Chapter 37: 37 Deepening

Chapter 37: Deep Incursion

Hanzhou.

Inside General Qin's manor.

On a moonlit night.

A scholar paced back and forth, waiting anxiously before a tightly closed secret chamber.

He had been waiting for Grand General Qin for over a month, yet the Grand General had not yet emerged from his seclusion.

Every time the Grand General entered seclusion, it lasted a very, very long time.

Suddenly, he felt footsteps approaching from behind—it was a large, heavily armored soldier.

"Excellency, the Grand Madam is waiting for you in the front hall. Please follow me."

The scholar followed the soldier to the front hall.

The Grand Madam sat regally in a luxurious chair. Behind her, two maidservants gently fanned her with round fans, while another maid nearby adjusted the incense. The sound of the golden grinder crushing the incense went *skritch-skritch*, accompanied by a soothing fragrance that drifted through the air.

The scholar took a light sniff and felt his agitation subside significantly. He couldn't help but praise, "Pure and ethereal, like the fragrance of a secluded orchid; like the wind returning through pine valleys, it brings an effortless peace to the mind!"

The Grand Madam waved her hand.

Understanding her intent, the maids and servants all withdrew.

Only the two of them remained in the hall.

The Grand Madam got straight to the point. "Excellency, internal strife is a taboo. If it remains behind closed doors without evidence, it is nothing. But your matter has been brought into the light, and evidence has been left behind."

The scholar did not bother to explain. What he needed to explain, others already knew; what was the point of explaining?

He called out directly, "Please, Mother-in-law, save your son-in-law."

The Grand Madam said, "The date set for the marriage alliance was the day you become the Prefect. Now it seems that day is a distant prospect. From where does your plea come?"

"It is my fault," the scholar said, bowing his head in admission of guilt.

The Grand Madam replied, "You are the Top Scholar of the Imperial Dynasty. If you must admit fault, you should not do so to a mere woman like me."

The scholar gritted his teeth and suddenly threw himself to the ground, kneeling in a formal prostration. "It is my fault. I know my error."

The Grand Madam looked down at the kneeling Top Scholar. His noble character was bent quite low in this posture; she looked down upon him with satisfaction, the corners of her mouth curling into a slight, involuntary arc of pleasure. After a moment's thought, she asked, "Ning Xuan—what kind of person is he?"

The scholar replied, "He is violent and tyrannical, acting like a tiger or a wolf. In his gaze, there is a murderous light that seizes the soul, as if he finds joy in tasting blood."

The Grand Madam's eyes lit up.

The scholar cautiously raised his eyes, instinctively employing his skill of "reading the room," and happened to catch the spark in her eyes.

He was startled.

He was supposed to be disparaging Ning Xuan.

He was saying Ning Xuan was a savage, crude and bloodthirsty.

But why did the Grand Madam's eyes light up?

What was she thinking?

His thoughts raced, and he continued, "This rogue is ferocious. That Daoist Qinglan was a well-reputed practitioner, yet he was brutally slaughtered by him until nothing remained but a pile of minced meat! And that Daoist boy as well. The flesh and blood of those two have become completely entwined..."

The Grand Madam listened quietly.

As the Grand Madam of Grand General Qin, she was not like an ordinary wealthy lady who stayed home all day snacking and drinking tea.

She had been away for several months and had only just returned.

She had gone to collect fragrant wood. Grand General Qin had a great demand for Divine Incense, and his requirements for quality were extremely high. Since rare treasures are often found in dangerous places, she had to lead the expedition personally. She had only just arrived back.

Upon her return, she heard about her prospective son-in-law.

This Top Scholar represented the dragon qi of an entire prefecture, serving to add strength to the "Private Celestial Master Corps" of the Qin Manor—power that the Grand General had earned through countless military achievements.

Originally, succeeding to the Moon-Viewing Prefecture, which was already due and decided, should have been a certainty, but a complication had arisen.

That was how she began to investigate.

And that was how she learned of Ning Xuan.

She had heard the scholar's account and had also sought information from Manager Zhao.

Subsequently, she had visited the Grand General's manor's specialized intelligence department, quickly learning that Ning Xuan had been commissioned as the General of Anyuan, and that the Ping'an Prefecture under his jurisdiction was currently suffering from a demon calamity.

After gathering the facts, the Grand Madam thought briefly and made a decisive command. She summoned a Celestial Master dedicated to the General's manor and said, "Lead a Demon-Slaying Guard to Ping'an Prefecture to assist General Ning."

Since there were officials within the General's manor, those officials were naturally part of the manor's influence as well.

Of course, this was the "General System" of the old era.

In those days, to facilitate the extermination of demons, generals enjoyed many benefits. Now, the "Grand General's Manor" could be considered a small imperial court, much like the "Jiedushi" (Regional Governors) of the era before demons appeared.

As for the Demon-Slaying Guards, they were a powerful unit composed of demon-plague warriors. A squad of thirty was quite precious.

The Celestial Master was not surprised by the Grand Madam's command. He did not even wait for the Grand General's orders, accepting immediately before asking respectfully, "How should I assist?"

The Grand Madam asked, "Do I need to teach you?"

The Celestial Master replied, "Please, Madam, instruct me."

The Grand Madam said, "Add flowers to the brocade or provide charcoal in the snow. If you can help, give your all. If you cannot help, let a few people die—but not too many. And on your way, see for me what kind of heroic bearing this young general possesses."

"Understood."

The Celestial Master understood.

