The Human Emperor
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The Human Emperor - Chapter 335: Assassin!
"Say, can't you tell me what kind of sorcery you have cast over them?" Wang Chong suddenly asked with a playful smile.
Flawless white skin, a curvaceous figure, and an exquisite face, paired with an aura of sophistication; even Wang Chong had to admit that she possessed incredible charm. If one were to metaphor her, she would be like a lofty white lotus in the midst of a snowy mountain.
"Sorcery?" Bewilderment flashed momentarily across Bai Siling's eyes before realization struck her, and she smiled, "How about sharing some of your gold with me for this secret?"
Bai Siling raised her hand elegantly and pointed at the crates of gold placed by Wang Chong's side.
Honestly speaking, she had no idea what the fellow before her was thinking of. As per the norm in the military, he could have easily swallowed the several hundred thousand gold taels for himself. Yet, he chose to share it with his men instead.
It was either that the man before her was a fool, or his eyes had already transcended beyond material gains. But regardless of which it was, it had indeed deepened her interest in this man.
"Hahaha, is the young mistress of the Bai Clan really interested in just a few mere crates of gold?" With a mysterious smile hanging on his lips, Wang Chong gazed deeply into Bai Siling.
"As I expected, you know my true identity." As if having expected this, Bai Siling smiled faintly, seemingly affirming Wang Chong's words.
"How many people wouldn't know your identity when you have already reported your true name?" Wang Chong replied.
"But there is more than one Bai Clan in the capital?"
"Of them all, there's only one I can think of that is qualified to send their offspring to Longwei Training Camp."
"Hahaha, as expected of a man bestowed with an Imperial steed, a White-hoofed Shadow. I really can't hide anything from you."
Those words immediately plunged the light and casual chat into extreme awkwardness.
Just the fact that the other party was able to identify the White-hoofed Shadow spoke much about her. Even though Wang Chong didn't think that he would be able to hide his identity forever, the lady before him still seemed to be far more discerning than he had thought.
As expected of a scion from the Bai Clan! You sure do share the same blood as your kin! Recalling the Bai Clan's resounding reputation for their shrewdness, Wang Chong sighed deeply.
He had sure received a clear glimpse of it today!
"Why aren't you speaking?" With a cheerful smile, Bai Siling nudged the young man before her as a little glee arose in her heart.
This fellow always had a confident look on his face, as if everything was within his control. Pulling one over on him was not easy at all.
"At this point, do you still not intend to reveal your true identity to me?" Bai Siling asked with a smile.
"I don't know what you are talking about," Wang Chong replied seriously. As he spoke, he patted the back of his horse and galloped toward his platoon.
"Hey! You can't act like this!" Bai Siling yelled angrily, "You know very well what I am talking about!"
"I don't know," Wang Chong said a smile flashing momentarily across his face.
"Screw that!" Bai Siling clenched her teeth tightly as she glared at Wang Chong's back hatefully. He would always use that darned old trick against her, playing dumb.
But there was simply nothing she could do against it. As long as Wang Chong refused to acknowledge it, there was nothing she could say.
"... But if you wish to get a share of the gold, I can consider that."
Just as Bai Siling was about to explode, a voice lightly drifted back to her along with the wind. Hearing those words, her fury vanished and a gleeful smile took its place.
Lad, at least you have some conscience!
Bai Siling tugged on the reins of her steed and picked up her pace as well.
With each operation, Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu's coordination was swiftly improving. With an enhanced numerical advantage, their success rate was swiftly rising, and from the looks of it, they should be able to clear the mission without any trouble.
On the other hand, Wang Chong seemed to have found himself a new follower.
Using the words from Wang Chong's previous life, Bai Siling would be a newbie leeching experience off him.
Without help, it would have been difficult for Bai Siling to clear the mission.
Fortunately for her, Wang Chong didn't seem to mind it, either. In any case, the twenty True Martial realm veterans under Bai Siling was also an additional fighting force for him, as well.
Besides that, Wang Chong wasn't willing to see Bai Siling hanging around Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu, either. Given Bai Siling’s wits, it would safer to keep her by his side.
Xiu xiu!
Two sharp arrows harnessing immense might shot across the sky and struck two bandits who were escaping in a panic. Pu pu, impaled in the chest, the two bandits staggered and fell off the cliff. A long moment later, two dull thuds sounded from below.
