dmims Chapter 190 Soldiers and Bandits! Shocking News!
Chapter 190 Soldiers and Bandits! Shocking News!
Chapter 190 Soldiers and Bandits! Shocking News!
Chu Yang looked down at the unshaven man. In his memory, the man was a handsome young man. After not seeing him for a few years, he had become as slovenly as Li Gexiao.
"Is the life of a secret agent this tough? You look so weathered, I almost didn't recognize you," Chu Yang joked with a smile.
"Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. The affairs of the secret agents are indeed very busy. I have not had time to take care of my appearance. I apologize for making you laugh."
F
"Stand up and speak; these are all old friends."
"Yes."
Guihai Yidao slowly stood up, a look of doubt flashing in his eyes. The wise king in front of him seemed very different from the one he remembered.
Especially his bearing, he was even more imposing than an emperor!
Chu Yang said, "It's kind of you to make this trip. There must be a large army waiting outside the city, but the crisis in Jinling City has been resolved, so we don't need them."
Guihai Yidao couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, did someone really kill two demon kings?"
Chu Yang nodded with a playful expression.
"Who exactly is this Lord Chu that the common people are talking about? Could any of you please introduce him?"
"I wonder when our human race produced such a master."
Gui Hai Yi Dao's words made Li Xunhuan and Li Ge Xiao burst into laughter at the same time.
The expert is right in front of you, but unfortunately you can't imagine it.
"There are more important things for you to do, so don't worry about that Lord Chu!" Chu Yang shook his head and laughed. "First, let the army patrol the area to see if there are any lingering demons, and then go to Wanglong City to meet up with the Qi family army."
Guihai Yidao recalled the general's attitude from before and shook his head, saying, "Those people probably don't want to go to Wanglong City. Getting them to come and support Jinling is already a stretch."
Chu Yang frowned and said, "How could this be?"
Gui Haiyi said with a stern expression, "The situation in the south has been in a state of disarray for a long time, and the imperial court has not paid much attention to it. Although these generals do not say it on the surface, they have already set up their own factions in private."
"When General Qi was alive, they endured and waited for this day to come. Now, it is even more absurd to ask them to go to Wanglong City to rescue General Qi."
Chu Yang nodded and said, "I understand. Take me there and I'll talk to them."
Guihai Yidao shook his head and said, "Your Highness, please forgive my slip of the tongue. The emperor is far away and the heavens are high. Even if His Majesty were to come in person, he might not be able to control these scheming fellows. Your title of Your Highness will not frighten them."
Chu Yang didn't say much and strode towards the city gate, with Li Gexiao and Li Xunhuan following closely behind.
Guihai Yidao had no choice but to follow them, and couldn't help but wonder how the useless prince had suddenly become so imposing.
Even I was fooled, and before I knew it, I was following the other person.
Before long, a massive army appeared before Chu Yang. However, what annoyed him was that this army couldn't even maintain the most basic formation, and its discipline was extremely lax.
They were more like bandits than soldiers.
The bearded general at the head of the group looked more like the chieftain of a mountain stronghold.
"General Zhao, let me introduce you. This is His Highness the Wise Prince, and the other two are Li Gexiao and Li Xunhuan."
""
"You should have heard of their names."
The bearded general surnamed Zhao looked at them with disdain, not even glancing at them directly, and sneered, "A mere Assistant Commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard and a third-ranked scholar in the imperial examinations—in the past, I, Zhao, would have had to grovel before you. But now—"
"As for the wise king? Heh."
Li Gexiao and Li Xunhuan didn't care about General Zhao's verbal belittling. After glancing at the lazy army, they knew that this Zhao was going to be in trouble.
Guihai Yidao was quite angry. How could Zhao put him in such a position with such words?
Suppressing his anger, Gui Haiyi said, "General Zhao, I have confirmed that Jinling City is safe. Why don't we take advantage of the situation and head south to relieve the Qi family army's predicament?"
"Go south? Are you crazy, or am I crazy?" General Zhao looked at the group as if they were idiots. "Wanglong City is a death trap. Whoever goes there will die. I'd rather enjoy a few days in Jinling City. It's the richest city in the south."
"Enjoy?" Chu Yang stared at him coldly. "How do you mean by enjoying it? Tell me."
General Zhao laughed heartily, "Young Prince, you've lived in the capital since childhood, you're ignorant of the ways of the world. Haven't you heard the saying, 'Bandits pass like combs, soldiers pass like fine brushes'?"
Upon hearing this, Li Gexiao and Li Xunhuan's expressions darkened.
"If you say that, you deserve to die; you have no one to blame but yourself."
Chu Yang reached out and grabbed at the void, and the immense gravitational force instantly pulled General Zhao towards him.
"Why can't I move!"
General Zhao was both shocked and furious, his body was completely out of control, and he couldn't even resist.
"Release the general!"
The closest lieutenant drew his long sword and shouted the loudest, but did not take a single step.
The other soldiers reacted similarly; with their commander captured, not one of them wanted to risk their lives to save him.
