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Thread: The Tian Bao War Records ¤ÑÄ_¾Ô°O

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    Default The Tian Bao War Records

    NOTE: Encoding is Unicode Chinese Traditional
    STORY VAULT LINK: http://www.spcnet.tv/fanfiction/view...hp?fanficID=77

    天寶戰記
    The Tian Bao War Records

    Prologue [ 序幕 ]

    It was the 13th year of the Tianbao [ 天寶] era in the 43rd year of the
    reign of Emperor Xuan Zong [ 玄宗 ] and the empire of the Great Tang [ 大
    唐 ] had established an advanced and prosperous civilization never before
    achieved in the entire history of the the Central Plains. Under the guidance
    of Emperor Xuan Zong, the empire flourished with immense economic, technical,
    and military progress. The great armies of the Tang had realized an empire
    that stretched far into the western borders of Tubo, north into the vast
    desert regions of the Tujue peoples, east towards the kingdom of Xinluo,
    and south towards the tropical kingdom of Nanzhao. Goods and exotic imports
    poured in from all the Protectorates of the Great Tang: tea from the southeast
    became a staple delicacy for the social elite, coal and gunpowder from the
    far west strengthened the military greatly, and fine cloths and tapestries
    made their way from the northeast to adorn the luxurious palaces of the
    government officials.

    The Great Tang was able to achieve such luxuries because it had successfully
    pacified the lands and created an era of peace. Andong [ 安東 ], the Protectorate
    of the Pacified East, Annan [ 安南 ], the Protectorate of the Pacified South,
    Anxi [ 安西 ], the Protectorate of the Pacified West, and Anbei [ 安北
    ], the Protectorate of the Pacified North served as the focal strongholds
    of the empire, watching over the four expanses of the Great Tang.

    The seemingly never-ending borders of the empire were tightly secured due
    in large part to the institution of regional Fanzhen [ 藩鎮 ] fortress-states.
    A great portion of the imperial armies lay in the hands of appointed Jiedushi
    [ 節度使 ] who served as governor-generals of the border regions. It was
    because these fortress-states had the autonomy to train and recruit soldiers
    that the borders of the empire had been secured for so long. Because they
    required proper funding to support independent armies, the Jiedushi were
    given the power to levy taxes on the lands they looked over, in effect turning
    them into almost independent rulers of smaller kingdoms within the empire.
    And thus, most of the power within the empire itself had been dispersed
    throughout the border fortress-states.

    In the latter years of the Kaiyuan [ 開元 ] era, under the guidance of Chief
    Prime Minister Li Linfu, a devout legalist, the Emperor had sought to return
    power back to the Royal Court and weaken the position of the various Fanzhen
    fortress-states in an attempt to centralize the power of the Tang once again.
    But in the many years following the Tianbao era, the aging Xuan Zong rarely
    participated in the affairs of ruling the country and left most of the duties
    to his administration. Many factions sought to consolidate power for their
    own selfish reasons, as the Imperial Government of the Great Tang empire
    slowly deteriorated and spiraled into chaos.
    Last edited by bliss; 08-25-04 at 11:01 PM.

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    Default Chapter 1 - The Ethereal Assassin and the Ruler of Hell

    Chapter 1

    The Ethereal Assassin and the Ruler of Hell

    飛天劍客和閻羅王

    A lone fortress sits in the middle of the Western desert sands. Walls towering over thirty feet high envelop the surrounding stronghold. A plaque hanging atop the western gate reads 'Beiting Jiedushi' [ 北庭節度使 ]. This is the fortress-state of Tingzhou [ 庭州 ], a desolate wasteland at the northwestern frontiers of the empire.

    In stark contrast to its barren surroundings, within the walls of Beiting lie a plenitude of majestic halls and lush gardens. Man-made streams flowed throughout the city, beautiful flowers lined every paved path, creating a seamless rainbow of vivid colors. It was truly an oasis in the desert.

    In the largest hall of Beiting, a large congregation of people had gathered, their lively chatter filling the desert night sky. Some went on about their recent accomplishments while others shared old war stories. A figure at the front of the hall slowly stood up from his grand chair and crowd slowly fell silent, awaiting his words.

    Lu Sitian [ 陸四田 ] was a proud and ambitious man. Although lacking a formal education, he had taught himself how to read and write. Since his early teens Lu Sitian had fought on the frontier borders. Starting as a mere foot soldier, he steadily moved up in rank eventually attaining the status of General of Tingzhou [ 庭州大將軍 ]. After successfully fending off an assault from the Tujue, the Royal Court had granted him the title of Jiedushi [ 節度使 ], making him the Governor-General of Beiting [ 北庭節度使 ]. For almost fifteen years Lu Sitian had ruled over all of Tingzhou and his fame was widely known throughout the border regions. He had every reason to be proud for all his accomplishments and fortune had been the result of his hard work from his own two hands.

    So when Lu Sitian stood up and prepared to speak, everyone knew to keep quiet. He took three steps forward and the crowd immediately fell silent.

    "Great heroes! Thank you all for showing this old General the courtesy of coming here today. You are all brave warriors widely known throughout Tingzhou."

    The crowd of people numbered about fourty. Their appearances were certainly diverse, some looked like seasoned veteran soldiers, others looked like learned scholars, and still others looked like normal peddlers and merchants off the streets. The only similarity that they shared was that it was apparent each had formidable fighting skills.

    Lu Sitian continued, "I have been able to maintain an orderly state all these years thanks in large part to the cooperation of all you friends here from Wulin [ 武林 ]. That is why today I would like to give back by appointing the most able person present to an Imperial position within my court."

    The hall once again became filled with discussion about what they had just heard. A voice from the crowd shouted, "So how are we to determine who is the most able?"

    Before Lu Sitian could respond, his question was answered by another voice across the hall, "We are all people of the Wulin community, of course the only way to compete is with martial arts!"

    Many people in the crowd agreed with shouts of encouragement. Another voice chimed in mockingly, "Thats right! Lets all fight over the juicy bone like the wild lapdogs of the government we are."

    The audience broke into simultaneous laughter and discontent as shouting went back and forth. This continued on for quite some time before Lu Sitian raised his hand demanding that the crowd quiet down for him to speak again.

    "Friends! There is no need to argue. What is required of the position is what will be used to determine who is most able. And since the position is Captain of the First Brigade, and Imperial Representative of Beiting, this person must be a top class fighter."

