Chapter 9

The old man's dilapidated wooden door was almost being knocked to pieces by the loud knocking, which woke him up.

He hurriedly ran out, shouting, "I'm coming, I'm coming, don't break the door!"

As soon as the old man opened the door, the person outside strode in.

"Where is Gao Shazi?"

The leader, who had just entered, asked immediately. As he spoke, his eyes were already fixed on Gao Zhengyang, and he loudly said, "You're him, right!"

The man speaking had a dark red complexion, a large head, and small eyes. He wore a loose leather armor, and his eyes were slanted as he sized people up, spitting out saliva as he spoke, which made him look quite comical.

Gao Zhengyang didn't look at him; his attention was on the person behind him.

This person was slender, wearing a leather armor inlaid with iron plates, a long knife at his waist, and long leather boots on his feet. He was neatly dressed, looking efficient and valiant.

His face was dark, and he had a fierce look between his brows. He stood there with a cold expression, not saying a word, giving off a strong sense of oppression.

The old man secretly glanced at him, and his face changed. He quickly withdrew his gaze.

"A soldier, or rather, a warrior!"

Gao Zhengyang had seen many such people and could immediately identify his status. Moreover, this person had an extremely strong aura, much stronger than the butcher Lin Niangzi.

Gao Zhengyang just glanced at him and immediately withdrew his gaze. He said slowly, "There is no Gao Shazi here."

"Then who are you?" The man's face showed a hint of anger as he pressed.

"Gao Zhengyang." Gao Zhengyang's voice was not loud, but the words were very clear.

The man's eyes narrowed, and he scolded, "Rude, how dare you speak to me like that."

The old man quickly interceded, "Lin Battalion Commander, don't be angry, let's talk things out."

Gao Zhengyang said irritably, "Then how should we talk, like you, making a fuss!"

Lin Battalion Commander couldn't bear it and wanted to hit Gao Zhengyang. But seeing the cold expression of the man next to him, his heart tightened, and he didn't dare to act rashly.

He forced back his anger and said, "You replaced Lin Ye from the Lin family to join the army, right?"

"Um."

"Report to the East Camp by noon today."

Lin Battalion Commander said coldly and turned to leave. Before leaving, he glared at Gao Zhengyang with hatred, thinking, "When you get to the camp, I'll show you."

What made him even more depressed was that Gao Zhengyang didn't even look at him.

After Lin Battalion Commander and the man left, the old man sighed, "That Lin Dajiang is just a loudmouth, not really scary. But that silent man, Tie Ying, is cold and ruthless, and his methods of leading troops are brutal, extremely terrifying."

After a moment, he added worriedly, "Now they are conscripting people, it must mean they are going to war with the Wolf Clan!"

The old man told Gao Zhengyang, "The Wolf Clan is small in number, but they are naturally fierce and good at fighting. If they break through the city walls, the Tie Lin Tribe will be doomed."

"This is a big matter, it's not your concern..." Gao Zhengyang said with a smile.

The recent encounters had left Gao Zhengyang with no good impression of the Tie Lin Tribe, and he didn't care much about its survival.

The old man's eyes shifted, and he lowered his voice, "Your boxing skills are good, but once you're on the battlefield, you're sure to die. Why not follow me into the mountains to find that great person? Not only can you avoid trouble, but you can also learn great skills..."

Gao Zhengyang was somewhat tempted. Leaving this place would be good.

But going into the mountains might not be a good thing.

Not to mention the fierce beasts and barbarians. The more dangerous thing was this old man.

He had gone to great lengths to bring him into the mountains. Who knows what his intentions were.

Gao Zhengyang thought he could delay for a few days. But it started so quickly.

He didn't know if it was deliberately targeting him or if the situation of the Tie Lin Tribe was really that bad!

After some consideration, Gao Zhengyang decided to go and see. As long as he could get through today and complete the first stage of the titanium alloy fusion, he would have the ability to protect himself.

At that time, whether to stay or leave would be up to him, with no more worries.

"Old man, I'm hungry, make some food quickly."

Gao Zhengyang shouted and continued practicing his boxing, seemingly indifferent to what had just happened.

This young man's calmness in the face of trouble was beyond the old man's imagination.

The old man scratched his head, wanting to ask something, but seeing Gao Zhengyang's calm demeanor, he wisely gave up on trying to get information and obediently went to cook.

After breakfast, Gao Zhengyang continued practicing his boxing.

The old man sat beside him, lost in thought.

As noon approached, Gao Zhengyang estimated the time was right and picked up his knife to leave. Before leaving the door, he turned around and jokingly said to the old man:

"Don't run around, I still need to come back to eat and sleep. Don't steal my braised meat while I'm gone."

Without waiting for the old man's response, Gao Zhengyang had already left.

The old man looked at Gao Zhengyang's straight back and muttered with a complex expression, "If you don't come back, the remaining meat will be mine."

Their relationship was not pleasant. Gao Zhengyang had even shaved off a layer of his scalp. The old man remembered all this.

But after seeing Gao Zhengyang practice his boxing, the old man saw the spirit in his punches and gained a bit of respect and admiration for the young man.

The old man, though not highly knowledgeable, could see that Gao Zhengyang was a martial arts prodigy.

