ATPnovel Chapter 1359: 51: Shades of Darkness
Chapter 1359: 51: Shades of Darkness
Chapter 1359: Chapter 51: Shades of DarknessThe sky was high and the clouds vast. On the official road, a lone figure in a blue robe walked leisurely, stepping over scattered clouds as he went, seemingly unhurried, though his pace was exceedingly fast.
A bulge protruded from his chest, and after a while, a small gray-furred head emerged against the wind, blinking its eyes with the dazed expression of someone just waking.
The man and the dog were none other than Jiang Wang and the little gray dog he had recently adopted.
It wasn’t that Jiang Wang enjoyed flying so close to the ground, limiting his own field of vision. But since his injuries had not yet fully healed, and the situation with Equality Country remained unknown, he had no choice but to act discreetly.
In the earlier escape, there had been no time for a close examination of the terrain; he only knew that he had fled southward. It was only after leaving that small town that Jiang Wang realized he had entered Xiang Country.
This country had giant elephants, worshipped in their temples by the people of Xiang.
Jiang Wang hadn’t seen them.
After all, the places where giant elephants dwell are considered sacred and are not ordinarily open to outsiders. Moreover, he didn’t have the heart for curiosity right now.
But since he was in Xiang Country, he naturally intended to visit Star Moon Plain.
Firstly, to replenish his totem star power. Secondly, to engage in further dialogue with Master Guan Yan. And thirdly… whether or not he was being hunted by a strong enemy was beyond his capacity to detect, but Master Guan Yan could help him assess the situation.
As Jiang Wang sped forward, he casually pulled out an oil-paper bundle, untied it, placed it on his palm, and spread it out in front of the little gray dog.
Inside the oil-paper bundle were neatly cut pieces of chicken drumstick meat.
The confusion in the little gray dog’s eyes instantly vanished, replaced by a burst of energy. It gleefully devoured the meat, one piece at a time.
Despite its small size, its appetite was clearly far greater than normal. Soon enough, it had eaten every last piece of chicken drumstick from the bundle. After finishing, it licked Jiang Wang’s hand in an attempt to ingratiate itself.
Jiang Wang made a sound of disgust and activated the water element to wash his hand clean.
Watching the thin stream of water dance in the air, the little gray dog shrank back its head, clearly recalling the traumatic experience of being forced to bathe.
The man and the dog headed straight for Star Moon Plain.
…
…
Rong Country was a fairly inconspicuous small nation in the Eastern Region.
Historically, the most notable event may have been from the Year 3918 of the Dao Calendar, when Rong Country was the first to issue a diplomatic letter declaring to the world that Yang Country was plagued by a calamity of dark omens.
This seemed like an act of great national responsibility—a bid to potentially avert a disaster and save the Eastern Region from peril… or so the people of Rong thought at the time.
The reality was quite different: Qi Country promptly assembled its forces, thoroughly eradicated the calamity, and simultaneously annexed Yang Country into Qi’s territory.
The reputation for responsibility and the tangible benefits both ended up belonging to Qi Country.
For a long time afterward, Rong Country was the laughingstock of its neighbors.
After all, their painstaking maneuvering had only resulted in them becoming Qi’s next-door neighbor—a situation akin to a rabbit voluntarily climbing into a tiger’s mouth. What nation could act so irrationally?
However, at the Yellow River Gathering of the Year 3919 of the Dao Calendar, Rong Country did manage to change many opinions.
Lin Xian, a Rong native possessing Unrestrained Divine Power, wielded a mere woodcutter’s knife to leave behind his own resplendent glory on Guanhe Platform.
Admittedly, his performance fell far short of Jiang Wang, who overshadowed all stars. But setting Jiang Wang aside, and surveying all of the Eastern Region, within the Inner Mansion level, there was only Jiang Shaohua of Shen Country who might match him.
The people of Rong Country were already calling Lin Xian one of the top three Inner Mansion talents in the Eastern Region.
The so-called “top three Inner Mansion talents of the Eastern Region” was not exactly an illustrious accolade.
But it was some form of solace, a symbol that perhaps Rong Country… still had a future.
