ChangNing’s Imperial Army

Chapter 92 – No Victory
In the yard, there were two guards. After Shen Leng got rid of the two fellas, he made his way towards the room. Someone inside asked why it was so noisy, to which Shen Leng replied saying that the crown prince asked to meet with him. Mr. Yuan, in his half-awake state, told him to wait outside while he got changed.

Shen Leng pushed the door open and entered. Mr. Yuan got a shock initially, but immediately after, he bellowed, “What a disrespectful servant!”

Shen Leng turned around to close the door. He had a serious look on his face, “Nonsense, how am I disrespectful? Didn’t I close the door?”

He looked at Gu Le; Gu Le nodded and walked over. He grabbed Mr. Yuan’s chin and shook it before pulling it downwards.

 

Gu Le asked, “Tell us, did you come to the crown prince’s manor to hurt someone?”

After he asked, Shen Leng was stunned. “Huh?”

Gu Le looked at Yuan Zhidong’s chin and immediately, he was embarrassed. “I think there’s a misunderstanding.”

He looked at the brush and ink on the table. He pointed there, “Go there. Write down your schemes and the evil things you have done. Write everything clearly…I know that you definitely are not willing to write it all down, but please remember one thing – we cannot stay in your room for long. Hence, our patience is limited.”

Gu Le took out his dagger and cut Yuan Zhidong’s thigh. The cut was not deep, but it was long. Yuan Zhidong went pale immediately. The anger in his eyes was replaced with fear.

However, Gu Le did not stop. He made another horizontal cut. The two cuts looked like a cross.

“The shortest time taken for me to skin a person is thirty minutes. Starting from the cross cuts, slowly making my way outwards, as long as the dagger is fast enough, I will be fast enough as well. If you’re still alive after I’ve skinned you, you’ll be able to look at the bloodied mess you’ve become.”

Yuan Zhidong trembled violently.

Gu Le pointed to the table. “Are you going to write or not?”

Yuan Zhidong nodded frantically. He struggled as he made his way to the table and sat down on the chair behind it. Gu Le tore a piece of cloth from his bed sheets and tired it around his though. “After I release my hand, less than an hour, you will die from blood loss. Consider the consequences carefully.”

Yuan Zhidong’s left hand trembled as it reached out to grab the brush. Just as he was about to write, Gu Le grabbed his right hand and pressed it against the table. Thereafter, he stabbed his left hand and nailed it to the table with his dagger.

“Do you take me for a fool? You are using your left hand to write so you can deny that you wrote it later on. When you were injured, your first reaction was to use your right hand to press against your wounds. This shows that you are a right-hander…Let me give you one last chance. I said before that our patience is limited.”

Yuan Zhidong’s face was trembling; evidently, he was already extremely terrified. He did intend to use his left hand to write. As the great scholar Mu Zhaotong’s advisor, he definitely had to be scheming to a certain extent.

Shen Leng subconsciously looked at Gu Le; he was taken by surprise and in awe of Gu Le’s sharp mind.

Yuan Zhidong looked at Gu Le. Hie right hand was trembling so hard such that he almost lost the ability to write.

Gu Le pinched Yuan Zhidong’s right thumb and straightened it. “You better stop putting on an act. You are not that afraid to the point you can’t write. I’m only asking you to write everything down just in case we need it in the future. If one day, we were to have a fallout with the great scholar, your confession will be of use. The only way you will get a chance to live is if you rush back to Changan city and take your family before secretly fleeing, right after you come clean and write everything down. In the future, stop doing things that will harm others, and lead an honest life.”

Yuan Zhidong started to write. However, because his hand was trembling, his words were rather messy.

Gu Le reached out his hand and tore the paper. “If there is one wrong word, I will cut one finger.”

It was Yuan Zhidong’s first time encountering someone like Gu Le. When it came to scheming and putting forth plans and ideas well, he felt that he was smart enough. However, the other party did not give him the chance to use any of his wits. He was only ruthless to the point that he did not have a single opportunity to put his schemes to use.

Approximately half an hour later, he had finished writing his two to three hundred word written confession. After Gu Le read it, he passed it to Shen Leng. Shen Leng carefully read it. “Get him to sign it and add his handprint.”

Gu Le placed the paper back onto the table. He grabbed Yuan Zhidong’s hand and wiped it on the wounds on his though. The pain was so intense that it made Yuan Zhidong’s entire body squirm. Gu Le then placed his hand onto the paper to add his handprint to it. “Sign your name at the bottom, Mr. Yuan. I’m guessing that you won’t get your name wrong.”

Upon hearing him say ‘Mr. Yuan’, Yuan Zhidong’s last bit of luck was thoroughly destroyed. He wrote his name on the paper before sitting there weakly.

 

How could it be possible for Shen Leng and his men to not know what Mr. Yuan’s name was?

Gu Le folded the paper and passed it back to Shen Leng. After that, he lifted his hand and struck Mr. Yuan, causing him to pass out.

Both of them used a blanket to wrap Yuan Zhidong properly. Shen Leng used his left hand to write ‘Xuan Ting’ on the blanket. Gu Le did not understand what those two words meant but did not ask. They carried Yuan Zhidong out of the room. Shen Leng looked at the pavilion by the lotus pond.

Soon after, Yuan Zhidong, who was wrapped within the blanket, was hanging on the beam of the pavilion.

They followed the wooden bridge and swiftly left the lotus pond. When they arrived at the edge of the lotus pond, they stopped in their tracks at the same time.

Yang Qibao was waiting in the courtyard; he was still waving at them, but behind him, there was a black figure standing there. He was standing very close to Yang Qibao. However, Yang Qibao clearly did not notice anything.

