The sunset was red as blood, and the skies were dark and heavy.
Bloodthistle Yao Mountain covered a vast stretch of land, a full thousand miles, and it coiled and twisted like a giant serpent.
Off to the southwest, not far from the mountain, was a military encampment.
Buildings were densely packed as trees in a forest, and flags fluttered in the wind.
The elite warriors of the Spiritmartial Marquis, the Greenplate Army, were stationed here year-round.
Over the past few years, under Chen Zheng’s leadership, they’d slain countless yao and racked up enormous military merit. This was why the name of the Greenplate Army reverberated throughout the Great Zhou.
“The Marquis still isn’t back?”
Within the hall of a tower hewn of coarse stone, Zhang Yiren stood with his hands behind his back, pacing back and forth, his brow furrowed with deep concern.
“No, not yet,” responded a tall, stalwart man in heavy armor.
Five days ago, strange movements occurred within Bloodthistle Yao Mountain. A sound like the low rumble of thunder lasted for a full hour, and all of the mountain’s spirit beasts roared in agitation.
The Spiritmartial Marquis, Chen Zheng, sensed that something was amiss and went in on his own to investigate.?Who’d have guessed that, even now, several days later, he’d yet to return?
.
“I hope the marquis is alright….” Zheng Yiren sighed.
The once-in-a-decade beast wave was due to start in just four days.
Every time this happened, they needed to rally the entire Greenplate Army to prevent the veritable flood of beasts from charging out of the mountain.
If the Spiritmartial Marquis wasn’t there to hold down the fort, it would inevitably dampen the troops’ morale.
Suddenly, from far away, he heard a wave of uproar and a chorus of shouts.
“What’s happening over at the training grounds?” Zhang Yiren knit his brow.
The tall man’s expression shifted strangely, and he whispered, “That’s probably Vice Commander Ma Shanwei sparring with Battalion Leader Huang Qianjun.”
Zhang Yiren’s?brow?scrunched up, and he laughed coldly, “Ma Shanwei is a first-level Grandmaster, yet he’s bullying a young man in the early-stage Qi Accumulation Realm? How utterly shameless!”
“According to Vice Commander Ma, it’s been less than a month since Huang Qianjun entered the Greenplate Army, yet he’s already gone from the lowest-ranked private to leading a battalion of a thousand men. Furthermore, he’s the youngest officer of his rank in the entire army. Vice Commander Ma says he’s progressing too quickly and that someone needs to suppress his arrogance,” the tall man said gravely.
“Suppress his arrogance?” Zhang Yiren said in displeasure, “To the best of my knowledge, Huang Qianjun relied on his own skills to rack up all that merit, and he’s worthy of his position. What right does Ma Shanwei have to suppress a young man like him?”
The tall man instantly fell silent.
It hadn’t been long since Huang Qianjun enlisted, but he’d already participated in dozens of skirmishes both big and small, and he’d slain nearly three hundred spirit beasts!
In the Greenplate Army, rank was determined by assessing a soldier’s military merit. The more merit you achieved, the faster you rose through the ranks.
Huang Qianjun had relied on merit accrued through slaughtering spirit beasts to go from a mere private to the army’s youngest battalion commander in under a month.
There was no doubt about it, either.
“Let’s go take a look.” Zhang Yiren rose, then left the hall and headed to the training grounds. The tall man hurried after him.
The setting sun was red as blood. The wind picked up sand and blew it across the grounds, which were currently packed with numerous Greenplate Army soldiers.
The center of the grounds.
Huang Qianjun had been subdued and forced to the ground. A massive hand held his arms behind his back, and a big foot pressed his cheek ruthlessly into the dirt. His face was smeared with dust, but no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t break free.
The owner of that foot was a thin man in military uniform, with coppery skin and a shiny bald head. His gaze was aggressive and ruthless.
The thin man suddenly bellowed, “Do you submit?”
