abnabooks Chapter 43 Zhenwu Heavenly Skill
Chapter 43 Zhenwu Heavenly Skill
Black warhorses galloped in.
"Hiss—"
The thirty cavalrymen stopped instantly, as if in unison.
The leader of the Zhenwu Guard was a tall, imposing, and aura-filled armored knight.
Body covered in iron armor, face covered in iron armor.
He rode his horse to the front of the battle, his cold gaze sweeping through his mask over the wrecked battlefield, over the trembling retreating soldiers and martial artists.
He suddenly raised the black spear in his hand, which was wrapped with dark gold patterns, and the sound was like the clang of metal, resounding throughout the entire arena:
"town--!"
A single, simple word, yet it seems to contain supreme authority and law!
"Clang!"
"Clang!"
As if struck by an invisible hammer, the already terrified soldiers threw down their weapons without hesitation, knelt down, and their faces turned ashen.
Even some martial artists who were still observing or even trying to slip away in the chaos trembled upon hearing the word "suppress" and feeling the unparalleled killing intent locking them in. It was as if all their strength had been drained, and they could no longer hold onto their swords and knives, which fell to the ground with a series of clanging sounds!
They stood there, their faces pale, not daring to make the slightest move!
The infamous reputation of Zhenwuwei has long been etched into the bones of every martial arts practitioner!
On the carriage, Chen Wenyuan took a deep breath, suppressing his displeasure, and bowed to the Zhenwu Guard general: "Chen Wenyuan, a ninth-rank advisor of Fengming County, has been ordered by the county magistrate to lead the county's constables, local militia, and recruited righteous men to suppress bandits here!"
"This is the ringleader, and he has been apprehended by Master Zheng."
He pointed to Liu Heita, who was paralyzed in the ruins.
He also refused to confront Zhenwuwei directly.
But if the Zhenwu Guard took all the credit, he wouldn't be able to explain it back to the county government.
The Zhenwu Guard general sat upright on his horse, looking down at Chen Wenyuan with a cold gaze.
He did not dismount, but casually pulled out a peculiar nameplate, about the size of a palm, that was neither gold nor jade, but shimmered with a pale golden luster from his waist, and flicked his wrist.
The nameplate transformed into a pale golden streak, shooting precisely at Chen Wenyuan!
Chen Wenyuan reached out and caught it. It felt slightly heavy in his hand, and a warm yet dignified aura emanated from it.
He looked down and saw that the front of the plaque had an ancient character "镇" (zhen, meaning town) engraved on it, while the back had a character "功" (gong, meaning merit), surrounded by mysterious cloud patterns.
"For your meritorious service in suppressing bandits in Fengming County, this is the 'Suppressing Martial Heavenly Merit Plaque,' marking one instance of merit."
The general's voice was completely flat.
Holding the plaque, Chen Wenyuan's eyes instantly lit up with uncontrollable joy!
Zhenwu Tiangong Plaque!
This is a treasure that countless officials throughout the imperial court have been dreaming of!
This token may only be worth a thousand taels of silver, but only a fool would exchange it for money!
Zhenwu Tiangong Plaque!
The true value of this item in official circles and in the spiritual realm far exceeds that of gold and silver!
The black market has a price but no supply. Even the lowest grade of the Heavenly Rank Token is worth at least five thousand taels of silver on the black market!
Moreover, they are often available but unsold!
The key is that this item can be exchanged for the Zhenwu Guard's Secret Treasures in the Zhenwu Guard's Library, which is its core value!
Moreover, with this token, one can exchange it for treasures that are extremely difficult to find outside the Zhenwu Guard's secret vault.
Advanced martial arts techniques, powerful divine weapons, miraculous elixirs that can bring the dead back to life, and rare and precious materials that can help break through bottlenecks...
For practitioners, this is the key to a higher realm!
Moreover, this item also served as a certificate of merit for the promotion of civil and military officials.
In the imperial court system, accumulating enough merit tokens was an important certificate of merit for local officials to be promoted!
