Chapter 261 - 259: Willful and Obstinate
Liang Youxing’s expression changed the moment he felt Pei Zhan’s killing intent.
In the past, here on the Youning Border, people would always back down obediently as soon as he announced the name of the Nine Swords Alliance.
This was the first time that not only did his opponents not retreat, they chose to attack instead!
Liang Youxing’s group wasn’t particularly strong. He was the only one at the Condensing Truth Realm; the rest were ordinary Martial Artists from the Nine Swords Alliance.
After all, they were only here to purchase warhorses and hadn’t seen the need to bring overwhelming force.
But before he could figure out a way out of this predicament, Pei Zhan let out a thunderous roar and charged forward on his horse!
"Kill!"
As the word left his lips, Pei Zhan brandished his massive Horse-Cutting Saber, a weapon taller than a man. Using his mount’s momentum, he launched himself into the air and brought the blade cleaving down. In that instant, his Saber Momentum was terrifying, as if the heavens themselves were collapsing!
Liang Youxing’s expression changed. He unsheathed his Long Sword and unleashed his Rainfall Sword Technique. In an instant, a dense flurry of Sword Qi condensed, rushing toward Pei Zhan like a sudden, violent squall.
But no matter how flashy the Sword Momentum, it was nothing before Pei Zhan’s simple, direct slash.
Pei Zhan’s slash descended, shattering Liang Youxing’s Sword Momentum completely. The blade continued its path, cleaving both Liang Youxing and the warhorse beneath him clean in two!
Only now did Pei Zhan reveal his true strength as the second-in-command of the Twelve Blade Halls, the man known as One Slash Severing the Soul. This was a far cry from the pathetic figure who couldn’t even block a single strike from Chen Yuan back at the mountain stronghold.
Landing on his feet, Pei Zhan flicked the blood from his Horse-Cutting Saber. He looked at the two halves of the man and horse and couldn’t help but frown.
"Damn, he was just an embroidered pillow. I went a little too hard. What a waste of a good horse."
From now on, the warhorse trade at the Youning Border would belong to the Twelve Blade Halls. A dead horse was like lost silver, and for Pei Zhan, who was used to being poor, the loss stung.
The other horse bandits of the Twelve Blade Halls charged from the rear, slaughtering the members of the Nine Swords Alliance with ruthless efficiency. The battle was over in moments.
Seeing this, Pei Zhan waved his arm and bellowed, "Let’s move, boys!"
The horse bandits immediately herded the warhorses and departed, leaving behind a trail of corpses belonging to the Martial Artists of the Nine Swords Alliance.
Scenes like this played out all across the Youning Border. News of horse-trading caravans being annihilated continuously flowed back to the Nine Swords Alliance.
The Nine Swords Alliance had been entrenched in the Youning Border for many years, after all. Zuo Tianyuan’s information network was still exceptionally sharp.
Chen Yuan’s visit to Feng Tianbao in the small town at Yandang Mountain, the Twelve Blade Halls emerging from Yandang Mountain—all of this intelligence was relayed back to the Nine Swords Alliance.
On Qifeng Mountain, as Zuo Tianyuan read the endless stream of incoming reports, his expression involuntarily darkened, no matter how deep his cunning.
Several teams sent to procure warhorses had been ambushed and slaughtered by the Twelve Blade Halls. In just a few short days, the Nine Swords Alliance had lost several Stewards at the Condensing Truth Realm and over a hundred disciples!
He had personally recruited almost every Condensing Truth Realm Martial Artist in the Nine Swords Alliance, treating them with the utmost respect. It had taken over a decade of careful accumulation to build the foundation of the Nine Swords Alliance as it stood today.
And now, with such heavy losses, Zuo Tianyuan’s heart was bleeding.
"Alliance Leader Zuo, what’s going on!?"
Wei Chaoge had also received the news and came rushing over in a hurry.
"The warhorse business was going so well! How could our people suddenly be ambushed and killed?"
