Chapter 259 - 257: Demon King of Chaos
The horse bandits of the Twelve Sword Halls of Yandang Mountain were a defiant lot, but they could also be incredibly straightforward, provided you displayed the strength to meet them on equal terms.
This was especially true of Duan Hengshan. He was a man of his word, a straightforward person through and through.
A lavish banquet was already set in the main hall of the mountain fortress.
Duan Hengshan sat imposingly in the host’s seat, raised a wine bowl the size of a small basin, and said to Chen Yuan, "Master Chen, a rule of drinking in our Twelve Sword Halls is that you can’t use your True Qi to suppress the alcohol."
"Of course. Otherwise, what would be the point of drinking?"
Chen Yuan smiled, raised his wine bowl, and drained it in a single gulp.
Without using True Qi to suppress it, one could only rely on their physical body to process the alcohol.
But for Chen Yuan, with the strength of his physical body, it wouldn’t be a problem even if he were drinking arsenic, let alone alcohol.
Seeing Chen Yuan’s bold and unrestrained manner, the Martial Artists of the Twelve Sword Halls he had just defeated found their impression of him improving considerably.
Duan Hengshan also drained his bowl in one go, then asked, "Master Chen, you can speak freely if you have a request. Do you want us to join Zhenwu Hall, or is there someone you want us to kill?"
Chen Yuan shook his head. "As I said, I’m here to offer you all a great fortune, not to demand you do anything.
Right now, the Court is short on horses. The Flying Dragon Institute’s Steward, Feng Tianbao, is currently competing with the Vigorous Martial Army’s Eagle General, Wei Chaoge, for warhorses in You Province.
Wei Chaoge has allied with the Nine Swords Alliance, but its Alliance Leader, Zuo Tianyuan, is an enemy of mine. Since Wei Chaoge wants to protect the Nine Swords Alliance, I have no choice but to seek an alliance with Feng Tianbao."
Duan Hengshan raised an eyebrow. "So, Master Chen, you intend for our Twelve Sword Halls to deal with the Nine Swords Alliance?"
"We will be dealing with the Nine Swords Alliance, yes. But I never let my own people suffer a loss. When I say I’m offering you all a great fortune, I mean it."
Chen Yuan said in a deep voice, "After we destroy the Nine Swords Alliance, a power vacuum will appear in the entire Border of Youning. The Twelve Sword Halls can then fill that void. You’ll no longer be stuck circling around Yandang Mountain; you’ll have a true foundation in the Jianghu.
I know what you’re afraid of. It’s nothing more than the Murong Family and the Sun-piercing Alliance coming to make trouble for you.
However, you don’t need to worry about that.
Once you replace the Nine Swords Alliance, you can take over their business of procuring warhorses, providing a steady supply to the Flying Dragon Institute.
If only for the sake of these warhorses, the Flying Dragon Institute will protect you at all costs.
You could say that as long as the Court needs horses, no one will be able to touch you.
Furthermore, I now command the White Tiger Hall, so my words carry some weight in Ning Province.
I can even promise that no matter what happens, should you ever need it, my White Tiger Hall will be open to you. Zhenwu Hall itself will shelter you, providing you with a way out."
Hearing Chen Yuan’s proposal, some of the masters of the Twelve Sword Halls were immediately tempted.
For most of them, gathering here in Yandang Mountain had been an act of desperation.
They all had significant cultivation and considerable strength. Who would want to spend their entire life in this gloomy mountain forest?
It was one thing when no opportunity existed, but now that one had presented itself, how could they not be tempted?
However, even those who were tempted simply turned their gazes to Duan Hengshan. Not a single one of them dared to interrupt.
When they had been at a dead end, it was Duan Hengshan who had taken them in and given them a chance to survive.
So now, even with this tempting opportunity before them, they wouldn’t say a single word unless Duan Hengshan gave the nod.
Chen Yuan had already sensed that Duan Hengshan’s word was law in the Twelve Sword Halls, and this scene only confirmed it.
After a moment of silent contemplation, Duan Hengshan looked at Chen Yuan, his face unreadable. "Master Chen, are you asking us to become the Court’s lapdogs?
To be honest, if we’re talking about lapdogs, I was once one myself.
I started out as a government official, so you could say I was a man of the Court. But it’s precisely because of that experience that I know the Court is beyond saving.
When I was a government official, the Court couldn’t protect me. Why would it be able to protect me now that I’m a bandit?
I heard about the infighting between the factions of the Great Xia Court even when I was just a lowly government official. So, frankly, I don’t want to get involved in matters of this magnitude.
While my Twelve Sword Halls may live free and easy here in Yandang Mountain, in the outside world, we’re nothing but insignificant horse bandits.
A single misstep, and we could be ground to dust by the great currents of this world!"
Chen Yuan shook his head. "It’s not about being lapdogs. It’s simply a partnership with the Court.
To be more precise, our partner isn’t the Court as a whole, but the Flying Dragon Institute—and by extension, the Imperial Secretariat.
And permit me to be blunt, Big Master Duan. The Government Office didn’t protect you back then simply because you weren’t useful. The County Magistrate certainly wasn’t going to offend a local power for your sake.
But now, you are the Big Master of the Twelve Sword Halls of Yandang Mountain, with countless expert bladesmen under your command.
After replacing the Nine Swords Alliance, you will be the only power of any real significance in the Border of Youning, and you will control the warhorse supply channels that the Flying Dragon Institute desperately needs.
Is a man like that still useless?
As for the larger currents of this factional struggle, Big Master Duan, you can certainly choose not to get involved.
