Chapter 13 Variable Hang Seng

This final selection will not be a competition of martial arts or literature, but a competition of art.

When the question came out, everyone was stunned. "What? Art? What do we, who have spent our whole lives in the military, know about art?"

"That's right, what's the point of competing in art? It's more fun to just join together and fight head-on!"

Jiang Li'an hadn't expected this kind of question. It was a difficult one for her. Although she had artistic talent, she had never systematically studied any art. Even so, she was slightly better than those big, burly men.

The competition began, and the warriors were faced with a dilemma. The task was to draw who they thought was the most beautiful person in the dynasty.

The examiner said before the test: "Everyone, this question was set by the current Princess Li Yao. Please answer it carefully."

Although the warriors knew that Princess Li Yao was the younger sister of the current empress and that the person they were painting should be the empress herself, they had no idea where to start because of their poor painting skills.

Jiang Li'an, on the other hand, only pondered for a moment before he began to paint like a god. In less than an incense stick's time, he had created a simple portrait.

These painting techniques, both in terms of brushwork and outlining, were learned on the way to the Western Regions from Lu Rongshi, who taught them the basics. But this is obviously enough for now.

Among the eleven people on the field, only Jiang Li'an submitted his scroll early. Although he was the first to hand in his scroll, it was the last one to be handed out. There were three words "unqualified" written on it with cinnabar pen.

Jiang Li'an was puzzled and was about to stand up to question, but he heard the examiner say: "This exam,

The assessment mainly depends on whether you remember His Majesty's appearance clearly. Otherwise, when you arrive at the enemy camp, you won't even recognize him, so how can you save him? "

Jiang Li'an, feeling somewhat impatient after hearing this, stood up and saluted, saying, "Forgive me for being so presumptuous. The question you mentioned before the exam was to draw who you thought was the most beautiful person in the court, and you didn't specify that I had to draw the emperor. Giving me a failing grade is unacceptable to me."

The examiner's face was stern, and he said in a cold voice, "If the most beautiful person today isn't His Majesty, then who else could it be? Are you trying to be disrespectful to His Majesty?"

Jiang Li'an said calmly, "Your Excellency's words are truly confusing. I didn't mention disrespect, I just have doubts about this criticism. If you can give me a reasonable explanation, I will certainly accept it."

But at this moment, a female voice was heard from the back room, "Who do you think is the most beautiful person today?"

Jiang Li'an narrowed his eyes and said, "Of course it's my good friend, Lu Rongshi."

The female voice continued, "How does she compare to His Majesty?"

Jiang Li'an said word by word, "In terms of appearance alone, he is several times better than His Majesty."

"I can see some of it from your paintings, but it's not to the extent you said." She walked out of the room, and everyone saw that this person had about 70% similarities with the emperor in his eyes and eyebrows.

Jiang Li'an said, "My painting skills are terrible. Even if I use a thousand pens, I still can't paint even one ten-thousandth of her appearance."

The princess came in front of Jiang Li'an and raised her hand to pinch her lower jaw, forcing her to look up. Her eyebrows and eyes were as beautiful as a painting, and she smiled softly and said, "She was a beauty. It's a pity that she died on the battlefield."

Jiang Li'an took a step back, putting some distance between himself and the princess, and saluted again, saying, "In this life, I only wish to kill the enemy and serve my country. I have no other aspirations. As a general, I should die on the battlefield, wrapped in my horse's hide. There is no such thing as a pity."

The princess was deeply moved after hearing her words. She withdrew her hand, bowed solemnly and said, "General, it is a blessing for the Tang Dynasty to have a chivalrous man like you who disregards his own life and property!

What I did just now was indeed inappropriate, and I apologize to you here. Also, this is a life-threatening journey, so please ensure your safety, General!"

Once these words were spoken, everyone understood. Finally, Jiang Li'an was appointed captain of the Tiger Guards. His companions were all divine warriors, the elite of the elite. They would set out tomorrow to the enemy camp and rescue the emperor.

Tonight, Princess Li Yao personally hosted a banquet to send off the warriors.

At dawn the next day, a group of six people rode on fast horses and left the city.

In the main tent of the enemy camp, Qin Shitao and Hu Yueqin were discussing the next plan when Wu Huai rushed in. Qin Shitao wanted to step forward to stop him, but was stopped by Hu Yueqin.

Hu Yueqin stepped forward and asked, "Your Majesty, what is the purpose of your visit?"

Wu Huai glanced at the layout behind her and chuckled, "Why, can't I come see you if I have nothing to do?"

Hu Yueqin was speechless for a moment, and Qin Shitao said at the right moment, "Don't push your luck! You can't just enter such a strategic military location."

Wu Huai didn't even look at her. He just looked at Hu Yueqin and asked, "What did the leader say?"

Hu Yueqin turned around and said, "Just let me know in advance."

Qin Shitao: "Leader!"

Hu Yueqin signaled her to be quiet. Wu Huai glanced at the two of them and thought: Seeing that the room was dark, I thought there was no one here. I didn't expect her to be here.

Now that he had already entered, there was absolutely no reason to go back out. He wanted to go forward and take a look at the layout map, but something happened to Hu Yueqin at this moment.

Seeing that she was swaying after taking two steps and was about to fall to the ground, Wu Huai was close to her and quickly stepped forward to hold her in his arms.

Hu Yueqin's high-intensity work all night finally made her dazed, but at this moment, a warm body leaned over, exuding a faint jasmine scent, which calmed her mind. She thought to herself, let time stop at this moment. She was tired, so she closed her eyes. She didn't know whether it was because she was too tired from work, or because falling into Wu Huai's arms was relaxing, she actually fell asleep.

