Chapter 31: A True Tiger General

Yuan Gang remained where he stood, making it obvious that he did not care who they sent against him.

Niu Youdao shouted as well, "Monkey, stop fooling around! Come back. This isn't the place for your nonsense!"

"I'm not fooling around. If I lose, His Highness may deal with me however he likes," Yuan Gang replied, giving his word.

Shang Chaozong was secretly delighted to hear it. He had already been thinking of bringing Yuan Gang under his command. From what he had seen in the forests near Small Temple Village, the fact that Yuan Gang had organized villagers to resist marauding soldiers was enough to prove that he possessed at least some talent for battlefield command.

Yuan Gang lifted his chin slightly toward Chen Shulin. "And if you lose?"

Chen Shulin answered, "If I lose, you can deal with me however you like!"

Yuan Gang said evenly, "You're His Highness's soldier. Is your word yours to give?"

Chen Shulin was immediately struck speechless and could only look to Shang Chaozong for help.

Shang Chaozong laughed heartily. "Granted!"

Yuan Gang turned his head toward him. "I don't care to deal with anyone. We've been traveling hard all this way, and I only want someone to run errands and handle odd jobs. If I win, Your Highness need only let me choose someone at will for that purpose. What does Your Highness say?"

Shang Chaozong swept a hand outward. "Granted!"

Niu Youdao called again, "Monkey, enough!"

His words were plainly useless. The personal guards were hardly going to listen to him, and Yuan Gang himself did not even react. Once the terms of the wager were settled, everyone's spirits rose. A long journey was tedious enough; now, at least, there was a spectacle to watch. The crowd withdrew to either side and cleared a broad space. Two horses were led forward, and each man was offered the Saber standard among the personal guards. Chen Shulin swung into the saddle, caught the saber tossed to him, then galloped some distance away before wheeling his horse around to face them.

Niu Youdao, however, did not withdraw. Once the men who had brought the horse and saber stepped back, he instead walked up to Yuan Gang and scolded him, "What are you making trouble for?" Then he lowered his voice and added, "Can you handle this? Don't force it."

Yuan Gang replied just as quietly, "I fought marauding soldiers around Small Temple Village for years. Your guess was right. Hard qigong cultivates unimaginably faster in this world."

That put Niu Youdao at ease. As long as Monkey knew what he was doing, there was no problem. So he pointed at Yuan Gang and gave him another public dressing-down before finally flinging his sleeve and walking back to Shang Chaozong and the others to watch. In the distance, Chen Shulin brandished his Saber with great flourish, making one provocative gesture after another. Yuan Gang glanced at him, tossed the reins back over the saddle, then slapped the horse's rump with the flat of the saber. The horse sprang away in pain and was caught by nearby guards. Both groups of spectators stared in surprise. Even Chen Shulin, still posturing in the distance, froze, unable to understand what Yuan Gang meant.

Yuan Gang's next action surprised them even more. He turned the saber casually in his hand, then tossed it aside.

Whoosh!

The Saber flew through the air and buried itself in the ground directly in front of Shang Chaozong. Everyone exchanged stunned looks. What was this supposed to mean? Did he truly intend to face a mounted Chen Shulin barehanded? If so, the disparity in force would be enormous. The impact of a charging warhorse was terrifying. A direct collision could cripple a man even if it did not kill him, and the power of a saber blow delivered from the saddle with the horse's momentum behind it was more frightening still. Shang Chaozong watched Yuan Gang's every movement with shining eyes. What he saw was a man utterly calm before a fight, carrying the composure of a great commander. His admiration only deepened.

Niu Youdao stood leaning on his sword like a walking stick, expression calm, a trace of interest appearing in his eyes. He too wanted to see how strong Yuan Gang had become. Under everyone's gaze, Yuan Gang suddenly raised one arm, clenched his fist, and gave Chen Shulin a thumbs-up. Then he rotated his fist and turned the thumb downward. Only Niu Youdao knew precisely what the gesture meant, but no one present was stupid. They could all tell it was some kind of insult. Chen Shulin sneered, anger rising in his chest. Barehanded, and still daring to provoke him? This fellow truly did not take him seriously.

"Hyah!"

Chen Shulin slapped the flat of his saber against the horse's rump and drove both heels into its sides. The warhorse broke into a full charge at once, dirt and grass spraying beneath its hooves as horse and rider came at Yuan Gang like a violent gust. Yuan Gang lowered his arm and stood immovable as a mountain. His legs spread apart, the arms hanging naturally at his sides gradually tightening as his fists clenched. Faint, dull cracks sounded from the bones of his body. His eyes fixed on the charging horse. Then he suddenly launched himself forward like a hunting leopard and sprinted straight toward it. More than a few spectators sucked in a breath.

Was this man insane?

As horse and man were about to collide, Chen Shulin, holding his saber one-handed, flipped the weapon so the back of the blade faced outward and swept it toward the oncoming Yuan Gang. That gesture was already a mercy. Serving close to Shang Chaozong, Chen Shulin had noticed the prince's appreciation for Yuan Gang. This was a contest, not a killing field, so at the last moment he hid the edge and decided merely to batter Yuan Gang with the spine of the blade. Yuan Gang gave a feint that drew Chen Shulin's saber into a rightward sweep. Then, carrying all the momentum of his charge, he suddenly dropped low and slid left across the ground. The saber missed.

Yuan Gang skimmed almost against the flying hooves of the warhorse. As he passed, one hand whipped out and scooped the horse's left foreleg.

