Mountain and sea lantern

Chapter 668 Delivered to your door
In the picturesque capital of the Northern Kingdom, amidst the rising mist, several men, naked, soaked and chatted in a sacred hot spring pool.

Most people leaned against the shore with their eyes closed, enjoying the casual conversations, except for a man with prominent cheekbones who would occasionally open his eyes and scrutinize everyone's reactions.

This man was a censor from the Northern Kingdom's court named Shi Jiao. After the idle chatter subsided, he took the initiative to start a conversation, saying, "Brother Lan, why is this general amnesty war being held in the Demon Realm?"

The so-called Demon Realm refers to the ancestral land of the Demon Court. Since its destruction in ancient times, it has been largely abandoned. The reason is that the Xun Gate passage established there is extremely unstable, and people passing through are easily distorted and disappear. Who can control such a place? It's impossible to have top-tier Void Shattering experts act as gatekeepers every time people enter and exit, right? Therefore, it has been abandoned.

The man known as 'Brother Lan' was a tall, thin man with fair skin and delicate features. He had a small face with stubble and a certain masculine charm. His name was Lan She, and he was the commander of the Northern Ju team in this amnesty battle.

Hearing this, he closed his eyes to rest and said, "The matter that the five families have agreed upon is not something we can decide. The main reason must be that the newly refined Xun Gate has stabilized the entrance and exit passage."

Censor Shi Jiao chuckled and said, "In any case, I still want to congratulate Brother Lan on getting the position of commander. When you are promoted after your victory, don't forget about us."

"Yes."

We will surely win.

The others soaking in the pool echoed a few words, all knowing that if they truly won, they would naturally be promoted. The Domain Lord position obtained in the Great Amnesty War was not at the same level as other Domain Lords. Other Domain Lords were under the jurisdiction of various star officials, while the Domain Lord position obtained in the Great Amnesty War was directly under the jurisdiction of the Royal Court.

"Heh." Lan She chuckled self-deprecatingly. "With five families vying for supremacy, it's still uncertain who will emerge victorious. We can't be too happy too soon. If we suffer a defeat, we won't even be able to hold our heads up in shame."

Someone advised, "Brother Lan has been working tirelessly on preparations for the battle lately. With such thorough preparations, he must be determined to win. There's no need to boost the morale of others."

While the censor Shi Jiao nodded in agreement, he hesitated and said, "That makes sense, but Brother Lan, you really need to be careful of someone this time."

Getting down to business, Lan She, who had been leaning back with his head held high, opened his eyes, looked at him, and asked, "Who is it?"

Upon hearing this, the others either opened their eyes or removed the hot towels from their faces, all looking at Shi Jiao.

Shi Jiao said in a solemn tone, "Shi Chun, the Shi Chun who was taken away from the execution ground in Dongsheng by Sheng Yu, everyone should have heard of him, right?"

Upon hearing this, several people glanced strangely at a man with a fairly robust physique and slightly golden hair and beard. This man was named Liang Mian, the Junior Supervisor of the Trade Market in Beiju Luzhou, who was the second most important person in charge of some trade affairs between the five major powers.

Upon hearing the name 'Shi Chun,' Liang Mian's gaze towards Shi Jiao already carried a hint of cold indifference.

Someone chuckled dryly and said, "Shi Chun is nothing but a nobody. He has no chance to act recklessly during the general amnesty. Once he's in, it's like throwing a soybean into a millstone. He'll be ground to dust in an instant. He's not worth worrying about."

Shi Jiao immediately retorted, "That's not how it works. Why did he get out of prison? It was because Mulan Jin's daughter signed up for the war. Mulan Jin was clearly trying to help her daughter, even going so far as to reach into prison to get her out. Who is Mulan Jin? She wouldn't make such a claim without a reason. She must have chosen a path that would benefit her."

He glanced around at everyone and said, “You may not know this, but twenty years ago, Shi Chun surrendered himself before his execution in Dongsheng. He wasn’t captured by Dongsheng. It is said that Dongsheng sent a group of experts to participate in a siege, including many at the Heavenly Immortal level, but they still couldn’t capture him and he escaped.”

Upon hearing this, someone else retorted, "I heard that the reason they ran away was because they received help from Li Hongjiu, a disciple of the Yanbao Sect?"

Shi Jiao immediately retorted, "I heard that Mulan has directly secured him a centurion position in the Heavenly Court."

The implication is, how do you explain this?
The crowd quieted down slightly upon hearing this. To be honest, while they had all heard of this Shi Chun, he was considered too insignificant in their eyes. He was merely involved with a few people and was nothing special. If it weren't for Shi Jiao's bold and outspoken words, they wouldn't have taken him seriously at all.

