Chapter 836

Will be making many changes to this chap, probs shifting some PoV's around, but not finished writing them so you get this version. Sorries.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1NyLEeW0099UOv7HN2il4I_s34OXUXKPzduwNY16l9P8/edit?usp=sharing

The resounding silence echoes endlessly in response to my non-verbal call to arms, proving once and for all that thoughts and prayers are worth their weight in gold.

No, that’s the old me, the empty me, the one who was too afraid to want things because the inevitable disappointment was too hard to bear. This is a new me, with a new body and new outlook on life, a brighter, more natural me who understands myself better than ever before. I wouldn’t be the first person to find religion on the battlefield, but that’s not what this is. My prayer is not directed to a deity on high in hopes of Divine Intervention, nor is it a plea for deliverance or absolution. Instead, I am praying to the Energy of the Heavens themselves, and not because I want it to fix all my woes. I am praying because as silly and ridiculous as it might sound, it is the best option moving forward that doesn’t involve complete surrender.

How do I know this? I’m not entirely sure, but I am certain I am on the right track. I know this in my heart of hearts, because my gut, my instincts, my intuition, experience and Insight, all this and more is telling me to believe in myself and my fellow people, and my faith will be rewarded.

It takes everything I have to quiet the skeptic in me, that stubborn, four-eyed comic book nerd who only understands what I’ve learned in my past life and refuses to accept any new lessons from this one. Putting aside the debatable value of thoughts and prayers in my last world, there is an undeniable weight to them in this one, because faith has a power all of its own because of how the Energy of the Heavens works. Gerel and I have always butted heads about my lack of faith, but I’ve repeatedly missed the point he was trying to make. When he told me I lacked faith, he wasn’t talking about my love/hate relationship with religion, but rather faith in the Energy of the Heavens themselves.

Again, not in the sense that the Energy of the Heavens is some anthropomorphic being looking out for my best interests, but rather in letting it do what it does. It’s no different from my faith in science. I don’t exactly understand everything there is to know about gravity, but even though I can’t rattle off a proof that will set aside all doubts, I have faith in the fact that whatever goes up, must come down. Except that’s not entirely true, because there is an argument to be made that if you go up long enough, you never have to come back down once you break through the atmosphere and free yourself from the pull of this planet’s total mass. The problem is, the Energy of the Heavens is far more complicated than gravity in that it is a force affected by the way I perceive it. Thus, in my desire to affix rules and formulas to the Dao, I demonstrate a lack of faith in its ability to heed my Will and do whatever is needed to fulfill it without any further guidance from myself, guidance I am unable to provide, which in turn negatively affects its ability to act without said guidance, and thereby creating a self-fulfilling prophecy of failure.

It's Guiding all over again. I can do it, as long as I don’t think too hard about it, because thinking about it makes it not work. The same thing with teeth. Humans aren’t supposed to naturally regrow their adult teeth, except in this world they do, because faith and Heavenly Energy.

It ain’t exactly all logical, but it makes sense. There are limits to what the Energy of the Heavens can do of course, namely that it must adhere to the rules of the world. Teeth are easy, because the framework is already there, so the Energy of the Heavens is really only stimulating an entirely natural process. The same could be said regarding the Refinement and Cleansing of my body, mind, and soul, because when I surrendered complete control of the process and trusted the Energy of the Heavens, it was more than capable of handling all the details from start to finish. That is my Path now, the way forward from here, a compromise between my need to understand things and my supernatural ability to willfully ignore the facts whenever it suits me, which even as I say sounds far too complicated to actually explain. The amount of shit I still don’t entirely understand about how I Refined my body, mind, and soul could fill the oceans and then some, but I had faith in the process. By acknowledging several truths about myself and affirming my Dao, I was able to hold true to my sense of self and in doing so, become One with the Heavens and One with the World whilst retaining my unique individuality so that the Energy of the Heavens could rebuild me from the ground up.

Because to pursue the truth without the truth of self is to pursue a lie, and one cannot lie to oneself. Maybe that’s why Ancestral Beasts and Human Divinities remain false Divinities, unable to take that final step because they instinctively know that they would lose themselves in the process, the same way I knew any attempt to Ascend would’ve ended in failure before today’s events.

