Book Synopsis
Book Tags
Donation Rankings
Comment
0 Comments
You May Also Like
墨書 Inktalez
Chapter 19: Northern Frontier
The cultivation of these individuals was no match for Lin Feng, especially in close combat. Lin Feng effortlessly dispatched the three men in front of him. However, the soldiers of the Ouyang Family reacted swiftly, with hundreds rushing out. There were even sounds of rustling from those wearing Xuanjia armor, preparing to deploy Armored Soldiers against him.
Lin Feng held onto Ling'er, moving like a gust of wind, his speed astonishing as he broke through the encirclement of soldiers and fled into the distance.
The massive commotion attracted the attention of powerful figures from the Enlightenment Realm at the border. An elder took action, transforming into a rainbow as he pursued Lin Feng. At the same time, news spread throughout other regions of Baytai. Dozens of rainbows surged toward this location at a frantic pace. There were even Master Realm experts teleporting in.
Lin Feng realized that escaping alone would be quite difficult. As he ran, he said, "Quick, take off your clothes."
"What are you planning?" Ling'er asked in confusion.
"Hurry up." Lin Feng removed his own garments, and at that moment, Ling'er also took off her long dress. They exchanged outfits, and after changing, Lin Feng struck the ground to create a deep pit and buried Ling'er inside it. "I'll draw everyone's attention away. Then you can turn back and rush out through that trade passage we saw earlier."
Before Ling'er could respond, Lin Feng, now dressed as a woman, fled swiftly while using Vital Energy to conceal his face.
"Over there! He went east; quick, chase after him!"
"Notify all the elders; he headed east!"
Ultimately, Lin Feng found himself surrounded by three Master Realm experts, making it difficult to escape.
"Wind Spirit General, you have nowhere left to run."
Yet Lin Feng showed no intention of fleeing. He retracted his cultivation and withdrew his Vital Energy back into his body, revealing his true appearance.
A plump man looked at Lin Feng in shock. "It's you... Lin Commander."
Seeing the plump man brought a smile to Lin Feng's face. "Elder Ouyang, long time no see. I've missed you."
The plump man was none other than Ouyang Xiangru, one of the three elders of the Ouyang Family. He inwardly cursed his luck for encountering this guy today and forced a smile. "Lin Commander, how have you been? I hope you're not injured?"
"Ow, my leg hurts. Ow, my stomach aches. Ow, ow, my head is pounding. I don't know how many bones I've broken inside. With so many of you from the Ouyang Family beating me up, how can I possibly endure this? I'm afraid I'm on the brink of death," Lin Feng feigned.
"Lin Commander, you look radiant and hardly seem injured," Elder Ouyang thought to himself, realizing that this guy was trying to extort him again.
"Really? This... must be a moment of clarity before death; I'm doomed," Lin Feng lamented.
"Lin Commander is joking. With your cultivation level, how could these people possibly hurt you?" Elder Ouyang's forehead began to sweat.
"No, no! I saw the Ouyang Disciples; each one is strong and vigorous, and they beat me up terribly."
"How about this? I'll find someone to help the Commander check your condition."
"No need for that. This is Baytai; everything is expensive here. I don’t have a single coin on me."
"The examination fee will naturally be covered by us. If you are truly injured, we should bear some medical expenses."
"Alright then. Since Elder Ouyang is willing to compensate me with thirty thousand taels of gold for medical expenses, I won’t go for an examination."
"Wait a minute... when did I agree to compensate you thirty thousand taels of gold?"
"Then how much are you offering? Forty thousand or fifty thousand?" Lin Feng said while extending five fingers toward Elder Ouyang.
"Five..." Elder Ouyang counted along with Lin Feng's fingers.
"Fifty thousand taels? Since Elder Ouyang is so generous, I can only accept it. Your loyalty and righteousness truly impress me, Elder Ouyang; I'm deeply grateful."
"I never promised you fifty thousand taels... Lin Feng, you shouldn't bully an old man like this..."
