Twin Dragons of the Tang Dynasty: Simplified Divine Skills Lead to an Invincible Myth

Chapter 93: The news of the seizure of the ginseng and the Xuan Shui True Skill is debunked! Head Instructor Yang Yunxing! Listening Wind Pavilion [Please subscribe!]

It was nearly noon, along the ancient post road fifty miles outside Jingling City.

The dense forest blocked out the sun, and the hot air was mixed with the smell of decaying leaves and soil.

Dressed in a black outfit and carrying the Cold Abyss Blade on his back, Su Yang landed silently on the old locust tree branch using his Snow-Treading Without a Trace technique.

Below, in the dense forest.

Zhao Daqi led twenty elite guards from the Ruifeng Battalion to lie in ambush, each holding their breath and keeping their swords half an inch from their sheaths, waiting only for the order.

"General, the caravan should be arriving soon."

Zhao Daqi lowered his voice and looked towards the entrance of the post road.

Su Yang's gaze sharpened, and he said in a deep voice, "The Jianghuai military caravan is escorting century-old wild ginseng; their defenses must be tight. On my command, first cut off their retreat, then launch a pincer attack from both sides. A swift and decisive victory, leaving no survivors."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than the sound of horses' hooves and wheels approached from afar.

Before long, a caravan of more than thirty people appeared.

The four men at the head were on horseback on guard, followed by two heavily loaded carriages, and more than twenty guards behind, all of whom were seasoned veterans.

As the caravan reached the densest part of the forest, the bearded man at the head of the group suddenly stopped: "Something's wrong, it's too quiet! Be on guard!"

The guards immediately drew their swords and formed a battle formation, while some nocked their bows and aimed them at the dense forest.

"Let's do it!"

Su Yang let out a low shout, leaped down, and drew his Cold Abyss Blade, unleashing a four-zhang-long icy blue blade aura wrapped in Bright Moon True Qi, heading straight for the caravan's retreat!

"Pfft! Pfft!"

Two blades of energy swept past in quick succession, and the two rear guards were cut in half at the waist before they could even scream. Their blood splattered onto the stone slabs of the post road, instantly staining the area red.

The residual power of the ice-blue blade aura, over four zhang long, had not yet dissipated, and it had cleaved several tree trunks along the post road in two, its power terrifying.

"Such powerful sword energy! There's an ambush!"

Zhang Meng, the bearded man, suddenly narrowed his eyes. The terrifying power of the icy blue blade energy made him realize instantly that he had encountered a top-level expert.

The instinct for survival in the military overcame everything!

"Protect the lead vehicle! Break through to the east!"

He roared and pointed his saber at the wagon loaded with goods, giving his deputy, Li Kui, the clearest order to kill him.

Without hesitation, Li Kui shouted in response, "The vanguard, follow me! Protect the vehicle! Let's go!"

He immediately led his seven or eight most elite guards, urging the lead carriage to rush frantically toward the slightly narrow side road on the east side of the post road.

Zhang Meng abruptly turned his horse around, facing Su Yang who was descending like a demon, and roared resolutely at his remaining men: "The rest of you, fight to the death with me and hold them off!"

"kill!"

Zhao Daqi led his personal guards out of the dense forest and precisely blocked the guards who were trying to break through with the carriage. The flash of swords and the shadows of blades intertwined in an instant.

The elite guards of the Sharp Vanguard Battalion were fierce and coordinated, their strikes deadly. Although the guards fought back valiantly, they were caught off guard and retreated step by step.

Would Su Yang let the carriage escape?

He didn't bother with any words. With a swift movement, he appeared like a ghost in front of the bearded man, and the Cold Abyss Blade, imbued with the Bright Moon True Qi, slashed out again, its momentum even stronger than before!

Before the blade even touched him, a chilling aura had already locked onto the bearded man.

Zhang Meng, with his bushy beard, realized something was wrong and hastily swung his knife to parry, the sound of metal clashing against metal deafeningly loud.

He felt a sudden chill in his arm, as if struck by lightning. A deep, bone-revealing wound appeared on his chest. Unable to withstand the immense force, he was sent flying backward by the sword energy, crashing heavily onto the post road, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"Huh? Mysterious Water True Skill?"

"Are you from the Genki-do?"

Su Yang's eyes lit up. With this one strike, he keenly sensed the cold and restrained aura within the bearded man's strength, which was exactly the style of the first volume of the Profound Water True Skill!

