Section Thirteen: Seeking Life Amidst Death (Part Three)

The Zhou royal family had been in decline for many years. When the realm first plunged into chaos, the Soul Tribe sought to overthrow human rule, each faction pursuing its own path. Meanwhile, the Moon Tribe developed within the Zhou Kingdom, and after years of meticulous schemes and relentless effort, they finally succeeded in replacing the Zhou royal family, becoming the first among the Soul Tribe to mount atop humanity.

The subsequent turmoil across the land owed much to the Moon Tribe. After seizing control of Zhou, the Moon Tribe deliberately promoted trusted Soul Tribe allies to rule over various regions. Yet, as heroes emerged from all corners, power shifted constantly, and these figures seized their opportunities, eventually plunging the land into an age of strife.

Gradually, the Zhou Moon Tribe lost control over the other tribes and kings. Their territories dwindled, and their loyal followers fell one by one in battle. Assailed repeatedly by rising powers, the once-flourishing Moon Tribe was nearly exterminated.

Now, Zhou was "protected" by the Zheng Kingdom—a protection that was, in truth, a tight grip. Only one city remained, with barely any true confidants left at the Zhou Emperor's side; the whole city teemed with Zheng soldiers and generals. The Emperor, without an heir, had long been afflicted by melancholy and illness, bedridden for years.

He was now barely alive, and would not last much longer.

The King of Zheng kept Zhou alive only because the Zhou Emperor had no heir. Though Zhou was but a shadow of its former self, the Moon Tribe had rendered exceptional service to the Soul Tribe in years past. Whether Zheng, Chu, or any of the other five great rulers, all owed their achievements, in some measure, to the Moon Tribe's aid.

The vestiges of Zhou's authority lingered.

The King of Zheng was willing to wait—wait for the Emperor's death. With no successor, Zhou would vanish, and the King of Zheng would not bear the infamy of a usurper or regicide.

Yet, at this pivotal moment, the King of Zheng learned that the Zhou Emperor had a nephew, who, during the chaos, had been escorted away by the Grand Marshal Zhou Wu-Shen to the southern wilds. The Emperor endured only to await Zhou Wu-Shen’s return with his nephew, so the latter could inherit the throne.

The Emperor’s resolve was the Moon Tribe’s resolve.

The King of Zheng would not allow Zhou to persist, nor would any of the Seven Powers. As long as Zhou survived, none of them could claim imperial status!

The house into which Bu Jinxian broke was precisely the hiding place of the Moon Tribe’s Ao line’s sole surviving bloodline—Ao Pan, whom Zhou Wu-Shen was escorting to Zhou to inherit the throne.

Zhou Wu-Shen knew well the dangers that lay ahead. The Moon Tribe’s survival was uncertain; there was no hope of finding help. Cautiously, he led his young lord forward, gathering information upon arrival in Chu, finally locating a trustworthy old friend. Learning that Zheng had indeed discovered their whereabouts, they took shelter in a common house in Newcity.

They ventured out only at night, staying within the courtyard by day. Days passed, yet they still had not devised a safe route.

Suddenly, the alarm bell sounded for a citywide lockdown. Instantly alert, they armed themselves in the rear courtyard.

At that moment, the adjoining house collapsed; immediately after, their own courtyard wall was pushed down, and Bu Jinxian burst in.

Masters from the Wangjue Sect followed in pursuit. Upon seeing Zhou Wu-Shen, they were all stunned.

Chu Gaoge, after receiving Ling Luo’s message, had ordered multiple copies of portraits of Zhou Wu-Shen and Ao Pan to be distributed. All Wangjue Sect masters had memorized them. Yet, after days of searching throughout Chu, they had found nothing—until now, in these unexpected circumstances. No one had anticipated this.

Zhou Wu-Shen's group saw Bu Jinxian break in, with Chu soldiers in hot pursuit.

It was clear the Chu soldiers were chasing Bu Jinxian, not them. Yet Bu Jinxian had blundered into their hiding place, and the pursuers’ expressions betrayed that they had been searching for them for some time.

