Futile Devices Scans

The Great Xuan Kingdom had stood for a hundred years. On the surface, the nation appeared prosperous and peaceful, a flourishing golden age. In reality, however, civil governance was strong while military strength had declined; the country had grown impoverished and weak over time.

That winter, the northern Xiao Kingdom launched an invasion against Great Xuan with an army of two hundred thousand troops. The Xiao Army split into two forces, advancing south along the eastern and western sides of the Taihang Mountains. The western force met fierce resistance at Kuiyuan City, but the eastern force broke through several cities in succession and pressed straight toward the capital.

The eastern Xiao Army advanced with overwhelming momentum. Within days they would reach the Yellow River. Once the river was crossed, the capital would lie within arm’s reach. Panic therefore spread throughout the capital city, and the imperial court argued endlessly over whether to fight or seek peace.

The court’s disputes remained the court’s disputes. For the Imperial Guards stationed in the capital, every moment now was spent preparing anxiously for war. City walls were reinforced and granaries heavily stocked. Infantry, cavalry, and naval forces all trained daily upon the military drill grounds.

——

The sun was nearing the horizon, and the winter wind blew fiercely.

On the horse-training grounds, a cavalry unit had yet to dismiss. Under the guidance of their drill instructor, they continued practicing mounted archery.

A drill instructor was merely a temporary appointment, with no official rank and not considered a proper commanding officer. Yet under this instructor’s leadership, the cavalry unit operated with remarkable discipline and precision, obeying every order without fail.

The cavalry rode in long formations of two or three riders abreast, circling the grounds as the mounted archers drew their bows one after another and fired toward distant targets.

One new recruit, only fifteen or sixteen years old, stiffly raised his bow. He was using practice arrows tipped with wooden blunts rather than iron heads—unable to inflict real harm. Holding the bow aimed toward the distant target, he hesitated for a long while. The fierce wind made the bow tremble, and he simply could not release the shot.

His indecision unsettled his horse as well. The mount suddenly twisted around out of control and bolted backward, nearly colliding with the horse behind it. The recruit cried out in alarm, loosening his grip on the bow. The wooden arrow flew crookedly and struck the head of another horse behind him.

The second horse reared and whinnied in panic. Both horses began running against formation, throwing the entire line into chaos.

At that moment, the drill instructor leading the unit planted one hand upon his saddle and leapt high into the air!

The instructor was tall and lean, agile as a swimming dragon. He lightly stepped across the backs of several galloping horses and, in the blink of an eye, landed behind the recruit.

Grabbing the reins with one hand, he gave a long cry of “Whoa!” and soothed the panicked horse under control. Then he drew another wooden arrow from the recruit’s quiver, guided the recruit’s hands onto the bowstring, and turned together with him toward the second frightened horse.

“Focus,” the instructor said softly. His voice was youthful and clear, sounding not much older than the recruit himself.

“Straighten your back. Hold your breath.”

“Release.”

The wooden arrow shot forth and struck the startled horse squarely in the rear, forcing both horse and rider out of formation and off toward the side of the field to run wild on their own. The cavalry line immediately settled back into smooth order.

The recruit stammered nervously, “T-Thank you, Instructor.”

The young drill instructor had not yet undergone the coming-of-age ceremony. His hair was tied only into a simple knot, and a black cloth mask concealed the lower half of his face, hiding his features entirely. Only a pair of dark eyes remained visible—calm, emotionless, and unreadable.

He said nothing.

He neither punished nor comforted the recruit. He merely pressed a hand lightly onto the boy’s shoulder, signaling him to continue training. Then, with a turn of his body, he leapt gracefully from the galloping horse, landed lightly upon the ground, and walked away from the cavalry formation.

——

Outside the training grounds stood a middle-aged man dressed like a lower-ranking officer. He appeared to be in his thirties or forties, wore a black cloth headwrap, and sported a thick full beard. His expression looked anxious and exhausted.

The young instructor walked over to him without greeting him, merely lowering his eyes and waiting silently for the man to speak first.

The bearded man lowered his voice. “After dismissing the troops, change clothes and leave camp with me.”

The young instructor gave a slight nod and silently returned to the field.

——

By evening, the young instructor and the bearded man appeared together in a corner of Wine Shop Street, inside a tiny roadside tavern. A pale blue-and-white wine banner hung at the entrance. The establishment was shabby and unremarkable, normally frequented only by poor idlers from the streets who gathered there to drink and gossip.

