Fengcheng Flying General

Chapter 22

Jun Yu said with delight, "It would be best if we could employ General Meng."

The Seventh Prince immediately said, "If we could acquire another talent like you, young master, wouldn't that be a blessing for the country?"

Junyu laughed: "I was being too carefree in Phoenix Village, please forgive me, Your Highness."

The Seventh Prince, finding it inconvenient to say anything more, stood up and laughed loudly, "Everyone has their own ambitions. In any case, to be able to know someone like you, young master, is a fortunate thing in life. I apologize for disturbing you today, and I hope we will meet again." With that, he took his leave.

Wang Jun walked behind and said in a low voice, "Young Master Jun, I have offended you greatly."

Junyu smiled, then said seriously, "Brother Wang, please don't say that. I think that in the current court, only this Seventh Prince is still clear-headed and has a certain judgment on the internal and external situation. He also serves as a check on Prime Minister Zhu to some extent. The current civil and military officials are basically divided into two factions. Those who curry favor are either the Seventh Prince or Prime Minister Zhu. Very few can act independently as officials or as individuals. Therefore, I have no intention of becoming an official, let alone getting involved in these political disputes." Although Wang Jun had only known Junyu for a short time, he was greatly impressed by her after several interactions. He had invited her on behalf of the Seventh Prince, originally out of consideration for the Seventh Prince, and could not refuse. Seeing that Junyu did not blame him, he breathed a sigh of relief.

After the Seventh Prince left, Junyu and Mo Feiyan went out again. When they returned to the inn, it was already dusk. From a distance, they saw a person pacing back and forth at the door. It was Meng Yuanjing.

It turned out that as soon as Meng Yuanjing received the news that Junyu would be leaving the next day, he rushed over from home. He thought that once she left, he didn't know when he would see her again, and Junyu had just left. So he waited at the entrance of the inn, ignoring Bai Ruhui and the others' invitations to come in. He just kept pacing back and forth at the entrance, feeling restless.

Upon seeing Junyu, Meng Yuanjing was overjoyed and came forward to greet him, but hesitated and didn't know what to say. After a while, he finally said, "Junyu, why don't you go for a walk?"

Junyu didn't know what important matter he had to discuss, but she readily agreed.

The two walked for a while and arrived at the edge of a small grove of trees, surrounded by several towering ancient trees. Along the way, Meng Yuanjing hesitated, wanting to say something, but could never bring himself to speak.

Since returning from Sichuan, Junyu noticed that his attitude was somewhat different. Meng Yuanjing was her most important friend since childhood, and the two had gone through many hardships together. Therefore, she did not want to create a rift because of some unnecessary suspicion. She wanted to call Meng Yuanjing back, but he walked far away absentmindedly.

Meng Yuanjing walked for a while, then turned around and found that Junyu had already sat down by a ginkgo tree behind him. He immediately turned back awkwardly and sat down next to Junyu.

After a long while, he said, "The Seventh Prince came to see me a few days ago."

Junyu smiled and said, "He came to see me today as well. If someone like Wang Jun can join his ranks, he must have some extraordinary abilities."

Meng Yuanjing paused for a moment, then suddenly said, "I don't know when we'll meet again after this parting."

Junyu laughed and said, "That's hard to say. If you go to the southeast front to suppress the Japanese pirates, it will be really difficult to meet again."

Meng Yuanjing gazed at her smiling face, then suddenly sighed, "Tomorrow we'll be separated by mountains, and the world will be uncertain."

Meng Yuanjing was originally a very forthright person, but at this moment his voice was filled with endless sorrow of parting. Junyu also felt a faint sense of melancholy and smiled silently.

"You two are in such high spirits, enjoying the setting sun here." A lazy voice, tinged with habitual sarcasm, sounded behind them.

Junyu didn't turn around. Besides Zhu Yu, who else would have such a tone?

Meng Yuanjing gave him a cold shoulder, ignoring him as if he didn't exist.

