Chapter 78: The Soldier God Hidden on the Battlefield (Seeking subscriptions, seeking monthly tickets)

Three days later, it was already the twelfth day since the main army set out.

Information from the outside was like a stone sinking into the ocean.

This was the result Song Cheng saw after taking his Guest Elder Token to the prefectural government office.

The gates of Hanping Prefecture were shut tight, and the city patrols were strict.

The wilderness stretched out, with dust and sand swirling.

Yet, the Neizhai of the An Mansion was a different scene.

The "Form Realm expert" who had appeared out of nowhere, little Song, was currently holding a small red pill and looking at it.

This had been sent over by the Mountain and River Martial Arts Hall.

It was said that Guest Elders could claim resources.

"Blood Dew Pill," "Flame Gang Pill," and some High-level Demonic Beast Meat had all been delivered.

These items were quite expensive.

Blood Dew Pill is "exclusively for Jin Realm Martial Artists," but those at the Force Realm Great Accomplishment can also take a reduced dose; it costs 80 taels of silver per bottle, containing 30 pills, enough for a month.

The Mountain and River Martial Arts Hall sent 20 bottles.

Flame Gang Pill is "exclusively for Form Realm Martial Artists," costing 600 taels of silver for three bottles, with 10 pills per bottle, enough for a month.

The Mountain and River Martial Arts Hall gave 18 bottles.

Once these two types of pills are consumed, the results are truly twice the result with half the effort, and one can completely shorten cultivation time by an additional half, beyond just "consuming Demonic Beast Meat."

As for the High-level Demonic Beast Meat, at 6 taels of silver per catty, they sent over five hundred catties.

This Demonic Beast Meat contains some toxins, so it requires the addition of special pills during boiling; after the toxins are removed, its effectiveness is several times that of ordinary Demonic Beast Meat.

It can be used as an extra meal for Form Realm Martial Artists.

Jin Realm Martial Artists can also consume it, but the dosage must be significantly reduced.

Adding everything up, more than half of the ten thousand-plus taels of silver the An Family had sent out had effectively returned in another form.

Song Cheng took the Blood Dew Pill and sniffed it, knowing it was useful; he then pinched one out, finished observing it under the sunlight, and said to the Young Mistress Tong opposite him: "Open your mouth."

Tong Niangzi glanced at Ying'er, who was staring from the side, and said coyly: "Do we have to do this?"

Although she said that, she still opened her small mouth.

Song Cheng pinched the pill open, pushed half of it forward, and completed a "feeding."

Tong Niangzi swallowed, and a scorching blood energy immediately surged within her body.

Song Cheng quickly stepped forward; he was all too familiar with the circulation paths of "White Snake Force" and "Black Turtle Force," so he pressed his fingers together and quickly pressed on Tong Niangzi's body to help her digest it quickly and completely.

Ying'er was still staring, only her little face was inexplicably flushed.

After a short while, Song Cheng saw Tong Niangzi's data jump up, becoming "21~38."

This was the data for the "White Snake Blade" and "Black Turtle Step" at Completion; although the combat techniques were still a bit lacking, it was about there.

Tong Niangzi looked at Song Cheng and said: "Master, I... I feel a change inside my body."

Song Cheng described it: "It's that some internal Jin has suddenly appeared beneath the skin and between the flesh, right?"

Tong Niangzi nodded repeatedly.

Consequently, Song Cheng took 10 bottles from the 20 bottles of Blood Dew Pill.

3 bottles were given directly to Zhao Hua; they were sworn brothers, after all.

3 bottles were given to Ying'er; she was his own woman, after all.

Tong Niangzi was given 4 bottles—this was a display of favoritism, and if they were eaten well, Song Cheng would continue to go to Qianzhen Ge to purchase more.

After distributing them, Song Cheng thought for a moment, then took out 3 more bottles separately and had someone send them to Wang Da Xiansheng.

The remaining 7 bottles were handed over to An Chenyu for her to handle; she could distribute them directly or use them as rewards.

As for the Flame Gang Pill, he intended to eat them himself to see how it went.

If he could cultivate the Form technique himself, he could save quite a few points.

Even if he couldn't cultivate completely independently, he could still Add Points for half and cultivate for the other half.

The next day.

The youth tossed a Flame Gang Pill into his mouth.

Pill entered, tasted.

Song Cheng only felt that this flavor was completely opposite to the Soul Strengthening Pill—hot, spicy, and numbing.

However, the blood energy in his body burned entirely, and his Gang Qi also surged rapidly as if placed in a furnace bellows.

