The Dean traveled to many places and was not in a hurry to return to the Divine Capital. However, Wei Xu and Xie Nandu traveled all the way north and already arrived in the Divine Capital.
Standing at the city gate, a horse carriage from the academy had been waiting here for a long time. The coachman quickly approached these two when he saw them, "Mr. Wei, Lady Xie."
Although Xie Nandu was still young, since she was the Dean's disciple, she and Wei Xu were of the same seniority. So addressing her as 'lady' was not too presumptuous.[1. This is a little tricky to explain, but he calls them both 先生 + their surnames. 先生 can be read as gentleman/sir/Mr.]
Wei Xu nodded slightly and inquired about the current situation in the Divine Capital. The coachman was naturally not an ordinary coachman. Even if he were an ordinary coachman, he would not be typical too. In any case, he quickly summarized all the major and minor events happening in the Divine Capital.
Currently, there were no major issues in the Divine Capital. If that matter happening in Cang Prefecture was not included, the most significant matter in the Divine Capital now was the Emperor's desire to personally lead an expedition, which was met with disagreement from the ministers. Behind this matter, there were some other ripples too, such as some ministers' subtle choosing of sides between the two princes.
As long as there was a choice, it would inevitably involve the truly influential aristocratic families. The Wei and Xie families were among these powerful clans, so they naturally could not avoid it. Wei Xu shook his head, not really taking it to heart. Since His Majesty had not left yet, all of these were not confirmed yet.
After waving his hand, the coachman left, and Wei Xu said a few words to Xie Nandu.
Having returned to the Divine Capital, the two of them naturally could only be senior brother and junior sister who were very close.
Xie Nandu thought about it and entered the carriage.
Wei Xu naturally took up the reins and began driving toward the academy.
There were not many people in the world who would dare to have a Nepenthe cultivator act as a coachman. In other words, a Nepenthe cultivator would act as a coachman, but it also depended on who they were serving. For example, Wei Xu had been driving for the Dean for some time now, and no one could say anything about it.
Of course, now that he was driving for Xie Nandu, no one could say anything either.
The carriage quickly arrived in front of a small courtyard at the academy. Xie Nandu stepped out of the carriage, and Wei Xu drove the carriage away.
The maidservant Liu Ye soon heard some noises and walked out into the courtyard. Seeing that it was Xie Nandu, she was delighted and said, "Miss, you're back!"
Xie Nandu nodded and was about to enter the small courtyard, but someone called her name.
She turned around and discovered that the arrival was Xie Ling.
From the city gate to the academy courtyard, Xie Nandu had only taken a very short time. However, this brief time was enough for the Xie Family to become aware of her arrival. After they learned about it, they would naturally react too. Xie Ling's presence here naturally represented the Xie Family's will
Xie Nandu did not say anything. She just waited for him to speak.
Xie Ling had initially prepared a lot of pleasantries to say, but seeing the way the girl was, he realized that his prepared words would be utterly useless. So he went straight to the point, saying, "Regarding the matter in Cang Prefecture, I presume you're already aware."
Xie Nandu nodded and refused even more straightforwardly, "I'm not going."
Xie Ling was taken aback, somewhat dazed.
He had not expected this kind of answer at all. While the Great Liang Dynasty and the foreign cultivators were still in the stage of discussing the terms and conditions, there were some things that people like them could know in advance and prepare for.
Xie Ling said, "That ancient ruin, it's not an ordinary place. Are you really not going to take a look? Besides, he's over there..."
He naturally knew the inside story. By saying this now, it was unclear if he was being deliberate or had some other intentions. Either way, it was difficult to say.
Xie Nandu replied, "After retrieving the sword, I need to nurture it. I won't have the time."
Having brought back so many flying swords from the Sword Qi Mountain, although it already proved that Xie Nandu was a genuine sword genius, even for a sword genius, nurturing swords required hard work. Furthermore, Xie Nandu had not just one, but nine lifeblood flying swords.
It could be said that the current Xie Nandu, might not be the most formidable sword cultivator in terms of killing power, nor the one with the highest innate talent, but she was undoubtedly the sword cultivator with the most lifeblood flying swords. Nine flying swords in total. Perhaps in the entire history of sword cultivation, no one could find a second person with such a record.
Although Xie Ling did not have much interaction with Xie Nandu, he still understood the nature of this younger sister in name. Since she had made up her mind, no one could change it.
"In that case, I'll be going back to report it."
There was a hint of delight between Xie Ling's eyebrows. Since Xie Nandu did not want this opportunity, it was clear that the family would fully support him. Exploring such a place would probably be greatly beneficial for cultivation no matter what. Therefore, Xie Ling had no reason not to be happy.
Xie Nandu did not say anything and turned around to walk into the courtyard. Liu Ye gently closed the door behind her.
Xie Ling glanced at the courtyard door, shaking his head as he thought about this girl's temperament. Even if she had extraordinary talent, what good would it do if she didn't understand how to put on a facade, especially for a woman?
However, when he thought about how Xie Nandu was currently the final disciple of the Dean, he could not help but feel a bit envious and sighed.
As he walked along the lakeside, he happened to see another figure not far away.
Huang Zhi.
That person who had previously expressed his love to Xie Nandu but never got any results; a scholar from the academy.
