Chapter 865.2: The Strongest Black Wind King
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Along the way, Xuanyuan Qi borrowed, or more accurately, robbed a warhorse from a Jin soldier, and right then and there, forced the poor man to teach him a few useful phrases in the language of the State of Jin.
Afterward, he killed the soldier and led Gu Jiao and Tang Yueshan straight toward the city gate.
Lowering the visor of his helmet and holding up the command token, Xuanyuan Qi fully unleashed his commanding aura!
The city guard was so startled that he nearly jumped, hurriedly cupped his fists and saluted. “General Liu!”
Gu Jiao: “…”
You actually promoted yourself to a general?!
“It’s not dawn yet, General Liu. Are you going out of the city?” The guard asked nervously.
Xuanyuan Qi struck a dignified pose and cast a side glance at Gu Jiao full of pomp.
Gu Jiao, the lowly soldier, responded in her newly-learned State of Jin tongue with a deep and serious voice. “Top-secret orders from the Grand General! Open the gates!”
“...Y, Yes! Right away!”
Leaving the city turned out to be much smoother than expected.
Gu Jiao couldn’t help but wonder just what kind of high-ranking figure he had robbed. Could it be that he had looted someone from inside the City Lord’s residence?
“No.” Xuanyuan Qi replied solemnly the moment she voiced her doubt.
The man left from the City Lord’s residence.
And was robbed at the gate!
Not long after they exited the city, dawn broke over the horizon.
They dared not delay for even a moment and immediately began rushing at full speed toward Quyang City.
The Black Wind King was an exceptional lead horse, and under its leadership, the Black Wind Cavalry horse, including the warhorse seized from the Jin army, were able to push their speed to the absolute limit.
Gu Jiao gripped the reins tightly and called out, “Big Boss, we must reach Quyang before nightfall!”
The Black Wind King galloped against the fierce western wind, hooves thundering along the official road. They were retracing the shortcut they had taken on the way here.
After leaving the main road, they entered a dense forest where the canopy blotted out the sun. They maneuvered through winding paths and steep ravines, heading straight toward the eastern gate of Quyang City!
The last time they had charged forward with such utter disregard for cost or consequence was during the final selection trial for the commander of the Black Wind Cavalry. Although the straight-line distance from Pucheng to Quyang was less than three hundred li, the terrain was far from easy.
By the time they emerged from yet another forest, all three horses bore fresh wounds.
The Black Wind King did not dare to stop.
Xuanyuan Qi kept up the pursuit, watching it from a distance.
This version of Little Ah Yue was something he had never expected.
When Little Ah Yue was first born, it had nearly died in infancy. Xuanyuan Qi had once believed it would never grow up.
Yet not only did it survive, it grew strong and rose to become the new Black Wind King, surpassing even the fiercest stallions.
It was the mightiest of all Black Wind Kings, even more fierce and powerful than the one that had belonged to his elder brother before.
It had not participated in its first real battle until the age of sixteen, an age already considered advanced for a warhorse, and this very battle might well become the final one of its entire life.
After this campaign was over, it was meant to retire.
Because of the extreme intensity of their training and battlefield duties, Black Wind Cavalry horses generally had much shorter lifespans than ordinary warhorses.
To maintain peak combat strength, no horses older than twelve were kept in active service within the Black Wind Army. Typically, once a horse reached thirteen, its service would be formally ended.
But this one was nearing seventeen years old, and it was still fighting!
Xuanyuan Qi gazed at the noble creature, and also at the gallant little figure riding proudly on its back.
They were the most perfect companions fate could have ever paired together.
……
The sun gradually slanted westward in the sky.
The Black Wind King led the charge at the front, forging ahead without hesitation.
The other two warhorses followed from far behind, and the distance between them grew wider and wider until, when Gu Jiao turned her head to look, she could no longer see either of them at all.
But that didn’t matter, as Quyang City was just ahead!
As long as she delivered the message first, it would all be the same!
“Big Boss! Once we get past this stretch of the main road, we’ll be able to see the city walls!”
