Chapter 76: An Army of Wolves and Tigers
Qin Mu shook out the "sweat cloth" and examined the texture of the ribbon, saying, "I always thought you smelled very fragrant, very familiar. Turns out we use the same fabric."
Ling Yuxiu saw this "sweat cloth," and her face instantly flushed bright red. She quickly snatched it back from his hands, both embarrassed and angry: "This is mine! How did it end up with you? And you're using it as a sweat cloth! I'm not talking to you anymore!"
The girl stormed off in a huff, crouched on the dragon's head, resting her chin in her hands, and stared into the distance.
Qin Mu was bewildered: "This is your sweat cloth?"
"It's not a sweat cloth at all!"
Ling Yuxiu fumed: "This is my, my... I'm not talking to you!"
"If it's not a sweat cloth, what is it?"
The youth didn't understand, saying, "Lame Grandpa gave this to me. He said it was for wiping sweat. I thought the fabric was nice, so I kept it on me. Since it's your thing, I'll give it back to you. No need to get angry, right?"
Ling Yuxiu threw the chest wrap down, furious: "I don't want it even if you return it!"
Qin Mu's primal energy flew out, rolled up the chest wrap, and he laughed: "If you throw it away, someone else will pick it up and use it to wipe sweat. You might as well give it to me. I sweat a lot when I practice martial arts."
Ling Yuxiu snapped angrily: "Give it back!"
The youth was even more puzzled: "If I give it back to you, you'll just throw it away again. Why bother? It's better to let me wipe my sweat..."
Ling Yuxiu quickly snatched it back, thought for a moment, and pulled out a handkerchief to stuff into his hand: "This is a girl's thing. Aren't you embarrassed using it as a big man? Take this scented handkerchief. It's also made of Heavenly Fragrance Silk, and I embroidered a pattern on it myself. You can use it to wipe your sweat."
Qin Mu took the scented handkerchief and saw that it was embroidered with a crooked pig's head. He laughed: "This is really ugly embroidery."
Ling Yuxiu was both angry and anxious, reaching out to grab it: "If you don't want it, give it back!"
Qin Mu quickly put it away, walked over, and sat down beside her: "You took my sweat cloth, so it's only right that you give me one in return. Mine was bigger, and the one you gave me is smaller. Honestly, I'm the one at a loss here."
The sun had risen high. The early spring sunlight carried a sweet warmth. The youth felt utterly at ease, lying on his back, watching the leisurely drifting white clouds.
Ling Yuxiu blinked her eyes and asked, "Do you think that chubby Fatty Seven is handsome?"
Qin Mu thought for a moment and said, "He's not bad-looking, but he's too effeminate. He doesn't seem like a man, more like a woman."
Ling Yuxiu couldn't help but laugh. She smoothed the hair on her chest and asked playfully, "Then do you think I'm pretty?"
Qin Mu looked at her seriously and said, "Your face is a bit chubby, but you're not bad-looking."
Ling Yuxiu was quite satisfied and asked curiously, "You killed Fu Yundi's son. Why didn't you escape the city instead of coming back?"
"I came back for something."
Qin Mu closed his eyes and said calmly, "The great army of the Yan-Kang Kingdom is about to arrive here. I came back to resist their invasion."
Ling Yuxiu's heart trembled slightly. Her expression turned serious as she slowly said, "Do you know you're like an egg smashing against a rock? Besides, what's so bad about being ruled by the Yan-Kang Kingdom? The people of Yan-Kang live in peace and prosperity. All sects and schools obey the court's rule. Everything is orderly. There are no wars within the borders, only minor disputes. In what way is that worse than the Great Ruins? The Great Ruins is such a chaotic place! The people live in misery, fighting and killing every day, not knowing where their next meal will come from, barely able to survive. Since I came to the Great Ruins, I've seen countless families selling their sons and daughters. That shows how miserable their situation is. The Yan-Kang army is a righteous force. You should lay down your resistance and welcome the Yan-Kang royal army."
Qin Mu opened his eyes, his gaze deep: "The people of the Great Ruins don't want to live here either. But I've heard that the people of the Great Ruins are called the God-Forsaken. If they leave the Great Ruins and cross the border, they'll be captured by the Yan-Kang border guards. Some are executed on the spot, others are sold as slaves to work in the mines, and they die within a few years."
He sat up, clasping his hands in front of his knees, his expression calm: "They want to live a better life too, but going to Yan-Kang would only make them die faster. It's better to stay in the Great Ruins, where they can barely survive. If the Yan-Kang army conquers the Great Ruins, how will they treat us God-Forsaken? Will they kill us or make us slaves?"