But these days were unlike usual times. The streets were nearly deserted, and the tavern itself sat empty save for two men seated in a corner drinking together and chatting quietly.

The young instructor had changed into ordinary commoner’s clothing and now wore a black veiled hat. Thin gauze hung around the brim, still concealing his face, while his eyes remained lowered beneath the veil. The bearded man had also changed into civilian clothes. Before him sat a large jar of crude grain wine, more than half already emptied.

Though the two were supposedly drinking together, the young instructor never touched his cup.

The bearded man muttered quietly, “All you ever do every day is practice martial arts and train soldiers! You don’t even know the court’s peace negotiations with the Xiao Kingdom failed. The Xiao Army’s about to reach the capital!”

Though they were supposedly chatting, the young instructor still did not speak.

“A few days ago, the Retired Emperor abdicated the throne to the new Emperor and fled south himself. The new Emperor got so frightened he fell seriously ill. People in the palace are already whispering that he might not survive. The Crown Prince is only a child and useless. Nobody knows which unlucky prince will be willing to inherit this broken dragon throne…”

“Our worthless Grand Preceptor Tong, along with his useless Victorious Elite Army, fled back from Kuiyuan without fighting a single battle. And now he’s followed the Retired Emperor south in another retreat! Damn turtle bastard—I swear I’d love to stab him to death…”

The bearded man rambled endlessly, from secret court scandals to the capital’s desperate military situation after repeated retreats. Yet the young instructor sat motionless as a mountain, like an old monk deep in meditation.

The bearded man suddenly cut himself off mid-sentence. The tavern server had approached to add a few small dishes to accompany the wine: in winter fresh fruit was rare, so there were only dried fruits, pastries, and candied preserves.

Hidden beneath the veil, the young instructor’s eyes suddenly lifted. His monk-like composure shattered instantly as he reached out toward the preserves.

The bearded man smacked the back of his hand. “No! Your grandmother said too many sweets are bad for your teeth!”

The young instructor obediently withdrew his hand, then cautiously reached toward the pastries beside them instead.

The bearded man sighed weatheredly. “Those you can eat.”

The young instructor picked up a sweet flaky pastry and hid behind the gauze veil, quietly nibbling away. The bearded man sighed again but did not stop him.

The tavern server watched the scene carefully. Both men’s hands bore thick calluses. The bearded man had broad shoulders and a sturdy build, while the veiled youth, though less bulky, still possessed broad shoulders, a narrow powerful waist, and a straight-backed martial bearing. They were clearly soldiers.

During such a troubled time in the capital, armed men dressed in shabby civilian clothing could only mean one thing: lower-ranking soldiers sneaking out in disguise to drink.

People of Xuan loved alcohol, and the military was no exception. Though military regulations officially forbade drinking, enforcement had always been lax, and the court largely turned a blind eye. The server was used to such things and certainly had no desire to meddle in soldiers’ affairs. He eagerly approached to refill the untouched wine cup before the veiled youth.

The bearded man stopped him again. “Don’t bother. He doesn’t drink.”

The server instead brought a pot of tea, then wisely retreated far away, understanding the two soldiers still had confidential matters to discuss.

After another pot of wine and more than half the snacks had disappeared, noisy shouting suddenly erupted in the distance—angry curses, screams, and desperate pleas echoed continuously through the streets. Both men paused and listened carefully.

With the enemy army pressing southward and the capital descending into decline, law enforcement in ordinary districts had weakened considerably. Some local thugs had taken advantage of the chaos and were now harassing passersby in the streets.

The young instructor spat out half a candied preserve from beneath his veil and abruptly sprang to his feet.

The bearded man hissed sharply, “Don’t meddle in other people’s business!”

But his words were slower than the young man’s movements. Before the sentence had finished, the young instructor had already darted over a zhang outside the tavern.

The bearded man tossed down a string of copper coins and shouted toward the tavern server in frustration, “Close the door!” before hurrying after him.

——

By the time he caught up, things had already escalated badly.

Three or four thugs were sprawled on the ground. The fattest among them was pinned beneath the young instructor and currently receiving a savage beating.

For the past several days, this bulky thug had been swaggering arrogantly through the streets. Then suddenly a tall martial artist in a veiled hat descended from nowhere. Without using any weapon at all, the stranger’s fists flew like lightning, knocking several lackeys to the ground in mere moments. When the thug turned to flee, the veiled youth seized him by the collar and dragged him back before punching him repeatedly in the face.

