Chapter 349

Huo Xiong has a very refined hobby.

He likes to lie on the roof, drinking and gazing at the moon when it's late at night, people are quiet, and moonlight fills the sky.

With a small sash tied around his waist and his long hair loose, Wu Tie also lay spread-eagled on the roof, sipping mellow osmanthus wine while watching the half-moon in the sky.

After returning home in the daytime, the Huo family opened the ancestral hall, with Huo Hu presiding over the sacrifice, offering three livestock to the Huo ancestors to inform them that Huo Xiong, the family's finest son of this generation, has returned safely, and praying that the ancestors continue to bless the Huo sons, keeping them safe and successful.

Then came the family banquet.

Huo Xiong is the Huo family member with the highest cultivation and highest military rank today; especially since he joined the Divine Martial Army, one of the most famous main forces of the Great Jin Divine State, not some ragtag militia like the local City Defense Army.

Therefore, Huo Xiong's welcome‑back feast was grand; the Huo family slaughtered cattle and sheep, many respected elders from neighboring households came, and several major clans of Huochong City sent congratulatory representatives.

After the bustle, Wu Tie finally got some peace and quiet.

He lifted the wine jar, took a gulp of fragrant osmanthus wine, and Wu Tie let out a heavy sigh.

With a "swish", several figures leapt onto the roof, standing on the eaves' edge, cautiously watching Wu Tie.

"What are you spacing out for up there? Need something? Come over and talk." Wu Tie gave them a sideways glance, recognized them as the Huo family men who had toasted him at the daytime banquet, and lazily waved at them.

The few kids were eleven or twelve years old, all at Foundation Establishment strength, the age of fearless recklessness. Hearing Wu Tie's greeting, they gave a hehe-hehe silly grin, each pulling out a wine jar from behind, carefully stepping on the tiles to walk to Wu Tie's side, and sat in a row along the ridge.

The Huo family is a long‑standing military household; all able‑bodied men serve in the army and fight.

Those who stay at home are, aside from Huo Hu, a retired soldier wounded in five ways and seven injuries with a damaged Dao foundation, just these underage youths whose cultivation is not high.

The few youths pulled the stoppers from their wine jars, imitating Wu Tie by gulping a mouthful, then satisfiedly exhaled a breath of wine vapor.

"Uncle Xiong, did you personally see those underground demons in Demon‑Suppressing City this time?" one youngster asked Wu Tie carefully.

"Yeah, I saw them." Wu Tie also took a swig of wine.

"The instructors at the Training Hall say the underground demons are all grotesque and inhuman… they eat children's brains and maidens' hearts—is that really true?" another youngster stared at Wu Tie with wide eyes.

"Hmm… I haven't seen any." Wu Tie said lazily: "But since the instructors say so, I suppose it must be."

"Then, have you fought them?" one youngster asked, trembling with excitement.

"No……" Wu Tie sighed, giving the bunch of childish‑looking kids a sideways glance: "If I had fought them, I probably wouldn't have come back. Well, unless you cultivate to the Life Pool Realm, you'll just while away your days in the City Defense Army."

Shaking his head, Wu Tie muttered: "Places like Demon‑Suppressing City and Demon‑Dispelling City aren't somewhere you can just muddle through."

Wu Tie had something left unsaid…… Even if these kids cultivated to the Life Pool Realm, with the quality of the Three Revolutions Primordial Technique taught by the Great Jin Divine State's Training Hall, their strength in the Life Pool Realm could only be called decent, not formidable.

Such Life Pool Realm strength still means being cannon fodder in places like Demon‑Suppressing City.

"No way, we don't want to go to the City Defense Army……" one youngster said arrogantly: "Xiao Hua from next door says anyone who joins the City Defense Army is good‑for‑nothing. I want to follow Uncle Xiong's example, join the Divine Martial Army, go to the Three Kingdoms battlefield, achieve merit, become a general, and then return……"

The few kids all laughed at once, teasing him: "Then come back and marry Xiao Hua!"

Wu Tie gave a cold snort, slapped each of the noisy kids, sending them flying; they landed in the courtyard with their buttocks hitting the ground, howling "ow ow" in pain.

"Get lost, all of you!" Wu Tie barked: "Still looking down on the City Defense Army? Hmph, join the Divine Martial Army, go to the Three Kingdoms battlefield… with your puny skills, are you just going to hand the enemy military merits? Not even reaching the Life Pool Realm… hmph!"

The few kids, clutching their sore backsides, jumped up and shouted loudly: "We'll also cultivate to the Life Pool Realm, for sure!"

