Chapter 278: Returning to the Capital

“Lu Bai, the Grand General wants to see you.”

Just then, the voice of one of Chen Shihu’s Personal Guards came from outside the tent.

“Perfect timing. I’ll go with you.”

Mo Tang rose with Lu Bai and walked out of the tent, only to be stopped by two of Chen Shihu’s Personal Guards, who blocked her with their arms.

“The Grand General only summoned Lu Bai.”

The two guards, clad in black heavy armor, spoke in a stiff, cold tone. They wore fearsome masks that revealed only their eyes, which were fixed on Mo Tang. An extremely intense, murderous aura emanated from them!

If Mo Tang dared to make a single rash move, the two would strike without hesitation.

Mo Tang’s heart sank.

‘This is Chen Shihu’s military camp, after all. If a fight breaks out here, I don’t stand a chance of winning.’

Mo Tang looked at Lu Bai with some concern, afraid that something unexpected might happen.

At such a sensitive time, she didn’t know why Chen Shihu had summoned Lu Bai.

“Don’t worry, Lord Mo. I’ll be right back.”

Lu Bai offered a word of reassurance and followed one of the guards to Chen Shihu’s command tent.

The other guard remained in place, watching Mo Tang without moving an inch.

Upon entering the tent, Lu Bai saw Chen Shihu sitting brazenly in the center. On the desk before him, the bright yellow imperial edict with its gold-inlaid border had been torn in half.

Lu Bai was secretly speechless.

‘This Brother Chen really has a fiery temper,’ Lu Bai thought. ‘Tearing up an imperial edict just like that… In any of the Vassal States, that’s a capital offense.’

“Pack your things. Get ready to head back with the people from the Capital City.”

Chen Shihu got straight to the point as soon as he saw Lu Bai, giving a dismissive wave of his hand.

After a short pause, Chen Shihu added, “Oh, right. During this Golden Platform Martial Arts Discussion, you might run into a few tough opponents. Don’t you dare hold back. You must take first place! When you do, His Highness will surely grant you a personal audience and bestow upon you a title…”

Hearing this, Lu Bai’s heart skipped a beat.

Chen Shihu’s posture clearly indicated he was planning to carve out his own territory and declare himself king.

‘But he’s still insisting I go to the Capital City and participate in the Golden Platform Martial Arts Discussion. Is he trying to give me an opportunity to get close to His Highness… and assassinate him?’

‘Never mind whether it would even be possible—even if the assassination succeeded, I would never make it out alive.’

Just as Lu Bai’s mind was racing with wild thoughts, Chen Shihu suddenly let out a strange laugh. “Heh, the Capital City is in for a big show.”

Lu Bai snapped back to his senses and asked tentatively, “Brother Chen, do you have any other instructions?”

“Nope.”

Chen Shihu said casually, “Aren’t you good at stirring up trouble? Once you get to the Capital, just do as you please. Even if you cause some earth-shattering disaster, someone will be there to cover for you.”

‘What does he mean by that?’

Lu Bai was lost in thought.

‘Cause an earth-shattering disaster… is he hinting that I should assassinate His Highness?’

‘Does Chen Shihu already have arrangements in the Capital City, ready to support me at a moment’s notice?’

Lu Bai couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a hidden meaning behind Chen Shihu’s words.

A short while later, Lu Bai returned to his tent with a heavy heart.

Mo Tang quickly came forward and asked in a low voice, “Xiaolu, are you all right?”

“I’m fine.”

Lu Bai said, “Lord Mo, when are you returning to the Capital City? I’ll go back with you.”

“Hm?”

Mo Tang was taken aback.

Lu Bai couldn’t tell her the truth, so he used an excuse he had already prepared. “I just requested leave from the Grand General. I told him I wanted to visit my mother and would like to make a trip back to the Capital.”

“And Duke Chen agreed?”

Mo Tang found it a little hard to believe.

The same Chen Shihu who had been so arrogant and domineering in the tent earlier was actually this agreeable?

Lu Bai said, “It’s probably because I’ve earned some merits in the army and am now a Captain of the Fuhu Camp. That’s likely why he allowed me to return to the Capital to visit family.”

A strange look appeared on Mo Tang’s face. “It’s only been a little over half a year, and you’re already a Captain of the Fuhu Camp?”

