The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

“How dare you!”

  “Release the young master!”

  …

  Shocked and infuriated, the faces of the crowd flushed in agitation. They wanted to charge forth and slay this old man, but they were afraid that the other party would do harm to their young master.

  Of the entire group, Meng Long felt exceptionally frightened.

  He was the one who informed Wang Chong on the news of the old man, and he was the one who followed Wang Chong here as well. Just a moment ago, the group was even thinking of bringing him to the Charity Hall to treat him, yet, in the next instant, such a matter occurred.

  “Old man, you’re really mistaken! I’m looking for someone here, but the person isn’t you!”

  At such a dire moment, Wang Chong calmed down instead.

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man was a cunning and skeptical person. Wang Chong knew that he couldn’t leave this matter in the hands of fate; he had to utilize all of his wits to escape from the present situation.

  “The truth is that I’m looking for the assassins from the Assassin Pavilion who managed to escape the onslaught of the Imperial Guards. They had once sent their men after me, but I managed to borrow the might of the Imperial Army to destroy their nest. However, a few days ago, I received news that they might be hiding in the eastern part of the city. If you don’t believe me, you can ask around.”

  Wang Chong calmly pushed everything to the Assassin Pavilion. He didn’t fear the Demonic Emperor Old Man seeing through his lies. Even though he had deployed many men for this operation this time around, the order that most of them received was just to take note of suspicious individuals.

  Other than Wang Chong’s close aides, no one knew what was going on.

  “Furthermore…I don’t know who the bastard you spoke of refers to, but given that I come from a clan of generals, there’s no reason for me to listen to the orders of another.”

  As Wang Chong said so, he retrieved the Wang Clan token by his waist with trembling hands. It was around the size of a palm, and amidst a background of clouds, a gigantic tiger head stood imposingly at the very center. On the other side, a huge ‘Wang ()’ character was inscribed.

  This was a typical token the members of a general clan carried!

  This was also Wang Chong’s final resort!

  And fortunately, Wang Chong’s plan worked. Upon seeing the token belonging to the clan members of an official of the Great Tang, the malevolent killing intent of the Demonic Emperor Old Man retreated by a portion.

  “To think that you are an offspring of the Wang Clan!”

  Suddenly, Wang Chong’s hand was emptied. Before he could see perceive what had happened, the Demonic Emperor Old Man had already snatched over the Wang Clan token to examine it. He slowly examined the detail of the token before glancing at the youngster beofre him with a complicated gaze.

  The royal court and the pugilistic world were two separate worlds.

  If this child was truly an offspring of a general clan, then it was impossible for him to be in collusion with that wretched disciple of his. That fellow still wasn’t sufficiently influential to issue commands to the clan members of a Great Tang general clan.

  But first, he had to check for himself to see whether it was true or not…

  Chi!

  A small dark shadow flew out as though a bolt of lightning from the hand of the Demonic Emperor Old Man. It flew in an arc before flying back into his hands.

  Only at this moment did Shen Hai, Meng Long, and the others manage to catch a clear glimpse at what it was. It was actually a copper coin!

  “What are you doing?”

  A guard stepped forward and bellowed. But at that moment, the sound of something dropping on the floor sounded. Dang dang dang! Then, amidst shocked exclaims, a token fell from the waist of each of the guards.

  Ignoring the uproar amidst the crowd, the Demonic Emperor Old Man stretched out his hand, and a token immediately flew into his grasp.

  “Indeed!”

  Upon seeing the token, the sharp eyes of the Demonic Emperor Old Man slowly softened. Since these men were the guards of a general clan, it was impossible for them to be in collusion with that wretched disciple.

  It seemed like this matter was truly his misunderstanding.

  Hu!

  Wang Chong could feel the pressure on his wrist lighten significantly. At the same time, he heaved a long sigh of relief.

  Even though Wang Chong didn’t know who the wretched disciple of the Demonic Emperor Old Man was, it was a fact that he was here for him!

  At least, he had passed this trial!

  “Elder, you seem to be severely injured. Allow me to treat you!”

