Hero Li
Strictly speaking, there wasn’t much to report on the battlefield when it wasn’t a large-scale war to begin with. Baimu just demanded that a report on the situation in Nieyao and their ancestral state be made every hour. In Nanjiang, they sent information using birds and beasts. As such, pigeons were seen flying ceaselessly.
Baimu’s demand resulted in a pile of “Continuing the offence. No progress,” and King Neath’s letters of anger on his table in his tent.
“He’s finally shown himself?!” Baimu couldn’t believe his ears.
Forget alleys, Baimu had his spies even in nooks and crannies of the path from Nieyao to Xiuyu.
“Yes, we do not know how he managed to travel from the frontlines to Xiuyu so fast, though.”
“Doesn’t matter. Now that he’s shown himself, his final destination will be six foot underground. Notify my eleven wraiths: they’re entering the city with me. If you see him, kill him where he stands.”
“But His Majesty asked you to speedily take the c-”
“Never heard about it.” Baimu lifted the messenger up by the collar. “When was this? Since when did that runt have any right to order me?”
Baimu’s flagrant disregard for King Neath scared the messenger instead of infuriating him because, for the last decade Baimu had authority over the military, he was a tyrant in the palace.
“Tell him to keep drinking his milk and wait. Would we need to worry about Heisina Tribe once that wanker is caught?” Baimu gently threw the messenger, sending him out of the tent.
The wraith beside Baimu stepped forward: “There is something odd about the store he intends to visit. Our brothers have not returned since going there.”
“They are odd, indeed. Their escort is only a notch above you. To me,” Baimu crushed a leg of the table with one hand, “they’re just a snack.”
The wraith bowed his head in awe: “This one understands! You are without equal!”
“Get ready to go!”
***
“According to them, this is the second group of Baimu assassins here to test us.” Yizhen Company was closed for the day, so Shen Yiren gathered everyone for a strategy meeting. “Based on what they’ve said, they still don’t know who we are, but they believe that Heisina’s chief, Beussent, may likely reach out to us. Our scouts have reported that Baimu’s sacred beast is fighting an intense fight on the front lines at this moment. Xia’er, not so hard.”
“Roger!” Xia’er immediately softened the pressure she imposed Shen Yiren’s shoulders.
Shen Yiren resumed. “If they keep sending people to test us, then we’re a target. Any thoughts?”
Sima Huai was first to raise his hand: “Yes.”
“Go ahead.”
Sima Huai pointed at Shen Yiren and Xia’er: “When did you two grow so close?”
“Next.”
For the last two days she had been at Yizhen Company, Xia’er waited on Shen Yiren as the most earnest and loyal attendant. Worried Xia’er might not be accustomed to sharing a room with others, Shen Yiren ate and slept together with her. If Ming Huayu were to catch wind of Shen Yiren taming his daughter, he’d send his disciples to Liu Shan Men for taming.
“It might have to do with the weird tradition of Heisina Tribe,” opined Xia’er.
“You know something, Xia’er?” Shen Yirein inquired.
Xia’er meekly dimpled: “Since I arrived before you did, I had more time to study them. For the last seven years, every time a group of travelling merchants from the Central Plain visit, the Heisinas pose to them three questions, and then the merchant groups vanish without a trace. From my sleuths, the groups they approached are fine in health, and business goes well for them.”
As an expert in interrogation, Xia’er’s findings were highly reliable.
“So… Heisina Tribe never hurt any travelling merchants?”
“We would need more evidence to conclude that without incredulity. With that said, we can conclude without a shadow of doubt that they are searching for something or someone.”
Abels chimed in: “I think I know who they are searching for.”
“You are their associate, Brother Bodhi?”
“No, this is my first time here. A-Lan told me an old general escorted her out of her state when it fell to ruin. The general calls himself Chigen but never mentioned his surname. Right before he passed away, he told her his surname is Heisina. He was one of Heisina Tribe’s warriors.
“Morcher’s ultimate goal was to revive Beussent’s former glory. To that end, they went against the grain, choosing to secretly employ Heisina Tribe. The old general repeated over and over on his deathbed that a warrior of Heisina Tribe would come to rescue. A-Lan waited several days in the Central Plain until she was forced to flee further north due to her pursuers catching up. Whether or not the Heisina warrior came for her or not is not something we can answer.”
Ever since A-Lan’s true identity was disclosed to the group, Emperor Yuansheng told his people to respect her as a Princess despite knowing she was no longer officially one.
