Chapter 451

Flowing light suddenly rose; that figure had just stepped in front of the vanguard tower ship when a flash of black-and-white light appeared ghostlike behind him. Lao Tie, ruthless, seized his throat from behind.

Thud!

The vanguard tower ship trembled slightly.

Lao Tie grabbed the ragged road‑blocking man and slammed him hard against the dragon‑patterned heavy shield on the ship's prow.

"Kid, you look no good at first glance. Why are you blocking our way, huh?"

The road‑blocking man struggled hard.

A dragon's roar rang out; as the man struggled, his qi and blood surged, his strength like a heavenly dragon—an ordinary person would have been flung away by the slightest shake of his body.

But Lao Tie's five fingers clamped like a vise, unyielding, not moving an inch.

The man's violent jerk failed to shake Lao Tie loose; instead he nearly broke his own neck vertebrae. Sharp pain shot through him; he grunted, flipped his hands over, and clamped down hard on Lao Tie's wrist.

With all ten fingers straining, the man let out a low growl, trying to snap Lao Tie's wrist.

At the same moment, his right leg snapped back, knee twisting oddly, heel arcing in a strange line to stab Lao Tie's lower body, a vital spot.

Even more vicious, the inconspicuous tall boots he wore suddenly revealed a half‑foot‑long bluish blade from the heel; the blade glowed faintly with a five‑color sheen, clearly coated with deadly poison.

The lower‑body vital point is deadly already; a kick there would kill an ordinary cultivator on the spot.

This man, fearing his kill might not be sure, even had such a trick hidden in his boots.

This guy is a living weapon born solely for slaughter; look at the fierce yet restrained killing aura about him—who knows how many lives his hands have taken?

Too bad he ran into Lao Tie, that monster.

Speaking of slaughter experience, Lao Tie's is countless times greater than his; moreover, Lao Tie's current strength in the Embryonic Treasury realm is virtually invincible.

No matter how hard the man strained his ten fingers, Lao Tie's arm gripping his neck didn't budge an inch.

He reached down with his left hand, snatched the bluish blade shooting from the man's war boot, pinched and snapped it with two fingers, breaking it with a clear 'ding'.

Then Lao Tie seized the man's ankle, hoisted him up, and slammed him hard into the round dragon‑patterned shield on the prow of the vanguard tower ship.

Bang, bang-bang.

The man was violently beaten, soon his head split open and blood soaked him all over.

Lao Tie then spoke coldly: "Just look at your shifty eyes—you're no good. Why are you blocking our way?"

He shook his head, Lao Tie exclaimed in exaggerated surprise: "No way—there's not a soul for tens of thousands of li around here… How did a big living person like you end up here? Hey? Why are you blocking our convoy? We're honest civilians, but if you want to waylay and rob us, you've picked the wrong target."

The man, dazed from the blow, was so angry he nearly fainted.

"Honest civilians?"

"Do honest civilians like you attack without asking the cause first?"

"I, I am Long Lang, a sixth‑grade commandant directly under the Bureau of Machinery of the Great Jin military… Who are you?" The man suppressed his inner fury, gritted his teeth, and demanded fiercely of Lao Tie.

"Your grandpa is your grandpa… eh, wrong." Lao Tie released Long Lang's ankle, rubbed his palm hard across the man's face, then felt around his waist and produced a small silver identity token.

"Here, you really are from the Bureau of Machinery? Well, your grandpa is…" Lao Tie flung the token with force, sending it thousands of zhang away, accurately onto the flagship where Wu Tie stood, then pretended to feel around his own waist and produced a waist plaque.

Long Lang struck mercilessly; Lao Tie beat him without any psychological burden.

Knowing this kid belonged to the Bureau of Machinery, Lao Tie felt wholly justified in beating him, completely at ease.

"Oh, my surname is Tie, I'm called Tie the Elder… This really is your grandpa's name; I like it." Lao Tie beamed and said, "Well, Tie the Elder's life has been hard—orphaned, born in Daze State, parents dead early, kin‑less, adopted by an ageless old man, then hunted in the mountains, fell into a deep valley, gained the ancient legacy, cultivated divine skill, joined the state army, and served Great Jin."

Lao Tie's mouth twitched; he gave a dry laugh: "This is my personal record, plainly searchable in Daze State's household registry… Heh, with my loyal heart I cultivated divine skill and served Great Jin—uh, uh."