"What a bunch of useless trash! The safety of the southern Ming Dynasty is in the hands of these few good-for-nothings!"
Chu Yang gripped General Zhao's neck tightly, his eyes like knives, sweeping coldly over the soldiers.
With a snap, General Zhao's neck broke off, and his head rolled off his shoulder like a ball, rolling to the deputy general's feet.
"General Zhao is dead!!!"
The lieutenant shouted at the top of his lungs, his expression one of extreme fear.
A commotion arose, and the soldiers began to show signs of fleeing.
Chu Yang felt increasingly disappointed.
"How could Your Highness—"
From the moment Chu Yang made his move, Gui Haiyi's mind went blank. The virtuous prince, who had indulged in a life of luxury for more than twenty years, could actually kill the general guarding two cities with a mere flick of his wrist.
"Cao Shaoqin and Ma Jinliang left the capital twice, both times in such a hurry. In addition, Lord Guo resigned. Could the reason be...? As a secret agent of the Dragon Guard Manor, Guihai Yidao's mind is more meticulous than others. He found the truth from the slightest clues."
Thinking of how Chu Yang had endured so many years and borne the infamy of being a good-for-nothing playboy for so long, Gui Haiyi felt both admiration and a chill run down his spine.
What does Your Highness want to do?
Guihai Yidao trembled slightly. At this moment, all he wanted was to return to the Dragon Guard Manor as soon as possible and tell his adoptive father, Iron-Blooded Marquis, everything.
"Brother Yidao, don't rush. First, follow the Prince's instructions and bring back the Qi Family Army. After that, you can ask the Prince for instructions before deciding what to do."
Li Gexiao silently put his arm around Gui Haiyidao's shoulder and used the unique grappling techniques of the Embroidered Uniform Guard to subdue him. Gui Haiyidao subconsciously tried to break free, but his shoulders felt as heavy as if they weighed ten thousand pounds.
"Your powers have been restored?!"
"How was it restored?!"
Guihai Yidao looked at Li Gexiao in shock. Tiedan Shenhou once said that if Li Gexiao was injured like that, his martial arts foundation would be reduced to less than one-tenth, and he would never be able to recover in this lifetime.
"Brother Yidao, you'd better take my words to heart; it's for your own life."
Li Gexiao suddenly let go, patted Gui Haiyidao's shoulder, and then stepped aside, smiling at him.
Gui Haiyi had no doubt that if he didn't agree, the other party would definitely kill him without hesitation.
"You two take these useless people to meet General Qi."
"Aren't we waiting for Duan Tianya to come back?"
"There's no need to wait any longer."
Chu Yang turned and glanced at his deputy. "Do you have a problem with that?"
The lieutenant dared not speak again; the last person to speak had been beheaded. He kept kneeling on the ground and kowtowing.
"You have no backbone whatsoever as a general. Once this matter is over, get out of here on your own and don't let me see you again."
After speaking, Chu Yang didn't even want to look at him again and turned to leave.
Li Gexiao and Gui Haiyidao were left to clean up the mess. They were just a bunch of bandits, and the two of them were strong enough to suppress them.
Li Xunhuan caught up with Chu Yang and asked, "Why didn't Your Highness ask me if I wanted to go?"
Chu Yang casually remarked, "Didn't you want to leave a while ago?"
Li Xunhuan was taken aback for a moment, then asked, "How did Your Highness figure that out?"
Chu Yang said, "Some people are born free, like unrestrained birds. They may stay in one place for a short time, but they will eventually fly to the boundless sky."
These words struck a chord with Li Xunhuan, who couldn't help but exclaim, "That jar of Daughter's Red wine back then tasted truly wonderful. To be able to drink with Your Highness once in this life is truly a great fortune."
Chu Yang laughed and said, "It's a pity that you, bird, have too many sad things hidden in your heart, so you can't fly happily."
A hint of sadness flashed in Li Xunhuan's eyes, but coupled with his handsome face and graying temples, the melancholy he exuded only accentuated the mature charm of a middle-aged man.
The two returned to Jinling City, wanting to take another look at the wounded soldiers, but at the entrance of the clinic, they saw Lu Xiaofeng fighting with someone.
The person who fought Lu Xiaofeng had exceptional agility, on par with Lu Xiaofeng, but his clothes were rather shabby and his appearance was rather unappealing, not befitting of a master.
Neither of them went all out; it was more like a friendly squabble.
Lu Xiaofeng was still cursing under his breath, and Chu Yang and Li Xunhuan had to step forward to hear what he was saying.
"You wall-climbing flea, calling yourself the King of Thieves? You have no loyalty whatsoever, leaving us to die in the Blissful Tower!"
"Lu Xiaoji, you're talking nonsense! That's a powerful demon that's already grown up. You two have both been captured. How can I fight it alone? I need to get help!"
"Where are you?! We've been looking for you for so many days, where are you?!"
"Who knows if that Blissful Pavilion has a formation? I've led my men around the mountains for a long time and we still have no clue!"
