Lin Wenhai’s first reaction was disdain.
True, he was somewhat wary of the other party’s identity, but one thing he was certain of was that this person possessed no internal force. Just like himself, he was purely an external martial artist.
And with just that, he dared to make a move?
The martial arts sects of the martial world were truly getting bolder these days. Or was it because the influx of rebel kings in recent years had caused many to forget the true might of the imperial court?
At this thought, Lin Wenhai prepared to draw his blade to teach this wandering martial artist a lesson. In his mind, he had already begun sketching out his moves—like what he should do to make a show of force and awe the enemy, and what cool line he should deliver afterward… and then his thoughts came to a dead halt.
Thud!
A perfectly round head hit the ground alongside the falling rain. A geyser of blood shot into the sky, dyeing the surrounding curtain of rain crimson and spreading a pungent, metallic stench.
In an instant, the surrounding commoners scrambled back in horror.
On the other side of the prison cart, the other constable responsible for escorting the prisoner, Liu Fuguan, was completely stunned. He didn’t snap back to reality until a few drops of fresh blood splattered onto his face.
One strike!?
He didn’t even see how the man had drawn his blade. He blinked, and Lin Wenhai—who was on par with him in strength—had been turned into a headless corpse.
An Internal Force Master?
No, impossible. If he was an Internal Force Master, he wouldn’t even need to draw a blade. Rather than internal force, it looked more like pure, brute physical strength.
“He’s crazy, he’s crazy…”
In the blink of an eye, Liu Fuguan had already sorted out his thoughts: This madman must be here to hijack the prison cart. He wants to save the prisoner. I can’t stop him…
At this thought, he rapidly jumped off the prison cart and moved out of the way. After all, he hailed from a wealthy, generations-long “good citizen” family in the city; his life was precious. Why would he throw it away for a condemned prisoner at the hands of a hot-blooded fool?
The priority was to preserve his own life, and then report to the county office to issue a warrant for this man’s arrest later.
However, right at that moment.
Beneath the oppressive dark clouds, a cloud-piercing signal arrow shot up against the rain, trailing a streak of fire from the ground, before finally exploding into a burst of colorful light in midair.
What was happening?
Barely a moment later, everyone inside and outside Longxing County—whether black-headed commoners or “good citizens”—clearly felt the tremors of the earth moving closer from afar.
Driven by some inexplicable intuition, everyone subconsciously began looking around, sensing an indescribable oppression permeating the air.
Soon, they spotted the source of that oppression.
At the far end of the horizon, beneath the hazy curtain of rain, a thin thread suddenly appeared. As time passed, it gradually thickened into a band.
Immediately after, the band split, resolving into densely packed silhouettes.
They surged forward like a bursting dam, blanketing more than half the plains. Their footsteps fell in perfect unison, their black armor blending with the color of heaven and earth.
Rumble!
The tremors grew increasingly violent. Even the dark clouds above seemed to flash with lightning and roar with thunder in perfect timing, as if beating war drums to cheer on this marching army.
“…Run!”
Finally, one commoner snapped out of it and, like a monkey with its tail on fire, abandoned the crowd and frantically fled in a panic.
This single act of fleeing instantly stirred up a massive wave.
All the commoners began to run. The black-headed commoners who had gathered to watch the spectacle scattered like birds and beasts. The scene descended into absolute chaos.
Yet, the approaching army didn’t waver in the slightest. Instead, they methodically deployed into a military formation. With every soldier acting as one cohesive unit, they transformed under the torrential rain into a primordial, savage beast, opening its gaping maw toward Longxing County, intent on swallowing it whole.
“Your Exellency, please issue the order.”
Just then, another figure stepped out from the crowd. Fully armored and armed, it was Wu Xintai, his expression as stern as a statue.
Liu Fuguan recognized him at a single glance.
After all, as the Commander of the 【Black Armor Battalion】, Wu Xintai was, if not a household name, at least widely known within the current Longxing County office.
“The 【Black Armor Battalion】 actually dares to kill a county office constable!?” Perhaps fueled by the terror of just witnessing his colleague’s death, Liu Fuguan’s voice pitched up eight octaves, becoming sharp and shrill. “A military encampment interfering in county town affairs, and even shedding blood? Are you planning a rebellion!?”
