Chapter 196: Heaven's Will

“Master, can the Demon Child sense it?” the Blind Man asked.

Zheng Fan nodded.

The next instant, black and white spread across Zheng Fan’s left eye. It was the eye of another consciousness, carrying an indifference toward all living things.

“It isn’t far. Follow me.”

Zheng Fan swung onto his horse and took the lead, galloping west. The others followed closely behind.

His vision at that moment was extremely strange.

Everything he saw existed only in shades of gray and white.

The sole trace of color was a wisp of red drifting ahead of him.

Was that the lingering aura left behind by the spirit?

Spirit entities should be rare in this world—far rarer than so-called mental-type magicians.

They had simply happened to meet the perfect counter.

No one could have imagined that Zheng Fan constantly carried a spirit entity with him, much less one capable of independent thought, complete self-awareness, and its own abilities.

Like the other Demon Kings, the Demon Child had not recovered all its strength.

But its experience remained.

That was also why the Demon Kings could handle opponents of the same Grade with such ease.

The Demon Child was no different.

Its power had not fully recovered, but many of the special abilities belonging to a spirit entity had already awakened.

And it knew perfectly well how to use them.

The group traveled less than ten li west before reaching a river.

The river was not wide.

Its surface remained frozen.

And on opposite banks stood two separate groups.

On one side was a middle-aged Daoist with four or five disciple-attendants behind him.

On the other stood a man and woman dressed in black.

At that moment, the Demon Child completely concealed its aura.

Zheng Fan’s left eye returned to normal.

The arrival of Green Willow Fortress’s cavalry clearly startled both groups.

The black-clad man immediately laughed.

“Well, looks like there’s no need to argue anymore.”

With that, he took out a waist token and tossed it toward the riders from Green Willow Fortress.

At the same time, he shouted, “The Secret Intelligence Department is handling a case. We ask for your cooperation!”

Zuo Jiqian rode forward and picked up the token.

After inspecting it, he looked back at Zheng Fan and nodded.

“Garrison Commander, it truly is a Secret Intelligence Department token.”

The Blind Man said, “They don’t look much like Secret Intelligence Department agents.”

The Secret Intelligence Department was somewhat similar to Qian’s Silver-Armored Guard.

Both organizations were essentially the same sort of institution as the familiar Embroidered Uniform Guard or Eastern Depot of later history.

Yet this black-clad man and woman looked nothing like secret-police agents.

If anything, they looked even more like people who had withdrawn from worldly affairs than the Daoists across the river.

Still, since the other side had produced an official identity token, convention dictated that Zheng Fan’s force cooperate with them.

Elsewhere in Yan, that might not have been so simple.

Secret Intelligence Department agents wanting to mobilize a local garrison might first have needed to submit requests and official documents.

But because Yinlang Commandery was effectively the Marquis and Marchioness of Jingnan’s own domain, relations between the military and the Secret Intelligence Department were extraordinarily close.

The situation was therefore obvious.

One side belonged to the Secret Intelligence Department.

The other was an unidentified group clearly opposing them.

Zheng Fan waved.

The cavalry on both flanks immediately moved to surround the Daoists.

The middle-aged Daoist snorted coldly.

“You Yan people truly are barbarians. Whatever the matter, you always want your cavalry sabers to do the talking. How can such a state endure?”

The black-clad man shook his head and smiled.

“Still better than being a homeless dog like you.

“And let me remind you to watch your mouth.

“I could repeat what you just said directly to the Marquis of Jingnan and have your Heavenly Tiger Daoist Sect charged with harboring resentment against Great Yan.

“If your entire lineage and foundation are destroyed afterward, you’ll have only that rotten mouth of yours to blame.”

Zheng Fan looked toward the Blind Man.

The Blind Man had always been responsible for gathering intelligence about the various states, including customs, local conditions, and martial-world factions.

Whenever Zheng Fan encountered something he did not understand he looked at him.

The Blind Man did not disappoint.

Like the narrator in a single-player game, he explained, “Master, the ancestral seat of the Heavenly Tiger Daoist Sect stands on Heavenly Tiger Mountain outside Litian City in Jin.”

“Oh.”