Clutching his swollen pig-like face, the thug shouted angrily while dodging blows, “Who the hell are you?! How dare you meddle in my business! Do you know who I am—”

At that moment, the bearded man burst into the scene, grabbed the veiled youth by the back collar, and forcibly dragged away the still-silent young man, who remained completely focused on beating the thug senseless. The two slipped into an alleyway and vanished in the blink of an eye.

The thug staggered upright clutching his face, still halfway through announcing his background.

“Do you know who I am— …Where’d they go?!”

Looking around wildly, he realized that during the beating every nearby shop had already shut its doors, while the passersby he had been extorting had vanished without a trace. Only his groaning lackeys remained rolling across the bleak, windswept street.

The thug exploded with rage. “Find that bastard in the hat—” He had never seen the veiled youth’s face. “No, find that damned bearded man instead!”

——

The bearded man dragged the “bastard in the hat” all the way home.

Within the capital city, Imperial Guard camps had long been stationed in all four directions. They served both as training grounds and living quarters. Wooden huts and straw-roofed houses were packed together chaotically, with soldiers’ families living alongside them. Entire households crowded beneath a single roof in miserable, cramped conditions.

Their home lay within one such military camp in the southern district of the city. It consisted of two mud-walled huts with straw roofs. A tiny fenced courtyard stood before the house, containing a cooking stove and a small patch of open ground for chopping firewood. By camp standards, they were already considered a “wealthy” family.

The bearded man stormed into the house and immediately began rummaging frantically through boxes and cabinets. At last he found a pair of scissors hidden inside a sewing basket, then threw himself before a mirror and began trimming his treasured beard while sighing mournfully.

A few moments later, the young instructor entered calmly from outside as though nothing had happened. Removing the veiled hat, he revealed a soft and handsome face.

The boy had not yet grown into the hard lines of adulthood. His features were refined and attractive, yet his eyes remained strangely blank and expressionless, dark and unreadable.

He hung the veiled hat upon the wall and went directly to the courtyard stove to start a fire.

Beside the stove sat an elderly woman. A milky haze clouded her eyes, leaving her half blind, though her movements remained quick and capable. She had just finished rolling out a batch of noodles. The young instructor silently took over her work, and she entered the house holding her rolling pin.

Squinting around until she found the bearded man, she immediately began whacking him with the rolling pin.

“Li Er! Why’d you steal my scissors? What trouble did you cause outside again?”

Li Er howled and dodged desperately beneath the barrage, terrified the sharp scissors in his hand might accidentally stab his elderly mother.

“Mother! It was your useless grandson who caused trouble! He got into a fight—why’re you blaming me again? Li Si! Get in here and explain yourself!”

The young instructor’s full name was Li Si.

While his grandmother energetically beat and scolded his second uncle inside the house, Li Si merely crouched beside the stove seriously tending the noodles, keeping his head lowered and pretending not to hear a thing.

——

Not long afterward, Li Si carried a tray into the house. On it sat a dish of boiled sheep offal and three bowls of plain noodles. After setting them on the table and arranging chopsticks, he sat down.

Li Er’s grand beard had already been trimmed into two thin drooping mustaches. Sitting beside his mother, he picked up his chopsticks and, instead of reaching for food, immediately smacked Li Si on the forehead with them.

“I told you not to meddle in other people’s business! All you ever do is cause trouble for me! And after I even took you out!”

The old woman instantly struck Li Er on the forehead with her own chopsticks.

“And you still dare complain? It’s all because you lead my grandson astray. Went drinking again, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t let him drink,” Li Er protested miserably before tattling, “He secretly ate an entire plate of candied fruit!”

The old woman immediately hit him again.

“And you still took him out to eat sweets!”

“He stole them himself! Why’re you yelling at me again?”

There was no such family rule as “do not speak while eating or sleeping” in this modest household. Mother and son were equally fond of nagging endlessly.

Only Li Si seemed entirely lacking in family spirit. A red mark from the chopsticks sat upon his forehead, yet he did not join a single conversation. He simply kept lifting noodles silently into his mouth, even slurping without making a sound.

Once he had eaten his fill, he returned to the kitchen to wash the pot before going into the courtyard to chop firewood.

Hearing him diligently working outside, the old woman smacked Li Er again with her chopsticks.