As he spoke, he exerted strength through his feet. Huang Qianjun’s cheek distorted, and his cheekbones were on the verge of caving in.
Throughout the grounds, countless soldiers roared in excitement.
Some cheered on the thin man. “Vice Commander Ma, well fought!
“Huang Qianjun, hurry up and admit defeat! There’s no shame in losing to Vice Commander Ma!” Others watched Huang Qianjun. They couldn’t help but sweat on his behalf.
Others seemed to delight in his misfortune. “See that? That’s what happens when you go up against Vice Commander Ma. Huang Qianjun is just a newbie. Sure, he’s racked up considerable merit, but he’s got too much of an edge on him. He doesn’t know how to rein it in; there’s no way this’ll end well for him.”
Huang Qianjun had been beaten black and blue, but his gaze was utterly hateful. He hissed, “You want me to lower my head? Not even a heavenly king could make me do that!”
Ma Shanwei’s eyes glinted, and he pressed hard with the tip of his foot. Huang Qianjun felt as if his skull were distorting and about to crack beneath the pressure.
It was then that a dainty beauty emerged from the crowd, instantly attracting numerous gazes. “Commander Ma, you’re just sparring. You mustn’t lose your temper.”
Nan Ying!
The Greenplate Army had a full thirty thousand warriors, but only a tiny handful of women.
Nan Ying was one of those rare few, and furthermore, she was an exceptional beauty.
When she and the other Blueriver Sword Manor disciples first enlisted, she caused an uproar throughout the entire Greenplate Army. Countless coarse old soldiers?slavered?over her.
When he saw Nan Ying, Ma Shanwei’s expression mellowed significantly. “I’m doing this for his own good. I’m using this sparring match to dampen his sharp edge and prevent his pride from going to his head. If he carries on like this, he’ll die without even knowing what hit him.”
Nan Ying smiled sweetly. “Vice Commander Ma, I trust that Huang Qianjun will one day understand your kind intentions, and when he does, he’ll surely be endlessly grateful.”
As she said this, she turned to look at Huang Qianjun. “Brother Huang, please listen to me. Hurry up and lower your head. If you apologize for your wrongdoings, I’m sure someone as magnanimous as Vice Commander Ma will forgive you.”
“Feh!” Huang Qianjun’s eyes bulged with fury. “You’re no good either, you bitch! You’ve taken advantage of your good looks since the moment you joined the Greenplate Army. You’ve seduced Ma Shanwei, but now you’re jumping out to play the part of goody two shoes? Disgusting! Hurry up and?scram!”
“You….” Hearing him insult her like this, Nan Ying was so angry that her face turned ashen.
Ma Shanwei’s expression darkened, and his eyes flashed with cold light. He suddenly kicked, and…
Bang!
Huang Qianjun was sent flying through the air, and he slammed to the ground over a hundred feet away. His bones creaked under the strain, and his face contorted in agony.
Without even waiting for him to stand up, Ma Shanwei charged over and grabbed him by the neck, then held him aloft. “Nan Ying pleaded for mercy on your behalf, only for you to curse at her and insult my good name? Would you believe me if I said that I could, with a single word, have you stripped of your position and expelled from the army?”
His tone was sinister and imposing.
Everyone could tell that Vice Commander Ma Shanwei was furious.
Suddenly, a young man charged out and asked gravely, “Vice Commander Ma, allow me to ask you something. You’re the one who suggested this sparring match, and it was intended as only that, yet here you’ve gone and trampled Huang Qianjun beneath your feet and humiliated him. Is that befitting of a vice commander?”
Everyone glanced at him, then realized that this was Li Moyun. He’d enlisted at the same time as Huang Qianjun.
“Scoundrel! Can’t you tell I’m using this sparring match as an opportunity to correct Huang Qianjun’s vices? I’m doing this out of the goodness of my heart, but you’re making it sound like bullying and petty revenge. Ludicrous!”
