The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Pu!

  Extinguishing the candle flame, Wang Chong immediately grabbed the Wootz steel sword hanging on the wall. Jiya, he discreetly pushed open the window and sneaked out.

  At the forge of the Wei Clan, Wang Chong crafted a total of four swords. However, he only decorated a single one of it, embedding agates and gemstones on the hilt of the sword and plating the sheath with gold, making it look both extravagant and elegant.

  As for the other three, he didn’t add any additional ornaments to them. Besides, Wang Chong didn’t intend to sell them. As such, he has been keeping them in the residence all along.

  Beneath the frosty moonlight, Wang Chong could clearly see the nimble movements of the black figures from the roofs, on the ground, and by the walls, as they rushed straight toward the treasure vault of the residence.

  “They seem to be well-aware of the layout of the residence! They must have been spying during the day.”

  Wang Chong thought.

  Every single residence has their own treasure vault which stores gold, silver, and important treasures. The people who sneaked into the Wang Clan seemed to have clear goals. Their movements precise and exact; clearly, they had scouted the compounds of the Wang Family Residence during the day, giving them a clear idea of the layout and the structure of the residence.

  The entire Wang Family Residence was silent, as if the place where the black-clothed men entered was an abandoned mansion. Not a single maid, guard, or nanny was alarmed by their presence.

  Standing in the darkness, Wang Chong sneered coldly as he silently gazed at them.

  Even though there was a strict restriction on the size of a private army that a general or minister household could have, there was more than sufficient people within the residence to deal with them.

  “It’s about time!”

  Just as they were about to reach the treasure vault of the Wang Family Residence, a gleam flashed across Wang Chong’s eyes as a thought appeared in his mind.

  “Roar!”

  Everything happened so quickly. Just as the group was about to enter the treasure vault, a furious roar broke the silence of the night. As though the rumbling of thunder, the bellow echoed in the skies of the entire Wang Family Residence.

  “Who is it!”

  Along with that roar, the air in the surroundings trembled, and black-colored ripples from a powerful explosion burst out from the Wang Family Residence’s treasure vault. The group of black-clothed men was caught off guard. As though a kite snipped at the strings, they flew backward.

  “Who dares to cause trouble on Wang gongzi‘s residence!”

  Amidst the lion-like roar, two lean but powerful figures rushed out.

  These words weren’t spoken through the language of the Central Plains, but in Sanskrit. However, it was a pity that no one understood their words.

  “They’re finally out!”

  Seeing Arloja and Ablonodan rushing out, Wang Chong chuckled. This was what you called a true partnership. Wang Chong didn’t spend the 80000 gold taels yesterday for nothing.

  Wang Chong expressed his intentions of wanting the duo to help protect the Wang Family Residence so as to prevent the Hyderabad ores and the few hundred thousand gold taels from being stolen. Without a single word of complaint, the duo immediately agreed.

  At this moment, Wang Chong was a collaborator of Sindhu. How could they allow someone to steal the money earned from the sales of the ore? Without any additional persuasion from Wang Chong’s part, the duo immediately took up the responsibility.

  Boom!

  From afar, Arloja and Ablonodan looked like ferocious tigers. Rushing into the group of black-clothed men, they destroyed everything that was within their reach. Even though they were severely outnumbered, they managed to ward off all of the enemies’ attacks. The billowing black waves they exuded sent these black-clothed men flying away as though sheets of paper, smashing them into the walls or the ground.

  “Come out! There’s an attack!”

  At the same time, the voice of the two Sindhi monks alarmed the guards of the Wang Clan. From Wang Chong’s mother’s living quarters, the lounge, and the quarters where the maids, nannies, and servants lived, countless guards of the Wang Family Residence charged out.

  ‘Preparedness ensures success, and unpreparedness spells failure’, since Wang Chong expected that someone would make an attempt on the 600,000 gold taels, the Wootz steel sword, and the Hyderabad ores, how could he possibly not make any preparations in advance?

