Chapter 235: Miyasame Ayaka’s Return!
“This sure is a good steed!” Wang Chong was delighted. Half a cavalryman’s strength was derived from his steed. As an ex-Grand Marshal, Wang Chong possessed a particular fond toward such horsemen.
The steeds, riders, and armors; all of these would require a unique training and forging method. Without a doubt, the Zhuang Clan has already formed an entire system of it. Every single mounted troop is of utmost importance to the clan, so it’s no wonder why the Zhuang Clan would regulate the deployment of their cavalry so strictly, Wang Chong thought.
Kachacha!
In the midst of his thoughts, a crisp sound echoed from the forest, and one after another, huge trees fell to the ground.
Amidst the ruckus, one could vaguely hear the sound of something sharp cutting into wood. It seemed as though nothing in the forests, no matter how thick it was, could stop the rampage of the sharp object.
Boom boom boom!
A moment later, three large trees the size of a human’s embrace were slashed before everyone’s eyes, and each of those gigantic trunks fell down in a different direction. Behind those trees, two brawny, fully-armored men appeared.
Their eyes were sharp and their footsteps were coordinated. However, what caught everyone’s attention instantaneously were the massive halberds in their hands.
The domineering aura they exuded felt like even mountains would be sliced aside before them.
The Steel Guards of the Chi Clan!
Even without Chi Weisi’s introduction, Wang Chong could easily recognize the identity of these halberd-wielding warriors. The three chi long halberd of the Chi Clan was exquisitely crafted. It had a clear mirror-like surface with a crimson flood dragon inscribed on both sides. Not to mention, its capability of splitting a mounted soldier along with his mount in a single cut could easily induce shivers in any opponent.
In an intense battlefield, they were the sharpest weapons for a frontal breakthrough. There was almost nothing that could block the path of these fearsome halberds.
“Young master!” the duo nodded slightly. For them, this was sufficient for a greeting. Regardless of whether it was in the Zhuang Clan or the Chi Clan, these cavalry and guards were a strategic asset, and they possessed an exceptional standing to match it.
“This is Wang Chong, Wang gongzi, an offspring of Duke Jiu. For the next few days, you shall be following Wang gongzi, so give him your full support!” Zhuang Zhengping and Chi Weisi turned to the steel cavalry and steel guards respectively and gave their orders.
“Yes, young master!” Hearing the name of Duke Jiu, a hint of respect immediately appeared in the eyes of the Zhuang Clan cavalry and the two Chi Clan Steel Guards.
In the Great Tang Empire, Duke Jiu was regarded with utmost respect. This wasn’t limited to the royal court but the military as well. Considering the fact that the person before them was an offspring of Duke Jiu, then it wasn’t too difficult to infer his identity.
Harboring such thoughts, the respect in their eyes deepened.
“Gongzi, are these people enough? Do you need us to have more personnel deployed over?”
“Indeed. Even though it’d be difficult to mobilize the strength of our clan, if it’s for Wang gongzi, I’m sure that our clans would surely agree to it,” Zhuang Zhengping and Chi Weisi said. The orders they had received before entering Kunwu Training Camp was that regardless of the situation, they had to befriend the Wang Clan’s Wang Chong.
In exchange, the clan would offer them whatever they needed.
“There’s no need for that, these people will suffice!” Wang Chong waved his hands, turning down the duo’s goodwill. What he was aiming for wasn’t a direct confrontation on the battlefield.
Besides, this wasn’t a matter that could be solved through a direct confrontation, either.
Thus, three people were enough for him.
“Come out!” After Zhuang Zhengping and Chi Weisi left, Wang Chong walked into the forest and abruptly halted.
Klang!
In that instant, the sound of sabers and halberds moving, and the metallic clanging of armor sounded. The two Chi Clan steel guards and Zhuang Clan cavalry immediately jerked in alarm, and they quickly and warily scanned the surroundings.
And yet, the surroundings remained completely silent. Except for the slight whistling of the wind, there was nothing to be seen.
“Gongzi…”
The trio immediately turned around to stare at Wang Chong in bewilderment. They were all True Martial realm experts, but they couldn’t detect anything at all.
They couldn’t help but wonder what an Origin Energy realm martial artist like Wang Chong could have noticed.
Wang Chong only smiled in response at their bewilderment as he looked at the surroundings, not bothering to explain his actions.
Sou!
All of a sudden, without any warning signs, at a distance extremely close to the group, sou!, a petite silhouette suddenly jumped down from the branch of a camphor tree, and several other shadows instantaneously appeared above everyone’s head. The sheer speed of the silhouettes was inconceivable.
“Careful!”“It’s an enemy attack!” the trio exclaimed in alarm. Chi, two massive halberds were swiftly swung in the direction of the silhouette above. At the same time, the rider also sprang into action. The spear in his hand jerked, stabbing straight for the silhouette above as though it were an enraged dragon.
Klang!
The petite silhouette stepped lightly on the tip of the halberd of the Chi Clan steel guards. At the same time, a sword by the silhouette’s waist flicked, striking the tip of the spear of the Zhuang Clan rider lightly. Making use of the momentum from this action, the silhouette flipped in midair and landed on the ground lightly.
This astoundingly flexible and nimble series of actions left the trio dumbstruck. They had never met such a formidable opponent before. The silhouette was like a floating feather, completely unfazed by their strength.
“Kill her!” Alarmed, killing intent immediately gushed from the trio. The steed neighed furiously, and a spear was thrust forward in an attempt to impale the silhouette.
“Stop!” At that split moment, a voice sounded from behind them. “Miyasame Ayaka, come over!”
The petite silhouette stood up from the ground as she nimbly sheathed the two swords in her hands back into the scabbards at her waist.
