Chapter 255 - 253: Feng Tianbao
Zuo Tianyuan and his son, Zuo Feiyu, both knew how to read people; their greatest skill was dealing with those more powerful than themselves.
Wei Chaoge frowned upon hearing Zuo Tianyuan’s words.
’What a venomous young man!’
Wei Chaoge snorted coldly. "It wasn’t enough to kill the son—he wants to exterminate the entire family. Are all the young people in the Jianghu so ruthless and decisive these days?
𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖
When we, the Vigorous Martial Army, massacre a city, at least there’s a reason for it—we only do it if they refuse to surrender. This junior is truly black-hearted and vicious."
Wei Chaoge had campaigned far and wide with the Vigorous Martial Army, killing countless people. He had seen many cities massacred and mounds of skulls erected, and had done much of it with his own hands.
But that was war, where neither side showed any mercy.
Jianghu grudges, however, usually followed the principle that a death settles the debt.
Because Zuo Tianyuan had been vague, he subconsciously assumed the conflict between Chen Yuan and Zuo Feiyu was nothing more than a clash of youthful pride.
For such a clash to escalate to the point of death was already quite intense. For the other party to then demand total annihilation was truly going too far.
"Alliance Leader Zuo, rest assured. You are a friend of my Vigorous Martial Army. Let alone some Hall Master from the Four Martial Halls of Zhenwu, even if Chao Hongtu himself wanted to touch you, there’s no way!"
Wei Chaoge’s tone held a certain disdain for Chao Hongtu and the Zhenwu Hall.
They were just a Jianghu force that had been pacified and recruited. If they hadn’t been, it might have been the Vigorous Martial Army that suppressed Ning Province.
In the entire Zhenwu Hall, only the former ’Breaking Army Divine General,’ Xie Wenyan, was worthy of any respect. After all, he was a figure even their own Grand General, Yuwen Tai, had praised endlessly, even saying that Xie Wenyan alone was worth an army of a hundred thousand men.
If the Court had one more Xie Wenyan, they could raise another powerful army to suppress a region. Things wouldn’t be so precarious now, with chaos erupting everywhere.
It was a pity such a man wasn’t used by the Court. He was pushed out by treacherous sycophants and ended up in the Zhenwu Hall, where he became the pillar of its rise.
Fortunately, Xie Wenyan was dead. Otherwise, if such a breathtakingly talented individual were still alive, he would have been a grave threat to the Court.
Wei Chaoge thought for a moment and said, "How about this: I’ll put out the word that your Nine Swords Alliance is now working for my Vigorous Martial Army.
That way, whether it’s Chen Jiutian from the Zhenwu Hall, the Murong Family in Ning Province, or the Sun-piercing Alliance, none of them will dare to touch you.
Of course, the prerequisite is that you think it through. Once this news is out, you’ll be tied to the Court.
You Jianghu people are always hostile to forces that work for the Court, calling them the Court’s lapdogs and attack dogs, or something to that effect.
So you’d better think carefully about whether you really want to be the Court’s lapdogs and attack dogs."
Zuo Tianyuan bowed deeply to Wei Chaoge. "My Nine Swords Alliance wouldn’t dare claim to be part of the Court. I only know that the Vigorous Martial Army has shown me favor. I, Zuo, am willing to be at the beck and call of the Vigorous Martial Army, willing to be Grand General Yuwen’s lapdog and attack dog!"
"Excellent! Alliance Leader Zuo, you have a bright future!"
Wei Chaoge patted Zuo Tianyuan’s shoulder in satisfaction. The man certainly knew how to say what people wanted to hear.
"That blasted Zhenwu Hall first rebelled and then was pacified. Nominally, it guards Ning Province for the Court, but in reality, it’s just carving out its own territory. The truth is, the Court has long found it to be an eyesore.