Zheng Fan nodded.

Litian City was the Wenren Clan’s old stronghold.

Of course, it had now become the Marquis of Jingnan’s new home.

In other words, the Heavenly Tiger Daoist Sect was now the Marquis of Jingnan’s new neighbor.

Truthfully, being Tian Wujing’s neighbor came with extraordinary pressure.

After all everyone who had once been his family was already in Heaven.

If the Marquis of Jingnan wished it, a casual crook of his finger could send several thousand Jingnan Army iron cavalry straight through the Heavenly Tiger Sect’s ancestral grounds.

The present world possessed all manner of colorful religions and sects.

But before a true army none of them amounted to much.

The middle-aged Daoist’s expression changed.

Clearly, the black-clad man’s threat had struck directly at his weakness.

Power outweighed principle.

When mountains and rivers were shattered, even those who claimed to stand outside worldly affairs found themselves lacking confidence.

“The Jade Human Token has always been suppressed on Heavenly Tiger Mountain.

“Now that it has been trapped, once we reseal it, it should naturally return to Heavenly Tiger Mountain so it cannot continue harming the mortal world!”

“Heavenly Tiger Mountain belongs to Great Yan now, never mind the Jade Human Token.

“And taking ten thousand steps back, I know perfectly well that twenty years ago the Wenren Clan Head forcibly demanded the Jade Human Token from your Heavenly Tiger Mountain and enshrined it in his clan’s ancestral temple.

“If not for that, Great Yan’s iron cavalry only broke Litian City. We never attacked Heavenly Tiger Mountain.

“So how could the Jade Human Token possibly have escaped?

“Since your Heavenly Tiger Mountain cannot safeguard the thing properly, naturally we will take over.”

By this point, Zheng Fan understood.

The Jade Human Token was probably the thing that sucked blood.

Apparently it was some kind of evil artifact.

Whether on Heavenly Tiger Mountain or inside the Wenren Clan’s ancestral temple in Litian City, it had remained obediently suppressed.

But once the Yan army destroyed the Wenren and Helian Clans, the chaos of war allowed the Jade Human Token to escape.

And somehow it had escaped all the way into Yinlang Commandery.

“Heavenly Tiger Mountain has established procedures for suppressing the Jade Human Token!” the middle-aged Daoist shouted.

“Enough.

“In a while, every sect in the newly annexed territories will have to send its leader to Yanjing to pay court to His Majesty, Emperor of Great Yan.

“You have procedures?

“Then submit them to us. Same result.”

“You go too far!”

The black-clad man’s smile grew brighter.

“You only just noticed?”

Then, his expression abruptly turned cold.

“Suppressing evil objects and preventing them from harming the mortal world is the duty of people like us who stand outside ordinary society.

“I’m not worried you’ll stand aside and do nothing.

“As for who receives the object afterward and suppresses it—there is nothing to discuss.

“For now, I can still address you respectfully as a fellow Daoist and give you some face.

“Help me subdue and seal the Jade Human Token first.

“If you cannot even accomplish that much—heh.

“Our Emperor has never liked feeding idlers.”

Then he looked toward Zheng Fan and shouted, “Garrison Commander, I’ll trouble you to guard the perimeter.”

Zheng Fan nodded.

He ordered his cavalry to spread out.

“Truthfully, I’ve never actually seen Daoists fight,” Zheng Fan whispered.

A’Ming nodded.

“We’ve spent all this time killing and fighting. I almost forgot this world still had so much mystical nonsense in it.”

“Exactly. Sometimes, if I didn’t see the Pi Beasts under the generals in camp, I’d unconsciously think this world was no different from the ancient world we already knew.”

The Blind Man reminded him, “Master, these are ultimately lesser paths.”

When the Baili siblings encountered Great Yan’s iron cavalry, they had immediately fled back to Upper Capital.

Even a Daoist Adept of Heavenly Tiger Mountain could only swallow his anger when faced with Yan cavalry sabers.

Ultimately whoever possessed stronger armies possessed the louder voice.

Those legendary mighty beings who could casually move mountains, fill seas, or annihilate an entire state with a flick of their fingers probably did not exist in this world.

