Chaotic Times and Disasters: I Hunt Down Martial Arts Masters and Become a God

...

After more than ten days of peace, An Sheng came to invite Fu Qing for drinks, and also invited Yu Fu.

The three of them sat down in a private room by the window on the third floor of the Jiaofangsi. Outside the window, the lights of thousands of homes in Jingjing illuminated the entire Zhuque Street like a flowing galaxy.

An Sheng ordered the madam to bring out the best wine, and Yu Fu added from the side to order a few more musicians.

A courtesan sat behind a screen, holding a pipa, and the music was clear and melodious, like flowing water.

An Sheng's eyelids twitched. Ever since he was plied with alcohol last time, he had learned his lesson and now he always kept a close eye on his glass when drinking. Even when Yu Fu poured him a drink, he would first smell it to see if any other alcohol had been mixed in.

After several rounds of drinks, Fu Qing leaned back in his chair, holding a wine glass.

"What brings you to buy drinks today?"

"well..."

An Sheng suddenly put down his wine glass, and the smile on his face slowly faded.

"Brother Fu, Yu Fu, I've come to say goodbye. Tomorrow I'll be joining the army to head south to the border again!"

"The war is still raging in the south. The Gu cultivators of Yue Kingdom have been very active recently. Several villages have already been affected. The entire population of the villages has been controlled by Gu worms, and men, women, and children have all become the puppets of the Gu cultivators."

"As a descendant of a military family, I cannot stay in Jingjing forever. My family has already arranged for me to serve as a vanguard officer."

Yu Fu's hand, holding the wine glass, froze in mid-air. "So fast? Wasn't it said that the war in the south had temporarily stabilized?"

"That was intelligence from last month. Recently, the Ten Thousand Gu Valley sent another batch of Gu cultivators. Commander Zhang is under a lot of pressure, and the imperial court has decided to send more troops."

"When are you leaving?"

"First thing tomorrow morning."

The atmosphere suddenly became heavy.

Yu Fu put down his wine glass, patted An Sheng on the shoulder, and unusually, didn't have a joking smile on his face.

"Senior Brother, be careful of the Gu cultivators when you get to the south. My father said that Gu cultivators don't cultivate themselves but only raise Gu worms. Gu masters are generally not strong in close combat, but their Gu worms can burrow into people's brains and control their minds. No matter how good your marksmanship is, it won't work if you encounter a Heart-Eating Gu."

"I know, Physician Su taught me how to use medicinal energy to seal acupoints and prevent poisoning."

An Sheng nodded and grinned, "Don't worry, I haven't gotten married yet, I won't die that easily."

"That courtesan you saw at the brothel last time—"

Yu Fu chuckled. "Did you contact them again after that?"

"Get out." An Sheng's face turned red instantly.

...

Everyone got drunk and went home.

The next morning, Fu Qing was practicing his sword skills and stretching his muscles in the courtyard when there was a sudden knock on the gate, and a high-pitched voice came from outside.

"Imperial edict arrives—General Fu Qing, receive the edict!"

Fu Qing was taken aback. He sheathed his sword, straightened his clothes, and knelt down to receive the imperial decree.

The imperial edict was unfurled by the eunuch.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: The sorcerers of Yue have repeatedly violated the borders and ravaged the people. Their crimes are unforgivable. Therefore, General Fu Qing is hereby appointed as the General of the Southern Expedition, leading 5,000 troops to accompany the main army south. He shall immediately report to the military camp without delay. This is the imperial decree."

Fu Qing was stunned—he had only returned from the secret realm a few days ago and thought he could stay at home for at least a few months.

However, he could not disobey the imperial edict, so he had no choice but to accept it with both hands and say, "Your subject accepts the edict and thanks you for your grace."

Song Yawei and Song Nini stood at the courtyard gate, looking at the bright yellow imperial edict, their smiles slowly fading.

Song Yawei clenched her hands, her face contorted in a grimace.

Song Nini's eyes instantly reddened, and she couldn't help but rush forward to hug Fu Qing's waist, burying her face in his chest.

"Brother-in-law, you've only been back a few days! Only a few days! Do you know how many days we waited for you when you went to the secret realm last time? You've only rested for a few days and you're leaving again! Can't you spend more time with us! I won't let you go! I won't let you go!"

Fu Qing placed the imperial edict on the stone table, reached out and pulled Song Nini over, putting his arm around her shoulder, while holding Song Yawei's hand with his other hand.

Fu Qing gently patted Song Nini's back, "There's a war going on in Yue Kingdom. Military orders are paramount. I'll try to come back as soon as possible."

He wasn't really interested in high-ranking positions and generous salaries; he was content with a good standard of living.

But now he is poisoned by Gu. Although Suwen has extended his life, it is not a long-term solution. It is uncertain how long he can live. He has no choice but to fight!

