Chapter 5 (1/2)
Chapter 5: War G.o.d of Northern Qi
Saddletown, courier station.
Saddletown was a common destination for any travelers going from Western Que to Northern Qi. The west pa.s.sage led to Western Que and the north pa.s.sage led to Northern Qi, so traders and travelers alike used this town as a waystation. Jun Huang had just ordered some random dishes in an inn in Saddletown when she heard some traders conversing loudly at the table next to her.
“The Northern Qi border skirmishes have started again! I pa.s.sed through there this morning, and guess what I saw!” One of the traders spoke mysteriously.
“War’s never stopped on that border. Fights break out every few days, do you really need to be so surprised?” One of the other guests snorted disdainfully.
“Those are just small scuffles, but guess what I saw this time?” the trader replied emotionally. “The Nan troops! That war G.o.d prince of Northern Qi!”
Jun Huang’s hand hesitated for a second as she picked up some food with her chopsticks, her forehead knitting together slightly. Nan Xun, t.i.tled Prince Nan. If the rumors were true, even as a young man, he commanded three armies and was undefeated in battle. He roved the lands freely, and all his enemies quailed and cowered at his arrival. He was the war G.o.d of northern Qi. But why was such a heroic character getting involved in the sc.r.a.pes of the border?
“Oh come off it. What kind of character is General Nan Xun? How would he possibly come to this tiny place?” Another trader skeptically voiced Jun Huang’s thoughts at that moment.
“Oh, oh, you don’t know, do you?” The previous trader was quite proud of himself. “Did you know that Western Que has been destroyed, and there are no survivors of the royal clan? So who do you think held the funeral for Western Que Emperor Jun Hongmo?”
Another trader detected the connotations behind these words. “You mean to say that Nan Xun held the funeral?”
Jun Huang started as her chopsticks clattered to the ground. “What did you say?!” She surged to her feet and stared hard at the trader. “Nan Xun held a funeral for the ruler of Western Que?”
The trader hadn’t antic.i.p.ated such an exaggerated reaction and blinked in surprise. He still replied, “Yeah, apparently the funeral was quite something. Every place within Western Qu hung white veils for half a month to mourn their fallen emperor.” He sighed at the end. “They all say that the prince is cold-hearted and brutal, but to think that he was the only one who rushed to Western Que after it was destroyed…”
Complicated emotions flashed through Jun Huang’s eyes. Indeed, how tragic and laughable was this? Western Que had stood strong for almost a hundred years, and it lay in ruins after only a night. She’d thought that her father and mother would remain unsated, vengeful souls in the underworld, but someone had actually held a funeral for her royal parents!
“Where did you say you saw the Nan troops?” Jun Huang took a deep breath in and looked at the trader again. Logically and emotionally speaking, she should personally thank Nan Xun after he’d treated Western Que thus.
She left Saddletown and headed north, making fast time. After a while on the road, Jun Huang could make out bodies lying scattered on the ground ahead. She sped up and ground to a halt next to them. Her heart anxious, she hastily turned over the nearest body. Her expression changed drastically when she recognized the uniform and insignia of a Northern Qi soldier. Moreover, there was a large “Nan” emblazoned on his chest. The Nan troops! Jun Huang hurriedly flipped over multiple bodies. All of them had “Nan” on their chests. Had the Nan troops lost this battle? What of Nan Xun? She suppressed the anxiety in her heart and began searching the battlefield closely. The piercing smell of blood and gore filled her nose, inciting the urge to vomit more than a few times.