Chapter 19: Deep Ruins |
[August 16th, 2018] . . .
The marriage delay was a hot topic of discussion in both realms. In fact, it had practically become a joke. But on the tenth day of postponement, a shocking event occurred. General Zi Xià, who had been sent to the border by the emperor, had desperately ridden back and relayed news that frightened everyone. The seal over the Ruins ruptured and many minor monster beasts escaped.
Fortunately, the only major monster to escape the rift was a barely formed scorpion-tailed fox. However even with just the one, the army barracks and troops garrisoned suffered serious damage and injuries. General Zi Xià’s condition was so bad that he couldn’t even make it into the palace. He took his final breaths seated on his mount after passing on the information.
General Mò Fāng remained behind to defend the border, refusing to allow any of the monsters entrance into the Demon realm. The situation was grave and urgently needed to be dealt with.
After being informed, the emperor immediately gave the order to properly bury General Zi Xià. He also dispatched a messenger to notify the Immortal realm.
Shěn Lí was in the palace discussing official business and naturally overhead everything. She slapped the table in anger while saying, “Why wait and inform the Immortal realm! Our troops will suffer while we wait for that useless group. Shěn Lí requests permission to take troops for reinforcements!”
The emperor remained silent, not saying anything.
In the hall were also three veteran generals. One with white hair weighed in on the matter saying, “Your Majesty, I understand your misgivings about sending Her Highness out, what with the impending marriage, however the situation is urgent. Although there are many generals who can fight, not many of them have experience fighting the monsters. Her Highness is one of the few who does. I would ask that Your Majesty agree to her request to bring troops to guard the boundary.”
The emperor tapped his finger on the tabletop. “Shěn Lí.”
“You are not allowed to set foot out of your residence for this month.”
Shěn Lí couldn’t believe what she just heard. She raised her head and glanced at the three old generals hoping they would intervene. They looked back at her but remained silent. Still unwilling, she said, “Your Majesty, the border!”
“Regarding the chaos at the border, General Shàng Běi will go and investigate, and if the monsters can not be subdued, then they will delay long enough for the Immortal realm’s dispatch to arrive. . . ”
“Argh! he Immortal realm this! The Immortal realm that! Does Your Majesty really want to be the Immortal realm’s puppet?!” Shěn Lí exclaimed indignantly. Then, she completely disregarded etiquette and slammed the door on her way out.
The hall remained in shocked silence until the emperor asked, “Three generals, do you think I made an error?”
“Your Majesty has misgivings,” sighed one of the old generals. “Her Highness is young and reckless and does not take the time to consider things thoroughly, but Your Majesty should rest assured that Her Highness will one day understand.”
“Hm.” The eyes behind the mask were exhausted. “One day.”
. . .Shěn Lí took the opportunity to look inside the still unsealed coffin of General Zi Xià’s. She saw blue greenish lines marking his face and black discoloration on his fingertips. The medical doctor said they were caused by the poison from the scorpion-tailed fox. With Zi Xià’s ability, it should not have been fatal, but because he refused to rest and had pushed his body to the brink in order to relay the information, the poison was able to reach his heart and turn fatal.
Shěn Lí clenched her teeth and listened to the analysis in silence. Her brother staked his life to bring the news back. He exchanged it in order to get their brothers at the boundary reinforcements, but instead of immediately setting out with help, the emperor wanted to wait for the Immortal realm! Zi Xià wouldn’t have wanted this! They needed to spend their energy subduing the ya shou! Informing the Immortal realm could come later! If their speed could save even one life it would be worth it.
Her hands clenched into tight fists as she looked at his stiff frozen lips. She understood how he must have felt and the relief of having completed the mission before dying on his mount. But the emperor. . . Shěn Lí ground her teeth.
The person in charge of the mourning hall wanted to lift the coffin and move it to the center, but Shěn Lí held onto it from one side and it prevented him from doing so.
“Your Highness?”
Shěn Lí bit her finger until the skin broke and blood came out. Then she clapped her hand on top of the coffin leaving a heavy smeared bloody print on the outside of it. “Shěn Lí will fulfill your wish.” With that she turned and resolutely left.
Shěn Lí made a beeline for the birdcage the moment she entered her residence. She threw the door open and pulled Parrot roughly out, practically suffocating him. Ròu Yā was standing to the side when all this happened. Upon seeing it she braved death and grabbed Shěn Lí’s arm to stop her.
“Ah! Highness! Parrot will die!”
“The bird I raise wouldn’t be so useless as to die. Leave, close the door and keep watch.”
Ròu Yā looked at Shěn Lí oddly. She was frightened, but in the end did as commanded, exiting the room and standing guard by the door. Shortly after she saw a brilliant light peeking through the slits in the door frame, following which she heard Shěn Lí speak.
“I am going into seclusion starting today. It doesn’t matter who they are, refuse anyone who wants to meet with me. I will not be coming out early for anyone.”
Why the sudden desire to go into seclusion? Ròu Yā thought it was strange and she scratched her head puzzled. She somehow found the courage to push the door open, thinking that she would just take a quick peek inside. Suddenly she felt something squeeze by her foot! Looking down she saw that it was a featherless Parrot! It seemed much more spirited and was bouncing his way to the living area.