    The crowd immediately fell into a dead silence once again. The army of Tingzhou numbered in the tens of thousands, with the First Brigade commanding the other Eight Brigades. The position of 'Captain of the First Brigade' naturally entailed great power and prestige. They were all ambitious men looking to make a name for themselves, and they all had finally seen the door of opportunity open.

    Most of the fighters in the room were well acquainted with each other. Even if not, they had all knew most of the prominent Wulin figures in the Tingzhou region. As they heard of the lucrative position offered, everyone slowly glanced around the room assessing their competition. A suffocating tension filled the air of the large hall.

    Lu Sitian continued, "So what we will do is hold a tournament to decide who is the top fighter in Tingzhou, and that person will be immediately granted the position of Captain of the First Brigade and Imperial Representative of Beiting. We will start tomorrow morning..."

    "No need." An eerie voice cut off the venerable Jiedushi. "I will kill every person in this room."

    Everyone in the hall felt slightly shocked when hearing those words, but soon looked around the room to try and spot the person who would dare to make such absurd comments.

    In a corner stood a boy, no older than sixteen. He had a handsome countenance, almost feminine to an extent. At his side was a longsword, sheathe tied to his belt. There was not a single trace of expression on his face. His eyes gazed downward into seemingly nothingness.

    He looked more like a gravely ill boy on the verge of death than someone who had just claimed that he would kill every person in the hall.

    Three soldiers who were standing near the boy immediately turned at him and one of them shouted, "Impudent little brat! How dare you speak such nonsense in the presence of the venerable Jiedushi! I'm going to smack you like your ***** mother should've!"

    The soldier rushed him with his palm outstretched ready to land a giant slap across the boy's face, while his other two fellow soldiers followed closely behind him. The first soldier swung but caught nothing but air! He had put so much force behind the blow that his whole body turned around from the momentum of his swing. The soldier staggered backwards as he struggled to keep his footing. He apparently had the intention of smacking this boy pretty hard.

    The soldier had already lost his balance and had hoped to fall back onto his two friends so that he wouldn't be totally embarrassed by landing on the floor. What greeted his eyes as he looked up was the sight of his two fellow soldiers' heads rolling off their necks, cleanly sliced off in a single slash. Before the shock could even register, he glanced downward only to see a long cold blade protruding into his throat.

    And before anyone else could see, the boy was back in his original place, in front of the first soldier. Almost everyone in the room's eyes dilated and their jaws dropped wide open. The three soldiers laid lifeless on the cold floor of the hall in a messy pool of blood.

    Everyone in the crowd was hesitant to do anything. It was a truly frightening sword art that they had just witnessed. It was that frightening because not one of them could have claimed to see the boy launch his attack. With a sword that fast, how would any of them even dream of countering, let alone surviving that attack?

    A confident voice broke the silence, "What an incredibly fast sword! Young hero, I praise your skills."

    A middle-aged Daoist dressed in white stepped forward. His sword was already drawn, and he had taken a defensive stance with his sword in front of him diagonally, ready to parry any attack that was thrown at him. The Daoist reasoned that even though he probably wouldn't be able to see the boy's lightning fast attack, taking a solid defensive stance would give him a chance to counterattack.

    "My name is Daoist Tu [ 土道人 ] and I would like to ..." but before he could even finish, the boy had already disappeared from where he stood. Everyone's eyes glanced around the room frantically, looking for the boy.

    The sound of two pieces of metal hit the floor with a loud 'CLANG'. The boy's sword had split the Daoist's sword in half, straight down the center. The tip of the boy's sword was firmly implanted into the Daoist's skull. The Daoist's white garments were now colored a bright red.

    This horrifying display of mercilessness shook even the bravest warrior in the room. A lot of the people in the crowd started to panic and rushed madly towards the doors. Much to their dismay, the boy appeared in the doorway and blocked their path.

    "I said." the boy spoke in his monotone voice, "everyone in this room will die."

    The cold blade danced around the room like the random unpredictable movements of a bee. But the eye is able to follow the movements of a bee. If only the eyes of the fighters in the room could follow the movements of this boy's sword. If only the slashes were really random, because each strike was a death-seeking attack. The boy's sword never targeted the same person twice because there was never any need to.

    In mere minutes, the grand hall of the Beiting Jiedushi had become a living graveyard, littered with several dozen corpses. The imperial guards at Lu Sitian's side were too awestruck to even act or say anything during the boy's massacre.

    After he was finally done, only eight people remained in that room.

    Lu Sitian, being a battle-hardened veteran of war, although utterly shocked at the frightening abilities of this boy, still maintained his composure and spoke.

    "Young hero, I must be honest that in all my years on the battlefield I have never witnessed an incredible sword art such as yours. You are truly a top-class fighter."

    Lu Sitian hesitated a moment before going on.

    "But ... your sword lacks mercy. Nonetheless, a gentleman's word cannot be retracted. You are the only competitor left in here, and thus you will be awarded the position."

    The boy slowly turned around and gave the same emotionless glance at Lu Sitian.

    "I already have a position. I have no need for yours." The boy's words, although without tone, sounded much more resolute and determined than his age would show.

    "Oh? And what could be more prestigious than to serve as my First Captain? Besides me, you will be the most powerful person in all of Tingzhou!"

    Lu Sitian started to panic slightly as he realized that this boy had ill intentions, since he didn't come for the position in his court. Any normal person would beg on his knees for a chance to become the Captain of the First Brigade of the Beiting Army of Tingzhou.

    This celebrated general, victor of countless battles, had been shaken so deeply by the morbidly indifferent stare of the boy's eyes that the firmness and calm in his voice had slowly faded away.

    "So ... what position ... do you ... currently hold?" Lu Sitian asked, almost trembling now.

    "Assassin." The boy coldly replied.

    Lu Sitian felt a chilling shock down his spine. His heart beat quickened. The boy slowly walked towards him.

    Although Lu Sitian had been close to death many times in the field of battle, the last fifteen years of fortune and luxury had greatly weakened his courage. While he had nothing to lose back then as a general on the battlefield, he was consequently unafraid of death. But now Lu Sitian held the rank of Beiting Jiedushi, a position which made him the sole authority and ruler of Tingzhou. He had everything to lose, and consequently, he was terrified of death.

    "What ... what is ... your target?" Lu Sitian had broken into fright and his words lost all trace of the strength and conviction of a seasoned general, sounding now more like a frail old man.

    "To retrieve your head."

    Lu Sitian's guards immediately formed a tight formation surrounding the Jiedushi, but in front of their eyes, the boy had already disappeared from sight. The slightest ringing of metal was heard. They all glanced around the room, and when they finally turned, all they saw behind them was a headless Lu Sitian.

