THE HUMAN EMPEROR

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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 691 - Victory and Defeat (II)
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C691 - Victory and Defeat (II)
Chapter 691: Victory and Defeat (II)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Suddenly, the carriage came to a halt.

The woman’s eyes widened as she shouted, “What’s going on? Why have we stopped moving?”

“Milady, someone is barring the path,” the driver outside said.

“Who is it? Don’t they know that it’s forbidden to stop carriages here?”

As her eyes widened and she voiced her anger, she hear a familiar voice at her ear.

“Since you want to leave, why don’t you come down and say goodbye?”

The woman’s body began to tremble, and she seemed to have been struck by a lightning bolt.

It was quiet outside the carriage. The woman said nothing, and the person outside silently awaited her answer. With no one saying anything, all that was left was deathly stillness.

The complexion of the woman’s face constantly shifted, as did the expression in her eyes. After some time, perhaps finally understanding that she could not escape, she gave a soft sigh and regained her composure.

Creeak!

The door to the carriage opened and the woman walked out with a composed expression. A golden carriage was parked in front, sumptuous and ornate, blocking the avenue. The dragons decorating the carriage were proof enough of the carriage owner’s esteemed status.

A row of people stood in front of the carriage, and in the very center of them stood a young and handsome prince, Fifth Prince Li Heng.

“Your Highness!”

Du Zhiqi gave a slight bow to Li Heng, her attitude natural and unpanicked. It was like all this was a mere happenstance.

“You shameless woman! At this stage, you still want to pretend? Our Highness always treated you sincerely, but you wanted to harm him! Truly no better than a beast!”

Before Li Heng could speak, Li Jingzhong rushed forward in rage and rebuke.

If looks could kill, Du Zhiqi would have died countless times already.

“Uncle Jing!” Li Heng suddenly shouted, but his gaze had never once left Du Zhiqi.

Li Jingzhong’s body shook. He immediately knew that he had lost control of himself and fell quiet.

No matter what sort of person Du Zhiqi was or what she had done, she was still the Fifth Prince’s woman. Moreover, the Fifth Prince had treated her with deep affection, and since the Fifth Prince was here, it was not Li Jingzhong’s turn to speak.

“Why?”

Li Heng looked at her.

“Your Highness, what has happened? Why are you here?” Du Zhiqi asked in surprise.

“Why?” Li Heng once more asked, no change in his voice or expression.

“Your Highness, has Zhiqi done something wrong? Your Highness, don’t be angry. Tell me and I’ll definitely correct it!” Du Zhiqi fearfully replied.

“Even at a time like this, you still want to deceive me?”

Li Heng looked forward and then closed his eyes, his body trembling in pain.

The person he had trusted the most, the one who slept at his side every night, someone he would even be willing to take out his heart and offer it to, had actually been a spy sent by someone else.

Her mouth had been full of words of love and affection, yet at every moment, she wanted nothing more than to push him into a dead end. And even at this stage, she was still trying to deceive him.

“Your Highness, are you blaming Zhiqi for leaving without saying farewell? I know that I’m wrong, but Zhiqi received a letter from my sister. Mother has come down with a serious illness and I must return as quickly as possible,” Du Zhiqi said, lowering her head as her face became stricken with grief.

“I have three thousand books in my study, and on that day in my study, only you saw that I had placed that list beneath that board in the corner.

“When Imperial Father sent people to retrieve the list, they did not touch one of the three thousand books, only took the list under the board, not even breaking the board. Someone unfamiliar with the room would never be capable of this feat. Tell me, besides you, who else could do it? Who else would know where that list was?” Li Heng said with closed eyes.

Du Zhiqi’s body shuddered, and for a moment, she had nothing to say. She had never imagined that the people sent by the Sage Emperor would be so stupid that they wouldn’t even flip through the books, instead immediately taking the list.

“Your Highness, I know nothing. Someone must be framing me!” Du Zhiqi said in anguish as she kneeled to the ground.

“This woman, she’s still so tight-lipped, even now!”

Li Jingzhong clenched his fists, his heart brimming with rage.

“Even if you don’t confess, there’s no problem. Tell me, where is the letter your sister wrote you? Since so little time has passed, it should still be on you!”

Li Heng’s voice ringing in her ear, Du Zhiqi trembled, her beautiful face turning ghastly pale and devoid of blood.

Her sister sending a letter about her mother taking ill was just an excuse she had thought up on the spot, and there was no letter to speak of. Even if she had wanted to write one, there had been no time.

“Hmph, you’re too clever for your own good. Do you still have anything you want to say!”

Li Jingzhong reacted with a sneer.

The Fifth Prince had been the more quick-witted one, immediately grasping the flaw in her lies.

“It was the Third Prince who sent you, right?” Li Heng asked.

“Since Your Highness is already sure that it was Zhiqi, Zhiqi has nothing to say. Your Highness can do whatever you wish, whether it is killing me or cutting my flesh!”

Du Zhiqi clenched her teeth and dropped her hands, waiting to be arrested.

“Rise! Don’t kneel in front of me!”

Li Heng closed his eyes once more in disappointment.

“Our love ends here. From this moment, I do not know you, and you do not know me. Everything will have just been a dream. I can only treat this as my making the wrong judgment of a person. Leave!”

Du Zhiqi continued to kneel on the ground, her body trembling and her face even paler than before.

“Your Highness!”

Li Jingzhong was disconcerted, never expecting this response from Li Heng. He had originally believed that Li Heng would at least arrest her, but he would have never believed that Li Heng would let her go consequence-free.

“Uncle Jing, there’s no need to say anything. I can make my own decisions!”

Li Heng extended a hand and stopped Li Jingzhong, his voice and expression allowing no objection. Stunned, Li Jingzhong found it impossible to speak.

Despite all the years he had attended upon Li Heng, he had never seen such dignity and bearing.

His Highness has matured!

Li Jingzhong had a flash of insight and immediately drew back.

In contrast to a woman, the lessons and maturity that Li Heng had gained from this incident were far more precious.

From this perspective, this experience wasn’t all that bad.

It seems like the Lord Marquis already predicted all this!

Li Jingzhong recalled that a few days ago, Wang Chong had said that he shouldn’t stop the Fifth Prince no matter what decision was made.

“Your Highness, I know that it’s too late for me to say anything. Zhiqi would not be able to repay Your Highness’s favor with her life, and I will engrave this memory in my heart. Zhiqi bids farewell!”

A complicated look in her eyes, Du Zhiqi stood back up. She did not return to her carriage, but walked past Li Heng and out through the palace gate.

Until she finally disappeared, Li Heng kept his eyes closed, never turning his head. When the final palace gate rumbled as it opened, his body shuddered.

Li Jingzhong coldly watched from the sidelines and couldn’t help but sigh. In the end, Li Heng could not deny his affections, could not strike the final blow.

“Your Highness, we truly must thank Young Master Wang this time. If not for him, we would still be completely in the dark, unaware that that woman was a spy sent by another prince. If not for Young Master Wang’s vigilance and plans, we truly might have been in danger. The Third Prince and the others would have had an eighty or ninety percent chance of success.”

Li Jingzhong’s face showed fear as he imagined the consequences.

He only knew that his prince was in love with a woman and thus sought Wang Chong’s aid. But he had never expected the Young Marquis to be even warier, immediately seeing through Du Zhiqi.

At the very start, the Fifth Prince stubbornly refused to believe, but when he did as Wang Chong said and left early to see his master, everything was exposed.

Truthfully speaking, even the mentally prepared Li Jingzhong was given a fright when he saw Du Zhiqi’s movements through the crack in the study.

The Du Zhiqi in the study had been lithe, agile, vigilant. She was completely different from her usually refined and dignified self.

“Mm.”

Li Heng nodded and raised his head. There was a flicker of emotion in his eyes, and then he had regained his composure and serenity. Whether it was leaving the palace, returning to the palace, seeing his master, leaving the list out, and even finding someone to imitate his handwriting and correspond with the border general…

All of this was planned out by Wang Chong.

In the end, not only had he emerged unharmed, Third Prince Li Ju had been sent to the Imperial Clan Court. Moreover, his understanding of the Directors of the Palace Library had greatly pleased his imperial father, and he had won the Sage Emperor’s favor and good graces. Not even Li Heng had expected this result.

Disaster could be caused by fortune, and fortune could be hidden in disaster. No matter how many books he read or how long he practiced martial arts, he would have never been able to achieve this result.

But now that he carefully thought about it, this road had been fraught with danger. The slightest lack of caution would have led to a complete loss and terrible risks.

“Tell the Young Marquis that I am deeply grateful for his warnings and that I owe him a favor. In addition, inform Du Hongjian, Wei Shaoyou, and the others that I would like to see them. With the matter of the fake list having just happened, even if I did meet with them, no one would dare say anything.

“Besides that, I plan to devote myself to my studies and martial arts for a time. Don’t disturb me unless it’s for something important.”

As Li Heng spoke, his eyes shone with resolve and wisdom.

“Yes, Your Highness!”

Li Jingzhong was inwardly ecstatic. The Fifth Prince’s relationship with Du Zhiqi had resulted in him basically abandoning his studies.

This was the first time he had heard Li Heng mentioning his studies on his own initiative.

Moreover, Li Heng had clearly matured from his experience. He now understood that this was a chance to get close to Du Hongjian and the other officials.

The Li Heng of the past would have never done such a thing.

“Your lowly slave will do as ordered!”

The cheerful Li Jingzhong quickly took his leave.

……

A figure emerged from the Imperial Palace. Standing in the middle of the vast and crowded street, Du Zhiqi finally turned to glance at the lofty golden walls of the palace.

With no one to watch, Du Zhiqi finally showed a little sorrow and confusion. But she quickly vanished, merging with the crowd and setting off in a different direction.

“Lord Marquis, are we really just letting her go?”

In a nearby restaurant, a frowning Old Eagle and Wang Chong stood side by side and watched Du Zhiqi.

In his opinion, a double-crossing woman who had attempted to do harm to Fifth Prince Li Heng could not be allowed to survive. This was only nurturing a tiger so that it could cause a future calamity.

“Since the Fifth Prince was not willing to kill her, and let her leave the Imperial Palace alive, what right do we have to touch her?”

Wang Chong leaned on a rail and watched, his voice indifferent, his expression calm.

“Moreover, humans are not made of wood and grass, and who can truly remain emotionless? Although she was dispatched as someone else’s spy, after spending so many nights and days with the Fifth Prince, there’s no guarantee that she had absolutely no affection for him. Perhaps she’s already been punished, so what need is there for us to do anything?”

Old Eagle was momentarily surprised, only half-understanding Wang Chong’s words.

“Okay, let’s put this matter aside. The matter regarding His Fifth Highness is over, so it’s time that we got to work on other things.”

Smiling, Wang Chong quickly left the restaurant.

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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 692 - Yuan Shusong
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C692 - Yuan Shusong
Chapter 692: Yuan Shusong

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Deep within the Wang Clan Residence, Wang Chong finally met the person he had longed to see. This was a middle-aged scholar with a long and slender beard, dressed in a white robe. His demeanor was so cultured and fragile that it seemed like a gust of wind would blow him over.

“Paying respects to Lord Marquis!”

Seeing Wang Chong and Old Eagle walk in, the middle-aged scholar hurriedly bowed, fixing his eyes on the ground and attempting to breathe as softly as possible.

It was clear that he had no idea why the ascendant Son of Heaven’s disciple, the Young Marquis of the Great Tang, had requested to meet an obscure and powerless teacher like him.

“Lord Marquis, according to your orders, we searched the capital and found him in an unremarkable Daoist temple. At that time, he had already packed his luggage and was preparing to leave. If we had been just a little slow, he would have already left,” Wei Guo and Wei Wu reported.

It was evident that this pair also had no inkling of why Wang Chong had ordered them to search the entire city for this feeble scholar, a venture that had used a great deal of time and energy.

Wang Chong did not pay attention to Wei Guo and Wei Wu. Since the moment he entered the room, his gaze had been fixed on the middle-aged scholar.

I didn’t think I would actually be able to find him.

Wang Chong’s eyes shone brightly with excitement.

Although this middle-aged scholar seemed nameless and obscure, in another domain, he had quite the sterling reputation. Wang Chong rarely admired anyone, but this middle-aged scholar was definitely one of them.

“You are Yuan Shusong?” Wang Chong asked expectantly.

“This lowly person is. To be able to meet the Lord Marquis is enough blessing for this lowly person for three lifetimes! But might this lowly person ask why the Lord Marquis has summoned this one?”

Yuan Shusong’s face was filled with fear and panic. This was his first time meeting an influential character of this level, and it left him very nervous.

Hahaha, it really is him!

At this moment, Wang Chong was absolutely certain. His name was Yuan Shusong and he had a long and slender beard. The person before him matched completely with the description of that ‘Master Yuan’.

In the Great Tang, disdain for barbarians meant that it was very rare for people to learn foreign languages, which is why Wang Chong’s ability to speak Sanskrit and Tibetan shocked so many people.

Even Dalun Ruozan and Huoshu Huicang had found this fact unbelievable.

But Wang Chong did not think this strange. ‘Know yourself and know your enemies, and you will never be defeated.’ In order to defeat the foreigners in battle, he had to learn their language, understand them, know their weaknesses and strengths; not exclude them and close his ears.

These were the words of the elder who had taught Wang Chong Sanskrit and Tibetan, and these words had originated from the Yuan Shusong that now kneeled before him.

Although almost no one knew of Yuan Shusong’s name amongst the court and nobility, he was a celebrity amongst those related to the Western Regions, especially the teachers of the capital and the merchants trading silk in the Western Regions.

It wasn’t merely because he knew twenty-three languages, which included Turkic, Tibetan, Mengshe Zhao, Goguryeon, Arabian, Characene, and the various languages used in the Western Regions. It was also because he was an extremely capable teacher.

He had taught elders, children, Daoist priests, nuns, wives, merchants, butchers… and almost everyone who learned from him could learn a new language or two in just one or two months.

In his last life, almost all the best language masters had been his disciples, including the elder who had taught Wang Chong Sanskrit and Tibetan.

However, this Master Yuan had only remained in the capital for several years before setting off for the Western Regions, where it was said that he eventually died.

When Wang Chong had heard of this, he was filled with remorse. If the Great Tang had been able to value this Master Yuan a little earlier, could understand a little more about the surrounding countries, could confront the ascendant Abbasid Caliphate and Charax Spasinu with a little more knowledge, perhaps things would have been different.

In order to understand the foreign countries surrounding the Great Tang a little more, one needed a large number of people who understood their languages, especially those people talented in instruction. Master Yuan was precisely this sort of person.

As long as one gave him a little assistance, a stage to stand on, he could definitely raise a large number of talented individuals to assist the Great Tang in understanding all the countries on its border.

But Wang Chong had not searched the entire capital for this man for just this alone. Deep in Wang Chong’s heart, he had an even bigger plan.

Ever since the era of Great Emperor Wu of Han, the Western Regions had been in a constant state of division and unification, gains and losses, an endless cycle of conquest and loss. And the various kingdoms of the Western Regions had never felt much affection toward the Central Plains.

The crucial point in resolving all this and breaking the cycle of conquest and loss was language. Because their languages were different, they could not communicate, could not understand each other, so there was naturally no affection.

But if both sides from top to bottom, from the highest general to the lowest soldiers, could freely communicate, everything would be different.

If they could understand what the Central Plains was and what the Great Tang was, the people of the Western Regions would develop a completely different impression of the Central Plains.

If he wanted to do this, he wouldn’t teach the Tang the languages of the Western Regions, but teach the people of the Western Regions the language of the Great Tang. Only this would resolve the problem once and for all.

But first, he needed someone who knew the languages of the Western Regions to serve as a teacher.

And Yuan Shusong was the individual Wang Chong had found that was crucial to solving this problem.

“Master, it is Wang Chong who has been rude, but if I might be so bold as to ask, does Master truly know twenty-three different foreign languages?” Wang Chong said.

As Yuan Shusong heard these words, a hint of shock flickered through his eyes. He truly did know quite a few languages, but not even the people close to him knew that the exact number was twenty-three. How did this famous character know this fact? And it was such a minor matter.

“Yes.”

Although Yuan Shusong was surprised, he did not dare to be slow with his response.

“Might I know how Master managed to learn so many languages?”

Wang Chong gave a gentle smile, his eyes softening.

“This… when this lowly person was young, he knew not of the vastness of the world. Coupled with the poverty at home, this lowly person spent a period of time wandering the world, traveling deep into the Western Regions, to Sindhu, Arabia, and Charax Spasinu, learning their languages,” Yuan Shusong said.

“You also went to Arabia?”

Wang Chong was a little shocked.

“Yes, I stayed there for a short time.”

“How long?”

“Around two years.”

Yuan Shusong’s face turned slightly red.

Yuan Shusong’s reaction made Wang Chong thoughtful. When this person was young, he had wandered the world, but when he arrived in Arabia, his visit was probably not something as simple as a short stay.

“Then that means that you have a deep understanding of Arabia?” Wang Chong said.

“This lowly person has a little understanding.”

Yuan Shusong froze for a moment. As he looked at the Young Marquis, he suddenly understood what he was being asked about.

“Arabia is completely different from our Central Plains. Their territory is massive. It might… it might be about the same size as our Great Tang.”

“About the same? You probably want to say that it’s even larger,” Wang Chong said.

Yuan Shusong’s body trembled, and he now found it impossible to conceal the surprise in his eyes. Everyone in the Great Tang believed that it was the largest country in the world. Their impression of Arabia was that it was about the same size as a small country like Goguryeo.

Even the people of the Chamberlain of Dependencies held this opinion, much less others. That he dared to say that the lands of Arabia were about the same size as the Central Plains was already very bold, but he had not expected Wang Chong to state loud and clear that Arabia was larger than the Great Tang.

This was the first time Yuan Shusong had met this kind of noble. He suddenly found the young man standing before him rather mysterious.

“Master Yuan, since you’ve already been to Arabia, that’s even better. Tell me, what is your impression of Arabia and its people? How would you compare them to the Great Tang?”

Wang Chong immediately spoke, not letting Master Yuan get lost in his thoughts.

“This…”

“There’s no need to be afraid. I want to hear your sincere opinion.”

“Then forgive this lowly person for speaking presumptuously. The people of the capital know the Hu merchants of the Western Regions as good-natured people skilled in trade and easy to get along with. In reality, however, true Arabians are extremely fierce and doughty. Everyone says that Tibetans are natural warriors, but even they are far inferior to the Arabians.”

Yuan Shusong’s first words immediately caused Old Eagle’s expression to freeze in shock, but Wang Chong only gave a slight nod, apparently unsurprised.

“Arabians do not fear death, not only when fighting outsiders, but also when fighting each other. I once had the fortune to witness one of their internal wars. Everyone was throwing themselves into the fray, none of them retreating until the battle had reached its last moment.

“The Arabians value weapons, armor, and warhorses over any sort of wealth or fortune. As a result, the Arabians have developed extremely advanced forging techniques… everyone in the capital knows about this. But this lowly person believes that the most extraordinary aspect of the Arabians is not their weapons, but their warhorses.

“When this lowly person lived in Arabia, he had the opportunity to see their war horses from close-up. They were taller than a man and extremely well-built. Moreover, they are extremely formidable chargers. Not even the highland steeds of Ü-Tsang or the Turkic warhorses can compare.

“But during this lowly person’s travels in Arabia, what he found most concerning of all was their thinking. Although many of them had never been to the Great Tang, even the ordinary commoner knew of its existence, and all levels of society made no effort to conceal their desire for the Great Tang.

“In their markets, this lowly person once heard that their sovereign had once declared before all his assembled ministers that anyone who could subjugate the east, subjugate the Great Tang, would be made Emperor of the Central Plains.”

Boom!

Like a stone thrown into a pond, Yuan Shusong’s words sent waves of shock through Wang Chong and Old Eagle, both of them showing expressions of extreme consternation.

In the Central Plains, the Sage Emperor was a supreme existence. The Emperor of Arabia’s words were clearly the height of humiliation and disdain toward the Sage Emperor and the entire Central Plains.

For the sake of the Ferghana horses, Emperor Han of Wu had engaged in a long-distance war with the country of Dayuan1. If the words of the Emperor of Arabia were to leak out, it would provoke a large-scale and prolonged war between these two hegemons of the east and west.

______________

1. Dayuan was a country located in the Ferghana Valley. Its refusal to sell its horses to the Han Dynasty led to the War of Heavenly Horses, in which Emperor Wu of Han dispatched an army to besiege the capital of Dayuan. The nobles of Dayuan eventually executed their king and offered the Han as many horses as the Han desired.↩

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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 693 - Information on Talas!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C693 - Information on Talas!
Chapter 693: Information on Talas!

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

“Yuan Shusong, don’t speak nonsense! How could the Emperor of Arabia say something like this? Can you really treat marketplace gossip as the truth? Do you know what sort of disaster would occur if these rumors got out?” Old Eagle harshly reproved.

Yuan Shusong froze. Knowing that he had spoken too rashly, he immediately shut his mouth.

“Enough! Old Eagle, what he says is true!” Wang Chong extended a hand and stopped Old Eagle.

All the sovereigns of all the countries bordering the Great Tang, no matter how much they internally loathed and insulted the Great Tang, would never dare to say such things before their assembled ministers.

Because such words would bring down a calamity.

And these words truly would cause an intense war between two countries, no laughing matter. But Wang Chong knew that the Emperor of Arabia really was someone who might say such words.

Unlike the other countries around the Great Tang, Arabia was extremely far from the Central Plains, with many li and many countries separating them. And Arabia was extremely expansionary. From the moment it had been founded, it had expanded in every direction, killing and conquering.

Arabia had not been able to possess such a large territory in a single generation because it had started with it, but because it had engaged in constant expansion. From this perspective, Wang Chong didn’t find it strange at all for the Emperor of Arabia to say such words.

In truth, the Arabs were already stretching their claws to the Great Tang.

Hearing Wang Chong’s words, Yuan Shusong raised his head and shot Wang Chong an excited glance. For some reason, this ‘Young Marquis’ seemed different from all the other nobles.

“Master Yuan, please, continue.”

Wang Chong raised his hand and explained, “The Imperial Court currently requires a few people who understand Arabia, but people who have actually been to Arabia are few and far between, so there is naturally no one to ask questions to. Thus, we have a great need for Master to give us pertinent opinions, as this will be of great importance to us and the Imperial Court.”

Wang Chong spoke with great solemnity. Although Wang Chong could be considered in this world as someone with some understanding of Arabia, he had still never been there. Whether in this world or the last, Wang Chong’s understanding of Arabia originated from paper and the mouths of others.

He had never had any firsthand experience.

“This…” Seeing Wang Chong ask the question so seriously, Yuan Shusong hesitated for a few moments before finally giving his earnest opinion. “Since Lord Marquis has permitted this lowly person to speak, this lowly person will speak boldly. When this one was young and traveled through Arabia, he felt that Arabia would sooner or later become an enemy of my Great Tang. With their personality, they would eventually come to eye the Central Plains. In addition, the Arabs have muscular bodies and are raised on a diet of horse milk, goat milk, and dates, and there’s also the hot and arid climate. Purely in terms of daring, they far surpass the Han of the Central Plains as natural warriors. Moreover, their customs nurture an appreciation for valor and courage, not purely battle. Thus… this lowly one feels that Arab warriors are even stronger than our Great Tang soldiers!”

