Chapter 010 Gu Yun

With the Chang Geng sword held horizontally before him, one leg could no longer bear the strain and hung limply to the side. His chest was heaving, his heart seemed ready to burst, and his face bore a sinister childishness. The wolfish nature deeply embedded in his blood was forced out as he locked eyes fiercely with the barbarian warrior—regardless of whether the so-called 'goddess' was his elusive mother, even if she were, what kind of extraordinary tale could it be to burn one's son as a tribute to his mother?

Mr. Shen speaks politely, yet his hands are very dark; before his words have even finished, he has already taken the initiative.

Ge Pang, the little fat boy, had only run a few steps but was already panting heavily, appearing quite out of breath. However, this little chubby boy surprisingly understood the gravity of the situation, tightly clutching Chang Geng's sleeve, his palm slick with cold, sticky sweat. The fastidious Chang Geng had no time to shake him off, and the two youths resembled two cornered young beasts, struggling to reveal their clumsy fangs in a dead end.

Mr. Shen?"

The barbarian heir gazed at Chang Geng for a moment, as if he could no longer bear to look at him.

Fat Ge: "Strip off my pants, you bastards, let you strip off my pants!"

Shen Yi rushed forward without hesitation, simultaneously shouting at Chang Geng and Ge Pang: "Run!"

Ge Pangxiao said: "I won't run, I want to follow my elder brother... Ah, mother!"

At the end of the path, the person raised a hand, lifting the mask to their forehead, revealing handsome features

The barbarian heir suddenly raised his head, his eyes wide with disbelief: "Black Eagle!"

Then, Ge Pang, with his small eyes and quick hands, flailed about like a dying puppy, and with a sudden burst of inhuman strength, he managed to grab hold of a branch of the nearby large tree, barely managing to hang himself on it in a life-and-death situation

Shen Yixin, feeling guilty, extended a dark iron hand towards Ge Pangxiao.

The bloodstains on Shen Yi had increased, making his dark iron armor appear even duller

His voice carries a peculiar rhythm, as if he is humming a pastoral song from the grasslands

The Xuan Armor of the Xuan Tie Camp is indeed exquisite and exceptional, but it is also overly intricate—reportedly, a set of Xuan Armor is more than forty pounds lighter than ordinary heavy armor. Shen Yi, who originally resembled a frail scholar, was far less robust than the barbarian prince. When he raised the Wind-Cutting Blade with both hands, he barely managed to block the opponent's thunderous charge, yet he was forced to retreat.

His cheeks were gaunt, and in his slightly sunken eye sockets, there seemed to be a shadow reflecting the vast expanse of the Central Plains stretching for thousands of miles. When his gaze descended from a height upon Chang Geng, the meaning within was exceedingly complex, as if tinged with a hint of nostalgia and a touch of pride, which made him appear quite personable.

The thunderous sound of heavy armor rose and fell, as one after another, the gleaming heavy armors fell behind that person, with more than twenty barbarian heavy armors arriving in total

The barbarian was enraged, letting out a furious roar on the spot, swinging his iron fist with the intent to crush the young brat. However, he suddenly lost control of his footing. It turned out that Chang Geng had taken advantage of the gap between the enemies, and while the barbarian stood frozen in place, he skillfully aimed and thrust his short sword into the joint of the steel leg.

The barbarian replied lightly: "Calais—when referred to by your Central Plains people, it means 'Mars'."

"This general," said the barbarian prince, "you occupy our pastures, drain the heart of the earth, and forcibly take our goddess. Yet now you come to ask me why you are here, which is truly unreasonable. Your country's sages have been revered through the ages, educating countless people, but have they taught you how to be robbers? Even if this is the Xuan Tie Camp, there is only you here. I advise you to step aside and hand over that little bastard to me, so I can burn him in a fire to atone for the sins against the goddess and quell the resentment of the defiled goddess. I truly cannot stand to see his face!" Even if this is the Xuan Tie Camp, there is only you here. I advise you to step aside and hand over that little bastard to me, so I can burn him in a fire to atone for the sins against the goddess and quell the resentment of the defiled goddess. I truly cannot stand to see his face!

Shen Yi removed a short sword from his body and handed it to Chang Geng: "Your Highness, be careful"

Indeed, dear nephew, "Shen Sixteen" rode forward on his horse without a care, as if the enemy lines were completely invisible to him. He arrogantly drew a blade from his waist, slicing through the corpse of a barbarian, and turned back to mockingly scold the chubby Ge on the wall, "Little brat, parading your bird in the street, you might as well find a leaf to cover yourself."

