Welp hello folks O_O I'm back. Not feeling too great the last couple days so havent been able to get much writing done sadly. But heres a chapter ._. help you guys like it/ My heads been hurting very bad for some reason...
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Chapter 79: One Condition
Written by: IEndWorlds
Editor/Proofer: Nyx
After a few dozen more bolts were fired into the Twin Headed Mirage Viper it finally slumped to ground and did not get up.
The instant it fell to the ground, a blood red blade could be seen poking out from it’s side. A long cut appeared from its belly and from the inside of the snake, Zhang crawled out covered in goo.
“Shitty snake… I was almost digested…” Zhang murmured as he proceeded to kick the carcass of the giant snake.
“Mother! What are you doing? Let's go quickly!” Two voices could be heard frantically yelling. Guo Meiyan could be seen standing by the carts of gold grabbing handful of gold and jewels then stuffing them into a large sack.
“Give it up and prepare to die!” Lu Lingqi screamed as she returned, seeing that the viper was slain.
“Ahaha, these riches are mine! Mine! You can’t have them!” Guo Meiyan yelled manically as she watched many soldiers surround every possible exit from the mansion..
“She’s clearly gone crazy.” Yuying stated as she and Ling descended to the ground and the column of blood where they stood dispersed, forming a puddle on the ground.
“If I can’t have it then no one can! No one! These are all mine!” Guo Meiyan continued yelling as she madly tossed the sack of gold onto the ground and ran about madly.
“Lingqi I’ll leave it up to you on how you would deal with her.” Zhang said as he watched Guo Meiyan ran about like a lunatic.
However, Zhang noticed something strange when Guo Meiyan reached where Lu Lingqi was standing. Not far from Lu Lingqi was Yuying and Ling, who were watching the madness unfold. From Guo Meiyan’s sleeves, she pulled out a strange looking bottle.
That was when the unfocused and maddened eyes of Guo Meiyan became sharp and focused. “You little twerp, if I’m going to die then you're going to die with me! Ahaha how I’ve waited for this day. I could remember that day, I pushed you into that boiling pot of oil like it was just yesterday.” Guo Meiyan laughed at she threw the strange looking bottle onto the ground.
Following a cracking sound, a thick green cloud of smoke gushed out in every direction.
“Poison…” Lu Lingqi thought as a frown appeared on her face. While holding in her breath, she took out a small brown pellet from her sleeve and swallowed it. Then she used her left hand to perform a palm strike while using her right hand to shove a similar looking pellet into Guo Meiyan’s mouth.
“You think I’m just going to let you die like this? Ha, this shows how much you know about me after living in the same home for so long. ” Lu Lingqi murmured as the green smoke cleared.
When the smoke cleared dozens of soldiers laid rolling about on the ground, wallowing in pain. Zhang rushed to Yuying and Ling who had taken in a whiff of the green smoke and fell to the ground.
“Get a hold of yourselves!” Zhang said as he tried to use the power of the Underworlder Heart in his chest to heal them. However, no matter how much purple energy entered their bodies nothing happened. Behind him stood Ai as she watched with a worried expression on her face.
“Please let this work…” He murmured as small bottles of phoenix blood appeared in his hands. Moments later warm pheonix blood dripped into the mouths of the two beauties laying on the ground.
“Fuck…” Zhang cursed in his mind as the phoenix blood did not seem to help either.
“Brother Zhang! I can help them.” Lu Lingqi said as she stood behind Zhang. All of the soldiers who were on the ground wallowing in pain were now perfectly fine.
“Save them!” Zhang shouted as he held Yuying and Ling in his embrace.
“One condition.” Lu Lingqi said.
“I’ll accept any condition. Help them.” Zhang said hurriedly.
“Marry me!” Lu Lingqi said happily as she bent down and slipped two small brown pellets into the mouths of the two beauties.
“Ehhhhh?” Guan Yu said once he heard Lu Lingqi’s words. He stood dumbfounded with his mouth wide open in shock.
