Chapter 108 – Beyond Human Comprehension
The sound of hooves lightly striking the ground splashed blood three feet high. Jiang Li's expression was grave, while the nine imperial envoys who bore the Emperor's decree stood pale as paper. Before them stretched a vision of hell on earth.
In the distance, Nie Changqing wiped blood from his cleaver with a strip of cloth. Ning Zhao approached at a graceful pace, Yi Yue's long whip coiling by her side. Luo Cheng and five hundred North Luo iron cavalry turned their heads in unison at the sound of hooves.
Jiang Li remained calm and unflinching. The envoys, however, trembled at the knees; one, stricken by fear after a glance from Nie Changqing and Ning Zhao, tumbled from his horse, landing in a pool of blood.
"I am Jiang Li of Drunken Dragon City," Jiang Li said, saluting from horseback toward Nie Changqing and the others.
Nie Changqing gave a slight nod, Ning Zhao smiled faintly in response, and Yi Yue studied Jiang Li with curiosity. Luo Cheng and the iron cavalry of North Luo were visibly stirred. Jiang Li—war god of the Great Zhou—though never seen, was a name well known.
Few words were exchanged. Ning Zhao and Yi Yue ascended the carriage. Nie Changqing, cleaver in hand, climbed into the driver's seat.
"It is done. Return to North Luo," Ning Zhao's voice came from behind the curtain.
Nie Changqing chuckled, turned the horse around, and gently tugged the reins. The carriage rolled forward, its wheels crushing scarlet pools of blood beneath them, glowing like flame under the setting sun.
Luo Cheng saluted Jiang Li, then led the five hundred cavalrymen to flank the carriage as it exited the imperial city.
"White Jade Capital of North Luo—foremost among all cultivation sects under the heavens…" Jiang Li murmured, eyes fixed on the departing cavalry. In his gaze, a vision emerged of a mysterious youth in white seated in a wheelchair, shrouded in enigma.
"They say Lu Ping'an of North Luo is narrow-minded… and so it seems true."
"While proclamations against him spread like wildfire in the capital, he offered no verbal reply. Instead, he dispatched five hundred iron cavalry and three cultivators into the imperial city—and bathed its aristocracy in blood."
"Truly… beyond reason."
Jiang Li, awed by the White Jade Capital's ruthlessness, scanned the ground strewn with corpses, exhaled deeply, and rode back toward the imperial palace.
The fact that Prime Minister Zhao Kuo had mobilized elite troops spoke of a seismic shift within the imperial capital. Jiang Li was no fool—he understood Zhao Kuo's ambition all too well.
He ignored the nine envoys and spurred his horse into the palace. Surprisingly, his path was unobstructed. City guards clashed in chaos, blood ran through the capital's grand avenues, and even the alabaster steps before the palace dripped with gore, piled high with the dead.
The stench of blood hung thick over the Great Zhou's imperial city.
Jiang Li's face darkened as he drew his blade and charged in, gathering loyal guardsmen along the way. Though summoned back by the imperial edict as a disgraced subject, he remained, above all, a minister of Zhou.
His name alone still carried immense weight. Under his command, the city guard gradually regained morale and drove back the troops Zhao Kuo had corrupted.
Jiang Li's sword remained sheathed. With a spear in hand, he unleashed a flurry of strikes and pinned an enemy commander to the ground. He pressed onward—toward the Purple Gold Palace, toward the royal gardens.
Upon entering, Jiang Li raised his hand to halt the army. Gripping his spear, he gazed into the garden bathed in twilight.
Upon the winding stone bridge, the Emperor stood, clad in a bloodstained dragon robe. A black dragon coiled around him, its scales gleaming coldly in the fading sun. Upon seeing Jiang Li, its gills flared like a lion enraged.
The Emperor held a sword, its tip still dripping blood. At his feet lay Zhao Kuo's headless corpse, the severed head cast far aside. Two grandmasters had also fallen, their deaths grim.
An aged eunuch knelt trembling, not daring to breathe. At the sound of hooves, the black dragon slipped into the pool, the Emperor's blade still bleeding into the water.
