"Hahaha, is the young mistress of the Bai Clan really interested in just a few mere crates of gold?" With a mysterious smile hanging on his lips, Wang Chong gazed deeply into Bai Siling.
"As I expected, you know my true identity." As if having expected this, Bai Siling smiled faintly, seemingly affirming Wang Chong's words.
"How many people wouldn't know your identity when you have already reported your true name?" Wang Chong replied.
"But there is more than one Bai Clan in the capital?"
"Of them all, there's only one I can think of that is qualified to send their offspring to Longwei Training Camp."
"Hahaha, as expected of a man bestowed with an Imperial steed, a White-hoofed Shadow. I really can't hide anything from you."
Those words immediately plunged the light and casual chat into extreme awkwardness.
Just the fact that the other party was able to identify the White-hoofed Shadow spoke much about her. Even though Wang Chong didn't think that he would be able to hide his identity forever, the lady before him still seemed to be far more discerning than he had thought.
As expected of a scion from the Bai Clan! You sure do share the same blood as your kin! Recalling the Bai Clan's resounding reputation for their shrewdness, Wang Chong sighed deeply.
He had sure received a clear glimpse of it today!
"Why aren't you speaking?" With a cheerful smile, Bai Siling nudged the young man before her as a little glee arose in her heart.
This fellow always had a confident look on his face, as if everything was within his control. Pulling one over on him was not easy at all.
"At this point, do you still not intend to reveal your true identity to me?" Bai Siling asked with a smile.
"I don't know what you are talking about," Wang Chong replied seriously. As he spoke, he patted the back of his horse and galloped toward his platoon.
"Hey! You can't act like this!" Bai Siling yelled angrily, "You know very well what I am talking about!"
"I don't know," Wang Chong said a smile flashing momentarily across his face.
"Screw that!" Bai Siling clenched her teeth tightly as she glared at Wang Chong's back hatefully. He would always use that darned old trick against her, playing dumb.
But there was simply nothing she could do against it. As long as Wang Chong refused to acknowledge it, there was nothing she could say.
"... But if you wish to get a share of the gold, I can consider that."
Just as Bai Siling was about to explode, a voice lightly drifted back to her along with the wind. Hearing those words, her fury vanished and a gleeful smile took its place.
Lad, at least you have some conscience!
Bai Siling tugged on the reins of her steed and picked up her pace as well.
------
With each operation, Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu's coordination was swiftly improving. With an enhanced numerical advantage, their success rate was swiftly rising, and from the looks of it, they should be able to clear the mission without any trouble.
On the other hand, Wang Chong seemed to have found himself a new follower.
Using the words from Wang Chong's previous life, Bai Siling would be a newbie leeching experience off him.
Without help, it would have been difficult for Bai Siling to clear the mission.
Fortunately for her, Wang Chong didn't seem to mind it, either. In any case, the twenty True Martial realm veterans under Bai Siling was also an additional fighting force for him, as well.
Besides that, Wang Chong wasn't willing to see Bai Siling hanging around Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu, either. Given Bai Siling’s wits, it would safer to keep her by his side.
------
Xiu xiu!
Two sharp arrows harnessing immense might shot across the sky and struck two bandits who were escaping in a panic. Pu pu, impaled in the chest, the two bandits staggered and fell off the cliff. A long moment later, two dull thuds sounded from below.
"I finally understand why Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu would lose to you. The first thing that is on your mind isn't victory, but loss. Even before the start of the battle, you have already calculated their path of escape. You are simply hiding too much, the both of them won't be able to comprehend your means no matter how long they observe you… It should come as consolation to them that at least their loss is against an opponent like you."
On the high peak of the mountain, Bai Siling was gazing down from a boulder to observe the happenings beneath. Shaking her head, she let out a long sigh.
When she saw the two bandits escaping, Bai Siling was still wondering whether this would be Wang Chong's first failure. Who knew that two arrows would suddenly appear from nowhere and claim the lives of the duo?
Despite having watched the situation from the start to the end, she still wasn't able to comprehend where the two cavalrymen who shot the arrows came from.
"You have keen eyes, I knew that I wouldn't be able to hide it from you." Standing beside Bai Siling, Wang Chong chuckled heartily with his hands behind his back. He knew that it would only be a matter of time before all his means were exposed to her.
"As the saying goes, a cunning hare has three dens. In this case, it would be the sentries, traps, and numerous escape routes. Regarding the last one, as long as one studies the geography of their den carefully, it isn't too difficult to deduce their paths of escape. All that would be left then is to plant a few master archers in the vicinity to clear them off.
"Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu's arrogance have led to them underestimating the intelligence of the bandits. Knowing that there would be periodic cleanups, how could they possibly dare to remain here without some aces up their sleeves?" Wang Chong said. His tone was slow but confident. His words seemed to carry some kind of power that made one unwittingly believe his words.
Unlike Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu, Wang Chong felt that it was meaningless to hide this from Bai Siling. Besides, since he had already decided to bring her along with him on his missions, he had no intentions of hiding his tricks from her, either.
