Chapter 25

Second Stage Main Quest, Third Stage Main Quest, system, before Six Pin, after Six Pin

Secondly, the host thinks raising strength is too simple; before Sixth Pin, strength increases quickly, but after reaching Sixth Pin the rise in Martial Dao Realm slows down, yet for those without the system you are still swift.

Finally, the system grants you a Martial Dao Realm increase that will never encounter problems, unless you court death and insist on creating trouble for yourself!

Hong Yi, as always, complained, which put Shen Tianxing at ease; now he has taken the missions he should, learned the inner arts he should, drawn the rewards he should—basically everything that needed doing is done, so it's time to go back and sleep holding Qin Mingyue.

"From now on you will stay as another Hundred Soldiers Colonel beside me, just like Zhao Lingfei, both are guards sent by my Shen Family to me; stay here tonight, I must go back to keep my wife company."

Shen Tianxing finished speaking and was about to slip away, but a light remark from Hong Yi made him stop.

"You still have an unused medium-grade guard summon token, and you haven't learned the high-grade spear art Wandering Dragon Nine Spears; are you sure you don't want to summon or comprehend it now?"

"Alright, first summon a medium-grade guard, name Tian Guangguang, male, age 26, appearance just like Tian Bolight, personality a bit slick on top of being upright."

"Congratulations, Host, you have successfully summoned the medium-grade guard Tian Guangguang; he will arrive at the camp in a quarter hour, and for now I, Hong Yi, will act as his caretaker."

After hearing that system prompt, Shen Tianxing finally understood Hong Yi's usefulness: she can manage his subordinates for him.

"Comprehend the high-grade spear art Wandering Dragon Nine Spears."

"Congratulations, Host, you have successfully comprehended the high-grade spear art Wandering Dragon Nine Spears; would you like to spend 100 Killing Value to raise it to Skilled?"

"Yes."

"Congratulations, Host, using 100 Killing Value you have successfully raised Wandering Dragon Nine Spears to Skilled; would you like to continue using 1000 Killing Value to raise it to Proficient?"

"Yes"

"Congratulations, Host, using 1000 Killing Value you have successfully raised Wandering Dragon Nine Spears to Proficient!"

After hearing the final prompt, Shen Tianxing ran off without looking back, having finished everything; he needed to hurry home to dote on his wife.

He returned to the village, entered the house, got onto the bed, and woke Qin Mingyue, who had already fallen asleep; although she knew as a married woman what would happen next, she still felt a little afraid, her body trembling slightly.

Shen Tianxing gently embraced Qin Mingyue from behind and whispered in her ear:

"Don't worry, I'm not in a hurry; your constitution is weak, you need to rest a few more days, you can't withstand too much turmoil now, and I will cherish you."

Qin Mingyue, who had been slightly trembling, felt warm inside; she slowly turned around, reached out to embrace Shen Tianxing, kissed his face, then buried her head and slept peacefully.

"How did I end up acting so deadpan? A beauty is in my embrace, yet I have to hold back—this is ancient times, isn't saying a couple of nice things enough? But I've already spoken, and I can't really take it back; sorry, my brother."

Shen Tianxing let out a silent shout, his mind constantly torn between heaven and man, eventually he too fell asleep; after all, this could be considered warm fragrance and soft jade.

While Shen Tianxing slept comfortably, Sun Tiejun burned with rage and kicked Pan Dongpeng to the ground.

"Trash, you can't even handle this small matter? Do you still have the nerve to come see me?"

Pan Dongpeng felt utterly wronged; Yang Hongyue had already left, what could he do?

"Marshal, please calm your anger; Shen Tianxing already has a wife, how could General Yang possibly like a married woman? Perhaps you are overthinking."

"Idiot, how could I have someone like you beside me? If Hongyue doesn't like him, would she constantly monitor his situation and rush to save him in time?"

"What status does Hongyue have? What status does he have? Even if he married a country woman as wife, what does it matter? If Hongyue wanted him to marry into her family, he might just turn around and kill the country woman he currently married."

"Now Hongyue knows I want to kill him, so dealing with him won't be so easy anymore; there are still four days left, and when we reach the showdown at Humen Pass, let him die there."

"You could say Sun Tiejun has no brains, yet he can sense that Yang Hongyue has a bit of feeling for Shen Tianxing; otherwise he wouldn't be trying every means to take Shen Tianxing's life."

"Marshal, could your meaning be not to have him lead troops to guard the gate? If so, then we only need to drive the enemy forces entirely to the gate he defends, and in that way he will surely die."

Pan Dongpeng is not completely an idiot either; he immediately grasped Sun Tiejun's meaning, while Sun Tiejun merely gave him a contemptuous glance.

"He must die, but our plan cannot fail; letting him guard the gate is a good idea, but it must be arranged cleverly—I, the Marshal, will let him serve as this bait, making the Dawu Army think that spot is the easiest to break through."

That way, the entire Dawu Army will head there, allowing our supporting troops to shoot arrows—only shoot, no support—wait until the large army is killed, then go up to block it; thus the plan proceeds smoothly, and he will die a fitting death.

Pan Dongpeng nodded repeatedly.

"Marshal, you are indeed brilliant, but such a risky undertaking will surely be obstructed by General Yang; perhaps he won't let Shen Tianxing serve as the bait."

"Isn't that simple enough? He is merely a Colonel of a Thousand Men now; if he successfully completes this mission, this Marshal promises to appoint him Vice Commander—after all, he's a dead man anyway, what harm is there in giving him a Fifth Pin official rank?"

Sun Tiejun had full confidence; this Vice Commander post is the highest position he, as Marshal, can appoint; if it were Commander, he'd have to memorialize the Imperial Court—offering such terms, he doesn't believe Yang Hongyue and Shen Tianxing would remain unmoved.

"Marshal, your scheming is superb; my admiration for you is like the endless, surging river waters, continuous and unceasing, like the Yellow River flooding—once unleashed, it cannot be contained."

Pan Dongpeng hurriedly flattered him; this was the best moment, Sun Tiejun felt quite pleased inside, yet on the surface he still gave him a contemptuous glance.

"You have time to spout nonsense; you'd better hurry and make proper arrangements—five days from now, the battle at Humen Pass must be won, and Shen Tianxing must die."

"As the Marshal said, I will take care of the arrangements."

Pan Dongpeng hurriedly replied, then scurried away with his butt wiggling.

Shen Tianxing naturally had no idea of Sun Tiejun's scheming against him; at that moment he was sleeping soundly, but when the sky began to lighten, the system prompt sounded in his ear, making him bolt upright and startling Qin Mingyue awake in his arms.

"It has been detected that the Host is regarded as a mortal enemy by the Great Zhou's Northern Expedition Marshal Sun Tiejun; a counter‑killing decapitation mission is now issued—please, Host, slay Sun Tiejun within fifteen days."

"Upon completion you will receive a reward of 100,000 Killing Value, can upgrade the Divine Weapon to the initial tier Golden Roc War Boots, select three chapters from the Ultimate Martial Art Residual Chapter of the Subduing Dragon Eighteen Palms, obtain a high‑grade special item small gift pack, and gain 500 taels of gold."