I see the green hills so charming, I expect they see me the same way. The sprawling mountain ranges brimmed with life, a landscape as picturesque as a painting.
Thinking about it now, the battle with the Barbarians wasn't fierce enough. I should have crushed them so badly they couldn't recover for fifty years. If I have to name one regret, this would be it. I thought I could guard the borders forever, but in the end, fate is a trickster. Is the so-called imperial ambition just a flower in the mirror, the moon in the water—nothing more than a dream?
"Let's go for a walk," Qin Qiu suggested.
"Okay."
The lights along the banks of the Qingyuan River were few and far between. The couple walked hand in hand, strolling leisurely. Sometimes they whispered and laughed softly, sometimes they gazed at the fishing boats' lights on both banks. Eventually, they bought some snacks and sat down on the grass.
The peaks and ridges along the riverbank were faintly visible in the twilight. Chen Yang's mind was at ease, free from any anxiety about gains and losses.
"Are we going to the Medicine Capital tomorrow?" Qin Qiu asked.
"Right." Chen Yang nodded. "We've already been delayed for a few days. We have to set out tomorrow."
"I just don't know if we'll be able to find those herbs the Pill Dragon King mentioned."
If even someone like the Pill Dragon King said they were hard to find, then they must be extremely difficult to locate. Chen Yang had no confidence at all.
Qin Qiu squeezed his hand tightly. "The Great Elder is a good man. Good men are rewarded with good fortune, right?"
"Mhm."
Chen Yang gazed into the distance. No matter what, he had to do his best.
At ten o'clock, with the night at its deepest, Qin Qiu stood up. "Should we go back?" she said. "I'm a bit sleepy. Carry me."
Without waiting for his answer, she spread her arms wide, her long eyelashes fluttering. At this moment, Qin Qiu was like a child who never grew up, her delicate face radiating pure innocence. Maturity was one side of her, but childlike playfulness was another.
"Alright, I'll carry you." Chen Yang rubbed her head, his spirits lifting, and immediately squatted down.
Qin Qiu leaped onto his back with practiced ease.
In the summer night, the cicadas chirped relentlessly under a frost-like moon.
"When I was little, my dad often carried me like this." Qin Qiu rested snugly on Chen Yang's back and whispered, "My dad is gone, but now I have you."
「The next day.」
Cangyun City, which had been calm for several days, was thrown into turmoil once more by a royal proclamation. The public execution of Tang Yunfeng and Tang Ziyan from the Southern Pole Royal Family was a matter that could not simply be swept under the rug.
Rumors claimed the Sovereign of the Southern Pole had personally looked into the matter. He was reportedly furious, scolding Chen Yang for his suicidal recklessness. He called him nothing more than a reviled pariah who, instead of gratefully accepting the bestowed betrothal, dared to kill members of the royal family.
This resentment even spread to the Chen Clan. The prevailing sentiment was that the apple doesn't fall far from the tree; only a corrupt clan could produce such an ungrateful wretch. It was simply disgusting.
The Chen Clan, which had remained silent, finally spoke up and issued a response. They stated bluntly that Chen Yang was merely the descendant of a criminal who had been wandering on his own since birth. All matters concerning him, they asserted, had nothing to do with the Chen Clan.
This seemingly simple response carried a great deal of information. Clearly, the Chen Clan did not recognize Chen Yang's identity, implying that whether he lived or died was of no concern to them. With this, suspicions arose: was the Chen Clan trying to use someone else's hand to commit murder?
"I heard someone from the Chen Clan's Inner Court has arrived. Does this count as an official declaration that Chen Yang is the descendant of a criminal?"
"It's set in stone now. And with him being stripped of his position as Supreme Martial Commander, how is he going to face such a dire situation?"
Another firestorm of debate surrounding Chen Yang had begun. This time, however, things were different. Without his official post, he was just a commoner. Chen Yang's public execution of Tang Yunfeng was an act of such egregious nature that the Southern Pole Royal Family was bound to pursue it to the very end. Otherwise, how could the royal family save face?
Finally, the Chen Clan released one more, very interesting, statement. It suggested that Chen Yang's brazen actions, like daring to publicly execute Tang Yunfeng, were nothing more than a desperate ploy to attract the Chen Clan's attention. He supposedly thought they would be impressed and send for him. In reality, even if Chen Yang knelt and begged, he would not be allowed to set foot in the Chen Family ever again.
Thus, his self-directed drama had not only failed completely but had also trapped him in a deadly predicament. He had truly lifted a rock only to drop it on his own feet. It was pitiful that after all his meticulous scheming, he had ended up in a situation that guaranteed his death.
"'As the descendant of a criminal, being allowed to live this long is already an act of immense grace. Don't even think of using the Chen Family's name as your banner. You might as well just die.'"
This final, definitive statement undoubtedly pushed Chen Yang to the edge of the abyss. It was followed by a wave of gossip and finger-pointing. Who could have imagined the Chen Clan would be so heartless? But on second thought, by drawing such a clear line, perhaps the Chen Clan simply feared that Chen Yang dying somewhere outside would tarnish the family's reputation.
A major upheaval was now underway. From the moment Chen Yang's true identity was revealed, many had been watching this situation closely. They had thought that the Supreme Martial Commander would be able to return to the Chen Family after stepping down.
"He's left the Martial Department, and now the Chen Family has disowned him. Chen Yang has become a dog without a home. What will become of him?"
"Who would have thought that a towering figure of the Martial Department wouldn't die on the battlefield, but at the hands of the Southern Pole Royal Family? It's truly a cause for lament."
Then, the Gan Family of the Xuanse Sect from Yuning Mountain forcefully intervened. Gan Lan publicly declared, "Chen Yang, you'd best commit suicide. Otherwise, even if the magnanimous Southern Pole Royal Family doesn't hold you accountable, I, Gan Lan, will see this through to the end! Even if you flee to the ends of the earth, I will hunt you down and kill you!"
How could they forget the deaths of the Gan siblings?
However, Chen Yang, the man at the center of the storm, simply packed his things. A small party in two carriages left Cangyun City, heading toward Yuning Mountain.
Even when he was the Supreme Martial Commander, Chen Yang had always disdained the gossip and rumors of the outside world, let alone now that he was on his own. As for the Southern Pole Royal Family, that would have to wait. Finding the herbs for the Great Elder was the most important thing.
「Yuning Mountain.」
It was not the first city to be named after a mountain, but it was the first to become world-famous for its thriving martial arts culture. Ancient martial clans, a rare sight in other places, were a common occurrence in Yuning Mountain. One could even say they flourished everywhere.
The Gan Family of the Xuanse Sect was just one among them.
"Boss, we'll be passing through Yuning Mountain," Yang Hu said, just to be sure. "Should we visit the Gan Family first, or go straight to the neighboring Medicine Capital?"
"Medicine Capital," Chen Yang replied.
"Alright!!" Yang Hu grinned, baring his teeth. "We'll let that old bastard Gan run wild for a couple more days."
...