Distant Mountain Battle Song

Chapter 74 Unlucky People
Yun Ce arrived at the Tiger General's training ground early in the morning, fully armed and riding a chestnut horse.

Perhaps because we arrived too early, there wasn't many people at the gate. Looking into the gatehouse, there were people inside, but they were fast asleep, looking like they were in disarray.

Yun Ce called out to him, but the man scratched his butt, turned over, and went back to sleep. So Yun Ce dismounted, led his chestnut horse, and went straight into the military training ground.

The military training ground covers a large area. Upon entering, there is a huge racecourse, but there are no people, no horses, and not even a single sheep in the racecourse.

Passing through the training ground, one arrives at the martial arts hall. Yun Ce thought about the fate of Lin Chong for mistakenly entering the White Tiger Hall, then turned around, left the training ground, and stood at the entrance to wait.

Not wandering aimlessly around the military camp actually had nothing to do with Lin Chong; it was a habit he had developed since childhood. This habit was related to a severe beating he received. The one who beat him was Yun Linchuan, and the one who was beaten was Yun Ce. At that time, Yun Linchuan, who was over eighty years old, could still eat half a bucket of rice and three catties of meat, and he beat the young Yun Ce as easily as beating a chick.

In the mornings, Izumo Castle is always shrouded in mist, a hazy gray that seems to veil the city. Things look fine up close, but from a distance, it's easy to mistake women for men.

Yun Ce saw a woman running towards him with small steps. When he got closer, he realized that she was a man carrying a lance. Then, Yun Ce turned his face away and pretended to be affectionate with the chestnut horse.

The man recognized the maroon Thunder Smoke Beast in front of him, but dared not ask too many questions at the entrance of the military camp. In addition, he had important matters to attend to, so he hurriedly entered the training ground, shouting as he walked.

“A certain monk named Peng has come to participate in the martial arts selection. He requests that the examiners appear before him.”

The gatekeeper was awakened by the noise. He got up and saw Peng Zeng, and weakly rang a large bell. Before the bell's trembling sound stopped, he picked up the drumstick and started hitting the drum.

After three chimes and six drumbeats, the gatekeeper threw down the drumsticks and went back to his room to sleep.

Peng Zeng had changed a lot in the month since I last saw him. When I first met him in the wilderness of Pingyuan City, he was as fierce as a tiger and as strong as a lion. He was a fearless hero who could stand on his fist and ride a horse on his arm.

Peng Zeng, standing outside Yu Gong's residence, had become somewhat dejected. Although he remained as shrewd as ever, he had become much more timid and hesitant in handling matters, losing the heroic spirit of a true man.

When Peng Zeng was seen again outside the military training ground, he had become much thinner, and even his way of walking had changed. He was no longer bold and unrestrained, but timid and hesitant. This time, he was also without the Thunder Smoke Beast by his side, and even his clothes had changed from silk to simple coarse cloth.

Despite his awkward walking posture, when he stands firmly on the military training ground, he still exudes the dignified and unyielding spirit of a true man.

Yun Ce waited for a while and then saw a foot soldier in armor walk over from the other end of the training ground. His footsteps were thunderous. The foot soldier weighed 116 jin and was equipped with a long-handled horse-slaying sword. He walked over step by step with a terrifying aura.

"Are you the one who wants to participate in the martial arts competition?" A metallic buzzing sound came from behind the mask.

Peng Zeng showed no fear and roared, "I, Peng Zeng of the Drought Thunder Sect, would like to ask for your guidance!"

Yun Ce had fought Peng Zeng, although the soldier in the infantry armor looked more robust and tall, and probably couldn't possibly defeat Peng Zeng.

The one who dared to come out and fight must be the strongest among the infantrymen. Judging from the momentum he displayed with his horse-slaying sword, it was clear that he had underestimated his opponent.

The essence of the horse-slaying saber lies in its invincible momentum. To swing the saber carelessly is to disrespect the saber and one's own destiny.

Sure enough, Peng Zeng's lance blocked the saber, and the infantryman was actually pressing down hard. The saber, unable to move, was useless. Peng Zeng pushed the saber away with his lance, and then, using the lance as a fulcrum, he used all his strength and his own weight to kick the infantryman hard in the chest.

The fallen soldier cried out and tried to sit up, but Peng Zeng's spear struck his forehead, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't sit up and could only roll to the side.

Peng Zeng's smile was somewhat perverse. The soldier had already lost, and he could have ended the match and joined the infantry. But he didn't. When the infantry turned around, he continued to tap the soldier's forehead with his lance, forcing him to keep rolling... until the soldier, burdened by a hundred-pound suit of armor, could no longer roll. Only then did he withdraw his lance and shout towards the military camp.

"Let's have another impressive one."

The bell-ringing started again, and the gatekeeper, who was beating the drum, had a very unfriendly look in his eyes. Looking at the soldiers who were slumped on the ground, he rang the bell louder and beat the drum harder.

Immediately, a group of people poured out from the military camp. The one at the front, as Gouzi introduced him, was Captain Zhou, the one who dismembered the bear king.

Several men came over and carried away the infantryman who couldn't get up. Yun Ce vaguely heard the infantryman crying.

Peng Zeng slowly raised his spear, pointed it at the group of people, and shouted, "Peng Zeng, the Thunder God of the Drought, seeks your guidance!"

