Chapter 52
Chapter 52: Chapter 52 – General Meng Token
“Meng Tianlang from the Great Zhou Empire? ”
Northern Valiant Sword and Huang Lianxin were both shocked. They felt a sense of doom.
Meng Tianlang was ranked second on the Great Zhou’s Hero Ranking Board!
This meant he was on par with Xiao Jinghong.
He could even be more powerful than the Sword Noble.
Xiao Jinghong was just one person after all. He couldn’t be compared to Meng Tianlang, who had in his command the iron knights of Great Zhou.
The reason why he was one rank higher than Xiao Jinghong was also because of his status.
Meng Tianlang observed Ah Big and Small Er and exclaimed, “They were well-nurtured. They have within them a killing aura, suitable to put into the battlefield.”
He totally did not care about Zhou Xuanji and the rest.
Usually, in the Great Zhou, no one dared to reject him as long as he announced his title.
Zhou Xuanji said, “The great knight general, the second rank on the Hero Ranking Board, wants to snatch mounts from a child like me?”
When Meng Tianlang heard him, he turned to look at him and said, “These two dragon eagles belong to you?”
Hmm?
This child’s cultivation was at Englightening Stage Level One?
His curiosity was instantly aroused. “Child, what’s your name? Which clan or sect are you from?” he asked.
Zhou Xuanji took a step forward and replied, “Who am I is not a matter of importance. But General Meng has such high standing, what are these dragon eagles to you? It is alright if you encountered a grown-up. Just snatch it away from him. But I’m only eleven years old, are you sure you want to do this? Aren’t you afraid that this will make you a laughing stock?”
He heard some news about Meng Tianlang in the Southern Snow Kingdom.
General Meng was neither petty, nor evil, nor was he someone upright and righteous.
For people like Meng Tianlang, fame was of utmost importance.
The knight general heard and rubbed his nose, and his face became a little hot.
To be seen as a rival by Xiao Jinghong, the general’s characters were not bad. It must be remembered Xiao Jinghong’s deep-seated pride and how much the Sword Noble hated people who were dishonest, rude, and unreasonable.
Meng Tianlang stared at Zhou Xuanji and said, “Kid, tell me, under what condition will you give them to me? How about ten thousand level-three spirit stones in exchange?”
Huang Lianxin was shocked by Meng Tianlang’s generosity.
But Northern Valiant Sword looked grave still. He cursed in his heart that General Meng was trying to deceive a child.
The dragon eagles were worth much more than that.
Zhou Xuanji shook his said and replied, “No, I’m not going to give them up. They were parting presents from my parents before they passed away.”
Meng Tianlang’s face changed, realizing that this was becoming troublesome.
To bully a child was not valiant at all.
Snatching the parting gift of someone’s parents was not virtuous at all.
His eyes were burning with envy. It took him so long to encounter a dragon eagle. He immensely desired to bring them under the fold of Great Zhou’s army.
His eyes rolled in thought and giggled, “Kid, do you want to join Great Zhou’s army?”
If Zhou Xuanji were to join the army, the dragon eagles would naturally be part of his army.
Zhou Xuanji heard him, and immediately had a scheme in his heart.
He asked, “If I join the army, can you recommend me to participate in the Great Zhou Heaven Selection?”
Great Zhou’s Heaven Selection!
Meng Tianlang opened his eyes wide. This kid had such ambition!
But as an Enlightening Stage cultivator, the kid really met the criteria.
But, strangely, there was an Enlightening Stage cultivator at such a young age.
Could he be a prodigy comparable to Great Zhou’s second prince, Zhou Yalong?
He said frankly, “To participate in Great Zhou’s Heaven Select, you have to be popular too. I’m in the position to recommend you, and I will give you the opportunity to become famous, but all these will still depend on yourself.”
He knew how high the bar was when he participated in the Heaven Selection long ago.
It could be described as an entire army attempting to cross a single-log bridge.
Zhou Xuanji’s eyes glistened. “You will allow me to join the army and recommend me for Great Zhou Heaven Selection, even if I don’t hand the dragon eagles over to you?”
