荔枝影院

Edited by: Michyrr

“Pass on my order! Scour the entire city for An Yaluoshan. I need to know where they are. In addition, gather together all the pleasure-seeking scions of the great clans and have them look out for people speaking with a Youzhou accent, and also for any suspicious boxes that have been brought into the city recently. Tell them that this matter isn’t to be leaked and that they will be richly rewarded if they succeed,” Wang Chong said.

Wang Chong had started out as one of those pleasure-seeking scions. Before the age of sixteen, he was a good-for-nothing who enjoyed cockfighting and dogfighting, but after the age of sixteen, he became a hero revered by the entire realm. This made him the idol admired by all the other scions.

Amongst these scions, anyone who dared to badmouth Wang Chong would be attacked by all the rest.

While many people in the capital wouldn’t give the time of day to these hedonistic scions, Wang Chong knew that they were extremely capable, at times even more capable of finding information than the local hoodlums.

“Yes, Your Highness!” Zhang Que immediately replied.

Wang Chong saw that Zhang Que was hesitant to leave, and immediately asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Your Highness, forgive this subordinate for asking, but while your subordinate can understand searching for An Yaluoshan’s whereabouts, boxes...”

Wang Chong’s last order had come without warning, and Zhang Que, though he had served Wang Chong for a long time, had never received such a strange mission.

“Did you not notice anything strange at the city gate?”

Wang Chong looked at Zhang Que and shook his head.

Zhang Que was rather experienced, but sometimes, experience wasn’t enough. One also needed a mind for detail.

“This...”

Zhang Que blushed in shame. He was a smart man, and while he may not have noticed it at first, Wang Chong’s prompting had immediately made him realize what was wrong.

“Your Highness is referring to their luggage, correct?”

Wang Chong placed his hands behind his back and commented, “An army of nearly seven hundred only brought two boxes of luggage. Even an ordinary merchant wouldn’t bring so little.”

“But, Your Highness, when protectorate armies enter the capital, only thirty people are actually allowed to enter the capital. If it’s just those people, two boxes would be enough.” Zhang Que had gathered a great deal of information, so after hesitating, he voiced his conclusion. “Moreover, Youzhou is a prosperous area, so they might have only brought a change of clothes and planned to purchase the rest in the capital.”

“Really?”

Wang Chong indifferently added, “Did you notice how heavily the wheels of the carriage carrying the boxes pressed into the ground? An Yaluoshan is a skilled and clever opportunist. When the Sage Emperor wanted to select women to be offered to the palace, he offered nearly one hundred Hu beauties as a gift. Now, with the feast of all countries imminent and all the other countries bringing tribute, An Yaluoshan is coming to the capital for the first time as the new Andong Protector-General. Would he really bring nothing but his clothes?

“If it was really just ordinary gold and treasure, there would be no need to hide it from me. It’s clear that An Yaluoshan did not bring in his cargo through the eastern gate, and something suspicious is afoot. An Yaluoshan did not come to the capital this time for a simple visit!”

Wang Chong’s eyes, thick with killing intent, narrowed.

He had merely found it strange at first that An Yaluoshan was coming to the capital, and developed some theories, but after their meeting, Wang Chong was confident that An Yaluoshan had come with ulterior motives.

But Wang Chong still did not know what this motive was.

A dark cloud of worry appeared on Wang Chong’s brow.

The more furtive An Yaluoshan was, the greater the problem was. He needed to find out the truth.

Meanwhile, Zhang Que had turned ghastly pale, cold sweat drenching his face. He had only concerned himself with that shadow battle between Wang Chong and An Yaluoshan, never even noticing all the information contained in the details. This was undoubtedly a major error on his part.

“Yes, your subordinate will do so!” Zhang Que hastily said.

Wang Chong’s eyes flashed as he added, “In addition, have those members of the Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain teams still stationed in Youzhou remain at their stations and immediately report on any suspicious movements!”

“Yes!”

Zhang Que quickly departed, and after a few moments of thought, Wang Chong began to walk away.

He was going to discuss this matter with Xu Qiqin.

......

Elsewhere, amidst the surging crowds at the southern gate of the capital, a bronze carriage slowly made its way toward the gate.

“Ah!”

With a soft sigh, a chubby figure in the carriage slowly opened his eyes.

Before that man could speak, a refined and intelligent voice came from his side. “What a pity! He’s too cautious! In the end, he didn’t strike!”

Gao Shang was seated there, looking at the human-shaped ritual tool of black glass in An Yaluoshan’s right hand as he regretfully sighed.

