The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “Lord Li, what’s that?”

  An Imperial Army commander stood up as he pointed at the bizarre weapon seated atop the metal table. Many people thought that Wang Chong’s new work would be a sword, similar to what he crafted before.

  But from the looks of it, that wasn’t the case.

  Even though it was concealed within a black wooden sheath, they could make out the shape of the weapon. It was only two fingers thick, but it had a length of seven chi. On top of that, the weapon had an elegant curve to its blade. It was very different from any other weapons they had seen before.

  “Hahaha, well asked! This is the first saber that my nephew, Wang Chong, had forged. This, in itself, adds to the collectibility of this saber. On top of that, I see that most of you are surprised by the length of it. That’s right, the design of this saber is different from the sword before, and the material used for this saber is also twice of the sword!”

  “On top of that, this saber is even sharper than the sword from before. Borrowing the words of my nephew, this saber is crafted for slaughter. Thus, he gave this saber the name Death’s Abyss. None of those in the range of this saber would be able to escape from death!”

  Li Lin spoke with composure. Even though he was facing so many Imperial Army commanders, there wasn’t the slightest hint of fear on his face.

  “Death’s Abyss!”

  Everyone was impressed. Just by the name itself, they could sense that it was a top-notch product with high collectibility. More important, it was the first saber forged by the number one swordsmith in the world. Just this by itself meant that it could be sold at a very high price in the future.

  “The trip here is indeed worth it! His first saber! This is truly a one-of-a-kind object!”

  In the hall, the Imperial Army commanders trembled in excitement. They didn’t lack money; rather, they found nothing worthy to spend their money on.

  This kind of weapon could help bring out their noble standing, augment their strength, and it had collecting value as well. This was truly the ideal product for them to spend their money on!

  “Li Lin, how much is this weapon worth?”

  “Well asked!”

  Li Lin smiled. His eyes lit up as he announced the starting price of the auction.

  “The starting bid for this Death’s Abyss is eighty thousand gold taels! There is only one saber, and the highest bidder wins! The auction starts now!”

  Boom!

  Li Lin’s words caused a huge uproar in the hall. The excitement which they had suppressed for an entire month suddenly came bursting out.

  Chapter 142: Uninvited Guest!

  “85000!”

  “88000!”

  “90000!”

  “100,000!”

  “110,000!”

  …

  In a brief moment, the price of the sword had already soared beyond a hundred thousand, taking even Li Lin was taken by surprise. At eighty thousand gold taels, this saber was already twofold the price of the sword sold previously. As such, Li Lin thought that most would be hesitant to bid.

  However, from the look of it, a month of anticipation had fed the crowd’s desire. Furthermore, the idea of it being ‘exclusive’ had stimulated their interest in the auction.

  “115,000!”

  “118,000!”

  “120,000!”

  …

  The bid was still increasing rapidly, and those spectators couldn’t help but feel thrilled by the sight. It wasn’t everyday that one got to see the sales of a valuable top-notch saber.

  The sabers outside were only worth a maximum of six hundred gold taels. Only in the Imperial Army could one see weapons that were worth several ten thousand gold taels. Even though it was expensive, many interested people had started preparing for this auction since over half a month ago, some even diving straight into action after witnessing the battle between Commander Zhao and Commander Huang.

  “It’s too thrilling! 120,000 gold taels, that’s more than three times the price of the previous sword!”

  “Can’t you tell how valuable that saber is? Even the material used is two times that of the previous sword! Furthermore, this is the first saber master crafted. Even if one chooses not to wield it, its price will definitely rise with time, reaping one immense profit in the future!”

  “Did you see that? That’s Commander Jing! Even Commander Jing is here! He’s from a true prestigious clan with great affluence and a long history. The Jing Clan has already been one of the top clans since the Sui Dynasty, it isn’t something that other clans outside can match up to!”

  “Indeed! Even though the Jing Clan has kept a low profile, causing it to be less known than the other clans out there, it is, in the truest term, a behemoth! 120,000 gold taels means nothing to a clan of that level.”

