Translator: TransN Editor: TransN
At this time, the morning sun had already climbed into the sky, bringing a trace of rare warmth to the Wilderness. On the meadow, several hundred cavalrymen of Divine Hall stood silently. Their black armor was painted with complicated golden patterns. The complicated armor patterns shone in the sun with a holy glint. The flag in front of the queue stood in the wind and looked very solemn and holy.
This group of cavalry was the world’s famous West-Hill Divine Palace cavalry, also known as Apologetic Divine Forces. After they left West-Hill a few months ago, they reached the frontier fortress in the Wilderness via the capital of Yan Kingdom Capital Cheng. This time, they were ordered by the top of Divine Hall to escort some important bigwigs to the palace for negotiation. It was also the team that Mo Shanshan had talked to Ning Que about.
The night before, they had already seen the warning fireworks shot by the food team camp, and also received the letters in Fu characters for help through other ways. But perhaps because of the danger of being isolated and strange in the Wilderness, the cavalrymen of Divine Hall did not immediately rush to help, but followed the original course, steadily moving forward. Until this moment in this ancient river, they had encountered each other in the meadow valley.
Among the cavalrymen of Divine Hall were more than a dozen Yuelun Kingdom monks, Revelation Institute students, and a horse carriage.
The door opened, and a little foot in blue shoes stepped on the carriage board and walked down. It was the foot of a wrinkled old woman who wore a very strange robe. The robe seemed to consist of innumerable different kinds of fabrics and was so thin that no one knew how it could resist the cold wind in the Wilderness.
It could be considered a kind of trial for the cavalrymen of Divine Hall to escort Revelation Institute students and Yuelun Kingdom White Tower Temple disciples to the palace. And this woman was the leader of this team, for she was the respected Aunt Quni Madi of Yuelun Kingdom.
Because of historical reasons, the relationship between Yuelun Kingdom and Great River Kingdom had always been extremely bad. A few days ago, they had some minor friction over that warm stream in the southern frontier fortress of the North of Yan Kingdom. So Aunt Quni Madi, a very narrow-minded woman according to the rumors, directly ordered through Divine Hall to let the girls of Great River Kingdom Black Ink Garden undertake such a sinister task of sending grains. At this moment, she looked at the sieged Black Ink Garden disciples under the valley and surely had no impulse to rescue them.
However, she was, after all, a Bhadanta and predecessor in the cultivation circle. So she also needed to maintain the dignity and glory of Divine Hall. The meaning was hidden in her narrow, dark heart naturally could not be directly shown in front of all people.
Quni Madi looked at the messy camp below the nearby slanting valley and showed no emotions on her face. Her each wrinkle was replete with the taste of coldness and strangeness, and her voice was hoarse and sharp, making others feel very uncomfortable.
“They could send letters in Fu characters… I don’t know who the Talisman Master is in the grain camp, but I suppose the person has great power and is able to deal with the Horse Gang, at least having the ability of self-protection. We’ve come from afar and if we blindly go to rescue them, it may easily cause damages. I’m afraid we will also affect their defense deployment. So let’s wait here to observe the situation first.”
In the food team camp, not far from the bottom of the meadow, there were dead bodies on the ground full of flowing blood, and the horse carriage array that was about to collapse. The Horse Gang on the northeastern gentle slope had already assembled for the next assault. Everyone knew that people in the camp could not stick it out any longer. Quni Madi said those words, as if talking nonsense. However, those White Tower Temple monks and Revelation Institute students seemed to have not heard what she was saying.
The command of the cavalrymen of Divine Hall slightly nodded to show that he had understood her. He did not show any strange emotions on his indifferent face.
The Haotian Taoism Sect and the Buddhism Sect had always been in a good relationship. Especially in recent years, because of the Judicial Department Priest Prince Long Qing, West-Hill and Yuelun Kingdom had become closer and closer. He, as the commander of the cavalrymen of Divine Hall, was directly under the Priest’s command. So he had always extremely respected the views of Aunt Quni Madi.
The commander of the cavalrymen of Divine Hall himself was not willing to lead his subordinates to go to rescue those people below the meadow. He needed to protect the Revelation Institute students and the White Tower Temple monks in the queue, and especially the noble in the horse carriage. If he rashed out so as to make her become frightened, how could he explain it to the Priest?
Although he was a master in the Seethrough State, whose 100 subordinate divine riders were the world’s most powerful elite ones, there were still at least 2 to 300 Horse Gang riders who could fight on the opposite meadow. If they wanted to kill these Horse Gang people, they themselves were bound to be damaged. Every cavalryman of Divine Hall had an extremely noble life, only bleeding for the dignity and shine of Divine Hall. How could they take a risk for those humble people below the meadow?
