Chapter 344: I am Fang Zhengzhi, Number One in the Theory Examination
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
The Great Xia Dynasty had sent a hundred thousand soldiers into the four main settlements. Their objective was naturally to establish a foundation for future attacks or defences.
On the other hand, the Southern Mountain Range had already made deployments.
Princess Shan Yu claimed that her objective wasn't to attack. Then, could it be to defend?
Recalling the two different voices Princess Shan Yu mentioned, that could indeed be one possibility. Setting up preventive measures in the area outside the four main settlements to guard against the unexpected.
However…
If it was what it seemed on the surface, this seemed a little too simple.
One attack, and one defence.
Was that all?
Fang Zhengzhi shook his head. He felt that the arrangements within were even more complicated than what he thought. From the start of the combat examination till now, everything was too calm.
So calm that it felt somewhat unbelievable.
When he entered Princess Shan yu's army camp, it was also definite that he would be killed. From this, the extent of the Southern Mountain Range's resolution could be inferred.
It was likely they wanted war.
If a war really broke out between the two countries, time was of the essence.
But, how could they just wait over here in this manner? What were they waiting for?
Fang Zhengzhi's gaze was once again drawn to the leather with the words "Every citizen a soldier". Above the four words, there was a huge patch of blank space.
Could words be hidden within?
Fang Zhengzhi shook his head again. This world shouldn't have been able to master such superior 'chemistry' techniques. However, why must she leave such a big patch of empty space?
Furthermore, she hid the words 'every soldier a citizen' at the bottom of the leather, and the words were also really tiny…
Wait a moment!
Hide!
Fang Zhengzhi's expression suddenly changed. Every soldier a citizen, a huge patch of empty space, hide! These three clues spun rapidly in his mind. He suddenly thought of something extremely scary.
"Oh no!" Fang Zhengzhi's hand trembled. The leather envelope along with the intricately decorated animal leather fell to the ground, giving out a somewhat clear clanging sound.
Huh?
Fang Zhengzhi instinctively lowered his head and looked down. Then, he realised that there seemed to be something bulging from behind the leather. He instantly picked it up and tore the leather open.
Not too long later, something green revealed itself.
Fang Zhengzhi's eyes completely lit up.
"Somebody come!"
"Guard Fang, what orders do you have!" A soldier quickly entered Fang Zhengzhi's tent.
"Call Teng Shisheng over, I have something to discuss with him." Fang Zhengzhi rapidly kept the leather envelope and letter back into his pocket as he instructed the soldier.
"Alright." The soldier nodded and withdrew.
A moment later, the dark-skinned Teng Shisheng walked in, wearing a rattan armour on his body. His hands were empty and didn't carry along any weapons.
"Guard Fang, what is the reason you call me here so late at night?" Teng Shisheng looked at the dim candlelight inside the tent and at the plate of roasted meat and bottle of wine in front of Fang Zhengzhi with a confused expression.
"Drink." Fang Zhengzhi casually said.
"Drink? This… Guard Fang might not know this, but the Silver Horned Wolf Cavalry isn't allowed to drink while on a mission." Teng Shisheng frowned and instantly rejected when he heard Fang Zhengzhi's words.
"What if I force you to drink?" Fang Zhengzhi pointed at the wine in front of him, as if he had already expected Teng Shisheng's reaction.
"Cough cough… I fear that I wouldn't be able to obey. Our task is to protect Guard Fang. All we need to do is to ensure Guard Fang's safety. As for other matters, I fear Guard Fang is unable to force upon us." Teng Shisheng smiled lightly and shook his head.
"However, the order I received from princess is to give me five hundred Silver Horned Wolf Cavalries. Hence, shouldn't you listen to my orders?" Fang Zhengzhi continued to speak in a unhurried manner.
"I know, but I can't obey!" Teng Shisheng shook his head again.
"I see… Then, what is the reason you don't listen to my orders?"
"The three thousand Silver Horned Wolf Cavalries only listen to Princess Shan Yu in their entire lifetime. As for other people's orders, we ignore all of them!" When Teng Shisheng said the last sentence, his tone was absolute.
"How about your Southern Mountain Range king?" Fang Zhengzhi asked back.
"We don't listen!" Teng Shisheng replied without even thinking.
"So powerful? Then… I wonder if you would listen to this thing's order?" The trace of a smile formed at the edges of Fang Zhengzhi's mouth. Then, he fished out a green object and placed it on the table in front.
