"Mirror of Truth, Mirror of Truth, tell me, who is the kindest person in this world?"
"Ha! Who else can be kinder than Master Xu in this world? The word 'kindness' was written just for you, Master Xu!"
In the Eight Banner Marshals' camp, Xu Qing took out the Mirror of Truth that could reveal the good and evil of a person's life before death, and posed a soul-searching question.
After getting the desired answer, Xu Qing turned to the Golden Chicken and said, "Did you hear that? Even the Mirror of Truth says I'm a great benevolent person. How could a kind person like me lie to you?"
The Golden Simurgh gazed back and forth between the Mirror and Xu Qing, becoming even more puzzled when it saw the young man in front of it with a serious expression.
Could it be that it had really miscalculated the time, and, in the five or six years in the Yin River, only five or six months had actually passed?
Meanwhile, Xu Qing continued to comfort the Golden Simurgh.
"As the Grand Sect Leader of the Cat Immortal Hall, my word is as good as gold. We agreed on a year; shouldn't we at least wait until the time is up before going back?"
"Besides, in a few days, I'll take you to a restaurant. By then, there'll be endless insects to feast on. Would you really give up after waiting for half a year?"
The Golden Simurgh shook its head.
"Well, there you have it! Eat these few stones of rice first. They say bitter comes before sweet. Once we finish this rice, we'll go to the restaurant!"
The Golden Simurgh's eyes lit up, and it asked Xu Qing, "How much rice do you have left?"
Xu Qing smiled gleefully, "Not much, not much, just enough for a dozen or so stones of rations."
Well, a hundred thousand stones.
"Really?"
"I'm a great benevolent person; how could I lie to you? Mirror of Truth, Mirror of Truth, would I deceive anyone?"
The Mirror of Truth fell silent. While it acknowledged Xu Qing as a kind person, whether he was a deceiver...
The Mirror couldn't bring itself to speak against its conscience.
Leaving the cemetery, Xu Qing looked toward the bumpy ancient path flanked by gravestones in the distance.
In the past two or three years, the confrontations between the Yin-corroding Law King and the Eight Banner Marshals had become more frequent. Xu Qing had returned to the Jin Sect mid-way and collected some news through the Skeleton Post.
The Beixiang Army, led by Zhu Huai'an, had already penetrated inland. Following Xu Qing's guidance, before entering, they consolidated regions like Shuozhou, Liaodong, and the Hetao. While holding off foreign adversaries, after severely damaging the ancient Liao, E'du, and Beiqiu tribes, the Beixiang Army finally turned their swords toward the interior.
Before this, Zhu Huai'an had never claimed kingship, always waving the banner of stabilizing the northern frontier and defending the border towns.
At that time, warfare plagued the southern Jingzhou, and the Dayong Imperial Court hesitated. Emperor Jingxing could only eliminate a tiger before subduing the remaining wolves.
The northern generals led by Zhu Huai'an were far less aggressive than the Jingzhou uprising, even expending their energy to provoke foreign enemies. It seemed clear who the tiger and who the wolf were.
Moreover, with the disappearance of Ji Lingzhou, the leader of the Cangyi Group, the Cangyi Army in Jingzhou was leaderless. The Dayong Army, which had long suffered more losses than victories, surprisingly found itself succeeding over and over.
Emperor Jingxing suddenly felt capable again!
Meanwhile, the old Emperor even sent emissaries to negotiate with the Beixiang Army, seemingly believing that, driven by interest, the Beixiang Army could be used by him.
Only a few wise people on the court were anxious. Didn't the Emperor know what the name of the Beixiang Army's commander was?
Zhu Yong, meaning 'to eliminate Dayong.'
Just based on this name, it should have been considered a significant threat.
Additionally, there were rumors that the Crown Prince of Longting had fled to the north early on and that Zhu Yong had suddenly unified many frontier towns.
If what they thought was true, this sleeping tiger lying dormant on the back was more akin to a Sword of Damocles hanging overhead. Once it had accumulated enough power, it would rise fiercely!
For years, Emperor Jingxing had received many suggestions to address the 'tiger problem.' Do you think he really didn't understand the dangers of neglecting the north?
He understood! But what could he do? The national treasury had long been squandered, leaving it struggling even to address the southern rebellion. If he were to wage war with the Beixiang Army, it might just hasten the fall of Dayong!
Besides, the Celestial Master of the Celestial Master's Mansion foresaw clearly. The Dayong had at least thirty more years of national fortune, he said.
Thirty years, and Emperor Jingxing, in his advanced age, would enter his twilight years. Even if he couldn't live that long, as long as he could sit securely on the grand throne all these years, he would be satisfied.
At seventy-some years of age, what was there to strive for?
His descendants were eager for Emperor Jingxing to pass, but the Celestial Master said that the reigning Emperor was a long-lived monarch. Who knows, the sons might pass before the Emperor himself!
By this time, the northern sleeping tiger, once without teeth or claws, finally turned its sword toward the interior. It was on this day when the national dragon of the Dayong, which had been circling over the Capital City, let out a long cry.
The fearful and uneasy sound was inaudible to ordinary people, but those skilled in Xuan Sect techniques or those naturally peculiar heard the alarming cry.
That day, Emperor Jingxing dreamt of an evil tiger entangling him, realizing that the tiger behind him had awakened.
...
Ancient Yin River Dao.
Aware of the peculiarity of the Dayong Kingdom's national dragon, the Yin-corroding Law King finally withheld no more.
In these two or three years, nearly half of the corpses collected by Xu Qing from both armies were used to disturb the Demon Exorcism True Monarch in the Bone Temple.
The True Monarch daily exhausted himself preparing for the ghost-cleansing plan, while Xu Qing seemed carefree, like a joyful old farmer enjoying a bountiful harvest, frequently bringing hundreds to thousands of corpses to the Bone Temple for burial.
Xu Qing didn't hide his intentions from the other side. The Yin Sha energy beneath the Bone Temple was more concentrated than elsewhere, and the efficiency of cultivating ghostly soldiers and fierce generals far surpassed before.