Chapter 92: Lawless Martial Arts?

  If her spiritual power couldn't recover, Zuo Xiao Yao didn't think she could roam freely in the depths of Jia Luo Forest. After experiencing the wind and thunder ridge and continuing on, she encountered those fierce beasts one after another, and only then did she gain this self-awareness. In comparison, the strange creature she had previously fought for the Golden Lotus Double Born Grass was nothing.

  At the same time, Zuo Xiaoyao also made a surprising discovery that she often saw some strangely shaped animals in the Kalos forest, which she couldn't even name, such as tiger-headed wolves or sheep-bodied leopards. They were all species that had never been mentioned in modern recorded data, and they seemed to be the products of hybridization between two, three, or four different modern animals, very strange indeed.

  And these are also the things that she has touched since coming to this world, except for the profession of Fa Shi, in Zuo Xiao Yao's view, the biggest difference between modern China and ancient times.

  Two years flew by, and she had almost traversed the entire Kalos Mountains, successfully collecting countless rare spiritual herbs and minerals. With the help of the reversed time difference in the Purple Boundary Realm, she smoothly cultivated to the late stage of the Foundation Establishment realm. Only then did Zuo Xiaoyao feel satisfied and decide to leave.

  Her cultivation improved, her strength increased, allowing her to not only face greater storms but also have more means to protect herself. By nature cautious, and now hearing that icy goddess-like woman repeatedly emphasize the importance of protecting her own life, seeing her and those two lying in coffins fall into such a situation, it reminded Zuo Xiaoyao of the importance of strength even more. To preserve oneself was not an easy task, and what kind of existence they were, she had some knowledge hidden in her heart.

  Back in Luocheng, I saw that this once prosperous and bustling city had suddenly become desolate. The streets, which were once crowded with people, were now empty, with only occasional passersby hurrying by with worried looks on their faces. The shops along the roads were also clearly struggling, with nearly half of them closed down.

  The situation was eerie, and Zuo Xiaoyao couldn't help but feel curious about what had happened here, even if she didn't think it had anything to do with her. Why had Luocheng, the most prosperous commercial city, become like this?

  The answer to this question was soon placed in front of Zuo Xiaoyao. It turned out that a year and a half ago, the Emperor of Fengyun Country suddenly recovered from his long illness and, despite the opposition of the courtiers, insisted on mobilizing troops to launch a war against Fengyuan Country due to a small dispute between the border guards of the two countries.

  After numerous battles, the Wind Cloud Empire was in a state of desperation, with bandits rampant and its people on the brink of survival. Although the Emperor of the Wind Cloud Empire had wanted to end the war later on, he felt that the conditions proposed by the Feng Luan Empire were too harsh and did not want to become a vassal state from then on, so he continued to hold on.

  In this world, small countries often yield to stronger powers and become vassal states of larger nations. However, the Wind Cloud Country was not much weaker than the Wind Sparrow Country and was considered a moderately powerful nation on the Wind Continent, with a history spanning over 300 years. It was naturally unwilling to become a vassal state of the Wind Sparrow Country.

  Every time a country is in turmoil, the ordinary people are the first to suffer. Now, in many places of Fengyuan Country, there have been uprisings and rebellions. In previous battles, there were even cases of generals betraying their country on the battlefield. This also exposed the huge loopholes in the governance of Fengyuan Country. The current emperor is incompetent and has made life difficult for the people for many years, causing them to lose faith.

  And Feng Luan country was 'Heavenly Descended Holy Girl', after the new emperor ascended to the throne, he continuously promulgated several new policies, and with the holy girl's support and maintenance, those new policies that benefited the people were implemented smoothly, making the new emperor gain the enthusiastic support of the citizens. The news spread rapidly in Feng Yun country in a way that was extremely misleading, further deepening the dissatisfaction of the Feng Yun national citizens towards the current rulers, shaking the almost congenital patriotic heart of many people, and some who suffered greatly even wished they could quickly offer Feng Yun country to them with both hands.

