Young Jiang Ziya

Shi Yuan was summoned to the Marquis's residence that night and did not return until dawn.

The news he brought back cast a silent thunderclap over the entire upper echelons of Xiqi.

The message from the Crimson-browed Watchers, sent from the Frosty Snow Mountain, was brief yet weighty, written in a coded language that only a select few could decipher.

The core message is just one sentence: "Beneath Xuanyuan's tomb, the Yellow Springs rift has appeared, the signs of the blood plague are certain, and the tide of the blood plague is coming."

At the same time, an envoy from Chaoge, the capital of Zun Kingdom, brought an edict from King Di Xin of Shang, the contents of which were quite different from the alarms raised by the Red Eyebrow Watchers.

The imperial edict casually attributed the strange occurrences in the north to "demonic evil" and "disorder of the earth's energy," ordering all the feudal lords to strengthen their local defenses and carry out their own suppression. It also issued a stern warning against "spreading false rumors about disasters and misleading people," and especially forbade the mention of the word "blood plague."

The only part of the edict related to the crisis was the reaffirmation of the ancient "Oath of the Alliance"—that in the event of a definite external threat, the feudal lords must temporarily set aside their disputes and unite to defend against the enemy. However, it was unclear whether this "great threat" included a blood plague.

The atmosphere in the imperial court was subtle and tense.

Ji Chang sat upright in the main seat, his face calm and composed, listening to the debate between his generals and civil officials.

Those who advocated war were indignant, believing that preparations for war must be made immediately and that allied forces with the feudal lords should be formed; the cautious were worried, fearing that acting without authorization would anger Chaoge and lead to accusations of "deliberate rebellion" or "spreading panic."

Ji Fa stood beside his father, his lips tightly pressed together the whole time, his hand resting on the hilt of his sword, his knuckles turning white from the force.

When an old minister tremblingly said, "Perhaps we can observe for a few more days to avoid provoking Your Majesty's country..." he finally couldn't hold back and took a step forward.

"Observe?" His voice was exceptionally clear in the silent hall, even somewhat jarring. "Wait until the Blood Puppet's claws reach the walls of Xiqi before we observe?"

Have you all forgotten the tragedy at Qingya Village? That was just the beginning! Is the news that the Crimson-Eyebrow Watchers risked their lives for less valuable than a mere empty document from Chaoge?

"Fa'er!" Ji Chang stopped him in a deep voice, but there was not much blame in his tone.

Ji Fa took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his anger, turned to his father, and knelt on one knee: "Father! The blood plague is not a calamity of one country or one town."

Chaoge's ambiguous attitude may be due to being misled by treacherous people or having other considerations.

But we cannot sit idly by and wait for our demise! The oath of alliance still stands, which is the basis of our righteous cause.

Please grant me permission, Father, to travel to various countries, explain the advantages and disadvantages, and strive for alliances! At the very least, I must make the countries of Nan'e, Dongyu, and Beichong understand what kind of enemy stands outside the gates of Xiqi!

"If they remain obstinate..." He paused, a resolute glint in his eyes, "then Xiqi will prepare for war alone, defending its territory to the death, until the last man!"

The hall was completely silent. Ji Chang looked at his son's young yet resolute face, and after a long while, slowly nodded.

"Acceptable." He only said one word.

***

With the mission set, preparations are in full swing.

Ji Fa was officially appointed as the commander-in-chief of Xiqi in response to the blood plague, and also as a special diplomatic envoy.

He became exceptionally busy, spending his days discussing defense with his generals, taking inventory of provisions and weapons, and selecting his entourage.

Lu Shang's life returned to a superficial calm. He still helped dry and sort the medicine in Shi Yuan's courtyard every day, listening to the old man ramble on about the history of the blood plague and the tragic heroism of the Red Eyebrows Watchmen, but his heart felt like it was weighed down by a stone.

Shi Yuan strictly forbade him from any further outrageous behavior, and even asked him to avoid any occasions where Ji Fa might appear.

However, trouble still found its way to you.

That afternoon, Lü Shang was temporarily dispatched to the armory near the training ground to deliver a batch of medicine packets for preventing miasma and warding off evil spirits, which Shi Yuan had allocated for the guards.

