ragginovel Chapter 11: Ten Thousand Horses
Chapter 11: Ten Thousand Horses
Border Town is a very large city.
It occupies a strategic location at the gateway to the Central Plains, with high and thick walls built of huge bluestones, which have withstood the ravages of time and war.
The city streets are crisscrossed, bustling with carriages and horses, and filled with the noise of people.
The local residents, the Western Region caravans with their camel bells jingling, the guards from the security company escorting their carts with wary expressions, the wandering swordsmen carrying knives and swords, and the heavily made-up dancing girls leaning against the railings beckoning...
A melting pot of all walks of life, this border city is a melting pot of people from all walks of life; you can find almost anyone in it.
The forces within the city are also complex and deeply intertwined.
There are three major sects that have been passed down for generations, five powerful families with deep roots, and countless notorious bandits and martial arts masters hiding in the city...
However, the most dazzling and fearsome place in the border town was Wanmatang.
Wanmatang has only been around for a few years, and its leader, Ma Kongqun, is only thirty-two years old this year. However, he has already rapidly expanded the influence of the hall by virtue of his extraordinary courage, methods, and ability to win people's hearts.
He controls all the horse markets, most of the warehouses and underground financial channels in the border town, and has a large number of skilled fighters under his command. He has become the number one force that both the legitimate and criminal worlds in the border town have to look up to.
Its headquarters is particularly impressive.
The headquarters of Wanmatang is not located in the city, but on a vast grassland pasture outside the border town.
The architecture here has a distinct Central Plains style, making it appear more magnificent and orderly.
The towering gatehouse was painted vermilion, with gleaming copper nails. In front of the gate stood two bronze horse statues, not stone lions, raising their hooves and neighing, exuding an extraordinary aura.
Passing through numerous courtyards, the deepest part is the council hall, "Wanma Hall".
At this moment, the atmosphere inside the Wanma Hall was solemn.
The hall was extremely spacious, with blue brick floors, massive wooden beams, and several paintings of galloping horses on the frontier hanging on the walls on both sides.
The most eye-catching feature is the enormous rosewood conference table in the hall, which can seat over a hundred people from east to west.
The tabletop was so shiny it reflected the dozens of bright lamps hanging from the ceiling.
At the head of the long table sat Ma Kongqun, the master of Wanma Hall.
He was in his prime, with a slightly yellowish complexion and a neatly trimmed short mustache. His features were not particularly handsome, but he possessed a calm and dignified air, exuding an air of authority without anger.
He wore an exquisitely made robe, his fingers tapping lightly on the table, his eyes downcast, revealing no emotion.
On either side of the long table sat the key figures of Wanmatang and several special guests.
Right next to Ma Kongqun on his left was an exceptionally burly giant, a head taller than everyone else even when seated, with a peculiar curved sword with a wide blade and thick back tucked into his waistband.
The giant was not actually that old, but he had a face as black as the bottom of a pot, a beard as thick as a halberd, a leopard-like head, and bulging eyes, making him look much older than Ma Kongqun.
This giant was none other than Gongsun Duan, Ma Kongqun's sworn brother, known for his bravery and loyalty, and now also referred to as the Fourth Boss by the people of Wanmatang.
Below Gongsun Duan was a pale-faced man in white with a slight beard and gloomy eyes.
His eyes were sharp, and he always had a slight smile on his face, but it was a fake smile that made people feel uncomfortable.
— "Flying Crane in the Smoke" Yun Zaitian is in charge of handling all matters, big and small, within the hall and foreign negotiations.
To Ma Kongqun's right was a man with a graceful figure and a calm expression. He was about the same age as the other two, with long, slender fingers and neatly trimmed nails. He didn't look like a江湖人 (jianghu person, a person who travels the martial arts world) at all, but rather like a scholar.
But no matter who he is, anyone who sees the carved sword with flying flowers at his waist will never simply regard him as a person.
After all, no one in the border town's martial arts world is unaware of the name "One Sword Flying Flowers" Hua Mantian.
