Chapter 396

After Lu Youxian came to form an alliance.

The scholar Wen He lowered his gaze, excused himself midway, and stepped out to stare blankly at the sky; after a while, a voice came: "The illustrious Wen Qingyu, reduced to sitting here, head drooping, lost in thought—how laughable, truly laughable."

Wen He turned his eyes to the side; Yan Daiqing sat with both hands tucked inside his wide sleeves, dressed in winter attire, fur trim lining the cuffs and collar for warmth, gazing straight ahead: "Human hearts are hard to fathom; they can never be fully counted."

"One failure is nothing."

Wen He said: "It succeeded…"

Yan Daiqing froze. He was a logistical genius, less adept than Wen He, Wen Qingyu, in schemes concerning himself: "But didn't you already have Lan Wendu hammered to death?"

Wen He chuckled, propped his chin on one hand, sat cross-legged, and gazed at the Western Regions: "Lan Wendu? The two hundred thousand taels I gave him didn't end up solely in his own hands—every official, big and small in the city, got a share."

"Lu Youxian is a famed general, upright—he'd surely notice something amiss. But hammering Lan Wendu to death? That went beyond my expectations… Truly a famed general. Yet this scheme wasn't aimed at him, nor at Chen Dingye—it was aimed at human hearts."

Yan Daiqing asked: "What human hearts?"

Wen He said: "Do human hearts crave wealth? Do they fear danger?"

"Do they fear death?"

"Lan Wendu came from a noble family—he was hammered to death. What will those who received his favors think? Everyone will feel threatened. Lu Youxian's execution of Lan Wendu has, from within this impregnable city, carved out crack after crack."

"No fortress, no matter how unbreakable, is guarded by stone—it is guarded by men."

"Hearts gather for wealth; they scatter for death."

Wen He smiled faintly, extended his palm—long fingers, lightly cupping the air before him. His plain face now carried an inexplicable, eerie, dangerous aura; his eyes were cold, devoid of human warmth. He closed his fingers.

As if encompassing this chaotic age, this city, its heroes, famed generals, warlords, and geniuses—all within his palm—he clenched his fist, whispering:

"This game… is about manipulating hearts."

"Who doesn't love wealth? Who doesn't fear death? If Lu Youxian does nothing about Lan Wendu, he watches the city rot. If he acts—then the pace of collapse accelerates."

"Human hearts are like deep oceans; greed is the rope that coils around every bone and sinew. Since ancient times, heroes have fallen in battle, scholars have been ruined—because of this."

"Lu Youxian cannot break free. Chen Dingye cannot break free."

"As for Lan Wendu—"

"The scheme was built upon his death from the very start."

"Only with Lan Wendu's head offered can this city gate be opened."

Yan Daiqing stared at the calm-smiling strategist beside him. Wen He's eyes were colder than ever, as if detached from the mortal world, observing this chaotic age with icy detachment—but then Wen He suddenly grew serious: "Those noble sons can spend money like water."

"Only when Lan Wendu is dead will others dare not squander recklessly."

"Using Lu Youxian's blade to kill a chicken and warn the monkeys."

"Then they'll become our treasury."

"Only then can we recover the thirty thousand taels he owes our lord."

Yan Daiqing: "????"

How much?

Thirty thousand?!

Wen He smirked teasingly: "Still, to have a gentleman as refined as you so concerned for me… ah, perhaps this scheme would've been better off failing after all?"

Yan Daiqing's temple twitched with a bulging vein.

Just endure… bear with it—

I'll endure your damn self!

The next instant, the sole of the Jiangnan gentleman's shoe pressed flat against Wen He's face.

The sword qi from Kunlun swept across the sky.

Yan Daiqing's eyes blazed with fire; his Threefold Heaven Wu Gong erupted. Even holding back, he kicked the cold, detached strategist—who stood apart from the mortal world—straight back into the messy, smoky realm of humanity.

Go back to where you came from!

Wen Qingyu crashed down from the flat rooftop of the Western Regions.

He landed in a pile of straw; chickens and ducks squawked and scattered in panic. The world's supreme strategist rolled over, half-buried in straw, strands of hay stuck in his black hair, staring at his friend.

Yan Daiqing's eyes burned; he raised his middle finger:

"Wen Qingyu!"

"I really, fucking hate you!"

The Jiangnan gentleman finally lost his temper and swore.

