Beichen Sword Sect's Headmaster's Secret Records

Chapter 366 Destiny

During his time back in the Central Plains, Huangfu Yi had actually gathered quite a bit of information about the situation there. However, he certainly didn't have the same level of intelligence as the Pei clan. Since his identity had been exposed, he decided to chat with Pei Yuhan for a bit more, also filling in some gaps in the background information from the past sixty years.

In short, since the outbreak of the Shi Jiao Rebellion, a million-strong army swept across the Gen River, ravaging the Central Plains. Although they were briefly halted at Suiyang, their momentum was dampened, but their forces remained formidable and uncontrollable. They wreaked havoc on the four prefectures of Kan, Gen, Zhen, and Si, slaughtering and wiping out the vassal kings of the four kingdoms and the fiefdoms of the eight directions, nearly overthrowing half of the country. The entire court was terrified, and officials fled the capital, escorting the imperial carriage along the plank roads to the south to escape the disaster.

Fortunately, the rebels were held off by Suiyang for ten years, which turned the tide and allowed the Three Realms to catch their breath. With the support of the Southern Kingdom's royal family and relatives, the Immortal Palace court resumed operations in Jiangdu. Ultimately, it was the Immortal Palace of Ten Thousand Years, the mandate of heaven and the hope of the people. Once the court gained a foothold, money, grain, and military supplies flowed in continuously.

Now, the ancestor of the Huangfu family, Duke Weiming, has already received the gold seal and purple ribbon, and has been appointed as the General of Chariots and Cavalry, leading the remaining imperial guards to hold off the main force of Shi Jiao's rebel army at the front line. As reinforcements from the four kingdoms of Zhen, Xun, Li, and Kun arrive one after another, they all obey the command and dispatch of the General of Chariots and Cavalry, and for a time, they have gathered an army of hundreds of thousands to launch a counterattack, launching a series of northern expeditions in an attempt to recover the Central Plains.

In contrast, Shi Jiao was still rampaging and eating people, and none of the military leaders dared to provoke him. They could only shrink their battle lines and fight independently, struggling to deal with the court's counterattack. As a result, the two sides were evenly matched for a time. The various armies clashed and fought in the Central Plains, engaging in several major battles with victories and defeats on both sides. The Central Plains was ravaged and devastated, leaving almost no one alive, like a living hell.

The situation was chaotic and turbulent. Even if Huangfu Yi wanted to, he was powerless to traverse this battlefield of carnage and break through the barriers of hundreds of thousands of troops to seek help from his ancestor. The safest route at present seemed to be to first travel through Qianzhou, crossing mountains and valleys to invite the Nine Yin Sword Immortal to come out of seclusion. If that failed, he would then go to Jiangdu to ask his ancestor for help.

"Hey, you've already escaped to the Central Plains, and the Blood Demon is far away. Why are you still thinking about going back to that village?"

Pei Yuhan scoffed at Huangfu Yi's plan.

"Besides, even if we get rid of the Blood Demon, are there no other demons in the world? Even if we can save people for a while, can we protect them for a lifetime? A good man's ambition lies in all directions, so how can he be confined to one corner?"
If you ask me, you should just stay in the Central Plains. Once you've mastered swordsmanship, serve in your ancestor's army and help protect the country. Whether you earn fame and fortune through your skills, marry and have children to continue the Huangfu family bloodline, wouldn't it be better to seek worldly wealth and status?

Huangfu Yi silently climbed the mountain.
“A person cannot stand without integrity. I promised everyone that I would get rid of the Blood Demon and save the village, and I must keep my promise.”

After spending the past two days with him, Pei Yuhan knew how stubborn this guy was, practically like a bull. Too lazy to waste words, she simply swept the foxtail grass away.

"Stop, there's food over there."

"What kind of radar are you?"

"What did you say?"

"nothing……"

Following her instructions, Huangfu Yi rummaged through the grass and found a ginseng root. It was large and plump, and when he rubbed it, purple qi emanated from it, and spiritual energy gushed out. It must have been several hundred years old.

