Chapter 137: Yearning for aged rice wine, yearning for the old locust tree, a single man is an army [Seeking monthly votes]

The Ye Family Army.

Cross the river!

The deafening roar instantly echoed throughout the entire array of military camps.

Inside the tents, one martial general after another stepped out. Their vital energy surged, intertwining in the sky above to form a majestic military momentum and pillars of blood qi!

As a fierce army on the Canglang River battlefield, not even the powerful forces of the Yuan-Mongol Empire dared to underestimate the Ye Family Army in the slightest.

While the Yuan-Mongol Empire looked down upon the Great Zhao Dynasty that had fled south, they held not an ounce of disrespect for the Ye Family Army. This was because, over the years on the Canglang River battlefield, the Ye Family Army had been invincible, slaying no small number of Yuan-Mongol soldiers.

The respect the Ye Family Army commanded from the Yuan-Mongol Empire was built upon piles of corpses. Beneath every shred of that awe was the blood of Yuan-Mongol soldiers.

The imperial inspector and the eunuch tasked with monitoring the army wore extremely ugly expressions, especially the purple-robed eunuch with the cultivation of the seventh realm, whose face was pale with anger.

This was because Ye Longsheng completely ignored him, not even sparing him a single glance.

Yet what he held in his hand was the imperial edict from the Emperor himself!

Although the inspector looked displeased, he said nothing. Such an incident was not the first of its kind. The imperial court had always forbidden crossing the river to do battle, but not only did Ye Longsheng repeatedly disobey, he also frequently used the pretext of military training to send his Yellow Dragon warships across the river—calling it training, but in reality, killing the enemy.

This eunuch was newly assigned with little experience, genuinely believing that the Ye Family Army was something that could be casually monitored and interfered with?

The cohesion of the Ye Family Army could never be shaken by a parachuted eunuch, and Ye Longsheng certainly did not care about a mere eunuch in his eyes.

"Does this Great General Ye... still see the imperial court in his eyes?!"

The purple-robed eunuch was utterly dissatisfied, but feeling the bursts of momentum erupting successively throughout the military camp, he could only force this resentment back down into his heart.

He was not a fool and naturally knew the reputation of the Ye Family Army.

The Ye Family Army, the Zhong Family Army, and the Flying Tiger Army under Li You'an were places where inspectors and eunuchs could not stir up wind and rain. Being assigned to these armies meant the best choices were to keep a low profile and resign oneself to bad luck.

Ye Longsheng, Zhong Shiji, and Li You'an—these three, as the pinnacle powerhouses of Great Zhao, were none of them figures an inspector could afford to provoke.

Watching the auras of the Ye Family Army's powerhouses continuously rise into the sky, the purple-robed eunuch could not help muttering: "Crossing the river like this... aren't they actually going to start a war?"

The inspector glanced at the purple-robed eunuch and sneered, "Otherwise... are they pretending to fight?"

"The prestige of the Ye Family Army was won through slaughter. Did you think they were cowering defensively on the southern bank of the Canglang River, relying on Great Zhao's name to scare away the Yuan-Mongol grand army?"

"As General Ye said when the old imperial uncle and Lady An returned from the northern lands, they intend to provide cover. But... when this cover is provided, it's quite normal for a real battle to break out along the way."

The civilian inspector was long accustomed to Ye Longsheng's ways and spoke accordingly.

"By the way, Your Reverence, what did the Emperor's edict actually say?"

The civilian inspector asked out of curiosity.

The purple-robed eunuch glanced at him and said, "His Majesty's edict... instructs General Ye to hold his ground and await further orders. Furthermore, it summons General Ye back to Lin'an."

Hearing this, the civilian inspector furrowed his brows inwardly, but said nothing more.

The conflict between the Zhao family's Son of Heaven in Lin'an Prefecture and Lady An was actually no longer a secret.

The Zhao family's Son of Heaven had plotted for the heart sword of Hua Jiejing of the Lin Mansion, only to have his game broken by Lady An. Naturally, the Zhao family's Son of Heaven would rather see Lady An die at the hands of the Yuan-Mongol grand army.

