Chapter 83: Robbery Makes Me Happy
Yun Ce, with his face covered, chuckled. He leaped over the hastily erected shield wall like a projectile. While in mid-air, his horse spear was already thrusting toward Dianjun Captain Zhao Ling, who had no time to don his helmet.
Zhao Ling used his horse chopping saber to deflect Yun Ce’s horse spear. Gripping the saber with both hands, he said in a deep voice, “Insolent thief, you’re courting death.”
Yun Ce laughed, “You’re afraid, aren’t you?”
Zhao Ling glanced at the bandits swarming across the river like ants. Eager to command the defense without tangling with Yun Ce, he retreated a few steps. Seeing two subordinates block Yun Ce, he turned and walked away. He hadn’t gone far when he heard the sound of a sharp weapon slicing through the air behind him. Turning back, he swung his warhorse saber horizontally, blocking the horse spear aimed at the back of his head.
The two subordinates who had just been blocking Yun Ce in front of him—one slumped against the rock wall with blood pouring from his mouth and nose, the other with a huge hole in his throat, a string of bubbly blood flowing out. He was clearly done for.
Zhao Ling dared not turn his back to an opponent like Yun Ce again. He stepped forward, slashing upward with his saber at Yun Ce’s waist and ribs. Yun Ce twisted his body mid-air, and the horse chopping saber missed. Zhao Ling roared and stepped forward again. The horse chopping saber circled his waist once, slashing once more at Yun Ce, who had just landed.
“Clang.” The horse chopping saber struck the horse spear shaft, bending the straight spear into a bow shape. Yun Ce turned, gripping the horse spear with his right hand, his left hand forming a claw toward Zhao Ling’s throat.
Zhao Ling held his saber with one hand and smashed a fist into Yun Ce’s claw. Yun Ce chuckled, then retreated repeatedly, using his sturdy body to crash into the shield-bearing soldiers behind him, scattering them. This gave Miss Hong, who had been unable to break the shield formation, an opportunity.
Pei Chuan shouted as he squeezed through the breach in the shield formation, slashing fiercely at the shield soldiers on both sides with his long saber, opening a larger gap for his comrades to follow.
Zhao Ling was greatly alarmed and was about to swing his saber to seal the gap when Yun Ce’s horse spear thrust again. He had to parry with his saber. For some reason, his right hand suddenly stiffened. The horse chopping saber blocked the horse spear, but Yun Ce’s fist, flying through the air, smashed into his face. Stars burst before his eyes, and darkness fell. He swung his saber wildly. Zhao Ling retreated hastily. When his vision gradually cleared, Yun Ce’s fist appeared before him again.
1 “Boom.” A thunderclap exploded in Zhao Ling’s mind, followed by the sensation that his brain had detached from his skull. Even with eyes wide open, everything remained pitch black.
1 “Boom boom boom.” Thunderclaps kept exploding in his mind. Zhao Ling felt his consciousness and body growing more uncoordinated. He was clearly retreating, yet it felt like he was advancing.
1 A chill hit his chest and abdomen, followed by searing pain—the feeling of an armor-piercing weapon…
1 Seeing Yun Ce pummeling Zhao Ling with fist after fist, while Zhao Ling swayed like a sack full of grain, Miss Hong cursed and thrust her horse spear into Zhao Ling’s stomach.
1 Pei Chuan, freed by Yun Ce, swung his saber at Zhao Ling’s neck.
1 “Aiya—”
1 A flicker of clarity appeared in Zhao Ling’s previously dazed eyes. He actually reached out and grabbed Pei Chuan’s incoming long saber, using it to block Miss Hong’s thrusting horse spear. The spear slid along the blade with a grinding sound, piercing his hastily donned armor once more.
1 Yun Ce swung his horse spear round and smashed it into Zhao Ling’s back. His body staggered forward, and Miss Hong’s horse spear finally pierced through him.
1 Pei Chuan tried to wrest the saber away but failed twice to take the knife from Zhao Ling, who was spitting blood. He simply abandoned the long saber and used his secondary weapon, an axe, to chop at Zhao Ling’s forehead.
1 Blood immediately spurted from both sides of the axe blade. Zhao Ling, eyes bulging, used his last bit of strength to smash a fist into Pei Chuan’s nose, then began convulsing as he fell.
2 Pei Chuan, whose nose was smashed to a pulp, ignored it. Raising the axe, he hacked furiously at Zhao Ling’s neck. In just a few blows, the head came off. He picked up the head, impaled it on a spear, and shouted at the top of his lungs, “Zhao Ling is dead.”
2 Pei Chuan’s voice was loud, and in the valley, “Zhao Ling is dead” echoed far away.
2 The bandits, already locked in a death struggle with the soldiers, grew even more excited, charging at the soldiers with reckless abandon.
2 When Yun Ce’s foot touched Zhao Ling’s corpse, a wisp of white light drilled into his boot. Without Doggy’s help, Yun Ce would have had a real fight on his hands with Zhao Ling.
2 Seeing that Yun Ce had no intention of continuing the fight, Miss Hong pointed to a carriage behind her, carved with dragon tattoos, and said to Yun Ce, “The cargo inside is especially precious.”
2 Yun Ce touched the cart compartment casually and said offhandedly, “How do you know?”
2 Miss Hong rolled her eyes and said, “This horse carriage was personally guarded by Zhao Ling. Even when sleeping, he never let it out of his sight.”
