The Heavenly Wandering Sword

Chapter 47

Early in the morning, the news was passed out from the border towns. The Oyrat tribes had suddenly attacked the borders, one of the border towns already completely taken over. The Oyrat were a group of nomadic tribesmen who were also powerful cultivators. They lived in what was known as the Blue Sky Region of the north, surviving in a place that was frigid but that environment bred a hardy people. Until now, they had always enjoyed good relations, the border towns trading frequently and in large amounts with the Oyrat tribesmen. The three rulers received the news five days after the attack, the border town having been chased off and anyone who resisted had been killed. Three days after the news was received, General Shing lead the Royal Yao Lancers to march north towards where the border town of Ciao Town was.

“You want a what? A field trip?” The Principal was sitting beside Wu Min the elite hall department head while Li Jian casually slouched over the couch on her office. “You want to take the prince and princesses of the Yao Kingdom to go march with the Lancers? Have you lost your mind?” The Principal remained silent but Wu Min’s face was passive although her words belied any semblance of pacifism. The icy nature of her temperament only added to the statuesque appearance of the faced Frozen Princess of the Wu Royal Family.

“If you want to die in the battlefields, then by all means go die by yourself. I won’t authorize some ritual suicide where you insist on dying in battle to become a saint or something.” She blew out a strand of her hair in annoyance, crossing her arms and gazing at him coldly. Fu Rong however thought about it in her head carefully. “Master Li, you are aware that if there are any dangers that happen to them, the Royal families will wish for an explanation?”

For the former sword deity, things such as the wrath of the Royal family were relatively trivial. He was wondering more if the scallion pancakes he has would keep well on a long trip. He dismissed that thought and sighed, realizing he would have to bring the raw ingredients along in his storage ring. “If the Royal family wants an explanation, it’s simple. Just tell them that their children are not the geniuses they thought they were and weren’t fit to rule in the first place.” The Principal and Wu Min both looked at each other with a look. In that instance they both shared a mutual understanding; this professor must be a moron.

He stared at the two women and grinned slightly. “Department head, principal, do you think I would let these precious princes and princesses just die like that? Of course I will guarantee their safety. In fact, why not ask their parents? If you are all so worried, I’m sure I can just ask them if they believe that their children should be raised in an environment that would allow them to rule with real experience after having endured actual hardship.” He waggled his eyebrows at the witch elf and demon before leaning back down in the principal’s couch. “After all, let the brats go to war and come back with some accolades. Other wise what is so elite about these bunch of brats?”

Wu Min tossed her hair back in a rather fierce expression of her disagreement. For someone who was known to be an Ice Princess, this was a big reaction for her indeed. “You want to take the heirs of the Rulers and march them off to war. There are easier ways to commit treason you know.” Her eyes glared over at the human who still lounged there with a casualness that infuriated her.

“You can disagree all you like Princess Wu but if you are afraid of a bunch of youngsters being in a war, remember that there are much younger men in the army. If you’re afraid of them being killed by the enemy, General Shing is leading the Lancers and she is much more valuable than all of these brats put together.” He sighed and waved a hand towards one of the windows. “Besides, all the time they have spent cultivating is not worth a single week spent on a real battlefield.” Fu Rong actually thought that was quite true, after the horrors she had experienced when the tengu lord had attacked, she realized that her experiences were limited to fighting others one on one in formal tournaments and perhaps school yard brawls but without the same repercussions as she felt even as she watched the brutal slaughter of hundreds of Church soldiers.

“Enough. Master Li is right, Princess Wu. These youngsters will never learn to soar or become dragons if all they know how to do is sit in a classroom or wait for the right answer from their instructors. No matter the cultivation level, lack of experience in a real scenario is something that must be developed for future heirs of the nation. I will contact the Royal family and ask for permission.” Fu Rong glared at both of them, asserting her role as the Principal.

The three rulers looked at the Principal as they met in her office. Of course the office was cordoned off by Royal Guard but in here, they were as much parents as they were rulers. “Principal Fu, this is an odd request and I cannot say that it is one I expected to receive.” King Han said, stroking his short beard with a strange look in his eyes. Empress Suyan remained expressionless and quiet but it looked like King Wu was bursting with excitement. “Principal, I think this is a great idea for those two sons of mine to learn to be a man. What better place than in the army?”

