Chapter 18: The Worthy Use of a Lesser Man

As Qian Ye raised his gun, Liu Zhongyuan’s hair stood on end, his eyes filled with terror. He screamed, “No!” and turned to flee.

Despite being a divine general, he had already dashed a hundred meters away in the blink of an eye. Almost no one saw how the national teacher escaped, just as no one had seen him appear before.

However, dozens of meters in front of Liu Zhongyuan, Qian Ye’s figure emerged from the void, his light wings fully unfurled, his short gun aimed at Liu’s forehead.

Liu Zhongyuan was utterly horrified. The seven-foot-long sword in his hand flashed like lightning, slicing desperately at Qian Ye’s waist. The blade’s radiance stretched ten meters, sweeping across Qian Ye’s waist in an instant.

As the blade swept past, Qian Ye’s figure dissipated like a bubble. In Liu Zhongyuan’s vision, only a faint black feather of light approached, slowly yet inescapably, like the scythe of the reaper. No matter how he dodged, the feather eventually pierced his chest.

Liu Zhongyuan let out a loud cry, suddenly stopping in mid-air, turning his head slowly.

Qian Ye was stepping through the air, the tip of the Dongyue sword trembling slightly. Liu Zhongyuan’s brows furrowed, and instead of fleeing, he lunged at Qian Ye like a madman, his long sword slashing in a frenzy. For a moment, sword shadows spun, and light spilled onto the ground. But Qian Ye neither dodged nor avoided, meeting Liu Zhongyuan’s onslaught head-on with the Dongyue sword.

Each of his strikes was swift as lightning, heavy as mountains, each swing broad and powerful, hacking and slashing. Every time their swords clashed, Liu Zhongyuan was violently shaken, his long sword often deflected. In a blink, he found himself at a disadvantage.

The onlookers were dumbfounded, never expecting that the national teacher, whom they revered as a god, would be defeated so quickly by Qian Ye in direct combat. How could a divine general lose in a raw power contest?

Suddenly, a thunderous boom echoed, and Liu Zhongyuan’s seven-foot-long sword flew into the sky. Qian Ye instantly passed by him, appearing a hundred meters away.

Liu Zhongyuan stood stiffly in the air, then plummeted to the ground, his white robes stained with dust.

A swarm of white-robed disciples rushed over, but they stopped abruptly, not daring to approach. Liu Zhongyuan lay motionless, a pool of blood slowly spreading beneath him.

One disciple suddenly shouted, “I’ll fight you to the death!”

He charged at Qian Ye, roaring, but with a casual swipe, Qian Ye sent him flying dozens of meters away, his sword twisted into a mass of scrap metal. The disciple never rose again.

With hundreds of white-robed disciples still present, another shouted, “What are we afraid of? We outnumber him! Let’s avenge the national teacher!”

Though the call was rousing, there were few takers, and no one actually charged. The disciples looked at each other, then at the still motionless Liu Zhongyuan, and slowly began to back away.

The realization dawned on them: if someone as powerful as Liu Zhongyuan couldn’t hold his own against Qian Ye, and the national teacher had tried to flee at the first sign of battle and failed, then they, no matter how many, would be doomed.

Suddenly, a stern voice boomed from the capital city’s walls, “Royal Guard, fire at will, eliminate the rebels!”

The officers recognized it as the voice of the second prince. His command held sway, and the troops arrayed before the city gates sprang into action. The top of the cannon tower on the city wall slowly opened, revealing rotating crossbows aiming at Qian Ye.

But after a deafening explosion, Qian Ye remained unharmed, while the main cannon tower collapsed, its top blown off, leaving only half a ruin.

The war cruiser in the sky began to move, and the still-hot main cannon aimed at another tower. The guards atop the tower panicked, scattering like birds and beasts, some even leaping off in desperation.

Such a desperate act yielded no good outcome. One man, unable to reach the city wall, fell heavily to the ground, his legs deformed, and he screamed in agony.

Then, a massive fireball erupted from the top of the cannon tower, accompanied by thick smoke. In the violent explosion, crossbow debris and corpses of the gunners scattered. Those who hadn’t managed to escape were surely dead.

The capital city retaliated with two giant crossbow bolts, which struck the war cruiser, piercing its armor. But this time, the war cruiser had learned from the Liao City incident. With enough distance, the bolts’ power was greatly diminished, and Zheng State’s technology lagged far behind. Penetrating the armor was their limit, and without a secondary explosion, they posed little threat to the cruiser.

With no more threats, the war cruiser, from its high vantage point, continued to bombard and destroy the remaining towers.

