Nightfall

Ye Hongyu stood on the plains and looked at the figure under the shelter. After a long silent moment, a series of complicated emotions appeared in her eyes. Then, she turned around and walked back to her divine chariot.

The cavalry returned to camp as the sun set, and the sound of the zither and flute in the Verdant Canyon gradually died away.

Beigong Weiyang and Ximen Buhuo had stopped playing, but they were still immersed in the exciting atmosphere, pleasure and exhaustion until they received a heavy clap.

Fourth Brother glanced at Wang Chi, signaling him to prepare himself. Then, he reached out and clapped Beigong and Ximen heavily on their backs.

Beigong and Ximen felt a sharp pain and a shock on their chests. There was a puff, and they vomited blood. They still had not fully regained consciousness and had not even had the time to react in anger before their Senior Brother’s clapping and before Wang Chi stuffed two pills into their mouths.

The medication spread through their chests slowly, eliminating the tense and wild sensation inside. The two felt better and only realized then why their Senior Brother had hit them.

“You guys won’t last if you go all out like that.”

Fourth Brother said, “Rest well tonight.”

Beigong Weiyang answered, “Thank you for your help, Senior Brother.”

Fourth Brother replied, “That clap of mine was not critical. Eleven’s medication is the true treasure here.”

Wang Chi loved thinking, plants, and healing people since he was a child. While he did not dare to say that his medical skills were unparalleled in the world, the medicine he developed was definitely the most precious and rarest in the world.

He shook his head in embarrassment as he listened to the praise from his Senior Brother.

Then, Second Brother entered the shelter.

Everyone rushed forward to help Sixth Brother remove Second Brother’s heavy armor.

They all thought of Ye Hongyu’s invitation to battle and their Senior Brother’s bland reply that she was no match for him. Ye Hongyu had backed off just like that, and they could not help but be in awe at their Senior Brother’s chicness.

Second Brother said calmly, “That girl is powerful and it’d take up some energy to beat her. If we can just speak and not fight, then that’d be the best choice.”

Everyone was speechless when they understood then that while Senior Brother had seemed to have turned around uncaringly, he had been thinking these thoughts.

Seventh Sister thought wryly that her Senior Brother was not as stupid as he seemed.

The pills dispersed rapidly in his body. Beigong Weiyang felt that his energy and Psyche Power had recovered a lot. His lofty ambitions revived, he said, “Have a good night’s rest and fight with them again tomorrow.”

Ximen Buhuo’s excitement from the earlier battle had yet to wane and he said, “That’s right.”

All was silent in the hall and nobody answered him.

Beigong Weiyang looked gaunt and haggard; plus, his fingers were all injured. Ximen Buhuo danced in front of him, waving his hands around while still retaining his flute-playing posture. He looked as if he was waving chicken claws around and looked both pitiful and funny.

Everyone could see that if they battled again with their lives on the line, they might really die.

“You both have worked hard today. Let me do it tomorrow.”

Second Brother reached out and patted Beigong and Ximen on their shoulders.

Beigong suddenly stiffened.

Ximen’s mouth opened and the corners of his eyes moistened.

Second Brother frowned slightly and asked, “What’s the matter?”

Beigong sighed and did not say anything. Ximen Buhuo wiped his tears away and said, touched, “Senior Brother, this is the first time you’ve praised me since I entered the sect.”

Second Brother fell silent for a moment before saying seriously, “I will praise you more in the future.”

Seventh Sister looked at Ximen Buhuo’s claw-like hands and teased, “I shall stew some chicken feet for your dinner.”

Ximen Buhuo asked perplexedly, “Why do we have to eat stewed chicken feet?”

Seventh Sister bit back a smile and said seriously, “You are what you eat.”

Ximen Buhuo smiled bitterly and asked, “Then wouldn’t that make my condition worse?”

Joyous laughter could be heard at the exit of the Verdant Canyon.

The water had boiled, the rice had been cleaned. Seventh Sister started cooking dinner.

Everyone from the back of the mountain of the Academy had made preparations for their trip to the Verdant Canyon. They had brought sufficient grains and pickles. There was also a ready-made stove, so it was not hard for Seventh Sister and Wang Chi to cook.

In the southern plains, the West-Hill Divine Palace Coalition Army also started to cook. It seemed that the battle for the day had ended. Smoke rose from the stoves and the situation calmed slightly.

However, the atmosphere at the Verdant Canyon’s grew grave. Second Brother stood in front as the other disciples gathered behind him. Together, they looked at the endless supply of grain wagons in the south with disconsolate expressions.

The Qinghe County warlords’ had farmers send the West-Hill Divine Palace Coalition Army grains. Those grains were likely to be the County’s grain reserves that had belonged to the Tang Empire not long ago.

Beigong Weiyang said shrilly, “One day, we will kill all these traitors and thieves!”

Ximen Buhuo said softly, “The descendants of the warlords have to die.”

The two came from the extreme southern islands and had not grown up in the Tang Empire. However, they had lived in the Academy for many years and considered themselves Tangs. In fact, they seemed even angrier than Fourth Brother and the others.

Fourth Brother lifted the Sandbox and calculated for a moment. Then, he said, “If we want to recapture Qinghe County, we’ll have to kill at least 200,000 people to extinguish the warlords. Then, we can get our revenge.”