Luckily I have plenty of experience finding myself from all my bouts of crazy, which enabled me to surrender without losing control, which brings me to my current prayer. A last resort which should be working, except it isn’t. There’s no answer to my prayer just yet, but that doesn’t mean there won’t be one, only that I am doing something wrong because I feel like I should’ve gotten an answer already. So why am I being stonewalled? Because my prayer is too vague, too uncertain, too broad and all-encompassing. I made a call for help asking humanity to stand up against a shared foe, but I didn’t include any incentive to answer. Humans are typically pretty decent, but only a rare few are willing to stand up and do the right thing for no reward whatsoever. There isn’t much I can offer however, except to share why I believe we must all unite together and overthrow the Eternal Emperor, and when all is said and done, I hope this will be enough.

In other words, I need to focus my Will, clarify my Intent, and only then will the Heavens move to assist me. Perspective matters, but Intent is more important, one I have failed to clarify beyond a basic, “Gib halp, plz.”

So why do I need help? Besides the fact that I’m in over my head and about to die, because again, most people wouldn’t really care all that much. Well, some might, but how many would be willing to risk their own lives to help a stranger survive? That being said, even though I’m out here fighting for my damn life, that’s not the only reason I’m here. I don’t mean here in Shi Bei specifically, but here in general, as the person I am today. Like I said before, I could’ve walked away from all this at any point in time, stayed home in the mountains or sat safe in the Citadel and no one would’ve thought twice about it. But I didn’t. I chose to embrace my title as the Undying Savage, chose to fight for the title of Number One Talent, chose to share my ideas with the world and use my limited power and influence as Minister of Finance and Legate of the Outer Provinces, decisions which have brought me here, standing in the Natal Palace of a puppet to face off against a body-snatching immortal spirit who hearkens back to the dawn of the Empire.

Not solely because I wanted to be the hero, or even because I needed to be a hero. No, the truth is, I do what I do because at the end of the day, I want to make the world a better place. It’s that simple. Although the various trials and tribulations I’ve faced have brought me to many a dark place, and I complain about this shitty world more than most could stand to hear, the truth is, I love this world and the life I’ve made here, with all my friends, family, and floofs. It’s not perfect, but nothing ever is, so I have made it my mission to make this world the best it can be, with human rights, civil liberties, indoor plumbing, and all that other great stuff that I would rather not live without. Sure, I am often spurred on by the suffering I see, and I’ve turned a blind eye to plenty of suffering that I know I cannot fix, but I still do what I can when I can, and I don’t think that will ever change.

That’s why I stand against the Eternal Emperor. Truth be told, I don’t hate him, or at least I didn’t before he started taking on all of Zhen Shi’s mannerisms and threatening all my loved ones. I may have erred in kicking off the clone wars like I did, because as far as I can tell, Ying Zheng without Zhen Shi wasn’t that much of a monster. I mean, yea, he pretty much engineered the eternal war between the Imperials and Defiled, while treating the lives of his subjects like dirt, but all things considered, he wasn’t the worst option available. Now he’s talking about sacrificing whole armies in the name of progress and torturing everyone I hold dear, and I can’t help but feel like this is partially my fault. Then again, even if he wasn’t in the process of devolving into a deranged murder-hobo, I would still stand against him, because he is dead set on hindering humanity’s progress and the sole reason why I still shit in a pot. That alone should be enough to consign him to the darkest pits of hell, but there are other reasons to fight him too. The Eternal Emperor represents the immutable status quo, a bleak and unchanging future in which trials and tribulations continue without end, but more importantly, without progress. In contrast, I hold high hopes for the future, of this world and humanity both, hopes I dare dream of because I have seen further than my peers.

