Sun Xuanji?
The Jianzheng’s disciple?
The officials scrutinised Sun Xuanji, surprised and puzzled.
Not everyone knew the low-profile Senior Brother Sun. Among those present, apart from Xu Xinnian and the three great scholars of Cloud Deer Academy, most of the officials had no idea who Sun Xuanji was.
Thus, Protector Yuan’s “explanation” played an absolutely crucial role.
How could this person know what I was thinking… Xu Xinnian coughed deliberately, stood up and walked towards Sun Xuanji, saying,
“This is the Sitianjian’s Second Senior Brother, the Jianzheng’s second disciple, Sun Xuanji.”
“You’re a disciple of the Jianzheng, forgive us for not welcoming you sooner!” The officials nodded by way of greeting.
Xu Xinnian added, “Third-rank Arcanist.”
Clatter… The sound of chairs scraping filled the room as the civil officials led by Yang Gong and the military officers led by Zhou Mi all rose hurriedly.
“Senior Brother Sun, we have long admired your reputation!”
“Senior Brother Sun, you should have informed us of your arrival in Qingzhou, so we could arrange a grand banquet.”
“When I was in Qingzhou, I heard that Senior Brother Sun was the outstanding talent of the Sitianjian. I have admired you for many years but never met you. Now my wish is fulfilled, I can die without regret.”
The mood inside the council hall instantly grew lively. The officials and military officers all wore eager smiles.
Yang Gong gestured for silence, and the inner hall grew quiet. Ziyang Jushi stroked his beard and smiled, saying,
“Brother Sun, did you come specifically to assist Qingzhou?”
Although Sun Xuanji was a third-rank Arcanist, he was much younger than Yang Gong. As a principled Confucian scholar, Yang Gong really couldn’t bring himself to call Sun “Senior Brother”.
Sun Xuanji nodded.
Seeing this, the officials were all the more delighted. Moments ago they had been fretting over the imbalance in fighting power, despairing at the might of the Buddhist sect.
Now, in the blink of an eye, a beyond-mortal Arcanist had come to their side.
Though none of these officials cultivated themselves, they well understood Arcanists. On the battlefield, Arcanists proficient in fortune-refining and formation techniques could unleash a scale of destructive power far beyond what coarse martial artists could match.
Yang Gong immediately ordered chairs to be brought and had Sun Xuanji sit at his side. Protector Yuan sensibly stood beside Senior Brother Sun.
Once everyone was seated again, Yang Gong asked,
“What of the Jianzheng’s side?”
Sun Xuanji glanced at Protector Yuan, who understood and, after examining him with his clear, blue eyes for a moment, replied in clumsy Great Feng mandarin:
“Teacher will pin down the Agaruka Bodhisattva and Senior Brother. You lot need only defend Qingzhou.”
No one questioned further. Battles at that level were far beyond them. As long as the Jianzheng could stall the beyond-mortal experts among the rebels, that was enough.
This Sun Xuanji seems a little too arrogant… In fact, it was Sun Xuanji’s attitude that made the Qingzhou higher-ups grumble inwardly.
However, Zhang Shen frowned deeply:
“So the Jianzheng can tie down the Agaruka Bodhisattva, but he can’t restrain the other Bodhisattvas and Arhats of Ananda. When the Western Region’s army arrives, the situation looks grim.”
The civil and military officials wore worried looks, and even their smiles faded a little.
They were not afraid of war. What they truly feared was having no hope, or fighting a battle whose outcome was already clear.
On hearing this, Sun Xuanji looked immediately to Protector Yuan.
The latter was looking at him too. After sensing his thoughts, he replied,
“Pay no heed to the Buddhist sect. They can barely manage on their own. Even if they send troops to attack Great Feng, there won’t be many, and they absolutely will not deploy beyond-mortal experts.”
Yang Gong looked on in astonishment.
Zhang Shen and Li Mubai furrowed their brows as well. What does that mean?
The high-ranking officials around the table exchanged glances. For a moment, none of them could understand what Protector Yuan meant.
After a few seconds, the Qingzhou Prefect ventured,
“Sir, did you just say: pay no heed to the Buddhist sect?”
Protector Yuan nodded.
Commander Zhou Mi added,
“They can barely manage on their own?”
Protector Yuan nodded again.
The council hall fell silent. For a brief moment, no one spoke. An odd and complicated look appeared on the faces of the officials, as if they couldn’t wait to press further but also feared that being too eager might somehow scare off the answer.
The Qingzhou Prefect, unable to help himself, lowered his voice, asking tremulously,
“What do you mean by this?”