The room was utterly silent.

Old Eagle didn’t put much stock in these words. The people of the Great Tang were known throughout the world for their valor. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have been able to suppress the surrounding barbarians, much less create the current golden age. And yet Yuan Shusong had personally been to Arabia, so his words could not be completely rejected.

As for Wang Chong, his heart sank like a stone.

Wang Chong had always known that the Arabs would not be easy to deal with, but Yuan Shusong’s words still left him rather shocked. Yuan Shusong had probably gone to the Western Regions and seen the Anxi Protectorate army, but he had still made such claims. This could only mean that the Arab warriors were incredibly strong.

Yuan Shusong lowered his head and sternly said, “Lord Marquis, the disposition of the Arabs means that they will sooner or later be a great foe for the Great Tang. They absolutely cannot be underestimated!”

“Have you said these words to anyone else?” Wang Chong gravely asked.

“This lowly person once submitted a memorial with these words upon returning from my travels. Alas, the Chamberlain of Dependencies seized the memorial and imprisoned me for seven years.”

With these words, Yuan Shusong gave a deep sigh.

Buzz!

Wang Chong and Old Eagle were both astonished.

“Those bastards! Do they still care for the rule of law!”

Old Eagle clenched his fists in rage. Neither of them had expected Yuan Shusong to have had this sort of experience.

“These fellows truly did go overboard.”

Wang Chong’s eyes had also widened. If Yuan Shusong had not made the claim, Wang Chong wouldn’t have believed in it even if he were beaten to death. The Imperial Court had established the Chamberlain of Dependencies in order to receive the emissaries from the various countries and display the magnanimity of the Great Tang.

But in the present age, the Chamberlain of Dependencies was slowly forgetting its purpose, becoming a place that only wanted to get on the good side of the foreign emissaries and suppress the people from its own country.

Old Eagle turned to Wang Chong and said, “Lord Marquis, we really have to do something about this. The Chamberlain of Dependencies is growing more and more excessive with every passing day. If this continues, the Chamberlain of Dependencies will eventually become a place that solely serves foreigners.”

Wang Chong said nothing. The matter of the Chamberlain of Dependencies was extremely complicated and could not be resolved with just a few words. This was because the Chamberlain of Dependencies was under the direct command of the Sage Emperor, but the Sage Emperor had neither the time nor energy to handle such a trifling concern.

Moreover, the true controller behind the Chamberlain of Dependencies was not the Sage Emperor, but King Qi. As long as King Qi was present, it would be no simple matter to topple the Chamberlain of Dependencies.

Yet it was also unacceptable to allow it to do as it pleased.

“There should be someone called Zheng Chenzhou in the Chamberlain of Dependencies, right? Think of a way to replace him,” Wang Chong indifferently said.

“Lord Marquis is referring to the one from the Ü-Tsang First Prince incident?” Old Eagle inquired.

“Mm.”

Wang Chong gave a cold nod, his expression exuding a domineering aura.

“It’s about time that the Chamberlain of Dependencies was taught a lesson. Let that Zheng Chenzhou with his good relationship with the Tibetans be the first lesson.”

In the past, Wang Chong truly wouldn’t have been able to deal with any of the officials from the Chamberlain of Dependencies, but now, the Wang Clan was at its zenith of influence and status. Coupled with its relationship to King Song, it was now capable of altering the make-up of the court. Replacing a person like Zheng Chenzhou who had attempted to suppress him and had a good relationship with the Tibetans was truly as easy as flipping over his hand.

This was also a warning to the Chamberlain of Dependencies.

With just a few words, Wang Chong had decided the fate of an official of the Chamberlain of Dependencies, leaving Yuan Shusong stunned. He had gained a new understanding of this youth’s power and status.

Wang Chong smiled at Yuan Shusong and voiced his true goal. “Master Yuan, I won’t hide it from you. I’m currently planning to construct an academy to teach the languages of the Western Regions, Arabia, Charax Spasinu, Sindhu, Ü-Tsang, and all the other foreign countries, increasing our Great Tang’s understanding of other countries. I’m prepared to support this academy for the long term with a large amount of capital, but this academy still lacks a teacher. Is Master interested?”

The kingdoms of the Western Regions all had different languages, and so in order to manage the western border, one needed talented personnel who could understand the languages of the Western Regions, including Arabia and Charax Spasinu.

And raising them himself was currently the best method.

“Can I treat Lord Marquis’s words as the truth?”

Yuan Shusong immediately raised his head, his face brimming with happiness.

“Master’s answer?” Wang Chong said.

“Most welcome, most welcome…”

Yuan Shusong was excited beyond belief. His lifelong dream had been to build a school so that he could teach foreign languages and increase the Great Tang’s understanding of foreign countries, avoiding any miscommunications and disasters.

Unfortunately, in his many years in the capital, he had found no assistance, only contempt and ridicule. Downcast and dejected, Yuan Shusong had decided to leave the capital and set off for the Western Regions.

When Wei Guo and Wei Wu had found him, he had already finished packing his luggage.

Never had Yuan Shusong imagined that at his most dejected, his fortunes would take a sudden turn.

“Hahaha, Master, I’ll leave everything in this field to you,” Wang Chong said with a hearty chuckle. “Old Eagle, have this matter taken care of and get that school constructed as quickly as possible. In addition, tell Elder Hu and Elder Ye to pick a few talented and intelligent people from the clans and send them to the school to learn foreign languages.”

With Master Yuan assisting him, Wang Chong’s plan for the Western Regions had been given a great boost. With this critical individual joining his side, the greatest gap in his plan had been filled.

“Yes, Lord Marquis.”

Old Eagle quickly left with Yuan Shusong.

Not long after Yuan Shusong and Old Eagle left, Wang Chong welcomed his final guest for the day.

“This lowly one, Yang Hongchang, pays respects to Lord Marquis,” boomed the voice of a slightly plump merchant as he strode proudly in and bowed to Wang Chong. All ten of his fingers were decorated with agate rings, and his waist was adorned with a token made of jade and red coral.

“There’s no need for courtesy. Rise,” Wang Chong said with a slight raise of his hand. Unlike with Yuan Shusong, Wang Chong cut straight to the point with this middle-aged merchant.

“I hear that Sir is an excellent businessman with connections to the Hu merchants of the Silk Road. I have also heard that Sir once entered Arabia to sell porcelain and tea leaves?”

“Lord Marquis is too kind. The clan truly does engage in a little business and work with a few Hu merchants. But the Hu merchants are very anti-foreigner and are unwilling to trade with foreign merchants, so our business has never been very large, with only a few small business deals.

“As for Arabia and Charax Spasinu… in the early years, this one did not know the immensity of the heavens and earth, and lost no small amount of money. All that this one managed to gain was a little reputation,” Yang Hongchang said.

“Mm.”

Wang Chong nodded. The merchants from the Western Regions, Charax Spasinu, and Arabia were extremely xenophobic. The Yang lineage that Yang Hongchang belonged to was one of the few families in the Great Tang that did business on the Silk Road.

“There is a city on the Silk Road known as Talas. Has Sir Yang heard of it?”

“Talas?”

Yang Hongchang finally raised his head and looked at the Young Marquis, surprise evident on his face.

“Around seven hundred li west from the Anxi Protectorate headquarters is Talas. That is the territory of the Shí Kingdom of the Nine Tribes of Zhaowu1, and the lord of the city is called Sa’id. In this lowly person’s younger years, this one had the fortune to meet him while trading in the Western Regions.”

______________

1. The Nine Tribes of Zhaowu, 昭武九姓, appears to be the name the Chinese gave to the people that lived in the region of Sogdiana. The nine tribes were Kang, An, Cao, Shí, Mi, He, Huoxun, Wude, and Shǐ. Note that the two ‘Shi’ are tonally different.↩

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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 694 - Li Siye's Problems!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C694 - Li Siye's Problems!
Chapter 694: Li Siye’s Problems!

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

At Yang Hongchang’s words, Wang Chong’s eyes instantly brightened in surprise.

“Sa’id?”

This was the first time Wang Chong was hearing this name.

On the future battlefield between the Great Tang and the Abbasid Caliphate, in that clash between the two great empires of the east and west, several names played extremely critical roles that altered the course of the battle. And one of these names was that of the Lord of Talas.

Although Gao Xianzhi was a foreigner, he was also the Anxi Protector-General, the elite Great General holding down the empire’s northwest, one of the Twin Jades of the Empire. His strength was indisputable.

Wang Chong had once researched his accomplishments. Gao Xianzhi’s most unique trait was his preference for cavalry. Soldiers valued speed, and an army that could quickly march one thousand li would often appear in a place the enemy would not expect.

But even the wisest man would have a flaw in his plans. The greatest defeat in Gao Xianzhi’s life resulted from his underestimating the opponent. In the limited time available to him, he was unable to occupy Talas first.

This made it so that his tactic of a surprise assault across a thousand li became a protracted siege. And the one in Talas who resisted the Anxi Protectorate army, and delayed and tired Gao Xianzhi, was the Lord of Talas.

One misstep would lead to several more. Gao Xianzhi was a master of raids, but siege battles were his natural weakness. In the final analysis, it was precisely the battle with the Lord of Talas that led to Gao Xianzhi and the Anxi Protectorate army’s ultimate defeat. As a result, the Great Tang lost more than three million square kilometers of territory and the centuries of effort it had invested into the Western Regions.

Few people knew about the Lord of Talas, and this was the first time Wang Chong had learned of his name.

“In your interactions with Sa’id, what did you think of him as a person?”

Wang Chong’s brows rose as he voiced this question.

“This person has a superb reputation in the Western Regions and great prestige. I heard of a certain incident related to him in the Western Regions. Sa’id was doing business with someone and promised him a certain batch of goods. But later on, the person he had made the promise to died from illness. When Sa’id learned of this, he began to investigate the man, spending two whole years until he found the man’s family and delivered the goods to his widow and son. He even left some money for the bereaved family.

“Because of this incident, Talas and the nearby merchants have a great deal of trust in him. They know that he always keeps his promises.”

Yang Hongchang paused for a moment and then moved on.

“But in my interactions with him, I learned that the Lord of Talas is far from as simple as he seems. His rule is extremely harsh, and anyone who defies the law is never treated lightly. The number of maids, servants and merchants who have been executed in Talas… is simply uncountable, so many people speak of him with both fear and respect.

“To take the Silk Road from the Great Tang to the Abbasid Caliphate requires crossing more than ten thousand li and many countries. As a result, many merchants choose to try and avoid any fees and taxes. But in Talas, all the Hu merchants turn in their taxes on time and without any prompting. No one dares to try avoiding the taxes. As a result, the area is very safe. This is extremely rare in a place as disorderly as the Western Regions.”

Wang Chong said nothing, but his brow slowly creased.

The incident that Yang Hongchang had spoken of was certainly not good news for the Great Tang. A person like Sa’id would present a great disadvantage to the Great Tang in the upcoming war.

“Yang Hongchang, I want you to help me with something,” Wang Chong suddenly said. “Are you willing?”

“Lord Marquis, please speak.”

Yang Hongchang immediately bowed his head.

“I want you to take some people and enter Talas to help me watch the movements of the Abbasid Caliphate and Talas. No matter what happens, even if it’s the wind blowing the grass, I need you to promptly report it to me, especially if you see any strange movements amongst the Arabs,” Wang Chong sternly said.

“This… Lord Marquis, we Han look different from the Hu and are very obvious in a crowd of Hu. It’s easy for us to be noticed, and in that situation, I’m afraid that it will be very difficult for us to gather any news. Moreover, if someone notices us and grows suspicious, it might even be difficult to preserve our lives,” Yang Hongchang said, a distressed look on his face.

“Haha, the Hu have seventy-two kingdoms, so not all of them can be of one mind. Since Han are more liable to rouse suspicion, just find a few Hu. Sir Yang, you’ve done business in the Western Regions for so many years, so you should at least be able to hire some Hu, right?” Wang Chong said with a hearty laugh.

“This, even if it’s Hu, they might not be of one mind with us. And it’s often the case where they take the money and don’t do the work,” Yang Hongchang said doubtfully.

Wang Chong only grinned. He did not argue any further with Yang Hongchang, only gave a sum.

“Ten thousand taels of gold!”

“This…”

“Twenty thousand taels of gold!”

“But…”

Wang Chong raised two fingers and said, “Add to that an additional twenty percent to your quota of tea leaves and the waiving of taxes when your Yang Clan embarks for the Western Regions.”

“Lord Marquis is wise and brave. This lowly person would definitely do his utmost to oversee the Hu and have them work for the Great Tang to watch Talas and the Arabs. The slightest movement, this lowly one guarantees, will be reported to Lord Marquis at the first opportunity. However, this lowly person’s clan has recently been going through difficulties. If Lord Marquis adds an additional twenty percent for porcelain, this lowly one would truly be eternally grateful,” Yang Hongchang said with a face full of ‘sincerity’.

Wang Chong inwardly smiled. Merchants valued profit, and as this was a business deal, Yang Hongchang was frankly confessing that he didn’t want to work for free. The Silk Road was the Road of Gold, and what Hu merchants bought the most of in the capital was silk and tea ware.

But for the sake of administration, the Imperial Court had placed a limit on silk and tea. Every great clan had a certain quota that they could not trade beyond.

That Yang Hongchang wished to obtain an additional quota for tea leaves and porcelain was no surprise. An additional twenty percent of these products sold every month was nearly a thousand taels of gold, and with time, this would be an astonishing sum.

“Deal!” Wang Chong lightly said, shooting a glance at Yang Hongchang.

“If you do this matter well, then in the future, the Yang Clan’s caravans on the Silk Road can receive the escort of the Imperial Court’s soldiers. In addition, you probably know that I plan to build a city for my fief on the Silk Road.”

“It is known!”

Although Yang Hongchang was doing his best to hide it, his bright eyes still gave away the excitement in his heart. Anyone who did business on the Silk Road knew of the city Wang Chong spoke of.

But the Yang Clan had too little power to compete with the truly wealthy and influential clans. Thus, Yang Hongchang had not dared to broach the subject, but how could he not possibly have any designs?

“If you do this task well, then I can leave a few plots of land in that city for you. In the future, no matter what you do there, your Yang Clan will be exempt from any taxes,” Wang Chong said.

“Many thanks, Lord Marquis! Every member of the Yang Clan is willing to swear an oath of loyalty until death to the Lord Marquis! Even if this lowly person must dash his brains against the ground, he will definitely complete the Lord Marquis’s mission in Talas!”

The ecstatic Yang Hongchang immediately kneeled to the ground.

Merchants cared about profit, and the enormous profits that Wang Chong promised would far surpass the profits from the Yang Clan’s usual business on the Silk Road. In particular, the plots of land that Wang Chong had promised in his city of steel would nurture the Yang Clan for generations.

Just this alone would ensure the stability of the Yang Clan for centuries. Besides that, the backing of a powerful patron like the Wang Clan meant that ascendancy was close at hand.

Wang Chong smiled quietly at the kneeling Yang Hongchang.

‘Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.’ The city of steel needed to be constructed and the cement roads needed to be built, but the true enemies of the Great Tang, the Arabs far to the west of the Cong Mountains, also needed to be watched.

Yang Hongchang was the best candidate for this job, as no merchant of the Silk Road had a greater understanding of the Western Regions than him.

Yang Hongchang quickly left with his orders, accompanied by ten-some guards from the Wang Clan and a chest of gold. Yang Hongchang had full control over these guards and the gold.

At its highest level, war was a battle of strategy and intelligence. The side that received information first and had the more thorough and comprehensive strategy would be the ultimate winner.

But in this era, very few people shared Wang Chong’s point of view.

It’s about time I took a trip to Wushang.

Wang Chong raised his head as this thought flitted through his mind.

A few days ago, Wang Chong had received a letter from Li Siye informing him that his plan in Wushang was proceeding far less smoothly than he had imagined. The Wushang of this life was even fiercer and bolder than it had been in his last life, even more unwilling to be tamed.

Even future Invincible Great General Li Siye had run into an obstacle. It had to be said that Wang Chong had been greatly surprised at this news.

In the end, he still had to personally subdue the world’s future number-one cavalry force!

“Hyah!”

Five days later, Wang Chong set out from the capital with his forces, off to Wushang on the distant Silk Road to the northwest. The wheels of history were rolling forward, and Wang Chong was finally heading off to confront the strongest, fiercest, bravest, and also most unruly subordinates he had ever encountered in his entire life.

……

In the northwest of the Great Tang, to the south of Qixi and the west of Longxi was a range of mountains. Mountains soared into the sky and the terrain was steep. The slightest lack of care might lead one to step into a deep abyss and have one’s body shattered into pieces at the bottom. Moreover, these mountains were occasionally inundated in a white and befuddling fog that obscured vision and made it easy to get lost.

In addition, this was a barren land with no gold or silver, no treasures or jewels, and no roads. As a result, even the bandits of the Silk Road didn’t venture very far into these mountains.

This place seemed to be forgotten by the world. Nobody knew of it and nobody asked about it.

This place was Wushang.

“Milord, these wicked people are too brash. It’s fine if they refuse to be conscripted, but they even stole the token the Lord Marquis gave Milord! This is a complete disregard for law! In this subordinate’s view, we should mobilize the army and completely exterminate them.”

On a barren mountain slope, a fully-armored and burly officer stood next to Li Siye, looking out to the drifting fog with a face full of fury.

“That’s right! They don’t listen to orders, and they even injured Du Wu and Luo Zhuan! They’re far too out of line!”

A deputy general standing on Li Siye’s right hand side angrily fumed. As he spoke, he glanced behind him to the figures lying on the ground. It was precisely the comrades that had traveled with them to Wushang.

This remote and mountainous land was covered in shabby houses. That they were willing to cross this rugged terrain to recruit them as soldiers was already a favor to these people, but not only had these people refused to obey, they had even dared to attack them.

If it weren’t for Li Siye’s astonishing strength stopping these people, their comrades might have already been abducted!

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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 695 - Wushang Village (I)
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C695 - Wushang Village (I)
Chapter 695: Wushang Village (I)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Awooo!

Cries that seemed both apish and human came out of the white fog. The cries were brief and were clearly intended as a harsh warning.

“It’s the Wushang!”

The howls caused Li Siye’s subordinates to pale.

“They’re about to move!” a subordinate officer said.

“Get ready. No matter what, we can’t leave this place!”

Li Siye stood by the edge of the cliff, his gaze fixed on the distance and his expression firm. The Wushang had attacked many times over the last few days, but Li Siye had continued to occupy this cliff with no intent of withdrawing.

A true man kept to his word, and he had already promised the young master, so no matter what difficulties he encountered, no matter how difficult the mission was to accomplish, he would never retreat.

Awooo!

The howls coming from the fog were coming at a faster and faster tempo and seemed to be getting fiercer and fiercer. The fog roiled and gusts of winds could be heard from all around. The Wushang were finally beginning their operation.

As the cries echoed in his ear, the composed Li Siye took a few steps forward.

………

By the time Wang Chong arrived with his forces in the vicinity of Wushang, more than half a month had passed since his departure from the capital.

Standing atop a lush hill, Wang Chong held his hands behind his back and asked, “How is it? Is there any news from General Li?”

“No, we’ve heard nothing from General Li since his last letter, not even a single signal. And the mountain range here is vast, so we’ve not been able to get in touch with him,” a voice said.

“Mm.”

Wang Chong nodded, no change in expression on his face. Li Siye was the future Invincible Great General. Whether or not his mission was proceeding smoothly, Wang Chong was confident that his strength would mean that he would never encounter any problems.

Wang Chong thought quietly for a few moments and turned to the soaring peaks in front of him, those mountains that were clearly several times higher than the surrounding hills. This mountain range was like a series of waves on the sea, stretching into the distance.

At the sight of these mountains, anyone would feel an ancient and desolate aura, as if time had forgotten about this place, and they would instinctively want to flee. And yet Wang Chong’s eyes held affection for these lofty peaks.

I’ve finally returned.

As Wang Chong looked ahead, he gave an emotional sigh.

This was not Wang Chong’s first time seeing these mountains, but it was his first time seeing them before the calamity. It looked completely different from that shattered and ruined landscape he recalled.

This is Wushang before it was destroyed. How beautiful! Wang Chong quietly said to himself.

He had been standing in front of these mountains for many hours now. In Wang Chong’s eyes, even seeing these apparently monotone mountains a thousand times would not be enough. Because these barren mountains that not even bandits were willing to venture into happened to be the breeding ground for the future hope of the Great Tang:

The Wushang Cavalry!

The strongest force in the world!

In that apocalyptic world where the stars of generals had begun to fade, this crack force of five thousand cavalry had carried the hopes and dreams of many people, and they had been the strongest soldiers under Wang Chong’s command, the pillar that supported his army.

If he wanted to change the world, he needed an extremely well-trained and powerful army that could sweep away everything before it. The Annan Protectorate army could not reach this level, and the elite experts that Wang Chong had recruited from the great clans also could not reach this level. Not even Gao Xianzhi’s thirty thousand elites of Anxi, hailed as the best troops of the Great Tang, could reach his standard.

And the army Wang Chong most desired just so happened to be sequestered amidst these towering mountains.

No other place in the world could give Wang Chong this sort of feeling.

“Is everything ready?” Wang Chong said suddenly, turning his head.

Behind him, Gao Feng and Nie Yan deferentially answered, “Lord Marquis, everything is ready.”

For this expedition, Wang Chong had not brought many people with him, just these two and ten-some elites who had survived the war of the southwest. These were all experts who had experienced battles of life or death and were extremely loyal to Wang Chong.

Although they arose from different clans, in their hearts, Wang Chong held a higher status than even their clan patriarchs.

“Let’s go!”

Wang Chong nodded and gave a wave of his hand, ordering his forces to set off.

Departing from the summit of that verdant hill, Wang Chong did not lead his forces straight to those precipitous mountains. Instead, he circled around them, heading toward the northwest.

If one followed the Silk Road from the capital in the direction of Anxi, the lands would grow more barren and remote the farther west one went. Of all the sections of the road, Wushang was the most barren and remote. That not even bandits were willing to enter this place was a testament to this fact.

As he gazed at the peaks that thrust into the clouds, even Wang Chong had to admit that climbing those dangerous mountains was no easy task. Even he would find it very difficult to enter the heart of the mountain range, the Wushang village, by directly crossing the mountains.

However, Wang Chong also knew that though most of this mountain range was dangerous and steep, with the ever-present risk of dropping into a deep abyss, there was a place in this mountain range that was safer and less steep, a small path of sorts.

Entering the Wushang village from there would be much easier.

Around an hour later, in a place ten-some li from their starting point, Wang Chong looked forward. The sunlight seeped through the clouds, falling between two towering peaks, revealing a long and narrow, almost unnoticeable ‘thin strip of sky1‘.

(TN: A thin strip of sky, as the name describes, refers to when there is a thin gap between mountains such that one can see the sky between them.)

