The Human Emperor c1-2382

by Huangfu Qi (皇甫奇)

  To ‘welcome’ An Yaluoshan, Wang Chong had stationed Xu Keyi, Su Shixuan, a hundred-some estate guards, ten ballistae, and numerous master archers at the city gate. While Li Siye and Old Eagle were not part of this force, given how they had appeared, they clearly had also been a part of this operation.

  “Your Highness, why didn’t you give the order? Did An Yaluoshan not appear?”

  Li Siye gripped his sword with both hands, a baleful energy rising from his body.

  Li Siye and Old Eagle had taken part in that operation on the stormy night two and a half years ago, and they had personally experienced Wang Chong’s resolve to kill An Yaluoshan. For An Yaluoshan’s current visit to the capital, while Wang Chong had placed all those elites and ten lethal ballistae at the city gate, the true killing blow had never been meant to come from either the elites or the ballistae.

  Li Siye and Old Eagle had been waiting in the shadows for Wang Chong’s order, upon which they would charge out and utterly pulverize An Yaluoshan and his Youzhou soldiers.

  Wang Chong’s operation at the city gate was not meant to intimidate or threaten. It had been meant to kill!

  After a few moments of thought, Wang Chong calmly said, “Because the conditions were not right and An Yaluoshan did not appear?”

  “What?!”

  Li Siye and Old Eagle were both struck dumb.

  An Yaluoshan had been right there at the eastern gate, guarded stalwartly by Cui Qianyou and Tian Chengsi. And hadn’t Wang Chong ‘talked’ with him for such a long time?

  What did he mean by ‘did not appear’?

  “That man wasn’t An Yaluoshan!” Wang Chong firmly declared, his terse statement sending shockwaves through the minds of his two subordinates.

  He wasn’t?

  The An Yaluoshan at the gate was fake?

  The two of them had considered many possibilities, but not this answer.

  While An Yaluoshan had changed a lot compared to two and a half years ago, he seemed to them like the real deal. Moreover, when painting a tiger, it was easy to paint the skin but difficult to paint the bones. If that was a fake, how had his aura and demeanor been so similar?

  “I don’t know how he did it, but that man was not An Yaluoshan! He must have used some special method to transfer his aura to that man, or even control him from a distance!” Wang Chong coldly said.

  “How could this be?” Li Siye muttered. Wang Chong’s answer was utterly absurd, and it went against everything he knew.

  A fake?

  But how could it be so similar?

  Wang Chong said nothing, but his eyes gleamed with a subtle light.

  The moment An Yaluoshan had appeared at the gate, he had used the ‘True World’, but to his surprise, An Yaluoshan had some extremely powerful tool that was able to resist the probing of ‘True World’. But what truly allowed Wang Chong to confirm that this An Yaluoshan was a fake was the palm he had placed on An Yaluoshan’s shoulder.

  An Yaluoshan was a man who had destroyed the world. If killing characters like Khatabah or Dusong Mangpoje could change the course of history, someone like An Yaluoshan had already transcended the level of ‘historical character’.

  He was the most crucial inflexion point in the destiny of the world!

  While he might not be stronger than Khatabah right now, he was at the apex of all ‘historical characters’.

  Thus, two and a half years ago, when Wang Chong had gone to kill An Yaluoshan, just attacking him had elicited a notice from the Stone of Destiny.

  But this time, when Wang Chong placed his hand on An Yaluoshan’s shoulder and sent a small portion of energy to probe his body, the Stone of Destiny had given no reaction. There was no warning about any ‘Destined Foe’, which meant that something strange was going on.

  Wang Chong was well aware that the Stone of Destiny could never be wrong about something like this!

  At that moment, Wang Chong was sure that this man was not the real An Yaluoshan!

  “If that’s true, why did he need to get the help of the Prime Minister and the other officials? Moreover, using this fake would be in defiance of the Sage Emperor’s will, deceiving the sovereign. Does An Yaluoshan not realize what would happen if Your Highness exposes him? Wouldn’t one palm be enough to expose his true self?

  “Moreover, if the fake were killed, how would An Yaluoshan explain himself? If he faked his death, wouldn’t he lose the Andong Protector-General post with it?”