The setting sun cast long shadows of the two sitting side by side, making them appear infinitely intimate. Zhu Yu stared at the long shadows, suddenly finding them extremely dazzling, and said coldly, "It is said in the martial arts world that the two of you are invincible when you combine your swords. Zhu Yu has come today to learn from you."

Chapter 53: Love and Resentment (1)

Meng Yuanjing had no interest in competing with him at this moment. Jun Yu said indifferently, "When did you start listening to these rumors in the martial arts world?" Zhu Yu was already extremely annoyed by the fact that the two of them had the same expression, and these words were even more piercing. He sneered, "Heh heh, I have personally witnessed the power of the twin swords. Do you two really think you are invincible and that I am not worthy to compete with you?"

Meng Yuanjing was already annoyed, and hearing Zhu Yu's repeated nonsense, he couldn't help but get angry. He stood up abruptly and said, "If you want to have a match, then have one. There's no need for any double sword combination. You have to beat me first." Zhu Yu didn't say anything and immediately drew his "Zhaodan" sword to attack Meng Yuanjing.

The "Niejing" sword emitted a faint red light, and the two swords clashed and drifted apart. Meng Yuanjing hurriedly jumped out of the circle, but Zhu Yu was unwilling to stop and attacked again. Meng Yuanjing was also annoyed and switched from defense to offense.

Zhu Yu sneered, "Today, I want to see what real skills this so-called martial arts champion has."

Ever since he heard Zhu Sihuai say that "Lanxisi only has daughters and no sons," he had been feeling depressed for days. Seeing the two of them looking so in sync, he became even angrier and his sword strikes became more and more vicious.

At this moment, the sun had completely set. Knowing that Jun Yuming was about to leave and there would be no more time to talk, Meng Yuanjing, although he disliked him very much, was unwilling to engage in a pointless fight with him at this crucial moment. The two were evenly matched in skill, and at this moment he was very anxious and only wanted to get away as soon as possible, so his swordsmanship had a flaw.

Zhu Yu seized an opening and thrust his sword at Jun Yu, shouting, "Jun Yu, you two have been partners since childhood, why don't you come at me together and let me see what you're all about, 'Waving Five Strings'..."

This move was launched with all his might. Zhu Yu's purpose was to force Jun Yu to make a move. Jun Yu understood his intention, and although she was extremely unwilling to fight him, the power of this move was too great. She had no time to think. "Chasing Flight" was unsheathed. Instantly, "Shooting Scene" and "Chasing Flight" each drew a faint yellow and red line in the colorful clouds. Zhu Yu took a step back, his expression changed drastically, and "Illuminating Courage" suddenly stabbed towards Meng Yuanjing with lightning speed.

Originally, after forcing Zhu Yu back with one move, Jun Yu had already sheathed his sword. Meng Yuanjing was thinking about other things and had no intention of fighting anymore. However, Zhu Yu's sword was too fast. Jun and Meng had developed a good understanding after several battles. Without thinking, they swung their swords, and a stream of blood suddenly splattered in the sunset.

Zhu Yu's snow-white clothes were torn with a long gash by the "chasing flight". Jun Yu did not want to fight him head-on, so he naturally held back. The injury was just a small superficial wound. At this moment, with the sunset in the sky, Jun Yu found that Zhu Yu's eyes were filled with resentment and something inexplicable and terrifying.

Even she, who was usually bold and calm, was stunned for a moment.

"Hahaha..." Zhu Yu laughed wildly as he walked away, the blood on his arm staining a section of his white sleeve.

Meng Yuanjing watched his resentful back recede into the distance, and for a moment he was speechless.

Junyu sighed inwardly. Although she had never liked Zhu Yu and sometimes even hated him, she had not wanted things to turn out this way.

Meng Yuanjing glanced at her, while Junyu looked listlessly at the sunset in the west. The two bid farewell and went in opposite directions.

