Chapter 30

*Pang!*

Just as Su Peng felt he had no more options, a strong bowstring vibration sound suddenly came from the rain, and a black-feathered arrow pierced through the rain curtain, shooting at Cao Muhuang who was flying through the air!

Cao Muhuang let out a strange cry, raising his hand to swat the incoming arrow. However, when his claw-like hand hit the arrow, he found that it was entirely made of iron, heavy and solid. The internal energy and true qi attached to the iron arrow were extremely powerful, and he couldn't deflect it!

*Bang!*

However, the internal energy and true qi in Cao Muhuang's hand were also formidable, managing to knock the iron arrow off course. The arrow flew diagonally, taking a piece of flesh from Cao Muhuang's shoulder!

*Pang!*

*Pang!*

Two more bowstring sounds rang out in quick succession, and two more iron arrows flew over. Cao Muhuang realized he had encountered a formidable opponent and that he couldn't kill Su Peng today. Filled with anger but still maintaining his composure, he suddenly turned his body to avoid the iron arrows and flew into the dense forest beside the mountain path. After a few leaps, he escaped the area.

On the ground, Su Peng felt a sense of relief, as if he had survived a great calamity. His arms were still burning, but they didn't seem to be broken. He felt a sweetness in his chest, but it didn't cause internal injuries.

When Su Peng was fighting Cao Muhuang with one hand wielding a fine steel sword and the other bare, the pressure made him unconsciously channel the newly learned 'Rain Transformation Technique' into his arms. If he hadn't done so, his hands would definitely have been crippled, and his internal injuries would have been much worse.

Struggling to his feet, Su Peng looked into the distance. Through the rain, he saw more than thirty cavalrymen charging over. The leader was a bearded rider, who was holding a black longbow.

"Is it General Bao?" Su Peng immediately recognized him. This person was Bao Ze, a centurion in the Black Water Army. His martial arts might be slightly weaker than Han Tuo's, but he was the best archer in the Black Water Army. When Su Peng watched Ji Ming train in archery, Bao Ze would sometimes come down to give pointers when he was in a good mood.

"Yes." Bao Ze nodded and said, "Recently, many martial artists have flooded into Jiangning County. A group of them even got into a conflict and killed someone. I was in charge of the city's defense, and when I learned they had fled Jiangning County, I chased after them. I didn't expect to run into you... Who attacked you?"

Su Peng stood up and briefly recounted the events, of course, omitting the part about finding the mysterious iron token at Cao Muhuang's house. Bao Ze frowned and thought for a moment, then said, "Recently, Jiangning County has been quite unstable... By the way, did you see six or seven martial artists pass by here?"

Su Peng immediately recalled the martial artists he had seen earlier and said, "Yes, they seemed to be heading towards Green Mountain Fort."

"Sir, should we pursue them or not?" A Black Water Army rider behind Bao Ze asked.

Bao Ze looked at the heavy rain and said, "The weather is bad, and it's unclear how long the rain will last. If they escape into the mountains and set up an ambush, it could catch us off guard... Moreover, my bow's elasticity will be affected by the prolonged rain. Today, they are lucky. Since they killed other martial artists, we'll let them go. We'll return to the Jiangning County camp with the soldiers under General Han."

"Yes!" The thirty-odd riders behind Bao Ze nodded. Su Peng also felt a bit more at ease, as he was genuinely afraid that Cao Muhuang might return. With Bao Ze and the others, he felt much safer.

The two groups merged and quickly headed towards Jiangning County. On the way, Su Peng explained the reason for the fireball... after all, many Black Water Army soldiers had seen it.

"You mean, you met a wandering Taoist in Jiangning County who said you would face a calamity soon, and you paid him some silver to buy a few talismans?" Bao Ze asked while riding alongside Su Peng.

Su Peng nodded. In fact, the talismans were from the set of mysterious talismans he had obtained from the mysterious shop.

A few days ago, Su Peng had already opened the set of talismans he bought for one tael of gold. He found three talismans: 'Flame Talisman,' 'Heavenly Insight Talisman,' and 'Marching Talisman.'

"'Flame Talisman,' when activated with internal energy and blood, can shoot a fireball with an attack power of 120-175. The talisman is a one-time use and will self-destruct after use."

"'Heavenly Insight Talisman,' a talisman that increases insight. When used, it increases insight by two points for twelve hours. The talisman is a one-time use and will self-destruct after activation with blood."

"'Marching Talisman,' a talisman that increases speed and agility. When attached to the feet and activated with internal energy, it increases agility by two points for six hours and enhances lightness skills by 5%."

These were the three talismans Su Peng had drawn from the set.

In the emergency, Su Peng had activated a 'Flame Talisman,' injuring Cao Muhuang and saving his life. This also confirmed that the items from the mysterious shop were indeed effective.

At this moment, he still had two talismans left.

However, there was no need to tell Bao Ze the truth. He simply said he bought them from a wandering Taoist, and if Bao Ze wanted to find the Taoist, he could say the Taoist had already left Jiangning County.

"Is that so... It's normal. This world is full of extraordinary people. When I was young, I saw a corpse driver who could control corpses. Meeting that Taoist is your good fortune," Bao Ze said without suspicion.