  Old Eagle frowned.

  He had served at Wang Chong’s side for very long, and with this abundant experience, he could quickly sense when something was wrong.

  If Wang Chong had decided to kill the fake on a whim, the fake would become the real. An Yaluoshan would have to ‘truly die’ if he wanted to avoid the crime of deceiving the sovereign, and he would lose his Andong Protector-General status with it!

  An Yaluoshan had finally managed to push out Zhang Shougui after great difficulty and obtained the post of Andong Protector-General. Using a stand-in was clearly counterproductive.

  Wang Chong was silent. He naturally understood what Old Eagle was thinking.

  “Did you notice that scholar near him?” Wang Chong suddenly said.

  “Your Highness is speaking of that Gao Shang?” Old Eagle quickly replied. He naturally had a detailed report on Gao Shang in his intelligence files.

  Wang Chong had once attempted to capture Gao Shang, but the man fled and managed to reach An Yaluoshan.

  Gao Shang had played a significant role in An Yaluoshan’s overturning of Zhang Shougui!

  “An Yaluoshan knows that I’m in the capital, so he had to have made preparations. Two and a half years ago, I was nameless, and with Zhang Shougui present, I still dared to commit murder, so why not now? Although I don’t know what they did, there was one thing that is beyond doubt. An Yaluoshan was trying to bait me, hoping that I would strike.

  “Li Linfu did not come to stop me. On the contrary, he came to spur me into action!”

  Wang Chong placed his hands behind his back and slowly raised his head, a profound and all-seeing light in his eyes.

  “If An Yaluoshan wanted me to strike him, his actual body couldn’t be very far. Thus, when the time was right, he could make a timely appearance, take the place of his substitute, and accuse me of attacking him and defying the Sage Emperor. While this wouldn’t be enough to substantially threaten me, it would hinder me for a time. The Sage Emperor might even strip me of my noble title and demote me to a commoner!”

  The Imperial Court was being managed by Wang Chong, and he was already doing his best to avoid direct confrontation with the ‘Sage Emperor’. A pretext like this would undoubtedly leave that ‘Third Son Xuan’ overjoyed.

  One could see from this that An Yaluoshan’s gaze was incredibly sharp.

  “But An Yaluoshan knows of my abilities, so he also wouldn’t be too close. In the short time available, you would have never been able to find him!” Wang Chong said.

  He had a few ideas, but they went by in the blink of an eye, and Wang Chong did not elaborate on them.

  “In addition, take note of that Gao Shang. Just like An Yaluoshan, he’s not the real person either. When I attacked, Cui Qianyou and Tian Chengsi made no movement to guard those two important strategists, not even glancing at them. That’s simply not normal. Given how much An Yaluoshan values him, he would never carelessly reveal himself in front of us.

  “Gather our experts and make drawings of him. I need to know what he looks like. This time, he must be the one making the plans for An Yaluoshan. He is our true opponent this time!” Wang Chong said.

  An Yaluoshan had not managed to overthrow the Central Plains in his last life for no good reason. If An Yaluoshan was a fierce tiger, Gao Shang was his wings. A tiger that could traverse both the skies and the earth was truly unstoppable!

  Li Siye had been rendered speechless some time ago. He was just a simple warrior who had been waiting for Wang Chong’s signal to charge out with
the Wushang Cavalry and crush An Yaluoshan and his treasonous Youzhou soldiers.

  He had never imagined that this simple welcome at the gate would have so many schemes lurking under the surface.

  “Yes, Your Highness!”

  Old Eagle was much faster to react, lowering his head and immediately speaking.

  A man who could toy with Zhang Shougui was no ordinary figure. He was already prepared for this possibility.

  Li Siye and Old Eagle quickly withdrew, and Wang Chong soon called over Zhang Que and Xu Keyi.

  “Your Highness!”

  The two of them bowed.

  “Has everyone withdrawn?” Wang Chong said.

  “Everyone has withdrawn from the estate.”

  Chapter 1994 - Communicate with An Yaluoshan and Die!