While Zheng Fan and the other two whispered among themselves the black-clad man beside the river had already begun forming hand seals.

Across from him, the middle-aged Daoist began forming seals of his own.

Zheng Fan and the others immediately stopped talking.

They focused on watching the show.

The Blind Man even pulled three oranges from his pocket.

One for Zheng Fan.

One for A’Ming.

Buzz!

A blue ring of light appeared before the black-clad man.

Then it plunged violently into the frozen river.

The peachwood sword on the middle-aged Daoist’s back flew free and hovered before him.

He bit the tip of his tongue and sprayed essence blood across the blade.

The next instant the ice began cracking.

Something beneath seemed to be forced toward the surface.

Boom!

An explosion thundered out.

Something resembling a black bear leapt from the river.

“Go!”

The middle-aged Daoist’s peachwood sword shot forward and pierced the black bear’s chest.

The bear did not die.

Instead, it roared and charged straight toward the Daoist.

The disciples around him immediately stepped forward with swords to block it.

But the black bear seemed utterly fearless of death.

It ignored every blade piercing its body and continued charging.

The middle-aged Daoist spread both hands.

A talisman emerged from each palm.

He began chanting.

“ROAR!”

At that moment, the black bear’s body suddenly swelled like an inflating balloon growing three times larger than before.

“Scatter!”

The middle-aged Daoist shouted to his disciples.

Too late.

A violent blast erupted.

The young Daoists were hurled away and smashed brutally into the ground.

Their deaths were hideous.

The middle-aged Daoist growled.

A magical heart-protecting mirror hung over his chest.

Although blood spilled from the corner of his mouth after the shockwave struck him he remained standing.

“Whew. We should find a way to get one of those artifacts later,” Zheng Fan said.

Even with the Demon Child protecting him, it could only stop one sword at a time.

An artifact like the middle-aged Daoist’s would probably work even better.

When it came to preserving his life and increasing his odds of survival—

Garrison Commander Zheng had never been stingy.

“Master, once we reach Jin and establish ourselves, we can begin making friends with some of these people outside ordinary society.

“They should be delighted to offer us their ancestral treasures.”

Delighted?

Of course they would not be delighted.

But once they knew where the good things were they could simply rob them.

Meanwhile, the middle-aged Daoist had already advanced.

After its self-detonation, the enormous black bear’s body immediately shriveled like a sieve leaking air from every hole.

The Daoist slapped both talismans onto it.

A series of almost tangible red grids appeared over the bear’s body.

Its already collapsing form was forcibly pressed to the ground.

Thud!

It fell face-first.

Only then did the black-clad man and woman cross the river.

The middle-aged Daoist swept them with a cold gaze.

Then he looked at his disciples lying motionless around him.

His mood naturally could not have been worse.

The black-clad man said directly, “I wasn’t deliberately watching from across the river.

“No one knew which side the demon beast controlled by the Jade Human Token would attack.”

The middle-aged Daoist ignored the explanation.

In truth, he believed it.

Though the two sides stood in different camps, some responsibilities were shared.

When confronting demons and evil objects, neither side would stoop to such petty schemes.

More importantly the Daoist knew the other man had no need to.

“Cut it open.

“Find the Jade Human Token.”

The black-clad man spoke to the woman beside him.

She nodded.

Drawing her saber, she stepped forward and sliced open the black bear’s back.

The bear released one final feeble wail.

Then died completely.

Ignoring the blood and gore, the black-clad woman searched through its body.

Again and again she found nothing.

The middle-aged Daoist snorted.

“The head.”

Clearly, the Jade Human Token was not in the bear’s body.

It was inside its skull.

“The Jade Human Token is that small?” the black-clad man asked.

“Only somewhat larger than an ordinary jade pendant.

“It’s normal that you wouldn’t know.”

The black-clad man heard the mockery in his voice but did not become angry.

Yan people did not believe in gods or Buddhas.

They believed in cavalry sabers.

During the previous Emperor’s reign, the various sects outside ordinary society had enjoyed a period of prosperity.

But after Ji Runhao ascended the throne a sweeping purge had stripped them bare again.

So practitioners in Yan could not compare with those in other states, where someone occasionally became a State Preceptor.