Of the Eight Huben Camps, the Fuhu Camp is the foremost.

Each camp has four Captains.

To become a Captain of his rank, it meant one’s combat power had to surpass the camp’s other four Captains.

Mo Tang wasn’t surprised that Lu Bai possessed such combat strength.

After all, a True Master Golden Core had fallen to him outside Jingzhou City.

However, for Lu Bai to become a Captain of the Fuhu Camp in just half a year as a convict… that promotion speed was simply too ridiculous. It showed how highly the Huben Army regarded him.

‘I have to bring Xiaolu back to the Capital City this time. I can’t let him come back out here, lest he become inextricably entangled with the Huben Army.’

Mo Tang thought to herself, then asked casually, “Xiaolu, what’s your Cultivation now? How many Meridians have you opened?”

When she first sent Lu Bai to the border, Mo Tang remembered he was only at the Innate Seven Meridians.

Though half a year was a short time, with Lu Bai’s talent and constitution, opening another one or two Meridians should have been no problem.

Lu Bai hesitated for a moment before saying, “I’ve already stepped into the Golden Core Realm.”

There was no need to hide it from Mo Tang.

After all, he was going to participate in the Golden Platform Martial Arts Discussion, and his Cultivation Realm would be impossible to hide then.

Mo Tang froze. She frowned slightly, feeling as if she had misheard. She asked again, “Xiaolu, what did you just say? I didn’t hear you clearly.”

“Lord Mo, I have stepped into the Golden Core Realm.”

Lu Bai had no choice but to repeat himself.

Mo Tang was utterly astonished. She stared at Lu Bai, speechless for a long moment.

Since she hadn’t reached the Nascent Soul Realm and developed Spiritual Sense, she couldn’t see through his Cultivation as long as Lu Bai didn’t reveal his Blood Qi.

But Mo Tang never would have imagined that in just half a year, Lu Bai would go from the Innate Seven Meridians to condensing a Blood Qi Golden Core!

Not to mention, of the Innate Twelve Meridians, the later ones were progressively harder to open.

Just the threshold between Innate Realm Perfection and the Golden Core Realm alone was enough to stop countless people.

Back then, she had been stuck at Innate Perfection for over a decade before finding an opportunity to break through.

And Lu Bai wasn’t even eighteen yet.

A True Master Martial Dao at this age…

“What a pity.”

It was unclear what Mo Tang was thinking, but she suddenly let out a sigh.

“Why?”

Lu Bai was a little confused.

Mo Tang said, “If the Golden Platform Martial Arts Discussion were postponed by a few decades, not a single True Master Martial Dao of the younger generation in the entire Celestial Continent would be your match. First place would undoubtedly be yours. But as it is now…”

Lu Bai said, “I was planning on participating in the Golden Platform Martial Arts Discussion on this trip back to the Capital.”

“That’s different. You have, after all, only just entered the Golden Core Realm.”

Mo Tang shook her head. “This time, forget you—even I, who have cultivated to Golden Core Perfection, cannot defeat that person. Sigh. To be precise, no one in our Wu Dynasty is a match for that Shi Ang.”

“Oh?”

Lu Bai blinked and said with a smile, “Then I’ll just have to face him myself.”

Mo Tang thought Lu Bai was only joking and didn’t take it to heart. She sighed softly and said, “I heard that His Highness is also worried about this matter. It’s just a shame that throughout the entire Wu Dynasty, there is no one who can ease His Highness’s concerns.”

The two chatted for a bit, and by then, Lu Bai had finished packing.

All his luggage and important personal treasures were kept in his Storage Pouch, easily accessible and very convenient.

Having hit a wall with Chen Shihu, the envoys from the Capital City didn’t linger in the military camp and set off on their return journey that very day.

Lu Bai traveled alongside Mo Tang.

Half a year had passed. He wondered if the Wang and Luo Families were doing well.

He wondered how Ah Mo and Ah Ming were doing.

Before leaving, Lu Bai had left Black Dog and Ah Ming behind in Jingzhou City to protect the Wang and Luo Families.

Having not seen them for half a year, Lu Bai found himself missing them.

He wondered where Daoist Yu and Little Yun Luo were.

And he wondered how that boy, Shi Kai, was doing.