Chapter Forty-Nine: Striking Down the Arrogant Liba

Before Zhang Desen and the others could say a word, the arrogant Xiao Liba immediately shouted, “Enough with the delays—come up here and face your death. If you can withstand ten moves from me, I’ll concede defeat on the spot.”

Zhang Desen replied with a smile, “Since the champion of your nation has no desire to return home, let us begin now.”

With that, Zhang Desen pushed through the crowd and strode toward Xiao Liba. At the same instant, Xiao Liba turned to the soldiers of the Liao Ancient Kingdom, raising both arms and bellowing loudly. The soldiers responded in kind, raising their arms and chanting in fervent unison, “Victory! Victory! Victory...!”

Then, Xiao Liba, the foremost warrior of the Liao Ancient Kingdom, turned back and charged at Zhang Desen. Zhang Desen, seeing this, hurriedly seized his triangular bayonet and rushed forward as well.

But as he drew near, Zhang Desen suddenly accelerated, as if eager for the clash to begin. The people of the Liao Ancient Kingdom were momentarily taken aback; mocking laughter broke out among them, believing Zhang Desen had lost his wits from fear and was hurrying to meet his doom. They pointed and jeered.

Meanwhile, the people of the Great Prosperity Kingdom were tense to the extreme. If the hero in strange garb, whom they revered, were also to lose, they would not know what to do. Especially Liu Yuting—her heart pounded wildly with anxiety, her delicate hands covering her parted lips, nearly crying out in suspense.

Xiao Liba raised his sword high. With a forceful, wild swing, he gathered all his strength into a single strike aimed at the approaching Zhang Desen.

Yet Zhang Desen did not charge straight ahead. Just as the two were about to collide, he nimbly darted from Xiao Liba’s front to his left flank with lightning speed. Then, before the towering three-meter Xiao Liba could react, Zhang Desen leapt up, braced himself on Xiao Liba’s left arm with his left hand, and thrust his triangular bayonet at Xiao Liba’s carotid artery. The lengthened blade pierced through the artery and reached Xiao Liba’s heart.

Blood gushed rapidly from the grooves of the weapon, surging from the wound in Xiao Liba’s neck like a river.

Zhang Desen withdrew his blade and landed back on the ground, sheathing the weapon as he strode toward the seats of Wan Lü Wudi and the ranks of the Liao Ancient Kingdom’s army behind him.

At the same moment, Xiao Liba clutched desperately at the wound on his neck with his right hand in an attempt to stanch the bleeding. His sword clattered to the earth. He staggered forward two steps, gave a terrible cry, and crashed face-first to the ground, dead in an instant.

For a moment, all were stunned into silence. It was General Feng Yucai, seasoned and unflappable, who reacted first, breaking into applause and cheers.

At the sound of General Feng’s cheers, all of the Great Prosperity Kingdom—except for Minister Qian and his associates—burst into jubilation for Zhang Desen. Cries of “Great Hero!” echoed without cease.

Meanwhile, Wan Lü Wudi and the other Liao Ancient Kingdom envoys looked ashen, devastated. None could have imagined that their unrivaled champion, Xiao Liba, would fall in a single bout, never having met his match before.

Qian Qiu, Minister of State for the Great Prosperity Kingdom, was equally crestfallen. He had intended to curry favor with the Liao Ancient Kingdom through this occasion and thereby secure a boon from the Ganduo tribe’s deity for his son, to lift the curse of terror afflicting him. Yet with Xiao Liba felled by the mysterious hero in a single blow, there would be no pleasing the Liao envoys now.

In truth, Zhang Desen had devised his strategy upon meeting Xiao Liba the day before. The man’s height—fully three meters—along with his battle-hardened experience and formidable strength, made him a daunting foe. His powerful, muscular arms clearly possessed great might. Yet, due to his towering stature, all his opponents must have attacked from below, so he was undoubtedly skilled at defending against assaults from beneath. Conversely, he would have little experience fending off attacks from above. That was why Zhang Desen resolved to leap and strike at the carotid artery—and as expected, the tactic worked perfectly.

Now Zhang Desen strode before Wan Lü Wudi and his entourage. He looked them over, then shouted loudly, “Is there anyone else who wishes to die?”

He turned his head left and right, repeating with booming voice, “Is there anyone else who wishes to die?”

Twice thus provoked, Wan Lü Wudi and his companions were mortified, wishing they could sink into the earth. Yet none dared speak; with their champion defeated, not one believed himself stronger than Xiao Liba. They could only swallow their humiliation in silence.

