Demoness, where are you Fleeing to?
Chapter 325 - 274: Another Debt of Romance_1

Chapter 325: Chapter 274: Another Debt of Romance_1

Zhongzhen Xuanfu’s stronghold, only a stone’s throw away, was the site of Qunlang Valley. Here, vegetation in a twenty-mile radius had been thoroughly eradicated. The ground was also oppressed to a depth of three feet. Some areas were reduced to expanses of molten magma, while others were slashed to contain intersecting trenches.

National Preceptor Abas from the Mongols floated in the void, his gaze a jumbled mess of emotions toward the scholar garbed figure across from him. A thread of blood escaped his lips, entirely losing his composure.

"Unexpectedly, Lord Shaobao’s HaoYi has even surpassed that of the previous years! From what I’ve observed, you’re on par with the Wen Zhonglie of Zhao that year."

"Having studied the wisdom of the sages for a decade, how could I not make some progress?"

Yu Jie, the ’Minister of War of the Jin Dynasty’ and ’Shaobao’ stood with his arms behind him, casting a dismissive and contemptuous glance at his opponent: "Unfortunately, you pale in comparison to your first Imperial Teacher Basiba from the Mongols. This is the Huanri Dafa again, isn’t it? Can’t the Preceptor simply fight it out with me once and for all, settling the victory and death?"

He knew that Abas’s real body, his Primordial Spirit, had already left the scene. What remained here was just a duplicate created after the Huanri.

Abas was at a loss for words before he sighed: "The unparalleled genius of Lord Shaobao casts a formidable shadow over our generation. I, Abas, am simply not his match. I should take my leave."

As his voice fell, his body dissolved into a shower of blood, raining down.

Yu Jie grunted and flew horizontally off the battlefield, descending on a nearby mountain peak. Zhu Guoneng, the General Commander of Xuanfu, immediately stepped forward to pay his respects. His expression was filled with admiration: "The formidable reputation of Shaobao, the Lord, is indeed richly deserved! Back in the day, Abas swept across the grasslands, standing undefeated for nearly fifty years. But today, he has suffered his fourth defeat at your hands, and his wounds are more severe than ever."

"You know well enough that I despise flattery."

Yu Jie took a cloth handed to him by an aide and expelled a mouthful of clotted blood unto it, "Tell me, how are things in the capital? Where is Yexian?"

"The great Khan ventured alone deep into north Zhili, cutting down the city wall of Beijing, and faced off against His Majesty and the ministers of Beijing for exactly six hours. However, before Shaobao the Lord and Abas could decide the outcome of their fight, he had already retreated and his whereabouts are currently unknown."

Upon finishing his report, Zhu Guoneng bowed slightly," It seems he was fearful of Lord Shaobao’s might truly."

"What does that have to do with me? Yexian’s opponent has always been His Majesty."

Yu Jie shook his head, then asked with a solemn face, "So, how is Nanjing? What’s the situation there?"

—This was his primary concern at the moment.

"As the Lord Shaobao predicted, the remnants of Jianling collaborated with these Mongols and caused a rampage in Nanjing, coinciding with a major festival."

Zhu Guoneng’s voice grew cold, "It is said that Princess Changle was replaced at the time, resulting in an ambush against Mr. Fulong which almost cost him his life. The real Princess Changle was almost refined into the Drought Demon."

"Helian Fulong was so severely injured?" Yu Jie was quite astonished, immediately turning his head to look in the direction of the south.

Zhu Guoneng chuckled, "Lord Shaobao doesn’t need to worry. The crisis has been resolved. Li Xuan, the Colonel of the Liudao Division, discovered Jianling’s plot on the day it was to happen. He first killed Zhenru of Jianling in Xiao Mausoleum, then helped Princess Changle become a heavenly level, reversing the tide of events.

As for the exact details, I’m not sure. However, the situation in Nanjing City is definitely stabilized. Although the second prince was seriously injured, his life is no longer in danger. It’s said that the Blood Blade Ancestor who was involved in this case is wounded and on the run, and Dicheng of Nanjing, Xie Kun, Jiang Yunqi, the Duchenghuang of Nanjing, and Earl Chengyi, Li Chengji, have all destroyed the spirit and soul. It can be seen that our Jin Dynasty is very fortunate, and it is not something that some villains can violate."

Yu Jie was slightly relaxed at first, but then he showed a hint of surprise, "Li Xuan? Li Xuan, the protector of Neo-Confucianism? The same Li Xuan who quelled the Lin Ziyang rebellion in Zhenjiang?"

This was the fifth time he had heard this name in the past three months.

"That’s also the second son of Earl Chengyi, who solved the Blood Sacrifice case on Jiangjun Mountain and wrote ’Xingtian dances heartily, persistence is forever there.’"

Zhu Guoneng, known for being a military man, was especially fond of this statement, "It is said that His Majesty was furious at first, but after hearing this news, he was overjoyed and immediately decreed to the Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites to discuss merits for him. It seems he intends to bestow a title on this man."

"To quell demons and settle chaos, such a great achievement indeed deserves a hereditary title."

Yu Jie stood with his hands behind his back, looking forward to meeting the young demon-slaying colonel, with whom he had yet to meet. He wondered, what kind of young hero, this protector of Neo-Confucianism, would be?

The fact that this protector of Neo-Confucianism gained the support of Master Yu and many preeminent scholars of Neo-Confucianism certainly didn’t happen by chance.

