A Step into the Past

Book 14 Chapter 08 – The Mighty Jing Jun

On the grandstand, Lu Buwei and Tian Dan have unnatural expressions on their faces as they did not expect Xiang Shaolong to enjoy such high standing among the people of Qin. In addition, Lu Buwei can clearly feel the racism of the Qin people against him and his family warriors. He felt a tinge of regret for trying to eliminate Xiang Shaolong. If they had been on good terms, the people of Qin may eventually accept him and he need not use Lao Ai to manipulate the Empress. He suppressed this thought from his mind. After all, Xiang Shaolong has only two more days to live and it is a fact that cannot be changed.

Xiao Pan saw that Xiang Shaolong enjoys a favourable reputation among the military forces and the younger generation of Qin and was delighted for him. At the same time, it indirectly lowers Lu Buwei’s standing. However, he was concerned about his leg injury and that he will disappoint the crowd by being unable to battle. While everyone is shouting his name incessantly, a figure somersaulted from within the ranks of the female warriors. This person cart wheeled continuously over ten rounds quickly and his face is a blur. No one can identify him but everyone was flabbergasted at his agility.

After a final mid air somersault, the person landed in front of the grandstand, kneeled down and pleaded: “Assistant Cavalry Commander Jing Jun asks to fight on behalf of my Commander. Will the Crown Prince please give your approval?”

Xiao Pan was overjoyed: “I approve Assistant Commander Jing’s request.”

Everyone saw that he was highly-skilled and volunteered himself first. Moreover, he is Xiang Shaolong’s assistant commander and rewarded him with thunderous applause. Everyone anticipates a good fight between him and Zhou Zihen.

Jing Jun did not stand up yet. He loudly declared: “If I happened to win, all the glory of the victory belongs to Miss Dan’er.”

Xiao Pan was stunned and exchanged a glance with an equally shocked Lu Gong. He laughed: “Fine! I approve.”

The people of Qin are open-minded. Witnessing the public love declaration of Jing Jun, everyone’s spirits rose greatly and cheered even louder. Their cheering sounds resonated throughout the plains.

The female warriors are laughing uncontrollably. Ying Ying and the other ladies forcefully pushed an embarrassed but thrilled Lu Dan’er to the front of the crowd so that she will not miss any part of the action.

Zhou Zihen still maintained his cool expression. He slowly glanced up at Lu Buwei who nodded slightly, indicating that he wants him to deal a heavy blow to Jing Jun and tarnish his reputation. He smiled to acknowledge this silent command. His eyes were shining like electricity as he shifted his gaze to Jing Jun who is putting on his armour and receiving his wooden sword.

Unexpectedly, Jing Jun made a monkey face, stared straight back at him and joked: “So Brother Zhou needs to seek Premier Lu’s consent for every little thing.”

Zhou Zihen was taken aback as he did not anticipate Jing Jun to see through their communication method. He plainly replied: “Assistant Commander Jing must be joking!”

Lord Changwen is personally helping Jing Jun to put on his armour. Overhearing their conversation, he lightly patted Jing Jun and advised: “Be careful!” He led his men to the side of the duelling ground and left the two men standing there facing each other.

The crowd became silent as everyone watched with abated breaths, wondering how Jing Jun can counter Zhou Zihen’s unorthodox fighting methods.

There may be ten thousand pairs of eyes staring at him and it will be a crucial fight but Jing Jun maintained his aloof expression and stared lazily at his opponent. His sword is still resting on his shoulder and he seems to disregard Zhou Zihen.

While everyone is anxious for him, the most anxious person is not Xiang Shaolong, Teng Yi or any of the ladies. It is Lu Dan’er. She may be annoyed at him but now, her reputation is tied to the outcome of this battle. If Jing Jun loses, she will lose face too. Her palms became sweaty and she almost cannot continue watching the fight.

Out of the blue, both men began to move.

Originally, it was Zhou Zihen who moved first. But like it has been prearranged, the moment he made his move, Jing Jun’s sword has left his shoulder and is now halfway through the air.

Zhou Zihen withdrew his sword and kicked out at the same time. Jing Jun somersaulted to the back and avoided his blow effortlessly.

Zhou Zihen was taken aback at this peculiar move. He is an experienced fighter and he knew that Jing Jun’s strength lies in his agility. He dared not be complacent and instantly changed his battle tactics. He quickly rolled forward to where Jing Jun is about to land. When Jing Jun is landing, he will deal a heavy blow and break his legs.

