Chapter 55: The Star of Slaughter! The Shocked Crowd

Watching the Northern Barbarian cavalry gradually being overwhelmed and trapped by the soldiers of the Yellow Sand Town garrison, Li Dao ultimately chose not to step back in to continue the slaughter.

On one hand, he had already secured the lion's share of the gains.

Only three hundred Northern Barbarian cavalry had been dispatched for this camp raid. Between his initial surprise strike and the ensuing pursuit, roughly half of them had perished by his hands, not to mention that he had also slain their commanding officer. It was already a massive harvest.

On the other hand, his presence was completely unfamiliar to the soldiers of the Yellow Sand Town garrison.

What if he charged in now and was mistaken for an enemy?

Would he fight back if attacked by friendly forces?

Therefore, it was far better to leave the remaining Northern Barbarian cavalry to these future comrades-in-arms as a gesture of goodwill upon first meeting.

...

Although the Northern Barbarian cavalry had been whipped into a frenzied, frenetic state by Li Dao's intimidation, they were still ultimately inferior in sheer combat prowess to the hardened troublemakers of the Yellow Sand Town garrison.

In less than the time it takes to burn half a stick of incense, the final Northern Barbarian cavalryman fell beneath the blades of the Yellow Sand Town soldiers.

"Hah! That felt satisfying!"

Zhao Tong looked at the strewn corpses of the Northern Barbarian cavalry across the ground with a look of utter gratification.

He had endured enough frustration over the past few days, and an opportunity like this was precisely what he had been waiting for.

However, confusion quickly washed over him as a sudden realization struck him.

Were these Northern Barbarian cavalrymen fools?

Why would they charge blindly into certain death?

Furthermore, the numbers did not add up. Judging from the bodies currently on the ground, roughly half of the Northern Barbarian force was missing. Where were the rest of them?

Subconsciously, he gazed toward the exit of the canyon and froze.

"Kid, who are you? When did you sneak in here?"

Zhao Tong stared with profound astonishment at Li Dao, who was casually squatting atop a nearby boulder.

Li Dao planted his dragon-patterned halberd into the stone, drew an official dispatch letter from his bosom, waved it in the air, and tossed it casually across. "I am Li Dao, a new recruit reporting for duty at Yellow Sand Town."

Catching the flying envelope out of the air, Zhao Tong opened it and stared in disbelief. He really was a new recruit.

"Then why are you here? And why did you come from that direction?"

Zhao Tong asked with a frown.

Before Li Dao could reply, a figure burst forth from the crowd. Upon spotting Li Dao, the man's eyes widened in shock. "You actually pulled it off!"

It was none other than Xue Bing. When he had heard that familiar voice from the rear of the formation moments ago, his mind hadn't quite processed it.

Now, seeing Li Dao standing here, recalling what Li Dao had told him earlier, and looking at the remnants of the Northern Barbarian cavalry he had just fought, Xue Bing swallowed hard as realization dawned upon him.

"Xue Bing, what do you know?"

Zhao Tong turned his gaze toward Xue Bing.

Regaining his composure, Xue Bing stepped closer and whispered something into Zhao Tong's ear.

Initially, Zhao Tong's expression remained neutral, but as he listened to the end, his eyes bulged in absolute disbelief.

"Xue Bing, do you know the penalty for deceiving a superior officer?"

"Boss, would I dare lie about something like this? I only just met him myself."

"Hiss!"

Zhao Tong drew a sharp breath. If Xue Bing's words were true, then their Yellow Sand Town garrison had just welcomed an absolute monster of a deity.

Meanwhile, the surrounding Yellow Sand Town soldiers were still clueless about the situation, knowing only that Li Dao was a fresh recruit.

Several unruly troublemakers among them immediately intended to walk over and test this abruptly appearing newcomer.

"All of you, keep yourselves in check!"

Regaining his wits, Zhao Tong shouted upon noticing the demeanor of his subordinates.

Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't mind his men hazing a new recruit—after all, it was practically an initiation rite ever since the Yellow Sand Town garrison earned the moniker of the "Troublemaker Camp."

However, if the newcomer was truly as formidable as Xue Bing claimed, these troublemakers would likely walk right into a brick wall and get their heads cracked open.

Everything had to be verified first before any conclusions were drawn.

Glancing briefly at Li Dao, Zhao Tong ordered the rest of the men, "Mount up, every single one of you. Let's head toward the canyon exit and find the rest of those Northern Barbarian cavalry."

At the mention of Northern Barbarian cavalry, the troublemakers instantly forgot all about Li Dao, scrambling eagerly onto their mounts.

As Zhao Tong rode past Li Dao, he said in a deep voice, "Just follow along behind us."

At that moment, Xue Bing led two horses over to Li Dao's side.

"Brother, I brought your horse back for you."

Seeing his familiar steed, Li Dao smiled slightly. "Thank you for the trouble."

"No trouble at all, none at all."

