Chapter 2: Ambush on the Road

In the capital, within a quiet classical courtyard, near the elegant pavilion by the fish pond at the center of the courtyard, several dozen soldiers clad in tiger armor and holding weapons stood guard. Every maid who passed before them could feel a powerful baleful aura rushing off their bodies, and fear inevitably appeared on her face.

At that moment, a middle-aged man hurried into view, his head lowered as he quickly stepped into the pavilion by the fish pond.

“Your Highness the Third Prince, a letter has arrived from the Northern Frontier!” The middle-aged man bent at the waist and presented the envelope in his hands.

Inside the pavilion, a noble-looking man dressed in luxurious robes and possessed of a sinister charm was lazily scattering fish feed into the pond.

Only after he had emptied the bowl in his hand did he turn and recline upon the couch, slightly raising his eyes.

“Read it.”

“Yes, Your Highness!” Upon hearing the order, the middle-aged man immediately opened the envelope and carefully read out its contents.

“This subject has not failed his mission and has already arrived in Beimo City. I have taken over the hundred thousand tiger-wolf troops from Chu Feng’s hands. However, from what this subject has secretly observed, Chu Feng enjoys extremely high prestige in Beimo City!

“If we wish to truly take control of this army, we must make long-term plans. For the sake of Your Highness' great cause, this subject is willing to give his all, even unto death, and forge this army into a sharp sword in Your Highness' hand!

“There is one more matter. Chu Feng has already left Beimo City and set out on the road to the capital...”

After the middle-aged man finished reading the contents of the letter, he cautiously raised his head.

“Your Highness the Third Prince, I truly did not expect Chu Feng to possess such methods. He actually managed to train such a powerful army in the Northern Frontier without anyone noticing.”

“This son will surely become a hidden danger in the future. I suggest that we take this opportunity to...” The middle-aged man raised his hand and drew it across his throat, a ruthless look flashing in his eyes.

The Third Prince, Chu Jingyun, cast him a cold glance.

The middle-aged man trembled all over and immediately lowered his head in terror.

“If I hear such a stupid suggestion come out of your mouth again, you can jump in there and feed my fish yourself,” Chu Jingyun said quietly.

The middle-aged man’s back was instantly drenched in cold sweat. His legs went weak, and he dropped to his knees, burying his head low and not daring to make another sound.

Chu Jingyun raised a hand with a light wave, and a maid at once peeled a grape and fed the flesh into his mouth.

As he chewed the fruit, Chu Jingyun smiled breezily and said, “Not just anyone is worthy of the honor of being a Three-Pearl Imperial Prince.”

“Spread the news that Chu Feng has departed. We do not need to dirty our own hands with the rest.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

The middle-aged man rose and immediately turned to leave.

After he left, Chu Jingyun slowly stood up and gazed expressionlessly at the still fish pond.

“My dear little brother, this capital has been quiet for far too long.”

“I hope you can give me a great surprise and arrive in this capital alive.” He tossed out a large handful of fish feed.

The calm pond instantly rippled with wave after wave...

………

A hundred li away from Gumo City, on a deserted country road, a carriage was rolling along slowly, while inside, Chu Feng was leisurely brewing tea.

The one-month deadline was still far off, so Chu Feng was in no hurry to return to the capital.

First, although he had been in this world for twenty years, he had never once admired the scenery throughout the Great Xuan Dynasty.

Second, while taking in the beautiful sights, he could also complete the system’s sign-ins in various places. It was killing two birds with one stone.

“It is said that on the walls of Gujian City grows a Millennium Crimson Flood Dragon Vine. Its roots are as thick and powerful as a flood dragon, and its leaves are crimson like blood.’’

“Under the slanting light of the setting sun, it glitters brilliantly, creating an extremely magnificent sight.’’

“My first stop will be Gujian City, then.” After taking a sip of tea, Chu Feng had already decided on his first destination.

The moment he set down his teacup, his gaze suddenly sharpened.

Outside the carriage window, several black shadows abruptly shot out from the grass and trees. Moving like ghosts, they clutched daggers and lunged toward the carriage.

Yet just as those shadows came within a foot of the carriage, their bodies seemed to sink into a swamp, leaving them rooted in place and unable to move.

Behind their masks, their pupils contracted sharply, and their eyes filled with shock as they stared at the carriage.

Before they could react, several streams of force wrapped in spiritual qi shot out from the carriage window and pierced straight through their skulls.

One corpse after another collapsed beside the carriage, while the vehicle continued down the road as if nothing had happened.

Half an hour after the carriage had left, a figure wearing a Crimson Ghost Mask appeared beside those corpses.

When he saw the way they had died, the masked figure sucked in a cold breath.

“With a single strike, six of my Profound-rank assassins were killed. There must be a martial artist above the Third Rank accompanying Chu Feng!”

The man in the Crimson Ghost Mask did not linger there any longer. With a flash, he vanished from the spot.

In less than half a day, the news that an expert was accompanying Chu Feng had spread to the ears of officials throughout the capital, and all of them were astonished.

After all, a Second-Rank martial artist was already considered a true expert. Any one of them would be regarded as a renowned figure among the five great dynasties.

The fact that such an expert was following Chu Feng forced many of those harboring evil intentions to reluctantly abandon their plans. Even so, some still refused to give up and remained determined to put Chu Feng to death.

………

As the sun sank in the west, a hundred meters ahead of Chu Feng’s carriage, two men in black stood in the road with their respective weapons in hand, blocking the carriage’s path. As the breeze swept by, a chilling aura of slaughter burst forth from their bodies.

The horses seemed to sense the danger. They halted at once, letting out restless snorts.

Inside the carriage, a flicker of surprise appeared in Chu Feng’s eyes.

He had expected that someone might try to ambush him on the road, but he had not expected the people lurking in the shadows to bring in these two.

The pair were blood brothers, and both had been Second-Rank experts for many years. They also had a bit of history with Chu Feng.

When Chu Feng had been stationed in Beimo City, these two had been the leaders of the largest bandit gang in the region. Year after year, they burned, killed, looted, and committed every evil imaginable in Beimo City.

In the end, Chu Feng had personally led a force to wipe out most of their bandit group, though not without great effort. The only pity was that these two leaders had escaped.

He had never expected to run into them again today.

Chu Feng pulled aside the curtain and looked at them with amusement. “Zeng Hu, Zeng Xiong, long time no see.”

The brothers Zeng Hu and Zeng Xiong looked at Chu Feng, cruel smiles spreading across their faces.

“Hahaha, Heaven truly does not fail the determined.’’

“Chu Feng, you never thought the day would come when you would fall into our brothers’ hands, did you?’’

“Today, I will avenge those brothers who died!” Zeng Xiong gritted out through clenched teeth, murder surging in his eyes.’’

It was the man before them who had destroyed the foundation their brothers had built over many years, forcing them to flee in secret and hide their identities all this time.

Such blood-deep hatred made them wish they could swallow Chu Feng alive.

The moment Zeng Hu finished speaking, the brothers charged at Chu Feng with their weapons in hand.

Though their actions looked reckless, they were in fact extremely cautious.