THE HUNTER OF DARKNESS

Unleashing Longing

Upon arriving at the palace, Fang An was confused by the large number of soldiers rushing back and forth, clearly preparing for something. He had never seen such a situation during his time living at the palace, and it raised a host of questions in his mind.

To satisfy his curiosity, Fang An made his way toward the grand hall. A soldier, seeing his arrival, hurriedly ran ahead to announce him.

"Forgive me, Your Majesty... Lord Fang An has returned. He is on his way to the hall."

Emperor Li Wei immediately stood up. For him, news of Fang An's return was the most eagerly awaited development in a situation like this.

"Brothers, the one we have awaited—our great hero—is finally in the palace. We no longer need to fear the onslaught of the Ying Dynasty's forces," he proclaimed with excitement, his eyes fixed on the hall's door.

Wang Yihan, who was standing next to Lu Han and Feng Shu, furrowed his brows. He had no idea who the emperor was referring to and was curious what the person looked like.

"Who is His Majesty referring to, General?" Wang Yihan whispered to Lu Han.

"A young warrior, My Lord. His strength and martial arts skills are beyond question," Lu Han replied.

"Is he truly that strong for His Majesty to place such hope in him?" Doubt crept into Wang Yihan’s voice.

Lu Han nodded gently. But even he found it difficult to explain or make Wang Yihan believe without witnessing Fang An’s power firsthand.

"Indeed, Lord Wang Yihan. His strength is terrifying. Even I would be afraid to face him," said Feng Shu.

After waiting for quite some time with no sign of Fang An, Emperor Li Wei turned to the soldier who had informed him. "You said Fang An has arrived—where is he now?"

"Forgive me, Your Majesty... I wouldn’t dare lie. I saw Lord Fang An walking toward the hall myself," the soldier answered, clearly nervous.

"Find him—immediately!" Emperor Li Wei commanded.

Unbeknownst to everyone in the hall, Princess Xian Lie had encountered Fang An and had promptly dragged him to her chambers.

Having not seen Fang An for over a month, the emperor’s beautiful daughter had long been overwhelmed by longing. Even a mere four days without seeing him had previously made her restless—let alone an entire month.

Princess Xian Lie didn’t care that Fang An wanted to meet with Emperor Li Wei in the hall. To her, she was the first person he needed to see.

Not long after, a knock at the door of her room caused Princess Xian Lie to bristle. She felt their precious alone time was being disturbed.

Irritated, Princess Xian Lie stormed to the door and flung it open. Her anger exploded when she saw the intruder was a soldier.

"Are you tired of living, disturbing my time like this?!"

The soldier trembled with fear. "Forgive me, Princess. His Majesty ordered me to locate Lord Fang An. Is he here?"

"Fang An is here. Tell my father that I do not wish for our time together to be interrupted by anyone today!"

"But, Princess... His Majesty instructed me..."

"Are you deaf, soldier?! Just deliver the message I gave you—word for word!" she snapped.

The princess's loud voice prompted Fang An to rise and approach the door.

"What is it, soldier?"

"Forgive me, My Lord... His Majesty has requested your presence in the hall."

"Very well, then. Let’s go," Fang An replied.

"You’re not going anywhere! Today, you’re mine!" Princess Xian Lie cut in, holding his arm firmly.

Fang An smiled at her. "Have you forgotten what I told you? What if His Majesty needs to discuss something important with me? Remember—duty comes before personal matters."

Princess Xian Lie lowered her head, unable to argue. "May I come with you to the hall?"

"Of course. Who would dare stop you from entering the palace hall?"

She looked up and smiled sweetly.

The three of them walked toward the hall, which was not far from Princess Xian Lie’s room. The princess held Fang An’s hand tightly, as if afraid to part with him again.

As the hall doors opened, every gaze turned toward them. Emperor Li Wei smiled widely upon seeing Fang An and Princess Xian Lie walk in hand in hand.

Assumptions swirled in the emperor’s mind—especially concerning his daughter’s relationship with Fang An. Not only him, but everyone in the hall suspected that a romantic connection existed between the two.

Fang An bowed his head respectfully to Emperor Li Wei, then saluted the other officials in the room.

His eyes stopped when he spotted the man he had recently rescued. Wang Yihan likewise stared in disbelief.

"How are you here, Uncle?" Fang An asked, his brows furrowed in surprise.

"And how are you here, young warrior?" Wang Yihan replied.

"You two know each other?" Emperor Li Wei asked, astonished.

"This young warrior saved me on my journey here, Your Majesty. He single-handedly killed all the Ying Dynasty soldiers who attacked us—leaving none alive," said Wang Yihan.

Emperor Li Wei scratched his head, his mouth slightly agape. "Then it’s a good thing you know each other."

"Now I’m certain the Shang Dynasty can win this war against the Ying Dynasty, Your Majesty. This young warrior is our guarantee," Wang Yihan declared with confidence.

Now it was Fang An’s turn to be confused. Why was there talk of war in this meeting?

"What’s happening, Your Majesty? Have I missed some recent news?" Fang An asked.

"Take a seat. I’ll explain everything," replied Emperor Li Wei.

Meanwhile, far from the capital of the Shang Dynasty, thirty thousand soldiers of the Ying Dynasty rested at the foot of Mount Xuebaoding.

They would have to cross the treacherous mountain to reach the Shang capital—a journey that would take roughly two weeks.

For the first time since ascending the throne, Emperor Zhu Feng personally led this campaign. He had ordered a one-day rest for the troops to recover their depleted stamina.

Hundreds of tents—large and small—were set up, filling the eerie mountain foothills. The largest tent, meant for the emperor, stood surrounded by those of his soldiers.

Inside, the new Grand Commander, Cai Rui, was presenting his carefully laid-out strategy.

Two elderly men in black robes were also present. These were the infamous Devil Finger Warriors, Zeng Kun and Qiu Liang—mercenaries hired by Cai Rui to aid in the assault on the Shang Dynasty.

"With the inclusion of Elders Zeng Kun and Qiu Liang in this campaign, victory is within our grasp, Your Majesty," Cai Rui declared with confidence.