Besides, Great River Kingdom was close to the Tang Dynasty. The whole West-Hill Divine Palace had been dissatisfied with it for many years. This time, the Divine Palace just wanted them to taste some bitterness. As for those Yan Kingdom men and cavalry… they were just the men of Yan Kingdom’s crown prince Chongming and had nothing to do with the Priest. So it did not matter whether those men would die.
As for Divine Hall’s reputation and moral issues… the commander indifferently thought. He supposed that the Horse Gang would judge the situation not to go too far when seeing Apologetic Divine Forces here. And what Divine Hall thought as the right was always right, not allowing others to doubt it.
The commander slowly raised his right hand, gently swinging forward to indicate the subordinate cavalry to be divided into three teams—front, middle and behind. They slowly spread along the edge of the meadow and made preparations of rushing down, but obviously made no battle preparation.
In the camp below the meadow, there were vague cries of despair and scolding sounds. Quni Madi listened to those foul words and became more gloomy on her face. Her anger was overflowing among her numerous wrinkles. Then she said in a cold voice, “A group of humble men. I’d like to see what ability a disciple of the Master of Calligraphy has gotten.”
The horse carriage in the center, which the cavalrymen of Divine Hall were guarding, always kept very quiet.
A beautiful young girl sat calmly on the soft couch and was focused on picking stamens for a pot of orchids in front. No one knew how she took care of it so as to make this pot of delicate orchids so lively in the cold Wilderness. Unfortunately, the girl herself was as pure and clean as an orchid, so she actually outshone all the colors of those orchids.
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People in the food camp had been fiercely fighting with the Horse Gang from the early morning until this moment. They had long been exhausted and more than a hundred wounded men gradually lowered their moans. Numerous dead bodies were orderly put in the middle of the camp. The carriage boards in the laager were severely damaged and some of them looked charred, which were already shaky and were not able to withstand a second Horse Gang attack.
People in the camp had long been desperate. Just at this time they suddenly saw the cavalrymen of Divine Hall coming on the meadow and thought they had seen hope. They could not help falling into ecstasy or even shedding tears. The young girl Mo Shanshan, who had always silently sat in the horse carriage, also put down the ink brush in her hands and finally became relaxed after confirming the reinforcements’ arrival.
However, after a while, the cavalrymen of Divine Hall on the meadow slowly moved forward in three lines. But people in the camp did not see them come to aid or launch an assault action. So the cheers in the camp gradually subsided and the people had great doubts and anxieties in their hearts. Some Yan soldiers thought that the formation of the cavalrymen of Divine Hall should be used to suppress and not to attack. Soon this speculation spread to everyone in the camp at an extremely rapid rate, suddenly bringing about a new round of despair and suffering.
They first saw hope from despair, and then fell into despair again. Besides, they had seen the hope that was not far away from them fall into despair. No matter how strong-willed or pious to Haotian Taoism or respectful to Divine Hall they were, they could not help crying and then getting angry.
There was countless crying and scolding resounding in the camp, and it was noisy everywhere. The people used all the bad words they could think of to scold the cold-blooded cavalrymen of Divine Hall above the meadow, venting their despair and anger.
Zhuo Zhihua tightly closed her lips, looking at the cavalrymen of Divine Hall at the top of the meadow as well as the old lady in a cloth robe in front of the cavalrymen. She did not speak, but there was a flame of hatred burning in her eyes.
Her right shoulder was cut open by a Horse Gang scimitar. After a simple bandage wrapping, it was still bleeding outwardly at this time.
Because of the old woman in Yuelun Kingdom, Black Ink Garden disciples had been sent to the Wilderness by Divine Hall for implementing such a difficult task. And when today they were facing a dangerous situation, the opposite party actually completely ignored the righteous friendship, sitting on the side to watch. It was really a disgraceful action by this woman.
Cat Girl angrily said, “The old woman is always a damned jerk, but how can’t the cavalrymen of Divine Hall rescue us? Don’t they know they will be punished by the Judicial Department if they don’t obey the doctrine?”
Zhuo Zhihua showed her disdain on her face and fiercely spat at her feet, thinking that the cavalrymen of Divine Hall had always been ruled by the Judicial Department. So who dared to say that they disobeyed the doctrine with that shameless behavior?
Ning Que lifted up his hat and looking toward the top of the meadow.
This was the first time that he had seen the real Papal Guardians of West-Hill Divine Palace. He thought of this cavalry’s legendary justice and majesty, watching their actions at this time. He could not help feeling a bit complicated in his heart.
“In any event, those disciples of Great River Kingdom Black Ink Garden had come to aid Yan Kingdom under the Divine Hall’s edict. How come those cavalrymen of Divine Hall were not willing to lend a helping hand?”
Ning Que touched his face that was full of bloodstains, thinking with regret that there were actually some people who were more shameless than himself in this world. He still underestimated the shameless degree of the world after all.
