Across the vast empire, countless great cities stood, but only one could truly be called its heart: Di'an City.
It was a city in the sky built atop the summit of Mount Jiulong.
At least, that was how Xu Yuan had viewed it back in Cangyuan, though reality and the game always diverged just a little.
Through thousands of years of expansion and renovation, Di'an City had spread from the mountain peak all the way to its base, and it continued to sprawl outward.
The towering Mount Jiulong was now blanketed by row upon row of endless architectural complexes—pavilions and waterside gazebos, landscaped gardens and viewing terraces, as well as densely packed commoner quarters.
With the golden throne in the Jinluan Hall at the summit serving as the central axis, several colossal official thoroughfares capable of accommodating massive demonic beasts traversed and divided Di'an City. Four soaring, majestic city walls segmented the immense metropolis into four concentric tiers: the Palace City, Imperial City, Inner City, and Outer City, proceeding from inside out and highest to lowest.
Gazing out from atop the back of the black eagle pavilion, amidst the hazy drizzle, white birds paid homage to the phoenix as countless demonic beasts converged from every direction.
Looking downward, the citizens bustled within the city, while countless traveling merchants unloaded cargo at the various gates, feeding and venting all manner of supplies for this gargantuan beast of a metropolis.
The black eagle pavilion soared onward. Once it crossed into the Imperial City, their beast was the sole demonic creature flying beneath the open sky across the vast heavens.
By the laws of Great Yan, the Imperial City was a no-fly zone, whether for flying demonic beasts or high-ranking cultivators.
Seeing the massive residence familiar from his memories draw steadily nearer, Xu Yuan slowly withdrew his gaze and let it settle on the green-robed man seated across from him.
Xu Changge's voice was even, tinged with a faint, elusive smile. "Well? Returning to the capital this time, do you think anything has changed inside the city?"
Xu Yuan thought for a moment and said, "I didn't seem to see Tiangong Tower just now."
"..." Xu Changge fell silent.
As he spoke, Xu Yuan pointed toward the river cutting through the Imperial Capital. "Also, near the Long'an River, it looks like a few new pleasure houses have opened. Quite grand facades, too, it's just..."
He coughed lightly. "Well, anyway, quite a lot has changed."
Xu Changge rubbed his forehead, glanced at the sky, and let out a breath. "Father should be at the manor today."
Xu Yuan nodded at his words, not in the least surprised.
Court assemblies were not held every day; on ordinary days, most of the Imperial Capital's key officials spent their time in their own "offices" within the Palace City. Xu Yinhe, however, generally preferred to handle affairs at his own manor.
After a brief pause, Xu Yuan suddenly asked Xu Changge, "Right, Xu Changge, which identity should I use now that I'm back in the Imperial Capital?"
Xu Changge raised his eyes to glance at his third brother. "Which one do you want to use?"
Xu Yuan chuckled. "Either works for me."
Xu Changge sighed. "You came back for the marriage engagement. Just be careful not to blow your cover."
Xu Yuan grinned and promptly peeled off the human-skin mask. "Got it."
Silence followed his words.
The black eagle pavilion gradually began its descent.
And right then, Xu Yuan seemed to recall something. "Right, I traveled north with the Third Prince before this."
Xu Changge wasn't surprised. "Mm. I saw him on my way over."
Xu Yuan tapped the table, prefacing with a defense first. "Xu Changge, I want to ask you a question. Don't take it the wrong way."
Xu Changge shot his third brother a helpless look and nodded. "Ask."
Xu Yuan carefully weighed his words. "Who was that elder sister in red just now? The Third Prince saw her, and he knows she came after me."
Xu Changge's gaze was calm, his voice devoid of emotion. "She is the Young Celestial Master of the Celestial Master Sect."
"The Young Celestial Master?"
Hearing this, Xu Yuan was momentarily taken aback. "Wasn't the Young Celestial Master of the Celestial Master Sect supposed to be a man?"
Xu Changge said placidly, "Is a woman traveling the world disguised as a man really so uncommon?"
Xu Yuan considered for a moment, then shook his head. "Not uncommon, but deceiving the world for over a decade certainly is."
"Indeed it is." Xu Changge smiled faintly, gazing out the window with a complex look in his eyes as he sipped his tea. "So you don't need to worry about the Third Prince suspecting your identity through her."
Seeing that expression, Xu Yuan wanted to laugh, but held back and asked seriously instead, "So that means my identity won't be leaked by her either?"
Xu Changge swept a glance over Xu Yuan and uttered two words: "It won't."
Hearing this, Xu Yuan laughed. Still laughing, he stood up, walked over to Xu Changge, and patted his eldest brother on the shoulder.
Xu Changge remained seated upright, holding his teacup.
Xu Yuan fished out a cushion, sat down, poured himself a cup of wine, and spoke with earnest gravity: "Xu Changge, after observing earlier, there's something I think I ought to share with you."
