Chapter 103.1: He is White Supreme's Disciple!

Chapter 103.1: He is White Supreme's Disciple!

Qi Yuan listened to Yuan Qi's impassioned speech for a long while before saying, "I have nothing to do with Great Xia. I simply protect the City of No Return because I am its appointed guardian."

He didn't want to owe anyone a favor for no reason.

Hearing this, Yuan Qi was momentarily puzzled, but soon came to understand. The city guardian had to be a man with a magnanimous heart! Even though he likely wasn't a native of Great Xia, he refused to let the southern lands fall into the northern's hands. Hence, the man came alone to the Central Plains, took up station at this city, and guarded it for the sake of all living beings.

He was a true cultivator of great virtue, unshackled by notions of clan or country.

Yuan Qi's respect for him deepened. Then, he thought of his elder brother.

Finally, he asked in a low voice, "Senior, when you arrived at the City of No Return, did you see the soldiers of the Song Battalion from Great Xia?"

"Not long after I came here, two ordinary soldiers from the Song Battalion arrived. They said their unit was ambushed on the road and the entire army was wiped out. Only the two of them escaped with serious injuries, but they didn't last more than a few days. They breathed their last here."

Qi Yuan recalled them, one named Zhang Sheng [1] and the other Chen Jiao [2].

If they had chosen different names, perhaps their fates would have been different

, he mused.

"They're buried deep within the City of No Return," Qi Yuan said.

Yuan Qi's heart grew heavy. He had suspected as much before he even arrived, but seeing it confirmed tore at him even more.

His grandfather, his father, and his eldest brother—three generations of his family—had all perished in the City of No Return.

Qi Yuan caught a faint whiff of wine. "Is that Daughter Fragrance you've got there?"

"It is," Yuan Qi answered solemnly.

He had traveled thousands of miles just so the soldiers could taste their hometown wine again, and know that Great Xia had not forgotten them.

Qi Yuan said, "Zhang Sheng and Chen Jiao drank spoiled wine when they arrived here. Since you've brought good wine, go and offer it to them as tribute."

He still remembered Chen Jiao raising that jar of bad liquor before dying. It truly had tasted awful. Yet Chen Jiao and Zhang Sheng had drunk it with contentment.

"Senior, may I offer you a cup first?" said Yuan Qi, reaching for the wine he carried on his back.

"I don't drink."

With that, Qi Yuan rose into the air, landing atop the towering city wall. Gazing into the boundless desert beyond, he bellowed, "From now on, tell the people of Great Xia not to come to the City of No Return again! I'm in charge of this place. Its walls are unbreakable. No one can invade my home. If you must come, just bring a few military flags."

Qi Yuan didn't know how many years he would guard this place. Still, the more flags that came, the better. Things would become troublesome if no demons were drawn to this place, after all.

Yuan Qi had mixed feelings. He looked up at that thin figure standing upon the wall and bowed deeply.

When he first set out for the City of No Return, he had never thought of returning alive. Despite not knowing when the city would fall, or when he himself would die, he felt no fear.

***

In Jialan City...

The city's guardian, Dong Long, was a man with a bushy beard and mostly white hair. He stood atop the towering walls, the flags of Great Sui fluttering in the wind.

With a gaze full of surprise, Dong Long turned to Liu Wentai. "He refuses to come?"

The city guardian was truly astonished. Great Xia was a small nation, its national strength less than a tenth of Great Sui's. Moreover, after losing City of No return, it had been on the verge of annexation for over a decade.

Now that the City of No Return had a Nation Subjugator guardian, Dong Long naturally wanted to win him over.

"A shame, really."

Since the man refused, Dong Long could not force him. One man guarding one city, without reinforcements or supplies. Sooner or later, he would be swallowed by the ever-growing demon army. Dong Long lamented the loss of another hero.

"You may leave."

Dong Long wouldn't mull over it, especially when they were at a critical juncture. He was leading the army to launch a counterattack on Misang and the demon-controlling tribes.

Once that was done, he could finally return to Great Sui. When he had left the capital, his granddaughter had just been born. Now, even his great-grandson, whom he'd never met, was of marrying age.

***

Die! Die! Die!!!

Outside the City of No Return, Qi Yuan held his sword, facing thousands of demonic beasts ahead. His eyes blazed red as he slaughtered continuously. Before his broken sword, the mighty demons were cut down one after another like weeds.

His EXP bar soared madly upward. The Demonic Origin also continued to grow. The more he killed, the more exhilarated he became, almost craving the taste of blood. Qi Yuan suspected it had something to do with the Demonic Origin.

He was like a cold, emotionless war machine, darting in and out of the demon ranks. In less than half an hour, the army of over a thousand demons lay dead.

"Work's done."

Qi Yuan swiped the blood from his broken sword as usual, then returned to the city wall.

The towering wall stood firm. As long as he guarded it, no demon could scale it.

From the wall, Yuan Qi looked at Qi Yuan with eyes full of awe. "Congratulations, sir. You've repelled the enemy and slain over a thousand demons once again!"

Qi Yuan glanced at him. "A trivial matter, just practicing my sword."

Yuan Qi had now been in the City of No Return for three years. His face was dry and weathered. The once-handsome young man had become a rugged, wind-beaten soldier.

"Senior, there's good news," Yuan Qi said excitedly. "Yesterday, Jialan City's Guardian Dong Long besieged Misang, and the attack was successful! As a result, Misang was gravely wounded and fled. The region should now have a few years of peace."

Yuan Qi admired Dong Long deeply. After all, every army Great Xia had sent to the City of No Return had been annihilated. Meanwhile, Jialan City had achieved victory! How could one not be inspired?

Now that Misang was gravely wounded, the City of No Return's burden would also lessen.

Qi Yuan's expression, however, did not change. He felt nothing toward the thrilling news.

"Let's hope the demons who escaped find their way here to the City of No Return," he said.

Yuan Qi's smile slowly faded.

1. (Sheng "胜": A given name, pronounced "shèng". Its meaning is "victory" or "success") ☜

2. (Jiao "角": This character can mean "role" or "character," especially in a play or film) ☜