Chapter 412: A Touch of Autumn Frost, Twenty-Four Months of Brightness

The Prince of the Southwest stared blankly at those characters, the inked script reading 【God-General List】, and after a long while, he snapped back to himself—first doubting whether he'd forgotten the meaning of "fifth" from not using Central Plains script for too long.

He'd rather doubt himself than believe this thing was real.

Fuck, am I stupid?

He turned to his inner chamber, rattling and clattering for a long while, then pulled out a scroll buried at the bottom of a chest—the scroll's rod had yellowed, the white paper bore the marks of time, and of course, a stubborn smudge of chili oil.

Clearly, he'd taken it out to admire during meals more than once, leaving behind a disastrous aftermath.

That's why he'd finally resolved to lock it away.

Unrolling it, he found it was a God-General List.

The fifth name listed—【Li Wanli】.

This was precisely the God-General List where Li Wanli had ranked fifth at age thirty; outside the First Tower of Heaven, no other place held this scroll. The Prince of the Southwest's expression grew complex as he gently traced the scroll he'd cherished for years, sighed, and unrolled it.

Now, let's compare.

【Li Guanyi】—【God-General List Fifth】

【Li Wanli】—【God-General List Fifth】

The names of father and son, across time, now sat side by side; for a moment, time itself seemed blurred—the Prince of the Southwest stared fixedly, as if seeing once more the young, triumphant war general, the bold, unrestrained Wolf King.

The Prince of the Southwest, now over fifty, fell silent for a long while, then sighed.

Then he gave a self-deprecating smile and muttered:

"No problem, definitely fifth."

Fifth…

The Prince of the Southwest's liver trembled slightly; he drew a deep breath, scanning the battle records—the top few were familiar: Yuwen Lie's entry noted he led a small force against both the Chen Emperor's personal campaign and the Second God-General's Iron Futu.

Strictly speaking, he fought on two fronts against the personal invasions of two great nations.

Yet he held his line firm.

Throughout the campaign, even in retreat, his troops never broke or scattered.

He eventually withdrew under imperial orders due to logistical failure—defeated but never disordered; not the general's fault, no routed soldiers, and after retreat, he still held fast to the Ying Kingdom's border, dominating Xiyicheng from afar, his divine aura undeniable—ranked fourth.

The Third God-General Gao Xiang stood alone against a massive army including Yue Pengwu, but this aged God-General, as old as Jiang Wuxiang, after blocking them, never reinforced Jiang Wuxiang—only held the northern frontier beyond the pass.

"Each one's pretty fierce."

"Or rather, this God-General List now carries even more weight than in the past—this kid's rank has zero fluff; he might even outweigh his father."

"Damn it, how come his son's so damn fierce?"

"Should I marry my daughter to him? Maybe their grandson'll be even fiercer?"

"Let me see his battle record."

The Prince of the Southwest drew a shallow breath, shifting his gaze downward to Li Guanyi's record.

【In a force of 100,000, slew enemy generals' heads】

The Prince of the Southwest's expression hardened: "???"

The first one's already this brutal?

【Defeated the Wolf King beyond the Western Frontier】

The Prince of the Southwest's eyelid twitched: "???"

【Led a lone army deep into the Western Regions, stormed thousands of miles, shattered cities, slew the Shatuo King, sealed Mount Juxu, sacrificed to heaven and cast a bronze cauldron, proclaimed himself Tian Kehan】

【In the great Western Regions battle, defeated the First God-General Jiang Su, shattered her three-hundred-year undefeated legend】

The Prince of the Southwest gasped sharply, shuddered, and went slack with disbelief: "Wait, this—this God-General List—is fake?!"

"Eighteen years old, defeated the Wolf King and Jiang Su? And became Tian Kehan?"

"Is this real?"

"Li Wanli's son is this fierce?"

"And he's only fifth?"

