Chapter 129: The Longest Day (7)

Chapter 128: The Longest Day (Part 1 of 3)

Mushrooms were never poison, at least not in Tie Xinyuan's many uses of them, which had never yet resulted in the poisoning to death of either a man or a pig.

They merely worked their way through the bloodstream of a man or beast, ultimately igniting the source of violent fury that had existed within their bloodlines for millions of years.

Iron Lion believed he had already defeated Yang Huaiyu, but Yang Huaiyu did not think so. A thick, heavy flail whistled through the air as it smashed toward Iron Lion. Having just ingested the mushroom powder, Yang Huaiyu had not the slightest intention of dodging at that moment.

The head of the flail and the iron hammer collided with a tremendous crash, sounding like a blacksmith beating hot metal.

The gap in raw strength remained unavoidable. No matter how hard Yang Huaiyu exerted himself, Iron Lion could always easily deflect his attacks and even find opportunities to counterattack.

The armor on Yang Huaiyu's body rattled incessantly, neutralizing the force Iron Lion imposed upon him time and time again. Perhaps the mushroom was taking effect; both of Yang Huaiyu's eyes began to turn red, and his strength not only failed to wane but actually continued to grow.

Harnessing the momentum of his black steed, Yang Huaiyu hoisted the flail high once more and slammed its heavy head viciously against the hammer that Iron Lion held aloft. Following a deafening explosion, the head of the flail actually cracked Iron Lion's hammer.

The spiked head of the flail grazed Iron Lion's shoulder, tearing away a large chunk of flesh and skin and sending up a great spray of blood.

Perhaps sensing the warlike fury of its master, the black horse opened its mouth and bit down hard on the ear of Iron Lion's mount. With a violent toss of its head, it sent the other horse shrieking away at an angle. Spitting out the ear, the black horse let out a triumphant whinny and, without needing Yang Huaiyu to urge it on, gave chase of its own accord.

"My word, does that Yang boy have such tricks up his sleeve? His Majesty has already waved his hand; it looks like the Emperor doesn't want to see either of these two madmen come to serious harm."

Watching the two figures chasing each other across the arena, Wang Jian let out a sigh of relief and said.

"Hey! That's the fruit platter prepared for His Majesty! What are you meddling with!"

Turning his head back, Wang Jian happened to catch Tie Xinyuan reaching his hand into the fruit tray on the table. He slapped Tie Xinyuan's hand away and hauled him off to the side.

Having failed to get a piece of fruit, Tie Xinyuan indignantly retorted, "Even if Iron Lion were willing, Yang Huaiyu would never agree. This struggle has to be fought out to a definitive victor."

"Still fighting? One is vomiting blood, and the other is covered in wounds..."

"Yang Huaiyu promised his wife he would win the title of top martial scholar for her. A man of his word always follows through. As long as he has a single breath left in him, Iron Lion can forget about easily claiming the top spot."

Iron Lion was beyond furious. He had pulled his punches out of mercy several times just now, yet Yang Huaiyu had pushed his luck...

Before he could figure out how to deal with Yang Huaiyu, he saw Yang Huaiyu leap from the back of the black horse with reddened eyes, spreading his arms to tackle him.

Before he could react, he threw out his arms to shake off Yang Huaiyu, only to have his arms torn open by the exposed spikes bristling across Yang Huaiyu's armor. How could the battle steed beneath them endure the weight of two such burly men? Its legs buckled, and it collapsed heavily to the ground.

Yang Huaiyu tightly embraced Iron Lion. Blood was spurting from everywhere on Iron Lion's body; only he understood how venomous those iron spikes protruding from the gaps in Yang Huaiyu's armor truly were.

Grasping Yang Huaiyu's hands and giving them a violent twist, a shoulder throw instantly hurled Yang Huaiyu over his shoulder...

***

Chapter 128: The Longest Day (Part 2 of 3)

Cao Fang and the others watched in utter bewilderment.

