Chapter 82: The Young Lord... Begins the Boil

Drunken Dragon City.With the gates thrown wide open, Jiang Li, clad in gleaming silver armor, led a hundred cavalrymen toward Yuan Chi and Tong An.

In a humble countryside courtyard, within the chicken coop, a group of fluffy yellow chicks tottered behind a hen, wobbling and swaying their little tails.Outside the fence, Bai Qingniao clucked softly, scattering rice mixed with husks into the coop with her hand.

From a distance, the old woman transformed from Chilian watched her kindly, a basket in the crook of her arm.Nestled in the folds of Bai Qingniao's chest, a tiny phoenix chick poked out its head, eyes gleaming with curiosity as it stared at the scattered rice. Flapping its wings, it tried to squeeze through her collar.

But Bai Qingniao quickly noticed and gently pushed it back inside.The little phoenix, thwarted, drooped its head in despair, completely disheartened.

After tending to the chicks, Bai Qingniao sat beside the old woman with a smile."Granny, aren't you going to the city for work today?"

The old woman smiled gently, her wrinkles folding together like waves."I'm tired. Just sitting here to rest... and to look at you.""I'm afraid... there won't be many more chances to see you again."

Bai Qingniao paused, her expression dimming slightly. Then she forced a smile, wrapped her arms around the old woman, and began to chat.

Meanwhile, the little phoenix, having successfully escaped, frolicked on the ground, its golden down fluttering in the breeze.

"Where is Uncle Jiang? When will he come by again for chicken soup? I've been perfecting a new recipe."

After chatting for a while, Bai Qingniao casually brought up Jiang Li.The old woman's smile deepened.

"Your Uncle Jiang has been very busy lately. But once he's free, he will definitely come to taste your soup. He's always been fond of it," she said hoarsely, with a hint of sorrow in her voice.

Though Bai Qingniao couldn't discern the emotion, she sensed something unusual in her tone.

Suddenly, the old woman's gaze sharpened, turning toward the dense shrubbery outside the yard.Her voice grew low and solemn.

"Qingniao... if one day you could no longer see your Uncle Jiang, would you be sad?"

She stood slowly, placing the basket down with great care.Bai Qingniao froze, imagining such a possibility, her smile faltering into something pained.

"I wouldn't be sad… maybe because the pain would be too great to feel sadness at all."She pressed her lips together."Perhaps Uncle Jiang… feels the same way."

The old woman smiled faintly, her hoarse voice now soft as a whisper, like a mosquito's hum."And if I disappear one day... would the Lord be sad, I wonder?"

Rustle—A noise echoed from within the thicket. Bai Qingniao's heart skipped a beat.

But what truly shocked her was the old woman beside her, who suddenly radiated a sharp aura, like an unsheathed sword.

"Come out," she rasped.

The bushes parted. A figure emerged—cloaked in black, wearing a conical hat with hanging veils.

And on the farmhouse roof, another veiled figure stood silently.

"The Yin-Yang School… a Fangshi," the old woman breathed."The last of General Jiang Li's four commanders… the Demon Blade, Chilian."

The cloaked man spoke slowly,"Jiang Li's weakness... the descendant of the Art of War. Hand her over. The Grandmaster has said—she must not be harmed. We merely seek to take her away."

"The current Mo School is but a shadow of its former glory. The first Grandmaster led us to greatness, and now? We've lost our way..."

Chilian's voice was cold as steel.

"I was ordered to protect the descendant of the Art of War. If you wish to take her... then step over my dead body."

Bai Qingniao's mind reeled.What was happening?Jiang Li's weakness, the descendant of the Art of War… were they talking about her?

The little phoenix on the ground leaped up and scurried back into Bai Qingniao's collar, peeking out with wide, alert eyes.

"Then… forgive me," said the black-cloaked Fangshi.

In the next moment, thick smoke billowed. The figures vanished.

…Donghu Lake, Mo School's Mechanical City.Upon a corridor straddling cascading waterfalls, the world's greatest assassin, Mo Yihen, wore a rare expression of astonishment.

"A death defense?"

If even Mo Yihen was surprised, then the mission was truly daunting.

"Who could ever breach the Mo School's mechanical city?"

