Chapter 457: All Affairs of Tiance Prefecture: The Chance to Fulfill the Appointment Immediately

Yue Pengwu, Xue Tianxing, and General Yuan Shitong stared at the third name on the Divine General List; all three had once known great valor, witnessed countless storms of the world, seen many heroes—yet never had they felt such emotion surge within them now!

After a long silence.

General Yuan Shitong drained cup after cup, laughing aloud: "Thrilling! Thrilling!"

"I usually need meat and dishes with my wine—without fat and grease, even the finest liquor tastes bland—but I've never felt such lightness of heart! Hahaha!"

"General! General!"

"If you could know from beyond the grave how our young master has become this, all these years, all these years…"

General Yuan Shitong had been laughing heartily, but suddenly burst into tears—wild, unrestrained. After so many years, he had seen comrades turn against each other, battle brothers fall dead, while the traitor Gu Daohui, who betrayed them, remained steadfastly loyal—and ended up in such a fate.

In youth, wielding spear and riding horse, charging across the land.

How mighty, how thrilling, how full of vigor.

All these years of restraint, slaughter, struggle to survive—how much pain, how much resentment—now, before the title of third Divine General on this world's list, all those emotions shattered open.

Divine General Jiang Su, whose name shook the world, has stood for three hundred years!

The Turkic Great Khan, all know his days are numbered.

And Li Guanyi is merely eighteen.

At this age, by the time Li Guanyi reaches thirty, he will be the undisputed number-one Divine General, the peerless hero who will wield his battle spear and sweep the world—this vast, magnificent future made General Yuan Shitong feel: to witness such a world, even death would be worth it!

"Thrilling! Thrilling, hahaha!"

Xue Tianxing looked at the long list of names and said:

"So many names—we're running out of room here."

General Yuan Shitong laughed heartily.

Yue Pengwu tossed back his wine, lifted his weapon, and said with carefree boldness: "In all the world, nothing brings me greater joy than this Divine General List. If ambition and passion end here, then this is the pinnacle!"

"Take care, both of you!"

"When our armies reunite for the northern campaign, we shall meet again!"

Yue Pengwu drained his cup, ignited the blazing fire in his chest, the fierce spirit of a man, then seized his spear, mounted his horse—as if riding toward the fated battle of his youth—and set off for Tiance Prefecture.

Xue Tianxing and General Yuan Shitong bowed their fists: "Good!"

"When we meet again on the battlefield, the Taiping Army will make the world tremble once more!"

"We await your great battle, your name echoing across the land!"

"Hahaha, good!"

Yue Pengwu rode far away, while Xue Tianxing and General Yuan Shitong watched him, their expressions complex, sighing: "How magnificent his spirit—but to cross the Ying Kingdom's checkpoints, if discovered, he may have to fight his way back."

General Yuan Shitong said: "A warrior's battle aura is sharp and clear."

"Entering the Ying Kingdom is simple enough."

Xue Tianxing asked: "Are you worried the third Divine General Gao Xiang will sense the aura shift and intercept Pengwu?"

General Yuan Shitong kicked him playfully, laughing: "Drank so much horse piss your brain's gone—what third Divine General? What third Divine General!" He puffed out his chest, lifted his head: "The third Divine General is our young master!"

"That Gao Xiang? He's only the fourth Divine General now!"

"Hahaha, Old Fourth Gao!"

Xue Tianxing had no intention of laughing, but thinking of the current world's tide, he couldn't help but burst out laughing. They walked back arm in arm, drinking together, and he mentioned: "By the way, before Pengwu left, he asked us to write a letter to the young master with some advice."

General Yuan Shitong, half-drunk, mumbled: "Fine! I'll write the letter!!"

Wine doesn't intoxicate—the man intoxicates himself.

He was a formidable general of the Sixth Heaven, raised his hand and shoved every cup, vase, and jug off the table, picked up a brush, moistened the bristles with his tongue, and smoothed out the stray hairs from the winter's stiff northern brush.

Only then did he dip it in ink.

First, he congratulated the lord on ascending to the world's stage, then reminded him that we still have a whole troop of brothers—don't forget us; Old Yue, after drinking, has already set off toward them.

Born of soldiers and warriors.

Xue Tianxing was cunning and calm; General Yuan Shitong was bold and rough.

