Chapter Forty-Eight: The First Weight of Responsibility

A room full of men, all drunken beyond sense, was left at last to Li Dahuo and Yang Xu to clean up the aftermath. Yu Lang, ordinarily the one with the deepest capacity for drink, had been besieged in turn by his brothers’ persistent toasts, rendered dizzy and muddled by their relentless urging. In that moment, he thought he finally understood the reluctant ascent of Emperor Taizu of Song, Zhao Kuangyin, to the throne: surrounded by such fervent brothers, his face flushed and his ears ringing, if someone had draped a dragon robe upon him, he too might have dared declare himself emperor.

Li Dahuo extinguished the charcoal fire and began sweeping the floor.

“Brother Tiger, why is it that whenever Brother Lang gets drunk, he always calls out the name of a woman called Ning Xue? I thought his heart belonged to no one but Miss Qingqing…” Yang Xu, cradling two empty wine jars, asked quietly.

Li Dahuo straightened, his tone stern. “You’d best never mention this again. If this gets out, I’ll be the first to deal with you myself!”

Yang Xu hastened to swear he’d never breathe a word. Though Li Dahuo usually wore an air of indolence, as if nothing could trouble him, the brothers actually feared him more than Yu Lang. When Li Dahuo lost his temper, no one could restrain him.

Of all the brothers, the ones who most heeded Yu Lang were the guileless Xie Zhiqian and Li Chun, while Li Dahuo was the one who cared for him most. Three years ago, Li Dahuo had been deeply disappointed at missing out on a coveted slot for the Marrow Cleansing Ritual; he had forced a smile in public, but in the quiet of night, he would weep and sigh. Fortune had favored Li Dahuo in some ways—he had stumbled into several opportunities by chance—but he was unable to open his dantian, despite poring over countless tomes and developing a method to simulate inner energy. In this, he resembled Yu Lang, but his simulated energy was good only for show, not for use in real combat. He had hoped to seize first place in the Sealed Mountain Tournament with this secret weapon and his own peerless acting, but the plan was ruined by the Yellow River Ancestor’s Wind-Chasing Wolf.

Yu Lang had once witnessed Li Dahuo in the throes of despair and was deeply moved. He discussed with Qingqing the idea of giving half of the Marrow Cleansing Elixir he’d brought back to Li Dahuo, to help him realize his dream. Kind-hearted Qingqing immediately offered her share as well, believing it would increase Li Dahuo’s chances of success.

With the help of Yu Lang’s elixir, Li Dahuo finally opened his dantian and, over the past three years, advanced his cultivation to the Upper Breaking Void Realm. Though still a step behind Yu Lang, he was now the strongest among the rest of the brothers. He seldom spoke of it, but in his heart, he regarded Yu Lang as a brother for life and Qingqing as his own sister.

The first time he heard Yu Lang call out the name “Ning Xue,” Li Dahuo was pained to the core. Qingqing was the sister he cherished, Yu Lang the brother he would die for; caught between them, he was torn. In the end, he chose to help Yu Lang keep the secret. A gentleman judges by actions, not by thoughts; who among men is without flaw? So long as Yu Lang never truly betrayed Qingqing, Li Dahuo was willing to bear the torment.

“If I were to kill this Ning Xue, would it not be better for them both?” The sudden thought startled Li Dahuo so much that he frightened himself.

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Few peaceful days had passed before Yu Lang was summoned again by his master, Chen Wuning.

As always, it was in the side chamber of the council hall, where Chen Wuning liked to sip tea and paint. Yu Lang, no longer the awkward youth he had been three years ago, helped himself to a bowl of tea without hesitation.

But the moment the tea touched his tongue, the expected mellow fragrance was absent. Instead, an explosive heat nearly set his taste buds alight.

Chen Wuning slapped the table, roaring with laughter like a mischievous child delighted by a successful prank.

Yu Lang, enduring the fiery assault on his tongue, forced himself to take another sip as though savoring it, pretending to enjoy the taste.