He scoured every vile word his nature could muster—something more vicious than "Bi qi niang zhi," something that struck the man himself, not others.

But he couldn't think of one.

Wen Qingyu burst into loud laughter.

Sa Atandi walked over, carrying a wooden basin of grain, and saw the two gentlemen—one standing tall, one lying low—pelted each other with eggs, brawling. Yan Daiqing was furious; Wen Qingyu was delighted.

"Hmm… the scholars of the Anxi Protectorate are as harmonious as ever."

The girl thought seriously, then carried her things away.

The final brawl ended with Yan Daiqing victorious.

Yan Daiqing had once trained under Kunlun's Furious Sword Immortal; his Threefold Heaven Wu Gong was strong enough to don armor and serve as a deputy general—only such martial prowess could withstand such pressure.

Wen He, though brilliant, was born common—a distant branch of the Wen clan, long fallen, lacking opportunity—merely a Second Heaven cultivator. Yan Daiqing said: "But even if your scheme left cracks in that city, now that Lu Youxian is on guard—what then?"

Wen He lounged lazily: "Don't worry—we have someone there too."

Yan Daiqing asked: "Who?"

Wen He said: "Ye Buyi, Zhou Liu's camp, Gong Zhenyong—they arrived here with perfect timing and decisive action. Such judgment… and Zhou Liu… hmm. The one most skilled in strategizing against people within the Imperial Academy must be stationed on Chen's border."

"That talent for helping others escape—it reeks too strongly."

"Even eight hundred li away, it stings the temples."

Wen He said: "You, Master Yan Daiqing, were born in Chen—surely you're not unfamiliar with him. With him here, the forty thousand taels owed to our lord by Lan Wendu and others will finally be recovered!"

Master Yan Daiqing: "…………"

He no longer wished to question the change in that number, only said: "Who?"

Master Wen He said leisurely:

"The Zhou family—"

"Zhou Pinglu."

……………………

The news that Chen Dingye personally led the campaign spread swiftly across the land; everyone was shaken by the implications of this message—a sovereign of a nation, personally commanding at the front, would inspire an unimaginable boost in any army's morale.

And killing or capturing a sovereign was an almost irresistible temptation for any famed general.

Chen Dingye made himself the pawn, stirring up storms across the world.

Po Jun felt a slight ache in his forehead.

A faint smile curled his lips; he found this game growing ever more intriguing.

He assessed the grand tide of the realm—"Yu Langwang attacks Xiyicheng, Chen Dingye attacks the northern frontier, He Ruo Qinhu is crippled, Qin Yulong is within my Anxi City, Yuwen Lie and Jiang Yuan are locked in battle in the heartland, unable to be easily redeployed north."

"Chen is now fighting desperately."

"Ying's and Jiang Su's strategy must be to 'bleed'—slowly, bit by bit, draining Chen's civilian economy, logistics, and border defenses, then launching a final, overwhelming assault to shatter Chen."

"A very stable strategy—but too cautious."

"Chen Dingye refuses a war of attrition; he stakes Chen's entire destiny and everything on this single game, forcing Ying, which had planned to wear Chen down, to face a Chen that has gone all-in."

"It's like two fighters clashing—one employs a slow, draining tactic, while the other goes straight for life or death; even if the first is stronger, he will suddenly find himself stretched thin."

"Chen Dingye is truly a gambler."

"This isn't just a heavy bet."

"This is all-in."

"He must have planned that as long as either he or Yu Langwang succeeds, Jiang Su holds the northern frontier, so Yu Langwang will likely smash through Xiyicheng, and we move in accordingly."

"Jiang Su joins forces to fight Yu Langwang."

"Then Ying, with all its famed generals tied down, probably lacks the strength to stop Chen's army in its imperial campaign—its northern frontier will likely lose city after city, land after land."

"And the middle choice is—"

"Jiang Su leaves behind part of his troops, taking only a small elite force to Xiyicheng to fight Yu Langwang—that is the crucial gamble, one that could trigger a massive shift reversing the entire realm's balance."

Even Po Jun's expression grew grave.

"There's a chance both Ying fronts collapse."

"Or both Chen fronts collapse."

"Though the probability is minuscule, should this happen, it would nearly determine the entire realm's fate."

"If both Chen fronts collapse, it means the Emperor is dead, Yu Langwang is defeated, the heir is young and the state in doubt—Chen's destiny collapses instantly; if both Ying fronts collapse, it means the western frontier centered on Xiyicheng and the Saibei region lose all cities and lands, forcing a retreat of power."

