The Huaizhou governor's efficiency was even faster than Zhou Yuan had imagined.
Or perhaps the combination of factors, such as the injury of subordinates, the exploration of secret realms, and the poisonous spiritual objects that could resist mind-controlling techniques, attracted the attention of the governor of Huaizhou.
After the news of Jing'an City was urgently sent to the Huaizhou camp, the Huaizhou governor's task force arrived at Jing'an City in just four days.
The leader of this team is the powerful military officer of Huaizhou Camp, Zhongwu Captain Pei Ji.
As soon as he arrived in Jing'an City with four provincial warriors, he took over the command from the Jing'an captain.
With the addition of Zhongwu Captain Pei Ji, the warrior team in Jing'an City reached 26 people.
Even if we exclude the injured Captain Jia, there are still twenty-five warriors who can continue fighting.
Therefore, the first thing that Zhongwu Captain Pei Ji did was to select the vanguard, that is, to re-select the exploration personnel.
Zhou Yuan, a non-warrior archer, was rejected by him at the first opportunity. He didn't even get a position in the battle preparation position and became a logistics staff member.
It’s no wonder that Zhongwu Captain Pei Ji is arrogant. It’s just that the idea that warriors are the strongest is deeply rooted in his mind.
When there are insufficient warriors, it is not a big deal to use a talented archer like Zhou Yuan.
There are still more than enough warriors now, and the Yin Gui Secret Realm is full of dangers. Every bit of combat power is crucial, so Zhou Yuan was naturally eliminated.
Cheng Fei and other warriors from the subordinate counties were quite dissatisfied with this situation, believing that their comrades were being treated unfairly.
Jing'an Captain Jiang Ren secretly instructed Zhou Yuan to return to the camp first and guard the military fort on his behalf.
"Zhou Yuan, Zhongwu Captain Pei Ji has come from afar and will not overly control the people of Jing'an.
But he did intend to dismiss you, and not only did I not argue, I went along with his proposal."
"This isn't me flattering my superiors and bullying my subordinates; it's simply because there are too many warriors in the prefecture, and I can't suppress them.
You are not a warrior, and your position is low. If you are allowed to fight fiercely, your outstanding performance will bring shame to the warriors of the prefecture; if you are too mediocre, you will be reprimanded and dismissed."
"In that case, it's better not to participate in the war commanded by the Zhongwu Commandant of this prefecture.
Don't end up working so hard and still being hated by them, which will affect your future promotion."
"We are subordinates of the Huaizhou camp. As long as we are still learning in the army, we cannot leave the Huaizhou governor and Huaizhou generals behind. There is no need to show off in front of them.
If you show off your power, they will be unhappy; if you show your humility, they will look down on you."
Captain Jing'an already regarded Zhou Yuan as his right-hand man and trusted general, so it was a rare opportunity for him to open up to him and give him advice.
The reason why he spoke so clearly was also related to Zhou Yuan’s age.
In his opinion, Zhou Yuan was just a young boy, and if he didn't take the trouble to guide him, he would probably become reckless.
"Yuan, thank you for your guidance, Captain. We will now retreat to the fort and await good news.
Furthermore, the ghosts in the secret realm are ferocious, and the ghost leader will certainly be even more difficult to deal with. I hope the captain and all the brothers will be careful and vigilant."
Zhou Yuan had already mastered the 'Kui Fighting Method' and the Three Kui Techniques, and had no intention of fighting to the death in the Yin Gui Secret Realm.
He also didn't think that the warrior team could kill the boss of the secret realm without any damage.
After all, the skills of the three Yin Gui Kui can form the "Kui Fighting Method", and most of the bosses in the secret realm will have this skill.
In addition, the secret realm boss is likely to have a recovery item like the "Skin of the God of the Temple", so it is not easy to defeat it.
Therefore, Zhou Yuan was not dissatisfied with withdrawing from the attacking team. At most, he could find another opportunity to attack in the future. There was no need to serve under unfamiliar officers.
Sure enough, Zhou Yuan's guess was correct. Two days after he returned to the camp, Captain Jing'an and the warriors from the subordinate counties returned to the military fort together.
