by Tinalynge
“Well I better get going,” Pan Long said with an apologetic expression on his face as he nodded to Hui Yue and rushed away from the courtyard. Hui Yue was still just standing there, his mind blank, with a confused expression on his face. Not long after a chuckle escaped his lips as Hui Yue could not help but laugh at the rushing Pan Long. The expert was a Lord of the Forest, but he seemed so random from time to time. This was something which caused Hui Yue to feel as though the Lords of the Forests really weren’t as different from him as he had first thought.
Returning to his room, Hui Yue opened the bag and raised an eyebrow. Hui Yue was looking at the many storage stones within. Some of them contained the exact minimum amount of gold and food while others were packed full. They were filled to the brim with both gold and food. They had far more than what was expected from the experts. Looking at all this gold and food, Hui Yue knew that he already had enough food and enough gold to start the war.
Because he now possessed enough money and gold, he left his room and went to see Wan Qiao. The closer he got the more people he saw waiting in the corridor, and the young man frowned as he wondered what was happening. Pushing his way through the servants, he finally arrived at the door which led to her private chambers, but just as he was about to open it he noticed that the door was actually coming closer and closer to him.
Everything seemed to happen in slow motion, but even so, Hui Yue had no time to move away as the door exploded outwards. It hit him with a destructive force that sent him flying backwards into the wall behind him. The door shattered as it was forced into the young man.
Behind the door, an expert came flying. He was not flying due to a martial skill, nor an inborn ability, he had obviously been kicked and was sent flying that way. Seeing this, not only the now wounded Hui Yue, but everyone present was completely silent as the expert sent flying slowly rose to his feet and wiped a strand of blood away from the corner of his lip.
“Stop being so grumpy old woman!” The man said with anger shining in his eyes. “We cannot afford for you to join the army. We need you here at home to protect Shenyuan. Give me your position and I’ll make sure that we are fine.”
“No way!” An angry voice roared from inside the room and moments after the woman stepped through the broken doorway. A flash of surprise appeared in her eyes as she saw the wounded Hui Yue with blood flowing from one wound after another, and the many servants standing clustered within the hallway looking at her with shock in her eyes.
Seeing this, Wan Qiao stopped for a moment, and a frown appeared on her face as she turned to the many servants, “What are you doing here?!” She scolded harshly, and the many servants suddenly rushed off suddenly realizing that they needed to be somewhere.
“You brute,” Hui Yue said with a laugh which seemed to wash away the heavy atmosphere, and after a few moments, the white-haired young man got to his feet and looked at himself. Looking down, he frowned slightly as he saw how his robe was destroyed in multiple places. The door had managed to penetrate not only the robe but also through his skin, impaling him on a shattered door.
Seeing this, Hui Yue patiently stood still as he removed one part of the wooden door after another, and everyone present was shocked as they saw each and every one of the wounds closing up on their own. It was as if Hui Yue was being healed, however no green hue was apparent on his skin, and no signs of actively using healing was seen. Also, every lord had previously understood exactly which affinities Hui Yue possessed. Knowing about the strength of their Grand Marshall was something which they felt was important, but both the expert who had been tossed through the door and Wan Qiao were surprised to see his body heal itself.
Wan Qiao was surprised for another reason than the expert. She had already heard about the green pearl from Hui Yue, but she had never expected that this greedy green pearl was willing to help Hui Yue with something as simple some minor flesh wounds. Hui Yue himself was also quite surprised by the healing, but since the monk had changed his demeanor to become more calm, although he was surprised, he showed nothing of it on his expression. More than surprise, he was grateful as he now understood that all these phenomena within his dantian had their own personalities.
Standing up, Hui Yue looked at the two lords with a sigh he seemed like a parent looking at two unruly children. “I’ll be back when I’ve changed clothes,” He said with a sigh, “Please stop quarreling before then. I’ll need to speak with both of you.”
Having said that, Hui Yue turned around and went towards his own room, leaving behind two stunned experts who felt slightly embarrassed by their actions. Walking forward, Wan Qiao reached down her hand to help the Saint stand up.
“We better move to the library then,” She said a little lost. She was both curious to hear what Hui Yue had to say, but also a little embarrassed by once more showing her violent side to the young man.
Chapter 59 – Going to War
Moving towards the library neither of the two said anything, neither Wan Qiao nor the male lord. Seeing them moving away together was an odd sight for every one of the servants standing around them. To see their exalted lords behaving so docile was odd. The fact they both gave the young man face showed just how important Hui Yue was to the Lords of the Forest, and this, in turn, caused the servants to also look at him with great reverence.
Hui Yue paid no attention to the many servants around him, but he had a frown on his face as he saw how his clothes had been torn to pieces by the wooden door. That alone showed just how much force Wan Qiao put behind her attack. For her to attack another lord like this, it was obvious that she had been seriously annoyed with the other man.
