Chapter 288 – The Disease That Needs Treatment
The Capital was a magnificent and grandiose place. Streets crisscrossed all over the city, and all of the main roads were paved with bluestones. They were more than wide enough for several bronze beast carriages to run side by side.
Roars of savage beasts could be heard from time to time on the streets. They galloped by, with blustering and rumbling carriages trailing behind them in extraordinary styles.
People here had long gotten used to such scenes. Descendents of lords and nobilities would always have savage beasts clear the way for them. Their treasured carriages would then rumble on while appearing glistening and dashing.
Various topics even arose as a result, such as which family had the most magnificent bronze carriage, or whose savage beasts looked the mightiest. These topics were popular subjects over cups of tea.
Businesses and well-off families could certainly afford their own bronze carriages, but savage beasts were not attainable for common folk. As a result, they could only use domestic animals to draw their carts.
The streets were busier than ever today, for war chariots drawn by exceptionally large savage beasts rumbled by one after another. The auras they gave off were both fiendish and frightening.
Pedestrians moved away from the chariots and dared not stir up trouble. They knew the owners were all nobilities that they could not afford to offend.
On one of the busiest streets where bronze or even golden war chariots continuously rushed by, vicious beasts were roaring under their thick scales as they moved towards the same direction.
“What is going on? Why are there so many carriages? They look like war chariots from the lords’ manors. Has something serious happened? Why have they all gathered here? What are they doing?”
“Haven’t you heard? Talented members of the major lords’ manors and famous noble families have all come back these past few days to celebrate the Human Emperor’s birthday. They are currently holding small gatherings before that.”
“Those geniuses have been away from the Capital for quite some years, and some of them are the best of friends. Those who enjoy the excitement will certainly take the opportunity to get together after not seeing other friends for so long.”
“Not only that, some clans and their geniuses do not see eye to eye with people of other clans. In such a gathering like this, everyone will be compared with everyone else, and some will go so far as to start direct confrontations. The gathering will surely be a boisterous one.”
Many people watched the rumbling chariots with envious eyes as the densely packed symbols emitted precious light. It reminded them of a never-ending torrent.
“What extraordinary extravagance.” Shi Hao naturally made his way over as well towards the gathering point. Along the way, he saw many bronze carriages sweep past. Gusts of powerful energy were raised, and symbols flickered in a mighty and astonishing manner.
Many of the attendants were talented descendants of noble families and aristocrats. There were many princes and princesses as well, and all of their auras were exceptional.
In general, although there were other guests who were arrived on foot like Shi Hao, the number was relatively small, and they looked rather out of place. Of course, Shi Hao was still on his way, and no one knew that he was invited as well.
Green Wood Garden was a spacious place located in the northwest corner of the Capital. Aside from the great numbers of halls and magnificent palaces, it also contained large areas of garden landscapes. The entire place was full of vigor, and wild profusion of vegetation filled every corner.
A garden on such a large scale was hard to come by in the busy Capital, for land in this city cost a fortune. This place not only contained ancient woods and garden sceneries, but even some lakes and hills.
It was fair to say that the Green Wood Garden had one of the best views in the Capital. Many major gatherings would use this location as their venue.
Currently, guests were going in and out in constant streams through the Green Wood Garden’s grand stone gates. More people kept coming in, and the line of bronze carriages they arrived with demonstrated their superior status.
Shi Hao grumbled along the way. The distance was just too far! The main reason was because the capital was just too large. He hurried over from the inn without using any precious techniques or bone texts, so the trip was exceptionally long.
Even though he had already complained for quite a while, he still hadn’t reached his destination. There was a long way ahead of him.
Honglonglong!
A chariot rumbled by, drawn by six powerful and ancient vicious beasts. They were tall and strong animals that looked valiant and toughly built. Covered in thick scales, they passed by in a suppressing manner.
Almost at the same time, another silver chariot dashed by, travelling side by side with the previous one. Earsplitting roars sounded from the beasts.
“Heng!”
A cold snort sounded. The two chariots suddenly drew together, causing a terrifying collision to take place. With a hong sound, symbols erupted. Rays of light shone, and it was as if there was a clap of thunder.