  Chapter 1994: Communicate with An Yaluoshan and Die!

  Translated by: Hypersheep325

  Edited by: Michyrr

  “Pass on my order! Scour the entire city for An Yaluoshan. I need to know where they are. In addition, gather together all the pleasure-seeking scions of the great clans and have them look out for people speaking with a Youzhou accent, and also for any suspicious boxes that have been brought into the city recently. Tell them that this matter isn’t to be leaked and that they will be richly rewarded if they succeed,” Wang Chong said.

  Wang Chong had started out as one of those pleasure-seeking scions. Before the age of sixteen, he was a good-for-nothing who enjoyed cockfighting and dogfighting, but after the age of sixteen, he became a hero revered by the entire realm. This made him the idol admired by all the other scions.

  Amongst these scions, anyone who dared to badmouth Wang Chong would be attacked by all the rest.

  While many people in the capital wouldn’t give the time of day to these hedonistic scions, Wang Chong knew that they were extremely capable, at times even more capable of finding information than the local hoodlums.

  “Yes, Your Highness!” Zhang Que immediately replied.

  Wang Chong saw that Zhang Que was hesitant to leave, and immediately asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “Your Highness, forgive this subordinate for asking, but while your subordinate can understand searching for An Yaluoshan’s whereabouts, boxes…”

  Wang Chong’s last order had come without warning, and Zhang Que, though he had served Wang Chong for a long time, had never received such a strange mission.

  “Did you not notice anything strange at the city gate?”

  Wang Chong looked at Zhang Que and shook his head.

  Zhang Que was rather experienced, but sometimes, experience wasn’t enough. One also needed a mind for detail.

  “This…”

  Zhang Que blushed in shame. He was a smart man, and while he may not have noticed it at first, Wang Chong’s prompting had immediately made him realize what was wrong.

  “Your Highness is referring to their luggage, correct?”

  Wang Chong placed his hands behind his back and commented, “An army of nearly seven hundred only brought two boxes of luggage. Even an ordinary merchant wouldn’t bring so little.”

  “But, Your Highness, when protectorate armies enter the capital, only thirty people are actually allowed to enter the capital. If it’s just those people, two boxes would be enough.” Zhang Que had gathered a great deal of information, so after hesitating, he voiced his conclusion. “Moreover, Youzhou is a prosperous area, so they might have only brought a change of clothes and planned to purchase the rest in the capital.”

  “Really?”

  Wang Chong indifferently added, “Did you notice how heavily the wheels of the carriage carrying the boxes pressed into the ground? An Yaluoshan is a skilled and clever opportunist. When the Sage Emperor wanted to select women to be offered to the palace, he offered nearly one hundred Hu beauties as a gift. Now, with the feast of all countries imminent and all the other countries bringing tribute, An Yaluoshan is coming to the capital for the first time as the new Andong Protector-General. Would he really bring nothing but his clothes?

  “If it was really just ordinary gold and treasure, there would be no need to hide it from me. It’s clear that An Yaluoshan did not bring in his cargo through the eastern gate, and something suspicious is afoot. An Yaluoshan did not come to the capital this time for a simple visit!”

  Wang Chong’s eyes, thick with killing intent, narrowed.

  He had merely found it strange at first that An Yaluoshan was coming to the capital, and developed some theories, but after their meeting, Wang Chong was confident that An Yaluoshan had come with ulterior motives.

  But Wang Chong still did not know what this motive was.

  A dark cloud of worry appeared on Wang Chong’s brow.

  The more furtive An Yaluoshan was, the greater the problem was. He needed to find out the truth.

  Meanwhile, Zhang Que had turned ghastly pale, cold sweat drenching his face. He had only concerned himself with that shadow battle between Wang Chong and An Yaluoshan, never even noticing all the information contained in the details. This was undoubtedly a major error on his part.

  “Yes, your subordinate will do so!” Zhang Que hastily said.

  Wang Chong’s eyes flashed as he added, “In addition, have those members of the Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain teams still stationed in Youzhou remain at their stations and immediately report on any suspicious movements!”

  “Yes!”

  Zhang Que quickly departed, and after a few moments of thought, Wang Chong began to walk away.