Upon shouting this, Liu Fuguan actually bolstered his own courage.
Because reason stood on the side of the county office.
Regardless of the circumstances, Lin Wenhai—a county office constable—was dead, and the perpetrator was connected to the 【Black Armor Battalion】. This was an indelible fact and evidence.
Under these circumstances, the 【Black Armor Battalion】 undoubtedly carried the suspicion of treason and the risk of losing control. Interrogating them was entirely reasonable and justified… Furthermore, he knew that His Honor the Magistrate had been nursing a headache over the 【Black Armor Battalion】 for a long time, constantly trying to figure out how to deal with them.
Now that he had caught them red-handed and seized a vulnerability, it would undoubtedly be a massive merit.
As for offending the 【Black Armor Battalion】, or even the military as a whole… What a joke. They weren’t even in the same system; what did it matter if he offended them?
Thinking of this, Liu Fuguan’s mind completely sprang to life.
Looking at Wu Xintai, he rapidly simulated the excuses the other party might make, how he should refute them, and how he would stand on the moral high ground to criticize him.
However, to his complete surprise.
“…Rebellion?”
Instead of defending himself, Wu Xintai burst into loud laughter. He then glanced first at Liu Fuguan, and then at Wang Ping standing beside him.
Boom!
The next second, Wu Xintai raised his massive hand. Surging internal force howled as he struck Liu Fuguan squarely in the chest, sending him flying backward through the air.
Before, when I had no military orders, you called it rebellion, and I couldn’t argue. Now that I act on military orders, what are you going to call it?
Rebellion? Right now, this is quelling a rebellion!
…
Longxing County, inside the county office courtyard.
Xu Bingzheng sat upright in the main hall, though not in the seat of honor. Instead, he respectfully served tea to a middle-aged scholar dressed in literati robes.
The middle-aged scholar took the teacup. He had barely taken a sip before furrowing his brows deeply. He immediately turned his head, grabbed a spittoon, and spat the tea out.
He shook his head and said, “Although this tea uses high-grade leaves and the tea set is passable, the person brewing it lacks skill. Their control over the heat is not refined enough.”
“What a waste of such premium tea leaves.”
By the end of his critique, the disgust on the middle-aged scholar’s face was undisguised. “He ruined a good pot of my tea. Junior Brother, you cannot keep this tea master.”
“Senior Brother Li is right.”
Xu Bingzheng hurriedly nodded, then sighed: “It is inherently difficult for a true master to emerge from these remote, harsh lands. It is only natural that their skills are unrefined. I apologize for making Senior Brother witness this.”
Only then did the middle-aged scholar nod. “Junior Brother, although you hail from the Imperial Academy, you are a scholar from Changle Commandery. This place is in Central Shu, far from the Central Plains. Lacking the edification of major aristocratic families, your foundation is still a bit shallow. Take this tea, for example—nurturing one’s health and entertaining guests are actually of paramount importance.”
“Tell you what. Once you and I finish this business…”
“…when we return to the Imperial Academy to report to our Master, I will send you a few master tea brewers to bolster your image, so you won’t lose face like you did today.”
“Then I thank you immensely, Senior Brother.”
Xu Bingzheng wore a look of profound gratitude, then sighed with emotion: “I didn’t expect that not only would Master not blame me, but he would even send you, Senior Brother. I, Bingzheng, will never forget this kindness.”
With that, Xu Bingzheng looked again at the middle-aged scholar and slightly narrowed his eyes. Faintly, he seemed to see a white-haired Xuan brush, dripping with ink, painting landscapes and rivers.
Ranked 104th on the Weapon Register, 【Landscape Brush】 Li Yiran.
Although they were both listed on the Weapon Register, being ranked 342nd and 104th were entirely different leagues. The difference in their strength was like heaven and earth.
Regarding this, the world had long reached a consensus.
The leading figures of various sects, and even martial grandmasters, had voiced their critiques, categorizing the 360 experts on the Weapon Register into three distinct lists.
The top 108 were the Human List, the top 36 were the Earthly List, and the top 5 were the Heavenly List.
Every leap to a higher list symbolized an explosive growth in a martial artist’s strength. The top five martial masters on the Heavenly List were even hailed as the Five Greats of the World.