Thinking of this, Yu Jie recalled the scroll sent by Quan Dingtian, the Jijiu of Nanjing’s Guozi Bureau, which was displayed in his reading room.

’Unity of knowledge and action,’ huh? It’s fair to say that I have high expectations for this younger generation.

※※※※

It was only after three days following the conclusion of the war that Li Xuan emerged from the tomb entrance.

At this point, the second prince, Yu Jianji, could no longer walk and could only leave with the support of Li Xuan. Waiting outside were a crowd of people, including civil and military ministers from Nanjing City, as well as renowned Buddhist and Taoist experts and famous doctors from the South.

As soon as Li Xuan supported Yu Jianji out, someone took over. Next, he would have to go back to the tomb to bring out Princess Changle and clear up the traces of battle in the tomb.

After all, it was the Great Ancestor’s tomb, and it would be offensive for commoners to even glance at it. Therefore, to avoid disturbing the hosts, Li Xuan could only take care of these matters.

When he held Princess Yu Hongchang, who had just woken up from fainting, and got out of the tomb, everyone, including the second prince, Yu Jianji, fell to their knees and banged their heads in front of the tomb door under the leadership of the Minister of Rites.

Quan Dingtian, the Guozi Bureau’s Jijiu, read out the sacrificial text -, which essentially apologized for the chaos checked by evil forces in the tomb, expressing their remorse, and requested forgiveness from the Great Ancestor’s spirit. It was also mentioned that the major sacrifices would be held again on another auspicious day.

As soon as the sacrificial text was cast into the incense burner, a large crowd couldn’t wait to protect Yu Jianji and the unconscious Hongchang siblings and quickly left.

Li Xuan watched the crowd that included Jiang Yunqi and, seeing the relief on his face, Jiang Yunqi said in a low voice as he passed by, "Hanyun is fine. She woke up last night and her injuries are not serious. You don’t need to worry."

Li Xuan had already heard about Jiang Hanyun’s awakening from Tingtian Ao, but only when he heard Jiang Yunqi say this did he feel completely relieved.

After the crowd left, Li Chengji came over, stroking his beard and sighed: "This is another debt of foe, my son, your sins are really deep."

"What kind of foe debt?" Li Xuan twitched his mouth. "Are you talking about the princess?"

"What else? The princess called for Xuan in the altar, and many people heard it. The clan master of the clan mansion in Nanjing ran to our house yesterday."

Li Chengji chuckled, a mischievous glint in his eyes: "I was thinking that you probably don’t want to be bound by the royal rules and be a horse, so I made an excuse to push it off at the time. However, if you like the princess, this marriage may not be impossible.

There are advantages to marrying a princess, and it might earn you a hereditary title. Besides, the princess manages to control the power of evil with a good heart, she must have a good temperament and will not be reckless like her aunts."

"Hongchang is indeed a good girl. Since I work at the Liudao Division, I’m not afraid of being a prince consort."

Li Xuan said, then sighed, "The problem is, I already have someone in my heart."

He was morose, finally understanding why some womanizing guys from his era were unwilling to get married - It meant giving up a whole forest.

"You’re talking about the little girl from the Xue family? She’s been with your mother these days. She can talk and is very persuasive. She makes your mother very happy and isn’t even worried about your safety in the tomb."

Li Chengji laughed: "That’s also good, a virtuous wife at home means no misfortune for the husband. In the future, when you separate from the Earl’s mansion, this girl can help you flourish and extend your lineage. But for the rest of your life, don’t think about those past love interests, and don’t even think about taking concubines."

Li Xuan was almost choked by his own saliva and after a few coughs, he asked curiously, "By the way, does our Earl Chengyi’s family have any rules about not taking concubines? I see that you and my brothers are all married to only one wife?"

"What kind of rule is that? As long as you have the ability, isn’t it up to you to have three wives and four concubines? But your brothers and I have no choice."

Li Chengji realized something was off as he spoke and quickly cleared his throat, subconsciously putting both hands behind his back, "I don’t know about your elder brother, but your father is deeply in love with your mother, hoping to be together for the rest of our lives."

He thought to himself that he was not the same as Li Xuan, who fell in love with every girl he saw.

Li Xuan glanced at Li Chengji disdainfully, then changed the subject, "By the way, did Dicheng Xie Kun really die?"

This was something he heard from Tingtian Ao.

"He’s dead." Li Chengji confirmed: "When Xie Kun escaped from the tomb, he was already seriously injured from Jiang Yunqi’s attack. But he had mastered fire evasion and was especially good at regeneration. Even I and Jiang Yunqi together with Duke Xuguo, who commands 20,000 royal troops, couldn’t do anything about him. In the end, it was Duchenghuang who appeared and killed him.

Duchenghuang was also badly wounded, but he managed to kill him within two rounds. In addition, the court has revoked his rank as Dicheng, theoretically, he should have no true spirit left now."

By the time they finished talking, they had already stepped outside the Xiao Mausoleum. Instead of getting on the carriage of Earl Chengyi’s mansion, Li Xuan borrowed a dragon colt from a soldier of Earl’s mansion nearby and rushed towards Nanjing City.

"Where are you going?" Seeing Li Xuan’s figure, Li Chengji couldn’t help frowning, "Your mother is waiting for you at home! If you don’t go see her, she’s going to nag me again."

"Tell Mother I’ll be back in a while."

Li Xuan waved his hand backwards as he continued to spur his horse, "I’m going to the Jiang house first."

Although Jiang Yunqi’s words had already relieved him, Li Xuan still wanted to see Jiang Hanyun in person.