“This is the place!”

This ‘thin strip of sky’ was several dozen meters tall and four feet wide, making it almost undetectable from a distance. Anyone except Wang Chong would have never noticed it.

“How did Lord Marquis know of this place?”

Gao Feng and Nie Yan looked at each other in surprise.

From the moment they had left the capital, they had kept very close to Wang Chong. They could guarantee that Wang Chong had not come to scout this area beforehand, but for some reason, he seemed to know the place like the back of his hand.

“Follow close behind me, and don’t get lost,” Wang Chong said, paying no attention to Gao Feng and Nie Yan. “This place is extremely dangerous, and if you drop from the mountain, at your level of cultivation, the drop of several hundred zhang will shatter your bones.”

Neither experts of the True Martial realm nor those of the Profound Martial realm had the ability to fly through the air, so the only outcome that awaited them in a drop from these heights was death. This was also the reason the bandits on the road to the west were not willing to set up their bases here.

“Yes, Lord Marquis.”

Without another word, Wang Chong bent down and entered that ‘thin strip of sky’.

As one ventured further into the path, the steep mountains towered on both sides, and the stones forming the path were so sharp that they stabbed into the soles. Awooo! A howl came from the distance, echoing through the mountains.

“Lord Marquis!”

Gao Feng and Nie Yan paled, and they unsheathed their swords with vigilant expressions.

“There’s no need to be nervous—it’s the Wushang. Let them be; they still haven’t discovered us yet.”

Wang Chong smiled and had Gao Feng and Nie Yan sheathe their swords. Although the Wushang were cut off from the world, the roads to the west were still crawling with bandits. The Wushang lived nearby, so they were very wary and vigilant.

The Wushang were extremely wary of outsiders.

They really haven’t changed at all!

The distant cries caused a faint smile to appear on Wang Chong’s lips and a warm feeling to surge through his heart.

Before they were formally made into soldiers and trained, the Wushang had maintained their primitive traditions. This primal and steep geography had trained the Wushang into the most agile of people. They shuttled through the mountains like apes and used these short and sharp cries to communicate with each other.

Wang Chong had tested their speeds once, and the most formidable Wushang villager could even outrun a warhorse!

I’m finding myself filled with more and more anticipation!

Wang Chong’s eyes shone, a hint of excitement in his eyes.

“Let’s go.”

When they emerged from the thin strip of sky, the terrain was rather low, but as they traveled, it grew higher and higher, steeper and steeper, the road more and more difficult to traverse. At some point, a white fog suddenly began to billow around them.

“Milord, be careful!”

“This fog is strange!”

Gao Feng and Nie Yan widened their eyes, instinctively sensing danger. It was still daytime, and when their party had entered the mountains, the sun had been right over their heads. For this kind of fog to appear on such a clear day was far too strange.

This coupled with the howls from before made all of them very uneasy.

“Haha, there’s no need to be nervous. There are a few springs beneath this mountain, rather large ones. The temperature of these springs is rather high, resulting in this fog. There’s nothing strange about it.”

Wang Chong gave a faint smile, a confident look on his face. This confidence influenced the rest of the party, making all of them relax.

Wushang were courageous and pugnacious, filled with hostility toward outsiders.

And the place they lived in was also full of dangers. The first line of defense was the steep mountains, where the slightest misstep would lead to a long fall and shattered bodies. The thick fog was the second line of defense. In his last life, when the Wushang killed many of the invaders, many people had wanted to recruit them, but the majority of them had been defeated.

Many of them had failed to even get past the first line of defense, much less the second.

Wang Chong had been the only one to succeed.

Unlike the others, Wang Chong never panicked, not when he encountered those Wushang people flitting across the mountains or that thick fog. He had even been able to determine the true source of the fog when he saw a spring bubbling out of the earth.

“Extend your sheaths and grab on to the sheath of the person behind you. Stay together and follow me! This fog will disperse in around fifteen minutes and isn’t dangerous in itself. The true danger is the ravines and abysses being shrouded by the fog. If you’re not careful and fall, even I won’t be able to save you,” Wang Chong indifferently said.

Gao Feng and Nie Yan glanced at each other and didn’t dare to say any more. The group made a line and followed behind Wang Chong, quickly disappearing into the thick fog.

______________

1. A thin strip of sky, as the name describes, refers to when there is a thin gap between mountains such that one can see the sky between them.↩

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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 696 - Wushang Village (II)
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C696 - Wushang Village (II)
Chapter 696: Wushang Village (II)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

The white fog was thick and deep. Occasionally, someone’s foot would knock a stone over a cliff. The long pause until the sound of its impact could be heard left all the members of the party shocked. Only Wang Chong remained unperturbed, confidently leading the way as though this was his own home.

Gao Feng and Nie Yan closely followed behind Wang Chong, growing increasingly astonished all the while. This fog was so thick that it was impossible to see which direction was which or make out any kind of object. Yet Wang Chong was not panicked in the slightest.

It was like he always knew where he was going, without even needing to see his feet.

After some time, the fog around them began to fade. Gao Feng and Nie Yan inwardly rejoiced, as they knew that they were about to leave the bounds of the fog.

“Hmph, none of them are working, and yet they send me to dig. Are they not afraid that I’ll get captured?”

The grumbling voice of a girl came out of the dispersing fog, coupled with the sound of someone kicking stones.

“Lord Marquis, this is?”

The party members turned to Wang Chong.

“Don’t say anything, just follow.”

At the sound of this familiar voice, the smile on Wang Chong’s face only widened. Stepping on the fine and sharp mountain rocks, he walked toward the sound. The grumbling voice of the girl grew louder and louder, clearer and clearer.

“Digging every day, digging when the sun is up, digging when the moon is up!

“Stupid hoe! Stupid hoe!

“Oh no! This a problem—the hoe handle broke.

“Uh-oh, I can’t let Grandpa or the others know. Stupid, stupid Grandpa…”

……

The prattling girl’s voice grew closer and closer, and by now, even the ten-some subordinates Wang Chong had brought with him for this excursion could hear it. Their expressions were odd, both suspicious and curious.

Wang Chong paid no attention to the looks on the faces of his subordinates. By following that voice, it took only a few moments for Wang Chong to see a girl of eight or nine years old, her hair tied into two braids, a bamboo herb basket larger than her body on her back. She was sitting on a large and barren stone, next to which a massive pine tree grew.

The girl had her back to Wang Chong, so Wang Chong couldn’t see what she looked like, but he could hear loud and clear that her mutterings were brimming with discontent.

Crack!

As he watched, the sound of a breaking stone came from behind him. The girl, who had been just kicking her legs out as she sat under the pine tree, jumped up in fright at the sound. She immediately slid down the rock and looked behind her.

At this moment, Wang Chong finally caught sight of her face. This little girl who seemed to be carved from jade was rather different from the girl in his memories, though there was still some of that girl’s likeness present.

The girl was carrying that big basket on her back, one of her hands holding a broken wooden handle while the other hand gripped half of an herb hoe. While she had been complaining, she probably broke it in her carelessness.

“Ah!”

The girl’s face was filled with fear as she saw Wang Chong and that group of strangers behind him. She ran off, hollering as she went.

“Uncle Qi, Uncle Jiu, it’s bad! Bad people have come in!”

The girl’s age belied her agility and speed as she screamed. The moment her two feet hit the ground, she immediately lunged off the rock, her body flying over the ground. With a single leap, she had covered six or seven zhang, and then she was off through the mountains like a civet cat.

When she next appeared, she was already twenty or thirty zhang away.

And all this had happened in the blink of an eye.

“This… is this girl a human or a ghost?”

“She looks to be only eight or nine. How can she be so fast?”

……

Gao Feng, Nie Yan, and the other elite soldiers behind Wang Chong were dumbfounded. The speed and dexterity this girl displayed were at least at the True Martial realm, and yet she was not even in her teens!

The girl and her large basket were on the verge of vanishing. But Wang Chong was in no rush, not heading off in pursuit. He only asked a question.

“Xiaoyan, why are you running?”

Buzz!

At these words, the dexterous form of the girl rapidly fading into the distance suddenly trembled as if it had been struck by lightning. Her body seemed to almost impossibly come to a sudden stop.

“Are you calling me?”

The girl peeked out from behind a rock, looking in disbelief at Wang Chong.

Wang Chong nodded and smiled.

“What did you call me just now?”

The girl’s face was filled with surprise.

“Are you not called Xiaoyan?” Wang Chong said.

“How did you know my name?”

The girl’s eyes went wide, and she no longer seemed intent on running. Standing around twenty zhang away next to a pile of rocks, she stared at Wang Chong. Her round eyes carefully sized up Wang Chong and his followers.

She had never encountered a situation like this. These were all strangers that she had never seen before, and yet they actually knew her name.

“I don’t just know that your name is Xiaoyan. I also know that you have a pet called Luoluo, a red fox with snow-white claws.”

Wang Chong smiled and seated himself down on the rock that the girl had just recently vacated.

“Impossible!”

The girl’s eyes opened even wider. She threw off the large basket and sat down on the pile of rocks. At this moment, her curiosity toward Wang Chong had suppressed everything, including her fear.

She was secretly raising a white-clawed fox, and only the people in the village knew of this, but not even the people in the village knew that this fox was called Luoluo. Just how did this stranger know?

“How did you know about my Luoluo?”

The girl’s eyes twinkled, completely captivated by this stranger.

She truly didn’t change one bit.

Wang Chong inwardly smiled. She was just as curious as he remembered.

“Didn’t your grandfather ask you to gather herbs? Have you gathered them?” Wang Chong asked, changing the subject.

“Hmph, a bunch of baddies! They only know how to bully me. There’s only rocks here! Where am I going to dig up wujian grass?” The moment Wang Chong mentioned it, the girl remembered her task today and started to fume, her foot lashing out at a nearby rock.

This casual kick sent that rock that was about the size of a human head sixty or seventy zhang. This sight caused the eyes of Gao Feng, Nie Yan, and the ten-some other guards to widen in shock.

This little girl had an astounding strength.

“You need wujian grass? That’s not easy to find. Feng Mu, bring it over.”

“Yes, Lord Marquis.”

With this voice, a tall and muscular guard appeared, dragging a large chest behind him.

“Open it.”

Wang Chong raised a hand, ordering the guard to open the box. In an instant, a box stuffed with herbs appeared before everyone’s eyes.

“Wujian grass!”

The girl’s eyes shone at the sight of the box. She lunged over, completely forgetting that Wang Chong and his followers weren’t from the village.

“Wow! Wujian grass! It really is wujian grass! How did you know that I needed to gather wujian grass? Haha, this is great! With this much wujian grass, I won’t need to leave the house for the next three months.”

The girl excitedly snatched two handfuls of wujian grass and gave a laugh that sounded like the ringing of silver bells.

Wang Chong couldn’t help but smile as well.

Before the calamity, Wushang Village was actually very xenophobic. The surprise failure of Li Siye’s recruitment operation made Wang Chong remember this and realize that this operation would not proceed as he easily as he had imagined.

The stronger the faction, the harder it was for them to submit to someone else. If the Wushang were that easy to subdue, the otherworldly invaders wouldn’t have suffered so many casualties, and the fifty or sixty thousand Wushang wouldn’t have dwindled to not even one-tenth that number.

But there was no soil in the world that was not ruled by someone. Since the Wushang still lived on the Central Plains, they had to accept the mobilization orders from the Imperial Court. As long as the method was appropriate, it wasn’t impossible to recruit the Wushang.

The girl called Fang Xiaoyan before him was crucial to this effort.

The Wushang were so xenophobic that they would immediately attack strangers without even asking why they had come. Many people ended up failing at only this first stage.

But Wang Chong knew that there was a pivotal character in Wushang Village that one could use to gain the good graces and acknowledgment of the Wushang, and this character was Fang Xiaoyan.

Wang Chong had chosen to enter through the thin strip of sky not merely because the terrain there was easier to traverse, but also because he knew that Fang Xiaoyan would be gathering herbs there.

Wang Chong chuckled and said, “I’ll give this wujian grass to you.

“Oh, that’s right, can you bring me to see your grandfather?”

“You know my grandpa?”

The girl tilted her head, he brow furrowing in shock.

“I don’t.”

Wang Chong shook his head.

The girl raised her head and said, “Then I can’t bring you in. My grandpa said to me that I’m not allowed to bring strangers into the village.”

“Although I don’t know your grandfather, I have a friend with your grandfather. Can you take me to see him?”

Wang Chong smiled and rubbed her head.

A doubtful look appeared in her eyes, but she quickly squinted in comfort, apparently enjoying the feeling of her head being rubbed.

“Friend… Grandpa… friend is where Grandpa is… Grandpa’s friend! Then you’re Grandpa’s friend! No wonder you know so much, even about my Luoluo.” The girl suddenly seemed to understand something, her eyes opening wide as she grinned.

“If you’re Grandpa’s friend, then there’s no problem at all. Let’s go! I’ll take you to see Grandpa.”

As the girl spoke, she lifted the iron chest and placed it on her shoulder like it weighed nothing. Turning, she began to walk away, leaving Gao Feng, Nie Yan, and the others to look on in astonishment.

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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 697 - Wushang Village (III)
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C697 - Wushang Village (III)
Chapter 697: Wushang Village (III)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Gao Feng and Nie Yan walked up to Wang Chong and whispered, “Lord Marquis, just what is the background of this girl? How can she be so formidable?”

“That’s right! Although the wujian grass in the chest isn’t heavy, the chest itself is. How can she be so strong?”

“Haha, this is Wushang Village. You just need to get used to it.”

Wang Chong grinned, got up, and began to follow the girl. From ahead came the girl’s faint voice.

“Hurry up!”

The girl’s speed was much faster than they had imagined.

As the group proceeded farther in, the terrain grew steeper and harder to traverse. Yet the girl leading the way continued to almost fly across the path, not slowed in the slightest.

As the rest of the group watched from the back, they felt that the girl navigated the rocks as agilely and nimbly as a civet cat.

Gao Feng and the others were growing more and more astonished. At the start, none of them had thought much about Wang Chong’s decision to make Wushang his fief and build a city there, but now, none of them dared to believe that the decision was made so simply.

No wonder Young Master chose to build a city here. It’s probably for this Wushang Village, Gao Feng mentally speculated. As he followed Wang Chong, he gradually began to understand that every one of Wang Chong’s decisions was never as simple as it seemed.

A girl of only eight or nine already possessed such shocking talent. Whether in speed or dexterity, she already far exceeded the rest of the party, and even Gao Feng and Nie Yan felt like they wouldn’t be able to keep up with her. One could easily imagine how powerful the rest of the people in Wushang Village were.

Gao Feng and Nie Yan were finding this Wushang Village to be more and more curious.

As they followed the girl, they gradually began to hear more and more noise.

“Who goes there? You dare intrude on our Wushang Village!”

A thunderous voice suddenly rose from a distant peak. As the voice was still echoing in the air, there was a rush of wind. Before anyone could react, a boulder was suddenly tossed toward Wang Chong from a mountain several hundred zhang away.

In a flash, that boulder was falling over Wang Chong’s head. At this moment, everyone could clearly make out that this boulder was longer than a zhang and a half in diameter and weighed at least two thousand jin.

If such a massive boulder crashed down, even steel would crumple, much less a body of flesh and blood.

Buzz!

At this sight, Wang Chong couldn’t help but mentally smile. Without a movement from him, a wave of energy rolled out and stopped the rock while it was still one zhang away, freezing it in mid-air.

For a moment, everything was quiet, and even the distant mountains were silent. Everyone looked at that massive boulder and Wang Chong in shock.

Even the little girl turned her head and looked at him with mouth agape.

The girl suddenly turned toward the distant mountains and bellowed in anger, “Uncle Jiu, you big dummy, why are you hitting my friend?”

“What friend? Xiaoyan, they aren’t people from the village. You’ve been tricked!”

An extremely vexed and furious voice came from a distant cliff. He seemed even angrier than the girl.

“‘Friend’, I don’t know who you are or what you came for, but you should quickly go back, while you still have time.”

“Uncle Jiu! Why can’t I talk sense into you!” The girl put a hand on her waist and continued her tirade, her eyes spitting fire. “I said that he’s my friend, and he even has a friend with Grandpa. They even gave me wujian grass and knew that my fox is called Luoluo. Stop making trouble and let them by!”

“Luoluo?”

The voice seemed to pause and then dwindle away. From a distance, one could hear muttered words.

“How did these fellows know? Could they really be friends that the chief made on the outside?”

Not many people in Wushang Village knew that this girl’s fox was called Luoluo, but Uncle Jiu happened to be one of them. It was impossible for anyone who wasn’t part of the village to know of the name ‘Luoluo’.

Wang Chong silently smiled, calmly watching as the girl talked with her clansman.

She was already like this when she was young; no wonder she grew up to have such a violent temperament.

In the distance, the person that the girl called Uncle Jiu finally made a choice.

“Since you know of Luoluo, then you at least aren’t bad people. Forget it; I’ll let you in.”

With these words, a figure suddenly emerged from the smooth face of the cliff from a hidden crevice.

Thwishthwish. That person climbed over the smooth cliff like an ape, spanning ten-some zhang with every leap. The several-hundred-zhang-tall cliff was like flat land to him, not hindering him in the slightest. In the blink of an eye, he had vanished.

“!!!”

Gao Feng and the other ten-some guards were all flabbergasted.

Not even Profound Martial experts were this agile.

“I can’t believe it! How can this impoverished and remote village have experts like this! How were they trained?”

Gao Feng and the others wouldn’t have believed such a place existed even if they were beaten to death, but they had seen it with their own eyes.

“Get used to it. These people aren’t even the best experts of Wushang. And besides, the entire village knows how to climb cliffs and mountains, treating them like flat land.”

Wang Chong’s face was calm. The Wushang were his future subordinates, so how could he not be clear of their capabilities?

The things that Gao Feng and Nie Yan had witnessed were their most ordinary abilities. Without even abilities like this, the Wushang would have never been known as the world’s strongest cavalry.

Awooo!

While they were talking, cries that seemed both ape-like and human came from the distance. In the blink of an eye, the deserted mountains were suddenly filled with ape-like figures emerging from their hiding spots and climbing away over the cliffs.

With these strange cries, more and more people emerged before the group and then vanished into the mountains.

Wang Chong’s followers could only watch in stupefaction. The place that Wang Chong had led them to had completely surpassed their imaginations.

“Follow!” Wang Chong ordered them, and quickly followed the girl.

The girl’s mind was not as occupied with such complicated thoughts. While the group had been dumbstruck, she had already run one-hundred-some zhang.

If it weren’t for that large iron chest serving as a constant waypoint, they might have already lost sight of the girl.

As if retracing his steps through an old home, Wang Chong was in a most relaxed mood. This place gave him a very familiar feeling, but it was also a little different.

Uncle Jiu is probably Fang Xiaoyan’s uncle, Fang Jiuqiu. I heard from Fang Xiaoyan many times that this uncle spoiled her the most. Alas, in that calamity…

This time, I might as well bring him and Fang Xiaoyan with me. This way, the matter from later can be avoided and one of Xiaoyan’s dreams can be fulfilled.

Wang Chong’s steps did not slow as he thought, and he kept close behind Fang Xiaoyan.

Whether it was in clothes or demeanor, Wang Chong’s group stuck out like a sore thumb in Wushang Village. As a result, an endless stream of people emerged to intercept them.

At times like these, Fang Xiaoyan’s influence and status in Wushang Village revealed itself. No matter who appeared, Fang Xiaoyan would continue to use one hand to hold the large chest on her shoulder and stick the other hand on her waist while she berated them. Through sheer force of will, she scolded the would-be interceptors and smoothly delivered Wang Chong’s group toward the center of Wushang Village.

More and more Wushang began to appear, all of them rushing about with astonishing speed and dexterity.

“Look over there!”

While still some distance from the village, a guard suddenly noticed something and gestured into the distance. Following his gaze, the group saw that on a several-hundred-zhang cliff to the right of the road, a bare-chested twenty- or thirty-year-old villager was currently sweating as he trained.

This villager and his fellows each wielded a massive rock in one hand, exhaling and shouting as they trained. Those rocks were all craggy and weighed at least one thousand jin, but these Wushang villagers seemed to wield them as if they weighed nothing. Raise, withdraw, raise, withdraw… the massive stones were as steady as Mount Tai in their hands, not even trembling.

Each of these people used this unique method to train their bodies, and some of the stronger villagers were using rocks that weighed two or three thousand jin, constantly raising them and putting them down, up and down, up and down…

“These fellows… just where did they come from!”

“Not even in the great clans would someone dare to use such a method to train!”

……

The guards behind Wang Chong were once more stunned.

The training methods of the Wushang would truly make the training methods used by many of the Great Tang’s famed military clans blush with shame, and the toughness of this training definitely surpassed that of many of the capital’s great clans.

Even these elites who had participated in the war of the southwest and been refined on a battlefield of hundreds of thousands were left speechless.

Wang Chong only gave a slight nod of recognition, not at all surprised.

People were raised according to their environment, and the barren and steep mountains where the Wushang resided were a harsh environment indeed. In these circumstances, training according to local needs was the best choice. Whether it was their ability to traverse cliffs like flat land or their use of rocks weighing several thousand jin to train and hone their strength, it was all the result of their environment.

Living in this sort of environment year in and year out, it was not unusual to end up defeated by the environment, but if one adapted to it, grew comfortable in it… It wasn’t strange at all for the Wushang to be such powerful, agile and swift warriors.

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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 698 - Qin Qicheng, the Great Divine Ape
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C698 - Qin Qicheng, the Great Divine Ape
Chapter 698: Qin Qicheng, the Great Divine Ape

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Wushang was cut off from the outside world and the villagers were extremely united. In the army, these qualities would make for very loyal and obedient subordinates, and on the battlefield, they would be soldiers who could silently work together and cooperate.

Five thousand Wushang Cavalry had come and gone like the wind, and they were fierce in battle, their strength far surpassing the strength of any other soldiers, including the Turkic armored cavalry and the Tibetan highland steeds. Moreover, they worked together as a cohesive whole. If one added to their abilities Wang Chong’s attainments in the art of war, one could easily imagine the might they could display on the battlefield.

What Wang Chong wanted the most was to obtain this kind of strength.

The calamity had still not arrived, so he still had this chance.

While Wang Chong was occupied with his thoughts, the girl up ahead suddenly spoke. “We’re here! The village is just up ahead! I still need to give the wujian grass to Uncle Shisan, so I can only bring you here.”

With these words, she turned back around and charged forward. A group of Wushang villagers had gathered there, and a young man who appeared to be their leader was currently speaking with them.

The girl walked over and began to speak to that leader youth while pointing at Wang Chong’s group. The youth turned to glance at Wang Chong, a harsh light in his eyes, but he quickly turned his head back around and nodded, apparently agreeing with the girl over something.

“Haha, Brother Qi, then I’ll leave everything to you. I’m going first!”

With an excited shout, the girl waved at Wang Chong’s group and then turned in another direction and charged off with the large chest. In a few moments, she had vanished amongst the rocks.

“Get ready. We might have to fight soon!” Wang Chong suddenly said.