The ever-changing fighting techniques have captivated everyone.

On the slope, Teng Yi smiled to Xiang Shaolong: “If Zhou Zihen is a few years younger, Jing Jun will be in trouble.”

Xiang Shaolong nodded his head slightly and focused hard on their fight without replying.

Jing Jun flipped twice in the air and actually has his hand embracing his legs against his chest. At the same time, his sword swished down at Zhou Zihen below him with lightning speed.

Zhou Zihen used his waist to prop himself up and flipped to the side. Using his backhand, he struck out with his short sword at chest area to hit Jing Jun’s long sword.

Every one of their attacks was beyond comprehension and everyone was watching intently without any sounds.

Jing Jun knew that he is trying to deal a heavy blow to his long sword and use this opening to further attack him. He let out a shrill cry and his leg kicked out towards Zhou Zihen’s face forcefully.

Zhou Zihen is blown away by his agility and could not be bothered to attack his long sword anymore. He shifted his sword to attack his leg. At the same time, he took a step backwards to avoid the incoming kick.

Amazingly, Jing Jun has enough momentum to retract his kick and Zhou Zihen’s sword hit empty air.

Everyone roared out in loud cheers and praises.

As Jing Jun landed, he rolled into a ball. Keeping the momentum, he rolled towards Zhou Zihen.

Zhou Zihen did not panic and roared. He adopted the horse stance and his sword exploded into a flurry of stances. Under the illumination of the torches, he maintains his steely expression and is truly an expert swordsman.

After all, he needs true talent to outshine the other eight thousand family warriors of Lu Buwei.

As impossible as it seems, Jing Jun leapt up from the ground and struck down at Zhou Zihen with his full body weight.

Ta! The wooden swords clashed.

Even with his solid horse stance, Zhou Zihen cannot withstand Jing Jun’s heavy blow and staggered backwards.

Everyone forgot their inhibitions and shake their fists in the air, cheering loudly for him. The loudest cheers come from Lu Dan’er and the female warriors followed by the soldiers from the Cavalry Army. Lu Buwei and his men’s cheering were drowned by their voices.

Jing Jun fought ferociously. The moment he landed, he flipped forward with his long sword trailing and he followed up with another blow at Zhou Zihen.

Zhou Zihen is forced to defend himself and kept retreating. He cannot keep up with Jing Jun’s flexible attacks that sometimes come from the air and sometimes when he was rolling on the ground. He has finally met his nemesis.

Under Jing Jun all out combo attacks, Zhou Zihen was panting as he tried to defend himself without the slightest chance to counter attack. Like a flower that has withered, he cannot salvage the situation.

Ta! Ta! Ta! Jing Jun made use of the advantage of his sword length to deliver three continuous blows to Zhou Zihen’s short sword, causing him pain and numbness in his hands.

Everyone is siding Jing Jun in their cheers, causing Zhou Zihen to be mad and disappointed.

After another ten successive clashes, Zhou Zihen finally lost his grip on his sword and his sword flew out of his hands after receiving another heavy blow. As he groaned to himself, Jing Jun sidestepped to his back and delivered a back kick to his back.

Jing Jun’s kick carried so much strength that Zhou Zihen can never block given his disadvantageous situation. Before he realised what happened, he has fallen flat on his face.

Lu Dan’er joyfully ran from the sidelines to Jing Jun’s arms and they paid their respects to the boisterous crowd. No one is bothered with the defeated warrior leaving the duelling ground.

After a short discussion, Xu Xian happily asked: “Is Assistant Commander Jing ready for another challenger?”

Jing Jun respectfully answered: “I only fight on behalf of my Commander. I wish to end here while I am still the winner and have no desire to be kicked out by someone else!”

Everyone burst out laughing but no one blamed him for not accepting new challengers. Xu Xian smiled: “Assistant Commander Jing has done well. Have a good rest!”

Jing Jun paid his respects to the grandstand occupants and went back to the female warriors group with Lu Dan’er.

On the slope, Xiang Shaolong and Teng Yi exchanged a smile. With Jing Jun’s success, he will win the heart of Lu Dan’er sooner or later.

Teng Yi state in a deep voice: “It seems like Guan Zhongxie will not fight tonight. As long as he did not defeat you or Jing Jun, he is still not the best swordsman in the eyes of the people of Qin.”

