AWB Chapter 166 The Regulations of the Celestial Master Pavilion
Chapter 166 The Regulations of the Celestial Master Pavilion
"Tianji subordinate Ning Xiaoxi, there is a report of enemy activity at the front." Ning Xiaoxi glanced around, but didn't recognize anyone. Not wanting to cause any misunderstanding, she stood still surrounded by soldiers.
"Officer Ning!" Before anyone could enter from behind the soldiers, he asked, "Did you just return from outside the city?"
"Captain Shang, I'm going to find Commander Liao." Finally seeing someone she recognized, Ning Xiaoxi gave him a brief explanation and stepped into the central tent of the barracks.
The guards exchanged glances as they noticed the sudden emptiness in the center of their defenses. Shang Wu quickly grabbed the horn at his waist and began to blow it.
As soon as Ning Xiaoxi landed, she heard a horn sound from the city wall.
Liao Wenju strode towards the outside of the tent and bumped into Ning Xiaoxi, who was about to enter.
"Ning, the subordinate official? Didn't you go out of the city to investigate?" Liao Wenju knew that Ning Xiaoxi had left the city early yesterday morning. He thought she would return soon, but he waited all day and still didn't see her return. He was quite impressed with the junior official's abilities.
"General Liao, a group of half-horsemen has gathered two hundred miles outside the city. Lord Tianji estimates that there are more than 20,000 of them. The Lord has already gone to Youdu City to report the news."
After listening to Ning Xiaoxi's words, Liao Wenju turned and waved to the two soldiers guarding the door, "Light the beacon fire and summon the centurions to assemble at their camps."
Two soldiers received the order. One turned to summon the centurion. The other went to a tall brazier outside the tent, lit the fuse, and the brazier quickly caught fire, but there were not many flames, and thick smoke billowed into the air.
Shortly after the thick smoke rose, Ning Xiaoxi saw that beacon fires had been lit almost simultaneously on the two mountain peaks to the left and right of the county town, with thick smoke billowing upwards, clearly visible.
Seeing that the soldiers in the barracks had begun to assemble in an orderly manner, Ning Xiaoxi turned to Liao Wenju and said, "Commander Liao, the message has been delivered, so I won't disturb you any longer. If you need anything from me, please feel free to send a message."
Liao Wenju clasped his hands in a gesture of respect and said, "Thank you for the timely information from the officials under Ning."
Ning Xiaoxi returned the greeting with a fist salute and then left the barracks.
As Ning Xiaoxi stepped out of the military camp gate, she turned her head to look in the direction of the Celestial Master Pavilion's residence. It was quiet and still.
County Magistrate Bai Qingting rode his horse at breakneck speed, accompanied by guards from the county government office. After dismounting and nodding to Ning Xiaoxi, he strode into the barracks.
"Buzz!"
Ning Xiaoxi felt a tremor at her waist. Upon inspection, she found it was the jade pendant given to her by Tianji, which was shimmering with a hazy white light.
Ning Xiaoxi took it out, channeled her spiritual energy into the jade tablet, and from the steady white light came the voice of the Earthly Lord, "Officer Ning, the Celestial Master Pavilion's residence will be closed for the next two days. You and your brother must stay at home and are not allowed to go out! We can talk about anything after these few days." After saying that, the white light disappeared.
Looking at the jade tablet that had returned to normal, Ning Xiaoxi turned to look at the soldiers who were beginning to orderly mobilize and assemble in the barracks, and the beacon towers on the hilltop still billowing with thick smoke. She recalled Tianji's last words when he left: "The Celestial Master Pavilion does not participate in wars!" Did this mean the Celestial Master Pavilion only dealt with demons and monsters, and wouldn't participate in disputes without demons? Were they just going to stand by and watch those soldiers fight outside the city?