That was a cyan coloured stone made with a very special material. It looked like a jade stone. However, a jade stone was green, while this stone was cyan. Furthermore, it looked even more crystalline and transparent.
Most importantly, in the middle of the stone, there was a word.
"Yu!"
Teng Shisheng's gaze was tightly fixated upon the cyan coloured stone. Then, his expression finally changed. He gritted his teeth tightly as his fists produced loud cracking sounds.
He lifted one leg slightly, as if having made a decision. However, a moment later, Teng Shisheng's expression gradually returned back to its initial state of calm.
However…
The expression in his eyes when he looked at Fang Zhengzhi was filled with shock.
Without further hesitation, Teng Shisheng directly made his way to the table, then grabbed the bottle of wine and poured it down his mouth.
"Gulp gulp!" An entire bottle of wine entered his stomach, yet, Teng Shisheng's face didn't even flush the slightest bit red.
Fang Zhengzhi didn't spend very long in Princess Shan Yu's army camp, hence, he really didn't expect the alcohol tolerance of the Southern Mountain Range people to be so extreme. One bottle of wine gone like that?
At least leave a little for me!
Alright…
Now wasn't the time to be stingy about a bottle of wine.
"Tell me your mission." Fang Zhengzhi asked the question in his mind.
"Send you safely to the Sagely Mountain City, then, personally hand you over to the King for him to deal with you himself!" Teng Shisheng replied without the slightest bit of hesitation.
"Other than handing over a person, I believe there is something else?" Fang Zhengzhi nodded.
"And a letter!" Teng Shisheng's expression changed once again. Then, he fished out a leather envelope from his pocket with the same four words "Confidential for the King" written on it.
When Fang Zhengzhi saw this, he finally understood. The letter in his hand had always been a fake. The letter on Teng Shisheng's hand was the real one.
"Open it." Fang Zhengzhi didn't seem have any intention of taking the letter from Teng Shisheng.
"This…" Teng Shisheng was somewhat hesitant.
"I said open it."
"Roger!"
Teng Shisheng finally gritted his teeth and instantly tore open the leather envelope, taking out an intricate animal skin and handing it into Fang Zhengzhi's hand.
Fang Zhengzhi casually took it and placed it in front of him. Instantly, a smile formed on the edges of his face.
"I see!" When Fang Zhengzhi finished reading the contents of the letter, he understood why none of the twenty generals objected in Princess Shan Yu's tent.
Handing over a person!
Was also handing over a sword!
"Guard Fang, now that you know our mission, you should also now the aim of this journey to the Sagely Mountain City. Even though you have princess's token in your hands, we received the orders personally from princess, hence we must hand you to the king of the Southern Mountain Range. Thus, even if you have the token, it would be futile!" Teng Shisheng waited for Fang Zhengzhi to finish reading the contents of the letter before regaining his composure and then speaking.
"I know, however, I believe princess didn't set a clear time for you to reach, right?" Fang Zhengzhi nodded with a slight smile on his face.
"This… indeed not!" Teng Shisheng thought for a while, and then replied.
"Hence, before reaching the Sagely Mountain City, you must listen to my orders. Am I right?" Fang Zhengzhi looked at Teng Shisheng. He didn't conceal the smile on his face.
"Yes!"
"What if I order you to turn around now?"
"That is possible. However, even if you bring us into the Great Xia Dynasty, we still must complete princess's orders, unless you kill every single one of us." Teng Shisheng replied with confidence.
This was the second time Fang Zhengzhi heard something like that in the Southern Mountain Range. The first time was when he was captured. This time, it was from Teng Shisheng.
The Southern Mountain Range…
Was indeed a land of warriors!
Fan Zhengzhi let out a sigh. However, the most important thing now, other than sighing, was to preserve his own life.
"Pass down my orders. Early in the morning tomorrow, the entire army will turn back!"
"Roger!" Teng Shisheng gritted his teeth. He looked at the cyan stone on the table, tightened his fist, but didn't raise any objections.
"Get a few more bottles of wine, then sit down and eat some meat with me."
"Roger!" Teng Shisheng gritted his teeth again. However, he didn't exit the tent immediately. Instead, he fixed his gaze tightly upon Fang Zhengzhi's face. His mouth opened then closed, as if wanting to say something, yet didn't speak in the end.
"You seem to have a question for me?" Fang Zhengzhi looked at Teng Shisheng's behaviour, the edges of his mouth curling into another smile.
"Yes, I can't understand!" When Teng Shisheng spoke, his body instinctively gave off a powerful air, as if a beast was about to pounce out from his body.
