Li Qiang slowly calmed down.
His heart was filled with grief, both for Fatty Qi's family and for the Black Banner Army soldiers he had killed. Whatever the reason, personally killing so many people was no happy thing.
Three more Black Banner Army soldiers charged in, shouting shrilly, "Get someone over here! Our men have been killed!"
"Hmph, too late." Zhao Hao's treasured saber flashed dazzlingly like lightning across the heavens. The soldiers had no way to resist. Three heads flew high, and hot blood gushed from their necks.
"Master, more and more enemies are coming. We can't kill them all. Let's go."
"Shopkeeper Qi, come with us. Any later and it'll be too late," Li Qiang said.
"Where can I go? My home is destroyed, my family dead! My home is destroyed, my family dead! Lord Li, this is my only child. You're a good man. Take him with you. Wherever you go, just give him a bite to eat."
Fatty Qi pushed the child toward Li Qiang and wailed, "Son, follow His Lordship, and be good."
The child was utterly terrified. "Daddy, Daddy, don't leave me!"
"Daddy has to stay with your mother. Be good, baby." Fatty Qi plunged a knife into his belly.
Caught completely off guard, Li Qiang rushed forward and caught him. "Oh no, Shopkeeper Qi! Shopkeeper Qi!"
Zhao Hao shook his head and sighed. He had never imagined that Fatty Qi, who normally loved money as dearly as his life, could have such deep devotion to his wife.
Bloody froth appeared at the corners of Fatty Qi's mouth. He murmured, "Ajuan, I'm coming to stay with you. You... you... don't be afraid. Don't... be afraid!"
Li Qiang's eyes grew wet. He stared blankly at Shopkeeper Qi, his heart churning like upturned rivers and seas. Gently lowering Fatty Qi's body, he said, "Go in peace. I'll take good care of your child. Rest assured!" A faint smile appeared on Fatty Qi's lifeless face. His wide eyes slowly closed, and a bloody tear trickled from the corner of his eye.
Watching Li Qiang slowly rise, Zhao Hao sensed something unusual about him, but could not describe it. He picked up the sobbing child and said cautiously, "Master, let's go."
Li Qiang nodded firmly and said bitterly, "All right, let's go." As soon as he stepped outside the shop, he raised his hand and released a ball of Samadhi True Fire. The little clothing shop burst into flames.
Li Qiang's heart suddenly turned as hard as iron. On the street leading east, whenever he saw a Black Banner Army soldier, he rewarded him with a golden eagle, sending flesh and blood flying all along the way. The Black Banner Army was unlucky indeed to encounter such a ferocious fiend in Hanlin City. Many civilians who had not managed to escape followed behind the two of them, hoping to get out of the city with them.
As they fought their way onward, more and more civilians followed. By the time they neared the eastern gate, there were almost a thousand, a vast and imposing procession.
They could hear cries and screams from the eastern gate far away. Zhao Hao said, "Master, it looks like the Black Banner Army has sealed the gate."
Li Qiang said coldly, "Even if they brick it up, I can smash it open."
Zhao Hao ducked his head, thinking, Good heavens, Master's furious.
The eastern gate was a slaughterhouse. Defeated soldiers, officials, and civilians trying to leave the city were fighting desperately against the Black Banner Army. Everyone knew that anyone who failed to get out would die.
"Look after the child. Don't fight. Today, I'm going to unleash a slaughter."
"Rest assured, Master. No one will lay a finger on this child."
Li Qiang charged over with the speed of wind and lightning, his long cry ringing through the clouds like the roaring of lions, tigers, and dragons.
The Black Banner Army's soldiers and officers saw a strange young man charge roaring into their formation, a flaming purple dragon coiling around his body, a flock of tiny golden eagles circling overhead, and a long spear that seemed wreathed in lightning dancing in his hands.
The Black Banner Army immediately fell into chaos. Having charged into the middle of their formation, the young man casually swung his spear. Countless spear spikes shot out like lightning. The golden eagles overhead swooped down with piercing cries, and explosions rang out one after another. Heart-rending screams of agony frightened the surviving Black Banner Army soldiers out of their wits. It was nothing short of a massacre.
"Get lost!" Li Qiang stood like a heavenly god.
The remaining Black Banner Army soldiers scattered and fled.
The eastern gate swung wide open, and the surviving civilians, defeated soldiers, and officials poured out. Those who escaped spread the legend of Li Qiang's battle against the Black Banner Army throughout the land, calling him the guardian god of Hanlin's people.
