Chapter 565: Commander-in-Chief

Chapter 565: Chapter 565: Commander-in-Chief

Shen Hao hadn’t rested for even a moment the entire day. From morning until this evening, he had been continually busy and on the move, from Hai Xia to Beach Stone, and now to this towering fortress before him.

Even on the inside, the majesty of Zhuo Huo Pass could still stir one’s blood. At least for Shen Hao, this was the first time he had ever seen a structure capable of shaking one’s very soul.

The Teleportation Array was not located near Zhuo Huo Pass, but rather two li away. Surrounding it was a kind of sunken, deformed fortress, where all the crossbows were aimed not outward, but inward. In other words, these weapons were intended to guard against those coming out of the Teleportation Array.

"Why is that?"

"Milord, this is Marshal Zuo’s arrangement. He said that because this Teleportation Array is near the pass, it is a critical spot. If the enemy ever used it to infiltrate, it would surely undermine the pass’s prestige. That’s why the heavy defenses point inward as well as outward."

Hearing Li Jiang’s explanation, Shen Hao nodded to himself, glanced around, and felt several sharp auras sweep past him. It seemed that the security here relied not only on openly displayed crossbows and soldiers, but numerous expert cultivators lurking in the shadows as well.

Papers, orders, waist tokens: all identities were duly inspected. Throughout the process, at least five crossbow bolts were trained on Shen Hao, and the same treatment was given to Li Jiang and the others.

Thus, the vigilance here was far greater than what Shen Hao had experienced at Hai Xia or Beach Stone. It even struck him as abrupt, filling him with a sense of unseen pressure that seemed to flow from that distant fortress.

Leaving the Teleportation Array and following the road, Shen Hao saw a flurry of carts and horses. He could tell these carried food, wrought iron, finished weapons, and even carts loaded with general spirit stones packed in boxes.

Shen Hao noticed that all the drivers were soldiers, not carriage shop employees, and the flags mounted on the carts all bore military battalion markings. Clearly, these belonged to the military supply battalion, relying on no local carriage services.

Isn’t that a waste of the supply battalion’s capacity? Or does Zuo Yuliang have some other plan?

Even after a strict inspection upon exiting the Teleportation Array, another thorough search awaited at the gatehouse. Again, crossbow bolts and auras locked tightly on them, and the soldiers’ wariness didn’t relax one bit, despite the black robes of the Xuanqing Guard.

They were all border soldiers—why, then, did the ones stationed here seem even fiercer and more suffused with Evil Qi? Was it because they were closer to the frontlines, carrying greater anger and killing intent in their hearts?

One check at the gatehouse, another at the transfer shaft inside, and yet another when meeting one of Zuo Yuliang’s deputies. By this point, Shen Hao’s faint smile had long since faded, worn away by these repeated inspections. His face grew cold, his own Evil Qi heavier than even the surrounding soldiers. This made the deputy walking ahead glance back at him several times.

Shen Hao didn’t have a good temper, and this deputy’s brazen scrutiny no longer counted as respectful in his eyes. So Shen Hao sneered, "Do I look like one of your ancestors? Why do you keep turning back to look at me?"

"Lord Shen truly is a scholar—even when insulting people, he doesn’t use foul words," the deputy replied with a cold laugh of his own.

"You know I’m insulting you, and you still laugh? You’ve got a pretty thick skin."

The deputy’s brows knitted, his expression souring. He had only been checking Shen Hao because he was curious how a mere Xuanqing Guard Deputy Thousand Households could radiate such heavy Evil Qi. He hadn’t expected the rebuke after a few extra glances—he wanted to retort, but in the end he held back. Shen Hao was holding a Left General Order, and any delay would be on the deputy’s head as the escort.

He refrained from further quarrel and quickened his pace, leading Shen Hao to the door of a public office.

The guards and the two inspector deputy thousand households were stopped ahead; after the deputy announced his arrival, Shen Hao entered alone.

This public office was larger than Shen Hao had imagined. In the center stood a massive screen, a white backdrop traced with black lines, depicting a map of the outer regions. A glance showed Shen Hao this map was far more detailed than the southern barbarian region maps he’d seen in the Xuanqing Guard Library: rivers, mountain paths, even scattered tribes, all clearly marked—and many entries looked freshly inked.

Behind the screen sat a desk and a chair, and beyond that, a row of shelves filled with books.

To the right was an armor rack, with a heavy suit of armor hanging upon it. An older man with long beard and graying hair was diligently rubbing wax into its armor plates.

"Marshal, Lord Shen has arrived." The deputy bowed to the man, then stepped aside.

The man turned—it was an unremarkable face, save for bright, piercing eyes, a trace of age, and a red birthmark on his left cheek.

This was the greatest figure among the Southern Border Army: the military master and commander-in-chief, Zuo Yuliang.

Shen Hao had previously reviewed reports on Zuo Yuliang but lacked the clearance to access his personal files, so his information might have had some gaps.

Zuo Yuliang was seventy-nine years old, Primordial Pill Realm Sixth Layer, had served in both the Jingxi and Jingnan Armies, held garrison posts, and even spent half a year as a royal clan mounted archery instructor. Such a varied career was rare in the military.

"Xuanqing Guard Inspector, Deputy Thousand Households Shen Hao, pays respects to Marshal Zuo."

"Marshal" was Zuo Yuliang’s rank, not his official post—his actual post was "Southern Military Daoist Master," which was cumbersome, so the rank was preferred in address.

Zuo Yuliang pointed at a box on the table and said to Shen Hao, "Fetch me another piece of wax."

"Yes, sir." Shen Hao hastened to open the box, took out a piece of wax, and handed it over, then stood at attention to the side.

Waxing armor was a precise task—neither hurried nor careless; every plate had to be treated thoroughly and, best of all, evenly. It was the ideal way to maintain armor; though usually left to servants, some preferred to do it personally. After all, one’s own armor was a matter of life or death in battle, and hands-on care bred confidence.

"Do you know how?"

"Uh... I do not, sir." Shen Hao had never even worn armor before, never mind waxing it.

"I heard you’re Jiang Cheng’s disciple, correct? He served under me once, though we barely met, being stationed far apart. Later he was transferred to the Xuanqing Guard—the transfer order passed through my hands. A letter from him arrived the other day, reminiscing about the past and flattering me no end. I didn’t understand it then, but seeing you now, it all makes sense."

"Lord Jiang gives me too much credit; I am blessed by his favor." Shen Hao was taken aback—he hadn’t expected Jiang Cheng to write Zuo Yuliang, and from Zuo’s tone, the letter seemed to contain hints of guidance?

Still, he acknowledged Jiang Cheng’s kindness in his heart, though he gave nothing away to Zuo Yuliang. The other party invoked Jiang Cheng’s name to establish rapport—what would follow would certainly not be mere formality.

...

PS: Wishing everyone a happy New Year! May you all have good health and joy with your family!

Also, I hope to relax a bit over the Spring Festival, so there will be two Chapters instead of three until after the holiday. Please forgive me and thank you for understanding.