The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  Gallop!

  Several spies saw this sight and immediately mounted their horses, riding out of the crowd.

  “This situation is extremely bad for Wang Chong!”

  Far away, in King Song’s residence, having received the report from his spies, King Song had a worried look in his eyes. From the current situation, it seemed like Wang Chong had achieved the exact opposite of what he had been aiming for.

  “Your Highness King Song, should we go and ask the King of Foreign Lands?” Academic Lu Ting asked. The current clash of ideologies was far too dangerous. Given Lu Ting’s unique status, he did not dare venture in too deeply.

  “There’s no need!”

  King Song shook his head.

  “No matter the occasion, I am confident that Wang Chong will never do anything without reason. Let’s keep waiting.”

  Time passed by, and it was soon the next day. The man, dog, and wolf continued to live in harmony. Every day, a large crowd gathered around the stage, the sight of the wolf not eating the dog completely shattering their understanding of the world. And as time passed, more and more information was revealed.

  There was information on how the wolf was raised, what its life with the Chen family was like, and how intelligent it seemed. When everyone heard that this wolf could guard the house and even take care of small children, they gasped in surprise.

  “I have to report this to Milord!”

  A worried figure quickly departed from his unnoticed corner.

  “Milord, the situation is bad!”

  Cheng Sanyuan stood in Wang Chong’s study, his face fraught with concern.

  “The Confucian school and Confucian Sect are promoting themselves using this matter as much as they can. More than eighty percent of the book merchants have stopped selling our books. Milord’s earlier efforts have all been wasted!”

  Cheng Sanyuan fully displayed his anxiety in his words. ‘Might Makes Right’ had voiced the thoughts in the minds of all soldiers and generals. Even if the people did not accept the theories in the book, from the perspective of the generals, these words were absolutely correct. But if this continued, all the work they had put in would be for nothing, so how could Cheng Sanyuan not be worried?

  He had even wanted to try taking action, but he was rejected every time. Wang Chong had even issued an order expressly forbidding anyone from getting close to that wolf and dog.

  “Let them go!”

  In the room, Wang Chong was cross-legged on the ground, his head slightly raised, his eyes closed. He was motionless, and it seemed like nothing in the world could disturb his mood.

  “I have everything planned out. In a few days, everything will be made clear.”

  Cheng Sanyuan froze, and then with a sigh, he accepted the order.

  “This subordinate will deliver this order!”

  It was now the third day, and the people of the capital were becoming increasingly familiar with this wolf and dog, even giving them names. Meanwhile, the great clans of the capital had slowly begun to turn their attention away from this matter. There was no question now that this scene was a complete and utter mishap. They had all believed that Wang Chong had been building up for some big move, but it was now clear that they would be disappointed.

  Other than a few of the great clans, there was no one left in the capital who paid this matter much regard.

  Boom!

  At noon, there was a crack of thunder, and dark clouds gathered overhead, swiftly building into a vast downpour complete with lightning and thunder.

  Large raindrops splattered against the stage, and in the blink of an eye, the curtain of rain made the world blurry and indistinct.

  The dog, wolf, and man on stage, and all the people down below, were instantly drenched.

  Bang!

  At this moment, a foot stomped onto the stage. Under the escort of four guards, Su Shixuan, who had not been seen for three days, stepped forward with a cold and emotionless expression.

  “You’ve won this round. His Highness always keeps his word. The ten thousand taels of gold are all yours.”

  Su Shixuan held his hands behind his back as he stood on the stage, and as he spoke, he gestured to the side. Someone immediately opened a massive steel chest, showing the neat stacks of gold within.

  Hiss!

  The hunter gasped, his entire body frozen. He had come to the capital knowing only that he could make one hundred taels of gold, never imagining that ten thousand taels could be just as easy to make. For a hunter of the mountains, this was an immense fortune.

  “I-I’m not dreaming, right!”