  Wang Chong said.

  “Hahaha! Treat me?”

  Upon hearing Wang Chong’s words, the Demonic Emperor Old Man laughed sorrowfully.

  “That wretched disciple colluded with outsiders to destroy my spirit sea. On top of that, they even damaged seven of my meridians and twenty-three of my acupoints, especially my ren and du meridians. Currently, I don’t even wield a hundredth of my previous strength, and I’ll only continue to grow weaker. In less than three days, all of my strength will dissipate completely. Unless I manage to obtain a Saint-tier recovery pill, I won’t be able to retain the slightest bit of my cultivation.”

  “However, only the royal family possesses pills of that level, so how can it be easy to obtain it? It’s all too late now. That wretched disciple! I’ll never forgive him! ——”

  Recalling his disciple, he immediately grew agitated, and ‘pu!’, and a mouthful of blood spurted from his mouth. He was already injured beforehand, and under such heavy injuries, he still had to escape from powerful pursuers. As soon as his spirit relaxed, all of his injuries immediately acted up. The sight before him turned dark, and he passed out.

  “Kill him!”

  “Bastard!”

  “Protect the young master!”

  …

  Shen Hai, Meng Long, and the other Wang Family Residence guards had been staring at the situation intently. Upon seeing the injuries of the Demonic Emperor Old Man acting up, they immediately rushed forward and placed their swords by the neck of the old man.

  “Wait a moment!”

  Wang Chong hurriedly stopped them.

  “Young master, we can’t leave such a person. Despite saving him out of goodwill, he nearly killed you! Ungrateful fellows like him deserve to die!”

  Meng Long clamored furiously. The situation before was truly a huge fright. If some mishap were to happen to Wang Chong, he didn’t know how he could face the old master and madam.

  “Don’t worry. If he wished to kill us, he would have long done so! Do you all remember that copper coin? If it was directed at your necks, can you imagine the consequences?”

  Wang Chong said.

  Hearing those words, everyone suddenly felt a chill on their necks, and they instinctively took a step backward. Indeed! Given this person’s cultivation, if he wanted to kill them, that copper coin would have sufficed.

  Ignoring the crowd, Wang Chong massaged his numb hand for a moment before turning his attention back to the unconscious Demonic Emperor Old Man.

  He could tell that the old man had truly passed out this time. However, what Wang Chong was concerned over wasn’t this.

  “Weird, why are his injuries so severe?”

  Wang Chong stared at the Demonic Emperor Old Man in bewilderment.

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man had said that his cultivation would dissipate entirely within three days. If that was the case, how did he pass on his cultivation to Zhou Wen back then? And how did he teach him martial arts?

  It seemed that the Demonic Emperor Old Man had sustained injuries that were much more severe than in his previous life.

  Wang Chong subconsciously thought of Zhou Wen.

  Could it be that his action of luring Zhou Wen away changed the fate of Zhou Wen and the Demonic Emperor Old Ma, resulting in such an occurrence?

  Ho
wever, this wasn’t the time to be musing over such questions. The urgent matter at hand was to save the Demonic Emperor Old Man. Otherwise, the 《Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art》 would be a thing of history.

  All of the effort he put in previously would have gone to vain as well.

  Chapter 155: Wang Chong Acknowledges a Teacher!

  “Shen Hai and Meng Long, hurry up and carry him to my carriage. We’ll bring him to the Charity Hall.”

  Wang Chong beckoned.

  By now, a large group of spectating passers-by had already gathered in this area. Wang Chong wasn’t afraid of the congregation of a large crowd, but if the disciple of the Demonic Emperor Old Man and his companions were still around this area, this might potentially alarm them.

  Thus, Wang Chong glanced toward Shen Hai. The latter nodded and started to bellow loudly.

  “Darned old beggar! I don’t know where you came from, but how dare you disrespect our young master? Carry him up to the carriage and give him the beating he would never forget! Then, just bury him by the city walls!”

  The Wang Family Residence guards immediately understood the intentions behind Shen Hai’s words, and they hurriedly carried the Demonic Emperor Old Man into Wang Chong’s carriage.

