Patrol Captain

"Now, may I continue our discussion?"

Chen Yuan put down his cup, lowered his head and pinched the bottom of the cup with his fingers. His gaze shifted, and then he raised his eyes and said.

"I never imagined there was such a connection; it's quite an unexpected turn of events." The auspicious goddess's features were exquisitely beautiful, her eyes sparkling, her voice both alluring and cool.
"Please tell us, sir, what is the purpose of inviting us here today?"

"Although I, the celestial maiden, can make some guesses, I might as well tell you."

As soon as these words were spoken, the gazes of the immortal kings present fell on Chen Yuan. Only Luo Cheng, the white-robed king on the left, continued drinking his wine, his eyes lowered, as unmoving as an old tree.

Chen Yuan picked up his cup and rose from his seat. He shifted his feet, moved aside from the table, and his eyes, gleaming with a golden light, swept over the people seated below. His voice was firm and resolute.
"Then I shall speak frankly and openly."

"The reason I have invited you all here today is to discuss the matter of the demon race from the Ten Thousand Mountains being mobilized."

"Now that you all occupy the seven prefectures, you must be aware that recently, the demon race hidden deep in the Hundred Thousand Mountains has begun to stir, frequently showing its tracks through the Misty Sea. They are probably preparing to take advantage of the current unstable situation to cause trouble."

"Now that I rule over the Shu region and protect the people of this area, I naturally need to make preparations as soon as possible. However, the Shu region is separated from the Ten Thousand Mountains by the prefectures where you all reside. Do you understand what this means?"

"Excuse me, I don't understand. Why don't you just say what you mean more clearly? There's no need to be so pedantic. Do you really want me to bother with these trivial matters again?" The Southern Heavenly King said sullenly, flicking his sleeves and shifting his position, turning his body towards the door.

Chen Yuan originally wanted to test the attitudes of these monarchs, but when he saw that the Southern Heavenly King immediately spoke up to refute him, his words were full of anger, as if he thought that he had come to call on them to fight against the demons and that he was not going to give them face.

The other rulers remained silent, each keeping their eyes downcast and their thoughts inward; their meaning was already quite clear.

Chen Yuan was not surprised by this situation. He had no right to ask these kings for help without any explanation. Moreover, these kings had suffered a loss in their previous lives and were transformed from uncorrupted bones, exuding evil aura and harboring resentment. It would be good enough if they didn't cause trouble. It was indeed unrealistic.

He had a plan in mind beforehand, and his probing was a tactic to lower the other party's expectations in order to achieve his own goals.

He walked down the steps and shook his head slightly.
"Perhaps you have misunderstood. Even if I were to consider myself very high, I would never make such a request as to ask you all to help me deal with the Ten Thousand Mountains."

“You all suffered a loss when you were suppressing the Ten Thousand Mountains a thousand years ago, so naturally you harbor resentment, do not trust me, and do not want to repeat the same mistake. I can understand all of this.”

"Therefore, I only ask for your unanimous opinion!"

Chen Yuan's eyes shone with an alarming light as he spoke.
"You can ignore these things and remain neutral, but when I send troops to exterminate demons in the future, I hope you will do me a favor and allow my troops to pass through, so that we can keep to ourselves."

"It's that simple, it's not difficult for any of you!"

Upon hearing this, the seven kings present reacted in various ways: some remained expressionless, some raised their eyebrows slightly, and some exchanged glances.
Inside the palace, birds sang and danced, and music filled the air. But at the long table below, none of the seven kings responded, and the atmosphere suddenly became cold.

One breath, two breaths, three breaths.
"This is fine with me," said Luo Cheng, the white-robed king who had been keeping a low profile, as he continued drinking.

The first to stand up and express their opinion.

The Arhat Aniruddha, sitting cross-legged beside him, paused, the white bone string he was playing with suddenly raised. His scarlet eyes, following the tilt of his head, flashed with a terrifying light, and he uttered a Buddhist chant.
“Amitabha, those who deserve salvation, please be saved. This humble monk is willing to form a karmic connection with General Chen.”

This Arhat was almost demonic, as if afraid he might utter the phrase "Great Mighty Heavenly Dragon, World Honored Ksitigarbha."

As these two spoke, discordant voices suddenly arose.

"boom"

A sound of slamming the table rang out.

The noise was quite loud, clearly fueled by anger. The long table shattered into wood chips, and the delicacies and fine wines on it spilled all over the floor, accompanied by the crisp sound of shattering glass.

