Chapter 232 Reunited with An Acquaintance
Wanyan Ba, the Grand Prince in North Di, was the eldest son of Grand Khan. He usually followed Grand Khan to fight in the battlefield and had led the army alone to occupy the Langya Mountain at a young age. He was an indispensable helper for North Di to conquer every tribe and achieve unity. And, Wanyan Ba was determined to become the next Khan of North Di.
Therefore, the warrior qualification competition the Grand Prince organized was a big event in the Ghost City. Early in the morning, it was still dark, but a lot of people were queuing up in front of his mansion. They hoped to fight first and leave a profound impression on the Grand Prince.
When Leng Changxi held Qin Yunuan to the mansion, the fight competition was already on. A 3-meter sturdy man stood on the platform in an imposing manner, looking aggressive. He just defeated a skilled martial artist whose weapon was a mace, but there was only the black-iron-made stick left on the platform. The spiked head on the mace was missing.
With a piece of white silk covering her eyes, Qin Yunuan couldn’t see the crowd clearly. Suddenly, she heard they burst into an uproar, and some timid people screamed out.
“What happened?” Qin Yunuan asked in a low voice.
“Nothing.” Leng Changxi moved sideways to deliberately block Qin Yunuan’s view. Those injured fighters were carried down, and people voluntarily stepped back, letting them pass. Those fighters died in different ways. Some had bled from their mouth and nose while others had their limbs cut off. Undoubtedly, the most miserable one was the man who was badly mutilated by his own weapon, the mace.
North Di men were naturally strong. Unlike martial artists in Qi who would stop fighting when the result was clear in a competition, North Di people would beat their opponents to death.
“Changxi.” Qin Yunuan was a bit regretful. She trusted in Leng Changxi’s ability, but what if there was any contingency?
“I’ll be fine.” Leng Changxi looked at that 3-meter man on the platform. He defeated an opponent again, but he seemed not tired at all. Even he felt more excited when seeing the bloodstain left by the loser who was dragged away.
Wanyan Ba sat in front of the platform. Before him were the kumiss and agate grapes of the best quality in North Di. The servant girl near him poured some kumiss into his bowl and wiped clean the stained rim. Looking at the big guy who raised his arms to cheer for him on the platform, Wanyan Ba praised him loudly, “North Di warrior, you did a good job. I give this cup of kumiss to you as a reward of defeating seven opponents. Also, you can pick up a beauty of mine as you like.”
The man on the platform didn’t refuse and replied in a gruff voice, “I’ll take it. You are the kind of masters I, Xiahou Mu, admire most.” Then he turned to the servant girl who poured kumiss just now and said, “I want her. I like tender women. You, come home with me. Do laundry and cook for me. Serve me now.”
That servant girl trembled, and several drops of kumiss seeped out of the bottle to Wanyan Ba’s finger. He slapped her and cursed, “Useless. It’s your honor to win Warrior Xiahou’s favor. From now on…”
“Your Highness, please don’t.” That servant girl knelt down to implore, “I’ve served you for a long time, and I still hope to serve you in future. Your Highness, please reconsider this.”
Wanyan Ba didn’t look at her but just glanced at his guard who then immediately dragged the servant girl to Xiahou Mu. As high as a hill, the 3-meter Xiahou Mu weighed himself on the servant girl and stroked her face in an obscene way. He talked dirty, “You’re just a servant girl. Don’t pretend as if you are chaste. Go back with me, and I’ll let you have fun.”
“That girl is doomed.” Qin Yunuan whispered to Leng Changxi, “Even if I’m far away from that man, I can hear his strong and fast heartbeat as well as his heavy breathing. He is loud, and I can smell beef, mutton and something rotten from him. This means he’s a raunchy, rough, grumpy and lustful man. If that girl goes back with him, she will be tortured to death.”
A bit surprised, Leng Changxi looked at Qin Yunuan who had been temporarily blind for a month. Now, her hearing became as sensitive as her smell. And more importantly, she knew how to make good use of her strength and made a clear analysis of everything in her mind.
From time to time, people could hear that man’s raspy and nasty laughter and that girl’s cries coming from the platform. However, all people around stood by. Many hypocrites even wore a mocking smile and seemed to look forward to what happened next.
The kind of people, who Qin Yunuan hated most, were those who took advantage of their power to bully others, just like Dou Qing’e.
“Changxi, it’s time.” Qin Yunuan frowned and nudged Leng Changxi.
When Leng Changxi was ready to use his light skills to fly to the platform, he heard a deep voice. “Let her go.”
It sounded familiar. Qin Yunuan slightly turned her head and carefully confirmed where that voice came from with her hearing. Then she was held by a warm and big hand. She heard Leng Changxi said in excitement. “It’s Leng Wu.”
Leng Wu?
He was alive and tracked them to North Di?
