Destiny in Cinders

The chaos in the city began to settle. The citizens all returned to their respective homes to await their fates while the beasts returned to their original migratory routes after An Jing gave the order.

Amidst the wind and snow, An Jing faced the mountain rulers. Those great feys of the Clearing Realm still watched Riverside silently, having definitely sensed the presence of something that they deeply desired. But unlike their more primitive descendants, these wise and intelligent feys knew that it didn’t matter how precious something was if they weren’t alive to use it.

Even the ruler of Brokeblade Mountain, the four-winged lunar serpent, had left long ago and didn’t have the slightest intention of testing its hand. Humans chased dreams, while beasts clung to survival. They turned around and cried out loudly as they gradually shook off the snow that piled on their bodies and continued their southward migration.

An Jing breathed a sigh of relief at the sight before jumping off the walls and going back into the city.

”Sheesh, I thought that the beasts would become yet another tribulation I have to face,” An Jing said to Yvelbane. ”My heart was thumping quite fast when I made that bold declaration. If the beasts had attacked, Riverside might not be able to avoid this disaster unlike Keensight. The casualties would’ve numbered at least around ten thousand... Fortunately, the great feys were able to hold back. I won’t have to go back to Skysource for extra firepower.”

He had already used up half his stash from Skysource at Keensight. Though he still had quite a few thunder beads left, he didn’t have many self-destruct drones to spare. The feys had thick and powerful hides and typical means wouldn’t be able to deal significant damage to them.

Yvelbane said, ”They must’ve come because they sensed dragon qi, but after you transferred it to You Ruhui, they were able to calm their impulses. It was a tribulation in the making, no doubt. If you didn’t have a way of sealing or sending the dragon qi away, the beasts would no doubt have attacked the city.”

”I know. This was something that was completely in my blindspot,” An Jing said. ”But what should we do from now on? There’s still people in Riverside, and the city will still produce dragon qi in another two weeks or so. Should I send it to You Ruhui again?”

”She needs dragon qi, no doubt, but not that much,” Yvelbane said. ”While I am familiar with qi refinement, my formation knowledge is only limited to sword formations. I have no idea how we can suppress and store dragon qi. We should ask You Ruhui about this since she’s familiar with it.”

”Alright.” An Jing wiped the nonexistent nervous sweat off his forehead. ”We were lucky this time around. I was confident I could handle Bejeweled and the True Fiend Cult, but not that many Clearing Realm great feys.”

”Don’t be so anxious, An Jing. Your performance has been stellar. There aren’t many who can claim to resolve all these issues with certainty. If you only act once you’re absolutely confident you’ll succeed, you’ll end up failing most of the time because you didn’t do anything at all. An Jing, you have shown yourself to be quite capable.

”As the leader, you should be harsh and decisive. If you make up your mind, go through with it. If you feel like you have to boast, give it your all and exaggerate all you can. After all, there’s no shame in losing against overwhelming odds, and there’s only glory to gain if you succeed. Why shouldn’t you be bold about it? As far as I’m concerned, you show quite a bit of potential. At the very least, you are great at planning and execution. You’re far better than others who would spend half a day just to pick which sword to use.”

”That’s true.” An Jing reminisced a bit and smiled. ”It’s just like making taunts such as using the enemy’s skull as a wine jar during a war. It’s not like people actually do something like that, it’s just rhetoric. At the very least, I suppose I should avoid having a defeatist attitude and saying things that reflect that.”

Being decisive was no doubt part of his character. Even if he made a mistake as a result of his decisions, it was better than hesitating and being unsure of what to do in the moment.

Bai Qinghan and Xu Tai had been waiting for him the moment he got down.

”Congratulations, Senior Brother, for taking Riverside. This marks the first step to your grand design.” She clapped her tiny hands softly with a joyous look, creating the impression that An Jing had begun his rebellion against the empire.

He shook his head and said, ”Hey, I’m not going to start any rebellions just yet. All I’m doing is protecting my mother.”

”Then what do you plan to do next?” She brushed off An Jing’s unconvincing reply. ”Senior Brother, your sword has already paved the way for your victory, establishing your authority over the area after you wiped out the True Fiend Cult and Bejeweled. Grand Chen’s administration willingly abandoned this city in the first place, so that leaves you to be the undisputed king of the area. Whether you call it a rebellion or not, everything in Riverside now belongs to you. How do you plan to deal with this place and its people?”

Xu Tai was losing his cool before hearing An Jing’s response. What in the world?! Are these fellow disciples going to kickstart a rebellion? Don’t tell me I got wrapped up in the demonic cult’s story just like that?! He was no fool; after hearing everything Bai Qinghan had said, he could be sure that she was inextricably linked with the Heavenly Demon Cult, just like An Jing, who had betrayed it! They even joke around about rebellion while I’m here. Don’t tell me they’re going to silence me later?

Xu Tai was so terrified that it showed on his face. However, he eventually thought it through and calmed down. Even if An Jing was really linked to the demonic cult, it didn’t matter. That was something for Grand Chen and the Brightmirror Sect to concern themselves with. What mattered was An Jing’s actions, and they proved that he had good intentions. He really did save the city from Bejeweled, the True Fiend Cult and the beast tide. Those achievements were more than enough to qualify one as the ruler of a city. While people like that were typically in the Clearing Realm, An Jing was far stronger than most Fortification martialists and even had an ability token. This level of deterrence was akin to that of a divine armament and was more than sufficient for him to hold the city.

”Let’s work on taking stock of the rations first, Brother Xu.” An Jing had decided on his next move while Xu Tai’s imagination spun out of control. He turned to the tall wayguard and said, ”The situation has changed. Are you able to gather your wayguards here again? We lack manpower in this city, especially martialists we can trust. Whether it comes to distributing rations or making a roll call of the residents in the city, we’ll need the extra help. I figured that since they can’t be that far away yet, you might have a way to call them back. If all of you help out, you’ll be rewarded. I’m sure you know how these things go.”

”I do!” Xu Tai snapped out of it and answered earnestly. ”I’ll call them back right away!”

His instincts told him that helping the ruler of the city manage it was a heaven-sent opportunity. It was a great chance whether his goal was to form his own faction in the northern frontier or improve his reputation here! An Jing was no doubt their benefactor. Though Xu Tai’s word was good as gold, An Jing’s was worth a thousand times more! He immediately used his waterscreen to call the wayguards back to Riverside.

An Jing then turned to Bai Qinghan, furrowed his brow for a moment, before relaxing his expression. ”Qinghan, what about your subordinates? They’re manpower all the same, so have they come to help too.”