Its significance far surpasses that of ordinary political achievements!
This is the real "hard currency" that can open the door to higher official positions!
With this plaque, the efforts of Fengming County Government this time are worthwhile!
Chen Wenyuan even felt that the slight unpleasantness of having his peach taken away earlier seemed insignificant.
……
Under the strict escort of the Zhenwuwei Blackscale Army, the defeated soldiers were chained together with fine iron chains and led away dejectedly like lambs to the slaughter.
Before being dragged away, Liu Heita struggled to raise his head, his eyes, filled with resentment and unwillingness, staring intently at Zhang Yuan, as if trying to etch his image into the depths of his soul.
The battle is finally over.
Zhang Yuan and Wang Ziteng sat back to back on a patch of ravaged, blood-stained earth, panting heavily.
As my tense nerves suddenly relaxed, a wave of intense fatigue and pain from the wound washed over me.
"Huff, huff... Zhang Yuan, no, Zhang Qingyang!" Wang Ziteng wiped the blood from his face, his voice hoarse but filled with the excitement of surviving a disaster and the determination that followed a trace of confusion, "Do you see that? This is true power!"
"Grandmaster, Zhenwu Guard... Damn it! The flood that ruined our house was caused by a fight between these kinds of powerful individuals!"
"One day, I will become that kind of strongman! I will avenge my parents and all the villagers who drowned!"
He clenched his fists, his eyes filled with longing, hatred, and a hint of feigned strength.
The three realms of transcending the mortal realm and the three realms of penetrating the profound realm—all of this is too far away.
Zhang Yuan nodded heavily, his gaze still fixed on the direction the Zhenwu Guard cavalry had gone, his eyes burning with fire: "It will happen! We must all become stronger! Strong enough to control our own destinies!"
……
Wang Ziteng was helped away by the people of the Guzhu Gang.
After that, the Guzhu Gang largely whitewashed its image in Fengming County.
Zhang Yuan stood up, preparing to go find Chen Wenyuan and Zheng Chaoyang.
"Young Master Zhang?" a gentle voice rang out.
Zhang Yuan turned around and saw Wang Wei, the chief镖头 (bodyguard) of Weiyuan镖局 (security escort agency), strolling up to him with a warm smile on his face.
"Chief Escort." Zhang Yuan clasped his hands in a salute, but inwardly he felt a slight sense of respect.
This man is capable of rescuing the people and is willing to risk his life for them; he is a rare hero.
In particular, the fact that he had previously exposed the defeated soldiers made it impossible for Chen Wenyuan to offer them amnesty.
It is clear that he is a man of honor and loyalty.
"Young master, are you Zhang Qingyang? The son of General Zhang Zhenshan, the Commandant of the Imperial Guards?" Wang Wei asked with a smile.
Zhang Yuan's heart tightened, assuming the other party was an old acquaintance of his father, possibly knowing the real Zhang Qingyang, but he remained outwardly calm: "Indeed. Does the Chief Escort know my father?"
"Hehe, who doesn't know the name of Captain Zhang's loyalty and bravery? Although I have never met the general in person, I have long admired him." Wang Wei's smile remained unchanged, and his tone was sincere. "From now on, my Weiyuan Escort Agency will be based in Fengming County and open a branch. I will definitely pay a visit to the Zhang family ancestral home to pay respects to the general's spirit another day."
Zhang Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and clasped his hands in a fist salute again: "Chief镖头 (Chief Escort) is very kind. Qingyang thanks you on behalf of my father."
His gaze was lowered, and he was about to exchange a few more polite words when he caught a glimpse of the inside of Wang Wei's seemingly ordinary outfit.
A pattern that was extremely well hidden, yet almost identical to the hidden pattern of the character "镇" (zhen, meaning "suppress") on the black iron plaque in his possession!
Zhang Yuan's heart skipped a beat!
Zhenwu Guard?!
A thought exploded in his mind like a thunderclap!