Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1426 Dark clouds over the city
Guanyuan, the largest city in the northern frontier, was a place Lu Ning hadn't expected to arrive at this time.

"Has that demonic star ever come here?" Lu Ning asked.

“It’s never been here.” Qin You shook his head slightly. “Logically, given its speed, it should have arrived long ago, but we haven’t even seen a trace of it. It’s probably lost in the Great Wilderness.”

"That's possible..."

“It will soon be impossible,” Qin You said. “I’ve seen my uncle’s improvements to the Law of Man, and they are very useful… better than that Law of Demons. Although it won’t grant people eternal life through reincarnation, it can completely isolate them from the negative influences of the Great Wilderness. And if they have already been completely assimilated by the Great Wilderness, it will still refuse them. If it gets lost outside, it will never find Guanyuan again, and it is more likely to head straight further north.”

"The Laws of Man... I didn't quite understand them."

"You didn't study this, so it's normal that you don't understand." Qin You grinned. "Team up? I think our cooperation is absolutely perfect. We don't need to kill any demon kings. We can just pick on those demons and wipe out the soldiers first. What use are the generals then?"

“Okay.” Lu Ning agreed. She also found that Qin You’s Blood Transformation Array could completely make up for the weaknesses of her team. Demon generals and below had no power to resist under the combined attack of the two sides.

“Then when we go on the expedition, I’ll request that you come with me.” Qin You chuckled. “But you should go see my uncle first; he needs to understand your fighting capabilities.”

Lu Ning agreed and led his troops to the Grand Tutor's residence.

Qin You then turned to the other side and walked all the way to the headquarters of the Demon Suppression Division.

"Is your boss here?" he asked the demon-suppressing official at the door.

"Yes, I'm back. You are..."

"Let me tell you a location. There's a demon king there who's retreated into his shell. I can't defeat him, but she might have a way... Please let her know so I won't go in."

After Qin You finished explaining the directions, he turned and left.

The demon-suppressing official was stunned for a moment, then quickly pulled over a colleague to help guard the gate, and hurriedly went inside.

At this moment, Ning Ke was wiping his copper coin sword. This one was new and had been soaked in enough demon blood during the recent battles. Today, he could refine it again.

"Hey, Ning Ke."

An angry glare was placed on the table, and he muttered something at that moment.

"how?"

Are you leaving too?

"Also, what does that mean?"

“I haven’t seen that swordsman since,” he said angrily. “His martial arts are so high, and he’s a demon hunter, he won’t die easily, so he should have left, right?”

“Yes,” Ning Ke said, “but I’m different. I will fight to the very last moment.”

“I guess you’re not doing this for the Great Wei. Ning Ke, you’re not that interested in fame and fortune. I can tell you’re just enjoying the process of killing demons.”

"No need to guess, I've always enjoyed slaying evildoers." Ning Ke glanced at him angrily. "Have you changed your tune today? Want to have a heart-to-heart talk?"

"No, that's not it. I just don't understand you. Oh well, I'm not particularly knowledgeable about demons among humans anyway. Now all I have left is this half-mask. As long as I'm alive, that's enough."

"If that's the case, considering how long we've worked together, I'll return you in a couple of days."

Upon hearing this, Numu paused for a moment: "Give it back?"

"Because you will definitely not survive if you follow me. There is going to be a great war soon. Although it is very likely not the final war, in terms of scale, a demon like you will be cannon fodder in it. Wearing it on my face will make no difference."

He opened his mouth in anger, but couldn't say anything. Ning Ke also laid out the sword and spread out the talisman paper for the ritual, saying, "It's nothing, just waiting for someone who will wear you. It's better than dying."

"Yeah...it's better than death."

Just then, someone knocked on the door, and Ning Ke let him in. After the demon-suppressing official entered, he relayed what Qin You had said to Ning Ke and also described Qin You's attire.

Although Ning Ke had never met Qin You, he had seen the soldiers of the Blood Transformation Array dressed before. Hearing this, he guessed what was going on. He then told the demon-suppressing official to return to his post, while he finished refining the sword, put on his mask, and set off.

"It's almost evening, and you still want to go?"

"Maybe the Demon King hasn't left yet. Of course we should go and check. What if we have a chance to kill him?"