This is the Path I’ve chosen, one I convey as best I can through prayer and emotion by sharing all the reasons I need help, why I desire strength. To survive, but more than that, to ensure the survival of those I love and care for. That is why I pursue strength, but also because in a world which believes ‘might makes right’, the only way to have a voice at the table is to carry a big stick. I yearn for a day when that is no longer true, the same way I yearn for a day when there are no more slaves suffering under the whips of their oppressors, no more people going to bed hungry after a long day’s work, no more despots picking on the weak and growing fat off their labours, and no more educated nobles exploiting the masses for mere entertainment. I yearn for a day when I can be free from these conflicts to do as I please, but until such a time when all the above is true, that freedom will be denied me as I willingly fight for the freedoms of others. That is why I fight here today, because the Eternal Emperor stands before me as the Enemy of all mankind, a tyrant oppressor who would see us bound in the chains of suffering all for the sake of his misguided Balance. He is a manipulative despot who has played both sides to engineer so much death and suffering in the name of his own selfish progress, and it is long past time his reign comes to an end.

In short, today, I fight for freedom, freedom for the entire human race, for we have suffered the Eternal Emperor’s boot for far too long, and I invite the heroes of all humanity to fight alongside me.

The call goes out again, and the first to answer is a familiar face which appears at my side, one I saw only moments ago. Even though I was expecting something like this when I hatched my harebrained scheme, it still pains me to see my suspicions confirmed, almost as much as it warms my heart to know that Yazhu can be depended on in life as well as in death. The cobbler’s son was the first to come to my aid in JiangHu, and he is the first to come to my aid here today, clad in his Stormguard armour while waving a spectral copy of the bowtie-bunny banner he left behind alongside his cold, dead body on the ramparts of Shi Bei. Death hasn’t stopped his soul from answering my call however, but what pains me most is that I can tell that he’s not here because he believes in my cause. No, he’s here simply because Icalled, here to support me to the bitter end for better or for worse, because that’s all the reason he needs. He saw what I stood for long before JiangHu and decided I was a man worth fighting for, worth dying for, so even though he’s fought and died once already, he figured once wasn’t enough to repay the debt of gratitude he holds for me.

Except Yazhu owes me nothing, not in my books. I helped open a door, but he found the courage to walk through it and forged his Path all on his own, and now his loyalty has cost him his life, and might well cost him his soul as well.

Many other fallen Stormguards gather around my banner, but most of those who appear are wholly unfamiliar to me. Rather than armour and weapons, many of them wear simple clothes and carry a vast array of common implements, everything from shepherd crooks and pitchforks to fishing nets and threshing flails, though a good number of them carry the repeating crossbows they carried in life. These individuals were Irregulars no doubt, common men and women lacking the gifts of Heaven yet blessed with courage and determination unmatched. They saw the war efforts firsthand and knew what they faced, yet they steeled their nerves and joined up to run towards the problem, rather than away, because that’s what heroes do.

No small number of soldiers and Warriors form ranks alongside me, but many who’ve come to my aid make no effort to gather around my banner, and instead find their own place in the Void. Most are Warriors and look the part, so full of vim and vigour with their noble demeanours, an individualistic minded bunch who resent the Eternal Emperor’s oppression every bit as much as I do. Their desire for freedom is not lacking in comparison to mine, though their freedom is defined by their Dao, whereas I am the other way around. At the end of the day however, it matters not why they decided to come and fight at my side, only that they have, and for this, I am grateful. Though few in number compared to the soldiers, Stormguard, and Irregulars, I recognize most, if not all of them as famed Warriors one and all.

There’s the married Exarches Bralton and Eriene, resplendent in their tribal headgear wielding long spears measuring one and a half times their height, united together in death as they were in life and ready to fight alongside me for no reason other than our similar, rustic origins. That’s how they’ve always been, friendly and supportive to a fault, a simple and straightforward couple who fought for the betterment of the Empire because they love it as much as I do. Their carefree smiles tell me all this and more as they ready to fight alongside me once again, one last hurrah before they’re forced to part ways through the cycle of reincarnation.

The Fiery Star Song Qing twirls her signature meteor hammer overhead with eyes narrowed in the personification of wrath, while her hulking younger brother hovers protectively at her side, with head lowered and shoulders hunched to avoid being brained by her weapon. Neither one cares to spare me a glance, which tells me they’re not here for me. In fact, they fell before I even arrived in Shi Bei, the younger dying for the elder before she lost herself to grief, yet now they have returned to even the score now that the true Enemy has been revealed. This is personal for them both, and they will have their pound of flesh, or close to it as they can get, and I am in no position to be turning down their help, even if I wanted to.

