Pei Wugou had never actually intended to kill everyone in Cangbo Camp. What he wanted was to intimidate the army and make them obey him without question!
Now that he had achieved the desired effect, he said, “Since the generals have pleaded for mercy, I will spare your lives for the time being.”
“But listen carefully.”
“When I command an army, military discipline must always be strict!”
“From now on, should anyone commit another offense, regardless of what it is, I will show no mercy!”
“Is that understood?”
Whether they truly understood or not, faced with such a situation and such a warning, everyone shouted in unison, “Understood!”
“Good!”
Pei Wugou sheathed his blade and turned back toward the command tent.
Before going inside, he called out to Lu Chaosheng.
“General Lu, come here.”
“Yes!” Lu Chaosheng had just witnessed Pei Wugou’s ruthless methods and did not dare to be careless. He rose at once, ready to follow, but then glanced at his old subordinates.
He sighed.
Pausing, he turned around and said, “You fellows… be careful from now on. This Marquis is far too powerful. Don’t even think about trying anything foolish again. The Marquis is not someone you can afford to provoke!”
Only then did he hurry after him.
When he entered the command tent, he discovered that there were two marquises inside!
“It’s like this…” Deputy General Chen Song hurried over to explain the matter of the Shadow. Afterward, he said, “General Lu, not many people in the army know about the Marquis’s Shadow. The fact that he didn’t hide it from you today proves that he considers you one of his own.”
Lu Chaosheng nodded, though an absurd feeling rose in his heart.
He had actually found a Shadow for the sake of a woman?
More importantly, the logic behind this was bizarre!
Just because he did not want that woman to know his true identity, he had gone to such lengths?
Back when Lu Chaosheng had been hopelessly devoted to Ning Wanqin, he had never allowed it to interfere with military affairs!
Of course, with Pei Wugou’s oppressive presence still hanging over him, Lu Chaosheng did not dare say anything. He did not even dare let the slightest odd expression show on his face. He simply stood quietly to one side.
He waited for Pei Wugou and the Shadow to change clothes and wash themselves clean. Then… he watched Pei Wugou walk over.
“General Lu, are you free?”
“Come with me.”
Before Lu Chaosheng could answer, Deputy General Chen Song hurriedly nudged him and whispered, “The Marquis considers you one of his own. What are you waiting for? Agree!”
Lu Chaosheng immediately said, “At the Marquis’s command, I would gladly give my life!”
“Hahaha!” Pei Wugou seemed to be in an excellent mood. Now that he had washed himself clean, his face was radiant, and he laughed heartily. “Inside the tent, you may call me the Marquis, but…”
“From now on, call me Little Pei.”
“Or call me whatever you like. Just don’t be so formal.”
Lu Chaosheng quickly replied, “I wouldn’t dare.”
“What do you mean, you wouldn’t dare? That is a military order.”
“Then… all right. Yes, I accept your order!”
Pei Wugou acted as though he were determined to cultivate Lu Chaosheng as a trusted confidant. He led him out of the tent and headed straight toward the servants’ camp.
As soon as they arrived, a petite soldier with fair skin came hurrying out of the servants’ camp.
“Ah Wu, Ah Wu…”
Lu Chaosheng had spent many years with Ning Wanqin and witnessed her apply her “sorcery” to her face every day, so he recognized at a glance that this servant was a woman.
Remembering what Deputy General Chen Song had just told him, he immediately understood.
“Oh, this must be the woman named Wen He?”
“The Marquis brought me to meet the woman he loves. He truly considers me a trusted confidant…”
He had already figured out most of Pei Wugou’s intentions.
First, he had allowed Lu Chaosheng to remain idle at home and suppressed him.
Then he had promoted him and made him a trusted subordinate!
After that, how could Lu Chaosheng fail to devote himself to Pei Wugou wholeheartedly?
“The Marquis certainly knows how to win people over!”
Lu Chaosheng could understand the calculations behind Pei Wugou’s actions and see that they were driven by practical benefits. Even so… he still could not help feeling moved.
A Marquis like this was indeed worthy of loyalty.
