Chapter 891 – Northern Overlord (Twenty-Eight)
A few years ago, with the Northern Border Army looming, the various clans in Chongzhou spread rumors and resorted to cunning tactics to snatch away the lands and homes from the common people, forcing them to go from law-abiding citizens to wandering refugees. How many lives were lost because of this?
For the noble class, such tactics weren’t considered a big deal; after all, land equates to wealth, and no one really complains about having too much money.
But still, it’s nothing short of disgraceful banditry.
Noble families care about their reputation. Even if they act like bandits, there’s no way they’d ever admit it.
In other words, land annexation is a “hidden rule”—something understood but never spoken of.
It was precisely because of this that Jiang Pengji was able to bite back, leaving the clans of Chongzhou speechless.
She claimed that the influence of the Chongzhou clans had been flirting with the Northern Border Royal Court, even going so far as to plunder the lands of the Chongzhou commoners under the direction of the three clans of the Northern Border, preparing the way for the Northern Border Army to take control of Chongzhou… Logically speaking, there was no fault in her reasoning. All she needed was to present this accusation, forge a few fake letters of collusion, and along with the wounds on Liu Zhi and Jiang Pengji, it would be enough for the Chongzhou clans to take a heavy loss.
After all, more than ninety percent of Chongzhou’s land had indeed been divided among them.
The evidence was as solid as iron; there was no way to wriggle out of it.
Of course, this was merely a battle of public opinion; the decisive factor still lay with the army.
If those clans dared to truly oppose her, she would dare to wash them all in blood!
She wanted to see whether the lives and land of one or two individuals were more important, or the lives of their entire clan!
As Jiang Pengji stepped out of the residence, she looked up at the dark, ominous sky, the corners of her mouth curling into a silent sneer.
At this moment, the situation in Chongzhou had truly changed.
Within Chongzhou, the atmosphere was tense, while half a month’s journey away in the capital, everything was surprisingly calm.
“Zixiao, why are you still up at this hour?”
Zhang Ping stepped out in a thick coat, dimly perceiving a tall figure standing in the garden.
At first, he was startled, but under the faint moonlight, as he approached, he realized it was Wei Ci.
Hearing someone call him, Wei Ci turned to look, his voice hoarse as he replied, “Xi Heng.”
From the tone, it was clear Wei Ci had also come out to observe the stars in the courtyard.
“Your body took two years to recover; you should cherish it more,” Zhang Ping scolded like a concerned elder. “Wearing something so thin, don’t you fear catching a chill? Look at your pale complexion; you could scare someone to death in the middle of the night…”
If Wei Ci fell ill, the burden would fall entirely on him and Shao Guang, which would be simply exhausting.
Wei Ci thanked Zhang Ping for his kindness, taking a deep breath as the icy air filled his lungs, making him shiver.
“Put on this coat; don’t fall sick again,” Zhang Ping voluntarily offered his cloak. “You’ve been standing in the courtyard for a while; what are you looking at?”
“…The Northern Star has become increasingly radiant, faintly tinged with blood-red light…”
Wei Ci began to say something but refused to continue, earning a roll of the eyes from Zhang Ping.
He hated it when people spoke half-sentences.
“Is that a good omen or a bad one?” Zhang Ping asked.
He didn’t understand astrology, but as a disciple of Yuan Jing, Wei Ci had learned some true lore and had some skills.
“Very auspicious… yet there’s a trace of misfortune within the good fortune; however, it’s not problematic.”
Wei Ci coughed lightly with a smile, his eyes under the moonlight appearing as dark as ink, yet paradoxically pure.
Zhang Ping said, “So, is the Lord’s situation in Chongzhou not too bad?”
Wei Ci replied, “Based solely on astrology, yes, it seems good, but… I can’t help but feel a bit concerned.”
Zhang Ping chuckled, teasing, “What are you worried about? The Lord is surrounded by capable individuals for protection—whether it’s Wen Zheng, Zishi, or Fu Zhengtu and Han Mei, they’re all extraordinary figures. Few can bypass them to harm the Lord, right? Zixiao, you’re overthinking it.”
Rather than fretting over such things, it would be better to get some rest, as there was much work awaiting them the next day.
“No… you don’t understand—”
Suddenly, Wei Ci recalled Master Liaochen’s words.
Years had passed, and whenever he had the chance, he would document the star patterns, just as Master Liaochen had said—changes in imperial energy were indeed mysterious.
Given the Lord’s actions in recent years, the rise in imperial energy should have shown a steady upward trend.
However, as Wei Ci organized his recorded data, he was shocked to find the growth trend had turned into a bizarre wavy line.
In other words, the imperial energy was indeed being stolen, and the theft occurred with remarkable regularity.
To this day, they hadn’t managed to capture the fiend stealing the imperial energy, and he felt deep concern.
How could mortals contend with creatures of the unnatural?
Even someone as formidable as his Lord would be helpless!
With that thought, Wei Ci figured he should find a suitable time to consult some exceptional individuals and see if they had any information.
As the cold night wind swirled, he stayed in the courtyard for a while before turning to return indoors, succumbing to sleepiness and drifting into dreams.
After roughly an hour, he suddenly shot up from bed, his expression filled with a hint of panic, his ears gradually warming.
Why, why did he suddenly dream of the Lord?
Recalling the scenes from the dream, Wei Ci felt both worried and embarrassed.
Worried because in his dream, the Lord was adorned in noble attire, bright red blood staining half of her body, the wounds bleeding profusely, causing him heartache. Yet in the dream, he was voiceless, merely watching her reveal a commonly familiar indifferent expression.
Embarrassed… because he—for some inexplicable reason—seemed to be visible to her in the dream? She even traced his collarbone with her finger before lingering on his lips for a long time. Although they never made actual contact, he inexplicably felt as if his lips were brushing against her icy fingertips.
With both lifetimes combined, Wei Ci wasn’t exactly young anymore.
He couldn’t help but chuckle. At his age, how could he be having such absurd dreams?
Though absurd… it did feel a tad real?
Suppressing that odd feeling, Wei Ci lay back down and slipped into slumber once more.
This time, he didn’t have any bizarre dreams and slept straight through until dawn.
At another location in Chongzhou, Jiang Pengji sighed with regret as she withdrew her hand.
Having longed for the yin-yang jade pendant hanging around Wei Ci’s neck to activate, she unexpectedly witnessed its effectiveness today.
Jiang Pengji traded the pendant from Xie Qian with her reincarnation powers; if it were in her previous life, such an item would incite fierce competition among interstellar forces, but in this world, it was practically useless. Fortunately, Jiang Pengji was clever and promptly gifted it to Wei Ci. She was certain that anything she gave to Wei Ci, even if he didn’t keep it close, he would handle it with care.
Having briefly caught sight of Wei Ci’s ethereal shadow, she knew the item was genuine and its effects were outstanding.
However, aside from Jiang Pengji, it seemed that no one else could see Wei Ci.
This discovery lifted her spirits considerably, even causing her methods against the Chongzhou clans to become “gentler.”