Never one to stand out when he could blend in instead, I almost overlook Ryo Geom-Chi as I scan through the crowd, and I’m struck by a wistful sense of loss and regret for never having gotten to know the man before he was killed by a Half-Demon. Until now, I wasn’t even sure if he was really dead, because I only learned of it second-hand through Liang Wu Di’s magic mirror, but there is no longer any room for doubt. Though we never really sat down and got to know one another better, what I do know is that he seemed like a stand-up guy. Although he and Tam Taewoong got in a fight with Fung and BoShui their first day in Nan Ping, Geom-Chi never held it against them, nor did he ever treat me with any hostility or disdain that I so commonly get even from my allies. In fact, knowing what I know now, I like him even more, because I suspect he was against Seoyoon’s betrothal to Yong-Jin simply because he knew his sister was in love with Fung. That explains his absence from the meeting with Shuai Jiao and the Legate, though I wonder if they kept him away because they were worried he’d mess the plan up by warning me through Sending. Unfortunately, it’s too late to ask him now, but as I meet his piercing gaze from across the Void, I offer him a small nod of heartfelt respect and an unspoken promise to look after his loved ones should I make it out of this alive, because it's the least I can do for leading him to his death.

Northern Sentinels and former bandits who’ve ridden at my side since Sanshu. Western vagabonds without a home to return to who’ve found meaning in the promises I made. Southern soldiers here to serve a cause they don’t entirely believe in, yet fight for all the same. Central patriots defending their borders from a threat which has changed their way of life. Some I recognize at first glance, while others possess identities I can only guess at, for the appearance of their souls do not match the appearance they had in life. Situ Chi Gan, for example, whom I only recognize due to his longsword and cloak, a twin for the black and gold one Nian Zu wears bearing the Situ Crest. Ishin Ken Shibu is almost unrecognizable without the face paint, which he wore even into battle after I foisted the title of “Painted Dancer” onto him, a name he came to wear with pride. These men were never what I would call close allies, and were even at odds against me most of the time, but they both understand the value of putting aside grievances for the greater good.

A reasonable and impartial take, all things considered, and Bai Qi is nothing if not both. The Lord of Martial Peace stands apart from the rest, with a small cadre of loyal supporters who still follow him even in death, men and women who trusted him to lead them to victory time and time again, until he lost his Path. I can hardly blame him either, because everything Bai Qi worked for, fought for, all the peace and prosperity he dared to dream and hope for, all of those decades of lies came crashing down in the span of a single day. The Enemy he fought was nothing compared to the enemy he found within his ranks, the Mataram Clan working with the Defiled to serve up the West on a platter. In this moment of weakness, Bai Qi succumbed to his inner darkness, but judging by the palpable aura of serenity emanating from where he stands, it would appear that he has since come to terms with the Truth and found peace within himself, which is more than what most can ever hope for.

These are the heroes who answer my prayer, ones who fell upon the field of battle in Shi Bei and Meng Sha both. Imperials. Defiled. Nobles. Peasants. Warriors. Commoners. Thousands of souls belonging to the dead who’ve yet to move on and pass through the cycle of reincarnation, for their lingering grudges and unresolved grievances have kept them nearby, ready and eager to answer the call as soon as I made it. Less than I would like, yet more than I expected, for it requires a special sort of hero to fight on even after death, a true nobility of spirit that has won my admiration and respect.

The twin fires of courage and confidence burst up from within just in time for my Natal Soul to finish delivering his line, warning our foe that all those efforts were merely a distraction. Not entirely, since I was hedging my bets and hoping one of them would come up with something I could use to hurt the Eternal Emperor, but that still remains to be seen. Recalling all my remaining Natal Souls to me, I drop Concealment and reveal myself still standing high above the Emperor’s court alongside an army of heroic spirits I am honoured to stand with.

“Heroes of humanity,” I begin, pointing Unity at the Eternal Emperor as I unleash my Emotional Aura to bolster my allies and supress the puppeted souls of the Emperor’s court. “There stands our Enemy, an undying relic of ages past who works against us to hinder our Path by filling this world with needless suffering. He sees himself as the rightful sovereign of all mankind from now unto eternity, shepherd to a flock whom he guards from themselves, but he is nothing more than a blight upon humanity, a parasite feeding off us in the self-entitled pursuit of a lie, one I will not stand for any longer. I alone am not strong enough to defeat him, but together, united in purpose and intent, let us strike him down and free all of humanity from the shackles he has cast upon us.”

