Chapter Forty: Daughter of the Martial Emperor of Great Xia

From Gao Meng’s corpse, a transparent spirit emerged. Xu Cheng would never let such a golden opportunity slip by—the Gates of the Underworld opened abruptly, drawing the spirit within.

Without hesitation, he began the ritual sacrifice, and more than thirty Nether True Pills shot forth from the gate.

With all pursuers now wiped out, Xia Qingman stepped out from behind Yan Mengdie and embraced the man who had dealt the final blow to Gao Meng.

After a brief, tender moment, the seemingly frail man stepped forward and said, “I am Chu Tiancheng. Thank you all for your help!”

“I am Xia Qingman, and I am deeply grateful to you all as well!”

So this is the daughter of the Martial Emperor of Great Xia! Her features still retained a touch of youthful innocence, and the constant pursuit by Gao Meng in the past days had left her looking a little haggard.

“It was nothing but a passing effort, don’t mention it. I have an irreconcilable enmity with the Great Xia court myself,” Yan Mengdie added. Her appearance, however, was rather frightening, causing Xia Qingman to shrink back a step in fear.

“Judging by your looks, you must be from the Celestial Demon clan! I am a Nine-Lives Cat, one who walks the path of immortals. That makes us half of the same kind, so why don’t we…” After glancing several more times at Yan Mengdie, Chu Tiancheng continued.

“Thinking of joining us? But we’re heading to Gunzhou to join the uprising. I’m not sure about Xia Qingman though…”

Xia Qingman, though also a fugitive, was after all the daughter of Emperor Xia Hao. It’s said even a vicious tiger will not eat its cubs, let alone his precious jewel.

“I… I’m fine with it, as long as I don’t have to kill him with my own hands!”

Xia Qingman summoned all her courage to make this momentous decision. It seemed her bond with Chu Tiancheng had grown inseparable. Though Chu Tiancheng walked the path of the demon immortals, he was, in the end, a demon—a human and a cat demon…

“But if you want to go to Gunzhou, you’d best change your name,” Xu Cheng advised after some thought.

“I’ll just be Qingman, then. Surname Qing, given name Man!”

And so she relinquished her family name.

“Qingman, from now on, we can be together forever!”

With those words, Chu Tiancheng drew Qingman into a tight embrace.

Qingman answered softly with a gentle “Mm.”

In Xu Cheng’s old life, he would have said these two were really rubbing salt in the wound of all the single people. As the saying goes: “What is love, that it drives mortals to pledge life and death?”

Xu Cheng and his companions said nothing, simply waiting for the couple to finish expressing their feelings.

After about half a stick of incense, the two finally separated.

“Let’s go! To Gunzhou!” Xu Cheng said at once.

“Wait, I’d better cover my face,” Yan Mengdie said, running her hand over her features. There were bound to be many ordinary folk in Gunzhou City—if she were mistaken for a monster, that would be a hard misunderstanding to clear up.

She summoned a veil of mist to cover her face, which in a blink became that of a plain and nondescript woman. She even managed to disguise Niu Dazhuang’s bovine head at the same time.

They rose upon the clouds, but with two extra people, the speed of the mist-flight was much slower.

A full day passed before they finally landed outside Gunzhou City, opting for subtlety to avoid causing a sensation.

The seven of them arrived at the city gates, where a handful of guards stood watch.

“Who goes there?” one of the soldiers challenged.

Yan Mengdie said nothing, simply flashed an insignia at the guard, who responded with a respectful gesture of invitation.

Within the city, the streets bustled with crowds.

“Candied fruit skewers for sale!”

“Fresh buns, hot buns!”

The group followed Yan Mengdie through the city, eventually stopping before a grand residence with a sign that read “Grand Preceptor’s Mansion.”

So the country had already been established? Xu Cheng wondered, curious as to who the Grand Preceptor was.

Yan Mengdie’s token proved invaluable—no one hindered their progress, not even at the Grand Preceptor’s gates.