Su Peng was surprised to find that not only Bao Ze, but also the Wu clan leader and the Black Water Army riders, didn't find it surprising, as if such things were common.

Su Peng didn't ask much and didn't bring up the topic. They quickly arrived at the Black Water Army's western camp in Jiangning County.

When they reached the camp, the sky had cleared, and the rain had stopped. They handed over the captured bandit weapons and horses, and Su Peng and Bao Ze went to see Han Tuo.

After meeting Han Tuo, Su Peng recounted the events. Han Tuo frowned slightly and said, "Recently, Jiangning County and its surroundings have been quite unstable... This time, you've been through a lot. I'll record this as a merit. Go rest for now."

Su Peng nodded, bid farewell to Han Tuo, and left the tent. Bao Ze seemed to have some private matters to discuss with Han Tuo and didn't follow.

Back in his tent, Su Peng sat on the bed and began practicing the 'Rain Transformation Technique.'

In the game, cultivating internal energy was relatively simple. As long as the cultivation mode was activated, the energy would naturally circulate. Additionally, combat experience could also be used to improve, but reaching certain levels required personal enlightenment.

After one cycle of the 'Rain Transformation Technique,' Su Peng spat out a blood clot, and his last bit of internal injury was healed.

Moreover, perhaps due to the extreme danger, Su Peng's 'Rain Transformation Technique' suddenly advanced to the third level with a *ding* sound!

Looking at his 'Rain Transformation Technique' now at the third level, Su Peng felt somewhat relieved. In the midst of danger, he had also mastered a martial skill called 'Internal Energy Infusion'!

"'Internal Energy Infusion,' channeling internal energy into the limbs to enhance various attributes or resist internal energy damage. The limit of internal energy infusion is the capacity of the limb's meridians. Currently, your maximum internal energy infusion is 25 points."

This was the description of the skill.

Additionally, due to the life-and-death struggle, Su Peng's martial experience had increased by over 170 points.

"The 'Rain Transformation Technique' has reached the third level. To reach the fourth level, I need to gain personal enlightenment. Currently, my sword skills are at the maximum level, and my riding skills are almost at the proficient level. After some time, when I have enough military merit, I can learn the army's internal energy techniques."

Su Peng thought to himself.

Not everyone in the Black Water Army could practice internal energy techniques. Ordinary soldiers could only learn the army's breathing techniques, which produced a small amount of internal energy, about one-third of the 'Rain Transformation Technique.' Only when one's military merit and rank reached a certain level could they learn the army's internal energy techniques. According to Su Peng's estimate, these techniques were at least light blue level, and the higher levels might be dark blue.

Additionally, Su Peng checked his 'Fengyun One Cut' icon, which was still gray and couldn't be practiced yet. He decided to focus on upgrading his basic throwing knife skills to level 10 to learn the 'Flower Rain' throwing technique.

Another day passed.

The next day, when Su Peng logged in, Han Tuo came to find him.

"General Han, what do you need?" Su Peng immediately stood up and asked.

"Ha ha, there's a matter concerning your future that I want to discuss with you," Han Tuo said.

"Please speak, General Han."

"It's like this... Originally, I planned to promote you to be my personal guard leader, but there aren't many opportunities for military merit in Jiangning County. Being my personal guard won't help you gain much military merit... However, there is another place where you can earn military merit more easily," Han Tuo said to Su Peng.

"Oh, where is that?"

"The intelligence unit. You should know that before any military action, intelligence is crucial... Being the leader of the Black Water Army's intelligence unit will allow you to advance faster than being my personal guard."

"You mean... I should become an intelligence officer?" Su Peng asked, looking at Han Tuo.

"Exactly... When I heard about you from Uncle at Green Mountain Fort, I felt that you have a meticulous mind. You would be very efficient in intelligence gathering. Moreover, the Black Water Army places a high value on intelligence, and being in the intelligence unit will allow you to advance quickly... And with my recommendation, you can start as a mid-level leader without having to start from the bottom."

Su Peng quickly understood that Han Tuo wanted to place an informant in the intelligence department. After all, if he were to become a deputy commander, he couldn't afford to be without reliable information.

Understanding Han Tuo's intentions, Su Peng nodded. He had no particular preference, and with his current strength, he didn't have many choices. "Alright, thank you, General Han, for your guidance."

Han Tuo was very pleased and said, "Good, pack up, and I'll take you to meet your new leader."

Su Peng nodded, and the two left the tent. They soon arrived at the intelligence unit's territory.

The Black Water Army's intelligence department was called the Black Wolf Ear. With Han Tuo's recommendation, Su Peng quickly completed the formalities and received a badge. Due to his accumulated military merit and Han Tuo's favor, Su Peng immediately became the leader of over twenty intelligence agents.

After Han Tuo left, the Black Wolf Ear held an internal meeting.

"Recently, a large number of martial artists have appeared in Jiangning County for unknown reasons. Your task is to investigate the purpose of these martial artists gathering in Jiangning County!" the head of the Black Wolf Ear said to Su Peng and the other mid-level leaders...

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