The Great Xia Empire, a ninth-rank empire, had its vitality severely damaged after suffering a complete defeat five years ago against the Azure Pine Empire at Three Realms Mountain. It was forced to accept many unequal treaties, leading to constant recriminations within the court over the past five years.
From high-ranking officials and nobles to the common folk with their humble voices, the person they cursed was only one – General Fang's eldest son, Fang Chen!
Five years ago, Fang Chen, then nearly eighteen years old, led troops to war as the Great Xia Empire's strongest expert. He was skilled in strategy and powerful attacks, and since his debut, he had never suffered a single defeat. He was hailed by all in the Great Xia Empire as a military god.
Yet, in this battle, of the eight hundred thousand strong army Fang Chen led, a full six hundred thousand perished! Even he, as the marshal, had both his eyes destroyed and his energy sea shattered. From then on, he became a cripple.
Within the imposing General's manor, a young man silently gazed at the sky. His nose was like hanging jade, his brows like sword tips. Even standing silently like that, he exuded a faint, ethereal aura that made him difficult to fathom.
But in truth, he saw nothing. His eyes were a strange grayish-white, so much so that his pupils were almost invisible.
Five years ago, he led his army to clash with the Azure Pine Empire's First Wolf Marshal. It should have been a guaranteed victory, but because the Azure Pine Empire had secretly invited an expert from an eighth-rank nation to launch a sneak attack, the tide was completely turned!
He was defeated, his energy sea shattered, and he became a cripple.
At the moment of his near-fatal injury, he seemed to see a celestial maiden looking down upon the mortal world from within the scorching sun in the sky. He looked at the maiden, and the maiden also looked at him. Immediately after, a dazzling divine light enveloped him, and then, he became blind.
The First Wolf Marshal did not kill him, but chose to let him go.
He vaguely remembered the First Wolf Marshal's words as he let him go:
“When you return to the Great Xia Empire, you will know what it means to live a life worse than death. Letting you live is, in fact, the best torture for you.”
Indeed, over the past five years, he had endured all kinds of curses and insults. Those who once vied to associate with him now shunned him like a viper.
“Second Sister, you're eighteen this year, aren't you? It's time to marry, yet you still want to tease your elder brother?”
Fang Chen suddenly spoke.
Not far behind him, dozens of steps away, Fang Zhixue, who had been tiptoeing, immediately looked displeased. “Elder Brother, why can you always find me? My cultivation has already reached the second stage of Human Profound, the Qi Burst stage!”
Human Profound has four stages: Qi Condensation, Qi Burst, Qi Control, and Qi Core.
The Qi Burst stage is already not common in the Great Xia Empire; those at this level can be called first-rate experts. As for Qi Control, that signifies an existence capable of founding a sect.
Fang Chen once possessed unparalleled talent; at nearly eighteen years old, he broke through the Qi Control bottleneck and advanced to Qi Core. He was also the Great Xia Empire's only Qi Core expert!
“What do you want?”
Fang Chen said indifferently.
“Brother, the Emperor has bestowed a marriage upon you…”
Fang Zhixue's eyes suddenly dimmed.
“Bestowed marriage? Why would the Emperor bestow a marriage upon a cripple like me? And what young lady would take a liking to me?”
Fang Chen chuckled softly and said, “Is there some hidden agenda here?”
“The Emperor wants you to marry into the Xiao family as a live-in son-in-law, using this to ease relations between the Great Xia Empire and the Azure Pine Empire. Recently, the Azure Pine Empire has started to stir again, and the Emperor is afraid.”
Fang Zhixue clenched both fists, her eyes red-rimmed: "Father... he agreed..."
"The Xiao family, the foremost noble family of Qing Song Kingdom? The Xiao family, the one Xiao Langshuai belongs to?"
Fang Chen was slightly taken aback, then his expression calmed. "Why? I'm a worthless person, wouldn't the Xiao family also look down on me? What's more, I was once Xiao Langshuai's mortal enemy."
"It was the Xiao family's eldest young lady who proposed it. She said she'd seen countless men, but she really wanted to taste what the former number one military god of Da Xia Kingdom was like, using this to pressure the Emperor into submission. If the Emperor doesn't grant the marriage, Qing Song Kingdom will once again sweep across the land, and this time, they won't stop until they reach the capital."
Fang Zhixue said in a low voice.
"My enemy's daughter wants me to marry into her family? Haha..."
Fang Chen let out a faint chuckle.
Fang Zhixue's voice suddenly became urgent: "Big Brother, I'll take you away from the capital! Let's flee to the uninhabited mountains, they definitely won't find us there."
"Second Sister, if I leave, what kind of treatment do you think the Fang family will suffer? Will the Emperor spare the rest of the Fang family?"
Fang Chen shook his head faintly: "I am just a worthless person. If, with this worthless body, I can buy Da Xia Kingdom a few more years of time, perhaps there will be a turning point later, and it won't lead to the destruction of the nation."
"Big Brother, don't you know how those officials and common people cursed you? Why, even at this moment, do you still think of them? For the past five years, even those small merchants and servants dared to insult and curse you behind your back. Is it worth it for them?"
Every time Fang Zhixue thought of these scenes, her anger flared.
"Isn't there still you, and Father and Mother, and people like them? Even for your sake, it's worth it, not to mention those crying children begging for food. They don't understand anything. Have they ever insulted or cursed me?"
Fang Chen waved his hand: "You may leave. I want to be alone for a while."
Fang Zhixue was startled, she sighed softly in her heart, then turned and left.
She knew her Big Brother's temperament; once he made a decision, he couldn't be persuaded, couldn't be swayed.
Fang Chen continued to gaze at the horizon. His grey-white pupils held a heavy, deathly aura. Unfortunately, apart from that one fleeting glimpse, he had never seen that immortal maiden again.
He desperately wanted to understand all of this, and he also wanted to know why, after that day, he gained the ability for his soul to leave his body.
Unbeknownst to him, Fang Chen's soul had already left his body, flying above the capital, looking down on everything.
Laughter and chatter from within the imperial palace, the loud cries of street vendors—everything, down to the smallest detail, was taken in by his eyes.
He saw Qing Song Kingdom's martial artists acting tyrannically in Da Xia Kingdom's capital, randomly beating up passing commoners. Even if some officials merely brushed past them, they would be subjected to a beating.
He saw the burning rage in the eyes of the surrounding commoners, he saw the sorrow in the eyes of the soldiers, he saw the deep humiliation in the eyes of the beaten officials.
"Hahaha! You Da Xia Kingdom people are just useless! From now on, when you see people from our Qing Song Kingdom, you must call us 'My Lord'! Otherwise, be careful, the First Langshuai might lead his troops to raze your capital and kick your old Emperor off his dragon throne!"
The extremely arrogant laughter filled people with indignation and heartache, yet also helplessness.
“Ah, such a small country, and it actually has a fellow Daoist in the Out-of-Body state?”
Suddenly, a voice filled with incredulous surprise rang out beside Phương Trần’s ear.
Phương Trần was slightly startled. He turned to look, only to see a half-transparent Daoist figure standing in the void. The other party was also looking at him with a curious expression.
Phương Trần was inwardly shaken. For five years, he had never been seen by anyone while in the Out-of-Body state, let alone spoken to!
Phương Trần remained outwardly calm. He clasped his hands and said, “Greetings, fellow Daoist. May I know how to address you?”
The other party had called him ‘fellow Daoist,’ so calling the other party ‘fellow Daoist’ in return couldn’t be wrong.