  “That’s true! There’s the Bai Clan as well. If I recall correctly, this seems to be their sixth generation of Imperial Army commander? There’s no way they would allow this opportunity slip by them! To think that the demand for the Wootz steel sword would be so great!”

  …

  At the back of the hall, the faces of the spectators were red in agitation, and they seemed even more excited that those involved in the auction. To spectate such bustle with just ten gold taels was indeed a worthy trade!

  Who in the Imperial Army would care about ten mere gold taels?

  “139,000!”

  “140,000!”

  “141,000!”

  “142,000!”

  “142,500!”

  …

  There was a limit to the price of every single weapon. When the price reached 140,000 or so, the increment started to slow.

  Clearly, in the crowd thought that the true value of this weapon was around 150,000 gold taels, or at the very least, not exceeding that amount.

  “Not bad!”

  Seated behind Li Lin, Zhao Fengchen nodded slightly. This price was already way beyond his expectations. It seemed like the popularity of the Wootz steel sword was truly immense in the Imperial Army.

  “Hehe!”

  Upon seeing this sight, Li Lin couldn’t help but chuckle. This price may seem decent, but Wang Chong had explained to him about the uniqueness of this saber was. Infused within it was a whole new advanced technology, and it had gone through an additional refinement process as compared to the previous sword sold.

  Back then, Li Lin’s sharp senses told him that this could serve as an impetus for further bring up the price.

  “Everyone, speaking of which, I have yet to show you all the weapon. Thus, allow me to present it to all of you!”

  Li Lin suddenly grabbed the handle of the saber and pulled on it lightly.

  Klang!

  A crisp sound reminiscent of the call of a mighty dragon seeped into the hearts of the spectators. Then, a cold gleam similar to the dance of a wyrm flashed across the ceiling of the hall. In an instant, the light in the entire room dimmed, as though their radiance were stolen.

  Everyone’s heart abruptly stopped at this instant. What Li Lin grasped in his hand was a uniquely-designed long saber. It was a seven chi long, and from the hilt to the very tip, it was precisely two fingers wide. The slight arc of the saber brought out an enchanting aesthetics to it.

  What that took their breaths away was the bewitching flowing river and fleeting clouds pattern on the surface of its blade. No one would say a word if one claimed that it had reached the apex of beauty. Yet, at the same time, it exuded an aura of callousness, and it felt as though it would escape from Li Lin’s grasp at any moment to strike them down. A cold and savage aura struck the hearts of the crowd.

  In an instant, the bustling hall fell absolutely silent.

  Zhao Fengchen was in the midst of bringing a cup of tea to his lips when he saw the saber, and he froze. Due to the lack of time, he didn’t get a chance to view the saber when Li Lin first brought it in.

  He thought that since the two were both Wootz steel weapons, the only difference would be in
their exteriors. However, at this moment, Zhao Fengchen realized that the saber in Li Lin’s hand was very much different from his sword.

  And this wasn’t just a matter of the design!

  Shua!

  Upon seeing that he had succeeded in grasping the attention of the entire hall, Li Lin nodded in satisfaction. Shua! Grasping the blade with just his right hand, Li Lin did a light vertical cut.

  His movement wasn’t large, but the effects that this cut brought was astonishing.

  Hu!

  The temperature in the hall abruptly lowered. Originating from where Li Lin stood, a huge wind suddenly blustered. The peaceful air current in the room turned chaotic with a slight jerk of Li Lin’s wrist.

  The air seemed to have been cut into innumerable pieces, and even the wooden debris around the black metal table started flying in the air, turning in a circular motion as though it was swept by a vortex.

  The two commanders by Zhao Fengchen’s side who had been watching the entire spectacle nonchalantly suddenly narrowed their eyes, and their faces suddenly changed.

  Exceedingly sharp!

  Li Lin’s cultivation was far superior to Wang Chong’s, causing the stir caused by his vertical cut was much greater than that of Wang Chong’s.

  Everyone in the room was an expert, and with a glance, they could tell that the sword had been sharpened to the extremities. Even Zhao Fengchen’s sword couldn’t start to compare with it!

