1045 The Dreadful Person In The Way (1/2)
There were many snowfalls that winter. The biggest one fell neither in the Wilderness nor in the capital of Yan. Instead it fell in the comparatively warm capital of Song. Recalling that snowfall, many people saw it as an omen because something very important happened during that snowfall.
In the snow storm, Taoism burned Ye Su, the founder of the New Stream. It shocked the entire human world. People found a series of strange things during the process. For instance, why did the Abbey Dean made such a ruthless and resolute decision? And why was the Academy lagging behind in reaction? It was not their style.
The Fourth Brother traveled thousands of miles to the Song and brought the River and Mountain Sandbox. He joined the battle and helped Chen Pipi, Tang Xiaotang and other disciples of the Sword Garret retreat. But he was not able to change the story. He failed to save Ye Su. And most importantly, he came by himself.
The Eldest Brother also came to Song and was severely wounded by the Drunkard. But he was too late. By the time he arrived, the heavy snow had entirely covered the pile of firewood. He could not even see any burned wood or ashes, not to mention to save Ye Su. Likewise, he also came by himself, not on behalf of the Academy.
The Eldest Brother and the Fourth Brother came by themselves. They could have represented the Academy but did not do so because currently in the Academy, Yu Lian and Ning Que were in charge.
Apparently the Academy did not have any plans for this. But what were Yu Lian and Ning Que thinking about? Were they really waiting indifferently for Ye Su's death as Long Qing had told Ye Su before he was burned?
Chilling winter wind roared among the cliffs. The Helan City was enveloped by a weird silence ever since the retreat. The barracks used to be the station for tens of thousands of cavalrymen. Now there was nothing but some goshawk whistling in loneliness.
The last Tang troop of hundreds of soldiers was guarding the only path to the Helan City via the West Wilderness. Having been stationed here for a few years, they would not have survived if it were not for the abundant supplies Tang had prepared and the secret help they received from the Wild People.
On top of the city gate, a dominating figure was standing high. The goshawk approached from the snow peak out of curiosity and found the figure to be strangely disproportioned. Upon a closer look, the goshawk realized it was not a disproportionate person, but a combination of two people. That was why it looked weird.
Tang stood on top of the city gate and looked to the west where the Golden Tribe Royal Court was located. He looked indifferent. The fur he wore fluttered in the chilling wind, as if it was an unbeatable flag of blood.
He was the World Wayfarer of the Devil's Doctrine, and the most powerful man in the Wilderness. In terms of being dominating, no one could have surpassed him ever since Xia Hou's death. But right now someone was sitting on his shoulders. More precisely, there was a specially designed back-basket on his shoulders with a stool in it. And someone was sitting on the stool. Tang was very tall. Therefore that person on the stool was sitting high.
The person on his shoulders was a pretty girl. She was about twelve or thirteen years old. Her black ponytails swung cutely in the wind.
Many years ago in Chang'an, this girl leapt into the sky, chopped a rainbow, and carried Li Manman down. She broke her legs and was reluctant to walk ever since. She used to be in a wheelchair. But when she came to the Wilderness she was sitting on Tang's shoulders and would not get off even when her legs had fully recovered.
She said it looked more powerful sitting there. Since she turned into a little girl many years ago, she found being not strong enough to be most annoying, even more annoying than the monthly menstruation.
Tang did not dare to comment or object her because she was the current leader of the Devil's Doctrine, and the Eldest Sister of the Academy. She was Yu Lian, his master.
In recent years, Tang had been carrying Yu Lian everywhere in the Wilderness. Today they came to the Helan City because she wanted to know what the Golden Tribe Royal Court was planning on the other side of the Helan City.
The priests sent by the Left Royal Court on the East Wilderness, as well as the powerful cultivators sent by the Divine Halls had mostly been killed by her and Tang throughout the years. Long Qing's loyal subordinates were the first they killed.
It sounded simple but rather horrifying. There were only the two of them, but they were about to extinct an entire tribe. The territory and population of that tribe was no smaller than those of a kingdom. They had tens of thousands of selected cavalrymen and endless support from Taoism. There were countless cultivators at the state of See-through and Knowing Destiny. However, they were facing extinction.
When Ning Que carried Sangsang during their escape, he felt like he was standing against the entire world on his own. Whereas these two were destroying a world on their own.
In a few days, when she would kill the last powerful figures in the East Wilderness, the warriors of the Wild Kingdom would come down to the south. It did not matter that the thousand cavalrymen of Divine Halls would come to the north because the term of the Left Royal Court would be erased from human history. It probably could only be found in the archives from now on.
