Chapter 367

"Yuchan, what's wrong?"

Looking at Ning Yuchan's sunken pretty face, Xu Jin asked.

When she raised her head to look at Xu Jin, a faint smile had already surged onto Ning Yuchan's pretty face, "It's nothing, it's just that General Zhang Wei is urging me to return to the camp, saying that military affairs have been extremely heavy recently and manpower is tight."

Xu Jin frowned, "Yuchan, didn't you report that you were executing special military duties when you went to the Jichuan Star Domain?" This matter had been endorsed by the Grand Master through the Chen Guo Battle Zone Marshal's Office.

"I reported it, but Commander Cui Chongguang has returned, so they are urging me over there."

After speaking, Ning Yuchan said solemnly, "I am a soldier; since there is a military order, I must rush back to the Xingyang Battle City station immediately. What about you guys?"

Hearing this, Hou Yunzhang and Ji Hongli both looked at Xu Jin.

Invisibly, a small group with Xu Jin as the leader had already formed.

Xu Jin had long known about Ning Yuchan's nature of reporting good news but not bad news; I'm afraid those urgent messages were not as relaxed as Ning Yuchan said.

He had a plan in his heart.

Xu Jin had already known before that Ning Yuchan's "luck" was not good, as she was continuously assigned high-risk missions; even an outsider like Hou Yunzhang could see it.

At that time, Xu Jin had paid attention.

At this moment, it was obviously a bit abnormal.

Since he had time, Xu Jin prepared to get to the bottom of it.

"Captain Hou, Little Fish, you guys accompany Yuchan back to Xingyang Battle City, cultivate in secret and wait for orders. If anything happens, just contact me directly. I still have an important matter entrusted by the Grand Master to handle," Xu Jin said.

Hearing Xu Jin say that he had to handle an important matter entrusted by the Grand Master, both Ning Yuchan and Ji Hongli were very sensible and didn't ask more.

Not long after, the three of them flew together to Xingyang Battle City.

As for Xu Jin, he identified the direction and then flew to Yangdu Battle City.

The commander of the Chen Guo Uncle Xuan Hu Army was the Marquis of Yangdu, and the military headquarters was located in Yangdu Battle City.

In the library of the National Dao Academy, Xu Jin had long known the operational relationship between the various levels of the Chen Guo military.

It was a layered command style.

If the Chen Guo Battle Zone Marshal's Office had military orders, they would be directly issued to the commanders of each army, and then the commanders would issue orders layer by layer.

Unless under extremely special circumstances, they would not issue orders across levels.

But it was different for each army; within each army, military orders would be issued layer by layer, and at the same time, military orders within the military headquarters could also be issued across levels.

But in any case, those who could frequently issue military orders to mid-level generals like Ning Yuchan must be the Uncle Xuan Hu Army military headquarters.

So to understand the root of this problem, Xu Jin had to go to the Uncle Xuan Hu Army military headquarters for a visit.

He hadn't paid much attention to Ning Yuchan's affairs in the military before, but now that his attention was focused on it, Xu Jin discovered another point that didn't seem right.

Military merit!

The military merit Ning Yuchan had obtained during this recent period was actually quite astonishing.

Before she was seriously injured, she had already accumulated four major merits; in the battle where she was seriously injured, although she was defeated, she also killed one sixth-tier alien and seriously injured another, only being forced to retreat because she encountered a sixth-tier ninth-layer alien.

In the military laws of all parties on the Star River Battlefield, when encountering enemies with too great a gap in strength, even if defeated, one would not be held accountable; if one blocked for a certain amount of time and gave a warning, one would actually have merit.

Because you cannot ask your subordinates to go to their deaths!

In a world where great power belongs to oneself, if you encounter an enemy that is too powerful, no matter how tenacious your fighting will is, it is useless, because they can slap you to death with one palm.

So in the battle where she was seriously injured, although Ning Yuchan was defeated, she actually performed meritorious service.

According to military law, it was at least two major merits, or even three major merits.

This was at least six major merits, or even seven major merits.

Based on Ning Yuchan's original military rank, five major merits would be enough to be promoted to Commander.