One must know, a martial artist managing to stand out among all the martial masters in the world and land a spot on the Weapon Register was already considered a dragon among men.
To advance further among hundreds of dragons and rank on the three lists meant they were the chosen children of heaven.
Even placing at the very bottom was not something an ordinary person could compare to.
This represented not only a disparity in strength but a massive gap in status and position.
For instance, this Senior Brother Li of his—his father was the current Vice Minister of Rites, a third-rank official. In his ancestral home of Changzhou, the Li family even bore the lauded title “Li Half-Prefecture.”
He was completely beyond Xu Bingzheng’s reach.
And even casting all that aside, purely in terms of strength, a Human List martial master was more than capable of rivaling a regular imperial army battalion. They were a true one-man army.
At this thought, Xu Bingzheng grew even more respectful:
“Right now, the 【Black Armor Battalion】 is glaring at us like tigers outside the city, while I am severely injured. I truly toss and turn at night, terrified of ruining Master’s grand plan.”
“That is exactly why Master sent me.”
Li Yiran casually waved his hand. “More importantly, before I arrived, the county town was in chaos. Did anything go wrong with the grain collected from the autumn tax as a result?”
“Absolutely not!”
Xu Bingzheng said solemnly: “These past few days, I have personally overseen the granaries, ensuring that all the tax grain is safe and secure, untouched by those unruly peasants.”
“That is good.”
Li Yiran nodded in satisfaction. “Tax grain is a matter of state importance. The fact that you understand this will surely please Master. You don’t need to worry about anything else.”
“So what if a few black-headed commoners die? They will always repopulate.”
His tone was casual and dismissive, seemingly entirely unconcerned about the civilian unrest, rebels, or the corpses of the starved littering the fields outside the city, treating them as nothing more than a few lines of small text in a book.
However, right at that moment, a constable suddenly rushed into the hall in a panic.
“Your Honor! Terrible news, Your Honor!”
“What, has something happened?”
Seeing this, Xu Bingzheng frowned, but his mind quickly turned, and he realized what it was: “Did the street parade cause a disturbance? Did the 【Black Armor Battalion】 outside the city make a move?”
His words made it seem as if he had expected this all along.
Or rather, arranging this street parade inherently contained the intent of luring the snake out of its hole, using it to test the 【Black Armor Battalion】’s stance.
Now it seemed the 【Black Armor Battalion】 truly had reacted.
The constable delivering the report hastily said, “The 【Black Armor Battalion】 has mobilized in full force. They’ve probably already entered the city by now!”
Hearing this, Xu Bingzheng and Li Yiran didn’t panic. Instead, they exchanged a surprising glance before both revealing smug smiles.
“Entered the city? They’re courting death!”
“Since the 【Black Armor Battalion】 moved first, they can’t blame us.”
Li Yiran stood up directly, pulling a seal from his sleeve. He then summoned a Golden-Eyed Eagle, tied the seal to it, and released it to fly out of the county office.
“Rest assured, Junior Brother. The 【Scout Battalion】 is extremely close to here. With my Golden-Eyed Eagle delivering the message, they will march here immediately. They will definitely arrive within an hour—just in time to catch the 【Black Armor Battalion】 red-handed, convict them of deploying troops without orders, and solve this problem lingering outside the city.”
“Senior Brother truly calculates without missing a single detail.”
Xu Bingzheng flattered him, then calmly looked at the constable delivering the report and said, “Alright, steady yourself. You shouldn’t be the one panicking; they should be.”
A military battalion entering the city? What a joke!
According to the Great Shun Laws, no military battalion may mobilize without an order. In the entire world, the only military tallies capable of mobilizing the 【Black Armor Battalion】 are located in the Changle Commandery Prefecture and the capital.
He knew exactly where the tally in the Changle Commandery Prefecture was.
And the one in the capital was thousands of miles away, making it even more impossible.
Therefore, there was no doubt that the 【Black Armor Battalion】 was moving troops without authorization.
At this thought, Xu Bingzheng grew even more composed and chuckled softly: “Come, follow this official outside. Let’s see if the 【Black Armor Battalion】 truly has no regard for the law!”