Yu Lian was confident. She was so certain that she did not even care about being confident in this. But she knew that the Golden Tribe Royal Court would not just sit aside. So what was Chanyu's plan? And what kind of gift had the national master and the thirteen priests prepared for her?
The snow in the Wilderness ceased last night, as well as in the City of Wei and Helan. The air was fresh and the sky was washed spotless after the snowfall. She stood up and looked to the west.
The city gate of Helan was high-rising between two cliffs and Tang was very tall. She stood on his shoulders but still felt not high enough. Therefore she stood on tiptoe and looked a bit funny.
”I'm not waiting any longer. I can sense they are taking action.” Wind swayed her hair and annoyed her. She wiped impatiently on her face and yelled, ”I wanna go and take a look.” She swung in the back-basket and made it hard for Tang to stand still. He held the bottom of the basket and said, ”The Golden Tribe Royal Court cannot take Helan City. They have to find an alternative if they want to save the Left Royal Court.”
Yu Lian thought about the alternative and realized it was not a possibility but would definitely happen. She said, ”They are coming to the south. Tell the tribe that we are also heading south.” She said it emotionlessly, but with the voice of a girl. It seemed like some little girl copying the way her parents talked. She sounded serious but funny.
Tang was used to her voice. His dashing eyebrows shivered while he said, ”The Golden Tribe Royal Court must have prepared well. We'd better get prepared too.”
”Like I said, I'm eager to see what gift they've prepared for me.” Yu Lian showed no emotions on her little face and said, ”They say the young slave was Sangsang's gift to the human world. Being Ning Que's Sister, I'm going to unwrap the gift on behalf of him. If I'm not satisfied, I will return it.”
”Shouldn't we be concerned about what happens in the Central Plains?” Tang thought of the World Wayfarer of Taoism who used to be a match to him, and felt anxious.
”The Abbey Dean is no idiot, not like Xiong Chumo. Killing Ye Su won't do anything good to Taoism. Then why would he do so? The best and only reaction Taoism could take now is to wait.” Yu Lian continued, ”If our master could defeat Haotian in the Divine Kingdom before the New Stream takes over Haotian Taoism, they would win the gamble.”
The New Stream was faith, and was protected by the Academy and Tang Empire. It was impossible for Taoism to extinguish the faith. The harder Taoism tried, the more they would help the New Stream grow.
If the Academy wanted to seize the opportunity in this battle, they would have to give full support to the New Stream and weaken Haotian's power before the battle in the Divine Kingdom came to an end.
Comparatively speaking, Taoism seemed to be privileged but was actually in a passive position. It was wrong whether or not they would react. As Yu Lian said, they could only wait calmly, or helplessly. The Academy had the initiative. That was why Ning Que wanted to negotiate with the world. He was qualified. He was confident that he could convince Taoism and the Abbey Dean. So was Yu Lian.
Right then, the Tang troop in Helan City brought news.
Many years ago the Tang Empire spent massively in building the Transmission Array via Helan City. It delivered the simplest messages only under extreme circumstances. They used this channel only a few times throughout the decades. The last time was when the previous emperor passed away. Today the Transmission Array was activated again and brought another news of death. It was a very bad news, something that Yu Lian never expected.
”Ye Su is dead.”
Upon that message, Tang recalled what had happened throughout the past twenty years: the tree in the Wilderness and the proud young man who had a sword and mocked the devils and the aliens. He kept silent for a long while.
Yu Lian was also silent for a fairly long while. It was indeed long. Ever since they heard of the death, she stayed silent in the chilling wind, until the sun set and darkness prevailed.
A wisp of white smoke rose from someone's chimney inside the Helan City.
She looked at the wisp of smoke and said, ”A bad news could be good news sometimes.”
Throughout the hours she was not being sensational in the silence, but rather contemplating and re-examining the situation. She tried to figure out what influence Ye Su's death would bring forth to the human world. Eventually she concluded that the result would be slightly favorable for the Academy. Therefore she said it might be a good news, the same as the rising smoke from the chimney. It seemed lonely, but actually stood for living.
Yu Lian was cold-blooded. That was why Long Qing said she and Ning Que were waiting for Ye Su's death. Although it was not what they had planned, he was already dead and she just accepted it. It was not the most important thing.
She stayed in the chilling wind pondering for half a day, from noon to dusk. Apart from the influence of Ye Su's death, she also figured out something really important.