Chapter 303: Hung On a Flagpole!
Looking at the fiery-eyed Tongluo youths, Wang Chong sneered.
He was willing to even speak up about a matter as dangerous as the regional commander incident, so how could he possibly fear their threats?
To attempt to threaten Wang Chong was a joke in and of itself!
Furthermore, after the regional commander incident, if Wang Chong didn't make a stern warning out of these Tongluo youths, such a matter would only happen again and again.
"I'll be taking Abutong with me! If you dare to pursue me, be prepared to suffer the consequences." With a firm grip on Abutong, Wang Chong lifted the latter up.
"Zhuang Zhengping and Chi Weisi, take Chen Burang along with us. We'll be heading to the Deflecting Blade Manor!"
Saying so, Wang Chong turned around and left.
There were some mutterings in the perimeter of the area already, and it seemed like the instructors of Kunwu Training Camp were currently rushing to the area. Needless to say, someone must have informed them.
Abutong had intended to lay a trap for Wang Chong, but it turned against him instead. They had intentionally diverted all of the instructors away from the main peak previously, and to call them back only at this moment... was too late!
Abutong himself doesn't wield so much influence as to interfere in the affairs of Kunwu Training Camp. Without a doubt, King Qi is involved in this matter as well!, Wang Chong thought as a figure surfaced in his mind… Zheng Xuan!
Wang Chong vaguely recalled that the King Qi's faction which Deng Mingxin was under was headed by a recruit in Kunwu Training Camp known as Zheng Xuan.
Wang Chong didn't believe that Zheng Xuan would neglect such a good opportunity to deal with him.
Wang Chong soon departed with Abutong.
With the unconscious Abutong hidden in the group, not even the instructors outside could tell that anything was amiss.
Besides, the instructors of Kunwu Training Camp were plagued with many duties. They weren't so free as to interfere in everything they saw.
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"Damn it!"
A while after Wang Chong left, Zheng Xuan and a few instructors finally arrived at the scene. Seeing the empty main hall, Zheng Xuan's face darkened.
He had never expected Wang Chong to be able to defeat Abutong.
His plan had failed utterly!
------
After an unknown period of time, Abutong was woken up by a cold breeze around him. Opening his eyes, he realized that he was a few dozen meters away from the ground, and a strong mountain wind was battering his body.
"Bastard! You bastard! I will never forgive you!"
As soon as Abutong came to, he immediately began struggling with all his might.
"Wang Chong, I swear I will kill you!..." a furious voice resounded clearly across the area.
"Abutong, if I am you, I would choose to remain silent so as to avoid attracting the recruits of the entire training camp over."
At this moment, a leisurely voice sounded beneath him. Along with eight other people, Wang Chong sat at a table beneath the pole, calmly sipping on a cup of tea.
"... though I guess you might not care about it anymore since all of your Tongluo subordinates have already seen your state!"
In midair, Abutong suddenly shuddered in fear. Gazing downward, he saw a majestic manor, and below the manor, at the halfway mark of the mountain, he saw Huorja and the other Tongluo youths looking in his direction in agitation, fury, and peculiarity.
However, that wasn't the most shocking blow.
The most shocking blow was his realization of his current state.
He was being currently being hung on a pole seven to eight zhang above the ground completely naked!
In realization of that fact, Abutong's face immediately turned ghastly white.
"Y-y-you..."
Abutong's entire body trembled, and his eyes blazed with fury. The immense humiliation he felt so infuriated him that he nearly fainted on the spot.
"You what you? This is just a small punishment for you!" Seated on the purple rattan chair, Wang Chong continued sipping on his fragrant cup of tea calmly. It was Gao Feng who spoke up on his behalf.
"Just to add on, even though many people have seen your unimpressive body, there are still many who have yet to. If you wish to rally them over, feel free to do so. I don't think I will mind sharing this sight with the entire training camp," Wang Chong spoke leisurely.
With this reminder from Wang Chong, Abutong finally noticed the crowd gazing over here from White Tiger Peak. They seemed to be muttering something as their fingers pointed at him.
Abutong's heart immediately froze. His anger was washed away by embarrassment and fright.
He had lost to Wang Chong, but he didn't expect Wang Chong to utilize such extreme means on him.
This was a huge humiliation!
Anxiety, fury, embarrassment, and fright came gushing into Abutong simultaneously. Under the clash of all those intense emotions, his grievous wounds acted up, and he fainted once more.
"Gongzi, is it really fine for us to do this?" On the opposite end of the rectangular table, Chen Burang held onto a cup of tea with a slightly unnerved expression. This matter had arisen because of him, so he felt guilty over this incident.
He hadn't seen what had happened in between, as he was unconscious, but he was worried by the way Wang Chong had dealt with Abutong. After all, Abutong was the son of Great General Abusi.
Getting on the wrong side with a great general of the empire truly wasn't a wise decision.
"Hmph, what are you frightened of? If we don't teach him a harsh lesson, will he learn to be obedient?" Wang Chong waved his hands nonchalantly. "Besides, the goal of this isn't just to humiliate him. More importantly, it is to deter others from doing the same, so as to terminate the problem at its stem. At the very least, with this precedent, they will have to consider whether it will be worth the risk."
The group silently nodded in agreement. In truth, they agreed with Wang Chong's method of handling this matter.
There were some things that they couldn't afford to do, but Wang Chong, as the grandson of Duke Jiu, could do it in their stead.