In her dream, she remembered her childhood, those dark days, and the whips that forced her to learn this and that. Just when she was about to give up, a soft light shone down, and a gentle word dissolved all her fears.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

Wu Huai carried the man all the way back to the bedroom. Just as she was about to leave, she heard Hu Yueqin's faint cry for help. Her heart moved, and she turned back and whispered those words over and over again until she fell asleep.

Wu Huai walked out of the room, only to see Qin Shitao still standing outside. He asked, "How is she?"

Wu Huai narrowed his eyes and said truthfully, "She's fine. She's just overworked. She'll be fine after a rest. But you guys pushed her so hard. She's a flesh-and-blood person! Not a tool for your power!"

Qin Shitao wasn't surprised to hear her say this. He simply crossed his arms, looked at her face in the moonlight, and asked, "You care about her so much. If I asked you to choose between the Tang Dynasty and her, what would you choose?"

Wu Huai sneered: "There is no choice here, naturally it is big."

The choice should have come out of her mouth, but she got stuck at this moment. She didn't understand what was going on and didn't say anything for a long time.

Qin Shitao smiled and said, "It's true that those involved are often confused, while those who are on the sidelines can see things more clearly. Your Majesty, only by recognizing your true self can you move forward into the future."

After saying that, she turned and left, leaving Wu Huai standing there in a daze.

What is the relationship between me and her?

The moon was above the willows. Wu Huai was about to return to the yard. Her mind was in a mess and she just wanted to take a nap. But at this moment, she heard a sound of breaking air from behind. She was on full alert and turned around to attack with a palm, but was easily blocked by the man. The man was very skilled and powerful, and he subdued Wu Huai in a few moves.

He said to another person: "Captain, we have caught this person. She should know where the emperor is."

But then I saw another person jumping down from the eaves. Judging from her figure, it should be a woman, but I didn't know what they meant by "Your Majesty".

The man stepped forward, took one look at her, and then half-knelt and saluted, saying, "Your Majesty, please forgive me for not recognizing you and for any offense I have caused."

When the others saw this, they immediately realized that this person was actually the emperor of the current dynasty. The man who subdued Wu Huai let go instantly and half-knelt on the ground, feeling very nervous.

Wu Huai finally understood what was going on. He stretched his wrist, which was painful from being grabbed, and stood up. He said, "Did the imperial court send you here?"

Jiang Li'an replied, "That's right."

Wu Huai said: "Password."

Jiang Li'an said: "Flowers are blooming on the roadside, reply to the order."

Wu Huai said, "A gentleman is like jade. Now that your identity has been confirmed, please wait for me for one night. I still have some things to deal with. I have some confidential information in my room. You can send it out first. It will be of great benefit to our army."

Jiang Li'an responded: "Yes!"

But at this moment, shouts of killing arose from all directions, and the Allied soldiers surrounded the courtyard.

The leading officer was none other than Qin Shitao. She was dressed in gorgeous cotton armor and wielded a painted halberd. She said in a cold voice, "I was wondering why the camp smelled like rats today. Now I know they weren't rats, but some large fish!"

Jiang Li'an and his six men were on guard. Jiang Li'an said, "Fire Five and Fire Six will escort His Majesty together, Water One will retrieve the information, and Gold Two and Gold Three will follow me as the rear guard!"

Everyone: "Yes!"

Qin Shitao said: "None of you can leave today!"

As they spoke, they brandished their Fang Tian Hua Ji and came forward to fight Jiang Li'an. In order to travel light, the six of them did not bring any long weapons, but each of them was equipped with a Tang sword and a dagger.

Qin Shiyue danced with the Fang Tian Hua Ji with great vigor, like a tiger descending from the mountain, and went straight for Jiang Li'an. Jiang Li'an calmed his mind, used the Gan Jiang sword technique, unloading and exerting force, stabbing and chopping, and danced with an impenetrable sword formation. Even Qin Shitao could not take her down quickly.

Later, Fire Five, Fire Six, Water One, and Wu Huai fled backwards, but were stopped by a group of bandits and were temporarily unable to split themselves.

Qin Shitao swept his halberd in front of him. Jiang Li'an couldn't resist and took a few steps back. Jin Er and Jin San stepped forward to stop him, but saw Qin Shiyue curl his lips and shouted, "Die for me!"

Qin Shitao jumped high with his halberd, and swung it with the force. As the Fang Tian Hua Ji fell to the ground, Jin Er was killed instantly, and Jin San was knocked several meters away and fell unconscious. Jiang Li'an, as the fourth in the group, was supposed to be in charge of the command, but now she had no choice.

She looked back at the other four people and saw that they were about to break out of the encirclement. She had an idea and wanted to sacrifice herself to stop the person in front of her.

The man took advantage of her distraction, dragged the painted halberd backwards, rushed forward, and raised the halberd to chop. Jiang Li'an reacted in time and raised his sword to absorb the force. Although the move was correct, the Tang sword could not withstand such damage and broke into pieces. The painted halberd continued to move forward and chopped Jiang Li'an in the face.

In a situation where there was no chance of survival, Jiang Li'an was unable to jump back in time, and he sighed in his heart: Is this the end? Lu Rongshi, see you in the next life.

The author has something to say:

This volume is nearing its end, and the third volume will tell the story of the Tang Dynasty's counterattack and Lu Rongshi's experience in the Elf Kingdom.