“Eh?!”

“But didn’t that girl say that she had finished delivering us?”

Gao Feng and Nie Yan were both flabbergasted. On the way here, they had grown used to the girl opening the path for them, blocking all the potential interceptors. How was it that the moment she left, they immediately had to get ready for combat?

“Don’t worry so much. Just do as I say,” Wang Chong lightly said. With a wave of his sleeve and a faint smile, he began to walk toward the plaza paved with square stones, toward the group of Wushang youths. The journey to Wushang could be considered to have reached its destination.

Wang Chong also knew that the excuse he had given the girl and his chest full of wujian grass had also lost their effectiveness. Moreover, he had run into that particularly observant fellow.

On the other side, the youth that the girl had called Brother Qi walked over.

In contrast to when he was speaking to the girl, Brother Qi now had a much harsher and colder expression.

“Surround them!”

The first thing Brother Qi did was wave his hand and have Wang Chong’s group surrounded. Whoosh! The group of youths at his side suddenly leaped into the air. In an instant, they had completely encircled Wang Chong, Gao Feng, Nie Yan, and the other ten-some guards Wang Chong had brought from the capital.

“Careful!”

Clangclangclang! With a flash of cold steel, Gao Feng, Nie Yan and the other guards quickly surrounded Wang Chong.

‘Brother Qi’ glanced at the weapons in the hands of Gao Feng and the others, his eyes filled with contempt.

“Uncle Jiu and the others said there were outsiders. They were probably talking about you! The chief’s friends… hmph, this excuse can only fool Xiaoyan! We’ve captured a few outsiders recently, so you probably came because of them.”

Brother Qi’s gaze was extremely sharp, and in a glance, he had seen into the hearts of Wang Chong’s group. His words immediately made Gao Feng and Nie Yan pale.

“Hmph, as expected, I’m right. Put down your weapons and wait to be captured, and I might still let you survive. Otherwise, kill them all!”

These last words were spoken to his fellow Wushang villagers.

“You would dare!”

“Do you know not know who our young master is?”

“To dare attack an appointed official of the Imperial Court, this is a capital crime!”

……

Before Wang Chong could say anything, Gao Feng and Nie Yan had already reached their breaking point, with the other guards also showing expressions of rage. Wang Chong was the descendant of ministers and generals, the Young Marquis whose title had been personally conferred by the Sage Emperor. Everyone in the world knew that he was the Son of Heaven’s disciple, his status most revered.

That these people would dare try and kill a noble of the court with barely a word was a naked contempt for the laws of the land.

“Hmph, I don’t know anything about some Imperial Court. I only know that this is our Wushang Village and you’re intruders. You even brought in weapons, so you must be killed!”

As Brother Qi spoke, his eyes turned even colder. He waved his hand, and then with a gust of wind, those bare-chested villagers who had been training on the nearby cliffs began to rush toward the plaza.

They moved with such speed that it took them only a blink of an eye to add to the numbers surrounding Wang Chong’s group.

The faces of Gao Feng and the others went cold while their hearts fumed. With this array of forces, it seemed like the villagers really were intent on attacking. If they had not seen it with their own eyes, they would have never dared to believe that there was any faction in the Central Plains that was so brash and untamed that it would completely disregard the laws and majesty of the Imperial Court.

“That’s enough!”

Just when Gao Feng and Nie Yan were ready to strike, Wang Chong extended a palm and stopped them.

“Let me handle this matter.”

It was widely acknowledged in his last life that the Wushang were an unyielding and forthright people. A wild stallion would never be easy to tame, and this was even more true for the Wushang.

Although Gao Feng and Nie Yan found this hard to accept, for Wang Chong, this was the true appearance of the Wushang.

“Qin Qicheng, you really haven’t changed one bit!”

Wang Chong smiled, and his first words immediately caused the expression of ‘Brother Qi’ to shift.

“Just who are you? How do you know my name?”

Qin Qicheng’s pupils constricted, his face turning grim.

Wang Chong chuckled and said, “Haha, not only do I know that you’re called Qin Qicheng, I even know that you often break the rules of the village and sneak out into the outside world.”

“Speaking nonsense!”

Qin Qicheng instantly paled, the corners of his eyes beginning to twitch. It appeared as if his deepest secrets had been revealed.

“Brothers, seize them!”

Before anyone else could strike, Qin Qicheng pressed his body against the ground and began to shoot forward like a snake. Buzz! Metal began to clatter as a halo emerged from his body. In an instant, he was engulfed in a thick smoke that wrapped around his body and blocked Wang Chong’s vision.

Swishswishswish!

In a flash, a pitch-black palm thrust out of the smoke, dragging countless afterimages behind it. Although it was just a hand of flesh and blood, the five fingers gave off a metallic shriek as the palm thrust through the air, and it seemed like those slender fingers were disgorging a sword that was more than a foot long.

Wang Chong had no doubt that even steel would end up with five new holes if it were stabbed by these fingers.

The Halo of Mists!

The Gloom Hand!

At a glance, Wang Chong had recognized these as two high-class techniques of Wushang Village. The Halo of Mists could obscure the vision of opponents but had no effect on the user’s sight. On the contrary, it would make them faster and more agile.

Meanwhile, the Gloom Hand needed to be used with the Halo of Mists. When it was used, one’s entire hand would turn as black as ink and as sharp as a sword.

With the black mists obscuring the opponent’s vision, it would be easy to give a swift and fatal strike.

Many of Wushang Village’s would-be invaders ended up dying to this combination of techniques. But to Wang Chong, these moves were like the games of a child.

Bang!

With just one kick, Qin Qicheng was sent flying into the air. Boom! He smashed into the ground seven or eight zhang away, the impact sending debris flying.

Bzzt! For a moment, everything was quiet. All the Wushang stared at the domineering figure of Wang Chong with deep shock in their eyes.

Although Qin Qicheng wasn’t the strongest or most formidable person in Wushang Village, amongst his peers, he was definitely one of the more formidable experts. Moreover, it wasn’t like the combination of the Halo of Mists and the Gloom Hand never came away empty-handed, but it had never been like this, where someone had broken it with a single move.

The majority of people would end up being heavily injured or captured before even seeing through the flaws and strengths of this combination.

“Where did Xiaoyan find these people?”

“The Halo of Mists and the Gloom Hand aren’t that easily seen through. This boy is strange.”

“Everyone be careful! Don’t get careless!”

……

The Wushang surrounding Wang Chong’s group now looked at him with completely different eyes. This seventeen- or eighteen-year-old youth with that ever-present smile on his face might have seemed young, but he gave off the feeling that he could see through all their weaknesses.

All the Wushang found this absolutely absurd.

Boom!

Qin Qicheng jumped off the ground and stood up. His eyes were as sharp as a sword as they locked onto Wang Chong.

“Impossible! I don’t believe it! This is all a coincidence! Let’s go again!”

Qin Qicheng gritted his teeth. Wang Chong’s kick had inflamed his anger. With so many people watching, he could not accept such a disgrace.

You still don’t have your future composure.

Wang Chong inwardly smiled.

With a gap of twenty-some years, the current Qin Qicheng had still not obtained the maturity and extreme perception of his future self. He was also missing the calm air of command and ability to plan out strategies that he had obtained through his experiences.

But this Qicheng is more interesting, Wang Chong said to himself.

To see his old friend, who had always been so calm and composed, now young, rashly running around and taking risks, had its own particular flavor.

Boom!

Qin Qicheng had no idea what Wang Chong was thinking. In his eyes, this outsider’s smile only made him angrier and more filled with loathing.

“Divine Ape Art!”

Qin Qicheng stepped forward, and black smoke began to pour out of his acupuncture points. His energy suddenly began to rise, his body to crack. His strength climbed several levels, and he grew even more nimble, agile, swift, yet he also became as heavy as a mountain.

Roar!

With a bellow, Qin Qicheng gathered the smoke at his back, forming it into a black divine ape, more than one zhang tall.

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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 699 - Wang Chong Strikes!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C699 - Wang Chong Strikes!
Chapter 699: Wang Chong Strikes!

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Qin Qicheng seemed to have transformed into a completely different person. The aura he gave off had utterly transformed, becoming ruthless, dangerous, and brimming with a desire to attack and assault.

The Divine Ape Art was a divine technique passed down through Wushang Village for centuries. It was an art developed through observing the great apes living in the mountains, and was capable of greatly boosting a person’s strength, dexterity and speed.

In Wushang Village, this technique was on a much higher level than the Halo of Mists and the Gloom Hand.

Roar!

With a wave of his hand, Qin Qicheng fused with the divine ape behind him. Boom! Qin Qicheng grabbed a massive stone that had to weigh around two thousand jin and tossed it at Wang Chong.

Behind the rock, Qin Qicheng lunged at Wang Chong like a hungry tiger leaping at its prey.

As the stone thundered down, a scene repeated itself. While the rock was still several zhang away, it was caught and held by an invisible energy, floating in the air as steady as Mount Tai.

“The Divine Ape Art! With such a severe leakage of Stellar Energy, it’s clear that you haven’t cultivated it very well.”

Wang Chong half-closed his eyes as he gazed at the lunging Qin Qicheng, no sign of emotion on his face. The madness and ruthlessness of the divine ape that was Qin Qicheng apparently had no effect on him.

Swoosh!

Just when the massive divine ape’s arms were about to smash down, Wang Chong’s eyes widened and a sharp light flashed. In that moment, Wang Chong had suddenly moved, his finger jabbing into the ‘Moji Point’ in Qin Qicheng’s armpit.

Qin Qicheng froze, and like a balloon deflating, the energy drained out of him. The black smoke scattered and he quickly returned to his original self.

“Impossible! Just who are you?”

Qin Qicheng staggered backward, but his eyes were fixed on Wang Chong, full of fear and disbelief.

Wushang Village rarely communicated with the outside world, so outsiders had no knowledge of its martial arts. When confronting the martial arts of Wushang Village, the majority of invaders would end up being captured or severely wounded before they even knew what was going on.

But Wang Chong gave off the feeling that he knew all their secrets and flaws. In front of him, the Divine Ape Art had no secrets to speak of.

At the start, Qin Qicheng’s impression of Wang Chong had been that of an unwelcome outsider, but now, this outsider had already become completely unfathomable.

“At the end of each month, don’t you feel a terrible pain at your Yujing, Yuanchuan, and Longchi Points? This is because your training is poor and your energy is being diverged. Try to move your energy through the Pansha, Yongquan, and Longwei Points. In around three days, you should be able to resolve the problem of your Stellar Energy being diverged and your meridians spasming,” Wang Chong said with a faint smile.

“!!!”

Qin Qicheng’s eyes went wide, and his face looked like he had seen a ghost.

Impossible!

Impossible!

This can’t be happening!

Qin Qicheng felt like a peal of thunder had exploded in his head. Not even Wang Chong seeing through the flaw in his Divine Ape Art with a single finger had given him this great of a shock.

The Divine Ape Art did have its flaws, and with the different talents, potential, and states of cultivation for each person, the location of the weakness would also be different.

And no one would ever tell their weakness to someone else, so the location of a person’s weakness always remained their personal secret.

Moreover, Qin Qicheng had not even told his closest confidants about the problem with his Yujing, Yuanchuan, and Longchi acupuncture points, so just how did this teenager know about it?

In addition, these three points would only ache at the end of the month, and this was something only people who cultivated the Divine Ape Art would know. How did he know about this fact as well?

Qin Qicheng suddenly felt like his head was about to burst.

Before Qin Qicheng could say anything, another person angrily roared, “You dare attack Brother Qi! Everyone, let’s kill them all!” The people of Wushang Village were extremely united, and seeing Qin Qicheng be beaten back twice by Wang Chong had left the villagers fuming with rage.

Bzzt! Whichever one charged forward first, he was quickly followed by a second, a third, a fourth… People charged in from all sides.

Black mists roiled and metal clattered. Halos that the outside world knew nothing about began to emerge from the bodies of the Wushang.

The Halo of Mists, the Gloom Hand, the Divine Ape Art, the Climbing Ivy Art, the Boulder Halo… different halos accompanied by their respective Stellar Energies began to rise from the Wushang.

“Careful! Protect Young Master!”

Gao Feng, Nie Yan, and the other guards gripped their weapons and nervously stood guard around Wang Chong.

Roar!

Roars came from all around, but the first wave of attacks was already here: massive rocks weighing thousands of jin. These rocks hurtled through the air with incredible speed, crashing toward the soldiers.

These guards who had lived through the southwestern war were nervous to the extreme.

Even to them, the Wushang were extremely powerful opponents. This many Wushang working together to attack them instantly placed a massive pressure on them.

All of them could smell the thick stench of death.

This obscure and remote place on the Silk Road was definitely a lair of dragons and tigers.

“Gao Feng, Nie Yan, all of you just need to protect yourselves. Let me handle these people.” When things were at their most tense, Wang Chong spoke in his calm and confident voice, instantly bolstering their confidence.

Boom!

A powerful wave of energy erupted from Wang Chong’s body, sweeping in every direction. Just like before, those massive rocks were frozen in the air while they were still several zhang away.

“Kill him!”

“To be so bold as to barge into our Wushang and even dare to attack Brother Qi, does he really think we can’t deal with him?”

“Don’t be impulsive! Seize him and hand him over to the chief!”

……

Furious cries filled the air as the powerful and courageous Wushang charged at Wang Chong. Although they held no weapons, their fingers, palms, arms, and bodies were trained to be as tough as steel.

“Young Master!”

Gao Feng’s panicked voice came from behind Wang Chong.

“Don’t worry.”

Wang Chong’s voice was as calm as ever, the corners of his lips curling into a relaxed and confident smile as he gazed at the lunging Wushang.

“Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art!”

A voice that was neither loud nor soft rang out in everyone’s ears. Without the slightest hesitation, Wang Chong used the legendary evil art of the Central Plains!

“Ah!” With cries of alarm, those powerful Wushang were suddenly caught by a powerful attractive force and began to spin in the air.

None of the Wushang could land, and none of them could escape the attractive force!

Forty-some Wushang floated in the air, moving like they were puppets on strings and crying in surprise. Even Wang Chong’s guards were struck dumb by this scene.

Since the war of the southwest, Wang Chong’s strength had become even more refined and powerful, even more unfathomable.

These forty-some Wushang who were at the True Martial or Profound Martial realm floated in the air, spinning in circles faster and faster, unable to control themselves. This sight was truly astounding to witness.

“Lord Marquis truly is getting stronger and stronger!”

As the guards Wang Chong had brought from the capital looked at this sight, their hearts were filled with deep shock.

They had seen those people traversing cliffs like they were flat terrain, seeming to fly through the mountains, and had seen how they trained with stones weighing thousands of jin. Now that these Wushang had gathered and were about to attack, these guards had prepared themselves for a fierce battle.

But no one had expected Wang Chong to send these valiant warriors spinning in the air with a single move. They had all been stopped, with not a single person able to reach him.

They had prepared themselves for a pitched melee, but Wang Chong had resolved it singlehandedly.

“Lord Marquis’s strength… truly is unfathomable, crossing a thousand li in a single day!”

The guards watched in awe.

……

Bangbangbang!

Meanwhile, Wang Chong was standing with his face to the sky, the smile on his face growing wider and wider. Bangbangbang!Wang Chong had extended two fingers, placing them together and stirring the air. In an instant, the energy in the air fell into turmoil, and the panicked Wushang were slammed against each other by the energy of the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art and thrown to the ground.

The Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art could not only be used to absorb an opponent’s energy. It could also serve as a powerful martial art technique. Its enormous attractive force could push around any martial artist weaker than the user, allowing the user to play around with them as the user pleased.

The Wushang were innately fierce, ideal warriors for the battlefield. Wang Chong had his plans for them, so he naturally wouldn’t absorb their energy or heavily wound them.

“My leg!”

“Damn it, my internal energy is in chaos! I can’t even move!”

“I’m the same. My internal energy is diverging to random places. Bastard, just what devilish art did you learn?”

“Tell the chief! Inform the chief and tell Granduncle Jiu and the others to come over. These people are too strong! They’re not people we can deal with!”

……

The forty-some Wushang on the ground were filled with fear. Their injuries were not severe, but their internal energy was in complete disarray. This made them more shocked and uneasy than if Wang Chong had heavily wounded them.

This completely surpassed their understanding of martial arts.

“Bastard! Who are you! What do you plan to do in our village?”

Qin Qicheng clenched his fists, his knuckles cracking. He was the only person left standing, and his face was contorted into a nasty grimace. He had just been a little slow and failed to stop them, but never had he expected that all his fellow villagers would be left lying on the ground.

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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 700 - Stone General, Huang Botian
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C700 - Stone General, Huang Botian
Chapter 700: Stone General, Huang Botian

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

“What do I want to do? Didn’t I already say I came to find my friends?”

Wang Chong gave a faint smile.

Although Qin Qicheng was currently a decent martial artist, he still wasn’t the Qin Qicheng of the future. Of the ten commanders of the Wushang Cavalry, he had been ranked as the last. If the current Qin Qicheng wanted to mature into that farsighted ‘Lord Qi’, he would probably still need some time.

And this wasn’t the right time or place to converse too deeply with him.

“Let’s go!”

Wang Chong waved his hand and began to proceed forward, stepping over the Wushang villagers.

If he wanted to recruit the Wushang, he had to go through the Wushang Village Chief, the ‘Grandpa’ that Fang Xiaoyan had spoken of.

“You dare to act so brashly in our Wushang Village! Do you really think this is your land?”

Wang Chong had barely stepped over a few Wushang villagers and was preparing to head deeper into the village when a bone-chilling voice rang out in his ear. It suddenly felt like he was walking from the scorching summer into the frigid winter, and everyone began to shiver. And then, they noticed that a massive ‘stone’ was dropping out of the sky, smashing toward Wang Chong.

“What is that!” a guard yelled out in surprise.

At first glance, everyone had taken it to be a massive stone, but when that stone suddenly unfurled five fingers, they realized that it wasn’t a stone, but a giant stone hand.

Boom!

The stone fist smashed down, causing the earth to shake and dust to plume into the sky. In front of the stone fist, Wang Chong’s robes were flapping in the wind. He was standing nearby, having managed to avoid the strike by a hair.

It’s him!

Wang Chong’s eyes narrowed as he looked gravely up at the sky. None of that previous sense of ease and relaxation could be seen.

At this moment, everyone could clearly see that what had appeared in front of Wang Chong was not some massive stone, but a stone giant, thirty meters high and with the appearance of a general. When they first saw it, that giant still had only one hand and one foot.

But immediately afterward, the cliffs on both sides began to rumble and crack. As if cleaved apart by axes and hatchets, large stones began to be pulled from the cliffs by some invisible energy, traveling along with countless bits of gravel toward the stone giant’s right shoulder.

In the blink of an eye, a stone arm manifested out of thin air, followed by the right foot and the left ear. In a few short moments, the stone giant had fully formed.

Raising their heads, everyone could see that this was a giant with the appearance of a general. His body was equipped with stone armor, and his expression was dignified and dreadful. His height of more than thirty meters made everyone at his feet seem like insignificant ants.

Stone General!

In a flash, Wang Chong recognized this general.

‘Stone General’ was one of Wushang Village’s most elite martial arts. It could control all stone in a radius of several hundred zhang and transform the user into a stone giant with the appearance of a general from an ancient era, the ‘Stone General’.

This martial art was extremely powerful, with the Stone General created containing the strength of the Imperial Martial realm. Moreover, as long as one had abundant stone in the surroundings, the Stone General could endlessly repair itself, meaning that the person cultivating the Stone General essentially could not be defeated.

In addition, the thick stone armor meant that weapons would find it very difficult to harm the martial artist within the Stone General, one of the great advantages of the Stone General technique.

Wushang Village was surrounded by mountains and lofty peaks, so what they had in greatest supply was stones.

Thus, in this environment, the Stone General could display the full extent of its capabilities.

But this was not the only thing Wang Chong cared about. Wushang Village did not have many people capable of using the Stone General, and at a place like this, Wang Chong could only think of one person that could use it:

Huang Botian!

One of the Protectors of Wushang Village’s outermost perimeter!

Before the great calamity, anyone who attempted to intrude into the heart of the village would first encounter Huang Botian. Of Wushang Village’s many protectors, he had reached a superb mastery of the Stone General. He was the model of an Imperial Martial expert, and his strength was far greater than Qin Qicheng’s.

He could be considered as part of the backbone of Wushang Village’s strength.

When the otherworldly invaders attacked Wushang Village, he had borrowed the particular geography of the village to block five or six thousand of them, almost singlehandedly holding a defensive position. In Wushang Village, this person was very difficult to deal with.

Alas, Huang Botian ended up dying in battle during the calamity, the first of Wushang Village’s core force to die.

I didn’t think that I would run into this martial maniac!

Wang Chong raised his head to that imposing and powerful Stone General and squinted, no fear in his eyes.

Back then, when his own training on the martial path had not yet been complete, Fang Xiaoyan would have debates with him. She would occasionally mention this Protector uncle of hers who had reached a superb level in the Stone General, Huang Botian. Although he had astonishing strength and a vehement hatred of outsiders, deep within his heart, Huang Botian was a true man.

He had an extreme fondness for martial arts, which also served as his greatest weakness. Anyone who could resist three of his blows would be able to obtain his good graces, and if they could defeat him, Huang Botian would quickly change his attitude.

No matter where the opponent came from, whether they were righteous or evil, Huang Botian would immediately treat them as a brother, acknowledging them as a bosom comrade.

In the past, there was a Tibetan expert who was being pursued by Great Tang experts and ended up wandering into Wushang Village. In the end, he fought a pitched battle with Huang Botian, and this battle ended with Huang Botian and the Tibetan becoming friends. In the aftermath, he did everything possible to protect the Tibetan expert, even almost fighting with his fellow villagers.

In the end, the villagers were forced to let the expert go!

He had clearly known that his opponent was a Tibetan who harbored no good intentions toward the Great Tang, so that Huang Botian did this was a testament to the intensity of his addiction for martial arts.

However, although everyone in the village knew of Huang Botian’s personality problems, outsiders knew nothing about it. Probably not even Fang Xiaoyan, who had so delighted in having debates with Wang Chong, could have ever imagined that he would one day fight with that Protector uncle of hers.

This will be interesting. If I stop three of his moves, I can win his favor! Wang Chong said to himself as he looked up at the Stone General. It felt like he could look through the thick layers of stone armor at that mysterious middle-aged man sizing him up from the chest of the giant.

To tell the truth, Wang Chong was also very interested in this strange martial maniac that Fang Xiaoyan had spoken of, who had ultimately ended up dying in the calamity. Many of Wushang Village’s experts had died in that great calamity.

To Wang Chong, this was a great regret.

“You’re rather fast, but do you think you’re faster than me?”

The Stone General’s voice was brimming with energy, ringing out like a gong from over Wang Chong’s head. While Wang Chong was thinking, a stone whistled through the air. Huang Botian had suddenly called over a large stone and sent it hurtling at Wang Chong.

While the first boulder was still in flight, Huang Botian stomped down his foot. The earth cracked, and several more massive stones flew out of the ground and into the hand of the thirty-meter giant, after which they were fired from its palm like cannonballs.