And there was the fifth-tier Huashi Star Domain; the Domain Lord, Ji Cheng, had long since sent out the military merit report.

Because military merit was useless to Xu Jin, the military merit was tilted more towards Ning Yuchan, Cui Chongguang, and others who needed it; in the Huashi Star Domain, Ning Yuchan was reported by the Domain Lord, Ji Cheng, as having the primary merit.

Normally, it would at least be a miraculous merit.

If the Jichuan Star Domain were also counted, with this accumulation of merit, there would be no problem in being promoted to Deputy Marshal.

But until now, no promotion had been seen.

Based on this, Xu Jin could almost conclude that someone in the Uncle Xuan Hu Army was deliberately making things difficult for Ning Yuchan.

So Xu Jin had to go there in person.

At the same time, during the flight, Xu Jin directly reported the details of this matter to the Grand Master.

Very quickly, the Grand Master, Cheng Yuexiao, sent a starlight message.

【You wait a moment; I will have Marshal Mao inquire about this matter. Especially the military merit of the Huashi Star Domain; it has been so many days, logically it should have been reported to the Chen Guo Marshal's Office, there shouldn't be no movement.】

【Thank you, Grand Master.】

After contacting him, Xu Jin flew at high speed to Yangdu Battle City.

Yangdu Battle City was on the front line, about seven thousand miles away from Chen Guo Battle City, twice the distance from Xingyang Battle City to Chen Guo Battle City.

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

Just as Xu Jin entered the coverage area of the Star-Plucking Tower branch in Xingyang Battle City, he received a starlight message from Hou Yunzhang.

【Boss, this Uncle Xuan Hu Army is too bullying! Deputy Commander Ning just returned to the camp this afternoon and received another military assignment, going with Commander Cui to take the elite to scout and conduct limited clearing of a fifth-tier star domain to prevent this star domain from being connected by the alien ancestral cave heaven.

This star domain is the kind without a Domain Lord sitting in it, and the danger level is several times that of the Huashi Star Domain and the Jichuan Star Domain.

No matter how capable Deputy Commander Ning is, she shouldn't be used like this, right?】

【What did Marshal Wei and Commander Cui Chongguang say? When are they departing?】 Xu Jin asked.

【General Zhang Wei of the Fifth Guard has already gone on a mission to lead a team to scout a sixth-tier star domain. Commander Cui Chongguang also reacted, but the Sima of the Uncle Xuan Hu Army military headquarters scolded him, saying that in this time of national crisis, people are needed everywhere, and yet Cui Chongguang is still haggling over heavy military duties.

The preparation time is only a day and a half; the day after tomorrow morning, they have to assemble and depart.】 Hou Yunzhang sent a starlight message.

【I understand, you keep observing, and contact me immediately if there is any situation.】

【Understood.】

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

In the entire Uncle Xuan Hu Army, it would be best if the military duties were truly heavy; otherwise, Xu Jin would not indulge them.

Because it was on the front line, the entire Xingyang Battle City was more like a military city, with relatively few wandering cultivators and ordinary people coming and going, but they were not non-existent.

The management was also relatively strict.

After checking into the inn, Xu Jin prepared himself and directly went invisible to the Uncle Xuan Hu Army military headquarters in the center of Yangdu Battle City.

He would understand once he investigated.

No need to be so troublesome!

As for the Grand Master, Xu Jin just wanted to ask about the military merit issue.

Moreover, the Grand Master hadn't replied yet; he probably couldn't reach them, and an investigation would take time.

Although bold, Xu Jin was extremely cautious. First, he circled the Uncle Xuan Hu Army military headquarters while invisible, cautiously activating the thirty-six Mingji Star Patterns, sensing and searching for the situation inside the entire Uncle Xuan Hu Army military headquarters.

Although Xu Jin was now completely unafraid of sixth-tier powerhouses and could save his life against seventh-tier early and mid-stage ones, he was not invincible and had to be extremely careful.

Not long after, he sensed it clearly.

The power of the strong inside the Uncle Xuan Hu Army military headquarters was a bit stronger than Xu Jin had imagined.