Chapter 54: Love and Resentment (2)

When we returned to Phoenix Village, it was almost Mid-Autumn Festival.

The northern sky was already biting cold, with increasing sandstorms. Just last month, the suddenly rising Chijin tribe army clashed three times with the imperial army at Longcheng and Langjuxu Mountain. In these three battles, the imperial army suffered nearly 100,000 casualties. Under the Chijin tribe's iron cavalry, the defenders of Langjuxu City crumbled at the mere sight of them. The imperial court urgently dispatched Xu Heng, a renowned general from the southeast, to reinforce the city. Xu Heng had been fighting against Japanese pirates in the southeast, and now, with the pirates rampaging again, Xu Heng's northward journey had brought renewed chaos. Meanwhile, Shandong, Hebei, and Henan provinces had suffered from years of severe drought, and the imperial court's disaster relief efforts had been inadequate. The famine-stricken peasant uprisings that began in early April had rapidly expanded, now numbering over 100,000. The imperial court believed that the disaster caused by the peasant uprisings was greater than the border crisis and once again dispatched a large army under Tang Zhen to the front lines to suppress them.

As soon as the village gate opened, Zhao Manqing, Lin Wei, and a group of other women came to greet them. Upon entering, they saw lanterns and colorful ribbons hanging from the trees, and children running around laughing and joking, clearly making great preparations for the Mid-Autumn Festival the following day.

The leaders of the stronghold had been waiting for a long time, and Junyu immediately led Mo Feiyan, Lu Ling, and others to the council hall. Having been away for nearly half a year, the leaders had many important matters to report, and Junyu, without wasting a moment, summoned everyone for an immediate meeting.

After the court negotiated peace, the Hu army did not retreat a thousand miles. Military intelligence from Dongfang Jiong's group indicated that the Chijin tribe's ambitions had greatly swelled after the Battle of Langjuxu Mountain, and they were recently preparing for war, showing signs of once again challenging Phoenix City. Jun Yu dared not be negligent and immediately began to strengthen defensive measures. Meanwhile, Bai Ruhui's commercial intelligence group reaped far greater rewards, expanding their salt and iron ore trade to the southwestern border in addition to the Yue kiln trade.

Of the four leaders, Geng Ke was the only one absent. With Jun Yu back in the stronghold, it was impossible for Geng Ke to be absent without a significant reason. Sure enough, just as everyone finished their discussion, Fan Hong, the former leader of Phoenix Stronghold and now one of the Phoenix Army instructors, suddenly returned to the stronghold.

Fan Hong seemed relieved upon seeing Junyu and said, "The chieftain is back. General Peng requests your immediate presence in Phoenix City."

After three consecutive victories against the armies of the Hu and Chijin tribes, the Phoenix Army's reputation soared. In the past six months, many skilled individuals from both the righteous and the unrighteous factions of the north have come to join Phoenix Village. However, since Junyu had given orders that Phoenix Village would not accept heroes from all sides but instead require them to join the Phoenix Army to truly utilize their talents and resist foreign aggression, Geng Ke, who remained in the stronghold, was responsible for recommending everyone to the Phoenix Army.

These people originally came because of the great name of "Flying General of Phoenix City," but after several months they hadn't seen a single one. Among them were several skilled fighters who were already quite famous in the martial arts world. Now that they were in the army, although they were confident in their martial arts skills, they were unable to use their abilities due to the lack of war. They all felt that their talents were being wasted, not to mention the glorious military achievements and the honors that they had longed for.

These unruly figures from both the underworld and the legitimate world, who were usually free from restraint, would spar with the military instructors whenever they had free time. Although the old leaders of Phoenix Village were quite skilled, they were too old to be matched. After a few rounds, each of them had a large following, and they became arrogant and conceited, looking down on everyone. Drinking and causing trouble became a common occurrence.

