Chapter 220: The White Stone’s Secret! (1/2)
Chapter 220: The White Stone’s Secret!
“That explains why the Turks allied with the Goguryeons and why official soldiers of Goguryeo would appear! If King Sosurim is involved in this operation, everything makes sense.”
Wang Chong frowned as his expression slowly grew grave.
King Sosurim had long been a thorn in Great Tang’s flesh, they had been pursuing him for a very long time already but never succeeded.
Yesterday’s assault wasn’t his first operation in the Central Plains and wouldn’t be his last either. Wang Chong knew; in the future, he would achieve something earth-shattering.
King Sosurim’s existence was a huge threat to Great Tang.
“… I must find a way to eliminate him!”
Wang Chong thought as killing intent flashed in his eyes.
King Sosurim was extremely cunning. In the future, the royal court would lay a huge trap for him, yet he would still manage to escape and flee back to the Goguryeo Empire alive.
His deeds had become legendary in the Goguryeo Empire. On the other hand, to Great Tang, he was an ‘enemy of the nation’ and top on their most wanted list. However, King Sosurim remained ever meticulous and ever vigilant. It was nearly impossible to track down his location…but this problem didn’t apply to Wang Chong.
No. Wang Chong’s problem was that his influence was still sorely lacking. Before he had absolute confidence, he didn’t want to alarm the other party needlessly. Otherwise, once King Sosurim grew wise to him and realized something was amiss, it would become nearly impossible to track him.
The remainder of the night passed peacefully, if slowly. After four hours of unpleasant effort, the scattered bodies had at last been cleared.
The blood, along with the soil, had been disposed of entirely. If not for the tattered structures and the charred husks of buildings, it would seem as though nothing had happened at all. Only they still betrayed a trace that an intense battle had occurred just hours ago.
After splitting up with Marchioness Yi and Wei Hao, Wang Chong returned back to White Tiger Peak alone. By the time he arrived, the cleaning here was already done and a sense of peace had returned to the area.
A few campfires could be seen peaking out in the darkness. While vaguely, Wang Chong could make out the quiet sobbing of his fellow recruits. He felt his heart grow a little heavy.
“These people have never been on a battlefield; never seen bloodshed nor fought to the death with others. Everything that happened tonight would, without a doubt, become an unforgettable memory.”
Wang Chong became pensive. He had been on many battlefields in his past life, and dozens of years of fighting had made him accustomed to the sights of blood and death—the heady rush of struggling with his life on the line. This was the reason why he was able to maintain his composure and adapt quickly to the sudden assault.
But those people were different.
He knew that it was already great progress for them to have pulled together their fighting wills and faced the Goguryeon warriors and the Turk wolves head-on without crumbling. He sympathized but didn’t say a single word.
Many more of such tragedies would only be waiting ahead for them. The only way to survive was to adapt.
Returning to his room, Wang Chong was greeted by a familiar figure attempting to tear a broken-off arrow from his flesh. Before he’d even stepped across the threshold, a strong stench of bloodshed entered his nose.
Su Hanshan’s body was dyed crimson, as though fresh blood was still dripping from it. That white-colored robe he’d worn before had, in the truest sense, become a robe of blood.
“This fellow!”
Wang Chong’s eyebrows jumped, and he recovered from his momentary daze. Even though he didn’t witness it personally, he could already imagine the scene of the huge battle Su Hanshan had fought his way out of.
“How many people did this fellow kill for his clothes to be so red?”
Wang Chong remembered Su Hanshan had charged out and joined the fray much earlier than he had. By the time he’d also moved out, not a single trace of the other party could be seen anywhere on White Tiger Peak anymore.
But, the blood on Su Hanshan’s clothes wouldn’t lie. His battling style was indeed a huge mystery!
Su Hanshan took a quick glance at Wang Chong before retracting his gaze. Grabbing the end of the arrow with his right hand, he exerted some force and, pu, fresh blood spurted into the air. Despite this, Su Hanshan’s expression remained steady and nonchalant. Except for a slight paling around his face, one might think the arrow hadn’t been lodged in his body at all!
“Here! This is for you. It’ll help you in your recuperation!”
Wang Chong took out a recovery pill and threw it over. However, Su Hanshan merely flicked it back and the pill returned accurately to Wang Chong’s hand.
“I don’t need it!”
Su Hanshan uttered coldly, clearly expressing his attitude.
“He sure hasn’t changed at all!”
Wang Chong chuckled silently as he put away the pill then took a seat on the floor. He had also expended himself greatly in this battle and needed to recover his physical condition soon…
…
“Lord…”
Back in the capital, while peace had returned to Shenwei, Longwei, and Kunwu, in a courtyard in the southern part of the city, a shadow suddenly appeared. As time passed, more black shadows gathered, one after another, from all directions.
These people were well-built and their movements astonishingly swift—with a speed not inferior even when compared to the Eastern Islands assassin, Miyasaka Ayame. The three black sabers or swords that hung by their waists betrayed their identities.
Every one was a Goguryeon assassin.
The entire courtyard was hushed and deeply shadowed, despite the numerous occupants. The chirps of cicadas sounded in the night, unaffected by their human visitors.
In a room at the north end, a single candle flared to life, and from the dim illumination, a distorted silhouette could be seen. A powerful aura seemed to emanate outwards through the thin sheet of paper plastered over the window.
The assassins maintained their silence like cicadas hibernating in winter, not making a single noise at all.
“The mission has failed. Relay my orders: everyone is to lay low for this period of time. Be sure not to catch the Great Tang royal court’s attention!”
A hoarse voice came from the room. The distortion made It impossible to discern whether it came from a man or a woman.
“Yes!”