Chapter 290

Shi Feilong asked about the timing of the marriage proposal, and Mie Jie casually said, 鈥淭he sooner the better.鈥�

Since this trip to Emei was a private matter, Shi Feilong only brought the head of the Palm Staff and three 7th-level disciples with him, a total of five people.

Upon hearing this, the leader of the spear-wielding troops said, 鈥淚f we go right away, we must be careful along the way. When we were coming here, we heard from our brothers in Huxiang that a Tartar king named Wai Shun had died in Miaojiang. Therefore, the two princes of the old Tartar, named something like Betei Muer and Da Tei Muer, have led 10,000 Tartar soldiers to invade Miaojiang to avenge the old Tartar’s death.鈥�

Chang Yuchun laughed out loud, 鈥淚’m not worried about him not coming! My brother has big plans, and he wants to kill a few famous Tartars to sacrifice to the flag! Brother, we’ll all go with you to welcome the bride, and bring the whole entourage with us. If we don’t meet them, then those two princes will be lucky, but if we do, then heh heh, it’s their destiny!鈥�

Shi Feilong was very surprised to hear this, and couldn’t help but ask, 鈥淗ave you already started recruiting soldiers and horses? How many people do you have now?鈥�

Ye Guhong said, 鈥淎 little over a thousand.鈥�

Shi Feilong was even more shocked on hearing this, and he and the leader of the Zhangbang Gang looked at each other. Chang Yuchun could read their thoughts and laughed, 鈥淢aster Shi, courage is the most important thing for a soldier. Don’t underestimate our small army. If we really encounter the Tartars, I, Chang, will behead their commander and let you see for yourself.鈥�

Shi Feilong frowned and said, 鈥淐ould it be that all of your thousand soldiers are heavily armored cavalry?鈥�

Ye Guhong laughed and said, 鈥淏rother, you’re joking. Not only can Emei not afford such troops, but even if there were heavily armored cavalry, how could they deploy in the mountains? Our troops are just ordinary militia. But I’ve watched them practice in detail these past few days, and although I can’t say they’re elite, they certainly deserve the reputation for being able to follow orders without fail.鈥�

The leader of the spearmen sighed and said, 鈥淔ollowing orders without fail may sound good, but there are ten times as many Tartars as there are of you. How can you underestimate them, Jade Knight?鈥�

Ye Guhong pointed at Chang Yuchun and the others and said with a smile, 鈥淭he army takes its courage in its commander. Although Emei is short of soldiers, it is not short of fierce generals. My younger brothers are all matchless fighters! Back in the late Han Dynasty, Uncle Liu relied on Guan Yu and Zhang Fei and was able to defeat tens of thousands of Yellow Turban rebels with just a few hundred men. My younger brothers are no less capable than Guan Yu and Zhang Fei.鈥�

Chang Yuchun and Hua Yun laughed heartily at these words, and although the others, Xu Da and Tang He, were more reserved, they could not help raising their eyebrows and puffing out their chests.

The leader of the martial arts group still looked unconvinced, but Ye Guhong was after all the sworn brother of their boss, so he shook his head and said no more.

Shi Feilong thought to himself: My brother has had an easy ride these past few years. The forces of the Ming Cult, the Holy Eagle Cult, and the Prince of Ruyang’s court have all suffered greatly at his hands. After all, he is young and probably doesn’t know how difficult war is. He still thinks that it is similar to fighting in the underworld. Hey, at this point, no matter what I say, he hard to hear. If I say too much, it will only damage the friendship between brothers. Anyway, with our martial arts, even if we suffer a crushing defeat, it is unlikely that our lives will be in danger. Besides, if I go with him on this journey, and if we really suffer a defeat and he loses heart, then I can slowly persuade him.

He nodded and said, 鈥淔ine, if you have your mind set, what else is there for me to say? Haha, let’s go and fetch our wives.鈥�

Chang Yuchun and the others cheered, saying, 鈥淓xactly! Your wives are important, and the Yuan army is just mud beneath our feet.鈥�

They let Shi Feilong and the others rest for a day, and on the third day, the Emei Sect team slowly set off. In addition to the Seven Wonders, Fang Wen and Fang Wu also went along.

The two of them had also participated in the training exercises before. According to Liu Ji, although they would be difficult to use as generals, they were still competent as fighting generals. Ye Guhong also had to consider his master’s face, so naturally he brought the two of them along.

After calculating the manpower, Ye Guhong simply divided the team into ten teams. Zhu Chongba, Hua Yun, Wu Liang, Wu Zhen, Tang He, Xu Da, Chang Yuchun, Fang Wen, Fang Wu, each led a team, and the remaining 100-odd people were personally led by him.

There were also four major nuns, Jingxuan, Jingxu, Jingkong and Jinghui, who followed the order of the destruction of the world. As for the other nuns from secular families, they were not brought along for fear that they might cause trouble by running away.

It was already the weather of the second half of September. Although the sun was shining, there was no dry air. The wind felt cool on the face, and it was exactly the right time for marching, as the saying goes, 鈥渢he crisp autumn air鈥�.

