Chapter Eighteen: Plum Blossoms Stained with Blood (Part Two)

A splash of vivid crimson scattered across the fallen plum blossoms, its beauty tinged with a powerless, demonic allure.

Shangguan Yu's body was suddenly thrown from his horse, hurtling backward into the depths of Chang'an Street. Blood splattered upon the blue stone pavement, leaving a trail stretching dozens of yards. Beads of blood dripped from the sword in Li Fu's hand, while Shangguan Yu's right sleeve was stained red, fine beads of sweat standing out on his forehead. He stared at Li Fu before him, then glanced at his wounded right hand, his expression grave.

At that moment, Shangguan Yu's warhorse let out a mournful whinny before collapsing with a crash. A thin line of blood appeared along the horse's midsection, widening rapidly, and in the next instant, it was cleaved cleanly in two.

Yang Zixu, witnessing the ferocity of Li Fu's initial strike, was momentarily stunned. He had not anticipated that Li Fu possessed such strength! He shouted, "Finish this quickly! Don’t wait for reinforcements!"

As soon as his words fell, both Yang Zixu and Jiang Moyuan sprang into action, the three forming a triangular encirclement around Shangguan Yu.

Shangguan Yu's spear was broken, his arm badly injured, yet the coldness in his eyes did not diminish in the slightest. He had underestimated Li Fu—a cultivator in the Tianyuan Realm had forced him to such an extent!

Petals shattered across the blue stone of Chang'an Street, heavy slabs marked with new footprints; with each step, lotus blossoms seemed to bloom and vanish. In an instant, Li Fu surged forward, sword raised again!

The onlookers were left speechless with shock, wondering how anyone in the world could move with such speed.

Shangguan Yu narrowed his eyes, his expression sharpening like a blade drawn from its sheath. As a veteran of many campaigns, he knew full well how terrifying Li Fu was at this moment, especially his speed. Without hesitation, he unleashed his mightiest technique.

Suppressing the pain in his right arm, he raised both hands and pushed forward. A chilling, powerful aura instantly filled Chang'an Street. The falling plum petals from the sky slowed, their surfaces hardening in midair, so that when they touched the stone, they landed with a sharp, metallic sound.

The petals became unnaturally hard, forming layers of defense before Shangguan Qi. Li Fu appeared several yards away, flicking away a hundred petals with every movement—each one embedding itself into the walls along the street.

As his figure emerged, the sword in Li Fu’s hand radiated a biting intent. He stared at Shangguan Qi, hidden behind the hardened petals, his eyes narrowed to slits, pupils reflecting a cold, forbidding light.

A rapid clattering filled the air; countless fleeting flashes of brilliance streaked across Chang'an Street, each one a sword-light brimming with murderous intent.

Though Shangguan Yu’s profound cultivation enabled him to form a formidable defense by transforming the plum petals into blades, this could at best restrict Li Fu’s terrifying Lotus Step. He could not slow the speed of Li Fu’s sword, and no defense could withstand such unrelenting assault.

In mere moments, hundreds of petals fell to the ground, as Li Fu struck into the floral screen with hundreds of blows.

Yang Zixu and Jiang Moyuan did not rush in, but stood ready like ferocious beasts, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

A series of tearing sounds broke out as the dense defenses were shredded. Shangguan Qi staggered back. At that moment, both Yang Zixu and Jiang Moyuan flickered to his flank, their spears thrusting toward him!

Just then, a pair of withered hands appeared before both spears. With a fierce shout, the bony palms, sharp as knives, crossed before them and blocked the attack head-on.

A muffled boom resounded, waves of force rippling outward and sending the scattered petals flying wildly. Cracks spread across the walls of Shanglin Court.

Shielded by the tall, gaunt old man, Shangguan Yu took the brunt of the shock, letting out a muffled groan as his face turned deathly pale.

The owner of those skeletal hands bore the full force of Yang and Jiang's assault, his face turning even paler as blood trickled from the corner of his lips, his legs trembling.

At that moment, Li Fu's sword intent arrived, his blade darting forth like a dragon leaping from the sea, stabbing at the old man's chest.

"Whelp, you dare!"

The old man's right forearm glowed, suffused with azure light as he struck upward, colliding with Li Fu's sword-light in a resounding clash.

Li Fu staggered back three steps, then turned aside, stepping into a defensive stance alongside Yang Zixu and Jiang Moyuan, watchful and wary of this new adversary.

