Of course, there was one small problem: they had no mounts.

Wherever the Heroic Spirit passed, the mutated creatures gave it a wide berth. The Black Water City Army could no longer fish for Sand Monsters to use as mounts like before, so they could only trudge forward one step at a time.

They walked like this for over ten days until their water and rations were nearly exhausted, and the group finally reached the end of Red Cliff Road.

Once they arrived, the Great Wind Army’s escort ended. They turned and left without a second thought, completely disregarding the camaraderie built over half a month of traveling together.

Throughout the journey, they had been silent companions. From the Commander to the lowest soldier, Hee Lingchuan hadn’t heard them speak a single word.

After a bath, Hee Lingchuan changed his clothes and hurried to the dining hall.

The other three family members were already seated. Hee Chunhua was telling his second son about the trip to the Panlong Desert, while Madam Ying listened with a smile, eating with a hearty appetite.

Hee Lingchuan sat down and grabbed a large, white steamed bun. "Dad, did you get to the part where I saved everyone?"

Madam Ying couldn’t help but laugh. "Such a shameless boy!"

With her family back safe and sound, she was in an excellent mood. She personally picked up a large, tender piece of braised pork belly for Hee Lingchuan, telling him to stuff it in his bun, then added two slices of perfectly pickled radish.

Grease dripping from his mouth, Hee Lingchuan mumbled, "Out in the desert, this is the one bite I dreamed of day and night!"

The Hee Family was used to him eating like a starving beast. Hee Yue said, "What about the Broken Blade? Let me see it."

Hee Lingchuan casually drew the blade and laid it on the table. "Be careful not to cut yourself."

Hee Yue cautiously stroked the body of the blade. It was ice-cold to the touch and pricked him with a sharp pain. He couldn’t help but yelp, "Ow!" and stuck his finger in his mouth to suck on it.

Hee Lingchuan glared. "So clumsy!"

Hee Yue looked innocent. "I didn’t even touch the edge, but I still got cut."

Hee Lingchuan ran his finger back and forth along the flat of the blade, even flicking the edge and producing a sharp CLANG. His finger was completely unharmed. "You’re more delicate than a little wife."

After so many years, Hee Yue was long immune to his brother’s taunts. He changed the subject, "Brother, Panlong City is so huge. How did you figure out this blade was the Black Dragon’s lifeline?"

That got Hee Lingchuan all fired up. While wildly embellishing his story—claiming a photographic memory and attention to the finest detail—he swung the blade around, sending cold glints of light flashing through the hall.

CRASH! A clay pot several feet away shattered on cue, spilling water all over the floor.

And Hee Lingchuan hadn’t used a single shred of True Power.

Madam Ying’s face paled. "Stop that! This is a place for eating, not for you to be playing with weapons!"

’That blade is too vicious!’

Hee Lingchuan sheepishly sheathed the blade and quickly asked his younger brother, "Right, you said the rebels at Woling Pass have been dealt with?"

"Exactly." Hee Yue had already reported this to their father but didn’t mind repeating it for his older brother. "The truth is, Nian Songyu and Sun Fuping were spouting absolute nonsense. Before they even reached Black Water City, the rebels at Woling Pass had already been wiped out by Grand Generals Wu Di and Ke Jihai. It was impossible for them to be felling trees to build boats for an eastward push down the river!"

Hee Lingchuan was stunned. "Then ’Iron Barrel General’ Zhao Ronglu...?"

It was precisely because Sun Fuping had reported false military intelligence that Hee Chunhua had decided to follow them to Panlong City, to search for the legendary Grand Square Pot that could supposedly guarantee victory, all to help the Official Army suppress the rebels and defend the Capital City.

And now Hee Yue was telling him the rebels had never even made it out of Woling Pass?

Then why on earth did the Xunzhou Governor and Sun Fuping want the Grand Square Pot?

"The Iron Barrel General did indeed die in battle. By the time Wu and Ke arrived with a hundred thousand elite soldiers, the rebels were fighting amongst themselves, weakening their own forces. Even so, it took several vicious battles, and both sides suffered heavy casualties. We barely managed to win," Hee Yue said with a bitter smile. "Sun Fuping told a tiny fraction of the truth. When you mix truth with lies, it becomes hard to tell them apart. Even Father was deceived." 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"No wonder!" Hee Lingchuan hissed softly. "No wonder Sun Fuping and Nian Songyu were rushing us to leave as soon as they got to Black Water City. They were afraid the eastern route would suddenly open up and the real news would get through."