  Chen Dazhong stood in a daze as he muttered to himself.

  “Chen Dazhong, you are not dreaming. This is all according to the contract between you and the King of Foreign Lands, approved by the Court of Judicial Review.”

  At this moment, an official of the Court of Judicial Review stepped onto the stage. With a shake of his wrist, he displayed the contract to the crowd. Given the downpour, the official from the Court of Judicial Review showed the contract for only a moment before putting it away and handing it to Chen Dazhong.

  “Congratulations!”

  “Wonderful, wonderful!”

  As he hugged the chest of gold, Chen Dazhong was overcome with joy. Never in his life had he imagined that he could make so much gold simply by coming to the capital.

  Boom!

  The crowd down below thunderously cheered, everyone clapping their hands.

  After three days of watching wolf and dog, man and wolf, play around, the people of the capital had been unconsciously entranced, even developing a sort of bond. All of them felt happy to see the hunter finally obtain the ten thousand taels of gold from Wang Chong.

  “Chen Dazhong, let me ask you another question. If you don’t feed the wolf, are you still so certain that your wolf will be so docile?” Su Shixuan asked in the pouring rain.

  Chapter 1302 - The Law of the Jungle!

  Chapter 1302: The Law of the Jungle!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “I’m sure!” Chen Dazhong said without hesitation. “I raised this wolf since it was a cub, so I understand its personality the most. It’s not like other wolves, and I’ve already tamed away its wild nature. It’s not much of a danger at all, at least to my Chen Family, just like this dog.”

  “Is that so?” Su Shixuan coldly said. “Starting from now, we will stop feeding it. In seven days, if your wolf doesn’t eat the dog next to it, you will obtain one million taels of gold from His Highness.”

  Buzz!

  This number caused the crowd to immediately break into an astonished hubbub. Even Chen Dazhong couldn’t help but hold his breath, his heart madly thumping against his chest.

  Su Shixuan said all this with extreme calm, not even a ripple of emotion on his face.

  “My lord carries out his promises. Everyone has already seen this. If you can prove your point, one million taels will be yours, but I will tell you in advance, if you fail, your dog will probably be eaten by the wolf. Are you willing to continue this test?”

  All was quiet as everyone stared speechlessly at the stage.

  A wager with one million taels on the line had never before happened in the capital, and such a sum would be a terrible blow even to some of the great clans. With this enormous fortune, hunter Chen Dazhong could become a rich landlord in a single day, perhaps even create a new great clan that could persist in his local area for centuries.

  This money was enough to change his destiny.

  “Incredible! One million taels! Is the King of Foreign Lands serious?”

  “Didn’t you see? He spent three days doing basically nothing and obtained ten thousand. The King of Foreign Lands is a King of the Great Tang, and he is certain to keep to his word. Although it seems inconceivable, I am confident that he will pay out the money.”

  The crowd chattered amongst themselves. After three consecutive days of watching
the show on the stage, it was finally time to enter the main topic. At this moment, everyone was finally beginning to understand Wang Chong’s goal.

  Whoosh!

  The only sound to be heard was that of the pouring rain.

  The rain was only getting more and more intense, one drop after another splashing on Chen Dazhong’s face. His chest heaved up and down as he finally lost his composure.

  One million taels! As a hunter of the mountains, he found it impossible to resist this temptation.

  “Can I think about it?” Chen Dazhong said, his face red.

  “Heh, you have enough time.”

  A rare smile appeared on Su Shixuan’s face.

  “But let me warn you that you will only get one day. Of course, you can also refuse and immediately take away your ten thousand taels of gold. I guarantee that no one will try to stop you!”

  Chen Dazhong clenched his teeth and finally decided, “Let’s do what you say!

  “No matter what the rest of you think, I have absolute confidence in the wolf and dog that I raised!”

  Boom! Chen Dazhong’s words caused the crowd to crazily cheer and yell.

  “That’s right! Let’s see it for ourselves!”

