Chapter 336: When Reason Is Useless
Chen Ping'an only half-believed the scholar's words.
The old Daoist had once led him through the Lotus Paradise and let him witness the full spectrum of human affairs. Chen Ping'an was generally familiar with the frameworks of officialdom. When he first acted in this mess, he had already planned to flee southward. He might even end up being hunted for ten thousand li by the qi refiners of the Great Spring Dynasty. Even if that down-and-out scholar came from one of the major mountain immortal sects of Tongye Continent—such as the four great powers of Tongye Sect, Yugui Sect, Fufu Sect, or Taiping Mountain—it would still be extremely difficult for him to handle the current thorny situation.
As for whether the scholar came from some Confucian academy, Chen Ping'an was inclined to think not. In his impression, the virtuous gentlemen of the academies, unless it involved the legitimacy of a state, were unwilling and not permitted to casually meddle in the "household affairs" of secular dynasties.
Regardless, Chen Ping'an appreciated the scholar's goodwill.
However, Chen Ping'an did not rashly look toward the scholar, so as not to reveal any traces of his thoughts.
Because the person Chen Ping'an was most wary of was that eunuch in the palace wearing the large vermilion python robe. His spiritual energy was concentrated to the legendary level of "not a single leak," like a lantern hanging in his dantian, suspended within his qi mansion. With each long, drawn-out breath, it brightened and dimmed—the light lasting long, the darkness brief, never yet able to shine perpetually. But even if he was not yet a true golden core earth immortal, he was likely only a hair's breadth away.
Although it was said that a single step's difference was like the gap between heaven and earth. Only those who formed a golden core could be considered one of us.
Yet such words were only qualified to be spoken by mountain immortals who had attained the earth immortal realm. For all mid-five-realm qi refiners and pure martial artists below the Wind Riding realm, such a half-formed golden core cultivator was still exalted, and every gesture carried astonishing power.
Outside the inn, or rather in the line of sight of Wei Xian at the door.
One by one, qi refiners drifted over and landed beside the young cavalryman. Among them was the elderly white-bearded immortal master from the carriage earlier, holding a whisk, along with the young female cultivator.
Behind these dozen or so qi refiners came hundreds of elite cavalry rapidly spreading into formation, surrounding the inn in an airtight blockade. Bows and crossbows specially made by the imperial court required approval from the Ministry of War each time they left the armory—whether damaged, destroyed, or lost, every step had to be carefully inspected.
The young cavalryman crouched down. His old friend of many years had died with eyes wide open, filled with shock and confusion. The cavalryman gently stroked the little duke's face to close his eyes.
Obviously, he was the true principal. The corpse on the ground, Gao Shuyi, who had already drowned in the rivers and lakes of the martial world, was in fact his companion reader. In fact, aside from Gao Shuyi, there were two other young men in the inn, all of whom had been princeling companion readers since youth without official posts or salaries, all from noble and prominent families. Their purpose was that one day, the address for the prince would change to crown prince—or better yet, directly from prince to emperor.
This young cavalryman was the third prince of the Great Spring Dynasty, Liu Mao. Although his elder brothers, the first prince and second prince, each held great prestige among civil officials and military generals, Liu Mao was the emperor's most favored son. Moreover, according to street rumors, this prince had loved to sneak out of the palace and travel since childhood. Each time he returned to the palace, he brought a basketful of martial world stories and countryside anecdotes, always able to amuse His Majesty the Emperor.
In addition, Liu Mao's biological mother had been the emperor's most beloved consort, who had passed away early from illness. Thus, Emperor Liu Zhen doted on Liu Mao greatly. Perhaps out of love for the mother, he also treated Gao Shuyi and the other companion readers sent by old ministers to the third prince's mansion with exceptional favor.
