Nightwatcher

# 375. To Bow

The towering figure, a hundred feet tall, shattered. Its head transformed into Zhenbei King, the torso into Zhujiu, the arms into the high-ranked Warlock, and the legs into Jili Zhigu.

None of the four high-ranked experts emerged unscathed. Zhujiu, the giant serpent, had lost a section of its tail—thousands of feet long. Jili Zhigu's left side was mangled beyond recognition, with entrails and organs exposed. The high-ranked Warlock’s spectral battle spirit atop his head disintegrated, and his lower body had vanished entirely, leaving a ghastly wound where flesh wriggled and pulsated, attempting futilely to repair itself.

The Zhenbei King, though physically intact, bore cracks across his bronze-hued skin, resembling fractured porcelain. Blood streamed ceaselessly from these fissures, his aura now feeble beyond measure.

"Run... Run..." Zhujiu’s voice trembled with fear. This person wasn’t a third rank—he was clearly an incomplete second rank.

The combined form of the four rank three experts had unleashed an aura that touched upon the threshold of rank two, and yet they had still failed to overpower him.

What did this mean?

It meant that at full strength, the opponent was a genuine Rank two. By consuming the Blood Pellet, he had partially healed his injuries, restoring enough of his former might to unleash such devastating power.

They, in contrast, had merely used their numbers to offset their individual weaknesses. But their foe was fundamentally different—he was a true Rank two, an elite of that terrifying tier.

Jili Zhigu fled even faster, consumed by terror. This mysterious figure was simply too dreadful. For a fleeting moment, Jili Zhigu had sensed from him the same oppressive aura his late father once exuded.

That was the unmistakable pressure of a second rank master.

The crimson serpent thrashed violently, generating thunderous booms akin to a beast stampede. Yet its vertical pupils were filled with terror, driven solely by the instinct to escape.

The azure giant, heedless of its spilling entrails, charged in a different direction.

On the city wall, the barbarians of the Qingyan Tribe and the Yao army were paralysed by fear. They leapt down and fled in panic, their morale shattered.

If even their leaders had been defeated, staying behind would only mean death.

The high-ranked Warlock swiftly formed hand seals, letting out a shrill cry. From the void descended a colossal spectral bird, its wingspan stretching dozens of metres.

A war bird’s soul.

The bird spirit lifted the Warlock skyward, carrying him towards the northeast.

As a Master of Wisdom Warlock, his mind raced through countless contingency plans: where the opponent might strike first, the angle of attack, the impact of each blow, and how to mitigate them to ensure his survival.

He devised myriad strategies to safeguard himself, determined not to be killed outright.

Still, he knew the likelihood of the mysterious figure targeting him was slim. His target would undoubtedly be the Zhenbei King first, followed by Jili Zhigu, and only then either himself or Zhujiu.

His odds of escaping were high.

The pitch-black manifestation shrank rapidly, returning to human height. However, the twelve arms and the fiery halo behind his head remained.

"Zhenbei King, blood must be repaid with blood."

Xu Qi’an took a single step forward, pulling back his arm, the air exploding in his wake.

The Zhenbei King’s body shattered into pieces, scattering across the ground as blood sprayed in every direction.

The flesh fragments transformed into grotesque, writhing worms that reeked of decay.

His figure, however, reappeared a thousand feet away, soaring through the air in retreat.

A Substitute Gu!

The survival technique of the Heaven Gu Tribe. The Gu was nurtured within the host's body, consuming their vitality and blood. In times of mortal peril, it could substitute itself to shield the host.

This Gu required only the initial implantation of the seed. Anyone could use it.

As a king of the Great Feng, the Zhenbei King had naturally prepared methods for self-preservation.

"You can’t escape." Xu Qi’an roared.

The monk Shenshu, momentarily regaining control, spoke in a resonant voice: "The sea of bitterness sees no bounds, turn around and see the shore."

Zhenbei King’s figure froze in the air, his neck twitching as though compelled to turn back. In an instant, he broke free of the Buddhist precept's influence and resumed his escape.

Seizing that momentary hesitation, Xu Qi’an closed the gap, striking with his twelve arms. The force of the blow detonated the air around them.

At the critical moment, Zhenbei King’s body erupted into a cloud of blood mist. He unleashed his potential to propel himself sideways, narrowly avoiding a fatal strike.

"Come back!"

The twelve arms extended simultaneously, locking onto his qi and pulling him back forcefully. They seized Zhenbei King’s head, arms, and legs.

On the city walls, countless gazes fixed on the scene. All eyes were on Zhenbei King, suspended on the precipice of death.

Not a sound was uttered.

The silence was suffocating.

Pure energy and vitality surged from Zhenbei King’s body, drawn out by the twelve arms like twenty-four black holes, mercilessly extracting his life essence.