Both were old veterans who had crawled through battlefields for thirty years.

In military formation, orders were obeyed instantly; their speech was habitually plain—no embellishment, only concise, efficient communication—but this seemed too plain.

General Yuan Shitong, a brute, a man who charged bare-chested into battle—he once sensed instinctively that the fools inviting him to drink were about to draw blades, so he struck first, twisting a killer's neck with his elbow.

He just burst out like that.

Then he saw Old Xue gather a force.

So he gathered his own force.

Though his mind wasn't as sharp as Old Xue's, he treated Old Xue as his external brain—whatever Old Xue did, he did too—and somehow made it this far. Now, thinking of how Yue Pengwu had scolded him for joking about Lady, he felt annoyed.

That kid—he'd carried him through battle since childhood.

Damn it, now he's got power and starts acting up.

Can't even let me call her Lady!?

I'll say it! I'll say it!

Damn it!

Xue Tianxing, drunk himself, told him: "When writing letters or essays, just make the beginning matter and the ending matter."

"Fill the middle with gossip—it's fine!"

General Yuan Shitong, drunk and dizzy, rambled for ages, filling a whole sheet of paper, and finally, after struggling to make it legible, added at the end of his secret letter to Li Guanyi what he felt was valuable intelligence—

'Young Master, Lady seems to have drained too much spirit—she coughs constantly, her health is poor.'

'Conquering the world is thrilling—but if you turn back and find no one left, won't that be too tragic?'

'I heard you have Hou Zhongyu's ancestral master, who once forged the Elixir of Immortality.'

'If Hou Zhongyu is already so formidable, how much higher must his ancestral master be—taller than several stories?'

"Better to ask ahead."

"And when's the wedding?"

"From Old Yuan, and also Old Xue, respectfully."

Seeing he had finally scraped together a full page, he felt satisfied and fell into a deep snore. The next day, Xue Tianxing, half-asleep, stepped outside and saw Li Xingyi, who appeared disheveled and utterly unconcerned with propriety.

His heart leapt with joy, yet he bowed with utmost respect.

He said, with a hint of concern: "You're no longer young. Don't keep drinking yourself into oblivion every night—how can you set an example for your soldiers? Even if your Wu Gong has grown deeper, age makes alcohol harmful to the body."

Xue Tianxing burst into laughter, slinging an arm around his neck, drunkenly ruffling his hair: "You're the boy I picked up. I've raised you for over a decade. All these years, how many times have you been targeted because of your title as Tai Ping Gong's son?"

"Many times you nearly died. Ah, back then, I was truly afraid."

"I have no children of my own. I had a few women—they were killed by Chen Dingye. *Burp*… You and I, we're like father and son."

Xue Tianxing patted his shoulder, reeking of wine, and said:

Li Xingyi lifted his head, meeting the drunken gaze of this giant.

Suddenly, he recalled the man who once held a blade in his youth. A flicker of struggle crossed his eyes, but finally he said: "Yes."

Xue Tianxing stared deeply at him, then burst into loud laughter, squeezing his neck hard: "Enough with that expression! I may never reach the Master level in this life, but I'm not so easy to kill."

"You are!"

"Train hard. Take care of yourself."

"Don't make me, an old man, bury a young one!"

Li Xingyi's heart tightened, then he looked up and saw Xue Tianxing's drunkenness—his mind eased, and he smiled: "Impossible. You raised me from childhood. I'm the one who'll see you to your end."

Xue Tianxing patted his shoulder, laughing insistently until Li Xingyi drank a bowl, bowed, and left. Xue Tianxing watched him go, a smile on his face—then, slowly, the smile faded.

From the shadows beside him, the soldier closest to Li Xingyi—who had been "turned" by Li Xingyi—bowed and handed over a letter: "General, this is the secret letter he plans to send to Ying State."

Xue Tianxing nodded faintly, took the letter, and said calmly:

"You'll play along with him. Don't let him leave."

The soldier bowed deeply: "Yes!"

This army was raised entirely by Xue Tianxing himself—a veteran general who once ranked among the top hundred on the Divine General List. Though his charge might not match the very best of this age, his overall ability was certainly the most complete.

Xue Tianxing turned and returned to his tent, studied the letter, folded it, and placed it in a box. There were two boxes here. One contained the sacrifices Li Xingyi had made for the Tai Ping Army.

