Chapter 403: Xuan Wei of the State of Wei

With so much sand blocking their view, none of them could see what the Scorpion Emperor was doing. Sand enclosed them on every side. Only beneath their feet could they still see that they were standing on the Scorpion Emperor's back, and even that was because the sword-bearing man was using spiritual power to hold the sand away. Suddenly, there was a bang. A hollow sound came through, as though something had been broken open. The Scorpion Emperor stopped moving as well.

When nothing else happened, the man and woman exchanged puzzled looks, neither understanding what it meant. Yuan Gang, however, seemed to understand what the Scorpion Emperor had done. He had been the one to give it the command. He knew what he had asked it to do. The boundless sea of sand offered nowhere to bury Su Zhao. He had told the Scorpion Emperor to find her a good resting place. So he knew.

Facing the wall of sand ahead, Yuan Gang said, "Up ahead. I'll trouble you to open a path."

The man escorted the woman several steps forward. He thrust the Three-Roars Saber ahead, and a burst of saber qi erupted from the blade.

Boom!

It punched straight through the wall of sand. The man flipped his palm. The Three-Roars Saber left his hand and spun rapidly through the air. Condensed saber qi clung to the whirling blade without dispersing, boring directly through the sand and opening a dark tunnel ahead.

The man swept an arm out and flashed forward, reclaiming the saber in passing. His protective spiritual aura wrapped around all three of them and carried them into the dark passage with a rush. In an instant, they had crossed the tunnel. The depth of the man's spiritual power and his mastery over it were obvious. Behind them came the rumbling collapse of the passage as sand buried it again. The luminous pearl floating before the man shot forward and landed on the ground ahead. Stone floor. Carved stone walls.

They were standing in a sizable underground chamber, almost like an underground palace. Sand scorpions of every size crawled through the place. At first they surged rapidly toward the newcomers, but the instant they came into contact with Yuan Gang's scent, they receded like a tide. Behind them, deep within the settling sand, came a heavy rolling rumble that gradually faded into the distance. The three could sense that the Scorpion Emperor had silently departed. Another light appeared.

The sword-bearing man released a Moon Butterfly. It fluttered through the chamber, radiant and bright, adding more illumination to the underground palace. By its glow, the man and woman examined their surroundings.

Buddhist carvings covered the stone pillars and walls. On the main wall, illuminated by the Moon Butterfly, stood a massive statue of the Buddha seated upon a lotus. There was something strange about the underground palace.

Leaving aside the sand scorpions, directly beneath the main wall and occupying the place of honor stood a large, heavy black-jade sarcophagus. Exquisite cloud patterns and swaying lotuses were carved across its surface, along with an image of the Buddha standing upon auspicious clouds. The sarcophagus showed signs of having been pried open. Its lid had broken in two. One half lay overturned on the floor, while the other remained resting across the sarcophagus. Tattered clothes lay nearby, still bearing old traces of fine embroidery.

Clearly, this underground palace had existed for no one knew how many years. The man and woman followed Yuan Gang to the sarcophagus and discovered that it was completely empty. There were no remains inside, only a thick layer of accumulated dust. From the state of the sarcophagus and its surroundings, it was obvious that someone had already visited this place long ago. The man and woman exchanged a look. They seemed to understand what Yuan Gang intended to do. The woman tilted her head slightly in a gesture.

The man extended one hand and sent spiritual power rolling through the sarcophagus. The dust inside churned but did not spill out. Instead, it rapidly gathered into a compact ball of gray. Once the sarcophagus had been cleaned spotless, the man casually flicked his hand. The ball of dust flew into a corner of the underground palace and burst apart into drifting ash. Yuan Gang bent down and carefully placed Su Zhao inside the sarcophagus.

After arranging her properly, he walked to one side, wrapped both arms around the half of the lid still resting on the sarcophagus, and tensed every muscle in his body. The half lid rose. He set it back into place. The woman thought little of it. She had no particular sense for how heavy such things were. The man's eyes, however, twitched. He could see that Yuan Gang had not used any spiritual power.

That half of the lid had to weigh more than a thousand jin, yet this fellow had lifted it by brute strength without appearing to strain himself much at all.

The man knew perfectly well that if it were him, without spiritual power he probably could not even lift one corner, never mind raise the whole thing. Yuan Gang turned back, lifted the larger half of the broken lid from the floor, and placed it over the sarcophagus as well. The two broken halves met again, restoring the lid to its original position.

Once that was done, Yuan Gang glanced toward the sand scorpions in the corner of the underground palace and asked for the Three-Roars Saber back. He drew the blade across his palm. Blood appeared immediately. The man and woman froze and stared at him, not understanding why he was injuring himself.

Yuan Gang pressed his blood-soaked palm against the sarcophagus and walked all the way around it, smearing a ring of his own blood across the stone before finally stopping. Only then did he formally examine the underground palace around him.

The woman tried asking, "Was she your lover?"

Yuan Gang did not answer. He was not accustomed to sharing his joys and sorrows with strangers. Few people were qualified to share those things with him, and in this world there were fewer still.

"Let's go. I'll trouble you to take me back out."

The man looked at the woman.

The woman gave a slight nod. "Let's go."

The three returned to the wall of settled sand where they had entered. The man jabbed two fingers forward. A hole immediately opened in the wall. He flashed ahead, swept the two people beside him along, and plunged into the passage...

Bang!

Sand exploded from the desert surface. Three figures burst out from underground and landed atop a dune. They looked around at the endless rise and fall of sand dunes. There was no landmark anywhere.

The man looked at the silent Yuan Gang and said, "Burying her here is one thing, but if you want to return and pay respects in the future, finding this exact place again in such a vast sea of sand may be difficult."

The woman answered for him. "Perhaps it would be difficult for someone else to find this place, but certainly not for this friend."