Chapter 55: The Rampant Power of Strongmen (1)

Peng Dong brought Geng Ke into the city to keep the group of heroes in check. Those men were no pushovers either; upon Geng Ke's arrival, they each found an excuse to "learn from him." Geng Ke's martial arts were the best among the "Four Heroes of the North." Upon entering the army, he defeated five skilled fighters in succession, calming the crowd and temporarily preventing further trouble.

Unexpectedly, half a month ago, several more skilled fighters arrived, one of whom possessed exceptional martial arts prowess. This man was extremely arrogant, refusing to even give his name or immediately challenge Geng Ke. He simply stated that he hoped to hold a large-scale martial arts competition in the army before the Mid-Autumn Festival. The group of troublemakers naturally cheered and joined in. Geng Ke had initially tried to restrain himself, but succumbed to their provocation and agreed. Due to the sheer scale of the exercise, it turned into a major martial arts contest within the army. Peng Dong was unable to control the situation and feared that these martial arts heroes might cause trouble. Just as he was worrying about this, he received a secret report that Jun Yu had returned, so he immediately sent Fan Hong back to invite Jun Yu back.

Fan Hong felt reassured and immediately reported the matter. Jun Yu, seeing that it was past noon, did not ask any further questions and immediately rode with Fan Hong to Phoenix City.

The old guard at the gate was overjoyed to see her and immediately saluted. Junyu smiled and stopped, looking at the guards around her. They were still in their specially trained formation, very disciplined, and had not relaxed at all due to the large-scale military exercise tonight. She felt a little relieved.

At this time, the large-scale military exercise was about to begin. Junyu estimated that Geng Ke could hold on for a while, so he gave Fan Hong a few instructions, telling him to go back first. He himself did not disturb anyone and went to the city with light luggage to take a look around.

Phoenix City was originally a military garrison town with a less developed commercial sector, but because it was the eve of the Mid-Autumn Festival, the city was quite festive. Junyu walked slowly through the city, and when he reached a street on the east side, he suddenly heard a commotion. Junyu stopped and saw a large crowd outside a restaurant in front of him, many of whom had bruises on their faces and were angrily cursing.

Junyu walked over, and suddenly, outside the two wide-open windows on the third floor, a figure fell horizontally, obviously thrown out of the window.

The young man who was thrown down was about to hit the ground. Judging from his falling posture, he clearly had no martial arts skills. If he hit the ground, even if his brains didn't splatter, he would probably only have broken legs and crippled feet.

A gasp rippled through the crowd, some of the more timid even closing their eyes in fear. A blur flashed before their eyes, and upon closer inspection, they saw that the person had been lifted up by a powerful force and was now standing firmly.

The young man still had blood flowing from his nose, and half of his face was swollen. He had almost fainted from fright. When he came to his senses, he found himself standing on the ground unharmed. He looked around in panic, and beside him, a boy in a blue shirt smiled and asked, "Why did you fall from the third floor?"

The young man shook his head frantically, blood splattering onto Jun Yu. He seemed hesitant to answer, and after a long pause, he said with lingering fear, "There... there are a few strongmen there..."

“Come with me upstairs and take a look,” Junyu said.

The young man dared not refuse and slowly followed Junyu upstairs.

Chapter 56: The Rampant Power of Strongmen (2)

The huge corridor on the third floor was deserted; clearly, the waiters and waitresses had all hidden themselves. Bowls and plates were smashed on the floor by the door, and tables and chairs were overturned in the lobby, with only one table remaining intact.

Junyu went inside. Five men were sitting around a red lacquered wooden table, drinking. The burly man at the head of the group was a middle-aged man with a purplish-red face and eyes as wide as copper bells. He was eating and drinking heartily, while the other four were toasting him one by one. Apart from the purplish-red man, the other four were all wearing Phoenix Army uniforms, with Phoenix City military swords at their waists. Junyu didn't recognize any of them; they must be new recruits to the Phoenix Army.

