"They didn't chase?"
Chen Sanshi wondered if he was hallucinating.
More than ten thousand infantry, followed by perhaps another three thousand cavalry—
And yet they just… let them cross the river?
"Boom—!"
A deafening explosion erupted in the distance.
From nearly twenty li away, Chen Sanshi saw what looked like tiny dots being blasted into the sky—then scattering and falling back to the ground like a handful of beans tossed by a giant.
"Bang!"
"Who is Chen Sanshi?!"
Another explosion roared out.
The earth itself seemed to groan and roll as the entire riverbank shook violently.
Then, like a falling mountain, a massive figure slammed into the ground.
When the dust cleared, Chen Sanshi realized—it wasn't a mountain at all, but a towering general clad in heavy armor, his weapon gleaming. Judging by the armor's design, he was a soldier of the Great Sheng Dynasty.
"That's me," Chen Sanshi said, stepping forward and clasping his hands. His breath was unsteady.
"You're back already? Junior Sister Li worried for nothing. Hurry and cross the river."
Lü Ji's eyes swept over him before turning toward another man nearby—Sun Buqi. "Junior Brother, you're here too? How's your injury?"
Sun Buqi's clothes were in tatters, soaked with dried blood from head to toe. He used his spear as a crutch, barely managing to stand. Without looking up, he growled, "Don't need your concern."
"Good. As long as you're fine."
Lü Ji didn't seem offended. He turned his gaze skyward, where distant dots still spun in midair. His expression darkened. "No… that's bad. Master!"
"Boom—!"
He leapt again, each jump spanning nearly one hundred zhang, disappearing from sight in just a few breaths.
'Junior Sister Li?'
If this man was Sun Li's senior brother, then the "Master" he mentioned must be…
'Grand Commander Sun?'
Chen Sanshi turned toward the direction the ten thousand barbarian troops should have come from, his expression mixed with awe and disbelief.
A single person holding off ten thousand? Was that even humanly possible?
And that senior brother—each leap covering a hundred zhang—what kind of cultivation was that?
It was far beyond Meridian-Connecting, likely Profound Manifestation, maybe even the realm of a Martial Saint—the stuff of legend.
Poyang County truly was a dry well; he had only glimpsed a corner of the vast sky above.
If these were the kind of people he'd be facing in the future…
Chen Sanshi clenched his fist, looking down at his own calloused hands.
He was still far too weak.
But it wasn't time to chase unreachable peaks.
'First… a small goal—reach Perfection in tempering organs, then step into Transforming Strength.'
"Plop—"
"Old Xiong! Old Xiong!"
"Gousheng!"
"Sha Chun!"
"Wu Da! Wu Da!"
"…"
They finally reached the riverbank. With no more enemies chasing, exhaustion hit all at once.
The soldiers collapsed in waves, their bodies falling like trees in a storm.
From the original over one thousand, only four hundred remained.
And most of them were too drained to move, many passing out where they stood.
Zhao Kang was covered in blood from head to toe. "My lord, the brothers are down… how do we cross the river now?"
"My lord!"
"Lord Chen!"
"…"
Across the wide, turbulent Hongze River, small boats suddenly appeared—first a few, then dozens, then hundreds.
Countless villagers in coarse linen clothes stood waving from the decks, shouting, "Cross the river!"
Chen Sanshi exhaled a long, shaky breath.
With the help of thousands of civilians, the four hundred survivors could finally rest—they would make it across alive.
"Shi ge'er!"
Gu Xinlan and Sun Li rowed up to him.
"Why are you bleeding so much!"
Gu Xinlan tore at her sleeves, ripping off a strip of fabric to bandage him.
"Just scratches."
The linen armor on Chen Sanshi's body was shredded to rags. He looked worse than a beggar, caked in blood and dirt. No one could even tell whether the blood was his or someone else's.
"Madam," Zhao Kang said, his voice trembling with excitement, "Lord Chen killed five tempering organs generals by himself! If not for him, we'd all be dead at Huangtu Ridge!"
The others went silent.
It was unthinkable.
He had been training for less than a year, and those barbarian generals—two of them at least—were Minor Achievement in tempering organs. Yet none lasted even three rounds against him.
And that was while surrounded by thousands.
If it had been a duel, they wouldn't have survived even one exchange.
In other words, Chen Sanshi could now defeat five Xiang Tingchuns!