This moment certainly carries a profound meaning.

A moment later, Lan She slowly said, "This scoundrel is indeed quite capable. I have remembered Brother Shi's reminder."

Shi Jiao, looking mysterious, said, "We might as well prepare a countermeasure early. I know a woman who, if we can recruit her into our team, might be able to defeat him."

Upon hearing this, everyone else turned their gaze to Liang Mian. Those who hung out with him naturally knew about Liang Mian and the woman he was currently dating. Apparently, she had been Shi Chun's woman, whom he had stolen away while Shi Chun was in prison.

Some people privately find it amusing, wondering if it's really worth it for a woman who came from a brothel.

Liang Mian's face darkened. "Brother Shi, we have no past grudges or recent conflicts, so why are you targeting me?"

Lan She lowered his eyes, seemingly oblivious to the scene before him, but inwardly he sighed. If everyone hadn't been so concerned with their own interests, he wouldn't have had trouble assembling an invincible and powerful team. It was all because of people like Liang Mian, who wouldn't cooperate when it came to their own people.

Unfortunately, most of the capable and useful people he has are from influential backgrounds, and he can't do something like trying to get the position of domain lord only to end up not being able to hold onto it.

How could one not sigh helplessly?

Shi Jiao hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Oh dear, it's a misunderstanding, Brother Liang, you've misunderstood. I'm not talking about Brother Liang, I'm talking about Situ Gu's disciple, Situ Zhen."

The scene fell silent as everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

Lan She suddenly revealed a look of bewilderment, inwardly scoffing. He thought that forcing Situ Gu's apprentice to join the team was no better than forcing Liang Mian's woman. He immediately waved his hand, "You're joking. Situ Gu won't agree."

He intended to leave it at that, but Shi Jiao smiled mysteriously and said, "Perhaps I can give Brother Lan a try."

The crowd looked at each other, wondering what he could possibly do to solve the problem.

Lan She seemed tempted, but said tactfully, "Don't do anything rash."

And that was the end of that topic.

After soaking for a while, everyone got up and left to change. Liang bumped into Lan She on the way, and then the two walked into the shady side of the side path.

Once they were alone, Liang Mian didn't hold back and made a startling statement: "Lan'er said that she and Shi Chun never had a romantic relationship."

Lan She chuckled, thinking he was about to say something else. "Why are you telling me this? I have no interest in such petty squabbles." Liang Mian continued, "But after she learned of Shi Chun's release from prison, she inquired about his whereabouts and wanted to visit him. Even if there's nothing wrong with the past, I don't want to see a situation where new clothes are preferred over old ones. In the war of amnesty, some people can be crushed with a single word from you, Lan. And some people don't need to come back alive."

Lan She smiled slightly, neither agreeing nor refusing, but instead asked curiously, "I am indeed curious, what kind of woman is she that makes Brother Liang so serious? I heard that she is proficient in all the arts, including music, chess, calligraphy, painting, singing and dancing, and also has remarkable beauty, but aren't there many like her in such a vast capital?"

Liang Mian waved his hand and said, "Those are all secondary. A beautiful woman is easy to find, but the one you truly desire is hard to come by."

"Alright, I don't understand." Lan She chuckled and gave up, muttering to himself, "Bewitched."

Anyway, if someone doesn't refuse something, everyone already knows what's going on...

In the capital of Nanzhan, a group of people were enjoying the scenery of the lake and mountains. Gong Shaoci, who was chatting and laughing with others, suddenly caught sight of his trusted steward Lei Ying waiting nearby. He immediately slowed down and left the group.

Lei Ying quickly walked up to him and whispered, "I have already met Commander Ming, and I have delivered your congratulatory gift in person."

Gong Shaoci: "What did he say?"

Lei Ying whispered, "After I presented your congratulatory gift, I also mentioned that Shi Chun turned against you after leaving the Divine Fire Domain. I didn't say much else. After he accepted the gift, he said he understood your sentiments."

Gong Shaoci laughed, shook his head and sighed, "Wouldn't it be better to stay in the prison? Why did you have to come out and show off your abilities?"

Having said that, he turned and left, chasing after his friends...

On Tiandu Immortal Mountain, Feng Chi knocked on Shi Chun's door. Hearing the greeting from inside, she quickly pushed the door open and entered. She found Shi Chun leisurely flipping through a book, neither cultivating nor discussing strategies and tactics with everyone after entering the battlefield. She was quite impressed by his calm demeanor.