The four men in military uniforms were from a fallen martial arts family in Cangzhou who had come to seek refuge in Phoenix Village. The man with the purple face was named Lang Xiong, a native of Shandong. He had encountered the four men on the way, and after a brief exchange of blows, the four men were utterly defeated and swore allegiance to Lang Xiong as their "elder brother." Upon arriving in Phoenix City, the four men immediately joined the Phoenix Army, while Lang Xiong looked down on them and refused to serve, saying that he would only decide whether it was worthwhile to stay there after personally fighting the "Flying Commander of Phoenix City."

The four men entered the army camp, only to be defeated by several other skilled fighters and suppressed by Geng Ke. Feeling extremely disgruntled, they urged Lang Xiong, who was still lingering in Phoenix City, to stand up for them and win the day's victory, so they could also gain prestige. Lang Xiong, who had been waiting for this opportunity, naturally agreed without hesitation. A seasoned veteran of the martial world, Lang Xiong wasn't in a hurry to act, wanting to wait for the most opportune moment, after the heroes had engaged in a fierce battle, before showcasing his skills.

The four men were overjoyed and prepared a feast at noon to send off their "elder brother." After a few rounds of drinks, they suddenly found the crowd in the restaurant too noisy and immediately chased them away.

Seeing that they were wearing military uniforms, the crowd wasn't afraid. Everyone knew the Phoenix Army was known for its strict discipline, so when they first witnessed the five men committing violence, they rushed forward to reason with them. However, the group completely ignored them and attacked them. Everyone was outraged. The young man was a step too slow to dodge and was grabbed by Lang Xiong and thrown down.

At this moment, Lang Xiong estimated that the time for the contest was almost up, and he stepped aside. Seeing this, the four men immediately stood up, shouting and preparing to escort Lang Xiong out.

Seeing the young man with a bruised and swollen face walk in again, Lang Xiong glared and shouted, "Hey, this kid's lucky, he didn't die from the fall." Before he finished cursing, he suddenly saw another person behind the young man and yelled, "Another reckless brat has come in, get out of here right now."

The four men were also slightly drunk. One of them said, "Kid, get lost, or I'll throw you out the window too..."

The young man looked at Junyu with great fear, backing away, his voice trembling slightly: "Young Master... let's go quickly..."

His backward movement was suddenly stopped by a gentle force, and he stood firmly on his feet.

Junyu looked at him and smiled: "Don't be afraid. Who threw you down just now? Did you see clearly?"

The young man glanced at Lang Xiong, whose eyes widened in shock. The young man, trembling with fear, dared not utter a word.

Junyu glanced at Lang Xiong, then turned back to the young man: "Is this the one who threw you down?"

The young man nodded, but still dared not say a word.

Junyu laughed: "Okay, if he throws you down, you go over and slap him. Neither of you will owe each other anything."

The young man dared not touch the tiger's backside and stood still, not daring to move.

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Chapter 57: A Mishap Happened in the Gutter (1)

Lang Xiong's anger flared, and he laughed wildly, "Where did this brat come from, so arrogant? It's only Grandpa who slaps others, not the other way around! Get lost! If you hesitate even a step, Grandpa will throw you down too and smash your brains to pieces, hahahaha..."

The four men burst into laughter as if they had heard a joke. One of them said, "Get lost, so you don't disturb us brothers. My eldest brother is going to compete for first place in the Phoenix Army later..."

Jun Yu's face darkened: "Do you still remember that you are the Phoenix Army?"

The man hadn't drunk too much, and seeing that the young man in front of him wasn't particularly fierce, yet exuded an air of authority without anger, he felt a chill in his heart. Although his voice was loud, it was already a bit weak: "Why should you, a greenhorn, meddle in other people's business..." Before he could finish the word "business," the four of them felt a blur before their eyes, and heard four crisp sounds. They felt a burning sensation on their faces, as each of them had been slapped hard across the face.