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

There were eight seventh-tier powerhouses, more than the number of seventh-tier powerhouses stationed in the present world by the Chen Guo National Dao Academy. However, this was normal; Xu Jin had known about this matter for a long time.

The present world was relatively orderly, so elites and seventh-tier powerhouses were prioritized to be sent to the various armies on the Star River Battlefield to guard.

The number of seventh-tier powerhouses remaining in the present world was very limited.

The seventh-tier peak was nine times out of ten the commander of the Uncle Xuan Hu Army, the Marquis of Yangdu.

This person was the biggest threat to Xu Jin, but in Xu Jin's previous experiments, as long as he didn't enter the primordial spirit aura coverage area of these powerhouses, he wouldn't be discovered while invisible.

Although there were very, very few seventh-tier powerhouses who had condensed a primordial spirit, the Marquis of Yangdu was possible.

The resources obtained on the battlefield were different.

He still had to be cautious.

Xu Jin deliberately avoided those seventh-tier powerhouses, cautiously sneaked in, and then randomly found a clerk, directly activated Warm Dream, and then interrogated him in a dream.

Not long after, Xu Jin obtained the relevant structural situation of the Uncle Xuan Hu Army military headquarters.

Under the commander, the Marquis of Yangdu, the Uncle Xuan Hu Army military headquarters had one left and right military advisor and one left and right Sima; these four were all real power figures in the Uncle Xuan Hu Army.

Among the four military advisors and Simas, three were appointed based on cultivation and seniority; only the Right Sima, Zhao Weizhen, was appointed as a confidant of the Marquis of Yangdu. In the entire Uncle Xuan Hu Army, he was known as the "Little Military Advisor" and only had the cultivation of the fifth-tier Gather Battle second layer.

Many important military affairs were coordinated and arranged by the Right Sima, Zhao Weizhen. Often, these military arrangements were most in line with the Marquis of Yangdu's intentions, so although his rank was low, his power was quite heavy, especially within the Uncle Xuan Hu Army military headquarters.

As for the other three military advisors and Simas, they all had seventh-tier cultivation and spent most of their time cultivating. With Zhao Weizhen helping them handle military affairs, they were happy to be relaxed.

When Xu Jin first heard the name Zhao Weizhen, he was distracted for a breath before he thoroughly recalled it.

The second son of the richest man in Jinshan County, Zhao the Kind.

When it was determined that Zhao the Kind, the richest man in Jinshan County, was colluding with the Baidou Divine Sect and began to be implicated and cleared out, he disappeared.

He didn't expect that he had hidden in the Uncle Xuan Hu Army.

No wonder the arrest warrant was useless and couldn't be found.

Protected by the Marquis of Yangdu, naturally, he couldn't be found.

Just based on this identity of Zhao Weizhen, Xu Jin understood everything.

If there were no accidents, it was Zhao Weizhen who was making trouble.

Years ago, when they surrounded and suppressed the Baidou Divine Sect branch and finally raided the Zhao family, although it was Xu Jin who started it, in reality, Xu Jin was just an insignificant pawn. In what was spread outside, the ones who truly started this matter were the head of the Jinshan Dao Academy, Dong Zhao, and the chief instructor, Ning Yuchan.

Now that Ning Yuchan had arrived in the jurisdiction of the Uncle Xuan Hu Army under his, Zhao Weizhen's, control, if he didn't use some means, he would be sorry for this identity.

While sneering secretly, Xu Jin continued to search, and very quickly, he found the barracks where the Right Sima, Zhao Weizhen, handled military affairs.

It was a quite large barracks. Besides Zhao Weizhen, the Right Sima, there were four literary historians busy handling various official documents, who should be the subordinates of the Right Sima.

Outside the Right Sima's barracks, there were two fourth-tier guards.

To Xu Jin, this was not a problem. Warm Dream was slightly activated, and these two guards fell asleep. Xu Jin even flashed quickly, gently leaning the two sleeping people against the wall so they wouldn't fall to the ground and make a sound.

Then, Xu Jin activated Warm Dream one by one, and before the five people in the barracks could notice, they all fell into a deep sleep.

