Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Solitary Wolf had investigated his pursuers. There had been Tang among them, and people from Mengshe Zhao, Ü-Tsang, and even the Abbasid Caliphate. This was clearly not something any ordinary person or faction could do.
The war of the southwest involved the Great Tang, Ü-Tsang, and Mengshe Zhao, involved Great Generals like Huoshu Huicang, Dalun Ruozan, Duan Gequan, and Geluofeng, involved seven to eight hundred thousand soldiers and almost one million civilians.
If one said that someone had been urging all this on, that there really was some faction so powerful that it could treat these countries, generals, soldiers, and civilians like playthings in the palm of their hand…
The mere thought of it caused Solitary Wolf to tremble.
Deep within his heart, Solitary Wolf preferred to believe that all this was a coincidence. The people chasing them did not belong to the same faction as the people chasing down Young Master.
"I don"t know!"
w.a.n.g Chong shook his head.
"As I said, all this is merely my speculation. Perhaps it is, perhaps it isn"t. But no matter what, there"s one thing I can be sure of: in this war, besides the three countries of the Great Tang, Mengshe Zhao and Ü-Tsang, there was another power lurking beneath the surface that none of us could see.
"These people even dared to frame and kill a governor of the Imperial Court, even dare to attempt to a.s.sa.s.sinate me… They"re already incredibly bold. The laws of the court and the rules of society can"t bind them and are of no use against them.
"In the war of the southwest, with so many present: all the soldiers of the Annan Protectorate army, my father w.a.n.g Yan, Protector-General Xianyu Zhongtong… None of these people could make them have second thoughts. This alone is a testament to their daring."
As w.a.n.g Chong spoke, his expression was incredibly grim.
As someone who had lived two lives, he felt like he knew everything like the back of his hand, but even after combing through his memories, he discovered that he could not find a single bit of information concerning these people. At the very least, he had never known about the incident involving Jiannan Governor Zhang Qiantuo.
w.a.n.g Chong felt like he was touching upon something that he had never encountered in his last life.
"Young Master, if you"re worried, then give this matter to me! I"ve already died once, and no one knows of my existence. No matter who they are or how powerful they are, I am not afraid. I live only for the sake of one matter: uncovering their true ident.i.ties, taking revenge for Bin-er, Tong-er, and my wife, and clearing my name.
"As long as I can realize this goal, I can walk through a mountain of daggers or a sea of flames, have my tongue pulled out and my nose cut off. Nothing can scare me. I already have nothing to lose!!"
The faceless man"s eyes glowed with a venomous hatred, his last words mixed with a bitter laughter.
Who cared how powerful they were? How mysterious? How vicious and sublime their methods? He was already a lonely man with no family or possessions. Since he had already lost everything, what did he have to fear?
w.a.n.g Chong and Solitary Wolf silently exchanged looks.
w.a.n.g Chong could sense the faceless man"s deep-rooted pain, hatred, reluctance, and fury. He had to admit that all this had completely surpa.s.sed his expectations.
If one said that the Governor of Jiannan had now become a "faceless man" who covered his face with a mask of black metal and lived only for revenge, no one would believe them. But if one thought about all that Zhang Qiantuo had experienced, this was no surprise.
Perhaps it"s actually best if I leave this matter to him, w.a.n.g Chong said to himself as he gazed at the faceless man"s bloodshot eyes.
Both w.a.n.g Chong and Solitary Wolf still lived in the sunlight, greatly inconvenienced by social norms and constantly having to think about the consequences of their actions. Although Solitary Wolf was a little better off than w.a.n.g Chong in this aspect, if he were exposed after anything he did, w.a.n.g Chong would be dragged in, as would the rest of the w.a.n.g Clan.
But for the faceless man, the traces of his existence had been completely obliterated. And in this bas.e.m.e.nt, there was no one with more resolve and courage to investigate this matter than him.
As these thoughts flickered through his mind, w.a.n.g Chong quickly reached a decision.
"Sir, I give this black arrow to you! If you want to investigate the matter, start from this arrow."
As he spoke, he pa.s.sed the broken arrow over.
"I can"t promise you too much, but I can promise you one thing. In investigating the Jiange incident, you won"t be alone. Starting from now, if you need anything, I can provide it to you: martial arts manuals, medicine, workers, soldiers, connections in the court or the army… I will do my utmost to support you with everything that you need.
"In this matter, the w.a.n.g Clan and I will be your strongest backer, your st.u.r.diest pillar of support!! So if there"s anything you need to do, do it with your heart at ease," w.a.n.g Chong sternly said.
"Young Master!!"
The faceless man"s body began to tremble, his eyes s.h.i.+ning with excitement. These people had enormously powerful backers and acted brashly and without fear. The faceless man had personally experienced this.
Even an imposing governor of the court was not worth their attention.
That w.a.n.g Chong was willing to invest himself in this matter was in itself the greatest support. And in truth, w.a.n.g Chong"s background, the w.a.n.g Clan"s influence in society, and the astounding feats w.a.n.g Chong had accomplished in the southwest made it so that he was the greatest possible support the faceless man could ever receive in the Great Tang.
