Chapter 597: Growth and Racing Against Time, the Great Retreat of Chen Cang |
At the Star Gathering Platform, after Li Xuanling had left.
Xia Yusheng immediately opened his eyes, his pupils darting around. He turned sideways and looked at Xia Yuyao, asking in a low voice, "Sister, what's your current base strength in Zong? Can you break through to the middle stage of the Warmth Realm this month?"
After opening her eyes, Xia Yuyao didn't answer immediately. Instead, she first sized up her younger brother, then shook her head and said softly, "The Blood Jade Beads that Father brought back completely repaired the previous defects in my skin membrane and flesh and blood. My progress in cultivation is inevitably much slower now.
My base strength is less than 1 Zong higher than yours, and I'm still less than 3 Zong away from the middle stage."
When she broke through to the Warmth Realm on the first day of the new year, her base strength was 8.8 Zong. To begin the second round of flesh and blood restructuring, her base strength needed to double, requiring 17.6 Zong. Her current base strength was exactly 15 Zong, indeed still a bit short of the middle stage.
Her younger brother, Xia Yusheng, had just broken through with 8.6 Zong. The requirement for the middle stage was 17.2 Zong, and his current base strength was just over 14 Zong. The gap between them wasn't large.
"Even you are still that far off, then it'll take me even longer. Half a year has passed and I haven't even broken through to the middle stage yet. The further you go, the slower the cultivation speed becomes. When will it be when I finally break through to the peak of the Warmth Realm? Could it be that we two really have to wait until we come of age and have our capping ceremonies before we can leave the Star Gathering Platform?"
Xia Yusheng's face was full of dejection. He had always been aware that his sister's aptitude was above his own. Hearing that Xia Yuyao hadn't broken through to the middle stage of the Warmth Realm either, he immediately felt that his prospects of leaving the Star Gathering Platform were distant and uncertain, and his whole being wilted considerably.
He couldn't be blamed for this. From the time he could remember until now, Xia Yusheng had left the Xia Palace a total of no more than five times. The most memorable one was probably the Great Xia Northern Expedition at the end of last year. He had originally been punished with confinement, but then his father returned early from Mo'ao Chuan, and his mother took them north to reunite with him.
Even before the Northern Expedition had ended, he had been constantly brewing the idea of leaving the Xia Palace, leaving the capital, to go see other territories of Great Xia, and even lands beyond Great Xia's borders.
Originally, it was going very smoothly. With his father's return from Mo'ao Chuan, Great Xia's Northern Expedition achieved a great victory, defeating the feudal towns and solidifying control over the Southern Foothills. His mother Li Xuanling's anger had also mostly subsided. He only needed to propose his request at the right moment, and everything should have fallen into place naturally.
But then developments took a sharp turn for the worse. First, the matter of Caiqiu's Marriage Alliance suddenly worsened his mother Li Xuanling's improved mood. On the way back to Xia City from Evergreen Valley at the beginning of the year, he hadn't dared to bring it up. Secondly, before they even returned to Xia City, while passing through the Bone-Erosion Path, the three of them, mother and children, were actually kidnapped by villains.
This kidnapping at the beginning of the year seemed somewhat inexplicable. Those three women didn't harm a hair on their heads the entire time and could even be considered polite. In the end, in that foreign dragon palace, their father appeared in time to rescue them. Since the entire kidnapping process was neither frightening nor dangerous, it could only be described as inexplicable.
Even so, thinking about those three people from the beginning of the year now, Xia Yusheng still gritted his teeth in anger.
The reason was simple. Because after escaping from Red Dragon Lake at the beginning of the year, Li Xuanling had directly issued a ban on him and his sister.
Moreover, this ban was even more excessive than previous ones. Before, they were still allowed to move freely within the Xia Palace and could occasionally wander around the areas of the three pavilions and eight departments outside the palace. This time, they couldn't even leave the Star Gathering Hall. To step outside the Star Gathering Hall, they either had to break through to the peak of the Warmth Realm or turn fifteen years old.
In Xia Yusheng's view, if it weren't for the good deeds of those three women at the beginning of the year, his mother Li Xuanling would never have imposed such a strict confinement order on them. How could he not hate them to the point of grinding his teeth?
"Father doesn't know how long he'll be in seclusion in that dragon palace. Only when he returns is there a possibility of making Mother change her mind..."
His father Xia Hong's return was the only solution Xia Yusheng could currently think of. It was just a pity that after escaping from that foreign dragon palace at the beginning of the year, his mother had directly sent people to escort them back to the Xia Capital. Later, when Li Xuanling returned, she only told them that their father was in seclusion in that dragon palace and would take a long time to emerge and return.
Xia Yuyao, wearing a jade-blue palace dress, sat cross-legged on a soft cushion. Her petite face was already beginning to show the contours of a beauty. Hearing her younger brother hoping for their father's return, a trace of worry flickered in her beautiful eyes. She then shook her head and said softly, "You're still hoping to go out? Have you already forgotten about the Tiger Nursing Forest incident so cleanly?"
Hearing the two words "Tiger Nursing Forest," Xia Yusheng's expression immediately stiffened, and he lowered his head into silence.
