**Chapter 27: Aftermath and Choices**
The Toad Immortal and the Miasma Immortal trembled, their legs quaking as they stared in dumbfounded silence. They didn't dare flee outright but instinctively widened the gap between themselves and Chiyan.
At last, the Miasma Immortal snapped out of it, transforming into human form and cursing, "You cunning Taoist! Hiding your true strength to butcher us!"
Having missed her strike, Chiyan needed time to recover. She struck a composed pose to mask her temporary weakness.
With a cold snort, she shot back, "Your words are laughable."
The Toad Immortal clutched its mouth, whimpering incoherently. The Miasma Immortal, still able to speak, protested, "We only meant to stall you—never thought you'd try to kill us outright!"
"Taoists and immortals are sworn enemies. What's so surprising?" Chiyan raised an eyebrow, buying time to regain her strength.
"Of course it's different! You Taoists are baffling—always hounding immortals. Humans feast on all manner of creatures, yet we only devour souls for cultivation. Why don't you Taoists police humans instead of fussing over us?" Seeing Chiyan willing to talk, the Miasma Immortal grasped at a "reason" it barely understood, desperate to avoid a fight.
The Toad Immortal, listening, nodded frantically, mumbling in agreement through its covered mouth. It never imagined its companion could hold its own against the debate-loving Taoists and monks.
"Twisting words and nonsense!" Chiyan muttered. Having discreetly swallowed a pill to restore some energy, she raised her sword, ready to end the charade.
"Wait! Let's talk this out!" the Miasma Immortal yelped, drifting backward in a panic.
Noticing their fear, Chiyan squinted, a plan forming. Feigning fury, she roared, "Taoists and immortals are like Yin and Yang, fire and water—there's nothing to discuss! Surrender your lives!"
She hefted her sword, poised to charge.
The Toad Immortal, still nursing its aching mouth, darted away in an instant. The Miasma Immortal, seeing it flee, stomped in frustration.
Turning back, it caught Chiyan's gaze fixed on it. Stammering, it blurted, "Y-you stinking Taoist, if you keep this up, I-I'll leave!"
It floated off, outpacing even the Toad Immortal.
Panicked, the Toad Immortal saw Chiyan's eyes shift to it. It covered its mouth, forced a goofy grin, scratched its head, and spread its hands to feign harmlessness.
"Scram!" Chiyan bellowed, sending both immortals scrambling for their lives, too terrified to look back.
Before departing, the Miasma Immortal whistled toward the airship, signaling its minions to retreat.
In an instant, the corpse puppets leaped off the ship like dumplings into a pot, crashing to the ground. They scrambled up, roaring as they dispersed into the forest, fearing Chiyan would wipe them out. The other immortals flapped away, their retreat swift and orderly, even more disciplined than their attack.
"Rabid mob!" Chiyan scoffed, though she remained on guard, wary of a ruse.
Aboard the airship, the immortals had never truly engaged in close combat. As they withdrew, the disciples offered little resistance, save for a few spells that struck stragglers, drawing pained howls.
Once regrouped, the airship drifted to Chiyan's side. Qingshu gazed at the unyielding war goddess with a tangle of emotions.
"Aunt, the enemy has retreated. Shall we proceed to Ningyuan?" he asked, bowing.
"Of course," Chiyan replied, stepping onto the deck. Her body wavered almost imperceptibly.
Qingshu noticed and moved to support her, but her piercing glare halted him. She shook her head slightly, and he stepped back, turning to direct the disciples.
Chiyan sheathed her sword and stood at the prow, staring ahead.
From the corner of his eye, Qingshu glimpsed her silhouette—the pillar of the Three-Eye Dynasty, its mightiest war god. He sighed, a flicker of inadequacy stirring within.
"If the Northern Border Mountains truly mobilize all their immortals, they wouldn't send just one peak's worth for an ambush. We must be even more cautious on the way to Ningyuan."
Chiyan's stern warning snapped Qingshu to attention. He nodded. "I fear for Father's safety."
"No need. The Three-Eye Dynasty is stronger than you think, and the Five Elements Sect is more than it seems," Chiyan said, turning to him, her eyes sharp.
"Aunt, you mean…" Qingshu hesitated.
"Our dynasty boasts many warriors, skilled in large-scale warfare, bolstered by the Three-Eye bloodline. The Northern Border Mountains are naive to think numbers alone will win," Chiyan said coldly.
Her words eased Qingshu's mind. Having spent years at the sect, he had only a vague grasp of the dynasty's true might.
