Chapter 610

On the walls of Demon-Suppressing City, Ying Zhao'er and the other Demon-Suppressing army officers and soldiers felt numb in their limbs, each unable to speak.

Right before them, their direct superior, the third-rank General Wu Xu, who had just been extolling the countless benefits of the Invincible Army, bent down, picked up a tiny pebble, and flicked it out with a shake of his hand.

The pebble flew toward Wu Tie, toward the Prince An who had been ennobled by the current emperor of the Qingqiu Divine Kingdom.

Several thousand close guards surrounded Wu Tie, all of them high-level cultivators in the Embryonic Storage realm.

The pebble that Wu Xu casually flicked away was neither an innate spiritual treasure, nor a heavenly divine weapon, nor a legendary one-time talisman whose power could destroy a city.

It was just such a pebble… it lightly traced an arc and then lightly struck Wu Tie's purple-gold crown on his head.

The dignified Prince An, the Prince An who was frequently targeted for assassination lately, the Prince An hated to the bone by countless loyalists of the previous dynasty, the Prince An who surrounded himself with thousands of guards for fear of assassination… even the Prince An protected by a national treasure!

Not a single one of his guards reacted.

Not a single one of his commanders reacted.

Even the legendary Prince An, whose battle prowess was astonishing, even the one who had cultivated the ancient forbidden art Nine Revolutions Mystic Technique and was protected by a national treasure, himself showed not the slightest reaction.

This pebble, so miraculously, struck the Prince An's purple-gold crown.

A clear "ding" rang out.

Wu Jin, Wu Yin, and Wu Tong the three brothers didn't move, while Li Ergouzi burst out from the crowd, shouting at the top of his lungs: "Assassins! Assassins… the assassins are from the Demon-Suppressing Army!"

Zhao Bao and Zhao Quan were caught off guard, each receiving a punch to the stomach from Wu Jin and Wu Yin; they cried out in anguish, fell heavily to their knees, clutching their bellies and screaming in pain, their bodies twitching, unable to move.

Several Golden Essence Elders stretched their arms out, turning them into sharp-edged long blades with a swish, placing them at the two men's throats. The Golden Essence Elders, their bodies gleaming with metallic cold light, spoke in a sharp, icy voice: "Do not move, or you will die."

Zhao Bao and Zhao Quan stiffened all over, daring not to move.

Zhao Bao strained to move his eyes and saw that his group of deputy commanders had also been subdued by a group of Golden Essence experts. These beings, their bodies like mercury, able to flow and shift at will, clung to the deputy commanders, from within their own bodies sprouting sharp spikes that pressed hard against the deputy commanders' vital points.

Several warships surged forward, and a large contingent of Invincible Army soldiers and Five Elements spirits leapt from the decks onto the city walls.

Wu Xu bellowed loudly: "It's a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding—we're not assassins, not assassins… it's Ying Zhao'er's clumsy habit; he likes to toss pebbles around, he likes to throw them at birds for fun! We're not assassins, not assassins!"

While shouting loudly, Wu Xu smiled and nodded at a commander in the Invincible Army.

That Invincible Army commander bore a seven‑to‑eight‑parts resemblance to Wu Xu, the look in his eyes and brows practically cast from the same mold; it was obvious they shared an extremely close blood relation.

"Take them down, take them down—no matter what they were doing, they disturbed the prince; take them down, obey the prince's orders!" shouted the Invincible Army commander clad in heavy armor, with a second‑rank general's seal at his waist, as a horde of Invincible soldiers grabbed the dumbfounded Ying Zhao'er and company and dragged them off the city walls.

"Triple military pay, brothers, triple!" came Wu Xu's shameless whisper into the ears of Ying Zhao'er and his fellow officers.

Ying Zhao'er and the others instantly understood… they understood it completely!

This time, Prince An wasn't just here to buy slaves; he was also here… to conveniently dig a corner of the Demon-Suppressing Army's wall!

Such behavior is downright shameless.

Yet why do they feel a little proud of this shameless act?

Hey, to be dug out by a lofty prince with triple pay and such shameless means… is this what life's worth amounts to?

Including Ying Zhao'er, there were over a dozen commanders, twenty‑odd lieutenant commanders, and a hundred or so soldiers; in short, aside from Wu Xu, the large contingent of Demon‑Suppressing troops that had just been surrounding him, considered elite, were dragged and brought before Wu Tie.

"Well, is it you lot who wanted to assassinate this prince?" Wu Tie stomped his foot; five‑element divine light flashed, and vast tracts of earth on the ground writhed upward, condensing behind him into a heavy throne, then a yellow light flickered and the earth solidified into a sturdy blue‑gray rock.