As soon as they approached the training ground, they heard Ji Fa's furious shouts and curses.

"Useless! Your arms are as limp as noodles! Do you think the enemy will just stand there and wait for you to stab them? Try again!"

In the center of the training ground, Ji Fa, holding an unsharpened bronze training sword, was sparring with a young guard.

The guard was clearly exhausted, his steps faltering, but Ji Fa's sword moved like a whirlwind, accurately deflecting his weapon or striking his arms and legs with dull thuds.

The guard staggered and fell to the ground, his face a mixture of shame and pain.

"Get up!" Ji Fa pointed his sword at the other man, his face filled with undisguised disappointment and impatience. "How can you fight on the battlefield like this? How can you protect the people and elders behind you? The Blood Puppet won't show you any mercy!"

The guard struggled to get up, but the pain in his legs caused him to kneel down again.

Standing on the sidelines, Lü Shang looked at the young guard's flushed face and eyes that were almost brimming with tears, and then at Ji Fa's arrogant demeanor. A nameless anger suddenly surged up within him.

Shi Yuanping's usual admonitions were instantly forgotten.

"He's just tired!" a voice suddenly rang out.

The training ground fell silent instantly. Everyone looked over, including Ji Fa.

He turned around and his gaze fell on Lü Shang, who was carrying a medicine bag and wearing coarse cloth servant's clothes. He raised his eyebrows, clearly recognizing the boy who had been "terrified" in the cellar that day.

"What did you say?" Ji Fa's voice was unreadable, but his eyes were cold.

Lu Shang, having already spoken, straightened his back and said, "Your Highness, I say. He has fought three battles in a row, and it is normal for him to be exhausted and his movements to be distorted."

What good does it do to criticize and beat him like this, except to demoralize him and make his injuries worse?

Shouldn't a true general understand the limits of his soldiers and teach them accordingly?

After he finished speaking, even Lü Shang himself was stunned.

The guards around him gasped in shock, looking at him as if he were a dead man.

Ji Fa's face darkened. He strode towards Lü Shang, twirling his training sword in his hand. "Oh? Sounds like you know a thing or two about training soldiers? A servant who sorts medicinal herbs?"

The pressure was overwhelming.

Lu Shang's palms were sweating, but his stubbornness also kicked in, and he said with his neck stiff, "I wouldn't dare say I understand. But at least I know that it's more effective to win people's hearts than to make them fear you."

"Interesting." Ji Fa stopped in front of him, looked him up and down, and suddenly laughed, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "It seems you're not only quite bold, but also quite eloquent."

Since you think I'm practicing incorrectly, why don't you give it a try? Let me see what it takes to earn the respect and respect of your subordinates.

He casually tossed the training sword to a guard beside him and pointed to the weapon rack at the edge of the arena: "Pick one. Beat me, and I'll apologize to him."

He pointed to the young guard still kneeling on the ground. "If you lose, you'll crawl three laps around the training ground, shouting 'Young Master's military training is divine, this lowly man is ignorant and arrogant' as you crawl."

Laughter erupted. Everyone thought this arrogant little servant was in big trouble.

Lü Shang was in a difficult position. He knew he had no chance of defeating Ji Fa through martial arts alone.

But to back down in front of everyone would be a real disgrace.

His gaze swept across the weapon rack, finally settling on the most inconspicuous short hardwood stick used for footwork practice.

"This is it." He picked up the short stick.

A hint of surprise flashed in Ji Fa's eyes, followed by an even deeper sarcasm: "Fine."

The contest began. Ji Fa didn't even bother to take out a weapon, and went in empty-handed.

His movements were as fast as a cheetah; he delivered a swift chop to Lü Shang's wrist, which was holding the staff, intending to disarm him instantly.

Lu Shang couldn't see his movements at all, and relied entirely on a vague premonition to dodge to the side, making him look extremely embarrassed.

The next few rounds were a complete cat-and-mouse game.

Ji Fa's punches and kicks were as swift as the wind, each one barely grazing Lü Shang's body, or using skillful force to make his arm go numb, and the short stick almost slipped from his hand several times.

