Book 11: Chapter 39: Ten Days Later, In Front of Meteor City
Book 11: Chapter 39: Ten Days Later, In Front of Meteor City
Ordinary Yunqin people wouldn’t think that deeply, they wouldn’t think that there was already no one guarding Thousand Sunset Border Pass, that Yunqin army currently had plans to retreat and give up half of South Tomb Province. They wouldn’t try to think about what kind of consequences there would be if the provisions and large amounts of Yunqin powerful military equipment brought out by that Great Mang army reached Wenren Cangyue’s hands, if that Great Mang army wasn’t wiped out under the army led by Hu Piyi.
Most ordinary Yunqin commoners only thought extremely simply. The three hundred thousand Great Mang naval fleet was the Great Mang army that took down Meteor City.
This army made an untold number of Yunqin people shed bitter tears, leaving them in indescribable grief and indignation.
However, now, this army that ambushed Meteor City couldn’t even withdraw, it was completely wiped out by Yunqin’s troops when they landed. On top of this, Yunqin only suffered less than two thousand deaths in casualties.
When they heard this information, many Yunqin commoners thought that it was fake, that it was fake information the royal court released to appease the people. However, through various channels, more and more details were released. All of Yunqin’s people thus knew that this type of thing really happened.
Yunqin’s streets erupted with noise. Yunqin’s people began to cheer, becoming excited.
Lin Xi, Young Sir Lin, this name that had already been forgotten for a long time began to sound in Yunqin’s streets and alleys. Only, this time, it wasn’t only in East Port and Swallow Descent, these Breath River towns, but rather all of Yunqin.
…
“Shopkeeper, your way of doing business really isn’t sincere!”
Within a cloth store, a middle-aged silver embroidered clothed thick-browed man stared at the shopkeeper, saying with an aggrieved voice, “Just now, I saw you take three silvers from the person before me. It is the same silk fabric, yet you want six silvers from me?! Aren’t you a bit too black-hearted?”
“Lower your voice, lower your voice!”
A stout faced shopkeeper immediately took two steps forward, gesturing for this person to lower his voice, at the same time urgently saying quietly, “The one just now was Young Sir Lin’s father…”
“What? Young Sir Lin?! The Young Sir Lin you are talking about is precisely the one who shot down Great Mang’s Southern Path Great General…” The middle-aged silver embroidered male was immediately shocked, unable to help but look outwards.
“Exactly! Friend, it seems like you are an outsider, so there are some things you do not know. Young Sir Lin is precisely someone from our East Forest Province’s Deerwood Town. Later on, after taking post in East Port Town and then Swallow Descent Town, his family moved to Swallow Descent Town. That person just now is precisely Young Sir Lin’s father! Normally, we are extremely close to our neighbors, we all understand his nature well, know that he won’t try to take advantage of us in the slightest just because of our respect towards Young Sir Lin. However, even if Young Sir Lin didn’t establish such heaven shocking contributions in the southern battlefield, just the things he did before in our East Port Town and Swallow Descent Town are enough for us to feel shame in taking money from Young Sir Lin’s family.” The stout looking shopkeeper nodded, saying with a sigh of amazement. “If we give it out for free, Young Sir Lin’s father naturally wouldn’t take it, so our shops all reached tacit mutual understanding, to just cut the price in half, gift half and sell half as a representation of our respect and gratitude towards Young Sir Lin.”
“It was actually Young Sir Lin’s father! I actually had the fortune of seeing Young Sir Lin’s father!”
In that instant, the middle-aged silver embroidered man continuously slapped his own face. “Look at how confused I am… I actually tried to bicker over the price because of Young Sir Lin’s father.”
“Those who don’t know have no sin. It seems like friend also loves and respects our Young Sir Lin, so I’ll charge you half and gift the other half as well, also sell it to you for three silvers!”
“How can I have the shame to do such a thing? Six taels[1]! If you don’t take it, then you are looking down on me, humiliating me!”
“…”
The one purchasing cloth instead wanted to pay more, while the shopkeeper was unwilling to take more, while this was going on, that extremely ordinary middle-aged stout man who purchased a bit of cloth before walked along the street, returning the respectful greetings of his neighbors one after another. When he occasionally heard the news regarding his son, this ordinary middle-aged slightly chubby man would still feel extremely proud, saying inwardly, “That is precisely my son!…”
After continuous defeats, even his own country was covered under dark clouds by the enemy, so everyone needed a hero that could bring some form of consolation to their hearts.
If Lin Xi only assassinated those dozen or so Great Mang commanders, he might still not be able to become this type of hero. However, he was Green Luan Academy’s heaven’s choice, and together with Meteor City being associated with him as well, completing this type of avenging battle in this Yunqin Empire early summer, after that military intelligence with Gu Yunjing’s seal was passed along, he was already destined to become the hero of all of Yunqin’s people.
All of the moving things he did before became unearthed and were spread even further by the people. In the eyes of Yunqin’s people, he was full of brilliance and wonder, his fame instantly reaching an extremely terrifying level. Most of Yunqin’s people began to expectantly wait for information about him from the battlefield.
Yunqin’s people needed to be consoled. The Yunqin troops on the battlefield even more so needed morale and victories.
