Chapter 87 - 73: Fully Fledged

Chapter 87: Chapter 73: Fully Fledged

Cai Xun’s mood was incredibly complicated right now.

The source of this complexity was Zheng Jun.

When they first met, Cai Xun firmly remembered his grandfather’s teachings. He knew that after the passing of the Great Zhou’s Divine Martial Emperor, the world would descend into chaos. He needed to win over the County Soldiers to protect his clan. At the time, he simply thought Zheng Jun was a useful talent. Therefore, he bestowed some Blood Nourishing Pills that he didn’t care about at all, intending to buy the loyalty of this poor country boy and have him serve him.

Unexpectedly, as time went on, Zheng Jun’s performance became increasingly dazzling. While only in the Blood Refining stage, he could directly face a Qi Storage Martial Artist without losing ground. Later, after reaching Qi Storage, it took him merely two slashes to defeat the top prodigy of the Vast Sea Sect, Gao Jingxing, who was also in the Qi Storage Realm. These events shocked the clan, to the point where they even considered recruiting him as a son-in-law.

And now, he had slain Meng Xian—a Peak of Outer Gang expert who had previously knocked Cai Xun back with a single sword strike.

This...

Granted, Meng Xian was already injured when he fled. But he was still a genuine Peak of Outer Gang Martial Artist! Who knew when he might break through the acupoints in his body and become an authentic Acupoint Opening Martial Artist! How could such a figure be slain by Zheng Jun? Moreover, it happened while Gu Chengqi and the Outer Gang Dark Guard were intercepted by a Toad Demon Fiend, leaving Zheng Jun to hunt him down alone!

This left Cai Xun with highly mixed feelings. He simply didn’t know what to say.

TSK. He had thought Zheng Jun was his own heaven-sent general. Now that the news had spread, it would likely be impossible to keep it a secret from the clan. His eldest brother would probably come here in person, and Zheng Jun would no longer have anything to do with him. However, what he had done would still be considered a great merit within the clan. Perhaps it would be enough to erase the negative impact of that incident of his?

"Alas." Cai Xun let out a deep sigh.

Just at that moment, Sun Rong’s voice came from outside the door. "County Captain, the military recruitment has begun. Captain Zheng and Chief Clerk Shen are already in position. Please come over and preside over the event."

"Hmm?" Hearing this, Cai Xun was somewhat taken aback. Recruitment? What recruitment? Why hadn’t anyone informed him?

Although full of doubts, he didn’t voice them. He simply stood up and walked outside. Barely a few steps out of his official residence, he saw that the drill ground was bustling with activity. Over two hundred people had come to sign up for the recruitment!

"Huh?" Seeing this scene, Cai Xun let out another sound of surprise. In the short span of a cup of tea, he had already been startled twice. Did Black Mountain County actually have this many qualified recruits? He had thought they would need to report to the commandery and conscript troops from other counties.

With this thought, Cai Xun immediately put on a smile. As soon as he walked over, he saw Zheng Jun rise from his seat and take the initiative to greet him.

"County Captain."

"Sanlang, no need for formalities. Please, let’s sit." Cai Xun hurriedly quickened his pace, exchanged enthusiastic words with Zheng Jun, and then sat down beside him.

On his left, Chief Clerk Shen Yunyi seemed distracted and out of sorts. For some unknown reason, he acted rather submissively, as if he was somewhat afraid of Zheng Jun.

Seeing Shen Yunyi’s current state, Cai Xun actually felt somewhat the same; he found Zheng Jun to be somewhat ferocious and chilling.

Although Cai Xun was in the Outer Gang realm, the method he used to attain it wasn’t quite right. Right before he set off for his post, his elderly father had forcibly performed a Transmission on him, using an External Force to push him into the Outer Gang realm. His actual strength was superficial; in reality, he was only equivalent to a glorified Qi Storage Martial Artist.

There was no helping it. Cai Xun was originally a playboy in Bozhou City. He spent his days listening to music and enjoying life. Unwilling to practice Martial Arts since childhood, he was perfectly content being a rich young master. After all, he had his eldest brother in officialdom and his second brother in the Jianghu.

For the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth sons like him, unless they showed some astonishing talent in Martial Arts, the clan wouldn’t dedicate themselves to nurturing them. They were simply provided with a worry-free daily allowance. As long as they didn’t cause trouble, they were left to their own devices. Once they reached the right age, they would marry the daughters of other wealthy families, spread their branches, and see if they could produce descendants with a genius aptitude for Martial Arts.

However, born in troubled times, after the old Patriarch—his grandfather—came out of seclusion, he had somehow grown more ambitious. Thus, he abruptly gathered these "idle rich boys" and forcefully ripened them into Outer Gang Martial Artists as quickly as possible. Then, he assigned a few loyal servants to follow them, pulled some strings, and dispatched them to take up posts in various commanderies and counties across Bozhou.

Though they were playboys and considered somewhat unpresentable within the clan, upon arriving at their local posts, they naturally had to put on a modest and courteous facade. At the very least, Cai Xun did this. He completely changed his bad habits from the commandery city and began working earnestly.

After all, having been a playboy for over thirty years, he badly wanted the clan to take him seriously. Now, his wish had been granted. The clan valued him exceptionally highly.

But... this was entirely built upon the foundation of Zheng Jun.

Therefore, Cai Xun looked at Zheng Jun with a complicated expression, unsure whether Zheng Jun was his lucky star or a jinx.

Just as Cai Xun zoned out, he suddenly heard a voice echoing across the drill ground. "I am Xu Tianfang, Middle Realm of Qi Storage, Qi Collection Perfection. Greetings, County Captain."

Cai Xun looked toward the sound and saw Xu Tianfang standing tall on the drill ground, giving him a respectful yet unyielding bow.

"You’re here to join the army?" Cai Xun asked, taken aback.

"Exactly." Xu Tianfang did not hesitate in the slightest. He immediately cupped his hands and said, "A few days ago, Captain Zheng came to my door to issue a challenge. He fought three rounds with this humble one and pointed out many flaws in my Martial Arts, allowing me to make immense progress. I am deeply grateful for this, so I wish to join Captain Zheng’s ranks as a standard-bearing foot soldier to repay his great kindness!"

Hearing Xu Tianfang’s words, Cai Xun’s mind buzzed.

A Qi Storage Realm Martial Artist, enlisting in the army, just to be a foot soldier?