Chapter 49: An Assignment to a Special Camp

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Not long afterward, a middle-aged man entered the command tent from outside, accompanied by two personal guards. He wore armor, yet carried himself with the air of a scholar, and held a book in his hands.

“Lord Zhang!”

Everyone in the tent rose and greeted him respectfully.

The middle-aged man nodded, walked to the seat of honor, and sat down without ceremony.

His name was Zhang Ci. In Cloudrise City, he oversaw the recruitment of new soldiers at the various camps and was responsible for assigning the recruits. That was why so many people treated him with such respect.

If they offended him, he could easily stuff their camps with a bunch of useless soldiers and make them suffer for it.

Zhang Ci placed the book on the table before him and slowly opened it.

Without wasting any time on pleasantries, he said, “More than eight thousand people took the recruitment examination yesterday.”

“Of those, 3,121 passed the physical test without possessing any cultivation.”

“Two hundred and thirty-eight possessed cultivation.”

“Five hundred and sixty-nine possessed special skills.”

“That makes a total of 3,928 recruits.”

At this point, Zhang Ci raised his head and looked at everyone else.

“At present, after deducting the soldiers lost previously, the various camps of the main army should have more than eight thousand men in total. That is enough to make up for the army’s losses.”

“Now, report how many men each of you needs.”

The moment he finished speaking, the tent fell strangely silent. Everyone exchanged glances, and the only sound was their breathing.

Suddenly, one man stood up and said, “Lord Zhang, I request two hundred men for my camp. I’m not asking for much—half with cultivation and half ordinary soldiers will do.”

As soon as he said this, everyone turned toward him, their eyes widening.

They were all thinking the same thing: What an insatiable bastard. He wants to swallow that many men all by himself.

The next moment, another man stood up.

“You command a mere camp of seven hundred men, yet you dare swallow so many recruits. Can you even digest them?”

“If you ask me, your requirements suit me perfectly. I command a reinforced camp of a thousand men, and I’m short-handed.”

Another man immediately retorted from the side.

“Reinforced camp? Who was it that got his rear torn open by the barbarians last time? And who was it that saved you? If you dare take that many, I’ll swallow every recruit left over.”

“You looking for trouble?”

“So what if I am? Have you forgotten that you still owe me three hundred fine horses? You said you wouldn’t repay me, and that was the end of it.”

“Go to hell! I haven’t even mentioned how you robbed me of my spoils!”

“I robbed you. So what? You owed me.”

“Damn you. You want to have a go?”

“Come on, then.”

At that moment, a clod of dirt flew out of nowhere and struck one of the men in the forehead.

The scene fell silent for a moment.

The clod had done little damage, but the humiliation was immense.

The camp commander touched the dirt on his forehead. His face shifted from green to black, then from black to red. Suddenly, he slammed his palm onto the table.

“You dare hit me? Then forget the recruits! I’ll beat you half to death today!”

To his surprise, the man opposite him showed no fear. He immediately overturned the table.

“Then forget the recruits! I’ve put up with you long enough!”

In the blink of an eye, the two commanders collided and began grappling.

Their fight seemed to ignite the anger of everyone else in the tent. Those on good terms with one man rushed to help him, while those friendly with the other joined in as well.

One fight led to another, until more than thirty camp commanders were embroiled in a massive brawl.

At the seat of honor, Zhang Ci remained perfectly composed before the table. He even had the leisure to pour himself a cup of tea.

One of his guards could not help asking, “My lord, aren’t you going to stop them?”

Zhang Ci raised his head, wearing the calm expression of a man who had long since grown accustomed to such scenes.

“Stop them? Let them fight. They do this every year when they meet.”

“There’s an advantage to letting them fight. It burns off all the resentment and anger they’ve accumulated over the past year. Only then can they discuss matters properly. Otherwise, if they began negotiations directly, do you believe they could settle this within a month?”

The two guards were dumbfounded.

So there was actually a reason for this?

Then again, anyone qualified to become a camp commander in the Marquis of Northern Suppression’s direct army had to possess at least the strength of the Innate Realm.

If they truly fought seriously, this would hardly be a harmless scuffle.

The guards had also noticed that the commanders were engaging only in hand-to-hand combat. None of them had used their internal energy. It seemed they were genuinely venting their anger and exhausting themselves.

Half an hour passed quickly.

The brawl in the tent was finally nearing its end.

Those who still wanted to fight remained standing and continued. Those who had had enough simply sat on the ground and watched.

At last, when the final two commanders dropped onto their backsides, the battle came to an end.

The movement of their hands had stopped, but their mouths were still active.

“Damn it, who bit me on the ass?”

One commander reached back and felt a bite mark.