  “Ah! My clothes!”

  One of the Imperial Army members attending the auction suddenly exclaimed. Lowering his head, he glanced at the undershirt, which was slightly exposed out of his armor, in shock.

  Unknowingly, his undershirt had been torn apart by the wind Li Lin’s saber had generated!

  Everyone immediately turned to look at the seven chi long saber once more, but with a vastly different expression this time.

  This saber… was way too sharp!

  With this kind of saber, challenging a slightly stronger opponent wouldn’t pose a problem at all. Before such a powerful weapon, the movements of one’s opponent would be restricted, leaving him unable to exert his full strength.

  “150,000! Lord Li, I’ll take that saber!”

  Someone suddenly raised his hand and shouted.

  “160,000! I want it!”

  “180,000!”

  “190,000!”

  ………

  Recovering from their shock, the crowd immediately flew into a frenzy. This saber had reached an inconceivable level of quality, becoming an ideal weapon of slaughter. Truly, it lived up to its name, Death’s Abyss.

  More importantly, it was only available here!

  “200,000!”

  Another voice shouted.

  “Great!”

  Li Lin’s face was flushed, and he clenched his fists tightly in agitation. The reason why he didn’t draw the blade previously was to bring up the hype of the auction when things were starting to die down, and the effects didn’t let him down.

  “Wait a moment!”

  Suddenly, a cold bellow sounded. This voice was extremely bright, and it carried immense might with it, causing even the roof of the palace to shake slightly.

  The sudden bellow caused the hall to plunge into silence. Countless gazes shot toward the direction of the voice, and astonishment appeared on the faces of many.

  “Lord Huang!”

  “Lord Huang!”

  “General Huang!”

  ………

  Fear marked the faces of some of the Imperial Army members seated in front, and some of them even stood up and bowed respectfully.

  “Huang Xiaotian! What are you doing?”

  Zhao Fengchen had been sitting silently at the very front of the hall. However, upon seeing the intruder, his face immediately turned cold. He stood up, and a powerful aura gushed out as though a huge torrent.

  The temperature in the hall dipped, and the atmosphere suddenly turned tense.

  Amidst the group who had just entered, there was a brawny, full-bearded, tanned man. He was Zhao Fengchen’s archenemy, Huang Xiaotian!

  The fight over the seat of a marshal had caused Zhao Fengchen and Huang Xiaotian’s relationship to turn hostile, and after the selection, their relationship worsened further. No one could have imagined that Huang Xiaotian would appear here.

  In an instant, the entire hall fell silent. Everyone held their breath, not daring to speak a word. The heavy atmosphere crushed down on everyone in the hall.

  “Hmph! Why can’t I come? Does this palace belong to you? Besides, aren’t you lot the ones who invited me here?”

  Huang Xiaotian possessed large menacing eyes, and his black full-beard on his face made him look boorish. On top of that, he spoke loudly. His characteristics gave others the impression that he was an unreasonable person.

  Weng!

  As he spoke those words, he flicked his wrist and a metal token appeared between his fingers.

  Seeing the metal token, Zhao Fengchen’s complexion immediately turned awful. He quickly glanced at Li Lin.

  “It isn’t me, I don’t know about it as well…”

  The twist came too abruptly, and Li Lin’s complexion wasn’t any better than Zhao Fengchen’s. The relationship between Zhao Fengchen and Huang Xiaotian was as though fire and water, and before Zhao Fengchen, Huang Xiaotian was a taboo topic.

  The other party was clearly here to wreak havoc and embarrass him.

  The metal token in Huang Xiaotian’s hand wasn’t issued from Li Lin. He was already on the same boat as Zhao Fengchen, and on top of that, this auction was organized by him. How could he so be foolish as to wreck his own auction?

  Sss!

  Seeing Li Lin shake his head, Zhao Fengchen took in a deep breath, and his complexion alleviated slightly. Thinking about it now, it wasn’t difficult at all for Huang Xiaotian to procure the metal token. After all, the number of followers the other party had didn’t pale to him in any way.