Having heard some of their conversation, Hui Yue instantly understood that the man, Lord Chen, was unhappy with the task of staying behind in Shenyuan. He wished to have a part in the war, and he had only gotten more upset when he learned that Wan Qiao was participating.
Thinking about it, Hui Yue knew that it was a great risk to have Wan Qiao participate in the war. If An He decided to remove the beasts, then it would not matter whether Wan Qiao was there or not. According to what Hui Yue was told, An He was the strongest being on the entire plane. He was the only one capable of defeating everyone present.
“He must be a god,” Hui Yue mumbled to himself as his eyes turned cold. The man had been an emperor four thousand years ago, but thinking about his power when even peak Saints like Wan Qiao and the Frozen General were useless against him, the man had to be a god. Otherwise, there was simply no way to explain how they could not defeat him.
Thinking about this, Hui Yue felt slightly demotivated. His aim was to defeat An He, someone who thought even peak stage Saints, people every other Saint looked up to, were nothing but ants. The Saints which could kill the current Hui Yue with nothing but a thought. Thinking about this, Hui Yue could not help but feel sorely aware of his own incompetence; however, while he was slightly demotivated for a moment, those emotions were quickly removed by a burning eagerness to improve. His eyes turned firm, and a smile sprouted on his face as he straightened his back and looked out his window.
“So what if he is a god?” He said with a smile on his face. “He has already had a four thousand year head start. It would be weird if he were not stronger than me. But no matter what, I will definitely catch up; I will defeat him.” He mumbled to himself, and his previous unconfident self was completely gone. Instead, he riled himself up and made himself eager to start cultivating once more. Currently, he was only a King, but at the same time, he was nothing more than a youngster. He was no more than seventeen years of age, yet he had already unlocked his upper dantian. Even if An He was a god, he had four thousand years of practice, and Hui Yue with the assistance of Lan Feng had no doubt in his heart that within four thousand years, he too would have easily become a god.
“No reason to consider this now,” Hui Yue sighed, as he quickly undressed and from within his storage stone picked up another set of fine fabrics, a celestial blue robe with whi
te embroidered borders and snow white undergarments. Wearing these clothes, Hui Yue truly looked like a celestial being, someone who had descended from the heavens.
Having changed his clothes, Hui Yue quickly skimmed through the papers on his desk and he soon found the paper he was looking for. Piece after piece of information about Lord Chen entered Hui Yue’s mind.
“Hmm, so he is an Armored Spectral Bear. No wonder he wishes to participate in the war,” Hui Yue mumbled to himself once more. Everything he read was that this man was filled with pride of being a spectral beast, one of the more rare races, and he clearly wished to use his battle prowess in the war. Considering for some time, Hui Yue wanted to see just how forceful a spectral bear was; however, he knew that he could not remove all of the strong fighters from Shenyuan. Someone as strong as Lord Chen would be needed to defend against the Taiyang Kingdom, who were likely to sent delegations as soon as they heard about the beasts attacking the Siban Empire.
Having pondered for some time, Hui Yue left the room and went towards the library where he knew the two lords were waiting for him, and with a deep sigh he finally decided what to do. He had indeed been tempted to bring Lord Chen with him as the man was a strong combatant, however if he were to remove more experts from Shenyuan, no one would know if they would be fine. The Taiyang Kingdom was likely to use the fact that Shenyuan was at war to take over the jungle they all conveted.
Being firm was the only way, and as he opened the door to the library, he saw Wan Qiao and Lord Chen both seated in two chairs, eagerly waiting for him. Their eyes were filled with brightness as the young man stepped into the room.
“Good day,” He greeted as he nodded towards the two experts. Without rushing, he moved towards the third chair and casually sat down. He poured himself a cup of tea and drank it with pleasure while both Wan Qiao and Lord Chen were looking at him with eagerness, waiting to hear what he had to tell them.
After Hui Yue had merged with the monk, he was no longer worried about taking things one step at a time. He slowly drank the tea in his hands before he started to pay attention to the two lords in front of him.
“Lord Chen,” He spoke to the lord who was the reason for this entire mess. Although this lord did not wish to follow Hui Yue’s orders, Wan Qiao should not have started a fight with him over it. Fighting was completely useless because no matter whether or not the Armored Spectral Bear was willing, he never would be allowed into the group that was to enter Siban. At least not unless he could convince Hui Yue to take him with them. A deal with Wan Qiao was useless, the only one who could decide who went and who stayed was Hui Yue.
“Lord Chen,” Hui Yue repeated as he finally finished drinking. It seemed that the beast lord had not heard him the first time. As he mentioned the name of the lord once more, he also put down the cup and lifted his head to look at the lord. “I understand why you wish to come with me to Siban,” He began, “Unfortunately, I really need you here in Shenyuan,”
“No, please listen to me!” Lord Chen broke in, not allowing for Hui Yue to finish speaking, “I am a very strong beast. Taking me with you to fight will be of better use than having me staying here doing nothing apart from watching all these pacifists who do not want us to go to war.”
