Xue Ren, clad in a silver-white Chief Commander's uniform, stood behind Commander Chu, his heart filled with surprise and uncertainty at the sight.
Ning Yue had served under him for a year, so he naturally knew his strength and cultivation level, which he simply evaluated as: ordinary, not worth mentioning.
Cold Star Archery, as one of the archery techniques widely practiced by the garrison soldiers, was notoriously easy to learn but difficult to master, let alone cultivate to perfection and comprehend its secret techniques; it was a one-in-a-thousand feat, achievable only by those with extraordinary bone structure and comprehension.
When did Ning Yue comprehend the secret technique of Three Arrows Chasing Stars? Was it during the life-and-death struggle just now?!
Xue Ren turned and exchanged a glance with Chen Song, who had come to report, before stepping forward and saying, “Reporting to the Commander, this person is indeed Ning Yue, a flag officer in my army, skilled in both archery and lightness techniques.”
Commander Chu stroked his long beard and looked at the young man kneeling on one knee, gasping for breath yet still graceful, his appreciation growing even stronger.
“This young man, at such a tender age, in the mere Skin-Polishing Realm, can single-handedly shoot down a Muscle-Refining Realm martial artist. It is truly remarkable. He shall be awarded a second-class merit.”
Xue Ren’s heart stirred, knowing that Commander Chu was likely impressed by the young man. He quickly bowed in thanks, saying, “The Commander is fair in rewards and punishments; it is as it should be.”
Commander Chu then asked, “What is this child’s bone structure like? What is his family background? Is he married?”
“Reporting to the Commander, the Ning family has served in the military for three generations. Ning Yue is a hereditary officer. As he is still observing mourning and has not yet come of age, he is not yet married.”
“His bone structure was tested as… ordinary.” Xue Ren answered, steeling himself.
“Oh. An ordinary bone structure, yet he can comprehend a secret technique in battle. Truly extraordinary.” Commander Chu had clearly seen through Ning Yue’s cultivation level, but the limitation of his bone structure caused his initial admiration to largely recede.
An ordinary bone structure almost guaranteed that Ning Yue would be limited to the first three stages of internal cultivation his entire life; further breakthroughs would be incredibly difficult. Becoming a Chief Commander might be well within his reach, but it wasn't worth his further effort to win over.
The curious gazes of several centurions and chief commanders nearby, upon hearing this, also gradually faded.
Seeing this, Xue Ren found it difficult to say more. He could only hope that Ning Yue would prove himself and kill a few more bandits later to improve his impression.
As they spoke, three teams had already pressed forward, surrounding the bandits who were attempting to flee.
Just then, Ning Yue finally moved!
Having caught his breath for a moment, Ning Yue, seeing the reinforcements, immediately moved with the speed of wind, his steps like chasing clouds, rushing like lightning towards the skinny bandit he had just shot.
Upon reaching him, Ning Yue plunged a hand into the bandit's abdomen, tearing open his tattered clothes, and with lightning speed, snatched the spoils of war, stuffing them into his embrace. Then he checked the bandit's sleeves, waistband, and ankles.
From top to bottom, he meticulously searched, his movements fluid and natural.
Only after securely stowing away his loot did he draw his blade and charge into the battle.
On the hillside, Commander Chu, who had harbored some expectations, was first stunned by Ning Yue's skilled methods, then saw Wei Xian's bulging chest pouch beside him, and his expression gradually darkened. He sneered, “Chief Commander Xue, your soldiers are fierce in battle, and their lightness techniques are quite impressive, too?!”
Short-sighted, greedy for wealth, destined not to achieve great things. Everyone secretly labeled the flag officer.
Several centurions and chief commanders couldn't help but snicker.
“Chief Commander Xue, I observe this young man: he doesn't seek achievement, but he loves wealth. What a delightful character.”
“Excellent lightness techniques and archery, a true double-edged talent!”
“Perhaps it's due to Chief Commander Xue's excellent guidance on a daily basis.” Mo Yingshuo, who had always been at odds with Xue Ren, directly mocked him.
Xue Ren’s face flushed, but he remained silent.
He was afraid that if he said another word, Ning Yue’s military achievement would be forfeit.
The spring mountain winds whistled. Seeing that the situation below the mountain was settled, Commander Chu looked up at the increasingly fierce shouts of battle on the mountain peak, reined in his horse, and prepared to return.
Just then, a brilliant light suddenly filled the mountaintop, dazzling and piercing through the clouds and mist. Then, thousands of shimmering lights plummeted, silent at first, but upon impact, they erupted with earth-shattering roars, as if the mountain itself was shaking!