A second stone, a third stone, a fourth…

Massive boulders were fired in quick succession at Wang Chong, winds howling in their wake. One of the stones flew past Wang Chong’s head, as even Gao Feng, Nie Yan, and the other soldiers were in the scope of the stone giant’s attacks.

Huang Botian’s attacks were clearly not aimed at Wang Chong alone. He treated all invaders the same.

“Careful!”

The stunned guards began to scatter.

This Wushang Village was shrouded in mysteries and was shocking them more and more. They could accept those villagers who could practically fly through the craggy peaks and steep mountains, but now, an expert had appeared who could control stone, a sub-element of Earth, one of the Five Elements. The feeling this expert gave to these soldiers was no less than that of the leader of Huoshu Huicang’s Five Tiger Generals, Longqinba.

Perhaps they could disregard all this if Wushang Village were some famous fort, but this was a remote and barren place, a place that they hadn’t even known about until the marquis had mentioned it and brought them over.

Thus, one could easily imagine the shock that came with the casual appearance of this Imperial Martial expert.

“There’s no need to worry. Let me handle this stone giant!”

When his soldiers were at their most panicked and nervous, Wang Chong’s calming voice rang out in their ears. Whoosh! The boulder that had been shooting toward Gao Feng and the others was halted in the air and then curved back around, traveling at the same speed back toward the Stone General.

Buzz!

At this moment, all the Wushang villagers were flabbergasted, and even Huang Botian’s Stone General trembled. It was clear that the martial maniac of Wushang Village had been perturbed by Wang Chong’s move.

“Haha, if I were you, I definitely wouldn’t use this move!”

Wang Chong’s laughter was still hanging in the air as the second, third, and fourth boulders spun around in the air. With a wave of Wang Chong’s finger, they all began to shoot at astonishing speeds toward the Stone General.

None of these boulders Huang Botian had thrown had been able to pose any real threat to Wang Chong.

“Damn it!”

Infuriated, Huang Botian punched and smashed the stones that Wang Chong had sent back. Not in all his time in Wushang Village had he encountered a situation like this.

“I truly underestimated you! It seems like a minor technique like this is useless against you. But you really shouldn’t have challenged me like this. I’ve stood guard around here for so long, and never has anyone dared to act recklessly in front of me! Now, pay the price!”

WIth that resounding voice still echoing in the air, the earth began to rumble. The massive figure of the Stone General bent down and plunged five fingers into the earth. With a vigorous pull, the Stone General extracted a massive stone spear from the earth, fifty-some meters long and as thick as a large bowl.

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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 701 - Defeating Huang Botian!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C701 - Defeating Huang Botian!
Chapter 701: Defeating Huang Botian!

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

The moment the stone spear appeared, an invisible energy began to modify it. The internal composition of the stone grew increasingly dense, making the spear tougher and tougher. Moreover, gravel began to accumulate on the surface of the spear, rapidly drawing out spiraling designs upon it.

Boom!

There was a flash of light as the massive stone spear smashed into the area where Wang Chong had been standing, creating a massive pit in the earth. Debris flew several dozen zhang into the air while dust billowed and filled the air.

“Can you really escape!” the Stone General thundered, his voice still hanging in the air as he stepped forward. With an extreme speed and agility that did not match his massive body, the Stone General approached Wang Chong and threw a punch.

Even before the fist landed, the massive strength behind it was already sending ripples through the air. The area in a radius of several dozen zhang began to unleash a teeth-aching sound, and everything began to twist and contort.

If such a fist were to land, no one doubted that the only result would be shattered bones and a broken body.

“Hahaha, Protector Huang, your Stone General truly is at a superb level, but unfortunately, you’re still missing a little tempering!”

Wang Chong’s first words were to heartily laugh, but his last words were extremely cold and grim.

Boom!

In the blink of an eye, as countless people looked on, the smiling Wang Chong leisurely avoided Huang Botian’s attacks, constantly dodging them as his clothes flapped in the air.

But in the final moment, Wang Chong suddenly stood his right foot on its toes, straightening them out so that he could step onto the right fist of the Stone General. Boom! This simple tiptoe seemed to contain the weight of ten thousand jun. The Stone General’s right fist was pulled down by an enormous power and crashed to the ground, sending up massive clouds of dust.

Buzz!

All the Wushang villagers who saw this sight were stunned. Huang Botian was the outermost Protector of Wushang, and they had all personally witnessed his strength. No one had ever penetrated into Wushang, but the farthest most of them could get was here, where Huang Botian would stop them. No one had ever been able to pull down Huang Botian’s right arm with just a single clash.

“It’s useless. In this place, you’re simply no match for me!”

Huang Botian’s voice was still cold and severe. Even though one of his arms had been pulled down, he remained stoic. With a thunderous rumble, the moment Wang Chong pushed down the right arm, Huang Botian’s Stone General raised the spear in his left hand and thrust it like a lightning bolt.

At the same time, crsshcrussh! Countless pieces of stone arose from the earth and flew to Huang Botian’s right shoulder. In the blink of an eye, another stone arm, exactly the same as the first, had taken shape. Rumble! Its five fingers came to life, forming a fist that hurtled toward Wang Chong.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Huang Botian was truly enraged. His two fists worked with the spear to unleash a flurry of blows on Wang Chong. Everything within a radius of several hundred zhang was in range of his attacks.

Each fist of Huang Botian’s had the weight of several thousand jin behind it. Even steel would shatter when struck by his punches, much less a body of flesh and blood.

Even more frightening was the Stone General’s unusual speed. This and his mighty strength were enough to make any opponent pale.

“I’d like to see just how long you can dodge!” Huang Botian sneered. In a flash, his right hand pulled another fifty-meter-long spear out of the ground.

Wielding two spears, the Stone General’s attack speed and level of threat multiplied. But no matter how fierce Huang Botian’s attacks became, Wang Chong’s voice remained calm, as clear as crystal amidst the rain of spear attacks.

“I’m not dodging, I’m just experiencing the Stone General. Since you want to fight with me, I’ll fulfill your wish.”

Wang Chong suddenly changed his attitude. Thump! His toes pressed against the ground and Wang Chong shot into the air like an arrow, instantly flying through the chink in the storm of spears and hurtling into the Stone General’s chest.

“Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art!”

Hanging from the chest with one hand, Wang Chong spread out the fingers of his other hand and thrust them into the Stone General’s chest. As he used the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art taught to him by the Demonic Emperor Old Man, a powerful attractive force emerged onto stage.

The Little Yinyang Art required a physical connection, the use of the Little Yinyang Sword, and a whole pile of other conditions, but the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art was different. Wang Chong didn’t even need to be touching his opponent to absorb their energy.

Buzz!

Under countless shocked gazes, the thirty-meter-tall Stone General froze in his posture of fierce assault, paused in time.

“This is impossible! What evil art did you use?”

In the chest of the Stone General, the extremely panicked and shocked voice of a middle-aged man arose. The moment Wang Chong had used the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art, the Stellar Energy in his body had immediately begun to surge out like water leaving a sluice gate.

Even more frightening was that he instantly lost control over the Stellar Energy in his body, trapping him inside the Stone General without any ability to move.

Rumble! In a place that no one could see, a torrential flood of Stellar Energy was flowing ceaselessly into Wang Chong’s body.

As he received Huang Botian’s internal energy, Wang Chong’s already-impressive strength began to swell, bringing him even closer to new heights.

“Not good! Protector is in danger!”

“This outsider is strange! Everyone, let’s go together! Help Protector deal with him!”

……

The Wushang began to panic as they realized that Huang Botian had been captured. Not a single person had ever come to Wushang Village without their tail between their legs, and many outsiders didn’t even need a Protector’s intervention to be captured.

But now, even a Protector had been captured. To the Wushang, this was both impossible to accept and unimaginable.

“Assume the formation!”

“Protect Young Master!”

At the same time, Gao Feng, Nie Yan, and the other elite guards began to move. In a flash, before the Wushang could rush over, Gao Feng and Nie Yan had led the ten-some soldiers in forming a tight formation. This was a formation that Wang Chong had created after the southwestern war, one that excelled in both attack and defense, in charges and in melee, the ‘Dragon Snake Formation’!

The Dragon Snake Formation did not require many people, and only ten-some people were required to form a small-scale one. With this formation, one could advance in attack or retreat in defense, and would condense the strength of the people of the formation into one, making it into a sharp blade and allowing them to display a strength far above normal.

Whether one was fighting against many opponents or an expert on a higher level, the Dragon Snake Formation could allow a group of soldiers to maximize their power.

But the Dragon Snake Formation had very high demands on the soldiers using it. The soldiers not only needed to be extremely strong, but also have an extremely high level of teamwork.

Gao Feng, Nie Yan, and the other soldiers were Wang Chong’s ‘Dragon Snake Team’, the strongest soldiers with the highest level of training and understanding of this formation.

This was also why Wang Chong had brought them with him on this excursion to Wushang Village.

“Kill!”

As Gao Feng and Nie Yan swiftly assumed the formation, the Wushang villagers noticed what they were up to and lunged forward. Both sides were brimming with killing intent, and just when it seemed like a fierce battle was about to break out…

“Halt!”

A voice drifted out of the sky. Wang Chong lightly pulled his fingers out of the Stone General’s chest and shot back to the ground. In mid-air, his speed began to slow, allowing him to gently drop to the ground without disturbing a single speck of dust.

As Wang Chong returned to the earth, countless stones dropped from the sky. The thirty-meter Stone General had instantly begun to crumble, leaving only two legs and half its body standing.

And as the stones toppled away from what would have been the Stone General’s chest, the figure of a thirty-some-year-old man appeared, his face weathered and extremely composed.

“Protector Huang, can we end this battle?”

Wang Chong looked up at the middle-aged man and faintly smiled.

His expression was relaxed, his demeanor confident. If it weren’t for the fact that the ground was bruised and massive boulders were rolling around, it would be very difficult to believe that he had just gone through an intense battle.

The battleground was silent, and even the Wushang villagers and Qin Qicheng came to a halt and looked in a daze at the pair.

In the remains of the Stone General, the middle-aged man looked down at Wang Chong, his eyes going through countless emotions. No one could tell what he was thinking.

Other than Wang Chong and Huang Botian, no one knew what had just happened.

The Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art could be hailed as the supreme evil art, even the most powerful and legendary of the Central Plains’ Ten Supreme Arts, not merely because of its extreme power. It was not only capable of defeating all people on the same level, but it could also allow the user to easily challenge opponents a level higher, even several levels higher.

Many experts of the martial world, while much stronger than their opponent who was using the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art, would still end up being defeated and dying to the user of that evil art.

One could easily imagine the fierce reputation this supreme evil art had in the martial world.

But Wang Chong had come to subdue and recruit the Wushang, not kill them. Thus, Wang Chong had restrained his technique. After absorbing Huang Botian’s energy and making it impossible for him to control the Stone General, Wang Chong had returned the energy!

Buzz!

As Wang Chong looked up at the Stone General, where the middle-aged man had just opened his mouth to speak, the situation suddenly changed—

Boom!

Although nothing could be seen in the surroundings, in a dimension not visible to the naked eye, a condensed bolt of mental energy bored into Wang Chong’s mind like a sharp awl. Buzz! Wang Chong’s complexion instantly paled, and he was frozen in place.

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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 702 - Experts as Thick as Clouds!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C702 - Experts as Thick as Clouds!
Chapter 702: Experts as Thick as Clouds!

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

In the blink of an eye, Wang Chong returned to normal. His eyes immediately turned to a cliff on his right. But by this time, several massive boulders, thrown down from the cliffs as fast as lightning bolts, were already crashing down around him.

Wang Chong didn’t much care at first, but when he took two steps forward and his vision suddenly went dark, he quickly paled.

At almost the same time, two figures flew down from the cliff. One was a graying elder of more than fifty years wearing a yellow robe, while the other was a middle-aged woman with a beauty spot at the corner of her eye.

“Botian, hurry and leave. I’m currently using the formation to hold him down. Hurry and call Chief and the elders to deal with him. Ruorong, how are you doing?”

The yellow-robed elder propped up the woman, his face fraught with concern.

“Wanshi, Botian, you need to be careful. This young man is very bizarre. My mental thorn rarely fails, but I just used mental energy to deal with him and was only able to control him for a few moments. I even suffered mental backlash. I’ve never encountered such a situation before.”

The woman’s complexion was pale and she seemed to be in great pain.

“Elder Du, Elder Fang, you…”

Huang Botian stood on the remains of the Stone General, hesitating to speak. Wang Chong had truthfully gone easy on him, but alas, Elders Du and Fang had come too quickly. Before he even had time to say anything, Elder Fang had used her metal thorn on Wang Chong while Elder Du had thrown boulders and set up a formation to imprison him.

Huang Botian was currently in an awkward situation, as it was already too late for him to say anything.

At this moment, a familiar voice rang in their ears. “Hahaha, what a formidable formation. This trip was worth it just to witness this.”

The three trembled and turned their heads, and they saw that the owner of that familiar voice was now confidently striding out of the formation.

Behind him were Gao Feng, Nie Yan, and the other guards.

“!!!”

All was silent. Elder Du, Elder Fang, and Huang Botian were all stunned, their faces covered with disbelief.

“This is impossible! No one can come out from my ‘Four Symbols Yinyang Soul Trap’ so quickly and easily!”

Elder Du’s entire body was frozen, as if he had received some massive mental blow.

To his sides, Huang Botian and Elder Fang, who knew the secrets of the Four Symbols Yinyang Soul Trap, were also terribly shocked.

The Four Symbols Yinyang Soul Trap was a formation that was meant to protect Wushang. In every generation, only two or three people could use it, and only when encountering extremely formidable foes.

This formation used the Eight Gates1 of Life, Pain, Rest, Open, Stop, View, and the others. The positions of these gates would be constantly changing, and taking the wrong step would immediately lead to death.

As for how to leave the formation, only the person controlling the formation knew of the method. Even if Huang Botian were imprisoned in the formation, he would find it just as difficult to get out.

“Just what’s going on here? No one knows the method to get out of the Four Symbols Yinyang Soul Trap. Could he really have some relationship with the Chief?”

Huang Botian’s emotions were in turmoil, the expression in his eyes constantly shifting.

He had long ago heard that Xiaoyan was leading a group of outsiders into the village. As one of the village’s Protectors, he knew every person that entered and exited the village. Huang Botian had been confident that these people were only capable of tricking a little girl like Fang Xiaoyan.

But now, seeing Wang Chong easily stride out of the formation, Huang Botian felt his confidence waver.

That Wang Chong was able to leave the formation so quickly meant that he already knew how to get out of the formation. There was no other explanation except that he had an extremely intimate relationship with the village.

“Elder Du, Botian, the two of you leave first. I’ll deal with him!” the middle-aged woman known as Elder Fang nervously said. Right now, only she could halt Wang Chong’s advance for a few moments.

“Wait a moment. Elder Du, Elder Fang, these people aren’t bad people!”

With a whoosh of wind, Huang Botian jumped out of the ruins of the Stone General and hurried to stop the elders.

“If they harbored ill intentions, I would have already been finished!”

“Botian, what nonsense are you saying? Can you not even tell the difference between friend and foe?”

“Damn it, can you pay attention to the situation? Now is not the time for your martial mania to act up!”

Elder Du and Elder immediately noticed that Huang Botian’s old ailment was breaking out again. Although Huang Botian was powerful, anyone who defeated him would immediately win his favor. He would start treating them as friends, and a classical manifestation of this phenomenon was phrases like, ‘this person isn’t a bad person’ and ‘these people aren’t bad people’.

Every time Huang Botian began to act like this, all the villagers began to get headaches. He was always particularly stubborn about this, pushing the other villagers to the limit.

“Elder Fang, Elder Du, this isn’t about my fondness for martial arts. Since he can see through the Four Symbols Yinyang Soul Trap, it means that he’s definitely no ordinary outsider, and didn’t he come in with Xiaoyan? If they harbored ill intentions, how could Xiaoyan have remained unscathed, and why have none of the villagers died yet?” Huang Botian said.

Elder Du and Elder Fang were instantly stunned.

“Haha, it’s still Protector Huang that understands. This one did not come here with evil intentions. Otherwise, with my strength, everyone probably understands that Wushang Village would not be in this state.”

Wang Chong chuckled, and as he spoke, he slowly walked in the direction of the trio.

His eyes shone brightly as they passed over Elder Fang and Elder Du.

Wushang Village was truly a den of crouching tigers and hidden dragons. One expert could use a powerful formation while the other could utilize formidable mental assaults.

Such experts were extremely rare in the martial world, but Wushang Village had them.

Suddenly, a dignified and elderly voice came from within the village, as resounding as a bell. “Let him in. The rest of you, withdraw.”

At this voice, everyone trembled, all the villagers showing extremely respectful expressions.

“It’s Chief!”

Elders Du and Fang first looked at each other and then gave a complicated look at Wang Chong. Although they were unwilling, since the chief had spoken, they had to yield the path.

“Young man, I don’t care where you came from or what your background is, but in this place, it’s best if you act wisely and temper your actions. You want to meet our chief, right? Enter!”

With these words, Elders Du and Fang stood to the side.

“Thank you!”

Wang Chong smiled and held his head high as he headed into the depths of the village.

Qin Qicheng had been defeated, as had Huang Botian, the formation had been useless, and the mental attacks had failed… Although the Chief of Wushang had surprised the villagers by making his view known, Wang Chong had expected it.

I can finally see the Chief of Wushang Village… I’m truly filled with anticipation!

Smiling, Wang Chong walked past Huang Botian, Elder Fang, and Elder Du.

The Chief of Wushang Village led the fifty to sixty thousand Wushang and was the strongest existence in the village. All the legends regarding the village revolved around its chief. When Wang Chong arrived at this village in his last life, the person he had wanted to see the most was the chief.

Alas, in the great calamity, all the elites of Wushang Village had been lost, including the mysterious chief. It was said that a veritable mountain of corpses of otherworldly invaders had been found around his body.

Of all the invaders that had died in that battle, more than half had died around him!

When Wang Chong heard of this, he was filled with respect, but he could only feel regret on missing a chance to meet him. Wushang Village had appeared like a comet, shocking the world but disappearing just as quickly as it had come.

All the core members of Wushang Village—its chief, elders, and protectors—died in the great calamity, taking many of Wushang Village’s secrets with them. Even though many survivors from Wushang became his subordinates as the famous Wushang Cavalry, those lost secrets were irrecoverable.

Thwishthwishthwish!

Figures began to appear from all around as Wang Chong led his guards into Wushang Village. The villagers had begun to climb down from the cliffs and form a crowd, following Wang Chong and watching him with wary gazes.

Wang Chong remained relaxed and confident, his eyes seeming to not see these people. He had defeated Qin Qicheng’s group and Huang Botian, so it would be stranger if the Wushang had a good impression of him.

“Everyone, disperse!”

An elderly and majestic voice came from out of the village. The moment this voice spoke, all fell quiet. The villagers following Wang Chong showed hesitation, but in a flash, the majority of them dispersed, swiftly climbing like apes along the steep mountainsides.

Only a small portion remained, but the atmosphere now was completely different.

Wang Chong followed a path cut out of the stone, around two zhang wide, observing his surroundings throughout. Although Wushang Village seemed to be a place of steep and lofty mountains, once one passed the edge of the village guarded by Huang Botian, everything changed.

The Wushang villagers had built a smooth and level path leading into the village.

Several hundred meters from the outermost perimeter, a large plaza made of tens of thousands of bricks appeared. Here, Wang Chong finally saw simple houses made of rough mountain stone arranged in picturesque disorder.

The figures of people packed the area between these houses and the plaza.

The moment he stepped onto the plaza, Wang Chong immediately felt an aura of strictness, like he had stepped into a military camp. On the plaza, countless gazes turned to watch him.

For some reason, Wang Chong could also sense a stifling aura of tension in the air.

______________

1. The Eight Gates are a Daoist concept that is apparently used in fortune-telling. The Gates of Life, Open, and Rest have good connotations, the Gates of Death, Alarm, and Pain have bad connotations, and the Gates of Stop and View hold the middle ground.↩

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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 703 - Mission, Grand Marshal's Summons!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C703 - Mission, Grand Marshal's Summons!
Chapter 703: Mission, Grand Marshal’s Summons!

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

“Lord Marquis!”

A familiar voice suddenly rose from the plaza, immediately attracting Wang Chong’s notice. The Wushang would never call him ‘Lord Marquis’, and the only one in this place who would call him ‘Lord Marquis’ and know his identity would be…

“Lord Marquis, it’s General Li’s group!”

Cries of alarm came from behind Wang Chong as Gao Feng, Nie Yan, and the ten-some guards all looked toward the plaza.

Following the direction of the voice, past the villagers of Wushang, on the other end of the plaza, Wang Chong spotted a familiar figure. A man more than two meters tall was standing upon the plaza like an iron tower, his entire body exuding a powerful aura.

And in his hand was a massive sword taller than the average man, similarly imposing.

In the middle of Wushang Village, this person stood out like a crane amongst chickens, and no one could obstruct his gaze. Although all the Wushang had tightly surrounded him, they still kept a distance of several zhang from him, and their expressions clearly showed a great apprehension for this giant of a man!

Invincible Great General, Li Siye!

Many days after losing contact with him, Wang Chong finally discovered his number one general deep within Wushang Village. His breathing was extremely disorderly and his body was covered in wounds, but his posture remained erect and steadfast, like a lofty mountain. It was like as long as he was not willing to fall, nothing in the world could defeat him.

“General Li!” Gao Feng and Nie Yan shouted as they rushed to the plaza, their faces fraught with worry and concern.

Wang Chong did not stop them, but he was in no rush himself. All he did was slightly furrow his brow.

Li Siye’s abilities were indisputable!

The title of ‘Invincible Great General’ was enough to testify to his abilities. Even though he was still not fully mature, he was still incomparable to an ordinary person. Moreover, after being tempered through the war of the southwest, Li Siye had grown even more composed and reliable, and he had grown even stronger as well.

This was why Wang Chong had tasked him with subduing the Wushang.

But Wang Chong had told him beforehand that the goal of this mission was to subdue and recruit, not kill and vanquish, thus forbidding him from using weapons. But now, not only had Li Siye used his extremely sharp and tough Wootz Steel sword, he was also covered in wounds and gasping for breath!

Wang Chong found it very difficult to imagine an opponent like this. What sort of man could make Li Siye use his Wootz Steel sword and all his strength and yet still be forced into this state?!

It had to be said that when Li Siye used all his strength, he had been able to take on the ten thousand Black Dragon Bandits alone, exterminating their base in Qixi and slaying their leader Black Dragon Zhao.

Now, however, it was Li Siye who was being suppressed.

Swish!

With a wave of his sleeve, Wang Chong began to stride toward the plaza. None of the villagers attempted to block him. Since their chief had requested to see Wang Chong, there was naturally no one who would make any problems for him.

“Lord Marquis!”

Li Siye continued to grasp his sword with both hands, but his determined face was a little haggard, his stalwart body trembling and heaving as he breathed. It was evident that he had consumed an enormous amount of strength.