But once you’re in the Jianghu, your fate is not your own. Some things will come for you whether you choose to get involved or not.
If the Nine Swords Alliance gains the upper hand today and expands, do you think they’ll tolerate a potential threat right next to them? Will they tolerate a gang of horse bandits on their doorstep?
I said I came to offer you all a great fortune, but this fortune must be carved out with the blades in your own hands.
There’s opportunity, but there’s also danger. So, whether you take it or not is your decision. I won’t force you."
Duan Hengshan was a man of hidden depths. He appeared coarse and reckless, but his mind was sharp and perceptive.
That was why Chen Yuan’s words contained no exaggeration, no persuasion, no empty temptation. He simply laid out the benefits and risks, trusting that Duan Hengshan would naturally make a choice.
Duan Hengshan glanced at Chen Yuan, then at the longing in the eyes of his sworn brothers. He let out a long sigh.
’My brothers have been cooped up in Yandang Mountain for too long. Almost all of them want to go out and make their mark on the world.’
’I could stop them, of course. And I’d succeed.’
’But sometimes, you can restrain a man’s body, but not his heart.’
"Alright! In that case, the Twelve Sword Halls of Yandang Mountain will follow you out of these mountains, Master Chen. We’ll fight for that prosperous future you spoke of!"
Duan Hengshan raised his wine bowl and toasted Chen Yuan.
The other eleven masters excitedly raised their bowls as well. "To Big Master! To Master Chen!"
After they had eaten and drunk their fill, the other masters either passed out drunk or began playing drinking games and rolling dice.
Duan Hengshan and Chen Yuan, however, exchanged a look and walked outside the mountain fortress.
The sky outside had already darkened. Deep in the mountain forest, it was so dark you couldn’t see your hand in front of your face, making the canopy of brilliant stars above seem all the brighter.
"Master Chen, you should know, if it weren’t for my brothers, I would be unwilling to get involved in the world’s impending turmoil at this time."
Duan Hengshan suddenly sighed, and his mountain-like frame seemed to carry a hint of desolation.
"I came from the bottom, a lowly government official, so I can see many things that those high and mighty figures can’t.
In the Jianghu, the Sects and Noble Families are arrogant and tyrannical, treating low-tier Independent Martial Artists like ants. Every single one of my brothers here was forced into a corner by them, joining the Twelve Sword Halls just to find a sliver of a chance to survive.
Given more time, my Twelve Sword Halls might have become the Twenty-Four Sword Halls, or even the Thirty-Six Sword Halls. We grew because they left people with no other choice.
And if the Jianghu is unjust, the world is even more so. The common folk are like ants; they die without so much as a whimper.
Master Chen, do you know what my most frequent task was back when I was a government official? Collecting corpses!
I had to move the unclaimed bodies from the county seat to outside the walls, just to keep them from rotting and stinking up the city.
Even back then, I felt this peace wouldn’t last much longer.
So, Master Chen, even if we manage to seize this fortune, how long can we possibly hold onto it when the day of great chaos finally arrives?"
Chen Yuan was slightly taken aback, then replied in a low voice, "In this world, there has never been such a thing as eternal prosperity and peace.
Many people can sense that the Great Xia Court’s edifice is crumbling—even the Court itself can feel it.
But what can be done about it? In an age of chaos, the only thing that guarantees your survival is the blade in your hand.
Big Master Duan, instead of seeking long-term stability, you should seek to strengthen your own forces. That is the only way to establish a foothold for yourself in the chaotic future."
Duan Hengshan nodded. "That’s a fair point. I suppose I was worrying unnecessarily.
If that day of great chaos truly arrives, and we can’t have peace and prosperity, then it’s better to be a Demon King of Chaos than a lamb to the slaughter!"
Hearing this, Chen Yuan seemed to recall something, and a look of astonishment flashed in his eyes.
’In the original plot, when the Court fell into chaos and rebellions erupted across the land, another power had risen in You Province.’
’Its leader called himself the Demon King of Chaos. He took in refugees and Independent Martial Artists, and his power grew rapidly. The man was famous for his formidable physique and a Demon Saber.’
’At that time, however, the Sun-piercing Alliance in You Province had already declined. The Murong Family had taken sole control, intending to use it as a base to restore their former nation. How could they tolerate another power rising in their own territory?’
’So, the Murong Family joined forces with the Nine Swords Alliance, which by then had occupied Ning Province, and together they crushed the Demon King of Chaos at the Border of Youning.’
’Now that I think about it... could the future Demon King of Chaos from You Province actually be Duan Hengshan?’
Chen Yuan wasn’t entirely certain, but the more he considered it, the more likely it seemed.
「The night passed without incident.」
The next morning, as soon as the other masters sobered up, they immediately began to gather their horse bandits, preparing to move out from Yandang Mountain in full force.
Over the years, Duan Hengshan had taken in many Independent Martial Artists and built up his strength. The true power of the Twelve Sword Halls was actually quite astonishing.
The other eleven masters were all at the Condensing Truth Realm, and each was considered an expert at that level.
They also commanded over a thousand elite horse bandits, more than a hundred of whom were at the Sea of Reincarnation Realm. Such strength was by no means weak on the Border of Youning; they were more than capable of going head-to-head with the Nine Swords Alliance.
It was only because Duan Hengshan had kept his true strength so well hidden that the Nine Swords Alliance had no idea this band of horse bandits in Yandang Mountain was so powerful.
If they had known earlier, Zuo Tianyuan and his son would surely have had many sleepless nights.