Suddenly, Zhang Shen interjected,
“By the way, why is there a Yao at your side, Brother Sun?”
Protector Yuan turned to glance at Sun Xuanji again, caught his intention, and replied,
“I have just returned from the Southern Marches. Together with Xu Qi’an, I unsealed the great nemesis of the Buddhist sect. The southern yao will seize this opportunity to attack the Hundred Thousand Mountains and reclaim their homeland. If the Buddhist sect were to send a large army east, it would play right into the hands of the southern yao.”
Just returned from the Southern Marches…
Joined forces with Silver Gong Xu to unseal the Buddhist sect’s nemesis…
The southern Yao are about to restore their kingdom and reclaim their old territories. The Buddhist sect can barely manage on their own…
The officials in the hall were utterly dumbfounded by this joyous news from above, sitting there in a daze, stunned into silence.
“So that’s how it is!”
Yang Gong exclaimed with sudden realisation. He sighed,
“So that’s why Xu Ningyan hasn’t come to garrison Qingzhou, he already had a plan, and quietly slipped off to the Southern Marches to set fire to the Buddhist sect’s backyard. Uniting the Wanyao Kingdom to pin down the Buddhists, brilliant, simply brilliant!”
Zhang Shen shook his head slightly. “Ningyan truly is a master of strategy. He understands schemes and stratagems more than anyone. I truly admire him. With this, the greatest crisis facing Great Feng is resolved.”
Li Mubai added emotionally, “Wei Yuan has a successor.”
Now, the Qingzhou higher-ups finally caught on, the military officers thumped the table in excitement, the civil officials’ faces bloomed with smiles. Everyone suddenly felt a weight lift from their shoulders, as if they had come through darkness into sudden light.
Big Brother has accomplished another great feat without us even noticing… Xu Xinnian quickly asked,
“Has my big brother been injured? Why didn’t he come here with you?”
Protector Yuan explained on Sun Xuanji’s behalf,
“He is still in the Southern Marches. He will not come to Qingzhou for the time being.”
Silver Gong Xu must ensure that the southern Yao’s uprising proceeds smoothly… The officials all nodded.
Protector Yuan finished, then said, “Why do you only mention Xu Qi’an, and not…?”
Suddenly, he was unable to speak. His face turned flushed, he was unable to breathe, clutching his throat as if he were about to suffocate.
The Protector White Ape shook his head vigorously at Sun Xuanji, indicating that he would not speak out of turn.
“Huff, huff…”
Only then did he catch his breath, gasping for air, chest heaving violently.
No one else understood this scene, but sensibly refrained from asking. Yang Gong smiled and said,
“Spread this news among our soldiers to raise their morale. I have heard the front-line troops are all hoping Ningyan would come to hold Qingzhou.”
The legend of Xu Qi’an at Yuyang Pass, alone with his sabre, driving off two hundred thousand troops from the Church of the Warlock God and taking the enemy general’s head, was deeply rooted in people’s hearts. Especially among the warriors fighting on the front lines, he was revered as something like a god.
The soldiers of Qingzhou also hoped that Silver Gong Xu would come to Qingzhou, and, alone with his sabre, drive away a mere sixty thousand rebels.
“Yes, hurry!”
The Prefect of Qingzhou smiled and said, “The occupation of the nine border counties by the rebels has greatly demoralised our troops. This is the perfect story to spread for rallying military spirit and reassuring the people.”
In unfavourable times, ideological work was not to be neglected.
…
In Baisha County.
In the rear garden of a large residence with three courtyards.
Inside the pavilion, beside a stone table, an arcanist in fluttering white robes sat opposite a bodhisattva draped in a kasaya, half his chest bare, the two of them sharing tea.
“I didn’t expect that even though the national strength of the Great Feng has declined to this point, Teacher Jianzheng still possesses this much power. I never underestimated him, but I have still misjudged him.”
Xu Pingfeng’s face looked slightly pale.
The Agaruka Bodhisattva, holding a teacup, spoke in a deep voice:
“In those years, the founding Jianzheng could fight three versus one and not fall behind. It was only when Wuzong broke into the capital and killed the useless emperor that his cause was lost and we slew him.
“Now, with just the two of us, to be able to fight him to a draw is already worthy of celebration. You must understand, the Buddhist sect will not send another bodhisattva to aid you. Samantabhadra Bodhisattva believes the southern yao will seize this opportunity to rebel and reclaim the Hundred Thousand Mountains.”
Xu Pingfeng nodded slowly:
“It’s true that the fortune of the southern yao is not yet exhausted. However, without territory, they are like a castle in the air. If we hold out another five hundred years, the southern yao’ fortune will come to an end.