    The boy heard loud thundering footsteps coming from outside about several li [ 里 ] away and thought to himself that a sentry must have caught sight of what happened and sounded an alarm. Before long, a throng of soldiers would flood the hall. So he leapt high onto a ceiling beam and quietly pondered about the best route of escape.

    Meanwhile, the imperial guards at Lu Sitian's side were still in horror at the sight of the headless Jiedushi. But as their fright subsided, they now feared for their own lives at their ineptitude in protecting Lu Sitian. A few started whispering to each other that it was best that they leave the hall as quickly as possible, and they proceeded to walk towards the doors.

    Suddenly, a loud boisterous voice filled the room.

    "Jiedushi Lu Sitian! Pack your earthly belongings and prepare to be escorted into the underworld! It is your misfortune that today you have run into the the 'Ruler of Hell'
    [ 閻羅王 ], Wang Xiaoyun [ 王小雲 ]!"

    A young man about seventeen or eighteen years of age bursts into the room, cloaked in black. His hair was long and unkept, flowing behind him as he leapt forward. A sword hung at his waist. He had large eyes and a lively expression, despite his dreary looking appearance and dark clothing.

    When Wang Xiaoyun caught sight of the half dozen imperial guards cautiously approaching the exit, and the sea of dead bodies around him, he couldn't help but be utterly surprised and confused.

    "What the hell?!? What in the world happened here?" he exclaimed.

    As Wang Xiaoyun tried to analyze the situation, he was at a complete lost for explanation. He saw the half-frightened-to-death guards, their faces pale with fear.

    "I know I'm the 'Ruler of Hell' but you six fools look like you've really seen a ghost." Wang Xiaoyun said jestingly. The floor littered with bodies didn't seem to bother him one bit.

    He looked at the guard furthest in front and concluded he must be the leader of the group. With a light spring Wang Xiaoyun leapt beside the lead guard. With his sword still sheathed, he pointed the tip at the guards face.

    "You! I have come to claim the head of the scoundrel Jiedushi Lu Sitian. Tell me where he is and I shall find it in my heart to spare your pitiful life!"

    The guard was just as confused as Wang Xiaoyun at the events that transpired. He had just witnessed an assassin wipe out nearly fifty able fighters and claim the head of the Jiedushi right from under their noses. Now, another strange man barges in and claimed to be after the head of Lu Sitian. Fearing for his life, the guard dared not lie and pointed at the headless body of Lu Sitian behind him.

    "Ha! You trying to play some kind of joke on me?" Wang Xiaoyun chuckled in response. "I have come for the head of Lu Sitian and you point at a headless corpse! Funny guy!"

    Wang Xiaoyun looked again at the expression on the guard's face but didn't catch the slightest hint of humor.

    "Wait a second, did you six nobodies just wipe out all these other nobodies and claim MY Lu Sitian head? I understand what's going on here now. You six must have conspired to kill the Jiedushi in order to take his place!"

    Wang Xiaoyun now brandished his sword and got into an attacking stance, looking as if he was ready to pounce on the six guards. The six didn't know whether to be amused or scared. This raving lunatic just walked in after a bloody massacre and kept running his mouth non-stop. Now he accused the Lu Sitian's own imperial guards of killing everyone in the room including the Jiedushi. If it weren't for the graveness of the situation, the six guards would have surely burst into laughter.

    All of a sudden, Wang Xiaoyun leapt backwards ever so slightly, but one could tell that his qinggong [ 輕功 ], swiftness skill, was incredible as he landed way back at the door some several meters away.

    "You guys must have some fantastic martial arts to be able to take down almost fifty fighters even if they are nobodies. What are you fools doing as lowly guards anyway, you should be generals at least with your ability!"

    The guards just looked at each other as confused as ever.

    "Since you claimed my target, I'm taking you six to the depths of Hell instead!" and with a shout, he lunged forward launching six simultaneous attacks at the six guards. If it could be said that the sword art of the boy was of amazing speed, then the sword art of Wang Xiaoyun was one of amazing power.

    The boy a top the ceiling beam watched carefully at Wang Xiaoyun's every move. Even though each attack was quite simple and straightforward, the boy couldn't fathom a way that one would block or counter Wang Xiaoyun's incoming sword. In a panic, all six imperial guards dropped to the ground and covered their heads like little children.

    A voice rang from the ceiling above.

    "No need. I am the one who claimed your Lu Sitian head."

    At that moment, Wang Xiaoyun felt an extremely deadly sword aura coming down towards him from above at a blistering speed. But Wang Xiaoyun never retracted his devastating attacks once they've been unleashed. He merely quickened his pace, striking down all six guards in a flash, before changing his sword stance upwards anticipating to clash swords with the other attacker from above.

    Sparks flew across the room as the two swords met. The boy flipped backwards and landed in a crouched position after the exchange. Wang Xiaoyun leapt back a couple paces as well, eager to find out who this opponent was.

    "Who the hell are you?" shouted Wang Xiaoyun. The boy didn't respond and still bore the same lifeless stare. "No need to answer, your name must be Tianfeng [ 天峰 ]."

    The boy looked slightly surprised at the fact that Wang Xiaoyun had correctly guessed his name. But he still didn't feel the need to reply.

    "Its etched on your sword's hilt. Your aerial attack was slower than a turtle such that I even had time to see those words on your sword. Why don't you try again?" Wang Xiaoyun was obviously taunting Tianfeng.

    Tianfeng stood motionless. He always assessed his opponent's martial arts skill meticulously and never attacked unless he knew he had an absolute chance of victory. Tianfeng didn't have that absolute confidence that he could win after exchanging the first blow with Wang Xiaoyun, seeing how Wang Xiaoyun so casually continued his attack on the six guards before changing his stance to counter Tianfeng's aerial attack.

    The dead silence lasted for almost a minute.

    "So ... if you're not going to attack me, let us make acquaintance instead." Wang Xiaoyun threw a big smile. "My given name is Xiaoyun, and I am surnamed Wang!"

    "You've got a pretty fast sword, it was out of sheer luck that I threw my stance upwards. To be honest, I didn't have confidence that I was going to be able to stop your attack at all." Wang Xiaoyun said in a truly honest tone of voice.

    Tianfeng still stood motionless. Wang Xiaoyun felt like he was talking to a statue.

    "Tianfeng! I'm talking to you, Tianfeng! I know that's your name. By the way, what's your surname? Don't tell me its Tian. You've got to have some pretty conceited ancestors to name their entire lineage Tian [ 天 ]."