“So she’s an acquaintance of gongzi!” Only then did the steel cavalry and steel guards came to a realization. They retracted their weapons, and hurriedly backed down. At the same time, a slight hint of fear sprouted in their hearts.
While the black-clothed assassin was a female, her fighting prowess was formidable. Even a cooperative effort among the three of them was unable to faze her in the least.
“How is it? Did any problems occur?” Wang Chong asked, staring at Miyasame Ayaka. After two months of absence, Miyasame Ayaka’s skills had improved significantly, and her movements had become more nimble and profound.
“Everything went fine!” Miyasame Ayaka reported, Knowing what Wang Chong was referring to. “There are no problems with the crew. While I did find some fellows who harbored unwanted intentions, I’ve gotten rid of them personally.”
As Miyasame Ayaka didn’t remove the black cloth veiling her face, only a pair of bright eyes was revealed. With outsiders around, Miyasame Ayaka was unwilling to expose her identity.
“Gongzi, are they your new subordinates?” Miyasame Ayaka asked as her gaze swept across the trio.
“What do you think of them?” Wang Chong chuckled.
“Not bad, just that they’re a little too bulky and clumsy! With their strength, they clearly aren’t enough to protect gongzi.” Miyasame Ayaka replied impassively.
“Bastard, what did you say?” Seeing that their capabilities were being doubted, the trio flew into a rage.
“Hmph, I’m just speaking the truth.” Miyasame Ayaka harrumphed coldly before walking over to Wang Chong. Her eccentric behavior left the trio even more enraged.
Watching the sight, Wang Chong chuckled inwardly. Most likely, Miyasame Ayaka was discontented with Wang Chong’s action of liaising with this trio and was expressing her unhappiness through this.
“Alright. Unlike you, they are warriors of the battlefield. Strength is of vital importance on the battlefield, so they have a much different fighting style as compared to nimble and flexible assassins like you,” Wang Chong said with a smile.
The battlefield required a significantly different fighting style than a normal martial artist. If the Zhuang Clan steel cavalry and Chi Clan steel guards were placed on a battlefield, they would be no different from a slaughtering machine.
While their immense strength might be ineffective against a nimble assassin, on the battlefield, where troops were gathered densely and there was little space for maneuvering, their true prowess would shine through.
Hearing Wang Chong’s words, the complexion of the trio improved.
“Gongzi, where do we go now?” Miyasame Ayaka asked.
It had been awhile since she had returned, but she hadn’t been able to meet Wang Chong since the latter had been cooped up on the mountain. Given that the latter had suddenly left the mountain, he must be up to something.
“Hehe, follow me and you’ll know soon enough.” Wang Chong flung his sleeves and proceeded forward.
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In the west of the city, in the vicinity of Falling Jade Pavilion, a massive and majestic gambling den was erected amidst a group of buildings. Installed on the ridge of its golden roof wasn’t a dragon—the convention in Central Plains—but a golden-colored Three-legged Crow.
Other than that, there wasn’t much of a difference between this gambling den and the others seen across the Central Plains, including the parts of its design. For example, it also had a string of red lanterns hanging on the edge of the roof ridge.
“Gold Heaven Great Gambling Den!”
Wang Chong was seated by the railings on the second floor of a tavern opposite the Gold Heaven Great Gambling Den, sipping on a cup of wine as he assessed the gambling den with interest.
“Three-Legged Crow”, this is the faith and belief of the Goguryeons. This fact was no secret to Wang Chong, but clearly, the population of the Central Plains were unaware of it.
After all, Goguryeon was located far to the northeast. Besides, the Goguryeon Empire also had strict border policies, thus the knowledge that the Central Plains had of them was terribly limited.
The Three-Legged Crow could be seen throughout the city’s west, be it perching majestically on roofs or a vague image within residences. This was a clear indication that the Goguryeons had taken this place as their base of operations.
In fact, even the tavern which Wang Chong was in was likely to be a business of the Goguryeons.
Seated by the railing, Wang Chong narrowed his eyes slightly, and many thoughts flashed across his eyes.
The Goguryeons had closed their borders, strictly forbidding any foreigners, especially those from Great Tang, from entering. Thus, it was very hard for one to infiltrate into their territory.
On the other hand, Great Tang went on an entirely different path.
Even if it was a hostile nation, Great Tang never obstructed the entry of citizens of other nationalities. They were completely accepting of foreigners.
All merchants were protected under Great Tang’s laws, and the Chamberlain of Dependencies had even gone to the extent of establishing a codex to safeguard their interest.
While Wang Chong was dissatisfied with several of the policies from the Chamberlain of Dependencies, he had to admit that the openness of the Great Tang had indeed benefited him greatly as well.
It was due to the very same openness that Great Tang was enjoying its current prosperity.
These policies allowed Goguryeons to still live peacefully in the capital despite the stiff relationship between the Goguryeon Empire and Great Tang.
The Goguryeons established casinos, taverns, tea houses, stables, and other businesses here, and Great Tang never tried to hinder them.
However, this didn’t mean that Great Tang was going to condone everything the Goguryeons did. The Bureau of Military Personnel and Bureau of Punishments had collaborated to investigate the Goguryeons, and a squad was even created to maintain surveillance on those Goguryeons at all moments.
But the final conclusion was that there was nothing wrong with the Goguryeons living in the capital—they were all ordinary merchants. After maintaining such surveillance for more than a decade, the Bureau of Military Personnel and Bureau of Punishments finally gave up.
After all, as long as the other party were just ordinary merchants, not even the Bureau of Military Personnel and Bureau of Punishments would be able to do anything to them. The royal court and the Sage Emperor forbade such actions.