  Upon learning of the new policies in Fengyuan Country, Zuo Xiaoyao was even more convinced that the Holy Maiden who proposed these policies must be a fellow countryman. At the same time, she also knew that the reason why Fengyun Country could still barely hold on until now was mainly due to the third prince, Gu Yan Nan Xiong, who led the army against the enemy and was brave in battle. Although he didn't have many capable generals under him, his own martial skills were exceptional, and he was invincible in battle. Additionally, with the intelligent military strategist Shangguan Hong by his side, they complemented each other well, which forced Fengyuan Country to slow down its invasion of Fengyun Country's territory. However, due to the previous defeats, Fengyun Country had suffered too much loss, and even with Gu Yan Nan Xiong and Shangguan Hong's exceptional abilities, they couldn't recover the lost land or drive Fengyuan Country back.

  Will the solitary wild goose flying south ever regret it?

  After hearing the latest news, Zuo Xiao Yao thought to herself that in order to save his father, the Emperor of Feng Yun Country, he didn't mind risking his life nine times and facing obstruction from political enemies, including those from his own brothers, to venture deep into the Ga Luo Forest, and even nearly lost his own life several times.

  The wish for good people to have good fortune is beautiful, but in the present world where 'good people' are still alive, it is often difficult to achieve, although it is uncertain whether that 'good fortune' will await them in their next life.

  Zuo Xiao Yao, without a doubt, had searched far and wide for the Purple Sacred Fruit to save his father. After saving him, he hoped that his father could reform the government, allowing the many princes and the various domain lords and ministers below them to be more at peace. He also wanted the people of Fengyun Country to have a peaceful life, so they wouldn't be afraid to leave their homes due to the collusion between officials and bandits. Even if they did venture out, they would still need to prepare to pay for protection, and after paying, they would worry that their own lives might also be targeted.

  But just as the Emperor of Fengyun Country was about to launch a counterattack on Fengyue Country, he suddenly issued several imperial edicts ordering him to return immediately. This move revealed that the emperor, who only trusted his corrupt officials and had returned to his old ways after recovering from his illness, indulging in wine and women every night, would inevitably disappoint Yuanye Nan.

  The Emperor of Fengyun Country spared no effort to summon the Lone Goose back to the palace, and the people of the country all had their own say, but no matter what the real reason was, everyone knew that once the Lone Goose was summoned back, Fengyun Country would have no chance of turning things around, and as for the current Emperor, they were extremely disappointed, hating that they couldn't curse him to death day and night, and replace him with a wise ruler. Among them, the great hero in the hearts of the people, the Fifth Prince, was naturally the first choice.

  Not only did she take on the name of 'Holy Girl', but also made such a conscientious effort to do this job well, although in her heart, she felt inexplicably puzzled by the actions of that acquaintance from Fenghuang Country. She always felt that this was not quite like Qin Liangyu's style, but thinking that she had only been with Qin Liangyu for less than a month, and then separated for three or four years, without any news from each other in between. It was normal not to understand, after some consideration, Zuo Xiaoyao already had a plan in mind.

  At the same time, with a yellow handkerchief clutched in his left hand and his eyebrows furrowed, Gong Yannan sat down somewhat dejectedly on the first chair at the top of the hall. "The fifth summons has arrived; it seems Father Emperor has made up his mind to summon me back this time!"

  "It's even more determined to be unfavorable to Your Highness, the current situation is very good, once we go back. I'm afraid that Wind Cloud Country will only have the fate of surrendering to Wind Luan Country!"

  Although the corners of his mouth were still hanging with a smile that did not conceal his sarcastic intention, there was no smile in his eyes. Shangguan Hong replied coldly, "What should we do then? The young master cannot go back, those people are too much. Now is the time of national crisis, they only think about provoking discord, don't they ever think that if the fifth prince had any treasonous intentions towards the emperor, how could he have risked his life to search for the Purple Sacred Fruit in the Kalasen Forest?"