Zuo Tianyuan gave Wei Chaoge a bitter smile. "Lord Wei, do you remember that Chen Jiutian I mentioned to you before? He’s made his move.
That Chen Jiutian may be young, but his methods are ruthless and his mind is terrifyingly deep.
He didn’t choose to use the forces of Zhenwu Hall to attack the Nine Swords Alliance directly.
Instead, he chose to join forces with Feng Tianbao, the Steward of the Flying Dragon Institute, and intervene directly in the conflict between the government offices and the institutes.
Furthermore, the ones ambushing our Nine Swords Alliance caravans aren’t even from Zhenwu Hall or the Flying Dragon Institute. They’re the horse bandits from the Twelve Blade Halls of Yandang Mountain.
Those horse bandits are a wild, vicious, and brutal bunch. I have no idea what methods Chen Jiutian used to bring them to heel and make them do his bidding.
My Nine Swords Alliance’s Martial Artists are strong, but how can they compare to a gang of hardened horse bandits?
That’s why in just a few days, seven of our horse-trading caravans have been wiped out, with losses exceeding fifteen hundred warhorses!"
Zuo Tianyuan was very clever. He didn’t mention how many people the Nine Swords Alliance had lost, only how many warhorses.
To Wei Chaoge, the entire Nine Swords Alliance could be wiped out and he wouldn’t bat an eye, but those warhorses were destined for the Vigorous Martial Army.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Wei Chaoge flew into a rage.
"Chen Jiutian! That brat is courting death!
He should take a good look in the mirror! Who does he think he is, daring to get involved in the conflict between the offices and institutes? He truly doesn’t know what’s good for him!"
Wei Chaoge then continued his tirade, "And that Feng Tianbao, that goddamn childless eunuch! He made trouble for my Vigorous Martial Army back in the Capital City, and he’s still doing it now that he’s in You Province. Serves the ball-less bastard right!"
In contrast to Wei Chaoge’s explosive anger, Zuo Tianyuan remained perfectly calm.
"Lord Wei, our opponent has made their move. We cannot afford to sit back and wait to be slaughtered."
Wei Chaoge took a deep breath and looked at Zuo Tianyuan. "What’s your plan?"
"There are still over a dozen of our horse-trading caravans out there. We can’t do anything for the ones that have already been wiped out, but we must protect those that remain.
The Nine Swords Alliance still has a few experts we can dispatch to reinforce them.
But our numbers still aren’t enough. I’d like to request that some of the Vigorous Martial Army’s Deputy Generals also lead men to assist.
Ideally, both you and I, Lord Wei, should go out and provide support. With two Primordial Pill Realm masters, we could at least ensure that nearly half the caravans return safely to the Nine Swords Alliance."
Wei Chaoge didn’t hesitate. "Absolutely not! You and I cannot leave!
There are over three thousand warhorses in the Nine Swords Alliance right now. If we leave, what’s to stop that dead eunuch Feng Tianbao from launching a sneak attack and seizing them all?
I can give you half my men at most, including ten Deputy Generals. Your priority is to protect the warhorses."
Zuo Tianyuan frowned. ’This Wei Chaoge is impossibly arrogant and stubborn. You can always buy more warhorses, but if all my men are dead, who’s going to do the buying?’
’Wei Chaoge truly doesn’t see the people of the Nine Swords Alliance as human beings. A hundred of my men could die and it wouldn’t matter to him, as long as the warhorses aren’t harmed in the slightest.’
After silently cursing Wei Chaoge, Zuo Tianyuan spoke again. "Lord Wei, it’s fine if we don’t personally take action. However, with the Nine Swords Alliance’s current strength, if our opponent consolidates their forces for an all-out attack, I’m afraid we won’t be able to withstand it."
Some time ago, Elder Murong Jing of a Murong Family Branch Family was looking for a place in the Southern Borderlands to expand his influence. If you agree, I can contact Murong Jing at once and ask his Branch Family to come and provide support.