Inside, there were no gilded decorations, but rather a striking simplicity.

With Yan Mengdie leading the way, they were soon ushered in to meet the Grand Preceptor.

He was an old man in plain hemp robes. Upon seeing Yan Mengdie, he immediately declared, “This old Taoist calculated that an honored guest would arrive today. I never expected it would be a descendant of the Celestial Demon line!”

“Master Xuan Chun’s Six-Yao divination grows ever more profound,” Yan Mengdie complimented.

“Mere trifles, mere trifles! I didn’t expect you to bring so many with you!”

This was indeed Master Xuan Chun. His gaze swept over Xu Cheng, Ju Hua, Qingman, and Chu Tiancheng.

“How could Master Xuan Chun’s Six-Yao divinations be called trifles?” Yan Mengdie added.

“That’s enough with the flattery. This young man here is neither of the Celestial Demon clan nor a Daoist—perhaps from a family of cultivators?” Xuan Chun turned to Xu Cheng.

“Why don’t you try divining who I am, Master?” Xu Cheng replied.

He did not reveal his identity directly, curious to see just how formidable this old Taoist’s Six-Yao divination truly was—could it outmatch his own Eye of the Underworld?

“Very well. Young man, if you wish to put me to the test, let’s see what I can do.”

Master Xuan Chun extended his hand, thumb pressing lightly upon his four fingers. After a moment, he smiled, stroked his long white beard, and said, “So that’s how it is! I never expected you to be a man of the Underworld. But I also divined that Qiong Yue is weaving a plot, so you must be careful. As for the rest, I dare not say—after all, these are matters internal to the Underworld.”

“Master, your insight is truly extraordinary!” Xu Cheng praised at once. He, too, had sensed that the old demon Qiong was up to something, but couldn’t quite guess his true intentions.

“These three are with you as well! So many changes in the Underworld, who would have thought!”

When Master Xuan Chun saw Ju Hua, Cen Ningyue, and Niu Dazhuang, his expression grew grave.

“And this one is a true Celestial Demon. As for you…”

With his expert divination, he quickly discerned the backgrounds of all present. Upon seeing Qingman, a glint of gold flashed in his eyes.

Several thoughts flashed through his mind: for instance, marrying Qingman off to Zhou Hongcai as a consort—after all, Zhou Hongcai was the rebel king here.

Though this might earn them some prestige for the Han, the consequences would far outweigh the gains.

The Celestial Demon before him was no ordinary being, but a descendant of the Nine-Lives Cat Demon. Given the bond between her and Chu Tiancheng, such a move would only force his hand. If her clan’s ancestor were to intervene, it would spell trouble for them all.

On the other hand, if he could persuade the ancestor to act against the Great Xia dynasty, and then unite with the major Daoist sects to aid Zhou Hongcai in pacifying the land—perhaps even seizing the throne—it would be much easier.

Having weighed all these possibilities, Master Xuan Chun finally said, “Would you be willing to serve as General of Far-Reaching Valor for the Han dynasty?”

At the mention of becoming a general, Chu Tiancheng exclaimed with excitement, “Willing! Of course I am! I, Chu Tiancheng, will risk life and limb without hesitation!”

“Excellent! And you, envoy of the Underworld, would you accept the title of General of Bright Might?”

Master Xuan Chun turned to Xu Cheng.

“General of Bright Might?”

Xu Cheng didn’t agree immediately, surprised that he, too, might become a general.

By age, Xu Cheng had just turned fifteen. To be a fifteen-year-old general was certainly impressive, though to challenge the mighty Great Xia dynasty would not be easy—but he was not alone in this fight.

After some consideration, Xu Cheng nodded in agreement.

In the end, Ju Hua was also given a general’s title—General of the Cavalry—with Dazhuang as his lieutenant, while Yan Mengdie and Cen Ningyue were both appointed as field marshals.

Yan Mengdie’s rank was higher still.