Chapter 618
Chapter 618
Inside the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion.
Two grand scholars of the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion spoke.
"Your Highness, the son Jin Mulan gave birth to definitely does not possess the golden bloodline. We have tested him three times, examining every indicator, but the child's innate bloodline is completely empty, as if passed down from Shen Lang."
Ning Han asked.
"Then why has Jin Mulan fallen into such a peculiar, deep sleep?"
The grand scholar replied.
"Perhaps the medicine we administered at the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion was too potent. Did we not reconfigure her entire internal environment to make her body suitable for conceiving a child? However, after leaving the Pavilion, she no longer received infusions of medicine and energy. This caused her bloodline's energy to become empty, and eventually, it was almost completely depleted."
Princess Ning Han said nothing.
"Since Shen Lang has been confirmed to be useless, why not just kill him?"
Princess Ning Han fell silent, then shook her head, but offered no reason. She believed this matter was not as simple as the report suggested, and that what they had seen was not necessarily the truth.
* * *
"Sword King, what are your thoughts on Prince Jiang Li?"
Li Qianqiu said while driving the carriage.
"A great hero, a great man, and an idealist."
King Ning Yuanxian had said the same. Of course, his words were more specific, as he had worshipped Jiang Li. In truth, while there were many legends about Jiang Li, the number of confirmed facts was absurdly small. It was as if the Great Yan Empire had suppressed nearly all the truth. It was strange. The Great Yan Empire didn't seem to mind that many people worshipped Jiang Li, and they didn't even seriously suppress *The Chronicles of Dongli*, a book containing his stories. However, they had severely suppressed the truth about what Prince Jiang Li had actually done. This was especially true for all of Jiang Li's achievements and his history—for instance, where he had learned his martial arts, and how he had become so powerful.
Originally, they had also completely suppressed those with bloodlines who were remnants of Jiang Li's faction. The Zhuo Clan had even been exterminated for this reason. But suddenly, the matter of those with bloodlines from Jiang Li's faction was completely unsealed. Many families were now able to openly recruit individuals with special bloodlines or publicly declare that they had remnants of Jiang Li's faction within their own clan. All of this seemed quite strange.
* * *
The Sword King Li Qianqiu and Shen Lang disguised themselves to avoid attention and set off westward. Shen Lang no longer rode in a carriage but on horseback, and the two pressed on without rest or sleep. Their destination was the Floating Mountain, thousands of li away. That was Shen Lang's true destination. The two crossed Tiannan Province, where the air was already thick with the tension of war. Along the way, they saw endless streams of troops and conscripted laborers heading south. A nighttime curfew had been imposed on every city and village, and every ten li or so, soldiers, officials, and militia would check their identities. Countless provisions and supplies flowed into the Southern Ou Kingdom like a river into the sea; this was truly a war that would drain the nation.
It took several long months to prepare and dispatch the soldiers, and it would take several more months for the dispatched troops to commence the war. Even without deliberately seeking news, Shen Lang could tell that the main army of the Qiang was drawing ever closer. The hundred-thousand-strong army of Shaman was probably only a few hundred li from reaching the Southern Ou Kingdom. The war that would decide the fate of both nations was about to erupt!
* * *
After leaving Tiannan Province and entering the territory of Tianxi Province, they found it similarly overshadowed by dark clouds. A massive number of troops were stationed there, and the pre-war atmosphere was even thicker. This war seemed poised to be on an even larger scale. The State of Chu had already amassed an army of two hundred and thirty thousand, and the border between Chu and Yue was like a cauldron of boiling oil. A fire burned ceaselessly beneath the great pot, and the oil inside churned and bubbled, about to overflow. When the time came, whatever was thrown into that cauldron would be completely incinerated.
On the Yue side, Zhong Yao's army was fully mobilized, but it was still not enough. The king gritted his teeth and dispatched another twenty thousand troops to Zhenxi Province. Facing Chu's two hundred and thirty thousand soldiers with an army of one hundred and twenty thousand was a significant numerical disadvantage, but since Yue was on the defensive, it was hard to say they were at a great disadvantage. Ning Yuanxian's primary demand of Zhong Yao was to merely hold back the Chu army, not to engage in a large-scale battle. When Shen Lang entered Tianxi Province, it was already under a wartime regime. All trade caravans and the movement of ordinary people were prohibited. For any reason, commoners could not leave their villages, and only the military, officials, and envoys were allowed to travel on the official roads.
Currently, Shen Lang and Li Qianqiu's identities were envoys, and high-ranking ones at that. From their official documents to their secret letters, all their credentials were flawless. So, despite repeated inspections, Shen Lang and Li Qianqiu were able to pass through Tianxi Province smoothly. Their plan was to cut through the State of Jiang, enter the territory of Chu, and then ride straight west to the Floating Mountain.
Passing by Zhenyuan City, Shen Lang was a little surprised.
'What on earth is Zhang Ziyu, the Governor-General of Tianxi Province, trying to do? Why has he stationed so many troops at the Marquis of Zhenyuan's estate? Why has he built so many defensive lines on the Yue-Jiang border? The State of Yue and the State of Jiang are firm allies right now.'
Furthermore, the special garrisons Shen Lang had previously built had all been dismantled. He had constructed those garrisons for the Jiang cavalry. The warhorses of Jiang were relatively small, so their stables, troughs, saddles, and reins were different from those used by Yue's cavalry. The reason for building such special garrisons near Zhenxi Province was so that if the Jiang army needed to support Yue, they could be immediately supplied with those materials at the garrisons. But now, all the barracks meant for the Jiang cavalry had been removed.