King Han looked at his demon counter part with a raised eyebrow before thinking about it more carefully. “I have no doubts that Master Li is a great teacher and a powerful man but this is a battle. The Oryat tribesmen are known as powerful warriors, and we do not even understand the reason yet why they attacked us. Is that really the best situation to send our heirs into?” Of course King Wu simply grinned at this answer. “This is the perfect situation to send them in. They shall reap great glories and bring back accolades of course!” Empress Suyan pursed her lips and contemplated this much more carefully.

“I think that it would not be unwise to send them out. They would be well protected with the Lancers as well as General Shing. As long as we also make General Shing aware of the situation, then she will be able to provide the best protection for them and give them experience at the same time.” She was the most even tempered one of all of them. King Wu was overly aggressive and King Han was overly cautious. Principal Fu Rong smiled brightly and nodded. “Please, your Royal Majesties. I am sure that Master Li would take excellent care of his students.”

The next morning when the students arrived at the classroom, they had brought the backpacks that their servants had prepared for them. Armed with only steel swords, their life saving equipment such as various protective rings however were allowed this time. None of them knew why they had brought such heavy bags, but it was guessed that perhaps a trip out to hunt some magical beasts might be the reason for it.

He was already waiting for them, not bringing a massive large pack like the one that the others carried but instead just one with various random items. On their desks were already a set of uniforms of green coloured combat tunics and a set of light segmented armour. The regular soldiers in the army of course wore steel armour but these were the scions of the dynasty after all, and the armour was made up of a much stronger metal imbued with spiritual energy. “Professor? What is all of this? Is that an army uniform?” Shing Hai of course would recognize the uniform of the army as her mother wore the same kind of uniform often. “Hurry up and get changed. We will be leaving the academy for a while for some real-world education. All of you have been pampered for long enough, now you will see if you are capable of surviving.”

Wu Shan and Wu Shen Bao looked at each other gravely. The two demon brothers were quite looking forward to this day while Han Tian picked up the uniform and looked it over. “This looks just like the infantry uniforms of the Royal Army.”

“That is because it is the infantry uniforms of the Royal Army.” Su Lan said as she examined the armour torso piece as well. Li Jian looked at all of them impatiently. “All of you, be changed and outside in five minutes or I will fail all of you right now.” Discipline was also something that he hoped these students would pick up. He had realised one of the mistakes he had made when he originally ascended; he had a few disciples that were in the world and made great waves, but he had not passed on a true legacy. With the Crown Prince Jing and these students, he hoped that he was able to provide an influence to the next generation of rulers.

He waited outside for them and was pleasantly surprised when after only a few short minutes, they were able to get outside, although some were grumbling. This may be the first time in their lives that they were about to endure such a degree of hardship. “We will be joining the Royal Lancers in the north. From now on, you will all be soldiers in the unit.” Li Jian had kept his normal clothing on, this was for them after all. “I will be accompanying you to meet with General Shing. A word of warning to all of you, you are not permitted to use your royal titles or privileges in anyway on this trip. You will be considered soldiers and that is all.”

The students looked at him, surprised at this change of events but he simply shrugged and smirked over at them. A two-horse wagon had pulled up with a large open top wagon in the back and Li Jian ushered them on. The wagon was unlike anything they have sat in before; it was cramped and not luxurious at all. The seating were the wooden floor without any cushions, and there was no shelter overhead. “This is what ordinary soldiers ride on if they even have the luxury of such a thing. The only reason we are taking this is because we have to catch up to the main unit. After we reach them, it will be on foot again.”

Shing Hai was the one who was least disturbed by all of this. It seems that her up bringing had military training involved but for Su Lan, she was frowning at the wagon as she sat there with her knees against her chest to have enough room for others. The two demon brothers just looked curiously at this as Li Jian decided to sit up front with the carriage driver. The carriage driver was a human soldier named Qin Yong who glanced over at the royal scions with disinterest and snapped the horses to a quick trot, various other students of the Academy staring at the sight of the elite students being dressed up as soldiers and then shoved into a wagon in this manner.