[“You have entered the Battlefield of Providence!”]
…
“Fenglingdu, located at the corner of the Yellow River where it turns east, has been the largest ferry on the Yellow River since ancient times.
“For thousands of years, countless people have crossed the Yellow River and traveled north and south through it. Zhao Zizhen’s poem ‘At Fenglingdu’ wrote, ‘Once the water flows from the north to the south, the Central Plains have its own atmosphere. Yunshan Mountain is connected with Shanxi territory, and misty trees grow all the way into Qinchuan’.”
Wearing a traditional outfit and with a beard as long as 30 cm, Elder Meng sat by the table and gave Li Qing, Ji Ye, Mister Bug, and the others a history lesson.
“However, the Fenglingdu we’re at is a little special after we enter the battlefield…”
Elder Meng said so because several people sat at the table next to them.
And they were talking among themselves.
“The Tatars of the Yuan Kingdom are invading us again. I hear that their king is supervising the battle himself, and they’ve brought all their soldiers. Can Xiangyang City withstand the attack this time?”
A man with a heavy Shandong accent spoke in an anxious voice.
“I’m sure we can hold them off. Master Guo and his wife have sent out invitations, calling heroes from all walks of life to hold a “hero banquet” in Xiangyang City. Many sects such as the Quanzhen Sect and Beggars Sect have sent people to participate in the event. With so many able people gathering here at Xiangyang City, I’m sure we can defeat the men of the Yuan Kingdom!” said a man sitting at the same table with a Hubei accent, sounding very confident.
That was right. Names such as Master Guo and his wife, Xiangyang City, Quanzhen, and Beggars’ Sect indicated that the Battlefield of Providence this time was set in “The Legend of Condor Hero”, the novel written by Master Jin, the leading author in wuxia novels.
Moreover, people of the Twin Dragon Mount were given the “Terms of Winning” as soon as they entered the Battlefield of Providence.
[“Successfully defend Xiangyang City. Kill the king of the Yuan Kingdom and the four lords!”]
The “defense” indicated that the other side should have the advantage.
As a matter of fact, in the battle of Xiangyang in the Song dynasty in “The Legend of Condor Hero”, the Song dynasty was indeed the disadvantageous side. After Mongolia defeated the Dali Kingdom, they turned back to attack Xiangyang with their entire army. The city was surrounded by hundreds of thousands of soldiers.
If Yang Guo hadn’t fought his way through the sea of soldiers and killed Mangor, the Mongolian Chieftain, even all those heroes wouldn’t be able to defend Xiangyang City.
Of course, the Battlefield of Providence was still a competition between different human civilizations. The enemy was the Yuan Kingdom from another dimension, instead of Mongolia in history.
Moreover, they also realized why the female shop owner in the purple dress told them to enter as soon as possible.
The battle of Xiangyang this time turned out to be not limited to one settlement only. Settlements on both the Song and the Yuan sides would gradually join in, until one side won the battle.
Obviously, with such a rule, the earlier a settlement entered the battlefield, the more advantage they would have.
Ji Ye had Elder Meng coming with him this time. The counselor’s knowledge was profound and immense, and he knew “The Legend of Condor Hero” like that back of his hand!
“Come to think of it, the Battlefield of Providence is quite relevant to us.”
Dressing from head to toe in an ancient outfit that was quite appropriate for the occasion, Elder Meng smiled.
He was indeed correct. The Twin Dragon Mount was from the Water Margin, which was set in the last years of the Northern Song Dynasty.
“The Legend of Condor Hero” on the other hand, was set in the last years of the Southern Song Dynasty. The battle of Xiangyang in Master Jin’s novel even had elements of the Battle of Duanyu City in history. When Xiangyang fell, the Southern Song Dynasty lost its last defense.
“There’s one more thing that you guys probably aren’t aware of. The ancestor of Guo Jing, Master Guo, was also related to the Water Margin.”
Smiling, Elder Meng paused for effect.
“How so?”
The other players at the table played along and put on curious faces.