Yan valued practicality.

Anyone among these practitioners who could actually accomplish something or possessed genuine ability had been incorporated into the Secret Intelligence Department.

Nominally they were part of that department.

In reality they answered to the old patriarch of the eunuchs inside the imperial palace.

It was somewhat like martial sects being absorbed by the court and becoming imperial hounds.

Naturally, their knowledge and inherited traditions could not compare with independent sects elsewhere.

After all even that old patriarch was not some heaven-defying genius among Qi Refiners.

He had been forcibly nurtured by the Ji Clan using the cauldron of national fortune.

In the distance, Zheng Fan and the others began chatting over their private channel.

“Looks like it’s settled?” Zheng Fan asked.

“Master, probably.

“They should be looting the equipment now,” A’Ming replied.

The Blind Man said, “Master, only three of them are left.

“We have two hundred cavalry.

“One volley of arrows followed by one charge should wipe them all out.”

Practitioners of these strange arts differed from swordsmen and Martial Artists.

They were probably better at dealing with evil things and divining heavenly secrets than killing people.

Two hundred cavalry charging them would probably be enough to successfully rob both sides.

But Zheng Fan shook his head.

“Too risky.”

Among these two hundred riders, roughly half were barbarians.

The barbarians were actually the more reliable group.

But a substantial portion were criminal soldiers.

Although they resented the imperial court, guaranteeing that every single one would keep the same secret was difficult.

The Blind Man nodded.

He understood that Zheng Fan wanted caution.

They were merely waiting for the imperial decree before heading into the newly annexed Jin territories to claim a base and develop.

Creating some unexpected disaster now truly would not be worth the risk.

“Still, Master—

“I have a feeling this so-called Jade Human Token is something extremely valuable.”

“I know.

“I know.”

Zheng Fan smiled.

“But if it belongs to me, it’ll eventually become mine.

“If it doesn’t—we don’t need to force things just yet.”

A’Ming glanced strangely at the Blind Man.

He wondered why someone normally so steady seemed so restless today.

But he quickly understood.

Magical artifacts might be fairly useless to most Demon Kings.

Even Master followed the path of a Martial Artist.

Only the Blind Man if his mental power were paired with an excellent artifact would receive an enormous boost.

It was rather like A’Ming encountering someone whose blood smelled irresistibly delicious.

The urge and agitation were simply a normal physiological response.

Meanwhile, the black-clad woman had already hacked open the black bear’s skull.

But at that instant a black snake suddenly shot out of the bear’s head.

It raced up the woman’s saber and bit into her wrist.

Then its body whipped outward flinging itself toward the middle-aged Daoist, who was seated nearby regulating his breathing.

The black-clad man roared in fury.

He had never imagined the Jade Human Token would employ double parasitism first parasitizing a snake, then using that snake to control the black bear.

It caught everyone completely off guard.

The middle-aged Daoist’s peachwood sword immediately flew up and stabbed into the snake’s tail.

But the snake opened its mouth.

Black venom sprayed out splashing directly across the Daoist’s face.

“AAAAAAAHHHHH!”

The middle-aged Daoist screamed.

Clutching his face, he rolled frantically across the ground.

The black-clad man immediately formed hand seals, preparing to suppress the snake.

A bulge protruded from the snake’s abdomen.

The Jade Human Token had probably been swallowed into its body.

A blue ring of light appeared before the black-clad man once more.

It slammed down over the snake.

The snake was crushed against the ground.

It struggled but clearly could no longer escape.

“I’d like to see how much strength you have left after being sealed for centuries!”

The weakened snake suddenly stiffened.

Its eyes glowed red.

Slash!

A saber cut open the black-clad man’s throat.

He turned his head in disbelief.

The black-clad woman stood beside him.

Her eyes were glowing with exactly the same red light as the snake’s.

Thud!

The man collapsed.

On the other side—

Zheng Fan’s mouth slowly opened.

A’Ming’s eyes gradually widened.

The Blind Man’s expression abruptly became solemn.

“Master.

“What I’m about to say truly isn’t flattery.”

Zheng Fan nodded.

“Master...

“I think I just saw Heaven’s will.”

(End of Chapter)