"Pah!" Wu Tie spat, waved his right hand, and a gust of wind swept up from the ground, tossing the few kids from the wall top out of the courtyard. Standing up, Wu Tie shouted loudly: "All the sisters‑in‑law and younger siblings of each household, keep your brats in check—running around at midnight ruins tomorrow's morning drill; I'll beat them with a thick‑as‑a‑bowl stick!"

Throughout the Huo manor, women's laughter and scolding rang out, filling every corner with an indescribably lively atmosphere.

Wu Tie lay back on the roof, gulping down wine mouthful after mouthful, blankly staring at the moon in the sky; a thin layer of moonlight enveloped him, silently seeping into his pores.

At the break of dawn, the shouts of the youths rose high from the training field behind the Huo residence.

Afterwards, in every household courtyard behind the military‑registered inner city, there were the children's cries, the booming of fists striking wooden posts, and even the sounds of youths sparring, fists and bodies clashing.

The children's cries woke the households' big roosters; each sleek, glossy rooster flew onto the wall top, facing east, and let out a shrill "woo‑woo‑woo" crow.

Wu Tie listened closely; after the roosters crowed for about a quarter hour, the outskirts of the military‑registered inner city finally heard scattered sounds of the children's morning practice. However, judging by their breath and rhythm, their cultivation was far inferior to that of the military‑household youths inside the city.

Jumping down from the roof, he put on his standard military uniform, hung the regulation saber at his waist, and Wu Tie strode out of the courtyard, walked along the corridor to the front yard, exited the front gate, and headed toward the Divine Martial Army office in Huochong City.

As an Eighth Rank Colonel of the Divine Martial Army, Wu Tie, upon returning from leave to the city, must report to the local Divine Martial Army office.

At the same time, although it's not of much use—after all he's just a lowly Eighth Rank Colonel—he also must urge the clerks in the office to promptly process the sacrifice reports, compensation documents, and so on for the Divine Martial Army soldiers from Huochong City who were wounded or killed in this deployment.

The Divine Martial Army office in Huochong City is located in the northwest corner of the military‑registered inner city, not far from the Huo manor.

When Wu Tie arrived, the blood‑red gate of the office was already open; a squad of twelve Chonglou Realm soldiers stood split left and right in a goose‑feather formation on either side of the gate. A middle‑aged man wearing a blue wide‑sleeved long robe, a silver waistband around his waist, and a thumb‑sized silver seal hung from it, stood with his hands behind his back at the gate, squinting at the newly risen red sun in the east.

Wu Tie forced a smile onto his grim face and, from afar, cupped his fists toward the middle‑aged man: "Good morning, Clerk Sir!"

The chief officer of the Divine Martial Army stationed in Huochong City, Seventh Rank Clerk Li Dayou, gave a hehe laugh and nodded at Wu Tie: "Little Huo, good morning… I figured you'd be coming early today. Perfect, I have something to discuss with you."

Wu Tie raised an eyebrow, spread his hands, and shook his head.

Li Dayou pointed at Wu Tie and said in a low voice: "I know your Right Army Vanguard Camp has been on a long leave… who could have predicted that? Still, idle hands are idle hands—handle this matter well for me, and you'll get a benefit."

Wu Tie pursed his lips, strode over to Li Dayou, and said solemnly: "Clerk Li, I'm here—one thing is……"

Li Dayou cut off Wu Tie's words: "Procedure, I know better than you… last night I already finished your report filing and sent the documents to the superior office. For this deployment's losses of Divine Martial Army troops from Huochong City, their casualty statistics, all necessary compensation, and arrangements for the families' dependents, I've already dispatched three documents urging the higher ups—does that suffice?"

He gave Wu Tie's shoulder a firm pat and said with a smile: "How to put it—back in the Training Hall, you were basically a student I personally taught; out of regard for you, I've taken care of everything for you smoothly. So you have to help me with this."

Wu Tie spread his hands, looking at Li Dayou with a helpless expression.

When Huo Xiong was young and entered the Divine Martial Army's Training Hall, Li Dayou was still an Eighth Rank Clerk, just in charge of the hall's specific affairs.

Li Dayou had a discerning eye for talent; at a glance he saw Huo Xiong's extraordinary gift, so he gave him special favor. Not only did he provide plenty of cultivation resources, he also personally guided Huo Xiong's training, saving the latter much effort.

Strictly speaking, Li Dayou and Huo Xiong indeed share a master‑disciple bond.

Wu Tie nodded, sighed, and said: "All right, since you've spoken up…… what is it?"

Wu Tie looked at Li Dayou and said solemnly: "Rules, you know them better than I do, so the army strictly forbids meddling in local affairs—don't get me into trouble."

