The Human Emperor c1-2382
Page 96
“That’s impossible!”
Many people were astonished by this fact, and they found it completely unacceptable!
As the news spread, in a single night, the Wang Chong’s Wootz steel sword became a priceless treasure!
…
“Have you found anything yet?”
At the same time, on the top of a hill in the suburbs, a man stood beneath the radiant glow of the moon. A white mask concealed his facial features, and surrounding him was many other figures.
“Reporting to my lord, we’ve managed to find him! That Wang Chong is the grandson of Great Tang Empire’s Duke Jiu, and we’ve found his residence. However, there are guards in the residence, and the Imperial Army also patrols around the capital. I’m afraid that it won’t be easy to sneak in.”
A voice sounded in the air. However, he spoke not in the words of the Central Plains, but the words of the Western Regions.
Under the moonlight, one could clearly see the high nose bridge and deep eyes on the masked figures. Each had a machete on his waist and they were clearly all from the Abbasid Caliphate and Charax Spasinu.
“You fools, do you think that we’re going to murder the entire Wang Clan? It’s impossible for the sword to come from nowhere. Since he was able to forge the sword, he must have more than one of it. There should also be plenty of ores and materials for the forging left behind with him. Our purpose is to steal those swords and materials. If we operate fast, the guards and Imperial Army won’t be a trouble at all!”
“That sword is extremely important to the Charax Spasinu. Regardless of the price, you all must bring at least one to me!”
The white-masked leader bellowed furiously. His final words revealed his identity. Other than the Charax Spasinu merchant whom Wang Chong had met with, Mosaide, no one else would dare to do such a thing.
“Yes, my lord!”
Under the moonlight, everyone lowered their head in assent. Then, they turned around and disappeared into the veil of the night.
…
In a blink of an eye, the sun replaced the moon and it was a new day.
Pah pah!
In the Wang Family Residence, Wang Chong’s hands shot out as though two swift pythons thrashing in the air. Every single blow was extremely heavy, and wherever of the man-made mountain Wang Chong’s elbow and arm struck, the spot would shatter, causing rock fragments to fly about.
Now that Wang Chong was focusing his attention on his martial arts training and his training hours has become longer, his strength was increasing swiftly.
Complementing the Herculean Punch along with the Dragon Bone Art, Wang Chong felt that he was progressing greatly every day. It wasn’t a dream for him to reach Origin Energy Tier 6 soon. Once one’s cultivation reached Origin Energy Tier 6, everything would change once more. One would be able to cultivate those techniques which raised one’s strength, speed, or dexterity directly.
It would be a completely different world from the one Wang Chong was experiencing now.
“Young master, bad news!”
In the midst of Wang Chong’s training, flurried footsteps suddenly sounded and Shen Hai and Meng Long rushed in.
“What’s wrong?”
Wang Chong exhaled a mouthful of turbid gas and slowly calmed his cultivation before asking with a frown. He recalled telling Shen Hai and Meng Long not to interrupt him in his training.
“Young master, there’s someone outside.”
Shen Hai said.
“Is that worth making such a big fuss over?”
Wang Chong frowned.
“Young master, you will understand when you take a look.”
Shen Hai and Meng Long hesitated for a moment before saying.
Finally, at the entrance of the Wang Family Residence, Wang Chong saw the ‘person’ the duo was speaking about. Before the Wang Family Residence’s gate, a man of around 7 chi tall was kneeling on the floor with a lowered head.
(7 chi -> 2.33m)
“Young master, this fellow has been here since long ago. He kicked up a fuss about meeting you, and afraid that he would wake madam and the others up, we have no choice but to call you over.”
Shen Hai and Meng Long said helplessly.
At first glance, Wang Chong didn’t notice anything. However, when he looked at the man’s features once more, his heart suddenly skipped a beat.
“It’s you?”
Wang Chong was astonished. He recognized the man; he was the full-bearded brawny man who had leapt from the third floor in the Bluebottle Pavilion and sent his sword straight toward Wei Hao, only to have his sword split into two. On the other hand, he had spurted blood and fell to the ground.
