novelraw Chapter 112 Li Zhongchang
Chapter 112 Li Zhongchang
At the same moment, inside Chiling Village, a fair-skinned, beardless middle-aged man sat smiling in a pavilion, with a pot of warmed wine beside him and two little girls sitting next to him, tilting their heads as they listened to him tell a story.
This old man was more interesting than they imagined. He had a rich early life, traveling all over the country, capturing tigers and leopards, and killing evil officials and bandits. These stories of the martial arts world were very attractive to the children.
Although this is a martial arts world, power only amplifies the desires of the human heart. The term "knight-errant" has not even been invented yet. Li Zhongchang, who had a chivalrous style in his youth, had an unusual charm.
Moreover, the children also gleaned some information: Li Zhongchang had an extraordinary background before entering the palace. He was the eldest disciple of the master of Shengshou Manor, but he was expelled from the manor after angering his master, which led him to become an official in the court.
"Although my teacher is also kind-hearted, she is caught between the barbarians of the Northern Plains and the bandits of the Nine Turns Mountain. Even a grandmaster would be under immense pressure. In her eyes, what I did was disrupting the balance."
"That's because your teacher is stupid and incompetent! He can't even protect his disciples when they do the right thing!"
"Yes! Stupid...? Sister, you're swearing..."
The eldest daughter said angrily, clearly having been captivated by Li Zhongchang's story, and even becoming somewhat dissatisfied with that renowned doctor, making a fierce gesture towards the north.
"The teacher was just not completely kind. She had too many concerns and was subject to many constraints. The older I get, the more I can understand her..."
Li Changshi slowly drank a sip of hot wine, feeling a ball of fire roll through his chest and abdomen and reach his stomach. Only then did he exhale a sigh of relief and say with a smile,
"Because I'm actually not much different. Over the years, I've taken too many detours and hit too many dead ends, but there's one good thing in the end... I never gave up on completely changing this suffocating situation."
At that moment, several faint cracking sounds came from his chest, continuous and dense, which was pleasing to the ear. It meant that the life tablets of the thousand commanders under his command were breaking one after another, turning into fine stone powder inside his clothes.
This is a special twin stone made from stones mined from the Tianshan Mountains. It is extremely hard and tough, so it was melted into the breastplates of soldiers and carried close to their bodies.
It can serve as a protective measure to safeguard vital organs, and it can also be used to observe their life or death status. Now that all the life stones have shattered one after another, it proves that their hearts have been pierced one after another.
"……Ha ha."
Li Changshi suddenly laughed, downed the liquor in his hand in one gulp, and then, with a carefree and liberated air, tore off his dark blue official robe and stood up with an air of nonchalance.
He wasn't worried at all about his subordinate's death; on the contrary, he felt great relief at being free from surveillance. Wasn't the reason he let Hu Chuan do whatever he wanted all along for this moment? To make it easier for himself to disappear completely from the court's surveillance network.
"Grandfather, you...!"
The two girls stood up almost simultaneously, and the axemen hidden in the pavilions and haystacks followed suit, pointing their spears, halberds, and axes at the eunuch's head almost at the same time.
"Don't worry, you're obedient and to my liking, so I won't kill you... but please don't block my way, I've been imprisoned for who knows how long!"
He laughed loudly, and at the same time, he touched the top of Hu's daughter's head with two fingers. The latter immediately collapsed and fell into a deep sleep on the stone table. There was an unusual energy in her body that was tapping into her potential and opening the door.
As for the other bandits of Chiling Mountain... they were not so lucky at all. Li Zhongchang and Li Fu walked out of the corridor with a maniacal laugh. Their hands turned into jade-like material, and with a few swift movements, they smashed heads and cut off hands and feet!
They fought their way through a muddy, bloody path until a casual punch shattered the gate of Chizhai, and they disappeared into the distance to the north... The turmoil finally came to an end amidst panic and screams.
……
……
Two hours later, the massacre finally came to an end. All twenty-nine members of the imperial court were killed, and as a precaution, each corpse was stabbed in the back until it was completely crushed and breathed its last.
Xuanwu Guard also suffered heavy losses, with only four people remaining, including Fang Jin. It was a miracle that they survived; the elders and below could hardly have endured in this fierce battle.
The side of Chiling Village that leans towards Hushan was completely annihilated, leaving not a single survivor. Even though the price was the death of half of the bandits on his own side, Hu Chuan still couldn't stop smiling.
"Brother Fang! You truly are our family's lucky star. Not only did you complete our transaction, but you also allowed me, Old Hu, to make an extra profit. I really don't know how to thank you enough... Are you married?"
At the Snake Valley Pass, Hu Chuan greeted them as soon as they met, his big beard blooming like a chrysanthemum with a smile that was so smug and ugly that Fang Jin wanted to kick him.
The world is a dangerous place, and he has truly experienced it firsthand. Even though he took the initiative to propose the cooperation, he never imagined that he would be taken advantage of and go to such an extent, becoming someone who works for the other party.
"No way, I wouldn't even marry your wife to you. Whether you're an opponent or a friend, you'll devour me completely. I'd be crazy to waste my life on you."
"You can't say that, Brother Fang. It's a mutually agreeable business deal. If they lose all their money, it's none of my business, right? Besides, do you really expect a shady shop to sell undiluted liquor? You're kidding, that's the kind of person who would do that."
Hu Chuan said with a smile, and at the same time welcomed Fang Jin into the temporary tent and made her sit down. Hot wine and bloody cooked beef were served on the table. The two clinked glasses and drank it all in one gulp, and then immediately began to eat and drink heartily.
They were so hungry that they entered Snake Valley around dusk and fought for at least three hours. By now, everyone's stomach was burning hot.
"But I'm not joking, I'm sincerely inviting you to join me."
After rinsing the bits of beef in his mouth with alcohol, Hu Chuan spoke solemnly, his eyes shining as he spoke, radiating a passion and enthusiasm that was almost infectious.
"You've already offended the Emperor to the death. You've killed two long-serving elders and slaughtered all twenty-nine thousand households of the court. Even if that prince is unharmed, it won't save your life. Going back means certain death."
"On the contrary, although I have only just begun to gain momentum, I have already taken control of three of the six mountains: Chiling Village, Tieling, and Murder Ridge. I can take over one of the three mountains at any time."
"Sooner or later, the winding corridor will fall into my hands. Even a master of sixty years cannot track it down, but I can go to any corner of the world. And this is just the beginning."
"I have already gained power. Even if I cannot threaten the Grandmaster's territory, I can at least establish a state within a state. If we join forces to fight for the heavens and the earth and share the glory, isn't that better than the arduous task of sending the Buddha back to his homeland in the Northern Plains?"
"I can even give up some of my interests to get your family out of the capital."