Breaking Army - Chapter 4

A person slept soundly on the couch, their dark hair sprawling across a brocade quilt.

Xiao Chen was dressed in thin silk. His originally pale complexion had finally regained a touch of warmth, and his fair skin, contrasted against the silk, looked like polished jade. His lips were no longer stained with a frightening shade of blood, giving him a peaceful and delicate appearance.

He had slept long and deep. When his lashes fluttered and he opened his eyes, he felt a moment of confusion, nearly forgetting what day it was. Fortunately, as he stared at the bed curtains, his memories rushed back. He flipped over to sit up, but he moved too quickly, a sudden ache in his waist nearly sending him tumbling back down.

Xiao Chen:  Just one night, and his waist could actually ache this much.

He was alone in the bed. He hadn’t forgotten what had happened, though he didn’t remember much of the specific “dual cultivation” process. At the time, he had been so delirious with pain that he couldn’t be expected to offer any critique on Lord Rong Yuan’s technique.

He was still alive, and the poison was cured, but his body hadn’t recovered yet, leaving him feeling weak and sore. Logically, given the strength of his constitution, he should have been moving normally by now. Suspecting there was another reason, Xiao Chen checked his internal state and, sure enough, made a discovery, his cultivation had mostly dissipated.

He wasn’t surprised by the loss of his powers, as it was an outcome he had long anticipated. Zi Wei had cast two divinations for him. One was to find the culprit, which failed. The other indicated that he would certainly turn misfortune into a blessing and find a way to neutralize the poison, but his cultivation would suffer greatly afterward. How could he recover it? The divination had provided four words: A Tribulation in the Mortal Realm.

In divination, one must not only cast the hex but also interpret it. These four words were easy to decipher: if Xiao Chen wanted to restore his cultivation, he had to go to the human world to undergo a trial. However, no one could figure out exactly what kind of tribulation it would be. Many Star Lords had tried to calculate it and failed, so Xiao Chen would simply have to experience it for himself.

Even though he knew beforehand that his cultivation would vanish, experiencing it firsthand was different. Xiao Chen was a god of war, and his cultivation had been with him since his birth. To say he wasn’t upset about losing it would be a lie. He gave his fingers a bitter squeeze, thinking to himself that “knowledge gained from books is always shallow.”

But since he had prepared himself mentally and found a solution, the important thing was to take action, rather than staying in one place mourning his loss.

As Xiao Chen calmed his mind, a more pressing headache arose. His plan had been perfect, but an unexpected detour occurred. He truly hadn’t expected to become Rong Yuan’s husband in deed as well as name on their wedding day, nor did he expect to faint right under the man’s nose. He didn’t know how long he had slept, but he feared that Rong Yuan already knew about his lost cultivation.

The fewer people who knew about this, the better. Now… it was a mess. Xiao Chen gauged how much power he had left while thinking about his next move, all while lamenting the inconvenience of his aching waist and slow recovery. Wait, it wasn’t just his waist. Something felt strange behind him… it wasn’t pain. Had medicine been applied?

Xiao Chen’s body went stiff. There was likely no part of him left that Rong Yuan hadn’t seen.

Belatedly, the backs of his ears began to burn. He touched his earring. The normally cold trinket seemed to have heated up along with its master. While the flushed face belonged to Xiao Chen, the beautiful earring remained elegant in its own right.

Some people are naturally promiscuous, treated casual flings like a vast ocean and thought nothing of a single night of passion. Others are as steady as a rock, unmoved for ten thousand years, but once they encounter someone, the mark is engraved into their very soul. Now that “the rice was cooked,” so to speak, Xiao Chen found it impossible to simply ignore the situation.

But the taste of this “porridge” was unlike anything he’d ever known. How was the person holding the bowl supposed to swallow it gracefully?

After rubbing his earring until it was warm, Xiao Chen finally managed to let the heat in his cheeks fade. With a flick of his fingers, the hanging bed curtains parted silently and hooked themselves to the sides. With his current level of spiritual energy, he could only manage these small tricks.

When he arrived yesterday, he had been completely drained of strength and couldn’t properly examine his surroundings. Rong Yuan’s bedchamber was massive. Once the curtains were raised, the lamps in the hall lit up automatically. Dozens of lamps ignited simultaneously, flooding the room with brilliant light. The lamp stands were made of gold, shaped like lotuses with the flame flickering at the center. Each lotus lamp had a unique design. The room also featured channeled running water, with winding streams complementing the lamps, and intricately carved pillars reaching toward the ceiling. The entire chamber was like a masterpiece of painting, exquisite and magnificent.