  Initially, the crowd was still curious at what was going on. However, upon hearing the other party confirm that it was just a scruffy old beggar, they lost their interest and scattered.

  While there were a handful of sharp-eyed people who saw the movements of the Demonic Emperor Old Man and knew that this matter wasn’t that simple, they could only follow the crowd. Besides, they had nothing to do with this matter, so there was no reason for them to think too much into it.

  Before long, the carriage rumbled away from the vicinity of Zhou Ji Charcoal Wine Brewery.

  The entire carriage was silent.

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man lay on the mat motionlessly, and his breathing was very faint. Wang Chong glanced at him with a complicated expression.

  To think that he would succeed in getting this close to obtaining the almighty 《Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art》 that was way out of his reach in his previous life!

  Back then, he would have never imagined that there would come a day that the mysterious Demonic Emperor Old Man would be right before him.

  Even so, Wang Chong knew that the operation couldn’t be considered as a success yet.

  “The catastrophe is approaching, and a top-notch expert like the Demonic Emperor Old Man would be an invaluable asset. No matter what, I have to find a way to cure him!”

  Wang Chong thought silently.

  In his previous life, the Demonic Emperor Old Man had transferred all of his strength to Zhou Wen, allowing Zhou Wen to become a top-notch expert overnight.

  However, in Wang Chong’s opinion, there was no need to sacrifice the Demonic Emperor Old Man for one to master the 《Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art》 and become a top-notch expert.

  The best case scenario was to get the best of both worlds.

  Even if an unparalleled expert like the Demonic Emperor Old Man lost his cultivation, his experience, discernment, and skills were still present… Ordinary men still weren’t a match for him.

  Only in his hands would the unparalleled mystic art, 《Great Yinyang Heaven Creation Art》, display the greatest might!

  While the callous personality of the Demonic Emperor Old Man was a huge flaw, and Wang Chong himself nearly died because of it, he still believed that the other party could change. After all, the experience from his previous life already showed that it was possible.

  Just by this itself, Wang Chong felt that it would be worthwhile to go through all the effort to save him.

  Not only so, he was determined to find a way to safeguard his cultivation foundation as well.

  As such thoughts flashed across Wang Chong’s mind, an epiphany suddenly struck Wang Chong.

  “Saint-tier recovery pill… I wonder if this one works?”

  Stretching his hand into his embrace, he retrieved a large round recovery pill. This was the pill he received from Six-fingered Zhang during the last trade. Even though he wasn’t sure if it was a Saint-tier pill, it did come from the royal palace.

  “Forget it, I should just give it a try. Even though I don’t know whether this pill is a Saint-tier recovery pill or not, at the very least, it’s of much higher quality than all other medicinal pills out in the market.”

  Thinking so, Wang Chong squatted down, pried open the Demonic Emperor Old Man’s lower jaw, and placed the round recovery pill inside. The pill immediately dissolved as soon as it entered his mouth.

  In just a brief moment, the entire pill was reduced to a puddle of medicinal fluid, and it flowed straight into the stomach of the Demonic Emperor Old Man.

  In a few short breaths, a red glow appeared on the pale face of the Demonic Emperor Old Man.

  His faint and erratic breathing also gradually grew stronger and more stable.

  “At least I didn’t spend that two hundred thousand gold taels for nothing!”

  Bending down, Wang Chong checked on the physical condition of the Demonic Emperor Old Man before heaving a huge sigh of relief. He suddenly felt relieved that he had spent that huge sum of money in approaching Six-fingered Zhang and paying for the Shadow slot to join the secret alchemist organization.

  This, by itself, meant that his investment had paid off.

  The effectiveness of the recovery pill crafted by the imperial alchemists was much more potent than what Wang Chong expected. If not for this pill, the Demonic Emperor Old Man would have most probably lost all of his cultivation.

  “Shen Hai, head to the Falling Jade Pavilion and tell Six-fingered Zhang that regardless of the means, bring me three more of such recovery pills as soon as possible. The more potent it is, the better it will be! I’m fine with using my quota this month to purchase them.”