The silver chariot had parts of it cave in. Its shaft was damaged, and its symbols were badly damaged. It was immediately shoved to the side.
The bronze chariot, on the other hand, remained intact and unhurt. The scorching multicolored light that surrounded it gradually faded away as it marched on. A voice sounded from within the chariot. “The chariot of Lord Ziwei really isn’t good enough. I think it needs some major repairment.”
“Laugh all you want now, I’ll see you in a bit inside the Green Wood Garden!” Someone from the silver chariot replied with a snort.
It was clear that there was a grudge between the two. A direct confrontation had broken out between the two just now, and the two of them opposed each other with equal harshness. These types of scenes were quite common here, because many of the attendants did not get along well. They saw each other as competitors.
A conflict like this was still relatively insignificant. In the distance, several chariots could been seen on the ground, completely destroyed. Large pools of blood indicated that a bloody battle had taken place here earlier.
Shi Hao was taken by surprise and asked someone going in the same direction, “That’s outrageous. Is there no one around here to deal with these conflicts?”
One of the people passing by glanced at him and said, “You must be new to the capital and not know about these things. Those are either descendants of nobilities or young mighty experts of their region. They are all arrogant and unyielding people. None of them would admit that anyone else is better than themselves. These incidents are common scenes here that no one pays any extra attention to.”
Stone Country was founded on its martial prowess, and the naturally valiant and tyrannical attitude had been passed down through later generations. In fact, the nobilities even encouraged their children to act in such a dominating manner. The Human Emperor himself had expressed his opinions on the matter, stating that he did not want his descendants to be weak and cowardly.
Especially in a gathering like this that was obviously meant to be packed with comparison and competition. No one would care too much about some bloodshed, for it was considered a common occurrence.
“I like it!” Shi Hao noded. He was used to the carefree life of the great wastelands and restraints worried him the most. He would not be fettered by any sort of restrictions or formalities.
From what he had heard just now, the gathering sounded wonderful. It would be an unrestrained and straightforward occasion. Any disagreement could simply be resolved via confrontations.
“Wei, young brother, where are you going? Don’t go the wrong way. That’s the direction of the Green Wood Garden,” someone advised.
It was because this road was extremely dangerous today. There was practically no one travelling any of the other routes. The route was full of talented individuals, and there were even some martial king’s heirs. If he continued like this, he might receive some injuries from collision
The carriages were charging by so rapidly that sometimes, several carts would run side by side simultaneously. Their exterior plating clinked as they glistened a cold light, making them look somewhat frightening.
“I’m attending a gathering,” replied Shi Hao.
Those standing at the fork of the road were dumbstruck by his words, for he did not even have a chariot. Arriving like this would only make him a laughing stock. Those geniuses were all about dignity and outward appearances.
As expected, as he walked on, many people gave him surprised looks from their chariots. He was not the only one coming on foot, but there really wasn’t many of them.
“Look, sister, there’s another weirdo. Does he think he is young Lord Lingbo, who is truly powerful and incomparable? That person’s family is truly powerful, and so no matter what, he would never arrive by a chariot, yet this person is also trying to copy him.”
As a silver chariot passed by, the voice of a young girl came out. The curtain was lifted, revealing two beautiful faces who were discussing in low voices.
Shi Hao was a bit bummed by the words. What was wrong with being a bit humble?
Similar things happened with the following chariots, with people eyeing him with weird looks, irritating him greatly. He had made an unwise move and was becoming some strange creature that was often being pointed at.
“Xixi…” A soft laughter sounded that could intoxicate one to their bones. An emperor’s carriage galloped by. It was bright and translucent with auspicious beasts pulling it along. Wisps of mists extended outwards, making it appear hazy but powerful.
“You deliberately walked all the way here just to attract the girls. Are you trying to be different? This move is a bit outdated, though, many have already tried before.” A little girl curled her lip and spoke from the carriage. This was none other than that little fox.
The coach stopped and out came the face of the Heavenly Fox girl. Her fair white face possessed a beauty that could take one’s breath away. She watched Shi Hao with her bright eyes and said, “Come, let big sister give you a ride.”
“No thanks. I’d rather walk.” Shi Hao refused her at once. His instincts told him that this Heavenly Fox girl was extremely dangerous and powerful. As enchanting and charming as she looked, she was someone he should not mess with.