Since Wang Chong was involved in this matter, Abutong would be unable to make use of the influence behind him to get even.
"Burang, listen to gongzi's words. Gongzi knows what he is doing," Xu Qi advised from the side.
Chen Burang was simply too kind. Even Xu Qi felt furious when he saw the Tongluo youths viciously beating him up, and yet the person-in-question didn't feel a thing at all.
It was fortunate that gongzi's recovery pill was effective, allowing Chen Burang's injuries to heal swiftly. At this moment, the hideous swelling on his face had already been alleviated.
Chen Burang hesitated for a moment, but he still nodded eventually.
He still felt guilty over this incident, but he had trust in Wang Chong's judgement.
This trust wasn't just due to Wang Chong's background, but the trust one had for comrades who had been through a life-and-death situation together. Not to mention, Wang Chong had even met the Sage Emperor personally, and stormed through the regional commanders incident.
The deeds he had achieved were unimaginable for those of his age.
"... It's about time. The training camp should be dispatching someone over soon. Xu Qi, take two people with you to escort Abutong to the training camp later on. We'll hang him there for a while longer before letting him go," Wang Chong instructed.
"Yes, gongzi," Xu Qi nodded.
Tapping his right forefinger lightly on the table, Wang Chong turned to Chen Burang and said, "Burang, in the future, you should bring your bow along with you wherever you go. Your martial arts might be acceptable, but it is far from sufficient to deal with someone of Abutong's class. However, if you were to have a bow in your hands, I doubt that even Abutong will be able to do anything to you."
Chen Burang actually wasn't weak at all, but he was crippled without his bow. If he had his weapon in hand then, Abutong's group would have suffered serious casualties for their actions.
"Un," Chen Burang nodded humbly.
"For the time being, you shouldn't visit the cultivation ground on the main peak. Also, I have something to tell you all."
Without any hesitation, Wang Chong revealed his discovery of a spirit vein to everyone. Upon hearing that Wang Chong actually owned a huge spirit vein, everyone was dumbstruck.
Even Chen Burang also stared at Wang Chong in shock, realizing how huge an affair this was.
Even though he grew up hunting in the forest, he wasn't living in isolation from the world. Naturally, he knew what a spirit vein was.
Kunwu Training Camp was built right on a small spirit vein.
Spirit veins were extremely hard to come by, and even prestigious clans were dying to lay their hands on one. And yet, Wang Chong actually said that he possessed a spirit vein.
"... Actually, I intended to tell you all this matter a little later, but since such a thing has happened, there's no need no wait any longer," Wang Chong said impassively.
The Deflecting Blade Manor was actually a part of the spirit vein. It was through this benefit that Wang Chong intended to entice people to join his faction.
Wang Chong was intending to tell the others about this a little later, but he had changed his mind due to several reasons.
First, this could help to reduce conflicts. Also, this would allow Chen Burang, Xu Qi, and the others to raise their cultivation swiftly, so that they wouldn't be so vulnerable should such a situation occur once more.
"Gongzi, are you speaking the truth?" Nie Yan spoke in a trembling tone. Even now, he still found it hard to believe that Wang Chong actually possessed a spirit vein! Such a thing was so rare and out of their reach that it was nearly a myth to them. The worth of a spirit vein was truly incalculable!
It was precisely this that made everything so hard to believe.
Seeing their confused looks, Wang Chong chuckled. "Hehehe, you will know once you see it."
At that moment, two familiar figures suddenly appeared at the entrance of the Deflecting Blade Manor.
"Brother Jiang, Brother Chai!" Wang Chong greeted. These were the two men who visited Wang Chong after the Goguryeon's night assault, and presented him with a gift.
They were both the children of illustrious dukes of Great Tang. One of their ancestors was a meritorious subject who stabilized the Western Regions, while the other was a mighty general who conquered the world alongside Emperor Taizong.
"Are the both of you here for Abutong as well?" Wang Chong dove straight into the topic.
"This... That's indeed the case. I apologize, Brother Wang, but we weren't able to turn down the request."
Jiang Feng and Chai Zhiyi looked a little embarrassed. They had barely gotten acquainted with Wang Chong, so it was a little inappropriate for them to make such an abrupt request.
Just that, the person who requested this matter of them possessed extraordinary standing, thus making it difficult for them to turn down the request.
"Since Brother Wang has already beaten and humiliated him, your anger should be placated by now. May I ask of you to let Abutong go on our account? The Wang Clan and Abusi's lineage are both important pillars to the empire, and it is truly unwise to become enemies because of such a small incident. This is only detrimental to the royal court, to the Wang Clan, and to the Tongluo Tribe," Jiang Feng said.
As befitting the successor to a clan, his words were extremely persuasive.
It seemed like Jiang Feng had been entrusted with the role of a diplomatic envoy.
"It is not that I am unwilling to let him go, but that he is unwilling to let me go. Brother Jiang and Brother Chai should know that it is Abutong who came knocking on my door this time. The only reason why he is the one hanging up there now is because he had underestimated my strength. If I were to simply let him go just like that, won't I be letting him off the hook too easily? Wouldn't such matters simply happen again and again?" Wang Chong replied calmly.
Jiang Feng and Chai Zhiyi glanced at one another awkwardly. Naturally, they wouldn't be so foolish as to claim that it was Chen Burang who offended the Tongluo before Wang Chong.
From the looks of it, it seemed like this offspring of Duke Jiu was unwilling to let this matter go easily.