Chapter 17

The reeds on the riverbank swayed, with dandelion fluff and fireflies silently floating through the air.

Across a stretch of Dan Shui River, Taiping City, submerged in the moonlight, appeared peaceful and serene. Countless flower lanterns hung throughout the city, with tomorrow marking the Lantern Festival of the Great Zhao dynasty.

Unfortunately, this city wouldn’t make it to the Lantern Festival tomorrow.

“Where are those demons and ghosts from Luming Mountain?”

Inside a small boat docked on the shore, a man in shabby clothes tapped his smoking pipe against the edge of the boat.

The youth beside him, dressed in black, replaced his tobacco and replied:

“About fifty miles away, should be about the time of one incense stick.”

“What about the two seventh realm cultivators sent from Longdui City?”

“They’ve already hidden near the city gate of Taiping City. The general of the Yin family’s iron cavalry, Wu Zhi, is an eighth realm cultivator, and there are still three thousand iron cavalry in the city. The Longdui cultivators aren’t taking any risks and are waiting for Luming Mountain’s thousand demons to arrive before acting.”

Before the man in shabby clothes could speak, a sharp young voice came from the cabin:

“Coward!”

“Being this cautious with a two-to-one advantage, you’re embarrassing the Jiufang family!”

“Delay, and there’ll be trouble. Fang Fucang, tell them to attack Taiping City immediately and take Yin Shanqi’s head!”

The man in shabby clothes exchanged a glance with the youth in black.

Sighing, the man, named Fang Fucang, waved at his subordinates waiting on the shore, then lowered a barrier of force as a shield. He spoke tiredly to the youth beside him:

“Money is hard to earn, and shit is hard to eat.”

The youth in black grinned: “If the money’s good, I’ll eat anything. What I’m afraid of is not getting paid and still having to eat shit.”

Fang Fucang smiled coldly, his eyes narrowing as he looked at him:

“I remember, your family is in Taiping City. The city is in chaos tonight, aren’t you going to inform your family?”

“…The cities near the Demon Ghost Wall are frequently raided by demons or attacked by plague ghosts. They’ve all grown up in Taiping City, they know where to hide when something goes wrong.”

If he communicated with his family and the news leaked, his future would be ruined.

He couldn’t risk that.

The red glow from the smoking pipe flickered in the night, and Fang Fucang stared at the youth for a while before his gaze shifted to the city on the riverbank.

“Yan Wushu, kid, you might really rise high.”

The youth in black beside him smiled, casually tossing a stone in his hand. It skipped across the river’s surface, bouncing ten times.

At the same time, there was a loud explosion from across the river, Taiping City shaking as it erupted.

It had begun.

—

Inside the mansion, Liuyu also heard the commotion and looked up toward the direction of the flames.

“—Continue.”

On the other end of the communication array, Nangong Jing pulled her attention back and added:

“Sixth, section three.”

Liuyu looked at the chessboard in front of her. After following Nan Gongjing’s advice and making her move, she picked up a white piece and pondered her next move.

“Wait a moment.”

Yin Shan Qi, who was pacing nearby, seemed to have trouble processing things.

“So, you mean you dreamt that Second Brother and Second Sister-in-law died, our Yin Shan family was destroyed, and only you and a group of servants were left, and then Jiufang Zhanghua still insisted on marrying Tan Ning—let’s not even mention this Tan Ning, she’s probably delighted to hear this.”

Liuyu knew Yin Shan Qi hadn’t taken her words seriously, but she continued speaking.

“I don’t understand the current situation at home, but based on my dream, I deduce that the Jiufang and Zhongli families are the masterminds, and the Xianli family is their ally. After our family fell, very few people helped us, and among them are only Emperor Shao and Mr. Ji Yu.”

After a moment of contemplation, Liuyu placed her piece.

“Eleven out of seven.”

Nan Gongjing seemed to be focused on the game and didn’t seem to acknowledge whether he believed Liuyu’s words or not.

“How did you and your father die?”

Liuyu kept her composure, placing her piece while replying, “Jiufang Zhanghua killed us.”

This time, Nan Gongjing’s move was a little slower.

“After our family was divided, how did the Jiufang family rise to power?”

“By waging wars to sustain their clan, exploiting the fear and hatred that the people of Dazhao have for demons and ghosts, imposing taxes from all directions, monopolizing military and political power, and calling for a northern expedition. But each time they fought with Jiuyou, it was only small skirmishes, not a real war.”

