Xiao Ning raised an eyebrow and said, "Kid, take my advice. Before Liu Xiu attacks, you'd better run away quickly. Hide your identity and escape as far away as possible, preferably overseas. Don't ever come back!"
Upon hearing this, Wang Mang panicked and immediately knelt on the ground with a "thud," pleading, "Fellow villager... no, elder brother, sir, boss, please help me!"
"I don't want all my hard work to be ruined in an instant! I've toiled my whole life pretending to be a subservient grandson to overthrow the Han Dynasty and establish the Great Xin Dynasty, and I haven't even had a few days to enjoy my retirement! I'm not reconciled!"
"..."
In desperation, Wang Mang no longer cared about referring to himself as "I, the lonely one" and maintaining a high and mighty demeanor. Instead, he knelt down before Xiao Ning in a humble voice, hugged his leg, and begged in a low voice with snot and tears streaming down his face.
Listening to Wang Mang's rambling on about how difficult things had been for him and how hard he had worked, Xiao Ning was completely overwhelmed.
"Okay, okay, stop talking. I'll help you, I'll help you, alright?"
Xiao Ning quickly raised his hands in surrender and agreed to help him.
He's always been someone who responds better to gentle persuasion than force.
If Wang Mang spoke ill of him, he would immediately turn hostile, either teaching him a lesson or simply leaving.
Who knew this kid would be so shameless and brazen, not only kneeling down but also begging me in a servile manner.
Whether he was truly in dire straits or just putting on an act, given the situation, there was no other way but to help him.
Besides, the story had already begun when Xiao Ning first arrived in this world. He had originally wanted to take advantage of Sun Wukong's becoming a disciple of Bodhi Patriarch and eating elixirs in the Heavenly Court, but that was definitely out of the question. He had no choice but to find his own way forward.
Moreover, having just arrived, he has nowhere to stay. If Wang Mang could help him, Xiao Ning wouldn't mind giving him a hand and finding him a place to stay.
"Hey, boss, you're really generous!"
Wang Mang's eyes lit up, his face immediately brightened, and he stood up with a smile on his face. He showed no embarrassment whatsoever, as if he wasn't the one who had just been kneeling on the ground.
"My lord, may I ask your honorable name? My name is Wang Mang, courtesy name Jujun, and I am the humble emperor of this new dynasty."
Wang Mang rubbed his hands together and said with great enthusiasm.
When he meets a big shot he needs to look up to, he instantly transforms into a silly, goofy kid. At that moment, he seems to have returned to his past life and relived his youth.
"Yes, my surname is Xiao and my given name is Ning. I don't have a fixed occupation; I'm more like a vagabond wandering the myriad worlds!"
Xiao Ning nodded and gave a brief introduction of himself.
"Let me clean up this mess for you first, we can talk later!"
Then, with a light tap of his toes, a cloud carrying the two of them rose up and flew towards the battlefield.
In an instant, the auspicious cloud arrived at the battlefield more than ten miles away. Xiao Ning casually waved his hand, and a point of light landed on Wang Mang beside him, turning into a minor spell that enhanced his five senses.
Then he said to Wang Mang, "Shout down to gather your troops!"
Wang Mang: "..."
My head is buzzing!
Soaring through the clouds!
This is a living, breathing display of divine power!
In the past, he had only seen such things in TV dramas, movies, and fantasy films, where peerless masters would ride the clouds and travel freely across the four seas and eight wastelands.
At this moment, having personally experienced the feeling of flying through the clouds, Wang Mang felt extremely fortunate.
It was definitely the right decision to latch onto this powerful backer!
Thinking of this, Wang Mang couldn't contain his joy, but when he saw Xiao Ning's teasing look, he blushed and coughed lightly.
He straightened his expression and tentatively called out loudly to those below: "Listen up, everyone below! I am Wang Mang, the emperor of the Great Xin Dynasty. Although this upheaval has caused heavy losses to our Great Xin, I have received the help of immortals to rebuild our land and restore the world!"
"Liu Xiu, you little brat, if you kneel down and surrender now, I will only execute you, Liu Xiu, and let the rest go!"
"Otherwise, don't blame me for showing no mercy and unleashing a bloodbath!"
Facing below, Wang Mang, exuding an air of authority, adopted his usual imperial demeanor and righteously rebuked Liu Xiu.
"Boom!"
With Xiao Ning's magical enhancement, Wang Mang's words were like the wrath of a god, thunderous and furious, resounding for miles around, causing everyone below to hear a buzzing in their ears.
"My God, that's... His Majesty the Great Xin! He's flying!"
Below, a soldier from the Great Xin Dynasty looked up and saw a white auspicious cloud standing still, and standing on the cloud was none other than Emperor Wang Mang. He was so surprised that he opened his mouth wide and shouted loudly.
As he spoke, more and more people looked up and saw the clouds in the sky, and Wang Mang standing on the clouds.
"boom!"
The remaining soldiers of Daxin were in an uproar. They cheered loudly, as if they had found their leader, and spontaneously gathered towards the direction of the clouds.
With victory seemingly within reach, this sudden turn of events left Liu Xiu and his men bewildered, exchanging bewildered glances.
"Young master, what should we do?"
In Liu Xiu's camp, the Green Forest General Li Yi wiped the blood and flesh from his face, threw away the long sword in his hand that had already been dulled, and came to Liu Xiu's side to ask.
Liu Xiu glanced at the soldiers around him. After a fierce battle, only two thousand two hundred of the three thousand men remained.
As for the enemy's Xin state army, as they continued to converge towards Wang Mang's direction, Liu Xiu roughly estimated that there were at least 70,000 to 80,000 troops, and perhaps even 100,000.
Looking at the auspicious clouds in the sky, Liu Xiu saw the traitor Wang Mang standing atop them. Even if that figure turned to ashes, Liu Xiu would never forget it.