Chapter Forty-Four: The Great Battle of the Divine Shaman

The captain of the Changli Guards, upon seeing Lu Hu, hurried over and saluted. “Divine Lord, His Majesty has ordered us to await your command.”

“You are to guard the Emperor, the Empress, and my tent. If anything arises, I’ll have Pearl and Jade come find you.” Lu Hu couldn’t yet think of what he might need them for.

“Thank you, Divine Lord.” The captain’s face brimmed with joy: finally, they were family; at last, they had a reliable patron and need not wander or suffer indignities anymore.

“Divine Lord, I want to be a centurion too!” Quan Pearl coquettishly posed Lu Hu a small dilemma.

“Centurions must lead men into battle, where danger lurks and arrows fly blindly. It’s better for you to stay close to me, helping with my accounts and writing, wouldn’t you prefer that?”

“Alright, but when you go to war, I want to follow you.”

“Can you ride?” Lu Hu gently tapped her delicate, fair nose.

“When I was nine, Father and Mother taught me to ride and shoot, though mostly I studied, painted, and practiced needlework. My elder sister is even more skilled—she can ride wild horses and draw hard bows…” Quan Pearl chirped endlessly like a little lark, talking ceaselessly to her beloved brother.

As they spoke, they entered the tent. Ma Lihong and Zhu Xiaoying were tidying up; seeing Lu Hu, they put down their chores and hurried over to salute. “Divine Lord, you’ve returned. You must be weary. Please sit, let us massage your shoulders and legs, help you relax.”

Their words were respectful, but their tone was thick with jealousy, unable to hide their sourness.

Each tried to get close to Lu Hu, hoping to nudge Quan Pearl aside.

Lu Hu raised his hand to stop them. “No need, I’m not so pampered. Go about your work.”

The two maids cursed her inwardly, forced a smile, and returned to their tasks.

“Divine Lord, the troops have been reorganized and are assembling outside the tent,” Shi Zhenxiang reported loudly from the entrance.

Changli Guards surrounded the tent, and Shi Zhenxiang understood Lu Hu’s intent: now that they were family, she could no longer visit him so casually.

Lu Hu lifted the tent curtain and stepped out, flanked by the sisters, Quan Pearl and Quan Jade.

Shi Gengxiang and Yakexi led the procession, with Shi Taixiang, Shi Xiangxiang, An Shiniu, and other officers lining up their squads before the tent.

The freshly organized troops, untrained yet, appeared somewhat chaotic.

Shi Zhenxiang turned to the troops, raised her right hand, and the ranks erupted with earth-shaking cries: “Salutations, Divine Lord! Long live the Divine Lord!”

The voices were not perfectly in sync, but it was clear most soldiers shouted from their gut, their throats stretched to the limit.

Lu Hu signaled for silence, then raised his voice with authority. “Brave and invincible warriors, from today, we train for three days. Soldiers must obey the decurion without question; decurions must obey the centurion without question; centurions must obey the chiliarch without question. United as one, we are stronger than steel. In three days, we march on the Xilot encampment to reclaim King Shi Zhenxiang’s throne. Merit will be rewarded, promotions granted, and you shall aid King Zhenxiang in governing the tribes. Is that understood?”

“Understood! Understood! Understood!” The soldiers raised their weapons, shouting thunderously.

As the shouting subsided, Lu Hu surveyed the crowd and spoke sternly. “In war, you must not oppress or plunder poor herders, nor seize spoils at will, and above all, do not kill innocents for false glory. Any who violate these orders will be executed without mercy.”

A chill ran through the soldiers’ hearts.

Suddenly, a sinister voice echoed from the ranks. “Heh, heh, heh, not allowed to loot, nor allowed to kill—what a stingy devil you are!”

With that, the soldiers parted to form a path.

“You devil, how dare you use the name of the gods to mislead the troops—kneel and beg forgiveness!”

The speaker wore a towering celestial crown, a ghastly mask covering his face, waist-length hair flowing, clad in a robe marked with strange patterns. In his left hand, he held an oval beast-hide drum; in his right, a large beast thigh bone.

