Chapter 63: Heavenly Might (1)

Flickering ghostly lights danced across the mountain plains, as hundreds of silent messengers gathered around. The youth swung his sword, knocking down one of them, but was then pushed back by several others!
“Don’t come near!”
He tried to shout, but found his throat dry and unable to produce any sound, forcing him to retreat in confusion.
“Elder Nan, Elder Yan, Yanji, Wuji!” The youth looked around but saw no familiar faces—only those silent messengers and wild wolves with green eyes!
“Om—ma—ni—pad—mi—hum—kill! Kill him, and you’ll achieve Buddhahood!”
The cold voice of the green-faced Buddhist monk rang in his ears once again, like that of a demon from hell.
“Kill him! Hahaha, kill him!”
The monk’s face twisted, eventually turning into Feng Deyin’s and then Li Linfu’s.
“No!”
The youth suddenly cried out, sitting up abruptly.
“Phew, it was just a nightmare!”
Li Kuo let out a sigh of relief, his forehead drenched in sweat. The green-faced monk, the silent messengers, the wild wolves in the valley—none of them existed anymore. He was still alive!
The light inside was soft, with the flames of four candles dancing gently. The scent of ambergris seeped through the Persian carpet, creating a soothing atmosphere.
Where was this? The youth felt disoriented. Gauzy curtains, flickering red candles, carved beams and painted rafters, and a pleasant fragrance—this wasn’t a military camp, nor could it be his home. Where on earth was he?
“You’re awake!”
Yang Huahua twirled her waist as she walked quickly to the bedside, holding a jade bowl. “Hurry up and drink this tremella and goji berry soup I just prepared. It’s great for nourishing blood and energy!”
“Madam of Guo State?”
Li Kuo stared at Yang Huahua in confusion, refusing to take the bowl and standing there dumbfounded.
“You silly boy! Who else could it be but me?”
Yang Huahua pushed the bowl aside and sighed. “You really are a troublemaker. Last time you made me cry for no reason, and now you come to my mansion asking for medicine!”
She stood up and stepped forward. “You guys stayed in Zhongnan Mountain for so long without returning, so your comrades sent people to search the mountain. They started from the foot of the mountain and found you on a huge rock! When they shone their torches, guess what? Good heavens, there were over a dozen white-gray wolves!”
Yang Huahua pretended to clutch her heart and jumped back, her movements exaggerated.
“Pfft!”
Li Kuo couldn’t help but laugh at her ridiculous actions.
“Finally, you’re smiling!”

Yang Huahua sat down by the embroidered bed again, picked up the jade bowl, and happily handed it to Li Kuo. “The imperial physician said that you were shocked this time, with pent-up anger in your heart. If you don’t release this negative energy, it will accumulate and cause illness, which is bad for your health!”
Yang Huahua gently exhaled, adjusting the temperature of the medicine: “This is silver ear fungus and goji berry soup made by me personally. Open your mouth and try it!”
“No need, I’ll do it myself!”
Li Kuo snatched the jade bowl and gulped it down in one go.
“You rascal!”
Yang Huahua lightly tapped Li Kuo’s forehead affectionately.
After setting down the jade bowl, Li Kuo remembered that he was still staying at the Lady of Guo’s residence. He quickly tried to get up: “I’m grateful for your care, but I still need to find Yan Ji and Wu Zui. Brother Nan and Brother Lei are both injured!”
“Ah, ah, ah. Don’t rush to get out of bed! The imperial physician said your blood and energy are severely depleted. You need to rest properly. You still can’t get out of bed with your leg in this state!”
Yang Huahua blocked the way in front of the bed, refusing to let the young man get up.
Sighing softly, Yang Huahua said gently, “Don’t worry. The young masters from the Zhang and Zhou families have returned to the camp. After a fierce battle, they’re very exhausted and need to rest properly. Heroes Nan and Lei are seriously injured and are being taken care of by skilled doctors in my residence. They’ll be fine! Your brothers, along with the injured, couldn’t find a place to go, so they came to your residence in desperation.”
“Oh!”
Relieved to learn that his friends and brothers were safe, Li Kuo sighed deeply and leaned back on the pillow.
His mood was complicated. The face of the green-faced monk kept appearing in his mind. Whenever he closed his eyes, that green-faced figure with sharp fangs would appear, refusing to vanish! When he got closer, the face became blurred, then after a few seconds, it turned into Dezi’s smiling face or Li Linfu’s mocking ‘kind eyes’. Being betrayed by a good friend was painful—like having someone stab you in the heart! It was as if you spent all your effort planning a wedding for a friend only to find out at the ceremony that the bride was your first love. This sense of being toyed with made Li Kuo feel cold inside. At this moment, he no longer wanted to know why Dezi had anything to do with the Tibetan monk; he didn’t care to hear any of his excuses. He knew full well that the so-called holy water given by the Tibetan demon monk to the messengers could manipulate minds, and he also knew that the messengers who were killing each other in the valley of Zhongnan Mountain were his own people!
It was a betrayal—not only to him but also to the Tang Dynasty and the nation!

Seeing Li Kuo’s worried expression, Yang Huahua thought he was concerned about the unusual activities of the Tibetan monks, so she deliberately tried to reassure him by covering her mouth and smiling. “You’ve been unconscious for a whole day and night—don’t you know? A few days ago, the Tibetan prince Lutzanshi was assassinated at the Honglu Temple. It’s finally given us Tang people some revenge!”
Yang Huahua waved her sleeves as if talking about some trivial household matter; perhaps the death of a prince meant nothing at all in her eyes as the Lady of Guo State.
“Lutzanshi is dead?”
Li Kuo stared at the Lady of Guo State in shock, his eyes wide with disbelief.
“Isn’t that right? Right now, Lord Li Xiu, the head of the Honglu Temple, is extremely busy. The Tibetan envoys have even rushed from the Honglu Temple to the Prime Minister’s residence!”
Yang Huahua gently swayed her fan, looking very pleased.
“Damn it! What a clever move—killing two birds with one stone!”
Li Kuo punched the bed fiercely, cursing in anger.
“What do you mean?”
Yang Huahua looked puzzled. In her view, the Tibetans had always been arrogant and domineering. Now that a prince of theirs was dead, it was surely a relief for the people of Chang’an. Moreover, the head of the Honglu Temple was Li Xiu, the son of Li Linfu. Li Linfu had always been at odds with the Yang family, so she naturally rejoiced at his downfall. As for any hidden conspiracies or their impact on the politics of the two countries, it had nothing to do with her, and she didn’t want to waste her mind figuring it out.
“If I remember correctly, the Tibetans sent envoys to Chang’an to request peace at the beginning of this year. Our emperor, concerned about the suffering of the people along the border and unwilling to see them endure more war, agreed to their peace proposal. Yet by the end of the year, a large number of monks flooded into Chang’an, using the pretext of spreading Buddhism to deceive our people and try to divide their loyalty. With the death of a Tibetan prince at such a sensitive time, I’m afraid trouble is on the horizon!”
Li Kuo shook his head, his eyes filled with worry.