He was one of the participants of the sword duel gamble on that day.
Wang Chong couldn’t understand why he would be suddenly kneeling in front of the entrance of the residence.
“Gongzi, please take me in as your disciple! I will kneel here for an eternity until you are willing to take me in.”
The full-bearded brawny man lowered his head and he spoke with great determination.
Hua!
Hearing the other party’s ‘request’, Wang Chong suddenly felt a storm being raised in his mind. An inexplicable emotion overwhelmed him. He finally understood why Shen Hai and Meng Long barged in to look for him.
Accept him as his disciple?
What a joke! He was only fifteen this year. He was at an age where he should be becoming the student of others. Yet, someone was trying to come under him as his disciple!
“Gongzi, I’m not asking you to teach me martial arts. I only hope that you can teach me your swordsmithing skills! As long as gongzi accepts my request, I am willing to serve gongzi wholeheartedly from now onward!”
The full-bearded brawny man’s voice was deep. As he spoke, he respectfully held up a broken sword over his head before going still once more.
“It is the shattered 4 chi greatsword!”
(4 chi -> 1.33m)
Wang Chong glanced at the sword before realizing what was going on. The greatsword that the full-bearded brawny man was holding was the one he had used to challenge the Wootz steel sword, only to be split into two.
For some reason, the sword looked extremely heavy in the hands of the man. He could sense sorrow from the 7 chi tall body.
Wang Chong had sensed this kind of sorrow from many other people. In his previous life, when the Central Plains fell and the earth shattered, Wang Chong also experienced this kind of sorrow.
In an instant, Wang Chong understood.
Just like how his mission was like to him, to the 7 chi tall man who was kneeling on the floor pleading with him, swordsmithing was his dream!
What that had shattered at the Bluebottle Pavilion that day wasn’t just his sword, but his belief and his dream as well!
Chapter 68: Tuoba Guiyuan!
“What’s your name?”
Wang Chong asked.
“I am Tuoba Guiyuan! Gongzi, you can address me as Zhang Guiyuan as well!”
Kneeling on the floor, Tuoba Guiyuan said.
“It’s him!”
Hearing those words, Wang Chong’s heart jolted. He stared at the full-bearded brawny man in shock. Wang Chong wasn’t acquainted with Tuoba Guiyuan in his previous life, but he has heard of his name.
In his previous life, he was the most famous swordsmith in the Central Plains who rose near the very end. He didn’t join any single influence, rejecting even the Zhang, Lu, Cheng, and Huang Clan. This had angered the prestigious clans, causing them to oppress him.
But with his own capability, this man created a footing for himself in the capital. His swords, marked with the word ‘Guiyuan’, could easily be sold at a price several folds more than that of the prestigious swordsmithing clans.
Before the catastrophe struck, he was the publicly accepted number one swordsmith of the Great Tang! When the Wootz steel weapons grew fame, his greatest achievement was to craft the ‘Guiyuan Sword’ which even Wootz stee
l sword couldn’t shatter easily. What made that feat even more impressive was that it was made of ordinary materials.
The only problem was that the crafting of the sword required great skills and contained many complex sequences. As such, even Tuoba Guiyuan himself wasn’t able to produce many of those swords successfully.
Alas, before he could come up with a perfect sword that could withstand the Wootz steel sword and be mass produced, the catastrophe struck.
Wang Chong couldn’t have imagined that the person kneeling before him was the future number one swordsmith of the world!
“Ssss!”
Wang Chong took in a deep breath. This was truly an unexpected reward! It seemed like the ‘Number One Sword in the World’ challenge which he had started didn’t just attract the prestigious clans and weapon traders, it even brought this future number one swordsmith to him.
This wasn’t something Wang Chong could have imagined possible.
One has to know that Tuoba Guiyuan was fiery-tempered. He was as though a wild and obstinate horse, impossible to be tamed by any of the clans. The fact that he had rejected the recruitment from the various swordsmithing clans proved testimony to this.