This was much better than a lonely man fighting an army! And his hopes were even further bolstered!
"Thank you, Young Master!"
The faceless man"s eyes were red as he got down on both knees and bowed in front of w.a.n.g Chong.
"Young Master"s promise is worth one thousand ounces of gold, and this faceless man could never repay it. As long as Young Master wishes it, starting from now, this faceless man is willing to carry out any task, walking through water or fire, to dash his brains out against the ground."
A gentleman"s promise was worth a thousand ounces of gold. This was an oath made by the faceless man and an oath made by w.a.n.g Chong. Starting from now, in the shadows around w.a.n.g Chong, where no one could see, a mysterious and silent faceless man had appeared, with only w.a.n.g Chong and Solitary Wolf knowing his true ident.i.ty.
Rumble!
The mechanism rumbled, moving the floorboard aside. w.a.n.g Chong brought Solitary Wolf and the faceless man out of the bas.e.m.e.nt.
"Young Master, this person is?"
Outside, Li Siye slightly frowned upon seeing the black-masked "faceless man", a hint of shock appearing in his eyes.
"A faceless man," w.a.n.g Chong indifferently said. "Don"t worry about it too much. Let"s return."
"Hyah!"
With a shout, w.a.n.g Chong set off with Li Siye, Solitary Wolf, and the other cavalry. But midway through the journey, the faceless man disappeared. No one knew where he had gone.
Nor did anyone care.
Since not even w.a.n.g Chong had asked, the others naturally said nothing.
……
Half a month later, the army led by King Song arrived. His more than seventy thousand soldiers accompanied by a vast quant.i.ty of provisions and armaments seemed incredibly vast and majestic.
"Hahaha, where is w.a.n.g Chong? Where is w.a.n.g Chong? Quickly take this king to see him!"
As a plume of dust approached from the distance, it was already possible to hear King Song"s booming laughter.
Even though more than half a month had pa.s.sed since the end of the war, King Song was still in a state of extreme joy and excitement.
"Your Highness King Song, there are so many people in the southwest, and there"s me and brother Gengzhi as well. Are none of us worthy of meeting Your Highness?"
Xianyu Zhongtong and w.a.n.g Yan had ridden two mighty steeds down the mountain long ago to welcome King Song.
"Hahaha, the two of you are brutish men, your years added together totaling eighty or ninety! How could you be better-looking than the great victor of the southwest, the future hero and Great General! w.a.n.g Chong, where are you?"
King Song heartily laughed, not even showing courtesy in front of w.a.n.g Yan and Xianyu Zhongtong.
"w.a.n.g Chong pays respects to King Song."
As his voice rang out in the air, w.a.n.g Chong rode up the White-hoofed Shadow from the rear.
This was not their first meeting, and the w.a.n.g Clan had always had good relations with the King Song Residence. Friends would naturally be more intimate in their meeting with each other, but for King Song to be so enthusiastic in this meeting was truly rather surprising.
"Hahaha, none of you know how many people in the court had eyes red with envy when they heard that this king would get to come first. Haha, let this king see our hero of the southwest."
As King Song spoke, he opened his arms wide and gave w.a.n.g Chong a bear hug.
On the day that King Song heard the news of the victory in the southwest, he immediately became impatient to arrive. He had marched his army of seventy thousand day and night so that he could arrive first and see the greatest contributor of the war in the southwest.
"Gengzhi, you have a good son!"
As he stepped away, he turned to w.a.n.g Yan with a beaming face.
"Your Highness flatters me. This dog son of mine is still young. For Your Highness to praise him like this is not necessarily a good thing. And in addition, the tens of thousands of soldiers and officers also made a great contribution to the war of the southwest. This was not accomplished by one person," w.a.n.g Yan sternly said.
"Hahaha, still as stubborn as ever. If he didn"t construct Lion City by the Erhai, if he didn"t rush to the southwest battlefield to take command, Gengzhi, with your and Xianyu Zhongtong"s abilities, could this war have been won? I know that you mean him well, worried that he"ll get too proud, and hope that he"ll compose himself, but the Sage Emperor has already spoken. What do you have to be afraid of?
"Just based on the contributions your w.a.n.g Clan has made in the southwest alone, no one inside or outside the court, including the Yao Clan and King Qi, will be able to touch you."
King Song gave another bellow of laughter.
It was clear that King Song was particularly happy today. He rarely showed his emotions, but w.a.n.g Chong"s feats in the southwest were far too incredible.
It was precisely because of w.a.n.g Chong"s major victory that the Great Tang beset by enemies on all sides was able to suddenly intimidate all the foreign powers, making that perilous situation vanish into smoke.
One could easily imagine the adoration King Song felt for w.a.n.g Chong.
w.a.n.g Yan stood on the side, an embarra.s.sed look on his face. How could he not be proud of and cherish this Qilin son of the w.a.n.g Clan? He was just worried that his son would let it all go to his head.
But even this minor concern could not be concealed from King Song.
"Hahaha, Brother Gengzhi, forget it. You"re just not good at lying. Anyone with eyes can see Young Master"s talent. Even His Majesty is anxious to see him. Let"s not make any trouble right now."
Xianyu Zhongtong roared with laughter.