Sima Yi could be seen standing by the entrance to the mansion with a grin on his face once he was sure that Yuying and Ling were fine.
Moments after taking the small brown pellets, Yuying and Ling were back on their feet staring at Lu Lingqi. “A strong adversary she will be.” Ling murmured while Yuying stood by her side with the exact same thought.
“Brother when is our wedding? You promised right?” Lu Lingqi said as she pressed herself onto Zhang’s arm.
At a lost for words in the current situation, Zhang couldn’t do anything but give in and say, “After everything is settled and after my parents agreed.”
While Lu Lingqi continued pressing against Zhang, Guan Yu and his men walked up towards her with Guo Meiyan and her two daughters in tow.
“My lady, what shall we do with these three?” Guan Yu asked.
“Ah yes. For their crimes I’ll grant them a fate worse than death. I shall grant them an unending life filled with torment. Follow me and drag those three along.” Lu Lingqi said as she let go of Zhang’s arm and walked off.
“Sima Yi have the men comb through the city one last time and make sure not even a single soldier from the Heavenly Sword Army is left alive. After searching have everyone set up camp atop the city walls after bringing the ballistae back up.” Zhang ordered.
Out of curiousity Zhang and the three beauties decided to follow Lu Lingqi and the soldiers of the Green Clover Army to see what they were up to. Zhang had of course stationed a few of his men to watch over the giant Twin Headed Mirage Viper. The corpse was a treasure and could be very useful to him.
After following Lu Lingqi into a cemetery, in the back of the provincial lord’s mansion, Zhang watched as Guo Meiyan and her two daughters were brought in front of a large tombstone.
“For the sins you’ve committed I’ll have you pay.” Lu Lingqi said as three long needles appeared in her hands.
It seemed as if Guo Meiyan’s two daughters had something to say but only unrecognizable grunts could be heard because they had been gagged before entering the cemetery. Moment’s later Lu Lingqi drove the a needle into each of them.
Afterwards, the, mother and daughters, trio’s skin turned brown and their hair turned green. An odd texture was seen as their brown skin soon resembled the bark of a tree. Soon enough, their feet became roots and crawled to the ground as their arms became long branches that stretched outwards. When Lu Lingqi mentioned immortality, she meant she would turn them into trees that would watch over her mother's grave for all eternity.
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“Despite being turned into trees you’ll still be conscious. Forever watching, but never allowed to meddle.” Lu Lingqi said as she got on her knees and kowtowed to the tombstone in front of her.
“Mother I have avenge you.” She cried as tears streamed down her face.
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After the battle, per Lu Lingqi’s orders, the forty thousand remnants of the Green Clover Army under Guan Yu’s command turned in their green banners for black ones. An estimated total of roughly sixty thousand other soldiers apart of the Green Clover Army were currently scattered across the province under the banner of different generals and if Zhang agreed to Lu Lingqi’s condition of marrying her, then all of those generals would become a part of his army too.
Instantly, after they were integrated into Zhang’s army the former soldiers of the Green Clover Army, still clad in green armor, went to each and every home inside Green Clover City to reassure the civilians that everything was safe now. Once the civilians saw the familiar green armors and the kind demeanor of the soldiers, they were quickly instilled with a sense of ease.
Currently, under Zhang's command were two hundred forty thousand soldiers. Originally, without accounting the fifty thousand men under Lu Xun and Gan Ning’s command, Zhang’s army totaled two hundred fifty thousand.
But during the siege of Green Clover City fifty thousand of Zhang’s men were killed. The ballistae atop the walls had decimated a huge portion of the fifty thousand that were lost. Thankfully, the forty thousand men under Guan Yu’s command were able to fill in a portion of his losses. Once the rest of the soldiers of the Green Clover Army were gathered, then Zhang’s army would number three hundred thousand in the Green Clover Province.