The Tiger Nursing Forest incident last year had dealt him an enormous blow. He was actually very clear in his heart that last year's kidnapping ultimately stemmed from his own desperate desire to go outside. Therefore, he bore some responsibility for Han Yue's death.
Just like the relationship between Li Xuanling and her maid Hanshuang, when Xia Yusheng was just learning to babble, Han Yue had been assigned by his mother Fang Tianqing to take care of him. It was no exaggeration to say that Han Yue, in some aspects, was even more like a mother than his biological mother, Fang Tianqing. After so many years of interaction with her, although not mother and son by blood, their bond surpassed that of mother and son.
The psychological blow dealt to him by Han Yue's death was unimaginable. Not to mention that he himself bore undeniable responsibility.
Making a child under ten years old bear all this was ultimately too heavy a burden. Therefore, whether it was his mother Fang Tianqing, his Second Uncle Xia Chuan, or Han Yue's husband, the Dragon Garrison Captain Commander-in-Chief Tie Xinchuang, and the other members of the Dragon Garrison, including his father Chencang who learned the details later, none of them ever uttered a single word of reproach towards Xia Yusheng from beginning to end.
Everyone's original intention was not to let the young Xia Yusheng bear too much, but they forgot that he was, after all, not yet ten years old, precisely the age with the greatest forgetfulness and the strongest desire to play.
From Xia Yusheng's current behavior of still hoping to go outside, it was clear he had not learned the lesson from the Tiger Nursing Forest incident. Or perhaps, half a year of dull life had already smoothed over his guilt towards Han Yue.
The words Xia Yuyao spoke now were like sharp arrows piercing his heart, tearing open the scar he had been trying to conceal or forget.
Seeing her younger brother hanging his head, his face full of guilt and self-blame, Xia Yuyao sighed softly in her heart. Her tone softened as she said gently, "Aunt Han Yue died to save you. You're not just living for yourself now. Caiqiu's truce with Great Xia isn't because they fear our Great Xia; it's because they have to deal with the even more ferocious tiger, Xia Jun.
Chief Attendant Sun just said that Chencang's army of a hundred thousand has retreated. You don't think the feudal towns have given up on our Southern Foothills territory, do you? What happened at Tiger Nursing Forest can happen a first time, and there will be a second. As long as the conflict between Great Xia and the feudal towns doesn't stop, kidnappings targeting you and me won't stop. If you still act willfully like before, and something similar happens again, the people who die won't just be one or two!
Mother confined us here to cultivate not only for our safety but also for the stability of Great Xia. If you really want to go out, then stay here obediently and cultivate. When you become strong enough that no one can threaten our safety, Mother won't stop you anymore."
Xia Yusheng remained silent, not replying, only his breathing becoming slightly heavier. Clearly, Xia Yuyao's words had struck a chord in his heart.
After a long while, he slowly raised his head, his eyes slightly red, and nodded heavily. "I understand, Sister!"
Hearing her younger brother's resolute tone, although Xia Yuyao felt satisfied inside, her tone couldn't help but soften further. "Don't think about it too much. Anyway, before Father returns, just stay here and cultivate with me."
"Okay!"
After agreeing, Xia Yusheng immediately closed his eyes and continued cultivating.
Xia Yuyao did the same, but after closing her eyes, she sighed softly in her heart.
"Second Uncle is so anxious to mobilize a large army to force Chencang back. I'm afraid Father isn't in seclusion cultivating in that dragon palace, but has encountered some accident and won't be back for a while."
Xia Yuyao was much more precocious than her younger brother. The story about their father being in seclusion cultivating in that dragon palace at the bottom of Red Dragon Lake could fool her brother Xia Yusheng, but it couldn't fool her. From Second Uncle's movements in the north, including the Xia Palace's expansion beyond standard specifications in March, and the subsequent unusually strict isolation measures, she could deduce the general situation.
"The Spirit Tablet in the Ancestral Temple is normal, so Father isn't in any danger. He just can't return for a short while. Father is so powerful, he definitely won't be in any trouble. He'll be back soon."
Precocious as she was, Xia Yuyao, after all, was only a few minutes older than her brother, also just a little girl under ten years old. After deducing that her father Xia Hong had met with an accident, her heart was also filled with fear and worry. It was only to avoid worrying her mother and to prevent her younger brother from noticing anything that she pretended to know nothing.
"Father, Yao'er will definitely work hard to cultivate, become strong as soon as possible, and strive to share your burdens, and Great Xia's burdens, a little earlier!"
Out of unconditional trust in her father, Xia Yuyao quickly adjusted her chaotic emotions. After giving herself a pep talk in her heart, a strong look of determination slowly rose on her small face, and she then devoted herself wholeheartedly to cultivation.
The thirteenth year of Great Xia, the tenth day of the sixth month, evening.
Setting aside what was happening in the Xia Palace for now, at Great Xia's extreme northern border, a massive, thunderous retreat was underway.
"An army of a hundred thousand, retreating without even fighting? What is the Commandery Governor thinking?"