=
Lu Ning met with Grand Tutor Qin. Of course, as the newly appointed leader, her mastery of formations and the combat power of her subordinates were evaluated.

In conclusion, Lu Ning's own strength was quite surprising, and her mastery of the Frost Array was also very high, but the soldiers she selected did not receive such high praise.

“You can only unleash about half of the ultimate formation’s power right now. Considering we’re far from Lingjiang, that’ll probably be even less,” said the master of the Heavenly Absolute Formation, who was in charge of the testing. “The latter problem is easier to solve. The ultimate formation was created by the Grand Tutor himself, so it’s easy to make a temporary formation core for you. But if your subordinates want to unleash their full power, they’ll need a relatively long adaptation period. That’s where the issue of changing generals in the heat of battle comes in.”

“I know about this problem, and they are much better off than before.”

“Not enough… The demon army is planning an attack. Our scouts have already discovered many of their troop movements, and they haven’t been trying to hide anything.”

"Then I hope to spread my method of killing demons as soon as possible, so that at least a certain number of them can be equipped in every army," Lu Ning said.

“Yes, this is definitely something we need to focus on completing in the near future… But how did you come up with the idea of ​​using this method to kill the demons?” The master of the Heavenly Annihilation Array was also somewhat curious.

Lu Ning felt she couldn't respond to that; she couldn't very well say that she had a talent for killing, could she?
A flash of inspiration.

Fortunately, the other party didn't ask any further questions. After arranging accommodations for Lu Ning and her soldiers, they took the curse method that Lu Ning had prepared to Grand Tutor Qin. Lu Ning also felt quite tired and went straight to sleep after returning to her lodgings.

In her sleep, she seemed to hear the sound of drums and gongs coming from afar, but it was too far away and not an order used by the Great Wei for an emergency summons, so she remained sound asleep.

This made her feel energetic when she woke up the next morning, but she also forgot about what happened the night before. Lu Ning looked out the window; the sky was overcast, and it seemed that another rainy day was coming.

...The weather in the northern frontier is usually dry, but lately it seems like there's been too much rain. Stepping outside, she could feel the dampness in the air, and the summer heat had already begun. Although Lu Ning herself could remain unaffected by the weather thanks to her Yin-Cold internal energy, ordinary residents couldn't. Many people were wiping away sweat as they went about their daily lives, but their complexions were still quite good; Guan Yuan had indeed given them enough confidence.

Lu Ning bought two flatbreads from a passerby selling food. The freshly steamed flatbreads were still warm and soft in the steamer, and with some pickled vegetables, they would make a decent breakfast. Lu Ning knew she had nothing to do today. She had come a long way to provide reinforcements, and Grand Tutor Qin had given her a day to rest. The entire team could also adjust their condition in Guanyuan City.

The flatbread was just coarse grain, mixed with unremoved husks, and it was a bit rough on the throat. Lu Ning was actually quite puzzled as to what use such a small business was in Guanyuan City these days. But the man carrying the load simply said, "Even if demons come, we won't fight forever. We still need to make a living after the demons retreat. We can't put down our tools for making a living."

Lu Ning found it difficult to say that they would probably spend most of their remaining lives in the war.

Unlike Gouchen and Lingjiang, Guanyuan has preserved the local atmosphere of Lingzhou to the greatest extent possible. Lu Ning didn't know why Grand Tutor Qin had adopted such a method. It was inefficient and meaningless, but it might not be a bad thing.

She walked into a small market.

Compared to the large markets I'd seen in Huailing or Xingyin, this market was far too small, barely more than an open space crammed together. People didn't come here to buy or sell anything; they came to chat—news was the primary commodity here.

Using the term "goods" might not be quite appropriate, as most of them were given away for free. Occasionally, there were items that cost money, such as tobacco leaves worth the price of a pipe or two small pieces of dried meat.

Lu Ning glanced around and saw some people around the market who looked like vendors, but were actually skilled in martial arts. They were probably too old to fight, so they were assigned here to manage order. If anyone tried to cause trouble here, they would probably be taken down after only a few words.

