Seeing the appearance of picket leader after the helmet disintegrated, Long Yi was startled.
Completely barren bald head, long and narrow red phoenix eyes, bushy brows, moreover that slanted scar from a knife cut on his face, all of them were very familiar, truly were very familiar. Long Yi mumbled in his heart. Then suddenly as if lightning struck his mind, the complexion of Long Yi instantly changed. This appearance resembled with someone whom he knew in his previous incarnation.
“You won, Second Young Master Ximen.” Picket leader also stared at Long Yi for a long time in a daze, then slowly said. This kid truly surprised him greatly, in this extremely short period of time of two years or so, from Intermediate Fighter, he reached Great Swords Master realm which countless people couldn’t reach throughout their life. This kind of progressing speed was simply abnormal.
Long Yi also came back to his senses, then walking to the front of picket leader, he lightly said with a smile: “Just now, if you had used your full power, then you should have withstood my Violent Dragon 18 Successive Slashes.”
“What does Second Young Master Ximen mean?” Picket leader slightly trembled but maintaining his composure, he asked a question in reply.
“What do I mean, do I need to make it clear? If I guessed correctly, then you should be at least Great Swords Master, as for why you are hiding your strength, I have no interest in it.” Long Yi smiled and said in a voice which only they two could hear.
The eyes of picket leader flashed, then looking at this seemingly careless youth in front of him, he sighed: “Second Young Master Ximen, you’ve really changed, becoming unfathomable. Now I really doubt whether you are real Ximen Yu or not.”
Long Yi smiled triumphantly. From his words, it was obvious that he had admitted Long Yi was right. In other words, he was concealing his strength when fighting with Long Yi.
“Heh heh, don’t worship me too much, I merely encountered somewhat peculiar opportunity, that’s all. By the way, I still don’t know how to address you, brother.”
“I am Chou Fu, leader of the first squadron of Violent Dragon legion’s picket battalion.” Chou Fu said.
“Chou Fu [1]? This type of mentality is no good.” Long Yi smirked and said.
“It’s Fu of Huifu (regain), not Fu of Fuyoude (wealthy).” Qiu Fu somewhat awkwardly said.
“Chou Fu, Chuo Fu, if this is reversed, then isn’t that revenge (fuchou)? Really is a good name.” Long Yi smiled and patted the shoulder of Chou Fu.
The eyes of Chou Fu flashed with somewhat strange light, then looking to another side, he no longer spoke.
“This younger brother has a question, seeing your douqi, it appeared rather similar to the Phoenix Douqi of Phoenix clan, could it be……”
“There is not even the slightest bit of connection between my clan and phoenix clan.” Before Long Yi could finish speaking, Chou Fu interrupted him.
Answering so quickly, it smells fishy. Long Yi thought in his heart.
“I still have military affairs that need to be dealt with, so I am leaving first.” Chou Fu turned around and left.
Long Yi became lost in thought looking at the disappearing back view of Chou Fu.
After that, the on-looking soldiers also dispersed gradually, then the battle between Second Young Master Ximen and Chuo Fu instantly spread throughout the military camp. And then, the image of Second Young Master Ximen inside the military camp completely changed. In a sense, Violent Dragon Legion could be regarded as the private army of Ximen clan. They take the grain from the state but didn’t pledge loyalty to Emperor Long Zhan. And here Long Yi used Violent Dragon 18 Successive Slashed which was considered as a legend within Violent Dragon Legion to defeat Chuo Fu, seeing this kind of strength, how could the soldiers not admire him?
Long Yi led Xiao Yi and Barbarian Bull to the campsite of Tyrannical Bear Mercenary Group, then called out Tyrant Bear and his two vice leader for discussion.
Long Yi sat on the seat of honor. Xiao Yi stood behind him while massaging his shoulders, and she would often serve him tea. He was seriously enjoying this treatment to the extreme.
“Now that you have entered the military camp, you all can be regarded as soldiers, so comparing your previous training with real military training, it would be far harder. I will lay out your training plan in two days. You all need to train harder as well as also need to train in an effective manner.” Long Yi slowly opened his mouth, and showed a smile that made people restless.
“Young Master, will we enter the battlefield in the future?” Tyrant Bear excitedly asked staring at Long Yi.
“Want to enter the battlefield? You will have plenty of opportunity in the future, but I fear you will have to kill until your hands go limp with exhaustion at that time.” Long Yi smirked and said.
“Hands go limp with exhaustion? I, Tyrant Bear, the more I kill, the stronger I become, so no matter how many I have to kill, I will keep on killing until blood flows like a river.” Tyrant Bear patted his chest and said emitting dense bloody aura from his body.
Long Yi frowned, how come he hadn’t sensed this kind of bloody aura from him before? Was this actually a good thing or bad thing?
“You all, order all the people under your leadership to train properly, and after some days, I will come and lead this army. Hereafter, don’t joke around.” Long Yi hit the table and said.
And at that time, Long Zhan had just finished the morning court and was gloomily waking back and forth inside his imperial study. Suddenly, he stopped, then slammed the desk, and that that desk silently disintegrated into powder. After that, he ferociously said: “Ximen clan, Dongfang clan and Nangong clan, there will come a day when I will uproot you all, and slaughter your entire clan.”
“Your Majesty, you don’t need to be so angry, let them temporarily be complacent for a little while, and when the time comes, Your Majesty can level all of them to the ground.” A feminine voice resounded within the room, then a faint shadow became visible in one corner of this study.