There is no cheer to follow my speech, no battle-cry to bolster our spirits, for there is no need. Here in the Void, we are all creatures of Spirit, some more than others, and as such, it is our emotions which speak loudest. Fury and rage come to the forefront first, a palpable wave that sets me back on my heels, followed by a collective determination to see this through to the end. Without flesh to hold them back, their indefatigable purpose shines through as we charge forth as one to do battle with the true Enemy of mankind, and though we are outnumbered, we are far from outmatched, for there is a marked difference between an enslaved puppet fighting because they must, and a heroic spirit fighting for a just cause.

And this is merely the first wave of supporters to answer the call, and I know there are still more to come, for the barrier between reality and the Void is one separated by time, meaning there are still others out there who have yet to hear my prayers.

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Eyes darting over to stare at one particular patch of sky, Lin-Lin squinted as hard as she could, but still couldn’t make out her beloved hubby, despite knowing he was right there.

Things had to be really, really bad though, because it sounded like he needed her help, but she was more than happy to lend a hand however she could. Even though she wasn’t a Warrior, Lin-Lin was still really strong ya, so if hubby needed help shouldering the Heavens, then she would do her best and give it her all, because hubby never, ever, ever liked to ask for help. It was so silly, his stubborn insistence on doing things his way and making all the mistakes himself, but at least he learned from them eventually.

Arms wrapped around Luo-Luo’s waist, Lin-Lin nuzzled into the tall woman’s embrace and rested her head against Noodle’s soft, supple body coiled underneath the dress. Opening herself up to the Heavens, she reached for Balance and yawned deeply as she always did, believing Luo-Luo would keep her safe, and from the way she moved an arm to shield her, Lin-Lin knew she’d guessed right. There was no helping it though, because hubby needed help and this was the only way Lin-Lin knew how to, which meant falling asleep on the battlefield even if it wasn’t the most convenient place to do so.

Grumbling under her breath as Noodle shifted under the dress, Lin-Lin held back a girlish giggle. So lewd, letting Noodle crawl around under there, but if it made them both happy, then who was Lin-Lin to judge?

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Holding the precocious Ancestral Hare close, Luo-Luo didn’t know whether to laugh or cry at the sight of Lin-Lin falling fast asleep mid-battle.

The poor girl had probably pushed herself too hard, running and jumping about the battlefield as if it were one of Lord Husband’s obstacle courses, only a thousand times more deadly, if not more. Wincing at the sight of her blood staining Lin-Lin’s dress, Luo-Luo fussed about for a clean handkerchief but came up short. Blood was supposedly notoriously difficult to wash out, or at least that’s what Sorya and Anrhi claimed, and Luo-Luo had no reason to doubt them. Oh how she hoped they were well in Meng Sha, and that they would get away before another Defiled army came to lay siege to the fortress once more. Though the battle was still not over and Luo-Luo’s spirit burned with courage and determination both, her body was unable to match her ambitions as her strength and vigor fell short. The pain of her abraded fingers was almost nothing compared to what the soldiers endured here today, but it still troubled her so, mostly because the pain kept her from playing in proper time since she kept flinching every time she plucked a string.

With nothing else left to her, Luo-Luo raised her eyes to the clear skies above as she hummed beneath her breath, for singing had never been her strong suit. It wasn’t that she couldn’t sing, more that there was nothing outstanding about her vocals, which contrasted all the more when paired with her phenomenal instrumentals. Though the song she hummed was every bit as in tune with the Heavens and the battlefield around her, Luo-Luo wasn’t sure why she’d chosen this specific melody which differed so greatly from the song she played on her zither. Not until her weary mind finally remembered where she’d last heard this tune, a silly little ditty with nonsensical lyrics which Lord Husband taught Tali to sing. A doting uncle he was, always full of smiles and hugs whenever he saw them, and Luo-Luo knew in her heart of hearts that he would be a fine father as well, assuming he ever saw fit to put a child in her belly. One only needed to look at the way he cherished his beloved pets, and looking after children could hardly be any different, right?

