AEOGA CH96

Yelang revered shamanic Gu magic, cultivating generations of sorcerers who pledged loyalty to the imperial family. These sorcerers were split into two branches: curse masters, who performed curse arts using dolls as mediums, and Gu masters, who used poisonous insects to refine Gu and harm people. From across the nation, Yelang would select the single individual with the strongest overall power to become the Imperial Advisor.

The Gu master previously dispatched to Wolong City to make contact with the Prefect was already one of Yelang’s top sorcerers. After Xie Chongjin executed the Wolong Prefect, he put that Gu master to death as well, dealing a heavy loss to Yelang. Fortunately, their true trump card—the Imperial Advisor—was still present, sent by the Emperor to oversee the army as a hidden ace.

While shamanic Gu was honored as a righteous path in Yelang, it was considered pure dark magic in the eyes of the other three nations. This generation’s Imperial Advisor of Yelang was especially devoid of morality and humanity. Refining living humans into Gu to create a living dead unit was precisely this Imperial Advisor’s idea, and he had personally conducted the experiments.

That Wu Feng requested his assistance ahead of time left this black-robed old man deeply displeased and gloomy. Owing to his formidable abilities, his standing in Yelang was supreme; even the Emperor treated him with utmost deference, so he naturally held a petty general in no regard.

In the Imperial Advisor’s eyes, only the most critical moments were worthy of his intervention—such as the final push into Yujing. Commanding the living dead army to break through Yujing City would surely leave a grand mark in the history books.

Now, having barely crossed the border, he was being asked to act. Was this not wasting grand talent on petty tasks, treating him like a mere errand boy?

Facing this arrogant Imperial Advisor, Wu Feng kept his posture extremely humble: “Imperial Advisor, I know I should not bother you at this moment, but given the current battle situation, you are the only one who can turn the tide. Among those useless fools kept in the military camp, who possesses your capability?”

Anesthetic could no longer be used, and their newly developed weapons had all been cracked one by one by Changli. Seeing that the army’s morale was on the verge of collapsing, if the Imperial Advisor did not act now, when would he?

If they suffered defeat in this very first battle, how could there be any future opportunities for him to display his prowess?

The Imperial Advisor understood this truth, though he still felt disgruntled in his heart.

Wu Feng’s flurry of flattery softened the Imperial Advisor’s expression slightly, prompting a cold snort: “A bunch of useless fools indeed.”

This word “fools” naturally included Wu Feng himself. He endured it, his expression becoming even more subservient: “What’s more, the Emperor of Changli is leading a personal expedition and is currently in Wolong City. If we can directly claim his life, His Majesty will be overjoyed and reward you immensely.”

There was no other way; the living dead unit could only be controlled by this man’s flute, so he had to be catered to.

Hearing this, the Imperial Advisor’s mind stirred. If it were merely the Battle of Wolong, he would naturally feel his talent wasted, but with the weight of the Changli Emperor added…

The Imperial Advisor asked: “When?”

“No day is better than today,” Wu Feng said. “Without delay, tonight.”

For some unknown reason, Changli seemed to know their tactics like the back of their hand, countering every move and turning the tables every time. Had there not been a complete lack of evidence, he would have suspected a traitor had appeared in his own camp.

Wu Feng was utterly baffled, nor could he ever guess that Changli was so adept simply because the experience had been beaten into them in their past lives.

He could only reason that since Changli had thoroughly seen through their prior plans, they might as well launch an impromptu night raid.

Besides, Yelang could no longer afford to drag this out.

In conventional warfare, war drums would be sounded before the two armies engaged. Yelang possessed no martial virtue and felt zero psychological burden regarding sneak attacks.

–

Midnight, the Changli military camp.

The soldiers were fast asleep in their tents; exhausted from the day’s battles, every one of them was conserving their energy once night fell.