Within the imperial court nowadays, there was considerable quiet criticism of the Zhao family's Son of Heaven, mainly because this scheme was indeed beneath contempt.

Had it succeeded, it would have been fine; the Zhao family's Son of Heaven would have extended his lifespan, and naturally no one would say much, letting the matter rot in their stomachs.

The problem was that it failed. Whether the Zhao family's Son of Heaven could prolong his life and continue to sit upon the throne remained unknown, so people naturally harbored silent grievances in their hearts.

Civil officials were one thing, but military generals felt the most disillusionment.

Word had it that because of this affair, serving as an inspector in the frontier armies was becoming increasingly difficult. Not only could they reap no profits, but they also had to constantly guard against the generals starting trouble.

The two men spoke no more, having to put the imperial edict away. Raising their heads to look at the pillars of blood qi intertwining in the firmament, they sighed with mixed emotions.

Ye Longsheng naturally paid no further attention to the two men below. Whatever the contents of the edict sent by the Zhao family's Son of Heaven might be, he could guess them, but he simply couldn't be bothered.

After mobilizing the entire army, the soldiers of the Ye Family Army within the tents poured out one after another, heading toward the riverbank.

Ye Wenxi felt her blood boiling with heat and followed in her grandfather's footsteps. Just outside the tent, she met Ye Yinping, and the two sisters ran alongside the soldiers of the Ye Family Army.

Soon, the two sisters arrived at the riverbank, where squads of soldiers were pushing massive warships toward the turbulent current.

Boom!

The large ships entered the river, and the river water instantly crashed against the Yellow Dragon timber tower ships, splashing waves high as if angry dragons were roaring in the river!

Within moments, ten consecutive Yellow Dragon warships of the Ye Family Army had entered the river. Countless densely packed oars struck the water, exploding into thousands of layers of waves, their booming roar echoing ceaselessly.

Aboard the warships, the mighty banners of the Ye Family Army slowly rose, fluttering endlessly against the wind and waves!

Flying was prohibited above the Canglang River; even powerhouses of the ninth realm found it difficult to soar through the air.

While experts could tread upon the waves, maintaining one's footing against those turbulent giant billows was impossible without at least the cultivation of the sixth realm. Therefore, the appearance of warships became crucial.

Ye Longsheng leaped into the air, landing atop the lead Yellow Dragon warship, his gaze sparkling with brilliance.

"Cross the river!"

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The oars struck fiercely down, and the martial generals of the Ye Family Army roared aloud. The warships began to cleave through the river water, sailing toward the opposite bank.

Dong! Dong! Dong!

Aboard every warship, bare-chested martial artists used their vital energy to beat the war drums with every strike.

Thunder shook heaven and earth!

The Yellow Dragon angrily crossed the river!

...

...

Across the expansive Canglang River battlefield, it wasn't just the location of the Ye Family Army; pillars of vital energy qi rose in various other places as well.

The Zhong Family Army, led by Zhong Shiji, was just like the Ye Family Army—their Azure Dragon timber ships broke through the waves to cross the river, striking the Yuan-Mongol Empire's defense line stationed on the northern bank of the Canglang River with the objective of diverting the Yuan-Mongol Empire's attention.

The army led by Di Zang did the same, and Li You'an's army, currently locked in a standoff with the Western Liang Kingdom, also raised pillars of vital energy qi, their warships cleaving through the waves to cross the river and wage war!

At this moment, the wind howling between heaven and earth seemed mixed with the sound of war drums, and the eagles soaring and spreading their wings ten thousand feet high trembled in fear.

The beacon smoke headed north!

Crossing the river to wage war!

Although the Yuan-Mongol Empire's side was well aware of the purpose behind these Great Zhao armies crossing the river, such a grand and imposing mobilization indeed exceeded their expectations.

The northern bank of the Canglang River.

Within a city whose ancient city walls were covered in mottled scars, a Confucian scholar wearing a jade crown and a white long gown walked leisurely. His eyes held a profundity that seemed capable of unraveling a person's soul.

