Chapter 406: Black Dragon Zhao's Treasure Map!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Several days later, falcon after falcon, eagle after eagle, flew through the air, trailing blurs behind them in the night sky as they flew to the capital.
"What! Li Siye succeeded? He relied on only his own strength to kill the Dragon Bandits and retrieve the Hyderabad ore?"
After receiving the news that Old Eagle had sent via falcon, Wang Chong was so shocked that he almost didn't believe his eyes.
Although he knew that Li Siye had a chance to succeed, he had never expected the method used. While the armies from Longxi, Qixi, and Beiting were still en route and before the experts of the King Song Residence and Old Eagle had time to catch up, Li Siye had relied on his own strength to defeat all the Dragon Bandits and retrieve the Hyderabad ore.
Wang Chong had gone through many troubles, finding Big Uncle to mobilize the strength of the Wang Clan and then getting in touch with King Song and Yang Zhao to use the Bureau of Military Personnel, but all of it had been useless.
Li Siye alone had finished off the Dragon Bandits!
"Just how did this fellow manage to do it?"
Wang Chong stood on the spirit vein mountain, his hand gripping Old Eagle's message. His mind was a mess, and he was so surprised that he could barely speak.
That was thousands of Dragon Bandits! All the strongest bandits of the western roads had basically been gathered under Black Dragon Zhao's banner.
In military terms, Black Dragon Zhao's Dragon Bandits were equivalent to a legion!
Li Siye had relied on his own strength to defeat the Profound Martial Tier 7 Black Dragon Zhao as well as his several thousand Dragon Bandit elites!
Wang Chong just couldn't believe it!
This was too inconceivable. After all, Li Siye was far from reaching the level of the Invincible Great General from his last life.
Wang Chong wrote several letters to Old Eagle, but even more information was still en route.
A few days later, Old Eagle arrived at the spirit vein mountain. Even though a week had passed since the incident, extreme shock was still evident on his face.
"Just what in the world happened?" Wang Chong asked.
"Black Dragon Zhao is dead and the Dragon Bandits are done for. The mission was completely accomplished…!"
Old Eagle took a breath, his face still dumbstruck.
The moment he had received the news, he had traveled by day and night to the capital, constantly changing mounts to arrive as quickly as possible.
Old Eagle had been one of the first to receive the news and had even had a little bird keeping watch on that side. But this matter had shocked Old Eagle no less than it had Wang Chong.
"When the army from the Bureau of Military Personnel rushed over, the place was covered in corpses, both of people and horses. They were everywhere, and they had all been cleaved in two. Even the sand in the desert had been dyed red. The ground was covered in cracks and large rocks. It was an incredibly miserable scene…"
Old Eagle also had eyes and ears in the armies from Longxi, Beiting, and Qixi. These had been arranged by Wang Chong, and all of them obeyed Old Eagle, making it easier for him to manage and get information.
Presently, Old Eagle fully recounted all the information he knew.
Wang Chong said nothing, listening in shock while Old Eagle described the scene. What he heard was completely a strategy for fighting on the battlefield. Li Siye had just enlisted in the army and had not taken part in any serious battles yet, but one could already see the style of the Invincible Great General.
Wang Chong knew in his heart that the scenes Old Eagle described just so happened to align with the army that Li Siye would lead as the Invincible Great General.
Their fighting primarily relied on cleaving through the opposition, energetically attacking and never retreating no matter how numerous their opponents were.
Li Siye had exhibited precisely this sort of style in this battle.
"This is destiny!" Wang Chong whispered to himself. Li Siye had not yet become the Invincible Great General from his last life, but he was already beginning to show his outstanding traits.
"…In addition, I received news from Li Siye. He said that he convinced ten-some elites from the Dragon Bandits to renounce their old ways and join his side. He's currently leading them back to the capital," Old Eagle added.
"Ah!"
Surprise blossomed on Wang Chong's face. This news had truly surpassed his expectations.
"This really is his style!"
Wang Chong had a strange expression on his face as he mentally sighed.
In Wang Chong's view, Li Siye's 'persuasiveness' was a natural gift. In those bitter battles involving hundreds of thousands of troops, no matter how formidable their opponents, Li Siye's soldiers had never retreated.
It was fine if Li Siye himself didn't retreat, as he was very strong, but the soldiers who followed persistently and firmly followed him without fear. What could it be except his personal charm?
Even though he hadn't yet become the Invincible Great General, Li Siye's abilities were already obvious.
"It's unfortunate. Do you really have to let such a person go?"
Old Eagle looked at Wang Chong, regret on his face.
He had no idea that the giant of a man that Wang Chong had transferred from Beiting and who caused such a ruckus in front of Deflecting Blade Manor was such a powerful existence.
This valiant fighting force had even killed Black Dragon Zhao. It was far too unfortunate to let such a man go.