Seeing no challengers, Zhang Desen turned and returned to Xiao Liba’s corpse, collecting his sword and other weapons as spoils of victory. At this, Wan Lü Wudi could restrain himself no longer—though he dared not fight Zhang Desen, for he knew he would lose, he stood and shouted, “Brave warrior, please wait!”

Zhang Desen turned back, disdain in his eyes, and asked, “What, do you wish to join him in death?”

Wan Lü Wudi replied, “Of course not. Only, now that you have bested us, may we at least know what our opponent looks like? It would be a shame to lose and never see the face of the one who defeated us.”

Zhang Desen stared hard at Wan Lü Wudi, saying nothing. The people of the Great Prosperity Kingdom, too, were eager to know the true appearance of the mysterious hero, yet they would not voice this alongside the Liao envoys and so simply watched in silence.

Wan Lü Wudi continued, “If you worry that revealing yourself will put your family in danger, it is already too late. At the very least, we know you are connected to the Liu household.”

Zhang Desen immediately retorted, “Are you threatening me?”

Wan Lü Wudi quickly replied, “Certainly not. I merely mean to say that others know already of your ties to the Liu family. Yesterday, our people overheard your conversation with General Feng Yucai in the Liu family’s jewelry shop. Now, what use is secrecy? Besides, I simply wish to know the name of the man who defeated us.”

With that, Zhang Desen realized that Wan Lü Wudi and his agents had been hiding in the shop the previous day. Thinking it over, he saw no further reason for disguise, having already acknowledged his connection to the Liu household. He decided to reveal himself openly. Thus resolved, Zhang Desen removed the gas mask from his face.

Upon seeing him, Wan Lü Wudi said, “Very well. But may I ask your name?”

Before Zhang Desen could reply, someone seated nearby beside Zhao Xinglong suddenly cried out, pointing in astonishment. “Excuse me, are you Desen?”

Zhang Desen was startled—someone here recognized him. But he guessed the man must know his counterpart in this universe, not himself. He turned to look at the speaker, a handsome young man dressed in fine clothes—a scion of wealth or nobility, clearly.

Yet Zhang Desen did not recognize him, so he asked, “Forgive me, may I ask who you are?”

The man hesitated and asked, “Is your name Zhang Desen?”

“I am,” Zhang Desen replied, “but who are you?”

At this, Emperor Zhao Xinglong of the Great Prosperity Kingdom spoke out loudly, “Zhang Desen? You are Zhang Desen? Minister Zhang, come verify at once.”

Prime Minister Zhang Chengwei quickly hurried down. At a glance, Zhang Desen understood—this was a counterpart of his father, identical in appearance to his original world, though perhaps with a different temperament, as Zhao Chengming and others had suggested.

Before they could react further, the young noble who had first called out quickly addressed Zhao Xinglong, “Father, please wait a moment.”

He then approached Zhang Desen and said, “Desen, no matter what you’ve been through this past year, have you perhaps lost your memory?”

Zhang Desen considered how best to answer at such a moment and finally said, “I don’t know how to respond. I only know what I am doing now. But you still haven’t told me your name.”

As the young man’s attendant grew agitated, he was quickly restrained. The young man then replied to Zhang Desen, “Desen, I am Zhao Guangzhou—your friend!”

At this, Emperor Zhao Xinglong could bear no more and said, “Enough, questions about his memory can wait. Everyone, step back...”

He then addressed Zhang Desen, “Since your name is truly Zhang Desen, please come forward...”

Obediently, Zhang Desen approached the imperial throne. Zhao Xinglong asked, “Whether you have lost your memory or not, today you have defeated the foremost warrior of the Liao Ancient Kingdom and brought honor to our nation. Such merit will be rewarded. Do you know of the reward I promised earlier?”

“I do,” Zhang Desen replied.

Zhao Xinglong smiled. “Then you may claim the glory your name once held, whether you recall it or not. Which ten ladies do you intend to choose?”

Zhang Desen answered, “I wish to marry Miss Liu, the daughter of the Liu household.”

Zhao Xinglong laughed. “It seems you have indeed forgotten much. Are there any others?”

“No,” Zhang Desen said.

At this, General Feng Yucai suddenly stepped forward. “Your Majesty, I ask that other matters be set aside for now. I would like to invite Master Zhang to visit the military camp, and then...”

Zhao Xinglong burst out laughing. “Feng, is this truly you? Have you forgotten your ways of old?”

Feng Yucai immediately replied, “I may have been misled by rumors in the past. I beg Your Majesty’s pardon!”