  “Even a wolf can know humanity, much less humans themselves. King of Foreign Lands, you’ve completely lost!”

  Cheers resounded through the capital.

  Flapflap!

  As the crowds cheered, various messenger birds spread their wings and took off into the skies. This enormous wager had attracted the attention of countless people in the capital.

  “One million taels! The King of Foreign Lands is truly quite daring!”

  “Is the King of Foreign Lands truly that confident? If the wolf doesn’t eat that dog in seven days, the King of Foreign Lands won’t just be losing one million taels!”

  “He’s putting it all on the line!”

  “With so many people watching, the King of Foreign Lands can’t play any tricks. Just because of that wager he made, many people will be keeping watch at night. He’s leaving it all up to the heavens! So risky!”

  In various parts of the capital, the elders and clan heads of various great clans muttered to themselves.

  At this stage, Wang Chong’s aim was finally growing clear, but even so, there were far too many variables in all this.

  “Dispatch men to keep a rotating watch on that place, twenty-four hours a day. This conflict between the militarists and Confucians might be reaching the critical point soon!”

  A clan head in the southern part of the city issued this order, and similar orders were issued by many other clan heads.

  ……

  “Young Master, what do we do?”

  The moment the news of the wager got out, the Secretariat Advisor Residence was informed.

  A Confucian Sect disciple kneeled on the ground, awaiting Li Junxian’s order.

  “An arrow loosed cannot be taken back. Since he’s already set up the stage, nothing we can do can stop him now. Pass on my order. Dispatch men to keep a twenty-four-hour watch on that stage. We can’t have the men of the King of Foreign Lands trying some sort of trick on the dog or wolf,” Li Junxian said.

  “Your subordinate understands!”

  The Confucian Sect disciple swiftly left to relay the order.

  On the same night, the wolf and dog were cut off from food and water, and countless people, in the open and in the shadows, were standing around the stage.

  Whoosh! In the middle of the night, a piece of meat flew out of the darkness toward the cage. But while the meat was still in the air, an arrow shot forward and cut it down. At the same time, a groan came from a dark corner, then silence.

  “What an idiot! Trying to play tricks while so many people are watching! That’s nothing but suicidal!”

  In the distance, the light of the stars and moon vaguely illuminated the figure of a masked man on the roof of a restaurant. However, this man’s presence caused no alarm, and he swiftly vanished.

  ……

  The moon set and the sun rose in the east. The torrential rains from yesterday had long ago ceased. The countless spies and scouts keeping watch in the darkness silently vanished into the shadows. On the stage, the hunter called Chen Dazhong woke up from his sleep and stretched, completely unaware of what had been going on.

  “Little Hui! Come here!” Chen Dazhong called out, and the wolf stood up and came over to the bars of the cage, where it constantly licked Chen Dazhong’s palm, an obedient expression on its face. With its food being suddenly cut off, this wolf was clearly much less energetic, but it was little changed overall.

  The small dog grunted, shook its body, and then came over and softly nuzzled the wolf.

  The sight of the wolf and dog getting along as usual immediately filled Chen Dazhong with confidence. He had raised this wolf from a cub, and no one could understand it more than he did.

  This wolf had learned humanity. No matter how hungry it was, it would never eat the small dog that it had grown up together with.

  The King of Foreign Lands would lose for sure.

  From daybreak until noon, the wolf and dog were clearly hungry. The small dog snorted and grunted while the wolf was much quieter. It walked over to a corner of the cage, sat down, and became motionless so that it could silently wait. In this entire process, it did not even glance at the dog.

  “Great!”

  Countless people in the surrounding crowd rejoiced, and Chen Dazhong also appeared much more relaxed.

  It was soon the second day. The wolf did not have as much tolerance of hunger as the dog, and its body had clearly gotten thinner, its stomach shriveled. Its eyes were listless, and it was clearly in a state of extreme hunger. But it still did not make any attempt to eat the dog.

