Kunyang

"Liu Xiu raises troops to punish the lawless; Maojin cultivates virtue to become the Son of Heaven!"

Ever since Liu Xiu rose in arms in Nanyang and joined his brother Liu Yan in leading the Chunling Army under the banner of restoring the Han house, the prophecy known as the Red Talisman of Prophecy began to spread.

The world was engulfed in the smoke of war. Some sought to restore the Han, while others took the opportunity to establish themselves as emperors.

It was a scene of vibrant life, where all things flourished and competed!

Soon, the Greenwood Army grew powerful. They enthroned Liu Xuan—a descendant of Liu Fa, Prince Ding of Changsha and son of Emperor Jing, Liu Qi—as the emperor. They changed the era name to Gengshi and declared a general amnesty. Most rebel armies across various regions, whether voluntarily or by force, nominally honored this new Han emperor.

Shaodian Qingnu had also met Liu Xuan; he possessed providence.

Among the few strands of providence that had split from Chang'an years ago, he was the one who had obtained one.

Unfortunately, that providence would not last.

After returning from Shu, Shaodian Qingnu calmed the disasters, though she did not return to Mt. Tai. After all, the Red Eyebrows were making quite a racket near Mt. Tai, and it was very noisy.

Thinking of this, Shaodian Qingnu couldn't help but marvel at how correct Chunyu Tiying's decision was to take Jingang to the south!

Not only did they stay away from the turmoil, but they could also seek rare medicines and save the common people.

Tsk tsk...

What a fine place to be!

Since she couldn't return to Mt. Tai and the land was in chaos, Shaodian Qingnu simply took Hongluan to Kunyang.

"Is it not chaotic here as well?" Hongluan didn't understand.

Shaodian Qingnu shook her head and clicked her tongue. "Bird Sister, we are here to see an immortal!"

At those words, Hongluan was even more confused.

See an immortal?

Wouldn't looking in a mirror suffice?

Inside the city of Kunyang, the commoners were few and far between, and the rebel army numbered only three or four thousand. Meanwhile, Wang Mang's army, which was about to arrive, claimed to be four hundred thousand strong! The flags and banners of the four-hundred-thousand-strong army blotted out the sun—a majestic sight most of these rebels had never even witnessed.

But Kunyang's terrain was strategically vital; it had to be defended.

What was to be done?

Liu Xiu had a plan. He personally set out to borrow troops.

The rebels could only treat a dead horse as if it were alive, waiting for Liu Xiu to bring back reinforcements.

As Liu Xiu galloped away, he brushed past Shaodian Qingnu on the street as he exited Kunyang. The airflow from the galloping horse tousled the black hair of the girl in green, who lowered the brim of her bamboo hat.

"Master—?!"

Liu Xiu froze and reined in his horse.

But when he turned around, Shaodian Qingnu had already vanished, as if what he had just seen was merely an illusion.

Shaodian Qingnu stood atop the city wall, watching Liu Xiu's lone figure ride into the distance.

Liu Xiu did manage to borrow troops, but not many—only twenty or thirty thousand. Facing the New Dynasty's four-hundred-thousand-strong army with thirty thousand men was a battle that seemed destined for defeat no matter how one looked at it.

That night, Shaodian Qingnu met with Liu Xiu.

When Liu Xiu saw her, he was momentarily stunned, his expression dazed. Only then did he stand and cup his hands toward her. "Days ago, I thought I saw Master! I thought I was mistaken! To think Master truly is in Kunyang!"

"No need for formalities. You know I have never cared for such things."

Shaodian Qingnu waved her hand and sat on a chair to the side.

Liu Xiu sat down as well and quickly added, "A great battle is imminent in Kunyang. Wang Mang's army of four hundred thousand is descending upon us! Master... perhaps you should seek refuge elsewhere first?"

Shaodian Qingnu looked at him. "You don't plan on resisting?"

"Naturally, I must resist!" Liu Xiu replied without a moment's hesitation.

But soon, he sighed again. "It is just that the disparity between our forces is immense. Whether Kunyang can be held, I do not know! If anything were to happen to Master then, it would truly be Liu Xiu's sin!"

