Chapter 38

Chen Hai shared his doubts with Shen Kun and Ge Tong.

Shen Kun and Ge Tong merely smiled bitterly and said, "The mobilization of Dao soldiers from the Dao Academy is just to provide cover for the Inner Disciples. The sect probably doesn’t expect us to play a significant role, so there’s no need to inform us in advance..."

Although Dao soldiers are also divided into different ranks, in the Taiwei Sect, they are at the absolute bottom, with a status that cannot be compared to that of the Inner Disciples, let alone the True Disciples.

Even in the military, Dao soldiers from the Dao Academy find it difficult to hold positions more important than a Hundred Martial Captain.

The core positions in the military are always filled by Inner Disciples selected from the Upper Seven Peaks. For Dao soldiers to truly stand out, the shortcut is to enter the Upper Seven Peaks and cultivate there.

"Then, if we encounter any danger, it would be the Dao soldiers who have to stay behind to draw the pursuers, right?" Chen Hai asked.

"In theory, yes, but this battle is just to defeat a group of ragtag enemies, so there shouldn’t be any real danger," Ge Tong said dismissively.

"It’s hard to say," Chen Hai said. "Jie Wenzhuo, Lu Hongqian, and others have been investigating the enemy in Yulong Mountain since the beginning of the year, but it took two and a half months for the Upper Seven Peaks to take action. They must still have some doubts."

"Regardless, we should prepare more. It’s always better to be prepared," Shen Kun said, though he was usually carefree, he had been serving as a city patrol officer in Mengyi City for years and had developed a habit of thoroughness.

Chen Hai collected iron shields, black-scaled armor, and other equipment from the Dao Academy’s equipment institute. Although he would have to return them after the battle, he spent three days working with Zhou Jingyuan to improve them using the infiltration casting method. It’s always better to be prepared.

Ge Tong and Shen Kun, who had been serving in the military for years, had their own suitable weapons and armor.

This time, Chen Hai, as the lowest-ranking Dao soldier, was assigned to a temporary sect Dao army and could not bring his personal guards. Zhao Shan stayed behind with Zhou Jingyuan to manage the weapon and armor shop.

In addition to the small bottles of Essence Pills and healing ointments provided by the Dao Academy, Chen Hai, Ge Tong, and Shen Kun used 2,000 points of sect merit to exchange for over twenty bottles of Essence Medicine and six bottles of Bone Healing Spirit Ointment, which they carried with them.

These pills and ointments wouldn’t cause much loss even if they were carried for nothing; if they encountered a tough battle that couldn’t be resolved quickly, they could secretly sell them for profit.

The formation of the units was completed within three days. Instructor Qi Siyu temporarily served as a Hundred Martial Captain, leading the team of a hundred disciples, including Chen Hai. Zhou Jun, Ge Tong, Shen Kun, and others served as Hundred Martial Deputy Captains under Qi Siyu, each leading a squad of fifteen soldiers.

Although Zhou Jun and Zhao Ruhui had always used Chen Hai to counter the Cai family disciples, Chen Hai had received a lot of care from Zhou Jun and Zhao Ruhui since joining the Dao Academy. This time, as they set out together, their relationship became even closer.

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After a simple drill in the Dao Academy, the three hundred Dao soldiers, led by the Armament Elder Li Xianghai, arrived at Gao County in the southwest of Mengyi City three days later, where they joined seven hundred disciples from the Upper Seven Peaks and two other Dao Academies.

Gao County is located in the southwest of Mengyi City, in a basin at the foot of a mountain range. The earthen city walls, about a thousand steps long, were somewhat dilapidated. On the north bank of a stream outside the southern city, dozens of tents had already been set up.

After the Dao soldiers gathered, they would stay here for two days before setting out.

The three hundred Dao soldiers from the Tieliu Ridge Dao Academy were mostly new recruits.

Although they were all assigned as reserve officers in the Wuwei Army, they usually focused on their personal cultivation and had not undergone formal military training. Even Zhou Jun and other purple-clothed disciples had never served in the military.

Fortunately, there were experienced soldiers like Ge Tong and Shen Kun who led the group to set up camp on a high ground with good wind and water, avoiding chaos.

Chen Hai and the others did not know how many Inner Disciples from the Upper Seven Peaks had been mobilized when they arrived at Gao County, but after a few days of cramming, listening to Shen Kun and Ge Tong explain the military system, and observing the tents, Chen Hai understood that the Inner Disciples from the Upper Seven Peaks would form the main army, while the thousand Dao soldiers from the three Dao Academies would form the vanguard and the left and right flank armies.

From the designated campsite, the three hundred Dao soldiers from the Tieliu Ridge Dao Academy seemed to belong to the left flank army.

Soon, a brown-armored messenger, holding a small flag, galloped over to summon Li Xianghai, Qi Siyu, and others to the main tent for a meeting.

Chen Hai and the others continued to practice military formations with Shen Kun and Ge Tong.