If not for Wang Chong’s hunger marketing at the Bluebottle Pavilion, he might have lost this chance to associate with the future number one swordsmith!
“This is too surprising! Even though I have forged the Wootz steel sword, it is based on the memories of my previous life, and swordsmithing isn’t my main occupation either. If I were to take him in, he’ll definitely relief me of my burden!”
Wang Chong’s heart was still beating wildly. He was already prepared to agree to the other party’s request, and his true identity came as a pleasant surprise to him.
If the future number one swordsmith were to assist him, he would be able to devote more of his attention to his future plans. It was impossible for there to be a better candidate than Tuoba Guiyuan.
“Stand up!”
Wang Chong said.
“Gongzi, I beseech you to agree to my request!”
Tuoba Guiyuan said determinedly, refusing to stand up.
“I agree to your request.”
Wang Chong said.
“Ah!”
Tuoba Guiyuan lifted his head in disbelief. The smithing techniques and technologies of the master swordsmiths and smithing clans were all top-class secrets. It was nigh impossible for them to pass it on to an outsider.
Before coming over, Tuoba Guiyuan had looked into Wang Chong’s background and knew that the Wang Clan was a clan of generals and scholars. Meaning to say, it was of higher standing than the prestigious smithing clans. Thus, he understood that it wouldn’t an easy matter for him to join the Wang Clan, and he was prepared to go through all kinds of trouble before achieving his goal.
Tuoba Guiyuan didn’t expect that the matter would be settled so easily. Just by kneeling for a moment, the other party immediately agreed to his request. Everything came too quickly that he found the situation unbelievable.
“Gongzi, are you serious?”
Tuoba Guiyuan was still unable to believe the situation.
“Of course!”
Wang Chong chuckled. He stretched out his hands to help Tuoba Guiyuan up. However, Tuoba Guiyuan didn’t budge in the least, as though he was rooted to the ground.
“This fellow is an expert!”
Wang Chong’s eyes widened as he thought. Possessing the cultivation of an Origin Energy Tier 5, even though his cultivation wasn’t exceptional, his strength was more than capable of smashing through rocks.
Given that Wang Chong was unable to move the kneeling Tuoba Guiyuan at all, it was clear that the other party’s cultivation was significantly higher than his. Thinking over the matter, it wasn’t really surprising for Tuoba Guiyuan to be an expert martial artist. Since he was able to survive under the oppression of the swordsmithing clans to become the number one swordsmith of the Great Tang Empire, it was impossible for him to be weak.
“Thank you, gongzi! Thank you! As long as gongzi imparts your swordsmithing techniques down to me, Guiyuan is willing to become your servant and serve you for my entire life!”
Tuoba Guiyuan was oblivious to Wang Chong’s thoughts. Hearing Wang Chong agreeing to his request, he was overjoyed. He immediately kowtowed, and the crisp sound of his head knocking against the ground echoed in the air.
Tuoba Guiyuan’s nature didn’t allow him to lower his head easily, but that depended on what was at stake. If he could learn the most advanced swordsmithing technique, Tuoba Guiyuan was willing to stake in his all.
After kowtowing, without Wang Chong’s assistance, Tuoba Guiyuan stood up on his own.
“Shen Hai, report this matter to my mother.”
Wang Chong turned around to say.
Ever since the matter with Yao Guang Yi, Wang Chong’s mother has been lax with him. As long as it didn’t affect the clan, his mother wouldn’t interfere too much in his affairs.
“Yes, gongzi.”
Shen Hai replied.
“Tuoba Guiyuan, since you have decided to follow me, you will be a member of the Wang Clan from now on. Meng Long, prepare a room for him.”
Wang Chong said.
After instructing some matters, Wang Chong headed straight to the Ghost Tree District.
Currently, Su Zhengchen’s identity was a secret and almost no one knew of the truth. Before there was any progress on the matter, Wang Chong didn’t wish for too many people to notice his existence. Thus, he didn’t bring Shen Hai, Meng Long, or Tuoba Guiyuan along with him.