Once mounted, Xue Bing leaned over and whispered cautiously into Li Dao's ear, "Tell me, brother... was all that carnage back there your doing?"

Swinging himself up into the saddle, Li Dao replied with a faint chuckle, "You'll see once we get there."

He had no intention of deliberately showing off, nor did he feel any need to intentionally suppress his own capabilities.

From his brief interaction with Xue Bing, it was clear that the Troublemaker Camp lived entirely up to its name.

He didn't mind using the "troublemaker" approach to establish his presence and spare himself any unnecessary future hassles.

The canyon exit was not far away.

Within a few minutes, the entire company arrived at the mouth of the canyon.

The moment they drew near, a thick, suffocating stench of blood assaulted the noses and mouths of everyone present.

As they looked ahead, every single soldier of the Yellow Sand Town garrison, including Zhao Tong, was struck dumb with shock.

What a horrifyingly gruesome scene lay before them.

When they fought the Northern Barbarian cavalry, they usually left behind relatively intact corpses after cutting the enemy down.

But what was this spectacle before them?

It was an absolute meat grinder. There were only severed limbs, pulped flesh, and shattered bones; not a single complete corpse remained, and the surrounding ground looked as though it had been thoroughly scrubbed in a bath of blood.

Recovering from his daze, Zhao Tong turned his head to look at the handsome young man sitting quietly upon his horse in the rear.

Noticing Zhao Tong's gaze, Li Dao responded with a gentle, amiable smile.

Yet, paired with the dried bloodstains smeared across his cheeks, it carried an eerie, otherworldly aura.

To be frank, Zhao Tong found it utterly impossible to connect the horrific scene before him with the youthful recruit sitting behind them; the contrast felt entirely too surreal.

Yet, based on Xue Bing's account, this was the only logical explanation.

Zhao Tong took a deep breath, realizing he might have just encountered the single biggest troublemaker since the founding of the Yellow Sand Town garrison.

He dismounted from his horse and walked from the pool of blood into the pile of corpses, as if searching for something.

Finally, after a brief moment, he found what he was looking for.

A corpse!

It was precisely the body of the Northern Barbarian commander who had repeatedly sent men to provoke their Yellow Sand Town garrison.

Earlier, when intercepting the cavalry detachment, he had found it strange that their leader was nowhere to be found; it turned out the commander had already perished here.

Squatting down, Zhao Tong fixed his gaze upon the gaping wound on the corpse's neck.

The injury was massive, nearly tearing the entire head and neck completely off, held together only by a thin layer of remaining tissue.

There were no other visible wounds anywhere else on the body.

Closing his eyes for a brief second to mentally reconstruct the scene, he suddenly snapped his eyes open, sheer shock written across his face.

This was unmistakably the result of a single, fatal blow delivered without giving the victim the slightest chance to resist.

Looking around at the bloody devastation, he wondered: could this truly have been caused by a new recruit?

Why on earth was his combat power so terrifyingly immense?

His greatest curiosity now lay with what was happening back in Yunqi City. To send a recruit of this caliber straight to their Yellow Sand Town garrison—was this a pie falling straight out of the sky?

"Boss, what on earth happened here?"

A centurion finally snapped out of his shock and could not help asking aloud.

At his words, everyone else's gaze converged on Zhao Tong, largely because the surrounding spectacle was simply too terrifying.

Standing up, Zhao Tong looked past the crowd toward Li Dao. He saw no reason to conceal the truth—nor was there any point in hiding it, since these achievements had to be officially recorded for military merit.

He stated flatly, "If you want to know, just ask the person who did it."

The person who did it?

Who was the masterminding party?

Could the perpetrator actually be standing right among them?

Following the direction of Zhao Tong's gaze, every eye finally landed on Li Dao, the newly enlisted recruit.

"Boss, you can't possibly mean him? That's impossible."

A centurion blurted out in disbelief.

Zhao Tong smiled faintly. "If you don't believe it, why don't you go over and test him? I recall you being the one who loves 'breaking in' new recruits the most."

The centurion choked, glanced at the seemingly harmless and gentle Li Dao, and then instinctively looked back at the surrounding carnage, shivering involuntarily.

If it turned out to be false, fine; but if it were true, nobody knew who would be breaking in whom.

With so many people watching, he wisely decided to pass on making a spectacle of himself.

Seeing this, Zhao Tong shifted his gaze to the rest of the men. "If any of you don't believe it, feel free to go try him out. I imagine he won't refuse."

At this, everyone instinctively cast nervous glances toward Li Dao.

Li Dao merely shrugged, a faint, indifferent smile playing on his lips as he remained silent.

Seeing this display of nonchalance, even those who had initially doubted began to harbor a shred of belief.

After all, such composure could not simply be faked by an ordinary person.

Besides, they were all going to be comrades in the same garrison from now on; if it were a bluff, the truth would inevitably surface soon enough, and the consequences of being exposed would be far worse.

