Ren Tianye smiled. “Zhang Shi!”
“I never said I was going to have you flogged.”
Zhang Shi stared at him in astonishment. “Then what did you mean, Duke?”
“I meant…” Ren Tianye said, “that I plan to hold a grand ceremony in the next few days. We’ll set up an altar, recount everyone’s achievements, discuss their merits, and reward the generals who distinguished themselves during the campaign to capture Yunjing!”
“And we’ll select one person to serve as an exemplary representative.”
“We’ll use him to inspire the entire army.”
“That way, when we attack the Yangtze defense line, our soldiers will fight with even greater determination.”
Zhang Shi seemed to catch on to what Ren Tianye was getting at. He couldn’t help asking, “Duke, the representative you mentioned… wouldn’t it be…”
As he said this, Zhang Shi could clearly hear that something was wrong with his own voice. His throat felt tight, but he still clenched his teeth and forced the question out.
“Of course it is…”
Ren Tianye’s gaze slowly swept across the generals in the tent before finally settling on Wang Ming beside him.
“Of course it’s General Wang Ming!”
“General Wang Ming’s achievements are extraordinary!”
“Ever since the campaign against Yunjing began, he was the one who captured Wusheng Pass!”
“He was the one who took Qingfeng Post, Luoyan Ferry, and Pingling Market!”
“He even captured Zhenjiang City, one of the fortresses in the Jiangbei defense network. He also personally captured two major figures—the Prince of Love of Yunjing and Marquis Jingyi Pei Wugou!”
“Such accomplishments are truly astonishing!”
“If he isn’t made the army’s example, then who is worthy of that honor?”
“If he isn’t chosen as our representative, then who could be?”
Ren Tianye looked at Zhang Shi. “You?”
Zhang Shi grimaced. “Your subordinate wouldn’t dare.”
“Exactly. You wouldn’t dare, and that would be the end of it, if only you hadn’t…” Ren Tianye gave him a faintly mocking smile. “If only you hadn’t done so many things!”
“While Wang Ming was attacking Wusheng Pass, you went around to the rear!”
“When Wang Ming captured Qingfeng Post, Luoyan Ferry, and Pingling Market, you complained about everything and refused to accept it!”
“And when it came to Zhenjiang City in the Jiangbei fortress network, General Wang Ming took it with ease—without suffering even a single battle casualty. But you…”
“You only captured a few unimportant positions.”
“You also wasted a tremendous amount of manpower and resources!”
“And consumed who knows how many military supplies!”
“Tell me, shouldn’t General Wang Ming be the one held up as the example?”
Wang Ming hurriedly stepped forward. “Duke, I was merely lucky. In truth, the credit belongs to everyone.”
“See that?” Ren Tianye pointed at Wang Ming. “He’s even more modest than you, and more magnanimous too. That makes it all the more necessary for me to commend him properly.”
“General Zhang Shi, what do you think?”
“I think…” Zhang Shi muttered gloomily, “that you’re right, Duke.”
“And at the same time…” Ren Tianye continued with a smile, “I intend to establish a negative example as well. General Zhang Shi, who do you think would be suitable?”
Zhang Shi’s tone grew even more miserable. “Me!”
“Duke, I—I’m the perfect choice to serve as the negative example!”
“Very clever!” Ren Tianye patted Zhang Shi on the shoulder. “Since you agree, then that’s what we’ll do.”
“I’ll hold the ceremony in the next few days. You must attend. In front of the entire army of two hundred thousand men, I’ll explain in detail how you wasted military supplies going around to the rear—and how you managed to go so far around that I had to send out several groups of men just to find you!”
“At the same time, you can tell everyone about the bet you made with Wang Ming…”
Zhang Shi had understood Ren Tianye’s intentions long ago. He merely wanted to expose Zhang Shi’s humiliating history, so that Ning Wanqin, Ruan Fei, and especially Zhou Mengyan, Grand Commander of the Yunjing Navy, would believe him.
For the sake of victory, Zhang Shi had already resolved himself to pay any price.
But…
Why did he have to say all that?!
Zhang Shi nearly collapsed. With a thump, he dropped to his knees and cried out miserably, “Duke, just have me flogged!”
“If one hundred strokes aren’t enough, make it one hundred and fifty!”
“Beat me!”
“My skin’s itchy—I want to be beaten!”
“I really do want to be beaten!”
Zhang Shi screamed as if his heart were being torn apart. Unfortunately, Ren Tianye paid him no attention. It wasn’t that Ren Tianye particularly wanted to rub salt into Zhang Shi’s wounds. The problem was that Zhou Mengyan could not be underestimated.
If Zhang Shi took one hundred strokes, there was a very good chance Zhou Mengyan would see through the ruse and realize it was an act of self-inflicted suffering. Besides, Zhou Mengyan had already been fooled once.
