losing—and yet—

"How glorious!"

Yu Langwang drank, sang aloud, and the army raised weapons in salute.

"The Four Barbarians are crushed, the Central States at peace."

"The realm is tranquil, joy endless."

"Weapons stored, bows and arrows laid away."

"The Fire Qilin arrives, the Phoenix soars!"

Too bad, too bad—I won't live to see it.

The next day, the Yu Langwang led his army forth.

He marched against He Ruo's Tiger.

He shattered them utterly.

?? Please vote for monthly tickets, everyone—still struggling to fix my schedule