  “Huang Xiaotian, what do you intend to do? This isn’t your campground!”

  “General Huang, don’t do anything rash!”

  “Take a good look here! Even though this auction is organized by Lord Zhao and Li Lin, the buyers are our brothers. If you dare to wreak havoc here, it is equivalent to going against all of us!”

  The two commanders seated beside Zhao Fengchen stood up as well.

  Even though Zhao Fengchen had won the marshal selection, Huang Xiaotian’s influence was still immense. Despite his failure, he still managed to land the seat of a vice marshal.

  Thus, no one dared to go too far.

  “Hmph! It is exactly for the sake of our brothers that I am here today! I can’t simply sit idly and watch as you scoundrels scam our brothers’ money!”

  With a icy-cold expression, Huang Xiaotian bellowed rudely. As he spoke, he walked straight toward the center of the hall.

  “Your name is Li Lin?”

  Walking up to Li Lin, Huang Xiaotian narrowed his eyes. Cold words left his disdainful lips, and he didn’t even try to conceal the threat in his tone at all:

  “You sure have good eyes to follow Zhao Fengchen. I hope that you achieve great things in the Imperial Army!”

  “Huang Xiaotian, how dare you!”

  Smacking the table, Zhao Fengchen flew into a rage.

  On the other hand, threatened by Huang Xiaotian in his face, Li Lin’s complexion was also awful.

  Even though his position in the Imperial Army rose greatly due to Wang Chong’s Wootz steel sword, he still wasn’t a match for figures of Huang Xiaotian and Zhao Fengchen’s level!

  Regardless of whether it was Huang Xiaotian or Zhao Fengchen, they possessed vast connections and powerful backing. Li Lin had once secretly looked into it, and his investigations unintentionally brought him to the depths of the royal palace. Fear struck him, and he didn’t dare to dig any further then.

  A faction war of this scale wasn’t a joking matter.

  Between their fight, Li Lin knew tha
t he was only a small shrimp. If not for the slight backing he possessed as a son-in-law of the Wang Clan, even though he had earned merit by presenting the Wootz steel sword to Zhao Fengchen previously, Huang Xiaotian’s fearsome influence would still be more than sufficient to reduce him to dust!

  Chapter 143: Perilous Circumstances!

  “Lord Huang, this isn’t ‘Mirage Dragon’. There are many brothers watching here! Please show some self-respect!”

  At this moment, Li Lin suddenly spoke up.

  His words immediately sent a wave of shock throughout the crowd, and even Zhao Fengchen was taken aback as well.

  “Li Lin, how dare you speak to me like that!”

  Huang Xiaotian glared at Li Lin frostily. He didn’t expect that a mere gate commander like Li Lin would dare to criticize him before so many people.

  “Lord Huang, I’ll repeat myself. This isn’t Mirage Dragon, and if Lord Huang intends to cause trouble, I’ll have to ask you to leave!”

  Facing Huang Xiaotian’s ferocious glare fearlessly, Li Lin repeated his words.

  In the hall, the two commanders beside Zhao Fengchen stood up to persuade Li Lin to step down. Making an enemy out of Huang Xiaotian wasn’t a wise decision.

  However, Zhao Fengchen shook his hand and stopped them.

  Zhao Fengchen had yet to recover from his surprise, and he stared at Li Lin deeply. Many thoughts flashed through his head. He had investigated Li Lin’s background, and he could tell many things from it.

  There was a fundamental flaw in Li Lin’s personality—cowardly. The fact that he had remained as a section commander in the North Gates for more than a decade spoke a lot.

  Thus, Zhao Fengchen didn’t bear much expectations of Li Lin. He felt that promoting him to one of the lower tier commanders should be more than sufficient to repay the favor.

  Yet, this ‘cowardly’ Li Lin actually dared to talk back to Huang Xiaotian before so many people. This was beyond his imagination.

  Looking at Li Lin, Zhao Fengchen suddenly noticed some changes in him.

  “Seems like he’s really different from before!”

  Zhao Fengchen’s eyes rippled, and new thoughts about Li Lin abruptly sprouted in his head.