Oh, here one is! He limps out, shouting, "Everyone, I heard the demons are about to attack! You have no idea, there are more of them than there are officials! You know, normally we can't even handle one demon, let alone this—"

Before he could finish speaking, he was knocked unconscious by a rock.

"Where did this idiot come from?"

The man who threw stones sat in the corner, a burly figure with only one arm left. A pile of junk sat on his stall in front of him. He spat and shouted, "Listen up, anyone else who wants to spout this nonsense! We talk about anything, but if you start with a bunch of incomprehensible platitudes and have no substance, find a secluded spot and talk privately! You're wasting time. Two people, drag him away!"

Immediately, two old men came running out, bowing and scraping, and quickly dragged the person away. Then the small market returned to its noisy atmosphere of conversation.

Lu Ning walked to the stall of the one-armed vendor, squatted down and picked through the items. The vendor was still sitting imposingly on a stone slab, but his tone was much more respectful: "Young general, what brings you here today?"

"It's nothing, I'll rest today." Lu Ning looked up at him, and her opinion of this man's insight improved.

He and the two men who dragged people away were obviously putting on an act, and Lu Ning could tell that the man had some martial arts skills. However, he could recognize her identity, probably because he recognized some of the insignia of the elite soldiers.

"Excuse my bluntness, but although most commoners don't recognize the insignia you wear, there are bound to be others who have seen it before. You... are new here, so you should preserve your composure. Even a position of great power can be assassinated," the vendor said in a low voice.

“I know, that’s how it was when the last Ice Array was in charge.” Lu Ning nodded. “But since I’m here, it’s also to preserve our spirits. You’ve probably served in the military before, so you know that being constantly on edge isn’t good for the team. A balance between tension and relaxation is essential for sustained combat.”

"Hehe, I'm just offering a suggestion. Leading troops is a matter for high-ranking officials like you. So what do you want to know? What I know is just the information circulating in this small area, a mix of truth and falsehood, unlike what you have."

"Don't worry about that. I'm just here to wander around and see what the residents of Guanyuan are like." Lu Ning picked up a piece of iron and asked, "What is this?"

"It should be a breastplate, something salvaged from the battlefield. Look at the marks on it, it's sturdy enough, but unfortunately it still couldn't protect my life."

"Swords have no eyes, not only in the martial world, but even more so on the battlefield. If you're unlucky, a stray arrow can take a life." Lu Ning put the breastplate back. "What do you plan to do?"

The vendor was taken aback: "What? What should we do?"

“You’ve already done that, so of course you know about it. But you’re just an ordinary citizen now, so I’m asking what you plan to do,” Lu Ning said.

"Haha, you mean this..."

The vendor's face visibly showed signs of distress. He rubbed his face vigorously, and a hint of tears appeared on his fierce face.

"General, like today, when it rains, where can we find shelter?"

"……I see."

"You don't need to say anything. We'll stay here and not go anywhere else. If you want to fight the demons, then fight them. General, you won't abandon us."

"No, don't worry." Lu Ning picked up another item.

The vendor glanced at it: "It was also picked up, half a piece of wood carving. It was hidden in my clothes, and it seems to have blocked the first attack, but it couldn't block the second one."

"Then give it to me."

"Row."

Lu Ning placed the wooden carving into the pouch at her waist, stood up, and looked up at it.

"It's about to rain, should we pack up and close up shop?"

"It's not too late to collect them when the rain gets heavier."

"...Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Lu Ning nodded to the vendor, then turned and left the market.

The rain in the northern frontier came swiftly. As soon as the air became damp, a cool breeze swept by, and large raindrops pelted the ground. This time, it wasn't just the rain; as Lu Ning stepped into the house, a crisp cracking sound rang out from the window frame.

Loud gong sounds came from the street outside, along with shouts of "It's hailing!" Lu Ning turned to look outside; hailstones the size of pigeon eggs were pelting the ground, visibly spreading a patch of broken ice in front of the door.

It looks like I'll have to spend my rest day indoors.

That evening, as the rain gradually subsided, Lu Ning received a letter from the Grand Tutor's residence.

Tomorrow we will muster our troops. Three days later, we will hold a battle against the demon army. Commander Xu Fu and his sacrificial animals will be used to "sacrifice all things".