The Human Emperor

Chapter 447: The Rebel Soldiers of Youzhou!

Chapter 447: The Rebel Soldiers of Youzhou!

Translated by: Hypersheep325

Edited by: Michyrr

"What in the world is going on?"

The boundless rain slapped onto his face like lead pills as An Yaluoshan galloped through the rain, a long white wake of water left behind him.

He could hear the galloping of horses behind him, each sound pounding at the bottom of An Yaluoshan’s heart. It had been a long time since he had experienced being hunted down.

These people were rushing toward him with all the ferocity of a torrential flood. An Yaluoshan knew that if he was caught or was just a little too slow, the only thing waiting for him would be death.

This intense danger made An Yaluoshan’s head ache and his entire body feel like it was about to explode. He had already pushed this Ferghana steed that he had brought from Youzhou to the limit, but he didn’t feel like he was widening the distance.

There was no doubt that the steed of his pursuer was not one bit inferior to his!

This made An Yaluoshan even more uneasy.

But none of this danger could overcome that one thought in An Yaluoshan’s mind:

Why was all of this happening?

There were so many people in Drunken Sparrow restaurant, so why was that Han youth targeting him? He was also the least famous of the Four An Brothers, so why was all the attention being put on the obscure him?

And there was another, even more important thing that An Yaluoshan couldn’t understand. Ever since he had come down from Youzhou to here, he had been very inconspicuous and obedient, acting like a dog with its tail between its legs. He had done nothing to disrespect the law.

So why did that youth not seem to care about anyone else and insist on running him down?

An Yaluoshan had searched his mind and confirmed that he had never met that boy, so there was naturally no opportunity for any conflicts to form. But that loathing, those bloodshot eyes, wouldn’t lie.

There was one moment, An Yaluoshan had to admit, that he truly had been scared out of his wits. That was no longer something as simple as ordinary hatred or loathing, but a deep-seated hatred that had been forged in a sea of blood.

So when An Yaluoshan saw his sworn brother An Wenzhen being cut down, he immediately fled. He had a bad feeling that if he was just a little too slow, he would never be able to escape.

Just who is that boy? Where did I ever get into a quarrel with him? Youzhou? Impossible! All the youths of the capital are tender and soft. None of them would ever go to such a remote place. And besides, with their status, who would ever try to do anything against them?

Could it be the capital? Impossible! This is my first time in the capital. If I met him before, I would have known and wouldn’t be inexplicably pursued like this.

An Yaluoshan pressed against the back of his horse, panting for breath as countless thoughts flashed through his mind. Perhaps it was because he had escaped too many times, had been pursued by that person too many times.

After spending so long living in fear, An Yaluoshan had discovered that he was extremely skilled at escaping in very poor circumstances.

The galloping behind him, the torrential rain, the splashing water, and that clanging of metal that seemed to want to take his soul made An Yaluoshan’s heart beat in fear.

An Yaluoshan could easily imagine that youth’s cold and handsome face, his icy and bloodshot eyes. He could even hear and smell his breath.

They were already extremely close.

But An Yaluoshan did not dare to turn his head.

This unreasonable pursuit, those extremely vicious and thunderous methods, and that pair of bloodshot eyes, filled with hatred... An Yaluoshan had never imagined that he would meet someone who would make him panic as much as that person.

More importantly, An Yaluoshan still had no idea why all this was happening.

Could it be because of that guy?

An idea came to him. As he was thinking, An Yaluoshan had suddenly recalled that group of Han that they had driven out of Drunken Sparrow restaurant.

There had been all sorts of people in that crowd, and quite a few of them had been sailors. When they were driving them out, that crowd had shouted that their leader was a young man from the capital’s Wang Clan.

At the time, An Wenzhen had easily headed off this tactic. An Wenzhen had said that the Wang Clan of the capital was an elite clan. If they held a party, how could they not reserve the entire restaurant? And how could they associate with this everyday riffraff? They had to be lying.

And then they broke their bones!

Those people had been extremely agitated, saying that they would definitely regret this!

After thinking for so long, An Yaluoshan could only think of this incident.

But even if that was the cause, he had nothing to do with this incident. An Wenzhen had been the perpetrator. He hadn’t even joined in the beating!

If that boy wanted to find someone, he should have gone after An Wenzhen and the others. Why was it him instead!?

First I’ll go to the relay station in the western suburbs. Only there will I be absolutely safe!

All these thoughts flew out of his head as An Yaluoshan urged his horse on.

......

As the rain poured down in buckets, the crackling lightning bolts allowed for brief glimpses of two sets of man and horse, one in front and one behind.

Wang Chong was pressed against the back of his horse, his mouth clenched. Behind him was the galloping of horses, but no one was saying anything.

The current silence was for more frightening than if there had been voices.

No matter where you go, you won’t be able to escape the capital!

Wang Chong stared in front of him.

The capital was a walled city, and he had come from the city gate. The city gate was behind him, and as long as An Yaluoshan didn’t escape through the city gate, it didn’t matter where else he went—he would never escape his grasp.

No, even if An Yaluoshan did escape through the city gate, he still wouldn’t be able to escape.

In his last life, he had spent thirty-five years but had still failed to rescue the Central Plains from its fate of destruction. In this life, Wang Chong had already put in enormous efforts and a great deal of time to make ample preparations for the Central Plains.

But Wang Chong had not imagined that the heavens would send him such a good opportunity. An Yaluoshan had come from the distant Youzhou alone to the capital, to him.

Wang Chong had never once felt so close to success, so close to accomplishing his missions. It wasn’t simply right before his eyes now. He could almost touch it.

As long as he could kill An Yaluoshan, destiny would undergo an inconceivable reversal.

