At the drill ground, Zhang Shi was fully armed and ready to depart.
Ren Tianye had taken time out of his busy schedule specifically to see him off. He first inspected the red-barreled cannons that would be brought along with the army, nodded, and said, On this journey, not only will the mountain roads be rugged, but there are also water routes. You must be extremely careful carrying these red-barreled cannons.
Rest assured, Duke, Zhang Shi replied with great confidence. With my armored cavalry, Yuancheng is already in the bag. Now that we have these red-barreled cannons, even if Yuancheng is impregnable, I will blast it open.
Xu Shang will not escape.
Mm! Ren Tianye nodded and asked, Then for this trip, is the horse you are riding suitable?
At the mention of this, Zhang Shi instantly could not help but feel a surge of anger.
His Snow Qilin!
He was supposed to be able to ride the Snow Qilin out this time, but the Snow Qilin was still recovering from its injuries. Even if it fully healed in the future, it would struggle with long-distance travel and was no longer suited for the exhausting conditions of the battlefield.
His wish had completely fallen through.
As a great general who conquers the grasslands and sweeps away enemy lairs, how can you not have a good horse? Ren Tianye smiled and gently waved his hand. His personal guards led his Night-Illuminating Jade Lion over.
Under Zhang Shi's bewildered gaze, Ren Tianye placed the reins of the Night-Illuminating Jade Lion into Zhang Shi's hands and said, This horse has fought alongside me for a long time. It is a peerless steed, and today, I bestow it upon you.
Remember, when you campaign in Yunjing in the future, use your brain more. Do not just rely on blitzkrieg tactics for everything!
Zhang Shi could barely hear what Ren Tianye was saying anymore. He subconsciously gripped the reins in his hands, and hot tears instantly welled up in his eyes.
In the next second, he fell straight to his knees. Duke, this cannot be. The Night-Illuminating Jade Lion is your mount and can keep you safe. How could I, your humble general, dare to accept it?
Ren Tianye laughed, Saying that simply means you look down on the personal guards trained by Wang Ming, and you underestimate my martial arts.
With all of you here, I no longer need to take the battlefield myself. Keeping this horse in my hands would only bury its potential. It is better to give it to you so you can establish even greater merits.
Besides...
It is not as if I have no other horses. The imperial steeds sent by the Empress are numerous enough.
Zhang Shi still tried to decline, but Ren Tianye gave him no further chance to refuse.
Reaching out to grab Zhang Shi, he exerted his strength and directly hoisted Zhang Shi onto the horseback. With a backhand slap to the Night-Illuminating Jade Lion, the horse let out a loud neigh, kicked up its four hooves, and galloped off across the dirt.
Sitting on the horse, with his hot tears yet to dry, a myriad of heroic sentiments surged in Zhang Shi's chest. He looked toward Yuancheng and let out a roar from the bottom of his heart.
Yuancheng, Xu Shang, your Grandpa Zhang Shi is here!
Watching from the side, Wu Xingzhou's heart was also filled with turbulent emotions.
If he had known earlier that the Duke was such a figure, why would he have bothered putting so much effort into managing Pingling Market? He would have led his men to surrender long ago.
Was not following the Duke infinitely better than risking his life for Yunjing?
No, it was ten thousand times better!
Once the matters in Huaian City are settled, the grand army will have to advance on Pukou City. When that time comes, I must fight for the position of vanguard. If I can take Pukou City, I will also receive a reward from the Duke!
Thinking of this, Wu Xingzhou grew increasingly anxious and excited inside.
He did not dare to dream of receiving the same treatment as Zhang Shi. After all, he was a surrendered general, and today was his first time formally meeting the Duke.
The reward he desired was nothing more than for the Duke to give him some pointers on his halberd techniques.
After all, the Duke also wielded the Sky-Piercing Halberd.
Wu Xingzhou!
Just as he was lost in thought, he heard Ren Tianye's voice and hurriedly responded, Your subordinate is here.
I heard you have studied quite a few ancient texts?
In the military camp, discipline must be strictly maintained. You are not allowed to recklessly propagate these ancient texts you have studied and disturb the morale of the army, do you understand?
Wu Xingzhou quickly replied, Yes, Duke, your subordinate understands! Your subordinate understands!
Good that you understand.
