Longzang

Chapter 257 Strength
Xu Yi, being a lady of high birth, still preserved the old man's dignity in the end, leaving him in a moon-white undergarment and not actually stripping him naked. However, the old man probably didn't have anything left to hide.

Wei Yuan packed all the miscellaneous items into boxes and sealed them away, then looked at the Zhao general.

The general felt a chill and hurriedly said, "Hero, you'd better leave some dignity for the Zhao Kingdom and the princess! Otherwise, you'll only die today!"

"If you dare to lay a hand on her, the princess will lose all dignity. There are so many witnesses here. It is you, General, who, for your own sake of saving face, have disregarded the princess's safety and the dignity of the royal family." Such accusations are common in history books, so Wei Yuan used them without hesitation.

The general was taken aback. Seeing Wei Yuan walk towards the carriage, he couldn't help but ask indignantly, "What exactly do you want?"

Wei Yuan said calmly, "Just listen to me. Is there any room for bargaining? To put it bluntly, you're still hesitating. I don't think you have much loyalty to the King of Zhao."

The general's face turned pale, then red. He knew that if these words reached the ears of King Zhao, the king would be very suspicious. His own image in the princess's eyes had likely plummeted.

He gritted his teeth and could only say, "I'll do anything you ask as long as you don't hurt the princess!"

"I want horses, weapons, and my personal belongings. You can keep the royal banner."

The general gritted his teeth, turned around, and said, "Dismount and remove your armor!"

Wei Yuan was finally satisfied. Just then, a voice came from inside the carriage: "Hero, would you mind getting in for a chat?"

The carriage doors opened by themselves, revealing a dark and secluded interior where nothing could be seen clearly. Clearly, this carriage was also an exceptionally high-level magical artifact.

Wei Yuan pondered for a moment, then snorted and said coldly, "Get on the carriage then, what do I have to fear?"

That's what he said, but Wei Yuan first took out a bunch of pills and swallowed seven or eight to restore his Dao power. Then he took out a small jade bottle and sniffed it for a long time; it was for detoxification and protection against curses. Finally, he took two steel-barreled guns, as thick as bowls, from someone else and hung them on his waist before carefully boarding the carriage and disappearing from sight.

The furnishings inside the carriage were beyond Wei Yuan's expectations; they were not luxurious or extravagant, but rather resembled a general's camp. A young girl sat opposite the carriage, dressed casually in a dress that allowed for easy movement.

At first glance, she didn't think much of it, just that it was beautiful. But the more she looked, the more she appreciated it, and the backdrop of a cart full of swords gave her a free and unrestrained, unique air.

Upon seeing Wei Yuan, the young girl covered her mouth and chuckled softly, "So, General, you're really afraid of death."

Wei Yuan wasn't embarrassed at all. In the past few months of training after going down the mountain, he hadn't done anything else, but he had developed a thick skin.

But of course he couldn't admit that he was afraid of death. Fortunately, he was well-read and had plenty of excuses. So Wei Yuan said righteously, "A wise man does not stand in dangerous places. I still want to keep my body to benefit the people. How can I fall for your provocation?"

The girl paused, then laughed even harder, saying, "Then why don't you send one of your men up here?"

Wei Yuan was taken aback. Right, why not send a subordinate to test the waters?

He was used to charging into battle first, having fought countless battles. He hadn't considered things thoroughly enough.

The girl suddenly asked, "Do you want to see what the princess looks like? What do you think of me?"

Wei Yuan looked at the girl carefully and praised, "Not bad."

The girl was stunned, then flew into a rage: "Stop talking nonsense... Do you think there's anyone prettier than me around you?"

Wei Yuan said, "Among the women I know, there are indeed some who are not as good as you, but there are not many. Oh, there are quite a few men who are not as good as you."

The girl laughed in exasperation: "Are you trying to say there are men more handsome than me?"

Wei Yuan actually nodded.

Even if we disregard Xu Henshui, Xiao Yu, dressed as a woman, could easily outshine this young girl.

"Get lost, there's nothing more to talk about." The girl didn't want to say another word to Wei Yuan.

But Wei Yuan showed no sign of leaving, saying, "I've come on someone's behalf to retrieve something. May I ask what it is, Princess?"

The girl was also taken aback. She didn't know what the thing was either, and said irritably, "I don't know!"

Wei Yuan wasn't angry. He said, "If you refuse to tell me, then I'll have no choice but to search you. I search people thoroughly, so I don't think it's necessary to go that far."

The girl gritted her teeth and stared at Wei Yuan, then suddenly said, "Take off your mask and let me see it, then I'll let you search me!"

Wei Yuan figured his true appearance wasn't a secret, so he removed his mask. The girl, true to her word, closed her eyes, puffed out her chest, and said, "Come on!"

Wei Yuan was not going to stand on ceremony. He ran his hands over the girl's head, and her long hair immediately fell down. All the ornaments on her head, including her earrings, were in Wei Yuan's hands. Moreover, the thin layer of powder on her face and the rouge on her lips were gone.

Some treasures are thinner than a hair and can be hidden in rouge.

Wei Yuan intended to continue, but stopped when he saw the girl's face showing a hint of triumph in her scheme.

"Why did you stop searching?" "The item isn't on you."

The girl instinctively asked, "How did you know?" But as soon as the words left her mouth, she knew she had been tricked.

"I have no idea what that thing is, I only know that someone is coming to take it. Come on, let's continue!" The girl simply stood in front of Wei Yuan.

