Chapter 393: Tianyu's Number One Thorn

Ice-cold and unbridled killing intent shot forth. It stabbed into the people's hearts like biting winds in the coldest winter.

"Damn, Tuoba Liufeng is usually calm. Why then, the sudden thirst for blood?" Dugu Feng grew nervous.

Long Xingyun grinned, "Why indeed. But even if they show their tough side again, brother Zhuo is sure to nail them dead. What's there to worry about?"

"That's exactly what I'm afraid of! Who here doesn't know about Zhuo Fan's temper? Irritated enough, those guys won't see tomorrow. If anything happens to them, what will Tuoba Tieshan's five million army at the border do?" Dugu Feng shook his head.

The rest stirred, [Makes sense.]

Zhuo Fan merely curled an eyebrow in glee, [Come on, make a move already...]

"Zha Lahan, Zhe Bie, falcon formation! We'll do it in one move!" Tuoba Liufeng's eyes trembled watching Zhuo Fan coldly.

The masked man nodded and Zha Lahan was exuberant. His flesh trembling in joy.

Imperial Tutor Han Tiemo wasn't quite in agreement, "Liufeng, we don't know what he can do or who's behind him. Attacking him rashly is thoughtless..."

"Him being a threat is enough. He has got to go now or our beast armies will suffer." Tuoba Liufeng set his jaw, "We are in an altercation with him now. This is the best excuse to ice him. When we see Tianyu's emperor later, we'll just say that the guy got too confident of his blue blood in stopping us and got killed by a stray attack!"

Han Tiemo nodded after a long pause, but his heart was still unsettled.

From the moment he had laid eyes on Zhuo Fan, the Imperial Tutor felt a thorn in his heart. This was his intuition he had built over the decades.

Thinking of the last time this feeling came, it was when he met Zhuge Changfeng...

[Sigh, Tianyu has so many talents.]

Han Tiemo noticed the sharp look in Zhuo Fan's eyes and sighed.

"Attack!"

Zha Lahan laughed, going after Zhuo Fan with bloodshot eyes, his face twisted and savage. Zhe Bie took out a glittering golden longbow, pulling the string like second nature as he aimed for Zhuo Fan.

Snickering, Zhuo Fan flicked his right hand in contempt.

"Stop!"

An aged voice towered over the commotion and Zhuo Fan was found overshadowed by a figure pointing his long blade at the six, "Tuoba Liufeng, Han Tiemo, what do you think you're doing?"

Rumble!

Zha Lahan paused at his arrival. Tuoba Liufeng sighed in the end, "Withdraw."

Zhe Bie figured that was the case and put away his bow.

Tuoba Liufeng cupped his hands at the towering figure, expressing respect for once, "Marshal Dugu, it's been ages."

With the two nations tangled up in war for decades, the commanders had long since grown accustomed to one another, forming mutual respect. A hero valued another, regardless of which side they were on.

Quanrong's entire leadership present here showed their respect to the man called Dugu Zhantian.

At the arrival of the marshal, everyone sighed, knowing the fight was a bust.

Zha Lahan snorted, unwilling to let Zhuo Fan just walk away. Zhuo Fan couldn't care less. Oh, he did find it a darn shame as well, having lost the chance to probe them well.

Though not a complete waste of time as he did get a ballpark figure.

"Marshal Dugu, how can your people lack even common decency? We represent the Quanrong emperor in presenting your nation's Majesty with a gift. Is this how a host acts? Scaring our mounts and harming our warriors?"

Touba Lian'er glared at Zhuo Fan while hurling her accusations. The way she figured was, with Dugu Zhantian's position in Tianyu, if he didn't give Zhuo Fan a heavy punishment, he'd at least give him something. Maybe a slap on the wrist?

That would settle her current and past hatred nicely.

A shame Dugu Zhantian saw Zhuo Fan lollygagging behind, sloppy, bored and uninterested; the perfect picture of an innocent bystander. Sighing, the old man went in the air towards the six.

The six were still very much respectful as Dugu Zhantian whispered, "Imperial Tutor, Tuoba Liufeng, seeing you far-away guests, I'll give you a good-natured suggestion. Forget about your rancor and drop this issue here, for your sake. You can't mess with that guy!"