Ren Tianye reached out and knocked on Wu Xingzhou's head three times, then walked away in public with his hands clasped behind his back.
Wu Xingzhou was somewhat stunned, but then he fell into deep thought!
Meanwhile, upon returning, Ren Tianye ran into Su Jin at the door, who had come to report.
Looking up, Ren Tianye asked calmly, Have you investigated everything clearly?
Yes, Duke, everything has been thoroughly investigated. There are a total of one thousand three hundred and forty-five people, without a single omission. Their addresses, family members, and identities have all been verified through City Lord Xu Xia, with no mistakes.
Ren Tianye then asked, What about the manpower? Are they in position?
Su Jin replied, Duke, from the moment we began the search, your subordinate sent someone to deliver a pigeon message to Fu Moyu at Wusheng Pass. She has replied and is leading her people here without rest, currently on the way.
If we strike tonight, coordinating with our soldiers, we can absolutely catch everyone in one fell swoop at the exact same time. Not a single beguiling demon will be missed.
Ren Tianye nodded in satisfaction.
This Fu Moyu, although her name meant slacking off, did not slack off in the slightest when it came to doing things.
He said, Then let us begin!
Yes, Duke!
...
At night, the darkness was profound.
Wangchun Pavilion.
The tavern boss and the waiter swept away their past exhausted demeanor and looked full of energy.
They were extremely polite and attentive to the people from the Huaian City Love Mutual Aid Alliance, showing none of their usual reluctance to deal with them.
However, there was a hint of pity in their eyes.
During the day, hundreds of people would swarm in here, but right now, there were only a few individuals, which was a bit of a shame.
Nevertheless, according to his observations, these few individuals were the most prestigious members of the Huaian City Mutual Aid Alliance, and they were the organizers of the current unrest in Huaian City.
Come to think of it, his contribution would definitely not be small.
Boss, please step out. We have some matters to discuss.
Young Master Qi issued an order for him to leave.
Alright, Young Master Qi. Please go ahead with your business. If you need anything, just call for me.
The tavern boss exited the private room but did not go far, waiting right at the door with the waiter.
And inside the private room, Young Master Qi was already giving a summary speech.
Judging from the situation today, what we have done has been highly effective. Now, more and more people in Huaian City are supporting us.
Ren Tianye's delusional plan to kill Lord Zhou Zhi and Xu Qin, as well as his scheme to burn down the Hongluan Wenyuan Pavilion, will absolutely be thwarted.
Next, we must make persistent efforts.
We will proceed to implement the third set of plans!
Just as Young Master Qi was shouting enthusiastically, the door to the private room was suddenly kicked open with a loud bang.
Being interrupted, Young Master Qi was quite displeased.
He directly frowned and cursed angrily, Did we not say not to disturb us?
You people...
He suddenly stopped talking, because the people who appeared before him were not the tavern boss and the waiter as he had imagined, but a group of individuals who looked extraordinary.
He could not help but ask, Who are you?
What do you want?
In the lead was a petite woman wearing the uniform of the Demon Suppression Division, looking valiant and heroic. Hearing this, she smiled and said, Demon Suppression Division, here to invite you for tea!
Young Master Qi: ???
Fu Moyu immediately ordered, Take all eight of these people back. The boss wants to treat them to tea!
Yes!
The Demon Suppression Guards immediately took action.
Young Master Qi turned pale with fright and immediately began to shout, "I am a member of the Love Mutual Aid Alliance! I am innocent..."
Slap!
A Demon Suppression Guard struck him across the face, slapping him so hard he saw stars. Before he could recover, a sharp pain shot through his arms as the guard twisted them behind his back and pinned him down.
The other men suffered the exact same fate.
They were swiftly apprehended and hauled off to the great prison!
At that very moment, similar scenes were unfolding all across Huai'an City!
...
Bang, bang, bang!
"Who is it? Why are you knocking on doors in the middle of the night? Stop making such a racket! Do you have any idea how tired I am after working all day? My voice is hoarse from shouting, and my legs are worn to the bone! I need my damn sleep!"
"Open up! The Demon Suppression Division is here to deliver some warmth!"
"Deliver my ass! Do you have any public decency? Making all this noise and fuss! Don't I need to sleep? Don't the neighbors need to sleep? Everyone has to work tomorrow. Get lost, you scumbags!"