"How many?"
"Five!"
Even Sun Li turned pale at the number. She quickly pulled a porcelain bottle from her robe—it was the scar-healing ointment Chen Sanshi had once prepared for her himself. It worked well for wounds, too. She leaned forward, ready to apply it.
"Senior Sister, what about me…"
Sun Buqi muttered weakly, his whole body covered in gashes, but no one seemed to notice him.
"Senior Sister, I'm really fine," Chen Sanshi said softly. His wounds looked terrifying but were mostly shallow cuts. With his body tempered like iron and bronze, they'd heal in a few days.
Had he not forged a body of metal and bone, he'd have been shredded long ago.
His real injuries were internal—facing Meridian-Connecting experts and getting struck by heavy weapons had shaken his organs, but nothing fatal. A few days of rest would fix that.
"Mm…"
When Sun Li's hand brushed his wound, she flinched like she'd been shocked, then quickly handed the salve to Gu Xinlan. "Better if Sister Lan does it."
"No need," Chen Sanshi said. "Let's wait till we're back."
He lay down on the deck, watching as the shoreline drifted farther away and the distant battlefield noise faded.
"Did we really stop them?"
"That's not something I need to worry about anymore," he murmured.
He had won.
But the rest of Yunzhou—its cities, its villages, its soldiers guarding the border—might not be so lucky.
He was too tired to think anymore.
"So tired, Lan jie'er… I'll sleep for a while."
In the past two months, he hadn't truly slept once.
Now, finally, he could.
—
The Imperial Capital.
The Palace.
"It's snowing!"
"Heaven blesses the land with auspicious snow!"
"The Emperor's virtue moves Heaven itself!"
"Spread the news! Spread the good news!"
"…"
Crimson palace walls. Golden glazed tiles.
Snow fell from the heavens, covering everything in silver-white purity.
With this long-awaited snowfall, the entire palace—inside and out—filled with joy and celebration.
"Master!"
"It's snowing!"
"…"
Over a dozen Grand Eunuchs from the Directorate of Ceremonies knelt outside the great hall, their thick crimson cloaks dusted in snow. Above their bowed heads hung a massive plaque inscribed with three gilded characters—Wanshou Palace.
Although this was deep within the imperial palace, the hall itself showed none of the lavishness one might expect. The design was restrained and solemn; from the architecture to the layout, it looked more like a Daoist temple than a royal residence.
Yet only the truly discerning could tell—every timber used here was worth its weight in gold, every brick and tile a priceless treasure. Building such a palace would have taken countless years and immeasurable wealth.
The eunuchs knelt motionless before the doors, quickly blanketed by falling snow, their bodies turning into statues of ice.
Inside the grand hall, there was no dragon throne.
Instead, several elevated Daoist platforms stood veiled by layers of grey-blue curtains.
Behind them sat faint silhouettes in meditation, cross-legged, silent as if frozen in another world. The entire hall felt like an icy tomb.
"Your Majesty," a minister in crimson robes knelt at the center, his tone earnest and pleading. "We know your heart is for the realm, but you must not exhaust the dragon body with worry."
Beside him sat an old man—not kneeling, but seated calmly on a small wooden stool. He spoke slowly, "By now, Your Majesty, Eunuch Huang should be returning."
Still, the silence lingered.
Then—
"Victory!"
"Great victory in the northwest!"
"Great victory in Yunzhou!"
The sharp, jubilant voices of heralds pierced the stillness.
In an instant, the chill within Wanshou Palace melted away—warmth and life flooded the hall like spring returning to earth.
"Your servant greets the Emperor! Long live the Emperor—ten thousand years, ten thousand years, ten thousand times ten thousand years!"
A white-haired, child-faced old eunuch in black attire rushed in, kneeling heavily on the ground before making three grand kowtows. Without a moment's delay, he drew out an imperial report and read aloud in a clear, ringing voice:
"On the twentieth day of the twelfth month, the Eight Garrisons of Liangzhou defeated the Tuoba tribe at Mo Hill, annihilating more than thirty thousand enemies, slaying ten enemy generals, and seizing an uncountable amount of supplies and grain. The other three grassland tribes, struck with fear, retreated over three hundred li back into the plains overnight."