“What about the Zhongli family?”

“Zhongli Lingzhao married into the Zhongzhou royal family. If she bears a child for the Murong family, she will become the next head of the Zhongli family.”

“And what about Jiuyou Mo Lin?”

Clack.

The white jade piece landed on the intersecting star position.

The Liuyu lantern glowed softly, and the light revealed the shadows of her lashes on her face. She spoke in a calm tone:

“He’s dead.”

“Oh? How did he die?”

Seeing the subtle smile that appeared in Nan Gongjing’s calm eyes, Liuyu’s mind suddenly flashed with a thought.

“Wait, did I meet Mo Lin when Wuse City was still standing?”

Liuyu had always thought that if Mo Lin had any feelings for her, it would have happened after their marriage. But when she saw her mother’s expression just now, and remembered how he had been so thoughtful and respectful before her marriage to Jiuyou, she began to wonder: Did they have some prior connection?

Had she helped him? Saved him? Or perhaps…?

Nan Gongjing glanced at her and made his move.

“You’ll have to ask yourself that.”

Yin Shan Qi, hearing the noises outside growing louder, became impatient. He turned around and saw that this mother and daughter pair were still playing chess through the communication array. He couldn’t help but admire them.

“How long are you two going to keep playing this game? The noise outside is getting closer. If you want me to give my head to them, just say so. No need to torture me like this.”

Liuyu set aside her doubts and turned to look at the anxious Yin Shan Qi, giving him a sweet smile.

“Tonight, I’m afraid we will indeed need to use Uncle’s head.”

---

Fang Fuchang had an indescribable premonition.

The two Longdu cultivators at the city gates were fighting with the Taiping City commander, Wu Zhi. The demons from Luming Mountain had already entered Taiping City.

They would avoid the shops of the Jiufang and Zhongli families, create a commotion in the city, and then head straight to the Yin Shan family’s mansion. There, he and Yan Wushu would step in, take Yin Shan Qi’s head, and everyone would think it was the demons from the south of the Great Wall.

Everything was going according to plan.

But the too-smooth progress made Fang Fuchang uneasy.

He glanced toward the north, where the demon army of Mo Lin was supposed to be.

It shouldn’t be.

Mo Lin, the demon, might notice their movements, but with Yin Shan Qi stirring up internal strife in Jiuyou, he would likely enjoy seeing Yin Shan Qi’s death in Taiping City and not interfere.

As for Yin Shan Liuyu…

She was tricky, but fortunately, there was no sign of her being in Taiping City.

“The house has made a move.”

Yan Wushu, standing at a high point, suddenly spoke.

Fang Fuchang snapped back to attention and indeed saw a figure in red robes running toward the west city gate, obscured by the night.

“We can’t rule out illusions. You stay here, I’ll chase after them.”

Yan Wushu nodded.

“Wait! Take me with you!”

A boy of around fifteen or sixteen suddenly emerged from the carriage.

His narrow eyes sparkled with excitement. The young boy, with a youthful face, spoke up:

“I want to personally take Yin Shan Qi’s head! This is my merit! No one’s allowed to take it from me!”

A subordinate tried to stop him: “Young Master, it’s too risky…”

“What nonsense are you spouting, you fool! If you don’t chase them now and let them escape, I’ll take your head along with theirs!”

Fang Fuchang’s usually composed face now showed signs of fatigue, as the 17th young master of the Jiufang family’s fourth branch wore him out.

However, this was no ordinary child.

This was the heir of a family whose words could cost them all their lives.

The subordinates hesitated to look at him, and Fang Fuchang waved his hand.

“Carry on.”

With a child in tow, Fang Fuchang’s group quickly caught up near the western city gate.

The demons from Luming Mountain, having received word, surrounded them, forcing Yin Shan Qi to a cliff outside the city.

Yin Shan Qi looked down at the cliff, seeing countless demons waiting below, like giant beasts ready for a feast.

He broke out in a cold sweat.

That damn kid, what kind of ridiculous plan was this!

If he died here today, even as a ghost, he wouldn’t let her off!

Fang Fuchang, wearing a glass lens, confirmed that the desperate Yin Shan Qi didn’t show any signs of disguise or illusion before he turned to say:

“Protect Young Master.”

