North City, Changshan—the Armament Office.
In the faint glow of dawn, Chen Sheng wore a suit of black light armor, the treasured saber “Shehan” at his waist glimmering with a hidden幽光, and sat upright atop a tall, fine steed.
His expression calm and his gaze indifferent, he swept his eyes over the somewhat old gate of the armament camp before him. Surrounded and guarded by Yan Ming and his personal soldiers, he eased the reins and rode in.
Wherever the procession passed, the soldiers on duty or merely passing by all bowed in salute. Greetings rose one after another. Though the scene could hardly be called grand, it carried a certain imposing air of authority.
The two deputy commanders of the North City military camp might well harbor resentment, unwilling to be pressed down by a young man who had been “parachuted” in from above, but none of the rank-and-file soldiers dared to truly show disrespect. The struggles among their superiors were one thing; if lowly soldiers like them dared to openly slight the newly appointed commander, the consequences were not something they could bear.
As for those two deputy commanders whose names he had already heard though he had yet to meet them, Chen Sheng did not, in truth, take them seriously. Through the scattered hints of the Heavenly Book of Seeking Fortune and Avoiding Calamity, he had already glimpsed the deeper threads behind this matter.
Their provocation was not entirely aimed at him personally. More of it was directed at County Commandant Wu Kuang behind him.
Ever since that day when the powerful local clans had hosted a banquet to “entertain” them, the other party’s intentions had been laid bare: either cooperate and share the profits, or become enemies and find every step forward obstructed.
Yet Wu Kuang had remained still these past few days, giving no clear response whatsoever. Once he accepted the other side’s benefits, it would be the same as handing them leverage; if he wished to accomplish anything in the future, his hands and feet would inevitably be bound.
It was precisely because of this that the local forces wanted to apply some pressure and show their strength.
Directly targeting Wu Kuang was too risky and might tear all pretense of civility apart. But taking aim at Chen Sheng, Wu Kuang’s trusted subordinate, was perfect—doing so could both display their strength and serve as a warning to Wu Kuang.
And the chief commander who oversaw the military preparations of all Changshan County had tacitly permitted, or even indulged, this attempt by his subordinates to make things difficult.
If not, as long as he clearly expressed support for Chen Sheng, who in the camp would dare to casually tug at a tiger’s whiskers?
It was precisely because he had seen through all these layers of connection that Chen Sheng had patiently waited until he broke through to the Bone Tempering Realm before officially coming to assume his post.
A martial master of the Bone Tempering Realm, whether in the former Mountain Battalion or here in Changshan County, could already be called an expert.
Moreover, he was no ordinary Bone Tempering cultivator. The Golden Bell Body-Tempering Art was exceedingly difficult to cultivate, but it had also granted him a foundation and physique far beyond others of the same level.
Combined with his basic saber technique, which had already reached major accomplishment and returned to simplicity, unless he encountered a martial master in the late Foundation Establishment stage who had begun transforming the tendons and washing the marrow—a Marrow Transformation expert—then beneath the Marrow Transformation Realm, he feared no one!
As Chen Sheng and his party entered the camp, the two deputy commanders inside soon received the news. However, they did not immediately come to pay their respects. Instead, as if by prior agreement, they put on airs, deliberately intending to embarrass this new superior.
Chen Sheng did not grow angry because of it. His expression remained as usual, and under Yan Ming’s guidance, he began to inspect the North City military camp.
After one round of inspection, the results could only be described as “a rabble.”
According to Great Qian law, the North City military camp should have a full complement of one hundred and fifty soldiers.
But from what he actually saw, combined with Yan Ming’s earlier report, the number of registered personnel did not even reach two-thirds. Ghost salaries were being pocketed in broad daylight.
Even among the hundred or so remaining men, most were old, weak, sluggish, and lax in discipline. Less than half could be called strong and able-bodied. By comparison, the thirty-odd veterans he had brought with him, who had experienced the flames of war, had instead become the rare “elites” in the camp.
…
At the same time, inside the military camp’s office.
The two deputy commanders, Gao and Cheng, were also secretly planning how to give this newly arrived young commander a “profound” welcoming gift.
“This Commander Chen is rather good at keeping his composure.”
Deputy Commander Cheng looked through the window and saw from afar that Chen Sheng was still unhurriedly inspecting the area near the drill grounds. A trace of surprise flashed through his eyes. Not only did he not look down on him, he instead felt that for someone so young, this steadiness was quite extraordinary.