Just as she finished speaking, the Black Wind King suddenly slowed its pace, causing a furrow to form between Gu Jiao’s brows. She pulled hard on the reins, bringing the horse to a halt.
From ahead on the road came the thunderous roar of countless hooves, so fierce that the gravel beneath her feet trembled.
“That sound… could it be a cavalry unit approaching?”
As they came closer and closer, Gu Jiao caught sight of the tall standards raised high above the riders.
They were… Jin soldiers!
They had just evaded the Jin forces at Pucheng, only to run headfirst into another contingent here. What in the world was going on?
The first possibility Gu Jiao dismissed was that the Jin troops from Pucheng had overtaken them via the main road, then circled back to mount a surprise attack.
The main road was both longer and rougher, and no horse could ever outpace the Black Wind King, not a chance at all.
This batch of Jin soldiers appeared to be coming from the direction of Xincheng.
Xincheng… that was the Nangong Family’s territory!
These Jin forces must have been lying in wait inside Xincheng for some time. Now, with the imperial army’s twelve divisions about to reclaim Xincheng, and themselves too weak to hold the city, they had simply chosen to abandon it and flee.
They were likely making their way to the main camp at Pucheng, and it was precisely because of that route that they happened to run into Gu Jiao, who was coming from the opposite direction.
“What a cursed coincidence…”
Gu Jiao looked out at the dense mass of Jin troops, estimating their numbers at no less than ten thousand.
And for such a massive force to have made it so close to Quyang without being intercepted by any of its defenders, there could only be one explanation: Quyang’s military forces had split into two main contingents and nearly emptied the city, leaving behind only those Black Wind Cavalry members who were unfit for combat… along with just enough remaining troops to defend the walls.
This deployment strategy wasn’t wrong; it was meant to secure the greatest possible victory with the smallest possible loss, thereby preserving enough strength to confront Pucheng’s two hundred thousand-strong Jin army.
No one could have anticipated that Gu Jiao would cross paths with this particular force of Jin soldiers.
After all, if not for the sudden crisis at Ghost Mountain, Gu Jiao would never have chosen to travel during daylight hours.
But now it was far too late to avoid them; the Jin troops had already spotted her.
“Who?!” A Jin cavalryman shouted sharply.
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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Description:
In the suspenseful supernatural novel “Records of Mortals,” Jiang Baiyan, once a solitary and impoverished youth, finds refuge in the Shi family of Chang’an due to his extraordinary bloodline. With his clear and captivating peach blossom eyes, this seemingly innocent young man conceals a fanatical and malevolent lunatic within. Destined to succumb to darkness amidst hardship and degradation, he becomes a harbinger of chaos.
When Shi Dai suddenly transmigrates, she takes on the role of the Shi family’s young lady, the one who subjects him to countless trials, eventually leading to her demise.
The twist? She never got to finish reading the novel.
From what she knew of the plot, Jiang Baiyan was just a silent, timid, and often bullied pitiable character.
***
Jiang Baiyan had never encountered someone like Shi Dai.
After he had slaughtered all the evil creatures in the garden, the blood-stained young man, exuding a murderous aura, approached her step by step, his lips curling into a malicious smile, "Scared?"
Shi Dai responded, “You’re really amazing! I applaud you until I spin like a spiral and fly around the moon three hundred times! And also——you have dimples when you smile!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
After seeing her at a lantern festival with another man, Jiang Baiyan lowered his eyes, his fingers twirling her hair. He said in a mocking and sinister tone, "The mansion in the western suburbs...if I hide you there, no one will find you, right?"
Shi Dai replied, "Does it come with meals and lodging? Can I sleep in everyday? Oh, and your cooking is the best!"
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
—
Jiang Baiyan was supposed to dislike her, even hate her, but as their separation drew near, his eyes turned red and he grabbed her sleeve, pleading, "Don't abandon me, alri—”
Shi Dai responded, "Alright, alright, I’ll only have you. Mwah."
Jiang Baiyan: ...?
He hasn't finished his lines yet though…