Hua Xianle

Chapter 88:

Three months have passed since the Sunshot Campaign began, and the cultivation world has shifted violently. Nie Bowen spearheaded the campaign, backed wholeheartedly by all of Gusu Lan and those of Lanling Jin who were loyal to Madame Jin, not her husband. With all three of the Great Sects working together, along with all of the minor sects Gu Zi had collected, their numbers were enough to push back against the Wens.

Initially, the Wens had seen no threat in the actions of the other sects, believing that their forces would scatter and be ill-equipped for war. After all, killing a living person is far different from killing Yao or demons. But they were soon proven wrong.

The Huas, motivated by their Crown Prince’s disappearance, offered as much support as they could to the campaign. The Hua Zi Cheng Weis were scattered across every camp, offering their skills as healers where they could. The gold glad soldiers bearing the Hua Family Crest could be seen all across the Jianghu, always appearing where they were needed. While they couldn’t guarantee a victory every single time, their presence always made every win the Wens claimed a costly one. 

This was especially true when any of the Hua Generals stepped out onto the field. Nan Feng and Fu Yao were constant figureheads in any conflict they could find. When they fought, their rage was so palpable that the air felt thick with it. Not that anyone could blame them. After all, Hua Ying’s whereabouts remained unknown.

In those three months since the Sunshot Campaign began, Wangji and Gu Zi had gone off to search for the missing prince. They scoured Yiling, protecting the weak and toppling every Supervisory Office they came across, hoping for even a hint of information on the most precious person in their hearts. Unfortunately, they’ve never found so much as a scrap of clothing or his name on any document.

It was as if the boy had just vanished. And Heaven was determined to make Qishan Wen pay for that.

Since the day the Sunshot Campaign began in earnest, the rain ceased across Qishan. Any harvest claimed for the war efforts wilted before they ever made it onto a cart. Clouds were scarce throughout the days, the sun beating down on the Wens as if to mock them for daring to use its image. Hunting was scarce with the wildlife scattering to the winds, seeking greener pastures. What few winds blew through the land were harsh gales that kicked up dust and dirt that sullied any resources the Wens managed to scrounge up.

Victories became few and far between. The common folk of Qishan sought sanctuary in other lands, denouncing the Wens and offering what little they knew. Every day, the Wen Clan’s forces were whittled away as the Sunshot Campaign grew. Prayers and offerings went unheard and unaccepted, making their abandonment abundantly clear.

Desperation clouded Wen Ruohan’s mind, which soon led to resentment. His meridians were far from clean, his mind poisoned by greed, lust, and pride. The yin in his heart grew and grew until he could no longer think straight. Holed up in Nightless City, he began making reckless decisions, including one that would send his heir to his death.

…

Nie Bowen was the one behind the Sunshot Campaign. It was the Nie banner that the entire Jianghu flocked behind. Thus, in Wen Ruohan’s mind, striking down Qinghe Nie would cripple the Campaign and leave their forces without a leader or a great deal of their forces. Thus, he sends Wen Xu with an army of men to claim the Unclean Realm and kill the Nie heirs inside.

Wen Ruohan, in his madness, thought that with Nie Bowen on the frontlines, the Unclean Realm would be left in the hands of a junior and a whelp who played with fans. Even with the weakened state of his men, the Wen Clan Heir could surely topple such an easy foe.

Unfortunately for Wen Xu, his father made a grave miscalculation. Nie Mingjue, while still a junior, was too much like his father, just as Wen Xu was too much like him. Even worse, Nie Huaisang, who had been running intelligence through his network of spies and gossip mongers, saw the attack coming long before they crossed the borders of Qinghe. By the time the Wen forces reached the Unclean Realm, Mingjue and his men were ready.