The Price of Arrogance

Li Tianming immediately contacted Duanmu Yun, requesting her to dispatch summoning birds for a search. Simultaneously, he rushed back towards his own residence.

However, halfway through his journey, Duanmu Yun delivered disheartening news.

The person was gone.

“Damn it!”

Li Tianming couldn’t help but curse.

Honestly, he didn’t care in the slightest about that person’s safety.

Yet, if something truly happened to her, a certain individual would undoubtedly be devastated, perhaps even withdrawing completely. This was a situation he absolutely could not allow.

Li Tianming frantically began scouring every Shogunate Faction and Western Faction hideout he knew. But aside from discovering a few low-level remnants of the Sakura Nation, he found nothing.

The night deepened.

Li Tianming slowly halted his steps.

‘If the Heavenly King Faction was involved, then she should be safe, right?’

He tried to find a reason to give up.

‘But the Imperial Army, who should have sided with the Western Faction, never appeared from start to finish. Their supporting dolls were also absent. Does this mean the Heavenly King Faction is the true recipient of the Imperial Army’s backing?’

However, a gnawing unease forced him to reconsider.

‘Was Hijikata Toshizo’s information truly reliable? He himself was deceived, losing his life in the process. This suggests the Heavenly King Faction might have ulterior motives.’

Ultimately, he concluded that she was not safe in the hands of the Heavenly King Faction.

Yet, this realization only intensified his panic, serving no other purpose.

After all, if Duanmu Yun, so skilled in reconnaissance, had found nothing, what could he possibly do?

At that moment, a certain figure came to mind.

‘If Xie Shenhong were to transform into the Saintess, with the blessing of her “Guardian Deity,” she should be able to locate her more accurately, right?’

However, Li Tianming was unwilling to do so.

Xie Shenhong wasn’t the only one burdened by psychological trauma.

He was too.

He didn’t want Xie Shenhong to act in any capacity.

In his eyes, Xie Shenhong was a delicate glass doll, meant only to be admired from afar. She was not to be trifled with, not to be touched, and not to be allowed to move even an inch.

Not even her own will was an exception!

Yet, as he had previously considered, this matter could not afford to fail. Otherwise—

Bang!

As Li Tianming wrestled with his dilemma, a sudden, powerful blow sent him flying.

Fortunately, he managed to adjust his trajectory mid-air, only crashing into the corner of a residential building and avoiding any casualties.

Amidst the panicked cries of the awakened populace, Li Tianming simultaneously cast protective magic and contacted the Knight Order, all while cautiously approaching his assailant.

Once he clearly saw his opponent, his eyes immediately sharpened.

“So, the Imperial Puppet has finally arrived.”

Perhaps due to the diverse origins of ancient civilizations, the dolls unearthed from various ruins differed greatly.

The Sakura Nation’s dolls resembled the legendary eight million yokai. In the Kingdom, dolls that didn’t share Xie Haizhu’s form were of the Han Kingdom style—a term derived from Haizhu herself. The Empire’s dolls, however, manifested as elves, angels, dwarves, and dragons, much like figures from fantasy literature.

The adversary he now faced was an elf: sharp-eared, wielding a longbow, and possessing a face so exquisitely handsome it seemed to have stepped directly from a two-dimensional artwork.

‘Their strength is at the high-tier Martial Lord rank… good, I have a chance.’

This was not blind confidence on Li Tianming’s part.

Although the Han Kingdom’s magic ranks were relatively low, a decade ago, after Xie Haizhu saved the Kingdom, she initiated reforms to its magic system. Now, at the same rank, a Kingdom’s low-tier Martial Lord could contend with an Empire’s high-tier or peak Martial Lord.

A peak Martial Lord could even defeat a Battle Lord, surpassing their rank entirely!

Moreover, the doll master’s own cultivation realm was inherently inferior to that of their doll. Without sufficient familiarity with higher realms, they would be several degrees weaker than a normal Imperial Martial Lord.