It is unclear whether Ge Pangxiao acted out of quick wit or sheer fright, but as he witnessed his pants being ruined, he instinctively released a stream of urine, splashing it directly onto the face of the heavily armored barbarian.

Ge Pangxiao wiped his nose and, amidst the clamor and dust, foolishly asked: "Big brother, you really are 'Your Highness', haven't you made it big?"

Ge Pangxiao's heart had always been in a state of turmoil. Upon hearing this, he finally understood a few fragmented words and hurriedly asked, "Elder brother, is the person he mentioned... cough, is it you?"

Ge Pang was taken aback—Mr. Shen got up early still wearing a ridiculous apron, cursing as he moved around the stove. At this moment, in front of him stood a row of imposing barbarians, yet within his solitary and dim black armor, there was an unyielding aura of "I shall go forth against millions".

The low wall could not withstand the weight of the heavy armor and collapsed with a crash. Chang Geng fell awkwardly into a pile of ruins, hearing a piercing eagle cry from the sky. He looked up in response and saw two enormous black shadows circling above, casting a shadow over the eighteen iron men of the barbarian prince, all within the range of longbows and iron arrows.

That voice was so familiar that it sent a shiver through Chang Geng's entire body. He knelt amidst the rubble of stone bricks and debris, looking incredulously at the person clad in light armor, riding a horse towards him

Chang Geng, however, stared at him intently, momentarily forgetting where he was.

Chang Geng, covered in dirt, was just about to struggle to stand on one leg when suddenly he felt a tightness at the back of his neck as a gigantic iron hand descended from the sky, lifting him up entirely.

Several heavily armored barbarians sprang into action, white steam swirling all around, blocking the two youths who together had a total of three legs

Shen Yi, entangled with the barbarian heir, found himself unable to reach out further

The barbarian heir inquired: "Ghost Crow, reveal your name."

The tall barbarian slightly raised his head, the sky somewhat overcast, with layers of clouds like a cover, casting into his abyss-like eyes. He murmured to some unknown deity in the heavens: "O goddess of the Sirius Eighteen Clans, the purest spirit of the grasslands, even the winds of the plains must kiss the hem of her skirt; all living beings bow their heads upon seeing her. Where she sings and dances, there will be herds of cattle and sheep in the coming year, lush and abundant vegetation, and countless flowers blooming at the feet of the Eternal Sky..."

The barbarian deliberately pushed the mask up, catching it perfectly, without wasting a single bit

"Shen Shiliu" met his gaze, dismounted, slightly bent forward, and extended a hand to Chang Geng: "I, Gu Yun, have arrived late to rescue Your Highness."

The short sword, produced by the Xuan Tie Camp, is indeed exceptionally sharp, effortlessly severing one side of the steel armor greaves. The barbarian lost his balance and fell to his knees, inadvertently blocking his companion. Ge Pang, resembling a chubby monkey, swiftly climbed to the treetops, nimbly performing acrobatics along the eaves, and valiantly picked up a brick from the nearby wall, shouting at Chang Geng: "Elder brother, get out of the way!"

A sound of wind came from behind, and Chang Geng turned around alertly, only to have his shoulder pressed down by someone—none other than Shen Yi, who was clad in dark armor.

Ge Pangxiao's tongue immediately twisted into a rope, and thousands of pieces of fat all over his body stuttered in unison: "An, An An Ding Hou!"

Two barbarians charged in from the left and right, and just moments ago, the boastful Ge Pangxiao was seized by one of them, lifted high above his head, intending to smash him to death

Chang Geng instinctively reached for the iron wrist clasp, but the barbarian did not allow him to leverage it at all, intending to slam him against the wall on the spot

The barbarian heir exchanged glances with Shen Yi for a moment, letting out a hollow laugh that did not reach his eyes.

The barbarian heir shouted: "Leave that little bastard!"

"Mars, the Prince of the Underworld, I greet you respectfully." Mr. Shen steadied the cutting wind blade, slowly raised his iron fist to his chest, and adopted the customs of the barbarians in accordance with local traditions

The black-armored figure unleashed a jet of steam nearly one zhang long from behind, and the Wind-Cutting Blade in his hand screamed as it shot out, resembling a bright whirlwind. With a swift motion, the three nearest barbarian warriors were caught off guard, their hearts and chests crushed simultaneously by the golden boxes, instantly immobilized by the heavy armor.