His gaze stiffened as he read the list's annotation: 【His forces outnumbered the Wolf King's by several times when he defeated him; against Jiang Su, he faced a tenfold disparity—yet as a vassal lord, his power base could not rival the great Central Plains nations】

【If the Wolf King and Jiang Su had commanded identical forces, the outcome remains uncertain; his defeat of Jiang Su occurred because the Wolf King attacked Ying's capital, forcing Jiang Su into a hasty battle, deep in enemy territory, with the Wolf King's forces also involved in the record】

【Thus ranked fifth—but his youthful valor makes him unmatched among contemporary warlords】

So he'd led several times the enemy's numbers—the Prince of the Southwest reluctantly accepted the glaring record, yet fell silent, stunned, then sighed: "Still fifth…"

"Then my old man's gotta do a handstand and shit…"

"No, that'd make me lose…"

The Prince of the Southwest actually began considering the feasibility of this, then suddenly fell silent, whirled around, exhaled, and kept his face blank: "Nothing happened. Nothing at all."

"No one knows."

"Who'd know?!"

"Hmph, if no one heard me, then it didn't happen."

The Prince of the Southwest thought of Li Wanli and Chen Fubì, sighed, scrolled further, and saw names: "…Fan Qing, Fire Qilin war general, Fifth Heaven, ranked 87th on the God-General List."

"Tsk tsk tsk—Fifth Heaven made the list, and from Bai Ding? Rare, rare."

"Qi Bi Li, Sixth Heaven, Khan of the Tiele Nine Clans."

"Supreme Commander of the Golden Crescent Cavalry, Fire Qilin war general."

"Ranked 52nd on the God-General List."

"Ling Pingyang, Sixth Heaven, Supreme Commander of the Fire Qilin's fully armored heavy cavalry."

"Ranked 51st…"

Watching the God-General List fill with new young names while others vanished from the battlefield, the Prince of the Southwest truly felt the surging tide of the age—the vast, sweeping grandeur of a new generation replacing the old.

This time, the number of names on the God-General List from Tiance Prefecture surged dramatically.

Then his gaze paused slightly, spotting another familiar name.

"Chen Wenmian, son of Yu Langwang Chen Fubi, commander of fifty thousand Grey Wolf Guard cavalry."

"Cultivation Realm — Sixth Heaven Peak of the Martialist's Battle Qi Achievement."

"Affiliation — Tiance Prefecture."

"Rank on the Divine General List — Thirty-Third."

The Southwest King fell silent for a long while, then said: "Truly, the world is in tumult. It feels as if Li Wanli and that old wolf climbing the Divine General List was just yesterday, yet now both are dead."

"Their sons have already become famed generals, riding across the land."

"Truly, how lamentable, how joyful."

Even now, the Southwest King felt only a sense of the world's change, sorrow for the departed, and quiet pride in seeing their sons follow in their fathers' footsteps.

He put away the Divine General List, thinking of the Changfeng Lady who had come with the Chen emissary; it was she who had delivered this list. He disliked the emissary — all fuss and bother, never comfortable to be around.

But the Changfeng Lady herself was elegant as jade, refined and graceful.

He stepped out of the mansion, walked a while, and found the guest in a bamboo grove, clad in white robes beneath a deep blue wide-sleeved outer robe, black hair like a waterfall tied with a simple wooden hairpin, quietly watching the wind sweep through the bamboo.

The Southwest King laughed heartily: "Hahahaha, Changfeng Lady, what fine spirits!"

The Changfeng Lady turned slightly, a folding fan in hand, smiling: "Ah, Your Majesty. The scenery here is splendid. Jiangzhou and Yicheng have no such quiet grace — I was so lost in it, I apologize for my rudeness."

The Southwest King chuckled: "Don't say such things."

The Changfeng Lady said: "But why not go meet my lord?"

The Southwest King sneered: "That fellow spouts nothing but Confucian nonsense, always talking of state and General Tianwei, wants me to kneel and bow on the spot — what kind of creature is he? But you, Changfeng Lady, at least brought a pile of merchant contracts that let us make a profit."

He was straightforward, blunt, and spoke plainly when matters arose.

The Changfeng Lady smiled: "After all, this is a matter of mutual benefit. The southwest is damp, thick with mists and malarial vapors, full of things outsiders crave but cannot reach. The mountain paths are treacherous — good goods cannot be shipped out."

"The mushrooms here are crisp and delicious, far surpassing those of the Central Plains."

"They fetch high prices even in the Central Plains."

The Southwest King nodded, then added: "And thank you for delivering the Divine General List."

"Our region has little contact with the Central Plains — we only get this list every few months."

The Changfeng Lady looked at the Divine General List and said:

"I wonder, Your Majesty — what do you make of the changes on this list?"

