Destiny in Cinders

"So they do a bit of everything, huh?" That made it harder for An Jing to determine what Bejeweled were truly after. Perhaps the only way to find out was to enter the city. Shaking his head, he ordered, "Let's prepare to move out. We've rested for quite a while already. Anyone who wants to go back may do so. Hand this old man over to the authorities and inform Grand Chen about the situation at Riverside. Also, let your families back home know that you were forced to abort the mission because of the True Fiend Cult. As for you, I need you to guide me to the city."

Xu Tai knew what An Jing was planning all along. "My fellows here will bring this old crook back. I'll come with you to Riverside. Young Hero Jing, you are indeed powerful. I'm starting to believe that you truly managed to defeat multiple adepts of the Clearing Realm. Even so, the traders guild might also have fiend followers in their ranks. I'm worried for your safety, especially with all the schemes and traps they use."

"You seem to love your hometown quite a lot," An Jing said, somewhat surprised. While they were resting at Stonegate earlier, he had heard Xu Tai's fellow wayguards talk about the myths about their boss and how he came to be known as Good as Gold.

"How much shall I hire you for? Don't worry. As long as you don't ask for an unreasonable amount, I'll pay you what you deserve." An Jing said that with the tone of a well-off tycoon. This was the confidence he had gained from interworld trading!

"I'm not doing this out of love for my hometown or anything. More like, the city's the resting place of my parents. I worry that their rest will be disturbed by all these chaotic events," Xu Tai confessed. Then, he smacked his stomach and said, "I also have quite a few acquaintances in the city who have treated me to some nice meals. It's about time I paid them back for the favor. As for the payment, consider it settled. You already saved our lives. I may love money, but I also only ask for what I deserve."

"This job is a completely separate matter, so I still need to pay for it," An Jing said with a shake of his head. "But since you don't seem to be in the mood to take anything now, we'll settle it once everything is over."

Xu Tai didn't refuse a second time. The shivering old hunter that was being taken away by two of the wayguards knew that he had managed to escape with his life. Meanwhile, some younger martialists of the group eagerly asked to join their boss and the young hero on the trip to Riverside, only to be chewed out by Xu Tai.

"Old Shi, you will be taking charge for now. Lil' Huang, I need you to watch this old man. Don't let him escape. If he tries anything, lop off all four of his limbs and take him back that way!"

"Yes, boss!" Old Shi was a reliable bearded martialist, while Little Huang looked like a capable youth with scales on his face. He probably had traces of blood from the people of the dragon court of the east.

With all the arrangements handled, An Jing and Xu Tai prepared to leave for Riverside. Right before they did, however, something unexpected happened. A rumble could be heard from deep within the earth, starting soft but gradually getting louder.

"Huh?" The instant An Jing felt that something was off, he immediately scaled the wall of Stonegate and looked at Brokeblade Mountain. That was also the direction Riverside was in. "The terrestrial veins are resonating?"

The imperial blood in An Jing's sea of consciousness awoke from its dormant state, giving him a peculiar sensation. He could feel something massive gradually rising out of the depths of the land around Brokeblade Mountain where there was a high concentration of terrestrial-vein qi. He definitely wasn't imagining it.

All of a sudden, towering pillars of dark-gold smoke rose from the cities of Riverside, Riveryond and Refuge. The smoke soared high beyond the clouds above. Through all that commotion, An Jing sensed something akin to a massive wave. It felt like boiling lava, bubbling and surging upward from deep within the ground, resulting in the "smoke" that he saw. It wasn't real smoke, but rather, pure terrestrial-vein qi. The stream of dark-gold qi came gushing out from the depths and spilled all over the area.

At the same time, three different divine armaments were pushed out of the depths of the terrestrial veins where they were usually situated. Though they seemed unwilling to leave the land they had guarded for centuries to a millennium, orders from afar couldn't be clearer on what they had to do. They left the central terrestrial-vein nodes of their respective cities, soaring into the sky like rising meteors, leaving three long trails in their wake.

"What... What is going on?!" Xu Tai and the rest were absolutely floored, while An Jing was somewhat stunned himself too. "The divine armaments... just left?"

"How could all three divine armaments leave just like that? It simply shouldn't be possible, even with the authorities absent! Bejeweled were given a temporary seal to manage the city, weren't they?"

To subjects of Grand Chen, especially those that resided within cities, divine armaments that secured a city from all sorts of threats were a given. That was a safety umbrella against all kinds of beasts, feys and fiends. The divine armaments and the officials that wielded it were symbols of Grand Chen's power and rule. Yet, all of them left the cities at the same time. What in the world was going on? The northern barbarians' camp wasn't far off, so why would anyone dismantle the security measures?

"We have to calm down." An Jing shook his head and snapped the others out of it. "It's not just the area around Brokeblade Mountain. All the divine armaments in the surrounding region have been recalled."

Xu Tai trembled with shock and immediately scaled the walls to scout out the area. He could see many dark-gold pillars of smoke emanating from the distant cities, coupled with arcs in the sky traced by soaring divine armaments. They seemed to congregate in one location for a moment before zipping off to who-knows-where. Xu Tai and the rest were absolutely floored by the sight and lost their ability to think at that moment.

Interesting... An Jing alone squinted and smiled out of nowhere. No matter what has happened, it doesn't change the fact that the divine armaments are indeed gone. That means I have nobody to fear in the entire northern frontier, unless they actually send a sage after me.

"Let's go." An Jing called out to the frozen Xu Tai. "Whether Bejeweled were informed of this beforehand doesn't matter. This will no doubt shake the foundations of Riverside. It's the perfect chance for us to act."