The bearded man, Zhang Meng, paled drastically: "Don't talk nonsense! This is a secret martial art of my Jianghuai Army, how would you know about it?"

At this moment, Zhang Meng looked at Su Yang with eyes full of shock. He really did not expect that the other party could injure him with just one strike and also see through his technique.

"A secret martial arts technique?"

Su Yang's lips curled into a cold smile, and he sneered, "This is clearly the first volume of the Profound Water True Skill. Where did you learn it from? Where is the second volume?"

'

Before he finished speaking, Su Yang moved swiftly, closing in on his opponent in an instant. He gathered his true energy at his fingertips and aimed directly at the wrist pulse point of the bearded man.

The bearded man hurriedly returned to defend, but Su Yang precisely seized his pulse point, and the Bright Moon True Qi surged in, freezing his meridians.

"what!"

The bearded man screamed and collapsed to the ground, stiff and unable to move.

On the other side, Zhao Daqi had already led his personal guards to eliminate most of the guards, leaving only three or four men to resist. Upon seeing their leader captured, their morale collapsed instantly, and they turned to flee.

"Leave no one alive!"

Su Yang said in a deep voice.

Zhao Daqi accepted the order and led his men to give chase. With a flash of blades, the last few guards fell to the ground.

Su Yang walked to the lead carriage, cleaved the lock with a single stroke, and sure enough, there was a brocade box inside.

Upon opening the brocade box, a century-old wild ginseng, with its slightly yellow body, long rhizome, and silvery roots, lies quietly inside, its rich medicinal fragrance wafting out, refreshing and invigorating.

"General, we've got it!"

Zhao Daqi strode forward, his eyes filled with surprise, and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Su Yang put away the brocade box, then walked up to the captured bearded man, lightly tapped his dantian with his toe, and asked, "Where did you obtain the first volume of the Profound Water True Skill? Where are the clues to the second volume?"

The bearded man's face was deathly pale, but he gritted his teeth and said, "I am Zhang Meng, the commander of the Jianghuai Army's personal guards. This martial arts manual was a gift from the Commander-in-Chief. I don't know where the second volume is! If you dare to touch anything belonging to the Jianghuai Army, Commander-in-Chief Du will never let you off!"

Su Yang's eyes turned cold, and his Bright Moon True Qi advanced further, the biting chill making Zhang Meng tremble all over: "Won't talk? I have plenty of ways to make you talk."

Zhang Meng convulsed, his teeth clenched, but he finally couldn't hold on any longer and said haltingly, "I—I only know that this half of the manual was taken by the Commander from a remnant of a group called the Xuan Gui Hall. The second volume—the second volume is said to be at the old site of the Xuan Gui Hall in Jiangnan, but I really don't know exactly where it is!"

"The former site of Xuan Gui Tang?"

Su Yang understood.

Without asking any further questions, he raised his hand and struck Zhang Meng on the back of the neck, knocking him unconscious. He then said to Zhao Daqi, "Tie him up and take him back to Jingling. Dispose of the rest of the bodies properly. Let's go!"

Within Jingling City, rumors of "Su Yang murdering the lord and seizing power" and "colluding with the remnants of the Huang family" intensified. It was clear that Huang Shiyun and Huang Zhenggang had instructed them to spread these rumors, intending to sow discord among the people and undermine Su Yang's position as city lord.

Suspicion arose among the auxiliary soldiers of the Ruifeng Battalion, causing unrest among the common people, and rice prices subsequently rose.

In the afternoon, inside the city lord's mansion.

Upon hearing Chen Wenyuan's report, Su Yang, who had just returned to Jingling, frowned slightly.

Just then, a report came from outside the mansion—Wang Tiezhu was requesting an audience, and he was escorting a man who was bound hand and foot.

Wang Tiezhu entered the hall, knelt on one knee, clasped his hands, and said, "Lord, I have not failed you! Instructor Yang led me to keep an eye on the movements of Huang's old subordinates. This afternoon, we uncovered some clues and captured Li San, Huang Shiyun's mole in Jingling, at an abandoned grain shop in the south of the city. We also found this."

"These things!"

After saying this, he gestured to the guards beside him to hand over a stack of letters and manuscripts.

"Master?"

Su Yang's heart stirred. He took the letter and flipped through it, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

The letter clearly states that Huang Shiyun instructed Li San and others to spread rumors that Su Yang had usurped power and disrupted Jingling, and also includes the specific text of the rumors.

"Good! With this irrefutable evidence, the rumors are debunked!"

