Long ago, the Human Sovereign led one hundred thousand soldiers into battle. We were surrounded and highly outnumbered."
"The enemy was beyond counting. We begged our sovereign to retreat. He refused." Wu Shan's voice drifted somewhere far beyond the courtyard, back into another age.
"By the end, he had been wounded so badly he could barely stand. He was bleeding from countless wounds. Yet he planted this banner into the earth and gave us his final command. If we die, we die together."
The courtyard became silent. "Our sovereign's blood had already soaked the earth, staining the banner as he held it. Then one soldier stepped forward. Then another. Then another."
"Every one of us brothers and sisters had cut our palms open and every one of us placed our blood upon the banner. We pledged ourselves to our sovereign. Not merely while he lived. Forever." Wu Shan lowered his eyes.
"And then we died. One hundred thousand men. Infantry. Archers. Cavalry. Every one of us gave our lives. The sovereign died with us."
"But his final sacrifice saved the realm. And so our souls remained, bound to this banner." Luo He stared at him. The excitement in his eyes had intensified.
"So you're saying there are one hundred thousand of you?" Wu Shan nodded.
"One hundred thousand. Fifty thousand infantry. Twenty thousand archers. Thirty thousand cavalry." He declared.
Luo He looked at the banner. Then at the two thousand soldiers kneeling around him. Then back at Wu Shan. A smile appeared.
"I have an army of the dead. How cool." Ning Luo closed her eyes.
"Of course that's the first thing you thought of." She blamed him.
Wu Shan's expression hardened. "You have nothing yet. You possess the banner. You have awakened its power. But you do not command us."
"Only a true Human Sovereign can command the souls within this ancient treasure." Luo He frowned.
"So I can't command the dead? How miserable." Luo He sighed.
"You indeed have the blood lineage of a sovereign. So you are capable of just activating the banner, but not necessarily our sovereign."
That genuinely surprised him. "Then why did it awaken for me?" Wu Shan's eyes narrowed. "That is precisely what we must determine. Bring the other two generals."
"Luo He raised an eyebrow. "Other two?"
"The commander of the cavalry. And the commander of the archers. We three were the commanders of the Human Sovereign's army. We are the judges of this ancient treasure."
Luo He became increasingly interested. "So you three decide whether I'm legitimate?" Wu Shan nodded.
"If you are a true Human Sovereign, we will serve you. If you are a pretender, we will execute you."
"Your soul will be bound to the banner, trapped within it until another True Human Sovereign appears."
Luo He stared at him for several seconds. Then his expression changed. His fear vanished. In its place came curiosity. Excitement. Almost delight.
Ning Luo saw it immediately. "You cannot possibly be thinking of accepting." Luo He turned toward her.
"I absolutely am." He said without the slightest bit of hesitation.
"You're insane." She muttered.
"Probably." He chuckled.
"They just told you they are going to execute you if you fail." She said.
"I noticed that too." He added.
"And you're smiling?"
Luo He grinned. "Wouldn't you be curious?" He asked.
Ning Luo stared at him, then muttered under her breath.
"Why did I have to meet this idiot?"
Luo He heard her. "Because fate loves you."
"I hate fate." She cursed under her breath.
Wu Shan interrupted them. "There is another matter. The souls cannot inhabit just any body."
"Our souls retain the forms of the bodies we possessed when we died. A vessel must be compatible. A young body cannot easily contain an old warrior's soul whom lived for decades."
"An incompatible body will not withstand the soul's presence." Luo He nodded slowly.
"So the age matters." He said calmly.
"Among other things." Wu Shan said. And then he looked across the courtyard.
"Bring me the strongest men between forty and fifty. The vessels to be chosen must resemble the body we once possessed." He admitted.
He then turned toward the women gathered nearby. "Our archery commander was different. She died young."
"She was also beautiful. Bring women between twenty-five and thirty-five. She will find a suitable vessel."
Ning Luo looked at the heavens. Her shoulders sank. "This is ridiculous."
Luo He smiled. "You knew marrying into my family would be troublesome. Now don't blame me that your brother-in-law has come to make your life even more difficult."