This sudden turn of events brought the music in the hall to an abrupt halt. The pipa player's hand trembled, and the string snapped. The flute player was so startled that he couldn't catch his breath; the flute notes caught in his throat, and he turned red in the face, barely daring to breathe. The dancers, who were in the middle of a dance, were terrified. Their flowing sleeves fluttered, causing them to lose their footing and stumble, bumping into their companions. They all fell to the ground, their cries of pain throwing the hall into chaos.

“ceng”

“ceng”

“ceng”

As if by reflex, the armored soldiers stationed inside the hall immediately drew their swords from their waists.

Outside, the clanging of armored footsteps rushed into the hall as armored soldiers charged in, their armor and blades gleaming coldly, instantly creating a tense atmosphere in the hall.

As he descended the steps from the main seat, Chen Yuan, without changing his expression, waved his hand and said, "Go down."

The performers and musicians were immediately relieved, and quickly withdrew from the hall with their heads down, fearing that they would be drawn into the struggle between such important figures.

In an instant, the hall became deserted, even the armored soldiers withdrew, and the doors were closed.

Only Chen Yuan and the Seven Kings remained!
Returning our gaze to the Southern Heavenly King, we saw a man of fiery temper, flames blazing forth from his crimson bone armor.
"Old Ghost Luo, Mad Arhat, what kind of show are you two putting on here?"

"Don't think I don't know that you know this man surnamed Chen. It seems you've already coordinated beforehand. Are you trying to hold us old fogies hostage?"

Having said that, the immortal king, his purple eyes blazing with fiery light, turned to look at Chen Yuan.
"Your Excellency means that we should cooperate with your troops to pass through, opening the gates of convenience. What benefits will we gain? Besides, what if your troops turn around and attack us when we pass through? After all, we learned a lesson in our previous life, being trapped in a dark and sunless barrier and almost going mad. You are only wearing the skin of the imperial court; how can you convince people with just a few words? It seems we should stay in the city and wait for the day of our ascension to return to the heavens!"

As the Southern Heavenly King spoke, he stood up, preparing to leave his seat and head towards the gate.

Seeing this, the other rulers made no other move, simply watching quietly and waiting for Chen Yuan's reaction, observing the situation.

"slow!"

Chen Yuan spoke, his voice deep and his eyes flashing with golden light. The Southern Heavenly King turned his head, stopped, and stared at him intently.

Chen Yuan paced up the steps, tilting his head to one side and glancing sideways. "What other benefits do you desire, sir?"

"There are demands only when there are interests involved, so why should we listen to General Chen's request? And why should we risk being betrayed?" The Southern Heavenly King opened his purple eyes, revealing his jet-black teeth, which looked ferocious, and his voice carried a mocking tone.

Chen Yuan chuckled, “The Chishui Prefecture where the Heavenly King resides was originally a city in my Shu region. When the demons attacked the pass, the general and soldiers of the Third Mountain of my Mountain Expeditionary Army lost their lives to protect this prefecture. Their remains could not be found. I am only passing through this place to inform Your Excellency that I will host a banquet for you. This is already a matter of courtesy.”

"Why do you want to ask me for toll fees?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chen Yuan smashed the glass cup in his hand to the ground. His brows furrowed like knives, and his voice was stern. The sound of the cup being smashed made the emperor below's pupils change. The oppressive atmosphere instantly filled the air, freezing the atmosphere in the hall as if facing a formidable enemy.

Is this a signal to smash a cup?

The auspicious goddess and the others looked on with suspicion, ready to attack at any moment, but after a breath, two breaths...
Nothing happened; there were no soldiers surrounding the area, nor were any restrictions activated, until Chen Yuan's mocking laughter broke the tense atmosphere.

"Do you all think I'm going to attack you?"

"I, Chen, would never do such a thing!"

A false alarm!
Once they realized their situation, they couldn't help but feel a little apprehensive. This martial saint general's actions had taken control of the rhythm, and unknowingly, they had developed a sense of tension.

There's no other reason than that the person standing before them was a ruthless individual who had personally killed two celestial beings from the lower realms. Although they were celestial beings in their previous lives, they had not yet recovered to their peak state. Otherwise, they would have broken through the void and returned to the celestial realm long ago.

After this commotion, the atmosphere inside the main hall became tense.

The Southern Heavenly King was somewhat embarrassed. He snorted, exhaling two puffs of white breath, and with a flick of his sleeve, the palace doors opened.

"You can talk if you want, I won't keep you company."

With that, he strode away from the main hall, then transformed into a streak of fire and shot into the sky. A moment later, a thunderous roar filled the air as the immortal king tore through the void and departed.

Seeing this, Chen Yuan gave a forced smile, looked at the other six people, put his hands behind his back, and said, "Since the king has left, I will not force him. I do not want to make enemies with you all. Today's banquet is only to establish good relations. After all, you were all people who made great contributions to Shu in your previous lives. You did the same thing as me. Why argue so fiercely and make things unpleasant?"

