Chapter 367: Come to Cut the Grass and Root Out the Source

"Yuchan, what's wrong?"

Seeing Ning Yuchan's expression darken, Xu Jin asked.

When she looked up at Xu Jin, a faint smile had already appeared on her face. "Nothing. Zhang Wei just urged me to return to camp—he says military affairs have become extremely heavy and manpower is scarce."

Xu Jin frowned. "Yuchan, didn't you file a report when you departed for Jichuan Star Region, stating you were on special military duty?" This matter had been endorsed by the Grand Master's office through the Da Chen Theater Command.

"I filed it, but after Cui Chongguang returned, they started pressing me."

Then Ning Yuchan grew serious. "I'm a soldier. If there's a military order, I must return immediately to Xingyang War City. What about you?"

Upon hearing this, Hou Yunzhang and Ji Hongli both turned to look at Xu Jin.

An informal small group had already formed around Xu Jin.

Xu Jin long knew Ning Yuchan's habit of hiding her troubles—this urgent message was surely not as light as she made it sound.

He made up his mind.

He had already known Ning Yuchan's "bad luck"—she'd been repeatedly assigned high-risk missions, something even Hou Yunzhang, an outsider, had noticed.

At the time, Xu Jin had taken notice.

Now, this was clearly abnormal.

With time available, he decided to investigate.

"Captain Hou, Little Fish, you accompany Yuchan back to Xingyang War City. Go into private cultivation and await orders. If anything happens, contact me directly. I have another urgent task assigned by the Grand Master to handle."

Hearing Xu Jin was dealing with a task assigned by the Grand Master, Ning Yuchan and Ji Hongli wisely asked no further questions.

Soon after, the three flew together toward Xingyang War City.

As for Xu Jin, he oriented himself, then flew toward Yangdu War City.

The commander of the Da Chen Xuanhu Army was the Marquis of Yangdu, and the army's headquarters was located in Yangdu War City.

In the library of the Guo Dao Academy, Xu Jin had long since learned the operational structure of Da Chen's military hierarchy.

It was a layered command system.

The Da Chen Theater Command would issue orders directly to each army's commander, who would then relay them downward.

Unless under extremely special circumstances, orders would not bypass ranks.

But within each army, orders flowed downward through ranks, and the army headquarters could also issue orders that bypassed intermediate levels.

Regardless, anyone who could frequently issue orders to mid-level officers like Ning Yuchan must be the Xuanhu Army headquarters.

So to uncover the root of this issue, Xu Jin had to go to the Xuanhu Army headquarters himself.

Previously, he hadn't paid much attention to Ning Yuchan's military affairs, but now that he focused on them, he noticed another oddity.

Military merit.

Ning Yuchan's accumulated military merit over this period was astonishing.

Before her serious injury, she had already earned four major merits; in the battle where she was wounded, though she retreated, she killed one sixth-rank alien and severely wounded another—only forced to withdraw due to encountering a sixth-rank ninth-layer alien.

In the military codes of all factions on the Star River Battlefield, if an enemy's strength vastly exceeds yours, defeat is not punished; if you hold your ground for a time and issue a warning, you are rewarded.

You can't order your troops to die uselessly!

In a world where power rests in the individual, no matter how fierce your will, if the enemy is too strong, one slap can kill you.

So although Ning Yuchan lost that battle, she actually earned merit.

According to military law, she deserved at least two major merits, possibly three.

That's at least six major merits, possibly seven.

With her current rank, five major merits would qualify her for promotion to Du Zhu.

Even before her injury, the domain lord of the Fifth-Rank Huashih Star Region, Ji Cheng, had already submitted her merit report.

Since military merit was useless to Xu Jin, more of it was channeled toward Ning Yuchan, Cui Chongguang, and others who needed it; in Huashih Star Region, Domain Lord Ji Cheng listed Ning Yuchan as the top merit recipient.

Normally, she should have received at least one extraordinary merit.

Add in the merits from Jichuan Star Region, and her accumulated achievements were enough to warrant promotion to deputy guard commander.

Yet so far, no promotion had come.

From this, Xu Jin could nearly confirm that someone in the Xuanhu Army was deliberately sabotaging Ning Yuchan.

So Xu Jin had to go in person.

Meanwhile, during flight, Xu Jin directly reported the full details to the Grand Master.

Soon after, Grand Master Cheng Yuexiao sent a starlight message.

【Wait a moment. I'll have Marshal Mao look into this. Especially regarding the Huashih Star Region's military merit—after so many days, it should have reached the Da Chen Theater Command. There should be no silence.】

【Thank you, Grand Master.】

After the exchange, Xu Jin flew at high speed toward Yangdu War City.

Yangdu War City was a frontline base, roughly seven thousand li from Da Chen War City—twice the distance of Xingyang War City from Da Chen War City.

Even with Xu Jin's speed, it took six hours to arrive.