After closing the door, she quickly went to Shi Chun, leaned down and whispered in his ear, "Xiang Lan'er has arrived in Tiandu and sent word that she wants to see you."

Shi Chun scoffed, "They've all run off with other men, why would they want to see me? I won't see them."

Feng Chi: "You should still meet them. They said they came with instructions from above, so you can't refuse to see them. You might as well see what they're up to."

It was indeed hard to refuse, but Shi Chun was not allowed to go down the mountain at will, because Mulan was afraid that someone would harm him. So she could only send Xiang Lan'er to the immortal mountain, and after going through a series of procedures, she was allowed to come in.

Having done something dishonorable, Xiang Lan'er didn't want to meet the other members of the Mingshan Sect, so Feng Chi led her away to Shi Chun's residence.

She came here for no other reason than to convey the message from above to Shi Chun, under the guise of meeting an old friend.

The meaning is simple: having learned that Shi Chun was going to participate in the Great Amnesty War and had even obtained the position of team leader with the help of Mulan Jin, he felt that Shi Chun was useful and wanted Shi Chun to fully cooperate with the demonic path if needed.

The Demonic Path seemed to take this matter extremely seriously, seemingly giving Shi Chun no room to refuse. They said that if Shi Chun did not cooperate, they would immediately expose his identity as a member of the Demonic Path, and the evidence was readily available, clearly showing the inside story of the Broken Blade's trading chain.

In other words, for the sake of this matter, the demonic path is willing to expose people like Lan'er and Feng Chi.

Shi Chun instantly realized that it might be related to the 'Demon Realm', the venue for this great battle.

Seeing him take out a large gourd, place it on the table, and ponder over it, Xiang Lan'er, already looking unapproachable, pressed him on the spot: "What, you want to refuse?"

Shi Chun snorted and said sarcastically, "Why refuse something that's offered to you?"

Upon hearing this, Xiang Lan'er vaguely sensed that something was wrong. Suddenly, she realized that something was really wrong; she found that her body was so sluggish that she could not move.

She was shocked and instantly realized that it was this guy's skillful immobilization technique. She immediately tried to release her demonic energy to break the restriction.

Shi Chun flashed forward and stabbed her several times with his fingers, subduing her on the spot.

Feng Chi, who was standing to the side, was shocked. He was about to advise her that this would make things worse, but before he could say anything, his eyes widened as he saw Shi Chun tear open Xiang Lan'er's clothes, revealing a large expanse of her body.

What's worse, Shi Chun turned his head and stared coldly at her. Didn't she say she was already his? He wanted to see.

Feng Chi was speechless for a moment, then, seeing Xiang Lan'er's terrified gaze, she decisively refused to help and turned away. After opening the door and leaving, she stood guard at the door to keep watch.

Another rustling sound of clothes being torn revealed Lan'er's exquisitely sculpted body. Shi Chun admired her briefly before carrying her to the bed...

Outside the door, Feng Chi, who could faintly hear the unbearable noise, rubbed his forehead. That person was truly domineering and gave him a headache.

After a long while, the door opened again, and Xiang Lan'er, who had changed her clothes and was disheveled, ran out. She looked furious. When she saw Feng Chi guarding the door, she glared at him and tears streamed down her face. She looked around but dared not speak out. She wiped away her tears and left in a hurry.

Feng Chi quickly caught up, grabbed her arm, and led her to a secluded spot.

Xiang Lan'er struggled and said, "What? You've already betrayed us, and now you want to kill me to silence me?"

Feng Chi held her tightly, earnestly persuading her, "What betrayal? Miss, I'm prioritizing important matters, and so are you. Are we going to turn against each other on the spot and ruin the important plans above? This mission is clearly extraordinary, and it's obvious that we can be sacrificed. In order to complete the mission above, we can only ask you to make this sacrifice. I feel sorry for you too!"

Xiang Lan'er was brought to tears again by her words, but she stopped struggling. As she was losing her virginity for the first time, she felt extremely wronged. She had already agreed to marry Liang Mian.

To be honest, regardless of status, strength, manners and tenderness towards women, or the knowledge he brings to her, after getting to know him for a while, it becomes clear that Shi Chun can't compare to Liang Mian, even though marrying Liang Mian was also the result of manipulation from above.

One was open and aboveboard, the other sneaky and furtive. When they met someone better, who would still look at someone inferior? But she never dreamed that he was a beast who dared to force himself on her right in front of Feng Chi.

Feng Chi quickly helped her tidy up her messy hair and said in a soothing tone, "If you go out like this, people will suspect something. Tidy yourself up before you leave."

(End of this chapter)