Pei Yuhan glanced at it, uninterested.
"Rubbish."

You're here too... Fine, since none of you think it's good enough, Huangfu Yi won't stand on ceremony. He wipes the ginseng clean and puts it in his mouth to chew, hoping to replenish his energy accumulated over the past ten or twenty years.

"But this thing is buried in the ground, how did you see it?"

"Isn't this a precious light emanating from it? To put it bluntly, this world ultimately belongs to the Celestial Palace. I am protected by the Purple Star and blessed by Heaven, so of course I can take whatever is in my own home at will. You mortals don't have this blessing, so naturally you can't see it."

"Fate, huh..."

Huangfu Yi had heard his family talk about destiny and so on, but he never imagined that destiny was so direct and could be seen directly.

Pei Yuhan was smug.
"So you understand now, right? Of course there are benefits to following me. You'll have everything you could want: royal power and wealth, inexhaustible natural treasures, and endless divine skills and magical artifacts. You'll be blessed by destiny and favored by fate. Becoming a marquis or general is just around the corner. Isn't that much better than going back to that bitter, cold land to suffer?"

Huangfu Yi snorted coldly.
"Hmph, didn't my family follow you? We not only followed you, but we have been loyal to the Celestial Palace for generations, vowing to serve the court to the death and doing our best to protect the world. But who listened to the slander of those eunuch dogs and exiled us to the north to suffer?"

Pei Yuhan shook his head.
"You're wrong to think like that. Who told you to protect the world? Whose world is this? Who do you think you are, to claim you're protecting the world? Do you even deserve it?"

"Wh...what nonsense are you talking about??"

Huangfu Yi was momentarily enraged and turned to glare at her. But Pei Yuhan was not afraid of him and raised her head, saying...

"Young Master Huangfu, I see you're so big and still so naive. Your family probably never taught you these things, so let me give you a little crash course."

This world ultimately belongs to the Immortal Venerable's family, not to the people of the world. The lands of the Nine Provinces and Twelve Kingdoms were all won by the Immortal Venerable himself, punch by punch.

If you don't have the fists of a Celestial Venerable, or the swordsmanship of a Sword Master, even a dragon would have to crawl, and a tiger would have to lie low. Thunder and rain are all acts of imperial favor. What others give you is yours; you can't take what they don't give you. Do you understand?

Huangfu Yi was furious.
"What did I steal?! What did I steal?!"

Pei Yuhan chuckled coldly.
"Don't you understand? What your family has stolen is the reputation of the imperial family, the hearts of the people, and the destiny of the celestial palace."

You must remember that all the people under heaven are herds under the emperor's feet, the property of the celestial palace.

Ordinary people are mostly dull and mediocre. There is no need to teach them right from wrong. They only need to know that the immortals are the heroes who save the world and the good people who protect all living beings. Then they should obey the management of the immortal palace and follow the arrangements of the court like cattle and horses to maintain the order of the world.

Therefore, we powerful and influential families must appear as selfish, self-serving, and wicked villains who bring ruin to the common people. Only in this way can the brilliance of the Purple Palace, the virtue of the imperial clan, and the compassion of the emperor be highlighted. Only by appearing as good, virtuous, and saintly figures can we avoid shaking the foundations of the realm and causing the people to harbor disloyalty.

So your Huangfu family is all that fuss over there, saving the people and protecting the country, and what are you doing? Is this your family's empire? What are you trying to do?

Huangfu Yi was speechless for a moment.

Pei Yuhan shook his head.
"Of course, everyone can see that your ancestor probably didn't really have those kinds of thoughts. He was just a stubborn person who only moved himself and didn't know how to handle things."

Heh, after serving as an official for so many years, don't you know that the people you absolutely cannot offend in this world are eunuchs? Those eunuchs can isolate the inside from the outside world; they are the only ones in the world closest to the Celestial Emperor. Only they are the Celestial Emperor's family.

"What slander? They were merely stating the Immortal Emperor's innermost thoughts."

Huangfu Yi was shocked.

"Are you really only eight years old?"

