"Wait, Nuo Zhi!"
With Lin Zhao's command, Nuo Zhi gracefully halted the flying sword, their figures suspended in the wind. In the distance, a troop of Snow Dragon Dynasty cavalry seemed to have noticed the commotion. Hundreds of riders, led by a chiliarch, galloped towards them. Upon seeing the two figures above the sword light, the chiliarch couldn't help but frown. One was a ninth-realm sword cultivator, and the other's depth was indiscernible, perhaps a cultivator of the Upper Five Realms. Such a cultivator would be a formidable presence before a small, secular dynasty like the Snow Dragon Dynasty.
"Two Sword Immortals..."
The chiliarch cupped his fists respectfully, "You two do not appear to be cultivators from the Snow Dragon Dynasty. May I ask where you hail from?"
"The West, from the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake."
Lin Zhao smiled, "General, I am curious and would like to inquire about something."
"Sword Immortals, please ask. I shall answer truthfully."
"Your swords..."
Lin Zhao frowned and asked, "Have they always been like this?"
"Yes."
The chiliarch smiled, "I have served in the army for over thirty years, and since the day I joined, our swords have always been like this. It is said that the blacksmith who forged these swords was invited from the Great Shang Dynasty. These steel swords are extremely sharp and do not suffer much against demons or fiends, and they hold a significant advantage against the Eastern Wu Kingdom to the southwest."
"Is that so..."
Lin Zhao took a deep breath and said, "May I meet your Marshal?"
"Meet the Marshal?"
The chiliarch was taken aback, "Sword Immortal, you jest. The Marshal is a man of the military and has no dealings with immortals from the mountains. Moreover..."
"There's no need to worry."
Lin Zhao smiled, "We are not here for revenge. We merely wish to meet the Marshal and discuss the possibility of borrowing troops."
"Very well!"
The chiliarch cupped his fists, "Sword Immortals, please follow me!"
...
A snowfield, countless tents connected, the sound of hooves incessant.
The command tent, the Marshal's tent.
Lin Zhao, accompanied by Nuo Zhi and the chiliarch, strode into the tent. As he looked up, he saw the Marshal of the Snow Dragon Dynasty, a middle-aged commander with a somewhat heroic demeanor, clad in golden armor and a deep red cloak, his hand resting on his sword hilt, exuding a steady aura of authority.
He slowly stood up, his brow furrowed as he looked at Lin Zhao and Nuo Zhi. He cupped his fists and said, "Greetings to the two Sword Immortals. May I ask why you have sought me out?"
"Greetings, Marshal."
Lin Zhao cupped his fists and smiled, "I merely have a question in my heart that needs the Marshal's clarification."
"Sword Immortal, please speak."
"Is the Marshal's hometown Yun Prefecture of the Great Shang Dynasty?" Lin Zhao asked.
"..."
The Marshal frowned, "How does the Sword Immortal know?"
"It is merely a guess."
"May I have the Sword Immortal's name?"
"Lin Zhao."
"..."
The Marshal, whose face bore a heroic air, trembled inwardly. It had been too many years since he had heard this name. When his subordinates mentioned that these two hailed from the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake, he had already harbored suspicions. Now, the other party directly admitted to being that person. Was it true or false?
Lin Zhao smiled faintly, "Marshal, would I be honored to invite you for a drink?"
"Ah!?"
The Marshal was momentarily stunned, then smiled, "It is my honor that the Sword Immortal invites me for a drink. Guards, prepare some small dishes and warm some wine for the Sword Immortal!"
Lin Zhao did not stand on ceremony. He took out several pots of Dongting Green Bamboo wine from his robes and casually sat down in front of the Marshal's table. He clinked cups with the Marshal, whose identity was yet to be revealed. After a few sips, a warmth spread through his body. The middle-aged Marshal, however, frowned and glanced at Nuo Zhi behind Lin Zhao. He was certain that this female Sword Immortal was of the Upper Five Realms, and her right sleeve was empty. This further confirmed her identity, making it highly probable that she was indeed the female Sword Immortal from the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake, Nuo Zhi, and now a twelfth-realm cultivator.