"Add to this the upheavals of He Ruo Qinhu and Qin Yulong."

"Chen's destiny and strength will instantly overwhelm Ying's."

A fierce, unpleasant aura darkened Po Jun's face.

This was a struggle over the grand tide.

At this moment, the Tiance Prefecture's Fire Qilin Army held only Jiangnan and part of the western frontier; when the grand tide of the realm surged, it would be swept up by it, forced to make a corresponding choice.

This had nothing to do with personal strategy, bravery, tactics, or audacity.

Li Guanyi picked up a piece and placed it on the board: "For us—"

"Morally, rationally, publicly, privately—it is better for Yu Langwang to break through Xiyicheng's frontier and for Chen Dingye to be defeated."

Po Jun nodded.

Both stared at the terrain map.

Tiance Prefecture's strategic focus afterward was to seize the southwest and link Jiangnan via waterways, capturing cities along the route; thus, if Chen's power strengthened, it would hinder this step—but if Chen collapsed…

Then even if they succeeded in this strategy, they would face a Ying that had nearly unified the north and central plains—an overwhelming disadvantage that left one utterly hopeless.

In such a scenario, they could only hold firm and wait for internal upheaval within Ying.

Then, seize the opportunity to advance northward.

Po Jun murmured: "Is this what Lu Youxian meant by our alliance to jointly fight Jiang Su? Chen Dingye still clings to the hope that both Chen fronts will win—but, Lord—"

Po Jun looked at Li Guanyi.

Li Guanyi nodded: "I know."

They were caught in the grand tide of the realm, lacking sufficient foundation.

As for territory and civilian strength, no need to say.

As for armies, they could not compare to Chen or Ying.

As for famed generals, the enemy might field the greatest divine general in the realm.

As for Wu Gong, Li Guanyi is at the Eighth Heaven—even if he joined forces with Fire Qilin's Tian Da, their combined strike could not halt the divine general's blade.

Li Guanyi held a piece, staring at the stalled board—this game was directly played upon the realm's terrain map—and said: "The only point where we might turn the tide is—"

"The western frontier."

Tian Kehan!

The overlord of the thirty-six western tribes, the second hegemon since the Tuyuhun three hundred years ago, ranked seventh on the Divine General List—this title carries a grand tide, military might, and foundation sufficient to catch Jiang Su utterly off guard.

This is now the only possibility, the only chance for victory, the only way to intercept Jiang Su.

Tian Kehan's body, Tian Kehan's name.

Must he reveal himself fully to the eyes of the realm in this final battle of the western frontier?

Li Guanyi pressed the piece, his gaze deep, his aura quiet yet surging.

Then, come on!

Qin Wu Hou is the Tian Kehan.

He raised his finger.

The piece landed in the Western Regions.

The tide surges fiercely: the Chen Emperor leads his troops, the Yu Langwang attacks the city—this is how it stands.

What do I fear?

Each has their trump cards, their struggles, their strategies and grand tides.

Dare boldly, fight fiercely!

………………

The Fire Qilin lay on the windowsill, watching Li Guanyi and Po Jun play go. Li Guanyi had grown up, the Fire Qilin thought—human life, its pace of growth and aging, was something a divine beast could not imagine.

In the Fire Qilin's memory, it felt like only yesterday.

Li Guanyi was merely a thirteen- or fourteen-year-old boy.

Yet in an instant, he had grown taller, become calm, sat before the go board wrapped in a great cloak, playing against a white-robed strategist, his aura and the spirit in his brows now indistinguishable from Li Wanli's.

But the Fire Qilin felt it was still the same as before.

Eat, sleep, sleep, eat—lazily.

In a blink, it must face Jiang Su again.

Unlike Li Guanyi, the Fire Qilin had seen Jiang Su, had personally endured the military god's methods; even the peak Yu Langwang and Tai Ping Gong together could only hold Jiang Su back by relying on Chen's vast rear and logistics.

Ah no—now, the Yu Langwang is at his peak.

But Jiang Su's might and methods, the Fire Qilin could never forget.

Should I fight him again?

The Fire Qilin extended its claw, and fear arose in its heart.

It had been beaten into fear, and moreover, Li Guanyi was now Eighth Heaven—under command of an army, a mere Eighth Heaven Wudao Sect master had no right to stand before Li Guanyi.