“Look at my obedient grandson, then look at your useless self. You’re already over thirty and still can’t even find a wife!”

“Mother, I’ve got you above me and your useless grandson below me—what good woman would marry into this…”

The mother and son continued bickering noisily inside.

After finishing the firewood, Li Si returned to the side room and quietly sat reading a book. Before long his second uncle came in to scold him for wasting lamp oil. Li Si obediently extinguished the lamp, washed up, and climbed into bed.

Li Er, full of pent-up frustration, also lay down upon another bed in the room. With enemy armies approaching the capital and life or death uncertain, he had an elderly mother above him and a wooden-faced nephew beneath him who could barely speak three words even if beaten with three sticks. Li Er’s heart was heavy with worries he had no one to share, leaving him tossing restlessly through the night.

Ever since childhood, Li Si had always been different from ordinary people. Slow, quiet, and expressionless, he rarely spoke and showed little joy or sorrow. He could not understand his uncle’s anxieties or grief, nor did he feel much about the deadly war soon to come. To him, today’s candied fruit had simply tasted sweet, and beating up the thugs had felt satisfying. Not long after closing his eyes, he fell asleep.

——

Deep in the middle of the night, hurried knocking suddenly erupted outside the courtyard gate.

In the darkness, Li Si’s eyes snapped open instantly.

The knocking continued urgently without pause. He flipped upright, ran barefoot outside, and grabbed the wood-cutting blade from the courtyard. After listening carefully for movement beyond the gate, he exchanged a glance with his uncle, who had also emerged from the house, before cautiously lifting the door bar and opening the courtyard gate.

Outside stood a squad of armored soldiers mounted on horseback, holding torches.

When Li Si opened the gate, the squad leader lowered his voice.

“Is this the residence of Li Erlang, Deputy Commander of the Second Company, Second Battalion, Second Division of the Right Wing, Dragon Guard Army?”

Li Si stepped aside. Li Er strode forward.

“That would be this subordinate.”

The leader lowered his eyes to consult a roster.

“And Li Si, mounted archery drill instructor of the Second Battalion—does he live here as well?”

Li Er pointed toward his nephew. “Yes, yes, that’s him.”

The leader presented an official seal document from the Cavalry Command.

“By order of the Marshal, both men are to arm and armor themselves immediately and proceed to East Water Gate to supervise repairs on the hook-wall fortifications.”

Li Er froze momentarily.

Supervising wall repairs? Wasn’t that work for the Capital Works Office?

A Deputy Commander only oversaw roughly one hundred soldiers, while a drill instructor did not even possess a real official rank. Since when would people like them be assigned to supervise city-wall construction?

Outside, the soldiers led forward two horses, clearly signaling the pair to stop asking questions and get moving.

The two men returned indoors and retrieved their low-grade armor made from wood pulp and hardened paper hanging upon the wall. The commotion awakened the old woman in the neighboring room. Feeling her way along the wall, she entered shakily and asked with trembling voice:

“Where are you going in the middle of the night? Did Er really cause trouble again?”

“Mother, it’s nothing,” Li Er reassured her. “They’re sending us to repair the eastern walls.”

Even the old woman could hear how strange that sounded.

“Aren’t you cavalry? What kind of cavalry repairs walls?”

“Probably short on manpower,” Li Er soothed her. “Your son’s repaired walls before. Back when I was younger, I even built walls for Chancellor Cai’s estate. Didn’t Elder Brother farm fields back then too?”

Li Si remained silent while dressing himself fully in socks, boots, and armor. Yet instead of immediately donning his helmet, he stepped before the old woman and bent down, lowering his head toward her.

After many days of silence, he finally spoke.

“Grandmother.”

The old woman cupped his face gently with both hands and soothed him softly.

“My good grandson, go safely and come back safely.”

Li Si rubbed his cheek lightly against her palm. His expression remained blank as he lowered his eyelashes and slowly straightened upright.

Li Er lingered behind, rambling on with countless reminders for his mother to take care of herself and not avoid lighting lamps at night just to save money lest she fall and injure herself.

At last the two armed themselves with sabers at their waists and bows across their backs before mounting their horses and riding away with the soldiers.

——

Carrying the mysterious roster, the squad leader proceeded through several military camps, gathering dozens more soldiers—cavalry, infantry, even naval troops. All were fully armed and thoroughly confused.