They knew Yang Huaiyu had been practicing martial arts diligently of late, but they never dreamed the fellow could fight with such terrifying ferocity now.

They had assumed his challenge to Iron Lion was merely an effort to secure second place; they never imagined he would exploit his equipment to fight Iron Lion to a standstill.

Cao Fang was already beginning to regret why he had ever offended Yang Huaiyu. To encounter someone so recklessly determined to achieve his goal sent a chill running straight down his spine.

Zhao Zhen was watching with great relish. Just a moment ago, he had been thinking of raising his hand to halt the bout, but now that notion had vanished entirely. A battle like the one before him was something he had never witnessed in his life.

Although he enjoyed watching women wrestle with their clothes stripped off, a clash such as the one between Iron Lion and Yang Huaiyu gave him the novel sensation of being thrust onto a real battlefield.

The moment Yang Huaiyu was thrown down, he bounced right back up like a spring, as if the heavy slam had had no effect on him whatsoever. He flung open his arms and lunged once more at Iron Lion, who was likewise weaponless.

Iron Lion crossed his hands to grip Yang Huaiyu's wrists, preparing to muster his strength and snap his fingers, when a pair of short blades shot out from the wrist-guards of Yang Huaiyu's armor. Had Iron Lion not possessed lightning-fast reflexes, those two blades would surely have pierced the back of his hands.

Unable to subdue Yang Huaiyu in a grapple, Iron Lion hastily retreated, but a spiked fist from Yang Huaiyu grazed his chest, leaving a long, ragged gash across his thick torso.

Iron Lion backed away step by step, lowered his gaze to inspect the wound on his chest, and stared in astonishment at the opponent before him.

At that point, anyone watching would have concluded that Iron Lion had already lost. Covered as he was in upwards of a hundred wounds, they were less the result of Yang Huaiyu's direct blows and more the unintended consequence of the armor he wore.

A profound silence descended upon the military training field. Whether it was Iron Lion, panting like an ox, or Yang Huaiyu, whose features remained hidden beneath his armor, both seemed to be waiting for the final, decisive strike.

Iron Lion tore off his tattered garments and wrapped them tightly around his fists, casting not a single glance at the intact hammer lying on the ground at his feet.

Yang Huaiyu slowly drew a short spear from behind his armor, concealed it behind his elbow, and charged at Iron Lion once more.

The short spear swept past the side of Iron Lion's neck, followed by a heavy punch whistling through the air straight toward Yang Huaiyu's lower abdomen.

With a thud, Yang Huaiyu's body doubled over. Iron Lion raised his knee and drove it viciously into his jaw, sending Yang Huaiyu staggering backward before following up with a whipping kick to the neck...

Blood seeped from the visor of Yang Huaiyu's helmet as he collapsed heavily to the ground.

Iron Lion stepped forward, straddled Yang Huaiyu's back, hooked his hands around Yang Huaiyu's neck, and roared, "Do you yield or not?"

Before the words had even faded, he hastily jerked his hands away from Yang Huaiyu's neck. A fresh wound, half a foot long with the muscle peeled sickeningly back, had instantly opened up across his right forearm.

Tie Xinyuan finally managed to secure a bunch of frozen grapes and tossed one into his mouth. Seeing Wang Jian's bewildered expression, he chuckled and explained, "There's a circular iron plate around Yang Huaiyu's neck designed to prevent throat-slitting. The moment anyone applies heavy pressure to strangle him, the plate springs upright...

I originally suggested smearing poison on that iron plate, but Yang Huaiyu refused. That blockhead said smearing poison wasn't the behavior of a true man. If he had used poison, he'd already be the top martial scholar by now."

"Is the set of armor you custom-made for His Majesty crafted the same way?"

"Naturally not. His Majesty is the sovereign of the state and conducts himself with upright dignity; how could he be mentioned in the same breath as Yang Huaiyu?"