"I can't do anything about it. A man cannot succeed without honesty. Since I promised this to him, I naturally have to do it."
Wang Chong knew what Old Eagle was thinking and waved his hand to indicate that he should dispel such notions.
Old Eagle didn't know of Li Siye's background or his reputation, so it was hard for him to not be dumbstruck at his feats.
But such matters were no secret to Wang Chong.
To have the future Invincible Great General serving under him for a period of time was already quite difficult. It was already something to be proud of!
"In the end, it's not possible to keep such a powerful individual!" Wang Chong quietly said to himself.
Future Imperial Great Generals were not so easy to tame. Wang Chong could only calmly accept this result.
One could only say that fate was not that easy to change.
For Wang Chong, retrieving the one thousand jun of Hyderabad ore was already a surprising harvest.
With this problem resolved, Wang Chong could heave a long sigh of relief.
After sending away Old Eagle, Wang Chong returned to the depths of the spirit vein to continue cultivating the Leaping Dragon Art.
Ten-some days later, Li Siye returned to the capital. With him were ten-some Dragon Bandit elites at Tier 7, 8, or 9 of the True Martial realm.
Li Siye had also brought several Sindhi monks back with him.
……
"I already helped you by sending those monks to your home! I found them west of Qixi desert. They were all injured. Two of them were called Ablonodan and Arloja. Apparently, they knew you."
On the spirit vein mountain, Li Siye's tall body seemed like a mountain.
That bitter battle had not only failed to tire or frustrate him, it actually made him look even more energetic. There even seemed to be some unspent energy in his body.
"Thank you," Wang Chong sincerely said. He had already learned of this news from Old Eagle's carrier pigeons, but he still expressed his thanks.
"…I also had that Hyderabad ore sent to your home," Li Siye said. "Following your orders, I left a few people there to stand guard."
"Mm."
Wang Chong nodded and then casually threw over something the size of a pill.
"This is for you!"
"What is it?"
Li Siye's eyes flashed with surprise as he subconsciously caught the item.
"Medicine!" Wang Chong said. "You probably took on some pretty serious injuries this time. Swallow it. It can help you resolve any hidden injuries."
"Haha, it's just a minor matter."
Li Siye laughed and nonchalantly waved his hands. His body was far stronger than the bodies of others, and after so many days, he had basically recovered. Such concern was unnecessary.
"Don't be careless. A single ant hole can break a dam of a thousand li. The build-up of the smallest injuries can eventually cost you your life," Wang Chong said indifferently.
Li Siye truly was powerful, but even the most powerful of people would still get injured. In his last life, it was precisely because Li Siye attacked so fiercely that he disregarded his own defense, coupled with his usual carelessness, that he accumulated all sorts of injuries and hidden ailments. In the end, at the crucial moment, when he was excited by the prospect of battle, all his accumulated injuries broke out at once, leading to his death.
Since he had met Li Siye in this life, he could try and help change what he could. The longer Li Siye lived and the healthier he was, the longer the empire could last.
Wang Chong had already had enough of the feeling of fighting alone in his last life.
"…I also have a bag of pills here. In the future, after a minor battle, swallow a small pill. After a major battle, swallow a large pill. There are three large pills. If you habitually take care of yourself, you'll see the benefits eventually."
Wang Chong threw a bag to him.
Li Siye froze for a moment but still chose to take the bag.
"Ha, you're giving me this medicine, but I also just so happen to have something for you."
"Oh?"
Wang Chong appeared surprised.
"I found it on Black Dragon Zhao's body. It was in a small jade box kept close to his body. It seems to be a treasure map, but I personally have no interest in such things. If you're interested, there's no harm in taking a look. But don't get your hopes up. It looks to me that Black Dragon Zhao also didn't make much progress."
As he spoke, Li Siye took a pouch and threw it to Wang Chong like it was an old shoe.
"Treasure map?"
Wang Chong blinked, his surprise deepening. If Li Siye had no interest in this treasure map, why would he?
In terms of wealth, Wang Chong was currently richer than a king. If there really was some hidden treasure, it probably couldn't compare to Wang Chong's current fortune.
And besides, just the one thousand jun of Hyderabad ore was an astronomical sum, one that many great clans would not be able to reach even if they worked a hundred years.
But something that Black Dragon Zhao would keep close at hand could not be as simple as hidden treasure.
"Just what is it?"
Inwardly curious, Wang Chong opened up the pouch Li Siye had thrown. When he saw what was inside, he was flabbergasted.
Inside the pouch was actually a piece of animal skin of a type that Wang Chong had never seen before, the skin of some ancient beast that was covered in scales of various sizes.
Wang Chong felt intense ripples of energy from this piece of animal skin. Moreover, for a few moments, Wang Chong's soul felt an incredible danger.
"What is this?"
Wang Chong extended a hand and subconsciously grabbed the black animal skin.