"The situation was very unfavorable for the Grand Commandant. To use us, they had to exploit the time lag. Otherwise, once news from the Capital City arrived, they’d go from being guests of honor to wanted criminals."

"So what’s the deal with the Grand Commandant?" Intuition told Hee Lingchuan that this was the main event.

"With the elite troops and best generals sent south, the Capital City was left undefended. The Grand Commandant, Dongg Haoming, saw an opportunity and sent assassins into the palace in an attempted coup!" Hee Yue continued. "He must have been planning it for a long time. He hid sixteen hundred elite soldiers in several manors on the city outskirts—some of which weren’t even registered under the Donglai Prefecture’s name, so they didn’t attract any attention. On the morning of the incident, the South City Guard opened the gates and let the Donglai Prefecture’s army into the city. There were collaborators in the Imperial Guard, too, who led two of the Grand Commandant’s top assassins straight into the palace to assassinate His Majesty the King!"

’Just going for it like that? The Grand Commandant is one ruthless dude.’ Hee Lingchuan wanted to give a thumbs-up, but it wasn’t the right time for that.

Hee Chunhua nodded. "The Grand Commandant holds a high position and immense power. His Majesty the King is often ill. If his assassination had succeeded, he could have claimed the monarch died of illness, had a few Imperial Secretaries forge a posthumous edict, and been appointed to assist the new ruler and command the officials. At that point, he could have controlled the new monarch to command the vassals. With the situation settled, even the Military Generals might not have dared to make a move."

The struggles between titans are a matter of fortune and momentum. Once momentum is lost, the cause is unwinnable.

Hee Lingchuan, not understanding, asked, "Why not use poison? A clean blade goes in, a bloody one comes out. That doesn’t look like death by illness."

"His Majesty the King is attended by a Pharmacist whose skills are profound. Poisoning would be impossible."

"The Monarch is his son-in-law. Wouldn’t the kingdom belong to his grandson one day anyway? Why was the Grand Commandant in such a hurry that he had to usurp power himself?"

Hee Chunhua was silent for a moment before answering. "I’ve heard the relationship between the father-in-law and son-in-law is poor. The reasons are undoubtedly complex, but it seems there was a recent conflict. The Northern Demon Kingdom has been repeatedly invading our borders. His Majesty the King demanded a firm counterattack, but the Grand Commandant argued that the country is weak and plagued by turmoil, and it would be unwise to resort to arms. He felt it was best to negotiate a truce and appease them. According to the intelligence I received, His Majesty the King and the Grand Commandant openly argued about this in the Royal Court at least four times. Afterward, the King was so angry he refused to eat. He then summoned Queen Dongg, gave her a severe scolding, and forced her to kneel in the Imperial Garden for half the night."

’So he can’t win an argument with his father-in-law, and he takes it out on his wife? Our king is a real hero in the bedroom.’ Hee Lingchuan scratched his head. "That doesn’t seem like a big enough deal to make the Grand Commandant rebel."

Hee Yue shook his head. "The Grand Commandant is dissatisfied with the state of the nation. He believes His Majesty the King’s incompetent rule has caused countless problems, and he wants to replace him."

"Got it. He just didn’t want to wait." Hee Lingchuan sighed deeply. "’When you want to rebel, any excuse will do. By the way, did he succeed?’"

"No. As it happened, His Majesty the King was away from the palace that day, spending the night at Duke Pwen’s residence. The visit was kept secret. The Grand Commandant’s mole in the palace didn’t know and led the assassins in according to the original plan, only to find the place empty. When the King got word, he fled... ahem, withdrew from the Capital City overnight and retreated to Little West Mountain, ordering all armies to return to the capital and prove their loyalty."

"And with that, the Grand Commandant’s rebellion was exposed. The Governor of Xuanzhou, Wei Ao, was the fastest to send reinforcements. He repelled two of the Grand Commandant’s assaults on Little West Mountain, holding out until Ke Jihai arrived with his army. Seeing no hope of success, the Grand Commandant led his forces west in retreat to defend Wuzhou."