And the many assassinations he endured on behalf of Li Guanyi during his wanderings—numerous life-or-death ordeals.

Xue Tianxing acknowledged them.

The other box held his acts after his heart turned corrupt.

Xue Tianxing's sleeves hung down, showing no trace of drunkenness. He whispered softly: "I truly thought of you as my son… Raised you for over a decade. When you took up your sword, when you endured military law, when you faced assassination—I truly suffered. I hoped you'd never become Tai Ping Gong's son."

"Too bad. Too bad."

"If you had no treacherous intent, then after all these years of hard work and meritorious service, surviving countless deaths, I could at least have secured you wealth and honor. I would have let you care for me in my old age and bury me. The Young Master is kind-hearted—he wouldn't oppose."

"But if you harbor treachery, then all these years of merit, prestige, and the morale you once inspired—all of it—will become the 【Deer】 used to let the Young Master truly take command of this Tai Ping Army."

Xue Tianxing's sleeves hung down. His gaze was deep, unrippled.

He understood armies. He understood hearts.

No matter how great Li Guanyi's reputation, for these Tai Ping Army veterans—who had fought and struggled for over a decade in chaos—they still held affection for Li Xingyi.

Li Xingyi had been their spiritual banner during their hardest times, and had held that role for over a decade. The emotional bonds formed, the subtle cohesion of morale, cannot be erased by Li Guanyi's name alone.

They will coexist.

Loyalty to Li Guanyi, yet goodwill toward the false Li Xingyi.

Hearts hold emotion. Sometimes, the lines are unclear.

But.

In an army.

There can be only one leader!

Xue Tianxing's hand pressed upon the box, eyes lowered as he whispered: "The Young Master's first act upon arriving will be to judge your crimes."

"All past merits vanish henceforth."

The army's morale is shifting.

Execute one man to ascend to power.

Li Xingyi is a vessel holding 【Army Prestige】—a pouch of influence within the ranks. After judgment, all of it will transfer to Li Guanyi.

The Tai Ping Army can have, must have, only one lord!

If it isn't done with dignity, then we'll help you along.

Xue Tianxing poured his wine cup empty. This wine had been drunk by Li Xingyi—and inside it was the 【Power-Dissolving Powder】. Yuan Shitong was fierce as a wolf; Xue Tianxing was cunning as a fox—both capable generals, both claws of Tai Ping Gong, charging across the battlefield.

One, like a wounded wolf.

One, like a sly fox.

"Young Master, take this decade's prestige as your gift."

"Please reclaim it fully."

"This Tai Ping Army's morale."

……………………

Xue Shen tossed the Divine General List aside, grumbling: "Sixth? What mysterious general? What nonsense about stirring others' minds? It's their own fault—they're just mentally unstable. Blame themselves!"

Li Guanyi picked up the Divine General List, helplessly.

The entire Tiance Prefecture was now lethargic and idle. The Enthronement Ceremony was a grand event of the world—delegates from all nations and the Central Plains would arrive, and much of Tiance Prefecture's administration was now consumed by preparations.

After victory, the atmosphere had grown utterly relaxed. Even Nangong Wumeng had suddenly, inexplicably, begun diligent cultivation, muttering something about "a lifetime, a lifetime."

A fifth-tier realm's lifetime lasts only seventy years.

But how many years does a Master's lifetime, a legend of martial cultivation, require?

After lounging and staring blankly for several days, Nangong Wumeng began to train diligently.

Yet cultivation was too arduous and stifling; while wandering outside, he suddenly saw a waterfall surging upward, slipped and fell, but his lightness skill was exquisite—he found a hollow cave at the mountain's base, entered with a divine weapon, and discovered a secret cache left by a predecessor seven hundred years ago.

Wu Gong had already fallen somewhat behind the times.

But one day, he accidentally swallowed a heavenly treasure and earthly rarity; after seven days of cultivation, he successfully broke through and entered the Sixth Heavy Heaven Realm.

General Qi Bi Li expressed his discontent.

Zhou Liu Camp, after Bei Bu Yi questioned life itself, began intensifying his cultivation.

Zhou Liu Camp and other Chen State warlords, due to Fan Qing's presence, were involuntarily drawn into the grand army martial competition, fighting fiercely, while Nangong Wumeng's nascent Law-Phase aura forcibly blinded the eyes of Master Siming and Li Guanyi.