Liu Mao stood up, had someone carry Gao Shuyi's body away, and said to the inn, "I find it strange. Since you wanted to rescue the Yao clan, why did you insist on killing the son of Duke Shen of Guo? Why not wait until the inn's carrier pigeon delivered the news to the Yao clan, so that old General Yao could come and resolve this matter? After killing Gao Shuyi, is there any room for negotiation?"
Wei Xian leaned against the doorframe, finding this somewhat interesting.
General of the Southern Expedition Yao Zhen had just been ambushed and suffered not inconsiderable injuries. Even if he received the inn's news, he might not be able to come in person. More likely, he would send a direct descendant of the Yao clan and a trusted subordinate to mediate with the mad dog-like Gao Shuyi. The reason this deeply concealed imperial scion of the Great Spring had deliberately stopped at the inn, claiming to have come out of admiration to taste the green plum wine, was clearly a scheme to pick up an easy target. That target was naturally the lead sheep of the Yao family cavalry—Yao Zhen, stationed far away at the border with a large army in hand. Gao Shuyi's arrogance and domineering were not entirely feigned. He was the one to jump out and antagonize all Yao clan members except Yao Zhen, the measure just right. If Yao Zhen came in person, Gao Shuyi wouldn't be suitable, after all, he wasn't Duke Shen of Guo Gao Shizhen and was of a lower generation than Yao Zhen. But besides Yao Zhen, everyone else was a soft persimmon for Gao Shuyi to squeeze at will. So no matter how many people the Yao clan sent, they would only be adding fuel to the fire, wasting their own strength, and the situation would only worsen step by step.
Wei Xian dared to assert that Emperor Liu Zhen, who had missed several major ceremonies this year—such as the champion banquet and both the spring and autumn sacrifices—had not appeared. This meant that Liu Zhen was either critically ill or had likely encountered some upheaval, losing complete control over the court. The originally required peacock-displaying competition among the princes for the crown prince had directly turned into a struggle for the dragon throne, which would naturally become brutal and bloody.
If the Yao clan had not married a daughter into the capital's powerful houses, and had not connected to the Minister of Personnel through their son-in-law Li Xiling, following their ancestral precepts, they might indeed have had the opportunity to continue sitting firmly at the border, waiting for the murky and treacherous battle in the capital to settle. Then, Yao Zhen could either send a direct son to the capital to pay respects to the new emperor, demonstrating loyalty, or the new emperor might simply make a southern tour of the border to win over the Yao clan's hearts.
Third Prince Liu Mao's words outside the inn were not actually meant for Chen Ping'an, but deliberately spoken to Jiu Niang and the old hunchback inside the inn.
If they took it to heart, the situation in the inn would become even more interesting.
You, Chen Ping'an, risked your life to protect the Yao family. If the Yao clan proved ungrateful and instead blamed you for overstepping and plunging them into great disloyalty, would Chen Ping'an, who had acted chivalrously, still have any passion left? Chivalrous hearts have always withstood the ordeal of mountains of knives and seas of fire. A bond of fate in the martial world, a promise worth a thousand gold, can exchange life and death—but it cannot withstand a single cup of ingratitude.
Liu Mao sneered again, "Are you trying to force the Yao clan into rebellion? Indulging in momentary vengeance—are you truly a hero of the martial world?"
Sure enough.
The human heart is most vulnerable to scrutiny and temptation.
And people are often like this: before a matter has completely deteriorated, even if they are already in a hopeless position, they still harbor a sliver of luck.
Although the clan leader Yao Zhen had suffered a treacherous assassination attempt, he was only injured after all. And the Yao clan's in-laws, the old Minister Li, had submitted a resignation memorial. The emperor's reply on the memorial was a rather witty answer: "You have only just shed half of your brilliance; it is too early to resign." Then the emperor sent a few tribute fish to the Li mansion.
The combat power of the Yao clan's iron cavalry remained outstanding among the southern armies. No one dared to take it lightly.
The military cultivators accompanying the army who had secretly infiltrated Northern Jin on imperial orders had likely already returned to the side of clan leader Yao Zhen.