Lao Tie wanted to laugh, to laugh wildly.

It's simply too amusing.

Wu Tie that lazy brat fabricated a household registration for Lao Tie so he could lawfully join the Daze State army and appear at his side… yet that registration looks fake no matter how you look at it.

But now Wu Tie is the absolute power in Daze State, sheltering three or five hundred unknown‑origin felons—a perfectly natural and easy thing; which Great Jin aristocratic clan doesn't raise a band of unknown, unseen assassins and dead men?

Therefore, Lao Tie's "Tie the Elder" household registration is flawless, perfect.

"Tie… the Elder?" Long Lang muttered, a bit lost in his values.

"Hey, grandson, your grandpa's here—what do you want with him?" Lao Tie replied cheerfully, affectionately patting Long Lang's head.

Long Lang instantly snapped to, furious: "I am Long Lang, a sixth‑grade commandant directly subordinate to the Bureau of Machinery, dispatched here on official business. I have an important discovery—who is the commander of this troop? Let him come out and see me at once… you, a lowly soldier of the mere Daze State army, how dare you insult me thus?"

"I'm a fourth‑grade commandant! Look at my badge clearly." Lao Tie struck Long Lang's head hard, then produced his own rank token and pressed it forcefully against the man's face.

Wu Tie is commander of the Daze State army and also lord of the Longjiang territory.

Especially his second identity: as lord of a marquisate, Wu Tie can lawfully appoint private military officers in his fief, his highest authority allowing him to confer rank‑three general officers… Giving Lao Tie a fourth‑grade commandant's commission is just filling a blank document and filing it with the military bureau—trivial.

"My outrank you, so tell me—why did you block our way?" The smiling Lao Tie's face instantly turned icy: "Since you belong to the Bureau of Machinery, don't tell me you don't know that obstructing a military march carries multiple crimes."

"I have an important matter to report to your commander," Long Lang retorted stubbornly.

"Why are there ambushers on that little island below?" Lao Tie slammed a heavy punch into Long Lang's ribs, breaking three, and said, "A total of 127, hidden in the grass—did you think I wouldn't see them?"

"That's right, they're my men," Long Lang gasped, voice low: "Of the tens of thousands of brothers I led out, only this few remain."

"What happened?" Lao Tie threw another punch, no mercy, his icy voice laced with deep killing intent: "Your Bureau of Machinery is no good—so many dead and wounded, what have you been up to?"

"We… we were ordered…" Long Lang swallowed, then said dryly, "This is top‑secret; you have no right to know."

Lao Tie raised his fist, about to strike Long Lang again, when Wu Tie's voice came from afar: "Lao Tie the Elder, don't torment him—I know the Bureau of Machinery tried to scheme against us lately, but after all we're fellow soldiers, we share some camaraderie. Here, send him over; let me hear what he has to say."

In the next instant, Lao Tie teleported with Long Lang to Wu Tie's presence and casually tossed him onto the open deck atop the bridge.

Wu Tie sat in a grand chair, with dozens of fearsome‑aura Five Elements Spirit Elders standing on either side, all curiously eyeing Long Lang.

Lao Tie stood behind Long Lang, arms crossed, grinning at Wu Tie: "It's not that I'm psychologically twisted and deliberately tormenting this kid; he's just sneaky and shifty—heh, not a good bird."

Wu Tie and Lao Tie locked eyes in a flash, swiftly exchanging a glance.

Those from the Bureau of Machinery… you can never be too careful.

Even if Long Lang truly meant no harm, even if we mistakenly struck and wronged him… so be it? Wu Tie isn't the real Huo Xiong, nor a true Great Jin divine‑state commander—should we apologize to him?

"I am Huo Xiong, sixth‑grade marquis of Longjiang in the Great Jin, a third‑grade general, and also commander of the Daze State army." Wu Tie crossed his legs, gave Long Lang, lying on the ground, a sidelong glance, and said coldly: "You're from the Bureau of Machinery? Tch, you lot are best at stealing chickens and dogs—how did you come to lose this time?"

Long Lang, seething, gritted his teeth and glared at Wu Tie, then said in a low voice: "General Huo Xiong, I, Long Lang, have been sent by the chief of the Bureau of Machinery to investigate an old case from years past… I don't know what misunderstanding exists between General Huo Xiong and the Bureau, but I bear no ill will toward the general—I merely ask for his aid."