To put it bluntly, a twelfth-realm Sword Immortal could easily wipe out half the Snow Dragon Dynasty.
And this remarkably young Nascent Soul Sword cultivator before him, could he truly be that person's reincarnation?
After a few more cups of wine, Lin Zhao picked up a small dish and popped it into his mouth. He looked up, his eyes calmly fixed on the Marshal of the Snow Dragon Dynasty, and said with a smile, "What exactly were you thinking? Why abandon being the Military Governor of Yun Prefecture to come here and be the Marshal of the Snow Dragon Dynasty?"
"Ah?!"
The middle-aged Marshal was struck by lightning, not expecting Lin Zhao to seem to have seen through his identity.
"You..."
He gritted his teeth, "Does the Sword Immortal know who I am?"
"Who else could it be?"
Lin Zhao smiled faintly and said, "Back then, the fifty-three thousand Yun Prefecture cavalry fought desperately against the demon army, only to suffer heavy losses and a major defeat. The Military Lord died in battle. Lin Wuyang, Ning Ze, and Li Xuanji, three Military Governors from Yun Prefecture, led the remnants south. However, they were intercepted by Li Chunyang, under Marquis Wen, outside Gu Yao Pass. In the end, Lin Wuyang and Ning Ze fought to the death, covering Li Xuanji's more than five thousand Yun Prefecture cavalry as they retreated eastward."
As he spoke, his tone was light, but every word struck the middle-aged Marshal like thunder. When Lin Zhao looked at him and smiled, "Military Governor Li Xuanji of Yun Prefecture, you probably never imagined you'd be sitting here drinking with me in this lifetime, did you?"
"..."
Li Xuanji's body trembled. He signaled for all his subordinates to leave, then slowly stepped back half a pace and knelt on one knee, saying, "Military Governor of Yun Prefecture, General of the North, Li Xuanji... pays respects to Marshal Lin!"
"Please rise, sir."
Lin Zhao nodded and said, "Let's continue drinking."
"I fear I cannot drink anymore."
Li Xuanji's eyes reddened. He remained kneeling and said, "Marshal Lin just asked me why I abandoned my post as Military Governor of Yun Prefecture to become Marshal here. In truth, it is not because I craved wealth or status. Although the Snow Dragon Dynasty is called a dynasty, its national strength is far inferior to the Great Shang Dynasty, even less than half of the Eastern Wu Kingdom's past strength. It is situated in the northern regions and is plagued by constant warfare. Where would there be wealth and status? It is simply..."
"Simply what?"
"Simply because Li Xuanji was already a discarded piece of the Great Shang Dynasty. Our entire Yun Prefecture cavalry became pawns in Wen Shuo's scheme. Did Li Chunyang's inaction when he could have saved us not prove everything? Moreover..."
His eyes were red, "The Military Lord led a million-strong army north to attack the demons, which itself was highly criticized. Coupled with our crushing defeat, the Military Lord and we Governors became criminals in the annals of the Great Shang Dynasty. What would Li Xuanji gain by returning to the Great Shang Dynasty? To be shackled and humiliated, to bring shame upon our ancestors?"
Lin Zhao sighed, "I do not wish to comment on Marquis Wen's schemes, but the Military Lord and the Governors are certainly not criminals."
"Marshal Lin..."
Li Xuanji murmured, "For so many years, I have sent people to the Great Shang Dynasty to gather whispers and rumors from the court. I have also read biographies and historical records written by scholars and literati of the human world. They unanimously believe that the Military Lord was boastful and led to the loss of fifty-three thousand Yun Prefecture cavalry. Even... those venomous literati referred to Military Lord Yue Hao as 'Marquis of Misrule.' The world believes this. They all think the Military Lord was a defeated general, and they believe the subsequent great victory at Snow Domain Heavenly Lake had nothing to do with the Military Lord or the fifty thousand Yun Prefecture cavalry. We were merely incompetent individuals of the human world..."
