Chapter 2

"Old Dragon, from now on, the cross-saber will be a reward. I will personally bestow it upon those who have made contributions to the manor, so the forging of the cross-saber must be done with even greater care."

Zhao Shu also knew that although the cross-saber was sharp and suitable for both infantry and cavalry, it consumed a large amount of high-quality steel. The value of one cross-saber was equivalent to a common family's annual expenses, and the Song Dynasty, which lacked high-quality iron, could not mass-produce it.

"Your Highness, please rest assured. The materials used for these cross-sabers are the best high-quality steel. To ensure they can intimidate evil spirits, each cross-saber is forged with the blood of fierce tigers for cooling, forming unique Ku patterns on each blade. They are sharp and filled with a fierce aura, making them beloved by everyone in the manor. With such divine weapons, they will surely help Your Highness achieve great things."

Old Dragon smiled, proud of the cross-saber's forging. To forge this lost cross-saber, he had to find many old craftsmen from Guanzhong and hunt many tigers. The formation of the unique Ku patterns was always a source of pride for him.

Seeing Old Dragon's expression, Zhao Shu knew what he was thinking and stood up, preparing to give him a warning to prevent him from having any improper thoughts. At least for now, he had no strength to entertain any such thoughts. His tone became serious as he said, "Old Dragon, you are an elder of the family, having guarded by my mother's side since her time. So I will not hide anything from you. Our current strength is not enough to entertain any improper thoughts, lest we suffer a catastrophic defeat. Therefore, tell the people below to focus on making money and not to get involved in politics or discuss it."

"The old servant understands and will inform everyone!"

Old Dragon's expression turned serious, and he nodded solemnly, understanding that the strength of the Crown Prince and the princes was not something the young master could currently resist.

"The heavy snow should seal the mountains the day after tomorrow. Tell the young men in the manor to go hunting in the mountains the day after tomorrow. I want to test the results of this year's training."

Zhao Shu looked out the window at the increasingly heavy snow and thought to himself.

"Your Highness's idea is excellent. The heavy snow sealing the mountains will indeed test the results of the young men's training this year."

Old Dragon's expression changed, and he immediately smiled in agreement, then went out to prepare for the hunt. Seeing Old Dragon leave, Zhao Shu smiled bitterly, knowing that his thoughts could not be shared with anyone. After all, no one would believe that the mighty Song Dynasty would be overthrown by the barbarians in a few years, or that the prosperous Bianliang would be reduced to ruins in an instant, with the Song royal family becoming slaves to the barbarians, the two emperors of the Song Dynasty being imprisoned and mocked, and countless Han men dying, with the Han culture being completely destroyed.

Thinking of this, Zhao Shu felt extremely depressed, a sense of oppression that made him want to explode. This depression led him to walk into the snow, grab the stone lion in the courtyard, and swing it fiercely.

"Boom! Why are the Han people so plagued with disasters!"

Zhao Shu roared, throwing the stone lion, which shattered a rock formation. At this moment, the depression in his heart was slightly relieved.

Two days later, the snow stopped, and the entire ground was covered with a thick layer of snow. Longding Mountain was enveloped in white.

On the square of Qinghe Manor, thirty-six young men, wearing leather boots and thick fur coats, with bows and arrows on their backs and cross-sabers at their waists, sat solemnly on their horses. Their young faces were filled with coldness and solemnity.

However, when they looked at Zhao Shu, their faces were full of reverence and awe. They were all children born and raised in Qinghe Manor. Before Zhao Shu arrived, they could only dig for food in the barren manor and face heavy taxes. Every winter, people in every household would starve to death, and some families even had to sell their children. For them, the prosperous Song Dynasty had no relevance.

Now, they no longer had to worry about starving to death or seeing their sisters sold into slavery. Their families were well taken care of, and they lived like the rich. All of this was due to the young master before them.

This made these young men feel only reverence and awe. In their daily training, they worked even harder and had absolute confidence. They were the elite among many children, and the cross-saber at their waist was proof of their strength. The cross-saber was their honor and their life.

Thinking of this, these young men tightened the reins of their warhorses, raised their heads, and stood tall. The warhorses snorted strongly in the snow, their eyes wide open, showing no fear or cold. Their strong and powerful bodies, long and slender legs, and shiny coats indicated that these were not ordinary horses. Long sabers hung from the saddles, and hunting dogs stood quietly below, exuding a fierce aura.

"Entering the mountains in heavy snow is difficult and dangerous, but it will test you even more. Today, the number of your prey will determine your rewards and punishments!"

Zhao Shu sat on his horse, his gaze sweeping over the young men, his eyes cold. In his heart, he was extremely stern, knowing that the Jurchens were extremely strong, having survived in the icy and snowy environment. He needed to train this young cavalry.

"Yes!"

The thirty-six young men shouted in unison.

Zhao Shu looked at them with satisfaction.