Pei Yuhan said smugly.

"Of course, but my father bought me three spiritual pills to open my mind. Each pill adds ten years of wisdom. Now I am well-versed in the Four Books and Five Classics and can recite all kinds of Taoist scriptures backwards. When I was at home, I had to copy a hundred books every day before I could go to sleep."

But there's no way around it; the competition in the harem is just that fierce. A complete idiot who can't even read a single word will only be played to death. If you're interested, I can tell you a few more tips for palace intrigue—it'll be a good refresher."

"..."

"Ouch!"

Suddenly the dog started barking.

Huangfu Yi had no choice but to suspend the extracurricular tutoring for the children of aristocratic families. Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw the yellow dog behind him suddenly pounce, leap over the heads of the two men, and bark wildly at the bushes in front of them.

Huangfu Yi reacted and looked closely. He saw a rustling sound as a scorpion darted out of the bushes. It was bigger than a dog, with a black back, red pincers, and an iron-like tail with a hook. If he were stung, he would probably die a nine-out-of-ten chance.

After the boy soldier was released, the remaining yellow dog followed far behind. Huangfu Yi hadn't paid any attention to it at the moment, but unexpectedly, it saved him.

Moreover, instead of fleeing after being discovered, the monster charged forward menacingly, its hook aimed directly at Huangfu Yi's head. I don't know what's wrong with it...

Pei Yuhan analyzed,
"It's probably guarding that ginseng."

"...Scorpions eat ginseng too??"

"Earth and wood complement each other; perhaps it's a form of dual cultivation."

Scorpions can even cultivate with ginseng... The cultivation world is truly amazing...

Huangfu Yi thought he was just naive and unsophisticated, so he brandished his flying sword, carefully guarding against the poisonous hook, and confronted the scorpion.

"Ouch!"

Just as Huangfu Yi was gathering his qi and rushing forward to kill the demon, the dog started barking fiercely again.

Then, with a rustling sound, four more scorpion monsters crawled out from all around and surrounded them!
"How come there are so many? And they must be poisonous..."

Huangfu Yi was now sweating profusely. One monster was manageable, two were also manageable, but five scorpion monsters appeared all at once. If he were to be stung by one of them, he would probably die on the spot.

Pei Yuhan quickly shrank into the basket, closed the lid, and started offering random suggestions.
"Use your flying sword!" "I don't know how to use a flying sword!"

"Didn't you used to wave it back when I waved it? Just throw it out and wave it back again!"

That seems to make sense...

Huangfu Yi then raised his flying sword and exerted force like a javelin.
"Look at this sword!"

"Whoosh!"

With a flash of sword light, the flying sword was thrown into the bushes.

The dog glanced at him sideways.

"Uh, this sword seems a bit light..."

"Ow!"

However, there was no time to explain! Seeing that he had lost his weapon, the five scorpion monsters pounced on him, surrounding and attacking the two men and the dog!

"Take off!"

"Shh!"

With a flash of sword light, the flying sword slashed back from behind, first cleaving a scorpion monster in two! It landed steadily in Huangfu Yi's hand!
"Fire!"

Huangfu Yi was clearly prepared for this. He shifted his position and retreated to the side to protect his back. At the same time, he used his left hand to perform a sword incantation. Sword energy surged from his Shangyang acupoint and swept a circle of sword wind around his waist, deflecting the poison hooks that were thrusting from his side!
"Slay the demon!"

With a slash of his right-hand sword, the sword light descended like a white ribbon, hooking and severing the scorpion monster on the left into four pieces! He then reversed the sword's curve, dodging the pincer attack with his feet, and with a flash of light, he pierced and killed the scorpion monster on the right with a single strike, shredding it into minced flesh. In an instant, he had killed two more monsters!
"Ow!"

At the same time, the yellow dog opened its mouth and spat out a ball of lightning and fire, which smashed the ground into a large crater with a "boom," turning one of the scorpion monsters into black ash and charred remains, leaving no trace. At the same time, it leaped and dodged the last scorpion monster's attack.

"middle!"

