Ren Tianye looked at Su Jin.
Su Jin immediately gave a slight nod.
Ren Tianye's heart surged with joy.
Now, Pukou City was like a fish trapped in a net.
He turned around and shouted to Zhang Shi, "In the coming days, I will launch a full-scale assault on Pukou City, and we must take it as quickly as possible.
Once we capture Pukou City, our imperial army will hold one side of the Yangtze River, facing Yunjing from across the river. At that point, we will truly be able to advance or retreat at will, standing completely invincible."
Fixing his gaze on Zhang Shi, he barked, "Who is willing to help me take Pukou City?"
Zhang Shi immediately clasped his fists: "Lord Duke, I am willing to lead troops and capture Pukou City."
Just as Ren Tianye was about to agree, Wu Xingzhou, who had followed, knelt on one knee: "Lord Duke, I am a new recruit, and I am deeply grateful for your guidance on spear techniques. This time, I am willing to lead the troops to take Pukou City to repay your kindness."
Looking at Wu Xingzhou's determined expression, Ren Tianye suddenly understood. So that's why Wu Xingzhou had rushed over in such a hurry—he had learned that Wanqing was the wife of the Pukou City defender, and now he was eager to earn some merit!
While he was thinking, Zhang Shi's voice rang out: "Oh? Wu Xingzhou, you dare to compete with me?"
Wu Xingzhou replied calmly, "General Zhang, I deeply admire your campaigns to sweep the grasslands and pacify the steppes. I would never dare to contend with you.
But as a newcomer, I am eager to establish my achievements."
Zhang Shi snorted coldly, dismissing Wu Xingzhou.
When it came to vying for battle opportunities, even Wang Ming had to yield to him. Among his former brothers, only Sun Xiang could hold an edge over him.
Wu Xingzhou wanted to compete with him?
Ha! He would show Wu Xingzhou what it meant to be an ant shaking a tree—utterly overestimating himself.
So he, too, knelt on one knee and said, "Lord Duke, I am willing to sign a military pledge. If you grant me ten thousand men and twenty cannons, I swear I will take Pukou City within a month."
The moment he finished, Wu Xingzhou immediately shouted, "Lord Duke, I am also willing to sign a military pledge. If you grant me just a thousand men, I swear I will take Pukou City within three days."
Zhang Shi's face showed shock.
Brother, Pukou City had a circumference of ten li, was situated on high ground, and was fortified like an iron fortress. Even I needed ten thousand men and a month just for a chance to take it.
But you...
A thousand men? Three days?
The shock in Zhang Shi's heart was immense. It was as if he were seeing Wu Xingzhou for the first time, and he gave him a thorough once-over.
Still, he couldn't lose face, so Zhang Shi clasped his fists again: "Lord Duke, I only need eight hundred men, and I'll take it in three days."
Wu Xingzhou immediately followed: "Lord Duke, I'll go alone, and I'll take it in one day!"
Zhang Shi was completely stunned.
One man, one day, to take Pukou City?
He couldn't help blurting out, "Wu Xingzhou, there are no jokes in the army!"
Wu Xingzhou said firmly, "No jokes in the army. I am willing to sign the military pledge."
At this, Zhang Shi was truly dumbfounded.
Shouting out "eight hundred men, three days to take Pukou City" was already a huge risk, requiring an extremely daring strategy.
But now, Wu Xingzhou had claimed he could do it alone in one day, and he was even willing to sign a military pledge!
He really couldn't compete with that.
"Fine, brother, you're ruthless!" Zhang Shi slapped Wu Xingzhou hard on the shoulder and said, "I concede. I'll just watch how you take Pukou City in one day!"
Wu Xingzhou was overjoyed.
Since Zhang Shi wasn't competing anymore, it was unlikely anyone else would.
He knelt and kowtowed: "Lord Duke, please grant my request. I will take Pukou City alone in one day."
Ren Tianye, still standing, looked somewhat helpless, and Su Jin shared the same expression. Su Jin leaned close to Ren Tianye and said quietly, "I didn't mention anything to Wu Xingzhou, but as soon as he heard that Wanqing's husband was called Zhou Xiong, he rushed over, grinning all over."
Ren Tianye sighed.
When he glanced at Zhang Shi, the helplessness in his eyes deepened.
Over these days, Zhang Shi had clearly improved, but not enough. Wu Xingzhou, upon hearing the name "Zhou Xiong," had reacted instantly.
