Mission reward 007: Yuwen Chengdu Martial Soul

Zhang Zhao arrived with his men and, upon seeing the ground covered in hoofprints, his face darkened instantly.

Xiao Qiao had deliberately startled the horses, sending them galloping off in all directions. Now, with hoofprints fanning out every which way, Zhang Zhao had no way of knowing which path Su Ming had taken.

"Qiao Wan, you..." Zhang Zhao began, but stopped halfway.

Anyone with eyes could see that it was Qiao Wan who had let Su Ming escape. Earlier, before Sun Ce's coffin, Da Qiao had stood up to protect Su Ming; now Xiao Qiao had facilitated her escape.

The intentions of these two sisters were clear as day.

Yet Zhang Zhao could not afford to turn against them. In fact, not even Sun Quan dared oppose them now.

Da Qiao was Sun Ce's widow, and Xiao Qiao was Zhou Yu's wife. If Sun Quan wished to seize military power, he could not sidestep Zhou Yu. At this moment, antagonizing the sisters would only negatively impact Sun Quan's succession to the Lordship of Wu.

Xiao Qiao was exceedingly clever, even emboldened by her position. For the time being, Sun Quan dared not move against them.

"Master Zhang, I was merely taking my servants out for a stroll beyond the city," Xiao Qiao said. "Your large party startled my horses. Borrowing a few mounts to return to town isn't too much to ask, is it?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhao's face grew even darker. Not only had Xiao Qiao ruined his plans, she now demanded his horses as well?

Yet he could not refuse.

"Give them a few horses," Zhang Zhao commanded coldly, then turned his own horse and rode back to the city.

Xiao Qiao’s sudden intervention had completely ruined his affairs. With hoofprints scattered everywhere, who could tell which way to pursue? There was no point in chasing now.

He needed to hurry back and report to Sun Quan.

...

Earlier that year, Cao Cao had just conquered Xuzhou. The three Liu brothers had been routed and separated, Liu Bei fleeing to Ye to seek refuge with Yuan Shao. After his victory in Xuzhou, Cao Cao was already preparing to march against Yuan Shao.

The famed Battle of Guandu, so celebrated in history, would erupt in the latter half of this very year.

At this moment, Xuzhou was in chaos.

That day, Sun Shangxiang had fled with Su Ming, riding hard for days until they reached the outskirts of Xuzhou.

But Xuzhou was under Cao Cao’s control, and so Sun Shangxiang dared not enter the city proper. Instead, she found an inn just outside the city and settled Su Ming there.

Each day, she arranged through the innkeeper to have a physician brought from the city to treat Su Ming’s injuries.

When Su Ming awoke, he discovered himself in unfamiliar surroundings. As he opened his eyes, the familiar chime of the system sounded in his mind.

"Congratulations, you have completed the task: investigate the cause of Sun Ce’s death and reveal it to the public."

"Task reward: Martial Soul of Yuwen Chengdu, Thunderbolt Leopard."

Instantly, Su Ming felt a surge of warmth flow through his body, and a host of martial arts techniques flooded his mind.

The Martial Soul of Yuwen Chengdu?

Did this mean he now possessed Yuwen Chengdu’s prowess?

It must be remembered that Yuwen Chengdu was the second greatest hero in the tales of Sui and Tang, his might rivaled only by the superhuman Li Yuanba. With his new strength, perhaps no one in the Three Kingdoms era—save for Lü Bu—could match him. Even Guan Yu, notorious for labeling others as mere “marked-for-death,” would seem the same in Su Ming’s eyes.

Excited, Su Ming quickly opened his attribute panel.

Name: Su Ming.

Age: 23.

Martial Prowess: 99.

Command: 87.

Strategy: 80.

Politics: 73.

Martial Soul: Yuwen Chengdu (Fusion: 80%).

Primary Weapon: Silver Spear.

Secondary Weapon: Golden Mace.

Mount: Thunderbolt Leopard.

"Brother Su, you’re awake?" Sun Shangxiang entered with the physician, her face lighting up with joy at the sight of Su Ming’s recovery.

With the doctor present, the two kept conversation to a minimum.

The physician stepped forward to examine Su Ming, changing his dressings as he spoke. “With wounds like these, to wake so soon—your constitution is truly robust. Still, such injuries require rest. You’ll need at least three months of convalescence.”

...

"Proprietor!"

"Have any suspicious persons checked in recently?" A tall, broad-shouldered general, rough of face and commanding in presence, burst into the inn with a troop of soldiers.

Everyone in Xuzhou knew this man: Xu Chu, Cao Cao’s trusted general.

Cao Cao’s reputation in Xuzhou was far from favorable, and the arrival of Xu Chu with his men left the innkeeper trembling in terror.

"N-no... no, I don’t think so," the innkeeper stammered, his lips quivering.

With a loud slap of the table, Xu Chu glared and barked, "Think carefully! Think well! I’m looking for the chief culprit in the assassination attempt on the Chancellor. If he escapes, your entire family’s heads won’t be enough to satisfy the penalty!"

The day before, while Cao Cao was inspecting Xuzhou, he had been ambushed by an assassin. Fortunately, with Xu Chu ever at his side, the attempt failed and the attacker escaped.

The assassin was no amateur—though the attempt was foiled, he had managed to flee.

Thus, Xu Chu was now scouring all of Xuzhou for the culprit.

Xu Chu’s menacing presence nearly frightened the innkeeper out of his wits.

"General," the innkeeper stammered, "what sort of person are you seeking?"

After a moment’s thought, Xu Chu replied, "Someone injured—wounds from blades and arrows."

Upon hearing this, the innkeeper’s mind immediately turned.

"Upstairs—there are two people, a man and a woman. The man is wounded—by both blade and arrow. I’m the one who fetched the doctor for them."

In truth, the innkeeper knew full well that Su Ming was unlikely to be the assassin. But he dared not conceal anything.

Even if he said nothing, Xu Chu and his men would surely search the premises. If they discovered the wounded guests themselves, it would be impossible to explain away.

It was far better to volunteer the information than be caught hiding it. Otherwise, if found out, it would be like having mud fall into one’s trousers—whether it was filth or not, it would be taken as such.

"General, those two are almost certainly not your assassin. The Chancellor was attacked yesterday, but those guests checked in three days ago," the innkeeper explained.

But Xu Chu was a straightforward man—he cared nothing for such logic.

"Arrest them first! Once we interrogate them, we’ll know who they are." With that, Xu Chu shot a glare at the innkeeper. "Say another word and I’ll arrest you as an accomplice!"

At this, the innkeeper didn’t even dare to breathe.

Judging by Xu Chu’s demeanor, if he uttered another word, he’d be charged with harboring an assassin on the spot.

Without further ado, Xu Chu waved his hand, and his soldiers surged upstairs to surround the rooms.