Wu Tie sat on the throne, crossed his legs, tilted his head to size up Ying Zhao'er and the others: "Hmm, you lot, loyal to the former dynasty?"

That charge is a serious one.

Loyalty to the former dynasty—a grave crime!

Ying Zhao'er's body trembled slightly; he clenched his right fist and tapped his left chest: "Your Highness, I… I…"

Ying Zhao'er suddenly recalled Wu Xu's earlier shout, his face flushed as he looked at Wu Tie and lowered his voice: "I, your humble subordinate, merely have a habit of throwing pebbles at birds; I never imagined I would disturb Your Highness."

Wu Tie clapped loudly and laughed: "Oh? You like throwing pebbles at birds? Well, a pebble tossed casually can break through my entourage of guards and strike my crown—good, good, good, very good indeed; I can see you still have some skill."

Wu Tie shook his head and sighed: "I like talented people, but you can't just get away with disturbing the prince's procession like that; otherwise… would the rules of the Qingqiu Divine Kingdom still matter?"

Wu Tie waved his hand and gave a cold snort: "Where is the Army Quartermaster? These reckless troublemakers who disturbed my men—dismiss them… let them get out of the Demon‑Suppressing Army!"

Wu Tie sternly rebuked Ying Zhao'er and the officers: "The Demon‑Suppressing Army is the Qingqiu Divine Kingdom's top‑tier elite force; it cannot tolerate these bad apples causing chaos here."

Born into the Lan family, well‑known for his literary talent and fine calligraphy, the Prince An's mansion's Army Quartermaster produced a small side table, set it before him, wrote swiftly, and immediately signed a military order document.

Wu Tie pointed at Zhao Bao, who was forced to kneel on the ground, and said in a cold voice: "General Zhao Bao, my handling of this is correct, isn't it?"

Zhao Bao stared, dumbfounded, at what was unfolding before him.

After a moment of silence, Zhao Bao gave a dry laugh: "Your Highness, you are the deputy chief of the Demon‑Suppressing Hall; dismissing these reckless offenders who offended the prince is your duty… but Ying Zhao'er and the others are, after all, skilled men of our army…"

Wu Tie waved his hand and said bluntly: "Even skilled men must obey the rules; without rules, what would we be?"

Wu Tie shook his head and said calmly: "Come on, strip them of their uniforms and kick them out of the Demon‑Suppressing Army… oh, right."

Wu Tie gave Zhao Bao a sideways glance and sneered: "To prevent anyone from saying yes outwardly while acting otherwise, those who are expelled and then recalled back into the Demon‑Suppressing Army—I will take them away and send them straight back to their native lands… General Zhao Bao, you won't object, will you?"

Zhao Bao stared, dumbfounded, at Wu Tie.

And there's this kind of maneuver?

Eh?

Zhao Bao came from a military family; he's not the type of scholar who likes to scheme—he excels at hacking and slashing, not at thinking.

Yet the fact that the Zhao clan stationed him in Demon‑Suppressing City's first citadel, where he serves as the overall commander of a Demon‑Suppressing military city and oversees hundreds of Demon‑Suppressing forts, proves that Zhao Bao is neither stupid nor dull.

Looking at the bewildered Ying Zhao'er and company, then at the smiling Wu Tie, and sensing the mighty aura emanating from the guards around him, Zhao Bao silently cursed in his heart.

Of the several thousand guards surrounding Wu Tie, more than half have cultivation far surpassing Zhao Bao's—just a single pebble…

Zhao Bao shut his eyes tight, then opened them with a bewitching smile: "Your Highness's words are truly sound; this subordinate… will obey!"

The arms of several Golden Essence Elders that had turned into long blades slowly returned to normal, and they stepped back two paces.

Zhao Bao rubbed his stomach, which had almost been shattered, painfully rose to his feet, glanced at Wu Jin who had just punched him, and gave a wry smile: "General, what tremendous strength—heck, I too am quite accomplished in cultivation, my family's body‑refining mystic art is deeply ingrained, yet I couldn't block even a single punch from you."

Wu Jin let out a low grunt, and suddenly killing intent flared in his eyes.

Zhao Bao, unwilling to be outdone, glared back, his own killing intent rising in response.

Their gazes locked hard and steady for a long while; Wu Tie let out an unhappy cold snort, and Zhao Quan beside him gently tugged at Zhao Bao's cloak, whereupon Zhao Bao drew a deep breath, gathered the killing intent in his eyes, and stepped back.

"Your Highness, this subordinate will now go assist you… coordinate the preparations and transport all the slaves from the other military cities here."