Yet they remained in a light sleep, capable of waking at the slightest disturbance to grab weapons placed within arm’s reach and engage in battle at a moment’s notice.

In a place like the battlefield, no one dared to sleep soundly—unless they wished to never wake up again.

Not to mention His Majesty had issued an order today imposing a strict curfew tonight.

Inside the spacious, comfortable main tent, a faint candle light remained burning.

Lu Xuechao was clad in white, his dark hair loosely draped as he reclined on the couch. His fair wrist adorned with a silver bracelet glistened white; his slender fingers held a piece of white jade chess piece as he played chess against Xie Chongjin.

Holding the piece with half-lowered eyes, he seemed to have been pondering for a long time, withholding his move.

Xie Chongjin asked softly: “Are you sleepy? If you are tired, close your eyes and rest for a while; I’ll call you if something happens.”

This chess setup had not reached a point where it could stump Lu Xuechao, unless he was too exhausted to think clearly.

Treating so many people during the day and staying up at night, his fragile constitution truly could not take it.

Lu Xuechao shook his head and set the chess piece down: “Someone hasn’t slept yet, how can I sleep?”

Both knew full well who this “someone” referred to.

None other than Yelang.

Over the past few days of battle, Changli had progressed with utmost smoothness. With Xie Chongjin and Lu Xuechao presiding over the army, backed by memories of their past life to seize every advantage, it would be strange if things were not smooth—they were no fools, after all.

If this continued, Yelang would soon be beaten into retreating from Mount Wolong and scurrying back to Yongye City on the Yelang border. If they could not even cross the border line, how could they talk about the grand design of unifying the realm? They would become a complete laughingstock.

Yelang would never let the matter rest; unusual movements were bound to happen next, tonight at the latest.

If they did not act now, they would lose.

All of Yelang’s current methods had been neutralized by Changli; the only remaining card in their hand was that living dead unit.

In their past life, when Yelang pressed their army against the city walls and ordered a massacre, blood flowed like rivers throughout Yujing. The defending garrison stood powerless against the living dead unit that knew neither fatigue nor pain.

That Yujing City filled with rising beacon smoke, blazing fires, and pervasive blood was an eternal pain in Xie Chongjin’s heart.

He would never again allow Yelang to breach Changli’s gates.

Having died to shamanic Gu curses in so many lifetimes, Lu Xuechao had thoroughly researched shamanic Gu in order to seek a way to survive, and happened to possess the method to counter puppet Gu.

In the dark, it seemed destined by Heaven that they held a fortune that no one could steal.

At the hour of the Ox (1–3 AM), Mount Wolong.

A small squad of Yelang soldiers was secretly climbing the mountain.

Across such a vast mountain, the south belonged to Yelang and the north to Changli; one launched fierce attacks while the other defended to the death. After many days, Yelang had failed to advance even an inch, and was instead on the verge of being driven down the mountain.

Tonight, with the living dead unit clearing the way, they intended to have the Changli people buried in the wilderness in their sleep.

Mountain wolves howled one after another in the wild, sending a chill through the body under the moonlight.

A Yelang soldier tightened his grip on his weapon nervously: “We won’t end up fighting wild wolves in the mountains before we even fight the Changli people, will we?”

Another soldier mocked his cowardice: “What are you afraid of? We’ve all applied beast-repelling powder; no wolves will come near.”

Before his words faded, his body stiffened as dozens of green eyes emerged in the dark night, stepping slowly out from the shadows.

The tall man leading them possessed a pair of icy blue heterochromatic eyes. He patted a wolf’s head, the color of his eyes mirroring the fierce, wild ruthlessness of the wolves.

“Brothers,” Dugu Ye was raised in the mountain forests, and all the wolves of Mount Wolong were his friends; standing among the wolf pack at this moment, he resembled a wolf king, “bite these brats who want to invade our home into shreds.”

The wolf pack let out a long howl and pounced fiercely.

…

A sharp, piercing flute sound shattered the moonlit night.

