Ignore the elderly's advice, and you'll face immediate consequences.

He asked, "Is it not an exaggeration?"

Zhang Shi quickly replied, "Great General, of course not."

"That year, the barbarians led an army of a hundred thousand south. Commander Lin kept the gates of Shanhe City tightly shut, refusing to ride out to meet them in battle in order to wear down the barbarians' patience, while simultaneously mobilizing reinforcements from all over the Northern Frontier."

"Xiang Gui was among them."

"But he had a fiery temper. Completely ignoring military orders, he charged into the barbarian camp all by himself."

"That year..."

Zhang Shi fell into his memories, his face full of shock. "This subordinate was watching right from the city walls. Many of the eight hundred soldiers behind us saw it too."

"This Xiang Gui wore heavy armor, and his horse was heavily armored as well, covered so densely that not even a breath of wind could pass through. Wielding his Drum-Beating Golden Hammers, he fearlessly slaughtered his way into the barbarian camp."

"Striking left and breaking through on the right, he turned the barbarian camp completely upside down!"

"That scene truly left us in absolute awe."

"We never imagined that a single general could be so fiercely valiant!"

"In that battle, it was precisely because of Xiang Gui's charge that Commander Lin was given the opportunity to crush the barbarians in one fell swoop, shattering their dream of marching south!"

"Although Xiang Gui was heavily injured after that battle—and would have lost his life had it not been for the protection of his heavy armor—that combat achievement still made the blood of the entire border army boil with excitement."

"They all respectfully called him the Hammer King of the Northern Frontier!"

"Even Commander Lin praised him endlessly and tried his utmost to recruit him into the Chifeng Army. He was constantly rejected, and later, for unknown reasons, Xiang Gui suddenly left the camp and disappeared."

Saying this, Zhang Shi looked toward Xiang Gui.

Although nearly twenty years had passed and the Xiang Gui before them was certainly past his prime, he was still not someone Zhang Shi could shake.

His eyes were filled with deep reverence and fear.

It also made Ren Tianye quite alarmed.

Charging in and out of a hundred-thousand-strong barbarian army seven times!

This was a pure, freaking humanoid weapon!

Even though he had the protection of heavy armor during his charge, this man still could not be underestimated.

Thus, Ren Tianye cupped his fists. "So it is General Xiang Gui. Please forgive my lack of respect."

"Hmph, as long as you know my name." Xiang Gui regained his face, his posture becoming even more arrogant. Without wasting words, he laid it out: "My disciple Ye Fan went to your Yunji City for a trip, and on his way back, you actually dared to hunt him down?"

"I think you're tired of living."

"Now, I will give you a path to survive."

"Roll off your horse immediately, swear that from now on you will loyally serve my disciple Ye Fan, and I can spare your dog life!"

"Otherwise..."

"Do not blame my hammers for showing no mercy!"

The expression on Ren Tianye's face was as calm as an ancient well.

From the moment this Xiang Gui charged out, he had guessed that Xiang Gui and Ye Fan likely had an extraordinary relationship, he just hadn't expected it to be a master-disciple relationship.

A master-disciple relationship?

A master-disciple relationship in a female-oriented romance novel?

He wondered if there was something special between the two of them?

After all, he had a deep impression of the special master-disciple relationships in female-oriented novels. It was just that the ones he had seen before were mostly male masters and female disciples. Now it was a male disciple and a male master, which seemed unlikely!

But that wasn't important.

What was important was...

Finding a way to kill him!

Observing Xiang Gui closely, he seemed to still possess his valor and strength and could not be underestimated. However, he wasn't wearing heavy armor, and the horse beneath him, though a warhorse, was relatively ordinary.

Then there was a chance!

"Hey, I'm talking to you! What are you dawdling for?"

"Can't you hear me?"

"Answer quickly, are you willing to pledge your allegiance to my disciple Ye Fan?"

"Or do you want to be hammered by me first, and then pledge your allegiance to my disciple Ye Fan?"

