Chapter 235: A Vessel

The moment General Sheng realized the chest was missing, his attention shifted entirely toward the forest surrounding them.

He could care less about General Han Zheng and the weapons. That chest was his main reason for intercepting the convoy.

"Search every wagon," he ordered. "Search every road, even the surrounding woods. I want that chest found right now!"

His soldiers immediately followed.

Several men abandoned their positions and rushed towards the convoy, tearing open crates and searching beneath broken wagon boards. The others entered the forest to search for it.

General Han Zheng noticed the momentary distraction from where he stood in front of his men. From across the formation he watched General Sheng’s formation loosen.

The man who had commanded his soldiers with such precision only moments ago was suddenly looking everywhere except at the imperial army standing directly before him.

"He’s distracted," General Han Zheng mused, but he didn’t stop to think of what could’ve been so important that General Sheng no longer cared about their fight.

Still— he was an opportunist, and so no better time to strike than that moment.

One of his commanders glanced at him. "Should we advance, General?"

Han Zheng tightened his grip around his sword. "Now!"

The imperial army charged forward, and the mountain road erupted. Horses thundered across the earth as hundreds of soldiers surged forward, their weapons raised.

General Sheng’s men barely had time to turn before the first imperial soldiers crashed into their formation.

Hard steel struck steel, shouts filling the air as they attacked each other. That was when General Sheng’s attention was dragged back to his advancing opponent.

He turned sharply, drawing his sword. "Hold the line!" His soldiers tried to reorganize but Han Zheng had already reached them.

The two armies collided with such force that the ground seemed to shake.

Han Zheng fought through the first line of General Sheng’s soldiers, his movement controlled and deliberate. Every strike was aimed to kill, his sword spilling blood in its wake.

"Protect the convoy!" he shouted as they pushed forward.

The general watched them fight, occasionally defending himself when the enemy got too close. His eyes lifted to the forest again, only shifting back when the blur of a sword passed his peripheral vision.

He raised his sword just on time as Han Zheng’s sword struck toward him. Their blades met in a blinding heat, the impact forcing General Sheng several steps back.

"General Sheng," Han Zheng said coldly.

Sheng steadied himself. "General Han Zheng."

"You’ve attacked an imperial convoy, killed its guards and surrounded its shipment." He braced himself to strike again. "I’ll be taking you in for treason. Let’s see if you can fight your way out of a sentence this time. The late Empress protected you before, but now..."

General Sheng smiled. "Don’t you think you should be worried about having the weapons intact instead? Fighting me is a waste of time. Besides...the chest is missing."

Han Zheng’s brows furrowed in confusion. "What chest?" There should only be weapons. That was what Empress Lihua told him.

"OH—" General Sheng moved closer. "Looks like the Empress didn’t trust you enough to tell you about the treasure she was transporting back to the capital. Let me give you a hint then, out of the generosity of my heart."

That scheming woman! What else had she hidden from him? "What are you talking about?" Han Zheng asked instead.

Around them, smoke drifted between the wagons, carrying the metallic scent of blood and bitter stench of burned wood.

"Do you think I’ll waste my time here with you for mere weapons?" General Sheng asked in a teasing voice. "Think for once...what’s inside that chest is worth more than every weapon in this convoy combined."

General Han Zheng could feel his heart beat faster from uncertainty. "What is inside?"

Sheng paused for a second– "You really don’t know?"

For the first time his amusement faded. "You’ve spent years sitting beside the throne, General Han. You’ve watched Emperors die, watched princes scheme, watched kingdoms bleed for scraps of territory. And somehow you’ve never bothered to ask what actually makes a sovereign?"

Han Zheng raised his sword. "Enough riddles, get straight to the point."

"The throne doesn’t make a sovereign," Sheng replied. "You and I know that. After all, your family has guarded the location of the Sovereign relic for years."

Han Zheng looked at him like he had gone back. "You think the Sovereign relic is in that chest?" A smug smile crept into his face. "I’ll have you know that you’ve been greatly misinformed."

"Oh..." General Sheng turned his head to the side. "Have I?"

General Han Zheng nodded in response. He knew where the relic was located, and it was in fact right under the palace. But he wasn’t going to give that knowledge away.

"Let me enlighten you since you won’t be making it out of here alive," Sheng continued. "The chest contains the record of where the counterpart is hidden."

The smile fell off Han Zheng’s face. "Counterpart?"

General Sheng nodded. "The divine sword. It lies in the Blood Lotus Temple, and the chest has the cordinates." He laughed quietly. "It has been sleeping beneath the temple for ages."

General Sheng’s plan finally clicked in Han Zheng’s head. "You intend to use it to overthrow the Emperor."

"Looks like you’re finally using your God given brain." General Sheng’s expression turned cold. "I just need to take care of you first."

"And the girl?" Han Zheng looked past him, toward Ru Yi. "Of what use is her shadow ability in this grand plan of yours?"

"I’ve been preparing her for this." General Sheng’s voice became almost reverent. "The sovereign relic has been dormant for ages. It needs a vessel, someone capable of carrying its power without being destroyed by it."

Han Zheng stared at Ru Yi in disbelief. "And you believe it’s her?"

"I know it’s her," he replied with a smile. He stepped closer until only a few paces separated them. "Her shadow ability isn’t merely a spiritual technique. It’s the other half of the same ancient power that binds all the relics together."