Crash!
With a loud boom, the door was smashed into pieces.
A Demon Suppression Guard and three soldiers stormed inside. They marched straight into the shop's main hall, grabbed the young man who had set up a makeshift bed on the floor, and hauled him to his feet.
Without hesitation, the guard backhanded him across the face.
"Damn it, you're just a hired night watchman! When I tell you to open the door, you open the damn door! You made me break this poor shop owner's door for nothing!"
"O-officers?"
"Take him away. Throw him in the prison and let him truly feel our warmth!"
The leading Demon Suppression Guard waved his hand, and the soldiers escorted the young man away. The guard lingered behind for a moment to offer a word of comfort to the shop owner, who had just rushed out in a panic, and casually tossed down some money to pay for the broken door.
Only then did he swagger away!
...
lanned to earn money steadily and take life at a slower pace. But he never expected... his father's remarriage, and the stepmother bringing along a dependent, would completely disrupt his life's plans...
ut it can buy an entire year of absolutely perfect training results! Su Yu stared at his empty wallet and decisively opened up various online loan platforms. “Borrow a thousand bucks! Recharge my vitality!” Boom! His vitality broke a hundred points, shattering the limits of the human body! “Borrow ten thousand bucks! Recharge my combat skills!” Boom! A basic punching technique so common it was everywhere instantly maxed out, revealing the ultimate assassination technique of Five Elements Unity—Inner Force! When a rich kid hired assassins for a midnight ambush, aiming to break both of his legs, they instead ran headfirst into a monster—a human-shaped tyrannosaur, brimming with dragon-like vitality. With just two fingers, Su Yu snapped a steel staff reinforced with alloy. Staring at the killer’s stash of stolen cash—a staggering quarter-million dollars—he showed a corporate-sincere smile: “Thanks for the pre-exam gift pack, Mr. Zhao! I’m gonna go re-invest this!” Three days later, at the National Martial Arts College Entrance Exam, while everyone else struggled just to reach the passing line, Su Yu threw a single punch—and more than a thousand vitality points literally detonated the entire arena!
lity and could only live as an ordinary mortal. He only wished to live a peaceful life. Yet he didn't know— The dog he adopted, because it ate his food, became a legendary demon king. The kitchen knife he casually forged became a peerless divine weapon, causing numerous experts to fight desperately for it. The young disciple he took in became an immortal lord that led an era, due to cultivating the techniques Ye Feng taught him. Even the skeletons he looked down on the most were ominous demon kings that suppressed countless worlds. Many years later, looking at the void shattered with a punch, Ye Feng murmured to himself: It turns out the peerless kings were myself all along...
transmigrates into the world as the sect master of the Heavenly Yan Sect, which is on the verge of being wiped out. He binds a system that grants him cultivation power based on the number of disciples he has: for each disciple, he automatically gains a year's worth of cultivation every single day! Take one disciple: every day he gains 1 year of cultivation power. While others struggle through a year of bitter training, he gets the same just by sleeping through a single night. Take ten disciples: every day he gains 10 years of cultivation power. Foundation Establishment, Core Formation, Nascent Soul—he breezes through all bottlenecks without lifting a finger. Take one hundred disciples: every day he gains 100 years of cultivation power. Even a Soul Transformation Venerable before him can’t survive a single blow. Take ten thousand disciples: every day he gains 10,000 years of cultivation power! With a wave of his hand, he topples empires. With a single step, he crushes the sacred grounds of the universe. ... While others fight tooth and nail for secret techniques, Lin Yan casually hands out Nascent Soul-level cultivation manuals as beginner textbooks. While others strain to find talented recruits, Lin Yan opens his doors to anyone—so long as they’re human. In just three short years, the Heavenly Yan Sect went from a backwater sect made up of three crumbling huts to a sacred land that every cultivator under heaven would kill to enter. ... One day, otherworldly demon gods invade, with a million demon soldiers pressing down upon the realm. Lin Yan, yawning, rises from his lounge chair and glances at the system panel: [Current Disciples: 1.28 million] [Daily Cultivation Increase: 1.28 million years] He waves his hand casually, and the countless demon soldiers are reduced to ashes in an instant. “So noisy… interrupting my fishing.”
