Chapter 99: Ji Is a Law-Abiding Citizen

Another thread of gold flew in from the horizon. Ji Huo, riding hard along the road, casually took the Human Emperor Sword, a letter attached to it.

He removed the letter and let his spirited horse keep thundering down the road, skimming its contents at a glance.

Oh?

The entire capital had been bewitched by demons?

How thrilling.

The others, at least on the surface, still seemed normal and could maintain their lives as usual, though their mouths were full of praise for the emperor. Oh, this was interesting indeed.

So only Big Brother and Little Brown Sugar had not been ensnared. That made sense; since Big Brother could command the Human Emperor Sword, it was only natural that he would be immune.

As for Little Brown Sugar, the red paper umbrella in her hands was a system-made item, quality guaranteed. Ji Huo even suspected the Human Emperor Sword might not be able to cut through it.

Ji Huo tucked the letter away, still unsatisfied after feasting on that morsel of gossip. By his guess, the new emperor in the capital had probably already been replaced by some demon.

Though Big Brother had not yet observed just how much those entranced people had changed, the fact that he had gone so far as to send a flying-sword letter to have Ji Huo find their father suggested the capital was truly in trouble.

Tsk. A great demon that had swallowed dragon fate—just how formidable must that be?

Xia Ningshang asked curiously, “Did something happen?”

Ji Huo smiled. “Nothing much. The Great Zhou is finished.”

Xia Ningshang gave a soft oh, then asked in puzzlement, “You look very happy saying that.”

“Hmm? Is it that obvious?” Ji Huo said with a grin.

Xia Ningshang looked at him curiously. “Aren’t you the son of the Flying Bear General? Why do you seem so pleased that the Great Zhou is done for?”

Ji Huo smiled, a trace of coolness in his eyes.

“I grew up wandering the martial world. What the authorities are like, what the Great Zhou is like—I know it well enough. I’ve seen many homeless children and helped many of them, but I also know there were far more orphans I could not help, who starved, froze to death, or were sold by others...”

“In my early years on the road, I saw too much of that. Later, when I entered the capital and wandered around for a few turns, I found the capital was much the same.”

“So I understood that, in truth, the whole Great Zhou looked like this.”

“How could I possibly like such a Great Zhou?”

Xia Ningshang froze slightly and turned her head to look at Ji Huo, seated high upon his tall horse.

His gaze was faintly cold, yet carried a kind of pity, as though having seen too many human affairs, he had returned to something quietly indifferent.

This was the first time Xia Ningshang had seen Ji Huo speak so much, and it was rare to hear him speak in this way.

“Then, Young Master Ji, what do you want? A peaceful and prosperous age?” Xia Ningshang asked.

Ji Huo shook his head and said plainly, “I don’t have such grand ambitions. I’m just an ordinary commoner.”

He paused for a moment, then suddenly let out a soft laugh.

“What Ji is after is nothing more than this: when I have free time and step out onto the street, I can see smiles on everyone’s faces; children playing and frolicking in the lanes; husbands coming home after work to find dinner already prepared by their wives; ordinary folk sitting at home, sharing a reunion meal...”

Xia Ningshang held her breath slightly, her eyes filled with a kind of yearning.

Ji Huo smiled and said, “If I were traveling through the martial world and could see such scenes everywhere, I’d probably find a roadside stall, sit down, order a few skewers of barbecue, and raise a huge cup of wine!”

“I too would like to see such a sight,” Xia Ningshang said with a soft sigh.

Not to mention the Central Plains, even their Dragon Kingdom was a complete mess right now. A life where the people lived and worked in peace and contentment—she had never seen such a thing.

Ji Huo smiled. “To be honest, Miss Xia, if I hadn’t been suddenly dragged off to the capital, I’m afraid that in a few more years I would have grown restless enough to raise the banner and revolt against this Great Zhou.”

Xia Ningshang gave him a strange look, amusement in her eyes. “You should not say such things lightly.”

“Hahaha! I’m just spouting nonsense now; it doesn’t count. I never did think about rebelling.”