The shouts of battle ceased abruptly, replaced by heart-wrenching screams.
Everyone's minds were instantly shaken by this astonishing scene.
And a graceful figure, treading on air, her blue robes swaying, surrounded by flowing light, flashed past like a meteor.
Ning Yue, in the midst of the fighting, looked up in a daze, momentarily captivated.
...
Yongwang Garrison, Chief Commander's Office.
Ning Yue pushed the door open, his expression anxious.
He had indeed earned a minor merit and gained some practical benefits, but he had also lost a great deal of face.
Xue Ren sat calmly at his desk and chuckled, “Oh, the 'Double-Edged Talent' is back? You’ve achieved a great merit today, please take the main seat.”
Ning Yue’s face flushed slightly, “This subordinate dares not take credit. It is all due to the Chief Commander’s excellent guidance in the past.”
“Excellent guidance? Come, come, tell me, when did I ever teach you such proficient methods for acquiring spoils of war?” Xue Ren was immediately irked upon hearing the phrase “excellent guidance.”
“Greedy for money, coveting small gains, how can one achieve great things?”
Ning Yue remained silent, only lowering his head, his face growing even redder.
This time, he had truly embarrassed himself completely.
“Speak up? Why aren’t you speaking?”
“This subordinate is quick to act but slow to speak. This is my fault.”
“Hmph—” Xue Ren laughed in exasperation, picking up a military book and throwing it at Ning Yue’s chest, “A fine ‘quick to act, slow to speak’! I’ll show you ‘quick to act, slow to speak’!”
Ning Yue dodged left and right, avoiding any harm, then reached into his embrace and pulled out a stack of banknotes.
The denominations varied, but the thin stack amounted to several hundred taels, the result of years of accumulation and hard-earned banditry by dozens of bandits, now all laid before the desk.
Xue Ren looked at the banknotes on the desk, each worth twenty taels, and was surprised, blurting out, “So much?”
The Xue family was one of the four aristocratic families of Gucheng, and Xue Ren, as the legitimate son of the family head, naturally lived a life of luxury, with abundant food, clothing, and daily necessities. The medicinal herbs and precious artifacts needed for his cultivation were also of the finest quality; even the dragon-ringed jade pendant at his waist was worth more than a hundred gold.
However, his monthly military pay was only ten taels, and the Xue family’s monthly allowance to him was only thirty taels!
Noble families had strict household rules, doing this to prevent unfilial descendants from losing their ambition in play, becoming addicted to pleasure, and ruining the family business.
But the banknotes on the desk alone were probably worth more than Xue Ren’s annual salary.
“This is for you; I kept more!” Ning Yue thought to himself.
He subtly tightened his sleeve pocket, then said seriously, “Brother Xue, it’s not that we brothers are greedy for money, but we are truly poor. Food, clothing, and all the necessities for cultivation are expenses, and our military pay is often delayed. We brothers are truly short on funds.”
“This… this has some truth to it.” Xue Ren smoothly slipped the banknotes into his sleeve.
Recalling that his soldiers, despite their limited bone structure and bleak future, still diligently cultivated every day, and that Ning Yue, in particular, rarely even visited taverns, let alone brothels, his heart softened.
“But this is not to set a precedent!”
“Yes!” Seeing that the Chief Commander’s anger had subsided, Ning Yue quickly changed the subject.
“Brother Xue, who was that fairy today? How could she be surrounded by flowing light and walk on air? And that sword move, with thousands of brilliant lights, it’s simply not of this mortal world!”
Xue Ren glanced sideways at his subordinate, “What? Your heart is stirring? Let me tell you, don’t even think about it. That’s someone you couldn’t catch up to in eight lifetimes.”
“Even I am not qualified! That was a Green-Clad Guard from the Demon Slaying Division, an official of the fifth rank. Our Garrison Commander is merely on equal footing with her.”
Ning Yue’s heart tightened upon hearing this. The head of the entire garrison being on the same level as a Green-Clad Guard—that was simply… simply unattainable. Yet, a few thoughts in his mind became even more active.
“As for that sword move, that is the legendary Heavenly Secret Art—Floating Light in the Cave Heaven!”
The martial path of the Great Abyss seemed far grander than Ning Yue had imagined, by thousands of times. Ning Yue only knew that the martial path had four ranks: Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow, but he didn't know what rank this Heavenly Secret Art belonged to.
However, he assumed it was probably above Heaven, Earth, Profound, and Yellow.