They didn’t take rash actions. Standing close to Qin Yunuan for better protecting her, Leng Changxi just watched Leng Wu confronted Xiahou Mu in silence. But he already held his sword tightly.
Leng Wu was still dressed like people living in the Central Plains. With some mustaches, he looked less delicate than before. At the first glance, he didn’t look familiar, but the heroic spirit reflected from his face was a proof of his identity.
“Little man, what are you here for? For this girl or the title of the Grand Prince’s warrior?” Xiahou Mu looked down upon this warrior from the Central Plains, who was much shorter and smaller than him and other average North Di people.
Leng Wu took out his two halberds and said, “I’m here for nothing but justice.”
Xiahou Mu sounded more disdainful. “Look at you, people from the Central Plains. You merely know to keep in line with rigid rules. But here, the strongest one makes rules. If you beg me to spare you when I beat you up later, I may consider setting you free.”
Leng Wu raised his eyebrows. “Don’t bother.” Then, they started to fight. Xiahou Mu just fought with his great strength, and after winning seven people, he didn’t feel tired. At the beginning, he didn’t see Leng Wu as a powerful opponent and only wanted to put an end to this fight quickly. But he didn’t expect that he would miss the target after punching. Then, Leng Wu took advantage of his strength to twist his elbow, so at last, Xiahou Mu hit himself on the nose.
Xiahou Mu took two steps back and wiped away the blood on his philtrum. When they fought again, Xiahou Mu exerted all his strength. All spectators were booing and hooting. When Wanyan Ba was slowly eating a glittering grape, Song Lian, an adviser near him, lowered his head and said, “Your Highness, this man is a very skilled martial artist. He will be a great help for you.”
Wanyan Ba squinted at Song Lian and said, “You don’t have to speak up for your compatriot. Even if he wins, so what? I’m the one having a say in recruiting which warrior.”
The fight was in full swing. Obviously, Xiahou Mu, who only had an advantage on strength, couldn’t win Leng Wu who was tactical. The fight was close to end.
But suddenly, a flagpole next to the platform cracked and broke into two. The spiked one fell right on Xiahou Mu and stabbed into his belly. Wanyan Ba immediately ordered the servant aside to save him. However, that servant was rash to take the spike out, and by accident, hooked Xiahou Mu’s guts which left some disgusting bloodstains on the ground.
Feeling sick, Wanyan Ba just took a glance at it and then ordered Song Lian, “Ask people to clean the ground.” Then, he squinted at Leng Wu and smiled. “Well done. This girl is yours now, and you will become my first warrior.” Later, he held three fingers out and said, “And you can earn this much every month.”
Leng Wu frowned, and he could hear spectators were discussing loudly.
“Three silver ingots each month? That’s quite a lot.”
“You, ignorant. The Grand Prince doesn’t use silver, but gold! So he means three real gold ingots.”
Leng Wu seemed hesitant. He didn’t fight for becoming the Grand Prince’s warrior here, so he tended to leave after winning. However, the broken flagpole drew his attention. Other people might just think it was an accident, but after his careful observation, he thought it was someone deliberately breaking the pole off. And the trick that person used was familiar to him. Obviously, the broken flagpole, which unexpectedly hit Xiahou Mu, was a message for him. Leng Wu quickly gave the crowd a once-over, and suddenly, a stony look grabbed his attention.
Leng Wu opened his mouth slightly, and it seemed that he was saying “General”.
Then, Leng Changxi, who stood afar, knew Leng Wu had recognized him. He nodded to Leng Wu quietly, and then Leng Wu cupped his hands to Wanyan Ba, “Your Highness, I’m very willing to work for you.”
Wanyan Ba laughed loudly and heartily. He turned to Song Lian. “You are from Qi, and so is he. You, Qi people, always boast about your rich knowledge and martial arts skills. But look now, you all work for me. Give the golden armor to my first warrior. Seven days later when we are back to the capital, I want him to defeat everyone else in the competition.”
Leng Wu frowned and subconsciously looked at where Leng Changxi stood. But he had gone, with only a group of North Di people who looked envious left here.
In the alley, Leng Changxi held Qin Yunuan’s hands and led her in front by carefully kicking away cobbles on the road.
“Nuan, I’m sorry for not earning the money reward to cure your eyes.”
“It doesn’t matter.” Qin Yunuan reached out to stroke Leng Changxi’s callous fingers. “But, are you sure that Leng Wu knows we’re here?”
“He’s smart.” Leng Changxi analyzed calmly, “Trust me. He will come to find us before midnight. And, he can be our informant while staying in Wanyan Ba’s mansion. Sima Ray is truly powerful in Qi now, but he has few backers. He will definitely ask help from Wanyan Ba.”
Unwittingly, they already walked back to their courtyard, but Qin Yunuan suddenly stopped before the door and frowned. “Watch out. I smell a stranger in the courtyard.”