Huailin City: Idle Tea Stall Chatter About Northern Frontier Affairs, When the Market Was Suddenly Attacked by a Rampaging Horse

Huailin City.

Noon. The market.

Today happened to be market day, and the streets seethed with noise.

The hawking of peddlers and laborers, the children's laughter, and the footsteps of passersby all blended together, creating a rare taste of winter's bustling life.

The city stood at the border of Cangzhou and Chuzhou, less than fifty miles from the Xi River that marked the boundary between the two prefectures. It could already be considered southern territory.

Thus, its climate was considerably milder than the north's, and the snow was much shallower. The bustle within the city hardly differed from that of any other season.

Inside a humble yet fairly popular tea stall, the tea drinkers were spitting and gesticulating as they talked.

"Have you heard? The northern barbarians attacked again a few days ago!"

"Oh? Which army lost the battle this time?"

"Heh! This time was different! The barbarians weren't attacking a heavily fortified town garrisoned by the army. They were heading straight for Jizhou!"

The six prefectures of the northern frontier had suffered constant harassment from the northern tribes for years, with the Border Prefecture at the very front suffering the worst of it.

Jizhou, however, was relatively remote, and large-scale battles rarely reached it.

"Jizhou? I heard the Imperial Court doesn't call the shots there anymore. It's Tianxing Sect that runs the place."

"Ha! This time, when the barbarians invaded Jizhou, wasn't it the Sect Master of Tianxing Sect who personally took command? He not only united the local righteous heroes of Jizhou, but also mobilized the government soldiers to resist the enemy alongside them. Guess how it ended?"

"Good grief! Stop keeping us in suspense and tell us how it turned out!"

"A crushing victory! They beat those barbarians until they threw away their helmets and armor and fled with their tails between their legs. I hear a hundred thousand were killed in battle, and three hundred thousand were captured!

"That barbarian chieftain fled hundreds of miles through the night with his remaining troops. He even lost his banner—what a sorry sight!"

"Good! Well fought!"

"Now that's something to be proud of! That's how they should be fighting!"

Chen Duan and Ah Huang were among the tea drinkers, quietly listening to the lively discussion.

Both had large wooden cases strapped to their backs. Their unusual shapes made it clear at a glance that the pair were strange people of extraordinary ability, drawing plenty of curious looks.

However, the aura radiating from Chen Duan was too intimidating, and so far no one had dared approach them and strike up a conversation.

During their journey, they had passed through several cities, and Chen Duan had heard plenty of similar talk about the fighting in the north.

The Imperial Court had always kept a lax grip on public opinion. On top of that, the martial masters of Jianghu were no easy fish to fry, and news traveled at lightning speed.

The army's repeated defeats over the years were common knowledge throughout the realm, and deserters from the six northern frontier prefectures were scattered across Great Liang.

There were defeats every year, but this was the first time anyone had heard news of a "crushing victory."

What was more, this victory had not been led by the Imperial Court's troops, but by a secular sect. Naturally, it had caused quite a stir among the common people.

Still, claims such as "a million soldiers clashed," "a hundred thousand killed in battle," and "three hundred thousand captured" had clearly been padded with a great deal of hot air. They were mostly meant to build momentum.

Jizhou had already had a poor reputation. Like Chuzhou, it was an extralegal haven for desperate fugitives.

Bandits and wicked sects held sway there, while thieves were as numerous as hairs on an ox.

In a place like that, how strong could the government's power really be?

It was only after Tianxing Sect emerged and imposed order with an iron fist that the chaotic situation was turned around.

But to claim that Jizhou possessed the foundation to wage a million-man battle against the barbarians was nothing short of a fool's dream.

Most likely, they had fought a small battle at best, then cleverly packaged it and trumpeted it far and wide to bolster their reputation.

"Hehe, Senior Brother, listen to Tianxing Sect blowing its own horn. Aren't they afraid of biting their tongues? Three hundred thousand prisoners, too. Why don't they just say they wiped out the Northern Barbarian Royal Court in one fell swoop?"