Though assembled in the middle of the night, they never headed toward East Water Gate at all. After collecting several more men from the northern military camp, the group instead rode directly toward Chenqiao Gate in the north of the city.

Li Er increasingly sensed something was wrong. Guiding his horse beside his nephew’s, he whispered quietly:

“I recognize some of these men. They’re famous for being fierce fighters. Why gather this many in the dead of night just to repair walls?”

Li Si did not answer.

Instead, a nearby infantryman walking beside the horses let out a mocking laugh.

“Fierce fighters my ass. Don’t you see? They’re all nobodies without powerful backers! Which camp are you from? Got any high-ranking officials in your family?”

“Move quickly! No whispering!” the squad leader barked.

——

With the Xiao Army approaching, the city gates were under strict guard. Yet tonight Chenqiao Gate stood strangely dim and quiet. The guards asked no questions at all, merely checking the leader’s credentials before letting the group pass.

Several dozen men swiftly exited the city and traveled another two or three li before halting at an abandoned residence. There they dismounted and formed ranks.

Dawn was beginning to break.

Several figures emerged from behind the earthen walls. The leading figure wore the robes of a civilian official. His face was smooth and beardless—a eunuch—with a waist token from the Imperial City Directorate hanging at his side.

The Imperial City Directorate was the Emperor’s personal military force, numbering only several thousand men, most born from wealthy noble families. The Imperial Guards, by contrast, formed the empire’s massive central military numbering in the hundreds of thousands, largely composed of impoverished military households and answering to the Privy Council.

The Imperial Guards and the Imperial City Directorate had no direct relationship. None of the low-ranking soldiers present recognized the eunuch.

Regardless, it was obvious this was an official of considerable importance, and the gathered soldiers quickly knelt in salute.

The eunuch spoke:

“Rise, brave warriors. This humble official has been promoted by imperial favor to oversee the Imperial City Directorate. Today, under His Majesty’s sacred decree, all of you valiant men have been gathered here because an important mission requires your assistance.”

The eunuch stepped aside, revealing behind him a Daoist priest dressed in broad flowing robes, possessing the lofty bearing of an immortal sage.

“His Majesty’s health recently declined greatly, but thanks to the rituals performed by the Divine Firmament True Master, the imperial body was preserved in good health. This is the True Master’s foremost disciple—Daoist Ma Qingcong.”

True to his title, Daoist Ma possessed an unusually long horse-like face. His beard reached down to his chest, and he carried a horsetail whisk in his arms. He bowed politely toward the assembled men before calmly stroking his beard.

The eunuch stepped aside once more, revealing a muscular man wearing a lion-headed mask.

“This is Daoist Ma’s guardian protector, known as the Lion-Headed Strongman.”

The strongman merely rumbled a deep “Hmph” in greeting.

The eunuch continued:

“His Majesty has entrusted a highly confidential task to the Daoist Master and selected all of you warriors from among the various armies to assist him. You are to escort the Daoist Master to Kuiyuan…”

Before he could finish speaking, uproar exploded among the soldiers!

Kuiyuan—also known as Bingzhou—lay in northern Xuan, serving as the prefectural capital of Hedong Circuit and one of the region’s major military strongholds. During this invasion, while the eastern Xiao Army marched straight for the capital, the western force had been continuously stalled by Kuiyuan’s defenders. Kuiyuan had already endured half a month of siege and was now among the most dangerous places imaginable.

What kind of cursed mission required traveling to Kuiyuan?

Leaving aside the enormous distance, how were they supposed to break through the Xiao Army’s siege once they arrived? And after completing whatever suicidal task awaited them there, how could they ever return alive?

Panic spread among the soldiers. Questions and protests erupted nonstop.

The infantryman beside Li Er raised his voice furiously:

“Isn’t this just picking a bunch of expendable idiots to die? No wonder they only chose men without powerful backers…”

The squad leader who had gathered them using the roster instantly drew his saber with a sharp shing and strode forward!

Startled, Li Si immediately reached for the saber at his waist. But his uncle grabbed his sleeve and hurriedly pulled him backward.

They had retreated only two or three steps when the cold flash of a blade swept through the air.

The infantryman’s head rolled far across the ground, blood splattering across both uncle and nephew.

The squad leader spoke coldly:

“His Majesty’s sacred decree. Did none of you hear it clearly? Is there anyone else who wishes to defy the imperial command?”

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