NOVPUB60: Chapter 57: Ambition
60 -57: Ambition
By a twist of fate, just south of the Ancient Market and less than three miles from this bustling town, a dense forest was also being pierced by iron arrows flying thick as rain.
These were arrows spat out from two ten thousand stone ironwood warships on the river.
Hundreds of military war crossbows fired continuously, filling the inside of the forest with cries of agony.
Moreover, fiery rockets were launched, igniting the dry trees within the forest.
At first, the people in the forest were able to endure without moving.
But once the fire started and smoke filled the area, a group of people wearing armored soldiers’ gear burst out from the dense woods.
What met them, however, was an even denser barrage of wolf-toothed heavy arrows.
Numerous soldiers in Daning standard war armor fell to the ground, blood flowing profusely.
At that moment, a furious curse came from the woods, “Iron Madman!
You’ve got a lot of nerve using military ships and crossbows to shoot at my Tianping Army soldiers, it seems you want to rebel!”
The Iron Madman was standing at the prow of an ironwood warship, his hands behind his back, with a two lengths long red-hot iron spear beside him.
Upon hearing this, he could not help but laugh dryly, “General Wei must be joking, what Tianping Army?
Aren’t your Tianping soldiers supposed to be seventy miles away in Hansha Town?
Or perhaps, General Wei, you are moving troops without orders?
You disregard the court’s military commands, what exactly are you trying to achieve—”
At that moment, a figure clad in black armor suddenly surged out from the forest.
His Vigorous Force surged, sweeping all the arrows around him aside, and in an instant, he was right in front of the Iron Madman.
As this person swung his mace, countless waves exploded around the warship, pressing down the river around them by a full foot.
Behind this person, a huge illusory mountain of stone appeared.
“What a move, Cang Mountain Mace!”
The Iron Madman stood unmoved at the prow, he reached out his hand, took the fiery red iron spear beside him in his grasp, and then slanted the spear upward.
With a ‘clank,’ the spear and mace collided fiercely, the big iron spear was even bent downward by the hit.
The curve of the iron spear bent more and more, just when everyone thought it was about to snap.
The Iron Madman casually shook and jolted the spear, and instantly it rebounded, twisting around the mace like a venomous dragon, and smashed toward the opponent’s face.
The Iron Armor General’s face turned cold blue, he swung his iron mace, blocking the spear, but the recoil hurled him to the shore, sliding back several meters on the ground.
The Iron Madman’s formidable spear force was still not exhausted, not only did it bisect the river surface, but it also blasted out a trench over twenty meters long on the dike.
After getting to the shore, the Iron Armor General did not make another move.
His eyes coldly fixed on the Iron Madman, “Call off your men!
Today, I concede defeat.
Let my soldiers return to the camp, and I assure you that hereafter, the Tianping Army will no longer interfere in the disputes of Xiushui County.
Iron Madman, you cannot bear the guilt of slaughtering the court’s troops!”
“There are only a bunch of rebels here, what court’s troops?”
The Iron Madman’s voice was mocking, yet he still gestured with his sleeve, signaling his followers to halt the arrows, “But since Wei Lai is trustworthy, I might as well trust you this time.”
Seeing the rain of arrows stop, the Iron Armor General’s expression slightly relaxed.
“I keep my word, ‘said and done.'”
He gave the Iron Madman a meaningful look, “But I also have a piece of advice for you — Flag Leader, your ambition is too great!
A Jianghu hero daring to monopolize the water transport of Shenxiu River, truly bold and fearless.
Now in Xiushui County, countless people want to eliminate your brothers.
If Flag Leader does not stop, Wei will be waiting in Hansha Town, sitting and watching your brothers’ downfall.”
After these words, the Iron Armor General no longer lingered.
He turned around and strode toward the forest behind him.
As he passed, the raging flames all around him extinguished completely.
Previously, he had been cautious of the Iron Madman’s ‘Floating Tomb Spear’ ambush, not daring to disperse his True Yuan outside, but now he no longer had this concern.
The Iron Madman, however, disregarded the Iron Armor General’s words, turning towards the bustling market on the opposite side.
“To the Ancient Market!
I’ll go ahead, you all follow later.
By the way, did the Deputy Flag Master rescue our man?”
He was asking a Seventh Rank sorcerer dressed in a blue robe beside him. 𝘯𝘰𝑣𝘱𝑢𝘣.𝑐𝑜𝑚
This person had been using magic to observe the situation inside the Ancient Market.