"Ye Longsheng, Di Zang, Zhong Shiji, and Li You'an... all four striking at once. The Azure Dragon and Yellow Dragon, both dual dragons emerge. The 'Azure Face' under Di Zang's command, and the 'Flying Tiger' under Li You'an's command—such momentum is truly magnificent."

"Our empire's soldiers are, after all, warriors who gallop across the grasslands. The naval forces we cultivate are still hard-pressed to contend with them in fields where we lack proficiency..."

"However, by creating such immense momentum this time, they are playing an open strategy—attracting our army's attention so that Anle and Zhao Huangting, the inheritors of the First Emperor's will who escaped from the Yuan-Mongol capital, can safely cross the river and return south."

The Confucian scholar chuckled lightly, resting his palm against the city wall and gently tapping his slender fingers against the cold masonry.

He gazed at the pillars of vital energy qi rising across the Canglang River. The enemy was signaling the Yuan-Mongol side, courting a fight—truly arrogant enough.

To the Confucian scholar's side, several fully armored generals with robust vital energy and powerful auras walked along with him.

"Prime Minister Bo, should we... go to war with them?"

"We are not afraid. Our grand army possesses His Majesty's dragon vein power and boundless national fortune. Ye Longsheng and the others ultimately dare not cross the river in full force to start a war; they lack the bolstering of Great Zhao's national fortune."

A figure clad entirely in crimson armor, whose face was also covered by the red mask, spoke up.

This Confucian scholar was Bo Yan, the Left Prime Minister of the Yuan-Mongol Empire. He had walked out of the grasslands, inquired of the Dao at Zhenwu Temple, stepped into the ninth realm, and opened the Nine Immortal Terraces of Primordial Spirit—an peerless figure, and also the existence that martial generals like Ye Longsheng found most troublesome.

Peerless generals like Ye Longsheng, Di Zang, and Zhong Shiji had all suffered major setbacks at the hands of Bo Yan.

Under his command were five armored generals, each a top-tier ninth-realm expert. Together, they formed the Five-Armor Army, which was immensely formidable and could match the Ye Family Army without losing an inch.

If the Five-Armor Army sortied simultaneously, the Five-Elements Military Formation they formed was so fierce that even Ye Longsheng had to lead the Ye Family Army to avoid its sharp edge.

"If they want to fight, let them fight. It matters not..."

Bo Yan's feather fan waved gently. Although he was a Yuan-Mongol, he had been imbued with Central Plains culture since childhood, sought the Dao at Zhenwu Temple, mastered Daoist techniques, and fused them with the cultivation methods taught by the Yuan-Mongol Emperor. In cultivation, he was also dazzlingly brilliant.

Yet Bo Yan preferred divination. He had once climbed the First Mountain to challenge the First Mountain Master's art of divination. After failing, he harbored no sense of defeat; instead, he respectfully sought the Dao, willing to debase himself as a mountain warden to study divination—knowing full well that he was already a ninth-realm cultivator at the time.

A ninth-realm cultivator serving as a mountain warden was a rarity indeed, inherently lowering one's status.

Regrettably, he was still refused.

"This boy Anle... His Majesty chose not to kill him, but after all, he is the inheritor of the First Emperor's will. If he does not die, the threat is great."

"That First Emperor through the ages harbored extreme hatred for alien races. Whoever inherits his will is bound to become a grave threat to the heart of the empire."

"His Majesty is magnanimous and bold. Having beheld the peerless emperor from ages past, he showed that emperor respect and allowed this boy to leave. In my view... it is quite good, for it shows His Majesty is brimming with confidence."

"Yet His Majesty indeed has the capital for such confidence—a peerless talent, a dual-tenth-realm figure... exceedingly rare in the present age."

Bo Yan shook his head and spoke softly.

The five armored generals behind him immediately exchanged glances.