“Hmph, so what if he can keep his composure? In the end, he is still too young, with a shallow foundation.”
Deputy Commander Gao Qiheng gave a cold snort.
Among the two deputy commanders, Gao Qiheng was without question the one in charge.
As for his dissatisfaction toward Chen Sheng, there were two reasons. First, deep down, he believed that Chen Sheng had stolen the position of North City commander that should have belonged to him. His cultivation was the highest in the camp, and he came from the Gao clan of this county. He had long since greased the wheels both above and below, and had thought this position was already in his pocket.
Who would have thought that a County Commandant Wu would be parachuted in from above? To give the new superior face, this position had been forcibly “given away,” which made him extremely displeased.
Second, he had roughly inquired and learned that Chen Sheng had only joined the army a few short months ago, and in the military, he was not known for his martial prowess.
From this, he inferred that Chen Sheng’s cultivation was very likely only at the Bright Breath Realm, perhaps not even outstanding within the Bright Breath Realm. Whereas he, Gao Qiheng, was a genuine Bone Tempering Realm martial master!
Whether that realm had been piled up through family resources or attained through his own bitter cultivation, at the very least, his advantage in realm was real.
To have him submit beneath a “connection-backed household” whose cultivation might not even match his own—he had long been holding back a breath of resentment.
Thus, after receiving hints from the higher-ups of his clan that they needed to create some trouble for the newly appointed County Commandant Wu Kuang and apply pressure, he was more than willing.
Now that he had the clan’s backing, he naturally intended to seize this excellent opportunity to properly display his presence. Even if County Commandant Wu chose to cooperate with the Gao family and the local powerful clans in the future, Gao Qiheng could use this chance to hollow out Chen Sheng’s authority and, from the position of deputy commander, exercise the power of the proper commander!
Hearing this, Deputy Commander Cheng merely smiled and did not echo him.
Whether it was this Commander Chen, backed by the county commandant, or this Deputy Commander Gao, backed by the Gao family, he could not afford to offend either.
The reason he had chosen to stand on Gao Qiheng’s side was purely out of helplessness—because compared to a newly appointed commander whose footing was not yet stable, he feared the deeply rooted Gao family and the vengeful Gao Qiheng even more.
“Come, let us go meet this great Commander Chen. Since he will not come over, then Gao will go see him.”
Seeing that Chen Sheng had yet to come to the office, Gao Qiheng became even more certain that the other party was outwardly strong but inwardly weak, lacking confidence. The confidence in his heart swelled further. With a wave of his hand, he led a group of trusted men toward the drill grounds.
…
Over at the drill grounds, Chen Sheng was inspecting the military camp when he suddenly sensed something and raised his eyes. He saw a large group of people not far away, clustered around two men, advancing toward him in a grand procession.
His eyes narrowed slightly. He stopped, his calm gaze sweeping over the two men at the front.
Though he had never met them, from Yan Ming’s detailed descriptions beforehand, he could already confirm their identities. The man walking at the very front, somewhat burly in build with a hint of arrogance between his brows and eyes, was Deputy Commander Gao Qiheng of the Gao clan.
He was also the mastermind behind everything this time.
And the one half a step behind him, with a calm expression, was naturally Deputy Commander Cheng.
Gao Qiheng led his people to a stop five steps away from Chen Sheng. He squeezed out a somewhat exaggerated smile and cupped his hands in feigned familiarity, saying:
“Aiya, I heard that Brother Chen was taking up office today. Gao accidentally caught a chill two days ago and was unwell, so I failed to come out and welcome you from afar. Truly discourteous of me, most discourteous!”
In his words, he actually addressed him as “brother,” completely disregarding the hierarchy between superior and subordinate.
Deputy Commander Cheng beside him was somewhat more proper. He cupped his fists in salute and said in an even tone:
“Commander Chen.”
Chen Sheng’s gaze swept indifferently over the group of obvious soldier-ruffians behind them who had come to watch the excitement and bolster their momentum, finally settling on Gao Qiheng’s false smile.
He did not grow angry. His voice was steady, yet carried an unquestionable chill, clearly entering the ears of every person present:
“Does Deputy Commander Gao not even understand the rules of hierarchy between superior and subordinate? This is the Armament Office. There are no brothers here. Since you have come to pay respects to this official, then address me by my official post!”