Chapter 378 - 208: The Departed Jianghu

Chapter 378: Chapter 208: The Departed Jianghu

The three of them cursed the "damned Emperor."

But in truth, Zheng Xiu, Fan Yao, and Xie Yunliu all knew that with the Daqian Empire in such turmoil, what the new Emperor was doing was the only correct course of action.

To defend the nation of Daqian at the lowest possible cost was, in itself, justifiable.

In fact, Fan Yao, Xie Yunliu, and the thousand soldiers heading west were all sacrifices of this very decision.

After Zheng Xiu had seen to it that Xie Yunliu and the hundred-some soldiers were settled, Xie Yunliu told him that he had met Chu Chengfeng and Bai Xiaosheng once after becoming the General of Pingxi.

Chu Chengfeng was a far cry from the man he once was. A domineering aura emanated from his words, and his ambition to vie for the throne was impossible to conceal.

Bai Xiaosheng, however, gave him a piece of information for free: the Northern Barbarians were colluding with the Shache Kingdom. The Shache Kingdom was mobilizing its grand army, preparing to invade Daqian from the west. Daqian was in peril.

The Jianghu that Xie Yunliu knew had long existed in name only; the world had changed, and so had its people. After a night of heavy drinking with Bai Xiaosheng, he met up with Fan Yao and embarked on the westward journey from which there was no return.

「Several more days passed in a flash.」

Each day, the sky was vast and cloudless. The wind and sand lay still, and the air shimmered with heat in the distance, baked by the scorching sun.

Every breath felt as if the surrounding air were filled with lead, stifling and heavy.

Just by walking around town in their Armor, the soldiers would quickly find themselves drenched in sweat.

Many soldiers simply removed their Armor. Under General Xie’s orders, they assisted the Sun Tribe, attempting the heroic feat of defending the border with a force of just over a hundred men.

Zheng Xiu, familiar with the climate of the Great Desert, surmised that a sandstorm, the likes of which hadn’t been seen for years, was brewing on the horizon.

「One evening.」

「After dinner.」

When Zheng Xiu noticed Fan Yao was missing, he glanced around, searching for any sign of him.

Madam pointed into the distance.

Beneath the bright moon, silver light spilled down. A lonely figure stood on the eaves of a roof, raising a cup to the moon.

The Fan Yao at this moment possessed none of his usual grim confidence. Bathed in moonlight, he emanated a quietness, as if he had already witnessed all the world’s splendor and tasted all its vicissitudes.

For an instant, Zheng Xiu thought he saw the Monk of old in Fan Yao.

Heh.

Zheng Xiu shook his head and gave a small laugh.

They were the same person, after all.

Just... fractured.

Zheng Xiu crafted a large hand out of sand. He calmly stepped onto the giant palm, letting it lift him effortlessly to the rooftop.

Fan Yao took a drink. Hearing Zheng Xiu’s footsteps on the clay tiles, he asked nonchalantly without turning his head, "Are you here to kill me?"

Zheng Xiu chuckled. "I wouldn’t have waited until now."

Fan Yao nodded calmly. "True enough."

Zheng Xiu sat down beside Fan Yao. "Can I ask you a few things?"

"How about... we trade? A question for a question."

Fan Yao gave a faint smile.

"Deal." Zheng Xiu agreed readily. Never one to be at a disadvantage, he took the initiative and asked first, "What sort of place is the Incompleteness Tower?"

Fan Yao turned to look at Zheng Xiu. He was curious why Zheng Xiu would ask a question about the outside world in a hellish place so rife with hypocrisy and deceit. But now, it seemed Fan Yao had no intention of hiding anything. After a moment’s pause, he answered, "A gathering place for countless wretched souls."

Zheng Xiu frowned. Fan Yao, apparently not intending to brush him off with such a simple answer, continued, "You should know of Ye Weiyang, the Night Lord, yes?"

Zheng Xiu nodded.

"Deep beneath the Imperial Palace, there’s a massive secret chamber. It once held many... people with extraordinary Talents. In order to ’sew’ a new Crow Fosterer, the Night Lord used us. We were nothing more than the flesh and blood used to piece together a ’Crow Fosterer.’ That’s all."

"Sew?"

"Yes. It’s a unique Miracle Technique belonging to the Corpse Sewers, one that can stitch corpses together. But he used it on the living. In twenty years... heh, I should say, about two hundred years from now, during the wars, Corpse Sewers will be everywhere. After the ’sewing,’ those of us who were left became the ’incomplete.’ The irony is that this ’incompleteness,’ after we escaped that place, allowed us to glimpse a new Path. It’s a lesser path, separate from the Great Way—an unorthodox one."

’So that’s how it is.’ Zheng Xiu was shocked, but it was also a moment of sudden enlightenment. He finally understood why everyone in the Incompleteness Tower was disabled. This was the reason.

"But why is the Night Lord so determined to ’sew’ Crow Fosterers?"

Fan Yao smiled faintly but didn’t answer.

Zheng Xiu paused, then shut his mouth and gestured with his hand. "Your turn."

Fan Yao thought for a moment. "Based on the Miracle Technique you used, are you really a ’Painter’? I’ve met several world-renowned Great Masters of Painting, and forgive me for being blunt, but you are not any of them."

"Does that count as your question?"

"It does."

Zheng Xiu answered, "I am a Painter, yes. Just... an obscure one."

"I see." Satisfied with this answer, Fan Yao nodded and voluntarily answered Zheng Xiu’s previous question. "I don’t know why the Night Lord is so obsessed with sewing Crow Fosterers. But the very first Crow Fosterer still lives in the Incompleteness Tower. He cannot speak or understand human language. He’s like a true... crow. In my opinion, the purpose of the ’Crow Fosterers’ is to raise more Ravens for him. And the Ravens... are the Night Lord’s ’eyes’."

’Eyes?’

Zheng Xiu instinctively glanced toward Sunset Mountain.

’The Night Lord is Zhu. Zhu is a Sun Chaser. He’s been alive for countless years. At the end of his pursuit, he saw the "Scorching Sun." What could he possibly need so many "eyes" for?’

The following exchange between Zheng Xiu and Fan Yao was even more rapid.

Zheng Xiu: "You’re the Ascetic Monk?"

Fan Yao: "I am. Who are you?"

Zheng Xiu: "Just an ordinary, wealthy merchant. Nothing worth mentioning. Who is the master of your Tower?"

Fan Yao: "Hah. Wei Chen. You know my Heart Demon?"

Zheng Xiu: "I don’t know him. The Heart Demon is a friend. How can the Crow Fosterer’s Miracle Technique be broken?"

Fan Yao: "Eating the eyes of a Crow Fosterer before they suffer Blindness can break the ’Death Announcement Skill,’ provided the victim isn’t completely dead. Oh? Have you been afflicted by it?"