Wang Chong nodded grimly. Without a word, he looked down at the ground around Li Siye.

Of the more than twenty people who had left with Li Siye, only seven or eight of them were lying on the ground, heavily injured. No sign could be seen of the rest. Gao Feng, Nie Yan, and the others had already arrived and were giving them treatment, but it appeared that their wounds were not light.

“Lord Marquis!”

Upon Wang Chong’s approach, these injured soldiers began to open their eyes and moan, their expressions stricken with pain.

Wang Chong nodded and waved his hand, indicating that they should rest.

“Lord Marquis, I’m sorry. I’ve already done all I can, but the mission still failed. All I could do was protect them.”

Li Siye’s face was filled with shame, and for the first time, he lowered his proud head.

This mission had been much more difficult than he had imagined.

Li Siye had never imagined that this tiny and unremarkable village in the northwest would be hiding so many rare experts. A trifling recruitment mission had ended up being even more challenging than fighting the more than five hundred thousand soldiers of the Mengshe–Ü-Tsang army in the southwestern war.

“I know. I also don’t blame you. Just leave this matter to me!” Wang Chong ordered with a wave of his hand.

The great calamity from his memories had still not happened and Wushang Village had not come under assault from the otherworldly invaders. This was still that conservative and xenophobic village, but it was also a village of legends. Wang Chong was forced to admit that his thinking had been too simple.

The future world’s greatest Wushang Cavalry was not as easy to subdue as he had imagined.

I still have to personally do this!

Wang Chong mentally sighed and turned his head to look past Li Siye.

In his last life, he had personally subdued the Wushang Cavalry. In this life, it seemed like it was still his turn! Not even the future Invincible Great General Li Siye could serve as his substitute!

“You are the Young Marquis this warrior spoke of?”

Before Wang Chong could say anything more, an elderly and energetic voice rang out in his ear. As Wang Chong looked in the direction of the voice, he saw that a group of elders dressed in simple robes were standing across from Li Siye, their expressions stern and their heads held high.

Each of these elders was over the age of forty, and some them were already graying, with heads of silver, at or above the age of seventy.

But even so, none of these elders had the demeanor of an old man.

Wang Chong could sense vast and dreadful auras of power from them, not something any ordinary elder would have.

For Huang Botian to be able to control stone and transform into a thirty-meter-tall Stone General was formidable enough in Wang Chong’s view. But in comparison, these elders were clearly on another level.

The auras exuded by some of the elders made even Wang Chong feel pressured.

What a powerful cultivation! Imperial Martial realm… at the lowest, Imperial Martial realm! Wang Chong quietly said to himself.

Above the True Martial realm was the Profound Martial realm, and above the Profound Martial realm was the Imperial Martial realm, of which Wang Chong was currently an expert. But these elders standing across from Li Siye were at the Imperial Martial realm or above.

A few of these elders exuded an energy that shocked even Wang Chong. This was not the strength of the Imperial Martial realm, but the Saint Martial realm!

This nameless valley in the Great Tang’s southwest was actually hiding this kind of strength! If he had not seen it with his own eyes, Wang Chong wouldn’t have dared to believe it.

Two Saint Martial realm, seven Imperial Martial realm… This is Wushang Village’s strength from before the calamity. It truly is powerful! And this is probably only the tip of the iceberg!

Wang Chong’s eyes shone brightly as countless thoughts flitted through his mind.

Even he had to mentally sigh at such a sight.

Wang Chong had never had a chance to experience the strength of Wushang Village as it was before the calamity. This had been his greatest regret as commander of the Wushang Cavalry. However, the more regret he felt, the more Wang Chong became set on a single idea. No matter what, he had to protect Wushang Village and prevent the tragedy of the otherworldly invasion from repeating itself here.

This powerful strength had better places where it could be used, an even larger stage. It was not meant to die here without any reinforcements. As this thought flashed through Wang Chong’s mind, a familiar voice rang out.

【Impromptu Mission: ‘Grand Marshal’s Summons’!】

【Every Grand Marshal requires soldiers, just like how soldiers require a leader! This is the Grand Marshal’s summons! Within three days, the unyielding Wushang must be thoroughly enlisted and the first batch of Wushang Cavalry recruited. For completion of this task, user will be rewarded 400 points of Destiny Energy.】

【If the mission fails, user will gain the hostility of the Wushang and lose this chance to recruit the Wushang. Moreover, the conflict between user’s subordinate officer and the Wushang has caused animosity with the Wushang. Due to this, failure will mean forever losing any chance to gain the loyalty of the Wushang!】

……

When he heard the voice of the Stone of Destiny, Wang Chong instantly paled.

Wang Chong had not expected to hear the Stone of Destiny’s voice here. From the information the stone had divulged, this operation to recruit the Wushang had suddenly become of a one-time nature, and he only had three days.

It must have been because I sent Li Siye and they fell into conflict, causing the Wushang Chief and the elders to feel hostility toward me, resulting in all this.

Wang Chong’s mind was currently in turmoil.

The Stone of Destiny had never given missions without reason, and during the war of the southwest, Wang Chong had gradually begun to realize that rather than giving missions, the Stone of Destiny was using the only method it could to give him well-intentioned warnings.

There was no doubt that the Wushang recruitment mission had encountered an unforeseen mishap.

This is a problem.

Wang Chong’s heart slightly sank, but he showed none of his trouble on his face. However, the more difficult the mission, the more determined Wang Chong was. No matter what, he had to subdue the Wushang.

“Correct, this one is precisely the person!”

Wang Chong raised his head to look at the elders, his expression composed and fearless.

Buzz!

Wang Chong’s words immediately caused the mood of the plaza to change. The Wushang elders began to look at each other and frown, as if wondering how they would deal with this thorny problem.

Wushang Village was very remote, the mountains surrounding it cutting it off from the world. Not even bandits dared to venture into this place, much less others. But no matter how ignorant and isolated the Wushang were, even they knew that no one within the borders of the land was not the sovereign’s subject.

Anyone who lived on the lands of the Central Plains was restricted by the secular authority of the Emperor. Put simply, the Wushang also had to obey the mobilization orders of the Imperial Court.

When they had stolen the token, they had already noticed the words ‘Young Marquis’, but none of had ever expected this esteemed and lofty marquis to personally appear before them.

For all their boldness and ferocity, even the Wushang knew that this young man of seventeen or eighteen could not be touched.

Now that the matter involved imperial authority, it had become extremely troublesome.

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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 704 - Refusal, the Chief of Wushang Village!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C704 - Refusal, the Chief of Wushang Village!
Chapter 704: Refusal, the Chief of Wushang Village!

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

“Lord Marquis, we did not think that we would be honored by your presence. We have been rude by not going out to welcome you, so please forgive us for our lack of courtesy. This one is called Wu Jiumei and can be considered an elder of Wushang Village. I am afraid that there has been a small misunderstanding, and our villagers had a small conflict with Lord Marquis’s subordinates. Previously, we had already refused them three times, but Lord Marquis’s subordinates would not listen to reason and forced their way into the village, forcing our hand.

“But even so, we have treated them lightly. Lord Marquis’s subordinates are currently being held in the village and we have not done any additional harm. In a little while, I will have the villagers bring out Lord Marquis’s subordinates.”

The speaker was an elder of seventy or eighty, his hair silver but his complexion hale and hearty. He had a grim expression, and he spoke with dignity and bearing. He clearly had a high status within the village.

Wang Chong said nothing to these words, but behind him, Li Siye gave a long sigh.

This was the first time in the last few days that he had heard anything about his vanished subordinates.

Li Siye suddenly took a few steps forward and whispered into Wang Chong’s ear, “Lord Marquis, these people are very strong. If I had not taken out my Wootz Steel sword, I would have already been captured. Lord Marquis must act with utmost caution!”

“I know. You go and rest.”

Wang Chong did not turn his head, and his voice was carefree and relaxed.

“Old Sir, this one has no ill intentions. At present, the borders of the empire are facing difficulties, the beacons of war rising up from all around, and troops are dearly needed. When the world is in danger, every person has their duty to save it. The Wushang are brave and excellent fighters, and this one happens to be building a city in Wushang and so came to Wushang to enlist brave warriors.

“I presume that to the Wushang, guarding the border, protecting the people of the Central Plains, and performing a duty for the country would be an honorable deed.”

Wang Chong went straight to the point and revealed the purpose of his visit.

In subduing the Wushang, using schemes and tricks was liable to make things worse, so it was better to be frank. In truth, given how things had developed, the Wushang probably already understood what he had come for.

Concealing his intent at a time like this would probably only win him contempt.

As expected, Wu Jiumei and the other Wushang elders seemed unsurprised by Wang Chong’s words. It was clear that they had expected this request.

“To receive the Lord Marquis’s favor is truly our Wushang Village’s honor. But our Wushang Village is isolated from the world and accustomed to peace and security, not very suitable for war.”

Without a second thought, Wu Jiumei rejected Wang Chong’s invitation.

“Moreover, we Wushang are mountain villagers with limited capabilities. What can our village offer Lord Marquis, who vies for the world? I am afraid that we will let down Lord Marquis’s high hopes. Lord Marquis should seek out more qualified individuals. The world is vast, so there must be people more suitable than we Wushang for Lord Marquis’s gaze.”

“Correct. Lord Marquis, please seek out more qualified individuals elsewhere!”

Several other elders voiced their agreement.

Wushang Village had secluded itself from the world for nearly a thousand years now, and the villagers had always lived a peaceful life that did not seek to contend for the world. This had already become a tradition, and nobody could break it. How could they so easily change their ways due to a few words from Wang Chong?

“Elder is too humble. If even the Wushang are of limited capability, then there is no one capable in this world. All of my subordinates are veterans, elites who contend against one hundred soldiers, but in Wushang Village, they were captured by the warriors of the village in a single encounter. The Wushang are definitely the fiercest warriors of this world!

“If the Great Tang can receive the assistance of the Wushang, its borders will definitely be pacified, the country will prosper, and the people will be safe, protected from the chaos of war. Moreover, the Imperial Court has always generously rewarded warriors who fight on the behalf of the country. I can also promise the assembled elders that as long as Wushang Village responds to the enlistment, I can bestow upon the village large sums of gold and resources as a reward,” Wang Chong sincerely said.

With the current influence and power of the Wang Clan, as long as Wang Chong was willing, he could bestow unimaginable wealth, status, and reputation on Wushang Village.

On the other side, Wu Jiumei and the other village elders were displaying a variety of expressions. If Wang Chong’s words had been a little tougher, they could have immediately refused. But Wang Chong had been extremely tactful, his words bursting with praise and reverence for the Wushang villagers, leaving the elders unable to say a word.

And most fatal of all was that Wang Chong’s subordinates truly had been injured by their villagers.

Wu Jiumei had not expected that those soldiers lying on the ground were elites of the army who could fight against one hundred foes.

“This…”

Wu Jiumei and the elders exchanged glances, their expressions slack and their mouths momentarily speechless.

Right when all the elders were perplexed by how to respond to Wang Chong’s words, a voice burst from a stone house deep within Wushang Village. “Young Marquis is an eloquent speaker, earning this decrepit one’s admiration, but I advise Lord Marquis to stop wasting breath and scheming in vain!”

“This is!!”

Wang Chong’s eyes widened as he remembered that voice. After his battle with Huang Botian on the outskirts of the village, it was this voice that had allowed him entry.

But ever since he had entered the village, Wang Chong had not heard it speak.

“Chief!”

While Wang Chong was thinking, he heard Wu Jiumei’s voice tinged with respect. The village elders began to turn their heads toward the voice and bow, their expressions subservient and respectful.

Wang Chong also turned in that direction and saw a white-haired old man, his slightly hunched body clothed in a brown robe. Grasping a rattan cane, he was currently walking out of a stone house several dozen zhang away.

Wang Chong hadn’t cared at the start, but with just a glance, he couldn’t but widen his eyes in shock. Although that white-haired elder was walking very slowly, his every step seemed to carry the weight of one thousand jun and delivered a powerful mental blow.

His feet did not seem to be stepping on the earth, but on the air, stepping into the heart of every person. He gave off an unfathomable aura of invincibility.

And at this close distance, even though Wang Chong was intently looking, he could not clearly make out the face of the elder. The old man always seemed neither too close nor too far, his face neither too indistinct nor too clear.

What made Wang Chong most apprehensive was that he couldn’t sense his energy. It was like the elder was just a shadow and didn’t really exist.

Wang Chong’s heart shivered at the thought.

When he had just been an ordinary person, he could have disregarded this observation, but he was now in the Imperial Martial realm and skilled in the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art. There was basically no match for him amongst his peers.

Even an expert like Huang Botian and his mastery over the Stone General was powerless against Wang Chong, a plaything in the palm of his hands.

But now, in front of this ordinary white-haired elder, Wang Chong couldn’t even sense his energy. This was simply unbelievable.

Saint Martial realm!

Wang Chong’s pupils constricted as a thought occurred to him! He wasn’t a stranger to this feeling. Zhangchou Jianqiong, Huoshu Huicang, Duan Gequan—Wang Chong had felt this kind of feeling from these experts of the Great General level.

And as the former Grand Marshal of the world, an expert at the peak of the Saint Martial realm, Wang Chong was very familiar with energy of this level.

How is this possible?

Wang Chong’s mind was in turmoil. Never had he imagined that this tiny Wushang Village was actually concealing an expert of the Imperial Great General level.

Any country or any faction would see a great rise in influence and status if it got its hands on a Great General expert. They would instantly be able to command the attention of other countries.

For Wushang Village to be hiding such an expert was a massive mental shock for Wang Chong.

Wang Chong suddenly understood why the otherworldly invaders had suffered such a great blow when they attacked Wushang.

An expert of the Great General level leading several Saint Martial experts, a large number of Imperial Martial experts, and fifty to sixty thousand villagers at the True Martial or Profound Martial realm… The strength of Wushang Village was tantamount to a regular army with astonishing strength, a miniature protectorate army.

This was Wang Chong’s first time seeing the true depth of Wushang Village’s resources.

But even so, Wang Chong could sense a slight ripple of disharmony. Although the white-haired elder had attempted to hide it as well as he could, Wang Chong could still perceive that abnormal ripple.

It seems that not even he can avoid that fate.

Wang Chong seemed to instantly understand what was going on.

“Esteemed elder, I have been rude.”

Wang Chong clasped his hands toward the Wushang Village Chief and gave a deferential bow. The elderly deserved respect, and regardless of anything else, the chief was still around as old as his grandfather.

The elder’s eyes twinkled for a moment, but his face remained stern and harsh.

“For Young Master to be so young yet already be made a marquis truly makes you a dragon amongst men that leaves a deep impression upon others. But a country has its laws, a clan has its rules, and Wushang Village also has its regulations. No person of Wushang Village is permitted to leave the village and involve themselves with the disputes of the outside world. This is the law set down by our ancestors. Lord Marquis should not waste your efforts. Please return!”

As the white-haired elder grimly spoke, he continued to walk toward the crowd.

His steps were deceptively slow. He was several dozen zhang away when he first began to speak, but by the time he had finished, he was less than ten zhang from Wang Chong.

“Venerable Sir…”

“Lord Marquis, please go back!”

The elder’s expression was firm and unquestionable. As he spoke, he opened a palm and aimed it out of the village, clearly intending to send off his guest without giving Wang Chong another chance to speak.

Buzz!

The atmosphere seemed to freeze, and even the temperature dropped a few degrees. Seeing that the enlistment mission had completely failed, Gao Feng, Nie Yan and the others became infuriated. Even Li Siye couldn’t help but give a small frown.

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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 705 - The Peril of the Lunar Eclipse (I)
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C705 - The Peril of the Lunar Eclipse (I)
Chapter 705: The Peril of the Lunar Eclipse (I)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Wang Chong was a marquis of the court, the Son of Heaven’s disciple with a courtesy name personally bestowed by the Sage Emperor. Wushang was in Wang Chong’s territory, so being administered by Wang Chong and responding to his calls for enlistment were only reasonable. But unexpectedly, Wushang Village would not listen to reason.

Its answer had been rejection without the slightest opportunity for negotiation.

When the villagers thought about how the soldiers that had previously come here had been wounded, they grimaced. It had to be said that with Wang Chong’s status, he was completely capable of mobilizing an army to besiege Wushang Village.

“Impudent!”

Gao Feng was the first to lose his cool and stand up to argue for Wang Chong. With Wang Chong’s current status, even the heads of those storied and wealthy clans with deep roots had to treat Wang Chong with utmost respect. These people from Wushang were acting far too excessively.

“Gao Feng…”

Wang Chong extended a hand and stopped Gao Feng. He had come to recruit the Wushang, not form grudges. And there was one thing that the Wushang Chief had probably not been lying about: Wushang Village truly did have a tradition that did not permit them to lightly leave the village and enter the outside world.

Otherwise, Wushang Village would not have remained unknown for nearly one thousand years up to the present age.

Wang Chong had heard Fang Xiaoyan talk about this rule, so he knew it well. But laws were dead and people were alive. If this rule truly was unalterable, he would have never become the highest commander of the five thousand world-famous Wushang Cavalry.

No matter what the Wushang Chief said, Wang Chong was confident that there was a way to change this tradition and make them accept the enlistment.

“Eh, Grandpa, why are you here?”

Just when the atmosphere was at its most stagnant, a familiar and childish voice rang out in everyone’s ears. Wang Chong turned his head and saw a petite figure at the edge of plaza, a little girl as lithe as a civet cat, swiftly walking over with a large metal chest on her back.

The little girl skipped over and finally noticed that Wang Chong was standing across from the white-haired elder, and her face filled with surprise.

“Eh, Big Brother, why are you here too?”

Buzz!

Just a few words from the girl immediately caused the mood to relax.

“This child…”

The white-haired elder gave a bitter smile, his stern and emotionless face thawing.

“Xiaoyan!”

The elder waved his hand toward the distance as he spoke.

Thinking about it now, it should be about time.

Wang Chong glanced at the girl and smiled, apparently having long expected this scene.

“Grandpa, I forgot to tell you, these are friends I made on the outside. They gave me a big chest of wujian grass. Haha, now I don’t have to leave for quite a few days and can play with Luoluo in the village.”

The girl bounded forward, quickly arriving next to the elder’s leg and giving it a big hug. She began to rub against it like a kitten, and the white-haired elder didn’t know if he should laugh or cry.

“Oh, that’s right,” the girl said, turning her head to Wang Chong. “Big Brother, this chest isn’t bad. After giving the wujian grass to the elder, I kept the chest. It’s perfect as a nest for my Luoluo.”

“Haha, it’s fine as long as you like it,” Wang Chong said with a smile.

“Xiaoyan, you worked the entire day. Are you tired?”

“Grandaunt has prepared a few snacks for you. They’re on the table, and you can take them when you want.”

“Little rascal, don’t only worry about that fox. You should also remember to keep up your training!”

The Wushang elders began to greet the girl, their eyes revealing expressions of adoration and love. Their attitude was completely different from when they confronted Wang Chong.

“I know, I know.”

The girl waved her hand and tapped her mouth, looking impatient. She quickly turned her gaze to Wang Chong.

“That’s right. Big Brother, did you find your friend?”

“I found him.”

Wang Chong smiled and nodded as he shot a glance at Li Siye.

“So it was them!”

The girl’s brow slightly furrowed, but she quickly regained her happy demeanor.

“It’s fine as long as you found them. Grandpa, they’re all my friends, so you can’t bully them. Big Brother, I can’t keep chatting with you. I need to find my Luoluo.”

The girl immediately ran off with her chest, excitedly rushing to the other end of the plaza.

As they watched the girl run off, the white-haired elder and the others couldn’t help but give a helpless smile. After playing around with the girl, they could no longer keep up such cold expressions.

“Lord Marquis, Xiaoyan has never been willing to get close to outsiders. Since she was willing to speak on your behalf, then at the very least, your character is not bad and you are not evildoers. But Wushang Village has its laws. These were set down by the ancestors, and even as Chief, I cannot defy them. I hope that Lord Marquis can understand this and that this is not because our Wushang Village does not wish to help. Thus, Lord Marquis, please go back!”

The white-haired elder spoke with a much gentler tone, but his meaning was exactly the same. He had no intention of softening his stance.

Li Siye, Gao Feng, and Nie Yan turned to Wang Chong. Wushang Village would not respond to the enlistment, so they could only see how Wang Chong would respond.

“Haha, Venerable Sir, since this is the case, then it’s inappropriate for me to force things. However, it is getting late and Wushang Village is surrounded by steep mountains and precipitous cliffs, with the slightest misstep leading into a fall down a deep abyss. Is it possible to stay for the night and leave tomorrow?”

Wang Chong glanced up at the darkening sky as he spoke.

“This…”

The elder’s thick eyebrows furrowed. His instinct was to refuse, but when he thought of the girl, he hesitated.

“Fine, but you must leave at daybreak. Elder Jiu, bring them into the village to rest. When they leave at daybreak, release their subordinates as well.”

“Yes, Chief.”

Wu Jiumei nodded and turned to face Wang Chong.

“Guests, please come with me. But only for one night. After one night, you must leave, no matter what.”

“Mm.”

Wang Chong nodded, but he did not begin to move his feet.

“Venerable Sir, I know that your mind is made up and will be very difficult to change. I also know that no matter what I say, it would be very difficult for you to believe in my words. But I have a word of heartfelt advice that I hope Venerable Sir will heed!”

“Oh?”

The Wushang Chief frowned, his face doubtful. Even Wu Jiumei stopped, not understanding what the Young Marquis of the Great Imperial Court was up to.

Especially when the Chief had already so clearly refused him.

“Don’t eat rock salt!”

With these words, Wang Chong tarried no longer, bringing Li Siye, Gao Feng, Nie Yan, and the other soldiers to follow Wu Jiumei. Behind him, the white-haired Wushang Chief’s body trembled, and he began to look pensively at Wang Chong.

……

Night set in and the sky filled with stars.

In a stone house at the very edge of Wushang Village, Wang Chong, Li Siye, Gao Feng, Nie Yan, and the guards from the great clans of the capital gathered.

Gao Feng suddenly broke the silence. “Lord Marquis, what should we do? We have to leave at daybreak. Will we really have to give up like this?”

“Although the people of Wushang are very stubborn and difficult to subdue, if we can recruit them, they would be a very powerful force,” Nie Yan said, a contemplative look on his face.

The people of Wushang Village were xenophobic and cared nothing for the decrees of the Imperial Court, and had even almost broken the decorated general Li Siye, but to tell the truth, this was also proof of their valiant strength.

Such a reclusive village that no faction was currently after was truly a paradise for recruiting elite soldiers. To let it go would truly be a great pity. In his short time in Wushang Village, Nie Yan’s mind had been completely overturned, mostly because of the sight of those Wushang villagers lifting massive stones weighing thousands of jin to train.

Such a magnificent scene could probably not be witnessed anywhere else but Wushang!

“My apologies, Lord Marquis. I ruined the mission and let down Lord Marquis!”

Li Siye lowered his head, his face ashamed.

This two-meter-tall giant rarely lowered himself to others, but at this moment, he bowed down to Wang Chong and the other elite guards. Recruiting soldiers should have been a simple affair.

