Chapter 324: Exceptional Promotion

"The strategists and generals under her took turns on duty and collapsed in a large area, but she was fine. Just like that, until the two-nation coalition was repelled, and Panlongcheng won a great victory." "Besides the first merit, this is also one of the reasons why everyone firmly believes General Red is a god general. After all, this is definitely not something humans can do, even practitioners can't."

"Half-god body, huh." He Lingchuan stroked his chin, thinking for a long time, "Then she doesn't bathe either?"

"..." The broken blade's questions were always so soul-piercing.

Hu Min rolled his eyes: "How would I know? But General Red's battle armor, no matter how damaged in battle, can be clean as new after a while; isn't that at least a treasure? Maybe it's a divine artifact bestowed by Mitian's divine grace. I heard that ancient treasure clothes and the like all have self-cleaning abilities. Perhaps... it's the same?"

That night, General Red left people to handle the aftermath of the mine tunnel and returned to Panlongcheng with Village Chief Hu and the corpse of the Jin Du hatchling.

He Lingchuan was injured and tired, and fell asleep as soon as he returned to his wooden house.

The courtyard next door was still pitch black.

The next two days were calm, and everything in Panlongcheng proceeded in an orderly manner.

But he always felt that there were some undercurrents in the city, surging beneath the water surface that people couldn't see.

He also found an opportunity to visit Duan Xinyu. This person was crushed by a giant rock when the underground palace changed back to a mine tunnel, and had woken up after emergency treatment. His leg bones were broken into several sections, fortunately able to be set, but the recovery time would be longer.

Having gone through life and death together, his impression of He Lingchuan changed greatly, no longer cold-faced.

He Lingchuan was quick-spoken and asked the reason to his face: "I haven't offended you before, have I?"

Duan Xinyu hesitated before answering; it turned out that his fiancée watched the No. 7 arena competition and was fascinated by the "Broken Blade" arena master, talking about him incessantly, to the point of losing her appetite.

Seeing his future wife becoming a brainless fan of "Broken Blade," how could Duan Xinyu have a good impression of He Lingchuan?

He Lingchuan twitched his ears and suddenly laughed loudly: "This kind of woman's brain is blocked by powder; if she's not stupid, she's dull. Duan, you have money and looks, why not find a considerate and careful girl? There are countless beauties in Panlongcheng, why hang yourself on this mangy tree? What if you really marry her and the son you have is as stupid as her?"

As soon as the words fell, there was a *clatter* outside the door, as if a bottle had fallen.

Then the footsteps went far away, and the sound of a woman sobbing faintly came.

"Y-you!" Duan Xinyu's leg was still broken, unable to chase, so angry he couldn't speak.

He Lingchuan listened for a few breaths before coughing lightly: "Alright, your fiancée will never look at me straight again." He had heard the sneaky footsteps outside the door just now.

Duan Xinyu was stunned, He Lingchuan patted his shoulder and walked out laughing loudly.

Then, he disguised himself as a one-eyed man and went to drink with a few teammates.

Men Ban's injuries

Menban's injuries had not yet healed, and Liutiao was taking meticulous care of him. The way the two of them exchanged glances made it clear that their illicit affair was in full swing.

The skinny man told him that the higher-ups wanted him to go for a detailed interrogation regarding the battle in the mine, with a focus on questioning everyone's performance.

Menban and Liutiao also underwent this consultation.

Only He Lingchuan was not sought out.

Two days later, there was more combat in the northwest, and General Hong led the army out of the city.

He Lingchuan finished his martial arts practice, felt his belly was empty, and was just about to go out to find food when someone suddenly knocked on his door.

He opened the door to look, and it was actually Liu Gongcao from the Pengcheng Office.

"Oh, Lu Laoliu, why did you come personally?" He often frequented the Pengcheng Office and had become familiar with Liu Gongcao.

The usually stern Liu Gongcao had a rare upturn at the corners of his mouth: "I've come to bring you good news."

"Oh?" He Lingchuan stepped aside, "Please, come in!"

"No, no, I am here for official business." He waved his hands repeatedly, "The Pengcheng Office has a rule: we do not enter a home to deliver good news."

This was to avoid these public officials accepting bribes in other people's homes.

Liu Gongcao coughed to clear his throat and said clearly: "He Lingchuan is wise, brave, and decisive, resilient and resolute; he is a talent worth cultivating. Upon the recommendation of Xiao Maoliang and the verification of General Hong, you are now exceptionally promoted into the Great Wind Army's Hundred-Drill Regiment, with Captain Xiao Maoliang as your superior officer!"

"Here are your token, military uniform, and boots; please accept them." He pointed to a box at his feet, "These are two sets of winter gear; there are two more sets for spring and summer."

He Lingchuan was stunned, then ecstatic: "I've been promoted? Lu Laoliu, I've been promoted!"

"Yes, you've been promoted!" Liu Gongcao cupped his hands, "Congratulations, congratulations. You've only been registered in Panlongcheng for a few months, yet you've achieved what others struggle for years to attain."

He Lingchuan opened the lid of the box and stroked the dark red Great Wind Army armor. He had always envied Hu Min's attire, and now he finally possessed it himself.

He couldn't put it down.

It was brand new, and every copper stud exuded the scent of metal.

Even the leather material felt thrilling to the touch.

"Take your time touching it." Liu Gongcao had seen this kind of expression and reaction many times; he knew it was time for him to leave and let He Lingchuan be alone with his new gear, "I'll be heading back now."

He Lingchuan wanted to offer him a small token of appreciation, but Liu Gongcao quickly refused: "I came with good intentions to bring you good news; do you want to get me fired? Absolutely not!" Having said that, he turned, boarded his carriage, and left.