'Zhang Ziyu, what is the meaning of this? At a critical time like this, you're sending troops to defend against the State of Jiang? Isn't that an attempt to create friction in the relationship between our two nations?'
* * *
As Shen Lang passed through the territory, Zhang Ziyu's soldiers stopped and interrogated them.
"Where are you going?"
"To the State of Jiang."
"What is your business there?"
"Secret envoys!"
"What is your mission?"
"You are not qualified to know."
The interrogating officer's expression changed abruptly. He said,
"Show me your identification papers."
Shen Lang took out their identification papers and a token. It wasn't a Blackwater Terrace token, but one inscribed with the character 'Yuan' (元). The moment the officer saw it, his face changed dramatically. He returned everything to Shen Lang and silently let them pass. Shen Lang and Li Qianqiu entered the territory of the State of Jiang without incident.
"Commander, who are those two?"
The commander pointed to the sky, and the centurion beside him instantly fell silent.
"His Highness, really! A dignified great nation trying to curry favor with barbarians? So what if the State of Jiang is powerful? Wasn't their queen persuaded after sleeping with Shen Lang? A wretched pair, the both of them. Sooner or later, we'll send our army and wipe those barbarians out."
The centurion beside him sneered. A great war was imminent, yet internal factions in the State of Yue were still at odds. The State of Jiang was clearly an ally, yet Zhang Ziyu of Tianxi Province continued to spread theories about the Jiang threat. Did this man value the interests of his faction more than the interests of the State of Yue?
* * *
Shen Lang was currently focused only on saving Mulan, so he temporarily cast aside matters of state. Even though the capital of Jiang was close by, and he knew Big Dummy was in the royal palace, the two did not even turn their heads toward it.
However, the clouds of war were gathering over the State of Jiang. Many herdsmen had moved near the capital, which was protected by a large army. Across the grasslands of Jiang, numerous cavalrymen galloped past, not on patrol but in training. To prepare for a war that could break out at any moment, Queen Aruna of Jiang had been conscripting soldiers on a large scale for over half a year. Now, cavalrymen were training all over the Jiang grasslands.
Unconcerned by this atmosphere, Shen Lang and Li Qianqiu quickly passed through the State of Jiang and crossed most of the State of Chu. For eight days and nine nights, Shen Lang and Li Qianqiu pressed on for thousands of li, crossing three nations, and finally arrived at the Floating Mountain.
* * *
The Floating Mountain was located in the center of three nations—Chu, Qian, and Jin—but belonged to none of them. The Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion interacted with the secular world, at the very least announcing numerous difficult problems or unsolvable stratagems for the people of the world to solve each year. Moreover, they regularly invited a few people to be honorary scholars of the Pavilion each year. However, the Floating Mountain, unlike the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion, was an extremely mysterious organization. It had almost no contact with the outside world, and it was very difficult to see a disciple of the Floating Mountain outside. Even its geographical location seemed to reject outsiders, as it was situated on an island in the middle of the Floating Sea.
The Floating Sea was not a real sea, but a very large lake spanning over six thousand square kilometers. It was called the Floating Sea because its elevation was extremely high, over three thousand five hundred meters above sea level. (The name 'Floating Sea' means a sea that floats.) It might be somewhat similar to China's Qinghai Lake. However, while the water of Qinghai Lake is salty, the water of the Floating Sea was fresh. To enter the Floating Mountain, one had to take a boat from the Floating Sea's pier. Any other boat that appeared on the Floating Sea would inevitably be attacked by the Floating Mountain.
* * *
Shen Lang couldn't help but be surprised.
'This is the Floating Sea's pier? It's so small.'
Moreover, only a single small boat was docked there. This alone showed how unwelcome outsiders were at the Floating Mountain. Shen Lang approached the boat and spoke.
"Brother, I'm returning to the Floating Mountain."
The boatman on the boat was a disciple of the Floating Mountain, and he had been dozing. It was rare for any outsider to visit. Hearing Shen Lang's words, he shuddered, opened his eyes, and stared at him for a long moment.
'He called me brother? And he's returning to the Floating Mountain? You dare impersonate a disciple of our Floating Mountain? Are you looking to die? I know every disciple of the Floating Mountain. You're not one of us.'
"Leave this place."
The boatman said calmly.
"It's true. I am a new disciple of the Floating Mountain. My master is Wu Daozi."
He sneered. Wu Daozi never had any disciples; she hadn't even accepted her own nephew, Wu Jue, as one. Wu Daozi was a solitary star, someone who couldn't even tolerate a fly buzzing nearby, let alone a person. She had dedicated her entire life to practicing and researching martial arts. If anyone spoke more than three sentences to her, she would exude killing intent because they were wasting her precious time. In her youth, a man who went on a blind date with her was kicked so hard one of his testicles burst. How could such a person possibly take a disciple?
"If you don't leave, you will die!"
The boatman said calmly. He could see that Li Qianqiu's martial arts were incredibly profound, but he was not afraid. The poisons of the Floating Mountain were the most formidable; no matter how powerful an opponent's martial arts were, they could not be defended against.
"Brother, this is my token. Take a look!"
Shen Lang offered a special token with both hands. At that moment, the Sword King Li Qianqiu, standing behind him, jumped in surprise.
'When did Shen Lang get a token for the Floating Mountain? Is it a forgery? This... this could get us killed. The Floating Mountain is just as formidable as the Ends of the Earth Sea Pavilion.'