But the Fire Qilin was still at the peak of Seventh Heaven.

This was only because the old Qilin of the Imperial Academy had fed it fine fruits for many years.

'Qilin are divine beasts; even without cultivation, merely by breathing daily, upon maturity they reach the level of a human Sect Master.'

What the Fire Qilin once took pride in now became its greatest hatred.

Should I fight Jiang Su?

The Fire Qilin's nature was like a human youth; facing a terror that had once shattered its spirit, it instinctively chose to flee, diving into the winery built specially by Lei Laomeng, seeking the sweetest, most ripened fruits.

But these fruits now carried a hint of alcohol.

The Fire Qilin ate, dazed and half-drunk.

Should I fight? Or shouldn't I?

After all, Li Guanyi is already at the peak of Eighth Heaven—he's stronger than me, and with that cauldron's enhancement, his army, his destiny—after all, I'm only about equal to General Yue Qianfeng…

Chew, chew.

Whether I'm here or not, it makes little difference.

Still, if I must fight, then just cooperate—just like this, that's enough…

Chew, chew.

Swallow.

The Fire Qilin collapsed right there, left claw clutching one fruit, right claw clutching another. Years ago, it would have sunk into utter bliss, free of all worry.

Wonderful! Wonderful! Good! Good!

Fruits everywhere!

The Buddha-land the Monk spoke of must be just like this!

Yet now, the more it ate, the more its heart ached; voices seemed to whisper in its ears, filling it with unbearable sorrow—why was this happening?

'Will you forever sink like this?'

'…Just as when Li Wanli died, powerless, only raging in fury…'

Dazed, a question startled the Fire Qilin awake.

It looked around—no one was there—but it recognized the voice: the old Qilin of the Central Plains Imperial Academy, the one who had once constantly taught it, spoken to it in its ear. Those words had meant nothing when heard, but now they pained it deeply.

Like needles, they pierced its heart—sharp, agonizing.

In such agony, even the Fire Qilin's favorite fruits lost their taste. It was drunk on fruit, mumbled: 'Old man, tell me… what should I do…'

The old Qilin's voice seemed to rise from memory:

'In the soul, there is neither good nor evil; to know good and evil is to be a sage.'

'All living beings who know right from wrong yet feel pain do so only because they flee from what they must do.'

Confucian teachings had once angered the Fire Qilin—it could barely endure them then, gulping down fruits just to listen. Now, these words rose within it, making its fruits tasteless.

At last, the Fire Qilin roared, driving the old Qilin's voice from its mind.

Flames burned upon its body.

'Yes, yes, I know!'

'I know I can't run, I know I must fight alongside him—but I…' As the Fire Qilin struggled, it brushed against the wall; something fell from its scaled neck.

Round, smooth, brilliantly blue.

It was given by the Ancient Crimson Dragon—something from its past life.

Yes—the cause of its death in its past life.

【Four Seas Soul Pearl】—formed from the purest waters of the world, a single drop could become a lake, the purest essence of the Four Spirits.

Eight hundred years ago, the Great Emperor slew a divine beast of the sea with a divine bow and obtained it.

It was also the cause of the previous generation's Fire Qilin's death.

Gluttonous.

After swallowing it, water and fire clashed and killed it.

The Fire Qilin stared fixedly at the pearl, recalling what the ancient Taigu Chilong had once said: in a place saturated with extreme fire essence, using the power of fire and earth, it might be possible to refine this object—one such place was the Five Lotus Volcanoes in Saibei.

The other was the Flame Mountain of the Western Regions.

But last lifetime, I died because of this.

And I died terribly.

The Fire Qilin deeply feared this thing in its heart.

After much struggle, the Fire Qilin suddenly opened its mouth, clamped the pearl between its jaws, stepped on fire with all four limbs, and tried to sneak out of Anxi City—since Li Guanyi's identity had been exposed, it had become reckless in the Western Regions, frequently going out to wander.

The Fire Qilin hesitated, then did not leave immediately.

Instead, it returned to that room, quietly watching Li Guanyi and Pojun play chess; after Li Guanyi finished the game, he noticed the Fire Qilin, smiled, and called it over, offering it many snacks.

The Fire Qilin devoured them in large bites, licked its lips, and said indifferently:

"I'm going out for a stroll, to digest."

