Failed Appointment

Before his words had even faded, dozens of concealed arrows shot out from the dense forest, all flying straight at Qin Sang.

Qin Sang seized the reins with one hand and flashed his other hand toward the arrows like lightning. He effortlessly knocked down most of them and caught several in his hand. The ones he missed struck Qin Sang, only to fall to the ground at once, a most bizarre sight.

Then he violently flung his hand back. Several muffled thuds sounded from the forest, followed by a burst of startled cries.

"Kill!"

Qin Sang gave a low shout, and his figure vanished from horseback. Water Monkey and the others also dismounted, rushing into the dense forest together. Wu Chuanzong and the few with weaker martial arts gathered the horses into a circle, formed a battle formation for defense, and returned fire with crossbows.

In the darkness, Qin Sang summoned his ice crystal armor. His figure flashed like lightning, carrying the force of a fierce tiger. Yanwang had long since been summoned by him.

Mere concealed arrows could not possibly pose even the slightest threat to him.

In the blink of an eye, more than a dozen assassins died at Qin Sang's hands. Every assassin was frightened out of their wits and fled deeper into the forest. Naturally, their movements could not escape Qin Sang's ears. Just as he was about to pursue and kill them, his heart stirred. He raised his head and looked toward the mountaintop.

The moonlight was dim in the deep night, and a thin mist shrouded the mountaintop. Just moments ago, a figure had flashed through that mist. If his eyesight had not been so sharp, he might have thought he was seeing things.

The person spying from the summit saw that things had gone badly and tried to flee. Qin Sang sneered, ordering Yanwang to pursue the enemy while he himself employed his movement technique and swept toward the summit.

The moment he reached the mountaintop, he saw the corpse of a man in white sprawled across the rocks. Qin Sang crouched down and turned over the man's waist token. He was an acquaintance—the White-Clad Scholar, one of the Blood-Clad Tower's four great protectors!

This man's martial arts were not the least bit inferior to Bai Jianglan's, yet he had died here without a sound.

Qin Sang pondered in silence. The White-Clad Scholar's ambush might not have been ordered by King Dongyang. It was more likely the treasure-coveting Heir Apparent. But since they dared to stretch out their claws, they would have to endure the pain of having them chopped off.

Water Monkey silently swept up to the summit. "General Qin, only one brother suffered a light injury. The enemy still has two survivors. Our men have already latched onto them."

"Send the signal. No prisoners needed. Kill them all!"

Qin Sang carried the White-Clad Scholar's corpse down the mountain and threw it to Water Monkey. "You and Wenkui take half our men and return to Mingcheng at once. Secretly deliver this corpse to the County Princess. There is no need to say anything else."

In the sixth winter since arriving in this world, Qin Sang entered the Imperial Capital of Great Sui for the first time as the Left Admiral of Xiaoyong Camp.

The Imperial Capital's three prefectures fell one after another. The generals behind them surrendered at the mere sight of the enemy. Riding the momentum of the entire realm, King Dongyang's army surrounded the Imperial Capital. The city held out for three months until ammunition and provisions ran dry. The False Emperor refused to flee north and hanged himself in the palace. The defending general requested surrender.

King Dongyang did not enter the palace. He first went to Pilgrimage Mountain to pay respects to the late emperor. His enthronement ceremony was set for the first day of the new year, leaving less than two months. The generals and ministers were busy preparing for the Pilgrimage Mountain ceremony, while no one seemed in any hurry to pacify the rebellious troops in the north.

Qin Sang occupied the residence of a minister from the False Emperor's court. He left only a squad of personal guards at the gate and refused to receive all visitors save Wu Chuanzong and the others.

Among the various commanders, below the two admirals were only a handful of Left Admirals, countable on two hands. The Xiaoyong Camp under Qin Sang's command had coordinated with Victory Camp in Guize Prefecture, earning dazzling military achievements. Although its performance in the final assault on the Imperial Capital had been somewhat mediocre, that did not affect Qin Sang's standing. Even if he was not made a county king, a marquisate was surely unavoidable.

Yet this blazing-hot general had such an eccentric temperament that people could not make head or tail of it.

Little did they know that after the battle of Duyakou, Qin Sang had rarely devoted his energy to military affairs. He had thrown himself heart and soul into cultivation, sometimes cultivating for an entire day at a time.

