Volume One: Turmoil in Yan and Yun — Chapter 117: The Beacon Smoke Falls (4)

Hearing Feng Juanlang’s words, Feng Yang felt a sudden urge to laugh.

It was not because he found the words themselves laughable, but because he found himself ridiculous. He harbored a secret he could not tell anyone, not even Feng Qi. Despite the many who viewed him as virtuous and kind, he was not as simple as he appeared; he understood well the principle that one must always be on guard against others.

In the days past, he and Feng Qi had discussed many things, including the nature of ascension. Feng Qi had scoffed at the idea that the "Ten Thousand Zhang Breaking Heavens" was merely a gateway to the Immortal Realm. As it happened, Feng Yang felt the same. He had skillfully planted the concept of the starry cosmos in Feng Qi’s mind. When Feng Qi first heard it, he was astonished, and had he not been clever enough, he might have declared himself the wisest person under heaven right then and there.

It was precisely because Feng Qi was intelligent that he possessed self-awareness. He had discovered the source of it all: Feng Yang, who had been concealing his true nature all along. Thus, one night, Feng Qi entered Feng Yang’s bedroom, and by the faint starlight, they talked until dawn.

They spoke of many things that night. Feng Yang shared almost all the theories he had ever learned, save for his origin: a place called Earth.

He had left that place sixteen years ago. Before his departure, Earth had undergone a spiritual resurgence, and monsters that blotted out the sun had triggered one natural disaster after another. His physical body had died in the carnage, but his soul was saved by an old classmate. Before that, he had watched helplessly as his beloved was crushed beneath a collapsing building, without even the chance to see her bleed. The world was harsh; surely his parents could not have survived either.

Without exchanging many words, that old classmate had sent his soul to this land. He had spent sixteen years here—sailing smoothly, enduring bouts of serious illness, yet enjoying the protection of his father and brother, and the love of his mother.

Because of this war, that protection and love had now vanished.

How could he not be angry? How could he not seek revenge?

Enduring such a fate across two lifetimes made Feng Yang somewhat resigned to the concept of destiny. He had once been an otaku, a fan of anime, and his favorite character was Uchiha Sasuke from *Naruto*. Who would have thought he would end up becoming a Uchiha Sasuke himself? He wondered if a Naruto Uzumaki would ever appear in this world.

Thinking of this, he could no longer hold it back and let out a laugh. It was a bitter, stifled sound.

Feng Juanlang said, "If you cannot laugh, you may choose to cry." He paused, looking up at the sky filled with ice dust, and sighed, "You are still young; you can still shed tears."

The implication was clear: he, too, wanted to cry, but having reached his age, he could no longer bring himself to weep.

Feng Yang shook his head and said nothing more. He reached out, grabbed a roasted rabbit from the campfire, and began to eat ravenously. Feng Juanlang had intended that rabbit for himself, but seeing his nominal nephew in such a state, he could not bear to begrudge him. "Eat," he said. "Just listen to me."

"We face two problems now."

"First, the Strange Stone Forest is a world unto itself within Yanbei. It is a chaotic mix of people, but it is not to be underestimated. When the Barbarians marched south, slaughtering their way through every city, they bypassed the Hanhai Gobi and the Strange Stone Forest specifically because the people here are formidable. Now that we have stepped foot here, our status or talent matters little. The only things that count are the vital energy of heaven and earth and the Overlord Spear in your dantian. Remember one thing: here, everyone has reasons to die, and no one is worthy of trust."

Feng Yang looked up at him. "Are you included in that?"

Feng Juanlang rolled his eyes, thinking to himself that anyone whose name was on the Divine Dynasty’s death warrant was beyond redemption anyway. Perhaps sensing this, Feng Yang stopped talking and buried his head back into the roasted rabbit.

"Second, we still have Barbarian pursuers behind us. The sense of dread has not vanished. From now on, you had better not stray beyond the reach of my arm."

...

The outer city of Wuyang was vast and filled with famous spots, but the most praised among them was, naturally, the "Intersection" in the South City.

The Intersection was a gathering place—not large, accommodating only a few dozen merchants—but the goods they sold were diverse and served various purposes. It was said that someone had once purchased one of the Tang Sect’s most intricate puppet automata, the "Guan Tang Xiaoyue," here for a high price, and others had traded in the most potent sacred insects of the Yundian Five Poisons Sect—the Golden Silk Silkworms.

Bolstered by such stories, the Intersection carried an aura of mystery. Anyone who arrived in Wuyang was bound to come here to try their luck. What if they, too, happened to stumble upon something extraordinary?

While the imperial court argued endlessly over the Northern Expedition, Feng Qi was wandering through the Intersection. Feng Changkong had told him several times that as the Heir of Yanbei, he must uphold proper etiquette until he officially inherited the Sword of Cloud Snow. Feng Qi had turned a deaf ear.

"Since Yanbei no longer exists, where does the title of 'Heir of Yanbei' come from? And where does this so-called etiquette come from?"

After saying this, he had left the Grand Marshal’s mansion—taking the side gate, of course, to avoid prying eyes. What he thought in his heart was one thing, but he could not truly bring it into the light. If the situation in Yanbei were exposed, it would not just affect Feng Changkong, the Divine Emperor, and a few others; it would shake the entire Divine Dynasty. Furthermore, if such a thing were leaked, its credibility would be low, and if it were exploited by those with malicious intent... he was not yet a match for the Divine Emperor, and there was no need to create such a powerful enemy for no reason.