"Now that this boy has left the capital, his destiny star has grown increasingly difficult to see through and harder to kill... There is no need to deliberately try to stop them. You shall lead the army to fight a battle against Great Zhao's cross-river forces, and take the opportunity to drill the naval fleet."

Bo Yan finally issued his order.

The water-armored general in cyan armor cupped his fists and said, "Since the Prime Minister says this boy poses a massive threat, why not let this subordinate personally lead an army to hunt him down and eliminate future troubles once and for all?"

"This boy is merely at the dual fifth realm, and Zhao Huangting has also lost his cultivation under the flames of Nirvana. This subordinate has achieved supreme physical tempering and is additionally clad in water armor; capturing him will certainly be as easy as reaching out and taking something."

Bo Yan gently waved his feather fan, his gaze falling upon the cyan-armored general with a half-smile. "If you truly go, you will die."

The cyan-armored general faltered instantly. "How is that possible..."

"If that First Emperor's will strikes with another sword, will you die or not?"

Bo Yan asked.

The cyan-armored general sheepishly fell silent. During the battle of the capital, he had witnessed it with his own eyes—even the Yuan-Mongol Emperor had his sleeves sliced off by a single sword, his arm covered in sword scars. If that sword had landed on him, he would surely have died a clean and painless death.

"Never underestimate a peerless genius. Since this boy could catch the eye of the First Emperor's will and grasp青山 (Qingshan), he is naturally extraordinary."

"The foundation of a genius always surpasses imagination. Even without the sword of the First Emperor's will, you still stand a chance of being severely wounded."

Bo Yan smiled lightly.

"Though this boy poses a great threat, in truth... it is tied to the opening of the ancient tomb beneath Mount Li. If that grand tomb beneath Mount Li opens, waiting until His Majesty acquires the final dragon vein within and discovers the method to break into the eleventh realm, this boy's threat will no longer be a threat."

"Allowing him to return south matters little. Over in Great Zhao... there are those who wish for his death far more than we do."

"Go, arrange for the Yuan-Mongol navy to go and have a proper drill."

Bo Yan pointed his feather fan distantly ahead.

The five fully armored generals immediately cupped their fists, then transformed into five streaks of light that soared out of the city.

The northern bank of the Canglang River.

Pillars of vital energy qi also rose into the sky!

Bo Yan stood atop the city wall, his gaze profound.

"Great Zhao is indeed a tough bone to crack, but... soon. The father and son in Western Liang have fallen into demonic ways, and the state preceptor of the Dali Kingdom has lost his trust."

"What does it matter if he is the inheritor of the First Emperor's will?"

"Time flows on, the great winds have long since faded to silence, and this world is no longer what it was ten thousand years ago."

"Take it slow; this world will ultimately be covered by the hoofprints of Yuan-Mongol iron cavalry."

...

...

The booming sound of the river currents reached their ears along with the fierce wind blowing through the reeds.

Dozens of miles deep into a tributary of the Canglang River, within an uninhabited reed marsh, two figures sat quietly.

The withered yellow hue on Zhao Huangting's face grew increasingly intense, yet his eyes grew ever more serene.

He looked toward Anle, his expression very calm.

"With Qingshan's concealment effect, even a ninth-realm primordial spirit would find it hard to trace your whereabouts. Moreover, my cultivation was burned completely clean by the flames of Nirvana. All the way south, you've kept to desolate paths, truly playing a game of hide-and-seek with the world."

Zhao Huangting chuckled softly, his words filled with appreciation.

He was truly satisfied with this youthful friend he had made before the end of his life.

"However, in reality, this move is not entirely sound... because if there is someone skilled in divination like the First Mountain Master, your whereabouts will eventually be exposed."

Zhao Huangting said softly.

"The Yuan-Mongol Empire has just such a person named Bo Yan, the Left Prime Minister of the Yuan-Mongol Empire. He once inquired of the Dao at Zhenwu Temple; had it not been for his Yuan-Mongol identity, he might long ago have become the new abbot of Zhenwu Temple."