Pausing, his tone became leisurely, "To tell you the truth, my disciple Ye Fan has taken a liking to you. Of those my disciple has taken a liking to, no one has ever been able to escape the palm of my hand."

"However, this can be considered a stroke of good fortune for you."

"My disciple Ye Fan has the appearance of the sun and the heavens, astonishing talent, and his calculations never miss. In this time when the world is about to fall into chaos, he will definitely achieve great things in the future."

"Being able to follow him is a blessing earned over three lifetimes."

"You should be secretly laughing in your sleep at night!"

Xiang Gui babbled on for a long time, but seeing Ren Tianye remain motionless, his gaze calm as if he were calculating something, he suddenly frowned.

However, this time he didn't reprimand him, but instead said, "Ren Tianye, I specifically had someone ask around about you."

"I know that you are quite brave in battles against the barbarians, that you wield a Heaven-Piercing Halberd with masterful perfection, and that you possess peerless physical strength."

"You actually have a bit of my demeanor from back in the day!"

"I am also someone who cherishes and loves talent."

"If you come over and pledge your allegiance right now, and then gain my disciple Ye Fan's approval, I will consider teaching you my treasured Chaotic Cloak Hammer Technique holding nothing back!"

"What do you think?"

Ren Tianye smiled. "This junior is endlessly grateful for the old general's trust. However, this matter is of great importance and requires this junior to think on it a bit more. Please give me a little time, old general."

Having dealt with him like this, he quietly asked Zhang Shi, "In your judgment, looking at the three hundred men Xiang Gui brought behind him, is it possible that they have all been taught by Xiang Gui and each possesses half of his skills?"

Zhang Shi immediately shook his head. "Great General, that's impossible. General Xiang Gui and you are both exceptionally gifted. How could others easily learn that?"

"Furthermore..."

Zhang Shi's gaze narrowed. "Among those three hundred men, quite a few are former border soldiers. I recognize the one holding the iron shovel; he belongs to the border army ranks."

"I estimate that after the matriarchy ordered the disbandment of the border army, they had nowhere to go and somehow came to rely on Xiang Gui. However, Xiang Gui has extremely high prestige in the army, so it's not unusual for them to seek refuge with him!"

Ren Tianye felt relieved.

Good, good, good. As long as not everyone is the kind of fierce general who can charge in and out of an army seven times, it's fine.

He now had a good grasp of the situation in his heart.

Ye Fan had the aura of a protagonist. This Xiang Gui was just fierce, and probably didn't have the aura of a protagonist.

"Hey, have you thought it through yet?"

"Dawdling over such a small matter, are you going to make me keep waiting for you?"

Xiang Gui was clearly getting impatient. "Stop dawdling. I have crossed more bridges than you have walked roads. If you don't listen to an elder's words, you will suffer the consequences right before your eyes."

"Hurry up, dismount, drop your weapon, and come pledge your allegiance. Otherwise, I'll just have to let you eat a hammer first to extinguish your arrogance."

Feeling completely reassured in his heart, Ren Tianye revealed a smile and said, "General Xiang, this general has made up his mind."

"Trash like Ye Fan isn't even qualified to be a foot soldier for this general, yet he delusionally hopes this general will pledge allegiance to him? It's more like he's giving this general a good laugh!"

"You'd better take someone with a diseased brain like him back to your own home and worship him as a treasure!"

Xiang Gui instantly flew into a rage. "Ren Tianye, you dare insult my disciple? Good, good, good! Even if my disciple has taken a liking to you today, I will still kill you!"

He immediately waved his large hand. "Boys, retreat a hundred paces and clear the battlefield!"

"Today, if I let Ren Tianye last ten rounds under my hands, you can consider me useless."

The three hundred men behind Xiang Gui immediately accepted the order and complied.

Ren Tianye also swung the Heaven-Piercing Halberd in his hands. Waiting until Xiang Gui walked into the center of the field, he coldly commanded: "All three armies, hear my command!"

"Nock your arrows!"

"Fire!"

...