Later, only after the Left Admiral of Xiaoyong Camp committed a grave mistake and the County Princess personally came to the camp to see Qin Sang was the position of Left Admiral forcibly thrust upon him.

That was also why Xiaoyong Camp had not shone brilliantly in the later battle for the Imperial Capital. However, because Qin Sang had delegated authority, Wu Chuanzong, Water Monkey, and the others had all received ample training and could now stand on their own.

Qin Sang's gains were also far from small. Not long ago, he had successfully broken through to the fifth level of the Netherworld Scripture.

The Pilgrimage Mountain ceremony he had awaited for so many years was close at hand. Qin Sang grew increasingly expectant, wondering what kind of surprise that Young Man surnamed Han would bring him in the end.

Before the new year arrived, heavy snow fell for three days.

Yet this new year was the most reassuring one the people of Great Sui had experienced in recent years. Snow that would once have counted as a snow disaster was now praised as auspicious snow promising a bountiful harvest, a fortunate omen.

The clouds dispersed, the snow cleared, and the skies brightened after the snowfall.

Though the sky was still dim, the snow on Pilgrimage Mountain's path had been cleared overnight and strewn with straw and plant ash. Qin Sang chatted and laughed with Admiral Feng and Admiral Mu as they climbed step by step. Before and behind them were great generals of the army and meritorious officials.

The palace guards led the way at the front, followed by King Dongyang, then the Heir Apparent, the County Princess, and several princes.

At the rear came the civil and military officials, guards, and the jade, silk, sacrificial animals, grain offerings, and various goods used for the rites.

Everyone traveled on foot, leaving their carriages at the foot of the mountain as a display of reverence.

It took an hour and a half to reach the summit. At the sight of Sacred Palace, the strong-bodied generals were still full of vigor, but some frail officials nearly collapsed from exhaustion. The Heir Apparent was drenched in sweat and panting heavily, performing worse than even King Dongyang, while the County Princess remained as calm as ever.

Officials from the Office of Sacred Rites stood before Sacred Palace. Upon seeing King Dongyang, they knelt and paid their respects. After a round of ceremonies, the master of Sacred Palace brought out a brand-new dragon robe. King Dongyang entered to change, while everyone below began bustling about.

Countless tributes streamed into Sacred Palace like flowing water. Monks and Daoists chanted scriptures before them. Qin Sang watched with amusement, and the restlessness in his heart eased somewhat.

At noon, someone from the Office of Sacred Rites held a silk document. Those whose names were called could barely conceal their excitement, though they put on solemn airs as they entered Sacred Palace beneath countless envious and awestruck gazes.

When Qin Sang heard his own name, he too walked in as though nothing were amiss.

Inside Sacred Palace, enormous incense burned and countless offerings were arranged. Jade registers and jade tablets stood in the center. King Dongyang stood quietly with his hands behind his back, but his tightly clenched fists showed that he was far from calm.

In the end, only thirty-one people were qualified to enter Sacred Palace!

"The auspicious hour has arrived. Let the Sacred Emperor receive his investiture!"

The master of Sacred Palace shouted loudly, raising his arm high and striking an ancient bell. Its resonant chime spread across the four wilds.

King Dongyang personally recited the sacrificial text.

The bell rang eighty-one times. Qin Sang grew impatient as he waited, secretly thinking that these immortal masters truly knew how to put on a show.

The final toll gradually faded away.

"Kree!"

A clear crane's cry resounded through the heavens. Everyone raised their heads, their faces filled with shock.

In the cloudless expanse of sky, layers upon layers of rosy haze had risen at some unknown time. The glowing clouds churned and filled the heavens in an instant. Deep within the haze, a heavenly gate seemed to exist, mysterious beyond compare.

"Whoosh!"

A gigantic immortal crane tore through the rosy haze and flew through the air. In the space of a breath, it arrived above Sacred Palace. Opening its great beak, it dropped a jade seal trailing streams of light into King Dongyang's hands.

Then the immortal crane's figure gradually vanished.

"Please, Immortal Master, enter the palace and rest," Princess Dongyang said after the crane disappeared, bowing toward the offering table. Just as everyone was puzzled, a figure shifted from illusion to substance. A fat young man appeared out of thin air.

Qin Sang's heart sank. It was not the Young Man surnamed Han!