The Southwest King sighed deeply: "A world turned upside down."

"Old friends are gone forever."

"The new generation has risen — Li Wanli's son is already fifth on the list. My southwestern lands are no small territory, yet among all my warlords, not one compares to him."

The Changfeng Lady feigned casualness, smiling: "If so, I hear that long ago, your lands forged an alliance with Tai Ping Gong and Shen Wu Wang. Though both are now immortal, their descendants still live."

"The world surges with chaos, shifting with the times."

"The Chen Emperor has sent envoys repeatedly. Your Majesty refuses to submit to Chen or Ying — then why not ally with the descendants of Tai Ping Gong and Shen Wu Wang, and renew the old pact?"

The Southwest King froze, studying the Changfeng Lady before him, frowning slightly. He had never considered this — a blind spot in his thinking — but now, her words stirred a faint impulse in his heart.

In terms of kinship, they were the descendants of brothers who once urinated together.

In terms of power, Qin Wu Hou, who controls the western lands and southern rivers, is a regional overlord.

In terms of Wu Gong, he is the Fifth Divine General of the realm.

And he is far younger than the top four — theoretically, if Li Guanyi lives long enough to outlast them, he'll at least secure third place, possibly second, and be remembered for generations.

In terms of legitimacy —

Long ago, it was Li Wanli and Chen Fubi who signed the alliance with me.

And as for Qin Wu Hou's current title —

He is the Supreme Commander of all imperial troops under the Chi Emperor's reign!

Now that I think of it, everything is in place — reputation, authority, all present.

The Southwest King's expression shifted several times. Finally, he stared at the Changfeng Lady, up and down, then burst into laughter:

"So it seems — you traveled ten thousand miles from Jiangzhou, accompanying that nagging old man to my southwestern lands, just to say this."

"Clever move."

The Changfeng Lady smiled: "Merely timely coincidence."

The Southwest King laughed heartily: "Good! Good!"

"But my southwestern lands differ from the Central Plains. This matter cannot be decided by me alone."

"I must return and consult with the elders."

The Changfeng Lady said: "By all means."

The Southwest King came and went swiftly. The Changfeng Lady watched him depart — a Seventh Heaven powerhouse with aura like a blazing sun — before finally exhaling. The southwest is narrow, with the Heavenly Granary within, surrounded by miasma and towering mountains — hard to conquer.

For the Central Plains, the greatest enemy here is climate and terrain.

Not the southwestern troops.

If bloodshed can be avoided, better still.

The Changfeng Lady turned, gazing at the rustling bamboo, expression calm.

……………………

The Chen emissary wrote a vast treatise of sage-like prose, arguing the legitimacy of the Southwest King kneeling to bow before the Emperor of Chen — the Southwest King threw it to his Iron-Eating Beast to wipe his ass with.

The Southwest King ignored the old man.

The so-called Central Plains scholar's curses calling him a brute — ignored.

Any further nagging? Send him to feed the Iron-Eating Beast!

He dismissed the emissary, then summoned the elders of all southwestern clans to formally discuss ties with the western lands and Qin Wu Hou, reviving the proposal to renew the alliance with Li Wanli's descendants.

The King of the Southwest fully expected this proposal to win unanimous approval from the chieftains of all tribes, but the course of events exceeded his expectations.

Perhaps, as the Central Plains say.

When a man leaves, the tea grows cold.

Though there was an agreement with Tai Ping Gong and Yu Langwang, over twenty years have passed since then; twenty years, during which the children of that era have become fathers, and the youths have begun to age—this span of time is enough to change many things.

Many tribes have replaced their leaders.

Some among them are willing to honor the old pact with Li Wanli; recalling the original agreement with those two men, the alliance, now severed for over twenty years, is to be fulfilled by their descendants—and this evokes a stirring sense of mutual admiration among heroes, a surge of hot-blooded passion.

Since ancient times, heroes and valiant men keep their word.

This situation cannot but feel exhilarating.

Some elderly men even burst into tears, feeling that the old pact, once thought to go unfulfilled until death, had somehow, against all odds, been fulfilled before they died—how could they have imagined they would still see this man!

Yet some remain hesitant and doubtful.

