Chapter 527 - 455: An Everlasting Reputation

Chapter 527: Chapter 455: An Everlasting Reputation

Ling Province.

Under a large willow tree.

Figures were scattered about a roadside tea stall. A crowd had gathered around an old blind man, and the crisp sound of a pipa, like pearls of jade falling onto a platter, rang out.

"He tells of the Zhenxi Army, and of our Jiedu Envoy, Lord Bai! To save the people of Xuan Yang from fire and water, to spare them the cruelty of the Ximo barbarians, he knew a great war was coming, yet he insisted on staying..."

"When the battle between the two sides reached a stalemate, Lord Bai took a mere thousand cavalry, charged a thousand li deep into the heart of Ximo, and in four days, he conquered four kingdoms, erecting a skull pyramid..."

"By the time the Ximo reinforcements arrived, all they could find were the withered bones of their own Sovereign. There was no trace of our Lord Bai."

...

The crowd of Lingzhou People listened, utterly captivated.

This time, the storyteller didn’t pull the cheap trick of ’and we’ll hear what happens next time,’ but instead told the story to its conclusion without interruption.

This was only because the story’s protagonist was none other than the great, righteous lord of Shuofang.

And because the protagonist was Ling Province’s own Jiedu Envoy, the sense of immersion was absolute.

That Lord Bai’s heroic deeds in Shuofang were already innumerable.

But no one expected him to go to Ximo and cause such a massive stir.

This was a feat worthy of being recorded in the annals of history. When future generations spoke of this great deed, they would surely mention the Shuofang Jiedu Envoy, and perhaps even add that he was once the Lingzhou General.

From now on, the Lingzhou People could walk with their heads held high wherever they went.

On the outermost edge of the crowd, three young men wore strange expressions.

"I feel like there’s some exaggeration in this story."

"I think so too."

A person nearby overheard their conversation and shot them a disdainful look. "You must be from out of town. For a man like Lord Bai, who is practically an Exiled Immortal, performing such a heroic feat is only natural."

"..."

"Fair enough."

The man who appeared to be the eldest of the three didn’t argue further.

"Brother Lu, it seems we’ve still underestimated Ah Yuan."

"Tsk tsk, we have to make him treat us to drinks another day. Damn it, this is fame that will last for ages! No, it has to be four meals!"

Lu Yu grumbled.

Yang Fangyu agreed.

The two of them hadn’t followed Bai Yuan to Ximo, having remained behind in Ling Province. It was only the day before yesterday that they received intelligence from the Zhenxi Army and learned of Bai Yuan’s heroic feat in Ximo.

A general’s ultimate triumph.

This was the dream of countless men.

And just like that, Bai Yuan had made it a reality.

It’s not that you’re afraid of your brother suffering, you’re afraid of him getting rich overnight. Jealousy twisted their features.

After this battle, no matter what Bai Yuan did in the future, his name being recorded in the annals of history was already a certainty.

A soul-stirring, thousand-li raid like this wasn’t seen more than a few times in ten thousand years.

Even if the common people forgot, the army certainly never would.

A legacy for the ages!

...

Meanwhile.

Xiao Qiaoniang led her son, Bai An.

"Master, please have some tea."

She presented a cup of warm tea to Dong Wanjun.

Dong Wanjun took a sip.

With Bai Yuan away, it was her duty as his wife to serve his master well. This was a matter of filial piety.

A rare smile graced Old Dong’s face. "That boy... He wins a great victory and doesn’t even know to come home sooner. Still dawdling in Ximo. When he gets back, I’ll be sure to give him a good talking-to for you."

Xiao Qiaoniang smiled gently. "Master, Brother Yuan is busy with important matters."

At that moment, Bai An lifted his small head.

"Mama, what important matters is Papa busy with? Why does Grandmaster want to punish Papa?"

Hearing Bai An’s innocent words, Old Dong grew even more cheerful.

"Good An’Er, Grandmaster isn’t going to punish your papa."

Xiao Qiaoniang covered her mouth and chuckled softly.

They had known about Bai Yuan’s heroic feat in Ximo for some time and were overjoyed, especially Old Dong.

As the Grand General of the North, he was well-versed in military affairs. He was delighted from the bottom of his heart that Bai Yuan could pull off such a beautiful and satisfying victory.

When a disciple becomes accomplished, the master is naturally overjoyed.

Moreover, after this battle, the entire northern and northwestern frontiers of Xuan Yang would be able to enter a period of temporary peace.

...

The situation in Ximo was changing by the second, but the only certain outcome was chaos.

Having lost their Sovereigns, the four kingdoms were already in turmoil.

It was a time of both internal strife and external threats.

The surrounding nations all hoped to swallow this juicy piece of meat, while the Zhenxi Army’s undercover agents fanned the flames of chaos.

Aside from dealing with a few sand pirates, the Zhenxi Army saw no more battles.

"Train harder! If you’d trained properly, would you have been in such a pathetic state that night?!"

An officer was drilling his soldiers.

An old man and a young man walked through the Martial Arts Arena.

"When are you leaving?"

Xu Dingchun looked at Bai Yuan.

Although he was very fond of his grand-disciple, he also knew that Bai Yuan was now the de facto King of the North and could not stay with the Zhenxi Army for too long.

Bai Yuan was silent for a moment.

"Tomorrow."

Xu Dingchun nodded. "Good. You should go back."

During the time of the great battle in Ximo, the situation in the Central Plains and Jiangnan had gradually stabilized.

The two Princes, Li Dai and Li Kang, had each declared themselves emperor, creating a stalemate in the Central Plains. In addition, a rebel army secretly supported by Xuankong Temple and the Zhengyang Sect was also gaining momentum.

Aside from these three factions, many other powers had chosen to wait and see.

Now that the Northern Territory’s power was growing stronger by the day, it was becoming difficult to simply sit on the mountain and watch the tigers fight.

「The next day.」

Bai Yuan left Ximo alone on horseback.

...

Lingzhou.

In a dilapidated alley overflowing with sewage.

A dozen or so children who looked like little beggars were squatting in a relatively clean spot, listening with serious faces as a shabbily dressed young man gave a lesson.

"The people are the most important element; the state comes next; the ruler is the least important."

...

"Therefore, when Heaven is about to place a great responsibility upon a person, it will first test their heart and will, toil their muscles and bones, starve their body, impoverish their person, and confound their every action."

...

The children listened, completely bewildered.

If their parents hadn’t thought this Mr. Li before them was an incredible scholar and driven them here with willow switches, they wouldn’t have come at all.

However, some of the slightly older children still managed to grasp some of the meaning.