A disastrous condition!
Observing Xu Qiqin's posture, Wang Chong became nervous and immediately asked, "Xu Qiqin, you won't go back on your words, right?"
Although no one dared to break a gentlemen's agreement, Xu Qiqin was a woman. If she proclaimed that she was a woman and not a gentleman, and didn't need to respect an agreement between men, Wang Chong really wouldn't be able to do anything.
"Hmph, Wang Chong, you also shouldn't look down on others. Although the Xu Clan can't compare to your Wang Clan, the descendants of the Xu Clan don't make a habit of breaking their promises. Wang Chong, state your condition. But I will warn you, don't go too far! At worst, we'll all die together!"
Xu Qiqin's heart was filled with regret. If she had known of her defeat, she would not have exposed her identity, but now it was too late. The crowd had already seen that she was a girl.
She had seen the response just now. If Wang Chong made some excessive demand that intended to take advantage of her, she wouldn't be able to do a thing.
The Xu Clan couldn't just cast aside this sort of person!
"Damn it!"
Xu Qiqin truly wanted to give herself two hearty slaps. It was too late to say anything now, but she still couldn't hold herself back. She had wanted to beat Wang Chong too much!
"What in the world are you thinking!"
Wang Chong didn't know whether to laugh or cry as he looked at Xu Qiqin's aggrieved appearance. Even if he was completely immoral, he wouldn't be able to propose such a condition in front of so many people, right?
"Relax, I'm not as filthy as you imagine!"
Wang Chong extended a finger and confidently said, "I only have one condition, an extremely simple one: I only need ten years of your time! In these ten years, you have to work for my sake and carry out my orders! And after those ten years, you'll regain your freedom. Xu Qiqin, can you do it?"
Buzz!
The crowd in the Chess Hall was perplexed. Even Old Eagle and Wei Anfang were dumbfounded. No one had expected Wang Chong to make this sort of demand.
"What sort of abilities does this girl have? Young Master actually regards her so highly?" Old Eagle looked in a daze at the nearby daughter of the Xu Clan.
Bystanders might not be able to tell, but Old Eagle had followed Wang Chong for long enough. Wang Chong was clearly concealing a high regard for this girl behind his words. Otherwise, he would not have so seriously given out this condition.
Those who could 'enjoy' such a treatment were extremely few, and not even Old Eagle or Solitary Wolf had been included in this group. Old Eagle was left astounded.
"Bastard! Wang Chong, you were scheming against me!" Xu Qiqin bellowed in fury, startling the crowd. Xu Qiqin's face flushed and her eyes seemed to spit fire. In her daze, she had suddenly understood something and now gave Wang Chong a vicious stare.
This sudden reaction even startled Wang Chong.
"You already knew who I was long ago, right? Bastard, you were intentionally scheming against me!" Xu Qiqin glared at Wang Chong. The moment she heard Wang Chong's 'condition', Xu Qiqin suddenly understood many things.
Wang Chong's so-called condition was not some idea that would randomly pop up. It was more like the result of a long scheme.
In other words, Wang Chong had already known who she was before she had announced her identity. Using this point, he had lured her into making a wager with him.
How could Xu Qiqin not be angry at this?
From start to finish, she had been in Wang Chong's scheme. Xu Qiqin even suspected that Wang Chong had seen through her identity the day she arrived at this mountain.
When she recalled how humiliated she had felt the last time she had challenged Wang Chong in the Chess Hall, Xu Qiqin grew even more certain that Wang Chong had done it on purpose, and the rage continued to build up in her body.
"Young Lady, what are you saying?"
That abnormally smart maid from the Xu Clan was actually the first to be perplexed. Based on what her young lady was saying, this Wang Chong had known about their identities from the start.
But how could this be possible?
Her young lady had not revealed her identity once, and the difference between the woman and the male disguise was incredibly large. Even those people in Longwei Training Camp that the young lady knew well might not be able to recognize her, much less strangers.
Unless Wang Chong had seen her young lady dress as a man before?
But how was that possible? This was the young lady's first time doing this!
Hearing Xu Qiqin 'dishonoring' his young master, Old Eagle was the first to speak up. "Lady Xu, don't speak nonsense. How could my young master be scheming against you?"
"You!" Xu Qiqin fumed. Although she had no evidence, she was sure that her intuition was on the mark.
"Xu Qiqin, you don't plan to go back on your words, do you?"
Wang Chong had sat back down, his body now slightly leaning forward as he smirked.
"You say that I was scheming against you, so I'll ask you, was there any cheating in our chess game?"
Xu Qiqin instantly felt choked. No words could come out of her mouth.
Although she was still furious, Xu Qiqin had to admit that Wang Chong had not pulled any tricks in this chess game. In the game of chess, she truly was still lacking compared to him.
Xu Qiqin just didn't like this feeling of being duped by someone else.
"Since the match was fair, then accept your loss. Of course, if you take back your words, I truly won't be able to do anything about it," Wang Chong said as he spread out his arms.
He had to admit that Xu Qiqin had far surpassed his expectations. The true situation was exactly as she had guessed.