Chiyan, as the dynasty's war god, eldest princess, and head of the *Common People's Tower*, knew its strength intimately. Otherwise, how could the Northern Border Mountains and the southern Taiyong Kingdom coexist peacefully with the Three-Eye Dynasty?
Though weakened by past strife, the dynasty's power stretched beyond the visible Five Elements Sect.
Chiyan added, "The Northern Border Mountains only hold the advantage of a swift assault. If we endure until the *Immortal-Suppressing Army* arrives, they'll regret ever coming."
The Northern Border Mountains rarely invaded, treating the human kingdoms beyond as their "pasture."
Thus, the Three-Eye Dynasty stationed only the weaker Anbei Army at the border. Even with Chixiao's warning, there was no time to muster legions against the sudden assault. They could only hope the Anbei Army could retreat to Ningyuan and join the Qilin Army to defend the capital.
But retreating without a fight would abandon the civilians to the immortals' mercy.
"Doesn't the *Immortal-Suppressing Army* need to guard the *Immortal Abyss*?" Qingshu asked, puzzled.
Unlike Chiyan, who fell silent at the thought of the people, Qingshu, though clever, lacked experience. He focused on the army's deployment rather than the broader implications.
"Chixiao has plans for the *Immortal Abyss*. To avoid leaks, we won't discuss it," Chiyan replied wearily, disheartened by the thought of the Northern Border immortals ravaging the dynasty's northern lands.
"Yes," Qingshu bowed.
---
Yet Shi Cangsheng rejected the advice to recall the Anbei Army to the capital, refusing to use the dynasty's depth to slow the immortals' advance.
This pained Chancellor Mo Qiudao, but he was powerless. Without preserving their forces, how many of the Anbei Army would survive the emperor's order to stand their ground?
Moreover, Shi Cangsheng ceased his usual antics, commanding cities to evacuate as best they could.
"Your Majesty, this won't save the people—it will only doom the Anbei Army!" Mo Qiudao pleaded again.
"My mind is made up. Speak no more of it," Shi Cangsheng said, frowning, his knuckles white as he gripped the dragon throne.
Mo Qiudao sighed, stepping back helplessly.
But Shi Cangsheng spoke again. "Chancellor Mo, I know this may destroy the Anbei Army, but I cannot watch my people become fodder for immortals…"
"I once wandered among them as Cang Shusheng, saw their smiles, heard them praise my wisdom. How can I…" The ruler of the Three-Eye Dynasty slumped, his face shadowed with anguish, his body trembling.
Mo Qiudao remained silent. Shi Cangsheng's time among the people had deepened his empathy and love for them.
Yet now, with the Northern Border Mountains invading, that compassion became his weakness.
"Your Majesty…" Mo Qiudao began, then stopped.
He had once been a wandering hero, recalled by the late emperor's favor. From a famed swordsman, he turned to scholarship, rising to become the dynasty's chancellor.
Given his past, he knew all too well what the immortals would do to the civilians. He understood Shi Cangsheng's resolve, even if it meant sacrificing the Anbei Army.
The Northern Border Mountains had been quiet for decades. No one foresaw this sudden, massive invasion, heedless of the human kingdoms beyond rising in revolt.
Though the immortals mockingly called these kingdoms their "farms," humans were never ones to await slaughter—especially with the Five Elements Sect and Chixiao standing guard.
Chixiao's presence had long restrained the *Immortal Abyss*'s immortals, who rarely dared venture into this "farm" for souls.
After a moment, Shi Cangsheng's turmoil eased, and he placed his hopes once more on Chiyan.
He murmured, "I trust my sister will protect me and the dynasty, even if… I am so willful, time and again."
**Footnotes**:
[31] **Common People's Tower**: A hub for intelligence and sect communication.
[50] **Immortal-Suppressing Army**: A specialized military force tasked with countering immortals.
[51] **Immortal Abyss**: A region inhabited by powerful immortals, often a source of conflict with human dynasties.
原始中文文本
蛤蟆仙與瘴癘仙嚇得兩腿一哆嗦,瞠目結舌半天,又不敢馬上轉身逃之夭夭,只是下意識都拉開了與赤煙的距離.
終於,回過神的瘴癘仙忍不住,化為人形罵道:「妳這個奸險的道姑暗藏實力,想,想誅殺我等!」
一擊未中,赤煙亦同樣需要恢復,只能刻意擺出姿態,不讓兩仙看出她此時的外強中乾.