"I don’t know how you’re able to wield the Sovereign Sword," Zhenbei King rasped, despair etched across his face. "But you are no member of the Great Feng’s royal family. What do the lives of the 380,000 people of Chuzhou mean to you?"

Feeling his life slipping away, the Great Feng’s strongest martial artist finally showed a glimmer of hopelessness.

If the Jianzheng had sought to kill him, he would have understood. If the civil officials had impeached him, he would have accepted it.

But this person was neither of the Great Feng nor a virtuous man. Cloaked in demonic might, he was bent on his death for the sake of the people of Chuzhou.

"Then why should it matter to you that I’m killing you?"

Xu Qi’an sneered. "You hold no sense of justice. You revere the law of “might makes right”. Then today, on behalf of the 380,000 souls, I’ll teach you one thing."

He paused, his expression disdainful. "In the end, are you not also an ant?"

"No!"

Zhenbei King’s despairing roar echoed like the death cry of a wild beast.

The massacre of a city had been his proudest scheme—refining the Blood Pellet to increase his power while luring his enemies into his trap to be slain with the Sovereign Sword.

If successful, history would only remember his great achievements and sing his praises. Who would recall the 380,000 innocent souls?

One city, traded for the deaths of two foreign Rank three experts and the rise of a Rank two master in the Great Feng. Their sacrifice was worth it.

Yet this, his most prized plan, had ultimately been his downfall.

The Zhenbei King’s roar ceased abruptly. His blood and flesh withered, leaving behind a desiccated corpse.

Xu Qi’an ripped off his head and limbs with force, casually discarding them.

With that tear, he shattered a king, a peak martial artist’s six decades of illustrious life.

The wind of the Northern Plains swept over him, blowing away the shadows clouding his heart. He felt his mind clear, his conscience unburdened.

When Li Miaozhen uncovered the case of Blood Runs Three Thousand Miles, Xu Qi’an initially only felt a heavy weight in his heart but lacked any profound sense of it—it was, after all, a matter far removed from him.

Later, when he was sent to Chuzhou to investigate, he decided to intervene.

Step by step, as he unveiled the truth and realised the Zhenbei King’s atrocities, he made up his mind that night when he saw the memories of the Provincial Administrator, Zheng Xinghuai.

He was determined to thwart the Zhenbei King’s scheme, to stop him and punish him—not just for the 380,000 innocent lives but also for his own beliefs. If he were to swallow his anger and retreat, this matter would remain a knot in his heart for the rest of his life.

*I cannot address every injustice under heaven, but I can handle the one before me.*

On the city wall, over twenty thousand Northern soldiers and hundreds of martial artists watched the figure with twenty-four arms growing from his back as he restrained his ferocious aura.

Turning to the wastes of Chuzhou city before him, he cupped his hands in a deep, mournful bow.

Seeing this, Censor Liu suddenly broke into tears, collapsing to the ground, wailing uncontrollably.

The Deputy Justice of the High Court, with reddened eyes, meticulously adjusted his robes and bowed towards the man in the sky with the utmost sincerity of a scholar.

Yang Yan gazed into the distance with a solemn look and clasped his hands.

Constable Chen cupped his hands.

Centurion Chen Xiao held his head in his hands.

More than twenty thousand soldiers bowed in unison.

He bowed to the departed souls within the city, while the twenty thousand on the wall bowed to him.

………..

With the Zhenbei King dead, the balance of power in the Northern Regions is disrupted. I need to kill another Rank-Three... Xu Qi’an communicated in his mind with Master Shenshu.

"Two incense sticks’ time... I will fall into slumber... Have you decided whom to kill?" Master Shenshu’s voice was filled with unparalleled exhaustion.

Had he not absorbed the Zhenbei King’s life essence earlier, Shenshu would already have fallen asleep.

The twenty-four-armed Dharma body possessed the combat power of Rank-Two, but Shenshu was merely an arm, greatly overextending its potential. This secret technique was beyond the capability of his severed limb.

“Jili Zhigu.”

Xu Qi’an made the decision without hesitation.

Most of the Yao tribe's territory in the North bordered the Church of the Warlock God, and their conflicts were extremely fierce. Zhujiu could be left to entangle with the Church, serving as a mutual counterbalance.

Jili Zhigu, however, had to die.

The barbarians had inflicted the most harm on the Northern Regions of the Great Feng.

Having made his choice, Master Shenshu soared into the sky, tracking Jili Zhigu’s aura.

………..

Above the clouds, hearty laughter rang out. The white-robed arcanist laughed so hard he doubled over, his joy unrestrained.

“The Zhenbei King is dead, finally dead. Good riddance!” The white-robed arcanist clapped his hands in delight.

At that moment, a melodious laugh like the chime of silver bells echoed. A woman in a white dress stepped on clouds, her waist swaying as she approached with seductive grace.

