“Ah Sheng, give Brother Wang a hand. Lend me some silver to get through this. Once your brother buys off Commander Wu and becomes Deputy Commander, you’ll be the first one I promote! We early officials will pull up the latecomers—when brothers work with one mind, their strength can cut through metal!”
In the military camp, the bonfire crackled, illuminating two faces drawn close together. The tall and sturdy Wang Yi threw an arm around Chen Sheng’s shoulder, his voice lowered to a whisper, his tone fervent.
Chen Sheng glanced at the rough hand on his shoulder and couldn’t help sneering inwardly. *We early officials will pull up the latecomers?* How familiar those words sounded. Yet he forced a smile onto his face.
“Since Brother Wang has spoken, I have nothing but yes. No matter how tight things are, I must help with this!”
With that, he pulled a handful of copper coins from his bosom and stuffed them into Wang Yi’s hand.
Wang Yi looked down, and his smile instantly froze. He said hurriedly, “Ah Sheng, this… isn’t enough!”
“This is all the family savings I have.”
Chen Sheng feigned surprise, then showed a look of distress.
“Don’t hide it from me. When the city fell, you definitely stashed away some silver. Help your brother out this once, and once I’m Deputy Commander, I’ll definitely promote you to Squad Leader!”
Wang Yi weighed the few coins in his hand and continued to urge him, unwilling to give up.
“Brother Wang, you know as well as I do—that bunch of refugees was even poorer than us. All the big items were confiscated by the higher-ups. How could I have scraped up any grease?”
“Are you really not lending it?”
“I really don’t have any!”
Chen Sheng looked straight at Wang Yi with an earnest expression.
The two stared at each other for a moment. The smile on Wang Yi’s face vanished completely. He slapped the copper coins back into Chen Sheng’s palm, his voice sinking.
“Fine. Since you’re unwilling to help, I won’t force you. In any case, the fighting in Yunzhou is almost over. Most of the conscripted soldiers will be transferred to the border. When that time comes, don’t come looking for me to put in a word for you.”
With temptation unsuccessful, Wang Yi swiftly switched to threats.
“The border? That’s good news. I’ve been worried I wouldn’t get a chance to serve the court.”
“Heh. Good… Very good, Chen Sheng. Don’t regret this.”
Wang Yi nodded with a fake smile, his face dark as he turned and left.
Watching that figure disappear into the night, the smile on Chen Sheng’s face gradually faded as well. With an expressionless gaze fixed on the leaping bonfire, his mind stirred slightly, and a page of a Heavenly Book surfaced before his eyes.
Upon it, the four ancient characters [Seek Fortune and Avoid Calamity] stood starkly visible.
At this moment, the two characters [Avoiding Calamity] glowed faintly, and below them, lines of messy small script were faintly discernible:
[I am Chen Sheng. When you read these words, it is already too late for regrets. I foolishly believed Wang Yi’s empty promises and lent him most of my savings. Yet after he became Deputy Commander, he broke his word and grew fat on deceit… In the end, I was dispatched to the border, my life or death uncertain…]
This “Book of Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity” had appeared suddenly two months ago when he transmigrated here. It could foretell glimpses of the future. It was thanks to this that Chen Sheng had repeatedly avoided disasters and survived until now.
At the same time, the ability to [Seek Fortune] had also allowed him to secretly accumulate a sum of wealth, leaving him far more comfortable than ordinary soldiers.
Originally, Chen Sheng had only wanted to endure steadily until the rebellion was quelled and earn his freedom. But now it seemed that if he didn’t take the initiative, he would truly be sent to the border to fight and kill foreign tribes.
Thinking to this point, he finally steeled his resolve.
Relying on others was no match for relying on oneself.
Since he could no longer keep a low profile, he might as well fight to climb upward!
Ever since obtaining the power of [Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity], Chen Sheng had kept a consistently low profile. But that didn’t mean he was weak—he simply refused to be the bird that stuck its head out. Otherwise, with his cultivation, he should have long since been promoted to Squad Leader.
In his mind, the Heavenly Book gently turned, revealing several lines of small script on its back:
[Basic Saber Technique: Great Success (400/1000)]
[Golden Bell Body Tempering Method: Minor Success (185/500)]
This was his second golden finger, capable of displaying his cultivation progress. However, compared to the miraculous nature of [Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity], this panel was truly mediocre, only able to honestly reflect the results of his bitter training.
His saber technique had been honed through countless life-and-death struggles. Although its moves were simple, they were practical and ruthless, having helped him kill several rebel soldiers. As for the Golden Bell Body Tempering Method, it was something he had found on the corpse of a bald rebel soldier over a month ago, relying on a premonition from the Heavenly Book.
Unlike the Dharma-ending Age of his previous life, where the connection between heaven and earth had been severed, this world called “Great Qian” truly possessed powers that transcended the mundane. He had once witnessed with his own eyes a terrifying scene where a military expert attacked from mid-air, breaking a battle formation with a spear.
From that day on, Chen Sheng had possessed a clear goal.
He would transcend the mundane, cast off the ordinary, and live forever!
The path to immortality was still distant, but having officially “opened his acupoint” and stepped into the Foundation Establishment realm, he truly possessed strength far exceeding that of ordinary people. When he circulated his technique, his skin would take on a faint bronze hue. Unless he deliberately exerted himself, ordinary blades and swords could hardly injure him.
