Chapter 1318: The Duke of E’s Invitation Card!
Translated by: Hypersheep325
Edited by: Michyrr
Whoosh!
A gust of wind blew in through the window, rustling through the books in the room and causing a thin azure book to fall from the desk. Wang Chong bent down to pick it up, and as his fingers touched it, he realized that it was actually the mysterious invitation card the Duke of E Residence’s guard had delivered on that night.
Wang Chong had no interest in seeing anyone at this time, and started to place the letter back on the table. A moment later, however, he hesitated. Patting off the dust, he took it back.
“There’s no harm in looking.”
Wang Chong sighed as he slowly opened up the invitation card. The words in the card were written in very proper and regular handwriting.
‘The Duke of E, Yuchi Xiong, to His Highness, the King of Foreign Lands:
‘The King of Foreign Lands has striven to the utmost and is a model for the country. The common people have been deceived by the ignorant, but fairness and reason remain in the hearts of the people, and what is right and wrong will become self-evident in the future. In addition, Yuchi was entrusted by another to specially invite Your Highness to a meeting at Zilin Park, a small grove in the southern part of the city, on the seventeenth day of the sixth month at the Zi Period. It is hoped that the King of Foreign Lands will be at the appointed time and place…’
“Entrusted by another?”
Wang Chong slightly frowned, a ripple of emotion going through his heart. There wasn’t much to this invitation card, but the last part had taken Wang Chong rather by surprise. He had originally believed that the Duke of E was inviting him to the Duke of E Residence, but it was now apparent that this wasn’t the case at all.
He had never before received an invitation from a noble house sent on behalf of another. He couldn’t help but find it strange.
“Just what sort of person could have the Duke of E write an invitation card for him? Why couldn’t they just come themselves? Is there any need to have someone write an invitation card for you?”
Wang Chong’s mind was in turmoil as he gripped the invitation card.
This invitation card from the Duke of E was strange all around. The writer was not the inviter, and even at the very end, the Duke of E had never said who the person inviting him was. He had never heard about anyone receiving such a bizarre invitation card before.
“Heh!”
Wang Chong shook his head and chuckled as he prepared to put the card back and cast the matter to the back of his mind. But a moment later, his eyes passed over the unremarkable insignia at the end of the letter. His pupils instantly constricted as if he had been jabbed, while massive waves began to surge in his mind.
“This, this… how could this be?!”
Wang Chong stared at the golden insignia on the lower right corner of the card, his eyes full of disbelief. This was a golden flame in the shape of a lotus, and in the center of this flame were three golden axes and a twelve-section mace1.
Bang!
Wang Chong felt his heart thump and all the blood in his body surge. A banging resounded in his ears, and his mind was completely blank.
“How could it be… them!?”
Time seemed to stop as countless thoughts emerged in his mind. Wang Chong found it impossible to remain calm. He had never imagined that, in this life, he would once more see that most important insignia.
Wang Chong suddenly understood why the Duke of E would write an invitation card in someone else’s place, and also why the Duke of E had never revealed this person’s identity.
If it was ‘them’ from his memories, then they were completely capable of using the Duke of E and also would naturally not reveal their identity This was because… these people simply did not exist in the records of this world!
Even after putting down the card, Wang Chong still could not calm down.
No matter what, he had to meet with them.
……
In the blink of an eye, it was now the seventeenth day of the sixth month.
The night was pitch-black, illuminated only by the stars hanging in the night sky.
At the Zi Period, Wang Chong, dressed in civilian clothes, silently jumped over the wall and headed for Zilin Park.
A figure was waiting in the shadows of the park, and apparently had been for some time. It was precisely the guard of the Duke of E Residence from before.
With him were several soldiers of the Ultimate Martial Army.
“Your Highness is truly reliable!”
The Duke of E Residence guard faintly smiled.
“Follow me!”
The guard immediately turned around, jumped onto a tree branch, and began to venture deeper into the forest. Without another word, Wang Chong jumped up and followed. Wang Chong followed this group in the dim starlight as they silently bobbed and weaved. The only sound was that of a few owls.
After some time, the group finally stopped in front of a dark grove of trees.
The Duke of E Residence guard turned to Wang Chong and said, “Your Highness is truly extraordinary. After such a long time, are you not going to ask where we’re going or who you’re going to meet?”
“There’s no need,” Wang Chong calmly said. “Take me there!”