  It was now the third day.

  Countless people had gathered around to encourage the dog and wolf.

  “Keep going! Even a vicious tiger won’t eat its cub. The King of Foreign Lands will lose for sure!”

  The crowd was excited.

  All levels of the Confucian Sect breathed in relief at these developments. It was apparent that the matter was clearly developing in a direction favorable to him.

  “Little cub, good work!”

  The hunter stroked the wolfskin on his waist, his eyes growing moist with affection.

  The fourth day!

  The wolf in the cage was skin and bones, could not even stand straight, and could only make soft noises. The dog was in little better condition. Arf! Arf! The small dog came over to the wolf’s side, but it only licked the wolf’s fur twice before breaking away and making no further movements.

  “Good!”

  The crowd thunderously cheered in excitement.

  Roooar!

  But as everyone was cheering, there was suddenly a fierce roar. The gray wolf that had been hanging onto its life walked up to the side of the cage, turned around, opened its maw of sharp teeth, and bit through the dog’s neck. Arf! Arf! The small dog struggled as blood began to flow into the wolf’s mouth.

  Hunger had forced out the gray wolf’s wild nature, and the stimulation of this blood caused the docile wolf to erupt completely in ferocity. Raaa! It began to viciously tear at the small dog, creating a gruesome scene.

  “Ah!”

  Gasps and screams filled the air, the crowd struck dumb by this gory sight. Their eyes were wide open, their jaws agape.

  Even more people couldn’t help but look away, fear in their eyes. Over the last few days, they had gotten so used to the wolf and dog coexisting and playing around with each other that they had come to firmly believe that the wolf would never eat the dog.

  Thus, this tragedy had caught them completely by surprise.

  “No!” Chen Dazhong called out in alarm. He rushed up to the cage, his face covered in despair and disbelief.

  “Release it, you beast! What are you doing!”

  In the cage, the wolf seemed to be deaf to his cries. As it continued to eat the
dog, its mouth made terrifying growls.

  Its dark green eyes shone with dangerous light and all its hairs were standing on end. It had revealed its sharp claws.

  The gray wolf had lost all of its former docility. Its entire body oozed ferocity and aggression, making it seem no different from a wild wolf.

  Boom! As Chen Dazhong rushed to the bars of the cage and yelled, the wolf raised its bloody mouth, turned its head, and attacked Chen Dazhong, its two rows of sharp teeth savagely biting down on the hand Chen Dazhong had placed on the cage bar.

  Chapter 1303 - Penetrating Deep into the Minds of the People!

  Chapter 1303: Penetrating Deep into the Minds of the People!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Aaaah!”

  Chen Dazhong’s face went pale as he staggered backward onto the ground.

  “What are you doing?! Have gone so crazy that you don’t even recognize me anymore?!”

  But the gray wolf in the cage seemed to hear nothing. After its attack on Chen Dazhong failed, it seemed to go crazy, its body writhing as it crashed against the bars of the cage, fixing its bloodshot eyes at the crowd below, as if it was choosing which one to eat.

  Waaaa!

  “How could it be like this?”

  The crowd cried out in alarm, countless people backing up with pale faces as they stared at the wolf’s strange and vicious appearance.

  “Not good! Hurry and report this to Young Master!”

  The Confucian Sect disciples hidden in the surroundings paled and swiftly made their way to the Secretariat Advisor Residence.

  Flapflap! At the same time, countless birds took to the air.

  Bang!

  As the crowd fell into chaos, a foot stomped onto the stage. After four days, Su Shixuan finally appeared, wearing a suit of black armor and escorted by eight guards.

  “You lost!” Su Shixuan said to Chen Dazhong.

  Chen Dazhong sat in a daze on the ground, so dejected and dispirited that he couldn’t manage a word. He had always believed that, no matter what, a wolf that he had raised would never eat a dog that he had raised. But reality had given him a heavy slap.