"I hope you all can do me a favor!"

"If one day I break through to the Martial Saint realm, shattering the void, I can also help you all fulfill your long-cherished wish and return to the Heavenly Realm. If you are willing to believe, you may stay!"

Upon hearing this, the Five Thunder Lords, who were about to get up, paused and sat down again.

Listening to it isn't a bad thing!
The words are divided into two parts, each expressing one branch.

While Chen Yuan was negotiating with the seven kings, on the western front, in Ding'an Prefecture.

The night sky, as black as ink, was shrouded in wisps of black smoke. Outside the city, a blizzard raged, and only the torches on the battlements struggled against the fierce wind. Their orange-red flames tore through the thick night, yet could not illuminate the battlefield outside the city, soaked in ice, snow, and blood. The wind and snow swirled with fine ice shards, lashing against the armor of the defending soldiers with a rustling sound that mingled with the crackling of the flames on the battlements, forming the backdrop of Ding'an Prefecture.

Inside and outside the city walls, the dark blue bricks and stones were covered with jagged cracks, some of which were deep grooves carved by demonic claws, with purplish-black blood still clinging to their edges. Half of the watchtowers on the city walls had collapsed. Under the wind and snow, soldiers stood solemnly on the walls, their armor covered with a thin layer of ice. The gaps in the armor plates were embedded with fragments of demonic scales and dried bloodstains. Many soldiers had blood-soaked bandages wrapped all over their bodies, but they still stood straight, their eyes fixed on the outside of the city, not daring to relax for a moment.

As the terrifying demonic tide receded, the battlefield outside the city was a scene of utter devastation. The gruesome corpses and traces of demons told the story of the battle's brutality. Burning flames licked at the fragments of the dead demons; the strange, towering, armored monster fragments, like a bizarre ink painting, pieced together the scene of the demonic tide's rampage. Torn banners fluttered in the wind and snow outside.

At this moment, on the main street of the city's Sky Patrol Office, the world was in chaos. Only the "crack" of horses' hooves breaking through the ice could be heard, like thunder splitting the curtain of wind and snow. A figure was on the back of a horse, and the horse's hooves thundered, with ice crystals on its mane falling off as it ran.

The rider was dressed in the clothes of an ordinary martial arts practitioner, his collar and cuffs covered in snow, but he was oblivious to it. He held the reins tightly in one hand and protected the brocade box in his arms with the other. The box was wrapped in three layers of oilcloth, and the bright yellow edges that were faintly visible in the wind and snow were a unique symbol of the royal family.

"Who goes there! This is a military stronghold of Ding'an Prefecture. Trespassers will be executed!"

Armored soldiers stood in front of the Heavenly Patrol Office's gate, their spears gleaming coldly in the wind and snow, and frost on their armor fell in a flurry with each shout.

The man on horseback did not slow down at all. His warhorse neighed and reared up, its front hooves stepping on the guards' spear shafts, bending the two spears into a bow shape.

Taking advantage of the horse's momentum, the man flicked his cloak, sending snowflakes flying and revealing a gilded waist badge hanging at his waist. He then let out a shout.
"I am a secret envoy of the imperial court, carrying His Majesty's decree. Please lead me to see the Grand Preceptor Helian immediately!"

The voice, carried by the wind and snow, was deep and resonant, and on the face reddened by the cold, a pair of eyes shone with an astonishing brightness.

The guards at the gate were surprised when they heard the commotion. Was it a secret envoy from the imperial court?

However, while they were still hesitating, the sound of armor plates clattering came from inside the gate of the prefecture, and someone hurried over.

A general clad in silver armor stepped out of the government office. Upon seeing the person on horseback approaching the gate, his pupils changed, and he quickly gestured for them to enter before stepping aside to lead the way.

"The Grand Preceptor sensed your arrival and is here to greet you. He is already waiting for you at his residence. Please follow me, angel!"

The imperial envoy dismounted without a word and walked away, his cloak sweeping across the snow and leaving a trail.

The soldier left at the door glanced cautiously at the departing figure of the imperial envoy and breathed a sigh of relief.

The imperial envoy was like a drawn sword, carrying the majesty of the emperor and the chilling atmosphere of a snowstorm, making it almost impossible to breathe.

Is this person carrying an imperial edict?

I wonder what the imperial edict said?
Led by the silver-armored general, the imperial envoy arrived at a study in the Ding'an Prefecture.

Inside, candlelight flickered, and an old man sat upright.

The envoy stepped inside, saw the old man, and said:

"Lord Helian, His Majesty urgently summons you back to the capital!" (End of Chapter)