Lord of the Desert

Chapter 564 Secretly assassinating Chen Cang
On the night of December 23rd, Snowman City was still reeling from the shocking aftermath of the battle at the General's Mansion.

Hong Fan rushed back to Fengsui City even faster than he had learned of Huo Wei's draw, in order to prepare for his meeting with three important figures two days later.

The visitors were Tian Huai, known as "True Lord Yuhua"; Wei Zhaoli, known as "Yanyu Pinglan", the governor of Hezhou under the command of the Martial Arts Academy; and Yu Wanzhou, the inspector of the Censorate.

Hong Fan was always accustomed to planning carefully before acting. The commotion he stirred up at the Zhenbeiwei meeting was originally agreed upon by multiple parties, with the aim of testing Kou Fei's attitude.

Four years have passed since the fall of the Huaiyang Kingdom, and the imperial court's message of "unifying the nine provinces and stabilizing the world" could not be clearer.

From a macro perspective, Hong Fan believes that the independence of Zhenbeiwei is on the verge of collapse—after all, how can two mere Celestials possibly hold their own against Guan Qimai and Xiao Ding, two Martial Saints?
But as the general trend may be, there is no shortage of people who defy fate.

Fortunately, although Kou Fei was known for his fiery temper, he was not a true brute.

“If Lord Kou is not confused, things in the northern frontier will be much easier to handle.”

As Tian Huai said this, he pressed his brow and let out a long sigh.

Of course, the actual effects of the Battle of Whiterun went far beyond that.

Hong Fan's display of Yuan Magnet-level combat power elevated this battle to a historic level, and its outcome not only represented the balance of power but also influenced public sentiment.

In the eyes of the people of the northern frontier, this man from Liangzhou was not only labeled as "the top of the list of geniuses" and "the beacon tower commander," but also as "the emperor's appointed official" and "the dragon decree star lord." When such an "outsider" rose to prominence in the northern frontier with unparalleled prestige, it naturally carried a strong symbolic meaning.

Consequently, Tian Huai and the others made extremely optimistic predictions about the situation, proposing to increase manpower and expand the functions of the Martial Arts Academy in Fengsui City; if all went smoothly, Wei Zhaoli also planned to send an additional squad of Red Ribbon Cavalry within six months to pilot law enforcement in the Hongfan jurisdiction...

The Lunar New Year's Eve of the thirty-fourth year of Zhenghe arrived without delay.

This time, Hong Fan did not return to Jinhai City. Instead, he had New Year's Eve dinner with the Chisha Army at Fengsui City and personally went up the city wall to keep watch in the middle of the night.

This is clearly propaganda, but propaganda itself implies an attitude.

Even Suo Chengzhou, who specially wrapped himself in a cloak and went out of the house in the middle of the night, couldn't help but feel lost and ashamed when he saw Hong Fan standing under the firelight on the city wall. You can say that others are pretending, but how come you can't even pretend?
Not long after the Spring Festival, the General's Mansion of the Central Guard and the Left Guard resumed intelligence sharing with the beacon tower city; on the third day of the Lunar New Year, Hong Lie was pleasantly surprised to find that the newly delivered batch of supplies had not only not been deducted, but had even been supplemented with extra supplies.

These changes were driven by Kou Fei in secret, and also stemmed from Hong Fan's extraordinary abilities.

The principle of respecting martial prowess is, after all, the underlying logic of the Great Hua.

Looking across the entire city of Fengsui, Suo Chengzhou, Yong Yu, and Song Mingjie lost the most real power and influence after Hong Fan's arrival. But even when they recalled the scene of Guo Han being taken away in shackles a few months ago, they could only sigh, "If only we had known this would happen."

This is certainly cold-hearted, but it is also a reality forced out by absolute power.

If you don't run when the tiger comes, who can you blame if you get eaten?

Late at night on the third day of the Lunar New Year, Hong Fan flew back to Jinhai and Xijing alone, met with many relatives and friends, and brought back letters from a group of high-ranking military officers. In the following days, he visited old friends in Shenjing.

Guan Qimai, who was working overtime, was indifferent to his former subordinate's New Year's visit, only asking him to take advantage of the Spring Festival break to outsource some espionage work.

Hong Fan declined, but was immediately turned away by the old man with a sour face, without even getting a glass of water.

On the snowy night of the seventh day of the lunar month, Hong Fan, Xiao Chu, and Ye Zhan sat around the clay stove under the pavilion, drinking all night by the glow of the half-moon.

Having not seen each other for so long, the princess had a thousand emotions swirling in her heart, but considering the brevity of their reunion and unwilling to disturb her beloved's unfulfilled ambitions, she channeled all her tender feelings into restrained pleasantries.