    Wang Xiaoyun continued babbling on at Tianfeng as if not even expecting a reply. But when he actually got one, he was even more surprised.

    "What assassin announces his own name before attacking?" Tianfeng asked in his usual monotone voice, but his question certainly held a hint of sarcasm.

    "Ha! The boy has a sense of humor!" Wang Xiaoyun replied. "Well to answer your question, I'm the Keeper of Hell, meaning anyone who sees me is going straight to Hell anyway, so why would I be afraid of these nobodies hearing my name? But I like you kid, so I'm going to make an exception and let you live."

    "Xiaoyun [ 小雲 ], Little [ 小 ] ... Cloud [ 雲 ] ... the Keeper of Hell. What a fearsome name." Tianfeng replied, sarcastically.

    "You shut up! Its not my fault that when I was born I was so pretty my parents mistook me for a girl. So naturally they gave me a girl's name. Its not in my control the name that I was given, OK?" Wang Xiaoyun shouted back indignantly, slightly embarrassed.

    But he couldn't help but burst out laughing. Tianfeng retained his blank expression but Wang Xiaoyun knew on the inside that he was laughing as well.

    The two felt a shared camaraderie and sheathed their swords.

    "Brother Tianfeng, we had the same target, so I believe we share the same objective. We are not enemies." Wang Xiaoyun now spoke in a very serious tone. The whole time it appeared as if he was a madman, but now he actually sounded more like a young gentleman.

    Tianfeng nodded his head in agreement.

    Suddenly, the doors burst open as almost several hundred soldiers blocked the entrance. They all had their bows drawn and aimed at Wang Xiaoyun and Tianfeng. A man in full armor was in the middle of their ranks and appeared to be the commander in charge of these troops.

    "And who is this nobody?" Wang Xiaoyun said casually, not even bothering to turn his head to face the soldiers that had just barged in.

    "I am Captain of the Second Brigade of Beiting, Zhang Hua [ 張華 ]. We have the exit completely sealed off. Drop your weapons now or I will order my archers to shoot!"

    Wang Xiaoyun and Tianfeng looked slightly hesitant to attack but they had no intention of dropping their weapons either. Both knew that they were faster than a single arrow. However, a rain of several hundred arrows would prove quite difficult to dodge and caused these two highly skilled individuals to think twice before making any rash moves.

    Zhang Hua, disgusted that the two disregarded his threats, finally caught glimpse of the beheaded Jiedushi Lu Sitian. He thought to himself, "So it seems these two have killed that old fool Lu. What a wonderful opportunity. I don't care whether they're assassins or heroes, once I get rid of the two of them, I'll be promoted to Jiedushi. I was getting sick of working under that old fool Lu anyway."

    However, Zhang Hua realized also that these two must be incredibly high level martial arts masters to be able to wipe out so many skilled fighters in such a short amount of time. He felt it was best not to provoke the two of them, even with his several hundred archers beside him. The death of the Jiedushi was a wonderful opportunity for Zhang Hua and he didn't want to jeopardize it.

    "Just drop your weapons and I guarantee your lives will be spared. Even if you two sprouted wings, it'd be impossible to escape. Surrender now!" Zhang Hua shouted, now becoming increasingly impatient.

    Wang Xiaoyun let out a laugh, "Good! You want us to sprout wings and fly? We'll do that!" and before his voice had even reached Zhang Hua and his troops, Wang Xiaoyun's body darted towards the ceiling. An instant after, Tianfeng's body shot up as well. A large 'BOOM' filled the room as the two broke through the roof and dashed off into the desert night sky.

    END CHAPTER 1

    _____________________________________

    Translation and End Chapter Notes

    天寶 - Tianbao was the third and final era in the rule of Emperor Xuan Zong of the Tang Dynasty. This period was from 742-756 AD and marked the beginning of the end of the Tang Dynasty, with the Imperial Government slowly deteriorating from internal and external forces. Read the prologue for more historical background of the era.

    庭州 - Tingzhou, a northwestern province in Tang Dynasty China with its capital at Beiting.

    北庭 - Beiting, the capital seat of Tingzhou.

    節度使 - Jiedushi is a military ranking given to rulers of the fangzhen fortress-states in the border regions of the empire.
    Last edited by bliss; 07-21-05 at 12:03 AM.

  3. #3
    Member Jeren of all Trades's Avatar
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    Excellent beginning Bliss. It seems like Wang Shaowen talks too much and too cocky hehe.

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    Senior Member HookOnRice's Avatar
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    great writing, please update soon.

  5. #5
    Member XiaoYu's Avatar
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    Very, very impressive, bliss. I like your style; your use of language, action and especially dialogue are close to my own preferences I think I'm already a fan of XiaoYun; haha, he's so pretty his parents mistook him for a girl. I love it!

    I also particularly like the fact that you put in the Chinese word/character when it comes to names, etc. I'm actually doing that now in my own story and I'm glad to see I'm not the only one.

    Please keep this up! I'm looking forward to reading more about Mr. Gallant Loudmouth King of Hell and the silent, mysterious boy.

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    Default Chapter 2 - Desert Wolves, Purple Flag

    Chapter 2

    Desert Wolves, Purple Flag

    沙漠狼﹐紫旗軍

    The scorching afternoon sun beat down relentlessly on the barren desert landscape. The stillness of the sands exuded an eerie anxiety that stretched for as far as the eye could see. This picturesque scene was suddenly disrupted by the rumble of the footsteps of horses and men. Clouds of dust and dirt were kicked up as a company of troops marched hastily through the desert. Several armored horsemen lead the group holding up large purple flags that flapped majestically in the wind. About ten horse drawn carriages followed behind with several ranks of soldiers on either side. Such a heavily guarded caravan was a rare sight in the barren Northwest.

    The procession reached a ravine where jagged crags towered over both sides and the only way through was a narrow path down the middle. The path was just wide enough such that each of the carriages could fit through from wheel to wheel. The procession of soldiers had to thin out almost to single file as they marched into the ravine.

    As the soldiers reached halfway through the path, the leading horseman suddenly pulled the reins of his horse and stopped. A short man carrying a large basket on his shoulders appeared in the path of the procession. The man had a friendly smile and approached the four leading horsemen.

    "Ah! I am in luck today! Finally, some patrons have come to buy my wares. Hopefully my wife won't scold me tonight for not bringing home any earnings!" the short man said.