Seeing the tide turn, the second prince, enraged, issued continuous commands, directing the Royal Guard to launch a full assault. Just then, he heard a voice, “Kneel!”

Before he could comprehend, an overwhelming pressure descended. The second prince’s knees buckled, and he fell to the ground. Around him, his attendants also collapsed, unable to stand.

Nan Ruohuai walked through the throng of struggling people, stood before the second prince, and looked down at him, sighing, “I never thought I’d see the day when my elder brother would kneel before me.”

The second prince took a moment to recognize Nan Ruohuai, snarling, “So it’s you! How can you still stand?”

No matter how he struggled, the second prince could not rise. The more he exerted, the heavier the pressure became, making even standing upright a monumental task. Not only him, but those around him fared even worse, with some weaker individuals crushed to the point of broken bones, internal organs punctured, and spewing blood.

The second prince, well-versed in such matters, knew this was the power of a domain, a terrifyingly powerful one. Within the domain, all below the rank of war general were mere ants. But Nan Ruohuai, clearly not a war general, could still stand?

Nan Ruohuai leaned in, whispering, “This is a secret. Since you’re so curious, I’ll tell you…”

The second prince didn’t hear what came next. Suddenly, he glared, pointing at Nan Ruohuai, about to speak, but a surge of blood gushed from his mouth, drowning out his words.

The second prince convulsed, his eyes losing focus. Nan Ruohuai stepped back, allowing his body to fall. As he hit the ground, keen-eyed observers saw a dagger in his heart. Undoubtedly, it belonged to Nan Ruohuai.

In that moment, everyone felt a surreal sensation, as if in a dream. Their revered national teacher had fallen, and the second prince, their future king, was dead, killed by a previously unknown prince?

Could the future of Zheng State be entrusted to such a worthless person?

Nan Ruohuai drew a white handkerchief, wiping the blood from his hands, and looked around, still unsatisfied. He bent down, pulling the second prince’s sword from his belt, and with a whirlwind of slashes, pinned several people to the ground.

These men barely recognized Nan Ruohuai, but he knew their faces and identities well. These loyalists of the second prince, his left and right arms, and mostly from his mother’s clan, Nan Ruohuai knew he could not subdue, so he acted swiftly, cutting them down.

After killing several, Nan Ruohuai’s hand holding the sword trembled, but his eyes shone, showing no fear of blood. He looked around, then moved through the crowd, cutting down a dozen more, finally satisfied, tossing the bloody sword aside. He bowed deeply to Qian Ye, saying, “Uncle, that should do it.”

Qian Ye had been watching coldly, taking in every detail of Nan Ruohuai’s actions and expressions, but said nothing. Now, he withdrew the domain.

With the crushing pressure gone, the people on the ground sprang up, flailing in the air, then falling again, landing in a heap.

Nan Ruohuai stood calmly, his presence intimidating anyone from moving.

Nan Ruohuai then shouted, “Rebel Liu Zhongyuan has been executed, and the second prince, who plotted to usurp the throne, is dead. You, merely coerced, will be pardoned if you surrender now. Why not kneel now?”

They looked at each other, and one, breaking the silence, knelt, shouting, “Your Majesty!”

Delighted, Nan Ruohuai helped the man up, inquiring about his name and background. Seeing one lead, the others followed, kneeling in droves. Even the reluctant ones, seeing the war cruiser and the formidable Qian Ye, knew the cause was lost and knelt. Only a handful remained standing.

Nan Ruohuai’s face darkened, pointing at them, he barked, “Diehards! Seize them!”

The newly loyal rushed to subdue the stragglers, who still resisted, cursing loudly. Nan Ruohuai signaled, and the curses were silenced with a few blows, their mouths stuffed with dirt.

Nan Ruohuai then appointed several Royal Guard commanders, ordering, “You take your units and secure the four palace gates. If all cannot be secured, concentrate on one. The rest, follow me, and crush the rebels, reclaim the land!”

The crowd roared in agreement, ready to storm the palace. Nan Ruohuai, however, broke free, running to Qian Ye, respectfully asking, “What do you think?”

“Do what you think is best,” Qian Ye replied calmly.

Elated, Nan Ruohuai organized the recruits, forming a military formation, and they marched towards the palace.

Qian Ye stood, watching them go.

Song Hui, standing beside him, couldn’t help but ask, “How could you support such a ruthless, treacherous person?”

“He’s quite capable, saves me a lot of trouble. Besides, who I use doesn’t really matter.”

Song Hui was taken aback, “How can that be the same?”

“I don’t need Zheng State; I just need its resources. It doesn’t matter who sits on the throne, as long as the resources keep flowing.”

“Isn’t this about expanding your territory?”

“Territory can be taken from the dark races.”