Yu Wenxiu turned and looked toward Jiang Li from afar. Seeing his sovereign soaked in blood, Jiang Li paused—something was off. The situation was far from what he had anticipated.
Abandoning the idea of a lone heroic rescue, Jiang Li dropped his spear, dismounted, and knelt on one knee.
"Your disgraced subject comes too late to your rescue."
Yu Wenxiu's gaze softened as he looked upon Jiang Li.
"It matters not, my loyal Jiang… your arrival is well-timed."
"From this day forth, should any dare question Jiang's loyalty—I shall strike them down myself."
…
One hundred and thirty li beyond Chicheng, in the great tent of the Northern Army—
A messenger pigeon fluttered down, shedding snowy feathers. Dantai Xuan unrolled the message and, upon reading the imperial dispatch, his expression shifted.
"As expected by the Juzi… Zhao Kuo, that old traitor, has finally rebelled."
Mo Ju, fanning himself beside him, nodded calmly.
"That wolf-hearted man always coveted the throne. Seizing the Emperor to crown himself regent—rebellion was inevitable."
Below, Mo Beike hunched his back, voice hoarse.
"The five hundred iron cavalry of North Luo entered the city. Kong Xiu remains secluded in his scroll chamber. Zhao Kuo took advantage of the chaos, seeking to seize total control."
"This is, in truth, an opportunity for us. With the capital in disarray, and Jiang Li summoned by imperial edicts… we may strike while the iron is hot, shatter the Great Zhou army, and ride straight into the imperial city."
But Dantai Xuan shook his head, face grim.
"Zhao Kuo rose in revolt… and died just as swiftly."
The tent fell into stunned silence.
"The details remain unclear. Zhao Kuo was decapitated by Yu Wenxiu—his corpse torn apart by horses. Jiang Li, having received the Emperor's decree, reorganized loyal troops and crushed the rebellion within the city. He now commands considerable force."
"Still… there is good news."
"Zhao Kuo's army was decimated by North Luo's cavalry. Though Jiang Li gained control, his forces remain depleted."
Dantai Xuan's expression twisted with uncertainty.
This… was considered good news?
Mo Ju's hand trembled slightly on his feather fan, disbelief in his voice.
"North Luo's five hundred iron cavalry… are truly that powerful?"
"No… they were mere numbers. The ones who routed Zhao Kuo's eight thousand elite were cultivators from White Jade Capital."
Dantai Xuan's eyes fixed on the report. He inhaled deeply.
Cultivators… three drove off eight thousand trained soldiers.
The deep lines on Mo Beike's face quivered. After a long silence, he sighed.
"Truly… beyond human."
…
In Drunken Dragon City, beneath the full moon.
Before a humble farmhouse, a carriage stood in silence.
Chilian stepped through the gate; Bai Qingniao stood by, reluctant and wistful. In her arms, a tiny chick poked out its head, blinking curious eyes.
"Come aboard. My lord has ordered me to escort you to North Luo," said Chilian.
Bai Qingniao clutched her basket, full of downy chicks, and asked with uncertainty,
"Uncle Jiang… is he truly going to North Luo?"
The turmoil of recent days had left her doubting the very fabric of the world.
"He is," Chilian replied solemnly, nodding with grave certainty.
Though hesitant, Bai Qingniao boarded the carriage. It swayed gently as it departed under cover of night, bound for North Luo.
…
North Luo, Heartlake Isle.
A soft breeze whispered by the lakeside, where ten spirit chrysanthemums swayed gently.
Ni Yu, clad in a simple white dress, pushed a wheelchair along the stone path, its wooden wheels murmuring softly.
Lu Dongxuan walked beside Lu Fan, who gazed over the tranquil lake, one hand resting beneath his chin, sideburns dancing in the wind.
Lu Mu sat cross-legged with his bamboo staff. On the stone steps, Ming Yue unwrapped the silk from her pipa and sat gracefully, her slender fingers brushing the strings.
Bathed in moonlight, she calmed her breath and began to play…