Before the sound of the horse's hooves had faded, the neighbors who had been leaning against their doors listening and watching came over one after another to offer their congratulations. A soldier of the Great Wind Army had emerged from here; it was the pride of the entire alley, and the children had one more role model to look up to when they returned from school.

Parents who loved their children dearly wanted to go home to fetch meat, wine, or even pickled vegetables as tuition, hoping to ask He Lingchuan to tutor their own children.

After finally managing to deal with these people, He Lingchuan closed the door, wanting nothing more than to roar at the sky.

Being in a residential area, he couldn't disturb the neighbors, so he just slammed his fists against the wall seven or eight times.

Refreshing! Of course, he didn't dare use his full strength, fearing he would collapse Sun Fuling's courtyard wall.

The first-stage goal was achieved; he had finally joined the Great Wind Army! He Lingchuan let out a long breath, feeling his heart and chest completely relieved. Now, even when he casually performed a sword flourish, it felt as if the blade light was much more agile.

This exceptional promotion was likely due to his good performance in the mine, combined with his previous combat merits, and perhaps the added bonus of successfully defending the arena, which prompted General Hong to nod in agreement.

Otherwise, he would have had to struggle until becoming a squad leader in the Patrol Army to even qualify for selection into the Great Wind Army—and that was just qualifying; whether he would actually be chosen was another matter.

His adventures in the Panlong Dream were about to open a new chapter.

Thinking of this, he felt that all the persistence of these past days had been rewarded.

Just then, the Floating Life Blade at his waist suddenly trembled. He gripped the hilt—it was so hot!

What happened? Wasn't he sitting here perfectly fine? Had he forgotten something? He had gone through many twists and turns in the dream and finally achieved what he wanted; but, what about outside...? Wait, he hadn't escaped danger in reality yet!

￥￥￥￥￥

He Lingchuan opened his eyes abruptly, and what met his gaze was an ugly, ghostly face; he almost threw a punch.

Fortunately, he held back in the next second, remembering that this guy wasn't a ghost, but Dong Rui without his mask.

"What are you doing?" Although Dong Rui's hand was dislocated, he somehow produced a jade bottle, pressed it against his chest with his arm, and with his head lowered, was about to bite the stopper open.

This guy, one really couldn't let their guard down for even a second.

Dong Rui was startled, his hand shook, and before he could pull the stopper out, He Lingchuan snatched it away.

In terms of agility, he was far from being this man's match.

"Give it back."

He Lingchuan shook the medicine bottle: "What is this?"

"Food for the jellyfish, liquid form." Dong Rui tried hard to maintain a calm expression on his face, "Otherwise, we've been in its belly for two days; why do you think we haven't been digested?"

"Is that so?" He Lingchuan wouldn't miss the drastic change in his complexion the moment he was caught red-handed, "Then should I pour it out now?"

"Not feeding it is fine too." Dong Rui acted as if nothing had happened in the blink of an eye, "We should be landing soon."

Yet, inwardly, he cursed his bad luck. The poisonous water in this bottle killed without leaving a trace of blood; it was just a bit slow to take effect. He had originally wanted to take He Lingchuan out while he was asleep.

He had gone to sleep later and woken up earlier than He Lingchuan, but unfortunately, his hands wouldn't obey him; it had taken him nearly an hour just to get this bottle out! An hour!

Was this kid an owl? Why did he have to wake up neither early nor late, but exactly when he was about to pull the stopper and release the poison! He Lingchuan slowly drew his precious blade: "I said it before, didn't I? If you pull any more tricks, don't expect to keep these hands."

Having said that, he chopped down quite decisively!

Two flashes of red and green light burst from Dong Rui's body.

This was the light of his protective magic treasure activating and then being shattered.

"Oh, you were hiding a protective magic treasure?" He Lingchuan performed a sword flourish unhurriedly, "Come again, let's see how many magic treasures you have to use."

This guy really chopped his hand! Dong Rui screamed in terror: "I won't do it again, never again! I swear to heaven, before we both safely return to the human world, I will absolutely never plot against you again, never make a move against you!"

He Lingchuan asked him: "For real?"

"For real, for real!" Having said that, Dong Rui swore a vicious oath using his ancestors back eight generations.

In this world, oaths carried weight.

"Fine then." He Lingchuan smiled at him and sheathed his blade.

Dong Rui had just let out a sigh of relief when the other party suddenly punched him in the solar plexus.

He immediately bent over like a shrimp, his mouth wide open and unable to close for a long time.

He wanted to vomit, but nothing came out; only sweat poured from his forehead, melting into the water.

"A small punishment as a warning; don't let it happen again."

Dong Rui finally gave up hope.

He Lingchuan swept his gaze outward. Oh, so the giant jellyfish had already left the violent main current of the Hanhe and entered a calm, deep-water area. No wonder this guy was so impatient to make a move on him; he wanted to get to shore and escape.

Fortunately, the broken blade had warned him, otherwise he really would have fallen for his trap. He Lingchuan didn't expose him, only asking: "How long have you been asleep?"

"About as long as you." The pain hadn't faded yet, and Dong Rui slowly caught his breath, his words filled with despair, "I just woke up not long ago too. The jellyfish's natural toxins can cause people to fall into a deep sleep. The toxicity isn't strong, but we've been soaking in it for a long time."

Was this kid his natural nemesis? Every time they met, he ended up eating humble pie.

He Lingchuan looked around, trying to identify his location.

Oh, it's the 25th, please vote for the monthly ticket!

(End of Chapter)