CHAPTER 109: CHAPTER 74: BIG MESS POT_2

I tried to persuade him, and both the Left and Right Virtuous Kings also tried to persuade him.

But after kneeling for three days and three nights, he actually handed over his seal and the golden blade symbolizing the supreme glory of the Left Valley King. He claimed that he was now a commoner, with no ties to the Royal Court. If the Royal Court refused to speak up, then he would seek justice himself.

This bastard!

He actually went alone to the entrance of the Earl of North Border’s mansion to court death!

The Royal Court had invested so much effort in nurturing him, the Barbarian King had bestowed such great glory upon him, and yet he had so casually thrown his life away!

Whenever the old priest had thought about this over the past two days, his heart ached with unbearable pain.

When Shatuo Queshi "resigned" and left, the Left Virtuous King had brought two high-ranking generals to stop him, but Shatuo Queshi had forcefully driven them away.

Since then, the Royal Court had assigned him, the Grand Priest, to manage this affair.

Shatuo Queshi... since his death was now irreversible, his physical body would be the interest reclaimed by the Royal Court.

The body of a Third Rank Martial Cultivator, one that had slaughtered many before death and was saturated with baleful energy—if it could be retrieved and refined, it could be made into a puppet nearly as powerful as a Third Rank Martial Cultivator.

And when it came to refining Corpse Puppets, the Royal Court’s Priesthood possessed absolute expertise.

The old priest had heard that the Yue tribes, deep in the great marshes of Chu State, also had a custom of refining Corpse Puppets. However, he didn’t believe that the crude methods of those mere Yue people could compare to their own.

At this moment, the tent flap was lifted from the inside. A priest bowed and said, "Grand Priest, he has been summoned."

"Good."

The Grand Priest looked at Naduo Jiayang standing beside him. Naduo Jiayang immediately straightened his chest and said in a deep voice, "Please be assured, Grand Priest, I will ensure the safety here. No one will come to disturb us!"

"Jiayang, after this matter is concluded, find an excuse to claim illness, saying you’re bedridden and unable to see anyone. Then, come to the Royal Court. I will allow you to undertake cultivation in the Priests’ Sanctum."

Naduo Jiayang immediately knelt down and said sincerely, "Thank you, Grand Priest, for your patronage!"

"Hm."

The Grand Priest patted Naduo Jiayang’s shoulder and said, "You must believe, the days ahead are long. As descendants of the Barbarian God, we will eventually regain dominion over this world!"

After saying this, leaving Naduo Jiayang, who was still burning with passion, behind, the Grand Priest walked into the tent.

"Begin! Recall our tribe’s warrior! Let him return to the Barbarian God’s banner as a warrior once more!"

"The Barbarian God above!"

"The Barbarian God above!"

Ten priests knelt in unison. Each held a dagger and cut open their palm, allowing their blood to flow along the ground beneath them, ultimately converging towards the ancient jade-colored scepter.

The Grand Priest spread his arms wide and cried out, "Return... Come back... Return... Come back... Oh..."

「...」

Inside his room in the Earl of North Border’s mansion, Zheng Fan lay in bed, fiddling with the stone that sealed Mo Wan.

He was ruminating on what the Sixth Prince had said the previous night. The Sixth Prince is a smart man; Zheng Fan had no doubt about that. Given his position, his words last night had subtly hinted at a wealth of information. He must have seen through intricacies that not even high court officials had comprehended.

A major event was brewing in the North.

Actually, according to the Blind Man’s original plan, Hutou City was suitable as the first foothold. However, after reaching a certain level of development, they would need to relocate.

The Earl of North Border’s mansion, standing like a behemoth on the northern plains, had become a colossal constraint on their development.

So, were they really going to expand into the South?

KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!

The knocking sound came, followed by the Sixth Prince’s voice, "Colonel Zheng, get up! Time to watch the show!"

「...」

"ACHOO!"

"ACHOO!"

"ACHOO!"

The Sixth Prince sneezed three times in succession. His frail constitution was clearly struggling with the biting cold wind, especially since he was on horseback and not in his warm carriage.

"Colonel Zheng, aren’t you cold?" the Sixth Prince curiously asked Zheng Fan, who was also riding beside him.

"Your Highness, I am wearing two extra layers of clothing under my armor."

"Why didn’t you remind me sooner?"

"Your Highness did not ask me."

"They’re coming, they’re coming! See those three barbarian men?" the Sixth Prince whispered to Zheng Fan, pointing ahead.

"I see them."

"Those are the chieftains of three of the four surrendered tribes under the Earl of North Border."

"What about the other one?"

"Well, take a look around you."

Zheng Fan scanned his surroundings and quickly understood.

The entrance to the training ground was already densely packed with soldiers and warhorses. Despite the biting wind, their formations were still orderly, and the killing aura was so thick it was almost suffocating.

"Look, the Old Lady is coming out."

Zheng Fan looked ahead and saw a war chariot slowly driving out from the center of the military array.

War chariots as instruments of war had long become obsolete in this era. Now, they were mostly used by the main general for command or as ceremonial items in sacrificial rituals.

This particular war chariot was drawn by eighteen warhorses, with two high-ranking generals standing at its front.

One held a longbow, the other leaned on an iron sword.

Behind these two generals stood a woman in golden armor.

The woman was of a certain age, but time seemed to have been exceptionally kind to her.

Zheng Fan knew his visit to the Earl of North Border’s mansion was for the Old Lady’s fiftieth birthday. Yet, looking at the woman in golden armor before him, it was difficult to associate her with someone fifty years old.

Standing beside the Old Lady was a young general in red armor. Zheng Fan recognized her; it was the County Lord.