Song Cheng began to practice the "Xuanwu True Form."

Gang Qi is a miraculous power born from the foundation of flesh-and-blood Jin, guided by the intent of the heart.

When form and intent are in harmony, Gang Qi arises naturally.

Those who have not reached the Completion of the "Form Realm" are constantly sensing this Qi, constantly using intent to guide the flesh-and-blood Jin, and once they realize it, it is Completion.

To give a simple analogy.

It's like playing a game; a "Jin Realm" Martial Artist has only one equipment slot, while comprehending "Gang Qi" is like adding another one—not only adding one, but the "equipment" placed inside is also stronger.

The Five Forms Gang Qi surges and flows, covering the surface of the body, while the flesh and blood beneath are entwined with Nine Forces.

Within the youth's not-so-strong body, terrifying power roamed.

After some cultivation, Song Cheng stopped his movements slightly.

He confirmed one point: just like Jin force, Gang Qi also has "meridians"—Qi meridians.

What he needed to do was to cultivate another layer of a Qi net covering his entire body, outside of the Jin force within his body.

Night fell, the sky darkened. After his meal, Song Cheng rested briefly, preparing to contemplate the "Xuanwu True Form" for a while longer to see if he could digest the remaining four forces into form.

At this moment, a commotion suddenly came from outside the door.

The Steward hurried in, and upon seeing Song Cheng, said respectfully: "Young Master, a disciple from the Mountain and River Martial Arts Hall has arrived, saying he is here to deliver a message."

Song Cheng nodded and walked out.

Outside the door, a disciple was sitting; seeing him, the disciple hurriedly stood up, but then glanced at the Steward.

The Steward tactfully stepped away.

Only then did the disciple say: "Mr. Song, the barbarians have truly come."

"The West City, North City, and East City passes are all in emergency."

"White Camel Manor is guarding the west, our martial arts hall is guarding the north, and there are guards on the east side too, but the External Affairs Envoy is worried about a lapse and wants you to go and hold the line, just in case."

"Is it serious?"

"Mr. Song, it is hard to tell for now."

"Who is guarding which side?"

"The West City is held by the Young Manor Master of White Camel Manor, the Snake-Handling Elder, an External Affairs Envoy, some disciples, and the remaining Prefecture Soldiers."

"The North City is led by the Second Elder of our martial arts hall."

"The East City has two of our martial arts hall's External Affairs Envoys, but because there is no Elder sitting in command, the higher-ups hope to supplement some strength to reinforce the city defenses."

"What about Zhushan Temple?"

"Zhushan Temple has not appeared."

Song Cheng pondered for a moment and said: "I will come right away."

That disciple hurriedly took his leave.

Song Cheng thought for a moment and directly called for Tong Niangzi, Young Miss, Ying'er, Zhao Hua, and Ling'er.

Among these people, the first three ladies need not be mentioned.

Zhao Hua was his sworn brother.

Ling'er, he was used to having her around.

If it came to a critical moment where he could only take a few people to escape, he would definitely take these five.

Now, he could not figure out how serious the situation ahead was or if the city would be breached, so naturally, he had to take a few people just in case.

Among the five, Young Miss and Zhao Hua arrived at his side first.

Both were extremely clever, people who could infer the full picture of a situation from the slightest sign or trace.

Because his brother and sister-in-law were both there, Zhao Hua did not speak.

Young Miss said directly: "Husband, the barbarians are attacking the city, aren't they?"

Song Cheng nodded.

Young Miss asked: "Is it very serious?"

Song Cheng shook his head and said: "I don't know, but I want to take you all with me; if the situation turns bad, I will take you and fight our way out."

A touch of emotion appeared in Zhao Hua's expression, and he said: "Big Brother, we cannot all leave the mansion. Everyone knows we are the closest to you; if we all disappear at once, not only will the entire An Mansion be in chaos, but even the neighbors and wealthy families around the An Mansion who get the news will follow suit."

The "we" he spoke of actually referred to An Chenyu, Tong Jia, and himself.

"I will stay behind," Zhao Hua said directly.

Song Cheng patted his shoulder, shook it, and then said: "Huazi, who told you to go through the main gate? Ying'er and I will drive the carriage out first, then circle to the side of the wall; you all climb over the wall and come out."

Zhao Hua:... He hesitated for a moment. "What's wrong?" Song Cheng asked.

Zhao Hua smiled bitterly, shook his head, and then said: "Big Brother, out there, I am also the big brother to some people. You taking me away is loyalty. Me staying behind is also loyalty. Otherwise, how could I lead people?"

