Chapter 366: Heads for Armor
Chapter 366: Heads for Armor
Hua Hua——
The warship cut through the waves, and Prince Jing stood at the bow with his hands behind his back, a scarf made of white fox tail wrapped around his neck because of the late autumn.
With a face that was 70% similar to Prince Jing, he was already eye-catching in the eyes of the wealthy young women on the ship.
"Your Highness, the official ship ahead is from the capital."
There were only a few figures standing on the much smaller third deck of the warship. Now one of them walked over and spoke.
It was no coincidence that Xu Jinglong, who had been paying attention to Zhao Duan's itinerary a few days ago, appeared here.
On the surface today, it was Prince Jing who invited many young men and women in the lake pavilion to take a boat ride and enjoy the scenery in the river.
The entire second floor was temporarily converted into a place suitable for gaming, and many children of noble families and wealthy businessmen gathered together to have fun.
At this moment, they also noticed the abnormality and looked towards the approaching official ship, talking in low voices.
On the first deck, the private soldiers of the royal palace who temporarily controlled the ship had stern expressions. Although they did not explicitly show an attitude of confronting the enemy, they already had a solemn and murderous demeanor.
"I saw it," Xu Jinglong said coldly:
"Keep getting closer. This prince wants to see the appearance of Zhao Duan clearly. Humph, let him know that princes are different from princes. Xu Zudi is weak and has made no achievements in the capital, but if he wants to land, he must first get past this prince."
After saying this, the prince, who was wrapped in a gray fox fur to keep warm, turned his head and looked at the middle-aged man in a gray robe who quietly walked out of the warehouse, and said with a smile:
"Senior Duan Shuiliu, I'll trouble you to help me later."
The middle-aged man with such a impressive name is actually a short man.
He was a head shorter than Xu Jinglong, with a square face, a big nose, and eyes of a rare grey color on his weathered face.
The slightly sturdy figure under the gray robe looks like a farmer working in the fields, and there is no weapon on his waist.
But just the three words "Duan Shui Liu" are enough to terrify the heroes in the martial arts world.
"Your Highness is too polite. I also want to see how profound the offering that surpasses that of the young monk Tianhai is." The middle-aged man said indifferently.
But his sight was like a sharp sword, piercing straight at the official ship in the distance.
……
……
"Prince Jing, Xu Jinglong?"
When Zhao Duan uttered this name, his expression became a little subtle.
He was not unfamiliar with this name. The first time he knew this person was when he cooperated with Yuan Li to overthrow Pei Kaizhi, the assistant minister of the Ministry of Justice.
After that, Zhenbao went up to the Emperor's Tower with him to drink and talk, during which he learned some of the empress's past when she was the third princess.
This includes the love confession of Prince Jing.
Xu Jinglong and the third princess were both royal relatives. According to the etiquette of the Dayu Dynasty, this was naturally inappropriate, but how to say it... Looking through the history books, there were precedents of royal families disrupting social order in the palace.
As a man determined to deceive the emperor, Zhao Duan also conducted a simple investigation on Prince Jing, who had only mentioned Xu Zhenguan once and never mentioned him again.
Whether in terms of reputation, ability or appearance, he is considered the best among the children of the nobility.
Is a strong enemy.
When he came to Hu Ting for supervision this time, he already knew that Prince Jing Xu Wen and his family would come, but he never expected that this guy, who was despised and hated by Zhen Bao, would be so impatient to charge at him.
Without waiting for him to come ashore, he came to meet him.
"Is he in a hurry to die?" Zhao Duan sneered, "Or does he think he can give me a warning?"
He was a little puzzled as to why all these princes' descendants behaved like this, including Xu Zudi and Xu Jinglong.
Well, if we count the princess who had caused him trouble in the past and who was later exposed, every prince’s offspring has brought him bad luck.
The old worshipper sighed:
"They are well prepared. Did you see the man next to Xu Jinglong on the third floor?"
Zhao Duan had amazing eyesight, and he caught a glimpse of it and wondered:
"Could it be some extraordinary master?"
The old priest smacked his lips and uttered a few words: "On the Qingshan Mountain."
"He is Wuxiankui?" Zhao Duan was shocked.
"..." Hai Chunlin glared at him unhappily:
"Are you qualified to snipe a martial artist of the Heavenly Realm? However, this man is a disciple of Wu Xiankui. Well, didn't you deal with a young man from Qingshan last time in the capital?"
"That Chai Keqiao?" Zhao Duan had a deep memory of the guy who came to his house with an axe to provoke him.
"The man on the boat is Chai Keqiao's senior brother. He has been in the secular world for many years, and now he is probably also gaining a firm foothold in the secular world." The old worshiper said with emotion:
"No one knows this man's real name, but he has a well-known nickname, Duan Shuiliu. He is extremely skilled in martial arts and is said to have a strange personality. He is lustful but not addicted to women, violent but not bloodthirsty. He has been wandering the martial arts world for many years and has never been defeated...
Haha, this is mostly bragging, but at least I have never lost a fight in public, and the most I have ever lost is a draw. But isn't it also a kind of wisdom to know who can fight and when to draw? "
Duan Shuiliu? Big Brother? Is it such a funny name?
Will this person shout later: Everyone here is garbage?
Zhao Duan complained crazily and frowned:
"The people on Qingshan Mountain? How did they get involved with Prince Jing? Did Wu Xiankui also join the Eighth Prince?"