“Those bandits, I don’t know where they got the news today. The military supplies had already been moved, and several of their leaders had already fled. Speaking of which, the one you shot, the incense master, was quite a figure.” Xue Ren said this, then pointed at Ning Yue with a half-smile.
But his subordinate didn't take the hint, instead asking in confusion, “If that’s the case, why did the Green-Clad Guard still use such a divine secret technique?!”
Xue Ren said meaningfully, “They didn’t catch the main culprit, so they’re not allowed to vent a little? We at the garrison were really disgraced today, letting the news leak out.”
“However, it’s also strange. This group of bandits has been lurking on Bald Head Mountain for several years, always minding their own business, not sparing ordinary people, merchant caravans, or escort agencies, but they never dared to touch the supplies of aristocratic families or the army.”
“I don’t know who gave them such a huge benefit that they were incited to plunder military supplies!”
“There’s an inside man, then.” Ning Yue thought to himself, then saw Xue Ren’s solemn expression and motioned for him to come closer.
Ning Yue immediately leaned in, pressing his ear close.
“This matter will definitely not be left at that! Daring to collude with bandits and disrupt Gucheng, with the City Lord’s hatred for evil, I’m afraid the garrison will have major movements soon. Your team must also be cautious, and don’t go wandering around without reason. Gucheng is probably about to become restless.”
“Yes!” Ning Yue’s expression became serious.
Having finished with official business, Xue Ren sat back at his desk, his gaze deep as he looked at Ning Yue: “Today’s events, with both merits and demerits, can still be considered a minor flaw that doesn't obscure the jade, and you still brought honor. Have you thought about what you want to exchange this second-class merit for?”
Ning Yue bowed with cupped hands, “Please guide me, Chief Commander.”
“You have two choices.”
“One is to exchange it for cultivation resources to enter the Muscle-Refining Realm. A second-class merit is more than enough. If you achieve something in the future, with your external cultivation skills, you will be considered outstanding among the flag officers in our garrison, and your chances of promotion through merit will be high.”
Ning Yue’s heart stirred. He had already cultivated the military’s Skin-Polishing technique to perfection, but his martial arts realm was only at the great success stage of Skin-Polishing. It had to be limited by the cultivation method.
Although he could follow the trend and switch to a Muscle-Refining method, Ning Yue always felt unsatisfied.
A shaky foundation leads to an unstable structure. Ning Yue understood such a simple principle.
Xue Ren pondered for a long time, giving Ning Yue time to process the information. Seeing his eyes clear again, he said, “A second-class merit can also be exchanged for a Xuan-grade cultivation method treasured by the military—the Golden Jade Skin-Polishing Technique—to make your foundation even more solid. Before the age of thirty, there might be hope of advancing to the last three stages of internal cultivation.”
Xue Ren didn't mention that the Golden Jade Skin-Polishing Technique was considered top-tier even among Xuan-grade cultivation methods.
It was only because Xue Ren was a Chief Commander and came from an aristocratic family; otherwise, an ordinary second-class merit would not even get one through the door to exchange for this item.
“Your current realm is still shallow, so there's no rush. You can think it over carefully before answering me,” Xue Ren consoled him.
Innate bone structure was of paramount importance in martial arts. Even if Ning Yue re-cultivated the Golden Jade Skin-Polishing Technique, his hope of future advancement would be extremely slim. Xue Ren mused that even he would find it difficult to make a decision in such a situation.
Who would have thought that Ning Yue would turn his gaze, look directly out the window for a moment, and then turn back and say, “Sir, this subordinate wishes to re-cultivate the technique!”
“Have you thought it through? No regrets?” Xue Ren asked in surprise.
“No regrets, even if I face a hundred setbacks!”
“Good!” Xue Ren laughed heartily, then pulled out a thin booklet from his embrace, as if he had already prepared it.
“This method is quite difficult to get started with. If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can always come and ask me.”
Ning Yue took it with both hands and bowed again.
Xue Ren looked at Ning Yue before him, his features youthful, yet with an inherent spiritedness of youth. His eyes held even more approval. “Remember, martial arts realm is always more important than official position!”
“Yes! This subordinate will surely keep that in mind.” Ning Yue stepped back to take his leave, preparing to exit.
“Wait! Take this money and share it among yourselves. Treat your brothers to something good.” Xue Ren handed over half of the banknotes.
“Thank you for the reward, sir. I am willing to serve you with all my heart.” Ning Yue accepted the banknotes with a joyful smile.
“Alright, alright, now get out of here.” Xue Ren chuckled, scolding him good-naturedly.