As for the letter from General Zhang Shi…
“I’ll burn it when I get back. I’ll pretend I never saw it, so it won’t cause any more trouble.”
While he was thinking this, Pei Wugou had already embraced Wen He. The two of them looked as though they had not seen each other for three whole autumns, spinning around in each other’s arms without a care for anyone else.
It took quite a while before they finally stopped.
Only then did Wen He notice Lu Chaosheng standing nearby. She cried out in surprise, “Ah Wu, who is this?”
Pei Wugou took Wen He’s hand, his face full of tenderness, and introduced him. “Little He, this is General Lu Chaosheng, the famous general of Zhenjiang City. He’s my friend!”
“Wow!” Wen He exclaimed. “So you’re General Lu Chaosheng! I’ve heard your name for a long time. You’re truly amazing!”
Lu Chaosheng instinctively wanted to bow, but he caught Pei Wugou’s warning gaze and stopped himself.
“You’re too kind. My modest reputation is hardly worth mentioning.”
“General Lu, you’re so modest too.” Wen He spoke softly, her eyes sparkling. Then she turned to Pei Wugou. “Ah Wu, you’re amazing now too. You can even be friends with General Lu.”
“My Ah Wu is ten thousand times more impressive than I ever imagined.”
Pei Wugou felt as though he were bubbling over with delight at the praise.
But he pretended to be humble and said, “I’m only moderately capable. The important thing is that General Lu holds a high position and is still kind enough to treat little guards like us with such courtesy.”
“That’s right. General Lu is such a good person!” Wen He continued praising Lu Chaosheng. “No wonder good things always come in pairs, and happiness keeps arriving one thing after another.”
That left Lu Chaosheng dumbfounded.
“What do you mean, good things come in pairs?”
Wen He looked surprised. “General Lu, you didn’t know?”
“Could Ah Wu have heard it wrong?”
“Ah Wu said that the Marquis of Zhenjiang City has already promoted you and plans to place all matters, great and small, within Zhenjiang City under your management. From now on, you’ll be the highest-ranking person in Zhenjiang City beneath the Marquis.”
She paused, then said, “Ah Wu, didn’t you get it wrong?”
Pei Wugou immediately replied, “How could I? How could I have heard it wrong? It’s just that the matter hasn’t been announced publicly yet, so General Lu doesn’t know about it.”
Lu Chaosheng’s body shook.
Pei Wugou was truly placing his full trust in him!
To hand over every matter in Zhenjiang City to him was an astonishing display of confidence. He almost fell to his knees on the spot to thank Pei Wugou.
He managed to stop himself at the last moment and said, “So I really had not heard the good news. I never imagined that the Marquis would help me achieve what I had sought for so many years as soon as he arrived.”
“I truly have no way to repay the Marquis for this kindness…”
“I cannot possibly repay you!”
Pei Wugou knew perfectly well that these words were meant for him. Feeling rather pleased with himself, he continued, “As far as I know, the Marquis thinks very highly of you.”
“By the way, Little He, you said General Lu had two pieces of good news?”
“What is the other one?”
Wen He’s face lit up with joy. “Of course, it’s to congratulate General Lu on his marriage.”
“General Lu, you’re even about to ascend the throne, yet you haven’t announced it publicly. No one in the army knows yet!”
The moment Pei Wugou heard this, his face lit up with delight. He even gave Lu Chaosheng a friendly punch on the shoulder and said, “All right, Old Lu! Getting married is such a major occasion, yet you didn’t tell any of your brothers. Don’t tell me you never considered us brothers at all?”
“You have to treat us tonight.”
But Lu Chaosheng was even more bewildered. “Getting married?”
“What marriage?”
“When did I get married?”
Wen He smiled. “General Lu, stop pretending. Plenty of people saw her. Your childhood sweetheart, Miss Ning Wanqin, went to the Luan Shu Office.”
“That’s where people go to register their marriages.”
“Your bride went there. If she wasn’t registering a marriage, what else would she be doing?”
At this, a hint of chagrin appeared on Pei Wugou’s face.
