Eternal Saber

Chapter 675: Chapter 95: News of an Old Friend

"What now?"

Chen Tang didn’t understand, worried something had happened to the Thunder Leopard, so he could only follow along as it headed this way.

He hadn’t gone far when he saw a warhorse with a glossy black coat, not a single stray hair, darting back and forth through the crowd at high speed, as if searching for something.

Chen Tang let out a soft "huh."

This horse was precisely the former mount of Bashish Red Peak, and in terms of speed alone, it was even slightly superior to the Thunder Leopard.

For some reason, he hadn’t seen this divine steed earlier.

When the Thunder Leopard spotted this horse, it suddenly became very agitated, howling nonstop, eyes shining.

Only then did Chen Tang react, unable to help feeling both amused and exasperated. He cursed with a laugh, "You’re this badly injured and you’re still thinking about her? Lustful heart never changes, huh."

"Awooo!"

The Thunder Leopard called twice in protest.

The black horse heard the Thunder Leopard’s voice and also turned its head to look over here.

After seeing the Thunder Leopard, the black horse seemed to glare this way, then was about to run off elsewhere.

"Awooo!"

The Thunder Leopard suddenly let out a miserable scream and collapsed to its knees.

Even Chen Tang at its side was startled. He hurriedly circulated his Innate True Qi, slowly channeling it into the Thunder Leopard’s body, then fished a few injury-healing pills from his robe and fed them to the Thunder Leopard.

Hoofbeats rang out, wind rushing in.

Chen Tang looked up and saw that the black horse had actually come over to the Thunder Leopard, circling around it as if somewhat concerned.

"Waa waa!"

The Thunder Leopard kept crying out, sounding as if it were in great pain.

Chen Tang caught a flash of cunning in the Thunder Leopard’s eyes and could only feel speechless.

This horny beast could even act, pretending to be pitiful.

The black horse at the side seemed anxious. It neighed a few times, as if asking something.

The Thunder Leopard answered once, then flicked its eyes toward the spot where Mad Lion Tuer had fallen.

The black horse trotted a circle over there, and when it came back, there was a hint of gloom in its gaze.

The Thunder Leopard rubbed it with its head, as if in comfort.

Watching from the side, Chen Tang couldn’t shake the feeling that he was a bit redundant here.

"I’m going. Remember to go back to Liangzhou City and rest up."

Chen Tang said a word of farewell.

The Thunder Leopard wished Chen Tang would leave sooner. It even turned its head away and jabbed Chen Tang once with its horn.

Chen Tang chuckled, turned around, and headed toward Liangzhou City.

On the city wall, a woman was standing there, watching him from afar.

Chen Tang waved at her.

The woman broke into a smile through her tears.

Chen Tang stirred his True Qi; his figure blurred and floated lightly up onto the wall, elegant and unrestrained, coming to stand shoulder to shoulder with Li Junqing.

Chen Tang glanced sideways at her, smiled faintly, and said, "Long time no see."

"Indeed."

Li Junqing’s voice was soft. "Just now, for a moment there, I thought I’d never see you again."

"Thinking back, the luckiest thing in my life was going to the Three Thousand Snow Ridges to pick ginseng and meeting you."

Bringing up the past, Chen Tang also felt a bit sentimental.

Back then, he had only just stepped onto the path of Martial Arts, having cultivated to the Copper Skin realm.

Now, he could already slay Grandmasters!

Li Junqing asked, "Where have you been all these years?"

As for his time in Nanxia, other than well-informed clans and forces like the Changsun Family and the Vermilion Bird Guard, others still knew nothing.

Chen Tang smiled. "Qian Country couldn’t tolerate me, so I could only roam the world, taking the four seas as my home."

"Still by yourself?"

Li Junqing asked.

Chen Tang’s heart gave a jolt. He met Li Junqing’s eyes for an instant, then quickly looked away.

He could more or less sense Li Junqing’s feelings.

But in the end, the two of them were destined to have fate without being able to be together.

Chen Tang said half-jokingly, "How could I be alone? Wouldn’t that be terribly lonely? Back in Qian Country, I had a Princess to keep me company. In Nanxia, there were beauties by my side too—drinking wine and singing wildly, riding with blade in hand, living it up."

A flicker of disappointment flashed through Li Junqing’s eyes, but she pretended nothing had happened and smiled. "Sounds interesting. If you have time, tell me about it."

