Martial King's Retired Life

Martial Paragon, Feng Xue, was provided with the small room adjacent to the royal palace’s horse stable to stay after the last meeting. The only sustenance he was provided was water and food for servants. Nobody treated with a speck of respect would be relegated to staying in the putrid and cold room first offered, yet Feng Xue refused even that offer, opting to stay in the horse stable. King Neath threw a fit when he heard that even their most aggressive horses were docile around Feng Xue.

Unlike the long list of etiquette procedures a monarch and his vassals had to abide to when dining in the Central Plain, a monarch dining with his vassals was the norm in Nanjiang. Obviously, Baimu’s King Neath was not the one who invited Feng Xue to dinner with them tonight. It was King Neath’s Princess Consort whom invited Feng Xue to dinner with them.

King Neath didn’t inveigh for he respected his Princess Consort, who was older than him and had spent years at his side. Nonetheless, he didn’t spare the man opposite him a glance, gluing his eyes to the reports on hand.

In the midst of dinner, King Neath threw aside the report and fumed, “My elites are still missing in action days after fighting those motley soldiers! What is Baimu doing?!”

King Neath’s Princess Consort gently patted his back. “Calm down. Calm down. The enemy is crafty. Guya Baimu is working to come up with a strategy, isn’t he?”

“He is my Baimu’s great guya. He’s an embarrassment if it takes him seven days to defeat a motley mob, but he hasn’t even found their main force! This is what he does with my soldiers?!”

The ancestors of Xiacang Anxi’s royal family stipulated that Kings had to perform their ancient Ahhuda Ceremony for their ancestors’ protection if they wanted rights over the military. The ceremony could only be performed once the King was at least twenty years old. In addition, it had to be performed in the presence of three great guyas and a shaman. Alternatively, they could attain the support of a Great Spirit Shaman to nullify the age restriction.

Great Spirit Shamans had a fondness for residing on the highest mountain in Xiacang Anxi located in the state Wanyu – Mount Wanyu. In order to see a Great Spirit Shaman, Baimu’s monarch would have to seek permission from the guile and villainous King of Mount Wanyu, which was the same as asking a proud King to plead his worst enemy.

For the above reasons, King Neath needed to wait until next year before he could take military authority off Baimu’s hands.

Feng Xue, realising what likely transpired based on King Neath’s reaction, picked up the report to read. Baimu had two thousand troops camped outside Nieyao and engaged in guerrilla warfare with Heisina Tribe. After several skirmishes against a meagre force of two hundred men, Baimu failed to even locate the enemy’s main forces.

Catching Feng Xue’s brief smile, King Neath scowled: “Feng Xue! You’ve been stripped of your title as great guya a decade ago! You think you can read my war report without permission?! You think I won’t kill you?!”

“If this old one is not wrong, you do not have anyone capable of killing him.”

Feng Xue set the report down, then resumed eating, setting King Neath’s face on fire.

“You… You disappeared out of the blue ten years ago and didn’t even come back when Father passed away! What right do you have to lecture me?! Get out!”

King Neath’s Princess Consort urged, “Neath, you should be more respectful to L-, ah!”

Neath tugged his Princess Consort’s hair without mercy. “How dare you speak up for him?!”

“Your Majesty,” still eating, Feng Xue questioned, “do you not think you are going overboard?”

“I’m putting my woman in her place! What’s it to you?!”

King Neath flicked a bowl of soup at Feng Xue, and Feng Xue just let the hot soup splatter him. Feng Xue didn’t even bother to clean himself, continuing to eat until he was finished. Upon finishing, he set his bowl down and wiped his face.

“Feeling better, Your Majesty?”

King Neath had no response.

Feng Xue got up and regarded the servant beside him with a polite smile. “That was really nice. Please pass my thanks on to the royal chef,” he said, then strolled off.

“Should you cross me one more time, I’ll incarcerate you… Just like I did to that bizarre Middle Plainer.”

***

Nobody knew where Heisina’s headquarters were. When Heisina Tribe members do appear, it was as if they warped into existence from another dimension.

The place under attack was only one of Heisina Tribe’s many assembly points. When Baimu declared his intent to annihilate them, they didn’t even bat an eye as they geared up for battle. Over the course of seven days, Baimu’s army of two thousand couldn’t even kill twenty of the two-hundred-odd Heisina soldiers stationed at the old, rundown city walls. In contrast, Baimu lost over a hundred men.

Heisina Tribe’s patience was matchless in Nanjiang; they didn’t see the accomplishment as anything brag-worthy. Additionally, Xiacang Anxi’s top military unit trained them. Apart from being blessed with the blood of Xiacang Anxi warriors, their clan leader was Heisina Beussent.

When the Central Plain occupied part of Xiacang Anxi thirty years ago, Beussent, along with his fellow Heisina Tribesmen, migrated to the area under the Central Plain’s jurisdiction. He assumed a false identity when he was ten years old to enlist in the military and made a name for himself as one of Morcher’s greatest soldiers within three years of service. When Morcher fell, he was serving as a seventeen-year-old royal palace guard. Had Morcher not fallen, he would’ve still been guarding the generous King.

Overnight, Beussent, who supposedly went missing years ago, returned to Heisina as Beussent and ascended to a leadership role. Ever since then, he began training Heisina’s men and had them partake in real fights to accumulate experience, as well as develop their resolve to survive.

Beussent caught an arrow aimed at him and tossed it to the ground, still peering into the distance. “I have to go.”

Beussent’s adjutant, still holding his shield and aiming his arrow, asked, “Where to?”

“Xiuyu,” answered Beussent, mounting his horse.

“You serious?” The soldier caught another batch of arrows on his shield. “You’ve gone for seven years. Seven years. It’s time you give up! We’re on their radar now. Are you trying to get k-” Another hail of arrows cut him off.

“I have a feeling,” the leader with dead fish eyes took out a banana from his shirt and blithely peeled it back to eat, “I’ll meet him this time.”

“You’ve failed for seven years,” the soldier ribbed whilst firing back seven arrows of his own. “Why have you still not given up? Heavenly Swordsman left ten years ago, not to mention in miserable defeat. Why would he come back?”

“He promised he’d find Her Highness for me. I trust him.”

“Your trust isn’t going to magically whisk him back. I heard he locked himself away ever since he went home. You’ve been paying a visit to every travelling business group from the Central Plain for seven years straight. The only reason you haven’t been arrested is because our ancestors are protecting you from above.”

“… His Majesty did not let me down. I did not let His Majesty down.”

“… Isn’t that what our ancestor said before he died? What is this? A new fetish? Are you trying to clear the name of someone who died half a millennium ago?”

Beussent cast his gaze heaven bound.

“Ah, man. You win again. What can I do? Oi, boys, we need to clear a path for the boss man!”

“You got it!”

Heisina Tribe’s counterattack plunged the enemy forces into a passive position.

Beussent discarded his banana peel once he finished and drew his machete at his belt. Riding solo, he charged into the enemy formation.

***

“It’s Changye! Chief is here!” belted one of the Heisina Tribe members at the assembly point under attack.

“He’s hurt!”

They ran over to the rider soaked in blood to lead him in.

“Call a doctor.”

“Don’t bother.” Beussent casually sat up from his horse, blood still dripping from his black – technically now red – garments. “This is the enemy’s blood.” Beussent dismounted, then removed his bloody clothing. “I was just sleepy, so I took a nap.”

Beussent and his steed didn’t have any wounds on them.

“I’ve had enough sleep. Fetch me some new clothes. I need to pay someone a visit.”

Heisina Beussent arrived at Yizhen Company an hour later.