  “Yes, gongzi!”

  Without wasting any time, Shen Hai turned around, opened the carriage door, leaped out, and immediately dashed straight for the Falling Jade Pavilion.

  “Wait a moment!”

  Right after Shen Hai left, Wang Chong pondered for a moment and changed his mind.

  “Head to the Purple Bamboo Garden instead!”

  ‘Purple Bamboo Garden’ was the secret residence that Uncle Li Lin prepared for Wang Chong. As Wang Chong didn’t think that it was appropriate for him to move out at such a young age, it had been lying empty for awhile now.

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man was currently severely injured, and what he needed at the moment were tranquility and rest. The Purple Bamboo Garden happened to fit these criteria.

  The carriage made a turn and headed straight for the southern part of the city.

  Soon, a silent residence came into sight. It was surrounded by a lush and dense bamboo forest, and it looked exceptionally refined and peaceful.

  At the entrance, there was a plaque that read Purple Bamboo Garden.

  The carriage rumbled through the entrance, and soon, they arrived at the courtyard.

  The Purple Bamboo Garden was large, and everything within seemed to have been crafted from materials available in the surroundings, be it the garden, pond, buildings, pavilions, training ground, living quarters… The entire residence exuded elegance.

  However, there wasn’t a single person in the residence, be it maids, guards, or servants,

  As Wang Chong had yet to move in, there wasn’t anyone hired to tidy up the place.

  “Stand guard at the door and protect the courtyard. Don’t allow anyone to approach this area!”

  Wang Chong instructed.

  “Yes, gongzi!”

  The guards answered.

  Wang Chong placed the Demonic Emperor Old Man on the bed. Around an hour later, Shen Hai entered drenched in sweat. Having accomplished the task asked of him, he returned with three even larger recovery pills on him.

  Six-fingered Zhang was indeed loyal; upon hearing that Wang Chong needed it ur
gently, he immediately fetched three of the most potent recovery pills without any hesitation and handed it over to Wang Chong without demanding for any money at all.

  After consuming the three top-notch Saint-tier recovery pill from the royal palace, the condition of the Demonic Emperor Old Man seemed to have alleviated, and the wound on his back gradually closed up into a scar.

  Around four hours later——

  Ka!

  Five forceful fingers shot out from the bed and grabbed Wang Chong’s neck.

  “Let go!”

  “What are you doing?”

  …

  The room flew into a panic. Seeing the unconscious Demonic Emperor Old Man suddenly making a move on Wang Chong, everyone was scared out of their wits. They hurriedly drew their swords, and the atmosphere grew tense, similar to the situation back in the streets.

  “Sheathe your swords, it’s just a reflex action!”

  Wang Chong ordered nonchalantly, as though the neck the Demonic Emperor Old Man was grabbing wasn’t his.

  “His vigilance is incredible!”

  Wang Chong thought.

  Of the entire room, probably only Wang Chong was capable of telling that the movements of the Demonic Emperor Old Man was instinctive. The stronger a person was, the more guarded he was. If someone were to approach him, his body would respond automatically.

  Even Wang Chong was the same in his previous life, needless to say, a member of the unorthodox like the Demonic Emperor Old Man.

  “Lad, you’re the one who saved me?”

  On top of the bed, the Demonic Emperor Old Man finally roused from his sleep, and he slowly released his grip. Due to the foreign surroundings, he felt a little lost.

  However, he recognized the lad before him. He was the young man who intended to ‘save him’ on the streets.

  “That’s right.”

  Wang Chong smiled, not denying the matter.

  Then, the room fell silent. The Demonic Emperor Old Man sat up, and his gaze swiftly swept across the surroundings. Soon, he realized that he was in some kind of living quarters.

  “Is this your house?”

  The Demonic Emperor Old Man asked.

  “It isn’t.”

  Wang Chong shook his head. You must be jesting! Before confirming whether the Demonic Emperor Old Man had changed for the better, how could he dare bring the other party to his home?