That Elder Murong is also a Primordial Pill Realm Grandmaster. His Branch Family is quite powerful, and he possesses the Divine Artifact, Star Shifting. He can absolutely withstand a joint attack from Chen Jiutian and his allies."
Hearing the name Murong Family, Wei Chaoge’s brow furrowed. "Ask for help from that bunch of idiots who are still dreaming of restoring their dynasty? Let’s just forget it."
Feng Tianbao is just a useless, ball-less eunuch, Chen Jiutian is an arrogant brat, and the rest are just a pack of horse bandits. I can handle them myself. I don’t need help from those Murong Family morons."
Wei Chaoge was utterly contemptuous of the Murong Family. In fact, nearly any Martial Artist with ties to the Court held them in similar disdain.
If remnants of a previous dynasty were making noise in the Jianghu about restoring their rule, the Great Xia Court might have been a bit more vigilant.
But when did the Murong Family last found a kingdom? Ages ago. Calling them remnants of a previous dynasty would be a compliment. At best, they were just a fallen house.
As for being descendants of a Royal Family, born to nobility—that was an even bigger joke.
The Central Plains had a vast population and a long history. If you traced any family tree back far enough, you’d find that a modern-day butcher might be descended from a Grand General, and a beggar on the street could have had an Emperor for an ancestor.
So, in the eyes of the Court, the Murong Family’s constant clamoring about restoring their dynasty made them nothing more than clowns, not even worth paying attention to.
This time, the Nine Swords Alliance’s horse-procuring efforts had inevitably involved the Murong Family, as a portion of the warhorses were purchased from merchant caravans under their control.
One of the Murong Family’s Branch Family Elders, Murong Jing, had taken a great interest in the matter.
He wasn’t a central figure within the Murong Family. Despite his title as a Branch Family Elder, he was excluded from the center of power in Longcheng, relegated to managing the family’s business in You Province.
Thus, Murong Jing had the idea of striking out on his own. He wanted to ask the Vigorous Martial Army for a piece of territory in the Southern Borderlands to establish as a new ancestral home for his Branch Family, and from there, grow the Murong Family’s enterprise.
This was a Murong Family tradition. The family had always been divided into the Main Family and various Branch Families. The Main Family was seated in Longcheng of You Province, while the Branch Families were tasked with expanding their territory abroad.
However, as the Murong Family weakened, the various Branch Families had all returned to the Main Family and now resided within Longcheng. But branches like Murong Jing’s were not highly regarded, which was precisely why he wanted to venture out and establish his own foundation.
The Southern Borderlands were a region of dense forests, mountains, and poisonous miasma, teeming with the Barbarian Race. It was one of Great Xia’s greatest border threats, which was why the Vigorous Martial Army was permanently stationed there to suppress them.
Because of Grand General Yuwen Tai’s immense strength, the Vigorous Martial Army had already conquered large swaths of the Southern Border. These areas were now in a power vacuum, making them quite suitable for the Murong Family to build a new foundation.
But while the Vigorous Martial Army had conquered that land, it technically belonged to the Court.
Wei Chaoge was hesitant to simply promise it to the Murong Family.
There was also the fact that Wei Chaoge was deeply contemptuous of the Murong Family and had no desire to make such a deal with them.
Seeing Wei Chaoge act this way, Zuo Tianyuan couldn’t help but curse him inwardly. ’Short-sighted fool.
The Vigorous Martial Army is already starting to contend with the Imperial Secretariat for power. That means you’re already acting like a Vassal Town.
At a time like this, what’s the use of conquering a barren place like the Southern Border for yourselves? Of course you should trade it for whatever benefits you can get.
But here you are, still hesitating, looking down your nose at this person and that one. You’ll truly never amount to anything great!’
But while Zuo Tianyuan thought this, he said aloud, "I was merely making a suggestion. Since Lord Wei does not wish to cooperate with the Murong Family, we can discuss it another time."
Afterward, Wei Chaoge and Zuo Tianyuan mobilized their experts, sending them out to various locations as reinforcements, hoping to bring the remaining horse-trading caravans back safely.