"Neigh!"

The horse screamed. It flipped instantly as though it had struck a tripwire, crashing to the ground and rolling. Chen Shulin was thrown bodily from the saddle.

"Ah!"

Shouts of alarm erupted from the watching guards. Yuan Gang used the force of tripping the horse to arrest his own forward rush and whip his body around. In the same motion, he reversed direction and charged after the tumbling Chen Shulin. Chen Shulin had spent years fighting from horseback and possessed rich battlefield experience. He knew how to protect himself in a fall. He rolled with the impact to shed the force and had only just used the momentum to get back onto his feet when his comrades shouted in alarm.

"Watch out!"

He barely managed to turn his head. Yuan Gang was already there. A flying side kick slammed squarely into Chen Shulin's back.

Bang!

Chen Shulin went flying again, hurled more than two zhang before crashing to the ground. The Saber flew from his hand. Yuan Gang rushed after him. With a flick of his toe, he hooked the fallen saber off the ground, caught it in stride, and continued straight toward the rolling Chen Shulin.

Shang Chaozong saw what was happening and shouted urgently, "Hold back!"

After being thrown twice and taking that crushing kick, Chen Shulin was already dazed. Threads of blood seeped from his mouth and nose. He shook his head and struggled to rise, only to suddenly feel cold steel against his neck. Two figures swayed before his eyes. In truth, his vision had merely doubled from the impact. There was only Yuan Gang standing over him, holding the saber one-handed with its edge pressed against his throat.

"Hah..."

Chen Shulin let out a rough breath, spread his arms and legs, and lay flat on the ground with a bitter smile. Yuan Gang removed the blade, casually reversed the saber, and drove it point-first into the earth with a sharp hiss. Then he turned away without expression. Tall, broad, and steady in his steps, he looked utterly undisturbed. The astonished gazes all around him had no effect on him at all.

Leaning on his "walking stick," Niu Youdao let the corner of his mouth curl slightly upward.

Monkey's hard qigong really had become extraordinary. He had actually dared to grab at the hoof of a horse in full charge.

"A true tiger general!" Shang Chaozong murmured.

The admiration in his eyes as he looked at Yuan Gang was almost indecent, as though he had just laid eyes on a peerless beauty. With his experience, Shang Chaozong could tell what kind of power a man might display on a battlefield. It was not merely a matter of physical strength. The ability to remain calm amid sudden changes and adapt instantly under pressure was enormously important in war. At his side, Guan Tie turned his head and glanced at the prince. Seeing just how taken Shang Chaozong was with Yuan Gang, he could only smile bitterly to himself. Shang Shuqing and Lan Ruoting exchanged another look as well.

They naturally understood what a capable general meant. When two armies met in battle, obtaining one good commander could be far more useful than gaining one retainer cultivator. Given the right conditions, cultivators could always be attracted. A true general, however, was something one could encounter only by fortune. If such a man already belonged to someone else, they were hardly going to hand him over. The personal guards watched Yuan Gang approach with private astonishment. To touch the hoof of a charging horse barehanded—an ordinary man would have had his palm mangled and the bones shattered. Yet Yuan Gang had actually flipped the horse. The strength involved was frightening.

Many of the men who had been angered by Yuan Gang's earlier words now felt considerably less offended. For no other reason than that he genuinely possessed the qualifications to speak arrogantly. Perhaps he simply did not know the battle record of the Yingyang and Wulie Guards. A group of men hurried over. Some caught the horse, which had already struggled back to its feet, and began inspecting it for injuries that needed immediate treatment. In this war-torn age, horses were an important resource. Others helped Chen Shulin up and supported him away between them. Yuan Gang came back and met Shang Chaozong's eyes head-on. Ignoring the prince's burning gaze, he walked past and quietly took his usual place behind Niu Youdao.

Niu Youdao, meanwhile, chuckled toward Shang Chaozong. "It was only a contest. Your Highness needn't take it to heart. We can forget the wager."

That reminded Shang Chaozong.

He looked at Yuan Gang and said, "This prince keeps his word. Of my five hundred personal guards, if Brother Yuan wants anyone to run errands and handle odd jobs for him, name the man!"

Yuan Gang replied calmly, "I'll decide when the time comes."

"Always making trouble!" Niu Youdao turned and scolded him, then smiled at Shang Chaozong. "Your Highness, you have matters to attend to. We won't disturb you."

He cupped his hands, then led Yuan Gang away without another word, drawing every eye after them. Watching them go, Shang Chaozong finally could not help clenching his fist in frustration and sighing.

"A tiger general like that should be making his name on the battlefield. Instead he's following that man around as an errand runner. What a waste. What a pity!"

He genuinely wanted to trade a pile of men to Niu Youdao in exchange for one Yuan Gang. Unfortunately, he had almost no capital in his hands with which to negotiate, and Niu Youdao already seemed to dislike remaining with them. Shang Shuqing and Lan Ruoting both sighed softly. They understood his feelings. At present Shang Chaozong lacked troops, generals, cultivators—everything. Unfortunately, they could all tell that Niu Youdao seemed determined to leave. The only question was when he would say farewell.

Two days later, a great number of wooden rafts had been completed. Shang Chaozong first sent men across on small rafts to inform the forces of Guangyi Commandery stationed on the opposite bank and prevent a misunderstanding. Only after receiving permission from the troops across the river did they blindfold all the horses, lead them onto the rafts, and begin crossing in groups.

[End of Chapter 31]