Chapter 2012 - Surrounding An Yaluoshan!
Chapter 2012: Surrounding An Yaluoshan!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
“Qiqin is correct. This lowly subject offers a toast to Your Majesty!”
Wang Chong took the cup from Xu Qiqin, bowed to the Sage Emperor, then raised his head and drained the cup.
“Hmph!”
The Sage Emperor coldly snorted. As he watched Wang Chong drain the cup, a smug and contented look appeared in his eyes.
“That was risky!”
At the edge of the hall, King Song and Zhangchou Jianqiong sighed in relief.
They had been extremely nervous just now. It was fortunate that Xu Qiqin had stepped in.
At a time like this, anyone else coming forward would have had an incredibly high chance of provoking the Sage Emperor and making the situation worse. Only Xu Qiqin differed, as she was a woman. Not even the Sage Emperor would find it appropriate to treat her harshly.
Moreover, she was the only one capable of calming down Wang Chong at this time.
“It’s a good thing Lady Xu came with him this time!”
King Song emotionally sighed, a lingering fear in his heart.
Wang Chong, after finishing the wine, quickly returned to his seat with Xu Qiqin.
The Sage Emperor turned back around and returned to his throne, satisfied.
A potential storm in the empire was silently dispersed.
The feast continued, and the music restarted. The conflict between Wang Chong and An Yaluoshan represented a minor quarrel to the feast overall, and the mood quickly warmed back up.
As for Wang Chong, he grew restless in his seat. It was only a short while later that he grew tired of waiting and simply got up and left.
It was dark outside the Pavilion of Petal and Sepal. Wang Chong immediately used a movement technique to bolt like lightning toward the gates, his movements creating small explosions.
Boom!
The palace gates opened. Outside, someone had been anxiously waiting, and immediately approached Wang Chong.
“How’d it go?” Wang Chong said.
Zhang Que got down on one knee and hastily reported, “Your Highness, An Yaluoshan has left the Imperial City, but he’s still in the capital. We’ve already sent men to follow him.
“In addition, General Li Siye, Xu Keyi, and Miyasame Ayaka have already led their soldiers in pursuit.”
An Yaluoshan had left some time ago, but Wang Chong had been extremely slow to appear, leaving Zhang Que frantic.
It was fortunate that Wang Chong had still managed to show up at a time that could not be considered too late.
Wang Chong’s eyes chilled, and a moment later, he erupted with energy!
Space trembled as an immense wave of Psychic Energy radiated from Wang Chong, rapidly sweeping out in all directions.
The capital was covered by a large formation that placed a heavy limit on Psychic Energy, making it so that one could not probe wherever one pleased.
But Wang Chong’s Psychic Energy was so strong that he could still spread out his Psychic Energy over a large area and gather a great deal of information.
And given the time that had passed, An Yaluoshan couldn’t have run very far.
Buzz!
After a few moments of expanding his Psychic Energy, Wang Chong frowned.
He had quickly found An Yaluoshan, but strangely, Wang Chong could sense not just one, but ten-some An Yaluoshans.
Whoosh!
A flapping of wings heralded the arrival of a messenger bird.
Taken aback, Zhang Que quickly received it. As he glanced at the report, a look of joy flashed in his eyes.
“Your Highness, good news! We found An Yaluoshan! He’s headed for the eastern gate.”
“Don’t celebrate just yet! We need to see all the information first!”
Wang Chong shook his head. With his Psychic Energy, he could sense that ten-some messenger birds were headed his way.
As expected, these messenger birds arrived in quick succession.
After reading all these reports, Zhang Que was dumbstruck.
“A good trick!”
Wang Chong didn’t even look at the reports, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the darkness.
Wang Chong was no stranger to An Yaluoshan’s trick. The trick had already been tried at the eastern gate. He had simply increased the number.
“Truly well prepared! But do you think that’s enough for you to escape?”
Wang Chong coldly laughed, and he swiftly vanished into the darkness.
“Follow! Now is not the time to be shocked. Pass on my order! All men are to pursue at full speed and close the net on An Yaluoshan and all his subordinates!” Wang Chong’s voice came from the distance.
“Yes!”
Zhang Que swiftly broke out of his stupor, mounting a horse and riding after Wang Chong.
Gallop!
