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Chapter 195: The Eve of War
"We can't take any risks," the bearded man, Yu Ren, said upon his return that afternoon. "If it were up to me, we should gather everyone right now."
"I agree," said one of the professionals, while others nodded in agreement.
"We need to contact Ma Tongwei," Yu Ren continued.
Xia Zhou's expression appeared somewhat unnatural, a look of confusion crossing his face. Ji Zichen noticed this and wondered if there was some unresolved issue between Xia Zhou and Ma Tongwei.
Once, Xia Zhou and Ma Tongwei had been very close; Xia Zhou had always thought of them as brothers. Ma Tongwei, being older, had provided Xia Zhou with much guidance.
However, over time, Ma Tongwei's attitude toward Xia Zhou changed, and Xia Zhou never understood why. He had been cautious not to question the shift in Ma Tongwei's demeanor, leading to an unexpected rift between them.
Xia Zhou felt perplexed by this situation but was uncertain whether this rift would cause trouble now.
It seemed that Yu Ren did not notice Xia Zhou's subtle change. He continued, "Ma Tongwei is the commander of the professionals; he should be responsible for gathering personnel and bringing them to assist us. Right now, he is at Eastern Li Mountain repairing the Defensive Works."
Despite their estrangement, Xia Zhou said, "Then let's notify Ma Tongwei. We need to gather everyone immediately to reclaim the Six Yao Lantern Formation." Yu Ren and the others nodded in agreement.
The group dispersed to carry out their tasks. "Let's head back to the Watchtower first," Xia Zhou suggested.
Yu Ren arrived at Eastern Li Mountain, where Ma Tongwei was wielding a Flying Rainbow Axe. This axe looked like an ordinary large axe, but when swung, it created a streak of rainbow light.
Ma Tongwei practiced diligently, swinging the Flying Rainbow Axe with precision. From a distance, Yu Ren could hear the sharp whistle of the axe cutting through the air. The rainbow streak shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight as Ma Tongwei struck at imaginary enemies before him.
Martial artists often used such methods to hone their skills; only through practice could they effectively strike down opponents in real combat. Even during routine training, Ma Tongwei's exceptional technique and immense strength were evident.
"Ma Tongwei!" Yu Ren called out from afar.
Hearing someone call his name, Ma Tongwei paused his movements and turned around.
"Beard of Ginger!"
Even though Ma Tongwei had just been practicing, he showed no signs of fatigue as he asked, "What brings you here?" to Beard of Ginger.
Ma Tongwei was in a different location from where the official residence was, but it wasn't far apart. As Beard of Ginger approached him, Ma Tongwei sized him up and asked, "Why are you here if you're not studying the doctrines?"
Beard of Ginger chuckled, "Of course I have a reason for coming."
"What is it?" Ma Tongwei inquired.
Without wasting time on small talk, Beard of Ginger got straight to the point. "Do you know that many outsiders have come to Liao Ling Cliff?"
Ma Tongwei was taken aback, his body tensing up. "Many outsiders? What do you mean by that?"
"They're people who claim to be from the Western King. They've come here to set up the Six Yao Lantern Formation," Beard of Ginger said, his eyes gleaming sharply as he spoke each word deliberately.
"Western King? Who are they? Where did you get this information?" Ma Tongwei placed the Flying Rainbow Axe on his shoulder, signaling Beard of Ginger to follow him to his residence. His home was situated on a hill to the right of the training ground, providing a vantage point over the area.
No matter what happened in Eastern Li Mountain, Ma Tongwei could see it all from there. Just as Beard of Ginger was about to respond, Ma Tongwei asked, "Did Xia Zhou tell you this?"
Beard of Ginger teased, "How did you guess?"
Ma Tongwei replied nonchalantly, "You all are busy studying doctrines; how could you possibly know what's happening outside?"
Beard of Ginger laughed and said, "Actually, it wasn't the guard who told me; it was his friend, Ji Zichen."
" Ji Zichen? Who is that?" Ma Tongwei paused before continuing, "Never mind, I won't ask. It's been a long time since things have been this lively around here. For the past fifty years, we've had nothing to do." He emphasized, "Nothing to do!"
Beard of Ginger nodded with a smile. Ma Tongwei was someone who couldn't sit still; being assigned to guard this place naturally left him with grievances. Beard of Ginger appreciated this about Ma Tongwei—people from the divine race were inherently combative. In the past, they would hone their insight and enhance their combat skills through battle.
Because if they did not do so, they believed it would make them weak, but the God Clan of the Closed Rift would no longer have opportunities for battle.
Regardless, the warlike bloodline would not fade away simply due to the absence of war.
Just as they were about to reach their residence, Ma Tongwei thought, "What on earth is happening? How can outsiders come and go freely here? Are those people here to challenge them? The divine clan possesses incomparable advantages over humans; could those people be insane?"