    The soldiers in front looked quite amused at this silly man. Seeing his small posture they didn't feel the least bit threatened. However, one of the flag-bearing horsemen realized they were in a treacherous ravine surrounded on both sides by mountains. Such a spot was perfect for an ambush. So he yelled at the short man with a harsh tone of voice.

    "You peddler, out of our way. We haven't any time to waste with you. If you don't move, don't blame us if you're accidentally trampled over."

    "Ah brave soldiers, but you should at least take a look at the wares I have with me! I promise you won't regret it."

    This sparked a slight curiosity in the ears of the soldiers. What could this short funny man possibly be selling? And what would he be doing setting up shop in the middle of the desert? Everyone was at least somewhat intrigued as to what the short man had for sale.

    The short man took the basket off his back and placed it on the ground. In it were umbrellas of all different sizes and colors. When the soldiers saw the umbrellas, they broke out in laughter.

    "Ha! And why would we need umbrellas in the middle of the desert? Foolish old peddler! Out of our way!" the lead horseman shouted as he ordered the troops to keep marching. As they approached the short peddler, he still didn't budge. Instead, he took out the biggest umbrella in his basket and opened it up. Because of his small stature, the umbrella nearly enveloped his entire body with only his stubby legs showing.

    "Forget this fool, if he doesn't move just trample him." the lead horseman ordered as the procession started marching again.

    "Heh heh." the short man smirked, "Foolish soldiers, you should have bought an umbrella, because the desert rain is about to fall!"

    Suddenly, a massive downpour of a clear thick liquid poured down from the top of the ravine. As the liquid came into contact with the soldiers, they screamed in agony. The substance burned through their armor and clothing and consequently their skin and flesh. The horrid anguished cries of the soldiers echoed throughout the ravine. It was a ghastly sight to behold. In mere moments, the bodies of the soldiers who were hit with the liquid no longer resembled anything human, all that was left were brownish red piles of flesh. The soldiers' numbers were instantly cut in half.

    A shrill laughter came from above as a small woman appeared at the top of the ravine looking down at the battered troops.

    "Ha, ha, ha! Old fool, looks like its your wife who once again has to step in and take charge! You didn't even manage to sell a single umbrella. Totally useless!"

    The short man smiled at her and closed his umbrella. He put two fingers in his mouth and whistled and about thirty to forty men blocked both the entrance and exit paths of the ravine. They all wore tattered rags and brandished clubs and sabres. Roars of laughter and taunting erupted from the bandits as they watched the soldiers cringe and suffer from the lethal poisonous rain.

    The soldiers who were lucky enough to avoid contact with the poisonous liquid all immediately rushed to one of the carriages in the middle of the procession. They drew their swords and formed a tight formation around this carriage, guarding it as if it were more important than their own lives. Then, a loud voice came from within the carriage.

    "My brave comrades, I thank you sincerely for your loyalty. I shall handle this matter personally. Stand back."

    A tall, slender man walked out from the carriage. He was clad in armor and wore a long flowing red cape. He had the definitive look of a warrior as his eyes blazed with confidence, but his confident smile also carried a graceful austerity. He walked towards the front of the caravan, his strides slow and resolute. His mannerisms had all the makings of a celebrated general yet he only appeared to be in his late twenties.

    "You must be Jia Bu [ 賈保 ]." the man said, "and the one at the top of the ravine is Madame Jia [ 賈夫人 ]. The two of you are high ranking members of the Desert Wolves [ 沙漠狼 ], the largest association of bandits in the Western Regions."

    "Hah! I'm thoroughly impressed that you are able to figure out our backgrounds so easily. Yes, we are bandits and we only want your gold and supplies. Leave them with us and I'll let you and your remaining troops walk away with your lives." Jia Bu said with a smile.

    The man picked up a bow and a quiver of arrows from one of the corpses of the dead soldiers. Jia Bu looked slightly peeved that this person was disregarding his threats.

    "Hey! What are you doing? I said surrender now and we'll let you live. You think I'm joking?"

    The man didn't respond or even bother to look towards Jia Bu. Madame Jia at the top of the ravine became more and more impatient and screamed for her husband to just give the order to attack the remaining soldiers. But seeing just how calm and resolute this man was even after more than half of his troops were wiped out made Jia Bu feel slightly uneasy. He glanced around and took notice of the majestic purple flags that had since fallen to the floor.

    "Who are you?" Jia Bu asked insistently, "What, under whose command is this force?"

    The man spoke, his words echoed with confidence, "These are the soldiers of the Purple Legion [ 紫旗軍 ]."

    Upon hearing those words, Jia Bu was swept over with worry. As a bandit for many years, Jia Bu had long disregarded the authority of soldiers whether they were Imperial Soldiers of the Tang regime or local militia of the Jiedushi. However, the name of the Purple Legion seemed unusually discomforting to his ears. Jia Bu started to consider calling off this raid altogether, but over thirty of his men were ready and willing to fight. This would cause him to lose great respect in the eyes of the Desert Wolves. Unable to sort out his thoughts, Jia Bu stood still at a complete loss for words.

    "My name is Xiong Leijung [ 雄雷忠 ], Grand General of the Purple Legion. From a military strategist's point of view, I must applaud your attack on several accounts. Firstly, this is an ideal geographical location to set up an ambush as the path is narrow and blocked off on two sides by mountains. Secondly, using a lethal poison liquid, you were able to reduce my forces by one half. Lastly, after gaining superior numbers, you surround my remaining forces on both sides. Normally, this type of strategy is completely flawless. But, you neglected one important thing."

    Jia Bu and the bandits listened intently on Xiong Leijung's every word as if some great sage were lecturing them. Yet, they remained extremely alert and kept their eyes focused on Xiong Leijung's movements.

    "You have underestimated your enemy. One should always analyze one's enemy to the very last soldier before attacking. And because of that oversight, today you have lost."

    Jia Bu stood in shock, the words that he heard had not yet registered in his mind. But the bandits behind him were already growing restless and itching to fight. They started taunting and shouting at Xiong Leijung that his bluffs couldn't scare them one bit. Madame Jia had lost her patience as well and prepared to unleash more of her deadly liquid from one of her pouches.

    Xiong Leijung drew three arrows and fired them off in succession, each a few instants after the previous, each at different angles. The three arrows soared upwards toward the top of the ravine with incredible speed and power.