From now on, your Nine Swords Alliance will have the protection of the Vigorous Martial Army. If the opportunity arises in the future, perhaps the Nine Swords Alliance could even replace the Zhenwu Hall and guard Ning Province for the Court—and for Grand General Yuwen."
A smile touched Zuo Tianyuan’s lips. "I shall look forward to that day."
’There’s nothing wrong with being a hound of the Court.’
’When the day comes that I have the power to replace the Zhenwu Hall, I will definitely be stronger than Chao Hongtu!’
......
Half a month later, Guan Zhenshan returned. He brought news with him: Wei Chaoge had declared that the Nine Swords Alliance was under the protection of the Vigorous Martial Army, and that anyone who opposed the Nine Swords Alliance would be opposing the Vigorous Martial Army.
Chen Yuan was slightly stunned when he heard the news.
’Lu Li’s previous report only mentioned cooperation between the two sides. Now, it seems the Nine Swords Alliance has completely abandoned the Jianghu to become the Court’s lapdogs?’
’In the original story, after the Nine Swords Alliance replaced the Zhenwu Hall, they had good relations with both the Shangguan Family of Qing Province and the Murong Family of You Province. Back then, the Nine Swords Alliance stood in opposition to the Court.’
’Before, when the Zhenwu Hall was suppressing Ning Province, it was at least nominally under the Court. But when the Nine Swords Alliance took over, they rebelled outright.’
’Then again, the Court’s situation was even worse at that time, and they had no time to deal with the Nine Swords Alliance. In any case, aside from the bad optics of not being under the Court’s jurisdiction, there wasn’t much practical difference.’
’But now, Zuo Tianyuan had taken the initiative to pledge allegiance to the Court—or to be precise, to the Vigorous Martial Army. The man’s principles were certainly flexible.’
’On second thought, however, Chen Yuan realized he was the one who had forced Zuo Tianyuan to make this choice.’
’If Chen Yuan hadn’t killed Zuo Feiyu and severed his many opportunities and connections, the Nine Swords Alliance would likely have already gained the support of forces like the Shangguan Family. They certainly wouldn’t have chosen to align with the Court.’
Zuo Tianyuan’s reaction had been quite astute. As soon as he found out Chen Yuan had killed Zhu Xinwu and had also begun to take charge of the White Tiger Hall, he immediately started looking for a way out for himself.
"Lord Chen, there’s news from Feng Tianbao’s side. I’ve already arranged things with his subordinate. We’re to meet him at Yandang Mountain, on the northwestern border of Youning."
Chen Yuan was taken aback. "What’s Feng Tianbao doing in a remote place like Yandang Mountain?"
The main road on the Border of Youning was near the Beihai Collection. That was the route Chen Yuan had taken when he traveled from You Province to Ning Province.
There were other, smaller paths, like the one through Yandang Mountain, but the terrain was rugged and home to strongholds of horse bandits. Most people wouldn’t choose that route.
"He’s probably there to buy warhorses too. There’s a group of horse bandits on Yandang Mountain who call themselves the Twelve Blade Halls of Yandang Mountain. They’re an unruly bunch. Many of them ended up there as bandits after offending the Murong Family and the Sun-piercing Alliance and finding they could no longer survive in You Province.
They control a smuggling channel that includes warhorses, though not in large numbers.
Feng Tianbao must be desperate, to be going after the small number of horses the bandits have."
Chen Yuan nodded thoughtfully, then immediately set off for Yandang Mountain with Guan Zhenshan.
After several days of hard riding, the two of them arrived at a small town at the foot of Yandang Mountain.
As a Steward of the Flying Dragon Institute, Feng Tianbao was quite wealthy and extravagant. Instead of staying at an inn, he had simply bought a rich merchant’s residence in the town.
Guan Zhenshan walked up to the residence’s gate and knocked lightly.
A moment later, a pale-faced, beardless eunuch in his twenties wearing black brocade robes came out. He eyed Guan Zhenshan sideways and asked, "Who are you?"