I heard that he can pierce dozens of fluttering flower petals with a single sword stroke when a strong wind rises!
Besides these core members, many other respected scions of prominent families or gang leaders from the border town were also seated around the long table. These were representatives of forces that were on good terms with or affiliated with Wanmatang.
For example, Old Master Liu, known as "Mountain-Splitting Palm," had white hair and beard and was always dignified; Young Master Zhao, known as "Meteor Sword," was young and vigorous, and his gorgeous clothes were almost dazzling; the young master of Sun Family Fortress, known as "Hundred-Step Piercing Willow," had eyes as sharp as a hawk's...
However, at this moment, everyone's eyes, whether they were direct descendants of Wanmatang or guests from elsewhere, were focused on one thing in the center of the long table.
That was a flag.
The flag was small, made of ordinary fabric, and the color was somewhat faded.
There are no fancy patterns on it, just a knife embroidered in simple black thread.
The knife has an ancient shape, yet it exudes a sharpness that can cut through everything.
This is the logo of the Divine Blade Hall.
This is the flag of the Divine Blade Hall!
Everyone seemed to be mesmerized, as if they were all helpless in the face of this flag.
Even Wanmatang!
Although Wanmatang has been the undisputed leader in the border town for several years, the border town's previously stable martial arts world has recently been thrown into a deep pool like a boulder.
This small sword flag represents the Divine Sword Hall, which has risen rapidly with an almost tyrannical attitude, and is ten times more terrifying than the former Ten Thousand Horses Hall!
The brothers Bai Tianyu and Bai Tianyong, who are the leaders of the hall, especially the elder brother Bai Tianyu, are ruthless and domineering, and their martial arts are unfathomable. In a short period of time, they have made several old forces in the border city look bad and have the potential to sweep through the border city.
So almost everyone present was moved by the sight of the flag.
If so, it must be the two people sitting at the very end of the long table.
These two people seemed to have no interest in this sword-shaped banner that had captured the hearts of countless people.
One of them was a middle-aged man wearing an old shirt.
His face was handsome but haggard, as if he were ill. He would occasionally cover his mouth and cough softly, but his hands were steady enough.
A pot of wine sat before him. He poured himself a drink, drinking slowly but intently, as if the somber atmosphere of the room paled in comparison to the amber liquid in his cup.
His cough was particularly clear in the quiet hall, drawing glances and frowns from many people.
When Ma Kongqun's gaze swept over him, he paused slightly but did not say anything.
This person is an uninvited guest.
He came here simply because he had heard that there was good wine here.
Seeing that he was no ordinary person, Ma Kongqun treated him with courtesy and provided him with fine wine.
Most people in the hall, including Ma Kongqun, were unaware that this unassuming drinker was none other than the world-renowned Little Li Tanhua, Li Xunhuan.
The other one was a young woman.
She sat opposite Li Xunhuan, dressed in white as snow, untouched by the world.
She was about eighteen or nineteen years old, with eyebrows like distant mountains shrouded in mist, eyes like autumn waters rippling across the surface, a delicate nose and cherry lips, and skin as white as snow.
Her beauty seemed to brighten the hall, which was filled with an aura of grandeur.
A beauty like her really shouldn't be sitting at the very end.
However, her expression was extremely cold, like an eternal iceberg, and she ignored the admiring, curious, or otherwise meaningful gazes cast upon her from all around.
She ignored invitations from others and instead sat opposite Li Xunhuan.
On the contrary, everyone present, except for Li Xunhuan, recognized her.
Everyone knows that she is Ding Baiyun, the "Fairy of White Clouds".
The heir of the renowned "Ding Family" martial arts clan, her cold and beautiful reputation had already spread far and wide in the martial arts world when she was just a young girl.
Many young men present, such as Young Master Zhao, nicknamed "Meteor Sword," couldn't help but linger their gazes on her, but she didn't even spare a glance from the corner of her eye.