"Walker of the path, you are on the verge of triggering the Yanfu Incident!"
"You possess an additional Yanfu Relic."
"You may choose to use it to replace this Yanfu Incident."
"Should you opt not to replace it, you may also choose to sacrifice it, thereby elevating your status in the current Yanfu Incident."
"After the promotion of your status, you will gain more assistance."
"Sacrifice."
"You have sacrificed the Manuscript of Lin Yutang, and as a result, you will attain a higher status in this Yanfu Incident."
Li Yan abruptly opened his eyes!
The first thing he did was to grip the Han Sword Ring Dragon tightly in his hand, sitting up against the earth, his fingers sinking into the blood-soaked, soft soil, causing a large slick of blood to ooze out.
Li Yan smiled as he looked at the blood and dirt on his hands.
"A foreboding start—a good omen."
The sky was faintly lightening to the pale color of a fish's belly, the ground covered with rotting, dark leaves.
Broken flagpoles, scattered fragments of blades, a wagon wheel half-buried in a pile of leaves, and the shocking sight of piled-up severed limbs and broken bodies.
Li Yan was dressed in close-fitting shorts, his waist armor cracked and broken, resembling the attire of an ancient battlefield soldier. He felt for his helmet, where his pistol and magazine lay quietly inside. In his left hand, he held a case containing twenty Hand Grenades.
"The Firearms you have exchanged for have been delivered; they must be carried on your person at all times and cannot be concealed or passed on to another through burial or other means. Any leftover casings and all components will disappear once you abandon them or move 200 meters away."
Li Yan couldn't help but feel relieved that he hadn't purchased a rocket launcher, as it would have been impossible to carry.
On the hem of his skirt, blood trickled through the mud, forming words.
Time: 1592-1593
Location: Pyongyang, 40 degrees north latitude, 127 degrees east longitude
Having extinguished the last embers of civil strife at home, Toyotomi Hideyoshi of a unified Japan brazenly dispatched troops to Korea, with the battle-hardened Ming dynasty's Army emerging in full force. Within a month, Korea's three capitals had fallen, and its eight provinces were in disarray!
Xuanzu Li Min fled to Yizhou and sought aid from the suzerain state, the Ming Dynasty.
Emperor Wanli commanded Shanxi Commander Li Rusong to lead, with Vice Minister of the Ministry of War Song Yingchang serving as Military Strategist Minister, bringing forth forty thousand Ming Army troops across the ice to Pyongyang...
In Korea, it was known as the Imjin War, in Japan as the Bunroku Keichō War, while the Ming Dynasty referred to it as,
The Renchen Japanese Chaos.
Three-Eyed Gun, matchlock muskets, Tiger Barrel Cannon, Hundred-shot Firearms, strong crossbows, Wolf Brush Weapons, Wild Samurai Swords, Iron Unified Cannons, siege ladders, watchtowers, Pointed Wooden Donkeys.
It was an era when gunpowder was on the rise, yet the cold weapon still reigned supreme on the battlefield!
The requirements for this Yanfu Incident are as follows:
1. Survive until the first tripartite peace talks tomorrow morning.
Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.
2. -
Suddenly, the blood-red characters transformed into a series of incomprehensible symbols, twisting like agonized little snakes, before all the text blurred and dispersed!
After a short while, the blood characters reformed, and the content had changed!
The requirements for this Yanfu Incident are as follows:
【Acquire a Yanfu Relic with the power of the glaring eyes】
【Kill at least three Japanese Warring States Strange Beasts】
【Kill at least one Great General of the Warring States Period】
【Slay Commander Konishi Yukinaga of the First Army Corps of Toyotomi Hideyoshi】
Fulfilling any of the above requirements will officially commence the Yanfu Incident.
Note: You owe me a life, and now I demand its repayment.
Li Yan remained expressionless, seemingly unsurprised by the bizarre events before him, his mind flashing back to the Black Shine that struck his forehead at Li Jiangyu's dying moment.
In this Yanfu Incident, you have gained a special proficiency: Horsemanship at 70%, which will be forgotten after the event concludes, or you may permanently acquire it for 700 Yan Fu Points.
Your status in this Yanfu Incident has been elevated.