The worst part was she couldn’t even be angry about his refusal to bed her, because his reasons were so sweet and stupid, because he had long since won her heart, yet still he hesitated to take her. A wonderful, loving man, her Lord Husband, and Luo-Luo hoped he was doing well, though she knew not why she thought of him and this melody just now.

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The hound’s mournful, panicked howl gave the wolf a great fright, one which was doubled as he watched his packmate disappear before his eyes.

Blinking twice almost got him killed as the Demonic Divinity continued to fight, a feral thing of claws and fury which didn’t fight like man or beast. A tricksy one, especially since the wolf had fought only to distract it for the hound to Devour in one gulp, only for the floppy-eared glutton to miss his cue and disappear moments before he was to strike. Annoyed though he might be, the wolf was worried for the little hound, who was so silly and stupid that it belied all belief. How was it possible for a creature so innocent and inexperienced to conflict and competition to have survived long enough to attain Divinity? Once this battle was over and done with, he’d been planning on teaching his packmate how to better survive, but now he’d just up and vanished into thin air, leaving only a vague sentiment urging him to hurry up and follow along.

Swatting the Demonic Divinity aside, the wolf grumbled up a storm underneath his breath while struggling to come to a decision. Keep the Demon alive for his packmate to eat, or go on a killing spree and possibly ruin their hunt? Lashing out with a handful of Claw Intent, he crushed the Demon’s head with a single strike before moving onto his next target. No sense faffing about waiting for the hound to return, like a lovesick sea wife waiting by the docks for her sailor of a husband. If the hound missed out on his meals, well then he had no one to blame but himself, so maybe he would learn a thing or two about leaving his pack in the middle of a hunt.

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Eyes filling with tears of joy and pique both, Mila’s nose scrunched up into something halfway between a smile and a grimace. “Idiot,” she thought, hunkering down behind her shield and bracing for yet another boneshaking block, one she Deflected as much as she could yet still almost knocked her off her feet. Happy as she was to find that her beloved husband had remembered how to ask for help, she couldn’t help but resent his poor choice of timing, or the vague manner in which he asked without any words or instructions to follow. What sort of help did he need? A Chi infusion like what Lin-Lin shared earlier? If so, Mila had no idea how to go about doing so, especially since she had no idea where Rain was at the moment. Was he nearby, fighting Zhen Shi in Concealment? He had to be, and if he was here asking for help with his hat in hand, then his fight most certainly wasn’t going well. Oh how she wished he would stop being an idiot and just say what he needed, but he persisted with his vague impression of required assistance without uttering so much as a word.

It was times like these when Mila wished she could fall head over heels in love with a woman, but much as she loved her sister-wives, she still preferred Rain’s affections. His roaming hands, his eager lips, his hungry stare, the mere thought of this was enough to send a chill down her spine and set fire to her loins. A craving she could do without at this very moment, and one she lacked the energy to sate even if the battle ended this very moment, not that she thought Rain would even want her. Not only had she been stuck fighting in Shi Bei for the better part of fifteen days, she couldn’t remember the last time she bathed, because unlike those blessed to serve in Meng Sha, there wasn’t enough water to go around for parching throats, much less washing faces.

A sense of lust and amusement washed over her, emanating from Rain rather than from within, and Mila chortled at his perverted conduct which hinted at the depths of his love and lacking standards both. Oh how she loved him so, even if he frustrated her to no end, and she only hoped he would continue to frustrate her until their dying days. Or his, if she was being practical, but Mother forbid those days come too soon, for Mila was far too young to be a widow just yet.

And just like that, whatever help Rain needed was provided and brought away, though Mila still had no idea what she’d done, and she gave it no mind as she turned her focus back to the Half-Demon trying to kill her.

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Emotional Aura was a godsend from the Mother Above.

This Song wholeheartedly believed. There were no words exchanged, no pleasantries to feign, no courtesies to observe or body cues to remember. All it took was a brief moment of emotion to convey their respective intents, a second moment to parse through them, and then Rain was off with whatever he needed from Song to go about his day. All he needed was her trust, which he’d long since acquired, and then she sent him off with her best wishes to do whatever it was that needed to be done. The details were unimportant, nor was she worried regarding his ultimate fate, because Rain was brimming with courage and determination, which meant no matter the outcome, he will have given it his all. Victory or defeat lay in the hands of the Heavens now, and as the Mother’s Chosen Son, Song suspected Rain would emerge triumphant soon enough.