"You don't understand why I would possess the princess's token?" Fang Zhengzhi looked at Teng Shisheng with a calm expression, completely unaffected by the air around Teng Shisheng's body.
"Yes."
"What if I said that the princess gave it to me herself?"
"Impossible!" Teng Shisheng was absolutely sure.
"Nothing is impossible. I'm sure that you know ever since yesterday night, I have been monitored by you people in the army tent and simply didn't even have the chance to take a single step out. Even if I wanted to steal… where would I find that opportunity? Furthermore, fifteen minutes ago, I don't even know what the token of the princess looks like." Fang Zhengzhi casually replied.
"Why did the princess give you the token?" The air around Teng Shisheng suddenly withdrew, as if he was somewhat disheartened.
"This, I don't know. But, I can tell you for sure that I didn't steal it."
"Who are you exactly? To be able to defeat General Tai and possess such a powerful sword, you definitely cannot be just an ordinary spy from the Great Xia." Teng Shisheng finally expressed the doubt in his heart.
"Of course I am not a spy. In reality, I hadn't even entered the army of the Great Xia." Fang Zhengzhi replied very frankly.
"Then you are?" Teng Shisheng looked at Fang Zhengzhi.
"Fang Zhengzhi!"
"Which Fang Zhengzhi?"
"The Rank Four Sword Envoy of the Great Xia Dynasty, Double Roll Champion of the Imperial Examination and number one in the Court Theory Examination, Fang Zhengzhi!"
"You… you are really the Fang Zhengzhi who attained joint first in the theory examination with the number one scholar of the Great Xia Dynasty, Nangong Hao?!" Teng Shisheng's expression finally changed.
"Do you have anymore questions?" Fang Zhengzhi smiled gently. He didn't boast very often. However, these reputations did indeed belong to him. What was wrong with bringing these up once in a while to bolster his self-confidence?
"No more. I have already understood." Teng Shisheng shook his head.
"Understand what?"
"Understood that you indeed didn't steal it, and understood why princess would give you the 'Cyan Stone Token'" Teng Shisheng took one more glance at the cyan stone on the table and said confidently.
"You really understand?"
"Yes."
"Alright, then go get the wine." Fang Zhengzhi waved his hands.
"As you command!" Teng Shisheng respectfully delivered a Southern Mountain Range bow towards Fang Zhengzhi, then slowly withdrew, walking backwards until the entrance of the tent and only then turning his body around.
When Fang Zhengzhi witnessed this scene, he blinked a few times.
As you command?
Your attitude changes really fast…
But, even though you understood, I myself still hadn't understood.
Princess Shan Yu had told me the greatest military secret of the Southern Mountain Range, and gave me the Cyan Stone Token, then allowed me to truly have control over five hundred Silver Horned Wolf Cavalries.
But…
What was her reason?
What does she want me to do?
Fang Zhengzhi couldn't understand this yet. However, when he saw Teng Shisheng walk in holding two barrels of wine sealed in mud, he knew that tonight, he would probably not be able to understand this.
…
The night was as silent as water. Constellations of stars filled the night sky as silver rays fell from the sky, combining with the frosted dew on the ground, causing them to flash with a faint glow.
In a huge military tent.
A wooden pail stood in the center, filled with golden coloured petals and giving off a faint heat.
Within the wooden pail, Princess Shan Yu was lying horizontally inside. Her wheat-coloured skin turned extremely smooth and delicate under the moisture of the warm water. One slender leg was propped on the wooden pail, shaking gently.
Her beautiful hair fell like a waterfall onto her shoulders as droplets of water dripped down.
Princess Shan Yu's dark eyes were partially closed, seeming as if she was relishing in this. Her tender lips parted slightly, breathing out a misty vapour.
On her body, the red coloured cloud pattern flowed around very slowly, maintaining the temperature of the water.
"Fang Zhengzhi?"
Princess Shan Yu's dark eyes gradually opened, as a faint smile appeared on the edges of her mouth. Immediately after, her arm moved slightly. Droplets of water flew up from the pail, landing onto her face.
"If you are really that Fang Zhengzhi, I believe five hundred Silver Horned Wolf Cavalries should be enough, right? The Great Xia Dynasty… I wonder what plans you will have after seeing my Silver Horned Wolf Cavalries?"
Princess Shan Yu closed her eyes once again. Then, she slowly stood up from the wooden pail. Water droplets rapidly scattered upwards, enveloping her entire body. The glow of the candlelight produced an elegant figure on the ground.
...