"You sure have some interesting phrases. Aces?" Bai Siling took a side glance at Wang Chong's well-proportioned face as slight bewilderment flashed across her eyes. Wang Chong's manner of speech and the terminology he used was very different from others.
While she had never heard these phrases before, she could roughly fathom their meanings.
"But that's easier said than done. Even with a clear grasp of the geographical region around the den, not everyone will be able to deduce their path of escape as accurately as you do. I doubt that Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu will be able to learn that from following behind you. In the end, it all boils down to your capability.
"Even though you have been acting mysterious, refusing to reveal your identity, there is no doubt you are a scion. Honestly, I am truly unable to comprehend how you are able to know so much about the various methods of the bandits. After all, this shouldn't be common knowledge for people like us, right?" Bai Siling asked curiously. This fellow was like a bag of mysteries; the more she interacted with him, the more secrets she would find inside him. As simple as that fellow had described his actions to be, she understood that it wasn't that easy to carry them out in practice.
In her view, Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu were outstanding in their own rights. The only problem was that they were competing against a monster.
Barely fifteen or sixteen, but the knowledge he had displayed, and the experience and composure that shone through his actions went far beyond that. Wasn't there something very queer about this?
"There is a long story behind that," Wang Chong chuckled in response, but he chose not to satisfy Bai Siling's curiosity. After all, how could he tell another that he had actually reincarnated back into his younger body?
"Go!" Wang Chong waved his hands, and the reinforcements immediately joined the battle as well. True Martial realm halos swiftly emerged in the surroundings, and before long, loud explosions filled the mountain peak.
It was b
est to retain some methods for himself, so Wang Chong had chosen to resort to brute force instead of utilizing strategies before Bai Siling.
Besides, with a combined strength of forty True Martial realm cavalrymen, there was indeed no need for strategy either.
"Be careful!" Just as Wang Chong was deep in thought, an anxious shout suddenly sounded. Chi, with a cold gleam, a crescent blade flashed across the night sky in a huge arc, aiming for both him and Bai Siling.
That person seemed to have been hiding in the shadows for quite some time. It was only after confirming that the young man and lady before him were the leaders of the cavalry below did he slowly creep forward to strike them down.
As the crescent blade sliced across space, it seemed like even the air was divided into two. The piercing shrill of the blade as it traversed through space suggested that even iron could be easily cut through, needless to say, a body of flesh and blood.
If Wang Chong and Bai Siling were to be struck by this saber, they would surely be decapitated.
Chapter 336: Bai Siling's Astonishing Strength!
Chapter 336: Bai Siling's Astonishing Strength!
"Lord, be careful!"
"Stop him!..."
A huge pandemonium broke out amidst the group. The sudden emergence of the cold gleam had left the army of forty panicking.
Wang Chong and Bai Siling were the leaders of this operation. If they were to die in this mission, the soldiers would be subjected to the punishment of the Bureau of Military Personnel, and this incident would be placed in their records as well.
As the saying went, "Shoot the mount before the rider. Capture the chief before the other bandits."
In a war, the commanders and marshals were always the priority targets. This was the reason why all soldiers would always fight to the death to protect their commanders.
It would be considered a major breach of duty if one's commander were to be killed before their eyes. But at this moment, everyone was already in the midst of battle. On top of that, there was no one in proximity to save Wang Chong and Bai Siling.
With this sudden situation, the both of them were plunged into danger.
"Hmph!"
With a wry smile, Wang Chong drew his sword, and just as he was about to execute the Eight Steps of the Furious Flood Dragon to kill this True Martial realm assassin, a metallic chime suddenly sounded beside him.
Following that, with a speed surpassing even Wang Chong's, a snowy figure suddenly charged forth like a raging dragon rising from the ground.
Boom!
This was the first time Wang Chong had witnessed Bai Siling making a move.
In just an instant, her disposition changed entirely. A powerful aura burst into the surroundings. Beneath the moonlight, layers of Stellar Energy of extreme yin circled around her, exuding the cold gleam of a thousand razor edges.
Facing the slash of tremendous might, Bai Siling simply raised a single finger. At this moment, her fair and smooth finger was emanating a silver glow reminiscent of a sword.
Hong long!
That slim finger came into contact with the crescent blade, halting its movement altogether. At the same time, Bai Siling leapt into the sky and sent a kick straight into that assassin.
Those who hadn't witnessed the scene would never believe that such fearsome strength could actually be packed into a body as slim as hers.
Even in the dark of night, Wang Chong could still clearly see how Bai Siling's sharp kick had knocked the other party's abdomen in, and for an instant, her leg actually sank into his body!
Peng!
The bandit’s ninety-kilogram body was sent flying back as if hit by a cannonball. Crashing through numerous small trees, he crashed heavily into a huge banyan tree in the forest. Wooden splinters flew into the air as the man was lodged into the tree by the sheer force of his momentum.
For an instant, the entire den fell silent. Even the battle seemed to have halted momentarily. The fearsome kick from Bai Siling had stunned everyone, including Wang Chong.
Wang Chong didn't expect Bai Siling to possess a fearsome might comparable to a dinosaur in that slim body of hers.
Gulong!
