Gathering Storms in Yujing City

Ying Shisan, deputy commander of the Shadow Guard, returned in defeat, bringing back Duke of Zhenguo Chen Qing's message: "Affairs in the Northern Frontier are pressing; I cannot return to the capital for now." This act, practically an open defiance of the imperial edict, thoroughly ignited the powder keg that had long been building within Yujing City.

The memorials of impeachment were no longer falling like snowflakes, but crashing upon the Office of Transmission like a violent storm. Their wording was fiercer than ever, directly accusing Chen Qing of "commanding troops while exalting himself, disregarding his sovereign, and verging on treason," demanding that the Emperor take decisive action at once.

Meanwhile, all manner of rumors concerning Chen Qing spread madly through the streets and alleys of Yujing.

Some claimed that he cultivated a demonic art that devoured living beings, and that the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and civilians of the Northern Mang Royal Court had all become fuel for his cultivation. Others said he had found the imperial jade seal of the previous dynasty in the Northern Mang Royal Court and had secretly proclaimed himself emperor. Still others claimed he had colluded with the northern barbarians, intending to ride south and overturn Great Yan...

Truth and falsehood intertwined, substance and illusion mingling together, shaping Chen Qing into a cruel, merciless demon lord with towering ambition amid a chaotic age.

Within the imperial court, the factions advocating war and appeasement argued until they were at one another's throats.

The war faction, led by the Minister of War along with certain meritorious nobles and military generals, believed Chen Qing's wolfish ambitions had already been laid bare. They insisted that troops had to be sent against him with thunderous force before his foundations could stabilize, or endless future calamities would follow.

The appeasement faction, led by the Chancellor and certain civil officials, believed that the Northern Frontier had only just been pacified. Chen Qing's merits were outstanding, and he commanded immense prestige among both the border troops and the common people. A rash campaign against him might trigger a massive rebellion and shake the foundations of the state. They argued that conciliation should come first, and that they should proceed step by step.

Neither side would yield, and the Golden Throne Hall resembled a marketplace every day.

Upon the dragon throne, the Emperor's expression grew darker by the day. How could he not wish to immediately seize and drag back to the capital this ferocious tiger that had slipped his leash? Yet the two hundred thousand troops of the Northern Frontier, fierce as tigers and wolves, along with Chen Qing's unfathomable Aperture Opening Realm cultivation, left him wary of striking the rat for fear of breaking the vase.

More importantly, he vaguely sensed that beneath the court, an undercurrent was driving the attacks against Chen Qing. Its purpose was likely not merely the imperial court.

Late that night, within the imperial study.

The Emperor dismissed all attendants, leaving behind only the Grand Commander of the Shadow Guard, a figure shrouded in black robes, whose aura was as deep as an abyss.

"Have you found out? Where did those rumors first come from?" The Emperor's voice carried a trace of exhaustion and icy severity.

The Grand Commander of the Shadow Guard answered in a hoarse, low voice, "Your Majesty, the rumors have many sources and are difficult to trace. But several of the most crucial ones seem... to be connected to Marquis Zhenbei's Manor."

"Han Qianshan?" A cold gleam flashed through the Emperor's eyes. Marquis Zhenbei Han Qianshan was one of the military's great powers, and also one of the first people to take notice of Chen Qing. "What does he want? To kill with a borrowed knife? Or has he... also set his sights on the Black Tiger Legacy?"

"Your servant is still investigating. In addition, disciples from sacred martial sects such as Lanke Temple and the Zhenwu Sect have recently been appearing frequently in Yujing. They seem... quite concerned with affairs in the Northern Frontier as well."

The Emperor fell silent for a long while, his fingers tapping upon the table. The situation was becoming increasingly complicated. Chen Qing was like a colossal boulder cast into water—he had not only stirred up waves in the court, but also drawn out giant crocodiles lurking in every direction.

"Keep a close watch on Marquis Zhenbei's Manor and those martial sects. Also..." A flash of resolve passed through the Emperor's eyes. "Issue an edict to Tianwu Pavilion. Have them send two elders out of seclusion to secretly travel to the Northern Frontier. I want them to assess Chen Qing's true strength and... threat level in detail."