“Guo Xiaotian, Guo Jing’s father, was a descendent of Guo Sheng the Help Star, who was nicknamed ‘Comparable to Rengui’ and the 55th member of Liangshan. With this, maybe we’ll be able to summon Guo Jing one day…” explained Elder Meng.
Apparently, Master Jin Yong read Water Margin as well.
“I don’t think that’s very likely. The connection is a bit too far-fetched. Although, if we win this time and get Guo Jing’s token, we’re certainly going to summon this hero, whom old Master Jin deemed ‘the great man of chivalry’, to our settlement.”
Ji Ye shook his head, yet he couldn’t help but look forward to the possibility.
Because not only had Guo Jing mastered “Dragon-Subduing Strike” and “Nine Yin Sutra”, which theoretically were both Perfect ultimate tricks, but he had also defended Xiangyang for over a decade, during which period he had also obtained the Book of Wumu.
He was both a true chivalrous swordsman and an excellent general, both of which suited the Twin Dragon Mount perfectly.
Of course, Guo Jing was theoretically a Transcendent hero. Even if they obtained his token, they could only summon him after the Twin Dragon Mount advanced to the Transcendent level.
To the Twin Dragon Mount, entering this Battlefield of Providence had a bigger significance.
Needless to say, they were after the hidden martial arts skills and resources in the battlefield.
“Nine Yin Sutra”, “Nine Yang Divine Art”, “Flicking Fingers”, “Deadly Grief Palm”, “Yiyang Finger”, “Left and Right Inter-fighting”… Theoretically, they would be able to obtain all these skills in this Battlefield of Providence.
According to Elder Meng, in the Battle of Xiangyang, all the capable swordsmen in the second half of “The Legend of Condor Hero” showed up. Huang Yaoshi the Eastern Heretic, Reverend Yideng the Southern Emperor, and Zhou Botong were all there, let alone Guo Jing, Huang Rong, Yang Guo, and Little Dragon Maiden.
According to the speculation of the confederate government, the projections of heroes in the Battlefield of Providence should have hidden properties that could guide the players.
Because the Battlefield of Providence was built by the power of providence of two or more civilizations. Although it was built to defeat the other party, the overall combat ability of both sides had been “balanced out” by the battlefield already.
The best way to improve one’s own side was to improve the capability of the people on that side to indirectly gain an advantage.
Of course, it would depend on the hidden properties.
Moreover, to receive the guidance of the projections of heroes, they should at least be on friendly terms with them. It would be better if the heroes found them “pleasing to the eye”.
For instance, in the last Battlefield of Providence, Yan Chixia knew very well that Blondie wasn’t Ji Ye’s pet, but he still taught Ji Ye the sword skills. However, he simply ignored Fatty Zhu. That was solely due to the difference in their appearances.
That was also why Elder Meng suggested that the people of the Twin Dragon Mount wait here at Fenglingdu, instead of heading for Xiangyang City right away.
Because they were going to run into several important people here.
Right now, they were at an inn known as “Andu’s Oldest”, which was also the largest inn of Fenglingdu.
After suddenly getting warmer, the weather turned cold again. The Yellow River, which had just thawed, had frozen again after the heavy snow brought by the north wind today. Neither boats nor horses could pass it.
Therefore, the inn was completely full today. Even the lobby was packed.
“I think it’s about the right time.”
Elder Meng murmured when he saw the darkening sky outside.
Thud, thud, thud…
Just then, they heard the sound of hooves outside.
In the snow, three horses stopped outside the inn. After that, two women and a man got off the horses.
The older one of the women was in her early 30s. She had an oval face and rosy cheeks and was very attractive. She wore a royal blue brocade fur coat with some mink fur exposed at the collar. It was quite a luxurious outfit.
Her companions were quite young. They were both around 15 and wore similar green clothes.
The teenage girl had a delicate and innocent face. She wore a string of beads around her neck, and each glowing bead was as thick as a pinky. The teenage boy had thick eyebrows and big eyes. Despite his young age, he looked quite level-headed.