Xie Ling's eyes were filled with disgust. Although he also loathed Xie Nandu, he had never thought that a girl from his family needed to marry someone like Huang Zhi.
Huang Zhi recognized Xie Ling. When he saw this member of the Xie Family, he quickly clasped his hands and bowed respectfully.
Xie Ling walked away expressionlessly.
A hint of disappointment flashed across Huang Zhi's eyes, but he quickly returned to his senses. He continued walking forward, approaching the vicinity of the small courtyard. He did not stop, but his pace slowed down noticeably. Laughter could be heard from a short distance away, but it was unclear what they were laughing about.
Huang Zhi was very silent. He was well aware that those people were mocking him.
He should not have appeared here again, and should not have hoped to see Xie Nandu again. However, something deep inside him kept telling him to come and see, how much he wanted to see her again, even if it was just one glance.
Huang Zhi sighed, knowing that the door would not open for him. He walked away dejectedly, muttering to himself in a low voice, "Chen Chao, I won't let you marry her!"
His eyes were very firm and his voice was barely audible. But it was clear that he was overwhelmed with emotions at this moment.
……
……
After the morning court session, the Warden entered the palace and saw the Great Liang Emperor by the lakeside.
It was said that the Great Liang Emperor wanted to personally lead a military expedition, and after being stopped by court officials, he had been in a gloomy mood. During these days, not a single court official had been granted an audience with the Emperor. However, when the Warden met the Emperor, he found that contrary to the rumors outside, the Emperor was in high spirits and seemed to be enjoying the scenery by the lake.
"No need to beat around the bush, did you think that We would be unhappy?"
The Great Liang Emperor had more white hair at his temples. Compared to a while back, he now had a sterner look, with less of the previous gentleness between his brows.
The Warden smiled and said, "The Divine Capital is abuzz with this matter now. Countless cultivators are watching. Doesn't Your Majesty want to put on an act?"
Only these big shots truly understood that if the Great Liang Emperor had made up his mind to go North, no court officials or anything else could stop him even if they were tied together.
The Great Liang Emperor asked, "Are you saying that there are people around Us watching?"
Saying this out loud seemed laughable. These two were among the most formidable martial artists of the current era after all. This place was also deep within the palace. There was no way outsiders could eavesdrop on their conversation.
The Warden smiled and did not say anything.
Same as that Dean, he had some friendship with the Great Liang Emperor, so there was no need for too much formalities between ruler and subject.
"That young man did well. Just by handling these matters, there's no issue for him to be the warden of a province."
The Great Liang Emperor looked at the Warden.
The Warden wore a troubled expression and said, "Your Majesty, that kid is too young to govern a province. We can't do things like this."
The Great Liang Emperor got straight to the point, saying, "A few days ago, the battle report arrived. The war in the North is far more pressing than you and I realize. However, We have spent so many years building up the frontier army, it's enough to make the demons understand that humanity is no longer their prey."
The Warden wanted to speak, but swallowed the words back.
The Great Liang Emperor smiled and said, "Along with that battle report, there was a letter from that Great General. He said that if We send that young man up North, within half of a sixty-year-cycle at most, he'll return Us another Northern Great General, a Northern Frontier martial artist."
The Warden's complexion immediately turned rather ugly. He widened his eyes, looking at the Great Liang Emperor as he said, "Your Majesty, this is absolutely out of the question!"
He rejected it outright.
The Great Liang Emperor said, "In Our reply, We also stated the same. We told him that if he wants that boy, We can't make the call, he'll have to convince you first. So, We suspect it won't be long before a second letter arrives at your residence."
The Warden let out a sigh of relief but still had a lingering fear as he said, "That old man won't live much longer. If he decides to be shameless, this subject really doesn't know how I should deal with him."
The Great Liang Emperor remained silent, looking at the lake. It was unclear what was going through his mind.
After some time, he finally spoke again in a soft tone, "The war in the North this time might not have a clear winner, but it will last for a long time."
The Warden lamented, "We've already done very well. Your Majesty, what more are you worried about?"
The war between humanity and the demons had been ongoing for many years, with humanity consistently at a disadvantage. Even though the situation had changed somewhat after the establishment of the Great Liang Dynasty, it was still not as good as it was now. Although the Great Liang Emperor had not been able to accomplish anything concrete, it was clear that he was among the most accomplished emperors in the history of humanity. Yet, despite this, the Great Liang Emperor still seemed somewhat dissatisfied.
The Great Liang Emperor said, "That Great Liang Emperor won't last for more than a few years, and this war won't quietly end within a few years, never to occur again."
At present, the Great Liang Dynasty's confidence in confronting the demons in the North stemmed from various factors. It was not solely due to the Great Liang Dynasty's steadily growing strength over the years, nor was it due to the presence of the exceptional Great Liang Emperor. It also was not because they possessed a highly trained frontier army. A significant factor was the presence of an extraordinary commander.
"The future is complicated. There may come a day when We must appear in the North."
The Great Liang Emperor smiled and said, "But, this war should turn out quite well."
"That little fellow on the Sublime Bright Mountain, he shouldn't disappoint Us. Tell him not to fear anything, whether is it the Twin Pillars of Daoism, or whatever foreign land geniuses, there's nothing to be afraid of."
The Great Liang Emperor was calm as he said resolutely, "Anyway, they all believe that We're going to do something earth-shattering, so let them think!"