After Zhang had taken account of his army, Zhang began to skin the carcass of the Twin Headed Mirage Viper. Zhang completely skinned the huge carcass and collect every single scale into this interspatial ring. He then tore off two large fangs from each of the Mirage Viper’s head to be made into swords. Lu Lingqi had claimed the snake’s venom sacks for herself the instant Zhang cut open the skin, so after the fangs and skin was gone only a huge amount of bone and meat was left which Zhang distributed among his men.
The flesh of a tier eight demonic beast would be very beneficial to regular cultivators, let alone his soldiers, and having the large amount of meat meant that rations would not have to be bought for a while. This then meant that more money could be spent in weapons, armor, and horses for the entire army.
Another thing was... after witnessing and feeling first hand the effectiveness of the ballistae, Zhang ordered smaller versions to be created and be placed atop the chariots that he designed.
Sadly, he opted to use regular iron for the bolt tips instead of the mithril that had been used up until now. A large portion of the ballistae’s deadly force was due to the mithril bolts but using it on the scale that Zhang was hoping to be made was illogical due to its availability and its price.
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Today Zhang and the now group of four beauties were currently meeting the city’s best weapon and armor maker.
“My lord it will take roughly a month for me to make the set of armor and four battle dresses your ordered.” An elderly man in an apron said as he bowed to Zhang.
“Thank you, please take this as a down payment.” Zhang said to the elderly man as he place a bag of gold coins into the store counter in front of him. Zhang ordered a set of armor for himself and a battle dress set for Ling, Ai, Yuying and even Lu Lingqi.
True to his promise, Zhang decided that he would marry her too. Earlier he had said that he wished for his parents approval but that of course was to make things not so awkward. But of course, who would turn down a beauty such as her? If a world class beauty walked up to someone and offered them a kingdom along with one hundred thousand soldiers who wouldn't agree to her offer?
Zhang found that if he sent a bit of essence into the scales of the Mirage Viper he could make them change to different colors depending on the amount he sent in.
Theoretically, if he could figure out how much essence he needed to send, it would be possible to make the scales turn invisible. Meaning, the new armor would be extremely useful in the future.
“My lord! My lord!” A voice rang out from the outside of the weapon and armor store.
Not long after a soldier ran in with panic on his face.
“What's wrong? Talk?” Zhang asked as he grabbed the panicking soldier.
“My lord an injured soldier wearing our standard white armor just rode into the city! Before he faint he said he that Lord Jian Wei is in trouble and is requesting reinforcements.” The soldier said hurriedly.
“What!? Take me to him!” Zhang commanded.
“Follow me my lord.” The soldier replied hurriedly.
Upon returning to the provincial lord’s mansion, Zhang was led to a small room where a young man was lying face down on a bed as an elderly doctor was removing an arrow embedded in his shoulder.
“What's his condition?” Zhang asked the doctor.
“My lord it doesn't look like he will make it, this man lost too much blood.” The elderly doctor said.
“I got this.” Zhang said as a small jade bottle appeared in his hand.
“My last bottle of phoenix blood.” Zhang thought as he poured the red liquid into the soldier's mouth.
The instant the red liquid dripped into the throat of the young soldier, his eyes opened wide and became full of life.
“M-my lord!” The soldier said.
“Tell me! What happen to foster father!” Zhang commanded as he held the soldier's shoulders.
“W-we were ambush, and elder Qian Long along with his soldiers defected to the enemy forcing us to retreat into the Beast's Gorge.” The soldier recalled.
“What about Lu Xun and Gan Ning! I sent them to secretly follow the army and assist with fifty thousand men if anything happened.” Zhang said.
“Yes, if not for General Lu Xun and General Gan Ning attacking the enemy from the rear then perhaps we would have been wiped out.” The soldier said.
“Then what is the situation now?”...
“After General Lu Xun and General Gan Ning aided us, Lord Jian Wei was able to keep the enemy from entering the gorge. But right now our army is trapped inside.” ….
“Send orders! I want every available soldier to prepare to march! We are heading to Aurora to aid Lord Jian Wei and annihilate those dogs from the Heavenly Sword Army!” Zhang yelled.