White-Robed Chief

After observing the tent, Chu Li felt satisfied.

The tent was very spacious and it was not as cramped as he had thought it would be. There were two beds, two cupboards and two desks which were arranged neatly.

“Are two people staying here?”

“There used to be two people, but you’re the only one now.”

“Are the previous people dead?”

“Yes,” Elder Fan replied nonchalantly, “they have all left. At the moment, there are only two of us in the Sharp Vigor Battalion, but now you’ve joined us!”

Xu Cihang added, “There were six people the day before, but only the two of us returned.”

“At the beginning, there were thirty people in our camp.” Elder Fang pointed at the surrounding tents. “It was quite boisterous. However, when the battle began, the Sharp Vigor Battalion was heavily overwhelmed. Our men were like a bunch of dumplings that were fried in a wok and eaten!”

“Elder Fan, what’s the meaning of this?” Xu Cihang was annoyed. “Are you trying to spoil our appetites for dumplings? Come, Xiao Zhao, tell us what on earth happened that made you to end up here. It sounds really exciting!”

So, Chu Li sat on a bed, crossed his legs and summarized his story.

However, he did not go through the details. He simply told them how he entered the Holy Church of Light, how the person who guided him was harmed, how he then killed the Altar Leader who plotted against them, and how he was punished and sent here.

“Beautiful!” Elder Fan patted his shoulder and sighed in admiration. “You honor friendships and that’s what a good man should do!”

“There’s no need to do so.” Xu Cihang twitched his lips and commented dismissively, “If I were you, I would’ve kept quiet and laid low. Once I have become a Priest, I would get rid of this Altar Leader and let him have a taste of his own medicine.”

Chu Li said, “He was in Falling Autumn City. After this battle, he would probably become a Priest.”

“Sigh… No other choice, then.” Xu Cihang nodded. “You can only take action as early as possible. You’re unfortunate.”

Chu Li smiled. “Can’t help it, that was the only thing I could do.”

He could tell that the two men respected what he did and this brought all three of them closer together. Everyone liked a person who honored friendships.

“I doubt the three of us will live long.” Fan Yang chuckled. “You’ll meet your loved ones soon. I’m the most pitiful one, I don’t even have a loved one!”

As they chatted, the soldier in armor returned again. This time, he was holding a long, sheathed blade in one hand and a set of armor. When he entered, he threw the items on the ground. “All set!”

He left as soon as he finished speaking. It was as if he was afraid of coming into contact with bad luck.

While Xu Cihang stared at the back of the soldier and snorted, his eyes gleamed with ferocity.

Fan Yang laughed. “Come, try it and see whether it fits. An armor is something that will protect you.”

With that, he got up and handed the armor to Chu Li.

Chu Li held it in his hand. It was light and it felt like cloth armor. However, he tapped it and found it to be very tough. Although its quality was not as good as his floating silkworm treasured clothing, it still helped with blocking attacks.

He picked up the long blade and unsheathed it. The sharp blade glimmered under the light. It was not a treasure blade, but it was still razor-sharp.

Chu Li nodded with satisfaction.

“What do you think? Does it suit you?” Fan Yang asked. “It isn’t as good as the weapons in the Holy Church of Light.”

Chu Li remarked, “It isn’t that bad as compared to the ones in the Holy Church.”

Fan Yang smiled. “Is it really that good?”

Chu Li nodded. “The Holy Church of Light has a Divine Infantry Hall and the crafted weapons are similar to this one. Of course, the treasure blades which are a cut above are better than this.”

“Sigh… I heard the martial arts world of the Qiu Dynasty has a Royal Blade Palace with an abundance of treasure blades.” Fan Yang sighed. “If we have a treasure blade, we will have an easier time on the battlefield.”

“Get real, Elder Fan!” Xu Cihang scoffed.

Chu Li placed the long blade aside and put on the armor.

“Let’s spar together.” Fan Yang chuckled. “From today onwards, we are on the same team. We’ll know each other’s strengths and weaknesses too.”