Xiang Shaolong nodded in agreement. He was interrupted by Wu Shu who came up behind them with a flustered look on his face. He anxiously reported: “The people of Qi have packed their luggage and are ready to go home.”

Xiang Shaolong and Teng Yi were stunned. They looked at the grandstand and noticed that Lu Buwei and Tian Dan have indeed disappeared.

All of a sudden, they realised that they have been tricked by Mo Ao and Tian Dan.

Tian Dan’s decision to leave Xianyang City tonight is exploiting Xiang Shaolong’s greatest weakness.

Lu Buwei must have anticipated that he will chase after Tian Dan. This will ensure that the Wu Family Elite warriors leave Xianyang City together with him and when he dies of poisoning on the trip, Lu Buwei will not be implicated. After his death, he can even accuse him of neglecting his duties and take over the Wu Family assets. Lu Buwei the heartless man will stand to benefit with this course of events.

Ji Yanran and the other ladies will have to submit to him. What a devious plot!

Without Xiang Shaolong here to counter him, he will have lesser obstacles in pursuing his ambitions. When Guan Zhongxie is reinstated, he can promote him to be the Imperial Cavalry Commander as well. Everyone in Xianyang City will have to dance to his tune by then.

But how can he simply watch Tian Dan escape? Ever since Tian Dan tried to assassinate him, he has been keeping a low profile. He must be secretly planning this escape route. Thus, he must have been conspiring with Lu Buwei all along.

During his assassination, Lu Buwei swore that he did not have time to inform Tian Dan. It is all bu115hit. In fact, he was the one who told Tian Dan to assassinate him.

This is called ‘inflicting injury on oneself to trick the enemy’. When everyone thinks that it is Lu Buwei’s enemy trying to kill him to get Lu Buwei into trouble, it was actually Lu Buwei who masterminded his assassination.

He has been too careless and was tricked by Lu Buwei. He even suspected Wang Wan or Cai Ze to be in cahoots with Tian Dan, which resulted in his oversight.

Teng Yi solemnly suggested: “Let me go after him! You must stay here to deal with Lu Buwei.”

Xiang Shaolong shook his head: “Lu Buwei may not be able to send his own men to escort Tian Dan but Tian Dan has an army of four thousand men which matches the strength of our own army. After taking Lord Gaoling’s rebellion into consideration, I can only give you two thousand warriors. This makes both situations unfavourable for us. Don’t forget that Lu Buwei has eight thousand family warriors. Who knows what tricks are up their sleeves?”

Teng Yi kept quiet.

Xiang Shaolong whispered: “But there is still hope in this matter. I must persuade Prince Dan first. As long as he can try to delay Tian Dan’s journey, we can catch up to him. After all, An Gu has promised to make the Chu and Qi army retreat by ten miles away from the border.”

There are no more challengers going up the duelling grounds so amidst all the fanfare, Xu Xian announced the end of tonight’s performances.

In the main tent of Yan, Prince Dan listened to Xiang Shaolong’s explanation and hesitated: “It is inappropriate for us to act alone on this matter. In anything goes wrong, Qi and Chu will come after us. With the three allied states not providing any assistance, our state of Yan will be in peril!”

Xiang Shaolong plainly state: “Tian Dan’s existence is the real danger to the state of Yan. I am not asking your men to fight Tian Dan openly but to create opportunities to disrupt his travelling once he leaves the Qin borders. As long as you can delay him for a few days, we will catch up to him.”

Pausing, he strengthened his tone: “I will send my men to liaise with your general Xu Yi Luan. At the time, the people of Wei and the Pass Commander General An Gu will also lend us a helping hand.”

Listening in on the side, military advisor You Zhi advised: “This can be done. As long as we lay traps and conduct night raids, Tian Dan cannot tell whether his attackers are from Commander Xiang’s forces or not. Even if Tian Dan manages to escape with his life, he will not be able to pin the blame on us.”

Great General Xu Yi Ze came in from outside and bellowed: “No one is stalking Commander Xiang.”

Prince Dan was relieved and decided: “Fine! We will do our best to delay the meeting between Tian Dan and the two armies of Qi and Chu. If we do not see Commander Xiang by the time they meet up, we shall have to let that traitor live for a few more years.”

