The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  “Chong-er, if you came any later, you might have to collect my corpse!”

  Li Lin was relieved by the appearance of the saber.

  “Uncle, you’re exaggerating the matter.”

  Wang Chong chuckled.

  “This isn’t an exaggeration though. Alright, Chong-er, don’t worry. I’ll make sure this saber fetches a good price.”

  Without wasting any time, Li Lin prepared to bring the Death’s Abyss into the royal palace.

  “Wait a moment!”

  Wang Chong hurriedly stopped Uncle Li Lin. Death’s Abyss was important, but other than that, Wang Chong had another purpose here.

  “I have a few things that I’ll have to trouble uncle to help me on as well.”

  After which, Wang Chong brought up the matter of the ‘Assassin Pavilion’.

  “Hmph, to think that there would be such a matter!”

  After hearing the entire story, Li Lin harrumphed coldly. A rare sliver of killing intent appeared on his face.

  “It’s one thing for them to deal with other people, but since they dared to lay their hands on you, then they surely won’t get away scot-free. Rest assured, I will inform Lord Zhao of this matter and have him help deal with this!”

  “You can’t even start to imagine how valued you are in the Imperial Army now. If something happens to you, even if Lord Zhao and I don’t do anything, the other commanders in the Imperial Army would surely tear them to shreds.”

  Li Lin wasn’t exaggerating this matter.

  Wang Chong had already formed an intangible network of connections. Under Wang Chong’s instructions, Li Lin had accepted quite a sum of money from various figures in the Imperial Army.

  Even though there was no tangible reward in sight, all of these people still willingly presented it to him.

  After Zhao Fengchen’s fight with Huang Xiaotian, the Wootz steel sword that Wang Chong forged earned the recognition of everyone in the Imperial Army, and it was labeled as the number one weapon in the Imperial Army.

  In the view of the Imperial Army, be it the capital or even the entire Central Plains, only the weapons Wang Chong forged was worthy of their identity.

  At this moment, every single Imperial Army member who had the means desired to obtain a Wootz steel weapon, resulting in a large sum of money being delivered to Li Lin in the past month.

  If something were to happen to the swordsmith, it was scary just to think how the Imperial Army would react.

  “Don’t worry, I know at least three Imperial Army commanders who would make a move on this kind of malignant tumor. What Profound Martial Realm expert or master of the Assassin Pavilion… In the capital, going against you means to go against the entire Imperial Army. I will make sure that this tumor is rid of once and for all!”

  A majestic aura exuded from Uncle Li Lin.

  This aura that shrouded Uncle Li Lin so naturally surprised Wang Chong. He had known his uncle for a very long time, but he had never seen such a quality in him.

  “Circumstances shapes attitude, and attitude shapes appearance! After being deployed out of the North Gates and promoted to a higher position, his inner self changed accordingly as well, giving birth to this kind of majestic aura.”

  Wang Chong thought.

  Naturally, Wang Chong was delighted to see such a change. In his previous life, due to the old master’s influence, Uncle Li Lin had a slightly cowardly and hesitant nature.

  But it was different now.

  Men were born ambitious!

  In Wang Chong’s view, this might be the true nature of his uncle.

  “Perhaps I can bring that matter up on the schedule!”

  Wang Chong thought.

  In Wang Chong’s view, all of his family members were his aides, an important strength he would require to change destiny. Initially, Wang Chong only intended to hand over Death’s Abyss and bring up the matter of the ‘Assassin Pavilion’.

  However, the momentary majesty that Uncle Li Lin exuded had sprouted some thoughts in Wang Chong.

  The reason why Wang Chong helped uncle wasn’t just so that he could follow Zhao Fengchen as his subordinate and rise along with him.

  Wang Chong bore much greater expectations and ambitions of him.

  But this all couldn’t be realized with the limited strength the other party possessed at the moment.

  “Uncle, wait a moment!”

  Amidst Uncle Li Lin surprised gaze, Wang Chong walked into the carriage. When he came out once more, there was a handwritten secret manual in his hand.