"And then you just stopped looking?!"
"I need to find a knowledgeable Taoist priest to break the formation, otherwise how can I save you!"
"Where is the Taoist priest?"
"Still looking—"
Lu Xiaofeng was trembling with anger.
With the way you're searching, even if I were sucked dry by that pink-haired skeleton, you still wouldn't find me!
"Sikong Zhaixing, you're such a bastard."
"Hehe, same to you."
Lu Xiaofeng caught a glimpse of Chu Yang watching the show out of the corner of his eye, so he stopped what he was doing, glared fiercely at Sikong Zhaixing, and then walked towards Chu Yang.
Chu Yang joked, "So this is the famous King of Thieves. He doesn't look quite like I imagined."
Lu Xiaofeng explained, "It's a disguise. That kid's real face isn't that ugly, but it's not much better than that."
Sikong Zhaixing got angry and pointed at Lu Xiaofeng, yelling, "Lu Xiaofeng, who are you calling ugly?!"
Lu Xiaofeng said smugly, "If the four of us stand together, tell me who's the best looking."
Sikong Zhaixing glanced at Hua Manlou, licked his lips, and realized that he was no match for him in terms of appearance. Then he looked at Chu Yang and Li Xunhuan, and his forehead instantly broke out in a sweat. He couldn't find any room for rebuttal.
A dejected Sikong Zhaixing waved his hand, "I've lost out in this life, let's compete again in the next."
Chu Yang couldn't help but laugh. This guy was really interesting; no wonder he could become friends with Lu Xiaofeng.
Lu Xiaofeng looked around but didn't see Li Gexiao. He asked, "Where's the drunkard?"
Chu Yang said, "He has important things to do."
Lu Xiaofeng said with a look of surprise, "A drunkard has something important to do? It's like the sun has risen in the west!"
"Oh! Speaking of important matters, I have some earth-shattering news I haven't told you yet, Lu Xiaoji." Sikong Zhaixing said solemnly, "The Lord of Baiyun City, Ye Gucheng, has challenged Ximen Chuixue to a duel on the night of the Mid-Autumn Festival. The two want to determine the greatest swordsman in the world, and the duel will take place at the Forbidden City!"
Lu Xiaofeng was shocked. "The Mid-Autumn Festival is almost here!"
Hua Manlou frowned and said, "The human race is in a precarious situation. How can they fight amongst themselves because of their own selfish desires? There are not many martial arts masters who are skilled in swordsmanship to begin with."
"Whichever side loses, it will be a loss for humanity."
Sikong Zhaixing said with a strange expression, "Seventh Young Master Hua, you are really naive. Even the emperor doesn't care about these things, how can you expect us roughnecks of the martial world to care about the world?"
"Humanity is already rotten to the core, what future are we talking about?"
Hua Manlou remained silent, clenching his fists tightly.
Li Xunhuan subconsciously glanced at Chu Yang beside him, whose expression was calm and composed, as if the collapse of the sky was nothing more than a trivial matter.
Chu Yang smiled slightly, "In that case, we should be able to catch this grand show by boat on the Mid-Autumn Festival night."
Lu Xiaofeng was startled upon hearing this. "You're going back to the capital?"
Chu Yang looked at him, puzzled. "Am I not allowed to go back? I'm not some traitorous rebel."
Upon hearing the word "traitor," Lu Xiaofeng's lips twitched.
Both Hua Manlou and Li Xunhuan wore smiles.
Li Xunhuan's smile faded, a hint of worry appearing in his eyes. "Your Highness, would you mind moving in and speaking with me a few more words?"
Chu Yang nodded and followed Li Xunhuan to a corner.
Sikong Zhaixing pointed at Chu Yang's retreating figure and shouted, "Did you hear that? He said—"
Lu Xiaofeng used his Spiritual Rhinoceros Finger to strike Sikong Zhaixing's speech acupoint, causing the latter to fall silent.
"Stop making a racket! There are people around. Why aren't you being clever when you should be?" Lu Xiaofeng scolded him in his ear, exasperated.
On the other side, Chu Yang followed Li Xunhuan to a corner, and only when no one was around did the other get straight to the point.
"Everyone knows that my Li family has produced seven Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) and three Tanhua (third-ranked scholars) from father and son. It can be said that my Li family has been serving as officials in the imperial court since the beginning of the natural world's upheaval."
"Therefore, some unknown secrets have also been circulating in the family. As for whether they are true or false, it is up to Your Highness to judge for yourself."
Chu Yang nodded and said, "It's alright, please speak freely."
Li Xunhuan then continued, "Your Highness, it would be best to proceed with caution upon your return to the capital. Do not assume that the throne is within your grasp just because of your martial arts skills. There have been masters like Your Highness who have coveted the throne before, but none of them have ever left the capital alive."
"Otherwise, given Zhuge Liang's character, how could he tolerate the Ming Dynasty's current state of decay? He would have already purged the court of corrupt officials!"
"Your Highness!"
"The waters of the capital run deep —"