What Píxiū? What Golden Toad?

It was a cat.

This cat held a Píxiū in its mouth, stood on a three-legged Golden Toad, the Toad's mouth biting a golden gemstone, and beside it a strange bronze basin continuously spewing golden light, accumulating golden ingots.

Then occasionally one would fall.

When it fell, Nangong Wumeng just happened to catch it by chance.

Master Siming nearly lunged forward and slid to his knees.

"I'll trade you my Hu Xuanwu for it!"

"Please, give me this Law-Phase Destiny—even if I must eat fragrant food and drink fine wine daily, sleep in the Wang Fu, and feast on delicacies, I'd gladly accept!"

Li Guanyi, meanwhile, trained diligently.

He very much wanted to reach the realm of martial legend.

Then shoot Chen Dingye through the head with one bow and one arrow.

Unfortunately, he had only reached the peak of the Ninth Heavy Heaven Realm—how could he possibly break through again in such a short time to enter the realm of martial legend? Even before this, the Fish-Whaler and Xue Shen, along with Hou Zhongyu's ancestral master, had examined Li Guanyi's physical condition.

They had never seen such a monster.

A peak Ninth Heavy Heaven Realm at eighteen—too strange.

In the end, they discovered Li Guanyi's fortune flowed ceaselessly, human destiny surged violently; he had swallowed many heavenly treasures and earthly rarities, and his foundation was complete, solid, and thick—there was not the slightest trace of emptiness from forced advancement.

Li Guanyi objected to this.

He was penniless, wandering all his life—where did he ever eat heavenly treasures and earthly rarities?

The old alchemist replied succinctly: "You ate the Elixir of Immortality."

Li Guanyi: "…………"

Qin Wang countered: "Yes, but I've never seen those thousand-year Dragon Blood Ginseng, three-thousand-year Immortality Fruit, eight-hundred-year Mountain Spirit Mushrooms."

The old alchemist's expression didn't change; he replied succinctly:

"All those heavenly treasures and earthly rarities you mentioned? They're all in the Elixir of Immortality."

He paused, then added: "Those are merely ingredients."

Li Guanyi: "So expensive?"

He suddenly understood something, his temple twitching—he had solved one mystery: "No wonder I never suffered from depleted essence after that."

No wonder when I ate the Elixir of Immortality.

Hou Zhongyu's scream was so desperate, so agonizing.

He nearly knelt down to bang his head on the ground.

It was like Li Guanyi's past-life gaming experience—where a mouse faction, a gacha faction, had saved up their entire life's resources, played the game for a lifetime, only to have one person delete their account.

Right before his eyes.

One gulp.

The level of frantic screaming was almost enough to cry blood.

Li Guanyi's expression didn't change: "Hou Zhongyu—a good man."

The old alchemist looked at Li Guanyi and smiled: "Your Majesty need not be so distressed—it is fate. My lineage has pursued this elixir for many years; perhaps it was destined to be swallowed by Your Majesty."

"Yet, Your Majesty remains a pure Yang body—that surprises me."

Puff.

A laugh.

Li Guanyi slowly turned his head—Master Siming stared at the patterns on the back of the black tortoise, thinking the shell was truly a tortoise shell; Xue Shen nodded approvingly; the Fish-Whaler turned to gaze at the scenery outside, expression unchanged, smirking in triumph.

The atmosphere was solemn and awkward.

Li Guanyi looked at the old alchemist, who earnestly praised: "Your Majesty, young and roaming the world, renowned across the land, yet never lost your primordial Yang—your disciple's elixir power, the Immortal's indestructible body, and your fortune's transformation—all combined."

"You are like a heavenly treasure yourself—your essence and blood can heal wounds and cure illness. If convenient, might I beg for some of your blood?"

"Yet this also means that although you reached the Ninth Heavy Heaven Realm at eighteen, your foundation is solid and profound, your primordial energy abundant—you won't damage your root. Your future path to martial legend remains highly promising."

The old alchemist took a few drops of Li Guanyi's blood: "Fortunately, Your Majesty's foundation is deep—otherwise, rogue female demons from the Mo Sect might have abducted you to practice dual-cultivation, seeking breakthroughs, extended life, healing of ailments, and replenishment of primordial energy."

Pfft.