He turned into a small alley, which was filled with the scent of wine. Feng Qi raised an eyebrow, wondering how there could be such a fragrance here. Following the scent, he arrived at a branch of the Xiaoyao Pavilion.

Before long, he emerged. His eyes were red; one could only wonder what he had asked. He looked up at the night sky, confirming that the eyes in the heavens were still watching him. He knew he could not leave Wuyang at such a time, so he could only sigh.

He walked deeper into the alley. At the end stood a donkey-meat pancake shop; the scent of wine had come from there. In the past, he would have wondered why such a vulgar shop existed near the Xiaoyao Pavilion, but now, he only craved a drunken stupor and had no patience for guessing the complexities within.

"Dragon meat in the heavens, donkey meat on the earth." Fine, he thought.

Feng Qi entered the shop and found only four tables, four chairs, and a single lamp.

"The shop is closed. Come back early tomorrow," a gloomy voice sounded from somewhere.

Feng Qi covered his mouth and coughed twice. "Turning away money? You’ll go bankrupt running a business like this, shopkeeper."

"What is that to you?"

Feng Qi replied earnestly, "I want to drink, so naturally, it is my business."

The voice in the darkness fell silent for a moment. Then, a middle-aged man in black robes, his hair disheveled, suddenly appeared before Feng Qi. Feng Qi looked up at him, his gaze sharpening.

The shopkeeper said, "What you say makes sense, so I have come to see you."

Feng Qi replied, "If you have wine, I am also very happy to see you."

The shopkeeper was silent for a while before asking, "Do you know who I am?"

Feng Qi said, "Of course... you are the owner of this little shop."

The shopkeeper was slightly stunned, then chuckled softly. "That is true. Speak, what do you want to eat?"

Feng Qi pointed at the shop’s name. "A little of that?"

The shopkeeper said, "Wait a moment." He paused, then added, "I see you are a Northerner. Would you like some sand-leek wine, a specialty of Yanbei?"

Sand-leek? Hearing the name, Feng Qi froze for a long time. The shopkeeper thought to himself that he had guessed correctly.

Coming back to his senses, Feng Qi smiled and said, "You said it yourself, I am a Northerner. I’ve already drunk enough sand-leek to vomit."

The shopkeeper asked, "Then what do you want to drink?"

Feng Qi said, "I want to drink 'Green Robe'."

Green Robe was a wine from the Green Robe Tower, a specialty of Xuhai. It was mellow and fragrant, but most importantly, after being poured into a cup, it formed a layer of green film, hence the name. Green Robe was a banned wine in the Divine Dynasty. The reason was simple: one of its refined ingredients was blood. Human blood.

The shopkeeper’s gaze deepened. "You’re a lucky lad. This wine isn't sold anywhere else. If you left this place, you wouldn't be able to buy it anywhere in the Divine Dynasty except Xuhai."

Soon, wine and food were placed on the table. Feng Qi picked up the cup and drank it down in one gulp. A fiery, knife-like sensation surged from his throat all the way to his stomach. Perhaps the wine was too strong, but Feng Qi began to feel warm.

Someone sat down across from him. It was the shopkeeper.

"Tell me, how did you find me?"

Feng Qi replied, "Lord Biri does not seem as composed as the rumors suggest."

It turned out the shopkeeper was none other than Biri, one of the two great divine beasts of the Divine Dynasty.

Biri said, "There are few who can make me lose my composure. The Divine Emperor came to see me not long ago; he is the most recent person capable of making me lose my cool."

Feng Qi smiled. "The Xiaoyao Pavilion was right. You really did go to the void to battle His Majesty... so, His Majesty won."

This statement had two meanings. First, Feng Qi had learned of Biri from the Xiaoyao Pavilion. Second, Feng Qi had come here specifically to find him; the Xiaoyao Pavilion only answered questions asked by customers and would not overstep. So, the question now was, why did Feng Qi want to find him?

"I spent some time with His Majesty and roughly understand some of his character. He is not bellicose, so he would not battle you without reason." Especially when the war to protect the nation was about to begin.

"What is that to you?"

"It is indeed none of my business, but as far as I know, you did not make a move during the war to protect the nation."

"You have three sentences left."

"The reason you didn't move... was Li Jinxing, right?"

Biri’s pupils constricted, and he said nothing. The alcohol rushed to his head, and Feng Qi’s face turned bright red. "Although you are both guardian beasts of the nation, you are not the same as the one in the imperial palace. How about that? Even I know such things. Impressive, right?"

Biri said calmly, "The ten thousand scrolls do not record such things. Even minor chronicles or unofficial histories would not mention a single word of it."

Feng Qi said, "Doesn't that just make me all the more impressive?"

Biri squinted at Feng Qi, wondering if he should kill him right now.

"Lord Biri is decisive in killing; you must be thinking of how to get rid of me, right?" Feng Qi laughed twice. "But this young one dares to ask you not to."

"For someone is watching."

A wind blew through the room, and the only lamp was extinguished by the breeze.