He was the Supreme Shaman of the Xilot tribe, the spiritual leader revered above even the wise kings.

Except for grand festivals or major affairs of the Xilot, he seldom appeared, preferring to stay secluded, worshipped like a deity, living in idle luxury. Hearing that the Left Wise King was hunting at the border, he accompanied him for a change of scenery.

He maintained an aura of mystery, hiding in his luxurious warm carriage whether on the road or in camp, enjoying delicacies and the landscape. Guarded by more than ten shaman soldiers, none but the princes dared approach, and even they could not see him at will.

The chaos of the camp concerned him not; whoever gained power never dared disrespect the gods. Outside, matters of life and death were for others to decide; once the dust settled, they would come bow to him, and he would announce it was the will of heaven.

Unexpectedly, the situation outside had resolved without anyone acknowledging him.

Unacceptable! These disrespectful wretches must be taught a lesson.

He appeared in full regalia to demand justice.

The soldiers, seeing the always aloof, godlike Supreme Shaman, were full of reverence, hanging on his every word.

So the chaos was caused by the god—he outdoes me in divine theatrics. If you play god, what am I supposed to play? I must bring him down, or at least drive him off.

“Heaven knows you, devil, have come to sow discord. I bear heaven’s command: soldiers, take up your weapons and slay this fiend!”

With his shrill cry, the shaman soldiers beside and behind him raised their bows, aiming at Lu Hu.

The Supreme Shaman’s command caused many in the ranks to grab their bows, uncertain which god to obey.

Quan Pearl cried out and lunged forward, hugging Lu Hu tightly from the front, determined to shield him with her own delicate body from the impending rain of arrows.

Quan Jade’s brows arched fiercely; she stepped forward, spreading her arms to protect Lu Hu and her sister.

Yakexi, Shi Zhenxiang, Shi Gengxiang, and twelve centurions drew their weapons, forming a semicircle in front of Lu Hu.

“Loose your arrows, kill them!” The Supreme Shaman screeched, ordering his guards with malice.

Quan Jade’s exquisite beauty and graceful figure made the shaman soldiers hesitate to harm such a celestial maiden.

“Do you dare disobey me? Are you not afraid of heaven’s wrath? Shoot!” The Supreme Shaman howled, nearly mad.

Suddenly, Bai Dabai surged forward, leaping over Shi Zhenxiang and the others like a flash of white lightning, landing before the Supreme Shaman. He bared his fangs at the shaman soldiers, threatening to bite anyone who dared release an arrow.

The shaman soldiers froze, arms petrified, afraid to shoot—if the arrows flew, they might be mauled to death. Too close to the tiger; with its speed, they might not survive even to aim.

True feelings reveal themselves in adversity.

Lu Hu gently patted Quan Pearl’s soft back with his right hand, reached out with his left to pull Quan Jade behind him.

“Whoever dares shoot, I’ll annihilate them, destroy their nine generations, make their deaths unbearable,” Lu Hu declared, as Quan Pearl still clung to him. He had no choice but to threaten, hoping to cow the shaman soldiers.

They had not seen the Divine Lord’s powers, but had heard tales from the troops and hesitated, not daring to shoot.

Lu Hu pointed at the Supreme Shaman. “You call me a devil—then you deal with me yourself, you wicked spirit who twists truth. Come, let us duel, and let all witness who is god and who is demon.”

This made sense—let the gods and demons settle their own scores. Why should mortals meddle? Better to seize the chance to admire the two beauties and feast the eyes.

The soldiers cleared a space of their own accord.

“Watch me summon the gods!” The Supreme Shaman, never having fought, could only resort to his usual theatrics, swaying, jumping, left hand raised with the drum, right hand pounding with the bone, singing madly: “Oh, gods descend, drum in my left, whip in my right, I ride forth into the world…”

“Little darling, let go—watch your brother vanquish this devil.” Lu Hu whispered lovingly to Quan Pearl, his lips brushing her ear as he spoke, kissing her earlobe.

Quan Pearl trembled, her body going limp.

Lu Hu took the opportunity to pull her away, turning to place her in Quan Jade’s arms.