Lu Shang could only dodge and parry, powerless to fight back. He was soon panting heavily, his clothes soaked with sweat and dust, and his face stung from the blow.

"Is that all you've got?" Ji Fa mocked, seemingly lessening his anger at Lü Shang's disheveled state. "Just admit defeat and climb over the lap, so you don't suffer any more pain."

Lu Shang gritted his teeth and remained silent.

As he barely dodged another leg strike aimed at his lower body, his foot slipped, and he fell backward.

Ji Fa stepped forward and reached out to grab his collar to subdue him completely.

Just as Ji Fa's hand was about to touch Lü Shang—

In the depths of Lü Shang's pupils, that wisp of gold flashed and disappeared once more.

It wasn't an attack, but rather the silent application of an extremely faint psychic energy, imbued with the intention of "obstruction," to the back of his clothes just before he touched the ground.

At the same time, another wisp of spiritual energy, like an invisible hook, very slightly "tripped" Ji Fa's right toe, which had shifted its center of gravity slightly forward due to the forward rush.

All of this happened in an instant, without any leakage of psionic energy. It was more like a barely perceptible tremor in the ground or Ji Fa exerting too much force.

"Why?!"

Ji Fa felt a strange, sluggish sensation under his feet, and his forward momentum immediately went out of control.

Lu Shang's fall was unusually "slow," as if his back had hit a soft sandy surface.

As a result, Ji Fa couldn't stop his momentum and was pulled off a stumble by the force of his own forward momentum. In order not to fall completely, he had to brace himself with one hand, which was quite an unseemly posture.

Lu Shang, on the other hand, "coincidentally" rolled half a circle on the ground and got up covered in dust.

To outsiders, it seemed entirely due to Ji Fa's carelessness and the servant's sheer luck in escaping capture.

There was a moment of silence on the drill ground, followed by suppressed, muffled snickers.

Although no one dared to laugh out loud, their trembling shoulders and contorted faces said it all.

Ji Fa propped himself up, his face instantly turning red, the redness extending all the way to his ears.

He had never made such a fool of himself in front of so many people. He suddenly looked up and glared fiercely at Lü Shang, his eyes almost spitting fire.

Lu Shang's heart skipped a beat; he knew he had gone too far.

However, the expected outburst of rage did not materialize.

Ji Fa stared at him intently for a long time, his anger gradually replaced by an extremely strange expression that mixed annoyance, suspicion, and a hint of peculiar interest.

"You..." Ji Fa dusted off his hands, walked up to Lü Shang, and lowered his voice so only the two of them could hear, "Just now... was it you who did this?"

"This humble servant...this humble servant does not know what Your Highness is talking about." Lü Shang lowered his head, his heart pounding like a drum.

Ji Fa stared at him for a few more seconds, then suddenly snorted, turned around and shouted to the crowd, "Consider yourself lucky! But you do have some guts."

He paused, then pointed at Lü Shang, "From today onwards, you don't need to go back to the pharmacy. You'll stay by my side as my personal servant."

Lü Shang looked up in astonishment.

With his back to everyone, Ji Fa gave Lü Shang a smile that was anything but friendly, even a little vicious, and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear: "So that you won't run around everywhere. Under my nose, let's see what tricks you can still play."

From now on, you'll be in charge of my living quarters, luggage, and horses. If you don't do a good job..." He pointed to the training ground, "and the laps won't be just three."

And so, in a manner that was almost childish yet carried the connotations of punishment and investigation, Lü Shang became the personal servant of the young master Ji Fa.

When the news reached Shi Yuan's ears, the old man remained silent for a long time before finally sighing, "Fortune and misfortune are intertwined; be careful."

Remember, never use your psychic powers recklessly, and keep your warlock identity hidden, or I won't be able to save you.

As Lü Shang began his hectic and often disastrous career as a "personal servant," the final plan for his mission was also finalized.

The first stop is in the southwest, a country with abundant national strength but the most ambiguous attitude—**Nan'e**. Its capital, Guichuan City, possesses the richest spiritual marrow mineral veins in the world.