Chapter 646

The king made up his mind and, without delay, ordered the pasture base to send a large batch of vegetarian and meat supplies. After receiving the supplies, he grabbed the Grand Majesty sword and left Xihua Gate, only sending a little eunuch to pass a verbal message to Zhao Bao, who had been sent away.

The king and Ling Yin rode the White Dragon and Little Date on their way out of the city; after leaving the city, he left Little Date with the city guards to send to the Purple Forbidden Palace.

In the astonished gaze of the city guards, he clambered onto the smooth back of the lion-dragon.

Xiao Jin had no hang‑up about not being able to be ridden; eyeing the meal ticket, it wanted to climb onto its back, and the creature even lowered its body to cooperate. Da Wang clambered up and gave it a thorough grooming, sweet words pouring out without stint. The creature, being patted, lost its bearings, shaking its head and wagging its tail in excitement, ready to bolt 108,000 li at once.

Da Wang finally managed to get it to quiet down, then turned back to coax another ancestor. The proud Bai Long that Ling Yin was to ride also needed coaxing. Da Wang ran back and forth fetching water, stuffed food, patted heads, and finally spent a fortune to produce a mid‑grade beast‑feeding pill for Ling Yin to use to curry favor.

Who knew that as soon as this thing was taken out, the other two gluttons immediately caught its scent, as if they had detectors on them; the Xiang gave a fierce turn of its head, and Da Wang almost got thrown off…

Zhe Tian Da Ren had been circling above them, but as soon as it sensed a situation it immediately dove down, the fierce gust it kicked up nearly blowing Da Wang's neatly kept hair askew.

Da Wang covered his head, speechless, and said, "I ought to give Qiao Yi some feedback—this pill refining is no good; is the flavor too strong?"

Before they even set off, the travel expenses were -9,000 taels.

The city guard looked bewildered as they finished dividing the spoils at the city gate; two riders sped off into the sunset.

"That person…couldn't be the Emperor in disguise, could he?"

"Otherwise? Haven't you heard the order to send the horse back to the Ziwei Palace?"

"That golden thing isn't a horse, is it? How did it suddenly grow big enough to ride? When the Emperor went south on campaign, it was mixed in the ranks and only had horse‑high legs…"

"You two, Colonel Wu is here—quickly lead the horse over."

The first person Colonel Wu encountered upon arriving was Dong Fu; the Grand Marshal was still working overtime at the office, and the people nearby busy asking whether they should arrange cavalry to pursue, but he remained calm. "Even if someone could fly, they couldn't catch up." He wasn't worried about Da Wang's safety; as long as he held You Prefecture, that guy couldn't be killed even with nine lives.

But he was the only one who could stay so calm; Xie Yuan, after careful consideration, decided to keep this matter under wraps.

The year's end was approaching; better to have fewer matters. Now there are plenty of people in You Prefecture's Chang'an, and to prevent unrest and unnecessary trouble he kept the matter under wraps, outwardly saying only that Da Wang had early laid down his brush and gone to the Northern Border Academy.

Da Wang gripped the full topographic map—impossible to lose. Xiang bore him with inexplicable excitement, a mad frolic that made the scenery on both sides of the road blur as they raced.

This was deep winter; the wind of the twelfth lunar month in the Northern Border kept hollering at his face. Da Wang's body was tough, so he didn't feel cold, but that face got scraped and still hurt. Thus he instantly banished the thought of coveting Zhe Tian Da Ren; judging by that creature's round‑trip speed to Changzhou, Da Wang thought it would scrape his face into deformation and disfigurement.

This creature produced a mask, then from the fabric it had procured took out a large piece, wrapped it around its head leaving only the eyes exposed; the nighttime get‑up was something else. When it stopped to rest and eat its dry rations, Ling Yin on the Bai Long finally caught up.

Da Wang was wrapped in a large white‑base big‑blue‑flower scarf, squatting in the lee and chewing a steamed bun; to eat he also exposed his face, the bun still steaming, and only Ling Yin needed no pretense with him.

It was that appearance, so strange that even the great hero Ling took a second look.

Da Wang tossed him a bag of buns and calmly said, "Haven't you seen a Western Regions princess? Out in the desert everyone dresses like this~"

Ling Yin: …

Da Wang found traveling with Ling Yin truly convenient—on the road they didn't need to keep to a rest schedule, could pull out food, drink, or a tent whenever they liked. They made progress at a speed unimaginable to ordinary folk; when they calculated the pace, it was promising, and Da Wang's mood brightened. At this rate, they'd have a chance to block the thirty‑strong assassin squad at Xiangshan.

The two rushed south at an unimaginable speed; upon reaching Mo Jin they needed no inquiry to know where that ill‑fated village was—the news had already spread far and wide.

Da Wang and Ling Yin arrived at Yu Family Village in the evening; the sun was still up, yet the whole village was already deathly silent.

The village had no sound—not the peaceful quiet of life, where wind rustles leaves and distant children's choked sobs can be heard; Yu Family Village had nothing at all.

The old elm tree at the village entrance still stood, its branches lacking even the sparrows that would be there during battle.

Da Wang knew the Mo Jin authorities had already helped collect the bodies, but he still came. He got off and walked into Yu Family Village on foot; when he came to a dwelling he paused to look. The gate stood open, and in the yard the children's clothes that had been laid out to dry were blown about by the wind, only a small jacket still swaying in the breeze. Da Wang thought the owner of that jacket was ninety percent gone.

Da Wang blinked, took a closer look, and saw the blackened bloodstain on the threshold.

He turned and continued walking in; Ling Yin felt he was even torturing himself. "My lord, we should hurry to block the enemy and help them avenge…"

"No, I want to take a good look and commit it to memory."

In the next household's yard a skinny reed‑flower chicken wandered about; the remaining survivors had been relocated by the authorities to the neighboring village, and in the hurry it had been forgotten. Da Wang approached the gate; this household's gate also stood wide open, and one could even see the overturned spinning wheel inside.

Da Wang stood there a while, then said, "Look at that spinning wheel—it's the new model the Armory Bureau only improved last year. With the new spinning wheel, cloth‑weaving speed increases several‑fold; if they work hard, their income will also double… It was supposed to be like that, it was supposed to be like that."

The wind blew in from the village entrance, through the lane, following Da Wang across the threshing floor and out the other side, taking nothing and leaving nothing behind. Da Wang paused at the lane's mouth, then suddenly turned and grabbed Xiao Jin.

"Let's go; I have already accumulated enough strength, enough to avenge them, enough to wipe the Northern Border's shame."

Xiao Jin and Zhe Tian Da Ren looked over, both feeling that this person had inexplicably ignited with fervor.

Xie Yuan reckoned the time, felt it was time to vent his frustration and resign himself to return, but Da Wang had already surged to Xiangshan with fighting spirit soaring at an immeasurable speed. He didn't go to look for the Dingbei Marquis; his goal was clear, heading straight for Luoyun Peak.