"I did not agree to participate in any resurrection rituals during a siege." She sighed deeply.
"Technically, neither did I." He said.
She gave him a murderous look, yet still turned toward her soldiers. "Do as they requested."
The search began. Men were brought forward, one after another. Most failed. Some vessels rejected the souls completely.
Others could not withstand the spiritual pressure. A few seemed compatible for a moment before the green light faded again. Then, finally, Wu Shan found two other vessels.
The old cavalry general's soul stepped forward first. The moment his soul entered the body, the man's entire posture changed.
His shoulders straightened more. His breathing became measured. His eyes opened with the gaze of a soldier who had died thousands of years ago.
Xiong Hong examined his hands, then his arms, then his legs. He slowly clenched his fist. "It is sufficient." He muttered under his breath.
Elsewhere, another woman stepped forward. The green light intensified. A beautiful woman in her late twenties collapsed to the ground, then rose.
Her expression was calm. Her eyes still possessed the same ancient green glow. The final commander had arrived.
Three figures stood before Luo He. Three commanders. Three judges. And behind them stood the awakened soldiers, two thousand souls in borrowed bodies.
Luo He looked at them with undisguised fascination. Wu Shan stepped forward.
"The banner recognizes you. The blood within you belongs to the old Human Sovereignty. But blood alone is never sufficient."
The female archer commander spoke next. "A descendant may possess the blood. A descendant may awaken the banner. But none of those things make him the True Human Sovereign."
"Our loyalty cannot be inherited. It must be earned." The cavalry commander continued.
"If you are false, we will execute you. If you resist, you will become one of us, trapped inside the banner until another true sovereign frees us."
Luo He considered this for perhaps two seconds. Then he smiled. "Fine. Fine."
Ning Luo stared at him. "Fine? You just agreed to a trial that can kill you. You really are insane. You are the most idiotic person I have ever seen."
Luo He looked at the three ancient generals. "What are the rules?" The three exchanged glances. Then Wu Shan spoke immediately.
"There will be three trials. Three riddles Three judgments. Each will test a different form of wisdom. If you answer them correctly, we will recognize you."
"And if I fail?" Wu Shan's expression did not change.
"You will die."
Luo He's smile widened. "Excellent."
Ning Luo looked at the heavens. She had defended a city against three hundred thousand enemies. She had survived a siege.
She had watched thousands of soldiers die. And somehow, standing beside Luo He felt more exhausting than all of it.
Wu Shan raised his hand. The entire courtyard fell silent. "The first trial begins."
Luo He stood before the three ancient commanders. For the first time since he had entered the capital, he stopped joking. His eyes became sharp.
The Human Sovereign Banner fluttered behind him. And somewhere within that ancient cloth, one hundred thousand dead soldiers waited. They had guarded their oath for thousands of years.
Now they would decide whether Luo He was worthy of inheriting it.
Day Five: The Three Trials
The courtyard had fallen silent. The thousands of awakened soldiers stood in perfect ranks, their green eyes fixed upon the man standing before them.
Behind the three ancient commanders, more soldiers remained motionless, their bodies newly awakened yet carrying the discipline of armies.
But armies that had died thousands of years ago. At the center stood Wu Shan, commander of the infantry. To his right stood General Xiong Hong, commander of the cavalry.
And to his left stood Sister Xia, the commander of the archers. They were not merely soldiers. They were the remnants of an ancient age.
Their bodies had been dead for millennia, yet their memories, their discipline, their knowledge, and their oaths had survived within the Human Sovereign Banner.
Now they had awakened. And they had no intention of surrendering their loyalty simply because Luo He possessed the physical banner.
Wu Shan had already explained the conditions. Three questions. Three judgments. Three different aspects of a sovereign's wisdom.
If Luo He passed, the hundred thousand ancient soldiers would acknowledge him. If he failed... They would kill him.
Princess Ning Luo stood several steps behind Luo He, one hand resting on the hilt of her sword.
She had no idea whether to be impressed by his courage or furious at his stupidity. Probably both. Luo He, however, looked almost delighted.