Another laugh—Master Siming covered the old black tortoise's mouth; the old black tortoise covered Master Siming's mouth; the two old men shook violently with mirth.

The Fish-Whaler laughed—but couldn't.

His face tightened; faint veins throbbed on his forehead.

Li Guanyi sighed and escorted the old alchemist out; the alchemist returned to test the blood and told Qi Bi Li and others of the Fire Qilin Army: "Primordial energy is abundant, incredibly powerful…"

"Above the Master realm, one is no longer mundane; the Ninth Heavy Heaven Realm is transcendent. If one reaches martial legend, even greater inexplicable abilities emerge—impacting bloodline and spouse."

"For example, the Array Chief was like this."

"Thus, it's somewhat reassuring."

The old alchemist smiled: "After Your Majesty's wedding, the future Empress and all your descendants need never worry about their primordial energy."

Li Guanyi wore simple robes, standing in the courtyard of the Tiance Prefecture, gazing at all things beneath heaven and earth, breathing calmly. It was winter; the leaves had fallen, and even in the Jiangnan region, a chill had settled in.

Now that the four corners were pacified, preparations were underway for the coronation ceremony to enfeoff kings, and envoys had arrived from both the Chen state and the Ying state.

This signified that the world would enter a long period of recuperation and restoration.

For at least several years, there would be no great wars.

Li Guanyi thought of the topographical maps, raising his eyes to the sky. Perhaps because he was young, or perhaps because of circumstances, he now commanded countless troops—but still, reaching Guan Yicheng remained extremely difficult.

Guan Yicheng lay to either side of the Chen state's capital, Jiangzhou.

To attack Jiangzhou via waterways or from Jiangnan was not a simple strategy; it would invite the Chen state's full resistance, turning it into a national war, a contest of national foundations and logistical supply.

All the grain and gold accumulated over several years might be exhausted in a short time.

One would need to capture city by city, occupy each, then rest and recover—how many years would pass before they met again? How many years before Chen Dingye's head was severed?

Perhaps five years. Perhaps seven.

Even ten years would be considered early.

It was far too late. Li Guanyi fell into deep thought when suddenly someone came to report.

Li Guanyi said: "What is it?"

The Fire Qilin soldier bowed and said: "Your Majesty."

"Master Wen Qingyu says."

"That Chen Tianyi has confessed."

Chen Tianyi was one of the two elder sages of the Chen state's Library Hall; during the Battle of Wei Lu, he secretly went to the army, attempting to corrupt Chen Wenmian, but was rebuked by the latter, after which Li Guanyi personally captured him and handed him over to Master Wen Qingyu.

It had been nearly half a year since then.

Li Guanyi said: "Confessed? What did he confess to?"

The Fire Qilin soldier pondered for a long while, then answered:

"... He confessed to everything."

"Huh???"

When Li Guanyi arrived in person, he saw Chen Tianyi—who once carried the air of a venerable elder—now sitting silently, frozen like a wooden statue. As Li Guanyi entered, Chen Tianyi's expression shattered; he leapt up with a scream:

"Kill me! Kill me!!"

Li Guanyi turned to the side and asked: "What happened?"

Master Wen Qingyu asked, puzzled: "Lord, wasn't this the effect you wanted?"

Li Guanyi: "…………"

Although—

But if it was Master Wen Qingyu, nothing was surprising.

He looked at Chen Tianyi, now stripped of his Wu Gong, and suddenly felt a stir within him. He spoke slowly: "I want to lead my army to Guan Yicheng within three years, arriving at its gates—but not through Jiangnan, not through the southwest. Is there another way?"

This seemed an absurd, impossible choice.

For Li Guanyi's territory bordered the Chen state only on these two sides.

Yet Chen Tianyi's face suddenly froze.

A flicker of intense turmoil passed through his eyes.

Li Guanyi seized this change instantly and shouted: "There really is?!"

If so, he could reach Guan Yicheng faster, see that girl he had not seen in so long, and fulfill the promise of his youth.

Chen Tianyi's face twisted in conflict, as if this touched upon something he would rather die than reveal—when, at that moment, the gentle, harmless, and sincere Master Wen Qingyu let out a soft cough.

Chen Tianyi's body, untouched by injury, stiffened. His expression contorted, and finally, with great difficulty, he said:

"... I know."

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