Su Yang said in a deep voice, "These people are the most insidious, stirring up trouble from the shadows. Now that we have both witnesses and physical evidence, it's the perfect time to expose their conspiracy in public and stabilize public sentiment."

"7

He immediately devised a plan and said to Wang Tiezhu, "You and Instructor Yang have done a great job in capturing the culprit and obtaining evidence this time. You take a squad of personal guards and keep a close watch on Li San, then come with me to the market. Chen Wenyuan, quickly prepare the carriage; I want to go to the marketplace myself and use this irrefutable evidence to publicly refute the rumors!"

Half an hour later.

Su Yang, accompanied by only four personal guards and escorted by Wang Tiezhu and a team of personal guards, appeared at the place in the West City Market where the rumors were most rampant. Li San, who was tied up, was also escorted aside.

When the people saw the city lord arrive in person, accompanied by a bound man, they immediately fell silent, their faces filled with curiosity and wariness.

Su Yang raised his voice, which echoed far and wide: "Fellow villagers, rumors have been spreading lately. Today I have brought irrefutable evidence to reveal the truth!"

As he spoke, he waved the letter in his hand and said loudly, "Before Lord Fang passed away, he personally entrusted me with the military tally and the defense of Jingling. This is witnessed by Deputy Commander Ma, the Chief Clerk, and the Colonel. The military tally can be verified at any time. These are secret letters written by Huang Shiyun and Huang Zhenggang in collusion with the Jianghuai Army. They clearly state that the rumors were spread by them with the aim of disrupting Jingling and seizing our city's defenses!"

A scholar in the crowd asked, "Lord Su, is this secret letter truly credible? Could it be a forgery?"

"Absolutely not a fake!"

As soon as Su Yang finished speaking, he gestured for his personal guards to push Li San forward. At the same time, he had Wang Tiezhu unfold the confession record and announced loudly, "Gentlemen, please look. This man is Li San, Huang Shiyun's trusted informant in Jingling. He personally ordered these rumors to be spread! He has confessed everything. This is his confession record, and there are also secret letters found during the search as evidence. The handwriting is legible!"

Li San was pinned to the ground, trembling with fear, and dared not utter a single word of defense.

Upon seeing this, the people gathered around to look at the secret letter and the manuscript, and their doubts instantly vanished.

"It really was the Huang family father and son who were behind this!"

"No wonder they said Lord Su murdered his master; it turns out it was a frame-up!"

"If it weren't for Lord Su guarding Jingling, we would have been dead long ago. How could we believe such rumors!"

"Huang Shiyun and his son are too insidious; they must be severely punished!"

The people were filled with righteous indignation and cursed the Huang father and son.

Su Yang pressed his advantage: "I will certainly carry on Lord Fang's legacy and protect Jingling. Starting today, we will open soup kitchens to provide relief to the poor. The Ruifeng Battalion will increase patrols to ensure your safety! I will then thoroughly wipe out the remaining rebels and restore peace to Jingling!"

His words were powerful and resounding, and with witnesses and physical evidence to back them up, the people were completely convinced and applauded enthusiastically.

The previously wavering auxiliary soldiers of the Ruifeng Battalion, seeing the truth revealed and witnessing Li San's confession on the spot with irrefutable evidence, all calmed down and volunteered to participate in the extermination of the remaining rebels.

Nighttime, a secluded courtyard in the northwest corner of Jingling City.

A dim yellow oil lamp was lit in the courtyard. Yang Yunxing had just finished tending to the herbs when he heard a light knock on the courtyard gate.

Upon opening the door, Su Yang, dressed in casual clothes, stood outside with a smile on his face.

Yang Yunxing stepped aside to let him into the house, poured him a cup of hot tea, and handed it to him: "You've come so late at night, is it because of the matter of catching the culprit during the day?"

"Exactly."

Su Yang accepted the teacup, bowed, and said, "Today's capture of Li San and the acquisition of irrefutable evidence to stabilize public sentiment are all thanks to Master's guidance and leadership of Wang Tiezhu. Without your assistance, the clarification of the rumors would not have been so smooth. This disciple has come to express my gratitude."

"Between you and me, there's no need for such formalities."

Yang Yunxing looked at Su Yang, waved his hand, his eyes showing both approval and shock: "I didn't expect your martial arts to have progressed so quickly in such a short time!"

He had heard of Su Yang's composure when he spoke of the rumors from Wang Tiezhu, and now, sensing it up close, he felt that Su Yang's true energy was profound and refined, and that it had only been a short time since the transmission of his skills.