It was different from his own Yaoguang Palace. Yaoguang was naturally beautiful, but not this solemn. In the White Jade Capital of the heavens, Yaoguang Palace was a palace of jade. Though Xiao Chen had emerged from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood, his residence wasn’t the grim hall people imagined, but a misty, celestial palace. Had it not been for the sake of the common people, he should have lived in that jade palace dressed in white, never touching a drop of blood.

Xiao Chen got out of bed. His clothes had been placed within arm’s reach. When he saw them, he couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow: they were white.

He never hid his preferences, but remembering someone’s likes always required effort. Since entering the Underworld, everything had been tailored to him. This level of attention… was it really not for some ulterior motive?

Xiao Chen’s eyes flickered, but he didn’t reject the outfit. He shook out the clothes and began to dress.

***

Meanwhile, while he was losing consciousness amidst the clouds and rain, Xiang Zhi and Geng Xie had successfully reached the mortal realm. They had actually found someone who was about to ascend.

The spiritual energy of the human world was the weakest among the six realms, making cultivation difficult. A human could ascend to the heavens or fall into the demon realm, it didn’t just depend on cultivation, but also on opportunity. The heavens looked for blessings, while the demon realm looked for sins. Some thought ascension was the peak, unaware that it was merely a new beginning.

The time for this person’s ascension hadn’t quite arrived yet. Auspicious clouds had gathered, but they were waiting for the auspicious hour. Xiang Zhi and Geng Xie waited at a distance. Just as they picked a spot to stand, Geng Xie sensed something. He raised his hand, and a miniature star map appeared in his palm. This was a method of communication between Star Lords. Earlier, Xiao Chen had used this method to send word of the two of them back to the Star Realm. Now, some Star Lord was surely coming to hold them accountable.

The star map locked onto the Big Dipper, and the Lianzhen Star was flashing incessantly. Yes, it was the Lianzhen Star Lord, whom Geng Xie had knocked unconscious by the Star River. As soon as Geng Xie connected the transmission, a thunderous roar erupted: “Seven Kills, you son of a bitch!!! What kind of skill is a sneak attack?!”

“You couldn’t beat me even in a fair fight,” Geng Xie said calmly. “Watch your language. Why is a man of letters using such foul words?”

Lianzhen had been tied up by the Star River for a long time and was fuming. “Go to hell! Zi Wei wants you to crawl back here and face your death!”

“The original words were to tell them to come back before discussing it.”

A calm voice came from beside Lianzhen. It lacked anger, yet it made Geng Xie rub his nose. The owner of the voice was the Gou Chen Star Lord, whom Geng Xie had tricked into leaving. Gou Chen said in a matter of fact tone, “I found Lianzhen by the Heavenly River. When Taibai was replaced at the life protecting array and returned to his palace to rest, he found the Star Navigation Map missing. Do you have anything you want to say to me?”

“I do,” Geng Xie said seriously. “Xiang Zhi was the one who took the map.”

Gou Chen: “Oh.”

Xiang Zhi shrunk his neck guiltily.

After Gou Chen realized he had been played by Geng Xie, he went to borrow the star map from Taibai. Taibai had just been relieved from the life extending array, and upon returning to his palace, he realized the map was gone. When Xiao Chen’s transmission arrived shortly after, the whole story became clear.

Two troublemakers had teamed up.

Gou Chen was brief: “Come back.”

Geng Xie replied, “We are planning to go to the Heavenly Realm to investigate the matter of Xiao Chen’s poisoning. Xiao Chen spent centuries suppressing chaos for the three realms, and now he has to endure this kind of garbage treatment. This isn’t over.”

Lianzhen’s anger hadn’t faded, but he had to admit, “So you can speak like a human.”

Gou Chen added, “The investigation doesn’t require the two of you to go.”

“But we’ve already found a great way,” Xiang Zhi interrupted. He looked at the sky, knowing the time for ascension was near. “By the time you find us, we’ll already be in the Heavenly Realm. We’ll hide our identities and sneak in. I won’t be satisfied if we don’t investigate.”