This conflict had flared and abated in the blink of an eye. From the moment Shangguan Qi broke through the gates of Shanglin Court until now, not even half a stick of incense had burned.

"Jiang Moyuan! As a commanding officer of the Gale Division of the Celestial Strategy Army, you brawl in the Eastern Capital armed, and with the Commander of the Divine Strategy Army no less! Has the Celestial Strategy Army forgotten even the most basic military protocols?"

The gaunt old man did not look at Li Fu, but turned to rebuke Jiang Moyuan in a thunderous voice.

Chu Ge laughed coldly. "Shangguan Qing, shouldn’t you be north, mopping up barbarian corpses? What business have you berating me in the Eastern Capital?"

At the mention of Shangguan Qing's name, Yang Zixu’s expression shifted, and stirrings could be felt deep within Chang'an Street.

Shangguan Qing was the oldest of the Shangguan clan, one of the strongest generals of the Divine Strategy Army, and a trusted supporter who had once aided His Majesty in the struggle for the throne. His merits were legendary, his reputation vast, and he was the uncle of the current clan head, Shangguan Wu.

Yet Jiang Moyuan regarded him without the slightest deference, not even offering a polite word.

No one could have expected that such a formidable figure would be so easily bested by three young men.

All within the Tang military knew that Shangguan Qing had served under the late emperor in his youth, later pledging loyalty to the then-crown prince, who is now the emperor. He had earned great merit through military service. After the emperor ascended the throne, he considered conferring upon him the title of Divine General, but Shangguan Qing’s cultivation never measured up to the era’s greatest talents. Nevertheless, he was eventually granted the title of Marquis of Ten Thousand Loyalties.

Even so, few in the imperial court would dare speak to this old general so brusquely, for he had achieved mighty deeds in his sovereign’s rise to power.

Onlookers who did not recognize Jiang Moyuan’s identity were dumbstruck, marveling at who this young man could possibly be.

But Yang Zixu was unmoved. So what of a Marquis of Ten Thousand Loyalties? The Jiang family was the equal of the Shangguan clan.

“If you were still in your prime, we might have swallowed this insult today. But now, weak with age, you’d best not throw yourself into the fray—unless you wish for an early reunion with the late emperor. Oh, that’s right, you were the late emperor’s protégé. Did he know you personally killed his son?”

Yang Zixu sneered as he spoke.

His words sent a wave of shocked silence through the crowd on Chang'an Street.

To say such things openly? Did he not fear being summoned to the Ancestral Court? The young master of the Celestial Feather General’s House was truly lawless!

Shangguan Qing was a valiant general esteemed even by the late Emperor Zhongzong, and during the chaos centuries ago, he killed one of the contenders for the throne—a matter long buried in dust.

Hearing Yang Zixu's words, Shangguan Qing turned to him, eyes narrowed to slits. “Had you said this two hundred years ago, your entire Yang family would have been wiped out. Now, perhaps not. But you’d best avoid wandering alone in the back alleys of the Eastern Capital.”

Promising young scions of noble houses were always guarded by powerful protectors, ensuring their safe rise from prodigy to true strength—such as today’s Shangguan Yu. Yang Zixu, however, was an exception, refusing to be trailed even by his family’s secret guardians.

For centuries, the Divine Strategy Army had been jointly dominated by the Shangguan clan and the Marquis of Valor’s lineage—one branch garrisoning the empire’s strongholds, the other stationed at the Divine Strategy camp fifty miles west of the capital, responsible for the city’s defense. Shangguan Yu had been posted to the northern frontier, accompanied by Shangguan Qing as his protector. This was true on the northwest battlefield as it was now in the capital, showing the clan’s commitment to nurturing Shangguan Yu.

As for the origins of the tension between the Shangguan and Celestial Strategy clans, even they might not recall the precise beginning. What is certain is that the Divine Strategy Army was founded by the Empress to counterbalance the Celestial Strategy Palace from the very start.

…

Earlier that morning, Shangguan Yu had come to Shanglin Court unbeknownst to Shangguan Qing. Only a tremendous crash from within drew his attention, and he realized that Shangguan Yu had entered the court with only a handful of attendants—a most perilous situation.

Sure enough, the circumstances at Shanglin Court had deteriorated. Had he not intervened in time, Shangguan Yu would likely have been grievously wounded, if not killed, today.