She was stunningly beautiful, her small rhomboid lips glistening with a crimson allure, her foxy, beguiling eyes sparkling with brilliance. Her straight, delicate nose and long, arched eyebrows framed her sharp, delicate oval face, conjuring the phrase “calamity to nations and ruin to cities.”

Her figure, emphasised by a tied sash around her waist, was equally mesmerising. Her chest rose in fullness, her proportions impeccable.

Even the pickiest of men would find no flaw in her.

“Was killing the Zhenbei King part of your plan?” The woman in the white dress asked with a smile.

“Do you want to know?”

The white-robed arcanist stopped laughing and looked at her blandly. “Why don’t we trade information... do you know that person?”

The woman in the white dress nodded. “I do.”

The arcanist fell into thought. “He’s the demonic monk the Buddhist delegation has been searching for, isn’t he?”

“He is a man worthy of respect,” she replied.

“What is your relationship with him?”

The woman teased with a sly smile. “Take a guess.”

The arcanist remained silent, composed.

She sighed softly and said in a low voice, “I hold him in great respect.”

Then, looking at the arcanist, her voice became gentle and inviting. “Your turn now.”

The white-robed arcanist stood with his hands behind his back, overlooking the boundless landscape. With a tone exuding confidence and control, he slowly said:

“I will tell you only two things: first, I was the one who enticed Emperor Yuanjing into seeking immortality; second, with the Zhenbei King’s death, the Jianzheng will no longer be able to resist the rolling tide. As for the details, I won’t elaborate.”

At that moment, both of them turned their gaze to the distance, where a figure flew on a sword, paying them no heed.

“This generation’s Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect has great potential, likely to reach Rank Three or even Rank Two,” the woman in the white dress remarked without hiding her voice.

The arcanist chuckled. “To us, the most anticipated event in the next two years is the Conflict of Heaven and Man.”

………..

As Xu Qi’an’s figure disappeared from sight, murmurs slowly arose on the city wall. These voices merged into a torrent, becoming chaotic and loud.

The Zhenbei King was dead. Chuzhou City had turned to ruins. The Northern Regions were leaderless, and the surviving twenty thousand soldiers fell into deep confusion.

Yang Yan noticed their unease, gathered his qi, and bellowed, “Soldiers, hear my command! I am Gold Gong Yang Yan, the chief officer of this delegation.

“With the Zhenbei King now dead, this official hereby assumes full military and administrative authority over Chuzhou City. Assemble outside the city walls immediately!”

The soldiers, finding a stabilising force, orderly left the broken walls and gathered on the open field outside.

Yang Yan, who had followed Wei Yuan in his youth and fought in the Battle of Shanhai Pass, quickly stabilised the soldiers, bringing order to the chaos.

At that moment, Li Miaozhen arrived, flying on her sword, and stopped above Chuzhou City.

The sky was already a deep blue, and in a few moments, darkness would fully descend.

She looked down at the devastated and ruined Chuzhou City, thinking to herself, *I’m still too late. The city has fallen. Judging by the scene, high-ranking martial artists have just fought here.*

Scanning the ruins briefly, she turned her gaze to the army gathering outside the city.

*This doesn’t add up...* The young and dashing female general, with her extensive military experience, immediately discerned something amiss. With such an intense battle, the slaughter should have been brutal.

It was impossible for so many soldiers to survive.

“Gold Gong Yang, what happened in Chuzhou City? The Zhenbei King... where is he?”

Li Miaozhen hovered in low altitude near Yang Yan and the others, calling out from her flying sword.

Yang Yan had already spotted her. The two had crossed paths during the campaign against bandits in Yunzhou, which could barely count as a shared acquaintance. However, as someone with a stiff personality, a martial arts fanatic with a deadpan expression, even when encountering someone familiar, he would, at most, give a slight nod during eye contact, never deliberately greeting them aloud.

Upon hearing her, the High Court Deputy Justice and others wore peculiar expressions.

Yang Yan explained, "The Zhenbei King massacred the city and was killed."

...Li Miaozhen’s expression froze, and she stared blankly at him.

Yang Yan nodded to confirm that was indeed the case.

*What sort of explanation is that? You're just dangling a hook here! If I didn’t already know this was just your natural personality, I’d roll up my sleeves and beat you up. Oh, wait, I can’t beat a fourth-rank martial artist at his peak... never mind then,* thought Li Miaozhen, muttering internally.

The High Court Deputy Justice coughed, adding, "At dusk, a combined army of the northern Yao and barbarian tribes attacked the city. The Qingyan Tribe's leader, Jili Zhigu, and the Yao tribe’s leader, Zhujiu, came to seize the Blood Pill.

