Chapter 66: The Stunned Seven Freaks of Jiangnan

Although Wang Han is now the greatest power on the steppe, honored by all factions as Khan Wang, to Guo Jing and Temujin, this Khan Wang's capability is truly hard to sum up.

Guo Jing and Temujin both know Wang Han well; after his father Khurjakhur Buiruk Khan died, he killed his two brothers, Temur Taishi and Buhetemu, and seized the khanate.

His uncle Gur Khan raised an army to attack, forcing him to flee and seek refuge with Temujin's father Yesugei, where they swore brotherhood as anda (sworn brothers). Yesugei attacked Gur Khan, drove him away, and Wang Han regained his khanate.

This was the first time Wang Han lost his khanate.

Soon, his other brother Erke Qara, with the help of the Naiman tribe, overthrew him and seized the khanate. Yesugei helped Wang Han again, drove away Erke Qara, and returned the khanate to him.

This was the second time Wang Han lost his khanate.

After Temujin was elected Khan of the Mongol tribe, Gur Khan attacked Wang Han again, drove him away, and seized his position. Genghis Khan sent troops to drive out Gur Khan and returned the khanate to Wang Han, so the khanate finally belonged to him.

This was the third time Wang Han lost his khanate.

He lost his khanate three times in total, and only regained it each time with the help of outsiders; Wang Han's capability is evident.

So although Wang Han's strength is the greatest, he is obviously not their main enemy; in Guo Jing's eyes, Wang Han will betray Temujin soon, so he is actually a good ally.

As for Temujin, in his eyes, Wang Han is his sworn father; moreover, they helped each other become khan, their bond is deep, and they are currently in their honeymoon period.

So for Temujin, the most important thing now is to restore the tribe's vitality and gradually strengthen the tribe's power.

And Guo Jing's tribe, besides gaining ten Battalion Commander of Tatar refugees, also gained seven people: the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan.

The seven traveled from south to north, tracking Duan Tiande all the way to the desert; after that, they heard no more news. For over six years, they searched the deserts and steppes for Duan Tiande and Li Ping's whereabouts; all seven learned Mongolian, but Duan and Li remained completely silent.

The Seven Freaks of Jiangnan have resolute characters and are extremely competitive; having made this wager with Qiu Chuji, let alone merely finding a woman, even if the task were ten times harder or ten thousand times more perilous, they would never give up or retreat.

All seven shared the same thought: if they could never find Li Ping, they would search for eighteen full years, and only then go to the Drunken Immortal Tower in Jiaxing to admit defeat to Qiu Chuji.

When the seven arrived at the tribe where Guo Jing and Nie Huaishang were, the two, due to their strict military discipline, knew immediately.

Upon learning of the seven's arrival, Guo Jing was very excited; when he read The Legend of the Condor Heroes in the special forces world, he had deeply admired the chivalrous spirit of the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan.

To keep their promise to Qiu Chuji, the seven traveled thousands of miles across the great desert to find them and their mother.

As his enlightenment teachers, the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan may have only taught him some foundations in martial arts, but they taught Guo Jing far more about what chivalry and righteousness truly are.

Perhaps their overall Wu Gong was not high, but they always did their utmost in their actions, truly living up to the title of chivalrous heroes.

The seven were very much like parents who toil all their lives; they lived entirely for others, busy and rushing about on others' behalf, yet never enjoyed a single day of peace, and ultimately met tragic ends.

He remembered crying twice when he first read The Legend of the Condor Heroes: once at the death of his mother Li Ping, and once when the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan were killed by Ouyang Feng and Yang Kang.

When Guo Jing saw the seven, his eyes were filled with tears.

Seeing the child before them with tears in his eyes, Ke Zhen'e, the leader of the seven, asked cautiously, "Child, is your surname Guo? Are you Han, not Mongol?"

Before arriving, they had learned from the herdsmen that the child before them was the leader of this tribe, so they dared not treat him lightly.

"My name is Guo Jing, my mother is Li Ping, my father is Guo Xiaotian, and my enemy is named Duan Tiande."

Guo Jing poured it all out in one breath like beans from a bamboo tube.

When Guo Jing's words reached the seven's ears, all seven were stunned dumb; even three thunderbolts striking from a clear sky would not carry such earth-shattering momentum; in an instant, it was as if the earth shook and the mountains trembled, and the wind and clouds changed color.

After a while, Han Xiaoying shouted for joy, Zhang Asheng pounded his chest fiercely with his fists, and Quan Jinfat tightly embraced Nan Xiren's neck.

Han Baoju somersaulted repeatedly on his horseback, Ke Zhen'e laughed wildly clutching his belly, and Zhu Cong spun around like a top.

After a long time, the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan slowly calmed down, yet everyone's face was filled with joy. Zhang Asheng knelt on the ground, bowing repeatedly to the sky, murmuring, "The Bodhisattva has spirit; thank the heavens for their blessing!"

Seeing the seven so excited before him, Guo Jing knew how much hardship they had endured to find him and his mother.

Guo Jing immediately knelt and kowtowed to the seven, saying, "Disciple Guo Jing pays respect to seven masters."

The seven felt very surprised by Guo Jing's behavior; after all, before coming, they had learned Guo Jing's story from the herdsmen.

Guo Jing's martial arts were high, and he could even use lightning, but they subconsciously dismissed this as a kind of trickery common in the Jianghu.

Moreover, Guo Jing was the leader of this tribe, his status far above their Jianghu vagrants.

But what they did not know was that in Guo Jing's eyes, the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan were fully worthy of this bow.

In the original story, the seven taught him in the desert for eighteen years without complaint or regret; based on that alone, they were worthy of Guo Jing's bow.

After paying respects as a disciple, Guo Jing warmly welcomed the seven into his tent, and inside, Guo Xiaotian, Li Ping, and others, upon learning of the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan's arrival, also welcomed them warmly.

They had long heard about the Seven Freaks of Jiangnan from Guo Jing, and they were deeply moved that the seven had traveled thousands of miles to find them and their mother.

Upon seeing Guo Xiaotian, all seven were stunned; after all, according to Qiu Chuji, Guo Xiaotian was already dead, so how could he have come back to life out of nowhere?

Regarding the achievements of Guo Jing and Nie Huaishang, the seven still felt it strange; after all, for a child to become a Great Khan of a tribe was itself remarkable.

"Great Khan, I am very strange; hearing from the herdsmen that your Wu Gong far surpasses ours seven, and your status is far higher than our Jianghu vagrants, why do you bow to us as masters?"

Ke Zhen'e voiced the doubts in his heart; without resolving these doubts, he truly dared not rashly accept this disciple.

So Guo Jing and Nie Huaishang explained to the seven for quite a while before the seven understood.

After listening, the seven were completely stunned; they all came from a novel called The Legend of the Condor Heroes.

And Guo Jing and Nie Huaishang had gone to the world outside the book, learned everything, and then returned.