Chapter 579 - 281: Yue Linglong

Chapter 579: Chapter 281: Yue Linglong

As the saying goes, word gets around.

It only took a few days for the incident at the Fragrant Pavilion to become the talk of the town.

Barbarians! The kind who drink blood and eat raw flesh, with the strength of bulls and tigers!

"Hey! Did you hear? They say he was the number one general under the Barbarian King! The Red King killed him in the blink of an eye!"

"Nonsense! I was secretly watching from outside the door. That Barbarian looked like a young tiger! The whole building shook when he lifted his leg, that’s how fierce he looked! And then you know what happened? The Red King blew a single breath, and the Barbarian just died!"

"You’re lying! My uncle is a Chef at the Fragrant Pavilion, and he told me what really happened. What ’single breath’? The Red King just glanced at him! Just one look! The Barbarian’s eyes rolled back, his legs went stiff, and—holy crap—he was gone!"

The tales of the Red King grew more and more legendary with each telling.

Within days, the common folk were speaking of the Red King as an "Anti-Barbarian Hero," just like General Zheng in his time.

Beyond the inaccuracies that naturally arose from word-of-mouth, there was also an element of sentimentality fueling the story’s evolution.

As everyone knew, General Zheng had died twenty years ago in the war against the Barbarians.

He was a hero.

Many of the common people in the area had watched Zheng Xiu grow up.

As a child, Zheng Xiu would run around the streets in split-crotch pants, happily calling everyone "Uncle" and "Auntie." He was like a child to the entire community.

Later, when Zheng Xiu didn’t follow in his father’s footsteps by joining the military or government, instead becoming a merchant, many sighed with regret, believing the loyal spirit of the Zheng Clan had died out.

Now, Zheng Xiu had become the Red King. The neighborhood folk were genuinely happy for him, so when the news of "the Red King killing a Barbarian with a single breath" spread, it was as if a long-held wish of theirs had finally been fulfilled.

It was as if they were witnessing the revival of General Zheng’s lost Will within Zheng Xiu. They were watching a small sapling grow, step by step, into a towering tree. A sense of accomplishment, akin to "passing the torch," swelled in their hearts—the joy of seeing something you’ve nurtured grow strong.

Now that the tale of Zheng Xiu thrashing a Barbarian had spread, it was as if they were watching a second General Zheng rise through the ranks... No, a Prince. The heights Zheng Xiu had now reached far surpassed those of his father, a fact that brought them immense comfort.

Carried by Wandering merchants and spread by word of mouth, the stories of the Red King flew as if on wings, reaching every corner of the northern lands in just a few days.

Naturally, all this commotion didn’t escape Zheng Xiu’s notice. When he heard about it, he felt a bit helpless. He had considered having someone try to tamp down the rumors, but once public opinion starts to ferment, it’s like a wildfire, impossible to extinguish. He couldn’t just forcibly silence everyone; that would only be counterproductive.

Another seven days passed.

The weather had warmed slightly, but a crisp autumn chill, a prelude to winter, remained. The fallen leaves were withered and yellow.

「Red King Mansion.」

Mao’er, bored out of her mind, nibbled on a fried fish cake. She watched the courtyard full of fallen leaves, taking an occasional CRUNCH to relieve the monotony. Her bright green eyes were fixed on the straight, tall back of the figure in the courtyard.

Inside, Feng Bei was doing her makeup in front of a mirror, applying a light touch of powder. When it came to her hair, however, she found herself caught in a dilemma: should she wear a ponytail, or style it into a married woman’s bun?

She and Zheng Xiu were now husband and wife in practice, so wearing her hair in a bun would be perfectly natural. But they weren’t officially married yet. To wear it now seemed somewhat improper, as if she were claiming a status that wasn’t rightfully hers.

「In the courtyard.」

Zheng Xiu was practicing his swordsmanship.

Despite the uproar outside, he remained true to himself, never forgetting to grind for his Path and practice his Skills.

’Strength and wealth are the foundation of everything. Things like being a Prince, like status... they’re nothing but Aerial Pavilions, floating clouds in the sky. A flower in the mirror, the moon’s reflection in water—they shatter at the slightest touch.’

The Great Emperor’s decision made Zheng Xiu feel inexplicably anxious and agitated. He had a large household and many responsibilities now; he was no longer alone. Once war broke out, the repercussions for his Zheng Clan would be immense and unavoidable.

These past few days, Zheng Xiu had even started thinking about an "exit strategy."

"Sigh."

With a soft sigh, Zheng Xiu closed his eyes and stomped his foot. The garden’s fallen leaves instantly swirled into the air, dancing and fluttering.

"Go."

The longswords scattered around him began to hum and vibrate, then rose eerily into the air. A hundred blades spun, their reflections flowing like light. In an instant, after a flash of cold light, every single leaf floating in the air was split in two along its veins before fluttering back down.

WHOOSH—

The pulsating hum of the swords subsided, and Zheng Xiu let out a long breath. He frowned as he looked at the fallen leaves in the courtyard, seemingly a little dissatisfied.

’Controlling the Sword with Intent?’

Zheng Xiu carefully savored the memory of the true Heaven and Earth Sword Intent. The strike he had delivered when he fought the Crow Fosterer—while under the effects of a Miracle Technique, locked in a Life and Death Struggle—that was the real Heaven and Earth Sword Intent. He’d had an epiphany then, and by using it to attempt Controlling the Sword with Intent, he could at best get incredibly close to that Sword Intent. He found it impossible to replicate that strike one hundred percent.

Zheng Xiu recalled the description of the [Heaven and Earth Sword Intent].

The Nameless Sword Saint had spent three hundred years fusing "countless moves" into "no moves." It seemed there was no shortcut to mastering this thing.

’Theoretically speaking, I must be missing that specific state of mind.’

’It requires both the "Heartless Ultimate Sword" and the "Compassionate Kindness Sword." Only by fusing two completely different Sword Intents can one achieve "Unity."’

Zheng Xiu beckoned with two fingers, and a longsword flew up, spinning in the air above his palm as if it were alive.

He watched the ordinary longsword hovering over his palm and sighed in resignation, "After all, you can’t expect the same results from a move that uses Krypton Life and one that doesn’t."

"When you add the ’Restriction’ of being in a Life and Death Struggle, on the verge of death, it’s understandable that the power output would be a billion times stronger."

After practicing for a while, Zheng Xiu grew tired.

’Can’t afford to wreck my body.’

He sat down next to Mao’er, picked her up, and enjoyed the feeling of the warm sunlight blanketing his body.