Thundering horse hooves rang out through the night as countless men moved out according to Wang Chong’s order: the City Guard, the patrolling Imperial Army soldiers, Wang Chong’s Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain teams, and the numerous pleasure-seeking scions of the capital who had been waiting the whole night.
An invisible net of enormous proportions began to rapidly close around An Yaluoshan’s men.
……
As the people of the capital immersed themselves in pleasure, spreading cheers and laughter through the streets, elsewhere in the darkness, figures were agilely navigating the rooftops.
On the ground, groups of cavalry moved around streets, communicating with each other as they searched the capital.
“Kill! Don’t let a single one go!”
In houses, street corners, and the shadows, Youzhou soldiers would fly out and attack these pursuers without a second word.
These people attacked with brute force, ignoring their own safety as they attempted to distract and disrupt the pursuers, buying time for An Yaluoshan.
But all these attacks were like ants trying to shake a tree. These men were vastly outnumbered by the combined force of the City Guard and Wang Chong’s men. After a brief struggle, they were swiftly slain.
When the face visors were removed, it was revealed that almost all the soldiers were Hu.
“Take them away! Don’t let the common people notice!” Hoarse and fierce voices spoke into the darkness.
The City Guard soldiers emerged from the darkness when the battle was over, efficiently working to drag away the deceased Youzhou soldiers without drawing any attention.
They guaranteed that the ordinary people would not notice this pursuit in the darkness.
Meanwhile, in another direction…
Rumble!
A bronze carriage was moving toward the eastern gate, swiftly moving through shadowy streets.
“Your Excellency, the entire capital is crawling with men serving the King of Foreign Lands. We might not be able to escape unscathed!”
Several figures convened in the carriage, all of them with worried expressions.
Inside the carriage, one could hear the thundering of hooves approaching from all sides, getting closer and closer.
“Bastard! He still won’t let me go, even after all this! If we really can’t escape, we’ll just have to find a way to force ourselves through!”
An Yaluoshan ground his teeth, hatred and tension in his eyes.
He had not expected Wang Chong’s hatred to run so deep that he would chase him so relentlessly! Leaving the capital would be impossible at this rate.
Neeeigh! A sharp cry came from outside.
“An Yaluoshan, you can’t escape!”
The thunderous roar exploded from the air, instantly creating a gale around the carriage.
Whoosh!
An Yaluoshan turned ghastly pale.
“Run! Why aren’t we moving?” An Yaluoshan urged, but a moment later, swoosh! An arrow pierced through the carriage window, brushing past An Yaluoshan’s nose and thudding into the inner wall.
All sound stopped.
An Yaluoshan’s face paled even more.
Whoosh!
In a cold flash of light, a wave of Sword Qi sliced off the roof of the carriage, revealing the scene.
The driver was already dead, and around the carriage, the horses of the City Guard had tightly encircled the area, the tips of countless arrows glinting in the torch light. All of them were aimed at An Yaluoshan.
“An Yaluoshan, after entering the capital, you didn’t think you could escape so easily, did you?”
Wang Chong stood in front of the carriage, mounted upon a tall horse.
The mood was deathly still.
“Your Highness, you are not the one who can decide whether I can leave or not!”
An Yaluoshan slowly stood up. At this dangerous juncture, he had actually calmed down, his face devoid of fear. In fact, his gaze toward Wang Chong was tinged with derision.
Buzz!
Upon seeing that mocking smile, Wang Chong felt his heart thump, instantly sensing something strange.
Swish!
Wang Chong sent out a wave of Sword Qi that swept upward, tearing open An Yaluoshan’s clothes. As the cloth tore apart, white and plump skin completely free of any injury was revealed. There was no sign of the injuries that should have been there from the incident at the Pavilion of Petal and Sepal.
A fake!
Wang Chong instantly understood, and his face twisted into a nasty scowl.
Whoosh! With one strike of his sword, he killed the An Yaluoshan in the carriage.
A bizarre smile on his lips, he collapsed into the carriage in a pool of blood. At the same time, the City Guard struck, turning all the other people in the carriage into hedgehogs.
An Yaluoshan’s face slowly began to change, the lines turning harder and thinner. In the end, it became an entirely different and unfamiliar face.
The faces of Cui Qianyou, Tian Chengsi, and the others also slowly changed to other faces.