They said that the demon in the secret realm has a human form and is most likely the source of the Painted Skin ghost.
Although it was difficult to deal with at the beginning, it was not impossible to deal with it. After the warrior team drank the cold black liquid to wake up and dispel the temptation, they were able to fight with it back and forth.
Just when they thought they could win with the absolute numerical advantage of twenty to one, the demon leader suddenly became violently stronger and injured several warriors.
The unyielding Zhongwu Captain mobilized his troops to attack again, but was still repelled by the violent demon leader.
As a result, the plan to attack the Yin Gui Secret Realm was temporarily shelved.
Captain Zhongwu Pei Ji took over the defense of the secret realm, and Captain Jing'an and the warriors from the subordinate counties were able to return to the military fort to rest.
"Humph, the Huaizhou camp is really unhappy. If they had sent a true master, we brothers wouldn't have been injured."
"Don't talk nonsense. The governor of Huaizhou is in charge of a region with many things to attend to. He cannot act rashly. How can he risk attacking the secret realm himself?"
The injured warriors from the subordinate counties complained continuously, and Captain Jing'an could only try his best to appease them and report his achievements to the provincial government, seeking some compensation and rewards.
In this unpleasant atmosphere, a few days passed and it was August 15th, which was also one of the most important festivals for the people of Wei, the Water Moon Festival.
Early that morning, Zhou Yuan saw the soldiers in the camp fetching water together with containers of various sizes.
He had never experienced the Water Moon Festival and was very curious about why everyone was doing this.
Military Commander Cai Cheng thought that he was born in a remote countryside and had no time and energy to celebrate the festival, so he patiently explained.
"Legend has it that within the bright moon in the sky live the Jade Rabbit and the Golden Toad. The Jade Rabbit represents good medicine, and the Golden Toad represents good fortune.
But they are usually very busy, and only on the night of the full moon and the Mid-Autumn Festival will they observe the various aspects of life in the countryside.
“Therefore, on the Water Moon Festival, people would fill containers with water to reflect the full moon in the sky.
I hope the Moon Rabbit will leave some medicinal liquid and the Golden Toad will leave some wealth, so that they can blend into the water reflecting the moon, drink it to nourish the body, and apply it to increase wealth.
What Cai Cheng said made sense. Just when Zhou Yuan thought this was a traditional festival of the Wei Dynasty, he suddenly changed the subject and spoke mysteriously.
"Those just mentioned are just folk tales. Let me tell you something more practical."
"The Wei Shu Tiandi Mi Lu records that on the 15th day of the eighth month, when the moon is reflected in water, a secret realm of the Moon Palace will appear with good fortune. Its location and time are unknown, but with good fortune, one can enter it.
If a warrior or a civilian accidentally enters the place, those who follow him are not allowed to pass through it, and they are not allowed to enter again after returning.
There are many medicinal rabbits and golden toads inside, both of which carry medicinal liquids and gold treasures. If you break them, you can take them; if you don't break them, you can't get anything."
This was the second time Zhou Yuan had heard the name "Wei Shu Tian Di Mi Lu". He was very curious about how much information about the secret realm was recorded in this book.
"Brother Cai, you actually have the Wei Shu Tiandi Mi Lu, could you lend it to me?"
"Brother, you're joking. The Wei Shu Tiandi Mi Lu records information about secret realms, which is even more important than the National Defense Garrison Map. How could I have such a thing?
I heard this from the Captain, who didn't have a complete copy of the Book of Wei, but only read some bamboo slips during his training in the capital."
"No, aren't you curious about the secrets of the Moon Palace? Why are you thinking about the Wei Book of the Imperial Canon?"
To say I'm not curious would be a lie.
But Zhou Yuan has a player's mindset, and this kind of extraordinary event is more like a festival activity to him.
Since it is a festival activity, there is no sense of mystery and wonder, so naturally we won’t look forward to it too much.
However, in order to respond to Cai Cheng's expectations and to integrate into the tradition and have fun with his comrades, he still responded.
“I am indeed curious. I will also go find some containers to hold the water reflecting the moon.
If I am lucky enough to enter the secret realm of the Moon Palace, I will definitely ask Brother Cai to bring back some medicine and gold."