Beigong and Ximen’s expression stiffened when they heard that they had to kill 200,000 people.

They had dedicated their lives to music and had never killed a single chicken, let alone a human being. Even though many armored cavalries had died thanks to their music today, they had never thought that they would have to slaughter.

All was silent under the shelter.

The disciples of the Academy were guarding the Verdant Canyon for Chang’an and the Tang Empire. They did not care how many they had to kill. However, should there be a day when they would need to raise their blades…

Beigong suddenly smiled and said, “There’s still Youngest Brother.”

Ximen Buhuo perked up and said, “Indeed, indeed, our Youngest Brother is the best at this kind of things.”

Fourth Brother and Sixth Brother nodded profusely. Who else but their Youngest Brother would be the best for the job if the Academy wanted to kill many people?

Second Brother did not say anything.

Wang Chi, who was standing beside the chopping board said, “The cold dish is ready, did we bring sesame?”

Second Brother said, “Let’s eat.”

There was a faint burning smell.

Seventh Sister yelled and hurried to the stove, only to find that the rice had been burnt.

Beigong Weiyang looked at the smoking white rice and sighed, “The food at the back of the mountain tasted bad whenever teacher brought Eldest Brother out traveling with him.”

Ximen Buhuo said, with an air of yearning, “The food was best when Sangsang was in the Academy.”

Nobody blamed Seventh Sister, but she still felt uneasy.

The tactical array at the Verdant Canyon exit had been established. Compared with Second Brother and the other disciples who had different jobs, her main job was to be responsible for the logistics, which should be very easy. However, she still did it badly.

Moments later, the uneasiness turned to anger and she said angrily, “Sixth Brother’s stove is made of iron and the temperature gets too high, how can it be used to cook rice?”

Second Brother’s eyebrows flicked up and he berated her unhappily, “This is ridiculous, you’re being rude.”

Seventh Sister paused slightly and said angrily, “If you think it’s bad, then don’t eat it!”

After a simple meal, those who had to rest rested and those who had to make preparations for tomorrow did so.

Fourth Brother said, “Youzi is under a lot of pressure which was why she got so angry. That’s why she felt even more wronged when you berated her. Don’t blame her for yelling at you.”

Second Brother frowned slightly and asked, “Why would she feel wronged?”

Fourth Brother said, “She only behaved like that because she is worried about you, but you reprimanded her. That’s why she felt wronged.”

Second Brother was slightly shocked when he heard that. After a long silence, he said, “That’s not necessary.”

Fourth Brother did not bring up the matter again because the disciples of the back of the mountain of the Academy had already been discussing the matter privately for several years but had never drawn a conclusion.

He turned and looked at the entrance of the Verdant Canyon behind the shelter, and at the hidden stones inside. Then, he said, “If the Divine Hall is unprepared, then we should stay and guard the canyon. This is more energy efficient.”

Second Brother said, “If we act safely, then that’s the greatest mistake. The direction of the battle today was clear. The Divine Hall kept sending troops trying to force us into the canyon… I don’t know what we will do once we enter the canyon, but I do not wish to retreat until the very end.”

“Why?”

“Because once we retreat, we might have to take even more steps back.”

Fourth Brother turned around and looked at the dark Military camps of the Coalition Army in the southern plains. He said, “I am more worried about whether the other party will launch a night attack now.”

Second Brother looked up at the moon in the Night Dome and said, “They wouldn’t dare with teacher looking down from the sky.”

Their fellow disciples had joined them, standing behind both of them.

They looked up at the moon in the sky longingly.

“Is that really teacher?” Wang Chi asked.

Second Brother said, “Perhaps.”

Unlike his other fellow disciples, Sixth Brother was not as sensitive and he considered more realistic and simple problems. He said, “Firewood is a problem. We have to enter the canyon to pick firewood and it’d be easy for them to sneak an attack at us then.”

Second Brother pointed at the plains beyond the shelter. He pointed at the dense collection of arrows and said, “There is firewood everywhere.”

Unlike the mouth of the Verdant Canyon which was sometimes lively, occasionally sad, but basically calm and joyful, the West-Hill Divine Palace Coalition Army camp was covered in a frustrated and depressive atmosphere. It was very quiet there.

Bai Haixin drank a glass of wine and ate two bowls of rice. Then, he signaled his subordinates to remove the dinner desk and walked out of the tent. He looked at the green hills under the moonlight and frowned in silence for a long time.

He was the commander-in-chief of the West-Hill Divine Palace Coalition Army, but he could not even enter the top five in the coalition forces. How would he dare give orders to the two Great Divine Priests of West-Hill and the Sword Sage, Liu Bai?

This was the source of his distress, because he did not know what the bigwigs at the Divine Hall thought. He did not understand why they had to sacrifice so many cavalry soldiers just to force those from the Academy into the Verdant Canyon.

Since they had to guard the main roads, it was naturally more appropriate for them to stand guard inside the canyon.

What puzzled him was why those from the Academy were willing to fight on the plains with the army rather than retreating into the Verdant Canyon.

A priest in red walked over and handed him a sheet of paper.

Bai Haixin read through it, his frown growing deeper as he wondered if they had to continue to march to their deaths tomorrow.

“Get all the martial cultivators from each sect and the army to gather in the great tent.”