Ouyang Xiangru nearly spat blood in frustration. In the end, the two settled on a compensation of ten thousand taels of gold before parting ways.
Lin Feng happily counted the banknotes. Elder Ouyang looked at Lin Feng with a face full of suspicion. He then got straight to the point and asked, "Lin Commander, what are you doing here?"
"Oh, me? You supported the refugees from the Tang Dynasty, and I am grateful. I specifically came to Baytai to express my thanks. But being unfamiliar with the place, I ended up here without knowing how. Even more inexplicably, your people chased after me to attack," Lin Feng fabricated.
"Then why is Lin Commander dressed in women's clothing?" Elder Ouyang's gaze was sharp.
"Well..."
Lin Feng quickly turned his head and said, "It's a long story. After I arrived in Baytai, I wanted to visit Elder Ouyang Xiangru. The members of your Ouyang Family treated me like an idiot. They wouldn't guide me, so I couldn't meet you. If I couldn't meet you, how could I express my gratitude?"
"I started inquiring about how to get close to you. Someone mentioned that you like women, especially beautiful ones. So, I had no choice but to give it a try. Just as I changed into women's clothes, your people started chasing me relentlessly. Could it be that the rumors are true? Did my attempt succeed?"
Lin Feng grew increasingly excited, showing a delighted expression. Elder Ouyang felt overwhelmed and decided not to pursue the matter further.
Seeing Elder Ouyang's serious demeanor, Lin Feng asked, "What is going on? You all seem so worked up; it doesn't look like you're just after a woman."
"Who is after women? Which bastard told you that I like women?" Elder Ouyang suddenly lost his temper.
"It seems the rumors are false. Elder, what exactly is happening?" Lin Feng probed again.
"To be honest, we are pursuing General Wind Spirit of the Wind Nation."
Upon hearing this name, Lin Feng couldn't help but chuckle softly. Wind Spirit? His alias here was Wind Bell. No wonder she had confided in him as a stranger; she must have mistaken him for someone familiar.
With Ouyang Xiangru's explanation, Lin Feng learned the details.
The Wind Emperor of the Wind Country was old and weak and nearing his end. His three sons were all useless in their own ways. The Wind Emperor pondered which son should take the throne; he believed that whichever son became emperor would lead to the downfall of the Wind Nation. Thus, he decided on a lottery system—whoever had good luck would become emperor. However, all real power would be handed over to Wind Spirit.
There weren't many powerful generals behind the three princes in terms of cultivation, but there were plenty of schemers eager to flatter and devise strategies. If Wind Spirit, an outsider, were to gain military power, wouldn't that make her a puppet emperor? The future of the Wind Nation would inevitably fall into someone else's hands.
The three sons relentlessly sought an audience with the Wind Emperor, pleading for him to retract his orders. The Wind Emperor was barely clinging to life, yet he continued to be tormented by his three sons.
Unable to bear it any longer, the Wind Spirit relinquished his military authority and left the Wind Nation to take a break in Baytai.
Soon after, the Second Son drew lots and became the emperor. Upon taking office, his first act was to heed the counsel of his advisors, plotting internal strife and eliminating his two brothers.
However, it was unavoidable. Each son was more incompetent than the last. They were incapable of managing such a significant matter as exterminating their clan. News of their plans leaked out.
Civil unrest erupted in the Wind Nation. Ultimately, the First Prince's forces overpowered the Second Prince and drove away the Third Prince, allowing him to ascend as the new Wind Emperor. The Second Prince was left wandering in exile, where he encountered allies from the Great Zhou.
The people of Great Zhou agreed to help him reclaim his throne, but only under one condition: he must deliver the head of the Wind Spirit. As long as the Wind Spirit lived, the Wind Nation would remain a significant threat.
The Great Zhou even approached the First Prince and Third Prince, establishing a secret agreement: whoever provided the head of the Wind Spirit would receive support to become the Wind Emperor and command troops to eliminate the other two princes.
Thus, the three princes of the Wind Nation devised every possible means to kill the Wind Spirit.
