Chapter 622: An Acquaintance

Chapter 622: Chapter 622: An Acquaintance

Shen Hao hadn’t expected Chen Zifang’s plan to end up involving him. Because the proposal to burn the corpses suggested that a large Five Elements Fire Attribute Array could be used for incineration, making the process both easier and less labor-intensive. There were still plenty of General Spirit Stones in the army, so part of them could be diverted to power the array.

But as Cheng Jinhou put it, there simply weren’t any cultivators in the army skilled with Five Elements Fire Attribute, while Chen Zifang immediately interjected, "Lord Shen has a guard of exceptionally high cultivation, who just so happens to practice the Five Elements Fire Attribute. He could help us... right?"

So it was all a setup!

All that "not optimistic," and "seeking his opinion," the two of them were working together in a fine act, just to get him to personally agree to burning the bodies—so they could borrow Shen Hao’s guard in the process. Otherwise, for a Primordial Pill Realm cultivator, and from the Xuanqing Guard at that, neither Cheng Jinhou nor Chen Zifang had the nerve to simply ask for help.

Consider this a lesson learned, really his own fault for not being alert enough. Shen Hao agreed with a smile, but internally he had to raise his guard yet again—best not let these seemingly straightforward folks in the military catch him off guard anymore.

His instinctive tension as a newcomer to the battlefield truly made Shen Hao let his defenses down when dealing with his own people.

Careless.

Shen Hao had only recently discovered what his three guards cultivated. One of them practiced the rare Sword Cultivation, one cultivated Five Elements Fire Attribute, and one the Five Elements Earth Attribute. Of course, that’s just what they’d shown him so far; whether they had other abilities, Shen Hao didn’t know.

Getting someone of the Primordial Pill Realm to cooperate wasn’t easy. Luckily, Shen Hao had kept good relations since meeting them, and his influence with Pang Ban was growing—so most of the time, these three guards weren’t about to create an awkward scene.

So when Shen Hao increased his "reward" to six jars of two-year aged Wuliangye, the guard finally agreed. It was plenty—he’d been drooling over the two-year vintage for ages, and getting six jars at once felt like hitting the jackpot. As for the other two who wanted a share, Shen Hao didn’t pay them any mind, telling them to split it among themselves.

That night, Shen Hao headed outside the military camp with Cheng Jinhou and Chen Zifang. One guard took the lead, with the other Primordial Pill Realm experts from the army assisting in finding the biggest, deepest corpse pit, then arranging the array, finishing before mid-9 p.m.

"It’s just a basic Fire Attribute Bursting Flame Array. The structure is simple, only it’s larger than usual. It needs a Primordial Pill Realm Fire Attribute cultivator to activate the array core, and then you just channel the General Spirit Stones for power."

Shen Hao didn’t know arrays, but he was sure that this grand array wouldn’t be as easy as the other guy made it sound. Otherwise, why would it take six whole Primordial Pill Realm cultivators to get it working?

On the other hand, the number of cultivators here was just as Shen Hao had predicted before arriving. Just here, he could see four at the Primordial Pill Realm, Cheng Jinhou included. Plus, Cheng Jinhou was injured, which proved how brutal the previous battle was, and also showed there must be even more powerful cultivators guarding the camp—otherwise, it couldn’t have held out.

"Let’s begin!"

Once the array was activated, soldiers followed prior instructions to place General Spirit Stones one by one into the array’s grooves. The cultivators setting up the grand array could then back off, and the array began to run on its own.

It was Shen Hao’s first time seeing such a massive Fire Attribute array, especially a fierce Bursting Flame Array. Even standing outside, he could feel a blast of heat surging from within. The ordinary soldiers who worked nearby were quickly drenched in sweat.

After about half a stick of incense, Cheng Jinhou checked with his perception, then waved his hand, saying, "It’s done."

With that, several sloped trenches dug for body disposal came into play. Corpses and severed limbs rolled through these chutes into the pit and the grand array, where they immediately began to burn, tumbling in as if in a blazing furnace, each one flaring up like a fireball.

Shen Hao made a rough calculation: a corpse turned to ash in just a cup of tea’s time, making it as hot as a crematorium, and capable of handling battlefield clean-up on a massive scale. Burning through the night, the whole job could be done by sunrise.

The next part was pretty eye-burning. The stench and the visual shock of burning bodies was definitely nothing pleasant, and after all, Shen Hao hadn’t eaten all day—watching this really turned his stomach.

"The lower camp hasn’t been sorted out yet. I’ll head back and check—does the General have any more orders?"

"Haha, nothing more. Lord Shen, feel free to go. Thanks for your help tonight."

"General, you’re too polite, it’s my duty."

After saying so, Shen Hao cupped his hands and turned to leave. Cheng Jinhou nodded politely, and also thanked the three guards. This supposedly burly guy kept everything well sorted.

Returning to the camp, Shen Hao had just reached the gate when he saw a squad of what looked like battered, ragged soldiers coming in from outside, each one injured and dead tired.

Shen Hao hadn’t paid much attention, but a quick glance revealed a familiar figure among them. He hurried over and called out.

"Vice General Wu!"

The man turned, looked over, and his expression was quite surprised. It was the old acquaintance Wu Kai, assigned to the Mixed Army and brought out to Jianchuan.

How long had it been? The change was so drastic, Shen Hao couldn’t help but think as he got closer.

Right now, Wu Kai’s face was mostly tired, with only a thin forced smile. He looked much thinner, dirty and unkempt, chest tightly wrapped in bandages with blood seeping through.

"Lord Shen! Long time no see, never thought you’d come to Jianchuan." Wu Kai didn’t used to care for Shen Hao, but after battle after battle, all life-and-death, whatever old grudges he had had been forgotten. Now, seeing Shen Hao, there was even a hint of "meeting an old friend in a foreign land"—how could you argue with that?

"I just got here this afternoon. On duty. What about you? Why are you coming in from outside?"

"Heh, what else? Jianchuan’s defense line is massive, the upper camp’s responsibilities cover more than just this stronghold. Our Mixed Army is patrolling the line, and this time we were rotated in for resupply and recovery."

"Come on, let’s go together. You guys haven’t eaten, right? I haven’t either. Let’s try the food here, and I can catch up with you." Shen Hao was showing real enthusiasm. He didn’t know how long he’d be at Jianchuan, so now that he had someone he knew, it was the perfect chance to get the lay of the land.

Wu Kai smiled—he didn’t overthink Shen Hao’s intentions like he once did, nor did he refuse, saying, "The food here isn’t great, but there’s plenty. If Lord Shen hasn’t eaten, we can eat together."

"Let’s eat together, then."