“In that case, Morcher’s royal family owes Heisina Tribe. That means that the person they’re searching for should be… but why ask travelling merchants from the Central Plain? Isn’t that the wrong approach?”
“I can’t answer that. How about I call A-Lan over?”
“A guest seeks an audience,” a Qilin Guard reported in a low voice from the door.
“Who?” Shen Yiren scoured the short report on hand to link up the connections of involved parties.
“He says he has already paid you his respects. He says you will ask him to stay for tea once you see him.”
Given their tea business had been raking in a huge profit, they figured it was another pervert trying to ogle Ma’am Ming. Hence, Long Zaitian responded, “Guest, my foot. Kick him out.”
“He refused to leave.”
“I’ll make him leave.”
“Since when were you calling the shots h-” Long Zaitian nearly bit his tongue when he saw who offered to dismiss their guest.
Emperor Yuansheng brushed his cloak to generate flapping sounds: “I’ll go see our guest.”
Shen Yiren: “That’s ridiculous. If we are going to grant an audience, invite them to the main hall, and I shall personally greet them.”
Upon seeing his men rise to join him, Emperor Yuansheng gestured for them to sit back down: “Sit. We don’t need all those etiquette procedures. You continue the meeting. I have nothing to do, so leave it to me.”
“But y-”
“Don’t worry. You have to run the store and conduct meetings. I haven’t seen you sleep for days, Yiren. Focus on this. Leave our guest to me.” Hero Li left without giving them a chance to stop him, dragging Lai Jingzhen along on a rope.
Lai Jingzhen said he was planning to cultivate until he could see into the workings of heaven. Thus, he went into hibernation upon arriving at Xiuyu and sleepwalked after Emperor Yuansheng the entire time. No matter who or what he bumped into, nothing could wake him from his slumber. To prevent Lai Jingzhen landing in a pit of poo or something worse, Emperor Yuansheng put Lai Jingzhen on a leash.
Emperor Yuansheng booted the door open and drew his broadsword: “Who goes there? Announce yourself. I do not cut down nameless men!”
The tall rider with dead fish eyes answered, “Heisina Beussent.”
Emperor Yuansheng placed his broadsword back in its sheath: “Please come in. You been well recently?”
Beussent, exuding a faint purple mist from his body, slowly rode forward: “I have three questions for you. What is your n-”
A surge of qi from Emperor Yuansheng dissipated Beussent’s purple mist, triggering the latter’s instinct to draw his machete. One shrouded in mist and another light exchanged seven fast blows, completely dispersing the purple mist as a result.
Impressed that he couldn’t affect his opponent with his Shengyin Purple Qi, Beussent remarked, “Another adept.” He pulled his brows together, creating a deep crevice down the centre of his forehead. “You’re a fascinating man, but I’m out of time. I’ll get to the point. Will you answer three questions for me?”
Turned out that the “peculiar” method Beussent used to deliver his question was actually a martial arts discipline. Ironically, he thought Emperor Yuansheng was the peculiar one. Emperor Yuansheng showed the experience of a veteran, which didn’t match his age. To put it into perspective, Emperor Yuansheng seemed as though he had trained all his life but rarely fought, yet he had internal strength more potent than Beussent, which was how the former didn’t lose his mind upon hearing Beussent’s voice. The answer to the illogical circumstances lied in the man behind Emperor Yuansheng.
On the other hand, Emperor Yuansheng couldn’t make heads and tails of Beussent’s nature. As the leader of a clan, he left his people behind to Emperor Yuansheng’s group a visit. Shen Yiren postulated Heisina Trone still didn’t know who they were. The only rational explanation for Beussent’s decision was that he was staking his life on a glimmer of hope.
I’ve seen that sort of gaze before. I’ve seen those eyes of loyal vassals in my conference hall before.
In synchrony, both men asked, “Are you a daoist who calls souls home?” “Are you here for A-Lan?”
Both men were surprised to hear each other’s questions.
“What was that?”
“Eat crap!”
Glossary
I’ll go see our guest – There’s actually a small skit I omitted. Remember back in volume 9, when Yu Feiyuan said, “I’ll go,” when Huofeng told her Ming Feizhen invited them to drink? It’s the same joke. Emperor Yuansheng originally says, “I’ll go,” which prompted Shen Yiren to ask, “Uncle, why did you swear?” And… the skit continues.
Calling souls home – The mystical version is where you have someone perform a ritual that purportedly summons the soul of someone who died outside of their homeland back to their homeland. The real version is simply taking the body/ashes of the dead back home.
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