Xu Changge watched Xu Yuan's movements with calm eyes, saying nothing.
"..."
Xu Yuan cleared his throat lightly. "I know hearing this from your third brother might rub you the wrong way, but matters of the heart aren't cultivation, let alone a life-or-death battle. Having bigger fists doesn't mean—"
*Buzz—*
With a hum of energy, a dark figure was tossed straight out of the black eagle pavilion, plunging into the wetland lake within the Chancellor's Manor with a resounding *thud*.
Surfacing amidst the rain on the lake water, Xu Yuan raised his eyes to watch the Xuanyin Pavilion whistle past overhead, sighing helplessly.
"Suffering just to save face—serves you right to stay single forever."
Climbing dripping wet onto the lakeshore, he suddenly noticed a figure already waiting on the bank.
Xu Yuan wasn't surprised; the one thing the Chancellor's Manor never lacked was top-tier experts.
The figure was a woman holding an umbrella. She offered a towel. "Third Young Master, a towel."
"Thanks."
Xu Yuan glanced at her face, then instinctively looked toward the opposite shore of the lake.
There stood a nine-story pavilion.
The Book Depository of the Chancellor's Manor.
And the woman waiting before him on the bank was the maid from the Book Depository—and his late mother's personal handmaid.
A third-rank Grandmaster.
Xu Yuan took the towel, nodding with a smile. "Mm."
The woman smiled gently, handed the umbrella to Xu Yuan, and curtsied. "Lord Chancellor is waiting for you in the inner court. This servant shall take her leave."
With that, the woman stepped lightly across the surface of the lake, walking through the rain toward the Book Depository.
Watching her depart into the distance, Xu Yuan shook his head. Holding the umbrella in one hand and drying his hair with the towel in the other, he made his way toward the inner court.
The Chancellor's Manor in the Imperial Capital was likewise immense—even larger than the estate in Jingjiang Prefecture. The reigning Emperor had issued a special edict to demolish several nearby city blocks within this inch-of-land-is-an-inch-of-gold Imperial City just to build it for his old man.
Compared to the Xu Manor in Jingjiang Prefecture City, the Chancellor's Manor in the Imperial Capital was noticeably far livelier.
Beyond the standard maids and attendants, the manor teemed with people clad in court robes or opulent brocade attire.
Some had come to pay court and offer gifts, others to deliver memorials, and still others were aides and retainers of his father's faction.
He hadn't understood it before, but looking at it now, this Chancellor's Manor was virtually a second imperial court within the Imperial Capital.
Those allowed to work within the Chancellor's Manor were mostly veterans; thus, having removed his human-skin mask, Xu Yuan encountered no obstacles as he walked through.
No collateral-branch young master or high-level insolent servant suddenly leaped out to harass the returned Third Young Master.
As he passed, most of those bowing to Xu Yuan possessed auras so dense and unfathomable they bordered on bottomless.
In Cangyuan, these people would probably have had crimson question marks floating over their heads as elite bosses.
After all, in Cangyuan, this Chancellor's Manor counted as one of the hardest final boss chambers.
Reining in his thoughts, Xu Yuan chuckled and shook his head, banishing the unrealistic notion from his mind, and placed a hand on the wooden door before him.
Most of the Chancellor's Manor consisted of the outer court; the inner court reserved for the direct lineage was actually quite small.
One courtyard each for the four siblings, one for Xu Yinhe, a study, and a main hall for sharing meals.
With these thoughts in mind, Xu Yuan stepped inside.
A familiar paved stone path met his eyes, flanked on both sides by nameless flowers and herbs, with the main hall standing at the end a dozen or so meters away.
Inside the main hall sat an older man and a young one.
Rain pattered down softly, spilling from the eaves along aged tiles like a curtain of pearls, striking the puddles formed across the courtyard and stirring ripples.
Neither of them had waited for him, however; their chopsticks were already moving.
At the sight, Xu Yuan smiled faintly despite himself and quickened his pace.
The main hall of the inner court had no elaborate dragon-and-phoenix carvings; there was only a simple square table that could seat two on each side.
This was because the inner court was the true forbidden ground of the Chancellor's Manor.
A rule personally set by Xu Yinhe.
Aside from their own family, no one else was permitted inside—a sanctuary where even high-ranking figures like Lou Ji could not set foot.
With no outsiders present, ostentation was naturally unnecessary.
Though it was Xu Yuan's first day returning to the Imperial Capital, neither father nor elder brother showed any intention of holding a welcome feast for him.
The midday meal still consisted of four meat dishes, two vegetable dishes, and a soup, just as before.
That was the standard whenever the whole family wasn't present; had everyone been there, there would have been one more meat and one more vegetable.
Though...
The family would probably never be whole again.
"..."
The modest main hall was filled only with the crisp clatter of chopsticks tapping porcelain bowls and the sound of the rain outside.
After Xu Yuan greeted them, Xu Yinhe nodded, and Xu Yuan took his seat.