The six were startled, looking at Zhuo Fan in shock.

The grand marshal of Tianyu was dead serious, even advising them against pushing it.

As the Quanrong delegation, they represented their empire. No matter which noble or powerful figure appeared, everyone ought to show a modicum of decency to pave the way to the nations' peace talks.

And Dugu Zhantian was a man above a sea of people in Tianyu, respected and admired. Who would dare put on a tough front in front of him?

But the way he had worded his advice and his tone, all pointed towards the fact that the kid downstairs was above his station?

[Who the hell is this guy?]

After one last look at Zhuo Fan, they snapped their evil glares behind them, on Obscure Wolf. [Just how do you gather intel when you missed such a glaring threat?]

Hu Lianchai was downcast too, returning an angry stare, then lowering his head in shame.

Well he did have a look at all of Tianyu's great men and houses. But who knew where this brat had popped out of, having such godlike power?

"Marshal Dugu, who is he? How come even you are reluctant to face him?" Touba Lian'er asked.

The rest of them put on the same inquisitive expression as well.

Dugu Zhantian sighed, "I am not reluctant, but simply find him a pain, a thorn to avoid. The second prince stepped on his toes and he leveled his home. You are the Quanrong and I fear that if anything happens to you, it will plunge our nation into a bitter war. I can't have that. Ha-ha-ha, you must be thinking I stopped you for his sake, right? When I was in fact helping you!"

Rumble!

All of their minds were shell-shocked at the impact this news had.

Dugu Zhantian had revealed two crucial pieces of info. Zhuo Fan's authority in Tianyu burst at the seams to ignore the emperor and kick a prince around.

Second was Zhuo Fan's power. Not even the six of them could stop him, but instead might end up with casualties and worsening the ties between nations.

[Why is it that we've never heard a word of such a valiant character?]

On cue, they glanced at Hu Lianchai again, but the guy wiggled his body away and avoided the stabbing gazes. He wished he could stuff his head in his pants from shame, [How mortifying for an intelligence officer...]

"Let me take you to the Imperial Palace. Now remember, keep your distance as much as possible."

Dugu Zhantian sighed, then flew towards Zhuo Fan, "Kid, I don't care what happened, just please let this one go on my account. They are our guests!"

Zhuo Fan nodded, "Fine, since the old Marshal asked, I will. Please do pass this along, this is my turf and not their backyard to jaywalk!"

Zhuo Fan was talking to Dugu Zhantian, sure, but he was so loud even deaf geezers could hear him.

And before he forgot, he left the six with a middle finger as goodbye, making the six's face boil in rage. Only then he sauntered off to Yun Shuang, taking her through the Quanrong army like a champ.

The men pranked by Zhuo Fan were wailing. And now that he was parading among them, their anger pushed them to the edge.

But without the six's orders, neither budged an inch, forced to let Zhuo Fan's group swag their way across.

He didn't leave them in the dust, but sure as hell left the Quanrong army without an ounce of dignity.

"Awesome!" Long Xingyun gave a thumbs up, "Sticking close to brother Zhuo is the best!"

Dugu Feng sighed, "Thank god Godfather mediated before the matter escalated. This maverick demonic dragon was assumed to be the wolves' next meal, yet now they were the ones left wimping."

Dugu Zhantian shook his head and led the outraged Quanrong's six to the Imperial Palace.

Only this time, the six no longer had their cocky attitude, not after the bruises their pride took just a while back. Not in their dreams had they thought it humanly possible that in this trip to Tianyu, while they had barely crossed the city gates, they would be molded into shape. Forget about dignity, they had lost all self-respect.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Zhuge Changfeng and all the officials stood before the Imperial Palace's gates. They had waited and waited, until finally, by some miracle, the Quanrong arrived.

Except the six behind Dugu Zhantian, the rest looked like shuffling and dragging their feet, some even had to be carried.

Face twitching, the Minister of War whispered, "Prime Minister, are they the Quanrong? Why do they look like stragglers from a routed army?"

Zhuge Changfeng pondered and soon came to a conclusion with a smile, "Ha-ha-ha, I believe they were indeed routed. I reckon they went head to head with Tianyu's number one thorn!"

The officials were stunned, then snickered inside.

[This new generation...]