"I finally understand why Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu would lose to you. The first thing that is on your mind isn't victory, but loss. Even before the start of the battle, you have already calculated their path of escape. You are simply hiding too much, the both of them won't be able to comprehend your means no matter how long they observe you… It should come as consolation to them that at least their loss is against an opponent like you."
On the high peak of the mountain, Bai Siling was gazing down from a boulder to observe the happenings beneath. Shaking her head, she let out a long sigh.
When she saw the two bandits escaping, Bai Siling was still wondering whether this would be Wang Chong's first failure. Who knew that two arrows would suddenly appear from nowhere and claim the lives of the duo?
Despite having watched the situation from the start to the end, she still wasn't able to comprehend where the two cavalrymen who shot the arrows came from.
"You have keen eyes, I knew that I wouldn't be able to hide it from you." Standing beside Bai Siling, Wang Chong chuckled heartily with his hands behind his back. He knew that it would only be a matter of time before all his means were exposed to her.
"As the saying goes, a cunning hare has three dens. In this case, it would be the sentries, traps, and numerous escape routes. Regarding the last one, as long as one studies the geography of their den carefully, it isn't too difficult to deduce their paths of escape. All that would be left then is to plant a few master archers in the vicinity to clear them off.
"Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu's arrogance have led to them underestimating the intelligence of the bandits. Knowing that there would be periodic cleanups, how could they possibly dare to remain here without some aces up their sleeves?" Wang Chong said. His tone was slow but confident. His words seemed to carry some kind of power that made one unwittingly believe his words.
Unlike Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu, Wang Chong felt that it was meaningless to hide this from Bai Siling. Besides, since he had already decided to bring her along with him on his missions, he had no intentions of hiding his tricks from her, either.
"You sure have some interesting phrases. Aces?" Bai Siling took a side glance at Wang Chong's well-proportioned face as slight bewilderment flashed across her eyes. Wang Chong's manner of speech and the terminology he used was very different from others.
While she had never heard these phrases before, she could roughly fathom their meanings.
"But that's easier said than done. Even with a clear grasp of the geographical region around the den, not everyone will be able to deduce their path of escape as accurately as you do. I doubt that Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu will be able to learn that from following behind you. In the end, it all boils down to your capability.
"Even though you have been acting mysterious, refusing to reveal your identity, there is no doubt you are a scion. Honestly, I am truly unable to comprehend how you are able to know so much about the various methods of the bandits. After all, this shouldn't be common knowledge for people like us, right?" Bai Siling asked curiously. This fellow was like a bag of mysteries; the more she interacted with him, the more secrets she would find inside him. As simple as that fellow had described his actions to be, she understood that it wasn't that easy to carry them out in practice.
In her view, Xu Gan and Huang Yongtu were outstanding in their own rights. The only problem was that they were competing against a monster.
Barely fifteen or sixteen, but the knowledge he had displayed, and the experience and composure that shone through his actions went far beyond that. Wasn't there something very queer about this?
"There is a long story behind that," Wang Chong chuckled in response, but he chose not to satisfy Bai Siling's curiosity. After all, how could he tell another that he had actually reincarnated back into his younger body?
"Go!" Wang Chong waved his hands, and the reinforcements immediately joined the battle as well. True Martial realm halos swiftly emerged in the surroundings, and before long, loud explosions filled the mountain peak.
It was best to retain some methods for himself, so Wang Chong had chosen to resort to brute force instead of utilizing strategies before Bai Siling.
Besides, with a combined strength of forty True Martial realm cavalrymen, there was indeed no need for strategy either.
"Be careful!" Just as Wang Chong was deep in thought, an anxious shout suddenly sounded. Chi, with a cold gleam, a crescent blade flashed across the night sky in a huge arc, aiming for both him and Bai Siling.
That person seemed to have been hiding in the shadows for quite some time. It was only after confirming that the young man and lady before him were the leaders of the cavalry below did he slowly creep forward to strike them down.
As the crescent blade sliced across space, it seemed like even the air was divided into two. The piercing shrill of the blade as it traversed through space suggested that even iron could be easily cut through, needless to say, a body of flesh and blood.
If Wang Chong and Bai Siling were to be struck by this saber, they would surely be decapitated.