Gazing at the living dead before them who had lost all humanity and retained only beastly nature, the wolf pack retreated quietly in fear.

Animals possessed an inherent instinct to seek benefit and avoid harm. Soldiers fed with puppet Gu surpassed human physical limits, lost human reason, and retained only commands to slaughter—they were monsters that even wild beasts would fear.

The sharp flute music grew hurried, directing the living dead army to rapidly approach the Changli encampment stationed on the south side of the mountain.

The living dead army would act as the vanguard to reap heads, while ordinary soldiers followed behind to finish off survivors—this was Yelang’s night raid plan for tonight, designed to catch Changli completely off guard.

Even if Changli had prepared beforehand, so what? Could they withstand an army of the living dead? Those were combat weapons capable of tearing even the hardest iron armor apart with their bare hands.

At the mountain peak, the black-robed Imperial Advisor blew the flute urgently, pressing the grand army onward.

The Changli soldiers sleeping in their tents all heard the faint, distant flute sound; opening their eyes alertly, they immediately grabbed the weapons at their sides.

In the main tent, Lu Xuechao listened to the harsh, ear-grating flute music and frowned slightly: “A true disaster for music.”

Xie Chongjin nodded in agreement.

Even someone completely ignorant of musical theory could not endure such noise.

Lu Xuechao picked up the Xiangshou Guqin prepared long ago, standing up to say: “Let’s go. Time to meet that Imperial Advisor.”

Xie Chongjin nodded, abandoning the chess game, and left the tent alongside Lu Xuechao as they lifted the curtain.

The living dead possessed astonishing mobility; in less than fifteen minutes, the vast shadows of the puppet army could already be seen outside the camp.

Who knew how many living people Yelang had refined?

When Yelang selected massive numbers of soldiers under the guise of “executing secret missions,” preventing them from sending letters to their families, those soldiers and their families likely still thought they were bringing glory to their country, embarking on their journey with pride.

How could they have known the so-called secret mission was to be refined alive into these monstrosities neither human nor ghost?

Despite despising the puppet army that slaughtered Changli’s soldiers and civilians, Xie Chongjin still had to curse Yelang as beasts for ruining their own soldiers so terribly.

In his past life, the deaths of these soldiers were all placed on Changli’s head.

He wanted the people of Yelang to see clearly the true face of the Yelang imperial family.

Xie Chongjin had no intention of annexing Yelang; he possessed only a heart to defend his country without any desire to seize territory, but he would never allow Yelang’s ruler to remain surnamed Zhao.

In the Heavenly Book that Xie Chongjin had seen, because the reputation of AEOGA had collapsed, many players quit the game; in response, the official team released a series of game teasers to retain players.

Although the series of games was delayed and never released, the teasers were plentiful, showing the official team’s urgent desire to retain players.

Among them, the Empress of the female-dominant nation Feng Qi Wu was Helian Yu. The Empress of the all-female nation Yong Yu Le was the current female ruler. Meanwhile, the Emperor of the male-citizen nation Ye Wei Yang was a name never heard before, surnamed Ye, rather than the current imperial surname Zhao.

If the game’s protagonists were tied to world fortune, the fact that Ye Yang could become the Emperor of Yelang indicated that the Zhao imperial family’s fortune was exhausted.

Xie Chongjin was the person of fortune who had brought the Zhao clan’s fortune to its end.

…

“What are those things? Are those still human?”

Gazing at those puppet soldiers walking like the living dead, the Changli soldiers showed uncertain, suspicious expressions.

Though fearless in countenance, they were baffled by this scene that exceeded their understanding.

Even so, the Changli soldiers raised their shields and spears, preparing for battle.

His Majesty’s warning for them to be on alert was indeed correct—those Yelang bastards only knew how to pull sneak attacks!

In the distance, watching this scene, the black-robed Imperial Advisor sneered: “Overestimating your own strength.”