Zhao Hao saw no sign of his own group and knew they had already left the city. Approaching Li Qiang, he was startled. "Master, you look terrible."
Li Qiang put away his spear. "I've used up too much true essence. That last attack consumed too much power. It's nothing. I'll be fine in a little while."
"Lord Li! Lord Li! It's me, Cheng Zizhong!"
"Oh, old scholar, why haven't you left the city yet?" Li Qiang asked in surprise. "And Qiuxiang and Chunxiang too. Huh? Where are Juxiang and Lanxiang?"
Chunxiang sobbed. "Little Sister Juxiang is dead, and we can't find Little Sister Lanxiang. I'm so scared."
Cheng Zizhong gave a long sigh. "Who would have thought the Black Banner Army's banner lord knew immortal arts like you, Lord Li? We'd been under siege for ten days or so. They shouldn't have been able to breach the city, but at noon today, their banner lord En Gang arrived. I don't know how he did it, but the gates exploded. Lord Tong Fangzhen, the garrison commander, was badly wounded, and just like that, the city fell."
Zhao Hao interrupted. "Master, we shouldn't linger here. Let's leave the city before we talk."
"Hmph, only leaving now? Too late! You dared kill so many of my brothers. I'll flay you and drink your blood." The voice drifted in from afar, its direction elusive.
Cheng Zizhong cried out, "Oh no, it's En Gang!"
"Go ahead. I'll cover the retreat." Li Qiang quickly took out the Hundred-Blade Spear.
"Master, let me test his strength first." Zhao Hao handed the child to Cheng Zizhong.
Li Qiang shouted angrily, "No! Go, now!" Anyone who could blast open the city gates with true essence power had to be an expert, however he judged it.
Seeing Li Qiang's anger, Zhao Hao dared not argue. Hardening his heart, he stamped his foot. "Master, please take care of yourself. I'll wait outside the city."
Li Qiang stood straight at the eastern gate, spear in hand, smiling bitterly inwardly. I got dragged into this slaughter for no reason. Killing really isn't any fun.
Without warning, a man appeared out of thin air a hundred paces from Li Qiang.
Li Qiang was much bolder now. To avoid being caught off guard, he first activated the Crimson Flame Dragon Shield, then raised his hand and released ten golden eagles to circle overhead. Gripping his spear in both hands, he looked closely.
The man wore black battle armor and a black demon mask over his face. His silver hair looked particularly strange against his black armor. The weapon in his hand was odd: a black sphere shining with blue light.
"Are you En Gang of the Black Banner Army?"
"Boy, you're the one who killed my men? You've got some nerve. What's your name? Which cultivation sect do you belong to? Who is your master?" En Gang's tone was arrogant and conceited.
Li Qiang had never feared a war of words. Before he knew how to fight, he had already known how to wag his tongue. "Who am I? Listen carefully. My surname is Li, and my given name is Great-Grandfather. Got that? I'm your great-grandfather! Those worthless underlings of yours never counted as human in my eyes. They were dogs, a pack of biting mad dogs, and your great-grandfather killed them all. Going to bite me? Ha! Hahaha!"
En Gang's silver hair stirred without any wind, and his body trembled slightly. His rage reached its limit, and his black mask actually turned blue. Countless strands of azure light poured from the black sphere, shooting toward Li Qiang along with sparks as fine as grains of sand. En Gang also threw an explosive thunder pellet into the strands of light. Only the size of an egg, it could be used just once and vanished after exploding, but it was immensely powerful. Ordinary cultivators knew about these, but Li Qiang did not. He had not begun cultivating from the lower levels, and this time he paid for it.
Li Qiang waved his hand, sending ten golden eagles shooting forward with shrill cries. A streak of white light followed, and countless spear spikes struck the azure strands with a heaven-shaking crash.
Both men flew backward at the same time.
Li Qiang had been hit by the explosive thunder pellet, while En Gang had failed to withstand the golden eagles coming one after another. En Gang knew his strength was inferior, but he could also see that Li Qiang seemed inexperienced.
Fortunately, the Crimson Flame Dragon Shield protected Li Qiang from serious injury, but he had consumed far too much true essence. Even the purple dragon guarding him had faded considerably. Li Qiang thought, If I don't finish this fight quickly, I'll be the one in trouble. I'm going all out!
En Gang was thinking the same thing as Li Qiang. He had never expected Li Qiang's cultivation to be higher than his.
At a piercing eagle cry, En Gang looked up and was instantly frightened out of his wits. More than thirty golden eagles had formed a straight line and were diving toward him from the sky. He shouted, "Fine! I'll fight you to the death!" The black sphere in his hand blazed with dazzling blue light, then shot from his grasp toward Li Qiang.