So Lu Chaosheng had been going to register his marriage today. If only he had known that today was the most important day of Lu Chaosheng’s life, he wouldn’t have made his move today. He had ended up ruining Lu Chaosheng’s mood.
Even so, his opinion of Lu Chaosheng improved all the more!
On the day of Lu Chaosheng’s wedding, he had not said a word about it. The moment he heard Pei Wugou’s order, he had come straight to the military camp. A general like that was someone worth entrusting one’s life to!
But Lu Chaosheng…
His expression changed dramatically!
The Luan Shu Office?!
Ning Wanqin had gone to the Luan Shu Office?
The offices responsible for managing population records, landholdings, marriages, and changes to household registrations in various regions were known as Household Offices.
The Luan Shu Office was a department under the Household Office.
It dealt exclusively with marriage affairs!
Moreover, the Luan Shu Office had been established here in Yunjing and held an exceptionally high status. It was the place all lovestruck men and women dreamed of visiting most.
And now…
His childhood sweetheart, Ning Wanqin, had gone to the Luan Shu Office—yet he knew nothing about it?
…
uld barely embark on the path to immortality. Just as he was on the verge of death, his golden finger awakened. No matter whether it was poison, drained blood and vital energy, diminished lifespan, or any other physical debuff caused by paying a price—once midnight passed, everything would be refreshed. From then on, whenever someone asked what kind of person Chu Ran was, the answer was simple: Forbidden arts that other cultivators dared not learn? Chu Ran would learn them. Prices that even demonic cultivators dared not pay? Chu Ran would pay them. Lifespan that even righteous cultivators dared not burn? Chu Ran would burn it. All the blood essence in his body? Take it. Want both his hands and feet? He would cut them off and send them to you. You say he’s finished? He wasn’t built to sit idle. You think he’s gone mad? No—he was simply waiting for midnight. From that day onward, Chu Ran would respect neither Heaven nor Earth, bow to neither gods nor ghosts. He had only one wish: For midnight to arrive a little sooner.
s the Eldest Princess, renowned for her cold and aloof detachment, became the most docile of lambs, obeying his every command without question. But when the final move was played on the chessboard, as Gu Chenghan seized everything and ascended on the verge of apotheosis, that very Princess suddenly embraced him from behind, her tone carrying a dependence never heard before: "Wait... you haven't yet... commanded me to love you forever." Gu Chenghan froze abruptly. She... hadn't been hypnotized?! ... [The Eldest Princess's Diary] [When my soul was extracted, becoming the sole spectator outside my own shell] [At first, there was overwhelming fury, until I saw] [How he used my sword to effortlessly shatter my inescapable doom] [How he wielded my authority to eradicate fatal conspiracies I had never even detected] [Like a deity, he rescued me from the deep mire I was trapped in] [If not for those annoying vixens, he and I would be a match made in heaven] [I think I am ill, gravely ill] [My deity should belong to me alone] ... "Hypnosis? Oh, it succeeded, my dear Master." "Only this time, it's my turn to hypnotize you."
e vast world of cultivation, where he becomes the master of the Heavenly Ruins Sacred Hall, a dying old man with barely a tenth of his former cultivation remaining. He is immediately confronted with a deadly crisis: his subordinates have rebelled, and his protectors are forcing him to abdicate. At the critical moment, the system descends from the heavens: [Ding! The host has been detected facing a life-or-death crisis. The system is now officially activated!] [As a gift, you have received the Supreme Beginner’s Pack and awakened the ultimate cheat: ten thousand years of pure cultivation essence every second!] Yin Tianjue: “Wait… ten thousand years of cultivation every second? That’s six hundred thousand years a minute, and in one day… I can’t even calculate it. Either way, I’m already invincible!” You’re a peerless prodigy rarely seen in ten thousand years? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re an undying ancestor who has guarded a sacred land for countless ages? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. You’re the strongest chosen one, blessed with heaven-defying destiny? Sorry, I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. From this day forth, I have only one thing to say: “I gain ten thousand years of cultivation every second. Now, how exactly are you supposed to deal with that?”
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...