"The Blood Pill was forged by the Zhenbei King after he slaughtered all 380,000 inhabitants of Chuzhou City. For his personal gain, the Zhenbei King made the entire city into a bloodbath."

At this point, the High Court Deputy Justice displayed a look of profound grief. Then, he noticed that Li Miaozhen’s face remained calm, entirely devoid of shock.

"You... don’t seem particularly affected?" The High Court Deputy Justice grew slightly irritated.

"I’ve known about it for some time, but not what happened afterward. Please continue," Li Miaozhen replied.

"...Very well," the High Court Deputy Justice cleared his throat and elaborated on the battle that had unfolded in the city, detailing the number of high-rank combatants involved and other specifics.

The gallant and heroic Holy Maiden of the Heavenly Sect, dressed in military attire, stood there stunned.

Li Miaozhen already knew about the Zhenbei King's massacre and wasn’t surprised by the involvement of a high-ranking Warlock from the Church of the Warlock God. After all, Xu Qi’an had already analysed the situation, concluding that other high-rank figures were aiding the Zhenbei King behind the scenes. It all seemed perfectly reasonable.

But Li Miaozhen had never imagined that this battle would also involve the demonic Daoist Leader of the Earth Sect, the Sovereign Sword, a mysterious woman, and the unparalleled expert who had dominated the entire field.

Wasn’t this supposed to be a simple story of the Zhenbei King committing genocide for personal gain, prompting retaliation from the Yao and barbarian tribes?

*Why were so many top-tier experts involved? The complexity of the relationships was overwhelming. I need to calm down and analyse this...* No, I need Xu Qi’an, thought Li Miaozhen, feeling slightly ashamed.

"How did you learn about the Zhenbei King's massacre?" asked Censor Liu, his scholarly mind sharp, clasping his hands in inquiry.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

His question seemed to spark something in Li Miaozhen. Her willow-like brows furrowed as she ascended on her flying sword, circling above the gathered soldiers and commanding loudly:

"Gold Gong Yang, immediately arrest the Commander of Chuzhou, Duke Protector Que Yongxiu! The Zhenbei King was the mastermind behind the massacre, but Que Yongxiu was his blade. It was he who led the troops to slaughter the city!"

"What?!"

Not just Yang Yan, but the High Court Deputy Justice and others turned pale.

There was no time to ask further questions. They immediately coordinated with Li Miaozhen to search for Que Yongxiu. Yet, despite scouring the army and the ruins of the city, they found no trace of him.

He had already fled.

Perhaps he had escaped during the barbarian army’s retreat, or perhaps, having witnessed the Zhenbei King's demise, he had slipped away unnoticed.

At the time, everyone's attention was focused on the battlefield. Without prior knowledge of Que Yongxiu’s unforgivable crimes, who would have paid him much heed?

Not only Que Yongxiu but the Zhenbei King's spies had also secretly vanished.

Furious and indignant, everyone felt utterly powerless.

The High Court Deputy Justice said in a grave tone, "Thank you, Daoist Li, for bringing this to our attention. Without your insight, we might have overlooked this villain, allowing him to escape justice. Once the delegation returns to the capital, I will file a memorial to the throne, urging for his impeachment and issuing a warrant for his arrest."

Censor Liu, visibly emotional, exclaimed, "Indeed! Que Yongxiu is a diehard loyalist of King Huai. For the Zhenbei King to carry out such atrocities in Chuzhou without detection, Que Yongxiu’s assistance was indispensable. Thank you, Daoist Li, for your vigilance. Please accept this official’s bow of gratitude."

*Li Miaozhen is truly worthy of the title Lady Flying Swallow, she’s is truly exceptional. She must have heard about the Blood Runs Three Thousand Miles case or the barbarian incursions into the borderlands, prompting her to travel thousands of miles to Chuzhou... Compared to her, we only uncovered the full truth today. Truly shameful...* the delegation members thought, gratitude mingling with a deep sense of inadequacy.

Among the group were fourth-rank Gold Gong Yang Yan, the experienced Chief Constable of the Ministry of Law, and even the legendary Xu Qi’an, secretly investigating the case. Yet, despite their collective efforts, they had uncovered nothing after such a long time.

Chief Constable Chen clasped his hands in salute. "Daoist Li, Que Yongxiu is a descendant of the founding nobles, a Duke of the first rank, and Commander of Chuzhou. His rank and influence are unparalleled, even in the capital. There are few whose status surpasses his.

"The Zhenbei King's massacre had tens of thousands of soldiers as eyewitnesses, serving as testimony. But as for Que Yongxiu... Daoist Li, may we trouble you to reveal how you uncovered this crime?"

The High Court Deputy Justice, the two Censors, and even the typically indifferent Yang Yan all turned their gazes towards Li Miaozhen, an unusual glimmer of curiosity in their eyes.