The emperor's remains were the closest thing to him, so he could only continue to perform meritorious deeds, hoping that one day he could obtain the remains to prolong his life.

"You say that every time! You say that every single time!"

Song Nini lifted her tear-streaked face, "I said the same thing when we went to the secret realm last time, and it took us forever to get back!"

"This time is different. This time it's a war. We'll be back after the war. You two stay home and take good care of the child. Don't let our daughter kick the blankets off to the floor again."

Song Yawei nodded gently and pulled Song Nini from Fu Qing's arms.

"Don't cry, your husband has his own things to do, don't make a scene."

Song Nini leaned on her sister's shoulder, still sobbing and wiping away tears.

The two children were too young to understand anything in the cradle. The daughter was perched on the edge of the cradle watching them, while the son quietly kneaded a cloth tiger.

『』

Fu Qing rode his horse to the gate of the military camp, then suddenly froze, his eyes widening in surprise.

An Sheng, dressed in brand-new vanguard officer armor, stood at the camp gate, his hand gripping the gun tightly wrapped with a white cloth.

The two looked at each other, paused for a moment, and then burst into laughter.

"What are you doing here?"

"That's what I wanted to ask you too..."

An Sheng tied the white cloth around his wrist.

"The imperial edict appointed me as the Vanguard of the Southern Expedition, placing me under the command of the Southern Expedition General. I was wondering at the time—who is this Southern Expedition General? But when I checked the roster this morning at the camp, it was Fu Qing!"

"I was saying goodbye to the brothel last night, and today I'm working in the same unit! That's what you call fate!"

Fu Qing chuckled, hooked his arm around An Sheng's shoulder, and led him inside.

"Let me make it clear first: in the military, there is a hierarchy, and you cannot be ambiguous when it comes to obeying orders."

An Sheng immediately straightened up, clasped his hands in a standard military salute,

"This humble general, An Sheng, greets General Fu!"

Then he couldn't help but laugh again, "To be honest, fighting behind you is more reassuring than following anyone else. We've survived so many deadly situations in the secret realm, what are those Gu cultivators in the south?"

Just as Fu Qing was happy to meet his old friend, a voice suddenly came from outside the door. His captain of guards came to report that the pharmacist accompanying the army had arrived, led by the Goddess of Medicine Palace!

Fu Qing was taken aback. "Suwen?"

"It's Doctor Su."

Mr. Fu immediately started walking out, muttering to himself as he went.

"I've been stockpiling medicine for two months already, why did this still come along..."

...

Fu Qing walked to the doctor's tent, where Su Wen was packing his luggage with his people, including Su Xue and several other disciples of the Medicine Palace whom Fu Qing was not very familiar with.

Suwen, carrying her medicine box which was twice the size of a regular medicine box, walked up to Fu Qing.

"The twelve-member medical team from the Medicine Palace has been ordered to be incorporated into the military medical team of the Southern Expeditionary Vanguard Battalion. I am the team leader. These are the personnel roster and medicine list. Please take a look, General Fu."

"Why are you here too?"

Su Wen's lips curled slightly. "It's the Emperor's decree. After all, no one is more adept at dealing with Gu poison than the Medicine Palace."

But at that moment, Su Xue smiled mysteriously from the side.

"My junior sister wasn't originally on the list of accompanying doctors. She went to her master herself and asked for her name. She stood at her master's door for a whole day until her master nodded in approval."

Su Wen glanced back at Su Xue, who immediately shut up and lowered her head, pretending to organize her medicine box.

Fu Qing was taken aback for a moment, then smiled helplessly.

"Alright, it's good that you're here."

He knew why she had come, but he couldn't bring himself to say it.

Suwen pretended to be nonchalant and went about her own business.

...

The southern expeditionary force numbered 30,000, plus the 160,000 already on the border, for a total of 190,000 troops.

Fu Qing led 5,000 men as the vanguard, An Sheng as the vanguard, and Su Wen and Su Xue accompanied the army as physicians.

Two days later, the army set off. Banners covered the sun outside Jingjing City, and the dust kicked up by the horses' hooves lingered in the air above the official road for a long time.

Song Yawei and Song Nini stood at the city gate to see them off, each holding one of their two children. Song Yawei was holding her son, and Song Nini was holding her daughter.

Neither of the sisters shed a tear. The daughter nestled in Song Nini's arms, waving her little hand and calling "Daddy" to the departing group. After calling a few times until she was tired, she buried her face in Song Nini's neck.

The son leaned quietly on his mother's shoulder, his dark eyes gazing at the increasingly distant procession.

Fu Qing looked back from his horse and saw the two children's figures getting smaller and smaller in the crowd, eventually merging into the dark mass of people seeing them off at the gate of Jingjing City.

He felt a pang of pain in his heart, but he had no choice but to turn around, grip the reins tightly, and urge his horse forward.