  From his mother’s room to the quarters of the maids… Wang Chong has assigned guards to all important locations. If not, how could Wang Chong be so relaxed as to sit idly by the side and watch as intruders invaded his residence?

  “Kill them! ——”

  The group of Wang Family’s guards charged across the corridors toward the black-clothed men. The swords in their eyes gleamed beneath the moonlight. In just a moment, the two groups immediately clashed together in the garden.

  The guards of the Wang Clan numbered one of the least among the generals and ministers’ households. Even so, they still outnumbered the black-clothed men by several times.

  Ding ding, the sound of metal resounded by the ears. The cold gleam of metal could be seen be seen all around the courtyard.

  “Un? Someone is rushing toward me?”

  Suddenly, Wang Chong’s ear twitched. He heard the movement of cloth once more, and it seemed like the treasure vault wasn’t their only goal. Even Wang Chong’s study was one of their targets.

  Xiu!

  Everything happened faster than words could describe. Just when Wang Chong realized that someone was headed toward him, the cold flash of metal gleamed in the darkness and several machetes spun furiously toward Wang Chong.

  “Young master, be careful! ——”

  Upon seeing that sight, Shen Hai and Meng Long, who was guarding Wang Chong’s study, went pale, and swiftly charged forward.

  Weng!

  Klang, Meng Long’s sword deflected one of the Charax Spasinu machetes, creating the resounding reverberation of metal. Even so, there were still a few other machetes which were flying straight toward Wang Chong at an incredible speed.

  “Not good!”

  In a moment, these machetes appeared right before Wang Chong. The sharp blades seemed as though they would split Wang Chong’s head from his neck. The faces of the duo paled, and cold sweat trickled down their back.

  Weng!

  Even though Wang Chong’s cultivation was lacking, his reaction wasn’t slow at all. At that very instant when the machetes were right before him, Wang Chong’s body flew backward into the air, doing a backflip. With just a simple “Basking of the Tortoise”, he dodged the consecutive strikes.

  The ease and simplicity of the movement left the two masked Charax Spasinu assassins stunned!

  In their view, Wang Chong’s martial arts was weak to the point that it was negligible. They could have never imagined that Wang Chong could use such a simple movement to dodge their sure-kill attack so easily.

  As much as I hope to translate everything, there are just some terms which are reflected in hanyu pinyin in Wikipedia. Thus I’ll explain it here.

  I’ve mentioned the Three Great Swords in Chapter 15

  Wootz steel sword = Damascus sword

  Nihonto is a general term for Japanese swords. Katana falls under that category.

  There is no wikipedia page for modao, but there is an extremely similar changdao. It’s said that both weapons are the same, except that changdao is single-edged while modao is double-edged. (Meaning, there isn’t a blunt side to the blade)

  The modao is an extremely long two-handed sword, similar to the katana. If you know what’s kendo, it is pretty alike to the sword they use in there.

  Chapter 81: Assassination in the Middle of the Night!

  Sou!

  The machetes spun a giant round across the night sky before returning to the hands of the masked men.

  Onl
y then did the few masked men recover from their shock.

  “Kill him!”

  Speaking a language foreign to Wang Chong, they charged straight toward Wang Chong with a machete each in their hands.

  “Protect the young master!”

  Without a word ado, Shen Hai and Meng Long charged forward and stood beside Wang Chong.

  “Meng Long! Catch it!”

  With a nimble movement from his legs, Wang Chong kicked the sword which fell onto the floor over to Meng Long. Catching it in his hand, Meng Long engaged the masked men.

  The battle was extremely intense. Wang Chong didn’t join in due to his low cultivation. In his current state, he was no match for these black-clothed men.

  On the other hand, Shen Hai and Meng Long were ferocious commanders who have resigned from the military. Even though their fighting prowess has declined due to their injuries, their experience and partnership were flawless.

  Furthermore, the guards of the Wang Family Residence was still gathering in the area. A few of the guards were currently heading toward Wang Chong upon seeing that he was in danger.

