Chapter 160: Promoted to Great General, Meeting the Regional Commander

Inside the wall, the young and strong, having finished conditioning their bodies, submerged themselves entirely in wooden tubs, enjoying the scalding medicinal bath.

Chen Ji dried his hair, holding a porcelain bowl filled with large chunks of meat, and walked toward his quarters.

At the courtyard entrance, a young man in black robes sat casually on the threshold, also holding a bowl, stirring noodles with chopsticks.

Chen Jinyu stood nearby and whispered, "My lord, isn't it a bit too bland?"

"It's fine."

Shen Yi lifted the noodles, shifted slightly to the side, and made room for Chen Ji.

Actually, the taste was a bit bland, but it was just to enjoy the mood, not to truly eat any delicacies.

Chen Ji chewed the fatty meat in large mouthfuls, secretly finding it amusing; My lord said he was borrowing a meal and lodging, and indeed, he completely ignored everything else, doing nothing but eating and sleeping every day, utterly out of place with the atmosphere of the entire Grand Training Ground.

Who knows what duty My lord holds within the Zhen Mo Si.

After so many days, no one has come to find him at all.

Under such a lazy life, My lord's mood seems much lighter; no longer wearing a cold face as when he first arrived, his contentment is enviable.

Just then, the tall, slightly oppressive wall was rarely breached by noise.

Amidst the chaotic footsteps, figures heavy with a killing intent quickly stepped in, like a dark, pressing cloud.

The Captains responsible for training the new recruits turned to look; upon seeing the attire and appearance of the newcomers, they were all struck as if by lightning, even forgetting to step forward to welcome them.

Such a dull and boring place, even a Vice General rarely comes; today, so many dignitaries who are never seen in ordinary times have arrived, and so hurriedly, it is simply hard to imagine.

The entire Grand Training Ground suddenly fell into Tianyan Siji.

Chen Ji slowly opened his mouth, stopping his chewing: "My lord, what is the situation?"

Shen Yi slurped another mouthful of noodles, not even bothering to lift his eyelids: "I don't know."

Aside from killing demons, his understanding of the Zhen Mo Si might be no different from Chen Ji's.

"My lord, they are coming over..."

Chen Jinyu, swept over by many cold gazes, stood stiffly in place, tense.

Thousands of new recruits didn't dare to breathe heavily, watching as this group walked in an orderly fashion toward the small courtyard in the distance.

Until they came to a complete halt, the crowd parted to form a path.

An old man clad in black-glossed dark armor walked slowly to the front, looking at the noodle-eating youth with a complex gaze.

Many personal attendants and Vice Generals, with serious expressions, stepped back one pace in unison, then knelt on one knee, clasping both palms above their heads, and shouted in chorus: "Pay respects to the Great Demon-Subduing General!"

The sound was like a great bell, echoing in the sky for a long time!

"Hiss!"

Where had Chen Ji ever seen such a scene? Feeling like sitting on pins and needles, he instantly jumped up and slipped to the side.

Shen Yi swallowed the last mouthful of noodles, put down the soup bowl; the moment he saw the old man, he knew his rest day was over.

Surprisingly, having served as a personal attendant Vice General for only a few dozen days, it seemed he was promoted again.

He brushed off his clothes, stood up, and clasped his hands in a bow: "Shen Yi pays respects to General Chen."

"..." Chen Qiankun took a deep breath.

The original sense of ritual had been mostly worn away during the search for this new general.

The entire Zhen Mo Si was in a mess; even Aunt Aqian had to use the Qi-Perceiving Art, yet this kid managed to evade it entirely with his own Qi-Subduing Art; this was in Outside Qingzhou, and he didn't even feel tired!

The old man handed over the dark armor and red cape in his hands, saying helplessly: "Hurry and take General Shen to change into it."

Two personal attendant Vice Generals stood up, took the heavy armor, and escorted Shen Yi into the room, as if afraid the other would vanish in the blink of an eye.

The brother and sister stood in the distance; merely approaching these people slightly, they were tightly enveloped by a dense oppressive force, as if their hearts were being gripped, suffocating and unbearable.

And at this moment, this entire group knelt on one knee, staring at the black-robed back walking into the room.

After a long while, when the door opened again.

As long boots stepped out, the dark armor on the youth, shimmering with black light, faintly emitted a chilling aura; combined with that tall figure, it appeared even more majestic and formidable, with extraordinary momentum.

The crimson cape swayed, contrasting with that clean face, adding a touch of ferocity to this majestic demeanor.

Shen Yi held his arm guard, twisting his wrist slightly, feeling somewhat uncomfortable.

"Get used to it after wearing it for a while," Chen Qiankun nodded in satisfaction.

The youth, who had previously looked lazy, seemed to have changed into a different person in an instant; the figure that had fought through a bloodbath among demon hordes, even when showing only a calm expression, was enough to make everyone feel a deep reverence in their hearts.

"From today on, Shen Yi is the thirteenth Great Demon-Subduing General of Outside Qingzhou!"

The old man turned back, his expression becoming infinitely severe.

In about half an hour, this news would spread throughout the entire Outside Qingzhou city, then rapidly extend to even farther places, until the vast twelve prefectures all knew it.

In the field, expressions on countless faces froze, breathing quickened.

They never dreamed they would witness the birth of a Great Demon-Subduing General with their own eyes; it was as if they were suddenly placed within a legendary story, feeling as though they were in a dream.

"General Shen, have you finished eating?"

Chen Qiankun glanced sideways at the youth, smiling ambiguously: "If there is nothing else, come with me to see the Regional Commander."

"Good."

Shen Yi walked out, turned his head to look at the brother and sister beside him, and said indifferently: "I'm leaving first."

Chen Ji swallowed; even though he thought whatever My lord did was normal, seeing the youth now clad in dark armor and a red cape, cold and majestic, he still couldn't quite come to his senses.

He had never seen such dark armor, but he knew what the title of Great Demon-Subduing General meant for Outside Qingzhou.

It was an existence that protected millions of Li Min across a prefecture.

The brother and sister watched the figure slowly depart, until the entire group had left this place, their view blocked by the high wall.

The two blankly withdrew their gaze, then suddenly realized that the remaining crowd was all looking at them, faces full of disbelief.

"..."

Deep within the Zhen Mo Si offices, a refined and quiet separate courtyard.

The few guests staying inside had gathered together.

Jiang Yuanhua sat in the middle of the courtyard, You Longtao stood beside his master, recounting the recent movements of the great demons outside Qingzhou.

Fang Heng and Bai Ziming were helping Grandmother prepare the evening meal.

And in a corner of the courtyard, Jiang Qiulan stood with arms folded, leaning against a large tree, her eyes calm, with wine jars piled up at her feet.

"Has the Profound Ice Seven Sha Sword Intent accumulated too much in junior sister's body?" You Longtao asked with a hint of worry, glancing at the wine jars—even though he knew she needed this medicinal wine to disperse the cold, she normally didn't need this much.

Hearing this, a trace of complexity flickered across Jiang Yuanhua's face.

It quickly returned to normal as he looked toward the outside of the courtyard: "They're here."

As his words fell, Chen Qiankun appeared at the courtyard gate, gave a slight nod in greeting, then turned and left.

After the old man left, the black-armored youth walked slowly into the courtyard, and with neither servility nor arrogance cupped his hands toward the only unfamiliar face: "Shen Yi pays respects to the Commander."

(End of chapter)