Bai Qingyu looked coldly at the furious King of Rong, memories flashing of the Bai family soldiers who had fought to save him from the sea of fire... He remembered clearly how they were shot dead one by one as the King of Rong laughed, every expression they had before dying.
In his mind, there was also the radiant smile of Su Mu among the sheep, and the way Su Mu looked after being humiliated by the King of Rong, cutting his own throat, draining all his blood and turning ghastly pale.
His hoarse and unpleasant voice carried an icy chill: "Todayâs chaos arises because the King of Rong feared the Tianfeng Kingdomâs Elephant Army would surrender to Zhou. The Ghost-faced Prince raised troops in defiance and died at the hands of the King of Rong. Rong then became part of Zhou, with the King of Rong invited by the Empress of Zhou to Dadu City to rule."
Bai Qingyuâs words virtually nailed the King of Rong to Rongâs pillar of shame. If Rong truly handed over from his hands, he would be a figure of national disgrace for all time.
The King of Rongâs face turned red as he was rendered speechless, managing only: "You... you..."
Bai Qingyu crouched down in front of the King of Rong, saying softly, "As for you, I will let you live well in Dadu City."
After finishing, Bai Qingyu stood up and said to Lu Ping, "Take him away, donât let him die..."
Lu Ping responded, and after escorting the King of Rong away, Bai Qingyu removed the cloak from his armor, raised his hand to slowly take off his mask, revealing a face half intact, half charred beyond recognition. He handed the mask and cloak to Wang Dong, "Go ahead!"
From this day forward, the Ghost-faced Prince would no longer exist.
Bai Qingyu would appear in front of people under his real name, with dignity.
Wang Dong understood his masterâs intention, and leaving with the cloak and mask...
·
Meanwhile, at the Tianfeng Kingdom camp near the border between Xiliang and Rong.
Tall braziers were set up around the camp, their flickering flames making the camp as bright as day.
Having just returned from inspecting the elephants, Aksai, gripping the sword at his waist, walked towards his tent while learning the common refined speech of Xiliang, Zhou, and Yan with his Xiliang guide.
During the time when Cui Fengnian appeared in Tianfeng Kingdom, their monarch and the Great Shaman showed intense interest in the land Cui Fengnian described.
They sent people to follow Cui Fengnian to Xiliang, captured a few Xiliang locals, and learned that... this land was once unified, so they used the same vehicles, wrote in the same script, and followed the same ethics. Although regional dialects persisted, their refined official speech was the same.
This provided great convenience to the Tianfeng Kingdom, for once the characters were learned, they could read Xiliang, Zhou, and Yan books, and by learning their official speech, they could understand anyoneâs language on this land.
Aksai was a rash but diligent and studious commander. Even when going to inspect the elephants, he would bring his guide along, diligently studying the language of this land.
"General..." Aksaiâs subordinate paced anxiously outside the tent, and on seeing Aksai, hurried forward, "General, the monarchâs and the Great Shamanâs chief disciple has arrived!"
Aksai paused, lifted his gaze to see the monarchâs personal guard standing outside his tent, quickly unbuckled the sword from his waist and tossed it to his subordinate, and ran swiftly into the tent.
Once inside the tent, Aksai saw his monarch sitting in his tiger-skin chair, clad in luxurious attire, the boots studded with precious stones resting on a tiger head, his elbow lazily propped on his knee, leaning forward to speak with the Great Shamanâs chief disciple seated below him.
Aksai saw his monarch and the Shamanâs chief disciple, hastily knelt on one knee, and struck his chest, "Monarch!"
The monarch of Tianfeng Kingdom possessed a pair of profoundly beautiful eyes, with long, curled eyelashes and more pronounced, defined features than Xiliang people. Perhaps the innately high brow bone and nose bridge gave Tianfeng people their bold, impressive looks, emanating a beauty both rugged and wild.
"Aksai, rise!" The monarch of Tianfeng Kingdom moved his foot from the tiger head, motioned for Aksai to rise, his furrowed brow signalling he was preoccupied.
Aksai, ever loyal to his monarch, sensed his troubled mind and felt anxious. He couldnât bear seeing the monarch unhappy and was willing to do anything to bring him joy, "Monarch, have you come at this time to oversee the battle? Or... is there any worry where Aksai could be of service?"
"The Great Shaman has fallen ill and hasnât awakened yet!" The monarch of Tianfeng Kingdom raised his eyes towards Aksai.
"How could it be?!" Aksai was taken aback.
"During his divination, the master spat blood and hurriedly asked me to summon the Monarch..." The chief disciple of the Shaman explained steadily to Aksai, "The Great Shaman said that the God has decrees... Our Tianfeng Kingdom is not yet the owner of this land, for the one chosen by the god of the Bai Mountain is still alive. If we forcefully invade, the God will unleash divine wrath."
Aksaiâs expression changed dramatically. Though Aksai disliked the Great Shamanâs constant interference in their monarchâs affairs in the name of the god, even in matters like marriage, he couldnât deny the Great Shamanâs power.
The people of Tianfeng Kingdom revered the Great Shaman, as he was the closest to the god. Every shaman historically imparted unknown knowledge to better the lives of the people.
When Tianfeng Kingdom was not as powerful as now, the Great Shamanâs appearance gradually strengthened it. From ink and paper... to training the Elephant Army, various convenient tools, and refined salt, all originated from the Great Shaman. Thus, the Great Shaman held a unique status in Tianfeng Kingdom, sometimes more revered than the Monarch.
The monarchs were traditionally selected via the Great Shamanâs divination...
The Shamanâs chief disciple, seeing Aksaiâs look, said, "I know, General Aksai wishes to lead the Elephant Army to conquer this land for our Monarch, to make him the greatest king in the world. But everything must be gradual, especially since... the god of Bai Mountainâs chosen ruler for this land still lives. Forceful seizing would provoke the divine."
When mentioning the god of Bai Mountain, everyone in the tent, including Tianfeng Kingdomâs monarch, adopted a pious posture.
Just like in Xiliang, where they believe in the god, Tianfeng Kingdom also believes in the god, even more devoutly...
This was initially what Xiliang believed could help them win over Tianfeng Kingdom, inviting them to intervene and aid Xiliang, but after Tianfengâs Elephant Army set foot in Xiliangâs territory, Xiliang slipped beyond the Empress of Xiliangâs control.
The monarch of Tianfeng Kingdom rubbed the white jade cicada he had been fiddling with, sighed deeply, "Enough! Before the Great Shaman fainted from coughing blood, he left these words. It seems weâve indeed angered the god!"