  “Uncle, this is for you!”

  Wang Chong passed the secret manual hidden in the secret compartment in the carriage over.

  “Ah? For me? What’s this?”

  Li Lin stared at Wang Chong in bewilderment, unable to comprehend what was going on. He subconsciously grabbed the book and glanced at it.

  Upon flipping through a page or two, Li Lin’s confused expression immediately warped into shock.

  It was a martial arts manual!

  The book that Wang Chong passed him was the secret manual of an extremely powerful martial art! Browsing through a couple of page, Li Lin could sense that this martial art was much more formidable than the techniques he had learned in the past.

  “Chong-er, how did you get this?”

  Li Lin was astounded.

  Li Lin didn’t think that a teenager like Wang Chong would possess such a powerful martial art.

  “Uncle, this… Grandfather gave it to me!”

  Wang Chong pushed all the credit to the old master.

  Wang Chong’s purchasal of the Hyderabad ore and crafting of the Wootz steel sword were astonishing feats, but it wasn’t completely impossible.

  However, martial art manuals, especially powerful ones, were tightly guarded treasures of each clan. It would be difficult for Li Lin to not get suspicious if Wang Chong had suddenly produced a manual of such a top-notch martial art all of the sudden. This wasn’t a matter that could be explained by intelligence and aptitude.

  It was precisely because of this that even though Wang Chong had copied down the secret manual a period of time ago, he wasn’t able to find a suitable opportunity to hand it over to Li Lin, until the visit to the Four Quarters Embassy…

  “Old master?”

  Li Lin was surprised.

  “That’s right! Do you remember the matter at the Four Quarters Embassy? Grandfather asked grandmother to pass it to me after we offered our blessings to him. Perhaps grandfather felt… embarrassed, so he decided to pass it to you through my hands.”

  Feigning ignorance of the matter, Wang Chong spoke nonchalantly.

  All along, grandfather had confined uncle to the position of a section leader in the North Gates. Even though had good intentions in heart, it was unavoidable that uncle, who was an ambitious man at heart, would feel dismayed by his action.

  In a way, Wang Chong was mending the tear between grandfather and uncle.

  “Old master…”

  Upon hearing Wang Chong’s words, Li Lin seemed to have realized something and ripples appeared in his eyes. However, before Wang Chong, he chose to hold himself back.

  “I understand.”

  Li Lin smiled.

  “If there’s a chance, help me thank the old master in my stead. Tell him that I won’t let down him down. Anyway, you don’t have to worry about the matter of the Wootz steel saber, I’ll settle it properly. Alright, I’ll be going in now.”

  After which, carrying the Death’s Abyss, he turned around and headed straight into the royal palace.

  Perhaps it was just an illusion, but looking at Uncle Li Lin’s departing figure, it felt as though a heavy burden had been taken off his shoulders, or maybe, a knot hidden deep within his heart had been untied.

  His footsteps grew more and more forceful, as though reflecting his determination, and eventually, he disappeared within the grand royal palace.

  Chapter 141: Great Saber: Death’s Abyss!

  Afte
r settling the matter with the Wootz steel sword, Wang Chong heaved a sigh of relief. In the days to come, he focused his efforts on looking for traces of the ‘Demonic Emperor Old Man’ while continuing to visit the Ghost Tree District for the chess match.

  On the other hand, Uncle Li Lin had acted swiftly on the matter Wang Chong entrusted him with.

  As though out of anger from the bold attempts of the Assassin Pavilion in attempting to assassinate Wang Chong, in just two short days, news had reached the streets. The Imperial Army had found the nest of an assassin organization that seemed to be harboring malicious intentions.

  Every single one of them was killed on the spot, and corpses filled the entire courtyard!

  This matter caused quite a storm in the capital. It was said that many of the experts of the Imperial Army were mobilized, and five to six commanders were involved in the operation.

  Many people had witnessed the operation with their own eyes, and all of them said that there was likely to be a backstory to this matter. Even so, given their dress up, cloaked in black and armed with secret weapons, without a doubt, they were all assassins.