  He was going to discuss this matter with Xu Qiqin.

  ……

  Elsewhere, amidst the surging crowds at the southern gate of the capital, a bronze carriage slowly made its way toward the gate.

  “Ah!”

  With a soft sigh, a chubby figure in the carriage slowly opened his eyes.

  Before that man could speak, a refined and intelligent voice came from his side. “What a pity! He’s too cautious! In the end, he didn’t strike!”

  Gao Shang was seated there, looking at the human-shaped ritual tool of black glass in An Yaluoshan’s right hand as he regretfully sighed.

  ‘Those people’ had gifted them a substitution ritual tool that could not only imitate one’s form, but if given enough time and a stand-in, could also transfer a person’s aura, Stellar Energy, and even a portion of one’s Psychic Energy and mind into the substitute. All of these attributes would be imitated to perfection.

  Most importantly, the ritual tool allowed for long-distance control. From a certain perspective, the man at the eastern gate had been An Yaluoshan himself, even though An Yaluoshan had not actually gone over.

  “I said to you before that this man is very difficult to deal with and that it would be hard for your plan to succeed.”

  An Yaluoshan came back to his senses, his face pale. Much of his energy had been drained, and it was clear that long-distance control was not free. Even for the ‘Child of the World’, it was a heavy burden.

  “Mm.”

  Gao Shang nodded, squinting as he began to think.

  “I underestimated him!”

  It seemed as if his first clash with Wang Chong had come away undecided.

  “But since he didn’t discover our real plan, he failed. Once the feast of all countries is over and we leave the capital, he won’t get another chance to deal with us!”

  “Mm!”

  An Yaluoshan nodded.

  “Has everything been sent into the capital?”

  “Mm, all thirty-six boxes have been sent through the western and southern gates. Everything else depends on Your Excellency!”

  An Yaluoshan nodded, and their carriage quickly passed through the gates and into the bustling streets of the capital.

  ……

  Bang!

  Not long after the meeting between Wang Chong and An Yaluoshan ended, countless messenger birds took flight from the eastern gate.

  “The information was true! The King of Foreign Lands truly does have
a quarrel with the new Andong Protector-General!”

  “Truly surprising! This is going to be fun! Discord amongst the Great Tang’s Great Generals is a source of civil strife. Send back a message! Report this matter to His Majesty!”

  “To stir such hostility in the King of Foreign Lands, this An Yaluoshan can’t be simple. It looks like he even managed to get the Great Tang’s Prime Minister on his side!”

  “With this brewing civil strife in the Great Tang, this feast of all countries has gotten interesting!”

  The capital was brightly decorated, gongs and drums banging in an ever more festive air, but under the surface, the undercurrent was growing in strength.

  “Interesting! Truly interesting! Someone, find An Yaluoshan’s address and deliver my calling card! Perhaps we might have a chance to pay a visit to this Andong Protector-General!”

  In his assigned inn, Wunu Shibi read through the information on An Yaluoshan, a playful smile on his lips.

  The enemy of one’s enemy was a friend.

  The Great Tang’s King of Foreign Lands was simply too dazzling, and someone was needed to counterbalance him.

  This An Yaluoshan seemed like the best target.

  “Reporting!”

  But Wunu Shibi had barely given an order when a guard rushed in and got down on one knee.

  “Great General, we’ve just received a letter from the King of Foreign Lands Residence! Great General, please inspect it!”

  “What?!”

  Wunu Shibi’s eyebrows shot up at the mention of the King of Foreign Lands, and his smile instantly froze.

  He had never imagined that Wang Chong would send him a letter.

  “Bring it over!”

  Wunu Shibi took the letter, glanced at it, and instantly turned grim. All of his amusement disappeared without a trace.

  The letter from Wang Chong contained a single, terse sentence.

  ‘Communicate with An Yaluoshan and die!’

  The words had been written with such force that they almost penetrated through the paper, a brazen threat.

  Wunu Shibi’s face shifted between green and white as it scowled. Had a mighty Great General of the Western Turkic Khaganate ever been so humiliated, so brazenly threatened?