Loser System and Berserker Me

Karluk was a Tibetan Empire vassal, whereas Beiting was under the Tibetan Empire’s control. There was a commonality between these two places—they weren’t loyal to the Tibetan Empire.

If Anxi had been a normal Tang army, Tsenpo Ling would have let Karluk and Beiting fight it out with the Tangs.

If Karluk and Beiting won, the Tibetan Empire would resolve an external threat. If the Tangs won, the Tibetan Empire would resolve an internal threat.

Either way, it would have been a victory for the Tibetan Empire.

With the Tang army bulking up with each battle, Tsenpo Ling had to alert them to the situation. She needed the Tibetan troops stationed in Karluk and Beiting to clear the vicinity to minimize the terracotta army’s expansion.

At the very least, they shouldn’t feed the enemy more troops.

As for Shu Yichao’s side, she intended to feign interest in a negotiation to stall for time.

“Understood, Your Majesty.”

The subordinate took his leave and began making preparations.

Tsenpo Ling lay on her throne and let out a soft sigh. “What a pity, Weryomahners. You were a useful pawn.”

She didn’t think about exacting vengeance on Weryomahners even though the latter had botched up the mission she had assigned to her. She had no way of knowing Weryomahners’ fate as the latter didn’t have a beholder implanted.

But considering how Great and Little Patola had fallen into the enemy’s hands, and there had been a lack of news from Weryomahners… the answer was evident.

Tsenpo Ling didn’t think Weryomahners could have survived the onslaught of a million undead troops. Unlike ordinary mortals, she didn’t see mages through rose-tinted glasses, so she was aware of their mortality.

And she was at least quite forgiving to the dead.

At least the dead won’t cause trouble…

Ah, those terracotta soldiers prancing around don’t count.

Tsenpo Ling’s eyelid suddenly twitched.

“Men, bring Bibre to me! Hmph, I nearly forgot about that fellow. Know thy self, know thy enemy; a thousand battles, a thousand victories.”

There had to be a reason behind this calamity, and there were rumors that the incumbent Anxi Protectorate General was a descendant of the Shu clan. This meant that it was high time to put the traitors into action.

…

“Paying respects to the Tsenpo!”

Being summoned to the imperial palace in the middle of the night made Bibre uneasy, and it didn’t help that the soldiers escorting him didn’t bother to explain the situation. Such situations usually spelled either a fortuitous encounter or an unfortunate ending.

“Bibre?” Tsenpo Ling called out with her eyes still fixed on a book.

She couldn’t be bothered to spare a glance at the kneeling middle-aged man in the hall.

His face looked battered, but he had grown chubby from the abundant lifestyle he had enjoyed over the last few decades. From his Tibetan clothes, his Tibetan hairstyle, to the fluent Tibetan he spoke, it was hard to imagine that he used to be a Tang.

“Yes, Your Majesty,” Bibre fearfully replied.

“Speaking of which,” Tsenpo Ling casually asked, “what’s your Han name?”

The atmosphere suddenly turned cold. Despite Bibre’s thick clothes, cold sweat drenched his forehead and his back.

Is she settling old scores?!

Bibre felt light-headed.

Despite having surrendered to the Tibetan Empire, adopted their name, learned their language, and practiced their culture, he knew that they still saw him as an outsider. Furthermore, there had been rumors from the Western Region that the Anxi army had conquered Shule.

These unnerved him.

If the Tibetan Empire decided to conduct an internal purge right now, those who had surrendered like him might be eliminated under the suspicion of being a spy. That worry had brought him plenty of nightmares in recent days.

Even his beautiful concubines couldn’t dispel the shadow looming over his heart.

“Your Majesty!” Bibre anxiously kowtowed to Tsenpo Ling. “The world can bear witness to the unwavering loyalty I have for the Tibetan Empire! I would never rebel!”

He proceeded to beg for mercy, claiming that the Tangs were foolish and ignorant to have resisted the Tibetan army in the Western Region and that he was glad that everything was on the right path now. In gist, he made light of Great Tang and popped up the Tibetan Empire.

It was only when his mouth had turned dry and his voice had become hoarse that Tsenpo Ling finally gestured for him to stop. “Enough. I have no interest in your past. I summoned you here to ask some questions.”

“Ask me anything, Your Majesty!” Bibre nearly burst into tears. “I’ll reveal everything I know!”

Whew, I cleared the trial! The Tsenpo called it ‘my past’, which means that she’s acknowledging my present!

“Good,” Tsenpo Ling said. “You used to serve Shu Chuanfeng. Do you know if she has a son?”

“…”

“What’s wrong? Is that a tough question?” Tsenpo Ling’s eyebrows shot up at Bibre’s silence.

“She…” Bibre trembled in nervousness. “She does have a son.”

“As I expected.” Tsenpo Ling nodded. “Bibre, do you know that the one who staged a rebellion in the Western Region is Shu Chuanfeng’s son, Shu Yichao?”

“Impossible!” Bibre exclaimed in disbelief. He realized that he had overreacted, so he quickly lowered his head and said, “Pardon me, Your Majesty. I have gotten ahead of myself.”

“You’re surprised? Why is it impossible? There are rumors that Shu Yichao looks identical to Shu Chuanfeng,” Tsenpo Ling asked.

“Shu Chuanfeng’s son is dead!” Bibre exclaimed. “I saw it with my own eyes. He was shot in the chest by an arrow. How can a child survive such injuries? Someone must be borrowing the Shu rebels’ name to win over the masses!”

“Someone could have saved him.” Tsenpo Ling firmly held her book, not shaking in the least.

“Even a divine doctor can’t revive the dead. The child is dead. There’s no way he can be alive.”

“Oh?” Tsenpo Ling finally put down her book. “I see. The details match.”

Bibre was initially confused by those words, but he soon heard a shocking revelation.

“The deceased Anxi troops came from Kucha. They are the culprits behind the crisis in the Western Region. Their leader is the person whom you claimed to be dead,” Tsenpo Ling said.

The truth is finally out.

Tsenpo Ling had always wondered what kind of mage could have summoned and controlled over a million undead troops. It was an illogical feat.

But it all made sense now.

Shu Yichao was not a necromancer; he was an undead!

This would explain why Shu Chuanfeng’s body had disappeared after falling in defeat, as well as why Shu Yichao resembled Shu Chuanfeng so much.

Infants who died premature deaths tended to morph into the most vengeful spirits.

Shu Chuanfeng’s deceased child possessed and drove her body through the overwhelming resentment it had gathered, turning her into a zombie. It spent more than a decade nourishing itself with the yin energy that had gathered in Kucha, a ghost city, before finally baring its fangs, leading the equally vengeful ghost horsemen out with it to embark on brutal vengeance.

Bibre’s face turned pale upon hearing Tsenpo Ling’s words.

The dead have come back to life? Vengeful spirits have returned for vengeance? And blood flows like a river in the Western Regions?

Does that mean it’s only a matter of time before those vengeful spirits go after me? Will I be cursed to never be able to reincarnate if I get devoured by those vengeful spirits?

Bibre trembled out of fear.

Seeing Bibre completely gripped by fear, Tsenpo Ling slowly said, “I see you understand what will become of you if those vengeful spirits knock on your door. If you want to be saved, reveal everything you know. Don’t hide anything. The last thing you should want is to be devoured by thousands of vengeful spirits.”