Their reasons are quite valid—

"Li Guanyi is currently trapped in the Western Regions; his territory lies in the northwest and southern Jiangzhou, with no connection to the southwest. Even though the Western Regions are not far from the southwest, a stretch of land belonging to Chen State lies between us."

"Between us and them stands an uncrushable, unbreakable, unboilable old turtle—Lu Youxian. We are far from Qin Wu Hou, but close to Chen State. There's an old saying in the Central Plains: distant water cannot quench near thirst."

"No matter how powerful Qin Wu Hou is, he doesn't border us."

"No matter how much we dislike Chen State, they are right next door."

"For now, we merely refrain from sending troops to aid Chen State against Ying State, but we have not betrayed Chen State—so Chen Dingye and we remain at peace, merely sending an old fool every so often to bother us."

"But if we were to make overtures to Qin Wu Hou—"

"Then things would be entirely different."

"If Qin Wu Hou cannot enter, and Chen Dingye sends Lu Youxian to our doorstep, isn't that like locking our own doors and beating us?"

The commander's utterance of the name "Lu Youxian" carried enough weight to silence everyone; the mere thought of Chen State's crossbow units and heavily armored troops, led by that old turtle, blocking their gates, froze them.

The tribe members, skilled in vine armor, bows and arrows, and hit-and-run tactics, fell silent.

Old Turtle.

Just the name made their livers ache.

Lu Youxian's famed early battle taught them what "ironclad defense" meant, what "invincible" meant.

Our tactics rely on rapid, high-frequency strikes and harassment from all directions.

Lu Youxian showed them what a "stone lump" was.

Fighting alongside Yu Langwang and Jiang Su, even if you lose, it's a defeat decided on the battlefield—you'd only sigh and admit, truly, a great general, unrivaled on the battlefield; but fighting an old turtle? That would make your three corpse spirits rage.

Fighting Yu Langwang or Jiang Su—even if you lost, you lost on the battlefield, and could only sigh: truly a great general, invincible on the field. But fighting the Old Turtle? It made your three corpses rage with fury.

That suffocating, burning frustration was like being stuck in a carriage on a Jiangzhou street, moving only one li, yet blocked for three hours—then multiplied tenfold.

Lu Youxian had no clever stratagems.

He never fell for battlefield deceptions.

His every tactic was simple: fix the position, build a wall, stack armor, advance.

Straightforward, flawless, even avoiding direct engagement—he fought total war, pitted national strength against national strength, plain and direct, crushing forward. He ranked third on the list of all southwestern tribal commanders' most dreaded opponents.

Some even declared they would rather leap off a cliff or face Jiang Su and die than endure a stalemate with Lu Youxian.

At the mention of the name, the King of the Southwest's brow twitched.

Another commander added: "Though Qin Wu Hou's military might is formidable, it is the army of a general, the army of a commander. He has seized the Western Regions and built his hegemony, yet his foundation remains shallow—he still holds no advantage over Chen State or Ying State."

An old man supporting the King of the Southwest scoffed:

"Wait until everyone knows who's strong and who's weak, then you go crawling over."

"Do you think they'll even acknowledge you?"

"Where in this world is there a reward without risk, a gain without loss? Go back and wear your diaper!"

The young tribal commander, Mu Taihong, flew into a rage:

"What did you say?! Old bastard!"

"Ungrateful bastard, your conscience was eaten by the Iron-Eating Beasts—if it weren't for Tai Ping Gong, where would you have gotten these past twenty years of peace? If your old man knew you were talking such nonsense now, he'd crawl out of the ground and shove you back down."

"Ungrateful wretch, your conscience was eaten by the Iron-Eating Beast! Without Tai Ping Gong, where would you have gotten these past twenty years of peace? If your father knew you were spouting this nonsense, he'd crawl out of his grave and shove you back in!"

The white-haired old man sneered: "There's still a shit-and-fart job waiting behind you—why's there still one on your face?"

The white-bearded elder sneered: "There's already a shit-and-fart job behind you—why's there another one on your face?"

The old barbarian's tongue was sharp, leaving the young man's face flushed crimson.

The King of the Southwest pressed his temples, feeling them throb violently—he thought these men were utterly undisciplined, and they damn well deserved to be stripped naked and hung up to feed the Iron-Eating Beasts!

