Journey to the West: Treasure Vase of the Great Dao

The officials from Yuzhou also chimed in one after another, as everyone could see Lu Zhang's great favoritism toward Liu Qingyun. Moreover, Liu Qingyun's recent charge through the battle lines and killing of enemies had indeed been a blood-pumping spectacle, earning him continuous praise that greatly pleased Lu Zhang.

While the Yuzhou officials were busy lavishing praise on each other, Liu Qingyun had been charging back and forth through the army, fighting countless rounds. His white robe was smeared with blood, and his normally gentle and handsome face was devoid of its usual warmth, his eyes filled with the murderous aura of a demon from Hell.

At this time, the army of the King of Pingnan was in utter disarray, the chaos during their panic often proving more brutal than the battle itself, as the Yuzhou Army pressed their advantage, forcing them to leave innumerable corpses along their path.

King Li Xin of Pingnan had been carried by his own guards for who knows how long. They had run from day until night before finally stopping to rest. Looking around, he realized that he was left with only a handful of people, the rest having been killed or scattered.

Surrounded by dense forests and the harsh caws of crows echoing in his ears, a sorrowful chill arose in his heart.

Li Xin thought with irony, "I have spent my life in military strife; never have I faced such a humiliating day, forced to flee in panic by a mere youth in a white robe. What a joke," his words heavy with disillusionment.

"Do not be saddened, my lord. Victory and defeat are common in war. This Yuzhou is nothing but an uncivilized wasteland compared to our Jinzhou, rich in natural beauty and resources. Once we regroup and prepare, we can face them again," the strategists around him advised in unison.

These reassuring words soon restored Li Xin's confidence. He revived his spirit and said, "You are right. My Jinzhou is vast and rich; even if we suffer a defeat, we can quickly regain our primordial qi. The narrow and barbaric lands of Yuzhou will never recover from a defeat. It's just unfortunate that Wu You, with his grand ambitions but poor skills, led us to this disastrous defeat."

Wu You, born into poverty, had only risen so swiftly because of the Prince's favor. "And yet, instead of being constantly vigilant and alleviating the Prince's worries, all he does is strut about, displaying his bravado. If it weren't for his complacency leading to his downfall from his horse, damaging our army's morale, we would never have suffered such hardship," Li Xin fumed.

Humans tend to build up or tear down, and Li Xin merely needed a scapegoat for the military defeat. People eagerly stepped forward, especially those who were not on good terms with Wu You, tirelessly denouncing him to avoid being associated with him.

Watching everyone vigorously denouncing Wu You, Li Xin suddenly felt listless; perhaps he was finally feeling his age and no longer had the ambitious drive of his younger days.

Upon returning to his estate, Li Xin removed his war-stained clothes and turned to ask his attending maid, "Where is the Princely Heir? Why has he not come to pay his respects?"

Li Xin was very displeased as he said this. His son had shown remarkable talent from a young age, so he had high hopes for him. But ever since his Taoist uncle died suddenly, his son had become temperamental.

The entire person became anxious and made more mistakes. Li Xin initially thought he was grieving and gave him time to adjust, but instead of improving, his son had become increasingly indulged in drink and debauchery, showing no ambition.

"The Princely Heir...," stammered the maid, too scared to speak.

Li Xin suddenly flew into a rage, knocking over a screen, and strode toward his son's room.

He had barely reached the door when he heard the faint sound of revelry, fueling his fury. Thinking of his own uncertain fate in battle while his much-anticipated son indulged himself at home, his anger was uncontrollable.

He kicked open the door and saw his son frolicking with several beautiful women. He harshly slapped the Princely Heir across the face, knocking him to the ground with the force.

By this time, he had realized that his son had become completely unrecognizable, devoid of all vigor, spirit, and presence. His countenance was sullen, his eyes lifeless, which deeply alarmed his father, who had no idea what had happened to the young man.

With shaking hands, long pondering ensued before he slowly lowered his palm and turned his back to the others, commanding, "The Princely Heir's health is poor. He shall recuperate at home from now on!"

After speaking, he left without turning back, his desolate figure resembling not the powerful Prince but an old man in his dying years.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

Moreover, this statement was a death sentence for the Princely Heir, indicating that Li Xin had lost all hope in his son's ability to continue his legacy.

The Princely Heir of Pingnan cupped his bruised face, his expression forlorn, lost in his thoughts.

This was the consequence of stealing Fortune and Destiny. Such spells could defy fate and disrupt the natural order, and if they failed, they would strike back at the user. How could a pampered scion of heaven withstand such recoiling, thus altering his temperament drastically?

As the conflict between Yuzhou and the King of Pingnan concluded, Lu Yu also began saying farewell to the Monkey; he had resided in Huaguo Mountain to teach the Monkey the Freezing Curse and to learn the ability to manifest multiple limbs.

Lu Yu was persuaded by the Monkey to stay a few more days, finally leaving with great reluctance. Before departing, the Monkey kept reminding him to visit often, which made Lu Yu both laugh and cry.

After leaving the Monkey, Lu Yu rode the clouds and in a brief moment, he was already within the Great Chen Dynasty. Suddenly, he felt a sensation in his liver, a precursor that the Innate Primordial Qi was about to be activated, which, from his experience, Lu Yu knew well.

Descending from the clouds, he did not rush home but leisurely walked through the fields, immersing himself in the natural aura of the earth. The surrounding flora felt very familiar to him; at that moment, he seemed to merge with the whole world.

Under this extraordinary feeling, it was unknown how much time had passed before Lu Yu was roused by a suppressed sob. Following the crying, soon he saw a scholar in a green robe, hiding his face and weeping under a tree.

"It is said that a man should seldom shed tears; may I ask what troubles you so deeply?" Lu Yu inquired.

Realizing someone was nearby, the scholar hastily stood up, and, flustered, said, "You flatter me with your attention. They say 'scholars are good for nothing,' and today, I, Xiao Ke, have learned this truth." After speaking, he quickly composed himself, evidently someone who cared a great deal about his appearance.

"Heaven never seals off all exits; perhaps you could share your troubles with me and clear the worries from your mind, who knows, you might find a turning point," Lu Yu consoled the scholar.

Encouraged, Xiao Ke began to recount his story.

"I am but a poor scholar. My parents gone, I've lived alone, farming and studying. One day, while resting from my fieldwork and reading, I'm ashamed to admit I had to stop my studies midway due to poverty, so I didn't recognize many characters. A woman happened by and kindly taught me the characters I didn't know."

"She was exceedingly beautiful, like a Heavenly Immortal descended to earth. She did not mind my incomplete literacy and continued to teach me to read. She introduced herself as Yan Niang, the youngest daughter of the wealthy Su family nearby. Day and night, as we spent time together, affection grew, and we privately vowed to each other.

But then, to my shock, she revealed that she was not from the human race but a Fox Spirit, who had taken a liking to teaching me because she often saw me reading in the mountains, thus leading to our encounter."