“You’re making it worse. Shaman Monarch, my foot. You’re still as naughty as ever.”
I was waiting for Young Shiyi to continue when she coughed hard enough to frown. “What’s wrong?” I grabbed Young Shiyi’s wrist to find she had an internal injury as I suspected.
Young Shiyi lowered her head when she realised I wasn’t going to let her run off. “Feizhen… I…”
“Don’t speak. I’ll heal you now.” I transferred true qi from my palm to hers in order to recalibrate her breathing. I then withdrew a cold qi from her and transferred it into the earth. I waited for her to reset with a few breaths, then asked, “Soone from Shaman Monarch Palace hurt you?”
“It was a woman I fought off while defending the formation. She’s very strong.”
“… Rest here. I’ll be right back.”
Young Shiyi caught my sleeve as I walked away. “Don’t go. I’m fine. You haven’t seen in days. Where are you off to when I’m right here? I don’t want you to go.”
Young Shiyi only needed to say, “I don’t want you to go” for to cancel my plan. Although I couldn’t find any other issues on her, I still felt that so therapy was in order for . “… Was it soone from Sky Palace?”
“One of the Three Stone Pillars. She’s called Shadow Lady or sothing. I can’t asure her full capacity. Although you’re stronger than her, none of us would’ve stood a chance if you weren’t around.”
“Sky Palace’s Three Stone Pillars…”
I imdiately assud it was the armour-clad woman I saw because I instantly discerned she was tough without needing to trade blows. I didn’t want to fight her and the python at the sa ti, which was why I walked off. Had I known she hurt Young Shiyi, I would’ve made her fight. It was never too early to settle my scores with Sky Palace.
“What are you two doing here?”
I looked up the route leading to the peak. “Boss? Why did you co down? Did sothing happen?”
“No, your subordinates did perfect; everyone is happy with the arrangents. I started to worry since you two didn’t co up, so I ca down to check.”
“What’s there to worry about? There’s nobody left who can match us.”
“Oh really?” Young Shiyi reminded, “And who was about to go throw hands with Sky Palace’s elite?”
I didn’t expect a knife in my back, and Boss narrowed her eyes, so I switched the topic as fast as I could. “Ehehe, you been well, Boss?”
“Not exactly well, but not exactly bad. How about you?”
“Besides being bored in my role as a depressed character, I’m fine.” I think Boss already saw through my act on the day she bid farewell.
“Let’s get moving, then. They’re waiting for us.”
“Yes, Ma’am.”
Boss and Young Shiyi didn’t make a deal out of the hundreds of eyes watching us leave because they didn’t sense any hostility from them.
“They’re my brothers who’ve travelled with everywhere for the last few months. They can be trusted.” Smiling, I stepped forward and spread my arms. “It’s been an amazing few months with everyone. Unfortunately, I am not your Shaman Monarch. Please forgive for deceiving you.”
Instead of being t with glares and daggers, I ca eye to eye with confusion. Like Iron Guardian told , they truly were as innocent as blank sheets of paper.
“We want to follow you.” Once one started, more and more followers who could speak Mandarin cried, “Your Majesty, please allow us to follow you.” In no ti at all, those who couldn’t speak Mandarin voiced the sa sentint in Xiacang Anxi - I could understand from their visages without an interpreter.
“You…”
A tearful child cried, “Your Majesty, the first ti we saw aning to our lives was when we helped villages with you. In the past, we did not know how to distinguish between good and bad. You are the one who opened our eyes. Great Spirit Shaman is a fraud. Shaman Monarch Palace is a fraud. The Shaman Monarch we have worshipped is fake, as well. Only you are real. We are cognisant of our ignorance. Even though people dislike us, you never turned your back on us. You did not mind sharing our als and beds. We are children without hos to return to. If even you abandon us, we truly do not know what to do. Your Majesty, please allow us to follow you.”
I could almost hear thousands of nerves bundling up.
“If you don’t understand what I say next, ask soone nearby who does. I won’t repeat myself. First, stop addressing as ‘Your Majesty’. I’m not ‘Your Majesty’ - never was. I appreciate you holding in such high esteem as well as not considering a shaless liar, though I really am.
“You are not ignorant children. You’re all amazing. You helped villages rebuild, hunt, farm in addition to driving off dangerous animals and bandits. You’re heroes of those villages. Nobody can tell you otherwise.”
As soon as one kid started crying, all the others followed suit.
“I can’t be your ‘Your Majesty’. That said, I can be your elder brother. If you don’t have anywhere to return to, I have a suggestion, although it’s sowhat far.”
“We will go wherever you go as long as we can follow you!”
“Sounds good. Boss, I reckon Liu Shan n has done enough. Don’t you think it’s ti to switch plans? Quality over quantity. Don’t you think the ti is ripe to begin expansion?”
While Liu Shan n’s mbership in the capital was acceptable, it was moons away from comparing to its forr glory. There was no way Liu Shan n could recruit a big number of helpers in a short ti fra. Else, Boss wouldn’t have had trouble expanding in the capital in the first place.
I pointed to the mountain. “There are one thousand and five hundred people willing to offer their services, all of whom are comndable youths who can accept challenges. I recomnd them to you.”
Able to fill in the blanks, Boss gave the innocent children a smile. “They will have to earn their keep. After all, it’s not cheap to feed so many people.”
“Indeed. We will be credited with the biggest contribution in this campaign.”
“I have to credit another rit to your na now, huh?”
“Kids, where’s your ‘thank you, Big Sis’? From now on, you can co back to the Central Plain to work as Liu Shan n’s constables with !”
“Thank you, Big Sis!”
We expected growth, but we never expected those 1500-plus youths to beco the foundation of Liu Shan n’s pivotal return that night.
Reviews
All reviews (0)