Otherworld Advance Team
Chapter 1434 - 1427: Fierce Tiger Sharp General

Chapter 1434: Chapter 1427: Fierce Tiger Sharp General

"My son acknowledges the command!" Yichuan Long said resolutely as he cupped his hands, then he abruptly turned and left.

"Could this be the rising star Yichuan Long that the Military Armament Department of the Imperial Court so desperately seeks?" Dangyang Wu squinted his eyes watching his retreating figure, stroking his beard as he asked.

"Indeed, my young son," Yichuan Hong nodded as he spoke.

"A mighty tiger among warriors, the Yichuan Clan indeed has an abundance of talents." Even Dangyang Wu couldn’t help but nod in approval.

"Manor Lord flatters us, as long as my son brings the people here, all misunderstandings will be resolved," Yichuan Hong said with neither humility nor arrogance.

"So it would be best," Dangyang Wu humphed, saying no more.

Cheng Ziang and his companions mounted their steeds and galloped out of the city, with Feng clearing the way, amazingly no one could stop them, and the manor warriors trying to pursue them were fiercely fired upon by Hu Daoke who covered the rear, causing many to have their Inner Cores exploded and they fell to the ground wailing.

To Cultivators, the shattering of their Inner Core signified doom, so they dared not risk their futures by fighting to the death and could only let the group go.

And so, Cheng Ziang and the others made a bolt as swift as thunder that doesn’t leave any time for ear-covering, charging through the city gates and drawbridge fast enough to flee the grand city of Lüxiang and raced towards the vast outskirts.

As the manor warriors prepared to mount their horses for pursuit, another figure in white robes rushed out of the city. Scanning his surroundings, he pointed his long spear at the manor warriors and said, "You all protect the city. I’ll pursue them!"

Without another word, he kicked his horse into a gallop towards the countryside.

"Who is that so arrogant?" Upon seeing the white-robed young general leaving, a manor warrior couldn’t resist asking curiously.

"Don’t you know? That’s the vigorous tiger warrior Yichuan Long, whom the Imperial Court invites but does not serve," his companion explained.

"Is he that Dual Dao expert who once single-handedly wiped out an entire den of bandits, that Yichuan Long?" the manor warrior couldn’t help exclaiming.

"Exactly," replied his companion with a grave nod.

"Indeed, a fierce general. He would surely be well received if he went to Yin State," the manor warrior sighed with emotion.

"No doubt. The Imperial Court is summoning him for the intent of the Hundred Chiefs, actually hoping that he acknowledges his ancestors and returns to the Yichuan Clan of Yin State," said his companion shaking his head with a sigh.

"What merits does Yichuan Hong have to have such an outstanding son," sighed the manor warrior.

"Be quiet with such talk, lest manor warriors of the Yichuan Clan overhear you," reminded his companion.

Cheng Ziang and his group galloped out about ten miles before slowing down, allowing their horses to rest due to exhaustion.

The horses they had taken were no ordinary steeds but high-headed horses from Kyushu, the type ridden by Dongsheng Generals during battles. The greatest characteristic of these horses was their size; it was said that the tallest horse could stand more than two meters from hoof to back. While there were stirrups, mounting still proved to be a struggle.

Dongsheng commanders typically mounted their steeds with the assistance of attendants. Generals, on the other hand, were much rougher, leaping onto the horse’s back in a single bound.

Incidentally, the manner of mounting became a contentious point of debate between Dongsheng commanders and generals. Commanders believed the generals’ rough mounting could injure the warhorses, while generals believed commanders were too inept to mount without help.

Cheng Ziang and associates were riding these high-headed horses for the first time, and not just him, even the tall and powerful Hu Daoke was somewhat daunted. While they were supposed to be riding horses, they felt as if they were sitting atop tanks.

Just as they slowed to a trot to rest, they heard the sound of urgent hooves from behind. Looking back, they saw a white-robed young general galloping toward them with a spear in hand, dust billowing behind him.

Seeing the approaching figure, everyone tensed, and Yichuan Ying’s face turned pale, her body shaking uncontrollably.

"Hurry!" Cheng Ziang urged their horses back to speed regardless of the need for rest. Their pace quickened once more, but the pursuer behind them moved even faster, closing the distance between them even more.