Everyone glared at Bu Jinxian, silently cursing him.

Feigning ignorance, Bu Jinxian quickly assessed their reactions, realizing his gambit had paid off. He knocked down another wall.

Zhou Wu-Shen shouted, “Go!”

A young man and woman shielded the panicked Ao Pan, escaping through the breach Bu Jinxian had created.

Outside, the streets were packed with Chu soldiers. Bu Jinxian seized six iron spears, three in each hand, barring the alley, and pushed forcefully against the troops.

The long, serpentine ranks of Chu soldiers were driven back en masse, unable to withstand his momentum—they all toppled over!

Amazed by his strength, the young man protecting Ao Pan urged, “My lord, hurry!”

He joined Bu Jinxian in the flight.

Ao Pan, regaining his composure, called out, “Hero, we are both exiles in this world. Since fate has brought us together, why not join forces and break through the siege?”

“Agreed!” Bu Jinxian knocked aside two more squads blocking the way, spears in hand, forging ahead.

Ao Pan, flanked by his protectors, followed closely.

The Chu soldiers blocking the way were no match for Bu Jinxian; with his iron spears, he swept them aside in rows.

Ao Pan was astonished by his power. The more he watched, the more he was impressed, and resolved to win Bu Jinxian over once they escaped.

After Bu Jinxian and Ao Pan’s flight—

Zhou Wu-Shen stayed behind to cover their retreat. Wangjue Sect disciples on the rooftops, seeing him, shifted their focus, abandoning Bu Jinxian to surround Zhou Wu-Shen and prevent his escape.

July, originally chasing along the rooftops, had no interest in Zhou Wu-Shen, her eyes fixed solely on Bu Jinxian. The Feixian Sect had its own pride; raised within Feixian, she disdained joining hands with outsiders, yet feared the Chu soldiers might fail to capture Zuo’an, so she pursued relentlessly without engaging.

Autumn Leaf, seeing Zhou Wu-Shen, stopped and called out from afar, but July ignored her.

Worried for July’s safety, and seeing that many from the North Spirit Sect were present to prevent Zhou Wu-Shen from escaping easily, Autumn Leaf left Zhou Wu-Shen to chase after July.

“Come back! What matters more—a mere villain or Zhou Wu-Shen, whose fate concerns the nation?”

“We can split up—we won’t hinder each other.”

“You!” Autumn Leaf was frustrated. She had seen Bu Jinxian’s prowess in the arena and dared not let July pursue him alone, but could not persuade her, nor risk delaying Zheng’s affairs. At that moment, a disciple from the Divine Decision Sect arrived, calling out from afar.

He reported that Zhou Wu-Shen had been found. Autumn Leaf replied she already knew, but was worried about July pursuing alone.

The disciple replied, “The Marquis of Faith and the Princess are arriving. Martial Lords will deal with Zhou Wu-Shen, and Feixian Sect masters can help capture Zuo’an.”

Autumn Leaf then turned back, meeting four Feixian Sect Three Moon Hall masters accompanying the Princess Tianlai. From a distance, she instructed them to help July capture Zuo’an, and herself went with Divine Decision Sect disciples to meet Zhou Wu-Shen.

It was the transition between autumn and summer; Chu’s climate was hot by day, cold by night.

After hours under the sun, Chu soldiers were drenched in sweat. Wangjue Sect masters, unarmored, had left the shade for only half an hour, and they too were sweating—not from heat, but from tension.

The old man in the rear courtyard seemed utterly unremarkable: white-haired, his beard thick and long, wrinkled face, eyes radiating gentle kindness.

Bu Jinxian and Ao Pan had escaped some time ago, yet the old man remained motionless, showing no urgency to flee.

Wangjue Sect disciples knew he was Zhou Wu-Shen, the man famed for his strength against ten thousand foes. His stillness was the best outcome.

When Ling Luo and Chu Gaoge arrived, Bu Jinxian and Ao Pan had already been gone for a quarter hour.

Physical strength: 2,000; internal force: 2,000; spirit: 10; soul: 10. Combat power: 8,000; absolute combat power: 80,000.