The boy inside the carriage suddenly changed his expression.

“Fang Fuchang! How dare you take my achievement!”

Not wanting to argue with a child, Fang Fuchang just wanted to finish and rest. He leaped out, said not a word, drew the twin swords from his back, and rushed to strike at Yin Shan Qi.

As Yin Shanqi’s jade bow was cut in half by a slash, his mind briefly flashed back to the words that Liu Yu had said to him before leaving:

“Great prosperity must inevitably decline, that’s a law of the world. The Yinshan clan is now at its peak; if they don’t want to go further, the only option is to retire gracefully and shed their shell like a golden cicada.”

“Since you are the first to be targeted, then you should be the first to give up the identity of Yinshanqi and make a way for the Yinshan clan in the face of this siege. If you succeed, you will be the great benefactor of the Yinshan clan.”

“Uncle, I swore after waking from my dream that I would protect every member of the Yinshan family. Today, would you dare to gamble your life with me in this situation?”

Her voice was like jade beads rolling on a plate, but the gaze she gave him was no longer that of a pampered young lady.

Yin Shanqi still didn’t understand how the Yinshan clan, at the height of its power, could have ended up in the life-and-death situation Liu Yu described.

However, he gritted his teeth, unleashed his Qi to break through Fang Fucang’s attack, and shouted in anger:

“—If you touch a single hair on me, I’ll come back from the grave and kill all of you!”

He didn’t remember much of what Liuyu had said, but the part where she mentioned the Nine Directions Clan swallowing his Beast Garden in the Celestial Capital, that was something he couldn’t tolerate!

For his birds, he had to fight today!

Fang Fucang: …?

They were about to die, and he was still thinking about his birds?

This first playboy of the Yinshan family truly lived up to his reputation.

As Fang Fucang stood up, ready to continue his attack, he was stunned when he saw Yin Shanqi suddenly leap down the cliff behind him.

Everyone else was just as surprised.

Fang Fucang had planned to make Yin Shanqi die in a satisfying way, but throwing himself into a pile of demons and ghosts meant certain death!

“…He jumped down? There are demons and ghosts below, how could he jump down!”

Young Master Seventeen leaned out from the carriage, his face full of regret.

“Won’t he be torn to pieces? Never mind, even if he’s in pieces, he’s dead. Just record it in the jade slip. When we get back, show it to the family head; it will still count as my achievement…”

“Wait.”

Fang Fucang, who had been carefree until now, furrowed his brows and stared down into the abyss.

“I suspect he jumped down deliberately to escape. After we leave, someone will come to rescue him.”

Young Master Seventeen frowned.

“Don’t overthink it. There are a thousand demons and ghosts down there that we’ve sent. Whoever comes is doomed. No one in Taiping City is capable of saving him; we’ve calculated it, haven’t we?”

Fang Fucang didn’t respond.

The evening wind was gusting, the fragrant grass rustling, and Liu Yu, hidden in the shadows, felt sweat dripping down her forehead.

Tch.

It seemed there was someone who wasn’t so easy to deceive.

No choice but to act now.

Fang Fucang realized something and turned around, only to see a figure in the moonlight—the girl in the carriage, standing with her hands raised as the wind swept through her cloak like waves, her figure suddenly appearing out of the mist.

Young Master Seventeen, still unaware of the approaching danger, was yawning below her.

The world fell silent in that instant.

Fang Fucang, unable to get back in time, stood at the edge of the cliff, watching as the girl flicked her fingers. Countless pieces of rock rose from the ground, circling around Young Master Seventeen—

“Run—”

Before the second word could even finish, there was a deafening explosion!

Flesh and blood flew everywhere, and blood blossomed like flowers.

It wasn’t until Young Master Seventeen hit the ground that his personal guards reacted.

Fang Fucang, watching the swift death of Seventeen, quickly tried to figure out the identity of the girl who had killed him.

The stones? Did she really use the stones scattered around the place to channel her Qi?

Even among the aristocratic families, there weren’t many eighth-tier cultivators, and none in the cold family sects.

At her level, there was no need to use jade or gems, so how could she use ordinary stones to channel Qi?

Of course, he didn’t know.

Liuyu had been an exile in her past life, and when she was poor, she couldn’t afford jade or gemstones. Sometimes, she had to steal the white jade used for fence rails to make talismans.