Ning Xiaoxi felt her head was in a knot. She was a Taoist priestess, not a warrior, yet her parents and brothers were all in the city. She felt she couldn't possibly hide there like a quail. If she had no abilities at all, she would have chosen to live a life of quiet desperation, but she wasn't!
Tianji spoke very seriously, and Dikui even specifically told her about this matter, which was the Celestial Master Pavilion's attitude towards war. As a Celestial Master, she had to abide by the rules of the Celestial Master Pavilion.
【Tuanzi, we can't participate.】
[Tuanzi observed that although the soldiers looked frightening, they were indeed as Tianji had said—they didn't possess demonic power; they were just bluffing.]
So, my true identity is that of a Celestial Master, right? Even Tianji and Tianwei were previously Celestial Masters. It's because a Celestial Master has only one duty: to slay demons and exorcise evil!
【Xiao Xi!】Tuanzi's voice was also somewhat low, 【This is something that the human race must go through to establish itself in the world.】
"Have they experienced war and death?" Ning Xiaoxi didn't understand. "The demons were all wiped out, but what happened after the human race was established? Did the Celestial Masters also perish?"
[With the dissipation of spiritual energy, even without intervention, both celestial masters and demons will ultimately perish. However, the premature disappearance of demons can ensure the survival of humanity and the continuation of the world.]
Ning Xiaoxi stopped talking. She understood Tuanzi's mission and Tianji's wish, but she didn't yet understand what she wanted. She needed to think about it carefully.
When I got home, I only saw my mother at home; my father and brother were not there.
When Ning Xiaoxi returned, Ming Luoying looked her over for a while. From the moment Ning Xiaoxi left, her heart had not been at ease. She hadn't slept well all night, fearing that there might be some bad news.
"Mother, I just came back from the barracks, and I'm hungry!" Ning Xiaoxi hugged Ming Luoying's arm, not wanting her to worry anymore, and just having something to do would distract her.
Ming Luoying hurriedly heated up Ning Xiaoxi's meal, and Ning Xiaoxi obediently sat by the stove adding firewood.
"Xiaoxi, what happened when you went out of the city? You were delayed all night before coming back. I just heard a bugle call. You came back from the barracks, do you know what happened?"
"Mother, don't go out these next few days. The enemy outside the city is preparing to attack."
"Clang!" The soup spoon in Ming Luoying's hand fell to the ground.
"Oh, Mother, how are you? Are you hurt?" Ning Xiaoxi immediately stood up to check on Ming Luoying's hands and feet.
"It's alright, it's alright." Ming Luoying reacted, picked up the broom beside her, and swept up the broken pieces. "You mean, the half-traitors are going to attack the city?"
"Yes, I've already notified Commander Liao, and he's started making preparations." Ning Xiaoxi comforted Ming Luoying. "Commander Liao has extensive experience in defending the city, and he has so many soldiers. We've also taken precautions in advance, so everything will be fine."
Ming Luoying's hands were still trembling slightly. There was a difference between hearing about it and actually experiencing it. "Then Xiaoxi, you?"
"Both Lord Tianji and Lord Dikui have given me orders to stay home safely for the next few days and not to go out."
Ming Luoying finally breathed a sigh of relief, put the broom away, and took a soup spoon from the dish rack. "Your father and brother haven't come back yet. Could they have been assigned some chores?"
“My brother is also a Taoist priest, just like me, and he’s not allowed to go out. As for Father, we’ll ask him when he gets back.” Ning Xiaoxi took the sorghum porridge that Ming Luoying had served, sat down at the table, and picked up a steamed bun to eat. “I just saw the county magistrate go to the barracks. Father is just a clerk; at most, he’ll be doing some support work behind the scenes. He’ll be fine.”
"Mother, is Xiaoxi back?" Ning Ziqing called as she entered the house. As soon as she entered, she saw her younger sister eating a steamed bun while holding a bowl of porridge. Her expression visibly relaxed. "Did my sister bring back the information about the attack on the city?"