As soon as Xu Jin entered the coverage range of the Xingyang War City's Zhaixing Tower branch, he received a starlight message from Hou Yunzhang.

【Boss, the Xuanhu Army is bullying her! Just this afternoon, Deputy Director Ning returned to camp and was immediately assigned another mission—to lead elite scouts and conduct limited sweeps in a fifth-rank star region to prevent its ancestral cave-tunnel from linking with alien homelands.】

【That star region has no domain lord stationed there. Its danger level is several times higher than Huashih and Jichuan.】

【No matter how capable Deputy Director Ning is, you can't keep using her like this!】

【What did the Guard Commander and Director Cui say? When do they leave?】 Xu Jin asked.

【The Fifth Guard's Commander Zhang has already been dispatched to lead reconnaissance in a sixth-rank star region. Director Cui raised objections, but the Xuanhu Army headquarters' Chief of Staff scolded him bitterly, saying that in this time of national crisis, every hand is needed—and how dare he complain about heavy duties?】

【They're giving only one and a half days to prepare. They'll depart at dawn the day after tomorrow.】 Hou Yunzhang sent the message.

【I understand. Keep watching. Contact me immediately if anything happens.】

【Understood.】

Inside Yangdu War City, Xu Jin suppressed his anger, showed his identity token, and found an inn.

If the Xuanhu Army truly had overwhelming military demands, fine. But if not, Xu Jin wouldn't tolerate them.

As a frontline base, Xingyang War City resembled a military city—fewer wandering cultivators and civilians passed through, but they weren't absent.

Management was also stricter.

After checking into the inn, Xu Jin prepared himself, then invisibly headed toward the center of Yangdu War City and the Xuanhu Army headquarters.

A quick probe would reveal everything.

No need for unnecessary complications!

He had only asked the Grand Master about the military merit issue.

Besides, the Grand Master hadn't replied yet—likely because he was too far away, and investigations take time.

Though bold, Xu Jin remained extremely cautious. First, he circled the Xuanhu Army headquarters in invisibility, carefully activating thirty-six Mingji Star Patterns to sense and scan the entire headquarters.

Though Xu Jin now feared no sixth-rank cultivators and could survive encounters with early- to mid-seventh-rank, he was not invincible—he had to be exceedingly careful.

Soon, he sensed everything clearly.

The strength within the Xuanhu Army headquarters was slightly stronger than he'd imagined.

One seventh-rank peak, one seventh-rank late-stage, two seventh-rank mid-stage, four seventh-rank early-stage.

Eight seventh-rank cultivators total—more than the number stationed in Da Chen's Guo Dao Academy. But this was normal; Xu Jin had known this long ago.

The mortal world remained relatively orderly, so elites and seventh-rank cultivators were prioritized for deployment to the Star River Battlefield garrisons.

The number of seventh-rank cultivators left behind in the mortal world was extremely limited.

The seventh-rank peak was almost certainly the Xuanhu Army commander, the Marquis of Yangdu.

He posed the greatest threat to Xu Jin. But in Xu Jin's prior experiments, as long as he stayed outside the range of their Yuanling Taoguang, invisibility wouldn't be detected.

Though extremely few seventh-rank cultivators had forged Yuanling, the Marquis of Yangdu might be one.

Resources gained on the battlefield were different.

Still, caution was necessary.

Xu Jin deliberately avoided the seventh-rank cultivators, slipped in carefully, then selected a clerk and activated Wen Meng to interrogate him in a dream.

Soon, Xu Jin learned the internal structure of the Xuanhu Army headquarters.

Below Commander Marquis of Yangdu, the headquarters had one Left and one Right Assistant Commander, and one Left and one Right Chief of Staff—these four were all key power figures in the Xuanhu Army.

Of these four, three held their positions due to cultivation rank and seniority; only the Right Chief of Staff, Zhao Weizhen, was appointed due to his status as the Marquis of Yangdu's trusted confidant. He held only fifth-rank Joudou Level Two cultivation, yet was known within the Xuanhu Army as the "Little Military Strategist."

Many critical military assignments were coordinated and arranged by Zhao Weizhen, and these assignments usually aligned best with the Marquis's wishes. Thus, though his rank was low, his power was great—especially within the Xuanhu Army headquarters.

The other three Assistant Commanders and Chief of Staffs were all seventh-rank cultivators who mostly focused on cultivation. With Zhao Weizhen handling their duties, they were happy to stay idle.

When Xu Jin first heard the name Zhao Weizhen, he froze for an instant before fully recalling.

He was the second son of Zhao the Great Benefactor, the former richest man of Jinshan County.

When the investigation into the Baidou Cult's branch began and the Zhao family was purged, Zhao Weizhen vanished.

He hadn't expected Zhao to have hidden himself within the Xuanhu Army.

No wonder the wanted notices failed to find him.

Protected by the Marquis of Yangdu, he was impossible to locate.

Just knowing Zhao Weizhen's identity, Xu Jin understood everything.