***

Chapter 128: The Longest Day (Part 3 of 3)

Wang Jian lowered his voice and said, "That may be so, but I believe it is necessary for the Emperor's armor to incorporate a few more defensive mechanisms."

Tie Xinyuan shook his head. "We wouldn't dare. Even if you gave us a thousand chunks of courage, we wouldn't dare install hidden mechanisms in His Majesty's armor. Should His Majesty accidentally come to any harm, I don't have enough heads to let you lop off."

Frowning, Wang Jian watched as Iron Lion and Yang Huaiyu squared off against each other once more.

He murmured softly, "If Yang Huaiyu hadn't been wearing that suit of armor, he would have been beaten to death by Iron Lion long ago. Such a military instrument of state cannot be allowed to remain in your hands.

Be a good lad and hand over the blueprints. You are not to manufacture this kind of armor ever again."

Having prepared himself mentally long in advance, Tie Xinyuan retrieved a blueprint from his pack and handed it to Wang Jian. "Here it is. Keep it safe. In return, we want a modest estate outside the city, as close to the city gates as possible."

Wang Jian smiled. "Not overly greedy. This old servant agrees to that demand."

Tugging at Wang Jian's lapel in a panic, Tie Xinyuan asked, "Can you actually call the shots on that?"

Wang Jian laughed out of exasperation. "This old servant can make decisions ten times larger than this. If you dare to doubt me by even a single word, the farmstead will be moved ten miles further from the gates."

Tie Xinyuan immediately stuffed all the remaining frozen grapes into his mouth so that he wouldn't babble any further. If he said another word, the estate would be pushed back by ten miles; if he voiced all the thoughts currently running through his head, the estate would probably end up partitioned off to Western Xia.

Iron Lion was a tiger, and Yang Huaiyu was a porcupine. No matter how formidable the tiger was, it had very few effective ways to deal with this porcupine.

After several exchanges, not only had he failed to kill Yang Huaiyu, but he had left himself covered in wounds.

He couldn't fathom how a mere suit of armor could fire hidden arrows, project iron spikes, spray mustard powder, and—most unbelievable of all—spurt actual flames from the helmet...

His beard and whiskers largely singed away, Iron Lion roared in fury and hopped about in rage, yet he still refused to pick up the hammer lying on the ground... He feared that if he lost control for even a second, he would beat Yang Huaiyu into a pulp of flesh and bone...

"Clang, clang, clang..." The bells of the Five Phoenix Tower echoed from within the city out to the military training field.

Everyone shifted their gaze toward the imperial city. Only then did the crowds notice that the column of smoke rising over Bianjing City had not dissipated; instead, it had grown even thicker, and the dark red flames leaping into the sky could be seen clearly even from outside the walls.

Zhao Zhen abruptly stood up and waved his hand to halt the duel between Iron Lion and Yang Huaiyu.

Following the stroke of the bronze gong, Iron Lion let out a long breath and stood his ground steadily, while Yang Huaiyu swayed a few times before collapsing headfirst onto the ground.

With a loud laugh, Iron Lion kicked Yang Huaiyu and, seeing that he was completely immobilized, wrapped the刺-bristling Yang Huaiyu in a cloak that had fallen to the ground, heaved him onto his shoulder, and strode back toward the elevated viewing platform.

With a heavy thud, he dumped the unconscious Yang Huaiyu within the Emperor's line of sight, dropped to one knee, and reported, "This humble subject is ashamed; I failed to take down Yang Huaiyu within Your Majesty's prescribed time."

Zhao Zhen walked over to Yang Huaiyu and nudged him with his foot. "Is he dead or not? If not, give an answer."

Meng Yuanzhi lifted the visor of Yang Huaiyu's helmet to reveal a head already dyed the color of a bloody gourd, bubbling blood at the corners of his lips as he stubbornly rasped out, "This subject... does not accept this defeat!" (To be continued.)