When Li Siye left the capital, he had been brimming with resolve, even promising Wang Chong that he would definitely accomplish the mission.

A man’s promise was worth a thousand taels of gold!

But there was no doubt that he had ruined the mission.

Ever since he had obeyed the summons from Wang Chong and left Beiting, Li Siye had always done his utmost to complete a mission, no matter how difficult, whether it was exterminating the Black Dragon Bandits, spreading the plague over the Tibetan Plateau, or burning the granaries and cutting off any retreat for the Mengshe Zhao.

But this time, in this obscure Wushang Village, Li Siye had stumbled.

Not only had he failed to accomplish the mission, half of his soldiers had been captured. He had even used his invincible Wootz Steel sword, but in the end, he was still no match for the Wushang.

“Haha, Siye, there’s no need to blame yourself. I know that you did your best.”

Wang Chong patted Li Siye on his broad back, comforting him, his face showing no concern.

“In this vast world, there’s always someone better than you. Although the Wushang don’t have any sort of reputation, hasn’t it always been said that no reputation doesn’t necessarily mean no strength? In truth, let alone you, even if Lord Zhangchou himself came to this place, he would have to leave in defeat.”

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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 706 - The Peril of the Lunar Eclipse (II)
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C706 - The Peril of the Lunar Eclipse (II)
Chapter 706: The Peril of the Lunar Eclipse (II)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Buzz!

The moment Wang Chong spoke, everyone else in the room trembled and raised their heads to stare at Wang Chong. Even Li Siye widened his eyes and looked at Wang Chong with disbelief on his face.

Anyone from the capital knew that the ‘Lord Zhangchou’ that Wang Chong spoke of was the new Minister of War, Zhangchou Jianqiong. He had another title, that of Annan Protector-General, and an even better-known one, ‘Tiger of the Empire’.

This title not only represented Zhangchou Jianqiong’s sterling reputation and prestige. It also represented the strength of an elite Imperial Great General, a strength that countless people in the world could only look up to.

All Imperial Great Generals were transcendent experts at the peak of the Saint Martial realm!

Although Li Siye was confident in himself, he also knew that he was quite a way from reaching the Minister of War, the Tiger of the Empire. And yet Wang Chong had just said that even if Minister of War Zhangchou Jianqiong were here, he would also be forced to retreat in defeat…

“Heh, you should have noticed at least a little. Correct! That chief of Wushang Village is a Saint Martial expert on the same level as Zhangchou Jianqiong!” Wang Chong lightly said. “With his strength and the strength of all those elders and villagers, even Zhangchou Jianqiong would be forced back, much less us!”

Boom!

These words from Wang Chong said in such a careless manner were like a boulder crashing into the minds of his subordinates, like massive waves thundering at their ears. All of their eyes widened in shock and awe.

Although Li Siye’s reaction was not as obvious, the shock he received was no less.

“A Saint Martial realm expert?”

“How is this possible?”

“That white-bearded man? He barely seemed capable of walking!”

……

Although all their minds were in disorder, none of them doubted Wang Chong’s words. In things like this, Wang Chong’s judgment would never be wrong.

Truthfully speaking, they had actually been extremely angry at the unreasonableness of the Wushang. Not only had they refused to respond to a decree from the Imperial Court, they had even attacked the soldiers. Some of the guards had even wanted to have the army attack Wushang Village.

But now that they heard that Wushang Village had a peak Saint Martial realm expert presiding over it, none of them dared to harbor such thoughts!

“Lord Marquis, what is the background of these Wushang? How could an ordinary village be this formidable?” Gao Feng couldn’t help but ask, his eyes wide.

“This question… is one that I’d also like to know the answer to.”

As Wang Chong looked at the numerous stars outside the window, a light flashed in his eyes.

There were many secrets regarding Wushang Village. That the Wushang could traverse the mountains so easily could be set aside. After all, this was truly a very steep and arduous environment, so developing such skills over a long period of time wasn’t that strange.

But the formation and mental attacks used by those two elders on the perimeter of the village could not be explained by the environment.

And before stepping into Wushang Village, Wang Chong had never imagined that the Wushang Chief was a peak Saint Martial realm expert.

There were many secrets that not even the Wang Chong of the last life knew about.

Of course, the him from the last life had no chance to delve into these secrets. But now he could try again. All the Wushang elders were still alive, and even Fang Xiaoyan had not yet matured into that naughty and savage girl from his last life.

He could finally explore the roots of Wushang Village!

But before all that, it was far more urgent to change the Wushang Chief’s mind and recruit the first batch of soldiers from Wushang Village.

“Just leave this matter to me. All of you should go and rest first.”

With these words, Wang Chong quickly fell into thought.

Ice three feet thick would not form from a single day of cold, and the traditions of Wushang Village could not be altered in one day and night, especially when the great calamity had not yet occurred.

But no matter how difficult the task was, Wang Chong had to think of a way to change their attitude.

He had once commanded the Wushang, and at a time like this, he needed the help of the renowned Wushang Cavalry more than ever.

If my predictions are right, that incident is about to take place!

With this thought, Wang Chong slowly looked up at the sky. A crescent moon hung in the sky, a common night scene in Wushang Village.

But if one looked carefully, one would notice that the crescent moon was undergoing a subtle transformation. It was growing thinner and thinner, fainter and fainter.

And as the crescent moon underwent this transformation, all the stars and the entirety of Wushang Village also began to grow darker. Everything seemed to be covered by a dark veil.

This was a lunar eclipse!

Wang Chong clearly remembered that before the calamity, Wushang Village experienced an incident where many of its elders and villagers suddenly died in a single night.

On that night, two or three thousand Wushang died, and Fang Xiaoyan’s grandfather, the white-haired elder who Wang Chong had spoken to during the day, ended up heavily injured. He survived, but half his body was paralyzed and his strength suffered a drastic drop.

And Fang Xiaoyan’s Granduncle Jiu, Wu Jiumei, also died in this incident.

If not for this incident, Wushang Village would not have suffered such great losses in the future.

If Wang Chong had not seen what he saw during the day, he could have put aside the matter, but now that he knew that the Wushang Chief was a peak Saint Martial realm expert on par with Zhangchou Jianqiong, Geshu Han, and Fumeng Lingcha, he could not sit by and do nothing.

Each peak Saint Martial expert was a most precious treasure for the current Great Tang. Not a single one could be allowed to suffer any sort of mishap.

If he were to allow the peak Saint Martial Wushang Chief to be lost as he watched, he would feel a deep regret for the rest of his life.

There wasn’t much information about that incident. Wang Chong only knew that it took place during a lunar eclipse, when Yin energy was at its strongest.

This was why, before he left the capital, Wang Chong had requested some calculations from the Bureau of Rites.

In the ten years around the calamity, a lunar eclipse occurred three times in the Great Tang. One was five years ago, another was three months after the calamity, and the other one should be right now. If everything goes as expected, that incident should be taking place right now, Wang Chong quietly said to himself.

“Ah!”

In a flash, while Wang Chong was still thinking, a scream came from outside the room, breaking the serenity of Wushang Village.

“Elder Du! Hurry and send help!”

The silent Wushang Village suddenly fell into chaos. While that voice was still hanging in the air, another scream came from yet another direction.

Wang Chong paled and he shot out of the room like a loosed arrow.

“Li Siye, Gao Feng, Nie Yan, and the rest of you, follow me. Bring those things I had you prepare!”

Wang Chong’s voice was still echoing in the room, but he had already vanished.

……

Wushang Village at night was very peaceful. This place was cut off from the world, surrounded by the mountains, and all its people maintained the custom of working during the day and resting after sunset.

Thus, when Wang Chong and his group entered the stone house to rest, they heard no sounds from outside.

But the current Wushang Village was in complete mayhem. Standing on the main plaza, Wang Chong could see that the pitch-black Wushang Village was now brightly lit. He had heard only one or two screams at the start, but they were now coming from all corners.

The wailing of women and the sobbing of children, the sounds of people alarmed by the screams and rushing out of their homes to give aid—all these sounds were coming from every direction.

It really did happen!

As the wind roared around him, Wang Chong raised his head and glanced at the sky. The moon had already completely vanished, leaving the entire world dark. At this moment, Wang Chong’s mind was in as much disorder as his disheveled hair.

Even though he had heard about that incident in Wushang Village, only by experiencing it for himself did he truly know how severe it was. This was not a problem of one or two people, nor a problem of one hundred or two hundred people. This was two or three thousand people simultaneously being afflicted by a lethal disaster.

There was nothing he could do if he wasn’t there, but since he was in Wushang Village, as their former commander, he could not allow this to continue. After all, although the Wushang were a little proud, during the calamity, they were the most loyal, courageous, and respected soldiers in the entire world.

The five thousand Wushang Cavalry fought until the last man, never retreating. Until their final moments, they fought a battle to the death with the otherworldly invaders, defending this land, defending the Central Plains.

They were the best warriors, the most loyal subordinates. This was why Wang Chong needed to subdue them no matter what.

The Wushang were unruly, xenophobic, and difficult to tame, and they also had a deep-rooted tradition, but once he subdued them, they would become the most reliable warriors.

A fiery steed was difficult to tame! This was a principle that every horseman understood!

“Granduncle Jiu!”

A heart-wrenching scream suddenly broke through the night air. Wang Chong paled and instantly rushed toward the voice. Winds howled around him as countless stone houses flitted by.

At this moment, Wang Chong’s mind was filled with countless thoughts…

In all of Wushang Village, only one person was addressed as ‘Granduncle Jiu’, the Wu Jiumei he had met during the day. In Wushang Village, Wu Jiumei was only second to the Chief in terms of seniority. Although he had an inflexible personality, ‘Granduncle Jiu’ was extremely caring toward Fang Xiaoyan.

Thus, back then, other than the passing of her grandfather, Fang Xiaoyan felt the greatest sadness and regret over the death of Granduncle Jiu. This event would continue to weigh her down for many years. On the anniversary of Granduncle Jiu’s death, Fang Xiaoyan would be particularly depressed, spending the entire day wallowing in grief.

Now that everything could be done over and he was now in Wushang Village, Wang Chong could not permit this event to take place again.

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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 707 - The Peril of the Lunar Eclipse (III)
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C707 - The Peril of the Lunar Eclipse (III)
Chapter 707: The Peril of the Lunar Eclipse (III)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

Wang Chong moved with incredible speed, and in the blink of an eye, he neared the area the screams had originated from. In the distance, Wang Chong could see a brightly lit stone house ringed by Wushang villagers, all of their faces fraught with concern.

“Who goes there!”

“It’s those outsiders!!”

“What are you planning! Hurry and leave!”

“Stop, hurry and stop! Or else don’t blame us for being rude!”

……

The Wushang villagers watched Wang Chong approach with great apprehension and vigilance. A few villagers immediately stepped forward and began to shout, hoping that Wang Chong would stop and keep a distance.

It’s too late!

Wang Chong was deeply concerned.

Everyone in Wushang Village maintained an extreme vigilance and aversion toward him, which was why Wang Chong had not brought up this tragedy during the day. No one would believe him, and in the worst case, the Wushang would believe that he was cursing them and immediately drive him out.

But this time was different. Probably not even the Wushang knew just how many people they would lose tonight.

The Wushang were far too powerful. Even Gao Feng and Nie Yan, who had fought alongside him on the battlefield, sighed in praise at their strength. But Wang Chong was deeply aware that the power of the Wushang came with a price. Beneath the veneer of power were a terrible drawback and pain that no ordinary person could imagine.

This drawback was normally bearable, but on the night of a lunar eclipse, it would suddenly explode in intensity.

This was the Achilles’ Heel of the Wushang.

“Make way!”

Wang Chong’s eyes turned cold. He had no time for explanations, and he shook his wrists, unleashing a powerful wave of Stellar Energy, creating an energy vortex in a radius of several zhang around him.

Boom!

Before the Wushang could approach, they were sent flying by an invisible energy.

“Impudent!”

A harsh voice came from the entrance to the stone house as a Wushang elder that Wang Chong had seen during the day charged out, his face ashen. Accompanying him were five small swords floating in the air.

Bzzt!

These five small swords were about the size of thumbs and seemed insignificant while floating in the air. However, the aura they exuded was like that of one thousand jun, as heavy as mountains. It made one feel like Mount Tai itself was hanging over their head, that their life was hanging by a thread.

Metal element ability!

Wang Chong’s face also flickered.

Wushang Village was surrounded by mountains, so it was easy to train Earth element abilities here, especially those related to stone. Huang Botian’s Stone General was one such case. But the Wushang elder before him could actually use the Metal element, and he seemed even more powerful than Huang Botian in his Stone General.

This Wushang Village surrounded by rocks was truly an inconceivable place.

It’s the Five Elements Sword Mountain!

Wang Chong suddenly remembered something.

The majority of Wushang Village’s martial arts were related to stone and earth, but nothing was absolute. Wang Chong knew that one elder of the village had cultivated the Metal element, and his martial art was called ‘Five Elements Sword Mountain’. He was exceptionally powerful and was Wushang Village’s sole Metal element warrior.

‘Five Elements Sword Mountain’ was extremely powerful, and its most unique point was the five small swords.

Each of these swords weighed more than one thousand jun. Unlike other swords, they relied not on their edge, but their incredible weight. Any person who dared to underestimate them even slightly would end up having their body pulverized.

Alas, this Metal element elder’s emergence was as brief as the morning dew. Just like the others, he died in the great calamity.

Wang Chong hadn’t expected that he would run into him.

“My apologies for my offense!”

Even though he knew who this elder was, not only did Wang Chong not back down, he increased his speed as he charged toward the elder.

“Seeking death!”

The elder’s eyes chilled. Elder Wu Jiumei was currently injured and time was urgent. No matter how high Wang Chong’s status was, even if he might be a marquis, he was still an outsider. If he still tried to force his way through, the elder could not be blamed for what came next.

Boom!

The five small swords began to ring in the air. Though only several inches long, they were like whales in the ocean, leaving massive vortices in their wake as they shot through the air. With this sudden burst of speed, the five swords shot toward Wang Chong like five mountains.

If struck, Wang Chong would instantly be pulped, his body pounded into paste!

Wang Chong lightly snorted at this sight, no fear in his eyes. ‘Five Elements Sword Mountain’ truly was powerful, with one small sword being equivalent to a mountain. Yet not even the ‘Five Elements Sword Mountain’ was a match for one of the Ten Supreme Arts of the Central Plains, the greatest of the evil arts, the ‘Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art’!

Rumble! Wang Chong shot toward the five swords like a cannonball. As he approached them, Wang Chong immediately pushed the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art to its limit.

Buzz! In the blink of an eye, a massive attractive force exploded out of Wang Chong’s body. Space in a radius of ten-some zhang began to twist, along with everything else within that area.

The Metal element elder standing in the stone house instantly felt like everything outside the house had begun to twist and grow blurry. Not only that, the five swords he had sent out were altering their course under the influence of some inconceivably powerful force.

“Not good!”

The elder paled, knowing that he had underestimated this Young Marquis. He instantly began to circulate more Stellar Energy, his dantian resonating as he attempted to gain back control and stop Wang Chong. But he was too late.

Bzzt! A thin and slender palm, like that of a ghost, suddenly pressed against the elder’s belly, on his dantian. The elder’s Stellar Energy immediately began to flood out, pouring into Wang Chong’s body.

However, the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art’s dominance did not merely reside in something like absorbing energy. The moment Wang Chong touched the elder’s body, the Stellar Energy within the elder grew turbulent, falling out of his control and into Wang Chong’s.

And if an elite expert were to have all his Stellar Energy controlled by another, they would instantly turn from this supreme expert into an ordinary person who couldn’t even truss a chicken, incapable of any sort of counterattack.

Such was the terror of the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art. Once one got close, the only fate awaiting a person was death, of being sucked dry of energy.

“Senior, I’ve wronged you!”

Upon gaining control of the elder’s Stellar Energy, Wang Chong pulled with both hands and threw him outside, at the same time, sealing off his acupuncture points and Stellar Energy.

If one did not want to kill a person with the Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art, this move was the most straightforward. Of the older experts of the martial world, the Demonic Emperor Old Man had captured and humiliated many of them using this method.

As someone personally taught by the Demonic Emperor Old Man, Wang Chong was far too familiar with this move.

After dealing with the Metal element elder, Wang Chong immediately charged into the house. A turpentine lamp faintly illuminated the simple room.

A stone bed had been placed in the innermost depths of the house. Wang Chong saw that Wushang Elder Wu Jiumei was lying on the bed, his two eyes showing their whites and his mouth foaming. His thin body was as stiff as a board, and his skin was suffused with a blackish hue.

The veins under his skin were bulging out and twitching like earthworms.

“What are you doing?”

“Lord Marquis, didn’t we already agree? You will leave at daybreak. The matters of the village are none of your concern!”

“Leave, leave, hurry! If you don’t leave now, we can’t be blamed for treating you rudely!”

……

By the bed, several Protectors and elders no weaker than Huang Botian viewed Wang Chong warily, their expressions stern. Although they had permitted Wang Chong to stay for the night, the wariness the Wushang had of outsiders was not that easy to dispel.

Especially at a time like this!

“Lord Marquis, please mind your manners!”

With these last words, the bearish Wushang Protectors immediately tensed up, prepared to attack. If Wang Chong made the slightest strange movement or took another step forward, they would immediately attack as one.

“Whether I leave or not is a matter for tomorrow, but isn’t the most urgent matter at hand Elder Wu? It looks to me like he won’t be able to last for very long,” Wang Chong said, peering behind those people.

At Wang Chong’s words, they all immediately turned around. Wu Jiumei’s stiff body had suddenly begun to shudder and twitch. Not only that, blood was beginning to leak out of his mouth and the corners of his eyes.

This was a sign that his organs had been injured.

“What’s going on?”

The Wushang paled in alarm. No matter how slow they could be, even they could tell that Wu Jiumei’s condition was extremely poor. For blood to be leaking out of the eyes and mouth, black blood at that, meant that his internal organs were damaged.

This sort of illness wouldn’t be as serious in a younger individual, but Wu Jiumei was very old. If a solution could not be found, the situation was liable to end very poorly.

“Wujian grass! Quickly, use wujian grass!”

“Elder has already taken it, but it showed no effect.”

“Elder’s body has been afflicted by this illness for a long time, and because he’s taken too much wujian grass already, these things no longer have any effect.”

“Then what do we do! Think of a way, think!”

“Call the Chief! Only the Chief knows what to do.”

“I’ve already sent someone, but Botian and the others still haven’t come back!”

……

The room instantly fell into disarray. At this moment, no one had any mind for Wang Chong. Whoosh! In a split second, while the room was in chaos and everyone had their minds on other things, a silhouette shot toward the side of the bed. Two fingers of the right hand extended out, opened Wu Jiumei’s mouth, and thrust a pill inside.

“Bastard!”

“Halt!”

“What are you doing?!”

……

The Wushang all paled. No one had expected Wang Chong to exploit their lack of attention.

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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 708 - The Peril of the Lunar Eclipse (IV)
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C708 - The Peril of the Lunar Eclipse (IV)
Chapter 708: The Peril of the Lunar Eclipse (IV)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

“Don’t panic. I have no relationship with Elder Wu, so why would I harm him? Moreover… given Elder Wu’s current condition, would I even need to harm him?”

Wang Chong put his hands behind his back and swiftly retreated, a smile on his lips.

Before the other elders present could say anything, a Wushang Protector angrily roared, “Our Wushang Village doesn’t need your interference. Speak! What medicine did you make the elder eat?” His hands clenched into fists and his body trembled, a clear sign that he was at his breaking point.

Although the village had already ordered that this youth was a marquis of the court and could not be recklessly attacked, these repeated incidents were truly too much.

“If anything happens to the elder, don’t blame us for getting rough!” the other Protector growled.

“Relax; nothing will happen,” Wang Chong indifferently replied, his face calm and relaxed, unperturbed even in the face of these enraged Wushang Protectors. However, those shaking fingers at his back, where no one else could see, revealed his true state of mind.

There was clearly something strange. Wang Chong clearly remembered that Wu Jiumei had only been injured in this incident, but right now, Wu Jiumei’s feeble breathing and the black blood leaking out of his lips and the corners of his eyes portended something far worse.

This definitely not something as simple as a heavy injury. A poor treatment would lead to death.

I hope that the pill works as normal! Wang Chong anxiously thought.

He could sense that the Wushang Village incident in this life was a little different from the one in his last life. While Wu Jiumei came away from that incident with severe injuries, he now seemed about to die in it.

With things having changed, he could no longer be so certain about many things.

“Ahhhhh!”

Just when he was beginning to get concerned, an elderly voice suddenly gave out a long sigh. This voice caused everyone to shudder and turn to the bed.

On the bed, Wu Jiumei’s eyes, which had been showing their whites, had suddenly rolled back, revealing those slightly turbid yet pitch-black pupils.

And with this long sigh, the blackish hue on his skin slowly began to retreat, first from his face, then his neck, his arms, and then down through the rest of his body to his legs. A rosy hue began to emerge on his body.

Not only that, Wu Jiumei’s eyes were moving, quickly falling on the Wushang Protectors and elders at his bed.

“Chongli! Yunwen!”

Wu Jiumei called out the names of two elders. Although his voice was a little weak, he could still be heard loud and clear.

“Elder!”

In the room, those villagers who had been attending upon him, ferrying around water and towels, were ecstatic and immediately rushed over.

“Wonderful, Elder is awake! Elder is awake!”

And this wasn’t all. Shortly after, Wu Jiumei rubbed his head and, under everyone else’s flabbergasted gazes, slowly sat up on the bed.

“!!!”

Shock!

Endless shock!

As they watched Wu Jiumei sit on the bed like nothing had ever happened to him, all the villagers turned to Wang Chong, the astonishment in their eyes difficult to describe. Those Protectors who had viewed Wang Chong with so much hostility had particularly complicated expressions.

“Impossible! No medicine can be this formidable!”

The elder that Wu Jiumei had called ‘Yunwen’ quickly stepped forward and gripped one of Wu Jiumei’s arms. Wu Jiumei’s pulse was stable and was gradually improving, his heart beating faster and more steadily.

This was not merely a complete recovery, as the pulse was growing even steadier than it normally was.

Instantly, Elder Yunwen turned to Wang Chong standing by the door, his expression one of shock, astonishment, and an indescribable excitement.

Wang Chong merely smiled.

Elder He Yunwen quickly turned back his head and tightly grasped Wu Jiumei’s hand, his voice fraught with worry as he asked, “Brother Jiu, how do you feel? How do your neck and shoulder, right leg, back, and organs feel? Do they hurt?”

“Very good. It doesn’t hurt. What’s wrong…”

Wu Jiumei slowly moved his body as he replied confusedly to the questions. Though he did not know why He Yunwen was asking these questions at the start, as he inadvertently gave his answer, he immediately noticed something. His entire body froze, his face flabbergasted.

For a moment, the room was deathly still, everyone looking in a single direction in extreme excitement.