Li Dayou widened his eyes, pointed at Wu Tie and scolded with a laugh: "Am I that kind of person? This has nothing to do with Huochong City's affairs. Come inside, explain in detail."

The Huochong City Divine Martial Army office isn't large—just a three‑entry, three‑exit courtyard with a small barracks on each side, housing only a hundred Divine Martial Army soldiers. Li Dayou's usual workplace is the main hall of the second courtyard.

Wu Tie followed Li Dayou into the main hall of the second courtyard; host and guest took their seats, and an attendant brought up hot tea.

This is a military office; it operates under military law, and its conduct mirrors that of the army.

The attendant's hot tea came not in cups but in two large bowls; the steaming brew weighs at least two catties, with plenty of tea leaves, giving it a strong, rich taste—drinking it is like chewing coptis root.

Wu Tie and Li Dayou lifted their bowls and gulped two mouthfuls of hot tea; Li Dayou snatched a document from the desk before him and casually tossed it to Wu Tie.

Look closely. It came from the Forbidden Demon Hall—how strange, how odd. Around Flower Insect City, among the eighteen big and small cities, there's nothing worth scouting; how could someone… set their sights on this vicinity?

Li Dayou took another sip of tea, said to Wu Tie: "You know as well, the garrison of Flower Insect City… well, they're just for show. Having them suppress the fierce birds and beasts in the mountains and forests, they often suffer casualties; sending them to do this kind of thing is basically sending them to their deaths."

"I've been worried these past few days; if something really happens, I don't know who'll get the blame." Li Dayou pointed at Wu Tie and laughed, saying: "However, you've come back, which is good. I'll give you eighty of the hundred soldiers in the office; what do you think?"

Wu Tie opened the document and read it carefully.

The Forbidden Demon Hall of the Great Jin Divine State functions similarly to the Black Hall of the Fuxi Divine State. Internally, it monitors civil and military officials and powerful clans; externally, it surveils anyone or anything that threatens the Great Jin Divine State. Its power is immense.

This document, sent from the Forbidden Demon Hall, is a warning to Flower Insect City and the dozen or so surrounding cities.

According to the Forbidden Demon Hall's statement, after investigation, 'perhaps' dangerous elements have already infiltrated the surrounding areas, plotting some schemes detrimental to the Great Jin Divine State; they specifically warn the civil and military officials and prominent clans of each city to stay on guard.

According to the document, the origins of the dangerous elements are unknown; their numbers are unknown; their cultivation levels are unknown; what their goals are is unknown; where they have already reached is unknown…

Everything is unknown.

"What is this supposed to be?" Wu Tie shook the document in his hand, looking at Li Dayou with a blank expression.

"Everything being unknown is what makes people worry." Li Dayou looked grimly at Wu Tie: "Flower Insect City, and these surrounding cities, are the traditional source of troops for my Divine Martial Army… if someone stirs up trouble here and causes a big commotion, my Divine Martial Army will be the first to lose face!"

"So then, we need to take some preventive measures." Li Dayou seriously looked at Wu Tie: "I'll give you eighty people; no matter what means you use, find these individuals… well, I'll issue another document to let you mobilize the manpower of the city garrison."

Wu Tie smacked his lips: "The City Lord's Mansion, and the several great clans of Flower Insect City?"

Li Dayou spread his hands and sighed: "Do you think we can rely on them? Unless those guys provoke them, otherwise they won't care about the life or death of ordinary people in Flower Insect City."

Wu Tie remained silent.

He had obtained all of Huo Xiong's memories, but Huo Xiong's personality is introverted and cold; cultivation, killing, and achieving merit are practically all that fills his mind.

As for worldly affairs, Huo Xiong is practically clueless.

The City Lord's Mansion of Flower Insect City, and the several renowned great clans of Flower Insect City, their relationship with the Divine Martial Army… Huo Xiong doesn't understand it, so Wu Tie is also a bit vague and confused.

Saying more leads to mistakes, so Wu Tie simply kept silent, merely nodding slowly; this also happened to match Huo Xiong's nature.

After a quarter of an hour, Wu Tie led eighty soldiers of the Chonglou Realm away from the Divine Martial Army office.

After another half an hour, five hundred troops ranging from the Sensing Mystery Realm to the Half-Step Chonglou Realm, the strongest being those who had just entered the Chonglou Realm from the city garrison, wearing light half-body armor and holding standard-issue strong crossbows, marched out in neat formation from the garrison's base.

Wu Tie led this small detachment out of Flower Insect City, arrived at the mountains and forests thirty li outside the city, and then issued the first order.

"Set up camp, then wait!"