‘Those people’ had gifted them a substitution ritual tool that could not only imitate one’s form, but if given enough time and a stand-in, could also transfer a person’s aura, Stellar Energy, and even a portion of one’s Psychic Energy and mind into the substitute. All of these attributes would be imitated to perfection.

Most importantly, the ritual tool allowed for long-distance control. From a certain perspective, the man at the eastern gate had been An Yaluoshan himself, even though An Yaluoshan had not actually gone over.

“I said to you before that this man is very difficult to deal with and that it would be hard for your plan to succeed.”

An Yaluoshan came back to his senses, his face pale. Much of his energy had been drained, and it was clear that long-distance control was not free. Even for the ‘Child of the World’, it was a heavy burden.

“Mm.”

Gao Shang nodded, squinting as he began to think.

“I underestimated him!”

It seemed as if his first clash with Wang Chong had come away undecided.

“But since he didn’t discover our real plan, he failed. Once the feast of all countries is over and we leave the capital, he won’t get another chance to deal with us!”

“Mm!”

An Yaluoshan nodded.

“Has everything been sent into the capital?”

“Mm, all thirty-six boxes have been sent through the western and southern gates. Everything else depends on Your Excellency!”

An Yaluoshan nodded, and their carriage quickly passed through the gates and into the bustling streets of the capital.

......

Bang!

Not long after the meeting between Wang Chong and An Yaluoshan ended, countless messenger birds took flight from the eastern gate.

“The information was true! The King of Foreign Lands truly does have a quarrel with the new Andong Protector-General!”

“Truly surprising! This is going to be fun! Discord amongst the Great Tang’s Great Generals is a source of civil strife. Send back a message! Report this matter to His Majesty!”

“To stir such hostility in the King of Foreign Lands, this An Yaluoshan can’t be simple. It looks like he even managed to get the Great Tang’s Prime Minister on his side!”

“With this brewing civil strife in the Great Tang, this feast of all countries has gotten interesting!”

The capital was brightly decorated, gongs and drums banging in an ever more festive air, but under the surface, the undercurrent was growing in strength.

“Interesting! Truly interesting! Someone, find An Yaluoshan’s address and deliver my calling card! Perhaps we might have a chance to pay a visit to this Andong Protector-General!”

In his assigned inn, Wunu Shibi read through the information on An Yaluoshan, a playful smile on his lips.

The enemy of one’s enemy was a friend.

The Great Tang’s King of Foreign Lands was simply too dazzling, and someone was needed to counterbalance him.

This An Yaluoshan seemed like the best target.

“Reporting!”

But Wunu Shibi had barely given an order when a guard rushed in and got down on one knee.

“Great General, we’ve just received a letter from the King of Foreign Lands Residence! Great General, please inspect it!”

“What?!”

Wunu Shibi’s eyebrows shot up at the mention of the King of Foreign Lands, and his smile instantly froze.

He had never imagined that Wang Chong would send him a letter.

“Bring it over!”

Wunu Shibi took the letter, glanced at it, and instantly turned grim. All of his amusement disappeared without a trace.

The letter from Wang Chong contained a single, terse sentence.

‘Communicate with An Yaluoshan and die!’

The words had been written with such force that they almost penetrated through the paper, a brazen threat.

Wunu Shibi’s face shifted between green and white as it scowled. Had a mighty Great General of the Western Turkic Khaganate ever been so humiliated, so brazenly threatened?

Wunu Shibi’s heart was aflame with anger.

Whoosh!

But a moment later, Wunu Shibi let out a long breath, releasing all of his anger and dissatisfaction and calming himself down.

“Pass on my order! Withdraw my previous order! While we are in the capital, no one is to get close to An Yaluoshan. Whenever he is seen, everyone should keep their distance!”

“Great General?!”

The kneeling guard was flabbergasted.

“No questions! Go!”

Wunu Shibi impatiently waved his hand.

When the roof was too low, one had no other choice but to lower their head.

Several years ago, no one would have dared to threaten Great General Wunu Shibi like this.

Not even Beiting Protector-General An Sishun!

But Wang Chong had vanquished the Arabian Empire and was at the height of his reputation, the noon sun shining over the continent and radiating fear into all the other countries.

Even Ishbara Khagan of the Western Turkic Khaganate feared him, accepting all the humiliation, let alone a Great General like him!

The inn quickly calmed down.

Wunu Shibi was far from the only person to receive this letter. Wang Chong had written to almost every one of the foreign countries.

How could he not understand what these countries might be thinking? With this one letter, he soothed many turbulent waves and quashed these plans.

Such was Wang Chong’s power.