"Sister Yuxiu, the Emperor of Yan-Kang and the Yan-Kang National Teacher don't care about the people here. They want this land, this God-Forsaken Land. The Forsaken live in the God-Forsaken Land. Even though every night brings the threat of darkness, and every hunting trip is fraught with danger, at least they can still live. They can still let their sons and daughters live. But if Yan-Kang rules here, they won't even have a place to survive."
Ling Yuxiu was stunned. She had never thought about this. She had only believed that Yan-Kang was righteous, never considering what fate would befall the people here.
She couldn't help but say, "Do you know? If you resist the Yan-Kang army, you'll only die. There's no way you'll survive!"
Qin Mu revealed a brilliant smile, full of confidence, and looked up toward the east: "No! The Emperor of Yan-Kang and the National Teacher will hit a hard rock here. They'll run into a wall and be defeated! They don't know what they're about to encounter in this mysterious land! Yan-Kang's undefeated myth will end here!"
Ling Yuxiu stood up and said angrily, "You're stubborn! You'll definitely die in this city. Why bother?"
Qin Mu stood up, meeting her gaze directly: "If the Forsaken go to Yan-Kang, they'll die. If Yan-Kang invades here and turns this into their territory, the Forsaken will surely die as well. Since not resisting means death, and resisting offers a glimmer of hope, why shouldn't the Forsaken fight back?"
Ling Yuxiu was flustered by his gaze. She walked down from the dragon's head, stood on the platform, looked back at him, and gritted her teeth: "I am from Yan-Kang. The purpose of my visit here is to occupy the Great Ruins and turn it into Yan-Kang territory."
Qin Mu nodded.
Ling Yuxiu said, "I cannot betray Yan-Kang. Anyone who opposes Yan-Kang will be my enemy!"
Qin Mu nodded again: "I am a Forsaken. I cannot betray the Great Ruins either."
Ling Yuxiu turned and walked down the steps beside the stone platform. Her figure disappeared, but her voice came from among the stone pillars: "If I meet you on the battlefield, I won't show any mercy!"
Qin Mu looked into the distance, where dust and smoke were rising like a fog covering hundreds of miles, moving closer. He whispered, "Neither will I."
In the mist, thousands of giant beasts led the way. These beasts were as massive as mountains, with long tusks, bony armor all over their bodies, and heavy loads on their backs. Yet they moved quickly, their bone armor clattering as they walked.
Behind the giant beasts stretched an endless army, exuding a murderous aura. Banners fluttered. In the center of the army, war chariots rolled by, and in the sky, warships sailed.
The warships were also packed with soldiers. At the core of each warship, a dozen alchemists were busily refining pills, while young attendants constantly threw the finished elixirs into the furnace at the ship's core.
As those elixirs were thrown into the furnace, they transformed into violent magical power, surging from the furnace into the two Wind-Bellowing Beast sculptures at the ship's stern. The sculptures spewed violent gusts of air from their mouths, lifting the warships and propelling them forward.
The Yan-Kang army was advancing from the border, and this was only the vanguard. Even stronger forces were gathering at the border!
There, the National Teacher's banner fluttered.
Qin Mu watched the Yan-Kang army drawing closer, his heart sinking. Every soldier in that army was a martial artist, seasoned in battle and slaughter. An army of wolves and tigers—that's what such a force was called!
Facing such an army, the seemingly impregnable Inlaid Dragon City felt like a tiny speck, easily crushed!
"Yan-Kang Kingdom..." Qin Mu suppressed the tremor in his heart and whispered.
The village chief had once said that Yan-Kang was a sect disguised as a nation. In Qin Mu's view, a nation was indeed more powerful than a sect—it had greater cohesion, organizational strength, and explosive force!
When a sect evolved into a nation with a strict organizational structure, a complete official system, and private schools to nurture the next generation, how formidable would it become?
Becoming a nation was the ultimate direction for a sect's development!
In the City Lord's Mansion, Granny Si, wearing Fu Yundi's skin, stood with her hands behind her back. Behind her, the Eight Aspect Heavenly Gods manifested, fully displaying the boldness and tyranny of Inlaid Dragon City Lord Fu Yundi. She thought to herself, "The Yan-Kang National Teacher has finally arrived..."
In front of the gambling den, Blind Man stood leaning on his staff, listening intently to the approaching sound of marching.
At the vegetable market, a butcher with only an upper body was sharpening his knife with a rasping sound. In the bookshop on the next street, a deaf man wearing iron ear covers was wildly painting in the courtyard. His brush was over ten feet long. The deaf man painted like a madman, then suddenly lifted his brush. A thundercloud painting, several zhang in size, soared into the sky.
The painting entered the sky and gradually faded. In an instant, thunderclouds gathered densely, and countless lightning bolts crackled down from the sky.