  “To think that the blades of Charax Spasinu could be used in such a manner as well.”

  Wang Chong glanced at the machetes in the hands of the masked men. It worked like a boomerang, returning to one’s hands after revolving around the battlefield. If used properly, it could catch one’s opponent off-guard.

  This was the first time Wang Chong saw someone using the machete in such a manner. Wang Chong could tell that this method of usage has high requirements on the skills of the user. Otherwise, not only would one be unable to kill one’s opponent, one might even be killed by the returning blade.

  “This must be the butterfly effect.”

  Wang Chong thought.

  In Wang Chong’s previous life, he didn’t come into contact with the Hyderabad ore. This time, he interfered in the matter and changed the fate of the world by purchasing the rights to the distribution of the Hyderabad ore and forging the Wootz steel sword, thus attracting these assassins from Charax Spasinu.

  “Meng Long, Sea Stack Gazing the Moon!”

  “Shen Hai, White Ape Turning its Head!”

  Wang Chong suddenly spoke.

  Meng Long raised his sword, and it stabbed into the chest of the masked man, who had just begun to leap upward. On the other hand, Shen Hai tilted his head and dodged a spinning machete by a hair’s breadth.

  Upon seeing this result, Meng Long was still fine, but cold sweat trickled down Shen Hai’s back. If not for Wang Chong’s timely reminder, he would have been decapitated by the machete.

  “That fellow isn’t ordinary, get rid of him!”

  The gaze of the masked men turned cold. Their attention immediately shot toward Wang Chong. If not for his sudden words, one of the two guards would have already died.

  “Hmph!”

  Wang Chong sneered. Although he couldn’t understand the language of Charax Spasinu, upon seeing the masked men trying to shake off Shen Hai and Meng Long to get to him, he immediately understood their intentions.

  Thus, before they could do anything, Wang Chong made a move.

  Sou!

  Carrying a sword in his right hand, he charged toward Shen Hai and Meng Long.

  “Young master, don’t!”

  “Be careful!”

  The two of them were astonished. Those here were experts of at least of Origin Energy Tier 8, and they were skilled in assassinations as well. Wang Chong was unable to deal with a single assassin by his own, not to mention, he was outnumbered and their partnership was incredible.

  Wang Chong was putting himself in peril.

  “Brat, you’re courting death!”

  A masked man standing in between Shen Hai and Meng Long noticed the charging Wang Chong. With a cruel smile, he swiftly hacked his machete toward Wang Chong.

  The cold gleam of metal reflected in Wang Chong’s eyes. The might of that single hack was so powerful that even the air was cut into two, creating a huge gust of wind.

  Weng!

  Wang Chong stepped forward lithely and swiftly, dodging the machete that was coming straight at him. At the next instant, Wang Chong suddenly dashed forward and slashed at the assassin. With eyes widened in shock, the masked man was split into two.

  “It’s that sword!”

  “Everyone, be careful! ——”

  Upon seeing that sight, the surrounding black-clothed masked men were astounded. They immediately recognized the Wootz steel sword in Wang Chong’s hands. The Charax Spasinu and the Abbasid Caliphate highly valued the workmanship of swords. As such, their swordsmiths spent immense effort on the creation of each and every sword, and every sword created was a top quality product.

  Even though their weapons wasn’t a match for Mosaide’s saber, they were still elites among the lot. Only the sword at the Bluebottle Pavilion was able to cut through it as though it was nothing.

  The masked men immediately panicked.

  Initially, they didn’t think highly of Wang Chong. However, upon knowing that he was wielding that fearsome sword, terror immediately overwhelmed them, causing them to hesitate.

  “Kill them!”

  Upon sensing the other party’s panic, Wang Chong reacted swiftly. This was an ideal opportunity to launch an offense. Upon hearing his words, Shen Hai and Meng Long, having absolute trust in Wang Chong already, immediately charged into the group of masked men.