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The advent of the cavalrymen of Divine Hall also caused a great impact on the Horse Gang. Although the cavalrymen obviously did not intend to aid the camp under the meadow, the Horse Gang was deterred not to take any reckless action for those over 100 well-known Apologetic Divine Forces. Therefore, the Horse Gang started to retract in the battle and several Gang leaders quickly rode back to the meadow for their next instructions.
In the face of the pressure of the cavalrymen of Divine Hall, the Horse Gang suddenly became nervous. One of them asked for instructions in a trembling voice. “Your Excellency, we can’t fight against Divine Hall’s cavalrymen. We’d better retreat now. Even if we can kill those people in the camp, I’m afraid it will be adverse to the general when Divine Hall later finds us involved in this matter.”
The Horse Gang chief indifferently looked at the cavalrymen of Divine Hall in the distance. His emotional laughter came out from his cloth mask. “They want to wait until both sides are defeated and wounded? After so many years, cavalrymen of Divine Hall only learned these petty tricks. I really don’t know why they have such a big reputation.”
Then he looked at his subordinate beside and said calmly, “Even if we were all dead, how could Divine Hall find out our identities? Won’t you scratch out your entire face before death?”
This time, the Horse Gang leader led his troops to attack the food team. One of his important purposes was to torture all these Horse Gang men to death. He naturally would not cherish the lives of his subordinates. As for the cavalrymen of Divine Hall in the faraway meadow, he did not fear them at all.
It was said that Apologetic Divine Forces of Divine Hall were the most elite cavalry in the world. But he, as an important figure in the Imperial Border Army, did not consider the opposite side at all. Even if there were strong men of cultivation hidden among them, in the current situation, the opposite side should not be determined to stop the battle at a great price.
“Go down together.”
The Horse Gang leader gently lifted up the reins, with his boots lightly kicking the horse’s belly, and then slowly went down to the meadow.
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One moment ago, Ning Que was ready to escape. In this moment, Ning Que saw the arrival of the cavalrymen of Divine Hall and thought he no longer needed to escape. The next moment, Ning Que saw the shamelessness of the cavalrymen of Divine Hall under bright armor and decided not to escape.
The cavalrymen of Divine Hall on the meadow just blocked the best route for his earlier fleeing plan. But that was not the main reason why he had decided to stay and fight with the girls of Great River Kingdom.
If the cavalrymen of Divine Hall rode horses to aid them at this time, the Horse Gang, who had been exhausted and had many casualties, would definitely be defeated. However, there would be fewer casualties among over 200 people in the camp. The reason why the opposition chose not to aid now was that those cavalrymen of Divine Hall and those unknown noble people valued their lives much more than these Yan militia soldiers, in addition to some reasons he temporarily did not know for the time being.
Divine Hall was famous for its universal brightness, but actually acted so shamelessly. Although he might sometimes act shamelessly, he was still ashamed to be concluded as the opposite. Moreover, he was very clear that these cavalrymen of Divine Hall were all subordinates of Prince Long Qing. And he and Prince Long Qing, no matter when, could only be against each other.
And his precarious instinct toward the Horse Gangs still existed. He still felt that someone was indifferently watching him. Before the Divine Hall’s eyes, he could not get rid of this precariousness and had to erase this emotion.
Ning Que walked to the horse carriage and looked at a big package quietly resting on the carriage board. He frowned and thought the Divine Hall people above the meadow were looking here. So he decided not to use Primordial Thirteen Arrows. Because according to Second Brother’s viewpoint, the person who was worthy of his Primordial Thirteen Arrows in the Wilderness should be strong men like Prince Long Qing at least.
He pulled out something that was tightly wrapped in a coarse cloth and looked like a stick. At this time, of course he should take life-saving things with him.
“Can you still use the talisman?”
Ning Que looked at Mo Shanshan’s pale face and asked.
Mo Shanshan looked up at him as if looking at the Horse Gang who was regrouping opposite them. She did not answer him, but slowly raised her right hand, with a slightly yellow paper held in her two thin fingers.
Ning Que’s eyesight fell on the thin yellow paper in her thin fingers and then continued to say, “This time we should cooperate well and be fierce enough.”
Mo Shanshan took back her gaze, with her eyelashes quietly resting on her white skin, and then she nodded.
Ning Que jumped out of the horse carriage and reached out his hand to wave at Cat Girl. He said, “It’s meaningless to leave water for this moment. Go prepare a bucket of clean water for me.”
Cat Girl felt puzzled, but still went to prepare the water according to his words.
He took the Big Black Horse to walk to the camp’s periphery.
In the beginning, his pace was very steady and slow.
Gradually he sped up.
Then he scurried.
He turned his body onto the horse’s back and pressed the horse’s belly with his legs, urging the Big Black Horse to rush out like black lightning.
Just like an arrow, he rushed straight toward the Horse Gang chief, who had just rushed down from the meadow.
His boxwood bow string lightly vibrated.
An arrow moved forward.