“The young man surnamed Chu is safe and sound.” A hint of surprise appeared in the eyes of the Seventh Rank sorcerer, “Just now, Heng Wei holding Du Hong’s Rune Eagle Sword, fought a life-and-death arena against that young man, only to be killed by his two slashes.”
Since the battle at the Fire Bone Cave, the Iron Banner Gang had thoroughly investigated the Long Family’s reality and figures.
Thus, he knew Heng Wei was a person highly regarded by Long Heng.
That prominent young man from the Long Family, always hoped to send Heng Wei into the True Inheritor of Zhengyang Martial Arts Hall.
“He managed to kill Heng Wei holding the Rune Eagle Sword?”
Iron Madman was taken aback, his eyes widened in astonishment before he burst into laughter, “This is indeed a young hero.”
As soon as he finished speaking, his figure had already slid from the bow of the boat to ten feet away.
Iron Madman, holding his iron spear upside down, sped towards the Ancient Market across the river surface.
Today was an excellent opportunity to encircle and kill the Ice Snake of the Long Family; he worried that if he arrived too late, the snake might escape.
※※※※
Iron Madman was still a step too late by the time he reached the Ancient Market; Long Heng had already disappeared.
Iron Madman’s brow furrowed deeply as he cast a strange look towards his elder brother, Tie Xiaosheng.
He had laid a Heaven and Earth Net in the Ancient Market.
Aside from Tie Xiaosheng, he had also arranged eight hundred gang members and eight Seventh Rank Primordial Skill experts.
Yet Long Heng had still escaped?
Even the notable figures from the Long Family who accompanied Long Heng to the Ancient Market, such as the elder Long Shifei, could not capture him.
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Tie Xiaosheng’s expression was one of embarrassed annoyance, “That guy is slippery, he directly led his people into the Market Shipping Department Office; I obviously couldn’t just storm into the Market Shipping Department and kill people.”
About twenty-seven years ago, Emperor Jianyuan, desiring to increase tax revenue, established one hundred twenty-nine Market Shipping Departments in the major ports and market towns along the rivers and coastlines across the empire.
The Market Shipping Department of the Ancient Market was one of them.
Although it hadn’t been effective due to the strong resistance from the powerful scholars in East State, this government office still symbolized the Emperor’s authority.
Tie Xiaosheng then cast a resentful glance towards the South Street Temple Market in the distance, “That Zuo Qingyun is also a bastard!”
If it weren’t for him intervening, Long Heng wouldn’t have had the chance to flee completely into the Market Shipping Department Office.
I should have at least severed one of his arms under my sword.
“The Market Shipping Department?”
Iron Madman immediately looked at the strictly guarded Market Shipping Department Office three streets away.
His spiritual sense detected that inside this office, over a hundred Armored Soldiers armed with weapons were lurking behind the walls.
Even the Market Shipping Department had colluded with the Long Family—
He then chuckled, “So be it!
Let him stay in there; it’s easy for this snake to cross the river, but returning to the West Bank will not be easy.”
Tie Xiaosheng then walked with a cold expression to a teenager nearby.
The boy was about thirteen, with a high nose and deep eyes, dressed in tattered clothes, covered in blood, forcibly held down by two members of the Iron Banner Gang, kneeling on the ground.
—That was Long Sheng, the second youngest of the Long Family!
Only a few Seventh Rank Martial Cultivators from the Long Family had entered the Ancient Market, barely managing to follow Long Heng as he retreated into the Market Shipping Department.
The rest, all below Seventh Rank, were captured or killed by Tie Xiaosheng and his men, including this second youngest of the Long Family.
“What are you thinking of doing?” Seeing Tie Xiaosheng draw his Heavy Sword, Long Sheng’s eyes flashed with terror, “I am a direct descendant of the Long Family, a hereditary Seventh Rank Police Pool of Blood Flag Officer; do you dare kill me?”
Infinite regret blossomed in his chest.
He had only wanted to witness Chu Xisheng’s death in person.
Long Sheng had thought that with the assistance of the Tianping Army and with their prepared ambush against an unsuspecting opponent, defeat for the Long Family was impossible, which was why he had followed his elder brother into this peril.
If he had known it would end up like this, he would have never crossed the Shenxiu River.
Yet Tie Xiaosheng just chuckled and with one swing, decapitated Long Sheng.
Since he had failed to kill Long Heng in this battle, he took out his frustrations on this young snake first.