The group was dazed, and then they smiled.
“That’s true. With Your Highness’s martial arts, how could you be worried about such things?”
The group led Wang Chong into the dark grove, and Wang Chong followed. A moment later, an ancient and abandoned temple appeared before his eyes, its roof tiles in tatters and the corners covered in layers of cobwebs. Various idols lay fallen amongst the cobwebs, prone on the dust-covered ground.
“This is…?”
Wang Chong was taken aback by this ancient temple. As a native of the capital, he had spent ten-some years of his life following Ma Zhou and his others around in a life of idle leisure. There was practically no place in the capital that he didn’t know, but he had no impression of a place like this.
He had never known that there was an abandoned temple in this forest!
Rumble!
As Wang Chong was lost in thought, the Duke of E Residence guard stepped forward, bent down, and grabbed a metal hoop on the ground. He tugged vigorously at the hoop, then with a clunk, a large passage appeared before Wang Chong.
“King of Foreign Lands, before you go in, there are a few things that I hope you can remember. You cannot speak of tonight’s affair to anyone. Besides you, only I and the Duke know of this matter, and you can tell no one else. In addition, you must not bring up this matter in the future. Even if you go to find the Lord Duke, the Lord Duke will never admit to anything.
“Secondly, this passage can only be used once. Once used, a mechanism will trigger that will immediately collapse it, and Your Highness will not be able to return. During the meeting, Your Highness must remember to not ask them who they are. This is a major taboo. Your Highness, if you agree to these two conditions, I will take you in.”
As the Duke of E Residence guard spoke, he gestured at the two Ultimate Martial Army soldiers with him. These soldiers then took out three torches from somewhere and quickly used flint to light them.
“Mm!”
Wang Chong firmly nodded.
The guard sighed in relief, and then he turned around and took a torch from one of the soldiers.
“The two of you, stand guard here. Do not let anyone approach. King of Foreign Lands, please come with me!”
The guard swiftly made his way into the underground tunnel, vanishing down below.
Wang Chong followed without the slightest hesitation, passing the two Ultimate Martial Army soldiers and venturing into the tunnel.
Wang Chong would have never so boldly followed anyone else. If the tunnel were to suddenly collapse, there was a high chance that he would be trapped underground.
But now that he had seen the insignia on the invitation card, Wang Chong would follow that guard even if he had to get through a mountain of blades and a sea of fire. Wang Chong trusted in that group of people represented by that insignia, trusted that they had no intention of harming him.
Wang Chong quickly caught up to the Duke of E Residence guard.
Gusts of air buffeted his face, and as he went down the steps, he realized that this tunnel was much wider and cleaner than he had imagined. The tunnel began to twist and turn, and gradually, even Wang Chong was unable to tell just where underground they were.
After some time, when the torch in the Duke of E Residence guard’s hand was about to run out, they stopped.
“Your Highness, we’re here. They are waiting just up ahead. Your Highness will have to go alone!”
The Duke of E Residence guard pointed ahead, his expression one of extreme respect. It might have even surpassed respect and entered the realm of dread and worship.
But Wang Chong did not find any of this strange. If it was really that group of people he was thinking of, then no level of respect was too much.
“Many thanks!”
Wang Chong nodded and looked where the Duke of E Residence guard was pointing.
A flicker of fiery light could be seen far down the tunnel. Although Wang Chong tried his best to remain calm, he still could not suppress his agitation. He could smell a familiar scent in the air, one from so long ago that he thought that he had forgotten it.
Wang Chong passed the guard and headed toward the light. His steps were hurried and anxious at first, but when he got thirty paces from the light, he began to walk slower and slower.
One’s mood became more complicated the closer one got back to home!
Outside, Wang Chong had been impatient and expectant for this meeting, but now, as he got closer and closer, he couldn’t help but grow worried, causing his steps to slow.
Hiss!
Wang Chong took in a deep breath, restraining his emotions, and calmly walked forward.
Flap!
Raising a curtain, Wang Chong entered the room beyond. If he weren’t seeing it for himself, he would have never believed that there was a room like this at the end of the tunnel. It was an incredibly clean room, neatly constructed from orderly blocks of stone.
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1. The mace referred to here is known as a ‘jian’, 锏. Its appearance is similar to a sword, but the blade is replaced by a large metal rod. This rod can be either smooth or divided into jointed segments.↩