Zhao Bao clasped his fists toward Wu Tie in a salute, then without waiting for Wu Tie to speak, he turned and left.

Zhao Bao had had enough.

Even though Wu Tie is a prince, the Zhao clan earned merit by following Linghu Qingqing this time, and the current head of the Zhao clan was likewise ennobled as a prince; moreover, the Zhao clan's fief is five times the size of Wu Tie's Nine Provinces, so in terms of power and strength, the Zhao clan does not fear Wu Tie.

Zhao Bao could do nothing about Wu Tie.

But behind Zhao Bao stands the Zhao clan; Zhao Bao will absolutely not act overly servile before Wu Tie. He still bears the dignity, might, family tradition passed down through generations, and confidence of a top-tier military clan.

"It's fine that he left; saves us the trouble." Wu Tie waved his hand and pointed at Zhao Quan.

Zhao Quan then painfully got to his feet, forcing a laugh: "Your Lordship, I'll go settle accounts with your steward right away; rest assured, we won't overcharge you by a single coin."

Wu Tie looked at Zhao Quan and drawled: "Go ahead, try overcharging me a single copper coin..."

Zhao Quan shuddered, dared not say more, lowered his head, and hurried away.

Zhao Bao is a direct descendant of the Zhao clan, and he has the confidence to show some attitude toward Wu Tie.

But Zhao Quan? He's merely a distant branch of the Zhao clan, almost like a house servant; how dare he be rude to Wu Tie?

Zhao Quan also hurriedly took his people and ran.

Wu Tie then glanced at Ying Zhao'er and the others, waved his hand: "Ying Zhao'er? A nickname? Interesting, interesting... Hmm, you brothers, first return to the barracks, gather your belongings, and when I return, follow me back."

Wu Tie chuckled lightly: "What kind of person I am, you'll find out later. Right now, I know you were merely moved by the triple pay I offered; you actually have little loyalty to me. After all, my reputation is foul and dirty."

"But as the saying goes, distance reveals a horse's strength, time reveals a person's heart." Wu Tie said somewhat desolately: "In the future, you'll gradually realize I'm actually a decent person. Of course, I can't be called a pure, wholly good person; in this world, a truly good person cannot survive."

"But I certainly can't be considered a bad person. I may have harmed many people, caused great suffering to many, but at least... I feel I am far better than ninety-nine percent of the nobles and royalty of the Qingqiu Divine Kingdom. You'll understand later."

Wu Tie waved his hand, gave Wu Jin a look: "Here, give the brothers some pocket money."

Wu Jin smirked "hehe", then produced one after another beast-skin satchel with storage function, handing one to each person, stuffing them into the speechless hands of Ying Zhao'er and the others.

Whether it was the former Da Jin Divine Kingdom or the present Qingqiu Divine Kingdom, spatial equipment is military-controlled materiel; aside from certain-ranked officers, ordinary soldiers could never come into contact with any spatial equipment.

Ying Zhao'er and the others, these duwei and schoolwei, each receive a spatial ring; this is standard military issue.

But the hundred or so soldiers also captured by Wu Tie's subordinates are, for the first time in their lives, personally touching storage equipment.

The space inside the beast-skin satchel is not large—about one meter square—but it is stuffed with gleaming gold ingots, shining silver ingots, half the space piled with higher-value essence crystals, and there are also a dozen or so bottles of medicinal pills rarely seen in the military.

"Gentlemen, go pack your belongings." Wu Tie chuckled softly: "This is your pocket money, and also a little token for you brothers to give to your fellow barracks mates when you bid them farewell..."

Wu Tie narrowed his eyes and spoke softly: "I'm afraid I'll have to linger here for quite a few days; without ten days or half a month, I probably won't leave. Take this pocket money, enjoy yourselves with your barracks mates—good wine and meat, go ahead and indulge."

"Please tell your capable comrades in the barracks that my gates are always open, welcoming only martial men of the army." Wu Tie said leisurely: "This time I brought three chi-thick blank military documents; whoever offends me will be expelled from the Demon-Suppressing Army by my order... hehe, hehe, hehehehe."

Wu Tie laughed without a shred of propriety.

Ying Zhao'er and the others also nodded slowly, one by one; they all understood Wu Tie's words.

Indeed, Wu Tie's reputation in the military is terrible; he was wiped out in one battle with the Four Palaces Twelve Guards Imperial Army, a stain he can never wash away.

But, serving in the army means eating grain...

The triple pay is placed here, along with various possible rewards...

No one can remain unmoved!

Thus, half an hour later, when Wu Tie was bored to death, strolling idly around the moat outside the first city of the Demon-Suppressing forces, a half brick slapped against his purple-gold cap.