Even though there wasn't the slightest expression on his face, he still couldn't help but swallow a mouthful of saliva.
As expected of an offspring of the Bai Clan, she's formidable!
That was the only thought remaining in Wang Chong's mind at this moment. To think that he had intended to utilize his Eight Steps of the Furious Flood Dragon! Bai Siling's kick had already far exceeded the limit of the might of his ultimate technique, reaching a level comparable to his Second Sister and Marquess Yi.
To think that he was ignorant of it despite constantly being together for the past few days.
If that kick were to fall on him instead, it was unlikely that he would fare any better than that assassin.
Bai Siling gracefully landed with one foot before turning around to glance at Wang Chong with a proud look on her face. "How is it? Not bad, right?"
There simply weren't too many opportunities to get the better of Wang Chong. The ones who had been feeling the frustration over the past few days weren't limited to just Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu, and she had been wanting to return the favor for some time.
"Not bad, truly not bad at all!" Wang Chong offered a generous compliment while making a mental note to stay away from this woman as far as possible in the future.
"Lord, the assassin is a Hu!" At that moment, a voice suddenly sounded from the woods. Wang Chong immediately gathered himself and headed to the huge tree the assassin was sent flying into.
Several cavalrymen were gathered beneath the tree. One of them was holding a torch, providing Wang Chong with the illumination to clearly discern the appearance of the assassin.
The assassin was a tall Hu with a large stature. What was distinctive about his appearance was his long, curly full beard, as well as the black cloth wrapped around his head.
The bloodied Arabian scimitar beside him was also particularly conspicuous.
He is from the Abbasid Caliphate!, flashed through Wang Chong's mind.
When the person first appeared, Wang Chong already deduced that he wasn't from the Central Plains. After all, very few people from the Central Plains would use a scimitar as their choice of weapon.
Of the bandit dens that Wang Chong had raided, this was the first time he was seeing an Arab.
"The situation here sure is complicated. Arabs robbing their own men, who would believe that?" Bai Siling said from behind.
"Often, there is no distinction in ethnicity when it comes to plundering. Besides, there are other ethnicities who are using this path as well. His conscience might hinder him from robbing his own countrymen, but I doubt the same would apply to Han merchants." Wang Chong replied with his back to Bai Siling.
Bai Siling's forceful kick had pulverized the Arab assassin's internal organs, leaving him gasping weakly for life. It was unlikely that he had much time left to him.
"Who are you? Why are you here?" a cavalryman from the side bellowed sternly.
"Hmph!" Despite his severe injuries, the Arab assassin was incredibly obstinate. A bunch of Arabic words came out from his mouth before turning his head to the side, clearly expressing his refusal to cooperate.
"Foreign language? Does anyone recognize what he is speaking?"
The cavalrymen in the area were surprised by the foreign tongue, and looks of confusion surfaced.
It seemed like this fellow didn't understand the Han language at all!
Bai Siling frowned. "It's Arabic."
Located in the far west, the Abbasid Caliphate was a great distance from Great Tang, so there were minimal interactions between the two countries. Thus, very few men of the Central Plains could speak Arabic.
"I held back a little so as to have him speak, but it seems like my effort was wasted. I doubt that we'll be able to get anything out of him like that. Kill him!" Bai Siling said as she gestured
to the cavalryman beside her. She thought that she might be able to procure some precious intelligence from this Arab, but her efforts turned out to be in vain.
"Wait a moment!" another voice abruptly interjected, just as the cavalryman's blade was about to fall on the assassin's head. Following which, another less fluent voice sharing the same distinctive traits as the tongue of the assassin sounded out.
"Arabic? You can actually speak Arabic?" Bai Siling widened her eyes in shock as she stared at Wang Chong with a look of incredulity, as if she had just discovered new horizons.
Even though Wang Chong hadn't spoken a word about it, she was certain that he was a scion of the capital. Living in a sheltered environment within their clans, there should be no way he should be able to speak a remote language in the Central Plains like Arabic. No one would believe that!
This was inconceivable!
At this moment, Bai Siling realized that she should reassess the fellow before her.
To Bai Siling's exclamation, Wang Chong simply turned around to flash a smile at her before turning his efforts back to interrogating that Arab assassin. Both of their words sounded extremely bizarre to everyone else's ears, leaving them perplexed as to the conversation going on before them.
But even fools could tell that the Arab assassin was unwilling to cooperate. Just by his gestures, they could deduce that his responses were likely to be "I won't speak", "Don't even think about trying to pry open my mouth", "Just give up, you won't hear a thing from me", something along those lines.
Just as Bai Siling was about to give up hope, thinking that the interrogation was a failure, Wang Chong suddenly uttered some words that left the Arab assassin's face colored in shock. In fact, a slight hint of fear could even be in his eyes, and he stared at Wang Chong as if a bona fide demon was standing before him.
Following which, a series of shocking events occurred. Wang Chong took out a recovery pill and stuffed it into the Arab assassin's mouth. At the same time, the Arab assassin, who had clearly preferred death a moment ago, suddenly began to reply to Wang Chong's questions actively, informing him of everything he knew.
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 244