When the two sides closed in to a little over twenty meters, they saw the young general in white sweeping his long spear, sending a sharp energy slicing through the ground towards them, skimming past and narrowly avoiding injuring them.

"Feng, stop him!" Cheng Ziang knew that if they didn’t shake off this guy, they wouldn’t be able to escape, so he could only order Feng to block him.

Hearing his command, Feng, without a word, tossed the reins to Hu Daoke beside him, then kicked off from the horseback, his long saber fully drawn, and launched a chop at the incoming general mid-air.

Magic formed into a sword qi was released, striking towards the general. Unexpectedly, the incoming man was also an expert horseman, who directly turned his horse around for a sharp turn, dodging Feng’s chop.

"Please don’t hurt him!" Yichuan Ying almost cried out loud as she shouted this sentence.

"You know him?" Cheng Ziang asked with a stern expression.

"He’s my brother..." Yichuan Ying said through tears.

"Brother..." Cheng Ziang wanted to say something but stopped himself, because if Yichuan Ying truly cared about family that much, then Yichuan Yong was also her brother, with whom she did not seem to share similar deep feelings.

"My own brother..." Yichuan Ying clarified.

"No wonder..." Cheng Ziang nodded his head in understanding, relieved.

After the first round of confrontation, Yichuan Long dismounted and faced Feng. His horse, very spiritual, ran to a distance after he dismounted and quietly watched the battle.

Yichuan Long held his spear with one hand, his gaze fierce as he stared at Feng wielding a saber, his handsome face slightly furrowed.

Cheng Ziang observed him closely; Yichuan Long’s appearance was quite heroic, and there was indeed a resemblance between him and Yichuan Ying in his brows.

He appeared to be in his mid-twenties, at an age full of youthful vigor. His skin was somewhat dark, but the heroic face had not yet begun to grow a beard.

Yichuan Long was dressed in a suit of intricately detailed armor, primarily silver-white and indigo blue with bold contrasting colors. He did not wear a helmet; his long black hair was tied into a ponytail, held by a hair pouch.

This seemed to be a tradition in Kyushu, where men particularly favored ponytails over rolling up their hair. The Shadow Edict they had encountered before had a similar hairstyle.

Yichuan Long wore a silver-white cloak, though in terms of color, it was closer to gray, perhaps more dirt-resistant. He held a silver-white long spear, about two meters in length, with what seemed to be a metal shaft; the spearhead was designed like a fierce beast swallowing gold, sharp and pointed.

As a general, Yichuan Long naturally would not have just one weapon. He had a long sword at his waist and a dagger on the other side, clearly indicating that he often fought on the front lines, not just commanding troops from behind.

As previously mentioned, the Nine Thousand Battalion’s family troops, unlike the Dongsheng Empire’s army, were different in structure.

In the Dongsheng Empire’s army, generals were generals and commanders were commanders, clearly distinguishing between civil and military. But in the Nine Thousand Battalion, a general could also be a commander who may take up arms and fight, without such clear distinctions.

"Sister!" Yichuan Ying urged her horse to stop in haste, then dismounted somewhat clumsily. Due to a wrong posture, she fell face-first, but still struggled to get up and ran towards Yichuan Long.

"Yichuan Ying, what are you doing?" Cheng Ziang, seeing this, quickly stopped his horse and dismounted to chase after her.

Unexpectedly, even though Feng risked her life to cover their retreat, Cheng Ziang and the others still had no chance to escape. The moment Yichuan Ying saw Yichuan Long, she seemed rooted to the spot, unable to move her legs no matter what.

Seeing Yichuan Ying’s embarassing fall, Yichuan Long wrinkled his brow with distress, trying to step forward to help her up. But as he took a step forward, Feng launched an attack on her own initiative.

The two faced off, and naturally, Feng took his movement as a signal for offense, so without a second thought, she swiftly sent a wave of sword qi his way.

However, Yichuan Long was battle-hardened and would not be easily hit by such an attack. He easily dodged it, then lunged with a thrust towards Feng.

Although they were more than ten meters apart, his lunge could still reach, his magic transforming into a sharp Equipment Form targeting Feng, but likewise, she easily dodged.