Eh?! Wasn’t Her Highness sorting out Parrot? She pushed the door farther and was about to step inside when she noticed Shěn Lí’s figure seated on the sofa in a meditative pose. She was indeed meditating in seclusion. Not wanting to disrupt her, Ròu Yā quickly retreated and closed the door. She looked around for Parrot, but couldn’t find him anywhere.
Ròu Yā didn’t know at that very moment Parrot was getting ready to meet the troops after ambushing a low-ranking soldier. Parrot changed his appearance to mimic the soldier after stealing his clothes and command token.
Concurrently, Chì Róng was at the Demon emperor’s castle giving his report. “Your Majesty, Her Highness has left the city walls. Qīng Yán is trailing her. Does Your Majesty want us to bring her back?”
The lips behind the silver mask were still for a moment before sighing and saying, “Just follow her.”
. . .Although the army’s pace was fast, it still took them two days before they reached the border. Despite only being a small crack in the seal, there was still enough miasma leaking out that the entire camp was shrouded in it. Those with weak qi vomited. They weren’t in any shape to go into combat, and though they felt guilty, were forced to stay behind.
Mò Fāng’s troops had kept the scorpion-tailed fox about three miles from the border by surrounding it and hindering its movements. Even those seasoned soldiers long accustomed to killing monsters became weak at the knees when they heard the howl of the scorpion-tailed fox for the first time.
The monsters sealed in the Ruined Abyss were indeed far more difficult to deal with.
Shěn Lí clenched her hands into fists as she remembered Zi Xià’s appearance in the coffin.
“Line up!” General Shàng Běi shouted. The recently arrived troops from the capital immediately lined up in formation. One soldier at the end of the line disobeyed and instead walked over to Shàng Běi. ”Failure to obey commands. Thirty lashings!”
Shěn Lí took off her helmet and looked up at the general. “General Shàng Běi, Shěn Lí requests permission to join the battle.”
“Your. . . Your Highness?”
Her appearance immediately caused a commotion and an uproar went through the troops. Everyone knew the identity of Azure Sky king, Shěn Lí; it was a name synonymous with victory. The troop's morale immediately rose.
Although seeing this made General Shàng Běi happy, he knew Shěn Lí was currently engaged to be married. On top of that, everyone knew the emperor had emphatically refused to let her fight. This put Shàng Běi in a bind.
“Your Highness, the emperor did not give permission for Your Highness to enter battle. This servant does not dare. . . ”
Shěn Lí didn’t give him a chance to finish before interrupting with, “General Shàng Běi, I’m already here and I refuse to leave empty handed. In a few days the monsters’s skull shall be mine to grind into the ground.”
This speech stunned the troops into silence. For a moment, so was Shàng Běi. When he finally came to a decision, he reigned in his mount, raised his sword in the air and shouted, “To battle!”
Shěn Lí rode Shàng Běi’s side. “Many thanks to general for allowing me to join.”
“Your Highness, if this servant had not agreed, what would have happened?”
“I would have knocked you out and commandeered your troops to fight the monsters.”
Shàng Běi laughed bitterly. “As I thought . . .”
. . .As they got closer to the Ruins, the miasma became thicker and the roar of the monsters became clearer as it ripped through the air. Everyone was shocked. Once the troops came into line of sight of General Mò Fāng, they saw a gigantic fox like beast monster with a tail like a scorpion. The fox ya shou was in the middle of trying to inject Mò Fāng with poison from its tail when it saw the new troops appear. It hissed and roared. Drool dripped from its open mouth through jagged teeth, sizzling a hole through the sand and stones and corroding the earth underneath. An overpowering thick greasy smell lingered in the air.
The troops surrounding the scorpion-tailed fox were clearly exhausted and barely able to stand with their blood covered bodies. The only still mobile figure was Mò Fāng. He stood at the front taking the initiative to attack.
General Shàng Běi yelled, “To battle!”
Shěn Lí, with her spear already materialized, launched forward in the direction of the scorpion-tailed fox before it even opened his mouth.
Her aim was true and the spear embedded directly in the center of the fox’s forehead, jamming an immense amount of magical energy straight into its brain. In pain, it hissed up at the sky and whipped its tail toward Shěn Lí in a effort to stab her. Shěn Lí pulled the spear out and flipped over in midair and immediately used it to block the attack. After landing, she circled back around and stabbed the fox in the belly.
Its responding howl was so sharp and piercing it nearly broke the eardrums of those present.
Mò Fāng barely missed being squashed by its claws as it slammed it down in rage. Shěn Lí vaulted over and shoved Mò Fāng hard enough to send him nearly three feet away. She steadied her stance and crouched down in a half squat. Then with a roar she stabbed her spear through the fox’s foot, causing blood to spray out and dying her red.
In the confusion, the scorpion-tailed fox managed to retreat.
Mò Fāng stared dazededly at the scene with hope on his face. To Shěn Lí he said, “Your Highness.”
Shěn Lí tilted her head slightly and glanced over at him. She could see that his armor was completely destroyed and his entire upper body was encrusted in blood, yet he looked on with hope. Every soldier there had the same look in their eyes as well. Looking down, she could see the ground was littered with the cold dead bodies of her brothers in arms.
Shěn Lí clenched her teeth. She held her spear so tightly her knuckles were white. “I’m sorry. . . I arrived late.”
This negative mood didn’t last long. Shěn Lí strode forward. With her silver spear in hand, she stood in the wind on the sandy ground silently for a moment before declaring, “To all you insignificant lesser demons who dared to intrude, this king will annihilate each and every one of you!”
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