Secular Immortal of the Nine Realms - Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Great Xia’s Shadow Guards

“What’s wrong with big brother?!” Fang Zhixue was dumbstruck. She couldn’t understand why Fang Chen was bowing toward empty space.

The servants had weird looks in their eyes too, as they didn’t understand what Fang Chen was up to.

Fang Canghai sighed softly before calling out, “Chen’er.”

“Father, what brings you here?” Fang Chen turned around to look at Fang Canghai.

For an instant, the crowd thought they saw a glimmer of light in Fang Chen’s dull eyes, but they shrugged it off as Fang Chen had already been blind for five years.

“I’m worried. You have stood here for a day now. Feel free to speak whatever’s on your mind.” Fang Canghai gritted his teeth. “No matter what, I’ll do my best to help you!”

“Father, do you think I’m worried about marrying into the Xiao Clan?” Fang Chen smiled.

“Isn’t that the reason you have stood here for an entire day?” Fang Canghai was surprised.

“It’s not because of that. I have thought things through, so father, you don’t have to worry about me. I’ll deal with it myself,” Fang Chen shook his head and replied. He then clasped his fist and said, “I’ll be taking my leave first.”

“Father, what do you think big brother has thought about?” Fang Zhixue asked while staring at Fang Chen’s departing silhouette.

“Your big brother is a wise man. His thought process is different from ordinary people like us. Perhaps, he might have already found a solution to this quandary.” A glint flashed across Fang Canghai’s eyes.

His son had never made empty claims before. He could be trusted to properly deal with a matter if he chose to take it up. The only time he had stumbled was for that battle in the Three Realms Mountain five years ago.

The common populace might not know better, but he was well aware that things only went out of control due to the intervention of an expert from a grade-8 state.

“What other means does Chen’er have? Does he intend to rely on those people? But his ki sea has been crushed. He might have raised those people, but they don’t have the power to turn the situation around too…” Fang Canghai fell into deep thought.

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn’t hear Fang Zhixue shouting for him. In the end, the latter stomped off.

…

Fang Chen left the General Manor with his eyes shut, but he was able to walk like anyone else. He was exceptionally sensitive toward his surroundings. It was a power he obtained after going blind, or to be exact, it was from witnessing the fairy in the blazing sun.

He could clearly map out everything around him even without astral projecting.

“War supreme-ruler Fang is out for a walk again.”

“Hah! Our Great Xia has been mocked and humiliated by Greenpine Country for five years now, but War supreme-ruler Fang is still in the mood to come out and have a sip of tea. It’s as if he is unfazed by this. Does he have no sense of shame?”

“600,000 of our soldiers are buried in the Three Realms Mountain, and he still has the mood to take a walk and drink tea. I don’t even know what to say.”

The passers-by pointed their fingers at Fang Chen and furiously berated him.

“Yo, isn’t this our War supreme-ruler Fang? That’s not right. In a few days’ time, all the martial artists from our Greenpine Country will have to call you ‘young master’!”

A few brawny men draped in beastskin suddenly blocked Fang Chen’s path. The leader looked at Fang Chen with eyes dripping with disdain. Only the martial artists from Greenpine Country were fond of wearing such beastskin clothes.

The nearby civilians quickly backed away. There was a hint of resentment when they looked at the brawny men, but they dared not express it.

“What are those Greenpine Country’s martial artists talking about?”

“Why would they call War supreme-ruler Fang ‘young master’? What’s going on?”

The crowd muttered amongst themselves.

Wearing the nearby murmurs, the leader of the Greenpine Country’s martial artists gleefully spoke with a loud voice, “You haven’t heard yet? Our Wolf Marshall Xiao has already requested a betrothal from your emperor. Soon, your War supreme-ruler Fang will be marrying into the Xiao Clan. His bride will be none other than the First Wolf Marshall’s beloved daughter, Celestial Xiao!”

Fang Chen… is marrying Celestial Xiao?

Boom!

The shaken-up crowd stared at Fang Chen in disbelief.

“You’re talking nonsense! War supreme-ruler Fang would never marry into the Xiao Clan!” an enraged scholar bellowed with a reddened face.

“You lowly scholar dare accuse me of lying? You must be out of your mind!”

The Greenpine Country’s martial artist walked up to the scholar, grabbed him by his clothes, and gave him twelve tight slaps that left the latter’s brain ringing.

Fang Chen’s expression flickered. The crowd was seething, but no one dared to act up.

After striking the scholar, the Greenpine Country’s martial artist pointed his finger at Fang Chen and said, “Ask your War supreme-ruler yourself if you don’t believe me. See if I’m lying or not!”

“W-War supreme-ruler Fang, please tell us they are lying! How can you marry into the Xiao Clan?” Despite being struck till his cheeks were swollen up and his mouth was seeping blood, the scholar stared expectantly at Fang Chen as if hoping that the latter would refute it.

“The Xiao Clan has indeed requested a betrothal,” Fang Chen replied.

Weng!

The scholar had forced himself to remain on his feet despite having been struck twelve times, but Fang Chen’s words robbed him of his strength, and he fell on his bum with a dazed look.

The surrounding Great Xia civilians were dumbfounded too.

What hope do we have if even our ex-War supreme-ruler marries into the Xiao Clan?

“Hahaha! Hahahaha! The world wants our Great Xia to end! Our Great Xia is doomed!” The scholar burst into frenzied laughter as he uttered blasphemous words, but not a person stopped him.

“Who says our Great Xia is doomed? The world has to ask me for permission first,” Fang Chen replied with a smile.

The scholar was stunned. He stared at Fang Chen in uncertainty.

Fang Chen didn’t say anything more. Instead, he turned to the Greenpine Country’s martial artist and asked, “What’s your name?”

“The world has to ask you for permission? What arrogance. Heh, I am He Longsheng. Young master, do you need me for anything?” the Greenpine Country’s martial artist sneered.

“He Longsheng?” Fang Chen walked up to the martial artist.

The Greenpine Country’s martial artists immediately prepared to make a move, but Fang Chen suddenly opened his eyes and revealed his grayish-white eyes. His eyes contained some sort of compelling authority that caused the martial artists to freeze up.

He Longsheng suddenly felt a sharp pain in his right ear.

Fang Chen had plucked off his right ear with his bare hands! He casually tossed the bloodied ear aside before smiling at He Longsheng. “You’ll be the first one to be slain when I pick up my blade once more.”

With that, he took his leave.

“shit! shit!” He Longsheng clutched his ear white glaring venomously at Fang Chen’s departing figure. He wanted to chase after Fang Chen, but he dared not do so.

It was not just because Fang Chen was Great Xia’s War supreme-ruler, but that he would soon become the Xiao Clan’s son-in-law too!

“F-forget it, let’s go!” the other martial artists sheepishly said.

When those fellows finally left, the swollen-faced scholar looked at the bloodied ear on the ground and burst into hearty laughter.

…

Fang Chen took his walk, drank his tea, before making his way to a little courtyard located by the suburbs. The piled-up dust suggested that no one had been to this courtyard for a long time.

He silently stood for a moment before abruptly saying, “You’re here.”

“Young master!”

Many pairs of agitated eyes stared at Fang Chen. Dozens of silhouettes had unknowingly appeared in the little courtyard. These people were dressed in different clothes; some were roadside vendors, some were scholars, some were dressed in extravagant dresses, and there was even one wearing a training uniform with a sword hanging by his waist.

These people were Great Xia’s Shadow Guards, the secret weapons he had personally nurtured!