Xiang Shaolong profusely gave his thanks. He secretly thought that everyone has their own secret weapons. Even with Mo Ao’s brilliance, he can never expect Xu Yi Luan’s wandering army to come into the picture. After two days, his brilliant mind with cease to exist.

After he left Prince Dan’s tent, he glanced around him and saw that there are still burning torches everywhere. The young men and women of Qin are gathered in groups, singing, dancing and drinking to their heart’s content. It was a joyous time and no one wanted to go back to sleep.

On his way back to his tent, he was distracted by happy cheering of some young ladies. He looked in the direction of the sounds and saw a large purple flag about a hundred yards away from him and was reminded about Ying Ying’s appointment.

Will Ying Ying be waiting for him in the tent with the purple flower? There are still two hours until daybreak and she must be having a good time with Lu Dan’er and her female warriors.

After learning about Tian Dan’s departure, he was disillusioned and wanted to discuss with Teng Yi who they should send to liaise with Xu Yi Luan to attack Tian Dan.

Somehow, he felt like paying a quick visit to Ying Ying’s tent!

Thinking about this, he made use of the shadows of the tents and slipped towards Ying Ying’s tent. He hoped to speak to her privately. Otherwise, if he gets intertwined by the female warriors, he will be stuck there for hours.

As most of the people are gathered around the assembly grounds, the tents were not well-illuminated. Without much difficulty, Xiang Shaolong managed to find his way around the tents without anyone detecting his presence

On an open area, he saw ten odd campfires. Enjoying themselves around the campfire were Lu Dan’er and over a hundred female warriors. They were accompanied by over two hundred young men and they are having a good time singing, clapping, dancing and flirting. Ying Ying was surprisingly absent.

Xiang Shaolong sighed, thinking that he may want to skip the appointment. As he stepped backwards, he saw a light coming from a tent behind him and there were some sounds coming from it.

Xiang Shaolong took a closer look and discovered that there was a large purple flower sewn on the tent door which looked exactly like the one on the flag.

Pleased, Xiang Shaolong walked over and was about to call her name. He changed his mind and since he wanted to win her heart, he will sneak into her tent and give her a surprise. She is an open-minded girl who is used to surprising others so she should not mind. He can then make love to her and win her affections without waiting till daybreak.

Aroused, he stepped into the tent.

A large figure which was prone on the floor leapt up swiftly and viciously howled: “Who is it?”

As Xiang Shaolong faced this person, both of them were equally shocked. Under the illumination of the lamp, it was a naked Guan Zhongxie.

Guan Zhongxie saw that it was him and a murderous look flashed across his eyes. He moved to one side and began to put on his clothes.

Xiang Shaolong looked down and saw horrified Ying Ying sitting up under the cover of a blanket. Her face was deathly while and she stared at him with a lost expression. Beyond the blanket, her jade white legs can be seen.

In his wildest dreams, Xiang Shaolong did not expect that they will be making out in the tent. He bitterly laughed: “My apologies!” and left the tent.

After he took several steps, Guan Zhongxie chased up to him and apologised: “Official Xiang. I am sorry. She said she is meeting you at daybreak and did not expect you to come so early.”

Xiang Shaolong is certain that he purposely seduced Ying Ying to sow discord between them and hated Ying Ying for being unable to resist him. He accepted his defeat and forced a smile: “It is my fault for spoiling Official Guan’s happy moment and even gave you a fright.”

Guan Zhongxie was astounded: “Hasn’t Official Xiang seen Premier Lu? Earlier, he sent someone to look for you.”

Xiang Shaolong casually responded: “I am walking everywhere aimlessly and I am afraid his men have not been able to locate me yet.”

Walking besides him, Guan Zhongxie whispered: “The ladies of Qin are very open minded even before marriage. I hope Official Xiang does not take it to heart!”

Xiang Shaolong thought that with these words, Guan Zhongxie is ridiculing Xiang Shaolong should he ever have the courage to wed Ying Ying. He pretended to be unaffected and laughed: “Official Guan must be joking.” Pleased, Guan Zhongxie recommended: “Let’s visit Premier Lu together!”

Xiang Shaolong is at a loss.

All along, he has been at the losing end because unlike his enemies, he did not resort to unscrupulous methods to achieve his goals.

He is a man of principles and values relationships. If he carries on like this, even with Mo Ao dead, he may still die in the hands of Guan Zhongxie.

It is time to change strategies.