Breaking the Deadlock

Breaking the Deadlock

"General."

"General."

"General!!!"

The high, lingering voice rang out for who knew how many times.

Ning Xuan held soft, fragrant beauties in his arms, one after another. Some sang, some danced and kicked up their heels, some whispered sweet temptations, and some boldly made advances. He turned none away, going round after round. It was as if he were throwing heavy punches in a nightmare, again and again, each time with all his strength and no restraint.

Only when there wasn't a single woman left in Wenxiang Grass Hut who could keep going—or dared come near him—did he stretch out in the most comfortable pose. Utterly spent, he lounged limply in the enormous wooden chair.

Even without summoning the Heavenly Demon Scroll, his constitution had already reached 3.5, far beyond the limits of ordinary people. So even when indulging in pleasure, he far surpassed them.

The chair's creaking finally stopped. He leaned back, gazing blankly at the blue sky and white clouds, his mind empty.

Around him, the women clung to the walls, carefully keeping their distance.

When they first learned they'd be serving the General that day, they'd all been overjoyed.

General Anyuan was handsome, wealthy, powerful, and influential. He was practically the dream man of every unmarried woman in Wangyue Prefecture, let alone women from the pleasure quarters like them. If General Anyuan took a liking to one of them and brought her out with him, her life would be changed forever.

So before coming, they'd all been full of energy, and they'd fought long and hard over who would get the chance.

Even just now, while serving the General, each had shown off her own skills.

But now, every last bit of their strength had been drained, and all that remained was terror.

They stole glances at the Young General in the distance. He looked like a monster that had carefully put on human skin.

His ferocious methods had nearly made every one of them faint. They'd only made it through by gritting their teeth and clenching their fists. Now, each of them was covered in red or blue bruises. But they could tell that the Young General had actually held back. Otherwise, several of their fellow women would have died on the spot today.

Ning Xuan lay on his back, lazily opening his eyes. They happened to meet those of a red-banner courtesan.

The courtesan shrank back in fright.

Ning Xuan beckoned to her.

The courtesan steeled herself, lowered her head, and inched toward Ning Xuan, then asked timidly, "General, is... is there something you need?"

"Bring me some wine," Ning Xuan said.

The courtesan nodded quickly.

Ning Xuan added, "Then chip a bucket of ice from the cellar."

He closed his eyes again, looking as relaxed as ever.

The courtesan hurried off to do as he'd asked.

Ning Xuan didn't touch the women again. He simply drank at his leisure. Before long, the wine went to his head. He yawned, feeling sleepy.

He lay back in the huge wooden chair.

The courtesans were professionals. Once they'd recovered a little of their strength, musicians nearby began playing languorous tunes.

At last, Ning Xuan fell into a comfortable sleep.

He slept until noon the next day.

Then he got up and ate and drank to his heart's content. When he was done, he went back to pleasure, then slept again.

Chenxiang Pavilion closed its doors that day.

When people came to ask why, the madam simply said she'd reserved the place for the General.

A young wastrel demanded viciously, "Which General?"

"General Anyuan," the madam replied.

At once, no one said another word.

Perhaps only a handful of people throughout Wangyue Prefecture knew the true meaning behind Ning Xuan's title, "General Anyuan." But that didn't stop them from telling the younger generation in their families, "Don't provoke General Anyuan. Whatever you do, don't provoke him. Even if he climbs on your head and takes a dump, you'd better shout, 'Many thanks, General, for bestowing this fortune upon me!'"

All of Chenxiang Pavilion began revolving around Ning Xuan.

Celestial Master Yaozhen had been reflecting at home, wondering whether she'd hurt the General. Then she suddenly noticed that the pleasure house across the street had closed. After asking around, she learned that her own partner had reserved the place.

Anger once again colored Celestial Master Yaozhen's otherworldly face.

She hadn't yet sent out Ning Xuan's "petition for dismissal." Now she burrowed through the earth and went straight to Wenxiang Grass Hut, where Ning Xuan was staying.

"Ah!"

Celestial Master Yaozhen saw something she shouldn't have and hurriedly fled.

A long while later,

she returned, let out another shriek of "Ah!" and ran away again.

Only much later, when she came back once more, did she find the young man sitting by the pond, tossing fish food into the water and drinking wine.

The Young General wore a loose black robe, his hair hanging loose. His eyes held a deep, quiet look, and he even had the refined air of a handsome young gentleman. But the lascivious aura around him made Celestial Master Yaozhen give her whisk a sharp flick. "In my humble opinion, the General needn't give up on himself over a small matter!!"

Ning Xuan looked at her in surprise.

What did she mean, giving up on himself?

He'd recovered quickly over the past two days.

By now, he felt refreshed and clearheaded.

The pain of being gnawed on by demons and the agony of killing people in self-mutilation had faded.

His heart, which had nearly twisted out of shape, had also found its light again after experiencing the beauty of the human world.