Anle slowly opened his eyes, his vital energy having finished brewing. Hearing Zhao Huangting's words, he grinned broadly. "Along the way, since no one has intercepted us, it means this Yuan-Mongol Left Prime Minister either failed to divine it, or divined it yet chose not to send anyone to block us..."

"I suppose he still harbors some fear toward the will of the senior within Qingshan."

Hearing this, Zhao Huangting nodded, his withered strands of hair fluttering gently in the reed marsh.

Anle stood up and once again hoisted Zhao Huangting onto his back.

"The Canglang River is far too long and narrow. As a natural chasm of the world, even the ninth realm finds it difficult to fly across, requiring boats instead. At many perilous points of entry into the river, crossing is difficult even with boats, and great fiends lurk at the riverbed. Yet the places truly suitable for river crossing are all guarded by troops, with defenses varying in strength."

"Ahead lies a turbulent and treacherous section of the Canglang River, garrisoned by a small detachment of about three hundred Yuan-Mongol troops, commanded by a sixth-realm martial general. I know not whether they have deployed warships..."

Zhao Huangting spoke softly, "Breaking through from there, although the current is turbulent, is the most suitable place to cross the river."

"However, once we make a move, we must finish it swiftly. Otherwise, those Yuan-Mongol powerhouses pursuing us from the capital will immediately rush over. Once pinned down on the shore, extricating ourselves will become difficult."

Anle smiled and nodded slightly.

"Then this place shall be the optimal breakthrough point. Once we cross the river, we should be safe; the Yuan-Mongol powerhouses will not dare to cross the river in a large force."

"Once we cross the river and set foot on the shore, I shall escort you, Senior, toward Lin'an Prefecture and take you home."

"I must admit, I rather miss that old locust tree in the courtyard of Taimiao Lane."

Anle added with a playful smile.

Slumped upon Anle's back, Zhao Huangting narrowed his eyes, recalling that old locust tree pierced through by swords, and the corners of his mouth twitched slightly upward.

"And the aged yellow wine of Yanchun Lane, the braised beef of Ding Yaxiang..."

Zhao Huangting muttered in a low voice.

"Senior, hold on just a bit longer."

Anle tossed a hemp rope over his shoulder, securing Zhao Huangting firmly to his back.

The sword box containing 'Swallow Returns to Nest' was tucked at his waist. Treading lightly among the rippling blue waves of the reed marsh without leaking a shred of his vital energy, he gently parted the swaying reeds and strode out of the marsh.

The evening clouds hung heavy in the sky, and tiny, chilling raindrops fell one by one from the dome of heaven, plunging down into the mortal world.

They intertwined densely into a curtain of rain.

Anle used not a sliver of his energy, simply bathing in the falling rain just like that.

In the distance, a military camp dotted behind the reed marsh came into view. Anle raised his head, his gaze surging as he swept his eyes outward.

The primordial spirit, suppressed and hidden by Qingshan for so long, was finally released without restraint, sweeping out with mind-power to scout the situation within the camp.

Inside a Yuan-Mongol tent.

A black pot was set atop a rising charcoal stove, with mutton milk boiling inside, bubbling and emitting a rich, milky fragrance. A burly man was tearing into meat with large bites when suddenly, his chewing motion paused, and his eyes instantly narrowed.

Anle's spiritual wave had just swept past, and with his sixth-realm cultivation, the man perceived it immediately.

A bone-chilling killing intent rose from afar.

The burly man raised his hand as a great saber instantly flashed into his grip. He rushed out of the tent and roared fiercely.

"Enemy attack!"

The hundreds of Yuan-Mongol soldiers stationed here began hastily donning their armor and grabbing their weapons.

Within the military camp, the sole sixth-realm martial general fused his innate vital energy with his blood qi, intertwining them outside his body.

He narrowed his eyes and looked into the distance, only to see...

Amidst the curtain of rain, a youth carrying an old man on his back walked forward step by step, accompanied by the wind and rain.

The youth slowly drew his sword from its box.

The sword chimed across the vast sky!

Pressing forward with indomitable will!

One man, an entire army.