Little Jiang Xue, Northern Valiant Sword, and Huang LIanxin were all looking at Meng Tianlang in astonishment. Could this guy be so kind-hearted?
General Meng laughed pridefully, “I need dragon eagles, not because I like them, but because they were useful in battle. If you join the army, you will bring along the dragon eagles, right? How could such powerful beasts be kept as pet birds? They should be used on the battlefield!”
With his impassionate tone, his words were compelling. An ordinary child would surely be bewitched by him.
But Zhou Xuanji’s heart was not moved at all as he pretended to be excited about it, “I will first participate in the Sword Conference held by Sword Monarch’s disciple. After I’m successful, I will follow you and join the army. How about that?”
This kid was so quick to decide?
Meng Tianlang said in laughter, “Of course. I, Meng Tianlang, will do what I say! ”
He straightaway took out a bronze token, which was the size of his palm, and on it was carved a “Meng” character.
He threw the token to Zhou Xuanji, and said, “This is the General Meng Token. With this token, you can come and find me in the Great Zhou’s barracks. When you enter the custom, take out this token, and you will be exempted from the entry fee.”
Zhou Xuanji was shocked.
This guy was straightforward to make a deal.
Or it could even be said that General Meng was brainless.
If he knew what Zhou Xuanji was thinking, he would surely go crazy.
Zhou Xuanji played around with the General Meng Token and asked, “You are not going to ask about my identity?”
“To reach the Enlightening Stage at such a young age, you must be someone extraordinary. Daring to reject me, you are not a weakling.”
“You remember the will of your parents, naturally you are not someone without principle.”
“I, Meng Tianlang, favor you, young man. See you in Great Zhou!”
Meng Tianlang laughed carefreely and left on his horse.
The sound of galloping resounded between the sky and earth, and so did his laughter.
Soon, he disappeared from the horizon.
Northern Valiant Sword’s jaw dropped.
Huang Lianxin and Little Jiang Xue were stunned. They were shocked by how forthright he was.
Zhou XuanJi shot a glance at Little Jiang Xue, and asked carefreely, “What are you thinking about?”
“Is this guy an idiot?” Little Jiang Xue sighed in amazement.
Zhou Xuanji immediately burst out in laughter. He looked at her and said, “How could a girl understand the forthrightness of a man? If he can become the knight general of Great Zhou, he’s surely someone outstanding.”
Little Jiang Xue rolled her eyes and signaled to him with her eyes that he was the prince of Great Zhou.
Huang Lianxin nodded and said, “I see that he’s not lying. This is a good thing.”
With Meng Tianlang’s recommendation, Zhou Xuanji had a higher chance to participate in the Heaven Selection.
“Once you join the Great Zhou’s army, it will be hard to leave.” Northern Valiant Sword reminded.
He did not want to follow Zhou Xuanji and become part of the army.
If he did, he could no longer train his sword techniques freely.
Zhou Xuanji assured him, “Don’t worry. If I emerge victorious in Heaven Selection, he will not be able to prevent me from leaving.”
His goal was to assassinate the Empress of Great Zhou!
After that, he would surely flee.
Northern Valiant Sword heard him and smiled immediately.
He knew that Sword God Zhou was not someone ordinary. What’s the point of becoming a soldier?
They were not Great Zhou’s citizens!
The small black snake suddenly said, “That guy’s eyes were so fearsome and scared the shit out of me. He noticed me, he was indeed the man whom Xiao Jinghong looked to as his rival.”
Zhou Xuanji rolled his eyes. No wonder this thing did not speak previously.
The party continued ahead.
Because of their encounter with Meng Tianlang, they became more vigilant for the rest of their journey.
The Southern Snow Kingdom and Great Zhou Empire were a few kingdoms distance apart.
The Great Zhou Empire was at the center of many kingdoms. Although it ruled over many kingdoms, its control was loose. The empire allowed competitions, and even wars, between the kingdoms.
Two months passed quickly.
This day, Zhou Xuanji passed by a battlefield.
They stopped suddenly. Northern Valiant Sword drew his sword and stood in front of them. “Everyone, be careful,” He warned.
Zhou Xuanji, on the other hand, keenly looked ahead with eyes sparkling and seemed somewhat excited.