Chapter 601: Inquiry

Chapter 601: Chapter 601: Inquiry

Can a Qi Refining Realm Fifth Layer cultivator withstand eighty military rods? Generally, it’s not a problem—even if their True Qi is sealed and they can’t use the True Qi Shield to lessen the damage, their body is still much tougher than an ordinary person and can take eighty strikes.

But if the one wielding the military rod is also a cultivator? Then you probably wouldn’t survive eighty; forty would be fatal.

And that last military supervisor who jumped out to stir up trouble and vent some anger ended up dead—because his "constitution was too weak, after fifty strikes his breath was gone."

Inside the tent, apart from the furious military supervisors in charge, everyone else was full of smiles.

The death of a military supervisor is cause for celebration in the ranks. While it’s improper to applaud, a smile is not out of line, right?

So the officers’ gazes toward Shen Hao grew increasingly friendly.

Liu Qingyue, driven by righteous indignation, wanted to storm out, but he gripped his fists on his knees and forced himself to hold back, unwilling to lose composure in front of Zuo Yuliang and give him even a shred of opportunity for criticism.

Last time, in a similar military meeting, Zuo Yuliang had executed a military supervisor by rod for "entering without being called." The supervisors were outraged—though they didn’t dare howl in front of Zuo Yuliang, they managed to report the incident to the Emperor, though it was ultimately suppressed. One key factor that Lord Liu had heard about was that the Civil Servant Group lost clout in the Temple Hall, and as military influence rose, so did the military’s authority.

The first time brought anger; now, the second time, they’re much calmer.

It’s only a Hundred Households Military Supervisor. If not for his supervisory role, he wouldn’t even qualify to attend this military strategy meeting—how could his death possibly affect the grand commander of the border army?

Furthermore, Liu Qingyue finally understood: the military has no intention of letting their supervisors speak. Any slip-up means death by rod—this was already the second warning.

What’s most despairing for all the supervisors is that, in the short term, there’s no way to regroup—the Inspector’s shift in powers has basically strangled them completely.

Liu Qingyue kept silent and accepted his fate. The officers’ moods improved, even the shadow of war slightly lifted.

The meeting continued until early 3:00 p.m., without breaks or food. To save time, if you got hungry, you went back to your own quarters to eat—the central army didn’t provide meals.

However, Shen Hao was kept behind to have a proper lunch in the Central Army Tent with Zuo Yuliang.

The surprising thing was that Zuo Yuliang’s lunch consisted of fruit, not meat pies or rice. Is this stuff enough to fill you up? Shen Hao doubted it, but then remembered Zuo Yuliang was a Primordial Pill Realm Sixth Layer expert—for him, eating probably wasn’t that important. He thought of Nie Yun—that guy’s appetite was pretty unimpressive, too.

"Bang!" A big bowl of noodle soup with meat was placed in front of Shen Hao—big enough to fit a human head, and the noodles inside were exceptionally thick, each about as wide as a finger. One slurp equaled three or four slurps of ordinary thin noodles.

Shen Hao didn’t hold back; he picked up the bowl and started stuffing his face. Across from him, Zuo Yuliang leaned back in his chair and leisurely ate fruit.

When Shen Hao finished the noodles, a guard removed his bowl, and only then did Zuo Yuliang speak.

"I heard you like spicy food, so the kitchen added extra chili. Does it suit your taste?"

"Thank you, Commander. This was the most satisfying meal I’ve had in days." Shen Hao cupped his hands in thanks. He wasn’t exaggerating—it really was delicious, as good as his own cook, Li Erfu.

"Glad you liked it. Let’s get to business. Where did you learn about boiling water?" Zuo Yuliang cut straight to the point.

Shen Hao was a little stunned; he remembered explaining this in public earlier, but since Zuo Yuliang asked again, he prepared to repeat, "Sir, I had an old gatekeeper..."

But before he could finish, Zuo Yuliang waved his hand and interrupted, "Spare me the fluff. Talk real."

The claims about a gatekeeper, about drinking tea, about sudden inspiration—Zuo Yuliang believed none of it. He could tell Shen Hao was just making excuses.

Under Zuo Yuliang’s intense gaze, Shen Hao secretly broke into a cold sweat.

He’d been too careless. At the time, he was getting pushed by that now-dead military supervisor and just threw out a convenient excuse. Now he realized it wouldn’t hold up—anyone sharp could tell he was just making something up.

He didn’t expect Zuo Yuliang to ask him in person and dig for the truth.

"So? Hard to say? Or worried?" Zuo Yuliang added, interested, as if just making casual conversation.

"Commander, these are just some small techniques my cultivation mentor used to mention from time to time. They’re unproven, not systematic, and frankly sound a bit like nonsense, so I hesitated to reveal the truth earlier."

After all, Shen Hao couldn’t exactly tell Zuo Yuliang he was a product of nine years’ compulsory education and had learned these basic science facts long ago. So he just spun another excuse.

The good thing about excuses is, after a few times, even if people see through them, they won’t press further out of courtesy. Shen Hao knew this "cultivation mentor" story was just as flimsy as the "gatekeeper" one.

Luckily, Zuo Yuliang only frowned and obviously wasn’t too pleased with the answer, but didn’t push further. He nodded, then continued, "Aside from boiling water, what else can effectively control disease outbreaks in the camps?"

Shen Hao couldn’t understand why Zuo Yuliang suddenly asked him this. Wasn’t this something for physicians?

Still, Shen Hao answered, "Actually, preventing disease in camp just comes down to three words: ’stay clean.’ Bathe often, drink boiled water, and don’t relieve yourself wherever you like. Do those three and things improve a lot. Add the physicians’ medicines and poisonings for rats and insects—unless there’s an emergency, it’s unlikely to have a major outbreak."

He could only speak simply. He didn’t really know how to prevent epidemics in military camps, but maintaining hygiene and cleaning living spaces were always good advice.

"Bathing? That actually helps?"

What surprised Shen Hao was, even though his answers were perfunctory and limited, and he avoided going into detail, Zuo Yuliang seemed to listen very seriously.

"Yes, Commander. It’s like the street beggars and vagrants—filthy, covered in fleas, how many are healthy? Most of them are plagued with illness—and that’s mainly because their bodies are full of filth and breeding grounds for disease."

After a long silence, apparently pondering Shen Hao’s words.

"Makes sense! You do have some insight in this area." After a pause, Zuo Yuliang continued: "Would you be interested in holding an official post in the army?"