  Thus, no one spoke up for them.

  When Wang Chong heard of this matter, he chuckled lightly. He wrote a letter to Miyasame Ayaka and dumped the matter to the back of his head.

  Just when Wang Chong was living his life peacefully, a commotion was going on in the depths of the royal palace.

  The darkness of the night loomed over the sky. It was an abandoned palace in a remote location of the royal palace, but at this moment, it was brightly illuminated by whole rows of lanterns hung on the trees and the roof.

  Imperial Army members densely filled the courtyard of the palace, and with a single glance, they numbered in hundreds, perhaps even reaching a thousand.

  Today was a huge day for the Imperial Army members. There wasn’t a single person in the Imperial Army who didn’t know that this was the day for the auction for the second weapon of the number one blacksmith of Great Tang. As such, many commanders had arrived early and were waiting in anticipation for the unveiling of the weapon.

  After the battle between Zhao Fengchen and Huang Xiaotian, there wasn’t a single person here who didn’t know about the sharpness, beauty, and rarity of the Wootz steel sword. To them, this was a huge opportunity to heighten their own strength.

  More importantly, this item was exclusive! It was one-of-a-kind, and it was impossible to obtain it anywhere else!

  What other weapons could be more fitting than the Wootz steel sword to complement the standing of the Imperial Army!

  “I’ve finally waited for the day for the unveiling of gongzi’s new weapon!”

  “It’s a weapon that took an entire month to forge! I truly can’t wait to see what it is. If only he could forge more of it!”

  “The first weapon has been taken by Commander Zhao. I wonder who’ll be lucky one this time!”

  “Indeed! If only I had a Wootz steel sword as well. Why must it be so expensive!”

  …

  The courtyard of the palace was bustling.

  Everyone knew that Wang Chong had entrusted the sales of the Wootz steel weapons to his uncle, Li Lin, and at this moment, there wasn’t a single person in the Imperial Army who didn’t know of Li Lin.

  “It’s starting, it’s starting!”

  Suddenly, a commotion sounded. Everyone lifted their heads and saw the doors before them open. Brilliant light poured out from the interior of the room.

  Dressed in heavy armor with a sword by his waist, Li Lin appeared imposingly before the crowd.

  In an instant, the bustling Imperial Army members abruptly fell silent.

  “Those who wish to join the auction can enter now based on the note issued previously!”

  Li Lin said authoritatively.

  Immediately, an Imperial Army commander passed the note that Wang Chong issued to them previously and entered the room with a huge smile.

  Everyone knew that the competition for this auction would be intense, and the Wootz steel weapon would be anything but cheap.

  But money… Who the heck cares about money.

  As long as they could buy the sword that was capable of slicing through metal as though mud, what did money mean? Besides, as members of the Imperial Army, they didn’t have many places to spend money on anyway.

  On top of that, even if they found themselves in dire need of money in the future, surely they didn’t have to worry about being unable to sell this kind of top-notch weapon?

  Twenty to thirty Imperial Army commanders entered.

  “Next, those who have the wooden token can enter!”

  Li Lin continued.

  This was Li Lin’s own initiative. Even though Wang Chong wanted to sell the bidding qualifications batch by batch, Li Lin thought that there was no need for it. Being in the Imperial Army, he knew how popular the Wootz steel was.

  Regardless of where he went, everyone was talking about the auction in Bluebottle Pavilion and the battle between Zhao Fengchen and Huang Xiaotian.

  The Wootz steel weapon which was described to be unbreakable and unimaginably sharp had everyone’s blood boiling in passion, and their desire to possess it blazed.

  Being in the Imperial Army, he understood how strong the thirst for it was. That was also the reason why he dared to set up such a system.

  One must know that there were more than a hundred thousand troops in the Imperial Army.

  Yet, Wang Chong only sold a single Wootz steel sword every month. It would be surprising if they weren’t frenzied about it!