It was truly impossible to make them return quietly. Gou Chen hesitated for a moment, and just as he was about to speak, Xiang Zhi let out a soft cry. “Ah, the time has come! Geng Xie, let’s go! We’ll talk later!”

Then, Xiang Zhi slapped Geng Xie’s hand. He used spiritual power, and since Geng Xie cooperated intentionally, the star map was extinguished by the slap. The transmission was cut off.

“The time?” Lianzhen looked at the severed connection. “The time for them to sneak into the Heavenly Realm?”

“Wen Qu always has many ideas,” Gou Chen commented fairly. “Mostly wicked ones.”

“Now that they’ve been let out, we really can’t stop them.”

“If we could stop them, they wouldn’t have made it out in the first place,” Gou Chen sighed. “Since things have come to this, let them go and see. Once Po Jun has neutralized the poison, I will go to the Heavenly Realm as well. We’ll act according to the situation then.”

Lianzhen said helplessly, “That’s all we can do.”

“Let’s go back to the Great Hall. Po Jun has entered the Underworld, so the poisoning should be resolved soon. To prevent things from changing, we should all go to the life protecting array and wait for the results.”

After cutting the transmission, Geng Xie withdrew his hand and looked at the auspicious clouds. “He still has at least fifteen minutes before he ascends. You just made them think we were about to miss it and have already entered the Heavens.”

“I’ll apologize and take the blame later. I took Taibai’s map, and I’ll make proper amends.”

Geng Xie leaned against a rock with his arms crossed. “We’re accomplices. Whatever the punishment is, I’ll take it with you this time.”

Xiang Zhi didn’t stand on ceremony and simply gave a soft “Mm.”

Fifteen minutes later, the path to ascension opened. Xiang Zhi and Geng Xie followed silently behind the man, transforming into light as they ascended to the Heavenly Realm.

The mortal who was actually ascending was naturally thrilled. When he opened his eyes, before he could even appreciate the scenery, he heard a heavenly official in front of him say, “Three people ascended… let me see…”

Three? He was stunned. He turned his head and was shocked to see two people standing behind him.

One carried a simple zither on his back, looking refined and scholarly, and even gave him a polite smile. The other wore an eyepatch over his left eye, expressionless, giving him only a lukewarm nod. Both possessed an extraordinary aura and were incredibly handsome.

Since they were all from the mortal realm, it felt like meeting old friends in a distant land. He cupped his hands. “You two”

The heavenly official interrupted him. Looking at the records on the Ascension Scroll, he read, “Xiao Xiangzhi, a man of letters. A child prodigy at age three and famous for poetry by seven. A peerless genius who encountered an immortal traveling the mortal world. With high comprehension and immortal affinity, he has ascended.”

“Xiao Gengxie, entered the path through martial arts. Accumulated blessings over three lifetimes, performed heroic deeds and helped the weak. With immense merit, he has achieved greatness in this life and ascended.”

Indeed, the Ascension Scroll would automatically display the life of an ascending mortal. But unfortunately, these two were not mortals, so the contents had naturally been tampered with by Xiang Zhi. As the Wen Qu Star Lord who had read ten thousand books, although he had never been to the Heavenly Realm, he was well prepared. He could spin stories one after another. He also made up the surname “Xiao.” Star Lords have no surnames, only names. The “Xiao” in Xiao Chen’s name wasn’t originally a surname either, but it sounded like one, so he used it directly to make them sound more like humans.

The two of them, with an average age of over three thousand years, felt no shame at all pretending to be mortals in their twenties.

The official finished reading the records of the three and picked up a pen. “Newcomers are usually sent to the same place for training before being assigned other duties. But you’re in luck. In three days, the Crown Prince and the Second Prince will be recruiting talented people. Everyone can try out. Whether you succeed depends on your own ability.” He handed them waist tokens. “Keep these safe. I’ll take you to your quarters. Congratulations on your ascension. I wish you a smooth immortal path.”

Geng Xie and Xiang Zhi took the tokens and exchanged a look. The Crown Prince and the Second Prince… this was indeed a good opportunity. Right after Xiao Chen was poisoned, the Heavenly Realm had put the Crown Prince in charge of investigating the matter. If they could get close to him, they wouldn’t miss the chance.

Geng Xie and Xiang Zhi tucked away their tokens and followed the official obediently, looking very well behaved. No one would have guessed that these two were the biggest troublemakers who gave the other Star Lords massive headaches. And now, they had successfully infiltrated the Heavens.

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