The Yao family's son-in-law Li Xiling was said to have hopes of entering the Great Fu Academy of Confucianism located in central Tongye Continent.
The Yao clan and the Li family, in the eyes of the Great Spring court and the common people, were pillars of the state, noble and pure. Even if the two families intermarried, the common people would not consider it ambitious, but rather a match made in heaven, a gilding of the lily on the Great Spring Dynasty's prosperity, a truly deserved beautiful story.
If that was the case, how could the Yao clan collapse just like that?
Jiu Niang's expression changed slightly.
The old hunchback's face was flickering with uncertainty.
On the second floor, the young lady Yao Lingzhi looked toward that white-robed figure. On her pretty face, a look of resentment involuntarily emerged. It was both heartfelt gratitude and irrepressible complaint.
It wasn't that she was purely afraid of death and thus felt this way. Rather, it was because since the founding of the Great Spring Liu dynasty, the Yao clan's ancestral hall had layer upon layer of densely packed spirit tablets, increasing every year. Each name bore the surname Yao. These ancestors who had died on the battlefield, besides bringing courage to face death to their descendants, also invisibly imposed a pressure: the purity of the Yao clan must not be stained by later generations, not even a single flaw on the white jade.
This was human nature.
Yao clan members could die, but the Yao family's reputation must not be damaged. Otherwise, how could they face their ancestors in the afterlife?
Tragic and yet respectable.
Chen Ping'an did not respond to Third Prince Liu Mao's two questions.
Liu Mao spoke a third time: "Since you appear unwilling to change your mind, how about letting the unrelated people inside the inn withdraw? These young men are all sons of my Great Spring Liu clan's princes and nobles, descendants of the meritorious. They have not lounged on ancestral blessings and laurels but have personally risked danger, plunging deep into enemy territory to fight. They least deserve to die here."
Reasoning with logic, appealing to emotion, and invoking martial world ethics.
The two tables of young attendants inside the inn were all filled with righteous indignation, glaring angrily at Chen Ping'an. Especially the three who had sat at the same table as Gao Shuyi—their eyes blazed with fury, wishing they could chop off Chen Ping'an's head and take it to Gao Shuyi's grave as an apology.
Wei Xian turned to look at Chen Ping'an, awaiting the answer: let them go, or kill them.
Chen Ping'an instructed Wei Xian, "Don't let a single person leave. But as long as they don't approach the door, leave them alone."
Wei Xian smiled and nodded.
The python-robed eunuch was the only one who could act on his own authority in front of Third Prince Liu Mao. In his uniquely feminine, eunuch's cold voice, he said, "Your Highness, these are simply ungrateful wretches. I implore Your Highness to allow this old servant, along with General Xu and Master Xu, to capture these Northern Jin bastards. So what if he's a sword cultivator? Just a waste with an extra flying sword or two."
The matron was about to speak, but the scholar had already rushed to console her: "Jiu Niang, things have come to this. Since it can't get any worse, it's better to just wait and see. Whatever you say now is meaningless."
The little cripple hiding behind the curtain at the kitchen door nodded vigorously. "This Mr. Zhong has actually spoken one sensible sentence in his life."
The old hunchback turned and barked, "You're already a cripple—do you want to become mute as well?"
The lame boy shrank in terror and immediately shut up.
Inside the inn, Chen Ping'an and his four companions were all pure martial artists, experts at close-quarters combat.
On the enemy side, besides the military general Xu Qingzhou, the python-robed eunuch and Xu Tong were both qi refiners. And the two tables of young attendants belonging to them would only be a hindrance.
On the second floor, Yao Lingzhi suddenly shouted at Chen Ping'an, "Don't kill anyone else! Otherwise, you'll ruin our Yao family!"
The door to the second-floor room opened. Pei Qian glared fiercely at the girl and said indignantly, "Stinky girl, shut your stinky mouth. If you dare to boss my dad around again, I'll use the peerless sword techniques he taught me to stab you to death!"