"I'll be back soon."

Li Guanyi smiled and said: "Don't wander too far."

The Fire Qilin gently nuzzled Li Guanyi: "Mm."

It paused, then said: "If I'm gone too long and don't come back, you must find me."

Li Guanyi smiled and agreed.

The Fire Qilin watched silently as Li Guanyi sat cross-legged there, then turned away, left Anxi City, rode fire into the sky, arrived at the Flame Mountain—this location was already within the Western Regions, within Li Guanyi's sphere of influence.

The Fire Qilin flew into the mouth of the Flame Mountain, gazing at the furious, terrifying flames.

To others, this was a death trap; to a fire-elemental primordial divine beast like the Fire Qilin, it felt like returning home. The Fire Qilin opened its mouth, and a stream of fire essence enveloped the 【Four Seas Soul-Storage Pearl】, which even before the volcano emitted radiant light—immensely powerful.

This trial could be passed only by itself.

Since arriving in the Western Regions, Li Guanyi had never mentioned the 【Four Seas Soul-Storage Pearl】 once—clearly unwilling to let the Fire Qilin attempt something so perilous, so life-threatening.

The Fire Qilin wrestled in its eyes, then, with no further hesitation, revealed its true form: a colossal divine beast, flames cascading from its scales, it opened its mouth and swallowed the 【Four Seas Soul-Storage Pearl】 in one gulp!

The water essence was triggered and exploded instantly.

In an instant, unbearable agony nearly consumed the Fire Qilin.

This was an artifact born of an ancient divine beast, embodying a mechanism of pure water essence—its purity in water essence even surpassed the Fire Qilin's own 【light-bringing, auspicious fire】, burning fiercer and more intense.

It rivaled the ancient Taigu Chilong.

Although the Fire Qilin, under Zhao Laoqi's tutelage, had already attained the strength of an adult Qilin, it was still not an adult Qilin with two thousand years of experience—its power and physique were both inferior.

It was even weaker than its previous incarnation.

Now it could not control the violent water essence.

The Fire Qilin growled low, its scales glowing with radiant light—pure water essence erupting, colliding with the flames. The Fire Qilin felt excruciating pain, collapsed to the ground, yet no longer had the instinct to spit out the 【Four Seas Soul-Storage Pearl】.

It clung desperately to life.

Before its eyes flashed scenes from the past: its first meeting with Li Wanli, the battlefield with Jiang Su, Li Wanli's death, being trapped in the Chen royal court, its experiences with Li Guanyi…

All these images surged within its chest.

That emotion—the joy, the pain, the resentment, the hatred.

Ignited.

The Fire Qilin stared at the lava, feeling pain all over its body, thinking:

So painful, so painful, so painful.

…I'm sorry, I might mess this up this time—but it's fine, the Fire Qilin won't die, it will just turn back into a Qilin egg, waiting to awaken again in a few hundred years…

When that time comes, you must find me.

Li Guanyi.

The Fire Qilin grinned, still as foolish as ever.

It struggled to its feet once more, staring at the fiercely burning lava.

Ready for one final, desperate gamble.

At that moment, it seemed to see Zhao Laoqi's figure—Zhao Laoqi was watching it; all those experiences, all those teachings, the centuries spent within the Age Array, coalesced into this moment's will.

Zhao Laoqi seemed to gaze upon this junior, his broken horn still pointing toward the sky.

He asked no questions.

But past teachings, like a seed planted long ago, now finally sprouted.

The Fire Qilin's will coalesced once more.

It gathered its last strength—past anger, resentment, pain, longing—all surged forth, and the blazing fire exploded again, suppressing the water essence.

In that instant, the water essence was subdued, transformed into blue flame.

The Fire Qilin answered the memory of Zhao Laoqi.

This heart is iron.

I know what I am doing—no need to explain.

The Fire Qilin charged forward, reckless and unafraid.

"I am, a Qilin!"

"To fear death—what kind of Qilin is that?!"

The Fire Qilin soared into the air, carrying the 【Four Seas Soul-Storage Pearl】 within its body, and plunged straight into the heart of the Flame Mountain's lava, crashing deep into the volcano's core—the molten rock surged and churned, and the Fire Qilin let out a furious roar.

"Jiang Su!!!"

The roaring voice surged and spiraled upward, finally transforming into a pure, vast beastly roar.

It shook the heavens and shattered the earth.

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