  "When he mentioned the young man in white, an old man who walked slowly to a position at the head of the lone goose's southward flight and sat down said: 'The little boy we met when we went to the Kalos Forest, I wonder if Your Highness can contact him? If he is willing to help us with one arm, I think things will surely have a turning point!'"

  With a downward glance, hiding the flash of surprise in his eyes, Yu Nan asked, "Chu Lao, why did you say that?" Up to now, he had never heard anyone praise someone so much. Upper official Hong raised an eyebrow and asked, "Chu Lao, what made you say this?"

  "From what I've observed, that young man must be a practitioner of both law and martial arts. At such a young age, he can already control objects with his will, a feat that even most senior lawyers cannot accomplish. But what puzzles me is why he doesn't seem to have ever joined the court, where did he inherit the power of the law soul from?"

  Not noticing the abnormality of the solitary wild goose flying south, Chu Lao was not without envy.

  The lone goose shook his head and said, "Don't mention being unable to contact them, even if we could, it would be of no use. There is an agreement among the courts on the mainland that all Taoist priests are not allowed to participate in battles. Otherwise, if Chu Lao were to take action, these people from Fengyue Country wouldn't stand a chance."

  Shangguan Hong nodded in agreement, "Yes, but if not for this agreement, the Revered Sky Saintess of Feng Luan Country would have made her move. I'm afraid we wouldn't even have a chance to counterattack."

  "Alas! At that time in the forest of Giran, you took both the blue and red sashes, but didn't let me go. Now I hear you mention how formidable that young man is, yet I haven't seen him before!"

  The white-clothed young man, who still had a hint of youthful vigor on his face, was still holding a grudge against himself for not being able to follow him into the Kalos Forest last time. A smile flashed across Upanguo Hong's face, and the gloom in his heart dissipated a bit. "Speaking of which, you actually saw that young man before me and the prince did. If it wasn't for him that time, using the Thunderbolt Pearl from Jing Tian Sheng Nu to counterattack, the prince and I would have lost our lives due to severe injuries."

  "So it was him after all! Why didn't you like others mentioning him, Your Highness? After you came out of the Kalos Forest, you hardly mentioned him either. I thought it was some arrogant guy who had offended you and that's why none of you wanted to mention him. So, it turns out we owe him a debt of gratitude for saving our lives several times! That's right, I heard Your Highness fell off the cliff back then and was able to return safely to the top, was that also because of him?"

  No one is willing to always mention that there is such a person in the world, who is so powerful that they can't help but sigh with admiration, and even if they know they may spend their whole life trying, they still can't catch up with him. If they often think of this person, he will likely become a high mountain in their heart, and they can only look up to him. They intentionally put him in an inconspicuous corner, pretending to forget, which is the choice that most people would make subconsciously, like the old man with the surname Chu, or Shangguan Hong who was also a dragon among men, but not including Yuanye Nan who knew more.

  After parting with Zuo Xiao Yao, Gu Yan never mentioned anything related to her again, including her gender, the abnormality after she fell off the cliff, and her abilities that were even stronger than those of the legendary Feng Luan country's Jing Tian Sheng Nu. He was clearer than anyone else that if someone was willing to help, the current situation in Feng Yun country and his own circumstances could be greatly improved quickly, but he never dared to hope for it.

  Such an existence should be placed in the most noble position in one's heart, for reverence, not reliance!

  Thinking of these things, the lone goose's heart is filled with bitterness!

  Three days later, however, a decree like a thunderbolt struck, dispelling all their worries and discontent. The Emperor of Fengyun died suddenly in the midst of peace and prosperity, leaving behind a final edict: Pass the throne to the fifth prince!

  Is this how you repay kindness?

  In the military, he was dressed in imperial robes, and all those who planned to oppose his succession in the imperial city became disabled. Listening to the congratulations of tens of thousands of soldiers below, Gu Yan felt more bitter in her heart. In fact, she hoped that the other party could always owe her the favor she had mentioned before, even if it was true that he was the real debtor!