This was something the other young men of the Tie Lin Tribe could not compare to.

Most importantly, Gao Zhengyang gave him hope.

The strong person had said that as long as the person he brought was satisfactory, he would give him longevity-enhancing medicine.

With the other person's great abilities, he naturally wouldn't deceive him.

So, the old man sincerely hoped Gao Zhengyang would come back.

But Tie Ying was ruthless, and falling into his hands would mean a painful death. Gao Zhengyang had also offended the son of Battalion Commander Tie Feng.

No matter how skilled Gao Zhengyang's boxing was, he was not yet a true martial artist.

The military camp was full of experts, and the military law was merciless. It would be too easy to deal with Gao Zhengyang.

Gao Zhengyang's trip was almost certain to end in death!

Thinking of this, the old man felt dejected. If Gao Zhengyang died, the longevity-enhancing medicine would be out of his reach.

The old man thought and thought, but still couldn't give up. But his low status meant he couldn't do much to help.

"Right, Yue Qingsnow!" The old man had a sudden idea and thought of Yue Qingsnow.

This youngest shaman of the Tie Lin Tribe had a deep relationship with Gao Zhengyang. If she could help, she might save him.

The old man didn't dare to go to the military camp, but he wasn't afraid to seek out Yue Qingsnow. Even if it didn't work out, there would be no loss.

The military camp of the Iron Blood Army was below the city wall.

The buildings here were more orderly, surrounded by a wooden fence over ten feet high. There were two guards at the gate.

The guards wore tattered and dirty leather armor, leaning against the wooden fence, holding blackwood spears, with weathered and expressionless faces, seemingly uninterested in everything.

As Gao Zhengyang approached, the two guards only glanced at him, not even asking a question.

"Excuse me, how do I get to the East Camp?" Gao Zhengyang asked politely.

"Go straight." The younger guard on the left replied somewhat impatiently.

Gao Zhengyang nodded and didn't say more. Given the guard's attitude, he naturally wouldn't make things awkward for himself.

The East Camp was easy to find. Gao Zhengyang entered the military camp and walked along the main road for a short distance, seeing a group of young men gathered on an open ground.

The buildings in front blocked the view from outside the gate.

Tie Ying's tall and imposing figure stood out among the young men. Moreover, he was armored and armed, exuding a fierce aura, making him stand out like a crane among chickens, far surpassing the other young men.

Gao Zhengyang didn't want to cause trouble and quietly walked to the back.

Tie Ying's imposing presence made the young men hold their breath, and no one dared to speak.

Standing at the back, Gao Zhengyang could calmly observe the others.

He noticed that the other young men were also ragged and malnourished, not much better than himself.

However, the young men here were all physically strong. Despite eating meat for two days, he was still the most slender and shortest.

Tie Ying glanced at the sundial in the center of the camp and said, "Time is up."

The sundial was a tool for telling time using the sun's shadow.

The sun shone on the central gnomon, casting a shadow on the wooden disk. The shadow could roughly indicate the time.

When Tie Ying spoke, the black shadow on the gnomon was pointing to noon.

Gao Zhengyang was a bit surprised that Tie Ying was so punctual. Or perhaps, this person was particularly meticulous.

In his previous life, Gao Zhengyang was the strongest in the military, but he hated people with such meticulous and rigid personalities.

"From today, you are officially new recruits. The military law is merciless, and your only task here is to obey orders."

As Tie Ying spoke, he slowly scanned the group. His gaze was sharp like a knife, and the young men he looked at all lowered their heads in fear, none daring to meet his eyes.

"In the coming days, Battalion Commander Lin will train you. If you have any questions, go to him."

Tie Ying then said to Battalion Commander Lin, "Those who arrive late will receive ten lashes. Those who arrive after dinner will receive thirty lashes."

Tie Ying spoke calmly, but Lin Dajiang was startled.

The military punishment was severe, ten lashes could almost kill a person. Thirty lashes would certainly be fatal.

But Lin Dajiang didn't dare to object and quickly responded, "Yes, I understand."

When Tie Ying left, everyone let out a long sigh of relief.

Even Lin Dajiang's expression visibly relaxed.

He pulled out a bull horn from his waist and said to the young men, "When the bull horn sounds, you must immediately gather here. If it's a long sound, it means prepare for battle..."

"How long is a long sound?"

"Where will we fight?"

"With what will we fight?"

"We are new recruits, do we have to fight?"

Lin Dajiang rambled on about the camp rules, but his level was not high, and the young men were not particularly smart. After several repetitions, many still didn't understand.

Lin Dajiang, who looked comical, was not feared by the young men. They surrounded him, asking questions in a cacophony, making Lin Dajiang's head spin, and he became even more incoherent.

Gao Zhengyang found it amusing to watch. This Lin Dajiang was truly incompetent beyond imagination. No wonder the old man looked down on him.

"Enough, all of you shut up."

Lin Dajiang suddenly shouted, silencing everyone.

The young men, being timid, were intimidated by Lin Dajiang's angry expression and dared not speak.

Lin Dajiang, having scared the young men, felt relieved. "Follow me, first to the bathhouse to wash, then to get clothes and weapons."

Lin Dajiang waved his hand, "Follow me."

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