“Military Advisor, I truly cannot swallow this anymore. Ximen Nu, that old fox is increasingly looking down on me. Today, before I agree, he made Ximen Yu, that brat the deputy general without my permission and asked me to assign 15000 cavalry soldiers to him, really outrageous.” Long Zhan angrily kicked the chair, breaking it into pieces.
“Your Majesty, no need to be angry, isn’t this a good opportunity, he wants cavalry, then we will give it to him including our secret spies. Then we can monitor and control every action of Ximen Yu at any time, wouldn’t this be better?” That shadow called Military Advisor faintly said.
“Military Advisor, Ximen Yu that brat is already no longer that ignorant and incompetent silkpants of two years ago, it wouldn’t go as smoothly as we think. If I had known that he would become like this earlier, then I would have made a prompt decision and take his dog life at that time, then today, he wouldn’t have become a variable.” Long Zhan sighed.
“We can try to control him, but if we can’t control him, then we will use those spies to kill him instead. Even if his strength rose, there inevitably be the time when he will become careless.” Military Advisor sinisterly said.
“There is only this way left, I will arrange this matter as quickly as possible.” Long Zhan nodded his head and said. Suddenly, his eyes landed on that pile of scraps, and from there, he picked up a fragment of painting. It was a painting of a little girl who looked as if an angel, was precisely his treasured daughter, Long Ling’er.
Long Zhan intricately looking at the painting of her daughter, she truly looked just like her mother, merely why? Why did you fall in love with the people of Ximen clan? Could it be that you also want to forsake me? Long Zhan thought in agony in his heart.
“Your Majesty, don’t worry, little princess has always been intelligent, moreover she is soft outside but hard inside. Her action might be enduring humiliation in order to carry out an important mission, and in the final moment, give Ximen Yu a fatal blow. Just think, how can someone fall in love with the man that defiled her?” Seeing the expression of Long Zhan that looked as if roundworm was inside his stomach, Military Advisor understood what he was thinking.
“Ai, I hope so.” Long Zhan sighed. He indistinctly felt that that was not the case.
“Military Advisor, now the circumstance is already not optimistic. Three major clans have already formed an alliance, should we dispatch our dark pieces or not?” Long Zhan shook off the thoughts that vexed him and asked that shadow.
“Jie jie jie, now is the time, the time is right, geographical and social conditions are favorable, indeed, we should move those dark pieces.” Military Advisor strangely laughed and said.
After that, Long Zhan turned around, then lifting a piece of a curtain of a wall, he revealed a military map hanging on the wall. This map consisted the detail distribution of military troops as well as a number of hidden routes of the military.
Violent Dragon Empire altogether had three million soldiers, and directly under his control was merely 800,000. Among them, 200,000 were imperial guards and the remaining 600,000 were Divine Eagle Legion and Fierce Tiger Legion. Ximen clan controlled Violent Dragon Legion’s 300,000, and the number of their private soldiers were unknown, currently estimated to be more than 100,000. The soldiers controlled by Nangong clan and Dongfang clan could be added up to roughly 200,000. And the remaining soldiers were dispersed to various regions as well as under the leadership of various generals.
Looking at the military power under his direct control, Long Zhan knew that he still had a very big advantage against Ximen clan, but the problem was, if Ximen clan plot a rebellion, then the initial battle will happen only in Soaring Dragon City and at that time, his superior force basically couldn’t come out. He basically couldn’t recall all the military forces from the entire empire to Soaring Dragon City to avoid this civil war, otherwise, the foreign powers would swallow up the Violent Dragon Empire.
“Your Majesty, don’t worry too much, Long clan is the direct descent of Violent Dragon Empire, and is in line with the public will, so as long as Your Majesty don’t lose the support of the people, Ximen Nu will not dare to act rashly. Your Majesty, now you only need to divide and demoralize them from inside.” Military Advisor indifferently said, then laughed strangely again as if that speaker and the laughing person were two different people.
Long Zhan was obviously accustomed to this kind of behavior of Military Advisor, so without being surprise, he asked: “Other than moving dark pieces, is there other means, Military Advisor?”
“Jie jie jie, although the return of Ximen Yu increased the variable, but it in fact also brought us an unexpected benefit.” Military Advisor strangely laughed and said.
“Oh, and what is that benefit?” Long Zhan asked eagerly.
“Everybody knows that Ximen Nu has always been partial to Ximen Yu, presumably even Ximen Tian absolutely knows this. But Ximen Tian is a man with wild ambition, and he is bent on obtaining the patriarch seat of Ximen clan, so as long as we incite him a bit, the brothers will harm themselves. Wouldn’t that be convenient?” Military Advisor said and laughed.
The eyes of Long Zhan shone, then clapping his hand, he laughed and said: “This plan is very wonderful, it’d be best if both sides suffer, and at that time Ximen clan will be in chaos, then it will be much easier to make our move.”
Military Advisor strangely laughed, then his shadow began to slowly disperse. And at the last moment, before he disappeared, he thought aloud: “If you can make one side change the sides, then that would be even better.”
Long Zhan began to ponder, then the smile on his face became bigger and bigger, finally he laughed wildly, but his eyes were not smiling, instead were flashing with ruthlessness, appeared very strange.
[1] Chou=hate, Fu=again/repeatedly, but the ‘Fu’ used by Long Yi meant rich/wealth
