The Great Tang's King of Provisions

Chapter 26: Assassination!

Death! Just as the cold, gleaming arrows were about to hurtle toward Li Xuanba, an angry voice suddenly rang out from behind the crowd: “How dare you! You actually dare to harm my Great Tang Prince!” As the shout rang out, a figure suddenly appeared before Li Xuanba. The moment he appeared, he knelt on one knee before Li Xuanba, clasped his hands in a bow, and said, “Cheng Huai’mo, Captain under the Right Imperial Guard, pays his respects to His Royal Highness the Prince of Wei. I have come to save Your Highness; I beg your forgiveness!” Cheng Huai Mo? The eldest son of that old devil Cheng Yaojin? Upon hearing the man’s self-introduction, Li Xuanba withdrew the bronze hammer in his hand, and a gleam flashed in his eyes. Name: Cheng Huai Mo Gender: Male Age: 18 Status: Eldest son of Cheng Yaojin (Zhaowu Captain of the Tang Dynasty) Rank: Level 15 Status: Angry Personality: Sincere, filial, and valiant [Base Stats]: Strength: 200 Intelligence: 15 Leadership: 20 Political: 8 Although Cheng Huai Mo was only eighteen years old, he had a very imposing build. Even when he bent over, his broad shoulders and broad back were still evident, and with a full beard covering his face, he looked every bit the mighty man. “Whoa!” As Li Xuanba sized up Cheng Huai Mo, the onlookers who had been hiding and dodging in the distance all gasped in unison. “The Prince of Wei? He’s Li Xuanba, the Prince of Wei!” “No way! Didn’t the Prince of Wei die twelve years ago? Could he be the new Prince of Wei?” “It doesn’t seem so! A black, majestic steed, a pair of golden fists as big as water jars, and standing nine zhang tall! He is the Prince of Wei!” As soon as the last person finished speaking, the entire scene fell instantly silent, and every pair of eyes turned to Li Xuanba, whose body was covered in blood! Immediately, they all knelt on one knee in unison, their voices filled with excitement as they shouted, “We pay our respects to His Highness the King of Wei!” “We pay our respects to His Highness the King of Wei!” “We pay our respects to His Highness the Prince of Wei!” After three rounds of cheers, as Li Xuanba raised his hand impassively, the crowd rose to their feet with eyes shining, gazing at him with a mix of excitement and awe. To them, Li Xuanba was a legendary figure, almost godlike. And to tell the truth, half of the entire Tang Dynasty’s territory had been conquered by Li Xuanba single-handedly, riding alone on horseback and wielding his twin hammers. They had heard the legend of Li Xuanba—how he, alone on horseback with his twin hammers, had slaughtered a million-strong army—ever since they were children. While those around him looked upon Li Xuanba with reverence, a vicious glint flashed in the eyes of Cui Libo, the magistrate of Lantian County. Before Li Xuanba could strike him down, Cui Libo spoke first: “Fire your arrows! This man dares to impersonate our Tang Dynasty’s Prince Wei Huai. You must know that Prince Wei Huai died twelve years ago—he simply cannot be Prince Wei Huai!” “Whoosh! Whoosh…,” the moment Cui Libo gave the order, the expressionless archers surrounding him completely ignored Li Xuanba’s claim to be Prince Wei of the Great Tang. With a flick of their right hands, arrows flew like meteors slicing through the sky, tearing the air apart as cold, glinting points hurtled straight toward Li Xuanba’s head. “How dare you!” Seeing that these archers dared to fire arrows at Li Xuanba, Cheng Huai Mo roared, darted forward, and was about to step in front of Li Xuanba. His Highness the Prince of Wei was the very person the Crown Prince and his father had personally ordered him to find and protect. Even if it cost him his life, he had to ensure the Prince of Wei’s safety—for this was not only a military order but also his deepest conviction: he could die, but the Prince of Wei must live! “You want to kill me? You’re asking for death!” Cheng Huai Mo was ready to die in Li Xuanba’s place, but he was swept aside by Li Xuanba’s single hammer strike as Li stood there defiantly. Suddenly, Li Xuanba’s figure became ethereal. At the same moment, countless phantoms of Li Xuanba appeared all around Cheng Huai Mo. The phantoms wielded their “Drum-Beating Golden Hammers” with precision as if threading a needle, each blow striking the very tips of the arrows hurtling toward them. “Clang! Amid the clanging of metal against metal, the arrows faltered momentarily. Though their tips had been flattened, they