Chapter 943: A Narrow Encounter (Part 2) [Requesting Monthly Tickets]
Gong Cheng did not answer Gong Xiqiu's question.
He asked thoughtfully, "Your surname is Gongxi?"
Upon hearing this, Gong Xi Chou tilted the enormous python's head. What should have been a very eerie and sinister scene appeared rather silly and innocent due to the bewilderment revealed in his snake eyes: "What Gong Xi Mu Bei? Do you perhaps know me?"
Gong Cheng said, "Gongxi is a surname."
Gong Xichou said, "Oh, that's a rather unusual surname."
The giant reticulated python slithered forward, its supple and agile body causing Liu Changshi physical discomfort. Her stomach churned, she grabbed her arm, and took a step back. Gong Xichou teased her, "This is just a totem form, not a real snake. It doesn't bite."
Liu Changshi swallowed the acid that was trying to rise to his head.
Gong Xiqiu turned to look at Gong Cheng: "Why do you harbor ill will towards me and ask me if my surname is Gong Xi?"
"Who is this Mama you're talking about? Shen Youli?"
Prefect Liu kept a watchful eye on Gongxi Chou.
The latter readily admitted, "Yes, she is my sister."
Gong Cheng's expression turned strangely inexplicable.
"So, your surname is Chen?"
Gong Xichou shook his head in denial and introduced himself: "There are more than just biological siblings in this world. Sworn siblings are also siblings. My surname is Qiu, my given name is Qianren, and my courtesy name is Ci'en."
"fur?"
"Ah, right, right, now it's your turn to answer my question." Gong Xichou did not revert to human form, after all, his human form would easily give him away. The person in front of him was definitely not an old monster with a youthful appearance, but a genuine young man.
He was younger than him, yet his aura was so strong that even he couldn't see through it.
The first thing he asked was whether his surname was Gongxi...
Gongxi Chou felt that he had woken up in an awkward position. Could he have run into an enemy of the Gongxi clan? An enemy of the Gongxi clan with such power and resources—if he did some quick calculations, it could only be an old monster who had been tricked and imprisoned by the high priests for a hundred years…
My elder brother has been dead for a long time, I can't afford to fall.
Although the chances are slim, it's always better to be safe than sorry.
To be on the safe side, it's best to proceed with caution.
Gong Cheng lowered his eyelids slightly, a rare faint smile appearing on his usually cold face: "I met a young man surnamed Ji Mo before. He was being hunted down by powerful villains and we haven't been able to contact him since. He had previously asked me to deliver a message to his clansmen, whose surname is 'Gongxi'. When I saw you just now, I was worried that you were one of the people hunting him down, which is why I had the intention to kill you."
Gong Xichou's heart skipped a beat.
"You met someone surnamed Jimo?"
Gong Cheng nodded: "Mm."
Gong Xichou asked anxiously, "What does he look like?"
Gong Cheng stared directly at the giant python and described in detail the stunningly handsome young man, especially his clothing style and physical features. Meanwhile, Liu Changshi, who was on the side, was anxious to return to Jinli County and wondered why Gong Cheng was wasting his time with the python.
However, she also knew that it was not appropriate to interrupt at this moment.
Gong Cheng nominally pledged allegiance to Tudege, but Chief Secretary Liu watched coldly. Gong Cheng was only slightly kinder to Tudege, out of gratitude for the latter saving his life and out of their childhood friendship. There were some things Gong Cheng was unwilling to do, and Tudege could do nothing about it.
Clearly, Gong Cheng had his own business to attend to at the moment.
Liu Changshi could only suppress his anxiety, but doubts arose in his heart: when did someone with the surname Jimo appear by Gong Cheng's side?
Haha, of course not.
However, the high priests of the Gongxi tribe often bore a striking resemblance, and coupled with the tribe's distinctive attire, fabricating a few lines was no problem at all. Just as Gongxi Chou could blatantly lie, Gong Cheng would naturally also resort to deception and trickery.
In situations where information is not equal between each other—
Gong Xichou's reaction was flawed.
Gong Cheng asked him softly, "So, your surname is Gongxi?"
Gong Xiqiu did not answer.
Although the person Gong Cheng described seemed like an elder brother or nephew, something felt off. A thought flashed through his mind, and he decided to make an excuse to slip away and observe secretly. Unexpectedly, Gong Cheng's next question was: "Are you Gong Xichou?"
Although it is a question, it is spoken in a declarative tone.
As the words faded, Gong Xichou felt the malice from before again, and an aura locked onto his location.