"On the twenty-second day of the twelfth month, the Youzhou Army arrived in Yunzhou, swiftly resolving the crisis at Anding Prefecture. Following that, the Xuanwu and Vermilion Bird Garrisons joined with the Liangzhou Army, reclaiming the entire territory within seven days."
Behind the curtains, a deep yet eager voice spoke.
"And then?"
"This," Eunuch Huang said, producing a small ornate box, "is the peace proposal personally written by the Tuoba Great Khan. Please, Your Majesty, read it yourself."
A large hand extended from behind the veil and snatched the box away.
Click.
The sound of the box opening echoed softly.
Moments later, for the first time in twenty years, those present heard their Emperor laugh—truly laugh, with joy that shook the hall.
The Emperor Longqing's voice rose with vigor. "Excellent! Yan Liang shall be granted the first merit! The rest shall also be richly rewarded—yes, all shall be rewarded!"
"Your Majesty," said Eunuch Huang, bowing deeply, "this humble servant still has one small matter left unreported."
"Speak."
Unhurriedly, Huang continued, "The Chengxin Captain of Yunzhou, Chen Sanshi, is still alive. Not only did he survive, he rescued tens of thousands of refugees from Poyang County. Later, to cover their river crossing, he led barely a thousand men to block five thousand enemy cavalry, personally slaying several barbarian generals of equal cultivation—truly unmatched in valor.
"In the final moments, Grand Commander Sun Xiangzong himself appeared.
"With a single spear strike, Sun Xiangzong shattered one thousand eight hundred enemy armors and routed nearly twenty thousand barbarian troops."
"Shattered one thousand eight hundred armors?"
A younger minister in crimson scoffed, "Hearing his name alone angers me! Your Majesty, I still believe County Magistrate Xue and Prefect Ji's deaths in Poyang were Sun Xiangzong's doing!
"That old man's candle is burning low, yet he still clings to his so-called heroics. He's courting death!"
"Your Majesty."
Eunuch Huang lowered his voice. "When you last issued your edict, Your Majesty intended to summon Chen Sanshi to the capital for appointment. But by twist of fate, he ended up under the Grand Commander's supervision instead. Should he still be rewarded—or shall another decree be sent to recall him?"
"Reward him, of course," the Emperor said calmly, his tone now steady as still water. "But recalling him is unnecessary.
"I admire that brave young man. Yet if Sun Xiangzong took an interest in him, then it means the boy has talent. Perhaps he'll even inherit true teachings. To summon him back now would only destroy his opportunity."
"Yan Liang," he called, "what say you?"
Grand Secretary Yan Liang bowed low. "Your Majesty, based on Prefect Xue Yuping's last report, Chen Sanshi holds the utmost respect for your Majesty. He accepted every imperial gift with gratitude. With proper tempering, he may one day serve greatly.
"And as for Crown Prince Cao Fan, it is uncertain whether Sun Xiangzong would ever take him as a disciple.
"In my humble view, it's best to leave Chen Sanshi under the Grand Commander's tutelage for now—and see how far he can rise."
"Good," said the Emperor. "We'll do as Yan Liang advises!
"Furthermore, the act of leading civilians across the river must not only be rewarded, but also announced to the entire realm—let all under heaven know that the ministers of Great Sheng are men of virtue and courage!
"You said it's snowing outside?"
The curtain was lifted.
At last, the dragon's visage was revealed.
Though the Emperor Longqing was already in his twilight years, his hair remained mostly black. His steps were steady and firm. If not for the faint decay in his breath, one might have thought him rejuvenated.
He walked to the entrance of Wanshou Palace, gazing at the falling snow.
"What an auspicious snowfall," he murmured. "With this snow comes victory upon victory. The wars are finally over. I can now close myself away in peace. You may all withdraw."
At those words, every official and eunuch dropped to their knees.
"Congratulations, Your Majesty!"
"Blessings upon Your Majesty! After this triumph, the Great Sheng Dynasty shall endure for a thousand autumns and ten thousand generations—prosperity everlasting!"
"Your Majesty shall ascend to the heavens as an immortal!"
"When next we see Your Majesty, we shall call you—Eternal Sovereign!"
"Long live the Eternal Sovereign! Long live the Eternal Sovereign!"
The Emperor Longqing chuckled, waving his sleeve as he turned back into the hall.
"You flatter me far too much. Go on now. Don't disturb my cultivation."
With that, he disappeared into Wanshou Palace.