Subsequently, Xu Jin pushed open the door, entered directly, and then interrogated them one by one in their dreams.

Not long after, it was confirmed that it was indeed this Zhao Weizhen who had been deliberately making things difficult for Ning Yuchan.

But this kind of difficulty was also within a certain limit, within the rules of the Uncle Xuan Hu Army.

For the same military assignment, he would assign the most difficult and dangerous ones to Ning Yuchan.

For the same military duty, he would arrange the highest frequency for Ning Yuchan.

If you really wanted to pick a fault, you couldn't find one.

Everything was within the rules.

As for the military merit matter, Xu Jin also understood it through interrogation.

It wasn't that it wasn't reported, but that this guy Zhao Weizhen deliberately suppressed Ning Yuchan.

He moved Ning Yuchan's military merit to Commander Cui Chongguang.

Because the one leading the expedition was Commander Cui Chongguang, after review, putting the primary merit on Commander Cui Chongguang was also justifiable.

Promotion?

Promoted!

The order to promote Ning Yuchan's military rank to Commander already existed, but it hadn't been issued yet.

There was a reason why it hadn't been issued: because there was no vacant Commander position for the time being!

Reasonable?

Reasonable!

Sensible?

Sensible!

But it was just within the rules, within a sensible and reasonable range, suppressing you, making you go on the most dangerous missions, and executing the most difficult military orders!

Waiting for you to die in battle!

It was disgusting to the extreme!

To tell the truth, if this matter were handled officially, even if the Grand Master sent someone to investigate and handle it, they wouldn't be able to pick out any major faults.

Everything was within the rules.

At most, they would reprimand him a few times; they wouldn't even need to find a scapegoat!

Even if it caused a scene, you would know clearly that you were being suppressed and targeted by Zhao Weizhen, but you would be helpless.

It was a pity that the person who came to solve this matter was Xu Jin!

In a world where great power belongs to oneself, when you are strong to a certain extent, this great power is the rule!

The next instant, he suddenly awakened the sleeping Right Sima, Zhao Weizhen, and then revealed his figure.

The moment Zhao Weizhen woke up, he looked at Xu Jin.

The moment their eyes met, Xu Jin had already activated Killing Dream!

In an instant, heaven and earth changed, and Xu Jin and Zhao Weizhen appeared in the Killing Dream world woven by Xu Jin—the Zhao Mansion!

The Zhao Mansion, the home of Zhao the Kind, the richest man in Jinshan County!

"You... who are you?" In the Killing Dream world, Zhao Weizhen looked at the suddenly appearing Xu Jin with a face full of surprise and astonishment, and then discovered it was the Zhao Mansion, becoming even more astonished.

"Me?"

Xu Jin smiled, "Do you know who was the first to expose the matter of your father colluding with the Baidou Divine Sect to abduct commoners?"

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhao Weizhen's face changed drastically, and he immediately knew something was wrong, roaring loudly, wanting to call for help, but it was of no use.

"It was I who discovered it, and then reported it to the head, Dong Zhao!"

As soon as these words were spoken, Zhao Weizhen's face changed drastically again, "It was you? You are that informant whose name Dong Zhao refused to report no matter what?"

Xu Jin smiled.

He didn't expect there to be such a thing; the head had actually deliberately protected him in this regard.

"That's right, so do you know why I came here today?"

"Why did you come?" Zhao Weizhen said vigilantly.

"To cut the weeds and eliminate the roots!"

"You!"

Boom!

Terrifying fire-red heavenly thunder as thick as a bucket bombarded down in a chain.

With just two strikes, Zhao Weizhen in the Killing Dream world vanished into thin air in terror.

He thought he had been bombarded to death!

And then, he died!

Xu Jin fell out of the Killing Dream world. Zhao Weizhen in front of him had his head hanging on the table, without any aura, dead as dead could be!

The next instant, Xu Jin silently pushed open the door of the Right Sima's barracks and closed it well, only then leaving while invisible.

Before leaving, he used Warm Dream to awaken the two sleeping guards.

It was better not to implicate these two soldiers guarding the door.

The two guards, who were unaware, continued to stand guard with high spirits.

(End of chapter)