How could mere mortal flesh and blood withstand the power of the living dead?

Just as he continued playing the flute to order the attack, he suddenly saw two young men walk out from the opposite tent—one in black with an authoritative gaze, one in white holding a guqin.

The Changli soldiers stared at them blankly.

Although they had never seen the true face of the miracle doctor who always wore a veiled hat, they could recognize at a glance that this gentleman in white was the miracle doctor who had been diagnosing and treating them for days.

Presence was something that could not be replicated.

So the miracle doctor looked this handsome.

But why did he walk out of the same tent as His Majesty?

Wasn’t that tent where His Majesty and… and Her Majesty the Empress lived…?

To think they had been personally treated by Her Majesty the Empress?!

The Changli soldiers felt surge of emotion, shock, and mixed feelings, while the vanguard puppet soldiers of Yelang had long lost all sense of beauty, continuing to approach mechanically.

The Changli soldiers’ expressions shifted, and they were about to raise their weapons to protect the Emperor and Empress.

Lu Xuechao looked at the dull-looking puppet soldiers, his gaze cool and faint, as if looking through these soldiers to see the Imperial Advisor controlling them in the distance.

The Imperial Advisor jerked his eyes back; despite being so far away, he felt an illusion of being seen right through.

He hesitated no longer, playing the flute urgently to command the attack.

Kill them, kill them all!

If the Changli Emperor was torn to pieces by the puppet soldiers as well, it would be a monumental achievement.

The puppet soldiers suddenly went mad, their charging speed accelerating drastically. Just as they were about to pounce irresistibly toward the Changli camp, Lu Xuechao moved.

He sat on the ground and plucked the guqin strings, pouring out a string of smooth, beautiful notes.

To control puppet soldiers, the instrument was merely a medium; playing a tune that the Gu insects inside the puppet soldiers could understand was the key. Whether a flute or a guqin, it made little difference.

That the Imperial Advisor’s flute music sounded terrible did not matter; he was merely issuing orders, not playing for appreciation.

Yet Lu Xuechao, a world-renowned guqin master, could accompany that specific tune with harmonies, rendering it incomparably pleasant to the ear.

The Changli soldiers were initially confused as to what His Highness was doing—now was hardly the time to play the guqin!

Yet as Lu Xuechao plucked a string, the originally frenzied puppet soldiers suddenly froze, halting their attack.

In the distance, the Imperial Advisor’s expression changed dramatically—how could Yelang have a Gu master capable of controlling puppets too?!

Not daring to drop his guard, he immediately sped up his flute playing, attempting to reclaim control.

On one side, the flute music demanded an attack; on the other, the guqin music commanded a stop. The puppet soldiers swayed left and right, momentarily confused, unsure of whom to obey.

Yet this hesitation did not last long.

After Lu Xuechao played the command to “lay down weapons and return the way you came,” the puppet soldiers hesitated for only a moment before unanimously dropping their weapons, turning around to leave, making it useless no matter how furiously the Imperial Advisor blew his flute until the notes cracked.

Changli soldiers: “…”

His Highness wasn’t a miracle doctor—His Highness was a true deity.

Xie Chongjin had known Lu Xuechao’s abilities long ago, yet seeing this, he still marveled: “Qingshu’s skill in shamanic Gu is actually stronger than that Imperial Advisor’s.”

“Not really,” Lu Xuechao knew his own capabilities well; he did not specialize in shamanic Gu, merely hitting the mark by chance because he knew the tune to control puppet Gu, nowhere near as versed in various methods of harming people as that Imperial Advisor.

As for why the puppets obeyed him instead of the Imperial Advisor…

“Perhaps it’s because I play better than he does,” Lu Xuechao said.

Compared to the harsh, ear-grating noise that even puppets found unbearable, Lu Xuechao’s guqin music was simply heavenly music that cleared their ears.

Even puppets knew whose words to listen to.