"Ouch~~"

Huangfu Yi threw another sword, severing the scorpion's tail and flying past the dog's head, giving it quite a fright.

The scorpion monster then realized that four of its members had been killed in the first round. It turned to run, but it was too late. Huangfu Yi rushed over and, with his full strength, crushed it into a bloody pulp with one stomp.

"Ouch!"

The dog kept barking, and Pei Yuhan peeked out to take a look.
"What's wrong with your aim? You're not very accurate."

Huangfu Yi raised his hand to recall the flying sword, and looked at the precious sword in his hand.

"No, I thrust it into the ground, but it floated up, as if it were protecting its blade."

"Oh, then this sword is of a high grade. Could it have already developed a sword spirit?"

Huangfu Yi was also curious and took a look using the system.

"Sword, lowest grade nine, trash. I suggest smashing it."

The system is too strict; it can't even appreciate such a good flying sword...

The dog, tired of barking, ran into the fire and retrieved its ball. Huangfu Yi glanced at it as well…

"Dogs are rotten, trash. I suggest stewing them."

"Ball, Rank 8, lower-middle, trash. I suggest selling it."

Huh? This dog toy is so amazing? It's actually useless!?
But thinking about it now, that ball really did break a magic fruit tree with a single hit...

Huangfu Yi couldn't help but lean closer to look at the ball.

The dog stared at him warily, then grabbed its toy and ran away.

Huangfu Yi thought for a moment, then spoke to the dog.

"Hey, don't stay so far away. Anyway, your master will come looking for me sooner or later when he is reincarnated."

Why don't you come along first? You can lend me a hand, maybe carry a basket or something."

"Hey! You want to dump me on a dog!?"

"It's a legitimate immortal's mount, okay?"

"No! I don't want to ride a dog!"

The dog didn't want to be ridden, so it picked up the ball and ran away, further and further away, without looking back.

Huangfu Yi shrugged and casually chopped the scorpion meat into eight pieces as reserve rations.

"Swish"

Then there was a soft sound. Huangfu Yi turned his head and saw that the ground and the forest were filled with scorpions of all sizes, surging out like a tide. Dozens or even hundreds of scorpion monsters, as big as dogs, emerged from the ground.

Damn, no wonder that dog ran all the way to the ends of the earth...

So Huangfu Yi didn't care about anything else. He darted away and chased the dog down the mountain, desperately trying to avoid the swarm of scorpions.

The man and his dog fled for most of the night before finally shaking off the swarm of scorpions. They ran all the way down to a stream at the foot of the mountain, where they finally collapsed, drank some water, and caught their breath.

Pei Yuhan seemed unaffected and continued analyzing.
“Those scorpions probably have owners. I saw a radiant light soaring into the sky from the mountaintop. It’s probably not just one or two rare treasures. It’s more likely some kind of immortal relic or a mysterious realm that has been created.”

The owner of those scorpions probably deployed them outside to scare away passersby. I wonder what kind of creatures they are, to warrant such a large commotion.

Huangfuyi wiped his face.
"Whatever it is, it's blocking our way. With so many insects, we'll probably have to go around two mountains and travel for several days to get around these demons. Let's wait down the mountain for the night; perhaps they'll take their immortal destiny and leave."

Pei Yuhan was dissatisfied.
"Didn't you hear me say it's a magnificent treasure? A top-tier opportunity for immortality is right in front of you, why don't you take a chance? Are you even a man?"

Huangfu Yi, unmoved by her provocation, simply sat down on the ground, closed his eyes, and began to breathe deeply.

"It is important for a person to know their own limitations. The fact that I felt nothing means that the mountain is not my destined place for immortality."

Besides, I've eaten quite a few spiritual fruits and vegetables along the way. Instead of wasting time on this, I should refine and digest them, and use my true energy for my own purposes.

Why take that risk again?

And most likely all they'll get are some worthless junk...

"Ouch!"

Then came a burst of dog barking.

When Huangfu Yi opened his eyes, he saw that the mountain stream had turned red.

This tastes like blood.

(End of this chapter)