144 Epilogue

The battle's outcome was as expected. The Silverwing beasts and the Alabaster Group won, but at a terrible cost. Over half of the members sent by the Alabaster Group had perished, including their higher-level forces. Only a third of the allied beast forces remained.

There was a silver lining, however. The Pure Jade Defensive Formation had been activated, and it would remain activated for the foreseeable future. The price to maintain the formation was steep but worthwhile for the Silverwing beasts.

After the battle was completed, the Alabaster Group conducted an investigation and found the traitor. It was an inconspicuous member who wasn't around too often. They weren't sure how he got past their screening process. Unsurprisingly, the punishment for treachery was death.

Unfortunately, the owl monarch perished from his wounds shortly after the battle. Before dying, he passed on his inheritance to the last True Seer Owl on the mountain, the one Wang Jun had effectively used as a monitor to manage the battle. Then, seeing that the owl was clearly not leadership material, the owl monarch appointed Huxian as leader.

Huxian, not wanting to disappoint the monarch, accepted, but he abdicated shortly after the monarch's death and nominated Silverwing, who bluntly rejected. Eventually, the Geomantic Sovereign took on the role as monarch. As a formation expert, she was best suited to controlling the defensive formation. In addition, her contributions to the war and to their survival far eclipsed that of any other beast. Everyone unanimously approved her appointment.

Two weeks passed before Cha Ming, Huxian, and Wang Jun took their leave. They were sent off with a celebration and a large gift of medicinal herbs—useless for the beasts but useful for Cha Ming. Coincidentally, all the ingredients required for his next two pills had been gathered. After one day, they finally departed and left the Silverwing Mountain Range behind them.

***

"We really made off like bandits," Huxian said, merrily skipping along. Lei Jiang sat on his head, keeping his paws to himself, lest Cha Ming and Wang Jun scold him once more.

And I thought Huxian was a handful, Cha Ming thought. And he says he's going to recruit seven more friends? What am I, a zookeeper?

Worse, Huxian had no way to earn income. Therefore, Cha Ming gained an extra mouth to feed with every new companion Huxian gained. He only hoped that their appetites wouldn't be as overwhelming as the little fox's.

Suddenly, Huxian's ears pulled back. "Someone's coming!" he yelled. Cha Ming, who had known this long before, held his hand out and motioned for Huxian to stop.

"He's a messenger from the Song Kingdom," Cha Ming said. "Likely here for Wang Jun."

Sure enough, the man who came was a soldier. He immediately bowed to Wang Jun before delivering a letter. The latter grimaced after reading the contents.

"It seems my absence had some consequences," Wang Jun said. "We secured funding on this expedition and weakened the crown prince. However, a major event happened while we were gone. The king, who has been in poor health of late, collapsed."

"What coincidental timing," Cha Ming said.

"Indeed," Wang Jun replied. "And naturally, the doctors all think nothing is wrong with him."

Cha Ming held his hand to his chin. "Is it possible for me to take a look at the king?"

Wang Jun raised his eyebrow. "You're a spirit doctor now? There are human limits to success, you know."

Cha Ming flushed in embarrassment. "By no means am I a spirit doctor, but I studied under a mortal doctor for some time, so I am familiar with human physiology." He looked back toward the Quicksilver Empire, recalling the lavish buildings the spirit doctors occupied. "Besides, I don't think I trust spirit doctors anymore. They are conceited and think themselves infallible."

"Very well," Wang Jun replied. "A small matter. I'll make it happen." He looked at Huxian and Lei Jiang. "What about you two?"

"We're following Brother Cha Ming, of course," Huxian said.

"I'm following Brother Huxian," Lei Jiang replied.

Wang Jun massaged his forehead. "Fine. I'll arrange something for you to appear like Cha Ming's tamed beasts." Cha Ming frowned when he heard this. "It's just the way of the world, my friend," Wang Jun said. "Every human empire has a rule—all beasts, if not imprisoned, must be tamed. Otherwise, they are to be killed on sight."

"It's fine," Huxian said. "It's far better than being separated again."

Cha Ming's expression softened after getting Huxian's approval.

A day passed, and they finally exited the forest and saw their first glimpse of civilization. There were villages and a large city nearby. Farmers were tilling their fields and sowing seeds during these first few days of spring. Just as they were leaving the forest, a silver glint appeared overhead. Soon, a tiny bird was perched on Huxian's now enlarged form.

"Are you tagging along too?" Huxian asked.

"Of course," Silverwing replied. "What kind of friend would I be if I stayed behind?"

Cha Ming could barely discern a softly glowing "friend" character on his forehead.

Make that three mouths to feed, he thought. Then he looked to Wang Jun, who chuckled. "Three fake beast-taming collars won't cost much more than two," he said lightly. The remainder of their trip was naturally spent housebreaking Silverwing, who was just as bad as Huxian and Lei Jiang.

***

Feng Ming was annoyed. All he wanted was to kill devils while leading the army. And now he was confined to barracks until his father arrived. Naturally, there was nowhere to run. He was surrounded by good men, and he didn't want them to suffer if he escaped.

Just what could make my father act like this? he thought. His father had given him free rein until recently. Now he had chosen to swiftly retract Feng Ming's leash. As a senior general in the army, his father's orders weren't questioned.

He slept on his flat bed, not touching any food or drink as he waited miserably for his father to arrive. While waiting, he heard some interesting rumors. Was the king dead? No, he had only collapsed. He had been sick for a long time. But who would take over as king now that he was incapacitated? The crown prince? The third prince?

He heard conversations and questions from every angle. Apparently, troops were getting pulled back from all corners of the Song Kingdom. All the great generals were convening their colonels and stationing their troops in ways that indicated their political position.

So that's what it is, Feng Ming thought. Political games while the kingdom is falling apart. In his opinion, politicians and devils were of the same breed. They spoke sweet words but veiled their true intentions. They deceived the world while accomplishing their greedy goals.

Well, he thought, I won't have it. I refuse to participate in these lousy games. There was a war to be fought, and people had forgotten it far too soon.

***

The final ghost dissipated as Gong Lan decapitated it with a blade of light. The surrounding air was purified. With time, the trees would grow near the decrepit graveyard. Just like it would with the 107 others.

"Where do we go next, Bodhi?" Gong Lan asked, wiping the sweat from her brow.

"Next, we go to the most central location in the kingdom," the bodhi seed said. It appeared on her shoulder. This time, its expression was serious.

"You mean the capital city?" Gong Lan asked.

"Heavens, no," the bodhi seed replied. "The capital is relatively new. We must go somewhere older. Somewhere ancient. We must go where the destiny of the nation accumulates, where the spirits of its kings are buried. We must follow the path of corrupting crimson and stop the enemy where the evil spirits gather.

"But what are they after?" Gong Lan wondered.

The bodhi seed sighed. "The Ancient Emperor's Seal of Pure Jade."

-- End Book 4 --