According to his knowledge, this Golden Bell Body Tempering Method would serve him for a long time: Minor Success, Great Success, and Perfection corresponded precisely to the three stages of Foundation Establishment—Bright Breath, Bone Forging, and Marrow Transformation.
Do not underestimate the Bright Breath realm. His arms now possessed several hundred jin of strength. Even across the entire Shanzi Camp, he ranked high enough to qualify to compete for the Deputy Commander position commanding fifty men.
The reason Wang Yi was so brimming with confidence was precisely because he had broken through to the Bright Breath realm a month ago. He assumed victory was in his grasp, with only the step of bribing Commander Wu remaining.
The old subordinates all knew what kind of man Commander Wu was.
In a word—greedy.
But greedy as he was, he truly delivered when paid.
It was precisely because of this “integrity” that when word of the vacant Deputy Commander position got out, quite a few people were tempted.
Don’t think of a Deputy Commander as no official at all. He still commanded fifty men, and compared to ordinary soldiers, it was like the difference between clouds and mud.
When Chen Sheng returned to the tent, quite a few people had already gathered inside, most of them crowded around Wang Yi fawning upon him. Seeing Chen Sheng enter, Wang Yi swept his eyes over him, thinking he had come back to change his mind. He hadn’t expected the other man to simply greet him with a smile and lie back down on his bed.
“Doesn’t know what’s good for him!”
Wang Yi cursed inwardly, a surge of irritation rising in him.
He had a deep impression of Chen Sheng. The two had joined the camp at roughly the same time; it had been over four months now. The people around them had changed batch after batch, yet only this man had remained steady. He never stuck his neck out, but he had always stayed alive and well.
So in Wang Yi’s view, Chen Sheng must have hidden away quite a bit of savings, which was why he had specifically approached him, hoping for some “financial support.” Who could have expected the other party to show no face at all, pulling out only a dozen or so copper coins.
Was he giving alms to a beggar?!
Thinking this, Wang Yi stood up and cleared his throat.
“The loyalty you brothers have shown, I, Wang Yi, will remember! Once I become Deputy Commander, I won’t treat anyone unfairly! When that time comes, I’ll keep every single one of you here. As for the border… let others go!”
“Thank you, Deputy Commander Wang!”
“Many thanks, Brother Wang!”
Several men immediately thanked him one after another, fawning excessively.
Seeing that Chen Sheng still had no reaction, Wang Yi sneered inwardly, cupped his hands, and walked out of the tent.
“Sheng Ge, you didn’t lend him money?”
As soon as Wang Yi left, Sun Liuzi from the neighboring bunk leaned over and asked in a lowered voice.
Although the others in the tent didn’t speak, the looks they cast at Chen Sheng were somewhat subtle. Anyone could see that things between him and Wang Yi were not quite right.
“No money.”
Chen Sheng replied with his eyes closed.
“Sigh, I lent him some… who knows if it’ll help. I’m the only son in my family; I really don’t want to go to the border to die…” Sun Liuzi’s voice carried a sobbing tone.
Chen Sheng didn’t respond further, only closing his eyes to rest while silently calculating the time.
About half an hour later, Wang Yi lifted the tent flap and entered with a face full of joy. His elated expression was obvious to anyone. Seeing this, everyone in the tent immediately surrounded him, peppering him with questions.
“Brother Wang, how did it go? Did Commander Wu give the nod?”
“It’s in the bag!”
Wang Yi tried his best to suppress the smile at the corner of his mouth, but the smugness simply couldn’t be hidden.
Although Commander Wu hadn’t given him a definite guarantee, since he had accepted the silver, in Wang Yi’s view it was essentially a done deal. At this moment, he couldn’t help feeling somewhat light-headed with pride.
Though the matter wasn’t finalized, he seemed already convinced that the Deputy Commander’s position was within his grasp.
“Oh my! Then we can’t call you Brother Wang anymore; we have to call you Deputy Commander Wang!”
“What Deputy Commander? With Brother Wang’s abilities, he’ll drop that ‘Deputy’ sooner or later!”
“Commander Wang, you’ll have to look after us brothers from now on!”
“Haha, easy to say, easy to say! We’re all brothers. Anyone who has helped me, Wang Yi—I’ve got it all in my heart. In the days to come, we’ll see the real proof when it matters!” Wang Yi’s hearty laughter echoed through the tent, drawing forth another wave of even more fervent flattery.
His mouth uttered false modesty, but in truth he greatly enjoyed the flattery. However, his gaze swept faintly over those few who had not lent him silver, naturally including Chen Sheng.
Those few who hadn’t lent money naturally didn’t look too good. One of them seemed ready to swallow his pride and step forward to say a few soft words to ease the relationship, but Wang Yi merely let out a cold snort, completely ignoring him.
After confirming that Commander Wu was currently in his tent, Chen Sheng stopped pretending to be asleep.
He briskly donned his padded armor and put on his shoes. The movement drew everyone’s sideways glances. They all thought he had ultimately been unable to restrain himself and was going to say some fawning words to Wang Yi like the person before.
Unexpectedly, Chen Sheng merely said offhandedly, “I’m about to burst. Going out to relieve myself. Anyone care to join?”
Since Wang Yi had clearly expressed his displeasure toward Chen Sheng, naturally no one dared openly travel with him at this moment and risk rubbing Wang Yi the wrong way. Chen Sheng didn’t mind either, quickly rising and leaving the tent.
The moment he left, rustling discussions about him began within the tent.
————
New author, new book—I earnestly beg everyone for your support.