Then the little girl asked downstairs, "Dad, I've finished reading the book once. What now?"
Chen Ping'an, his back to the second floor, replied, "Read it again."
Then he added, "If you dare shout nonsense again, from now on, it won't be reading books—it'll be eating them."
Pei Qian nodded vigorously. "Got it, Dad! I'll do whatever you say."
The moment Pei Qian closed the door, both sides made their moves almost simultaneously.
On the second floor, Sui Youbian commanded the treasured sword, Infatuation, and executed a Crescent Moon Style, sweeping toward master Xu Tong's neck.
Xu Tong stepped in a star-walking pattern, dazzling to the eye. Not only did he dodge Infatuation time and again, but with two fingers forming a seal, his sleeves filled with spiritual energy, and a multicolored mist of cloud-script runes appeared on his dharma robe. At the same time, a group of black-armored generals materialized beside him. They were empty suits of armor with no bodies inside, yet they moved with uncanny agility.
Although Infatuation could easily pierce through these armors, it seemed completely incapable of damaging the combat power of these talisman-formed warriors. Once, when the long sword penetrated the "face" of one warrior, it raised its arms, fingers clenching the blade, producing a sizzling sound and a shower of sparks.
Xu Qingzhou, protected by a soldier's armor pill, and Lu Baixiang, holding the narrow saber Stop Snow, stepped forward simultaneously in a flash. Their blades clashed, and a silver thread seemed to flow from each tip. In the instant they exchanged one stroke, they swapped positions.
Outside the inn, seven or eight immortal tools from the qi refiners slammed toward Wei Xian, blocking the doorway, dazzlingly brilliant in the night.
Wei Xian clenched the armor pill of the Divine Being Dew-Collecting Armor in his palm, pouring true qi into it, and instantly donned the armor—identical to the Great Spring general Xu Qingzhou.
His fist shot out like a dragon, swift as thunder.
With his dense fist power cascading like a waterfall and the protection of a top-grade Sweet Dew Armor, Wei Xian did not directly clash with the immortal masters' weapons but deflected them all. The streaks of glowing fireflies from these magical treasures twisted and wobbled in front of him, clanging loudly.
In the blink of an eye, Wei Xian was enveloped in radiance, but he fought even more fiercely, his momentum surging.
Inside the inn, the female sword immortal from Lotus Paradise, Sui Youbian, wore an indifferent expression. With one hand, two fingers pressed together upright before her chest, she commanded Infatuation to attack Xu Tong. With her other pale, jade-like hand, she gently twisted her wrist. The chopsticks on the tables downstairs, as if receiving orders, half of them transformed into "flying swords," slipping through gaps and bypassing the armored warriors to assassinate Xu Tong. The remaining half flew to her side on the second floor, hovering in all directions to counter the unpredictable thunder techniques beneath Xu Tong's palms. Each time they clashed, a chopstick turned to powder.
The martial maniac Zhu Lian crouched silently on the railing, motionless and soundless.
In his eyes, only Chen Ping'an and that python-robed eunuch were the ones who truly determined the outcome. With great tacit understanding, they both went all out from the start.
Using a Cun Inch Talisman to shrink the ground, Chen Ping'an's first fist was the Divine Being Drums Beating Style.
The Great Spring Dynasty's imperial eunuch guardian, on the other hand, had both his yin spirit and yang spirit exit his body simultaneously, roaming outward. His two dharma bodies were ethereal and intangible, yet radiated the majesty of a divine being.
Not only was Chen Ping'an's fist blocked, but one of the eunuch's yin spirits reached through his chest. Fortunately, he was wearing the dharma robe Golden Sweet Nectar. Although a tearing pain, piercing to the bone, shot through his chest,
Chen Ping'an remained unshakable as a mountain. He stamped his foot.
His soul split apart, and three Chen Ping'ans appeared. The other two once again charged straight ahead with the Divine Being Drums Beating Style.
After one punch, countless more followed.