"What can he be thinking? Great Xia has mobilized a full three hundred and fifty thousand troops to attack, and they're coming to fight you to the death! You want to fight? Then why don't you go back to Dongchuan City!"
"Haha, just joking. Caiqiu lost all three battles, and their military strength wasn't much different from Great Xia's. Our hundred thousand troops here, even relying on Dongchuan City, probably couldn't hold out for many days. Retreat is good, retreat is definitely good!"
"Not just three hundred and fifty thousand troops. I heard from brothers in the forward army that the Xia troops also brought a very powerful siege weapon, something even a Tribulation Body Realm expert can't withstand. Last night, the Second Prince and Fang Tianqing, the advisor from the Heyang Administrative Headquarters, went together to negotiate with the Xia troops. The Xia troops simply refused to negotiate and attacked directly. Advisor Fang was almost killed by the Xia troops."
"Knowing is good! Our Xichuan Commandery is originally far from the Southern Foothills territory. Capturing Dongchuan City isn't that useful anyway. Look at what we gained in the half year we occupied the city? Great Xia sent people to seal off all the entrances along the line of Beining Mountain and Mo'ao Mountain. All military supplies had to be allocated from within the fiefdom. Not only did it cost a huge amount of manpower and resources, but we didn't gain any tangible benefits. What was the point?"
"Speaking of that reminds me. I heard all the military supplies for the past half year were transferred from our Xichuan. Yanling is obviously so close, yet they didn't contribute anything at all. That's really going too far."
"That's right! If we really conquer the Southern Foothills territory, won't it be their Yanling Commandery that benefits in the end? The Third Prince, in his bid to seize the heir position, doesn't even care about the interests of the feudal town anymore. Hmph!"
"This Dongchuan City was taken by us for nothing in the first place, without paying any price. Returning it to Great Xia now isn't a loss. Besides, we took everything we could carry from the city. All things considered, we made a bit of a profit."
"Hahaha, right, right!"
Different from the usual scene of a retreat, this retreat of Chencang's army was filled with laughter and cheerful talk. Occasionally, there were voices of discontent, but they were quickly drowned out by the mainstream and couldn't make any waves.
Things obtained without paying any price, no one cherishes. This was not only the psychological portrayal of the Chencang soldiers at this moment but also human nature.
Capturing Dongchuan City without losing a single soldier or expending any effort, while it made Fang Tianqing, the advisor from the Heyang Administrative Headquarters, famous throughout Chencang, also made the Chencang soldiers feel not the slightest psychological burden about this retreat.
Moreover, the life they had lived in Dongchuan City over the past half year was truly too bitter. Under the strict blockade by the Xia troops, they couldn't even enter the resource zones to hunt normally. They could only do some hunting in the Snowy Plains on either side of Dongchuan City, which was a mere drop in the bucket for the massive needs of a hundred thousand troops.
All their supplies for the past half year relied entirely on materials transferred from within the fiefdom, shipped over from the Nine-Bend Blood Corridor. As soldiers, not to mention living in luxury, but these hundred thousand men were all genuine military households of Chencang and had genuinely never lived such hard lives.
Having already been frustrated for half a year, and not having truly engaged the Xia troops, now that they were about to fight, the other side came with three hundred and fifty thousand at once. Under such circumstances, it was perfectly normal for no one to want to fight.
After all, it was an army of a hundred thousand. Even though the Chencang soldiers were well-trained, this retreat wasn't that easy. Additionally, although Great Xia hadn't sent large-scale forces in pursuit from behind, ground and aerial scouts never stopped. Out of caution, the Chencang generals adopted a rolling, alternating withdrawal method.
Commander Lu Qinghu's twenty thousand forward troops walked at the front. Commander He Tianxin's sixty thousand central troops walked in the middle. He Tianyuan's twenty thousand rear troops provided vigilance at the back. The three wheels took turns leading, then rotated to the back for vigilance. This alternating retreat prevented the Xia troops from suddenly attacking the rear.
It must be said that such a withdrawal method basically eliminated any intention the Xia troops might have had to launch a surprise attack on the rear. Even the scouts dispatched by Great Xia consistently couldn't get too close to the retreating Chencang main force.
"We've already passed Danxue Peak. It's the central army's turn to lead. Let the sixty thousand central troops enter the Blood Corridor first. The forward and rear armies will maintain vigilance at Danxue Peak and follow after all the central troops have entered."
Soon, the front of the Chencang main force reached Danxue Peak. The passage back to the fiefdom, the Nine-Bend Blood Corridor, was right before their eyes. The forward army general Lu Qinghu gave the order, presenting the final withdrawal plan.
Commandery Governor Chu Tianhe was taking Fang Tianqing to recuperate from his injuries and wasn't traveling with the main army. At this moment, Lu Qinghu was the overall commander of the entire army. Once he gave the order, the other generals naturally complied.
The sixty thousand central troops began to enter the Nine-Bend Blood Corridor in an orderly manner, setting foot on the passage back into the fiefdom.
No one noticed that in the middle section of the Nine-Bend Blood Corridor, the bloody miasma that had previously contracted to the lake's central area began to tremble subtly.
It spread towards the surroundings, and its speed grew faster and faster, faster and faster...