  Thus, Li Lin decided to split the auction into two tiers on his own accord.

  The first tier was the holders of the notes that Wang Chong issued previously. These note holders were entitled to a ten percent discount.

  The wooden tokens that Li Lin issued formed the second tier, and this tier possessed fewer privileges than the former.

  Those in possession of the wooden token were allowed to join the auction, but they had to pay an additional ten percent on top of the auctioned price.

  Every wooden token cost two hundred gold taels, and it would become useless after the auction. If one wanted to join the next auction, they had to buy another one.

  Others might think it was expensive, but Li Lin felt that he had already lowered the price to the bare minimum. Given that there were more than a hundred thousand soldiers in the Imperial Army, lack of demand was something he didn’t fear.

  Furthermore, how could those who were willing to spend several dozen thousand gold taels to buy a Wootz steel sword hesitate over a mere two hundred gold taels? ——In Li Lin’s view, this was the best way to auction the Wootz steel sword! At the same time, he would be able to sieve out those insincere buyers through this method.

  As for the notes which Wang Chong issued… It was a huge waste! However, the matter was already done, so there was no use saying anything about it.

  In an instant, seventy to eighty commanders of the Imperial Army rushed in.

  By from the sales of the wooden token, Li Lin had already earned a profit of around fifteen thousand!

  To earn fifteen thousand taels from the entrance fee from an auction alone, he would be a fool to not do this!

  “Next, those with the metal token can enter.”

  Li Lin said.

  This was the lowest tier! There were many people who were interested and curious about the Wootz steel sword. Since that was the case, Li Lin thought of profiting from them as well.

  After all, the more spectators there were, the easier it was for word to spread. This could help to broaden the number of interested buyers in the Imperial Army.

  Thus, Li Lin chose to implement the system of the steel token as well. Each of these steel tokens cost just ten gold taels. With these, one was given the right to spectate the proceedings of the auction.

  But of course, they weren’t allowed to bid. At the same time, they weren’t allocated any seats as well.

 
Despite the lack of service, given that there were more than a hundred thousand potential customers out there, Li Lin wasn’t worried at all.

  In an instant, several hundreds of Imperial Army members charged in. This was yet another profit of a few thousand gold taels. Just by setting up this auction, Li Lin had already earned over twenty thousand gold taels.

  After which, Li Lin returned to the inner room.

  The palaces in the royal city were exceedingly vast, residences of ordinary large clans couldn’t start to compare up to them. At the very front of the hall, away from the crowd, sat three commanders.

  The one seated in the middle was Zhao Fengchen.

  Time passed swiftly, and it had been a month since Zhao Fengchen had become a marshal. Compared to before, Zhao Fengchen’s disposition seemed much more valiant, imposing, and authoritative.

  Li Lin walked in and bowed slightly to Zhao Fengchen before walking to a massive wooden stand of around one zhang long in the center of the hall.

  (3.33m)

  “Lord Li, where is the Wootz steel sword?”

  “Hurry up and take it out. Stop hooking our appetite!”

  “Indeed, we’re all anxious to see it!”

  “Lord Li, it has already been a month! We brothers are already dying of anticipation so hurry up and show it to us!”

  …

  Everyone in the room urged impatiently. They couldn’t bear to wait any longer for it.

  “Lord Li, surely you aren’t playing with us?”

  Some of the Imperial Army commanders even expressed their clear displeasure.

  “You all are so anxious that you all can’t even wait a moment longer?”

  Li Lin chuckled. This was the kind of effect he wanted.

  “Since that’s the case, I won’t keep you all hanging. The second Wootz steel sword is right here!”

  Pah!

  As he said those words, Li Lin struck the one zhang long wooden platform before him. Peng! The wooden platform immediately broke apart, and hidden in the platform was a seven chi long weapon.

  It was seated on top of a black metal table of the same length.

  In an instant, the entire hall fell silent.

  Everyone thought that Li Lin was using the wooden platform to organize the auction. No one thought that there would be such a trick behind the wooden platform.