When Chen Sheng returned to the tent, Wang Yi had already been waiting for more than a quarter of an hour. Seeing Chen Sheng enter, he forcibly suppressed the emotions churning within him, rose, and cupped his hands in salute.
“Vice Commander Chen, congratulations on your promotion.” His voice was dry, with little sincerity to be heard in it.
“You called me here just to say that?”
Chen Sheng glanced at him and casually sat down on a stool.
Seeing his attitude, the jealousy and resentment in Wang Yi’s heart grew even stronger, yet he had no choice but to force out a smile.
“Chen Sheng, I haven’t treated you badly during this period, have I? You refused to lend me silver, and I don’t blame you for that. But why did you have to snatch away my position as vice commander? In your heart… do you not feel even the slightest bit of guilt?”
Chen Sheng stared at him and let out a derisive laugh.
“Treat me well? If I hadn’t pulled you back on the battlefield back then, you’d already be a wandering ghost. As for the silver, lending it would have been a favor; not lending it was only natural. Why should I feel guilty?”
“You…!”
Wang Yi’s expression changed abruptly. He had not expected the usually low-key Chen Sheng to be so sharp-tongued. At once, he tore off his mask and lowered his voice.
“Fine, let’s speak plainly! I came to you because I want to borrow another sum of silver to tide me over. I know you have plenty on hand—otherwise, how could you have bribed Commander Wu? Help me this once, and I’ll remember your kindness!”
“And if I don’t lend it?” Chen Sheng’s tone was calm.
A trace of savagery flashed through Wang Yi’s eyes.
“You think I’m begging you? I’ve seen with my own eyes that you’ve had private dealings with the military supply officer! For months, you haven’t bought a single portion of Blood Qi Powder, yet you were able to open your apertures and establish your foundation in such a short time—you must have privately purchased Blood Qi Pills!
“Those are cultivation resources allocated to commanders. Purchasing them privately is a violation of military regulations! You don’t want me reporting this to the commandant, do you?”
Then Wang Yi took a step forward, his voice carrying a hint of viciousness. “One hundred taels! Just one hundred taels, and I’ll let this secret rot in my belly. Otherwise, if I’m transferred to the border, don’t think you’ll have an easy time of it either!”
Chen Sheng remained unhurried, showing not the slightest sign of panic.
“Privately purchasing Blood Qi Pills would, at most, earn me some punishment. If you want to threaten someone, you should go find that military supply officer. Haven’t you found the wrong person?”
“Chen Sheng! Don’t push me!”
Wang Yi growled, “At a critical juncture like this, if you violate military regulations, even if you don’t die, you’ll lose a layer of skin. You might even be transferred to the border along with me! Why bother? Since you don’t lack this one hundred taels, why fight me to mutual destruction? If you don’t give it to me, I’ll make this matter explode. No one will come out well!”
Chen Sheng looked at Wang Yi’s twisted face and suddenly smiled.
“There’s one thing you said wrong. The fish may die, but the net won’t break.”
“And one more thing. In this world, the only ones who can keep secrets forever… are the dead.”
“You… you dare kill me?”
Wang Yi was first shocked, then forced himself to calm down. “If you kill someone inside the military camp, you won’t escape death either! Besides, with your meager strength, can you even kill me?”
He did not believe Chen Sheng would dare act within the camp, nor did he believe Chen Sheng had the ability.
“When did I say I would do it personally?” Chen Sheng sneered, then suddenly raised his voice and turned toward the outside of the tent.
“Officer Zhou, did you hear everything he said? Tell me, should this man be kept as a future calamity, or should the matter be settled once and for all?”
Wang Yi’s face instantly turned deathly pale. He whipped his head toward the outside of the tent.
The next moment, the tent flap was lifted, and several figures filed in. The man in the lead was stout, draped in light armor, his narrow eyes staring sinisterly at Wang Yi as he laughed coldly.
“What a vicious brat! Vice Commander Chen, I really must thank you this time.”
When Chen Sheng had come to him yesterday, he had still been half-doubtful. Though his reselling of military supplies was practically an open secret, no one had ever dared expose it. He had not expected that Wang Yi would truly dare try to blow the matter up!
“You… you set me up!”