    When Madame Jia caught sight of the first arrow it was already within inches of her throat. At the last second she was able to leap to her right, as the arrow narrowly pierced her left sleeve. Madame Jia almost slipped upon landing when she realized how close she was to the edge of the cliff. Before she could even regain her balance, a second arrow soared straight at her right leg from the opposite direction. She leapt forward to avoid the arrow at the last second, but unfortunately it was too late when she realized there was no ground under her feet. Madame Jia let out a loud scream as she fell from the top of the ravine.

    Jia Bu looked up and heard the deafening scream of his wife as she plunged towards the bottom of the ravine as he let out a shout of utter disbelief. Even though he would never be able to reach her in time, Jia Bu ran towards where she was falling. But suddenly, her loud screams abruptly stopped and her body stopped its descent as well. The third arrow pierced through Madame Jia's throat with incredible force and pinned her body against the side of the cliff.

    "You ... how could you? You murderer! Despicable lowlife, I'll take your head for this!" Jia Bu cursed and screamed at Xiong Leijung, veins all over his face started to appear as his rage built up.

    "Hmph. You take the lives of half my troops using underhanded methods and you call me the lowlife despicable murderer?" Xiong Leijung responded indignantly.

    "My brothers, fearless heroes of the Desert Wolves, let's take these bastards' lives!" Jia Bu gave the order and was met with an uproar of approval from the other bandits as they all charged towards Xiong Leijung and his remaining troops.

    "General Xiong, your orders?" one of the troops asked. The remaining soldiers all remained firmly planted and still despite the oncoming charge of the bandits. They were so well disciplined that without orders not one of them dared to move.

    "Stand guard." Xiong Leijung replied as he waved them off behind him. He drew five arrows at once from his quiver and fired them at the same time. Each one of them punctured one of the charging bandits square in the throat. He reached back and pulled another five arrows. Again, another five bandits dropped from the front of the line. What incredible marksmanship! To be able to calmly launch and fire successive arrows at the same time at an enemy charging from both sides!

    Before long, the bandits' numbers had dwindled and the remaining few were reluctant at all to keep charging. But it didn't matter, Xiong Leijung seemed to show them no mercy as his arrows cut them down where they stood. After another volley of arrows, only three bandits remained. Jia Bu, and two other bandits who stood behind him.

    In the heat of battle Jia Bu never really had the chance to notice, but now he didn't seem to recognize the two fellow bandits who stood behind him. Moreover, he was quite peeved that they would so cowardly hide from behind while their fellow bandits were being shot down. By now, his mind had run amok. So many people close to him had been slain in front of his very eyes.

    The two bandits stepped forward. One was cloaked in black with long, unkempt hair. The other was a sickly looking lad, seemingly on the verge of exhaustion. Both of them had an unmistakable gleam of confidence in their eyes.

    Xiong Leijung noticed it immediately, he knew that they were no ordinary bandits. A smile erupted from the bandit cloaked in black as he shouted, "I don't care whether you're a Desert Rat or are wearing Purple Underpants, when YanLuo the Ruler of Hell comes to claim his souls, everyone must bow down!"

    Those two bandits were obviously Wang XiaoYun and Tianfeng! With a loud roar, Wang Xiaoyun leapt high into the air and unsheathed his sword. Xiong Leijung's eyes followed him, but his many years of experience reminded him that he had two opponents. He glanced back at where Tianfeng stood but he was no longer in sight.

    By now, Wang Xiaoyun's sword had started its descent as Xiong Leijung suddenly felt a deathly aura coming from his back. He reached towards his scabbard twice, once with each hand! Two swords shot out with amazing speed! With a spin of his body, the sword in his right hand met Wang Xiaoyun's sword from above, and the sword in his left hand met Tianfeng's sword from the back. All three of them froze for what seemed like an eternity. The deadlock that they had reached came after only three moves, one from each of them, but any skilled master who had the fortune of witnessing this exchange would be overjoyed beyond belief.

    The desert winds kicked up, yellow sand encircled the skies. The three of them could barely see anything past a couple meters in front of them. But all that seemed to matter anyway were the blades of their opponents. Jia Bu had run off by now, he had seemingly lost his mind after witnessing the slaughter of his wife and fellow bandits all within the span of several minutes.

    "Shiit ... this Purple Underpants wearing bastard is pretty strong ... why don't you just give up and let me lop off that head of yours? It looks quite tiring for your neck to have to carry it around all day long." Wang Xiaoyun said mockingly. He was certainly able to keep his sense of humor even in the gravest of situations. Suddenly, he realized that Xiong Leijung was using both of his hands to defend two of their swords, while he and Tianfeng still had one arm free. He looked towards Tianfeng who seemed to be thinking the exact same thing.

    Just as the two of them were about to strike, the desert winds began to swirl with immense rage. A sandstorm had kicked up as everything and everyone was blinded in darkness. In an instant, the three of them couldn't even see each other as they finally let go of their stances and backed off several paces.

    After a while, the deafening roar of sand and dirt finally subsided. Wang Xiaoyun was still covering his eyes with his left hand, his right hand hadn't yet let go of his sword. He finally lowered his arm and took a look around, no one was in sight. In fact, nothing was in sight. The carriages, the caravan, the dead bodies, everything seemed to have been washed away by the devastating desert sand. He couldn't spot Xiong Leijung anywhere, nor did he see Tianfeng. Just like that, the desert fell silent once again. The only thing that seemed to remind Wang Xiaoyun that everything that had just happened was real was Madame Jia's lifeless body hanging from the side of the cliff with an arrow impaled through her throat.

    Wang Xiaoyun wandered for a couple of miles until night fell upon the desert. Even though it was scorching hot during the day, for some reason it was always freezing cold at night. The small package that he carried containing rations and water had been blown away during the sandstorm. He started to realize the desperateness of his situation. His entire body shivered and shook, his parched mouth started to shrivel from the dry air and lack of water. Before long, Wang Xiaoyun collapsed to the floor.

    "Shiit ... is the Keeper of Hell really going to meet his end like this? From lack of water ... ? How pathetic ..." Wang Xiaoyun muttered as his eyes slowly closed and the world around him faded to black.

    END CHAPTER 2
    Last edited by bliss; 07-20-05 at 11:59 PM.
    明月心跳起來,又回頭,嫣然道,“你還要不要我帶上那面具?”
    傅紅雪冷道,“現在你臉上豈非已經戴上了個面具?”

  7. #7
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    Default Chapter 3 - Desert Starlight

    Chapter 3

    Desert Starlight

    沙漠的星光

    The arid, lifeless smell of the desert that had become so familiar to him these past several days, mixed with a distinctively sweet and fragrant breeze. Wang Xiaoyun [ 王小雲 ] struggled to open his eyes even slightly, but those smells flooded his nose instantly. He had no idea how long he had been unconscious for, his mouth was parched and dry, but the smell of fragrant flowers that floated about seemed to quench his every thirst.