"The city, crafted by peerless mechanical arts and guarded by the Mechanists, is the most impregnable fortress in the world—even more so than the imperial capital."

Mo Yihen spoke more than usual.

The woman in red beside him, her face hidden beneath a mask, shook her head.

"If the Grandmaster issued this order himself, there must be no mistake."

"We've received word—the Grandmaster has allied with the Prefect of the Northern Command and plans to break through six city defenses to march straight into the imperial capital."

"In response, the Western Warlord leads his army to crush the Mo School, seeking to sever the Grandmaster's retreat and force him to return north."

As the waterfall thundered beside them, the woman's voice was nearly swallowed by the roar. Yet Mo Yihen heard her clearly.

Even his emotionless heart clenched.

The Grandmaster… was placing himself on the edge of death to force rebirth.

"For the sake of our ideals—so that the Mo School's philosophy might guide the world onto the right path… we must hold our ground."

She gazed at the breathtaking view beyond the corridor.It was the belief and purpose of every Mo disciple.

"Very well.""When this mission ends, there shall be no more 'World's Greatest Assassin'... Mo Yihen."

The man spoke plainly.The red-robed woman nodded, her fiery cloak billowing as she turned and departed.

Left alone, Mo Yihen raised his calloused hand, fingers brushing the hilt of the sword wrapped tightly at his waist.

…Beneath the Mechanical City, thunderous rumbling shook the earth. Birds scattered, and beasts fled in terror.

From the wilderness emerged the warriors of Xiliang—cold armor, long spears, massive blades, their formation dark and vast, their march precise and formidable.

Within the army, Xiang Shaoyun stood atop a chariot, clad in battle armor, a crimson cape billowing behind him, carrying the sacred Chi and Axe. Like a war god, he gazed coldly at the city shrouded in mist among the mountain lakes.

"Report!"

A soldier rushed forward. Xiang Shaoyun raised his hand, and the army halted.

"Speak," he said coolly.

"Lord Prefect, five li ahead, a scholar riding a green ox blocks the road."

A scholar riding a green ox? Xiang Shaoyun narrowed his eyes. He had a guess.

"Bring him here."

Soon, the Xiliang soldiers parted, clearing a path.

A green ox strolled leisurely forward, carrying a white-robed Li Sansi, a wooden sword strapped to his back and a serene smile on his face.

Before the overwhelming Xiliang forces, he showed no fear.

"You come to plead for the Mo School?" Xiang Shaoyun asked coldly.

Li Sansi smiled even brighter.

"I am but a disciple of the Dao Sect. Whether the Mo School lives or dies matters not to me..."

"Then why are you here? Seeking death?"

Xiang Shaoyun's voice remained icy.

"Due to a bond formed in the secret realm of Wolong Ridge, I've come with a warning. The Mo School's Mechanical City is the strongest fortress in the world. Should you attack it, the losses will be unimaginable… Warlord, consider your actions carefully."

"Furthermore, the Grandmaster has allied with the Dantai clan of the North, aiming to overthrow the Zhou dynasty. This revolution has the support of the Sword Sect, Dao Sect, Yin-Yang School, Mechanists, even the Strategists and Heavens' Will clan. It is the will of the age. By attacking the Mo School, you go against this current… and against the hundred schools of thought."

Li Sansi's voice was heavy with purpose.

"Defy the will of the age… and the hundred schools?" Xiang Shaoyun narrowed his eyes, gazing at the darkening skies.

"So what?"

"Must the Warlord seek the approval of the hundred schools?"

"If they stand against me, then I shall... destroy them all!"

At those words, a dark aura exploded from Xiang Shaoyun, startling even the ox beneath Li Sansi.

His heart trembled. The Warlord… had become even more terrifying.

Without another word, Li Sansi rode away.Xiang Shaoyun let him go.The army resumed its advance.

Soon, they reached a towering cliff. Across the chasm lay the Mo School's Mechanical City. Waterfalls thundered down, sending up a blinding mist.

Eighty-one thick iron chains spanned the abyss, swaying above the clouds—an endless drop yawning below like a bottomless pit.

Above, the clouds gathered, heavy with the promise of a torrential storm.

…Beiluocheng, on an island at the heart of the lake.A wooden boat drifted gently across the water, ripples spreading in its wake.

An elderly eunuch clutched the imperial decree...