Heaven and earth belong to one family in spring, yet when the vast army of the northern barbarians advanced on three fronts simultaneously, the imperial court of Liyang had not yet learned of it, and Beiliang did not pass this military intelligence to the capital.
Surely, even if the capital had heard, they would only have sighed in relief. Barbarians killing barbarians, dogs biting dogs—what did it matter to them? The best outcome would be mutual destruction, a great blessing for the Liyang Dynasty, as if celebrating a joyous occasion with a festive offering.
On the straight imperial road just outside the southern gate of the capital stood four suspicious individuals without travel permits or household registers.
A couple with a child—this young boy perched on the sword-bearing man’s shoulders—clearly a family of three. Beside them stood an extra figure, a white-clothed person whose presence seemed slightly superfluous, yet exuded a commanding aura. This enigmatic figure, though not particularly striking in appearance—neither possessing the peerless beauty of the famed beauties in the “Yanzhi List” nor the extraordinary handsomeness of a man—was someone no passerby nearby dared to look at directly. A fleeting glance was all they could manage, and even then, they would later wonder why they had no clear impression of him. As for the seemingly unremarkable family of three, they were naturally ignored completely.
The man, who steadied his child’s legs with both hands, gazed toward the city walls of Taian and sighed, “There was probably only this city in the world that gave me pause. I really wanted to go in, but I was afraid of causing trouble. The three of us don’t have proper identities in Liyang, so we couldn’t just force our way in. Sneaking in at night wouldn’t be appropriate either. Back then, there was a man surnamed Xie in the city—though he couldn’t beat me in a fight, he could easily find me. I just wanted to bring my wife and daughter in for a visit, not to go on a rampage or show off. That kind of thing would’ve suited me twenty years younger.”
The white-clothed figure sneered, “Didn’t Hong Xixiang manage it?”
The man helplessly replied, “You’re comparing me to Lüzu now?”
The white-clothed figure said in a calm tone, “In terms of tangled identities, would you lose? Even if we only speak of martial talent in this life, would you lose? Yet you’ve fallen to a state worse than even Tuoba Pusa.”
The man gave a smug look, as if saying there was no point arguing with this person. His wife quickly stepped in with a smile, “My husband was born lazy, that’s all. Isn’t it actually quite nice? No need to fight over anything with anyone, and it’s peaceful.”
The man nodded in agreement, “Exactly, exactly.”
The child rested his chin on his father’s head and nodded along with his dad, even though he didn’t understand a word, still chiming in, “Exactly, exactly!”
The white-clothed figure gazed toward Taian City.
For eight hundred years, from the Qin dynasty to Liyang, she had walked through nearly every imperial capital—except for this one, the greatest fortress in the world.
Suddenly, the child spoke, “Dad, didn’t Mom say that there’s a guy who likes wearing green clothes and often sneaks into the city? Why did you get a headache then? Dad, it’s okay if you can’t beat my future master, but at least aim for second or third place in the world?”
The man rubbed his chin thoughtfully and said solemnly, “That’s true.”
His wife pinched him hard on the waist.
As the man was about to speak, he noticed that their traveling companion had actually turned and walked away. He was indeed as lazy as his wife described, too lazy to think about the reason, but he couldn’t help feeling a little resentful—You, the great demoness Luoyang, already have so many messy identities, don’t you? Who are you to talk about me?
The white-clothed figure was Luoyang. As for him, he was the one who had fled from Beiman to Liyang, found a wife, and then, because his wife said swordsmen were the most dashing, had grabbed a sword at random and pretended to be one. He had a precious daughter, and later met both Luoyang and Tuoba Pusa at the foot of Huishan Mountain. If he were in Beiman, his reputation would be the greatest of all. Among the five greatest sects in Beiman, his sect was one of them—and he was its sole member.
One man, one sect.
He naturally knew his martial talent was exceptional, but he had never pursued enlightenment, ascension, or being the strongest in the world. It was like how his wife wasn’t a beauty who could make fish sink or geese fall from the sky, yet he had fallen for her at first sight. Some things in the world simply had no reason.
His only pursuit was freedom. In his youth, it was the freedom of being alone; after meeting his wife and having a child, it became the freedom of a family of three. As for what freedom truly was, he was too lazy to ponder deeply.
He looked at the magnificent city before him and could clearly sense its mighty fortune. He imagined that since the new Liyang emperor had ascended the throne, with Han Shengxuan dead, Liu Haoshi dead, and the man surnamed Xie gone, he must be afraid that someone would come and cut off his head even after wearing the dragon robe and sitting on the dragon throne for just a few days. Hence, he had set up layers of dark and sinister traps. This was only natural. Given the steadily growing national strength of the Liyang Dynasty, it wouldn’t be completely helpless against a single top martial expert.
Suddenly, his daughter whispered, “Dad, I want to eat leek pancakes.”
The man was taken aback, then turned with a grin toward his wife, who was the most important person in the world to him. The woman stepped on his foot, “What’s wrong with you! What’s the point of your martial arts if you can’t even get your daughter a pancake?”
She quickly added, “We’re not saying we won’t pay!”
The man, having received royal permission, nodded with a smile, “Coming right up!”
He freed one hand to hold his wife’s, gently saying, “Sweetheart, hold on tight.”
In an instant,
All the top martial experts in Taian City, both open and hidden, felt an overwhelming aura!
The northern school of dragon-taming cultivators were in utter panic, like headless flies.
The man raised a cheerful smile.
What was freedom?
At least at this moment, he knew the answer.
Freedom was when your daughter wanted a pancake, and even if the entire Taian City tried to stop you, none could stop Hu Yan Daguan from getting it.
A brilliant streak of light erupted on the road, like a rainbow plunging into Taian City.
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