    Slowly, Wang Xiaoyun opened his eyes, and saw a giant pair of eyes staring right back at him. At first, he thought that he was looking at his own reflection, but as his pupils became wider, he noticed that the face to which that pair of eyes belonged was too smooth and pale to be his. Suddenly, he felt a moist pair of lips press against his own lips. Out of panic, Wang Xiaoyun pushed his arms outward and the figure who was slumped over him was thrown to the floor.

    "Aiya!" the figure exclaimed in a warm, sweet voice, cute beyond compare. Wang Xiaoyun saw a young girl on the floor, slowly massaging her behind that she had just fallen on. He couldn't help but let out a laugh, but then tried to stop himself and said, "Oh, I'm so sorry missy. I didn't mean to hurt you. It's just that you shouldn't be scaring people like that when they're half-conscious."

    "You oaf! How was I trying to scare you? You didn't need to throw me down like that, you know!" the young girl cried out. Although she sounded slightly annoyed, it was obvious by her tone of voice that she wasn't really upset. She had long, flowing hair and a perfectly oval-shaped face with large, glowing eyes that looked brighter than the stars in the sky. Her beautiful countenance was one that could change night into day.

    "What the hell were you doing before then, hovering over me like that? You're some kind of sick pervert aren't you?" Wang Xiaoyun blasted back. He really never was one to hold back his thoughts.

    "Oh ... uh ... I ..." the girl stammered, "Well, I've been kind of bored lately staying in this desert village. And, well, my mom used to tell me that when girls and boys kiss, you get babies! So I figured I wouldn't be as lonely if there were a few little kids in the village to play with."

    Wang Xiaoyun broke out in laughter, "You silly little girl! You really think that that's where babies come from? I think your mom was just teasing you."

    "Really? Well then where do babies come from then?" the girl asked.

    "Um, I'm actually not too sure either, the Reverend always told me that I exploded out from a rock." Wang Xiaoyun replied.

    "You never had a mother and a father then?" the girl asked.

    "Well, maybe, but not that I can remember. The Reverend who raised me often told me stories about my parents when I was younger, but I don't really remember much about them at all. I grew up in a temple for as far back as I can remember." Wang Xiaoyun said.

    "I guess having parents or not really doesn't make a difference. My mom never paid much attention to me when I was growing up, and I rarely ever saw my dad. I just got sick and tired of it one day so I ran as far as I could." the girl said.

    "Out of all the places in the world you could've run to, you decided to run to the middle of this desert wasteland?" Wang Xiaoyun said.

    Suddenly there was a loud rumbling coming from outside of their hut. A few moments later, the door opened and a middle-aged couple peeked in.

    "Miss, the bandits have returned. I don't know what the villagers are going to do this time, we don't have much cattle left to offer them ..." the middle-aged man looked over at Wang Xiaoyun and said, "Oh I see you've awaken."

    "He's the one who found you in the desert." the girl said.

    "Thank you very much, sir. By the way, did you happen to spot another young man about a few years younger than myself when you found me?" Wang Xiaoyun said.

    "No, you were the only one around for miles when I spotted you a week ago" the middle-aged man said.

    "Wait, so I've been unconscious for a whole week?" Wang XiaoYun asked worriedly. "Man, there's not much time left, I've got to get going ..."

    "You've just regained consciousness, you aren't in any condition to be going anywhere. Besides, now isn't the time, those bandits have come back looking for trouble." the middle-aged woman said with a caring look of concern.

    "No good bandits, I'm not afraid of them!" the girl exclaimed as she rushed out of the hut.

    "Miss! Please be careful!" the middle-aged woman said.

    Wang Xiaoyun walked out of the hut and into the middle of the desert village. There were about twenty or so huts lined in a circle around a huge open field where horses and cattle grazed. The village looked extremely desolate and impoverished and only a few animals remained in the pen. He glanced over into the far distance and saw about thirty or so riders approaching the village. The girl stood alone at the edge of town as the giant cloud of dust rolled towards them.

    In a matter of moments, the bandits had reached the village and stopped right before the girl. Wang XiaoYun walked up beside her as the rest of the villagers huddled into a group behind them. One of the bandits rode forward, he was clad in wolf hides and appeared to be the head of this group. He had a vicious look in his eyes and wore several scars across his face, his mere appearance was enough to strike fear into many men.

    "Residents of this village, we have long operated on the basis of cooperation. Every month we ask for only a small offering of cattle and silver in return for peaceful coexistence." the bandit leader said, his words were surprisingly eloquent given his menacing appearance.

    The girl stepped forward and seemed like she was about to speak when Wang Xiaoyun interrupted her.

    "Brother Bandit, may I kindly inquire as to how far away the Western Capital of Qiuci [ 龜茲
    ] is from here? I've lost my way and really need to get there within a day or two. I'll have to ask you to donate your steed as well." Wang Xiaoyun said.

    The bandit leader looked quite perplexed, he didn't expect this young man to completely ignore his words, he wasn't used to anyone ignoring his demands. The villagers all clamored amongst themselves in fear that these bandits would raze their tiny village out of anger.

    "Young fool, are you deaf? I'm asking all of the villagers here to gather up their silver and make their monthly tribute to my pack." the bandit leader blasted.

    "Old fool, are YOU deaf? I asked you a question, how far is Qiuci from here?" Wang Xiaoyun replied quite mockingly.

    One of the other bandits, tall and lanky, rode forward and berated, "You've got some guts, kid, Do you even know who you're talking to?" he looked towards the bandit leader, "This is the local head of the Desert Wolves, and the leader of our pack, Zheng Dunhen [ 鄭惇痕 ]! You probably don't know it yet, but you're about to lose your head for running your mouth like that!"

    "I'd say all of you really have guts! You're standing face to face with Lord Yan Luo [ 閻羅王 ], the Ruler of Hell, and you're still not begging for your lives!" Wang Xiaoyun said.

    The girl looked at him in amusement the entire time. She thought to herself that this young man really had quite a sense of humor, her only concern was whether he'd really be able to back up his words.

    "I've had enough of this fool, kill him but spare the girl, I want her for myself." Zheng Dunhen ordered as six riders surrounded them.