And you, dammit, still haven't figured it out!
Ren Tianye wouldn't show undue favor to Zhang Shi, so he agreed to Wu Xingzhou's request and said, "In that case, the task of taking Pukou City is entrusted to you."
"Yes, Lord Duke!" Wu Xingzhou's face lit up even more. "But I have one small request: please hand over that woman, Wanqing, to me."
Ren Tianye was about to agree, but Zhang Shi spoke first: "Oh? You haven't even won the battle yet, and you're already asking the Lord Duke for a woman? Hah, I heard you have a nickname like 'King of the Wheel of Reincarnation'—so eager, are you?"
These words were clearly said out of anger, but Wu Xingzhou didn't indulge Zhang Shi. He smiled and said, "General Zhang, you misunderstand. I don't want Wanqing for personal desires.
It's just because her husband is called Zhou Xiong."
"So what if he's called Zhou Xiong?" Zhang Shi said. But as the words left his mouth, he felt the name "Zhou Xiong" sounded familiar, though he couldn't recall where he'd heard it.
"Zhou Xiong is the defender of Pukou City!"
Zhang Shi: "What?"
"Zhou Xiong is the defender of Pukou City!"
Wu Xingzhou emphasized it again.
Zhang Shi was stunned.
He instinctively turned to look at Ren Tianye, but Ren Tianye ignored him. He was talking to Su Jin and walked away with long strides.
Wu Xingzhou glanced at Zhang Shi's expression, not daring to offend him too much, and said with a flattering smile, "General Zhang, how about we join forces and attack Pukou City together?"
"No need!" Zhang Shi stood up and turned to leave. He hadn't gone far before he bumped into Wang Ming.
"Old Zhang, what's wrong? I heard we're attacking Pukou City. Is it that difficult?"
"Hmph, I'm not fighting for Pukou City anymore. That Wu Xingzhou is the vanguard."
"Oh?" Wang Ming was pleasantly surprised. Wu Xingzhou had initially come to him, and it was he who had recommended Wu Xingzhou to Ren Tianye. In that sense, Wu Xingzhou was his man. "I didn't expect Wu Xingzhou, a newcomer, to dare take on such a big responsibility.
I hope he can perform even half as well as you, General Zhang, and earn some recognition from the Lord Duke."
Zhang Shi: "..."
He shot Wang Ming a fierce glare, then walked away gloomily. Out of habit, he found a rock to sit on, his face full of sorrow, looking utterly dejected.
He thought about falling back on his old habit—doing a fortune-telling for himself.
But his fortune-telling skills were barely half-baked, not even good enough to fool others, let alone himself.
"Sigh!"
"Sigh!"
"Sigh!"
He sighed several times and sat there blankly for an hour until his personal guards came looking for him.
"General Zhang, the Lord Duke summons you!"
"It seems he has an important task for you."
……
ine. During your journey, you save an abandoned baby girl and become her elder brother】 【You rely on each other, becoming each other's support】 【At the end of the simulation, you shield the now-grown girl with your life, sacrificing yourself to block numerous demonic cultivators. You die, and the light in the girl's eyes fades】 …… 【Second Simulation: You are transported to a world where steam and magic coexist】 【You immerse yourself in the study of magic, obsessed with its research. One day, while out, you encounter a half-blooded demon girl wandering the streets. You take her in as your student】 【You teach the demoness what it means to be human, show her the beauty of the world, and nurture her into a miracle that surpasses even the gods】 【At the end of the simulation, you die of old age in front of the nearly immortal demoness due to your mortal lifespan】 …… One simulation after another, one encounter after another. Xu Xi suddenly felt something was off: "Wait, you said you're coming to the real world to find me?"
ing gift was a patch of barren land, and disciples were all picked up along the way. He spent fifty years diligently building three "ramshackle little sects," thinking he could finally live a carefree life relying on his disciples. But right at the fifty-year mark, he was suddenly swept away by a spatial rift and exiled to the Chaos Desolation, the Disorderly Ruins. There was no spiritual energy there, only slaughter. Relying on the cultivation feedback from his disciples, Gu Changyuan hacked his way through a sea of blood for eleven hundred years. When the system finally fished him back out, he discovered the ramshackle little sects he'd built back then had developed a rather... unusual style. Hold on... I vanished for a thousand years, so how did my ramshackle little sects become holy lands?!
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...