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The left flank might soon fold, so Yan dispatched a Wind Blade to support them, a finger-length sliver of Honed Air that hammered clean through the leading Half-Demon’s face.

As her target dropped like a sack of rice, the other Half-Demons faltered and eyed her from afar, unsure where the attack came from but fairly certain she was responsible for their comrade’s death and wholly unwilling to become her next target. A good thing too, because she didn’t have too many more of those Wind Blades left to give, not unless sweet lovable Lin-Lin came back with another refreshing top-up of Chi for Yan’s Core. The Enemy didn’t know that however, and it kept them mostly in line as she supported her soldiers to hold the wall against these powerful armoured invaders. Though seemingly an improvement from your bog-standard Defiled in every possible way, Yan found that these elite Half-Demons were far easier to manage than the crazed masses of Defiled or hordes of fearless Demons who came pouring in without end. The Half-Demons were still human yet, retaining control of enough of their minds to feel fear and dread. A good thing too, because if not for their human failings, they might well have overrun all of Shi Bei, as only their unwillingness to die for this forsaken city of sand kept them from slaughtering the defenders to the last.

It was obvious at first glance to anyone with Officer’s training, that a proper commander could easily have guided the Enemy Half-Demons to victory. They only had to coordinate and break through in a handful of strategic and eye-catching areas to deal a deathblow to Imperial morale, and fleeing soldiers were much easier to kill than ones willing to fight. A good thing Bai Qi was dead and gone then, and his chosen second sorely lacking in terms of command. It was either the handsome Mao Jianghong with his icy aloofness, or the even more handsome exile who sired Rain. Now that she knew how good he could look, Yan was eager to head home and stuff her husband’s face until he grew fat, or at least filled out to match Gerel’s strapping physique, which she wouldn’t mind a taste of. Rain would hate that, jealous man that he was, and while Yan would never do anything untowards without his blessing, there was a devilish temptation glowing about Gerel now that she knew he was Rain’s brother by blood.

Seriously. Brothers. What woman could say no to that? Yan was even willing to let Rain have a go with Yuzhen, if that’s what it would take.

Offering her beloved husband’s presence a teasing smirk, Yan inwardly fluttered her eyelashes in feigned innocence, knowing how much he loved her wilder side and how it ignited his competitive streak. Though having long since resigned to spending the next century as a one-man woman, she didn’t begrudge him for his limits, though she would be lying if she claimed she wasn’t envious of his harem and yearned to have one of her own to match. It was all in good nature, because she knew her husband well, and knew that he would never intentionally do anything to disappoint her. Any unintentional mistakes would be quickly corrected as well, and he would rather die than see them hurt, which was partially why Yan had been willing to marry him in the first place, a decision she would never regret, so long as she should still draw breath.

A blown kiss and a warm hug, that was the sentiment she welcomed him with, and sent him off in the same breath. Whatever his trials and tribulations, there wasn’t much she could do to help besides whatever it was he just did, so he would have to overcome them on his own. There was no need to worry though, because she had every confidence in him, and so long as her soldiers held and the Enemy remained leaderless and without direction, then it was only a matter of time before the siege of Shi Bei was lifted.

Now wouldn’t that be a pleasant surprise, for Rain to come flying to the rescue only to realize that Yan and the others had already solved the issue at hand. Her beloved fool of a husband had enough on his plate, so she was determined to ease his burdens by winning the battle between mortal powers before he made his triumphant return.

Another Half-Demon was about to gain the upper hand, so Yan sent another finger-length Wind Blade his way with a flick of her finger, marveling at just how practiced she’d become. “Hold just a little longer,” Yan bellowed, speaking to herself and her flagging soldiers at the same time. “Victory will soon be in our grasp!”

Mother in Heaven, she hoped that was true, because Yan had never been more exhausted.

Chapter Meme 1

Chapter Meme 2

Chapter Meme 3