於是,赤煙冷哼一聲道:「此話未免可笑.」
蛤蟆仙緊摀著嘴,嗚嗚嗚了半天.瘴癘仙還能說話,張口辯解道:「我倆兄弟只是想拖延拖延時間,不曾想妳這賊眉鼠目的道姑,竟然想直接殺了我們!」
「道仙不兩立,此有何奇?」赤煙眉毛一挑,繼續拖延時間恢復.
「當然不同!我說妳們這些道士也是莫名其妙,為什麼總揪著仙不放,人族尚以萬物生靈為食,吾等不過吞食生魂修練,為什麼道士不好好管管人族,反倒對仙如此厚愛?」看見赤煙願意和祂談論「道理」,瘴癘仙也不想動手,拼命從腦袋裡擠出一個連自己也不知道在說什麼的「道理」.
一旁的蛤蟆仙聽見這句話,連忙摀著嘴拼命點頭,用嗚嗚聲來贊同瘴癘仙的話,祂就沒想過自己這個兄弟竟然這麼厲害,張嘴就可以和最愛爭辯的道士和尚來上一段.
「哼,偷樑換柱,胡攪蠻纏!」偷偷服用丹藥,剛恢復了一點力氣,赤煙便不再與兩仙廢話,只想速戰速決,一提長刀就要再次出手.
「等等!有話好說!」瘴癘仙嚇得連忙飄身向後,大聲阻止.
赤煙看出倆仙的畏縮,她瞇起雙眼,心裡有了計較,素不再堅持動手,而是佯裝怒意罵道:「仙道之間,猶如陰陽兩隔,水火不容,又有何話可說?納命來!」
說著,她又舉起長刀,做出要衝上前的姿態.
嘴裡還在疼的蛤蟆仙,一個瞬間閃出老遠,瘴癘仙看見祂跑得這麼快,氣得跳腳.
回頭又看見赤煙已經將目光落到自己身上,祂連忙結結巴巴地道:「妳,妳,妳這臭,臭道士,再,再這樣爺爺不陪妳玩了!」
說話間,也飄出一段距離,比蛤蟆仙更遠了些.
蛤蟆仙一急,看見赤煙再次將視線轉向自己,連忙摀著嘴用蛤蟆頭顱露出憨態可掬的表情,還用一隻手撓了撓頭頂,接著攤開雙手表現出自己的無害.
「滾!」赤煙暴喝一聲,嚇得兩仙馬上逃之夭夭,再也不敢回頭.
瘴癘仙臨走前也不忘朝空帆處長嘯一聲,打了個招呼,讓手下群仙也一同退走.
霎那間,屍傀們毫不猶豫地向下跳,像餃子下鍋一般.祂們摔落地面後,又爬起來嘶吼著朝瘴癘仙離去的方向,齊齊散開匿入秘林,以免被赤煙直接一鍋端了.其餘群仙也搧動翅膀飛離山谷,祂們各自有一套快速撤離的手段,比現身襲擊時還要整齊迅速.
「烏合之眾!」赤煙輕罵一聲,身姿卻不敢放鬆,生怕對方去而復返.
空帆上,雙方未曾真正短兵相交,此時敵眾退去並沒有受到五行觀弟子太多阻攔,或者該說帆上眾道士也不曾想過要阻攔,只有趁機射出的幾道術法,擊中幾隻落單的仙,讓祂們疼得哇哇大叫.
整備過後,開動的風帆飄到赤煙身畔,青書眼眸中蘊含複雜的情感,望向那個凌空站立,始終威武的女武神.
「姑姑,敵仙已退,是否繼續前往寧原.」他拱手請示道.
「那是自然.」赤煙落足在甲板上,身體微不可查地一個趔趄.
這副情景被始終注意著她的青書發現,立刻想要上前攙扶,卻被她凌厲的目光逼退.赤煙朝他微微搖頭,這讓關心則亂的青書醒悟過來,連忙收回手,轉身指揮其他弟子行事.
赤煙轉過身,將長刀收起,站在船首望向前方.
青書眼角餘光看見她的背影,這位一肩扛起整個三目王朝的姑姑,同樣是王朝中最為偉岸的戰神,不由得嘆息了一聲,心頭又湧上幾分自慚形穢.
「若此次真是北疆山群仙一同出手,必然不會只有一峰之眾埋伏,前往寧原一路需得更加謹慎.」
赤煙嚴肅的交代將青書驚醒.他點頭應道:「恐怕,父王那邊更需要擔心.」
「無須擔心,三目王朝沒有你想像中孱弱,五行觀也不只是如此.」赤煙轉過身,目光中隱含鋒芒.
「姑姑是說⋯⋯」青書欲言又止.
「我朝兵者為多,最擅長便是大規模戰場,加上三目血脈,北疆山想以數目取勝,還是太過天真.」赤煙冷冷地道.
