Chapter 639
Chapter 639
-----------------------------------------------------------------
>Translator: Ryuma
>Chapter: 639
>Chapter Title: Changes
>-----------------------------------------------------------------
In the dim cavern, the charred Li Huowang furrowed his brow as he looked at the black-armored man named You Zixiong standing before him.
Through his earlier recounting, he had a general grasp of the man's background.
This guy belonged to the soldier houses, the soldier houses of Siqi. With Siqi's imperial court gone, he was like a rootless drifter, probably following the National Advisor here to Daliang.
As for his connection to An Cian Nunnery, Li Huowang had also gotten the details straight—they had just crossed paths midway. Short on supplies up ahead, You Zixiong had traded his sword for silver from the nuns.
And that silver was none other than the loot from Reed Island, where he had wiped out all the water bandits himself. Back then, he had used that island's silver to get Tranquil Heart Abbess to deal with the Danyangzi clinging to him.
The abbess had then traded that silver for You Zixiong's sword, and finally, for her own safety, given it to him for protection on the road.
Full circle—it had come back around, as if everything was fated.
As he listened to You Zixiong's account, distant memories gradually surfaced in Li Huowang's mind. His expression grew incredibly complicated, a tumult of emotions churning within him.
After a pause, Li Huowang turned back to the silent You Zixiong before him.
"So you're saying you have no idea why the nuns of An Cian Nunnery died?"
You Zixiong shook his head lightly.
"After trading the Tai'a Sword for the silver, I returned to camp and never left again. How would I know what happened back there?"
"Later, the heavenly disaster ended, and Siqi went to war with Later Shu again. And then..."
At this point, a flicker of pain crossed You Zixiong's face.
"And then... Siqi fell. I wanted to fight to the death, take a few more down with me, but the Supervisor of the Celestial Observatory said that as long as the green hills remain, firewood won't be lacking. So we surviving soldier house members and the officials from the observatory had no choice but to follow him all the way to Daliang."
"The soldier houses of Later Shu were that powerful? They actually took all of Siqi?"
"Bullshit!"
You Zixiong erupted in fury at those words.
"Those dog officials! They sold out us frontline soldiers! No grain when we needed grain, no silver when we needed silver! A bunch of good-for-nothing sacks of wine and rice! Forcing us to fight half-starved and ragged against Later Shu's barbarians!!"
"And those bastards? In the end, they colluded with the eunuchs in the palace, selling the entire imperial house to the Fa Cult from inside and out!!"
"What!?"
The moment he heard this, Li Huowang's pupils shrank to pinpoints.
"What did you say? Siqi fell because of the Fa Cult?"
"Of course! Or do you really think Later Shu's barbarians could breach the border on their own? Even without grain or silver! As long as one of us from the You house was still alive, they weren't getting through!"
After venting his rage, You Zixiong let out a deep sigh.
"If Later Shu had the skill to take Siqi, we'd accept the loss fair and square. But for the Fa Cult to swoop in and steal the peaches at the last moment? Thinking about it just makes my heart burn with unwillingness!!"
The clanking of chains rang out as the four modao swords behind You Zixiong spun into motion. With a fierce spin and a powerful fling, the four blades flew out, instantly dismembering a Fa Cult corpse not far away.
"No, no, hold on a second."
Li Huowang walked up to You Zixiong with a deadly serious expression and spoke to him very earnestly.
"I need to confirm something first. Siqi really fell to the Fa Cult? Meaning, all of Siqi is now under the control of that cult that worships heavenly disasters?"
"Naturally. If it were just a normal dynastic change, why would the Supervisor of the Celestial Observatory drag us all the way to Daliang?"
You Zixiong's words left Li Huowang stunned on the spot. He had originally thought the Fa Cult—or rather, the Fa Cult from Daqi—was just a minor annoyance.
As long as the current emperor, Gao Zhijian, wasn't a fool, with the robust soldier houses, the Supervisor of the Celestial Observatory, and himself thrown into the mix, given a little time, they could definitely handle this problem. It hadn't reached a do-or-die crisis yet.
But the news that the entire nation of Siqi had fallen to the Fa Cult hit Li Huowang like a thunderbolt.
This wasn't just anything—this was the Fa Cult, the ones who could turn ordinary folk into fearless monsters!
Now, nine out of ten people in Siqi were probably Fa Cult followers. Daqi's fate had already proven to him just how terrifying the cult became once it gained momentum.
A pressure like Mount Tai instantly bore down on Li Huowang.
If the Fa Cult had taken Siqi, it would surely spread outward. Behind Siqi was Later Shu, and behind Later Shu was Qingqiu.
If the Fa Cult really took all of Qingqiu too, what faced Daliang wouldn't be some ordinary foe—it would be a monstrous behemoth.
At this moment, Li Huowang couldn't be bothered chasing after the fleeing Xunnian anymore. He hurriedly left the cave.
After Li Huowang departed, the big-bearded man beside him said to You Zixiong,
"Watch your temper. That guy's no pushover, by the looks of it."
"Do you think I'm afraid of dying now? Back when I was guarding the border, I should've died there!"
You Zixiong slumped back into dejection, lifeless as he trudged out of the cave.
"With Siqi's imperial house gone, what's the point of us Siqi soldier houses still breathing? I'm clinging to this wretched life only to slaughter every last Fa Cultist in the world!"
The iron-rimmed wheels of the cart rolled forward unhurriedly. Yang Xiaohai, gripping the reins, eyed the dense footprints crisscrossing the nearby road with some trepidation.
"My dear heavens, why are there soldiers scampering everywhere? Are we about to go to war?"
"Pah, pah, pah! Don't jinx it, dear. Why would we go to war out of the blue?"
Hearing the voice from the cart, Yang Xiaohai ignored the footprints and focused on driving, occasionally pulling out a sheepskin map to check their bearings.
"Xiumei, how much grain do we have left on the cart? We're almost to Qingqiu—hardly any people there, tough to buy food midway."
"Plenty to eat—still a few hundred catties. More than enough for us two for days. Oh, right—what're we having later?"
Marrying a chef felt like the best decision of Zhao Xiumei's life. Even out here, braving wind and dew, Yang Xiaohai could whip up endless varieties.
"Having what?"
Yang Xiaohai pondered for a moment, then spotted a roadside stall in the distance. Squinting at the sign, he announced,
"Red oil wontons."
Once the cart stopped by the stall, Yang Xiaohai saw the benches nearly full and quickly dragged his wife over to grab seats.
"Chef! One jin of wontons, please—split into two bowls!"
"Coming right up! Grab a seat! It'll be ready soon!"
The spot wasn't remote. Inside the awning, Yang Xiaohai spotted some traveling peddlers, an out-of-town scholar, and a monkey trainer—three monkeys chained to the ground, scooping red oil with their fingers and stuffing it into their mouths.
Everyone shoveled wontons into their mouths with gusto, the spicy oil's aroma wafting from their bowls, making the hungry duo swallow repeatedly.