However, extraordinary times had called for extraordinary measures.
Xu Qiqin was far stronger than he was, and she had an extremely haughty personality, not one bit inferior to Marchioness Yi or Princess Nihuang. In normal circumstances, it would have been basically impossible for him to subdue her.
In the end, Xu Qiqin would still end up as a fierce general under King Qi's commands, bringing many troubles for the empire and himself.
If this were someone else, perhaps it would be as Xu Qiqin said, and they would spend an enormous amount of time and be completely forthright so as to have Xu Qiqin happily follow them.
But Wang Chong was not one those pedants. War was a treacherous game, and as long as his goal was correct and did not arise out of selfishness, Wang Chong did not mind going to extreme lengths to subdue these people.
And besides, in these chess games, he had not used a single trick. He had relied solely on his own strength to defeat her. At the heart of the matter was still the fact that Xu Qiqin had been too eager for victory.
Xu Qiqin's face was constantly shifting through different moods.
The Chess Hall was quiet, and not even that maid was speaking. This chess match had already exceeded the scope of an ordinary match.
The Wang Clan was also no ordinary clan. Whether or not her young lady agreed, this was not a matter the maid could intervene in.
"Wang Chong, don't look down on others. Our Xu Clan is not made up of lowly people whose words can't be trusted. Since I lost to you, I'll fulfill my obligations. But don't get too proud. Even if I agree, I won't help you do anything too overboard. If I don't agree to help you with something, you can't make me do it, no matter how much you threaten me," Xu Qiqin viciously said.
To many people, it seemed like Xu Qiqin's pride did not let her do something like break her promise.
Knowing that Xu Qiqin's thoughts had gone astray, Wang Chong waved his hands and said, "Haha, you don't need to worry about that. I'll never make you do anything overboard. You'll know when the time comes."
This woman was very proud, and after losing to him and being humiliated by him so many times, it would be strange if she had a good impression of him.
There was nothing he could do about that. He would just have to think of a way
to make her change her attitude toward him in the future.
"Wang Chong, you'll regret this eventually."
After saying this, Xu Qiqin had no more interest in any chatter. With a flick of her sleeve, she pushed through the crowd and left.
That this chess match had suddenly resulted in her selling herself off for ten years had left Xu Qiqin in disarray. She needed some time to think.
"Young Lady, wait for me."
The maid hurried to catch up to her.
Boom!
Almost immediately after this pair left, the Chess Hall exploded with cheers. Regardless of what Wang Chong and Xu Qiqin had wagered, this had truly been a most brilliant and enjoyable chess game.
Many people who already had a fire burning in their hearts now had an intense enthusiasm for chess.
"…She truly is proud, but she's also worth my respect!"
Wang Chong faintly smiled in the direction that Xu Qiqin had left in. He quickly calmed back down and stood up.
"Old Eagle, let's go," Wang Chong called out.
After several months, he had finally succeeded in recruiting the influential King of Logistics, Xu Qiqin. A great weight on Wang Chong's mind had finally been released.
Now, he could finally proceed with other matters.
"Congratulations to user! For subduing Xu Qiqin and changing destiny, you are rewarded 15 Destiny Energy!"
Just when Wang Chong was about to cross the threshold, he heard that mechanical voice at his ear.
Wang Chong smiled.
Just like he had expected, subduing an important figure of the future like Xu Qiqin had come with a reward of Destiny Energy.
Last time, exchanging for the Stellar Energy Piercer and dealing with the World Constraint had left him with 24 points of Destiny Energy. With these 15 points of Destiny Energy, he now had 39 points in total.
It had been worth using all this time to recruit Xu Qiqin.
"…These 15 points of Destiny Energy are rather decent."
With a faint smile, Wang Chong walked over the threshold.
He felt like he was finally getting a grasp of the tricks needed to get rewards from the Stone of Destiny!
Chapter 440: A Prologue!
Chapter 440: A Prologue!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
The chill of winter had still not completely faded, and the spring air was still cold.
The capital's Qiaolong Street was packed with people while white vapor roiled above. Qiaolong Street was one of the most resplendent places in the capital. A sumptuous and imposing restaurant towered over the rest, with rows of large red lanterns hanging down from its roof. A hubbub could be heard within:
"Captain, I drink to you!"
"Captain, I'll also drink to you!"
"I, Tie Gouzi, very rarely admire anyone, but now I admire Captain! What's a young hero? Captain, of course!"
"Hahaha, Tie Gouzi, does Captain need your admiration? There are so many of our brothers here, and which one of them doesn't admire Captain?"
"Captain saved my life. In the future, anyone who dares to oppose Captain will be my enemy!"
"Come, come, come! Stop saying these pointless things. Everyone, drink to Captain. The depth of your devotion will depend on what's left in your cup."
"Hahaha, Tuzi, stop messing around! Captain gets drunk after a single cup. Stop giving me trouble!"
……
The second floor of Drunken Sparrow restaurant was packed with a large party. Many red-faced individuals were surrounding a young man who was mature beyond his age, all of them incessantly toasting to his health.