The hand was as large as the boy's head, still stained with blood. Ge Pangxiaoben instinctively closed his eyes and shrank his neck, but the iron hand merely gently grasped the back of his head, softer than a feather falling on his head, without breaking a single hair.

Then, his gaze fell once again on Chang Geng, and he spoke in a clear and precise dialect of the Liang region: "I just heard from my brothers that there are actually people from the Xuan Tie Camp in this border city. I thought they were exaggerating, but it turns out to be true. So, it seems... is another rumor also true? Is the son born of the goddess, who was forcefully taken by your Central Plains emperor back in the day, really hidden here?"

Chang Geng's heart skipped a beat

Ge Pangxiao quickly covered her face shyly with her hand

That person is wearing the lightest armor, specifically designed for horseback riding, weighing no more than 30 pounds in total, also known as "light fur"

Between Chang Geng's lips and teeth, it is uncertain where the blood has come from; a slight bite brings forth a mouthful of metallic sweetness

Unfortunately, this sense of humanity is exceedingly thin, ultimately overshadowed by an all-encompassing deep-seated hatred, like a red thread buried in the boundless snow outside the pass; although it exists, it vanishes in the blink of an eye.

The barbarian heir shouted loudly and charged forward, leading the way and stirring up a wave of hot, oppressive wind

Chang Geng turned his head and spat out a mouthful of blood foam: "That is the general of the Xuantie Camp, a person close to the Marquis of Anding, do not shout recklessly"

Ge Pangxiao swayed on the wall, almost tumbling down, and pinched his thigh hard: "Mother... aren't you my sixteenth uncle?"

Unfortunately, although he is not human, his trousers are still made of ordinary fabric, which were "torn" off in an instant

He did not wear a mask, and even the helmet was carelessly held in his hand, revealing a face that seemed to have inadvertently wandered into the dream of Chang Geng, with a vermilion mole at the corner of his eye that was strikingly red.

At that moment, a sharp neigh of a horse was heard, and a brilliant iron arrow shot across the sky like a bamboo being split, piercing through the thick steel plate and directly nailing the barbarian who had seized Chang Geng to the low wall

Two heavily armored figures grappled, and around them, low walls, courtyards, stone houses... even the thick trees that could be embraced by a person were not spared, all collapsing in a chaotic manner.

Chang Geng said dully, feeling quite frustrated: "Could you say a few less words?"

"A nameless pawn, not worthy of mention," Shen Yi smiled slightly and, with his scholarly tone that sounded quite reasonable, asked softly, "The Northern Barbarians' Eighteen Tribes have been paying tribute to our dynasty for over ten years. Throughout these years, our diplomatic relations have been friendly, with annual tributes and commercial exchanges, and we have coexisted peacefully. I, Da Liang, believe I have not wronged you in any way. May I ask why you have come uninvited and resorted to violence against defenseless common folk, including women and children?"

Chang Geng: "What nonsense about being developed, you've mistaken the person—everyone is about to die, why aren't you running away quickly?"

Not far away, a person responded: "Indeed, it has been a long time since we last met. Your Highness, I hope you are well since the release of the three volumes of Xuan Tie."

His words fell to the ground like iron nails, and the low walls on both sides of the narrow alley were uniformly flattened by the heavy armor that was taller than the walls. Two rows of northern barbarian warriors split into two paths, menacingly surrounding Shen Yi and Chang Geng in the middle

Shen Yi positioned himself behind the two young men, standing firm, and turned to the man at the end of the path: "I have heard that the 'Alpha Wolf' of the Tianlang Eighteen Division, Prince Ge Tu, has an extraordinary son named ... ... "

The Crown Prince said, "..." Shen Yi shook his head helplessly, "It truly is the wicked who cry out first. Well, it is pointless for us to trace back the reasons for the Northern Expedition fourteen years ago here. If we are to fight, then let us fight."

A white mist erupted beneath Chang Geng, and before he could stand up, his steel legs dragged him a few zhang away along the ground. Shortly after, a large stone fell with a thud, striking the barbarian's steel helmet. The sound of "clang" resonated, lingering in the air like an echo that lasted for three days.