In an instant, the earth shook and the mountains rocked, and the sun and moon lost their light.
Neither man could dodge the other's lethal strike.
The black sphere En Gang had launched was an extraordinary treasure called the Black Heaven-Holding Gall, refined from the inner core of a strange beast that lived underground. Normally, the Black Heaven-Holding Gall could serve as a weapon, and the "Extinguishing Azure Silk Flower" it released was fairly powerful. Its most formidable feature, however, was its double explosion. The first blast shook a cultivator's true essence, impairing his control; the second was the actual lethal attack. But once the double explosion was used, the Black Heaven-Holding Gall would vanish into nothing.
This was precisely what caught Li Qiang out. His current cultivation was more than enough to withstand it, but the crucial problem was his utter lack of experience. As the double explosion rang out, Li Qiang was hurled more than thirty meters away and spat out a mouthful of blood. Stars danced before his eyes, and his whole body felt weak. He thought, What kind of strange ball was that? How could it be so powerful?
En Gang fared far worse. The golden eagles fired by the Eagle Strike Crossbow were beyond what someone of his cultivation could withstand. After all, Fu Shan had designed this Eagle Strike Crossbow in his early years, and Li Qiang had refined it anew using Heart Refining, a supreme method of crafting equipment. Although it fell short of the Law Treasures used by true experts, its power was not to be underestimated.
After launching the Black Heaven-Holding Gall, En Gang rapidly shifted position while flinging out seven layers of protection. But he had still underestimated Li Qiang's golden eagles. Thirty-two golden eagles plunged down one after another. A string of explosions ripped through his defenses like dry weeds and rotten wood. Finally, two golden eagles remained and hurtled straight down. In terror, En Gang raised his left arm to block them.
From that moment on, En Gang had no left arm.
Both sides were grievously wounded!
A figure darted into the eastern gate, scooped up Li Qiang, and turned to run wildly away.
"Master, Master, are... are you all right?" Zhao Hao had never left. He had been hiding around a corner inside the gateway the whole time. Seeing Li Qiang blasted away had turned his face pale with fright. Disregarding whether he lived or died, he rushed forward, picked Li Qiang up, and ran.
En Gang was fairly lucky. Had Zhao Hao given him another look, he would have realized that En Gang was finished too. One more slash would have killed him.
Li Qiang smiled wryly. "Why haven't you left yet?"
Zhao Hao said anxiously, "Master, I couldn't stop worrying. Master, rest a little. We'll catch up with Degui soon."
Li Qiang was deeply moved. He had never expected this elderly disciple to care so much about him.
Li Qiang asked, "Where are we going?"
Zhao Hao said, "There's an estate ahead in Wind Chime Town. My children and grandchildren originally gave it to me as a filial gift. Everyone who retreated first is gathering there. We'll assess the situation before deciding anything else."
Li Qiang thought, This place really is different from Earth. Even a merchant has his own estate. If there weren't wars so often, it would be a pretty nice place. He asked, "How big is Wind Chime Town? Is it fun?"
Carrying Li Qiang on his back, Zhao Hao nearly fell when he heard that, stumbling a step. "Uh, Wind Chime Town isn't big, and there usually aren't many people. But it's very cool in summer, so quite a few officials and wealthy merchants have built estates there. They go there in summer to escape the heat and enjoy themselves." As he explained, he thought, My master is wounded this badly, yet he's still thinking about having fun. Such an unburdened state of mind is beyond my reach. Ah, an expert is an expert. Truly admirable!
Had Li Qiang known what Zhao Hao was thinking, he would probably have laughed himself to death. His goal on Heavenly Court Star was to have fun while waiting for Fu Shan to pick him up. He had been dragged into this battle entirely against his will.
At dusk, the two finally reached Wind Chime Town.
Li Qiang pointed weakly at the woods behind the town. "Is that the Forest of Sighs?"
Burning with anxiety, Zhao Hao said, "Yes. Master, hold on a little longer. We're almost home." After running madly the whole way, even Zhao Hao was finding it hard to keep going.
The tiny Wind Chime Town was packed with refugees. Amid the chaos, some wept, some cried out in pain from their injuries, and others searched everywhere for missing family members. The miserable sight left Li Qiang sighing repeatedly. He thought, So this is how cruel war is. When war breaks out, ordinary people always suffer the most!