"Sure."

Seeing the two horses walking up below the wall, Chen Tang changed the subject with a smile. "This Thunder Leopard is really good at flirting. In the middle of a battle between two armies, it actually ran over to the enemy lines and picked up a wife."

"This horse probably takes after its master."

Li Junqing shot Chen Tang a sidelong glare.

"Uh..."

Black lines instantly filled Chen Tang’s forehead.

Who had he provoked now? How was he flirting around?

With Qingmu, the two of them had been mutually in love.

With Ye Yushi it had been a tacit connection, hearts in tune.

But the two had agreed to meet again on the path to eternal life of shattering the void a hundred years from now.

As for the Desire Demon Luo Sha...

There really wasn’t much talk of feelings between them.

Originally, Luo Sha had wanted to turn him into a Furnace and use lust to Seed Demon, but was countered by Chen Tang instead.

"I was just joking."

Noticing Chen Tang’s embarrassment, Li Junqing chuckled softly and said, "The Thunder Leopard does have good taste though. This horse is the Mad Lion Commander’s mount, named ’Ten Thousand Miles Cloud,’ also known as Ten Thousand Miles of Smoky Clouds Shining. It’s a divine steed rare in this world."

"Ten Thousand Miles Cloud?"

Chen Tang was taken aback.

Wasn’t that the mount of Li Yuanba in those Sui and Tang storytelling books from his previous life?

The Thunder Leopard from Sui and Tang had shown up here, and now Ten Thousand Miles Cloud had appeared too. Quite amusing.

Of course, this era was certainly not the Sui and Tang of his previous life.

Li Junqing said, "I just don’t know why this Ten Thousand Miles Cloud didn’t follow Mad Lion Tuer to war today."

"Oh right, is Meng Liangyu, Brother Meng, in the city?"

Chen Tang suddenly asked.

Back in Changze County, Meng Liangyu could be considered the first friend he’d made.

The reason he could take his great revenge was in no small part thanks to Meng Liangyu’s help.

After they parted ways in Wu’an County, Li Yan had invited Meng Liangyu to work under him, and later he’d heard Meng Liangyu came to Liangzhou.

Li Junqing said, "He left about a year and a half ago. I heard an old friend over in Changze County ran into trouble, so he rushed over to help. Haven’t heard from him in a long time either."

An old friend in Changze County?

Chen Tang fell into thought.

Just then, an Attendant below came hurrying over, face full of joy. "Miss, the Young Madam has given birth. It’s a boy."

"Oh?"

Li Junqing’s eyes lit up. She quickly said, "Take me to see."

On the way, Li Junqing gave Chen Tang a brief explanation.

Li Boxiong had married a woman from the Dugu Family two years ago. This child was born of that Young Madam Dugu.

When Liangzhou was in crisis, besides the Changsun Family, the Dugu Family had also raised some supplies and sent them over, all because of this connection.

Over the next few days, Chen Tang didn’t leave, remaining in Liangzhou City, waiting for the situation to stabilize.

Good news came in one after another.

The Barbarian Army had suffered a crushing defeat; of the hundred thousand troops, more than half were dead or wounded, and there were thirty thousand surrendering soldiers alone!

Li Yan, Li Boxiong, father and son, led the Liangzhou troops and, within just a few days, retook the lost territories one after another, reclaiming all the counties of Liangzhou.

During these days, the Thunder Leopard recuperated in the city.

The Ten Thousand Miles Cloud stayed by its side all day, looking a bit listless as well.

According to the surrendered barbarians, Ten Thousand Miles Cloud had fallen ill some time ago, which was why it hadn’t gone campaigning with Mad Lion Tuer.

As it happened, they found an animal doctor in the city to examine both horses.

Though the Thunder Leopard’s injuries were severe, it had True Dragon Blood fused in its body after all, its physique was extraordinary, and its wounds healed very quickly, leaving it out of serious danger.

As for Ten Thousand Miles Cloud, after a thorough examination, they learned it was already pregnant.

When Chen Tang heard this news, he was speechless all over again.

The Thunder Leopard’s efforts hadn’t been in vain.

Previously on Celestial Mountain, he’d been matching wits and blows with Grandmasters, fighting for his life.

The Thunder Leopard, on the other hand, had gone and "bullied" someone else’s mount.