Guan Zhenshan cupped his hands. "Sir, please announce that Hall Master Chen Jiutian of the Zhenwu Hall and Guan Zhenshan of the Celestial Star Ranch are here to visit."
The young eunuch frowned slightly. "Never heard of them. Don’t you know the rules? You didn’t even present a calling card?"
Guan Zhenshan said hurriedly, "My apologies, sir. Before we came, I made arrangements with Director Eunuch Liu of your Flying Dragon Institute. Steward Feng is aware of our visit."
"If you have an appointment with Eunuch Liu, then go find Eunuch Liu! As long as I’m here, don’t even think about setting foot through this gate today!"
It was unclear how Guan Zhenshan had offended him, but the young eunuch suddenly seemed to explode, his voice turning shrill and his face twisting as he glared at Guan Zhenshan.
Chen Yuan frowned slightly.
’It’s true what they say: the King of Hell is easy to meet, but his minions are a pain. What’s with these guys with no balls?’
’Actually, Chen Yuan could see that Guan Zhenshan was a bit clueless about social etiquette.’
’When the man asked for a calling card, Guan Zhenshan shouldn’t have dropped someone else’s name; he should have just slipped him a bribe and gotten in smoothly.’
’But Guan Zhenshan wasn’t a smooth operator. He was a down-to-earth man even in business, so how could he know about all these subtleties?’
Chen Yuan, however, had no intention of indulging the eunuch.
’He’s just a eunuch. Heaven is high and the emperor is far away—does he really think he’s in the Capital City?’
"Master Guan, since they won’t let us in, let’s just go back. It seems to me the Flying Dragon Institute isn’t short on horses, otherwise they wouldn’t have this attitude. Why should we be more worried than they are?"
Chen Yuan’s voice wasn’t loud, but it traveled strangely, penetrating deep into the residence and echoing for hundreds of feet without losing any of its volume.
The young eunuch at the gate didn’t catch the nuance, however, and flew into a rage. "Who are you calling a eunuch!?"
Just then, the gates of the residence were suddenly pushed open, and a middle-aged man strode out with the gait of a dragon and the stride of a tiger.
He was in his early forties, with a sallow, beardless face and stern, regular features. He wore a black, bull-motif brocade robe, and his aura was surprisingly masculine and fierce.
The young eunuch trembled at the sight of the man. He was about to say something, but the man sent him flying with a single slap, making him spit out a mouthful of blood and broken teeth.
"You bastard! Who told you to bring your Capital City habits here?"
After the slap, the man turned to Chen Yuan and Guan Zhenshan with a smile. "I am Feng Tianbao. My subordinate is ignorant. Please excuse the embarrassing display."
This Feng Tianbao’s voice was deep and masculine, not the least bit shrill. With his commanding stride and fierce, masculine aura, Chen Yuan would have mistaken him for a military general if he didn’t know he was a eunuch.
"Steward Feng, you’re too polite. We did arrive unannounced."
Chen Yuan also smiled, his expression warm and genial.
’This Feng Tianbao has the cultivation of the Primordial Pill Realm, and his strength is not to be underestimated. He’s a Grandmaster at the Primordial Pill Realm Late Stage.’
’He refused to believe the man hadn’t noticed his and Guan Zhenshan’s arrival at all.’
’His not coming out earlier and letting the young eunuch make things difficult for them wasn’t to intimidate them, but rather to see who would gain the upper hand in the coming negotiations.’
’Evidently, however, Feng Tianbao was the more desperate one. He was so focused on acquiring warhorses that he couldn’t afford to care about anything else. As long as someone could get him warhorses, he would agree to anything.’
"Gentlemen, my apologies for not welcoming you sooner. Let’s go inside and talk."
Feng Tianbao made a gesture of invitation, sizing up Chen Yuan carefully at the same time.
’Just now, the young man had used his True Qi to project his voice into the residence, but he’d done it with such subtle grace. This young man was truly extraordinary. His control over his power was far too strong for a Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artist.’