were propelled back by Li Xuanba’s colossal “Four Symbols” strength. Their speed was even faster than a meteor streaking across the sky—so swift, in fact, that as the arrows flew past, not even the sound of tearing through the air could be heard, reaching the realm where the greatest sound is silence. “Thud! The sounds of arrows piercing flesh rang out. Before the horrified archers could even react, those “meteor arrows”—sent flying back by Li Xuanba—had already struck them all down. “You, you…” Seeing that Li Xuanba had not only survived his own soldiers’ attack but had actually deflected the arrows back to kill his men, Cui Libo was so terrified he stumbled back several steps. His right hand trembled as he pointed at the expressionless Li Xuanba, yet he stammered and could not bring himself to speak. After regaining his composure, Cui Libo cast a quick glance behind Li Xuanba. A flicker of surprise and delight crossed his eyes, and he then shouted at Li Xuanba, “How dare you impersonate a prince of the Great Tang Dynasty and slaughter innocent civilians and soldiers of the State of Wei! You’d better prepare to be beheaded!” Seeing Cui Libo’s blustering yet cowardly demeanor, Li Xuanba raised the corner of his mouth slightly and said contemptuously, “Just because you say I’m an impostor, does that make me one? Then I suppose I could say you’re an impostor as a county magistrate, too?” Seeing that Li Xuanba’s attention had been drawn by his words, Cui Libo inwardly rejoiced. He pulled an official seal from his robe and shouted, “Nonsense! My position as county magistrate was granted by the imperial court. I have this official seal—do you have anything to prove your identity?” “Clang!” Li Xuanba tapped the golden drum-beating mallet in his hand and declared haughtily, “What a joke! In my entire life, when have I, Li Xuanba, ever needed to prove my identity to anyone? My fists are my identity; my fists are my law. Otherwise, I, Li Xuanba, wouldn’t be Li Xuanba!” “Whoosh!” Before Li Xuanba had even finished speaking, a figure suddenly flashed behind him. This man had an ordinary appearance and held a slender, sharp sword in his hand. His piercing eyes fixed on Li Xuanba’s back as the slender blade flew straight toward the back of Li Xuanba’s head—he actually intended to kill Li Xuanba, the world’s greatest hero who had risen from the dead. “How dare you! Your Highness, the Prince of Wei, beware!” “Good!” At the sight of this figure, two voices rang out simultaneously—one was the terrified Cheng Huai Mo, and the other was the delighted Cui Libo. But before their voices had even faded, both froze in stunned silence. For, in their eyes, the two massive golden hammers in Li Xuanba’s hands suddenly shrank in size, and his right hand shot out like lightning, seizing the slashing sword in mid-air. “Crack! Ignoring the sharp edge of the sword, Li Xuanba’s bare hands actually grabbed the very tip of the blade. With a few loud cracks, he crushed it to pieces! “Oh no!” Seeing Li Xuanba display such supernatural prowess, a look of sheer terror flashed across the assassin’s eyes. Just as he was about to leap back, Li Xuanba’s left hand shot out like lightning and locked onto his right collarbone. Li Xuanba narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flashing within them, as he looked impassively at the ordinary-looking assassin—who appeared to be a suicide squad member—now held firmly in his grasp. “Hmph! I don’t know if you’re with Big Brother or Yuan Ji, but you sure know how to cause trouble for both of them—making their stay in the Immortal Realm anything but peaceful. It seems you want me to return to the Immortal Realm to settle the score with them!” “W-what? You…” “Snap.” Upon hearing Li Xuanba utter the words “Immortal Realm,” the assassin stared at him in horror. Just as he was about to ask a question, he suddenly let out a muffled groan and was unable to say another word. It turned out that Li Xuanba had tightened his left hand, crushing the assassin’s right collarbone, then extended his right arm to grab the man by the neck and lift him off the ground. Li Xuanba looked at the assassin with a cold smile and said indifferently, “People like you are the worst at causing trouble for your so-called masters. You’d better leave!” “Crack.” No sooner had Li Xuanba finished speaking than he applied a slight pressure with his right hand. The assassin’s body jerked, and his eyes instantly lost their focus—he had died without ever obtaining the answer he sought.