Of all the countless possibilities in fate, this was undoubtedly one of the easiest, and it came with the smallest price.

The current An Yaluoshan was too weak. He couldn’t even be compared to that ambitious, ruthless, and peerless villain from his last life.

Wang Chong was keenly aware that if he missed this chance, he would definitely regret it.

Because the next time such a chance came along, he would definitely not have it so easy, would not hold such a dominating advantage.

Rumble!

The rumbling of warhorses allowed Wang Chong to sense without turning around that more and more people were joining up with him. The massive influence the Wang Clan wielded in the capital was at work.

Wang Chong was well aware that these people were not from Deflecting Blade Manor or the spirit vein mountain, perhaps not even from the Wang Clan. The Wang Clan was a prestigious clan of ministers and generals, on equal level with the Yao Clan, an existence that even King Qi had to take seriously. Through the Qilin son that was Wang Chong, it was putting its massive influence and power to work.

The Wang Clan was like a giant beast hiding under the water, possessing limitless strength. But the Wang Clan’s meekness, humbleness, and inconspicuous demeanor had restricted this strength.

This restriction did not come from Wang Yan, Wang Chong’s father, nor did it come from Wang Chong’s big uncle, Wang Gen. Rather, it came from Wang Chong’s grandfather, that figure held in the highest esteem by the entire world, Duke Jiu, Wang Jiuling.

Duke Jiu was frugal and disciplined, and he required the same of his children, leading the entirety of the Wang Clan to conduct themselves so.

Though this had given the Wang Clan a virtuous reputation, it had also limited its strength.

So it was said that he who was raised by Xiao He was cast down by Xiao He.

(TN: This is a saying that relates to a story from the Han Dynasty. Xiao He was an advisor to Liu Bang, the founder of the Han Dynasty. When Liu Bang was fighting with Xiang Yu, a rival warlord, Xiao He discovered Han Xin as a low-ranking soldier in Liu Bang’s army and recommended him to Liu Bang. Han Xin would go on to be an important general in Liu Bang’s army. However, after Liu Bang succeeded in defeating Xiang Yu, the relationship between Liu Bang and Han Xin soured. Eventually, fearing that Han Xin would rebel, Xiao He plotted with Empress Lu Zhu to lure Han Xin to the capital, where they arrested and executed him.)

Wang Chong’s grandfather had worked as an official in the court until he was eventually appointed as Prime Minister. In the fast-changing political scene of the court, he bravely worked to reverse the tides and steady the situation. Once, when the Turks and Khitans were invading from the north, he worked with the Emperor and the other ministers to create the current golden age of the Great Tang. This was the source of the Wang Clan’s strength.

But similarly, Wang Chong’s grandfather had a virtuous character that restricted the Wang Clan’s strength.

Yet probably not even Wang Chong’s grandfather could have imagined that a variable like Wang Chong would ultimately appear in the Wang Clan.

His appearance had completely shattered the rules set down by the Wang Clan.

Most importantly, the talent he had displayed had also managed to gain the approval of the Wang Clan’s Old Master.

Phweeet!

In the middle of the pursuit, a harsh whistle came from in front of them. In the middle of the pouring rain, An Yaluoshan suddenly led his horse around a corner, and then seemingly turned into a courtyard, vanishing from sight.

Upon seeing this, Wang Chong narrowed his eyes and slowed his horse. But he did not hesitate too much. Joining with his horse, he did not go through the gate of the courtyard but instead chose to ram through the wall.

Boom!

Countless bricks covered in rain exploded inward as the tall courtyard wall collapsed and Wang Chong rode his White-hoofed Shadow in.

In an instant, Wang Chong stopped.

Forty-some zhang in front of Wang Chong was a towering courtyard building, and in front of this courtyard were sixty to seventy muscular figures mounted on warhorses. Armed and armored, they silently stood guard in front of the courtyard.

There were Hu and Han in this group, even Khitans and Tibetans. Though drenched by the torrential rain, none of them moved. The rain seeped into their eyes, but none of them blinked.

Crack!

A blazing bolt of lightning streaked over the courtyard, its light illuminating the world, illuminating the wolfish gazes in the courtyard.

Those stalwart figures were dressed for battle, and on their armor was the striking symbol of the Andong Protectorate, the green flame and long spear!

"The rebel soldiers of Youzhou!"

Wang Chong instantly calmed down.

The figures in the courtyard all had vigorous energies. Each one of them had reached at least the True Martial realm, and some of them were even showing an aura of the Profound Martial realm.

This was not a level any ordinary squad of elites could reach.

At this moment, Wang Chong knew that he was wrong. An Yaluoshan had not come alone. He had brought with him elite troops from Youzhou in the Andong Protectorate.

"Hmph, it seems like all the traitors and villains of the Great Tang are here!"

Wang Chong fiercely clenched his fists and his eyes turned even redder.

Not only did the sudden appearance of these sixty to seventy powerful soldiers fail to extinguish his killing intent, it actually provoked it to its highest level.

Youzhou was a place where Han and foreigners lived together. It gave birth to the bravest warriors and also to the greatest number of traitors and villains.

The Great Tang was a massive creature that had existed for more than two hundred years. It was not something that An Yaluoshan alone could shake. He had many traitors at his side.

And there was no doubt that these traitors now stood before him. An Yaluoshan had rushed here precisely because this group of people could protect him.

"What luck! I didn’t expect that all my opponents would be here! An Yaluoshan, even if you grow wings today, you won’t be able to escape!"

Wang Chong’s fists were clenched so tightly that his fingernails were digging into his flesh, but he did not notice.

All the people that he loathed and desired to kill had come, and they were all standing right in front of him.

Are the heavens at work here? Do they want to give me a chance to complete my mission?