At the neighboring table, a young woman dressed in white with two short blades hanging from her waist was sneering disdainfully. Her clear voice dripped with contempt.

Sitting across from her was a young man dressed in white as well.

He was not particularly handsome, but there was an innate air of nobility between his brows. A powerful bow was strapped to his back.

"Just a means of building momentum. Nothing unusual." The young man raised his teacup, his tone calm.

"Still, Tianxing Sect certainly had good luck. After this battle, it will probably have a firm hold on Jizhou for good."

Chen Duan had been listening to their conversation all along. With the aid of his Wind Listening Ears, every voice in the teahouse reached him clearly, and he could distinguish where each one came from.

Relying on this ability, he often happened to overhear interesting things.

Judging from the white-clothed pair's conversation, they seemed to be from Han Land. They had mentioned Chuzhou several times, which seemed to be their next destination...

Just then, a sudden commotion broke out in the street.

Cries of alarm rose from the crowd.

Chen Duan looked over and saw that, for some unknown reason, an ornate carriage had been frightened out of control. The three tall horses pulling it had eyes as red as blood and were dragging the carriage as they rampaged wildly through the street.

The spectacle had only just begun when, to everyone's surprise, the carriage charged straight toward the tea stall where Chen Duan was sitting.

"Good grief! Whose beast has gone into heat? Run!"

The tea drinkers sensed the danger and erupted into panic, fleeing in all directions as tables, chairs, and benches toppled over.

Yet there were always a few people who were too close or reacted too slowly to get out of the way. Chen Duan's table, for instance, was perilously near.

The carriage was not small. If it struck someone head-on, followed by the trampling of three horses, the consequences would have been unthinkable.

"Damn your ancestors!"

An old man who had been silently reading and drinking tea suddenly unleashed a stream of curses at the sight.

He was sitting in the most dangerous position and looked as though he was about to be crushed into mincemeat beneath the horses' hooves.

At that tense moment, Chen Duan slowly rose to his feet.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Three sharp sounds tore through the air almost simultaneously.

Something skimmed past Chen Duan, then passed over the old man and struck the three steeds.

Pfft! Pfft! Pfft!

Three arrows had pierced straight through the horses' necks. Then inner force erupted from the arrows, and they exploded.

The three horses' heads, along with half of each body, turned into a skyful of bloody chunks.

Horse blood poured down like a torrential rain, drenching the old man from head to toe.

Chen Duan was farther away, and having prepared in advance, he swiftly lifted Ah Huang and dodged the blood rain, saving his clothes.

With the three horses dead, the carriage tipped forward under its own momentum and finally stopped less than a yard in front of the old man.

The white-clothed Senior Brother and Sister then hurried over.

The young man held the powerful bow in his hand, its string still trembling slightly. Clearly, those three arrows had come from him.

"Old sir, are you all right?" The white-clothed young man asked anxiously, his face full of concern.

"Take a look at me, you son of a bitch! Do I look all right to you? I just changed into these clothes today! Fine fabric, ruined just like that!"

The pair had not expected the old man to respond with a furious tirade instead of gratitude.

At his words, the white-clothed woman's willow brows rose sharply, and she immediately flared up.

"Hey! You old corpse, do you have any sense? If my Senior Brother hadn't shot those mad horses, you'd be dead by now! Not only are you ungrateful, you're hurling abuse at us too. You really can't tell a good person from a bad one!"

"Shove that nonsense! Did this old man need you to save me? They were only three beasts. Could they really have taken my life?"

The white-clothed young man's heart tightened at those words. Only now did he look closely and notice the old man's long, steady breathing and firmly rooted stance. He was likely a formidable practitioner.

Those three arrows of his might truly have been unnecessary—and may even have made things worse.

But he glanced at his junior sister beside him, who was still trading insults with the old man.

Since his junior sister had stood up for him, right and wrong no longer mattered.

Besides, the old man's attitude really was rather vile.

He was just about to join in the cursing.

However, at that very moment.

That book cannot be found by title. Try searching by the author—it may simply have been renamed!