Chen Wuning eyed him suspiciously. “That’s fire seeds your senior brother Hu Can brought me from overseas. I hear that even one will make your mouth feel aflame, and I put at least a dozen in that bowl. And you…?”

Yu Lang shook his head calmly. “It seems you’ve been outwitted by your own disciples again—what a pity. A lifetime spent teaching, only to produce such tricksters. Perhaps, Master, you should reflect on your methods.”

“Truly, you taste nothing?”

“Tasteless as water. If you don’t believe me, Master, please try it yourself?” Inwardly, Yu Lang’s mischievous shadow was laughing uproariously.

Chen Wuning lifted Yu Lang’s bowl as if to drink, and Yu Lang couldn’t help but part his lips in anticipation. Suddenly, Chen Wuning poured the remaining tea straight into Yu Lang’s mouth. “Since it’s flavorless, you should have more. I used some in my cooking yesterday—the heat was unbearable. You young people really can handle spice.”

Yu Lang, face flushed and leaping about, silently cursed his senior brother Hu Can. Damn it, in my past life I couldn’t handle spice, and now, after coming to the Tang, where chili peppers haven’t even been introduced, you have to bring them from overseas? Thanks ever so much!

Chen Wuning’s laughter faded, and he drank a cup of pepper tea with a solemn face. “Your brother Hu Can cared nothing for power or fame, nor did he have any lofty ambitions. His sole pleasure was sailing out to sea to collect rare and curious things. Half a month ago, upon hearing that your other brother, Rhuanfu Weiming, the Military Commissioner of Longyou, was besieged, he hurried to his aid. He was intercepted and killed by the Tubo National Preceptor, Kuduozha, at the age of only twenty-seven.”

Now Yu Lang understood the meaning behind the two bowls of hot pepper tea. “Master wishes to send me to rescue Brother Rhuanfu? But I heard our Tang armies have been victorious on the Tubo front—how could Brother Rhuanfu be besieged without relief?”

Chen Wuning replied, “Before Kuduozha intervened, our forces had the upper hand. But this man’s cultivation is profound and his tactics devious. He deliberately showed weakness to draw the main force from Hongji City, luring Rhuanfu Weiming into a bold assault a thousand miles away, then quickly deployed an ambush to encircle Hongji City in an iron siege. There are traitors at court; the pleas for aid sent by Rhuanfu Weiming’s death warriors have not reached us. The general Zhao Weide, stationed at the Western Capital, has repeatedly tried to break through with reinforcements but was repulsed each time. The last attempt cost us Hu Can and hundreds of vanguard volunteers. We are at an impasse.”

“It’s not that our Tang soldiers lack courage, but Kuduozha is insidious and, relying on his mastery of the Enlightened Profound Realm, disregards all rules, assassinating our commanders and leaving our army leaderless, to be defeated piecemeal…”

Yu Lang spoke gravely, “I am willing to go. Though I cannot match a master of the Enlightened Profound Realm, I can ensure my own survival and lead my brothers through the blockade to aid Brother Rhuanfu from within and without.”

Chen Wuning nodded. “That is precisely my intent. In addition to you and your Lang Battalion, Nan Jiyun has also received my letter and will soon return to Yangzhou. With you two leading the Lang Battalion, and the garrison under General Zhao Weide at the Western Capital, we should be able to break Rhuanfu Weiming’s siege.”

“Three days from now, Nan Jiyun will return to Xiyue Academy. I will arrange a farewell banquet for you both, and you will set out that same day. In the meantime, make your preparations. If any of the brothers in the Lang Battalion do not wish to join you, do not force them—once on the battlefield, blades and arrows spare no one.”

The Lang Battalion was a group of seventeen, all elite students from Xiyue Academy, assembled by Yu Lang and his brothers. What began as a jest had now become an official designation, even reaching Dean Chen Wuning’s ears.

“Yes!” Yu Lang accepted his orders solemnly.

Leaving the council hall, Yu Lang felt a heavy weight settle in his heart. This mission was unlike their previous campaigns against bandits; this was true warfare, commanding troops. He did not know how long he would be gone, whether he would return, or how he could possibly break the news to Qingqing.