"Your Highness, as per your instructions, the selected cavalry are all young boys. These thirty-six boys were chosen from over a hundred, all with good potential, strong drive, and quick learning. Their riding skills are excellent, and what they lack is practical combat experience. The warhorses they ride were carefully selected from sixty horses by the old servant."

Seeing Zhao Shu walking and inspecting the warhorses, Old Dragon rode closer and said.

"Very good, let's see how this hunt goes."

Zhao Shu nodded, satisfied with their riding skills. After a quick scan, he had an idea and shouted, "You thirty-six riders, from now on, you will be called the Tiger Wing!"

"Yes!"

The thirty-six young men roared in unison as Zhao Shu spurred his horse into the forest. Instantly, the cold and quiet forest was filled with the neighing of horses and the barking of dogs, startling many wintering animals.

"A pure fox?"

Zhao Shu saw a white shadow dart in front of his horse and was instantly delighted, not expecting to encounter a pure fox. The fur of this fox was soft and warm. Old Dragon immediately waved the command flag, and the others in the forest, seeing the flag, quickly gathered from all directions.

This was a method of communication in battle, also used to train the cavalry during the hunt.

The hunting dogs pounced on the pure fox, and the hooves of the horses thundered from all sides, surrounding the fox.

"This pure fox won't escape. Let's see the abilities of these young men."

Zhao Shu laughed, extremely satisfied with the young cavalry's abilities. Watching them ride through the forest and gradually surround the pure fox, he was even more pleased. This young cavalry would be key to his future resistance against the Jurchens.

"Boom!"

A loud explosion sent snow flying, and many hunting dogs were thrown back, howling in pain.

"Fire arrows!"

The moment the dogs were thrown back, dozens of arrows shot from all directions, accurately targeting the snow.

"Clang!"

As the arrows flew, the snow slowly moved, forming a ten-foot-tall snowman that blocked the arrows.

"It's a demon! Smear the arrows with blood and use the yang energy to kill this demon."

Old Dragon's face changed, and he shouted, leaping from his horse to shield Zhao Shu. The young men reacted quickly, quickly drawing their arrows and shooting them.

The blood-stained arrows hit the snowman, causing it to melt. However, before the young men could celebrate, the snowman reformed, using the snow to replenish itself.

"Change to swords and defend the surroundings!"

Seeing this, Zhao Shu shouted. This was clearly a powerful expert using objects to manifest. With the endless snow, arrows would not be effective, and the young men would eventually be exhausted.

As he shouted, Zhao Shu leaped from his horse, approaching the snowman, and cut his palm, filling his sword with yang energy.

"Protect the young master!"

Old Dragon shouted, his arms blocking the thick fur coat, his true qi surging, making his arms swell.

"Protect the young master!"

The thirty-six young men were furious, drawing their swords and charging at the snowman. They revered Zhao Shu as their world and wanted to show their abilities during this hunt. The demon daring to attack the young master made them furious.

Zhao Shu leaped several times, approaching the snowman, and with a powerful strike, shattered a large part of it. The terrifying true qi penetrated the snowman, destroying the soul within.

"Clang!"

As the snowman collapsed, Zhao Shu quickly approached, using his left arm, the Qilin Arm, to deliver a powerful punch, reducing the remaining half of the snowman to snow.

"Such powerful strength! A martial artist at the physical realm has the strength of one ox, but why do you have the strength of nine oxen and two tigers, surpassing even those at the true qi realm?"

As the snowman disintegrated, a deep voice echoed in the forest, filled with surprise and hidden fear. In that powerful punch, he felt a sacred aura, as if from an ancient divine beast, suppressing his soul.

At this moment, the young men drew their swords, forming a protective circle around Zhao Shu, their eyes bloodshot, searching the surroundings. Their blood and aura enveloped the area.

These young men, with their vigorous blood and a year of martial training, exuded a yang energy and a hint of a fierce aura, which was effective against those who cultivated souls.

If these young men had experienced real battles, they would be even more terrifying, and no soul cultivator would dare approach them.

Even now, this demon, despite being a high-level expert, had to be cautious.

Moreover, what made the demon even more cautious was the purple aura above Zhao Shu's head, a sign of extreme nobility, which repelled spirits and ghosts, making it impossible for any immortal cultivator to approach.

Especially when the demon saw Zhao Shu's attire and the guards and warhorses around him, he guessed Zhao Shu's identity, which made him even more shocked, yet he had to protect the small pure fox in his arms.

The snow slowly reformed into a human-sized snowman, holding the trembling pure fox and bowing to Zhao Shu, "I am Bai Fox King, a wandering hermit. Please spare this little fox. I will repay this kindness in the future."

The snow slowly reformed into a human-sized snowman, holding the trembling pure fox and bowing to Zhao Shu, "I am Bai Fox King, a wandering hermit. Please spare this little fox. I will repay this kindness in the future."