This great victory that occurred on a certain shore of Meteor Lake quickly spread throughout the entire army. In the military, all military details naturally maintained their truest form. That young cultivator dressed in priest robes with a giant bow on his back instantly won even more respect and adoration from the soldiers.
…
Since Meteor City was Yunqin Empire’s founding place, its walls were naturally already repaired. However, there still hadn’t been enough time to clean up the scorched black remains that remained after its walls were burned down.
Before they were attacked by that Great Mang naval fleet, Meteor City’s walls were a dark red color, this color originating from the blood of Nanmo Country’s three hundred thousand soldiers back then.[2]
Meteor City’s northern gate was ten or so li from Meteor Lake. Previously, this area only served as a military horse riding field.
It was because after the empire was established, no one expected that they would fail to defend Thousand Sunset Border Pass, even less people expecting Great Mang’s troops to be able to make it through half of South Tomb Province, reach Meteor Lake. That was why in this Meteor Lake and its entire northern shore, including Meteor City and Meteor Lake’s regions, Yunqin military didn’t set up any defenses. That day, when that Great Mang army that mounted an attack on Meteor City, they climbed ashore and then took down the city with six times the troops, quickly taking it down, making Yunqin Empire experience extraordinary shame and humiliation.
Right now, even though that Great Mang troop was already wiped out, Yunqin’s military naturally couldn’t just let themselves be unguarded against another Great Mang naval attack.
That was why across the entire Meteor Lake’s northern shore, Yunqin’s military already set up large amounts of defenses. Right now, in the region spanning from Meteor City to Meteor Lake, there were many deep moats dug out, as well as many iron nets, sharp stakes, and other defensive fortifications to stop the sudden assault of cavalry troops.
There were many hidden stakes set up in Meteor Lake’s waters as well. There were many water nets, already making it quite difficult for boats and leather floats to make their way across.
However, it was precisely in this water region, when the midday sunlight was the strongest, that many Yunqin soldiers still strengthened their defensive line, assisting the craftsmen on Meteor City’s walls in setting up some crossbow machines, large scale Stone Catapult Carts and other things. It was right at that time that on Meteor Lake’s bluish milky white beautiful water surface, a small, bowl-sized bamboo float quickly drifted over.
There was someone standing on this small bamboo float.
Someone dressed in dark red skintight leather armor, on his back a dark red giant bow.
This was a cultivator who relied on a bamboo float that could barely support his weight to quickly cross the lake.
The instant they saw this cultivator appear, all of Meteor City’s Yunqin soldiers quickly became vigilant.
It was because judging from this person’s attire and appearance, they were immediately sure that this was Wenren Cangyue’s most powerful archery master Xu Qiubai, that traitorous archer who already assassinated over twenty Yunqin officers.
Without any excessive movements, not even saying any words, this past Jadefall City number one archery master, under the threat of all Yunqin’s military equipment, raised his dark red giant bow from the distance, pinched a dark red arrow, drew his bow, and then released the arrow.
A dark red streak of rainbow light ended its rising momentum. It then began to descend, diagonally nailing itself into a short willow tree.
Then, Xu Qiubai turned around. The bamboo float carried him away, drawing out a long streak in the waters, quickly disappearing from the furious sight of all of these Yunqin soldiers.
Several dozen Yunqin officers immediately hurried up to this willow tree. They discovered that there was a leather scroll firmly fastened to the tail of this arrow with a fine piece of string.
The Yunqin officer who removed this arrow quickly and carefully removed this scroll. After reading the contents over once, his expression changed, his eyes starting to flicker with intense radiance.
“Lin Xi, in ten days, in front of Meteor City, a fight to the death! Xu Qiubai.”
This was the only row of characters written on this leather scroll.
However, this row of characters, in Yunqin which highly revered martial might, was already enough.
This was a written challenge, a challenge for a duel!
Not long after Lin Xi had just become the hero in Yunqin people’s eyes, Xu Qiubai actually used this type of most simple and extremely effective method, directly seeking out Lin Xi for battle!
Moreover, the location of the decisive battle was precisely under Meteor City!
It was precisely here where Yunqin experienced glory and humiliation!
Many Yunqin people might not know that Lin Xi and Xu Qiubai’s cultivation levels weren’t just a single level apart, but all of Yunqin’s high level military officers and most of Yunqin’s royal court did. They knew that there was an extremely great difference between Lin Xi and Xu Qiubai’s cultivation.
Someone with Xu Qiubai’s cultivation came to challenge Lin Xi whose cultivation was far beneath his own, in the eyes of cultivators, this was naturally a bit shameless.
However, during this current war… if Lin Xi didn’t come out to fight, not daring to receive his challenge, then Yunqin’s bit of morale they had just recovered, as well as the faith and joy of Yunqin’s people might suffer a heavy blow again.
Great Mang also definitely had methods to spread this information throughout Yunqin’s various lands, it wasn’t something the military could cover up.
However, if Lin Xi came out to fight and was then directly killed by Xu Qiubai, then what were they supposed to do?
This was simply a lose-lose situation.
…
“What do we do?”
Under the setting sun, a high ranking military officer who wore a dark red metal mask received this information passed over from Meteor City, his tone extremely grave as he asked Gu Yunjing at his side.
Gu Yunjing gave him a look, calmly shaking his head. “In my opinion, all we can do is wait for him to bring us another miracle.”
1. Taels here is still a unit of measuring silver
2. B1C7