An Chenyu said softly: "Husband, I... also cannot abandon the An Family. If the An Family falls into chaos, I must be here to stabilize the hearts of the people. You just take Jia Er sister with you. I will have Ying'er drive the carriage. If something really happens, you take Ying'er and go."

Song Cheng:... He let out a roar, waved his hand, and said: "I'm not taking anyone! I'm not taking anyone! I'll go alone, I'll be back soon."

More than an hour later.

A Mountain and River Martial Arts Hall disciple drove the carriage, bringing Song Cheng to the East City pass.

The young man gripped the "Mechanism Shield" in his sleeve, his right hand pressing on the hilt of his Fine Blade, and stepped into the wind, walking onto the city wall.

The city wall was like a mountain, and the standing armored soldiers gripped their weapons tightly, looking at this young blind man with black cloth wrapped around his eyes with curiosity and skepticism.

But no one whispered or discussed.

Here, apart from the sound of rhythmic footsteps, the clashing of iron armor, the sound of burning flames, and the wind, there was nothing else.

"Iron Wall Azure Bear" Hong Juguang was the first to walk down to welcome him, and then pulled Song Cheng over to introduce another External Affairs Envoy.

"This is our Shi Zhongjian, External Affairs Envoy Shi."

"This is the little brother I mentioned to you, Song Cheng. Old Shi, don't look at him like that, he is really capable of fighting."

That External Affairs Envoy named Shi Zhongjian was a middle-aged man with a crew cut and muscles like armor.

This man looked Song Cheng over and said: "He's about the same age as my son."

Hong Juguang said: "Old Shi, that's no fun."

Shi Zhongjian said: "My son doesn't even have half his ability, how is that no fun?"

Saying this, the External Affairs Envoy walked away directly.

Hong Juguang said: "Brother Song, don't mind him, he's just like that."

As he spoke, he led Song Cheng up the city wall.

In the distance, the barbarians had already gathered, numbering over a thousand including the magical beasts, but they did not launch an attack and were merely camping outside.

Song Cheng glanced at them, then froze.

He actually saw data shimmering with a blood-red hue among the barbarians—this meant there were Ghost Servants among the barbarians.

Ghost Servants possessed intelligence, and although the Ghost Tide had dispersed, the Ghost Servants were still active outside.

Besides this, it was also his first time seeing magical beasts.

And what made him feel strange was that the magical beasts actually had favorability ratings... Some of the magical beasts in the front row actually caught sight of him and fed back favorability ratings like 20 or 30.

As for the strength data, it was very strange; it was data that kept gathering and dispersing "like foam," rising and falling "like waves."

When dispersed, Song Cheng could see data in the teens or twenties.

When gathered together, those data points would become incredibly strange, turning into tens one moment, then into a few hundred or several hundred the next, like water, without any constant form.

As for the blood-tinged Ghost servant data, it did not participate in this change but remained independent; it was just that it was far higher than that of ordinary barbarians, with the values more than doubling.

Song Cheng asked casually: "Brother Hong, no matter how strong the Barbarian Army is, they cannot compare to Form Realm experts, right? Why not charge out and fight?"

Hong Juguang stood by his side and said: "If they were separated, they would naturally be nothing."

But when two armies fight, there is morale.

Those who command troops call this morale 'Momentum'.

This Momentum appears and vanishes in an instant on the battlefield; if it is generated, ordinary barbarian soldiers mixed within it might erupt with power far exceeding their own. Even we would not fare well, and if we rushed out rashly, we might even be killed.

Promoting and destroying this Momentum is not what we studied, but rather the business of those generals who research military strategy.

When a skilled commander faces an unskilled one, even three thousand armored soldiers can break an army of one hundred thousand."

Song Cheng swept a glance at his own city wall.

The Prefecture Soldiers were indeed not comparable to the half-baked County Soldiers; those here were all elites, and the data appearing above their heads was also flowing like the barbarians', changing rapidly between tens and hundreds.

Clearly, there were people here in the Prefecture City who knew how to use troops.

Soon, the one leading the troops came over.

Hong Juguang said: "General Yuan, introduce the ins and outs of this to us."

The black-armored general was a general on the outside, but his status in the Mountain and River Martial Arts Hall was clearly not as high as the External Affairs Envoy or this Guest Elder; at this moment, he bowed respectfully and began to speak.

Song Cheng listened for a while and generally understood.