Gong Xichou: "..."
At this moment, I just want to curse Gong Cheng's ancestors for eighteen generations.
Why are outsiders so cunning?
Gong Xichou simply revealed his human form, unusually wearing full armor. His face was concealed beneath a cold, metallic mask, revealing only a pair of emotionless eyes.
What are you going to do?
Gong Cheng remained calm and showed no intention of making the first move.
"I'm doing this on someone's behalf to take your life."
Gong Xichou sneered, "The person who entrusted you with this task, is he some kind of old fogey who hasn't been able to leave his place for over a hundred years? It took him more than a hundred years to realize this, tsk tsk tsk."
Gong Cheng turned his head and gave instructions to Chief Secretary Liu.
"Step back to avoid accidental injury."
Chief Secretary Liu glanced at Gongxi Chou: "Need help?"
Gong Cheng shook his head: "No need."
Gongxi Chou conjured a double crescent-shaped serpentine halberd.
The weapons of a martial arts master increase in weight as their strength and cultivation level rise. To outsiders, they may appear to weigh only fifty or sixty pounds, but their actual weight is as high as five or six hundred pounds. In Gong Xichou's hands, they feel as light as a feather, but when used against an enemy, they weigh a thousand pounds!
Gong Cheng: "Let's finish this quickly."
Surprisingly, Gongxi Chou did not take the opportunity to escape.
He had previously used his incantation to leave the territory of Jinli County. However, if he entangled with Gong Xichou for too long, the commotion might alert Shen Tang, and if Gong Xichou insisted on breaking through and leaving, Gong Cheng couldn't guarantee that he could subdue Gong Xichou before Shen Tang arrived, given the short distance.
Gong Xichou arrogantly said, "Let me see how deep you are."
He could more or less guess Gong Cheng's background.
A rank 20 Marquis is impossible; at most, he'd be one realm higher. The higher a martial artist's realm, the greater the gap between each realm, making it difficult to turn the tide in a one-on-one fight. However, Gong Xi Chou still possesses the spirit of a martial artist; if he can't win, he can simply escape.
With a horizontal halberd, it suddenly unleashed an earth-shattering aura.
The dark green martial energy transformed into flames that engulfed him.
The towering, hundred-foot-tall Martial Spirit Totem, like a prehistoric behemoth, coiled behind him. Its serpentine eyes burned with crimson-gold flames, and its body was covered with crystalline scales that were so dark they were almost black. The chilling aura it exhaled distorted the air as it burned: "Come here!"
Upon seeing this, Prefect Liu retreated again and again.
Although the literary scholars have a thousand and one tricks up their sleeves, their physical abilities are no match for those of the martial arts masters, let alone in a duel of this level.
Her eyes sparkled with amazement and envy.
Gong Cheng maintained his composure and softly murmured, "Horned Eagle."
Suddenly, a strong wind arose.
Centered on Gong Cheng, an even stronger aura erupted. The wind, which should have been invisible to the naked eye, now swept through the forest and gathered high in the sky, its color deepening until it was as black as ink.
A roar soared into the sky.
Its black crest stands tall, shaped like a horn.
Its eyes are grayish-brown, its legs are thick, its claws are sharp, and its long wings can create hurricanes that can send people flying.
Gong Xichou almost choked when he saw his Martial Courage Totem.
Isn't this thing his nemesis?
He had been thinking he could escape if he couldn't win, but now that the enemy's martial spirit totem was a harpy eagle, how was he supposed to escape? Unless he knew how to burrow underground! Looking at the harpy eagle, which was about the same size as his own martial spirit totem, Gong Xi Chou's earlier ease and confidence vanished.
His eyes narrowed, and he became completely serious!
This place is located at the border of two counties.
Aside from the nearby official road, where people could be seen on ordinary days, there were few traces of human activity elsewhere. Along the official road, there were post stations at regular intervals, providing rest and supplies for traveling merchants and travelers, and also serving as transit points for the transport of goods and information within the Kang Kingdom. The post stations were roughly divided into two parts: the outer section for civilian use, and the inner section for official use.
In the event of war, the post stations would be requisitioned.
At this moment, there were more than thirty people at the post station.
Most of them came from the same caravan.
Among the caravan, several guards had an aura that differed from ordinary people; they looked like soldiers with blood on their hands.
The other few people looked like wandering knights who were passing by.
