Chapter 105: Is Miss Xia Truly Serious?

Amid the laughter and jeers of the crowd, Ji Huo and Xia Ningshang withdrew from the tent and walked to the other side of the Flying Bear Army. Once she was sure they were far enough from Ji Xiaoxiong to be out of earshot, Xia Ningshang, still cautious, enveloped them both in a cocoon of inner force to isolate their conversation before asking, “Should I run a drug test on your father?”

Ji Huo shook his head and sighed softly. “No need. I already understand their methods.”

He went on to explain, “That great demon first infiltrated the imperial palace, then set the Cold Kingdom Emperor and the late Great Zhou Emperor against each other, all while supporting the Fourth Prince’s rise to power. He then incited the Cold Kingdom’s army to invade, prompting my father to lead a campaign. Before he left, they plied him with wine.”

“Once my father departed, the demon seized power, absorbed the nation’s dragon energy, and completed his ascension. Meanwhile, on the battlefield, my father was to be consumed by the demon spawn. For the Cold Kingdom, if they could kill him, so much the better—if not, it mattered little. That’s why their army withdrew so cleanly.”

“As for my father, if no one saves him and the demon fetus bursts forth, they’ll gain a monster nurtured by a grandmaster’s blood—potential without bounds. If the demon spawn fails, my father will be corrupted by the demon’s energy, becoming a grandmaster-level minion for the demon. No matter the outcome, they lose nothing.”

Ji Huo let out a long sigh. “This plot is seamless and inescapable, relying heavily on the Cold Kingdom’s cooperation. I suspect the old emperor of Cold Kingdom was already working with the demon.”

At this point, Ji Huo recalled what the late emperor had told him before his death—that the Cold Kingdom Emperor was a cunning old fox. Looking back now, it was all too true.

How infuriating! Look at their emperor, then at our late emperor—a disgrace, leaving behind a mess for others to clean up, not even realizing his own son had been ensnared.

He had rushed here hoping to save his father. If he succeeded, he’d have another grandmaster to fight the demon. Who could have guessed that though he saved his father, the man was now a weapon of the enemy.

Xia Ningshang listened quietly. She had already heard from Ji Huo that a great demon might have usurped power in the capital. Now, with a solemn face, she asked, “Do you truly intend to confront that great demon? That thing has consumed an entire nation’s dragon energy.”

Ji Huo’s eyes lowered. “You saw it yourself as we traveled—the signs of the people’s vitality being drained by a demon, the withered grass and trees, the barren land. It won’t be long before all of Great Zhou becomes a dead realm.”

“There are some things one simply cannot avoid.”

Xia Ningshang fell silent.

Ji Huo looked at her earnestly. “Miss Xia, this journey is fraught with peril—we may not survive. Perhaps it’s best if we part ways here?”

She gazed into his clear, untroubled eyes, unable to tell whether he spoke the truth or concealed deeper intentions. From the moment they met, she couldn’t quite discern if he was sincere or cunning—much like herself.

Her eyes flickered with countless thoughts, but in the end, she smiled lightly. “You jest, Ji Huo. How could I miss such an interesting affair? I wish to witness that great demon who has devoured dragon energy and ascended.”

Ji Huo studied her deeply. “Are you sure, Miss Xia?”

She lifted a hand to brush back her hair, meeting his gaze. Her voice was soft but unwavering. “You’ve said it yourself—if that demon succeeds, countless people in the Central Plains will perish. I cannot bear to see that fate.”

“But you’re from the Dragon Kingdom,” Ji Huo reminded her.

“And yet I love the Central Plains, and I love the martial world here,” Xia Ningshang replied calmly, her eyes steady. “No one can destroy what I love—not unless I do it myself.”

“If the soldiers of the Dragon Kingdom ever invade the Central Plains, I’ll make sure they do not slaughter innocents, raze cities, or harm women and children.”

“Because I love this land, and I love the world of heroes.”

Such bold words, spoken with utter frankness, laid all her ambitions bare before Ji Huo.

He stared at her for a long moment. Suddenly, he thought that perhaps he should draw the Emperor’s Sword at his waist and strike her down right now, ridding the Central Plains of a dangerous enchantress.

“And so, I thank you for accompanying me through hell and high water this time, Miss Xia,” Ji Huo said with a laugh, bowing deeply. Then he added, “But if the Dragon Kingdom ever invades, I will be your greatest obstacle.”

Xia Ningshang blinked, her eyes curving with excitement and fighting spirit. “Doesn’t that make it all the more interesting?”

“Indeed! Life ought to be lived with such zest!” Ji Huo clapped his hands and laughed heartily.

After their exchange, the two parted hurriedly.

Ji Huo returned to his tent, swiftly penned a letter detailing his father’s condition, the records of the great demon devouring dragon energy in the Dragon Kingdom’s history, and Xia Ningshang’s conjectures.

He added at the end: [If Father truly becomes a demon’s lackey, I have ways to deal with it. But that means we’ll be short one grandmaster to fight the demon. With the demon empowered by the nation’s fate, he will be even harder to defeat.]

When he finished, he tied the letter to the Emperor’s Sword, patted the blade, and said, “Go.”

The Emperor’s Sword gave a crisp ring and shot skyward like a golden thread.

Ji Huo sat back and sipped tea in his tent. Before he’d finished his cup, the Emperor’s Sword returned, now with a bamboo tube tied to the scabbard by an elegant golden ribbon—just like a carrier pigeon.

Well now, looks like Big Brother is living pretty well these days—he even fashioned a message tube for the Emperor’s Sword. Maybe someday I’ll try making a bamboo basket and have the sword deliver parcels...

Smiling at the thought, Ji Huo untied the tube, unrolled the letter, and scanned it quickly. Ji Junhong had replied:

[If that is so, leave Father to Second Brother. As for the great demon with a nation’s fate behind him, I will handle it—no problem. But it will take some time. Second Brother, it’s best if you delay and keep Father from returning to the capital for now.]

So Big Brother really is reliable—not at all like the rest of those fools. Their first time working together as brothers, and it went so smoothly.

Ji Huo burned the letter, buckled the Emperor’s Sword to his belt, and had to admit—having a bamboo tube swinging from the hilt as he walked had a certain flair, even more than a jade pendant.

There was an elegance to it.

Heh!