The man paused, then understood. True. This man could command the Scorpion Emperor. If the Scorpion Emperor could bring him here once, it could naturally bring him here a second time. He had indeed been worrying unnecessarily. Yuan Gang remained silent. He had been bringing Su Zhao back to Qingshan Commandery for her sake. Now Su Zhao was gone. He was thinking about where he himself should go. Should he still return to Qingshan Commandery? The woman's gaze fell on the saber in his hand.

She asked, "Friend, what is your relationship with Supreme General Huyan Wuhen of Qi?"

The name Huyan Wuhen made Yuan Gang raise his head.

He asked in return, "How do you know I have anything to do with Huyan Wuhen?"

The woman lifted her chin toward the saber in his hand.

"Xi Wuxian, Qiyun Sect's foremost artifact-forging master, once forged a treasured saber. Three tigers were worked into the blade: one an enraged tiger, one a running tiger, and one a crouching tiger. It is said that if the wielder possesses enough strength, the saber can produce a tiger's roar. Different degrees of force can awaken three different roars. Xi Wuxian is said to have remarked: the enraged tiger is easy to make roar, but the running tiger makes no sound. One who can make the running tiger roar can break through anything. One who can awaken the sleeping tiger and make it roar is unrivaled beneath Heaven!"

She pointed again at the saber.

"If I haven't mistaken it, this blade is called the Three-Roars Saber. It was once the weapon of Tian Zixin, former Supreme General of the State of Jin."

"Tian Zixin was defeated by Huyan Wuhen, and this saber was seized by Huyan Wuhen and kept in his collection. That battle was the one that made Huyan Wuhen famous."

"He would not casually give away a trophy like this. If this truly is the Three-Roars Saber, then I imagine you must know Supreme General Huyan Wuhen of Qi."

Yuan Gang was somewhat surprised. Not by the mysterious legend surrounding the saber, but because he had never imagined Huyan Wuhen would give him the trophy taken from the enemy commander in the battle that first made his name. He raised the blade and studied it.

"I didn't know the history behind this saber, but it was indeed a gift from Huyan Wuhen."

Surprise appeared in the woman's eyes. Huyan Wuhen was one of the great commanders of his generation. For him to give away a trophy like this meant the man before her either had an extraordinary background or had won Huyan Wuhen's exceptional appreciation. Otherwise, he would never have parted lightly with such a weapon.

She immediately asked, "May I ask your honorable name and where you come from?"

"Yuan Gang. Qingshan Commandery, State of Yan."

"Qingshan Commandery in the State of Yan? Shang Chaozong's territory..." The woman paused, then asked, "There is a retainer cultivator beside Shang Chaozong named Niu Youdao. I've heard Niu Youdao also has a man beside him named Yuan Gang, with the same name as you. Do you know Niu Youdao?"

Yuan Gang turned his head toward her, somewhat surprised as well. He had not expected her to know of him. He did not think he was famous enough for that.

"Niu Youdao is my elder brother. You know him?"

The man and woman exchanged a look. His answer confirmed it. This really was that Yuan Gang. The woman smiled.

"Who beneath Heaven has not heard of the famous man who killed an envoy of Yan? From the information I've received, after Shang Chaozong fled Yanjing in desperation and still managed to reach his present position, the credit did not belong to Tianyu Sect. Behind it all was Niu Youdao supporting him with one hand. I also heard that not long ago, Niu Youdao quietly transported thirty thousand warhorses out of the State of Qi for Shang Chaozong, solving his most urgent difficulty without anyone realizing it beforehand. I have never met Niu Youdao, but I have admired his reputation for a long time. There are few people beneath Heaven whose ability and intelligence can surpass his. In my view, throughout the State of Yan, only two men can truly be called outstanding talents, one in the north and one in the south: Shao Pingbo of Beizhou and Niu Youdao of Nanzhou. Aside from those two, the State of Yan has no talent worth mentioning. Yet the two happen to occupy opposite ends of the state. It is a pity the court of the State of Yan lacks the ability to employ men."

Naturally, Yuan Gang understood Niu Youdao's abilities perfectly well. Otherwise, back then he would never have advised Shang Shuqing to keep Niu Youdao with them. He simply had not expected that a woman he encountered by chance could see the matter so clearly. That seemed to run somewhat contrary to Master Dao's original intention of keeping a low profile unless absolutely necessary. Still, one part of her judgment made Yuan Gang uncomfortable. She had actually placed Shao Pingbo alongside Master Dao.

He asked mildly, "Then in your view, which of the two is superior?"

The woman considered the question.

"Shao Pingbo has the broader vision. Niu Youdao has the subtler methods. Overall, the two are evenly matched."

Seeing that Yuan Gang seemed dissatisfied with the answer and remembering that he was Niu Youdao's man, she immediately smiled and added, "Of course, Shao Pingbo's birth and background are different, and he is older as well. Niu Youdao is said to be only in his early twenties. It is far too soon to say who is stronger and who is weaker. There is still a long road ahead."

Yuan Gang looked at her coolly.

"A woman who casually judges the heroes beneath Heaven like this is rare. Who are you?"

The woman gave a modest yet mysterious smile.

"Xuan Wei of the State of Wei."

Yuan Gang froze for a moment. He had been in this world long enough to have heard of at least some of the most famous figures of the various states. He had heard that Wei had a woman named Xuan Wei. He simply did not know whether this was that same person. He looked up at the multicolored flying bird circling overhead. That was not the sort of mount an ordinary person could afford. Then he looked back at her.

"I've heard the State of Wei has a Grand Princess who also serves as its female Chancellor. Her name is Xuan Wei as well. Do you know her?"

The woman nodded.

"That would be me."

[End of Chapter 403]