He smiled faintly, calm and composed, then plucked out another piece of fish food and tossed it among the green water plants in the deep pond.

At once, koi leaped out to snatch it. The water splashed and rippled, droplets flying everywhere. They rolled over the leaves like crystal beads, mischievous and charming.

"Did you send it?" Ning Xuan asked.

Celestial Master Yaozhen immediately seemed to deflate. "There's no need to petition for your dismissal."

"Send it," Ning Xuan said.

"General Ning, you're already one of the most promising Generals. I... though I'm a Second-Rank Celestial Master, you should know that a Second-Rank Celestial Master isn't as valuable as even a First-Rank martial artist. But you're only sixteen, aren't you? You're a year younger than me!

"A sixteen-year-old First-Rank martial artist is already incredible. I... I was about to request a Demon-Revealing Mirror for you and prepare resources to use Dragon Fire to refine the Demon Core of that Incense Demon."

"Send it, then make the pills," Ning Xuan said.

He'd considered training his constitution by having the strong drive the weak to become stronger. But no matter what, he couldn't find a way to improve his spirit. Since the dynasty had a relatively complete cultivation system of General Pill Cultivation, he might as well use pills to strengthen his spirit.

Hearing him bring up "making the pills" himself, Celestial Master Yaozhen knew he still wanted to improve and hadn't given up. Only then did she secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

As for petitioning for his dismissal, if she hadn't witnessed Ning Xuan's decisive, ruthless martial prowess and his boldness in sealing off the border, she might truly have thought her partner was willing to give up an entire prefecture because he feared the Hell of Cold Ice.

Suddenly, as if a thought had struck her, her eyes lit up. "General Ning, I forgot to tell you something."

"What?" Ning Xuan asked.

"The General's Tiger Tally was granted by the Son of Heaven, and it gives him command over two prefectures. That's not just empty words on paper; it has practical significance."

"What significance?" Ning Xuan asked.

"The Tiger Tally can gather the resources of two prefectures and nurture important materials. The more territory you command, the more resources you can produce—and the more precious they'll be. Those resources directly affect pill refinement."

Then she added earnestly, "I assure you, this is absolutely true."

Ning Xuan was silent for a moment. "Send it."

First, pill cultivation was only one method he had prepared; it wasn't his main approach.

Second, if he needed important resources, he could get them through trade. Why did he have to cultivate them himself? Cultivating them on his own was certainly useful, but if it meant risking his life to protect places that didn't even belong to the Ning Family, then forget it.

Seeing how determined he was, Celestial Master Yaozhen felt her stubborn streak rising again. But after thinking it over, she held her tongue and said irritably, "Before coming here, I scouted the area. The Qin Family's envoy is already very close to the prefectural city. General, you should think about how to handle this."

Ning Xuan lounged back and beckoned to the young woman beside him.

The young woman had just come on shift. She approached timidly.

Ning Xuan pulled her into his arms.

Celestial Master Yaozhen turned her face away, her cheeks cold.

"If the envoy arrives, tell them I'm here," Ning Xuan said calmly.

Celestial Master Yaozhen froze at his words, then brightened with delight.

She was the Son of Heaven's appointed agent, sent to work with the Generals below and carry out the Divine General Plan. Naturally, she hoped her partner would draw close to the Son of Heaven and become a Divine General. Ning Xuan's words were, in effect, a rejection of Great General Qin. It filled her heart with joy. She decided to report this matter as well; surely the Son of Heaven would understand General Ning's good intentions.

So that was why General Ning was at Chenxiang Pavilion. It wasn't because he was indulging in wine and women—it was because he'd been waiting here.

That made sense. General Ning was a young hero. How could he enjoy lingering in the pleasure quarters?

Celestial Master Yaozhen looked at Ning Xuan with sudden affection and delight. Then she bowed her head and muttered, "I understand the General's intentions. I'll be on my way."

With a wave of her hand, she vanished in a flash of golden light.

Ning Xuan:

He had no idea what that crazy woman was thinking.

What he meant was—

He'd refused the Son of Heaven's gift and asked to relinquish one prefecture, so he also had to turn down the Qin Family's proposed marriage alliance. Otherwise, how could the Son of Heaven tolerate him?

And vice versa: by rejecting the Qin Family's marriage alliance and refusing the Son of Heaven's favor, he was making his intentions clear to Great General Qin.

At the same time, without Ping'an Prefecture, he wouldn't border the Hell of Cold Ice directly and wouldn't have to deal with the trouble there. That way, he could pull himself and the Ning Family out of danger.

He had no intention of being the vanguard in the Son of Heaven's feud with the old-guard Generals.

As for the Divine General Plan, he had no interest in risking his life for it.

The world was teeming with outstanding heroes, as numerous as carp crossing the river. There was no shortage of one debauched, lazy wastrel like him, was there?