The three hundred Dao soldiers all had a solid cultivation foundation and could read and write. They were familiar with each other as fellow disciples, and after a few days of practice, they could perform basic military formations. However, most of them knew they were just providing cover for the Inner Disciples and believed the rebels were just a disorganized mob. Therefore, they were not very interested in military training, seeing this expedition as a way to earn merit.

Chen Hai practiced shield and spear techniques and archery on horseback, but his attitude couldn’t influence others.

The meeting in the main tent ended quickly. As the sun set and dusk spread, Li Xianghai, Qi Siyu, and others returned, followed by several people who galloped into the left flank army camp.

Chen Hai was sitting by a newly lit campfire, polishing his cold iron war spear, and looked up to see Chen Qing, Jie Wenzhuo, and Lu Hongqian, along with their personal guards, galloping into the left flank army camp with Li Xianghai and Qi Siyu.

Chen Qing wore a fiery red spirit armor, which stood out in the night, like a blazing flame. The armor emitted a faint spiritual glow, forming a barrier around her, making her face appear as delicate as jade, and her features as beautiful as a flower. She was indeed a famous beauty of the Chen family, but her eyes revealed a cold and frosty look as she scanned the camp.

As expected, Chen Hai guessed that Chen Qing was searching for him, feeling a headache: What is she doing in the left flank army camp?

Su Zilin also rode a black-scaled horse, following behind Chen Qing. She wore a green cloud soft armor that clung to her well-proportioned body. The black-sheathed sword on her back added a touch of heroism, but her appearance was softer than Chen Qing’s, with her eyes filled with a gentle charm that made everyone feel as if she was looking at them, causing their hearts to flutter.

Chen Hai clearly felt that Su Zilin had not noticed him, yet he had a sense of being watched by her.

This was not a normal feeling.

Chen Hai, though not yet at the Profound Realm, had already slain forty-seven Rakshasa ghosts in the Blood Cloud Wasteland, and through the blood refinement technique, his puppet body had developed a layer of blood-red soft scales.

Although the scales were not yet hard, this indicated that the puppet body’s physical form was beginning to evolve substantially.

At the same time, his mental will was much stronger and more refined than expected. Given his deep vigilance towards Su Zilin, he sensed something was amiss:

There were many beautiful female disciples in the Dao Academy, and although Su Zilin was superior, she shouldn’t be so enchanting. Could she have a naturally seductive appearance?

The gentle charm in Su Zilin’s eyes disappeared quickly. When Chen Hai tried to look closely, she seemed to become a demure girl, content to be overshadowed by Chen Qing’s brilliance.

Besides Su Zilin, only Qian Wenyi from the Chen family’s guards followed Chen Qing.

Jie Wenzhuo and Lu Hongqian each had two peak Spirit Realm protectors, indicating their importance in their respective clans.

Only the most direct disciples received such strict and meticulous protection.

Seeing Shen Kun walk over, Chen Hai asked him, puzzled, "What are they doing here with Elder Li Xianghai?"

"They are probably sent by the main army to command us in the left flank army..." Shen Kun, familiar with the military system, speculated.

Chen Hai hadn’t expected this. He guessed that Chen Qing, Jie Wenzhuo, and Lu Hongqian being assigned to the left flank army might be aimed at him, but as a low-ranking soldier, he was far from Qi Siyu, Zhou Jun, Ge Tong, and Shen Kun, so he wasn’t worried about them directly causing him trouble.

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After two days of preparation, the thousand-strong sect Dao army set out for Yulong Prefecture.

South of Mount Taiwei and in the western river counties, there were roads connecting the prefectures and counties.

Although the distance from Mengyi to Yulong Prefecture was nearly two thousand miles, the thousand Dao soldiers, all mounted, reached Yulong Prefecture in five days.

In the early summer of the 71st year of the Yitian Emperor, the heat in Yulong Prefecture was already unbearable.

The cracked earth, dry riverbeds, and withered vegetation, along with the vast fields with sparse crops, and the roads crowded with emaciated, lifeless famine victims, all indicated that the famine in Yulong Prefecture was not easing.

These famine victims were trying to escape to the north, to places like Mengyi, but were driven off the road by the vanguard cavalry, crowding into the dry fields, numbly watching the passing army. A few of them, unwilling to give up, extended their dirty hands, hoping the passing Dao soldiers would give them something.

Chen Hai and the other Dao soldiers of the left flank army formed a cavalry unit, stretching for about a mile. He had just tamed his temperamental chestnut horse, and in the scorching sun, his heavy black-scaled armor made his sweat soak his clothes, drying and wetting again.

Not only he and the other newly Profound Realm black-clothed disciples, but even the few Hundred Martial Captains who had reached the Spirit Realm, were exhausted from the continuous march in the scorching heat.

Yulong Prefecture was built on a gentle slope. From a distance, the long pavilion outside the city was filled with officials welcoming the army. The Inner Disciples of the main army had already gone to greet the officials in the pavilion.

At this moment, a messenger on horseback with a flag came over, ordering the disciples to dismount and rest. They would enter Yulong Prefecture today and set out again the day after tomorrow to meet the vanguard at the foot of the northern slope of Yulong Mountain.