"What kind of nonsense is this!"
Lin Zhao slammed his fist onto the table, causing the wine pots to jiggle. He stood up and looked at Li Xuanji, "At that time, the Great Shang Dynasty was hesitant to engage the Northern Four Tribes. If the Military Lord had not resolutely led the Yun Prefecture cavalry north, disrupting the formations of the demons and fiends, how could there have been the subsequent battles? No matter what the world thinks, I believe that Military Lord Yue Hao had an iron backbone and was the true pillar of the human world. Moreover, the battle of the Yun Prefecture cavalry against the eastern front of the demon and fiend forces was, in a sense, the beginning, the prelude to the entire Snow Domain Heavenly Lake campaign. It was precisely because Military Lord Yue Hao led the Yun Prefecture cavalry to initiate the conflict that the subsequent Snow Domain Heavenly Lake battlefield came to be. Therefore, the Battle of Gu Yao Pass is a part of the hundred-year-old campaign of Snow Domain Heavenly Lake and should always be considered so."
"Ah!?"
Li Xuanji looked up at Lin Zhao, finding it hard to believe that these words came from Lin Baiyi of the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake. Although the world spoke ill, who else could have had the right to speak these words to vindicate the Yun Prefecture cavalry, and whose refutation would be more powerful than Lin Baiyi's?
In that instant, Li Xuanji's hundred years of suppressed grievances and resentment erupted. He sat on the ground and wailed uncontrollably. This Sky Origin realm warrior was like a child, tears streaming down his face.
Nuo Zhi looked at Li Xuanji. She understood this feeling. As a descendant of the Great Chen Dynasty, the Great Shang Dynasty had also considered the people of the Great Chen Dynasty to be cowards a century ago. If Lin Zhao had not achieved a heaven-defying victory in his identity as Lin Baiyi, the reputation of the Great Chen Dynasty might still not have been redeemed. Such is the way of the world; many bear the immense weight of injustice, yet they press on.
After a long while.
Li Xuanji wiped his eyes and stood up. He then solemnly knelt on one knee and cupped his fists towards Lin Zhao. Tears glistened in his eyes as he said, "Your subordinate, on behalf of the Lord, on behalf of the fifty-three thousand Yun Prefecture cavalry, and on behalf of the four hundred thousand armored soldiers of Yan and Ning Prefectures, thanks Marshal Lin!"
"Rise."
Lin Zhao took a deep breath and said, "You should know the purpose of our coming here, mine and Nuo Zhi's."
"Yes!"
Li Xuanji said solemnly, "I have heard about the matters in the capital. The King has refused to lend troops to the Snow Domain Heavenly Lake, but it is alright. Li Xuanji can lend troops himself. These tens of thousands of cavalry are the descendants of the Yun Prefecture cavalry who have multiplied in the Snow Dragon Dynasty over generations. They only obey me, Li Xuanji, not the King. Moreover, with my word, the King will not make things difficult."
"That is good."
"Marshal Lin, since that is the case, please rest here for the night. Shall we inspect the soldiers together tomorrow morning?"
"Mm!"
...
The next morning, the entire camp of the Snow Dragon Dynasty cavalry was filled with the resonant sound of horses' hooves. Early in the morning, countless soldiers rode their warhorses, converging on the vast snowfield. Their total strength was at least seventy to eighty thousand. Li Xuanji, accompanied by Lin Zhao and Nuo Zhi, stepped onto the reviewing stand. Standing on the high platform, they looked down at the multitude of armored soldiers, a truly stirring sight.
"Keng~~~"
Li Xuanji drew his long sword and raised it high towards the front, shouting loudly.
"Where are the Yun Prefecture cavalry today?"
...
"Here!"
"Here!"
"Here!"
The three armies raised their weapons and shouted, their voices reaching the heavens.
Lin Zhao watched silently, his eyes on the verge of tearing up.
The Yun Prefecture cavalry, they truly have successors!
It is good, truly good.