When two armies engage, it is a constant process of weakening the opponent's "Momentum" and elevating one's own "Momentum."

But "Momentum" is also in constant flux, so a general must strive to find the moment when "one's own army's Momentum is strong and the opponent's army's Momentum is weak" to crush them in one blow.

How to find it?

This can only rely on experience.

General Yuan said: "If one side is completely broken, you cannot imagine how those soldiers who are usually fierce and strong will become like women with no strength to truss a chicken; you only need to ride and cut them down."

And a small change on the battlefield can lead to the collapse or rise of Momentum.

But grasping the opportunity within this is extremely difficult.

Sometimes you see the opponent in chaos, but it is actually a trap; and a single small mistake of yours can lead to a total loss.

You need to see what is driving the opponent's Momentum and then deal with it quickly.

Usually, this will be an elite force led by a strong individual."

Hong Juguang nodded in agreement: "Brother Song, General Yuan knows more about this than we do."

And when the real fighting starts, I, and Old Shi, are the sharp knives that destroy the opponent's Momentum.

Of course, the opponent surely has experts as well.

As for you, Brother Song, you guard the wall and deal with those who attempt to scale it."

Song Cheng nodded; he understood this arrangement.

Although his strength had been recognized, in the eyes of Hong Juguang and the others, he was ultimately a blind man, so they did not arrange for him to charge into battle, and guarding the city was fine.

At this moment, he looked into the distance again.

There, the data was rising and falling like waves.

Morale?

Momentum? This... can also be seen?

It was just that it had changed from "pure numerical values" to a "planar number axis curve."

If "high-value data" is constantly being generated and the "maximum data" is continuously rising, that is "strong Momentum"; conversely, it is "weak Momentum."

Now that both sides were in a standoff, one side was aggressive and the other was calmly guarding the city, so the "Momentum" of both sides was in a stable state.

However, the barbarian soldiers were strong, individually superior, and had magical beasts.

Therefore, the "maximum data" of the barbarian soldiers was significantly higher than that of the Prefecture Soldiers.

Seeing this, Song Cheng couldn't help but ask another question: "General Yuan, is there really no way to judge Momentum?"

That black-armored general shook his head and said: "Military strategy has no constant Momentum, just as water has no constant shape; he who can change according to the enemy and win is called a god."

But even a military god can only rely on experience to judge; no one can guarantee it one hundred percent.

This is the truth I am telling the two of you: once the fighting really starts, regardless of the judgment, once executed, there is no turning back.

On the battlefield, let alone a small hesitation, even if you order a retreat, it could cause morale to collapse rapidly, leading to a crushing defeat."

Song Cheng understood.

His "cheat" had quite a wide range of applicability.

At the hour of dawn, the Barbarian Army suddenly launched an assault on the city; the magical beast flying eagles suddenly flew out from behind the camp with a "whoosh," carrying death-defying soldiers who descended from the sky, while wolf-riders carried barbarian soldiers in a frontal charge.

Hong Juguang and the others were originally fighting on the city wall, but the barbarian soldiers were fierce and brave, and the city gate was actually about to be smashed open, so they hurriedly led troops down and killed their way out from a side secret door.

General Yuan was roaring frantically; it was clear that the Prefecture Soldiers were already starting to fall into chaos.

Song Cheng activated his shield with a thought, gripped his blade in his right hand, and his gaze shifted rapidly across the "military Momentum."

Whenever he saw a rising trend, he would quickly rush over and beat it down.

Whenever he saw data gathering, he would go over and break it apart.

Whenever he saw "Momentum" gathering on a certain barbarian soldier, he would quickly sneak over and kill them at all costs.

In this battle, both sides felt somewhat bewildered.

The barbarian soldiers always felt that their fighting was particularly uncomfortable, completely different from the past on the grasslands; there was simply no feeling of "cutting through bamboo," they couldn't charge at all, and they would scatter as soon as they charged.

General Yuan also felt it was very miraculous; clearly, according to military strategy and experience, some places should have been defeated and broken, but it always seemed as if they had divine help.

In no time at all, the barbarian soldiers retreated.

General Yuan still felt as if he were in a Dream; he rubbed his forehead, unable to figure out how this battle had played out.

Perhaps, it was the will of the Prefecture Soldiers to defend the city?

Song Cheng, meanwhile, breathed a secret sigh of relief.

He had only been testing it out.

He hadn't expected it to actually be useful.

Four chapters, about sixteen thousand words or more; Taohua Su has done his best, please vote for monthly tickets! (End of this chapter)