For the shadow looming over Rong Country had grown so immense.
Truly clear-headed individuals understood that Lin Xian, hidden by Rong Country for so long, had effectively met his end with dimmed brilliance at the Yellow River Gathering, marking the near-total failure of Rong Country’s efforts.
No matter how much they struggled, they were likely just repeating the fate of Yang Country.
Indeed, becoming a Qi territory like Yang Region might even be the best possible outcome. There were far worse alternatives. For instance… Qi Country might refuse to treat the people of Rong as their own, instead designating the entirety of Rong Country as a den of fierce beasts!
Yinguang City, a strategic border town, had once stood between Rong and Yang Countries; it now directly bordered Qi.
The garrison had been bolstered to more than double its previous size.
By comparison, Qi Country’s troops stationed across the border were sparse, yet confident and sharp. In contrast, Rong Country’s soldiers—though they didn’t act cowardly—were particularly uneasy.
It was an unavoidable state of affairs.
The disparity in national power was so vast that no matter how capable a general might be, maintaining high morale was an unattainable task.
As a military town, Yinguang City lacked the relaxed atmosphere and bustling commerce of ordinary cities, offering few places for leisure and entertainment.
So, it wasn’t surprising when the fat man swore under his breath, saying, “What a damn city, not a single place to gamble.”
“Exactly, exactly,” the thin man trailing beside him echoed.
Though complaints about Yinguang City being dull were commonplace, the pairing of this fat man and thin man walking together was certainly noticeable.
“Well, no choice then.” The fat man sighed deeply, “If we can’t play, let’s get to business.”
“Third Brother, can’t we play a little longer?” The thin man whined, “I don’t want to work.”
Smack!
The fat man slapped the back of the thin man’s head and proclaimed righteously, “Giving up is disgraceful! If you don’t work, what will I eat? Where will I get the money for my expenses?”
The thin man rubbed his head, his face full of grievance. “Fine then.”
The two then headed north.
They walked for a long time, passing many people and houses.
Suddenly, the fat man stopped, pulling a map from his coat and carefully studying it.
Then he turned around and silently began walking south.
The thin man followed, head down, walking for half a day before he couldn’t hold back any longer. “Third Brother, did we go the wrong way earlier?”
The fat man turned to glare at him. “Hmm?”
The thin man pouted. “Just asking.”
“Li Laosi, oh Li Laosi,” the fat man rebuked, “If your brain doesn’t work, then you should really talk less. Do you even understand what scouting means? For those of us doing bad deeds, we must always plan out our escape routes first. It’s called preparing the umbrella before it rains—do you get it?”
“I get it!” The thin man replied, feeling wronged.
“Annoying!” The fat man snapped, tossing his head and continuing his swaggering pace.
This time, the two did not go astray. Following the map, they quickly found the location.
“Hey, someone lives here!” The thin man said, sounding troubled. “Such a hassle.”
Before them lay a rather expansive estate.
Two strong doormen stood vigil, eyeing them warily. “What do you want?”
It was unclear whether the location was just too remote or for some other reason.
The streets were completely empty at this moment.
Without saying a word, the fat man grabbed each doorman by the head. Like picking ripe fruit, he tore off both heads effortlessly, kicking the door open and striding inside.
The thin man casually cleaned up the bloodstains, slung the two headless bodies over his shoulder, and followed closely, entering the courtyard.
He unceremoniously discarded the corpses on the ground before turning to shut the door behind him.
However, the broken door latch made it impossible to fully close.
Bang, bang!
He pounded the door twice, irritated. “Third Brother, you used too much force! This door can’t be fixed now!”
At that moment, the fat man slapped a maid’s head into her chest cavity with one clean strike, tossing her corpse aside casually.
“Doesn’t that solve it? Idiot!” he said gruffly.
“Oh~” The thin man, as if stumbling upon a new discovery, clapped his hands happily. “Let’s see who can stack them higher!”
The fat man rolled his eyes. “That’s not fun at all.”
Yet his feet shifted swiftly as he raced toward the inner rooms.
“No cheating!” The thin man shrieked, chasing after him.
Screams erupted from inside but failed to carry far.