“Impossible! We people of Wushang Village might be powerful, but starting from the age of three, everyone begins to suffer from a faint ache. At the end of every month or when the stars dim, when Yin energy is at its strongest, our entire body will begin to convulse. Many people even die before the age of fifty. A sorcerer that the village invited said that it was a problem of fengshui.

“Elder Wu is seventy or eighty, and his condition is more serious than that of anyone else in the village. How could he suddenly get better?”

The mutterings of some person in the room voiced the questions on everyone’s mind.

People who arrived at Wushang Village for the first time would sigh in praise at the immense strength trained through living in this harsh environment, but very few people knew of the price of this strength. For all of their lives, every Wushang would have to endure an internal ache that only grew worse with age.

Generation after generation, cohort after cohort—none were excluded.

Elder Wu had suffered from such a severe breakout, with even black blood dribbling from his lips, because of his advanced age and the increasing severity of the condition. In that moment, many people believed that he would die. But no one had expected him to suddenly recover, and not merely recover. Even his ragged pulse had steadied.

Elder Wu’s condition would not recover for no reason. The only possibility was the pill that Wang Chong had made him swallow!

Shock, disbelief, and a deep excitement and craving… all sorts of emotions were running through the minds of the villagers in the room. If Wang Chong’s pill was useful even for someone of Elder Wu’s age, wouldn’t that mean that everyone could use the pill?

Even the most hostile of villagers began to relax their stance toward Wang Chong, and they looked toward him like he was some sort of wishing star.

He Yunwen suppressed his excitement and asked, “Lord Marquis… if you do not mind, can you tell me what sort of pill you had Elder consume?”

Wang Chong only smiled and opened his palm, offering yet another one of the pills.

Wang Chong’s efforts had not been wasted. He could clearly sense that the Wushang’s attitude toward him had undergone a complete reversal, and all this was because of the pills he had brought.

Slap!

Before He Yunwen could take the pill, a palm slapped it out of Wang Chong’s hand and onto the ground.

“Elder, have you gone crazy? He’s an outsider! How could he be so kindhearted, and how could he have a method of resolving our Wushang’s hidden disease? We Wushang have tried for centuries and still haven’t solved this problem, so how could an outsider do it? This must be coincidence—it must be because Elder consumed so much wujian grass that its medicinal effects built up in his body, the accumulated effect bursting out at this moment to cure Elder’s illness.”

A stocky Wushang villager of around thirty years, with a bright red cut on his left cheek, harshly shouted. His eyes were staring at Wang Chong with deep malice, and his loathing seemed greater than anyone else’s.

It’s him.

Wang Chong had initially not cared, but when he saw the cut, he remembered. When he was fighting with Qin Qicheng, there was one villager who fought more fiercely than the rest, so aggressive that even Qin Qicheng found it hard to control him.

When Wang Chong sent him flying, a rock had brushed past this villager’s cheek, leaving a wound from which blood bubbled out. But that villager’s gaze toward Wang Chong seemed to only grow even more ferocious. This had left a very deep impression on Wang Chong.

It seems like he’s holding a grudge over that incident.

Wang Chong suddenly understood.

“I’ve said what I wanted to say and done what I wanted to do. Since you don’t believe, then forget it. I just don’t know if all the other people tonight will be like Elder Wu, able to rely on their accumulated stores of wujian grass in their bodies to spontaneously heal,” Wang Chong said. He tilted his head and listened for a moment, then turned and left.

Outside the stone house, screams were rising and falling, more and more adding to the din. This night of the lunar eclipse was to be a sleepless night for Wushang Village.

“Wait a moment!”

Seeing that Wang Chong was about to leave and hearing all the screams, Wu Jiumei hurriedly raised an arm and called Wang Chong back.

But at this moment, there was an unexpected event.

Bang!

Like a block of wood dropping to the floor, the middle-aged villager who had been yelling at Wang Chong just a few moments ago suddenly fell to the floor.

His teeth were clenched, his complexion wan, and his body was unmoving.

“Wanshi, Wanshi… what’s wrong?”

Everyone was stunned and hurried over, squatting down and gathering around him.

“Not good—his illness is breaking out!”

“The condition is serious. His entire body is convulsing.”

“Bring a towel and separate his teeth. Don’t let him bite his own tongue.”

“Not good! Elder, his pulse is getting weaker and weaker, and his temperature is rapidly falling. If this continues, I’m afraid…”

……

The quick and unexpected onset left everyone panicked. He Wanshi had collapsed too suddenly and his illness was advancing too quickly. In a few moments, his body temperature had plunged and a blackish hue was beginning to spread over his body.

None of the villagers were a stranger to this condition. This was a sign that the Wushang’s ailment was breaking out, and this was a symptom of the most serious form of the condition. Any Wushang villager who was about to die showed these signs.

If this continued, He Wanshi… His chances of survival were slim.

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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 709 - Danger! Wushang Village Chief!
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C709 - Danger! Wushang Village Chief!
Chapter 709: Danger! Wushang Village Chief!

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

“Stand aside and let me through!” A voice suddenly came from the back of the crowd.

“Elder Wu!!”

The villagers turned around and realized to their consternation that the determined Wu Jiumei was slowly getting out of bed.

“Elder! Don’t move around!”

“You’re still not recovered. You should lay down and rest.”

“That’s right! If you were to encounter some mishap, none of us would be able to bear the consequences.”

……

The villagers began to advise him to sit back down.

“Bastards! At a time like this, all of you are still in the mood to talk about things like this?”

Wu Jiumei’s expression was stern as he pushed aside the crowd. Though tottering and swaying, he got out of the bed with abnormal resolve. He walked through the crowd, picked the pill off the ground, pried upon He Wanshi’s mouth, and stuffed the pill inside.

“Bring some water over!”

A villager quickly brought over a cup of water, and Wu Jiumei used it to help He Wanshi swallow the pill. A few moments later, He Wanshi gave a long groan and began to cough, his complexion quickly turning ruddy.

“Elder!”

He Wanshi opened his eyes and looked perplexedly at Wu Jiumei.

Smack!

A hand gave He Wanshi a hefty slap, leaving He Wanshi dumbstruck, as well as the other villagers. No one had expected that the first thing Wu Jiumei would do upon He Wanshi’s awakening was to give him a slap.

“Elder!”

He Wanshi’s face was flabbergasted, his entire body frozen in shock.

But Wu Jiumei and his somber face ignored him, instead turning to Wang Chong.

“Lord Marquis, we’ve offended you! I represent the village in apologizing to Lord Marquis. I hope that Lord Marquis will not take offense.”

Wu Jiumei gave a deep bow.

Although he was old and had been dizzy from the breakout of his illness, he had not taken complete leave of his senses. Although he had not been able to speak, he had been able to clearly sense everything that was going on around him.

And besides, he was an extremely senior elder of Wushang Village, a powerful expert in his own right. How could he not be able to sense what was going on around him?

But Wu Jiumei had not expected that the person who had rushed in to save him had been one of those outsiders he had so utterly rejected.

“Haha, just a few minor trifles. There’s no need for Elder to be so polite.”

Wang Chong waved his hand, knowing that his efforts had finally proved useful.

Wang Chong had wanted to help out in this emergency, but he was helpless against the extremely conservative and exclusionary attitude of the Wushang. Fortunately, the Wushang had a few people who understood what was going on. Although there had been a few twists and turns, his plan had finally succeeded.

“For Lord Marquis’s great kindness, Wu Jiumei will thank Lord Marquis on behalf of the entire village!”

As Wu Jiumei spoke, he straightened his body and then gave another deep bow.

“Elder is speaking too seriously!” Wang Chong said with a faint smile. Although there had been a few unpleasantries during the day, Elder Wu was still someone who could be worked with. Although he was rather conservative, he wasn’t so far gone that he would doggedly cling to old traditions.

“But Wu Jiumei has a presumptuous request. That pill… how much of it does Lord Marquis have? Can some of them be given to us? This is extremely important for Wushang Village. I hope that Lord Marquis can forgive our past misdeeds and assist us!”

Wu Jiumei was doing his best to remain composed, but his twitching eyes revealed his true emotions.

The screams heard from outside the house were of a different character from the previous incidents. In all Wu Jiumei’s life, he had never encountered such a grim situation. Moreover, as one who had personally lived through the experience, Wu Jiumei was deeply aware that this would not end in something as simple as aches and injuries.

But no matter how anxious he was, Wu Jiumei had to restrain himself. During the day, he had treated these outsiders too harshly, refused too curtly, and he had even injured some of their comrades. To seek help at a time like this, even Wu Jiumei found it difficult to form the words.

Purely based on Wushang Village’s attitude toward them, the outsiders had no reason to help them!

Wu Jiumei wouldn’t find it strange at all if Wang Chong refused.

But Wang Chong’s answer took Wu Jiumei by surprise.

“Of course I can!”

Wang Chong’s answer was clear and straightforward, and he grinned as he spoke.

……

The entirety of Wushang Village instantly became a hive of activity. Anyone that could still stand, even the women and children, joined in the effort. In Wang Chong’s initial prediction, two or three thousand Wushang should have had their disease flare up in this lunar eclipse, resulting in injury or death.

But now that he was in the thick of it, he realized that he had deeply underestimated the effects of this incident.

The flapping of a butterfly’s wings tens of thousands of li away could cause a hurricane on the other side of the ocean, and Wang Chong was this butterfly. The disaster being visited upon Wushang Village seemed far more serious than the one he remembered.

Based on the number of screams, the deaths could reach seven or eight thousand, perhaps more.

This sort of loss was not something Wushang Village could handle.

By the time he walked out of the house, he could see that everyone had pale and panicked expressions.

“Gao Feng, Nie Yan, did you bring it?”

“Lord Marquis, we’ve all brought it!”

“Li Siye, I leave this matter to you. Bring Gao Feng, Nie Yan, and the pills, and go with Elder He Yunwen. Dissolve the pills in water and give it to the villagers to drink.”

“Yes, Lord Marquis!”

“Elder Wu, let’s leave the village to them. Please take me to the Chief’s house. We have an even more urgent matter to attend to.”

……

As they walked through the plaza, Wang Chong gave out a string of orders. When the people were panicked and in disarray, the rationality and composure that Wang Chong had refined through the battlefield was of great use to him.

The Wushang villagers subconsciously accepted Wang Chong’s order and began to organize.

Meanwhile, Wang Chong followed Elder Wu to the Wushang Chief’s residence.

Although he had already obtained the trust of an important elder like Wu Jiumei, and Li Siye and the others were helping out with dealing with the effects of the lunar eclipse, Wang Chong was still deeply concerned about the Wushang Village Chief, Fang Xiaoyan’s grandfather.

Wang Chong had never imagined that Fang Xiaoyan’s grandfather would be a hidden ‘Imperial Great General’, comparable to Zhangchou Jianqiong.

Each warrior of this level was a strategic asset!

For this kind of expert, the smallest injury, the most minute drop in power, would have massive ramifications, let alone more serious injuries. In clashes of experts, the tiniest differences could decide the match. For experts of the ‘Imperial Great General’ level, a minor drop in strength would lead to a fall from this tier and no longer being a match for their former peers.

If everything followed the original course, Fang Xiaoyan’s grandfather would be severely wounded by this lunar eclipse, his strength dropping severely.

To simply look on as a mighty ‘Imperial Great General’ was on the verge of being lost was simply unacceptable to Wang Chong, a completely wasted treasure.

Moreover, the construction of his ‘city of steel’ for his fief was about to begin. A master of the Imperial Great General level standing sentinel in the city would be of great assistance for the operation of the fief.

“Who goes there!”

“Stop!”

“No outsiders are allowed to approach!”

……

As Wang Chong ran with Wu Jiumei to the Wushang Chief’s house, he could already smell the tension in the air. The chief’s house was surrounded by experts, far more than those standing guard around Wu Jiumei’s house.

While they were still fifty-some zhang away, they were already being called to stop.

This array of forces left even Wang Chong feeling a headache. At a moment like this, Wang Chong counted himself fortunate that he had come with Wu Jiumei!

“Stop. It’s me.”

Wu Jiumei did not stop as he spoke, continuing to rush forward.

“It’s Granduncle Jiu. Quickly stand aside!”

Seeing that it was Elder Wu Jiumei leading the group, the guards quickly dispersed.

“Lord Marquis, please follow me.”

Wu Jiumei had a grim expression as he crossed the threshold and entered the house. Wang Chong closely followed, and with Wu Jiumei leading the way, no one attempted to stop him.

The stone house was packed and fraught with an air of sorrow. The moment Wang Chong stepped in, he could hear the weeping of a girl.

Fang Xiaoyan was seated on the ground, her eyes red and staring in a single direction as tears streamed down her cheeks. Wang Chong immediately followed her gaze.

He saw a white-haired elder lying on a bed, unmoving: the Wushang Village Chief who Wang Chong had met just this morning. His entire body was black, cold, and stiff. Each of his breaths was weaker than the last, and it seemed like he wouldn’t be able to last for long.

“Stand aside and let me through!”

Wang Chong immediately began to push through the crowd and make his way to the bed!

“Bastard! What are you planning! Stand aside.”

“The elders are in the middle of treatment. Do you think that this is your territory? Back off!”

……

The people in the room turned on him with furious looks.

“What are you standing around for! Stand aside! I requested his help!”

A harsh rebuke rang out in their ears. Wang Chong did not need to say anything, as Wu Jiumei immediately set about berating the villagers, his expression stern and anger coming out of every pore.

This sudden rebuke left many people dumbfounded. No one had expected Granduncle Jiu to suddenly speak up for an outsider.

“Granduncle Jiu…”

“What are you waiting around for? Didn’t you hear? Stand aside and let him through!” Wu Jiumei said with a dour expression.

Still dazed and confused, the villagers subconsciously made way.

Granduncle Jiu’s status in the village was only second to the chief’s. With the chief unconscious, no one dared to defy Granduncle Jiu.

With the access provided to him by Wu Jiumei, Wang Chong encountered much less resistance. Squeezing up to the bed, Wang Chong pried open the Wushang Chief’s mouth with his right hand and inserted the black and brown pill. He then used a cup of water to help get the pill down.

Like ice and snow thawing, the black and brown pill quickly began to take effect. At the very start, the villagers had still been indescribably furious, hatefully staring at Wang Chong’s back.

But as the pill dissolved and permeated through the Wushang Chief’s belly, the black hue around his lips began to melt away like snow being struck by sunlight.

A patch of red appeared on the chief’s thin cheeks. “Ah!” The Wushang Chief’s chest shuddered as he took a long breath, and his eyes suddenly opened.

This astonishing sight instantly struck the crowd dumb.

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NovelThe Human EmperorChapter 710 - Recruitment Successful (I)
THE HUMAN EMPEROR
C710 - Recruitment Successful (I)
Chapter 710: Recruitment Successful (I)

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

The villagers who had just been berating Wang Chong were now staring in disbelief. If they had not seen it with their own eyes, they would have never believed that Wang Chong had this sort of ability.

After all, they had already tried all sorts of methods, including wujian grass.

“Chief! Chief! Chief!…”

The villagers quickly stirred from their daze and began rushing up in elation, gathering around the chief’s bed with excited expressions.

The Wushang were conservative and xenophobic, but they had also maintained their unadorned affections. The person most revered and of greatest status in Wushang Village was its chief, and he had watched many people grow up.

To many people of the village, he was their spiritual leader.

When their chief fell over, all of them had been helpless and dazed, unable to do anything. Many people even thought that the chief was about to ‘leave’.

Now that their chief had finally recovered and awakened, one could easily imagine their excitement.

While everyone else was rushing to the Wushang Chief’s side, only Wu Jiumei stood in the back, sighing as he looked at Wang Chong. His expression was a mixture of gratitude and shame.

Given the attitude of the Wushang during the day, a normal person would have thrown them aside and left. But this young man had forgiven old enmities and helped Wushang Village. This was the reason for Wu Jiumei’s complicated expression.

Wu Jiumei stepped forward and sincerely said, “Lord Marquis, my deepest gratitude!”

Before today, no one would have expected that this year would experience a rare lunar eclipse, when the Yin energy was at its thickest.

To the Wushang, this occasion was lethal. If not for the prompt arrival of this young man and his pills, the consequences would have been unbearable to imagine.

Wang Chong only smiled in reply.

“Grandpa!”

The weeping girl, seeing the old man wake up, excitedly rushed forward. Wang Chong stood in the back, silently taking in everything with a knowing smile.

No matter what happened next, he had helped the future Fang Xiaoyan, filled in one of her regrets. Now that everything was done with, he wasn’t necessary for what came next.

Without alarming anyone, Wang Chong quickly left the room.

……

“Has everything been taken care of?”

It was pitch-black outside the room, and that giant figure stood in the darkness like a looming mountain.

“I already had Gao Feng and Nie Yan take care of it. The one hundred pills we brought were dissolved into water and given to all the villagers to drink. Their conditions have already been stabilized.”

Li Siye’s vigorous voice came out of the gloom, suffused with an unusual texture that allowed one to sense his strength.

“Mm.”

Wang Chong said nothing more.

Carefully listening, he could no longer hear the screams and howls. The chaotic Wushang Village had gradually begun to settle down.

Peace was returning to the village.

Wang Chong almost imperceptibly nodded. It was clear that his pills had worked. Otherwise, it wouldn’t be so quiet.

“Tell the others to return as soon as they’re finished, to the place the Wushang arranged for us to stay!”

“Yes, Lord Marquis,” came Li Siye’s voice from the darkness.

Turning around, Wang Chong quickly began to make his way to the aforementioned place. But he had barely walked two steps when a voice rang out in his mind.

“Congratulations to user for completing the mission ‘Grand Marshal’s Summons’. All rewards will be dispensed after daybreak.”

The flat and emotionless voice of the Stone of Destiny sounded like heavenly music to Wang Chong’s ears.

Success!

Wang Chong stopped and slightly clenched his fists. ‘The heavens would not let down the perseverant.’ The Wushang were xenophobic and conservative, clinging to their traditions, refusing to bow to any power before the great calamity.

Even though he was the Young Marquis, a disciple of the Son of Heaven, and had the backing of the court, they had still not cared. This alone was testament to their resolve.

But Wushang Village’s ‘Night of the Lunar Eclipse’ had still presented him a superb opportunity.

The Night of the Lunar Eclipse was the most influential event in all of Wushang Village’s history. If he had not appeared here, Wushang Village would have suffered two or three thousand deaths, perhaps even more.

If he wanted to obtain the good will of the xenophobic Wushang before the great calamity, this was his only chance. And there was no doubt that his plan had worked.

In successfully averting this tragedy, he had won the favor of the Wushang.

The Stone of Destiny’s voice was the greatest affirmation of his success!

The only thing that surprised Wang Chong was that the Stone of Destiny would previously only make an announcement when the mission was completely finished.

Whether it was the ‘Regional Commanders incident’ or ‘The Empire’s Dirge’ in the southwest, this had always been the case. But things were clearly different this time.

He had only just finished giving the Wushang the water mixed with the pills and the event was still not completely over, yet the Stone of Destiny was already notifying him of his success.

Is it because Wushang Village is only a small village that isn’t on the main track of history, so its current influence still isn’t that great? Or is it because I first saved Wu Jiumei and the Wushang Chief? Took the higher route?

Wang Chong’s eyes turned as his mind whirred. After thinking it over, he concluded that it probably had to do with the fact that Wushang Village was an obscure mountain village.

Although I don’t know how you calculated it, if that’s what you’re really thinking, then you’ve made a big mistake.

An almost undetectable smile appeared on Wang Chong’s face as he thought this.

Wushang Village truly was very small. A population of fifty or sixty thousand in this world was truly a very small number, and they were also very conservative, xenophobic, and traditional.

They truly did have very little influence, but if he were given one chance, their influence would become immeasurable!

Five thousand Wushang Cavalry had been enough for him to campaign across the world, establishing a brilliant reputation for them. With the great calamity still in the future and the Wushang still whole and intact, it was difficult to imagine the flood of strength that fifty or sixty thousand Wushang would represent!

Rewards to be dispensed after daybreak… Interesting!

A curious look flashed in Wang Chong’s eyes as he recalled those last words, but he quickly regained his composure.

Gao Feng, Nie Yan, and the others began to return from their duties. The serenity of the night lasted until morning.

……

The moon set and stars sank away. Dawn broke in the east, the red sun ascending over the horizon, exuding its great light. Red rays painted the lofty peaks surrounding Wushang Village in the glow of daybreak.

It was daybreak, the agreed time of their departure!

“Lord Marquis, what should we do?”

Li Siye sat cross-legged on the floor at the door to the house, his back straight, his giant Wootz Steel sword on his lap, like some crouching tiger. He had apparently not slept, and his eyes were bloodshot. It was apparent that some serious matter had been greatly weighing on his mind.

“Do we really have to leave empty-handed?”

Li Siye’s face was full of struggle. The mission Wang Chong had given him had met with complete failure upon the Wushang Chief’s refusal. This was an unprecedented incident in Li Siye’s life.

As the agreed time of departure approached, Li Siye’s heart was filled with a deep reluctance.

“Haha, let’s leave! Why shouldn’t we leave? Gao Feng, Nie Yan, and the others are all awake, right? It’s about time. We should get ready to leave.”

To Li Siye’s surprise, Wang Chong had a relaxed expression upon waking. He seemed not at all downcast at the failure of the mission.

“Ah?!!”

Everyone was momentarily dumbfounded.

No one had expected Wang Chong to make the decision so easily and so carefreely. But since Wang Chong had spoken, no one dared to say otherwise. They all stood up and began to pack for their departure.

Wushang Village at dawn was peaceful and serene. No sign of last night’s chaos could be seen.

Wang Chong slightly bent down and exited the house. Outside, the morning sun had illuminated the towering mountains as well as the rows of stone houses and the wide stone plaza.

Bathed in the light of dawn, the scene was as beautiful as a painting!

Truly beautiful! I hope that it can always be so peaceful and serene! Wang Chong quietly said to himself.

It was precisely because he had seen the shattered landscape that he so cherished it now. No matter what, Wang Chong hoped that this paradisiacal village secluded from the world and the Central Plains that he stood on would always be able to maintain this picturesque beauty!

“Lord Marquis!”

A voice came from behind him, breaking Wang Chong’s train of thought. In a few moments, all his guards—Gao Feng, Nie Yan, Li Siye, his soldiers, and those who had been captured—had emerged from the stone house.

Last night, once everything had been taken care of, Wu Jiumei had released the captured soldiers.

“Let’s go!”

Without the slightest delay, Wang Chong set off, leading Li Siye, Gao Feng, Nie Yan, and the rest toward the mountains on the west side.

He had come through the western side, and Zhang Shouzhi’s group was waiting for him there. With matters settled here, he naturally had to return.

“Wait a moment. Lord Marquis, please hold.”

Just when Wang Chong was about to march his soldiers out of Wushang Village, a voice came from the other end of the plaza.

With this voice came the sound of many footsteps.

Wang Chong turned his head and saw that in the blazing light of the morning sun, a group of Wushang villagers was hurrying in his direction.

The one leading it was the white-haired Wushang Chief, and accompanying him were Wu Jiumei, Huang Botian, the rest of the elders and protectors, and the other core members of the village.

Even Fang Xiaoyan was mixed into the crowd.

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