Chapter 636: Change

Chapter 636: Change

In the dimly lit cave, Li Huowang frowned slightly as he looked at the blackened figure before him—this man named You Zixiong, clad in black armor.

From what he had heard earlier, he now had a general understanding of this man’s background.

This fellow was from the military school, the Four Qi military school. With the fall of the Four Qi court, he had become like a drifting duckweed with no roots, likely having come to Great Liang alongside the Grand Minister.

As for his connection with the An Ci An temple, Li Huowang had also clarified that they had merely met on the road. Due to a lack of supplies ahead, You Zixiong had traded his sword for silver with the nuns.

And those silver coins were none other than the ill-gotten gains from the reed island, where he had wiped out all the pirates. At that time, he had taken the silver from the island to exchange for the assistance of the nun Jingxin against the persistent Dan Yangzi who had been harassing him.

The nun took the silver and exchanged it for You Zixiong's sword, and finally, for her own safety, gave it to him as protection on the journey.

After going full circle, everything seemed to be predestined.

Listening to You Zixiong’s account, distant memories gradually surfaced in Li Huowang’s mind. His expression became deeply complex, filled with a mixture of emotions.

After a while, Li Huowang turned his gaze once more to the silent You Zixiong. “Then you don’t know why the nuns of An Ci An died either?”

You Zixiong shook his head gently. “After trading my sword for silver with Qin Ajian, I returned to camp. Since then, I haven’t left the camp. How could I possibly know what happened behind?”

“Later, the natural disaster ended, and Four Qi began fighting again with Later Shu. Then…”

At this point, a trace of pain appeared on You Zixiong’s face. “Then, Four Qi fell. I had wanted to fight to the death and take as many down with me as possible, but the Astronomical Bureau official said, ‘Keep the green hills, and there will always be firewood.’ So we survivors of the military school and the officials within the Astronomical Bureau had no choice but to follow him all the way to Great Liang.”

“Were the soldiers of Later Shu really so formidable? Could they really conquer Four Qi?”

“Nonsense!” You Zixiong’s voice was filled with rage upon hearing this.

“Those scoundrels! It was because they sold our frontline troops to the enemy! No grain, no silver! A bunch of empty sacks! They forced us to starve and fight the barbarians of Later Shu!”

“They even cooperated with the eunuchs inside the palace, betraying their own house from within!”

“What?” Upon hearing this, Li Huowang’s pupils shrank to the smallest size. “What did you say? Did the Law Sect cause the fall of Four Qi?”

“Of course! Otherwise, do you really think the barbarians of Later Shu could have crossed the border? Even without food or silver! As long as a single member of the You family remains alive, they would never cross!”

After saying these words, You Zixiong let out a deep sigh.

“If Later Shu truly had the strength to occupy Four Qi, we would accept defeat gracefully. But instead, the Law Sect snatched the prize. Just thinking about it makes me furious!”

The clanking of chains echoed, and the four maces behind You Zixiong began spinning. With a sudden turn and a mighty swing, the four maces flew out, slicing the body of a nearby Law Sect follower into pieces.

“No, no, wait,” Li Huowang said seriously, stepping forward to face You Zixiong. “I need to confirm something first. Was Four Qi truly destroyed by the Law Sect? Does that mean the entire Four Qi is now under the control of the sect that worships the natural disaster?”

“Of course! If it were just an ordinary dynastic change, why would the Astronomical Bureau official bring us all the way here to Liang?”

These words stunned Li Huowang. He had originally thought the Law Sect, or perhaps the one from Great Qi, was just a minor inconvenience.

As long as the current emperor Gao Zhijian wasn’t incompetent, and the military school, supported by the Astronomical Bureau and himself, could work together, given some time, they could resolve this issue. It hadn’t reached the point of life or death yet.

But the news that the entire country of Four Qi had fallen to the Law Sect hit him like a thunderbolt.

This wasn’t just any ordinary sect—it was the Law Sect, capable of turning ordinary people into fearless monsters!

Now, it was likely that most of the people of Four Qi had already become followers of the Law Sect. The experience of Great Qi had already proven the terrifying power of the sect once it gained strength.

Li Huowang suddenly felt a pressure like Mount Tai crushing down upon him.

If the Law Sect had indeed occupied Four Qi, it would surely spread outward. Behind Four Qi lay Later Shu, and behind Later Shu lay Qingqiu.

If the Law Sect truly seized Qingqiu, what would appear before Great Liang would be an unimaginably terrifying monster.

At this moment, Li Huowang no longer cared about chasing after the fleeing Xu Nian. He hurriedly left the cave.

After Li Huowang departed, the bearded man beside You Zixiong said, “Control your temper. This man seems quite dangerous.”

“Do you think I still fear death? If I had been stationed at the frontier, I should have died there!” You Zixiong’s demeanor reverted to despondency, walking slowly toward the cave entrance.

“The royal family of Four Qi is gone. What’s the point of us surviving as soldiers of Four Qi? Now I live only to kill every last member of the Law Sect!”

The iron-plated wheels rolled slowly forward. Yang Xiaohai, holding the reins, glanced nervously at the countless footprints along the roadside.

“My heavens, why are there so many soldiers running around everywhere? Is war breaking out?”

“Pfft, master, don’t talk nonsense. Why would we go to war for no reason?”

Hearing voices from inside the carriage, Yang Xiaohai stopped paying attention to the footprints and focused on driving, occasionally pulling out a sheepskin map to check their direction.

“Xiumei, how much grain do we have left in the cart? We’re almost at Qingqiu. There aren’t many people there, and we won’t be able to buy grain on the way,” Yang Xiaohai asked his wife.

“We’ve got enough. Hundreds of jin of grain. We two can eat well for days. Oh, what are we eating later?”

Marriage to a chef, Zhao Xiumei thought, was the best decision she’d ever made. Even if they were traveling in the wild, Yang Xiaohai could cook up endless variations.

“What to eat?” Yang Xiaohai pondered. Then he noticed a roadside stall in the distance. After carefully reading the sign, he said, “We’ll have red oil wontons.”

When the carriage stopped near the stall, Yang Xiaohai saw that the benches were nearly full. He quickly pulled his wife to secure a seat. “Master, please serve one jin of wontons, split into two bowls!”

“Got it! Find a seat! It’ll be ready soon!”

This place wasn’t remote. Yang Xiaohai saw inside the shelter: besides peddlers and scholars on long journeys, there was also a monkey show. Three monkeys chained to the ground were licking red oil off their fingers and stuffing them into their mouths.

The crowd devoured the wontons greedily, and the spicy aroma drifted in, making Yang Xiaohai and his wife swallow saliva.

——

Next chapter update at 11:33 PM.

(End of Chapter)