Ma Shanwei’s icy glare bore into Li Moyun, sharp as a knife. “Kid, it hasn’t been long since you enlisted, so I won’t pursue this insult, but if you dare spout such nonsense ever again, don’t blame me for stepping in to punish you for your wrongdoing!”
When he heard that, Huang Qianjun was so angry, he laughed. “What?‘goodness of your heart’? Feh! Do I need your ‘good intentions’? You’re just taking advantage of the marquis’ absence to teach me a lesson! Let me tell you, Ma Shanwei: if you don’t kill me, I swear I’ll avenge this insult ten times over. No, one hundred times!”
“You’re seeking death!” Ma Shanwei roared in fury. He raised his left hand and was just about to slap Huang Qianjun.
But it was then that Zhang Yiren hurried over and shouted coldly, “Stay your hand!”
Ma Shanwei furrowed his brow. “Ol’ Zhang, what’s the meaning of this? Can’t you tell that I’m trying to teach Huang Qianjun how a proper Greenplate Army soldier ought to behave?”
Zhang Yiren said coldly, “You’re a vice commander, yet you’re bullying those weaker than you. Aren’t you ashamed of yourself? And you’re even brazen enough to pretend it’s in Huang Qianjun’s best interest. How did I not realize a cold-faced killer like you had such a good heart?”
The air was instantly heavy and stifled. Every soldier in attendance sensed that something was amiss.
In the Greenplate Army, the Spiritmartial Marquis, Chen Zheng, was the highest authority figure. Beneath him were five vice commanders, each in control of a division of about six thousand men.
Beneath them were battalion, platoon, and squad leaders.
In terms of rank, Zhang Yiren was the same as Ma Shanwei. Both were vice commanders.
Yet now, the two of them were staring each other down, ready to fight, all over Huang Qianjun!
Ma Shanwei’s eyes flashed. “Ol’ Zhang, don’t forget. The day Huang Qianjun enlisted, the marquis ordered us to hold him to the most stringent of standards, all for the sake of making him a future pillar of the Greenplate Army.
He spoke righteously and with great dignity, “I’m doing this for the sake of our collective good. My goal is to polish his temperament and correct his arrogance!”
Zhang Yiren’s expression darkened. “You call this acting in the common good? Would you dare say that if the marquis were here?”
“Why wouldn’t I dare?” Zhang Yiren laughed coldly. “If the marquis knew I was trying to help Huang Qianjun, there’s no way he’d object!”
Zhang Yiren was furious, and he was just about to say something when Huang Qianjun said coldly, “Vice Commander Zhang, there’s no need to waste words on this guy. Later on, I’ll find an equally contrived reason to repay him!”
“See? Is that any way for a battalion leader to talk to a vice commander? He simply has no respect for his seniors. He’s lawless and incorrigible!” Ma Shanwei’s eyes flashed with cold light. “If we don’t do something about this kid’s bluster, he’ll bring disaster upon the entire Greenplate Army!”
As he said this, he raised his hand to slap Huang Qianjun.
But it was then that the sonorous cry of an eagle reverberated throughout the heavens.
Immediately afterward, beneath the crowd’s stunned gazes, an extraordinary Bluescale Eagle swept toward them, fast as lightning, and landed in the training grounds.
Su Yi, Ning Sihua, and Shen Jiusong dismounted, and they instantly became the center of attention.
“Su Yi!?” When she saw Su Yi, the look on Nan Ying’s beautiful face shifted, and she silently retreated, blending into the crowd of soldiers as if afraid Su Yi would notice her.
Li Moyuan was stunned too, but he said nothing. Inwardly, he felt rather conflicted.
Huang Qianjun was dumbstruck. He almost dared not believe his eyes.?What’s Brother Su doing here? ｂ𝚍𝚘𝚟ｌ.ｎｔ
Zhang?Yiren’s heart clenched.?This is bad!
Su Yi had just watched a vice commander of the Greenplate Army bully Huang Qianjun. How would this fallen immortal of a young man respond?