“I think you misunderstand,” Hui Yue said with a smile. As he spoke, Lord Chen instantly stopped speaking and instead waited to hear what the young man had to say. There was not one of the lords who did not put Hui Yue in the same category as themselves. Although he was not as strong as them and each and every one could get rid of him with a wave of their hands, they all respected Hui Yue a great deal. So much so, in fact, that they gave him the same respect, and sometimes even more than they paid the other lords.
“I need people who are capable of fighting to stay in Shenyuan because we are likely to be attacked when we go to war.” Hearing this, the sour expression on Lord Chen’s face turned less sour, and his eyes seemed to brighten. The man was now fully listening to everything Hui Yue was saying.
“When it is known to the entire world that we are going for the Siban Empire, the other kingdoms will expect that we have left Shenyuan empty. That we left it defenseless, and as they expect this, they will take their armies and try to take over our forest. If we do not leave anyone who knows how to fight, then who will deal with the army that will enter Shenyuan?”
The more Hui Yue spoke, the brighter the lord’s face became, and he soon sprouted a great smile on his face. His eyes were no longer filled with displeasure but instead filled with excitement.
“So you are saying that we are likely to be attacked? This is something that I had never thought about. It sounds as though I should stay here to protect our lands!” Having said this aloud, rowdy laughter escaped the lips of the now very satisfied lord, “No one can do anything to my Shenyuan as long as I am here to defend it!” He said proudly and stood up. “Since this is the case, I will go and ensure that all my brothers who are staying here with me know that we need to defend our lands!” He said before he left the library leaving behind both Wan Qiao and Hui Yue.
Hui Yue was calm and once more started drinking his tea. He closed his eyes as he enjoyed the warm liquid slowly making its way through his entire body relaxing him in a way which only a brief break with a cup of tea could give him.
“Well done,” Wan Qiao finally said after some time. Her eyes were filled with astonishment as she saw how easily Hui Yue had deterred Lord Chen.
“I tried to convince him before,” She said, “I told him that you had already given everyone their tasks and that we could not change it. I told him that it was not about who died for what cause, but he refused to listen. He became so serious that he started hitting me. How was I able to just leave him be? Anyone who tried to hit me is asking for a beating,” Wan Qiao continued, doing her very best to make Hui Yue understand the situation they had been in before. She was, after all, quite embarrassed by the show she had put on earlier when she destroyed her door, and it split into thousands of pieces. Each of those pieces either grazing Hui Yue’s body or impaling the handsome young man cutting him up quite badly.
“What is done is done,” Hui Yue said while laughing as he too understood that Wan Qiao was doing what she could to explain what had happened. “I actually sought you out previously to tell you that we will soon be ready to head out.,” Hui Yue said with a smile on his face.
“We have enough gold and provisions. In two days we will go to war.” He said. As he spoke his eyes turned bright, and his lips curled upwards in a smile. Hearing his words, Wan Qiao was the same. Her eyes turned bright with excitement and the smile on her lips was a response to Hui Yue’s. The two, beast and human, were seated next to one another both drinking tea and neither saying anything. Smiles were playing on their lips, and both were thinking about what had just been said. Two more days and they would start moving towards the Siban Empire.
Chapter 60 – Towards Siban Empire
The two days went by in a flash. As soon as Hui Yue left the library, he personally visited every single lord and informed them about the same things he told Wan Qiao. They now had the capital and the provisions needed to commence with the war, and the army had been ready for about a week. There was no longer any reason for the army to wait while the Saints spent time packing their items. The army started to pack up the military camp outside the city.
Some groups started moving back towards their homes because they would not be participating in the war, and as their lords left the castle, the guards followed behind. After two days had gone by, the only ones left were the four hundred thousand experts whom Hui Yue had trained previously. These four hundred thousand beasts were Shenyuan’s army.
The tents had been packed into storage stones, and everything which made up the army camp was nowhere in sight. The only thing left behind was long lines of soldiers standing side by side in formation, ready to set out. The group got ready to travel on the largest road within Shenyuan, and as Hui Yue saw the army, pri
de swelled within his heart.
“Lords!” He called out with a voice filled with authority. Moments after the forty Saints stood in a line in front of him. Some of them had smiles on their faces while others had stern expressions. Some were excited while others seemed timid. Looking at the many faces, Hui Yue nodded to them and slowly the forty of them turned their back to the army. As they saw Hui Yue’s nod of approval, the smiling expressions grew slightly larger, and the stern looking experts became less stern. The experts stayed on the line which was somewhat similar to the one of the soldiers behind them.
Hui Yue looked out over the army in front of him, and as he looked at them, a smile played on his lips.
“Everyone listen up!” He yelled, his voice booming in the crisp morning air and sounding from the first soldier in line all the way to the experts at the back. “We will now venture to the borders of Siban Empire. This empire has time and time again sent one delegation after another into our borders their humans have mistreated us time and time again, but no longer!”