Before Ma Tongwei arrived at Zhuque Chenjing, the Jade Emperor had told him, "We need you to go to Vermilion Bird Territory. You are the best candidate to protect the practitioners; safeguarding them will maintain our interests."
Thus, Ma Tongwei came here.
Upon entering the house, Ma Tongwei served tea to Jiang Dahuzi and said, "Now tell me everything that has happened."
Jiang Dahuzi shared all he knew with Ma Tongwei. After listening, Ma Tongwei snorted coldly, "Such great ambition! What plans does Xia Zhou have?"
---
A refreshing mountain breeze swept through the tall trees outside the camp. Ling Xuan cleared her mind and let the wind brush against her cheeks as she walked alone into the forest, slowly making her way along the path.
Ling Xuan was not in the woods to hunt or investigate anything; she simply wanted to take a stroll. In fact, she loved this fresh air because she had grown up in the mountains. The complex forest paths might seem daunting to others, but to Ling Xuan, they felt as familiar as her own backyard. Even in Western King City, whenever she felt overwhelmed, the forest became her only refuge.
She thought about how if she had a daughter or a son, she would definitely bring them to play in the woods, but she knew that was impossible.
The title of Chief Justice was fearsome in Western King City. It was larger and more prosperous than Corner Lodge. Similarly, the methods of communication employed by the Western King were more brutal than those of the Cornerstone City Lord. The reputation of the Western King was not favorable among outsiders, but everything he did was for the sake of ensuring that the citizens of Western King City could survive; this was something Ling Xuan understood very well.
Western King City was located on a large landmass to the left of Sunlit Lake. For the citizens of Western King City, the Western King was a good lord because trade there thrived immensely. The people took great pride in this fact. Even during the most rampant times of Demon Beasts, Western King City had never fallen. However, its safety came at the cost of many nearby cities being reduced to ruins, which drew criticism from outsiders.
Protecting such a vast area as Western King City was no easy task. Regardless of whether outsiders liked Western King City or not, trade and commerce were rampant everywhere. The exchange of Lin Chuyu for slaves was a strategy forced upon the Western King, yet that exchange made many people feel extremely anxious.
Although the outcome of that exchange was unsatisfactory, the Western King did not vent his anger on Corner Lodge. This indicated that he was not as ruthless and brutal as outsiders claimed. Acquiring wealth from Divine Dawn was crucial for Western King City because the Western King had long realized that despite appearances suggesting peace among various cities, war could easily erupt.
The world where the Demon Beasts inflicted suffering no longer existed. At that time, countless cities were reduced to rubble overnight as humanity fought against the Demon Beasts. No one could ever calculate how many lives were lost.
Ling Xuan remembered that there were many refugee camps back then. The Western King had once sent troops to protect them, but now most people had forgotten the Western King's kindness. He did not blame them, for that was human nature.
No one knew that someone like the Western King would pray. If this were to be revealed, few would believe it. In truth, the Western King prayed every night, hoping that war would never disturb his people.
Such actions might seem sincere, but no one understood the cruelty and terror of war better than the Western King.
In Western King City, there were many orphans who had suffered from the Demon Beasts' cruelty years ago. The Western King had taken them in, and now they had grown into adults. To repay their gratitude, they became soldiers for the Western King.
However, things did not go as hoped. Before Ling Xuan arrived in Vermilion Bird Territory, she had heard rumors that some of those grown children were secretly attempting to rebel against the Western King. The flood of information seemed to confirm these rumors.
The idea of repaying kindness with resentment was utterly disgusting to Ling Xuan. She would do everything in her power to stop them, but she was not in Western King City at the moment. Still, she knew that the Western King would handle this matter well; he had more experience dealing with such issues than she did.
It was time for Ling Xuan to come to Western King City with her master, as the Western King had done her master a favor. However, what that favor was remained a mystery; her master had never shared it with her. Her master only expressed unconditional loyalty to the Western King. Ling Xuan found this puzzling because without her master, she might have perished long ago at the hands of wolves. After her master left, she became the new Chief Justice.
The Western King had watched Ling Xuan grow up and had never doubted her loyalty. Over the years, she had never betrayed his trust. Ling Xuan had done many things for the Western King, but none of them harmed innocent civilians. Even those bodies she could control were willing sacrifices from their owners.
To outsiders, Ling Xuan's abilities seemed terrifying and despicable, yet she had done nothing wrong; it was merely a means of survival, no different from many self-reliant individuals.
As dusk approached and sunlight gradually faded from Ling Xuan's figure, she wandered aimlessly through the forest. She felt somewhat at ease. Regardless of what consequences arose from opening the rift, she could not retreat; she must not betray the trust of the Western King.
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