Chapter 87

Call him Shixin!

Three moves to defeat the first swordsman of Silla, Hwarang Gukseon Jin Gyu-shin.

Apart from the Tang Dynasty's Luo Shixin, who else could achieve this?

Jin Deman woke up, his expression somewhat complicated: Han culture is profound and has influenced the world, and no country in Asia has been unaffected. Silla is no exception. Jin Deman and Jin Shengman, the sisters, have been learning Han culture since childhood, filled with admiration for the distant Huaxia in the West. They often express their greatest wish to visit the Central Plains and personally experience its prosperity, and they pay close attention to the situation in the Central Plains. To further understand the Central Plains, they even humbly befriended a major leather merchant in Silla, providing him with some trade conveniences so that he could bring back more information about the Central Plains during his business trips.

Therefore, they are well-informed about the recent developments in the Central Plains, and the name they hear most often in recent years is Luo Shixin.

Because the destination of the leather merchant's business trips is in Hebei, he is most familiar with the events in Hebei, where Luo Shixin is the most prominent general of the Tang Dynasty.

Thus, Jin Deman is well-versed in Luo Shixin's deeds, such as the bloody battle at Ming River, the clever capture of Ming Prefecture, the capture of Liu Heita, and the two victories over the Turks.

Silla has long been at odds with Goguryeo and Baekje, with small-scale conflicts occurring every month. Compared to the grand battles in the Central Plains, these conflicts are insignificant. Therefore, Jin Deman has a small admiration for Luo Shixin, who performs as if divinely aided in such grand battles.

When she first heard Luo Shixin call himself Shixin, she thought it was similar to Luo Shixin's name but did not think much of it. First, there are too many people with the same name, which is not unusual; second, it is said that Luo Shixin is over ten feet tall, with a waist as wide as ten feet, eyes like copper bells, and a presence like a reborn Overlord, invincible against ten thousand men.

Jin Deman knew the rumors were exaggerated, but she believed Luo Shixin must be a tall and robust man. She never expected him to be a tall, slender, and somewhat scholarly figure.

Now, the person she admires is standing right in front of her, and she has become his opponent for some inexplicable reason. Nothing could be more bizarre than this.

Thinking of Jin Shengman's recent infatuated behavior, she couldn't help but give her more meticulous sister a sideways glance.

The latter couldn't help but stick out her tongue, feeling somewhat embarrassed.

Jin Shengman had long suspected Luo Shixin's identity, not because of any flaws in Luo Shixin's group, but because of their habits. The Turks, who mainly engage in animal husbandry, spend their days with livestock and often carry a faint smell of animals. However, Luo Shixin's group had no such odor, and their fluent Central Plains dialect and the name "Shixin" all hinted at some issues.

Jin Shengman was only suspicious and could not be certain. She did not think Luo Shixin was targeting them. She planned to test him after the situation stabilized, but it didn't happen as expected...

Her eyes fluttered, thinking, "He really is the perfect man!"

"You guessed right, I am the Tang Dynasty's Luo Shixin!" Luo Shixin was not surprised to have his identity revealed; he did not want to hide it and admitted it frankly, "I will temporarily inconvenience you. Once Guonei City is back under control, I will release you immediately."

Jin Deman, who had meticulously planned but ended up making a wedding dress for others, felt bitter and couldn't help but say, "There are still eight thousand troops in Guonei City, and the tiger general Li Zicheng. It won't be easy for you to take Guonei City."

Luo Shixin smiled confidently, "Everything is under control, no need for the princess to worry." He paused, then turned to Pei Qingyi and said, "The rest is up to you. Do you need my help?"

Pei Qingyi turned and walked away, coolly saying, "No."

**********

As usual, Li Zicheng, his son Li Yu, and over twenty of his personal guards rode back to their residence.

The familiar streets and alleys brought him an unusual sense of peace.

Back when the Sui Dynasty attacked, Li Zicheng, the son of a powerless fisherman, was forcibly conscripted into the army as a cannon fodder. Despite having no martial arts skills, he relied on his extraordinary physique and strong will to survive, honing his extraordinary martial skills amidst the carnage, and gradually rising to his current position. He even received an audience with the Goryeo king, who affectionately called him the "Undying Tiger" due to the over a hundred wounds on his body from swords, spears, and arrows.

But now, this Undying Tiger no longer has the ferocity and dominance of a true tiger!

Having survived the carnage, he has sunk into the hard-won peace.

Every day, he follows the same routine of training troops and returning home, and he not only has no complaints about this monotonous life but is filled with longing, hoping to live like this for the rest of his life.

The group of over twenty riders slowly made their way, gradually turning onto the main street leading to the market. It was dusk, and the street was bustling with people preparing to return home or leave the city. Mule carts had to shout at passersby to clear the way. Of course, when people saw the imposing presence of Li Zicheng and his group, they naturally made way.

Li Zicheng and Li Yu chatted and laughed as they slowly moved forward.

At one end of the road, a carriage pulled by two horses slowly approached. The driver wore a bamboo hat, making it impossible to see his face.

The two guards leading the way, seeing that the carriage showed no intention of making way, quickly shouted for it to move.

The driver pulled the reins, making a turning gesture, but the two horses suddenly went out of control and galloped straight toward Li Zicheng.

Li Zicheng, Li Yu, and the other twenty men cursed and scattered in a hurry.

The driver suddenly let out a sharp cry, stepped on the left horse, and sprang up like an arrow, shooting toward Li Zicheng.

Li Yu, who was even more agile than his father, spurred his horse forward and thrust his sword forward.

Li Zicheng, living up to his name as the Undying Tiger, was also quick to react, drawing his sword and attacking from the left to support his son.

The other guards were a step slower and were temporarily blocked on the outside, unable to join the fight.

The driver's sword glinted with silver light, and in an instant, two light sounds were heard. He first knocked Li Yu's sword away and then engaged Li Zicheng's sword. Instead of retreating, he used the force of the double swords to perform a forward flip, flying over Li Zicheng's head.

Li Zicheng and Li Yu only saw a blur of movement and lost sight of the assassin in an instant.

Hearing the cries of the crowd, Li Zicheng knew something was wrong. He felt a chill on the top of his head as a sword pierced through his skull, and he died without a scream.

Li Yu, his eyes bloodshot with rage, was about to fight to the death to avenge his father.

The assassin, agile like a cat, stepped on a passerby's shoulder, leaped to the roof of a nearby house, and disappeared in a flash.

The entire incident took only a moment, and the Undying Tiger Li Zicheng became a dead tiger.

Li Yu, driven by his desire for revenge, frantically searched for the assassin but found nothing. He returned to the military camp in a rage, forcibly mobilized a thousand soldiers to search the entire city for the assassin, causing chaos in Guonei City.

This night was destined to be sleepless. As Li Yu caused chaos in Guonei City, a group of people was purposefully approaching the inner city military camp.

First, they would disrupt the enemy's formation, then launch a surprise attack on their strongest point, and finally take advantage of the chaos to seize control of the city gates.