In just a few words, one can discern the changes in the capital's atmosphere over the past six months.

The Martial Arts Academy is now targeting the Qingheng Mo family, the largest clan in Zhongzhou.

Jin Ziming resigned as Governor of Liangzhou, returning home in triumph with his outstanding achievements. Chixing and Liuyun headed north; Wudang Divine Sword and Sanshan Banlu returned south; Yi She, who had been a hostage for many years, returned to Langya Kingdom at the age of twenty-four, and his cousin Yi Zuo came to succeed him; Yin Wuxiang, Sikong Po, Li Feng, and a group of other young masters continued their travels across the Nine Provinces in search of worthy opponents…

Newcomers arrive and old favorites depart on the list of prodigies, sparking endless discussions in the streets and alleys every day. Only the former top spot, once the most talked-about, is now easily forgotten.

Before September of the thirty-fourth year of Zhenghe, there was no doubt who was at the top.

On the eighth day, Hong Fan left the capital with his wings.

Inside Fengsui City, the discussion about opening up Juehou Mountain has lost its initial fervor—Hong Fan has remained silent, and his supporters are naturally tactless.

This is not surprising.

After all, the Gu Diao is a powerful alien species that can go toe-to-toe with a peak Yuan Magnetic martial artist. Therefore, it is reasonable to take half a year to a year from planning and preparation to final execution to suppress it.

But Hong Beom never intended to wait that long.

Since returning from Shenjing, he has been handling state affairs during the day and leaving the city at night, returning before dawn. He personally transported the pre-packaged high explosives and animal-attracting incense into the mountains time and time again, without ordering anyone to assist him or even revealing any information.

The saying goes, "If secrets are not kept, harm will result."

The plan to eliminate the Gu Diao relies entirely on external objects, and the location is relatively fixed, making it easy for malicious individuals to sabotage it.

Hong Fan was in the eye of the storm, so he was naturally extremely cautious.

Seven days passed in the blink of an eye.

Thanks to the wealthy Chisha Army, the Lantern Festival in Fengsui City this year was much more lively than in previous years.

The colorful fireworks display in Liangzhou, the three most famous opera troupes in Hezhou, the lanterns in Zhongzhou... and of course, the usual food and drink.

On the snowy night of the fifteenth of the first lunar month, pedestrians walking in secluded spots of the beacon tower could even hear the rustling sound of water vapor freezing in their breath.

But even extreme cold couldn't suppress the warmth of the atmosphere.

Dozens of banquet tables were set up in the Captain's Mansion, extending from the main hall to the newly erected wooden shed in the courtyard, where hundreds of people mingled and toasted each other amidst the blazing flames.

In just six months, from recruiting soldiers to training them, and then traveling thousands of miles to establish a foothold in Fengsui City, the officers of the Chisha Army gained a lot. Some, like Gao Junxia and Gong Pengyun, came from powerful families and had studied since childhood, and even summarized their own methods of employing people.

Although the local civil and military officials were not as spirited as they were, they were at least comforted by the fact that the conflict between the beacon tower and the Left Guard General's Mansion had eased, and they were no longer stuck in the middle, feeling anxious and caught in the middle.

As the wine flowed freely and everyone reminisced about the past, they naturally began to dream about the future.

Warriors discussed the battle against the giant spirit, and scholars talked about the prosperity after the opening of the trade routes. Such topics inevitably circled back to the overlord of Juehou Mountain, the Gu Diao.

Besides calling in substitutes, the group brainstormed many new ideas—the most feasible being to borrow divine weapons.

For example, the dagger "Qingbo" of the Konghou Ye clan, inscribed with "With Heaven and Earth," can infinitely heal injuries by consuming true essence or lifespan; the bracelet "Taotie" of the Shenyu Wu clan, with the honorific "Boundless Blessing," grants the holder the "Endless Life" realm of the celestial beings, allowing them to freely draw upon innate spiritual energy; at the very least, one can seek the help of Princess Xiande to sever the connection between the Gu Diao and innate spiritual energy through chaos, gathering all living beings to wear it down.

Hong Fan sat alone in the main seat, listening to the clamor from all directions. He accepted every congratulatory offer without hesitation and drank three jars of strong liquor in just over an hour.

At the beginning of the Xu hour (9 pm), when the banquet was at its climax, he excused himself from the banquet, saying he couldn't hold his liquor.

Everyone knew this was just an excuse—innate martial artists wouldn't get drunk on ordinary wine, but if the number one person didn't leave, the banquet wouldn't become a joyous celebration for everyone.

(End of this chapter)