這番話安了青書不少心,長年在觀內的他,對於王朝有多少力量只有隱約的概念.
赤煙就不同了,畢竟是王朝戰神,同時是現今王朝的長公主,還掌握著蒼生樓這等機構,對於王朝內有多少實力再清楚不過,否則北疆群仙與南方的泰勇王豈會與三目王朝相安無事?
雖然三目王朝因為之前的內亂,已經無法維持住宗主國的身分,但如今的實力也並非只有明面上的五行觀.
赤煙又道:「如今北疆山只是佔了疾攻如風的優勢,吾等只需守下這段時日,待鎮仙軍抵達後,便能讓祂們有來無回.」
北疆山諸仙素來極少入侵三目王朝,山的另一頭才是祂們的養殖場.
也因為如此,三目王朝在北疆山外只有較弱的安北軍駐守,即使赤霄已經事先通知識蒼生,也來不及調動軍團抵擋北疆山的大舉侵略.如今,只能期望安北軍來得及撤回寧原,與麒麟軍一同鎮守都城.
但若是毫不抵抗的撤離,途中的黎民百姓,也只能成為北疆群仙的盛宴了.
「鎮仙軍難道毋須駐守仙淵?」青書困惑地問.
不同於赤煙想起黎民而陷入沉默,青書雖足智多謀,但仍顯生澀,並未第一個時間想到諸多細節,反倒是對於鎮仙軍離開仙淵多有疑惑.
「仙淵之事,赤霄自有打算.為免洩漏天機,不可多談.」赤煙一想到北疆山諸仙將會肆虐寧原以北的王朝土地,不禁有些意興闌珊地回道.
「是.」青書拱手.
然而,識蒼生卻未採納建議,讓安北軍退回都城,以王朝土地的縱深來緩解北疆諸仙攻勢.
此舉雖然讓丞相墨秋刀喟嘆,卻也無可奈何.如此,不能保留有生之力,安北軍在皇命死守下,又能活得幾人?
除此之外,識蒼生也沒有再胡鬧,下命諸城趕緊遷徙,能跑一個是一個.
「陛下啊,此舉並不能讓百姓苟活,反倒會痛失安北軍!」墨秋刀忍不住再次勸諫.
「朕意已決,丞相莫談此事.」識蒼生皺了皺眉,捏緊擺放在龍椅扶手上的拳頭,指節發白卻仍然堅持己見.
墨秋刀嘆了一口氣,只能無奈退立一旁.
識蒼生卻在此刻開口:「墨卿,朕並非不知如此會讓安北軍覆滅,但要朕眼睜睜看著黎民百姓全成了諸仙口糧⋯⋯」
「朕曾化名蒼書生,在塵世間多有走動,見過那些笑靨,見過他們稱讚朕的賢明,朕又怎麼能⋯⋯」高踞皇位的三目王朝之主,此刻卻是陰沉著臉,面現不忍,繃緊身軀微微顫抖.
墨秋刀沒有回答,正因識蒼生曾走入人群,與黎民一同歡笑,見識了百姓悲苦,也才能對王朝平民有諸多同理與愛護.
但如今,北疆山侵略,這份強烈的愛民之心反倒成了識蒼生的軟肋.
「陛下⋯⋯」墨秋刀欲言又止.
他曾是一名到處路見不平的遊俠兒,受先皇賞識才浪子回頭,拾起學業,經過多年苦讀後,從江湖上響叮噹的「墨刀」走向仕途,直到成為了今日這一人之下,萬人之上的三目王朝丞相.
而如此出身的他,豈會不知諸仙入關後,平民百姓會遭受何等對待.識蒼生這般堅持,墨秋刀能夠理解,但安北軍卻並非北疆山諸仙的對手,只怕是要白白犧牲.
北疆山已經平靜數十年,任誰都未料到諸仙會突然大舉入侵三目王朝,甚至不顧山另一頭被放牧的人族王朝是否會趁機反抗.
雖然諸仙戲稱這些王朝是他們的養殖場,但人類永遠不是會坐以待斃的族裔,何況三目王朝還有五行觀,還有赤霄.
這些年,赤霄的存在,讓自稱放牧三目王朝的仙淵諸仙安分許多,幾乎到了不敢任意出淵,來到這塊「養殖場」採摘生魂.
片刻後,識蒼生糾結的情緒緩了過來,再次將希望放到赤煙身上.
他喃喃自語道:「朕相信皇姐,這次也會保朕與王朝無虞,即使⋯⋯朕次次都如此任性.」