Other than that, they too wanted to learn about the martial arts techniques of the Holy Church of Light’s disciples. It would be exciting if they could defeat the Holy Church’s disciples.

The three of them arrived in the martial arts field. Each of them held an ironwood blade that was as heavy as an actual blade. It was so heavy that it would hurt if one was hit with the ironwood blade.

To prove himself, Chu Li subdued them with one blow.

The other two men admitted defeat. After all, Chu Li was a disciple of the Holy Church of Light.

Chu Li mused about the importance of one’s identity. His identity as a member of the Holy Church had caused the two men to show reverence for him. After that, when he showed them how powerful he was in martial arts, both men immediately admitted defeat. He did not have to spend much effort after all.

He also understood the backgrounds of both men. Elder Fan was a member of the martial arts world and once killed an official of the imperial court. As a result, he was exiled here to the Sharp Vigor Battalion. He had spent ten years in the battalion, but due to the lack of battles, he lived a relaxed life.

Xu Cihang used to be a centurion.Later, he got into a fight with another centurion and killed him by mistake. Thus, he was exiled here and he had already spent four years in the battalion.

Although the two of them were Grandmasters, they were insignificant and weak to Chu Li. Yet, to others, they were experts. After all, Grandmasters were very rare and this was the reason why they were still alive.

In the following days, it seemed like the Sharp Vigor Battalion was forgotten.

The Soaring Eagle Cavalry often went to war, but the Sharp Vigor Battalion was not required to do anything. Firstly, this was due to a shortage of soldiers. Secondly, Yang Ping refused to give Chu Li an opportunity to gain merits.

Hence, Chu Li spent his days cultivating in the Sharp Vigor Battalion and his nights in his residence in Adjacent Town, either conversing with Xiao Qi or rowing his boat, enjoying the view of the river. He had bought himself a small boat and he could use it anytime.

During the day, while he cultivated, he used the Omniscient Mirror to observe the entire Soaring Eagle Cavalry. He watched how they trained their soldiers and how they coordinated with each other. Judging by the skills of the cavalry, the Li Dynasty was not as good as the Qiu Dynasty and the Ji Dynasty was not as good as the Li Dynasty. Ultimately, it was all a matter of training methods.

…

Seven days later, in the afternoon, footsteps were heard. Through his Omniscient Mirror, Chu Li saw a group of people being led by a soldier clad in armor to the Sharp Vigor Battalion’s martial arts field.

The soldier in armor was the same person who brought Chu Li here. His surname was Jiang and his full name was Jiang Jinfu, the General’s personal scribe.

Bearing a wide smile on his face, Fan Yang approached him.

“Elder Fan, I shall hand them over to you. They are prisoners on death row from the imperial court, none of them are good guys!” Jiang Jinfu declared.

Fan Yang nodded with a laugh. “Just hand them to me!”

“Train them properly, or else they will face instant death when they enter the battlefield!” Jiang Jinfu ordered.

“No problem!” Fan Yang smiled.

Jiang Jinfu raised his voice. “Zhao Dahe, the newcomer! Come with me to get the equipment!”

Chu Li sat still on his bed as if he did not hear anything.

Fan Yang spoke quickly, “There’s no need for Old Zhao. I’ll go there with Xiao Xu!”

“Eh?” Jiang Jinfu looked at him with a frown.

Fan Yang grinned. “He has been training hard these past few days.”

Jiang Jinfu’s expression darkened. “Looks like I can’t order him around!”

Fan Yang smiled. “He’s busy, but we’re free!”

In the army, the powerful ones were respected, which in this case, the two men greatly admired Chu Li’s martial arts skills. Furthermore, Chu Li had assisted them in improving their own abilities.

Naturally, Fan Yang should not bother Chu Li with such errands.

Jiang Jinfu let out a cold laugh. “It’s no doubt he’s a disciple of the Holy Church of Light. Such a high and mighty fellow! Whatever it’ll be, I’ll make him go with me!”