The group walked along roads and crossed rivers. After walking for more than ten days, they crossed the Yangtze River and entered Guizhou.

The route they took was the same one Ye Guhong and Dong Huazi had taken to the Wuxian Sect, and it was precisely the borderland where the Yi and Miao tribes had repeatedly fought each other.

Ye Guhong revisited the old place, and all he saw along the way were endless new tombs, as well as many large and small villages and towns. Some were still intact, but there was no sign of people, while others had been burned to the ground, leaving a scene of utter devastation.

Ye Guhong sighed and discussed with the others, 鈥淚f we were a small group, it would be fine, but with so many people, all armed and wearing armor, we are too conspicuous. Now, regardless of the Yi or the Miao, after so many years of fierce battles, I’m afraid they have all become scared and jumpy. We must be extra careful鈥攆rom today onwards, I will personally lead a group of soldiers to scout ahead, and you all follow me closely.鈥�

Zhu Chongba suddenly exclaimed, 鈥淪enior, the son of a wealthy family does not sit under the eaves of a thatched roof. According to the clan’s theory, you are the senior, and according to the army’s theory, you are the commander-in-chief. How can you go on reconnaissance? Let a junior do this errand.鈥�

Ye Guhong waved his hand and said, 鈥淵ounger brother, I know your good intentions, but I have two reasons. First, I have traveled these roads many times and can barely be considered an old hand. Second, I have dealt with Lady Xiexiang of the Yi people and the Yang family of the Miao people, so if there is really an emergency, I will have a chance to speak. Therefore, it is most appropriate for me to go first.鈥�

Zhu Chongba had no choice but to agree, saying, 鈥淎lright, but if it’s a melee, not a fight in the arena, you should wear armor.鈥�

When the Beggars’ Gang, which had come to help after Emei’s defeat of the Ming Sect, left, they were ambushed by Yuan forces mobilized by Wang Baobao. Emei and Wudang, whose experts rushed to help, fought a major battle, and more than 300 pairs of damaged armor were obtained, which were kept in the treasury.

Later, Liu Ji learned about this and quickly hired craftsmen to repair and tidy them up. Apart from Zhu Chongba and the others, many soldiers who had performed well during training were also rewarded with a pair. The rest of the soldiers made bamboo armor by using local materials.

The armor that was deliberately left for Ye Guhong was originally the armor of Shu Libuhua, a Yuan dynasty general.

Shu Libuhua’s armor was extremely complete. It was a set of fine-scale iron armor. This person was killed by Shi Feilong’s heavy palm strike. Shi Feilong’s palm power entered through the gaps in the iron scales, collapsing his chest and leaving no damage to the armor itself.

Ye Kuhong readily accepted good advice, and indeed let Zhu Chongba and Tang He help him put on the armor. Riding on the back of the tall Guai, he looked extremely majestic.

He had previously given the Snake Bone Sword to his second disciple, and now he wore the broad sword that Mie Jie had brought back from the Taishan Sect. Since the standard long sword of the Emei Sect was narrow and slender, it was not imposing enough for Ye Kuhong, so he simply used this sword.

A victory hook was hung on the side of the saddle, and on it was a spear, which was the Chiyou Buddha Belly Spear that Yang Zhengheng had given him years ago.

After travelling for several days, Ye Guhong and his companions encountered two groups of Yi soldiers, each numbering several hundred. Upon seeing Ye Guhong and his companions’ attire, the soldiers reacted indifferently, ready to fight regardless of the consequences.

Without further ado, Ye Guhong held back his horse and rode alone into the opposing formation.

He did not kill anyone, but brandished a sheathed iron sword as if it were a whip. It was actually the golden whip passed down in the Ji family鈥�

He had seen Ji Xiaorong practise this whip technique before, and the moves were wide-swinging and open. With his martial arts skills, he understood it after watching it twice, and now, in using it, it looked as if he had been diligently practising for decades.

He knocked over many Yi soldiers along the way, forcibly captured the opposing general, and only then was willing to speak. What he said was exactly the same: 鈥淕o back and tell your Lady Xuxiang that I am the scholar who rescued her seven years ago outside Shunyuan City. After failing the imperial examinations over and over again, I returned to my hometown and heard that she was fighting the Miao people, so I brought an army to help her.鈥�

The Yi generals were reluctant to believe it, but Ye Guhong was extremely capable and did not kill, so they had no choice but to believe it. They stared blankly as Ye Guhong’s army rode off, and immediately sent someone back to the city to report the news.

Within two days, Lady Sheshuang, who was sitting in Shunyuan City, had already heard that 鈥渢he scholar who had saved her life had brought troops to help her fight.鈥� It was like a thunderbolt in the clear sky, and for a moment she was stunned. Her pair of phoenix eyes, which had appeared majestic and fierce due to her long stay at the top, could not help but blink a few times, gradually revealing the warmth and shyness she had not seen in a long time…

“Go and point out 3,000 troops. I want to leave the city!鈥