Wei Yuan took a step back and said, "We will meet again in the future. How about this, Princess, tell me what you want to do, and I might be able to lend you a hand."

The young woman said, "I'm going to the Western Jin Dynasty to find a husband. It's uncertain who I'll end up with. It could be the grandson of King Cheng, or some prince. But I heard that all those people are very annoying, so I've decided to give each of them a hat to wear first, so that we won't get married. If someone can tolerate this, then I can't help it."

Wei Yuan quickly replied, "Your Highness is so impressive! But I can't help with this."

A marriage alliance between two countries is never a simple matter of marriage; it involves countless important events and power struggles. Wei Yuan is not foolish and has no intention of getting involved. Besides, historical records generally indicate that marriage alliances are not a good thing; such a strategy is usually only considered as a last resort.

But the girl laughed and said, "Anyway, once you're in the car, it's hard to explain. I'll definitely say that you've already touched me. Why don't you really come and try it? At least you won't be blamed for nothing."

Wei Yuan immediately cupped his hands in farewell and said, "Farewell!"

Then he turned around and got out of the boat or carriage.

The bandits of Zhantian arrived with a roar and left heavily laden with six or seven thousand prisoners. Of Yue Qilin's four thousand former followers, three thousand five thousand remained, plus the three thousand Xu family private soldiers disguised as bandits—that was their haul. Fortunately, Feng Tingyu didn't forget to dig Wang Ziyan out of the ground at the end; otherwise, the martial world would have had another young talent die young.

Feng Lin and his troops were unharmed, each man only having their undergarments left. Wei Yuan had no respect for these soldiers whom he had personally trained. Their physical weakness was secondary; the main problem was their bad habits, which made them difficult to reform.

Bandits are bandits; they're ruthless when they rob, leaving nothing behind. But since they'd escaped with their lives, Feng Lin and his men had no complaints. After all, if they lost their money, they could just rob the common people again.

As soon as Zhan Tianbang left, Feng Lin rushed to the carriage and fell to the ground, saying, "Princess, you were frightened. This humble general has failed in his duty, and I deserve to die ten thousand times to atone for my sins!"

In terms of the sorrowful tone of his voice, even the Zhao generals were not a fraction as powerful.

A cold voice came from inside the carriage: "Get out! I don't want to see you."

Feng Lin felt a chill in his heart, but dared not disobey. The Zhao general sensed something amiss in the princess's tone and tentatively asked, "What did that person do?"

"I've done everything I could." The princess's voice was icy, tinged with grief and indignation.

The Zhao general was loyal, but not stupid. He was somewhat suspicious and said, "This... seems a bit too fast."

From the time Wei Yuan boarded the car to the time he got off, there wasn't much time in total. He only exchanged a few words, and in that short time, he probably wouldn't even have had time to take off all his clothes.

Inside the carriage, the princess gritted her teeth and said, "That guy was incredibly impatient, but all show and no substance. He confessed in no time. Do I need to elaborate?"

The Zhao general was speechless. Feng Lin, on the other hand, had been listening intently and heard everything clearly.

The delegation regrouped and continued their journey. The young woman again sent someone to tell Wei Yuan that the thing should not stray too far from the ground and should not move too fast. Since Wei Yuan was leading a large group of prisoners and couldn't move quickly either, they proceeded slowly westward.

Feng Lin led his remaining troops back to the county seat in a disgraceful manner. Halfway there, he suddenly realized with a start that his own troops had returned unscathed—wasn't this irrefutable proof of cowardice? Although Yue Qilin's four thousand men had been completely wiped out, his two thousand men hadn't lost a single one—it just didn't make sense. His powerful patron had many political enemies who would never let this opportunity for impeachment slip by.

Furthermore, if the princess is kidnapped, he cannot escape the charge of failing to protect her properly. If he were to be accused of being cowardly and afraid of the enemy, he would not even be able to escape exile or military service.

Feng Lin quickly looked around, wondering if he should kill some people. Besides, it would be unbelievable if none of the officers were dead.

However, the captains around him had all served him for some time and knew Feng Lin's character well. Seeing him look over, their eyes flashed with murderous intent. Feng Lin felt a chill run down his spine, immediately realizing that if things went wrong, they might kill him, their commander, first.

These captains understood that Feng Lin would definitely lose his official position upon returning this time, so there was no need for them to be subservient to him anymore.

Feng Lin was helpless, knowing that this was Wei Yuan's open scheme, and could only repeatedly curse: "Damn Wei Sanqiang! You deserve to not be able to use a fourth shot! You will never have a fourth shot in your life!"

The officers were all seasoned veterans of romance, the villains in storybooks. Although they hadn't heard what the princess said, by comparing the context and making connections, they managed to guess pretty accurately. As a result, strange smiles appeared on everyone's faces, and their jealousy towards Wei Yuan lessened considerably.

Hanyang Pass, a quiet little courtyard.

The old scholar opened an urgent report, and after just one glance, he trembled with rage, exclaiming, "Outrageous! Utterly outrageous! This isn't a display of strength; it's clearly an act of defecating on our heads!"

The old scholar was so angry that he stopped speaking politely.

The middle-aged scholar took the urgent report, read it carefully, and then handed it to the maid beside him, smiling slightly. "They want to test our strength, huh? Heh, very well, I'll go and meet them."

The old scholar then said, "As for the princess..."

The scholar interrupted him: "The princess is perfectly fine."

(End of this chapter)