Several people huddled together watching the young man in plain clothes write a letter home. The local postmaster explained that the post station could also deliver letters home. As long as the recipient's exact location was known, the letter could be sent to a post station near the destination, and then a post station clerk would personally deliver it to the recipient's home. The post station would charge based on the size, weight, and distance of the item. The fee wasn't cheap, but it was very cost-effective.
Within the territory of Kang, one can receive news from home even when separated by thousands of miles.
The young man in plain clothes was intrigued by the words and asked the postman for pen and ink.
The station also provides letters and paper.
Of course, there's a fee.
The former is cheaper, but heavier and has less writing content, while the latter is relatively more expensive, but it is lighter, has more writing content, and most importantly, the postage is lower, making it more cost-effective.
The new delivery station is now open, and there are discounts available for deliveries.
After writing his letter home, the young man in plain clothes sealed it with a clay seal, applied sealing wax, tied it with a knot, and handed it to the courier. He noticed that the courier's satchel on his horse contained only a few items, and asked curiously, "You charge such a small fee, how can you deliver this far without losing money?"
Although the courier before them was a brave warrior, and the warhorse he conjured didn't need feeding, saving a considerable amount of money, it still seemed like this activity wouldn't make any money. They only delivered a few items per trip; they'd lose money even on underwear. The postmaster, stroking his beard, smiled.
"This place is newly established, so naturally there aren't many people here." Kunzhou is a special case, and the implementation of various policies is hindered. Previously, many rebels had been targeting the post station and burning it down, causing considerable losses. However, the postmaster is not worried about this; things will improve sooner or later.
The young man in plain clothes: "Are there people elsewhere?"
The postmaster said, "Of course there are people in other places. The post station sends tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of items to various places every day."
The young man in plain clothes asked in surprise, "So many?"
The postmaster sighed, "Of course, it's because family letters are precious. I was only willing to talk to you because your accent sounds like you're from Shangnan. If you were from Kunzhou, I'm afraid I would have reported you to the authorities."
Upon hearing this, the young man in plain clothes stopped asking questions.
He went back to rest, and the courier mounted his warhorse to set off. But after only a few steps, before he had even left the post station, his warhorse suddenly became uncontrollable. Judging from its expression, it seemed to be fearful, as if it had seen a terrifying natural enemy. No matter how the courier urged it on, it wouldn't move.
The postmaster was about to come over to inquire about the situation, unaware that the young man in plain clothes and his companions looked at each other with unusual expressions, all simultaneously looking in the same direction. At that moment, the rest of the caravan also noticed that the teacups on the table were trembling—no, it wasn't the teacups that were trembling!
"Earth dragon, the earth dragon has turned over..."
Someone shouted that, and everyone ran out of the building.
The few wandering knights remained seated and did not move.
Because they knew this wasn't a sudden earthquake.
This is--
A shout rang out from the crowd: "Aaaaaah—look—there, there—a monster has smashed down the mountain—!"
Looking in the direction of the sound, it was indeed so.
From their vantage point, they can see the distant mountain peaks.
The mountains are towering and covered in lush greenery.
But now it has become a battlefield where two giant beasts are locked in a struggle.
One of the giant beasts had a pair of curved and thick dark green horns. The left horn was broken off, with only half of it hanging there. The right horn was covered in blood, and the once neatly arranged scales were now incomplete, with many visible wounds.
The other giant beast was an eagle, which was about the same size!
It had a fierce appearance, and its claws were covered in blood.
The two ferocious beasts were locked in a fierce battle, causing such a commotion that the mountain peak collapsed, which was the cause of the earth dragon's transformation earlier! Some knowledgeable members of the caravan pointed out that these were not ferocious beasts, but clearly two martial arts totems, with martial arts warriors dueling nearby!
Some people were dumbfounded: "A martial arts master with a fearless spirit?"
"Is he really not a deity?"
"This is a skill only a god could possess!"
The crowd was abuzz with discussion. They had never seen such a spectacle in their lives, and for a moment they forgot something—well, they forgot to run away.
The caravan's guards made a different sound.
"This martial spirit totem... it looks so familiar..."
The young man in plain clothes and his brother exchanged a glance.
He thought to himself, "Isn't this familiar?"
This martial arts totem belongs to Gongxi Chou!
It seems he's at a disadvantage?
|ω`)
Don't worry about Gong Xichou; his martial spirit is quite unpredictable, so in a sense, he won't die. Like a phoenix rising from the ashes, he'll shed his skin. ┓(`)┏
PS: No prize for guessing, what is the generational relationship between Gong Xichou and Ji Moqiu?
(End of this chapter)
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