“When will the Buddhist sect send troops east to attack Leizhou?”
The Agaruka Bodhisattva said:
“After Arhat Du’e has finished assembling his troops, he will contact me. When I entered the Central Plains, the various kingdoms of the Western Regions were already preparing supplies and military provisions. I imagine it will be in the next few days.”
Xu Pingfeng nodded: “That is very good. With the armies echoing one another from afar, we’ll reach the capital in less than three months. By the time I have refined the fortune all the way to the capital, Teacher Jianzheng will be powerless to save the situation.”
He smiled as he took a sip of tea, then asked:
“Is everything arranged properly in the Southern Marches?”
The Agaruka Bodhisattva nodded: “With al-Asura guarding the Hundred Thousand Mountains, even if the nine-tailed celestial fox comes in person, she will not be able to do anything to him.”
Xu Pingfeng chuckled lightly.
At that moment, the Agaruka Bodhisattva put down his teacup and extended his right hand, palm up.
A golden light rose from his palm, transforming into a golden alms bowl, and from within it emitted a gentle golden curtain of light.
Within the light, there sat a young shaven monk with red lips and white teeth, his expression solemn:
“Agaruka Bodhisattva, something has happened in the Southern Marches.”
The young monk’s voice was ethereal and distant, as if coming from the ends of the earth, and it was impossible to tell whether it was male or female, young or old.
The Agaruka Bodhisattva’s face did not change: “What is it?”
The young monk said:
“Xu Qi’an and Sun Xuanji joined forces to defeat al-Asura, broke the sealing tower, and took away the remains of Shenshu.”
Xu Pingfeng narrowed his eyes, and ripples appeared on the surface of the tea in the cup he was holding.
The Agaruka Bodhisattva slowly asked, “How did they manage this?”
The young monk didn’t answer, but continued:
“I have already had Du’e return to Ananda and station troops at the border of the Southern Marches, in case the southern yao make a comeback.
“The right arm of Shenshu sealed at Sangpo escaped during the Sangpo incident. The left arm sealed in the Stupa tower has now been taken by the Buddha Son. The torso has long since fallen into the hands of the nine-tailed celestial fox. And now, both legs of Shenshu are lost as well, other than the head, the body is now complete.
“As I predicted, reclaiming the Hundred Thousand Mountains is only the first step for the southern yao. They will, in your absence from Ananda, attack Ananda.
“The eastward expedition is cancelled. I can only send twenty thousand elite troops to attack Leizhou as a diversion.
“Take care of yourself.”
The young monk’s image vanished from the golden light.
The Agaruka Bodhisattva and Xu Pingfeng remained silent.
…
Within the gatehouse atop the city wall, the generals gathered to discuss military matters were met by a reporting soldier.
“General!”
The soldier bowed and said, “The National Teacher has sent word. The Western Regions will dispatch two elite armies to harass the Leizhou border as a diversion, but will not cooperate with our attack on the Great Feng.”
The faces of the camp generals froze.
Qi Guangbo said in a deep voice, “Why?”
The soldier replied, “Xu Qi’an will unite the remnants of the Wanyao Kingdom to attack the Southern Marches and Ananda. The Buddhist sect has stationed troops in response, and cannot spare any attention elsewhere.”
“What?”
“That Xu intends to attack Ananda?”
“How dare he, just because he’s a mere third-rank martial artist, does he think he can attack Ananda?”
“The Buddhist sect is taking him far too seriously.”
All the generals at the various camps were stunned, then argued in agitation and indignation.
Xu Qi’an… Ji Xuan’s expression darkened, his fists clenched tightly.
…
After the meeting, the famished Xu Xinnian went straight to the inner hall.
It was already past lunch, and he had not even had breakfast, having gone straight to the meeting with his mentor Zhang Shen and Qingzhou’s highest officials.
Now he was so hungry it felt as if his chest and back were stuck together.
Crossing the threshold and arriving at the inner hall of the Provincial Administration, Xu Xinnian was greeted by a dining table in complete disarray, the dishes licked absolutely clean.
There was not even a spoonful of broth left from an entire table of food.
Not having this little sister would be alright… Xu Xinnian turned silently and left.
Comments for this chapter. You will need a GitHub account. Please follow all terms and conditions of GitHub issues and maintain etiquette in the comments. Cookies are required for this functionality.
If you want to talk with other readers about Nightwatchers (or other cultivation type books) you can join our cultivation groupreading discord server!
I also have a Kofi, which for legal reasons is definitely for supporting my digital art only (promise!): ko-fi.com/yanxin ... plus I guess server space isn't free, and I don't want to put ads/trackers... ever, so thank you if you do!