"What can I help you with?" Wu Tie looked at Long Lang curiously.

"If you need manpower, why not go to the Secretariat Hall?" Wu Tie spread his hands, puzzled, and asked him: "As far as I know, the Secretariat Hall's style has always been to never share credit with allied forces, always keeping everything for itself……"

Long Lang took a deep breath, enduring the pain of his broken ribs, stood up, and solemnly clasped his fists before Wu Tie in a salute: "General, I have come for an old case from six thousand years ago; this matter concerns imperial household secrets……"

Wu Tie's expression changed abruptly; he flicked his sleeve, a fierce gust rose from the ground, sweeping up Long Lang and hurling him toward the great lake below.

"Forget it, this sort of thing I can't get involved in. You go wherever it's cool…… Hehehe, hurry and send a distress signal to your Secretariat Hall, ask them for reinforcements…… I, the Marquis, am not sturdy enough to meddle in imperial household secrets!"

"Keep moving forward, opening a secret passage…… Hmm, there are still a few hundred Secretariat Hall brothers down there? Let's toss down a few live pigs and sheep; I suppose there's nothing good to eat in these mountains, so hurry and send some military supplies—consider it our goodwill."

Wu Tie flicked his sleeve, and the mighty fleet immediately accelerated, about to leave this place.

On the flagship, a few sturdy earth-spirit men grabbed several live pigs and sheep and casually threw them down onto the small island below—just as Wu Tie called it, giving the Secretariat Hall brothers a bit of military supplies, representing his goodwill.

Long Lang finally steadied himself; looking at the warships flying past one after another beside him, he felt somewhat disoriented.

This Huo Xiong, how can he be so slippery?

No matter which high-ranking noble of the Great Jin hears of secrets related to the imperial household—especially those divulged by secret agents sent by the Secretariat Hall concerning events from six thousand years ago—wouldn't they be interested?

That affair from six thousand years ago was quite a shock.

This Huo Xiong, why does he never follow common sense? He's simply a first-class scoundrel, a scoundrel!

But Long Lang obviously couldn't let Wu Tie just take his large force and leave; he angrily stomped in midair, then shouted loudly: "The matter concerns the imperial treasures taken by the former crown prince; six thousand years ago, the former crown prince was deposed, and in desperation he raised a rebellion, which failed; after the defeat, the former crown prince, under the protection of his close aides, seized a large amount of imperial treasures and fled."

"The former crown prince's injuries were too severe; after escaping Great Jin, he fell ill and died not long after."

"His tomb lies right in these nearby mountains."

Wu Tie gave the order for the fleet to accelerate onward.

"Inside his tomb are heavenly divine weapons!"

Wu Tie issued the order again for the fleet to continue accelerating.

"Inside his tomb are secret divine arts!"

Wu Tie loudly commanded, ordering the fleet to hurry up and accelerate.

"Inside his tomb are innate spiritual treasures!"

Wu Tie stood on the flagship's mast, gazing ahead at the mountains and forests while waving his sleeve, urging the fleet to rush forward at full speed.

"Huo Xiong! You bastard, the former crown prince is the Great Jin Divine State's top wanted on the secret list for six thousand years…… His followers, many are also on the secret list. Although the former crown prince is dead, our intelligence shows his bloodline still has surviving heirs; if we can capture his descendants and send them to Peaceful Yang, a dukedom is a sure thing."

"Especially, among the imperial treasures the former crown prince took away is the state-defending heavy artifact 'Ten Thousand Dragons Palace'…… If we can welcome back the Ten Thousand Dragons Palace, the present Divine Emperor once publicly announced that a reward of an innate spiritual treasure would be given, which is likewise a sure thing."

"And as for those followers of the former crown prince and their descendants, if we can capture them all at once and send them back to Peaceful Yang, various rewards will be granted according to merit, and a marquessate can be expected…… Promotion and wealth, noble titles and precious treasures are right before your eyes—how can you, you bastard, not be moved?"

Watching Wu Tie's fleet speed up ever faster, Long Lang grew anxious and let out a shrill cry like a cuckoo bleeding.

At Wu Tie's command, the fleet came to an abrupt halt.

He turned his head, looking at the anxious Long Lang, and asked leisurely: "Why should I let you have this good thing?"