Zhao Hao could not concern himself with all that now. Carrying Li Qiang, he hurried through and out of the town. Not far beyond it, the estate's boundary wall came into view. Zhao Hao said, "Master, we're almost there!"
The estate's main gate was tightly shut as a precaution against thieves. Unable to wait to knock, Zhao Hao kicked it. With a clang, the two black-painted doors flew open, and the door bar, as thick as the mouth of a rice bowl, snapped into three pieces with a crack. Zhao Hao rushed inside, shouting wildly, "Where the hell has everyone gone? Hurry up and receive the guest!"
Li Qiang snorted with laughter, thinking, Receive the guest? Haha, that has a special meaning back on Earth.
After five straight days of rest, Li Qiang slowly recovered. This was thanks to the Purple Flame Heart, which truly deserved its reputation as a supreme treasure for cultivators. Li Qiang stretched and strolled out of his room. Since entering the estate in Wind Chime Town, he had not taken a single step outside.
"Huh? Little Sister Chunxiang, Little Sister Qiuxiang, what are you two doing here?" Li Qiang asked in surprise.
"Greetings, Master." Seeing Li Qiang emerge, Chunxiang and Qiuxiang greeted him with broad smiles, joyful tears glistening in their eyes.
Qiuxiang said, "Old Master Zhao instructed us to invite you to the main hall once you woke."
Chunxiang ran happily outside, saying as she went, "I'll tell everyone that Master is here."
Li Qiang smiled. "Little Sister Qiuxiang, I told you not to call me Master. Why won't any of you listen? Am I really that old?" As he spoke, he bent over and hunched his back like an old man.
Qiuxiang laughed at his antics. "Master, I have to call you Master. Those are the rules."
Li Qiang sighed inwardly. She's only twelve or thirteen, an age when she should be innocent and carefree. Who knows how much she's suffered to be so afraid of breaking these hateful rules? He said, "Take me to the main hall." Then he took two bags of preserved-plum candy from his bracelet and handed them to Qiuxiang.
When he reached the main hall's entrance, Zhao Hao, Cheng Zizhong, and Zhao Degui had already come out to welcome him. Inside were quite a few gentry, officials, and martial arts experts. After introductions and an exchange of pleasantries, everyone took their seats.
Zhao Hao insisted on ushering Li Qiang into the seat of honor. Knowing nothing of the local etiquette, Li Qiang simply plopped down. He asked, "How is Shopkeeper Qi's child?" Over the past few days, Zhao Hao had told everyone why Li Qiang had unleashed such slaughter in Hanlin City.
Zhao Hao replied, "Master, rest assured. Degui's wife is looking after the child. He won't suffer the slightest mistreatment."
Li Qiang nodded, then asked Cheng Zizhong, "Old scholar, is there any news from Hanlin City?"
Cheng Zizhong said, "The Black Banner Army has withdrawn from Hanlin City. I've heard rumors that you gravely wounded their leader En Gang, Lord Li. I asked Old Master Zhao, but he said things had been too urgent then, and he wasn't clear on exactly what happened."
Recalling the situation, Li Qiang said, "Possibly. When En Gang and I fought to the final move, we actually wounded each other. But that black sphere of his blasted me senseless. If Zhao Hao hadn't rushed in to save me, I might have been finished." Li Qiang did not conceal his defeat in the slightest. Everyone was surprised, because his account differed from Zhao Hao's. Zhao Hao had said his master was gravely wounded while saving him.
Cheng Zizhong continued, "Yesterday, I met a friend who had returned from the capital. He said His Majesty is conscripting soldiers on a massive scale. It seems we're going to war with the Litang Kingdom. People in the capital are in a panic. Alas!"
The news immediately drew everyone's attention, and they began discussing it all at once.
Li Qiang had never expected Heavenly Court Star to be so ravaged by war. If he did not possess such formidable strength now, he would surely have met a horrible death.
Zhao Hao had not expected Cheng Zizhong to share such important news with everyone either. Still, the old man had seen and experienced much. He said, "Everyone, go home for now. If the old scholar's news is accurate, I imagine an imperial decree will arrive within the next few days."
Before everyone could disperse, a young servant came scrambling in, stammering, "M-my... my lord! My lord!"
Zhao Hao barked, "Why are you in such a panic? What is it?"
The servant swallowed hard. "An imperial decree has arrived. His Lordship is to receive it."
Zhao Degui stepped forward and slapped him. "Speak clearly! Which lord?"
Looking aggrieved, the servant pointed at Li Qiang. "Lord Li!"
Startled, Li Qiang had a name flash through his mind. Feng Kaiyun. This must be his doing.