Normally, if he only brought one guard who could travel via earth-遁 (earth-遁/遁地), he could move quickly. But now, bringing thirty men meant they would have to ride horses along the official roads toward Ping'an Prefecture.

Even with non-stop, urgent travel, it would still take two or three days to reach Ping'an.

After he departed, the Grand Madam rested her chin on her hand and began to contemplate which of her daughters possessed the most profound "tea art" (social manipulation), who was a hopeless romantic, who was careless, and who was capable of riding out of the city alone to face this General Ning in battle.

Being the Grand Madam of a General was not easy.

Though she was the Grand Madam, she was not the first wife.

There had been two Grand Madams before her...

But both had died.

One died of old age.

The other died under mysterious circumstances.

The Grand General held too many mysteries—mysteries of cultivation, mysteries of immortality.

She might not dare to fully understand her husband, the Grand General, but she could at least study her son-in-law, the General, right?

***

Midnight.

A Waystation.

A boundary marker stood upright, inscribed with the words "Blackwater Village."

However, the character for "Black" in "Blackwater Village" was obscured by a thick night mist, making it appear blurred and indistinct.

*Dong! Dong! Dong!* The sound of drums echoed from the drum tower.

At a waystation, one had to strike the drums to pass through.

Ning Xuan halted his steps.

Blackwater Village was the agreed-upon meeting point mentioned in the plea for help from Ping'an Prefecture. Here, specialized personnel would introduce the situation and guide them.

Soon, a station master hurried out from within, followed by a strong, ferocious-looking man.

"Is this General Ning?" The station master bowed hurriedly, his face showing signs of nervousness.

Ning Xuan nodded and asked, "What has happened here?"

The station master's face filled with despair. "Dead... everyone is dead... If the General had arrived even two days later, both the Daoist boy and I would be dead."

Ning Xuan scanned the two fork roads behind the station and asked, "The plea for help said that Ping'an Prefecture is exploring the source of the demon calamity, and that upon reaching Blackwater Village, someone would contact us. Are you the contact, Station Master? Or is it..."

He looked at the strong, ferocious man beside him and asked, "The Daoist boy?"

The station master sighed. "It is a long story, a very long story. Please, enter the station first, and then allow me to report it slowly."

Ning Xuan said, "Speak plainly."

The station master said in terror, "General! The demon calamity is more serious than expected! The source of the calamity hasn't been found at all, and Prefect Tang has fallen in battle, the Celestial Master has fallen in battle—everyone is dead! We... we should leave this place immediately and report to the Imperial Court before making any further decisions."

As the final word "decisions" fell, a flash of blade light descended.

The blade light swept through the station master. He had no time to react; his body made a strange sound like tearing silk. The wound was hollow—it was nothing but a skin.

Ning Xuan stepped forward, his blade spinning as he continued his strike toward the Daoist boy beside the station master.

This strike was even faster.

However, the Daoist boy actually reacted. He gripped the handle of the axe behind his waist and pulled it upward violently to parry the blade.

*Clang!*

The blade and axe pressed against each other, emitting a sharp ring.

The Daoist boy was a split second behind, but he managed to barely block the strike.

Ning Xuan held the blade with one hand, looking down at him. The Daoist boy had his legs bent in a half-kneel, gripping the axe with both hands, struggling to hold back the blade with the combined strength of his shoulders and his kneeling stance.

Ning Xuan applied a bit more force.

*Bang!*

The Daoist boy's grip split, and the axe sank.

*Slash!!*

The blade cut all the way through, taking the axe handle, the Daoist boy, and splitting him directly in two.

*Splat!!*

*Splat!!*

The two ruined human skins made strange sounds as they fell limply to the ground.

As these two sounds rang out, the nearby waystation seemed to have been poked with a hornet's nest. Suddenly, black smoke hissed and whizzed about. Streaks of black smoke darted out like the tentacles of a deep-sea behemoth, lunging toward Ning Xuan.

Just as Ning Xuan was about to meet them, Fairy Yaozhen stepped forward to intercept. With a graceful hand forming a seal, a transparent, invisible golden mountain suddenly manifested beside the two, surrounding them completely.

The speed of the black smoke hitting the mountain suddenly became extremely, extremely slow—so slow it was like a snail crawling. Consequently, they appeared as if they were placed in a display window for observation.

Here, they were different from how they were outside.

Outside, they were merely clumps of black smoke.

But here, they actually revealed the hideous, resentful, and venomous faces of humans.

Ning Xuan said, "These ghostly things take on the appearance of whoever's skin they occupy, and they can even lie to deceive people based on the situation. Furthermore, they can even inherit a bit of the original strength; that Daoist boy's strength was clearly greater than the station master's."

After a thought, he added, "It seems we are already very close to the center of the demon calamity. These ghosts are relatively condensed here. They cannot stray too far, because the further they go, the more they dissipate. Unless they find human skin here, or find a human corpse to slowly gnaw upon. It is for this reason that while they are terrifying, they are not yet enough to truly wipe out an entire prefecture."

Fairy Yaozhen was stunned. "Could it be that you guessed this long ago, which is why you had the soldiers stay on the perimeter instead of following us deep inside?"

Ning Xuan was also stunned.

What was he thinking?

He had been thinking about the massive amount of compensation he would have to pay—meaningless sacrifices, huge payouts, all pointless.

But just because he thought that way didn't mean Ping'an Prefecture would.

If that were the case, he might encounter an entire army of human skins here.

These ghosts were mere trifles, but a human-skin army would be a different matter entirely.