That necessity had forced her to use the most accessible resources, like ordinary stones, to channel her energy.

Even in those, there was faint innate Qi, and as long as she was strong enough, even a rock could become a useful tool.

Liuyu glanced at the bottom of the cliff.

The demons and ghosts outside the Nine Hells were not as gentle and cute as Ghost Girl and her group.

These creatures refused to submit to Mo Lin and didn’t trust the human race. They lived like wild beasts in the wilderness, constantly hungry, with more animal instincts than human.

Yin Shanqi, although a seventh-tier cultivator, had reached this level relying on his family’s resources. When traveling, his personal guards protected him from all sides. He had never faced such danger alone.

She had to go to the bottom of the cliff and rescue him quickly.

However—

“Fifth move of the Washing Soldier Rain, Firestorm.”

The words were followed by a release of Qi, and Liu Yu watched as flames surrounded the two swords in his hands. As he swung them, sparks flew like rain, distorting the surrounding air in the scorching fire.

The King of War attacked the tyrant, riding a storm of rain, a wash of the soldiers.

Liuyu furrowed her brow slightly, a thin layer of sweat forming on her palms.

This person practiced the way of the soldier, and was one of the best fighters.

Judging by the aura he was releasing, he had already entered the eighth-tier.

Liuyu wasn’t afraid of fighting him, but she feared that delaying further would result in Yin Shanqi’s death becoming a reality rather than a pretense.

She lowered her voice, making it sound fake:

“Your master is dead. I have no intention of fighting with you.”

Fang Fucang, who had just recovered from the shock of Young Master Seventeen’s sudden death, sighed in resignation.

“We’re all here to make money. Why make things difficult for each other? You’ve killed my master. If I don’t capture you and take you back to repay the debt, isn’t it just the same as killing myself?”

“And—you’re here to save Yinshan Qi, right? Every Eighth Realm cultivator under the Yinshan clan is well-known, we’ve seen plenty of those who refine jade and agate, but refining stones… that’s something we’ve never heard of. Well, we have people who specialize in legal punishment and criminal law on our side, so we can just capture you later and interrogate you.”

This person seemed quite confident.

Liuyu tossed the stone in her hand and asked:

“So, there’s nothing to discuss, then?”

Fang Fucang smiled, and his meaning was clear.

In truth, he was also a little uneasy. The girl didn’t seem very old, yet the unspoken pressure she exuded in this moment was intense.

As an Eighth Realm cultivator himself, being suppressed to this extent was concerning. If it came to a real fight, he wasn’t sure what the outcome would be.

However, before they could make a move, Fang Fucang noticed the guards around him showing expressions of fear, pointing behind him:

“Over there… what’s going on… Lord Fucang, did we borrow that many demons from Luming Mountain?”

Fang Fucang turned around abruptly.

The citizens of the city hadn’t noticed anything unusual yet, but the beasts in the mountains and forests seemed to sense something. In an instant, crows took flight, wild animals scattered, and even the demons at the bottom of the cliff, who had been salivating over Yinshan Qi, seemed to realize something. Fear seeped from their bones, a natural instinct to retreat.

A fine crescent moon hung high in the sky.

From the direction of the Demon Ghost Great Wall, an overwhelming tide of demon energy surged toward them.

It was like the night itself swallowed everything, and these terrifyingly numerous demons rapidly covered the land, their varied forms gathered like dark clouds. They followed the leader, chanting in unison in a strange tone:

— The way of heaven is perishing, the way of ghosts is rising.
— All immortals are destroyed, the gods bow to me.

Fang Fucang stared at the gradually clear ink-green figure, and only then did he realize—

It was the procession of ten thousand demons.

The one approaching them was the Demon Lord, Mo Lim.

He turned around sharply:

“It’s you!?”

Fang Fucang instinctively felt that this was related to the girl before him, but he had no proof.

Liuyu, on the other hand, innocently played dumb:

“Me? What’s wrong?”

She had simply sent a message to Mo Lin through a jade slip.

The message read:

[At the western cliff of Taiping City, husband, may I borrow the procession of ten thousand demons for a moment?]

Not far off, the green-clad demon, who was making its way towards them, gazed at the vaguely visible cliff.

The fingers hidden in the robes gently caressed the words on the jade slip, still faintly glowing.

Husband.

She referred to him as… husband.