With this kind of bickering, in the Southwest's style, the outcome would inevitably be a stalemate: those in favor of the alliance and those against it would be evenly matched, leaving the matter unresolved.

At that moment, a soft knock came at the door.

At that moment, a soft knock came at the door.

All city lords and tribal elders fell silent, their gazes turning to the door. The King of the Southwest lifted his eyes slightly and asked: "Who is it?"

A clear laugh replied: "It's me."

The King of the Southwest paused, then said: "Changfeng Lady?"

The Changfeng Lady had brought a lucrative merchant alliance pact; the King's expression shifted slightly. He opened the door and welcomed her in. She entered calmly, smiling: "Forgive me for interrupting."

Tai Bo Yong chuckled: "Changfeng Lady, don't be absurd—you're our honored guest; we welcome you anywhere. But this is a matter of great importance to the Southwest. Next time, please don't come at such a moment."

The Changfeng Lady smiled and said: "Old sir, you're right. But I previously mentioned to the King of the Southwest the matter of an alliance with Qin Wu Hou—and I forgot to bring something."

This statement made it clear: the Changfeng Lady had proposed the alliance with Qin Wu Hou. Faces around the room shifted subtly—even those elders who favored the alliance now felt uneasy.

A strange cry rang out; the white-haired elder shoved something in with a single heave—a large box landed on the table with a loud thud. Xue, the Lady of the Changfeng Tower, clad in white robe and blue shirt, pressed her palm against the box, standing alone within the gaze of all the lords of the southwestern cities.

A shrill cry rang out; a white-haired elder shoved forward a large box with a single heave. It landed on the table with a heavy thud. The Changfeng Lady, clad in white robe and blue tunic, placed her palm upon the box and stood alone within the gaze of all the southwestern city lords.

【181】 She showed no fear, no hesitation—only calm composure.

Her palm was pale and slender; with just a slight pressure, the box opened.

In an instant, silence fell.

All the city lords turned pale; after several breaths, Tai Bo Yong leapt to his feet and cried: "This is!!!"

Inside the box lay twenty-four pearls, all identical in size!

These were precisely the southwestern national treasure, once given by the Southwest King in drunkenness as a pledge of alliance; the Tai Ping Gong carried them thousands of miles to Jiangnan to propose to the Murong Clan, selling these twenty-four pearls for gold and silver to aid the people and soothe their hearts.

"This is our nation's treasure!"

The Changfeng Lady pressed her palm against the box and pushed it forward:

"I heard this is the southwestern treasure; today I have gathered it and return it to its rightful owner."

"Long ago, the Southwest King gave it to the Tai Ping Gong, who then offered it as a bride price."

"Today, I, a humble one, stand in place of Qin Wu Hou and present it to you all, seeking only one promise in return—do you agree or not?"

Tai Bo Yong said: "What if we agree? What if we refuse?"

The Changfeng Lady said: "If you agree, these twenty-four pearls are returned to you."

"If you refuse, these twenty-four pearls…"

The lady paused slightly, smiling:

"... are still returned to you."

The atmosphere eased; all murmured:

"What, then, is this promise?"

The handsome, gentle lady replied: "I ask you all to set aside the question of forming an alliance for now—first, go meet Qin Wu Hou himself. I believe that once you have seen him, you will have your answer."

The Southwest King said: "Just to meet him."

The Changfeng Lady smiled: "Yes, just to meet him."

"That is enough."

Tai Bo Yong said: "These twenty-four pearls have scattered across the land; gathering them back is no simple task—it must have taken immense effort. Yet all this labor is merely to secure a single meeting? Changfeng Lady, you have such great faith in him."

The Changfeng Lady paused, then spoke softly but firmly:

"Yes."

After much deliberation, they all agreed—whether the pro-alliance faction or the cautious faction, wary of retaliation from Chen State, reached consensus and accepted.

They rose, offering Changfeng Lady a courteous bow of gratitude, saying:

"This is our southwestern treasure, returned to us today—we are deeply grateful. We accept this promise. We have always called you Changfeng Lady, but we do not yet know your true name—how should we address you?"

The Changfeng Lady reached up and adjusted the wooden hairpin in her coiffure.

Her brown eyes remained calm; she returned the bow slightly, strands of hair falling at her temples.

Coldly beautiful, she smiled: "I am of the Xue family…"

"Xue Shuangtao."

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