“My lady, you have no idea how bad a person he is. When I said I was selling him a saintly fairy, he asked for a ‘buy one get one free’ deal to include you in.” The little fox complained.
“Fine. When we get to the Green Wood Garden, we can tell that saintly fairy that there’s someone who would not even consider obtaining her alone.” The Heavenly Fox girl replied with a smile.
Shi Hao felt a headache and found the foxy girl even harder to deal with than he had expected. If he were to travel together with her, he would surely be used as a weapon against that fairy. He decided to stay away from her.
“You don’t want a ride? Then we’re leaving without you.” The foxy girl chuckled. Her fair body moved slightly in an enchanting manner.
As the carriage moved away, Shi Hao rubbed his nose. He realized that the woman was difficult to deal with and hoped she would not involve him in her plans. If she managed to stir something up, he could be in a lot of trouble.
“Get out of the way!”
Yells came from behind him as earsplitting hoof sounds approached. A chariot drawn by eight vicious beasts dashed over fiercely, and together with it came the most ferocious and hostile aura.
Shi Hao was speechless. He was already on the curb and not blocking the way, yet they still yelled at. Wasn’t this too overbearing?!
He stepped back a bit further to the side to avoid trouble. In the end, however, the chariot kept coming at him and rode extremely close to the curb. It charging towards him in a clearly undisguised manner.
Shi Hao backed away again, but one of the vicious beasts was already roaring with its basin-sized hoofs in the air. They were stamping right at him, and a chilly air gushed towards Shi Hao.
Shi Hao was instantly enraged. They had gone too far this time. He had backed away twice, and they still unleashed their beasts at him. The hoof had the size of a washing basin and was stomping towards his head in an extremely savage nature.
The animal was too violent. If he was stamped upon, he would surely be badly injured. Their act was ridiculously outrageous and overbearing.
“What is wrong with you people?” Shi Hao shouted and jumped into the air. He managed to evade the attack before landing not far away.
The chariot came to a quick stop and the cart driver looked askance at him. “My master wants to know why that coach stopped and what the Heavenly Fox fairy said to you.”
“That’s none of your master’s damn business,” replied Shi Hao with a straightforward answer, showing no courtesy at all.
“You dare! Do you know who you are talking to?” Scolded the cart driver.
It was apparent to Shi Hao that the owner cared much about the Heavenly Fox fairy. He either wanted to woo her or had something similar in mind. Shi Hao shook his head. That foxy girl was indeed a troublemaker, as merely talking to her got him into trouble like this.
“I’m asking you a question! Didn’t you hear me?” Seeing that the cart driver failed to intimidate Shi Hao, the master inside was speaking now.
There were several people in the chariot. They were going to the gathering together and none of them were common folk. They were all teenagers similar in age.
“Are you all sick in the head? You need treatment!” Shi Hao stared straight ahead and spoke in a tough manner.
“You’re looking to die!” The cart driver raised his whip and lashed violently at Shi Hao. He was actually quite powerful, and a string of symbols swept across the air towards Shi Hao’s face.
However, he had no idea what kind of person Shi Hao was. The devilish brat would never be taken advantage of. Shi Hao flew up in the air and broke the whip in half with one kick. His other foot landed on the cart driver’s face, which sent the man flying away for more than ten zhang. Teeth were spat out from his mouth as he screamed in the air.
Shi Hao did not exert his full power, because the man’s head would have exploded. Even so, his cheekbone was still smashed. Tears were running down his face as he writhed about painfully on the ground.
“Do you have a death wish? How dare you attack my servant!” A teenager dashed out of the chariot yelling.
“I’m treating your disease!” Shi Hao made his move in a domineering manner. With a honglong sound, his right palm turned black, and the shadow of a Black Turtle appeared, suppressing the teenager at once. He was thrown directly onto the ground!
“You…” The other teenagers in the chariot were infuriated and rushed out as well. They were in turn hit by purple lightnings and all trembled with black smokes rising from their bodies. None of them managed to escape.
Shi Hao kicked them out of the chariot one after another and said, “I’m taking over this chariot.”
With these words, he drove away.