Your current military rank is: General Flag.
The refresh for Tapir's Gift requires 12 hours, please wait patiently.
Li Yan stood up, tearing off his cracked half-armor. The promotion in rank had also granted him a memory like a playback of a film.
Li Yan's current identity was that of a General Flag under General Zu Chengxun of the Great Ming, commanding three small banners, roughly twenty men. Before the departure of Li Rusong's 40,000-strong army, due to misinformation from Korea, the Imperial Court had sent Zu Chengxun with over three thousand men to defeat the Japanese in Korea, which ended in a crushing defeat. And at this moment, Li Yan was a Ming Army soldier left behind on the battlefield.
Suddenly, Li Yan's ears twitched; he grasped his sword with one hand and stealthily moved towards the source of the sound.
...
The swirling cool breeze tore at the tattered banners.
Li Yan held the Ring Dragon in his hand, bullets loaded. He slowly approached a mass of Dark Black Matter.
It was a rotting wild beast, its head buried among a pile of corpses, as large as a calf, with a crunching sound emanating from beneath it...
The noise abruptly ceased, and the beast violently turned its head, a black arrow piercing through its skull, the upper half of its face stripped of flesh, revealing ghastly white eye sockets with a ferocious light emanating from the dismal green flames within.
Its white teeth gnawed on the steaming flesh and blood, with a segment of a human finger clearly visible!
What a beast.
"A Fleeting Glance, activate."
Nekomata, a creature of the Demon Beast class with the power to control corpses, though incapable of using Malicious Energy Mutation, bore fangs and claws laced with a decaying poison.
Threat level: Light red.
Li Yan pulled the trigger, and three bullets flew: one into its eye socket, another struck its forelimb, and the last one burrowed into its rotting torso.
The bullets splattered flesh and blood with a sneering sound, yet the Nekomata seemed oblivious. In the span of a breath, the bullets were pushed out from its body, clinking as they fell onto the broken blades on the ground.
Li Yan holstered his Colt Handgun and positioned his Han Sword across his chest as the Nekomata pounced with lightning speed, its claws aimed straight at Li Yan's heart.
Bright sparks erupted, and Li Yan squinted instinctively. Seizing the opportunity, the Nekomata's foul teeth lunged for Li Yan's neck.
The sword blade, like a flat boat pivoting in water, stirred ripples. Li Yan dropped to his knees, his body skimming beneath the Nekomata. His Long Sword sliced through the soft underbelly of the beast, followed by a skyward kick, a move akin to a hawk's somersault, sending the Nekomata flying.
The Ring Dragon lay horizontal before him, its blade streaming with dark blood.
Twenty-Four Mother Frames,
Silver Python Emerging from Cave Stance.
The Nekomata rolled twice on the ground, its underbelly leaking blackish-red organs.
Li Yan's expression darkened. Although the bite had missed, an unbearable itch spread across his neck.
The Nekomata's limbs dug deep into the earth, its gaze indifferent. With a powerful leap, it attempted to flee.
But there was no escape.
Li Yan charged forward. The Nekomata's agile leaps could not shake him off. The Ring Dragon tore through the air and, with Rolling Thunderous Momentum, cleaved the Nekomata in two!
As black blood sprayed, the front half of the Nekomata spun in the air and, with its Blood Basin Mouth agape, flew towards Li Yan.
In Li Yan's pupils, the rows of foul teeth drew ever closer.
Draw sword, strike again!
The clang of the sword echoed long and unceasingly.
The entire sequence was unbelievably swift.
Hook Star: Enhances the bearer's explosive power and attack speed by 90%.
"Pat, pat."
Two chunks of flesh fell to the ground, one after the other.
Sliced into three pieces by Li Yan's twin strikes, the Nekomata finally ceased to move.
"You have killed the Strange Beast, Nekomata. Progress in the Yanfu Incident has been advanced."
Li Yan clutched his neck, rubbing it up and down. His palm was clean, yet the itching sensation lingered.
A poor start to the venture!
Li Yan cursed his bad luck and turned to leave when suddenly, a bloodied hand reached out for his ankle!
Just as the Ring Dragon Long Sword was about to strike down, a faint cry for help reached his ears.
"Save... save me~"
**********
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