Yun Ce remembered that this seemed to be Peng Zeng's signature move. When he met him in the wilderness, Peng Zeng pointed a broken spear at him. Now he was pointing it at this Captain Zhou Chengming. He wondered what the result would be.

Zhou Chengming looked at Peng Zeng and said, "Hero, if you wish to join my Tiger General's Mansion, we are naturally overjoyed. But we wonder if you will stop here or continue the challenge?" Peng Zeng replied, "I was originally an invincible swordsman who roamed the wilderness. Now I wish to join the army and obtain a title commensurate with my status. Tell me, if I defeat you, will I receive a title?"

Zhou Chengming was momentarily stunned by Peng Zeng's powerful aura, so he pointed to a knight behind him and said, "Defeat him, Duke Gong."

Peng Zeng shook his head and said, "Not enough."

With an inscrutable expression, Zhou Chengming pointed to another knight and stepped forward, continuing, "Defeat him, and you shall be granted a noble title!"

Peng Zeng glanced at the not-so-tall centurion knight, thought he could take on three of them, and shook his head, saying, "Not enough!"

Zhou Chengming glanced at his subordinates, who were on the verge of exploding from humiliation, raised his hand to stop their commotion, and took a long sword from a cavalryman.

He waved it lightly in front of his eyes and smiled at Peng Zeng, saying, "In that case, only I, the captain, am left. Defeat me and you will be granted the title of Zan Niao!"

Zhou Chengming's casualness and fearlessness reminded Peng Zeng of his own experiences these past few days. He slightly restrained his arrogance, withdrew his lance, and assumed a forward and backward bow stance, gripping the lance forward and closing the distance to within three feet, adopting the "Poison Dragon Emerging from its Cave" posture.

Having witnessed Peng Zeng's fearlessness, and seeing Zhou Chengming casually holding a long knife while approaching Peng Zeng and stretching his shoulders and back, Yun Ce decisively revealed his face from the neck of the chestnut horse. At this moment, even if Peng Zeng knew that he was the murderer who killed him, he should not care about causing trouble.

The fact that Peng Zenggan abandoned the offensive and adopted a defensive posture was known not only to Yun Ce, but also to Zhou Chengming's subordinates. The so-called invincible knight-errant of the wilderness was in trouble.

Three sharp clangs of weapons clashing suddenly rang out. Zhou Chengming was still two zhang away from Peng Zeng, but in an instant, his longsword was already close to Peng Zeng and he slashed out three times in succession.

Peng Zeng was no pushover either. Although Zhou Chengming's blade was extremely fast, he still managed to block three strikes thanks to his years of combat experience.

However, those three strikes were just the beginning. When Peng Zeng was clearing the safe zone with his lance, he found that Zhou Chengming had returned to his original position, as if he had never made a move, with the long sword in his right hand still hanging at his side.

Zhou Chengming smiled and said to Peng Zeng, "Your skills are worthy of a Gongshi rank. It's impossible for you to go any higher. How about we end it here? You will enter the Tiger Guard Commandery and be promoted to Gongshi rank."

Yun Ce admitted that Zhou Chengming's words carried a hint of pity. If Peng Zeng were smarter, he would have stopped at this point and it would have been a win-win situation. Humiliating a mere infantryman was not a big deal. They could have a drink together and everything would be fine.

It's unclear what Peng Zeng was thinking, but he seemed completely unable to accept Zhou Chengming's pity. He yelled, "You filthy savage, I'm going to kill you!" and thrust his lance out like a poisonous dragon.

Hearing Peng Zeng's curses, a hint of anger flashed across Zhou Chengming's face. Before Peng Zeng's spear could get close, his body had already appeared in front of Peng Zeng like a ghost. His long sword slammed heavily into Peng Zeng's face. Just when everyone thought that he would be beheaded by Zhou Chengming, they found that Peng Zeng's head was not cut in two. When he opened his mouth, seven or eight teeth sprayed out with blood.

Only then did people realize that Zhou Chengming had been whipping with the blade, not slashing.

Seeing Peng Zeng wildly swinging his spear and retreating, Zhou Chengming casually tossed his long sword out, and the sword whistled through the air and embedded itself in a hitching post.

He leaped forward, ducked to avoid the sweeping spear, and approached Peng Zeng. His fists then rained blows on Peng Zeng's chest, each punch faster and harder than the last. The dense barrage of punches pounded indiscriminately on Peng Zeng's body and face. He even had time to kick Peng Zeng in the groin. When Peng Zeng ducked, he raised his knee and sent Peng Zeng flying.

As Zhou Chengming delivered a high kick that came crashing down like a battle axe, Peng Zeng, who was already nearly unconscious, was slammed heavily to the ground with the blow, raising clouds of dust across the training ground.

"Can we beat them?" Yun Ce asked Gouzi.

Whether you can beat them or not is none of my business.

"I think we can't afford to fight amongst ourselves at this time; we need to unite as one."

"Aren't you afraid that letting me out will cause you even more trouble?"

"What about the Dragon Balls? Can they grant me superhuman strength temporarily?"

"If you're not afraid they have spirit-detecting insects, then go ahead and use the power of the Dragon Balls."

Yun Ce watched as Peng Zeng, who had been beaten into a pulp by Zhou Chengming, passed by him. Although Peng Zeng clearly recognized him and was filled with grief and indignation, he was still very much in a bad state.

Even so, since human joys and sorrows are not all the same, he was still carried away and thrown out by two soldiers.

(End of this chapter)