However, just as Li Tianming leaped into the air, lunging with his spear like a fierce tiger descending a mountain, a certain individual’s past teachings echoed inexplicably in his mind.

“Whether in a duel or a military campaign, when both sides are evenly matched, feigning weakness to induce arrogance and carelessness in the opponent is always the best strategy.”

Upon this thought, Li Tianming immediately moved to evade.

Yet, he was a step too late.

The opponent’s charged arrow suddenly unleashed immense power, no less than that of a Battle Lord. It blasted him away, causing him to crash through three houses consecutively. Only when the Vermillion Bird Grand Formation’s automatic defense activated did he finally come to a jarring halt.

Sprawled on the ground, Li Tianming coughed up a large mouthful of fresh blood. He gasped for air for a long moment before shakily rising to his feet.

In his current state, let alone counterattacking, he couldn’t even dodge the second arrow rapidly approaching him.

‘No, I can’t die like this.’

Li Tianming glared forward, unwilling to yield. He wanted to defend himself, but he lacked even the strength to lift his spear.

In that critical instant, a golden ray of light slammed into Li Tianming, knocking him aside.

The rescuer swiftly unleashed a sword strike imbued with every ounce of their magic, barely managing to deflect the storm arrow off its trajectory, sending it soaring into the sky behind them.

“Captain, are you alright?”

Seeing the arrow explode in mid-air, the civilians who hadn’t managed to flee were merely buffeted by the wind pressure, struggling to stay upright. Light immediately turned and helped Li Tianming, who had been thrown to the side, back to his feet.

“You… why are you here?” Li Tianming asked, bewildered.

“Shenhong asked me to protect you.”

“Shenhong…”

At the mention of her name, Li Tianming seemed to inject himself with a surge of vitality, instantly shedding his previous confusion and dejection. He rapidly circulated the magic within his body, beginning to heal and regulate himself. He intended to recover his condition swiftly and re-enter the battle.

“Captain, there’s no need to rush so much; take your time,” Light said, his expression subtly shifting as he watched Li Tianming employ several aggressive strengthening and healing spells. “The Regiment Commander is already on their way.”

Li Tianming turned his head, and indeed, he saw a multitude of high-tier summoning birds filling the sky.

‘Am I… no longer needed?’

The answer was affirmative.

This doll master, a low-tier Battle Lord.

His sole purpose had been to buy Light, who had secretly been following and protecting him, enough time to notify Duanmu Yun.

No, there had been an opportunity.

If he hadn’t grown overconfident and careless, he could have lost by only a hair, then worked with Light to subdue the opponent.

In that scenario, there would have been no need to trouble Duanmu Yun.

Nor would Xie Shenhong have been troubled.

Alas, his foolishness and incompetence had led to the worst possible outcome.

What’s more, if not for his resentment towards her, she would not have been taken.

Even more ludicrous, he had always envied and looked down on Light, believing Light had only stumbled upon success by sheer luck when helping Xie Shenhong. He thought he could surely have done just as well, if not better.

Yet, he hadn’t helped Xie Shenhong regain her memories in the slightest. Instead, he had been saved by Light, the very person he disdained.

He was truly a clown.

He was truly… utterly useless.

As these thoughts consumed him, Li Tianming coughed up another large mouthful of blood. His vision blurred, then went black, and he succumbed to unconsciousness.

****

In the darkness, Li Tianming heard numerous voices and saw countless images.

Mostly, they were of people harshly berating him.

Then came scenes of a certain individual looking at him with expressions of disgust and hatred.

Either scenario brought him a sense of relief, fulfilling his deepest desires.

After all, a scoundrel like him deserved such cruel treatment.

He deserved an even more tragic end.

Regrettably, dreams inevitably come to an end.

And dreams, more often than not, are the opposite of reality.

Thus, when he opened his eyes, he was met with a look of profound concern from a certain individual.

“Thank goodness, Tianming, you’ve finally woken up… Is there anywhere on your body that still feels uncomfortable?”