Without doubt, Zhao Weizhen was behind the sabotage.

When the Baidou Cult branch was raided and the Zhao family's assets seized, Xu Jin had sparked the incident—but he was merely a minor pawn. The public believed the true instigator was Dong Zhao, Head of Jinshan Dao Academy, and Chief Instructor Ning Yuchan.

Now that Ning Yuchan had entered Zhao Weizhen's jurisdiction, he'd have to use some tactics—or he'd be unworthy of his position.

As he silently sneered, Xu Jin continued searching and soon located Zhao Weizhen's office for handling military affairs.

It was a large tent. Besides Zhao Weizhen, four clerks were busy processing documents—likely his subordinates.

Outside the Right Si Ma's barracks, two fourth-rank guards stood watch.

For Xu Jin, this was no problem; Wen Meng subtly activated, and the two guards fell asleep. Xu Jin swiftly darted forward, gently leaning the sleeping men against the wall so they wouldn't crash to the ground and make a sound.

Then, Xu Jin activated Wen Meng one by one, and before the five men inside the barracks could sense anything, they all slipped into unconsciousness.

Afterwards, Xu Jin pushed open the door and entered directly, then interrogated each one in their dreams.

Soon, he confirmed: it was indeed Zhao Weizhen who had been deliberately making things difficult for Ning Yuchan.

But this harassment was limited, confined within the rules of the Xuanhu Army.

For the same military duties, Ning Yuchan was assigned the most difficult and dangerous tasks.

For the same missions, Ning Yuchan was given the highest frequency of assignments.

If you tried to find fault, you couldn't even point a finger.

Everything was within the rules.

Xu Jin also clarified the matter of military merit through interrogation.

It wasn't that the merit hadn't been reported—it was that Zhao Weizhen had deliberately suppressed Ning Yuchan's achievements.

He had transferred Ning Yuchan's military merit to the Duzhu, Cui Chongguang.

Since the expedition was led by Duzhu Cui Chongguang, after review, assigning the primary merit to him was understandable.

Promotion?

Promoted!

The order to promote Ning Yuchan to the rank of Duzhu had already been drafted—but not yet issued.

The reason it hadn't been issued? There was currently no vacant Duzhu position!

Reasonable?

Reasonable!

Fair?

Fair!

But within these rules, within this fair and reasonable framework, they were suppressing you, forcing you into the most dangerous missions, ordering you to carry out the hardest commands!

Waiting for you to die in battle!

It was utterly disgusting.

To be honest, if this matter were handled through official channels—even if the Grand Master sent someone to investigate—it would be impossible to find any major flaw.

Everything was within the rules.

At most, a few reprimands—no need to even find a scapegoat!

Even if you made a fuss, even if you knew Zhao Weizhen was crushing you, targeting you, you'd be powerless.

But the one who came to resolve this matter was Xu Jin!

In a world where power stems from oneself, when you grow strong enough, that power becomes the rule itself!

The next instant, he suddenly awakened the sleeping Right Si Ma, Zhao Weizhen, and revealed his form.

The moment Zhao Weizhen opened his eyes, he looked straight at Xu Jin.

In that instant of eye contact, Xu Jin activated the Killing Dream.

In an instant, heaven and earth shifted; Xu Jin and Zhao Weizhen appeared in Xu Jin's woven Killing Dream world—the Zhao residence!

The Zhao residence of Zhao Da, the wealthiest man in Jinshan County!

"W-who are you?" In the Killing Dream world, Zhao Weizhen stared in shock at Xu Jin's sudden appearance, then recognized the Zhao residence—his shock deepened.

"Me?"

Xu Jin smiled. "Do you know who first exposed your father's collusion with the Baidou Cult to abduct civilians?"

At these words, Zhao Weizhen's face turned pale; he instantly sensed something was wrong and screamed for help—but no one answered.

"I discovered it—and reported it to Headmaster Dong Zhao!"

At this, Zhao Weizhen's face changed again. "You? You're the informant Dong Zhao refused to name no matter what?"

Xu Jin smiled.

He hadn't expected this—Headmaster Dong had secretly protected him in this matter.

"Correct. Now, do you know why I'm here today?"

"What are you here for?" Zhao Weizhen asked warily.

"To cut the roots and burn the weeds!"

"You—!"

BOOM!

A series of terrifying crimson thunderbolts, as thick as a water barrel, rained down in rapid succession.

Only two strikes—and Zhao Weizhen in the Killing Dream world vanished in terror.

He believed he had been obliterated!

And then—he died.

Xu Jin fell out of the Killing Dream world; before him, Zhao Weizhen's head hung limp on the desk, utterly lifeless—dead beyond doubt.

The next instant, Xu Jin silently opened the door to the Right Si Ma's barracks, closed it behind him, and vanished.

Before leaving, he used Wen Meng to awaken the two sleeping guards.

Better not drag these two gate guards into this.

The two unaware guards continued standing their posts, alert and vigorous.

(End of Chapter)