Though the man was still young, he had the look of a veteran, so he did not refuse any of these toasts. However, he seemed to be rather self-disciplined, only taking a shallow sip for each toast. He would only barely moisten his lips before moving the wine cup away.
Thus, despite this 'one against many', the young man remained untoppled. He prevented himself from getting too intoxicated while also maintaining his demeanor.
This had been their first gathering since the return from their voyage. Everyone had regarded this matter with extreme importance, with almost every member of that voyage coming today.
"That's right. Captain, when is our next voyage?"
Though the table was in a lively mood, an expert who had been hired for the first voyage finally couldn't restrain his question. This question was the question on everyone's mind, and in an instant, everyone put down their wine cups and looked toward Wang Liang, their eyes burning with fervor.
Any voyage would be fraught with risks: the various trials of weather like thunderstorms and typhoons, and also the treachery of the human heart.
There had been schemes and deception, and many people had died on the journey, but the rest had been richly rewarded.
Thus, in spite of all these things, everyone was still hoping that they would set off for another voyage.
"Now that you bring it up, this is actually why I gathered all of you here!"
As he said this, Wang Liang's gaze turned serious, and he slowly put down his cup.
"I've decided that once a little more time passes, we'll set off on another voyage!"
His words cast the entire room into silence.
Everyone was dumbfounded, even that hired expert who had brought up the question. Everyone could still remember.
When they had last parted, Wang Liang had stated clearly that there would be no movements for four to five months.
He had just randomly brought up this question so that he could learn of a definite time. He had not held any hopes that Wang Liang would actually begin to prepare for another voyage.
Boom!
After a short moment of silence, the room suddenly exploded with deafening cheers.
"Wonderful!"
"I was waiting for Captain to say this."
"Whenever you set sail, remember to call me over. No matter where Captain is going, I, Tongtou, will wholeheartedly follow."
"Right! Right! No matter where Captain goes, we'll follow with all our power!"
……
In the room, the crowd's faces were flushed from alcohol. They were in an exuberant mood, even happier than they had been at the start.
Although Wang Liang was still young, he had gone through lightning storms, cyclones, massive waves, hidden reefs, shallows, and internal conflicts among the crew. His performance in each one of these perils and natural disasters had won over these people. Each time, he had led them out of danger.
In the great ocean, the strength of a human was tiny. Any warrior would find it hard to contend against the might of Mother Nature. In these dangerous circumstances, someone who had the ability to bring the party out of danger was more important than the strongest warrior.
This was why these people regarded Wang Liang so highly.
In a ship crammed with people, no one was so important that they couldn't be missed, except for Wang Liang, whose existence was irreplaceable.
Without him and the navigation map he had drawn, none of these people would even know how to find those islands.
There were no landmarks on the boundless ocean.
Wang Liang silently took in the love, respect, and passion of the surrounding crowd, and his eyes slowly began to lose focus.
As expected, I still belong on the sea! Wang Liang quietly thought to himself.
After returning from the sea, he had originally planned to do as Wang Chong advised and rest at home for a while. But after spending the winter at home, Wang Liang felt like his heart was empty.
Life in the capital was peaceful, easy, comfortable, but Wang Liang had not obtained that relaxation that he had originally longed for. He only felt emptiness, like he had lost something.
After thinking about the matter for a long time, Wang Liang finally realized what that thing missing in his soul was.
The ocean!
It was the winds of the endless ocean, the salty
water, the constant rumbling of thunder, the storms, and the shouts of people at work.
Those veteran sailors had once said that once people spent more than a month at sea, the sea would become a part of their lives.
At first, Wang Liang hadn't believed it.
But now, Wang Liang believed.
This one adventure had made Wang Liang suddenly understand that this comfortable and peaceful life in the capital was not what he wanted.
He wanted excitement, danger, the endless might of nature, the boundless horizons of the ocean, and the feeling that he was struggling for his life.
And it was at that instant that Wang Liang was suddenly enlightened.
From this moment on, his life would probably never be a peaceful one.
"…This is the life that I want!"
As Wang Liang listened to the cheers and shouts from the sailors around him, he felt something slowly awakening in his body. A smile slowly crept onto his lips.
He loved this feeling of blood rushing throughout his entire body. Only by being with these sailors who had gone through joy and sorrow with him could he feel alive.
These thoughts only persisted for a second. Wang Liang quickly regained his composure.
"Don't get too happy yet!"
Wang Liang faintly smiled and said, "It will take at least two months to finish preparations. The fleet needs to be repaired and the crews need to be replenished. Clothes, food, rope, sails, water… all these things need to be taken care of. We'll have to spend at least half a year at sea, so none of these can be in small quantity."
"No problem. What does Captain need us to do?"
The crowd began to speak up enthusiastically. As long as they could go to sea, it didn't matter that they needed to wait a while.
"This is also why I gathered you all. Our preparations last time were insufficient, so this time, no matter what, we have to carefully think things over and thoroughly prepare ourselves. But these things are not something that I alone can get done, so I'll need everyone's help," Wang Liang said.
"Captain, relax; if there's anything we need to do, just give us the order," the crowd shouted.
Boom!
The Human Emperor c1-2382 Page 310