The old priest shook his head and said, "How can a warrior in the Heaven Realm surrender to a prince? Duan Shuiliu's position does not represent the Daqing Mountain. Ha, the Qingshan inheritance is a little different. Although it also emphasizes the friendship between brothers and sisters, it is not binding.
Anyone who has joined the Qingshan lineage, after "leaving the school", no longer represents the Qingshan position. In the past, there have often been cases where fellow apprentices from the Qingshan lineage joined different forces after leaving the mountain and turned their swords against each other."
Zhao Duan's expression eased slightly, and he curled his lips and said:
"So, after we defeat this Senior Brother Duan Shuiliu, we don't have to worry about Wu Xiankui coming down the mountain to avenge our disciples, right?"
Eunuch Hai: “…”
Haitang: "..."
Good man, I haven't really done anything yet, but you're already thinking about beating me up.
Haitang rolled her eyes and thought to herself, do you really not know the value of "perfection in the world"?
At this level, unless someone from the Heavenly Man Realm takes action, it would be very difficult to seriously injure someone. At worst, if you can't win, you can just run away. Without the siege of several times more powerful people, it would be almost impossible to stop someone.
During the conversation, the two ships finally closed to a sensitive distance.
The other cargo ships in the distance on the river caught a glimpse of the warships and had already adjusted their sails and moved away.
So, there were only two ships facing each other in the vast waters around them.
As the ships of both sides stopped in tacit understanding, the huge shadows cast by the warships on the river almost covered the small official ships.
"alert!"
Haitang didn't need to be reminded, as she had already ordered the Jinyi officers and the imperial guards on board to line up on the deck.
The men and women who were having a party on the opposite boat also looked over in surprise.
The next second, under the dragon flag fluttering in the wind on the third floor of the warship, a short middle-aged man's voice was heard as thunderous as thunder:
"How is Zhao Du on the boat? Return my Qingshan Six Talisman Armor to me immediately!"
The warrior opened his mouth and his voice was as loud as thunder.
There was clearly no roar, but a thunderous roar swept across the cold river water between the two boats, causing ripples on the water surface.
Zhao Duan?
The empress's lover in the capital?
New celebrity?
At this moment, before Zhao Duan could do anything, the young people who were out partying on the second floor of the warship made a noise, attracting their attention to this name.
Many young ladies, in particular, stood on tiptoe, held the railings, stretched their slender necks, and looked forward, wanting to catch a glimpse of the legendary "White Horse Envoy Zhao".
Zhao Duan's face was strange, and he murmured, "Are you looking for trouble like this?"
Xu Jinglong came to cause trouble, either because of their "rival in love" or to show his power at the meeting at Huting.
In short, at a time when the war between the Eight Kings and the imperial court had not yet begun, the other side's arrival in warships was just a deterrent. It was impossible for them to be so crazy as to directly use ironclad ships to sink and tear apart the official ships.
Even if there is trouble, I will find a reason to get away with it.
But he didn't expect that the starting point for Prince Jing to find fault was the protective magic weapon [Six Talisman Armor] that the Empress had rewarded him with.
Zhao Duan still remembered that Zhenbao once said that this magic weapon was the trophy won by the royal family in the gambling fight in Qingshan.
Therefore, it has a special meaning of shame for Qingshan disciples.
He tried every possible means to get back the "lost" magic weapon.
Naturally I brought it with me on this outing and I am wearing it now.
He didn't want the news to leak out, which led to Duan Shuiliu coming out to demand it.
"Haha," Zhao Duan suddenly laughed out loud, his voice amplified many times by the vibration of the Qi. After suppressing the noise, he restrained his smile:
"I didn't expect that the news of my visit to the lake pavilion has become known to everyone. It's hard for Prince Jing to come to greet me personally. However, I didn't expect that Prince Jing's mansion had kept retainers from Qingshan. Xu Jinglong, what are you doing?"
Stop pretending, just call him by his name!
When in the capital, Zhao Duan gave face to Xu Zudi on the surface, but at this moment he called Xu Jinglong, who was also a prince, by his name.
On the warship, Xu Jinglong, who was wrapped in a fox fur scarf, looked gloomy, but then he put his hands on the railing, leaned forward slightly, looked down, and said with a smile:
"I have long admired the reputation of Envoy Zhao. I have heard that he is arrogant, but today I have witnessed it.
How could someone be convicted without any evidence? What kind of person is Senior Duan Shuiliu? He is a well-known figure in the martial arts world, a figure who is half a step away from being a god. How could he be a guest in my Prince Jing's mansion?
We just happened to know each other and went out on a boat trip together today.
I just found out that Envoy Zhao stole your treasures. I'm surprised. I advise you to return them. Don't make you angry. You'll lose face before you enter the pavilion."
Haha, if I really gave it to you, I would lose face… Zhao Duan did not get angry, and said calmly:
"That precious armor was a gift from His Majesty. Xu Jinglong, are you saying that His Majesty stole it? Or is it you, the royal family of the Xu family, who stole it?"
He looked at Duan Shuiliu, who was wrapped in a gray robe, had a square face and a big nose, and gray eyes, and said with a teasing smile:
"Broken...what's that? Did you hear clearly? The one who took your family's treasure was Xu, what do you want from a person named Zhao like me? Well, you can have whatever you want, I'll make the decision."
He raised a finger and pointed it at Xu Jinglong from a distance, the corner of his mouth raised, his expression suddenly became solemn:
"You take off his head in exchange for the armor in my hand, what do you think? Hahaha..."
(End of this chapter)