"As long as you aren't afraid, it's fine," Shaodian Qingnu said casually. "As long as you aren't afraid, you will surely win! If you win, I won't need to seek refuge."

Saying this, Shaodian Qingnu produced a table full of sumptuous food.

Liu Xiu froze on the spot.

Having campaigned this far, the rebels' supplies were tight. Liu Xiu and his subordinates ate only the simplest of meals. The richness of this spread was beyond imagination!

And...

Where did Master take this from?

Liu Xiu looked around, only to see Shaodian Qingnu beckoning him.

"Come, come, don't be polite! Eat your fill so you can fight. End this war as soon as possible."

This feast was something Shaodian Qingnu had prepared herself!

Though she couldn't match a master chef, the taste was not bad.

After eating and drinking her fill, Shaodian Qingnu stretched and waved her hand as she departed.

Before Liu Xiu could ask her to stay, she had already disappeared. Seeing this, he fell into another daze and muttered to himself, "Master... could she be an exiled immortal?"

He could not find Shaodian Qingnu, nor could he find an answer.

However, he soon lost the luxury of searching for her. He saw only the vastness of Wang Mang's army, their four hundred thousand banners blotting out the sky as they arrived beneath the walls of Kunyang.

Liu Xiu personally led the rebels on a charge, three thousand elite soldiers moving with fierce momentum!

On the high tower of the Kunyang city gate, Shaodian Qingnu leaned against the side, gazing at the smoke rising from the battlefield.

Hongluan saw this and suddenly understood. "Will an immortal appear to help him? But... that's impossible!"

In this world, aside from this silly snake, there were no other immortals!

Shaodian Qingnu looked up at the sky and saw the dimming light. "You will know soon enough."

How soon was soon?

Hongluan found out very quickly.

As Liu Xiu led his three thousand men against the four hundred thousand, thunder flashed in the heavens.

Shaodian Qingnu and Hongluan looked up to see the sky suddenly darken, followed immediately by clusters of fire igniting and staining the clouds red. Amidst the billowing dust and smoke, great fire meteors pierced the clouds and plummeted straight down, crashing into Wang Mang's army.

The earth trembled. Shaodian Qingnu rolled backward and landed on the city wall.

She poked her head out from behind a battlement and blew away a stray hair sticking to her lip.

"Heavenly fire meteors falling to earth... what immense power!"

Hongluan cried out in shock, "What on earth is going on?"

Shaodian Qingnu shrugged. "Who knows. Perhaps the Child of the Plane is exerting his power! Don't panic, Bird Sister. It won't hit your head; I'm here to cover you."

The falling meteors threw both armies into chaos.

But Liu Xiu's army quickly settled down, while Wang Mang's four hundred thousand men were thrown into disarray by the meteors striking their formations.

"Heavenly Han!" Liu Xiu raised the longsword in his hand high.

Behind him, the soldiers roared, "Long live the General!"

Three thousand crushing four hundred thousand!

Even video games weren't played like this.

Seeing the New Dynasty army collapsing for a thousand miles, the rebels of Kunyang cheered and stood in awe! Did Liu Xiu truly possess the Mandate of Heaven? Otherwise, why would Heaven send down fire meteors to aid him?

Once the crisis of Kunyang was resolved, the rebels could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Liu Xiu ordered his men to scavenge all usable weapons and resources from the battlefield, but the rebel soldiers soon discovered that someone was competing with them for the loot.

It was a strange woman dressed in green, wearing a bamboo hat!

The rebel soldiers couldn't beat her to it.

This matter was reported up to Liu Xiu. Upon hearing it, Liu Xiu immediately ordered his men not to disturb Shaodian Qingnu!

Not to mention that she was his master, but based on her mysterious appearances in Kunyang recently, Liu Xiu guessed that her identity was far from simple.

His master was extraordinary and divine; she was not to be offended!

However, Shaodian Qingnu had no interest in ordinary blades. She stood in a crater and tapped on a meteorite.

"Bird Sister, this meteoric iron will surely be worth a lot if we sell it..."

Crack—!!

Just as Shaodian Qingnu was tapping and speaking to Hongluan, the large meteorite split open.

Shaodian Qingnu froze.

"Wh—what? Why did it break?"