Wang Yi was horrified and hurriedly tried to explain to Officer Zhou. “O-Officer Zhou! I absolutely had no such intention! I was only trying to scare Chen Sheng, I—”
Officer Zhou had no patience to listen to his excuses. His gaze turned sharp, and the several Mingxi Realm martial masters at his side immediately swarmed forward. Though Wang Yi struggled desperately, two fists were no match for four hands, and in the blink of an eye he was firmly restrained.
Officer Zhou drew the short blade at his waist and, without the slightest hesitation, stabbed it into Wang Yi’s neck!
“Urgh…”
Wang Yi was thrown to the ground, blood gushing from his neck. His eyes stared fixedly at that increasingly blurry figure. In a daze, he seemed to see the corners of Chen Sheng’s mouth curve into an icy arc.
At that moment, he very much wanted to know how Chen Sheng had known he planned to threaten him. But as his consciousness gradually blurred, his thoughts also slowly dissipated.
“Lord Zhou’s methods are indeed clean and efficient,” Chen Sheng praised in a calm tone.
The men Officer Zhou had brought quickly began arranging the scene. The commotion just now had not been small; everything had to be made foolproof. Privately killing a squad leader was a serious crime, but they had long since prepared a backup plan—a few items from the military supply storehouse were swiftly stuffed beneath Wang Yi’s bedding to create traces.
In this way, it became Wang Yi stealing military supplies, resisting arrest after being discovered, and ultimately being executed on the spot.
“Vice Commander Chen, I’ve solved this trouble for you. How do you plan to thank me?”
Officer Zhou sat down boldly, narrowing his eyes as he sized up this newly promoted vice commander. His tone carried a measure of appraisal and an intent to recruit him.
When they had first met yesterday, he had already felt that this man was not simple. He was good at enduring in silence, and even better at killing with a borrowed blade. He was good material for rolling around in the army and officialdom.
“My lord’s words are mistaken,” Chen Sheng said, shaking his head.
“It is not that you solved a trouble for me, but that I removed a hidden danger for you.”
“Hahaha! Good lad, you’re a talent!”
Officer Zhou was not angered; instead, he laughed. With a casual toss, he threw the money pouch he had just searched from Wang Yi’s body to Chen Sheng. “Are you willing to serve under me?”
Chen Sheng caught the money pouch, took out the silver inside and tucked it into his robe, then stuffed the empty pouch back into Wang Yi’s lapel before calmly refusing. “This Chen only hopes to be transferred back to the prefectural city and live in peace. For now, I have no aspirations in the military.”
“Very well. If you change your mind in the future, you may still come find me.”
Officer Zhou seemed somewhat regretful, but he did not press the matter.
Once the scene had been properly handled, he ordered his men to carry Wang Yi’s corpse and strode out.
Chen Sheng followed close behind. Outside the tent, many soldiers who had heard the noise had already gathered. His expression darkened, and he declared in a clear voice,
“Wang Yi, squad leader of the Sixth Squad, was reckless and lawless, his crimes unforgivable! He dared privately steal cultivation resources from the military supply storehouse, and after being discovered, still dared to resist with a weapon. He has now been executed!”
His gaze swept over the crowd, his tone turning stern.
“All of you must take this as a warning and strictly obey military regulations! If anyone offends again, they will meet the same end!”
“Yes…”
Everyone answered in awe. Only after Chen Sheng, Officer Zhou, and the others had left did they dare surge into the tent. What met their eyes was a complete mess, with even the bloodstains not yet dry. They all whispered and discussed in shock, secretly alarmed.
As for those who had once lent silver to Wang Yi, they looked at the scene before them and exchanged glances, their faces bleak—their silver had likely been thrown completely into the water.
As for Chen Sheng, after seeing off Officer Zhou’s group and admonishing the soldiers under his command, he once again returned to the training ground from before to continue practicing, as though what had just happened were nothing more than a minor interlude.
To Chen Sheng, Wang Yi’s death was only a minor interlude. But to the soldiers of the entire Fourth Unit, it could be considered no small shock, and very soon, one spread it to ten, and ten to a hundred.
The news spread outward.
However, Commander Wu did not seem to be in the camp. Thus, no one came to trouble him.