Ji Huo laughed, then asked, “And what is it that Miss Xia seeks?”

Xia Ningshang reached up to smooth her hair and smiled. “If I said that what I seek is the same as what Young Master Ji seeks, would Young Master Ji believe me?”

“Believe it! Why would Ji not believe you?” Ji Huo said, smiling as he spurred his horse onward.

Xia Ningshang lashed her whip and chased after him, smiling as she teased, “If Young Master Ji were to raise the banner and rebel, what slogan would you use?”

“That’s easy.”

Ji Huo laughed heartily.

“The heavens are dead; the Yellow Heaven shall rise. The year is Jiazi, and all under heaven shall prosper!”

“You’ve even thought of the slogan. That hardly sounds like something you’re saying offhand.”

“Cough! Miss Xia mustn’t slander me. I am a law-abiding citizen and have never once thought of rebellion.”

...

When they first arrived at the Lijiang Plains, they could already hear cries of slaughter from afar.

With a single glance, Ji Huo saw the soldiers of the Flying Bear Army up front using vital force to shape themselves into two- or three-meter-tall giant bears as living shields. Behind them, archers and spear soldiers shouted and fought.

If the soldiers at the front could not hold, they would withdraw and let others transform their vital force to take their place. This rotating method greatly reduced casualties, and the flying bear vital force formed by the army could better protect the front line from injury.

In theory, the Flying Bear Army’s combat strength was ferocious enough already. And facing them was not the Azure Wolf Army under General Fei Lian’s command, so crushing these Liang Kingdom troops should not have been a problem.

Yet the battlefield was chaotic beyond measure, and the Flying Bear Army was clearly in retreat.

On the Liang Kingdom side, soldiers of similar rank were also resisting the Flying Bear Army head-on. Though they could not match the Flying Bear Army one for one, they coordinated well, so holding the line for the moment was not an issue.

What was worse, one Liang Kingdom force was charging straight into the heart of the Flying Bear Army. At its head was a valiant general with braided locks, a small moustache, and a tiger-headed bright-silver spear. He must have first-rank strength, and by estimation he was likely Great Liang’s marshal, Dulifu.

It was this first-rank expert, leading a squad of men in a furious advance, who proved impossible to stop. Repeatedly, Flying Bear experts threw themselves forward in desperate assaults, only to be repelled by Dulifu.

The man did not linger in battle, nor did he seem intent on killing as many enemies as possible. He simply drove straight into the deepest part of the crowd. The Flying Bear soldiers were grinding their teeth in fury, yet first-rank experts were too rare; if one truly meant to flee, there was no one in the Flying Bear Army who could keep him down.

And Ji Huo could already see Dulifu’s target: his own father.

His father, for reasons unknown, seemed to have fallen unconscious and was being carried away by several broad-waisted, solid-bodied guards.

Yet his father’s size made him especially conspicuous among the Flying Bear Army. Even if thrown into a crowd, he would be recognized at a glance. So despite the battlefield’s chaos, Dulifu could still lock onto him like a bloodhound and would not lose sight of him.

“Something’s not right. The famous Flying Bear Army should not be in such a state,” Ji Huo said after only a brief glance, already seeing that the army’s strength could not be fully brought to bear.

Xia Ningshang pondered for a moment. “Is it possible that the Flying Bear Army’s strength is tied to its commander’s power? For example, your father’s Thunderous Fierce Bear Fist—if your father is unconscious now, would the army’s strength fall as well?”

Ji Huo remembered that when he first met Lu Shui, Lu Shui seemed to have said something similar: it appeared that only someone who knew the Thunderous Fierce Bear Fist could truly command the Flying Bear Army.

“Very possible,” Ji Huo agreed.

“Then we’ll know if we try.”

Xia Ningshang looked toward the Great Liang general Dulifu, who was slaughtering his way through the army in the distance. With one hand she seized Ji Huo’s arm, while the other drew a fine long spear, flicking out exquisite blossoms of spear light.

“Let’s go.”