Lin Feng listened to all this in silence for a long time. He had heard that struggles within royal families were often bloody, but today he finally witnessed it firsthand. In the Jiuzhou Continent, humanity was divided among the Three Great Empires. Everyone believed that if the Tang Empire fell under a massive invasion from demonic forces, it would be the first empire to collapse; little did they expect that civil war would suddenly erupt in the Wind Nation.
While Tang was being invaded by demonic forces and some Barbarian tribes, the Wind Nation was embroiled in civil war. According to reliable information from the Ouyang Family, all of this was orchestrated by Great Zhou.
They even speculated that while the Wind Emperor was indeed old, it was unlikely that he had fallen ill so quickly and conveniently. Everything might have been meticulously planned by Great Zhou.
Lin Feng bid farewell to Ouyang Xiangru and hurried back to Northern Frontier. If Great Zhou was indeed behind all these conspiracies, then Tang might be facing further danger.
Upon returning to Northern Frontier at the border checkpoint, Lin Feng felt a sense of familiarity wash over him after a long absence.
"Who goes there?" asked the Northern Border Soldiers.
Lin Feng reached into his pocket only to realize he had forgotten his token. He replied, "I am the Supreme Commander of Northern Frontier; let me pass."
Hearing this, the Soldier burst into laughter and said, "You are the Governor? If you are the Governor, then I am Emperor Tang."
Lin Feng replied coldly, "Has no one here ever seen me? Who is in charge of guarding this place, and what is their position?"
Seeing Lin Feng's imposing demeanor, the Soldier stopped laughing, thinking to himself that this person might actually be the Commander. He then said, "Alright, we need to report this up the chain of command step by step."
"Quickly report it, and it would be best to notify Liu Quan or Chen Guang," Lin Feng said impatiently, not wanting to make things difficult for himself.
Three hours later, Liu Quan arrived and asked, "I heard someone is impersonating the Governor?"
"Yes, right inside."
"Drag this fraud out."
"Let go; I can walk out myself."
Lin Feng swaggered out and upon seeing Liu Quan, smiled and said, "Liu Quan, good to see you."
"This..." Liu Quan quickly knelt down and said, "This General Liu Quan pays respects to the Governor."
The Soldiers guarding the trade route immediately knelt in fear, sweating profusely as they thought to themselves that their lives were in danger today.
"Do you have dog eyes? You can't even recognize the Governor. Take them away and punish them with a thousand strikes," Liu Quan ordered after standing up.
"Yes."
The Soldiers responsible for detaining Lin Feng were all dragged away and beaten until they were bloodied. Lin Feng was somewhat surprised by this. He immediately intervened and said, "Stop it; that's enough."
"Yes, my lord. Stand down," Liu Quan instructed his guards with a kind smile on his face.
Lin Feng looked at the smiling tiger and sneered inwardly. This person was undoubtedly a cold-blooded animal, killing without a second thought. If he hadn't intervened, those Soldiers might have been beaten to death just now.
Today, this person dared to issue orders beyond his rank, clearly not taking Lin Feng seriously. Liu Quan was different today; there was an added aura of bloodlust about him. What had happened?
After Liu Quan left, Lin Feng personally helped the Soldiers up. After all, he didn't have a token on him, and they were just following the rules; they hadn't done anything wrong.
"Thank you, my lord."
The Soldiers did not rise but stubbornly knelt before Lin Feng, saying, "If it weren't for your order to stop the punishment today, we would have been beaten to death. Thank you for saving our lives."
Lin Feng said, "Get up quickly. We are all Soldiers of the Northern Frontier; Liu Quan wouldn't truly want your lives."
"My lord is not a low-ranking Soldier and does not understand the severity of the situation. If you hadn't intervened, we would have undoubtedly died. General Liu is known for his ruthlessness. He withheld our pay, and when some of us reported it, we were all beaten to death." As they mentioned Liu Quan, fear deeply etched their faces.
Lin Feng's expression turned cold as he said, "In the Northern Frontier, such things still happen? Withholding rations?" (To be continued)
Comment 0 Comment Count