    "There's one thing I hate most in this world, and that's when people don't take me SERIOUSLY!" Wang Xiaoyun shouted as he leapt forward at the two riders in front of them. In two swift kicks, he knocked both riders off their horses. With a gentle push, he leapt off one of the horse's saddle and towards the two riders behind them. They reached down to unsheathe their sabres, but just when they were about to pull their blades out, Wang Xiaoyun unleashed two palm strikes in mid-air from several meters away that instantly shattered their weapons. The last two riders pulled out their blades as their horses charged at him from the left and right. Wang Xiaoyun struck out at the metal remains of the bandits' sabres as they fell and sent two shards flying. Two screams were heard as the last two riders fell off of their horses.

    "What the hell is this guy?" the bandit leader exclaimed as he waved for more of his men to attack. He turned his own horse around trying to stay keep at a safe distance. Wang Xiaoyun launched into the air and gently skipped off the tops of several of the bandits' heads. Within momenets, he had caught up with Zheng Dunhen who suddenly felt a hand at his shoulder and a loud voice shouting in his ear.

    "Where do you think you're going? I'll tell you where you're going ... to Qiuci! And if we don't get there within two days, you're compensating me with your head!" Wang XiaoYun smacked the horse on its rear and it dashed off into the desert. A second horse caught up alongside them, it was the girl. With her long hair blowing in the wind and those bright starry eyes, she really did look like an angel floating through the heavens.

    "I'm coming with you! This desert village was getting lonely anyway and I have some relatives in Qiuci that I could visit." she said.

    "That's fine with me, I could use some company along the way." Wang Xiaoyun replied.

    "I only hope that those bandits will leave the villagers alone though." the girl said.

    "Oh don't worry about that, look behind us, they're right on our tails. I think they're much more concerned with retrieving their pack leader than bothering with those villagers." Wang Xiaoyun said as he smacked Zheng Dunhen across the face from behind. "Isn't that right?"

    Zheng Dunhen was too embarrassed and angry to respond. He knew that this young man's skills were way above his own and that his life could be taken at any time, so he could only ride on.

    Within half a day, they had reached a main road and saw several other riders going the same way. After another couple hours, the road was littered with caravans, riders, troops, and merchants.

    Wang Xiaoyun rode up next to a trader on camel and asked, "My good friend, where are you heading to?"

    "Oh, Qiuci of course, there's said to be quite a gathering there in the next two days. I'm bound to make a fortune from all the people there." the trader replied.

    "How much farther is it to Qiuci?" Wang Xiaoyun said.

    "It's about an hour on horseback." the trader responded.

    "Looks like we don't need you anymore then!" Wang Xiaoyun said as he shoved Zheng Dunhen sending him tumbling down from the horse. "Let's go!"

    Wang Xiaoyun and the girl raced left and right through the riders and carriages on the road and soon they were lost from sight. Zheng Dunhen rose to his feet and brushed the dirt and sand off of himself as he cursed into the distance at the humiliation that had befallen him.

    As the two of them rode towards the city, night had started to fall and the clear desert sky began to fill with stars. Coupled with the countless torches and lights from the caravans and carriages along the road, the night scene on that desert road was quite lively.

    "Missy, we should be nearing Qiuci pretty soon. So you have relatives there that you can stay with?" Wang XiaoYun said to her.

    "Yeah, I should be okay once we get to the city. I wonder why all these people are heading towards Qiuci, is something big happening there?" she replied.

    "Something real big it seems. I'd advise you to stay close to your relatives during your stay. Large gatherings like these usually attract bad crowds, it could be quite dangerous in the city." Wang Xiaoyun said.

    "Thank you for your concern, but I'm sure I'll be quite alright ... um ... what is your name anyway? It's not really Yan Luo is it?" she said.

    "My name is Wang Xiaoyun." he said.

    "Ha! That sounds like a girl's name! Maybe you really should stick to Yan Luo!" she laughed.

    "Very funny, I never tire of hearing people say that. Well, what's your name missy?" Wang Xiaoyun asked.

    "Xing Guang [ 星光 ], um ... my name is Huang Xingguang [ 黃星光 ]." she replied.

    There really couldn't be a more appropriate name for her. She was definitely brighter than all the stars in the night sky.

    Before long, Wang Xiaoyun and Huang Xingguang had reached the gates to the Western Capital of Qiuci. The city was the administrative center of the Protectorate of the Pacified West, Anxi [ 安西 ]. It had been established many years before during the formative years of the Great Tang [ 大唐 ] as an outpost to the West along the great silk trading routes. Later, it was used as a military base to solidify the western borders of the Tang empire.

    The walls of the city rose some twenty meters high. Large towers stood on either sides of a giant metal gate, large purple flags hung down from the sides of the wall. Soldiers littered the area and were as countless as the sands in the desert.

    When Wang Xiaoyun and Huang Xingguang finally reached the gates to the city, they both dismounted and walked their horses along.

    "Well, I'll be seeing you then." Wang Xiaoyun said.

    "A person of your caliber is bound to make quite a stir in this city. I'm sure I'll be seeing more of you." Huang Xingguang said.

    "Until then!" Wang Xiaoyun said as he wandered off with his horse. He had quite a lot on his mind, but the thing that worried him most were the purple flags that hung from the city walls.

    "Is Qiuci under the guard of the Purple Legion [ 紫旗軍 ]?" Wang Xiaoyun thought to himself. He made his way to a small inn near the corner of the city and procured a room. Just then, a pigeon came flying through the window.

    "Ah little friend, you've finally caught up with me." Wang Xiaoyun said as he detached a small note from that pigeon's leg.

    "HIGH RANKING OFFICERS OF THE PURPLE LEGION WILL BE PRESENT AT THE GRAND CONFERENCE ON THE FIFTH DAY OF THE MONTH - FIND AND ELIMINATE THE HIGHEST IN COMMAND."

    After Tianfeng [ 天峰 ] had carefully read and memorized the contents of that note, he tore it to shreds and threw it out of the window of his carriage, the pieces scattered in the desert wind.

    "How much longer until we reach Qiuci?" Tianfeng asked the driver.

    "Not long at all, we should be there before daybreak." the driver responded.

    It was the third day of the month. He only had one day to make his preparations. One day was more than enough.

    END CHAPTER 3
    明月心跳起來,又回頭,嫣然道,“你還要不要我帶上那面具?”
    傅紅雪冷道,“現在你臉上豈非已經戴上了個面具?”

  8. #8
    Member BeeDreamer's Avatar
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    Kissing makes babies...

    Why did my Tian Feng have only 1 LINE?!!!

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