Shen Leng and Gu Le looked at each other. Thereafter, Gu Le drew out his hengdao that was tied to his back.

That person was akin to a ghost. As they approached closer, Shen Leng could already see the smile on Yang Qibao’s face. This made it more terrifying as it meant that till now, Yang Qibao had not sensed the danger behind him.

If the person wanted to, he could have killed Yang Qibao immediately.

Yang Qibao’s was capable without a doubt. After following Shen Leng during this short period of time, Shen Leng could tell that Yang Qibao’s combat skills were not inferior to his. However, at this moment, he could not sense the presence of the person behind him at all, despite the fact that he was standing very close to him.

“Qibao, don’t turn around. Walk forward.”

Shen Leng drew out his black cord sword and passed it to Gu Le. He raised both hands and walked forward. “Let him go. I will take his place.”

Naturally, those words were not directed at Yang Qibao. At this time, Yang Qibao finally realized that something was amiss. In that split second, he forgot what Shen Leng said to him and turned around.

The tip of the finger was placed against his throat. It was only a finger, but Yang Qibao felt as though it was an extremely sharp sword. All the other person had to do was to exert some force and it would pierce through his throat.

“Take your sword,” said the person abruptly.

Shen Leng stopped walking. “What?”

“Take your sword or he will die.”

Shen Leng went back and took his black cord sword before walking towards that person. That person withdrew his finger and said in a calm voice, “Go.”

Yang Qibao took a step forward. After that, he suddenly turned around and was about to draw the sword on his back with his right hand. He was very strong; extremely strong to the extent that it made Shen Leng feel that he was on par with him.

However, just as he turned around and was about to draw his sword, as his hand was less than an inch away from the sheath, the other person pointed his finger at his throat again…he exerted some force on Yang Qibao’s throat. Yang Qibao felt as though an iron rod had pierced through his throat. He groaned in pain for a bit before he fell to the ground.

Shen Leng leapt forward as the image of Yang Qibao slowly collapsing became bigger and bigger in his eyes.

At this moment, Shen Leng’s blood was boiling to the point he felt as though he was about to explode.

He swung his sword horizontally.

Before he was being struck by the sword, that person raised his hand. He was even faster than Shen Leng. He flicked Shen Leng’s sword with his finger. Shen Leng could not stabilize himself and flew forward.

“Too slow.”

That person shook his head slightly; he seemed to be full of contempt.

Shen Leng attacked three times consecutively; the person merely took one step and dodged all his attacks – he did not make any unnecessary movements at all. It was just right. As he dodged the attacks, at the same time, he counter-attacked. Even though it was only one attack, it was enough to force Shen Leng into take a few steps back.

 

Furthermore, he did not have any weapons in his hands. All he did was use his right finger.

“When you attacked, you were thinking too much. If you think too much, your mind will be fogged, which will in turn make you weak.”

That person took a step back. It seemed as though he had no intention of defeating him.

 

Shen Leng took a deep breath and rolled up his sleeve. He removed the sandbag on his arm and threw it onto the ground, creating a loud thud. Evidently, the sandbag was a lot heavier than it looked.

“Iron sand?”

That person’s eyes lit up slightly. He seemed to finally have a little admiration for Shen Leng.

After he tossed the sandbag onto the ground, he swung his sword again. This time, it was direct and swifter. He did not deliberate when he swung his sword, and neither was it gaudy. Every time he swung his sword, one could see where his target was. Most of the people in this world would not be able to dodge his attack. It was because it was too swift and powerful.

“This sword is very good.”

That person dodged a few attacks and once again, he reached out his hand and flicked the sword. Ultimately, Shen Leng ended up flying forward again.

“However, nothing is absolute. Your sword is very heavy, it goes very well with your straightforward sword techniques. But there is also a downside to it – if your sword is too heavy, I only need to use a little bit of strength to destabilize you.”

That person took a step forward. He pointed his right finger at Shen Leng’s throat. Shen Leng raised his hengdao in an attempt to block his body. However, in the moment he raised his sword, the person had already pushed the blade of his sword upwards with his finger. Shen Leng’s sword involuntarily moved upwards. He could not control it at all.

Thereafter, he moved his finger towards Shen Leng’s throat. It stopped right after the tip of his finger touched it.

The person withdrew his hand. “The sword technique is too unsophisticated. You follow where the sword goes. It’s not a sword you can control.”

After he said that, he turned around and walked off. Shen Leng looked at Yang Qibao who was laying on the ground. His eyes were still red. He gritted his teeth and charged forward, gripping his sword in his hand.

“Not rational. You did not perform as well as Shen Xiaosong.”

That person moved one step and dodged from Shen Leng. Thereafter, he used the tip of his finger to touch Shen Leng’s back seven to eight times in total. It all happened within one breath.

“You are too rash and impetuous. Your sword technique is too simple and crude. You are not good enough for my disciple.”

That person shook his head slightly. “When your sword is like your arm, it will then be your first step to mastering sword techniques.”

He lightly kicked Yang Qibao. Yang Qibao made a sound before he sat upright abruptly. His face was rather blue. Evidently, he was suffocating earlier.

That person had already walked away. “If you don’t leave now, the guards in the manor will tear the three of you into pieces.”

Shen Leng suddenly thought of something. Up till now, none of the guards had appeared. Could it be that they were really a bunch of useless people? Li Xiaoran was not a person who easy easy to fool. It was impossible for a group of highly-skilled experts to not detect anything.

After that, he looked at the back view of that person. He cupped his fist. “Thank you, senior.”

“Leave. The next time I see you, I will not hold back.”

That person opened the door and entered a small courtyard. It was the courtyard next to the one Yuan Zhidong was residing in.

Shen Leng pulled Yang Qibao up. “Let’s go.”