  This caused them to panic further. In the blink of an eye, Shen Hai and Meng Long has already wounded two of them.

  However, just as the duo was prepared to slaughter them, an abrupt change occurred. Peng peng, the masked men suddenly threw out several black balls.

  Upon smashing onto the floor, a dense smoke immediately gushed out from within.

  “Be careful! It’s sleeping gas!”

  Wang Chong was astonished. He didn’t expect the masked men to bring this kind of hidden weapon with them. He could barely warn them before the smoke shrouded the entire surroundings, leaving his vision blurred.

  Without any time to think, Wang Chong immediately covered his nose and retreated backward.

  “This is a good opportunity!”

  “Kill that lad and claim his sword! It will suffice as long as we accomplish our mission!”

  The masked men were overjoyed. They immediately dashed through the smoke, seemingly unaffected by it.

  “This is bad!”

  Wang Chong’s capabilities have yet to mature, and there were still some flaws in his teamwork with Shen Hai and Meng Long. He could still exploit their weakness to strike them from time to time, but it was impossible for him to face three powerful martial artists who were at least Origin Energy Tier 8.

  Peng!

  Without thinking, Wang Chong immediately tried to flee.

  “Are you sure you can make it?”

  “Little bastard, you think you can get away after killing our comrade?”

  With a savage expression, the three masked Charax Spasinu men tailed Wang Chong with their machetes. One of them aimed at Wang Chong’s neck and tossed his machete.

  “Gongzi, hurry up and flee! Bastards from Charax Spasinu, how dare you all act so impudently before me!”

  Suddenly, a furious howl echoed, and it sounded deep and domineering. Just as the masked men threw the machete out toward Wang Chong, a window around a hundred zhang away suddenly opened. With a whiz, a thick steel arrow emerged amidst black smoke. Tearing through space, it struck the machete which was right behind Wang Chong in the blink of an eye.

  (100 zhang -> 333.3m)

  Dang!

  Struck by the thick arrow, the machete was reduced into powder by the tremendous impact. Before they could react, peng! Another thick arrow shot through thin space and struck one of the masked men.

  From his side profile, it tore through his heart with frightening accuracy. Before the masked man could even say anything, he fell to the ground, breathing his last.

  “Not
good! It’s a master archer!”

  The two remaining masked men were astonished. As though meeting with something terrifying, they immediately fled into two different directions, one to the left, one to the right. One of them flitted alongside the walls while the other one climbed onto the roof.

  Peng! Peng!

  However, the room a hundred zhang away was as though a fearsome black hole. No matter how hard they ran, it seemed as though it was impossible for them to escape. Before the masked men flitting alongside the wall could get far, a thick, black, metal arrow pinned his head onto the wall.

  In the meantime, the other masked man who has scaled the roof has already traveled more than a dozen zhang away. Half of his figure has already been shielded by the ridge of the roof, and a moment later, he would completely disappear from the other party’s sight.

  (~33m)

  However, just as he was leaping over to another roof, a thick steel arrow abruptly whizzed through the sky and pierced his neck. Fresh blood spurted in midair, and the overwhelming force of the arrow sent the masked man flying a dozen zhang away. Eventually, he knocked against the outer walls of the Wang Family Residence and slid downward.

  Just like that, three Origin Energy Tier 8 masked men were sniped down.

  “Tuoba Guiyuan?!”

  Wang Chong halted in his footsteps. Turning around, he traced the origin of the arrow to the dark room a hundred zhang away and he was astounded. The masked Charax Spasinu men might not know, but Wang Chong knew that it was where the full-bearded swordsmith, Tuoba Guiyuan, lived.

  “He is an expert in archery!”

  Wang Chong was astonished.

  In Great Tang, there were three types of soldiers that played a crucial role in battlefields; the heavy infantry, the archer, and the cavalry.

  The thought never crossed Wang Chong’s mind that Tuoba Guiyuan was an archer. Furthermore, from the looks of it, he seemed to be highly accomplished in that field.