Noticing how well-behaved this pack of "troublemakers" had suddenly become, Zhao Tong wore a look of disdain.
He had half-expected a few of these fellows to possess the guts to test the newcomer.
As it turned out, that was all they were worth?
Well, he had to maintain the bigger picture and save face for the newcomer, otherwise he would have tested the kid himself.

Glancing at the scattered limbs around him, Zhao Tong frowned and ordered, "Men, go tally the bodies of these barbarians and calculate the military merits."

A soldier stepped out from the crowd, looking utterly speechless as he gazed at the utter devastation.

Good grief, with this many severed pieces, how on earth was he supposed to count them? But rules were rules, and he could only bite the bullet and get to work.

Zhao Tong walked over to Li Dao and looked him straight in the eyes. "Your name is Li Dao, correct?"

"Yes, Grand Commander."

Suddenly, Zhao Tong broke into a wide grin, stepped forward, and patted Li Dao on the shoulder. "I truly have to thank you today. If not for you, we would never have managed to corner this pack of barbarians."

"You have no idea how sick and tired we've been of these barbarians harassing us lately."

That statement was entirely sincere. Without Li Dao's unexpected interception, they undoubtedly would have returned empty-handed and frustrated today.

Li Dao replied directly, "If the Grand Commander truly wishes to thank me, just send me out to the battlefield to slay more of the enemy."

Zhao Tong blinked, taken aback. "Why? Most people try their best to avoid such things."

Li Dao answered with an earnest expression, "I have no other ambitions. I merely wish to shine and contribute to the peace and security of the Great Qian borderlands."

Zhao Tong: "......"

...

With the Northern Barbarian cavalry completely annihilated, the cleanup of the battlefield concluded swiftly.

Before long, the soldier responsible for tallying merits hurried over to Zhao Tong, handing him a handwritten slip of paper detailing the count.

Taking the paper, Zhao Tong stared at it in stunned silence. "The new recruit killed one hundred and fifty-three Northern Barbarian cavalrymen?"

The tallying soldier reported, "Yes, Boss. Based on the left ears collected from the site, the total is one hundred and fifty-three, including that Northern Barbarian commander."

"Hiss!"

Zhao Tong drew another sharp breath. Some things didn't seem real until counted out in cold numbers, and the final tally was genuinely startling.

He glanced back at the distance, where the solitary figure sat upon a boulder, quietly polishing his long halberd. Recalling what the youth had said earlier, Zhao Tong muttered to himself, "This truly is a great star of slaughter."

Yet, upon second thought, having a slaughter-star of this caliber as a subordinate brought a strange sense of satisfaction.

The only lingering headache was that, judging by the youth's current combat achievements, his own martial prowess might struggle to suppress this newly arrived "troublemaker."

"Never mind. A troublemaker with actual capability is far better than a spineless soft-egg with none."

Standing up, Zhao Tong issued the order, "Since the battlefield has been cleared, let's head back."

...

Although the pursuit along the way had been full of twists and turns, the return journey proceeded without incident.

Before long, the main force arrived back at Yellow Sand Town.

Inside the garrison tent.

Zhao Tong sat cross-legged upon a felt mat, brush in hand, sweeping strokes across a ledger to write down a name. He then looked up toward Li Dao, who stood five meters away. "Your formal registration is complete, and you are officially recorded in the roster. From today onward, you are a member of our Yellow Sand Town garrison."

Suddenly, as if recalling something crucial, he asked, "What tier is your cultivation realm?"

"To be able to instantly slay that peak Postnatal realm Northern Barbarian commander—you aren't a congenital martial artist, are you?"

He glanced back at Li Dao's file in the ledger.

Nineteen years old. Damn it, he was young.

If he truly were a nineteen-year-old Congenital realm martial artist, that would be terrifying beyond measure.

Li Dao shook his head. "Grand Commander, I possess no cultivation at all."

"No cultivation?"

Zhao Tong blinked, staring blankly. "If you have no cultivation, how on earth did you intercept those Northern Barbarian cavalrymen and slay their peak Postnatal commander?"

Li Dao shrugged unconcernedly and replied, "I was born with divine strength."

Born with divine strength?

Zhao Tong suddenly recalled what Xue Bing had told him earlier, and his eyes widened in shock. "When you lifted the gates of Yellow Sand Town earlier... you did that purely with physical might?"

"Yes."

"Hiss!"

Zhao Tong was once again startled by his new recruit. To rely purely on mortal flesh and bone to hoist those heavy gates—was this even human?

The two men chatted a bit more.

When Zhao Tong learned that Li Dao was entirely incapable of practicing cultivation, he displayed the exact same reaction as everyone else before him, casting a gaze filled with pity and regret toward Li Dao.

To this, Li Dao merely felt accustomed by now.

And the reason he openly disclosed these facts was precisely because he understood that certain matters would eventually come to light. Addressing them beforehand spared him from endless questioning in the future.

Shortly thereafter, Li Dao took his leave and stepped out of the command tent.