Wang Chong proceeded extremely carefully.
He didn’t head straight for the Ghost Tree District. Instead, he roamed around the city and only after confirming that no one was tracking him did he sneak off to the Ghost Tree District.
At the center of the square, the crown of a massive Chinese scholar tree opened up as though an umbrella.
In here, the elders and children were absorbed in their own entertainment. Walking amidst them, Wang Chong didn’t catch anyone’s attention. At the very same position beneath the tree, Wang Chong saw the same golden-plated chessboard.
Su Zhengchen wasn’t here, but there was an additional white chess piece on the chess board!
“Lad, what’s your name?”
Wang Chong glanced at the child by the chess board and patted his head.
“Dai Jianjian. They all call me Jianjian.”
Leaning against the Chinese scholar tree, the young lad was busy licking a stick of candied haws.
“Jianjian?”
Wang Chong chuckled. He found the young child cute and just when he was about to compliment him, a thought flashed across his head. Wang Chong suddenly froze.
He had heard this name before!
Back then, when the old servant of the Su Residence recounted the past history of Su Zhengchen to him, he had brought up this name. Su Zhengchen didn’t take in disciples easily and very few people were able to catch his eye.
Even so, there were still a few whom he was barely satisfied with. Although they were rejected at the very end, Su Zhengchen still personally gave them some pointers on their on their martial arts. Eventually, all of them went on to achieve great things.
This ‘Dai Jianjian’ was one of them.
‘Art of God and Demon Obliteration’ was reputed as a divine technique. Possessing destructive abilities which even immortals would go all out to avoid, this art has an extremely strict requirement of one’s root bone and talents.
Many times, when Su Zhengchen desired to pass on the technique to someone, the other party didn’t fulfill the strict criteria required to cultivate it. Rather, trying to do so forcefully would just damage their cultivation.
Even though Old Mister Su didn’t accept Dai Jianjian as his disciple, Dai Jianjian’s talents still caught his attention. As such, he kept him by his side and taught him martial arts.
“It’s his young doorkeeper!”
Wang Chong sud
denly realized. The old servant had said that even though Su Zhengchen didn’t admit any disciples under him, he coincidentally picked a young child to serve as his doorkeeper.
This young child had brought Su Zhengchen much joy in his later years, and Su Zhengchen was extremely fond of him. However, he died alongside Su Zhengchen in that catastrophe.
The young child had always viewed Su Zhengchen as his grandfather. When chaos struck the capital, the old servant tried to pull him away, but Dai Jianjian hugged Su Zhengchen’s body tightly, refusing to leave with him.
Eventually, he met his demise there.
When that old servant recounted the matter, tears streamed down his face and he wailed sorrowfully.
Back then, when Wang Chong heard that story, he thought that it was lamentable as well.
Wang Chong didn’t expect to see Dai Jianjian in such a place. This time, his gaze at the young child who was focusing all of his attention on licking the candied haws was completely different.
“When that matter happened, he was only in his teens!”
Wang Chong thought.
Back then, at this timing, Su Zhengchen was still looking for a disciple. It was only after suffering countless setbacks did he truly notice this child. Life was short, and often, one only noticed one’s own mistakes after committing them.
Wang Chong suddenly felt an impulse to do something to alter Su Zhengchen and this child’s fate.
“Lad, help me do something!”
“What is it?”
The young child lifted his head, but his attention wasn’t on Wang Chong. Rather, he was still focused on licking his candied haws.
“If you are able to bring laughter to the old grandfather, I will give you a silver ingot every day!”
“Ah!”
The young child’s eyes finally tore apart from the candied haw. Tilting his head, he stared at Wang Chong intently with his huge beady eyes. He may be young, but he knew that he was able to buy a lot of sticks of candied haws with a silver ingot.
“Really?”
The young child didn’t dare to believe it.
“Of course.”
Wang Chong nodded his head seriously. For a brief moment, sorrow could be seen in Wang Chong’s eyes.