There was no small talk, no asking after his well-being, as though he hadn't been away for two years, but had merely stepped out in the morning and returned at noon.
Shoveling food into their mouths, the three of them remained silent.
It wasn't because of any strict table manners. Xu Yinhe was not a severe father; far from forbidding talk during meals, he wouldn't say a word even if you flipped the table while eating.
Provided, of course, that you were prepared to be strung up and beaten by Xu Changge afterward.
After a long silence, Xu Yinhe slowly set down his chopsticks and looked at the newly returned Xu Yuan. "Your marriage engagement will take some time to arrange."
Xu Yuan looked up at his words, pondered briefly, and asked, "Why?"
Xu Yinhe made no attempt to conceal it, stating plainly, "Marquis Wucheng has gone to the Northern Border. The wedding will have to wait until his return."
Xu Yuan's brows knit at once.
Marquis Wucheng had gone to the Northern Border?
That was a massive piece of news.
Having now witnessed firsthand the might of military formations and learned a great deal about them along his journey, he naturally no longer underestimated this God of War of Great Yan as he once had.
Against a military formation, supreme experts of the first or second rank could theoretically employ hit-and-run tactics, conserving strength while wearing down the enemy. In actual battle, however, such tactics were rarely used, for throwing oneself against an active formation was almost invariably a one-way trip—like tossing meat buns to a dog.
Military cultivation methods differed from conventional methods; they followed an entirely separate path.
They gathered the strength of thousands upon thousands of soldiers into a single body.
Although any cultivator of the same rank could thrash a formation-cultivating general one-on-one—barring a few abnormal monsters—the moment the soldiers circulated their methods, even without formal formation, the resonance of Source Qi would multiply the general's power geometrically: five senses, intent-soul, physical strength, and more.
As long as the experts accompanying the army could hold off an intruder for even a brief moment, the attacking powerhouse would almost certainly never return alive.
After a moment of thought, Xu Yuan asked in a low voice, "Sir Zong alone couldn't handle it?"
Zong Qingsheng commanded the Black Scale Army, and his mastery of military formations went without saying. If he alone was not enough and even Marquis Wucheng had to be deployed...
Hearing the question, Xu Yinhe pondered for a moment before calmly answering, "The situation is somewhat complicated. In short, the foreigners from the great desert seem to have formed an alliance with the Barbarians."
His father spoke lightly, but the underlying implications spanned countless fronts.
Xu Yuan sorted through his thoughts and asked, "Father, could you let me see the specific details?"
Ever since parting ways with Lou Ji, the spymaster, during his two-month journey north, Xu Yuan's sources of intelligence had essentially been limited to the official gazettes published by the government.
And those gazettes reported almost exclusively peaceful, celebratory news, portraying the Northern Border campaign as smooth sailing.
In those two months, the war in the Northern Border had not ceased at all; instead, it seemed to have escalated.
This conflict, which had never even been mentioned in Cangyuan, was already showing signs of becoming the opening tremor of a chaotic age...
At this thought, Xu Yuan felt a weight settle on his heart.
Xu Yinhe studied Xu Yuan's expression for several breaths, then chuckled softly. "Changtian, you seem quite interested in this war?"
Xu Yuan set down his chopsticks, took out three teacups, poured one for each of them, and said, "The Emperor wants to eradicate the surrounding foreign races. If the Barbarians have allied with the desert, we at least won't have to cross swords with the Li family for the time being."
The treasonous words hung quietly in the room. Xu Yinhe's expression did not change. "The situation in the Northern Border is not good right now. Many of our supply lines have been severed, and much of our logistics currently relies solely on Sumeru rings."
Hearing this, Xu Yuan understood immediately and asked, "The sects' doing?"
Xu Yinhe didn't answer, but the darkness in his eyes gave Xu Yuan his answer all the same.
Seeing this, Xu Yuan sighed.
A clash of armies totaling nearly a million men came down entirely to logistics.
After decades of management, the Great Yan imperial family and the Chancellor's Manor possessed abundant war materiel, but they could not transport it to the front lines.
The sects' informants spanned nearly the entire Northern Border. Men could sneak through in scattered groups, but large-scale transport of supplies could not be handled that way.
In other words, they could only rely on Sumeru rings.
Yet the capacity of a standard Sumeru ring was only about four meters by four meters by four meters.
Pondering for a few moments, Xu Yuan suddenly recalled something and asked, "Father, are you saying that right now, we can only use Sumeru rings to transport supplies?"
Xu Yinhe didn't reply, simply glancing aside at Xu Changge.
Catching the look, Xu Changge, who usually carried himself like an overbearing CEO, dutifully retrieved a paper dossier from his Sumeru ring and set it on the square table.
Xu Yuan didn't read it immediately. There was something he needed to report to his father first.
"If you need Sumeru rings, on my travels I discovered a secret realm near the Guanyin Mountain Range."
Chapter 199