But when he glanced at the man beside him, his curses abruptly ceased. The other man’s clothes had been torn open across his chest, revealing two rather conspicuous—

“If you want to laugh, then laugh.”

The commander clutching his chest glared at the others, whose faces had turned crimson.

“Hahahahaha!”

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At those words, everyone around him burst out laughing.

Each of them had suffered a few minor injuries, but nothing serious.

At that moment, Zhang Ci’s voice rang out.

“Are you finished? If you are, hurry up and clean up. Otherwise, you can forget about getting any recruits this time.”

“I might as well recommend that General Shen establish several new camps and separate you all.”

Hearing this, everyone immediately scrambled to their feet and began putting things in order.

Before long, they were all seated once more in their places, and the atmosphere in the tent was no longer as tense as it had been at the beginning.

“Good.” Zhang Ci swept his gaze across them. “Now speak to me properly. Anyone who starts shouting can leave.”

Seeing that no one was about to lose his temper again, he continued, “Then we’ll begin with the first person—”

Before he could finish, the tent flap was suddenly lifted, and a soldier hurried inside. He quickly approached Zhang Ci and whispered something into his ear.

After listening, Zhang Ci paused in surprise, then nodded.

“Invite him in.”

The soldier left. Soon afterward, the tent flap was lifted again, and a young man who appeared to be just over twenty entered.

When everyone present saw him, they froze for a moment, then immediately rose to their feet.

“Deputy Captain Qi, what brings you here today?”

Zhang Ci stepped forward to greet him.

The young man clasped his hands and said, “Lord Zhang, I have come on a mission.”

“Oh? What mission has General Shen given you?”

Zhang Ci immediately grew interested.

The young man glanced at the others and slowly said, “I’ve come to select a group of reserve personal guards for General Shen.”

The others in the tent were stunned.

Once they recovered, their expressions became rather ugly.

It sounded pleasant enough to say that he had come to select candidates, but in truth, he was here to take recruits away from them.

Zhang Ci showed little reaction. He merely asked, “As far as I know, General Shen’s personal guard unit has always been in good order. Why is he suddenly recruiting?”

The young man answered bluntly, “My master will soon be transferred and will take some men with him, so we are preparing replacements in advance.”

“Oh.” Zhang Ci looked surprised. “Why would he suddenly be transferred? Could it be that—”

A flash of shock appeared in Zhang Ci’s eyes as he stared at the young man.

“Deputy Captain Qi, have you broken through?”

The man surnamed Qi smiled faintly.

“I was fortunate enough to break through recently.”

“Ah!”

Upon hearing the confirmation, Zhang Ci drew in a sharp breath.

He had heard of this young man’s illustrious past.

His name was Qi Sheng, and he came from the Qi family of the imperial capital. In his youth, he had been a famous prodigy there.

He had become an Innate martial artist at the age of twenty. Until recently, he had been at the middle stage of the Innate Realm, yet now he had broken through to the late stage.

An Innate martial artist at twenty-three years of age—no wonder his master was being transferred. He was clearly making way for his own disciple.

Suppressing his shock, Zhang Ci said frankly, “Everything takes priority when it concerns General Shen. Captain Qi, you may select candidates first.”

His tone had become far more cordial.

An Innate martial artist at the late stage at only twenty-three would certainly reach the Grandmaster Realm in the future, and might even glimpse the Great Grandmaster Realm. There was no disadvantage in befriending someone like that.

Besides, Qi Sheng had come on official business.

Once Zhang Ci had spoken, the other commanders had nothing more to say.

They could afford to offend no one less than this young man.

Although he was merely a deputy captain, he belonged to the personal guard unit and was always at General Shen’s side. His master was also the captain of that unit, a martial artist who had reached the threshold of the Grandmaster Realm.

Someone like him was not merely beyond the reach of these camp commanders. Even many generals had to treat him with courtesy.

After all, who knew whether something they should or should not say might find its way from his lips to General Shen’s ears?

Zhang Ci was not stingy. He pushed the book on the table across to Qi Sheng.

Qi Sheng did not stand on ceremony—or perhaps he simply had no need to.

Zhang Ci asked, “How many reserve personal guards does General Shen require?”

As he flipped through the book, Qi Sheng replied, “My master should be taking eight personal guards with him, so I need eight reserve guards as well. Does Your Lordship have any promising candidates for me to look over?”

Promising candidates?

Zhang Ci thought for a moment, then said, “Speaking of promising candidates, there is indeed one.”

“What sort of candidate?”

“He can lift a five-hundred-pound stone weight with one arm using nothing but his physical strength.”

“Oh!”

Qi Sheng was visibly startled.

If he could lift a five-hundred-pound stone weight with one arm, then the strength of both arms had to exceed a thousand pounds. And that was pure physical strength. He certainly qualified as a promising candidate.

“What is his name?” Qi Sheng asked.