Tianwu Pavilion! The secret institution through which the imperial family cultivated its foremost experts. Its elders possessed, at the very least, Aperture Opening Realm cultivation!

"Yes!" The Grand Commander of the Shadow Guard bowed to accept the order, his figure slowly melting into the shadows until he vanished.

The Emperor sat alone in the imperial study, watching the wavering candle flame with unfathomably deep eyes.

"Chen Qing, Chen Qing... I gave you glory and wealth, gave you supreme authority. Why did you... insist on walking this road that puts me in such a difficult position?"

While undercurrents surged through Yujing City and the Emperor secretly mobilized his forces, Marquis Zhenbei's Manor remained tranquil.

Within the study, Marquis Zhenbei Han Qianshan was playing chess with an elderly monk clad in moon-white robes. The monk's brows and beard were entirely white, his complexion ruddy, and his eyes clear and limpid. He was none other than Master Huijue, abbot of Lanke Temple.

"Marquis, wind and rain are about to descend upon the capital, yet you remain in such elegant spirits." Master Huijue placed a piece, his voice calm.

Han Qianshan looked at the board and replied blandly, "When wind and rain come, there is no hiding from them. Better to meet stillness with stillness and see what this game will ultimately become."

"Is Chen Qing truly an inheritor of the Black Tiger Sect?" Master Huijue asked.

Nine times out of ten." Han Qianshan placed another piece. "Moreover, the legacy he obtained is likely even more complete than we imagined. That fragment from the Northern Mang Royal Court should already be in his hands."

Master Huijue rolled his prayer beads between his fingers. "When the black tiger emerges, Killing Intent soars to the heavens—it is an omen of a military calamity. Marquis, you had deep ties with the Black Tiger Sect in those years. What do you intend to do now?"

Han Qianshan fell silent for a moment, a trace of complexity flashing through his eyes. "The Black Tiger Sect is the Black Tiger Sect, and Chen Qing is Chen Qing. This boy's temperament and methods are far beyond ordinary. His Majesty wishes to eliminate him swiftly, but I believe there may not be no possibility of cooperation."

"Oh?" Master Huijue raised his eyes and glanced at him. "Does the Marquis intend to... drive the tiger to devour the wolf? Or... raise a tiger only to court disaster?"

Han Qianshan did not answer directly, instead asking, "Master, you did not enter the capital this time merely to play chess with this old man, did you?"

Master Huijue smiled faintly. "Amitabha. This old monk is one outside the worldly realm and should not meddle in mundane disputes. However, Killing Intent pierces the sky and concerns the fortunes of all living beings beneath heaven. Lanke Temple cannot remain apart from it. This old monk came to see where this baleful tiger will lead the world."

"It seems even Master can no longer sit still." Han Qianshan smiled. "In that case, we might as well... add another armful of firewood to the blaze."

He took out a secret letter and handed it to Master Huijue. "This is the latest intelligence my people have just sent from the Northern Frontier, concerning... certain interesting characteristics of Chen Qing's cultivation technique."

Master Huijue accepted the letter and quickly read through it. Even his face, placid as an ancient well, showed a faint stir. "Devouring Killing Intent, condensing a dharma manifestation... This seems to be... the path of the Heaven Swallowing Fiend Scripture? Could the legend actually be true?"

"Whether it is true or false, we will soon know." Han Qianshan's gaze was profound. "When everyone believes he possesses a rare treasure and cultivates a demonic art, only then will Yujing City truly become lively."

Master Huijue gave Han Qianshan a long look before burning the secret letter. "The Marquis has calculated well. But be careful not to play with fire and burn yourself."

"Rest assured, Master." Han Qianshan was confident of victory. "This fire will not reach the manor."

While the two great figures laid their plans in secret, neither noticed a ghostlike black shadow silently slipping into Yujing City, its target aimed directly at Chen Qing's secret base within Yujing.

Winds and clouds had quietly converged over Yujing City.

A massive storm centered around Chen Qing, entangling the imperial court, the martial world, and even the foundations of the imperial family, was slowly drawing back its curtain. Far away in the Northern Frontier, Chen Qing seemed utterly unaware of it all. He remained in Town North City, devoted to cultivation as he absorbed the power brought by that black fragment, waiting for... his final transformation.