2 Yun Ce admitted that Miss Hong was very clever now. He tore off the seal, broke the lock, and found that the large horse carriage contained only a wooden box three feet long, two feet high, and two feet wide.
2 After looking inside, Yun Ce said to Miss Hong, “You’re setting me up.”
2 Miss Hong was also puzzled by how little was in the carriage, but she quickly said to Yun Ce, “The heavier and more numerous the items, the less precious they are.”
3 Yun Ce thought Miss Hong was right. Carrying a pile of gold everywhere all day was indeed pretty stupid. He hoisted the box onto his shoulder—not too light, not too heavy, perfect for carrying. He waved to Miss Hong and leaped over the Gaoliang River again, disappearing into the forest on the opposite side.
3 Pei Chuan walked over unhappily and asked Miss Hong, “Why give him the most valuable thing?”
3 Miss Hong’s face darkened as she said, “Are you questioning me?”
3 Pei Chuan hesitated, then cupped his hands and said, “Subordinate dares not.”
3 Miss Hong thought for a moment and still explained to Pei Chuan, “That a box occupies an entire horse carriage means the cargo inside is extremely precious. Precious things are famous. Let me ask you, how do you turn famous cargo into cash?
3 Right now, we need money that can buy things, not some rare treasure. Holding that will bring countless enemies.
3 Since that’s the case, better to give it directly to Liu Chang’an. If enemies press us too hard over it, we can just throw him out to lighten our load.”
3 Pei Chuan cupped his hands respectfully, “Miss is wise.”
3 After carrying the box through the forest for a while and seeing no one around, Yun Ce tossed it into the dragon pearl. He had no interest in opening it now. E Ji was the one who liked counting money and opening boxes.
3 He didn’t take the same road back. If someone accidentally saw him, the government officials might mistake him for a bandit. So he deliberately took the low-lying, flat side of the Gaoliang River with lots of trees.
4 The sun was about to set, and the long day was ending.
4 Miss Hong and her group had chosen a good time to attack. After Zhao Ling’s death, they should finish the battle before dark, then quietly transport the looted royal tribute under cover of night.
4 The wasteland was right ahead. Yun Ce, having walked a long way, was about to whistle for the red date horse when its long face silently emerged from behind a tree.
4 “Ah, you’re waiting for me here? How did you know I’d come out this way?”
4 Yun Ce happily walked over, hugged the red date horse’s long face, and kissed it, feeling their rapport growing. A fine steed should be this lively and fragrant. Compared to such a caring treasure horse, the steel horses on Earth should be scrapped.
4 He jumped onto the red date horse’s back, patted its neck, and said, “Alright, time to go home. You can make it back before dark, right?”
4 Usually, when Yun Ce talked to the red date horse, it would respond somehow, whether it understood or not. Today was strange. As soon as Yun Ce mounted, it bolted into the forest with him on its back.
4 A horse not heading to its beloved grassland but drilling into the forest—something was wrong. Yun Ce wanted to go to the wasteland, but the red date horse refused, zigzagging through the woods before emerging from a dilapidated earthen ditch. Even then, it sneaked along with ears pinned back, hooves silent.
4 Once the man and horse slunk through a large patch of wild grass, the red date horse broke into a gallop, incredibly fast, its tail—usually trailing behind—even stiffened straight like a whip from overexertion.
4 When Yun Ce returned to the royal hunting ground, it wasn’t fully dark yet. Seeing Yun Ce back with a wooden box tied to the horse, E Ji beamed and called Feng An, Liang Kun, and others to help carry the box. As for Yun Ce, he naturally got her warm embrace.
5 The perfunctory embrace had no warmth. Discovering the box wasn’t heavy, E Ji led An Ji and the others to carry it to the bedroom.
5 “Young Master, what’s in the box?”
5 Yun Ce swallowed a mouthful of rice and shook his head, “Don’t know.”
5 “Why didn’t you pick through it?”
5 “No time.”
5 “Were the soldiers very strong?”
5 “Very strong. Killed so many that corpses littered the ground, even blocking the river.”
5 E Ji’s face paled as she listened, then checked Yun Ce over and sighed in relief, “How many is ‘many’?”
5 Yun Ce smiled and pointed to the room with the box, “Why not go open it and see?”
5 Unable to wait any longer, E Ji immediately dropped Yun Ce and hurried to the bedroom.
6 Today’s cook should have been An Ji. E Ji couldn’t make food this to his taste, especially the sour soup simmered with sour berries and meat shreds—it tested a chef’s skill.
6 Yun Ce ladled himself a bowl of soup. Just as he brought it to his lips, E Ji screamed from the room. The soup bowl crashed to the floor, spilling everywhere, shattering into seven or eight pieces. Yun Ce’s figure had already vanished into the room.
6 The box was already open, the room ablaze with light. E Ji covered her eyes, still shouting. Yun Ce quickly closed the box and comforted the frightened girl. At the same time, Doggy turned into a silver thread and slipped into the box.
6 By the time Feng An, Liang Kun, An Ji, and the others arrived, E Ji had hidden the box in the cabinet. They only heard E Ji repeatedly complaining that Yun Ce had pranked her.
6 Being pranked by Yun Ce, or pranking him, was their daily routine. Feng An and the others gave the pair a disdainful look before returning to their rooms.