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“Li Dao.”

“Li Dao?”

Hearing the name, Qi Sheng could not help frowning.

Zhang Ci had been watching him closely. Seeing his reaction, he asked, “Is something wrong?”

Qi Sheng shook his head.

“Perhaps I’m overthinking it.”

It should merely be someone with the same name. That dissolute noble who had defiled Princess Mingyue was already dead.

At the thought, he felt an inexplicable heaviness in his chest.

When he had first met Princess Mingyue in the imperial capital as a young man, he had been stunned by her peerless beauty. From that moment on, he had never been able to forget her.

The reason he had managed to reach the late stage of the Innate Realm at such a young age was not only his own talent. He had also hoped to elevate his status so that he might one day stand a little closer to Princess Mingyue—even harboring the ambition of winning her favor.

He had never expected that, before he could establish himself through great deeds, news would arrive from the imperial capital that Princess Mingyue had been defiled.

Had she married, he would not have been so furious.

Given His Majesty’s affection for Princess Mingyue, the emperor would certainly have found her a man of suitable family and status. If he had lost to such a man, Qi Sheng would have accepted it.

But the truth was that Princess Mingyue had been violated—and by a fallen third-rank earl, a worthless wastrel at that.

The injustice of it had left Qi Sheng bitterly resentful.

Indeed, the reason he had broken through to the late stage of the Innate Realm this time was that he had heard the news while cultivating, lost control in a fit of rage, and suffered cultivation deviation. He had been forced to break through by sheer desperation.

Fortunately, luck had been on his side. With his master’s life-risking assistance, he had succeeded. Otherwise, even if he had survived, he would have been in terrible shape.

His hatred for that wastrel, Li Dao, had only grown deeper.

And, buried within that hatred, there was also a measure of envy and jealousy.

At times, he even wished he had been that wastrel himself. Even if it meant sacrificing his identity as a prodigy, it would still have been worth it.

In short, hearing the name now made him uncomfortable, even if the man in question merely shared the same name.

After regaining his composure, Qi Sheng asked, “His physique is impressive and he can be called naturally strong. But what about his cultivation? Has he ever practiced?”

Zhang Ci recalled the report from below and frowned.

“He has no cultivation. I heard him say that he was born unable to cultivate.”

“Unable to cultivate?”

Qi Sheng’s brow furrowed.

“No. Physical strength alone is not enough to serve as one of General Shen’s personal guards. He must possess cultivation.”

“General Shen and I will personally instruct his guards. Their strength will rise quickly.”

“The Li Dao you mentioned may indeed possess extraordinary strength, but at most, that would allow him to match a martial artist below the third rank of the Acquired Realm. To formally join the personal guard unit, he must at least reach the third rank of the Acquired Realm.”

“So his physique may be somewhat lacking, but his cultivation talent must be excellent.”

Hearing this, Zhang Ci had no choice but to search for other suitable candidates.

An incense stick’s time later, after careful selection, he finally found eight men who satisfied Qi Sheng.

Looking at the list in his hands, Qi Sheng nodded with satisfaction.

“I’ve troubled you, Lord Zhang.”

Zhang Ci shook his head.

“Not at all. We are all serving General Shen.”

“Very well. I’ll return in a few days to collect them.”

Qi Sheng had just turned to leave when something suddenly occurred to him. He stopped.

Seeing this, Zhang Ci asked, “Deputy Captain Qi, is there anything else?”

“Nothing important. I merely wanted to offer Your Lordship a suggestion.”

“Oh? What suggestion?”

“Earlier, Lord Zhang mentioned a man named Li Dao who possessed extraordinary natural strength.”

“Yes. Is there a problem?”

Qi Sheng smiled faintly.

“Not at all. I simply believe that a man like him is born to be a fierce warrior on the battlefield. In my opinion, the Yellow Sand Town Camp, a place full of challenges, would suit him well. I wonder what Your Lordship thinks.”

The Yellow Sand Town Camp?

Zhang Ci frowned.

He knew the camp well. It likewise belonged to the direct forces under Marquis Shen Zhong of Northern Pacification, but it was a very unusual camp.

Even among all the camps of the 150,000-strong army of Cloud Province, it had one of the highest death rates.

Of course, that was not because the camp was weak.

In terms of combat strength, the Yellow Sand Town Camp ranked among the top ten of the more than one hundred camps in Cloud Province.

The reason it was so formidable yet suffered such a high death rate was that most of its soldiers had either committed offenses in other camps or refused to obey orders and had consequently been driven out.

Thus, the Yellow Sand Town Camp had another name:

The Thornhead Camp.

Eighty percent of the camp consisted of troublemakers, while the remaining twenty percent were the worst of the troublemakers.

In short, it was an extremely contradictory military camp.