Chapter 142: Chapter 108: Half a Life of Wandering
Outside Changshan City, at the Ten-Mile Pavilion.
The cold wind rustled, sending withered yellow leaves swirling.
A dozen or so magnificent horses stood solemnly, their iron-shod hooves lightly pawing at the ground as they snorted clouds of white mist. At their head was Chen Sheng, clad in a fitted, jet-black martial uniform and a dark cloak.
He sat atop his divine warhorse, his posture as straight and tall as a pine tree, his gaze calm as he looked toward the official road in the distance.
Behind him, his core group of trusted elites—Li Huai Sheng, Xu Shenzhi, Yan Ming, and others—were all present. Each man wore a solemn expression, their weapons hanging from their saddles, exuding an aura of fierce competence.
The transfer order from the Jingwu Bureau had arrived abruptly. It had only come yesterday, strictly commanding him to depart immediately without delay. Chen Sheng knew that an official order was as immovable as a mountain, so he dared not tarry for even a moment.
He hadn’t even been able to spare the few days of tender affection that Madam Yang had longed for.
And for this trip to the Prefecture City—a place teeming with hidden masters—Chen Sheng did not make a grand affair of it. He had carefully selected only his eighteen most capable men to accompany him.
These eighteen riders were to be his initial foundation for establishing himself in the Prefecture City. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to bring more; rather, the Jingwu Bureau had an extremely high bar for entry, with limited positions available. Only Foundation Establishment Martial Masters were permitted.
Otherwise, with his current prestige in Changshan and the favors he had granted in the past, there would have been no shortage of men in the Military Preparation Camp willing to follow him to the death.
In fact, upon learning of his transfer, many soldiers had been reluctant to see him go.
After all, a superior as generous as Chen Sheng was truly a rare sight.
The farewell party was not large, but it comprised all of Changshan’s truly core figures.
County Captain Wu Kuang, County Magistrate Lin Shou, and Patriarch Yang Yi of the Yang Family were all present. Even Madam Yang, still unwell and not yet fully recovered, had insisted on coming to see him off against all advice.
"To the Prefecture City you go, where the sky is high and the sea is vast! May you be like a golden roc, spreading its wings to soar for ten thousand miles!" Wu Kuang said with a solemn expression, raising a farewell cup of wine with both hands. His voice was loud and sincere.
"I, Lin, also wish Commander Chen a smooth journey and a future as bright as brocade."
Lin Shou also took a step forward and bowed deeply with clasped hands, his face showing unconcealed awe.
"Lord Chen will surely achieve great things on this journey."
Yang Yi’s tone was firm, his eyes filled with emotion.
Seated on his horse, Chen Sheng nodded slightly, a faint, detached smile playing on his lips. His gaze slowly swept over each face in the farewell party before he and his eighteen trusted men raised their wine bowls in unison.
"The green mountains will not change, and the clear waters will flow forever. We will surely meet again someday. Everyone—take care!"
His clear voice echoed across the open fields.
Before his voice had faded, Chen Sheng casually tossed his wine bowl to the ground, where it shattered with a crisp sound. Then he yanked hard on the reins, and his magnificent warhorse reared up with a long, resounding neigh.
"Move out!"
"YES, SIR!!!"
The eighteen riders responded in unison, their voices shaking the countryside.
The next moment, iron hooves thundered, kicking up a cloud of dust. Like arrows loosed from a bow, the dozen or so powerful figures galloped along the wide official road, speeding toward the horizon until they became a string of bobbing black dots.
Watching that determined silhouette vanish at the end of the road, Wu Kuang stood with his hands clasped behind his back. A flash of indescribable melancholy and admiration crossed his eyes as he murmured:
"Fine clothes and a fiery steed, the spirit of youth... Heading into the Jianghu, who knows what storms he will stir? Truly... the younger generation is to be feared."
"Indeed."
Yang Yi nodded in deep agreement from the side, his tone complex. "Not yet thirty, yet he has already reached the Innate Realm. With such talent and temperament, I imagine that even in the Prefecture City, a place overflowing with experts, he will surely make a grand name for himself."
As he sighed with emotion, Yang Yi’s heart was a mix of complex feelings. He recalled a time when he had fantasized about arranging a marriage alliance with this rising star. Looking back now, how naive that idea seemed.
’A Chen Sheng in the Foundation Establishment Realm might have been a possibility, but a Chen Sheng in the Innate Realm’s horizons were already different. He was no longer someone the Changshan Yang Family could hope to cling to. Such was the cold, hard gap of reality.’
Lin Shou didn’t reply, merely gazing silently into the distance. Inexplicably, he felt a weight lift from his heart.
’It felt as if that suffocating mountain pressing down on him had finally moved.’
’Although he would still have to defer to Wu Kuang in the future, Wu Kuang wasn’t nearly as domineering and ruthless as Chen Sheng, who left no room for maneuver. At least now, his dignity as a County Magistrate could be barely maintained.’
Not far away, by a horse carriage, Yang Xueyao supported her aunt. Seeing her aunt’s pale face and desolate expression, she couldn’t help but comfort her softly,
"Auntie, the wind is strong here. You caught a cold yesterday and haven’t recovered yet. Why don’t we head back?"
Madam Yang seemed not to hear her, merely shaking her head gently.
Her gaze remained stubbornly fixed on the end of the now-empty official road, as if she could still see that receding black figure. Deep in her eyes, a flicker of irresolvable melancholy and worry appeared.
...
Chen Sheng’s journey to Ning’an Prefecture City was driven by ambitions far greater than simply joining the Jingwu Bureau to secure a future.
Upon entering the larger stage of the Prefecture City, he had several urgent matters to attend to.
The first and most pressing were the Blood Spirit Jade Marrow and the Hundred-Year Earth Heart Lotus.
The whereabouts of the former, the Blood Spirit Jade Marrow, were still unknown, but its importance was beyond doubt.
He already had the Red Lotus Evil Qi in his possession. If he could obtain the marrow and combine it with the Profound Yin Blood Fiend hidden near the Poisonous Flood Dragon Pool, he could begin refining one of the thirty-six supreme types of Earth Fiend Qi—the Nine Nether Yin Fiend.
He would then use this supreme Evil Qi as a foundation to break through to the Earth Fiend realm, forge a solid Martial Dao foundation, and complete his transformation. This was a crucial step for his future path, one that allowed no room for failure.
As for the latter, the Hundred-Year Earth Heart Lotus, the target was much clearer: it was within the Han Family of the Prefecture City.
According to a secret revealed by Xu Shenzhi, the Han Family’s sole Earth Fiend Realm Martial Master had passed away two years ago. Now, the clan was supported by only two Martial Masters at the early Chaoyuan stage of the Innate Realm.