So…
They could only make Zhang Shi suffer a little.
There was nothing to be done. He had lost every bet he’d made, after all, creating a ready-made example. It would be a waste not to use him!
Ren Tianye left, and Zhang Shi became even more distraught.
The surrounding generals, however, gathered around him, their eyes filled with curiosity.
They knew something about the history between Zhang Shi and Wang Ming. But Wang Ming had never sought credit for himself, and Ren Tianye had always forbidden anyone from spreading rumors, so everyone knew only part of the story. No one knew the full picture.
Now, their curiosity had been thoroughly piqued.
“General Zhang Shi, what exactly happened? Why are you so worked up?”
“General Zhang Shi, it was only a flanking maneuver, wasn’t it? That was your own skill. It shouldn’t have upset you this much, should it?”
“Old Zhang, what’s the story? Is it really worse than being beaten a hundred times?”
“…”
Under the others’ questioning, Zhang Shi didn’t want to lose all his dignity, so he forced himself to stand and hurriedly left the main tent, returning to his own.
He had barely sat down when Lu Chaosheng arrived.
Wearing an ingratiating smile, he asked, “Um, General Zhang Shi, do you still have any of those little blue pills?”
Zhang Shi quickly composed himself. “I do. What’s the matter?”
“Give me some!”
“More?” Zhang Shi asked. “Old Lu, you’re not actually impotent, are you?”
“No, no, absolutely not!” Lu Chaosheng shook his head so violently that it was like a rattle drum, his face flushing red. “Absolutely not. Definitely not. I’m doing perfectly well!”
“It’s just that…”
“The Duke gave me orders to carry out a plan. I’m afraid I might not perform well enough, so I want some as a precaution. It definitely isn’t because I can’t do it!”
Zhang Shi said nothing.
Lu Chaosheng grew even more frantic. “General Zhang Shi, if you don’t believe me, I’ll take off my trousers right here…”
“Get lost!” Zhang Shi roared. He immediately had his guards bring over the medicine bottle, then shoved the whole thing into Lu Chaosheng’s hands. “Now get lost and carry out the Duke’s instructions.”
Only then did Lu Chaosheng leave. But when he reached the entrance of the tent, he paused, turned around, and said, “General Zhang Shi, I really…”
“Get out!”
Lu Chaosheng’s words were cut off, leaving him extremely frustrated. When he returned to his own tent, he was still feeling stifled and irritated.
Just then, he saw Ning Wanqin approaching. Without hesitation, he swept her up into his arms.
“What are you doing?” Ning Wanqin cried out in surprise.
“There’s going to be something major happening in the army. I may not have time in the next couple of days, so I want to spend some quality time with you today.”
Lu Chaosheng’s mind was working at lightning speed. With that one sentence, he had already completed half of the task Ren Tianye had assigned him.
Ning Wanqin immediately took notice when she heard this. “What major event?”
“Something huge!”
“Then tell me quickly… mmph… mmph…”
…
e, Immortal Body, Transmigration, System, Progression Fantasy, Academy Setting, Third-Person Perspective. Alternate Title: Transmigrating into a High Martial World and Reading Live Comments. Bad news: I transmigrated. This is a terrifying high-martial world, and my original, pathetically weak body fell into a coma and never woke up. Good news: I got a Popularity Points system upon arrival. I can see live comments and even create an unkillable alternate identity. Starting out, the alternate identity has all stats at 1. The system tells me that to grow stronger, I must participate in the plot, gain popularity points to allocate stats and grow stronger, and ultimately awaken my original body. And so, carrying my original body on my back, I officially entered Huaqing Academy, where the story's protagonist resides. From that moment on, Chen Guan kicked the original plot to pieces. Live Comments: [Doesn't anyone find this mysterious coffin guy creepy? He can summon indescribable grey misty hands.] [Is this guy a hero or a villain? What kind of onion became a spirit?] [By the way, does anyone know who's in the coffin? Shouldn't the debt for saving his life be repaid by now?] [According to unofficial histories, the person in the coffin was Chen Guan's first love. Their love was once passionate and earth-shattering, but they were separated by life and death due to worldly circumstances. What a star-crossed pair.] ... Years later, the world knew of a demon god born from a coffin, shrouded in grey mist, impossible to gaze upon directly. His foremost divine emissary often wielded a scythe, reaping lives like the god of death. As war approached, facing former friends and a boundless sea of enemies, Chen Guan merely raised his scythe. "Would you like to dance as well?"
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?”
world slacker. But a genius female disciple just had to get clingy, insisting that he take her as a disciple. Not only that, she was always making advances on him, thoroughly disrupting his peaceful slacker life...