The cultivation of vital energy has been greatly perfected, and the true qi of the bright moon is so pure.

He knew in his heart that with Su Yang's talent in swordsmanship and his speed of cultivation, given time, he could definitely become a world-renowned grandmaster, comparable to Song Que.

"Master, you flatter me!"

Su Yang humbly replied, then got to the point: "Master, Jingling is now surrounded by powerful enemies both inside and outside. Although the Ruifeng Battalion is elite, it lacks a master instructor. I humbly request that you come out of seclusion and serve as the head instructor of the Ruifeng Battalion to help me hone the troops and protect Jingling."

After speaking, Su Yang bowed again: "As long as Master agrees, the training in the camp is entirely up to you, and this disciple will not interfere."

Yang Yunxing was already willing to help, and seeing this, he was moved and got up to help Su Yang up: "Su Yang, if you trust me, I will agree."

The elite vanguard battalion is the foundation of Jingling. I will dedicate all my efforts to training it into an elite force capable of fighting tough battles and defending a besieged city.

Su Yang was overjoyed, and then said solemnly, "Master, I will remember your old grudge. When my strength has increased enough to intimidate all sides, I will definitely help you destroy your enemies and avenge them!"

Yang Yunxing was startled. Looking into Su Yang's determined eyes, he felt a glimmer of hope for venting his grudges.

He patted Su Yang's shoulder heavily, his voice firm: "Good! Your words are enough. Master and disciple, united in heart, let's first defend Jingling, then avenge the old grudge!"

As night deepened, the study in the city lord's mansion was brightly lit by candlelight.

After returning from his master Yang Yunxing's place, Su Yang did not rest, but instead had someone summon Chen Wenyuan and Chen Shun.

Several documents were spread out on the table, copies of the secret letters that had been seized from Li San during the day, and next to them was a "Map of the Distribution of Powers in Jingling City" compiled by Chen Wenyuan.

"The city lord summoned me late at night; is there something important he wishes to instruct me on?"

Chen Wenyuan bowed respectfully, and from the light falling on the documents on the desk, he had already guessed what was going on.

Chen Shun stood to the side, his posture straight. He had just returned from gathering information in the city, and his face still bore the marks of travel.

Su Yang gestured for the two to sit down, and lightly tapped the document with his fingertip: "Although we have dispelled the rumors and captured Li San today, the remnants of the Huang family, the Tianlian Sect, and the Xing Sui Alliance are still hiding in the shadows. Some generals are also acting ambiguously, and the Jianghuai Army outside the city is eyeing us covetously."

What we lack most right now is a pair of eyes that can see through the darkness, and an arm that is absolutely loyal.

.

Chen Wenyuan's eyes flickered: "Does the city lord intend to consolidate intelligence resources?"

"Exactly."

Su Yang nodded and said in a deep voice, "I intend to establish an intelligence agency, named Listening Wind Pavilion."

"Listening Wind Pavilion?"

Chen Shun repeated it in a low voice, a look of approval flashing in his eyes, and said, "What a good name! Hidden behind the wind, able to discern even the slightest sound, it perfectly embodies the secretive nature of an intelligence agency."

Su Yang continued, "Wen Yuan, you will serve as the head of the Listening Wind Pavilion, overseeing the entire operation, responsible for intelligence analysis, archiving, and deciphering coded messages. Establish a records department to register and archive all individuals and forces both inside and outside the city, forming a complete intelligence network."

"Yes, sir!"

Chen Wenyuan solemnly agreed.

"Chen Shun, you are appointed as the Deputy Pavilion Master and Chief of Field Affairs."

Su Yang looked at Chen Shun, his tone becoming more serious, and said, "You will establish the 'Wind Whisper Department,' placing informants in teahouses, taverns, docks, and inns within the city, and sending agents outwards to the Jianghuai, Jingxiang, and Jiangnan regions. Even setting up intelligence points in border towns first to gather publicly available information such as troop movements and grain price fluctuations would be helpful. In addition, I will also establish the 'Shadow Department,' responsible for dangerous operations such as infiltration, assassination, and counter-espionage. For now, I will directly command it, but later, elite soldiers will be selected from the Sharp Edge Battalion for your command."

Chen Shun's spirits lifted, and he knelt on one knee: "Your subordinate will not fail in your mission! I guarantee to uncover every single disturbance and present it to the city lord!"

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